The Prime Princess

Draco rushed to the scene and saw his father and Blaise staring each other like mad with a look that could burn down the whole village. Hermione stood next to Blaise with a frightened expression on her beautiful pale face. She looked sorry and heartbroken at the same time. Pansy held onto her and nervously looked at the older wizards.

Harry and Ron arrived just few moments after Draco and halted behind him to peer over his shoulder at two wizards competing.

“Okay, lets get Hermione and…” whispered Harry but Draco raised his hand.

“And tell Wizengamot what?” sneered Blaise, “That you used old magic to bind Hermione to your heart?”

Lucius seemed to get even more furious if that was possible. Dark tendrils of his anger started to float around him like a storm cloud, bringing out his hidden nature. Blaise just stared at him with confident look.

“It happens that Minister of Magic saw you kidnapping my fiancé and soon this place will be crawling with Aurors. In the eye of law you are the one to go to Azkaban,” told Lucius, keeping his voice calm. Blaise’s face didn’t show any signs of losing his ground.

Moretius looked at his daughter with sympathy. This wasn’t her fault and he understood the situation but he was angry with the young wizard who had taken her from him just like those damn Muggles. He hated Grangers and with them all the Muggle-kind. But he was ready to forgive Lucius for his haste actions.

“Mione, come sweetie,” called Moretius and reached out his hand to his daughter. Hermione looked at her father and then Blaise and Pansy. She was afraid. She didn’t know what to do and nervously looked down.

“Lets go home,” said Moretius softly and managed to smile.

“The ring,” whispered Draco, “Its Zabini’s heirloom.”

“Meaning?” questioned Harry who anxiously wanted to rob Hermione from the scene and explain some things to her before it was too late.

“It has powers to make Mione loyal to her master, even make her love…”

“This is just sick,” told Ron out loud. “It should be illegal.”

Harry thought over the situation a bit and finally came to a conclusion. He needed to put an end to it. Stepping out, he walked straight in between of two sides glaring at each other.

“Ahhem, seeing that both of you have used magic on Hermione, it’s only fair to release her from it and ask a true answer from her,” announced Harry, hoping they agreed with him or just hexed him.

“Get out of the way, boy,” hissed Moretius and draw his wand but didn’t aim it at him.

“Near here is a curse breaker that can help,” added Harry and Ron nodded enthusiastically. “He can lift the magic from Hermione and she can say from heart who she truly loves,” but Harry figured neither wizard was interested in truth. They only wanted her as a trophy to show wizarding world they got the best witch there ever was.

“If you don’t do it, I’ll take her there myself,” growled Draco and stomped to Hermione and grabbed at her arm, yanking her away from Pansy’s grasp who draw her wand at him just like Blaise, Lucius and Moretius. Harry pointed his wand at Lucius and Ron turned his at Moretius whose scowl made him look sinister.

“No one moves,” snarled Lucius and tried to figure out which one was dearer to him – his son or his fiancé. He wanted to kill Draco for even touching Hermione but feared to hurt her in the process.

“Stupefy!” roared Lucius.

“Alexo!” yelled Draco at the same time and the Lucius’ spell backfired and almost hit Moretius who hexed Ron with a Body Bind but hit a Muggle. Some village people had heard the noise and came out of their houses and fallen under the curse fire. Older wizards didn’t care about them as they tried to get Hermione who was shielded by Draco.

“Caedo!” yelled Lucius in rage and bright red flash of light shot past Draco’s head and blow up a house behind him, sending derbies flying. That was a forgotten Killing Curse but at that moment Lucius didn’t think of the consequences. He wanted what was his.

“Scarifico!” screamed Draco and flashed his curse at his father, cutting a deep slash over his chest. Lucius fell over and howled in pain as he landed on his backside on the street’s pavement. Harry saw what Draco had just done and it stunned him just as much as it stunned Moretius. He turned his wand at both of them and concentrated.

“Expelliarmus!” yelled Harry. Silence came over the battleground that was littered with demolished yards and houses with weeping Muggles. Then Harry turned around and strode to Blaise whose face was smudged with dust and some cuts dripped blood.

“We are taking Hermione to Bill,” he said firmly, daring him to protest. “And you are coming with us.”
***
Draco laid Hermione onto a shabby couch and wrinkled his nose as Prime Princess was in contrast with the whole Burrow. Hermione was a bit dazed from the fight but not too much to recognize two redheads stepping into the room.

George looked amused and whispered something to his twin who tried to hide his blush. Fred turned his gaze away from Hermione who smiled at them and then looked at Mrs. Weasley who was brushing past her sons.

“Oh, Miss Ariston! What a surprise to see you. Welcome, welcome,” she babbled and tried to fix her appearance in front of her. Hermione just smiled as how adorable the older witch was in a motherly way.

“Thank you, Mrs. Weasley. I hope I’m no trouble…”

“No, not at all!” said Mrs. Weasley and clapped her hands together, “My sons friends are always welcome here,” with that she looked at Ron who was redder as his hair and heard twins chuckle.

“Mom,” started Ron but couldn’t finish.

“So, Harry, I heard you were looking for Bill,” said Mrs. Weasley and looked at Draco, Blaise and Pansy, “He’s gone out for few hours but he’ll be back soon.”

“What?! No! We need him now!” yelled Draco, staring at Mrs. Weasley, fearing Aurors would find them soon if Lucius was telling the truth and not bluffing.

“Young man, behave,” said Mrs. Weasley and on the background twins whispered something with some muffled chuckles. “I shall owl Bill and he’ll come as soon as he can. Is that understood?”

“Yes, but…”

“No buts. Now, let the poor girl rest a bit, others will come and join the feast,” said Mrs. Weasley and ushered griffindors and slytherins out of the room. Hermione watched them leave and closed her eyes but was startled as she heard a chair scraping the wooden floor.

“So, what trouble are you in now?” asked George with a smirk as Hermione opened her eyes and found one of the twins staring at her over his brother’s shoulder. “Heard you got engaged and all.”

“Yeah, but…” and Hermione looked at the ring in her finger, “But I think I was tricked into this.”

Fred raised his eyebrows and stared at the ring she was wearing. Like his brother, he knew a lot about charms, curses and hexes they altered to use on their products.

“Better take that off,” pointed Fred out. Hermione twiddled with the ring but couldn’t take it off. She didn’t dare. She was afraid her mind would go haywire if she did.

“Shall I help?” inquired Fred and ignored his twin. Hermione gave her hand to him and bite her lip as Fred looked the ring a bit closer and then edged it off of her finger.

“Ah,” inhaled Hermione sharply and looked at Fred. The loss was immense and it hurt so much to be carved empty inside.

“Ariston, you alright?” asked George as Hermione stared at his twin and gasped for air but couldn’t breath. Her hands grabbed at Fred’s forearms and her nails dug deep into his skin as she tried to hold onto something, to keep herself sane, to keep onto reality.

“That was a love spell, wasn’t it?” asked George and looked frantically at the closed door. He was afraid his mother would kill him if she’d find out what they had done to Hermione Ariston.

“For what else engagement rings are meant for?” tried Fred to be sarcastic but his voice faltered as he saw Hermione fading away.

“All love spells can be broken with a kiss!”

“What?!”

“Just kiss her! Like you haven’t done it before!” mocked George.

Fred remembered the back of the store where she had kissed him to prove she was no evil monster all thought. And now looking at her, she was all opened up and vulnerable. No threat lied behind her.

So beautiful, thought Fred and pulled her closer to him until he felt her trembling body against him. Her big brown eyes looked right into his soul, begging for help.

“Finite Incantatem,” he whispered and kissed her. He felt the magic eating her alive and scolding him off from its pray. Suddenly the magic fell quiet inside Hermione and let go of her. Fred pulled her into his lap and enjoyed the kiss as she came alive in his hands. She needed him like air and Fred was not the one to deny her that.

Letting go of her to gasp for air was the hardest thing in Fred’s life. He wanted to go on forever but when he saw gasping Hermione, it was worth it. Her face was blushed and her lips red. She looked delicious and Fred couldn’t stop himself from wanting more.

“That should be enough,” coughed George who had gotten a hard on watching his brother snogging the witch. Hermione licked her lips and stared at Fred, loving his blue eyes.

“I felt the spell,” told Fred, “It died away.”

Hermione untangled herself from Fred’s lap and stood up, trying to clear her head. It was filled with fog and something that demanded her attention. Feelings crept out of the corners of her mind and they were vicious little demons, telling her, she should be with Lucius, others commanded her to go right away to Blaise. It was a mess and she didn’t understand her heart anymore. Who was she supposed to love?

“There’s another spell,” whispered Hermione and turned to look at George. “It’s not over yet.”

“Another one?” George was amazed as Hermione walked to the door and it opened before she reached the handle.

“Fred, George, mum is looking for you,” said Charlie stepping into the room and getting a close up on Hermione. “Wow.”

“Yes, yes, yes, we are coming!” hurried George and grabbed at Hermione’s shoulders and guided her safely around his older brother and out of the door. Fred just shrugged his shoulders as Charlie looked at him questioningly and rushed after George.

“What just happened?” called Charlie after him.

“Nothing! I swear!”

“Yeah right,” muttered Charlie and followed them to the kitchen.