A/N: Welcome to my story! This is a bit of a crossover of the Selection Series by Kiera Cass with the characters of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter. It's a slow burn, so buckle your seatbelts, kiddos. Also, thanks to Maxerica for pointing out I didn't give credit where it was due. It slipped my mind, so thanks!
Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the Harry Potter or the Selection series. I'm just getting my fantasies out on the page.
The Drawing
Chapter One
A loud bang jolted Hermione from her sleep. With a startled gasp, her eyes snapped open and she shot up, her heart racing from the sudden sound. Delighted laughter filtered through the dilapidated walls of her home moments later, making the young woman curse under her breath. Those damn neighbours were always letting their children experiment with magic when it was safe to do so, which almost always resulted in some sort of loud explosion. Hermione briefly wondered what sort of damage the little hellions had caused this time but forced herself to not think about it.
As annoying as the children were, Hermione would always force herself to put up with it. She (along with the rest of the neighbourhood) would turn a deaf ear to the noises being made. When the dates for the monthly inspections were announced, everyone in the neighbourhood would pitch in to help with the scorched fences and dead grass. Everyone would smile smiles of barely concealed contempt and tell the officials, "No there hasn't been any use of magic around here" when they did decide to show up.
Because no matter how much those little boys annoyed everyone, no matter how much Hermione hated the boys' parents for ignoring everyone's warnings to stop letting their children play with fire, no one would ever wish the punishments the family would receive if they were turned in.
Hermione rubbed the sleep from her eyes and stretched in her chair, her back aching in protest. She had fallen asleep while reading Hogwarts, A History and was sure that her cheek had a lovely imprint of a page on it. She grabbed her bookmark and placed it on the page she had left off before closing the book.
Judging from the warm sunlight that peeked through her shabby curtains, Hermione surmised it was nearing the late afternoon. That realization made her heart lodge itself in her throat and she grabbed her book, scrambling off of her chair before kicking it to the side. Beneath the table she used as a desk were a series of floorboards that she had managed to pry loose over the years. With practiced precision, she dug one of her chipped nails into the edge of a floorboard and pulled, trying not to cough from the dust that lifted up with the board. An aged sheet of muslin was holding the books Hermione had begun to collect inside the little hole. She pushed the fabric aside, placed her book on top of the stack and covered them back up with the muslin, taking extra care to make sure they were securely wrapped. After popping the floorboard back in place, Hermione stood up, moved the chair to its original position and ran out of her room.
She was going to be late.
The living area was dark and musty as Hermione ran into it. Her bag was still on the sofa from when she had flung it that morning in her haste to get a few hours of reading in before she was expected to be at work again. She slung it over her shoulder, grabbed her keys and left her house.
By the time she reached the mansion, her boss was standing in the doorway, hands on her hips and glaring fiercely at the young woman.
"You are late."
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Pince," Hermione began, skidding to a halt. Her trek left her slightly breathless and she swallowed hard. "I –"
"Save it," Mrs. Pince held her hand up, effectively cutting Hermione off. "I don't care what your excuse is. You were told to be here at a specific time and I expect you to be here, working, at that time."
Hermione winced. She nodded, keeping her eyes glued to the ground in front of her. "It won't happen again, Mrs. Pince."
"No, it won't," the older woman agreed. "And for God's sake child, look at me when I'm talking to you."
Hermione's eyes snapped up to meet Mrs. Pince. The harsh woman narrowed her gaze, taking in her appearance. "You're to meet with Molly in the kitchen. She'll explain what your task is today because I can't be bothered to go over it again." Hermione cringed. "And do something with that hair. I know your type lack etiquette but that is simple common sense."
Hermione felt herself flush angrily as she reached up to self-consciously pat her hair. Her wild brown curls had tamed somewhat over the years as she matured, but she was sure they were all over the place thanks to her rushing to try and get to work on time. Mrs. Pince raised her eyebrows at her, clearly expecting an answer. Hermione wanted to tell the woman where to go and how to get there but instead mumbled, "Yes, ma'am."
Mrs. Pince stepped aside, letting Hermione hurry through the doorway. Inside she could hear the bustle of other Fives going about their duties. She kept her head down as she reached into her bag, grabbing the rag she used to tie her hair up and quickly did so. After storing her bag in the little cupboard they were allowed to use, Hermione quickly made her way to the kitchen. She pressed her hands against her cheeks; they were burning so much it almost hurt.
Hermione spotted the portly Molly Weasley instantly when she reached the kitchen. The middle-aged woman had the brightest shade of red hair Hermione had ever seen on someone, making her stand out amidst the browns, blacks, and blondes of the others in the room.
Molly turned as she approached and sighed sympathetically, obviously taking in Hermione's still red face.
"Don't worry about Mrs. Pince, dear," she said quietly, handing Hermione a bucket filled with soapy water. Molly turned, grabbing a couple of sponges before beckoning the younger woman to follow her out of the kitchen.
"It's hard not to," Hermione muttered, keeping her eyes on the bucket. She moved with small steps, trying to keep the water from sloshing onto the floor.
"Yes, well…" Molly trailed off and sighed again. "Why were you late?"
Hermione bit her lip. "I, uh, fell asleep reading."
"You? Fell asleep reading?" Molly turned to stare at Hermione with a dubious expression.
"I was tired," she defended, feeling the heat in her cheeks return.
They turned a corner and walked down a long, narrow, marble hallway. Once at the end, Molly gestured for Hermione to set the bucket down and held out a sponge.
Kneeling down, Hermione began to scrub at the floor viciously. It had taken all the willpower Hermione possessed to be able to be the quiet and submissive Five that was expected of her while Mrs. Pince lectured her. No, Hermione thought bitterly, not expected – required.
Her mother had told her time and time again that she was too prideful, that her mouth would get her into trouble. And it did. There were times when Hermione couldn't hold her tongue when someone talked down to or belittled her, and she had paid the price. The scars and scabs on her knuckles were testament to that. But things were different now and she couldn't afford to lose her temper. So, Hermione kept her head down and bit her tongue, taking her frustrations out on whatever task was given to her – like the poor marble floor.
Hermione was able to lose herself in her work and about six hours later, Mrs. Pince allowed them to leave for the night. Hermione reached up and pulled the rag from her hair, running a hand through her curls to get out any kinks. She felt sticky and gross from the physical work she had done and her stomach was beginning to cramp from hunger.
"Two o'clock at the Chang residence, Granger," Mrs. Pince announced as Hermione walked by her to grab her bag. Molly had left before her and she didn't want to keep the woman waiting. Nonetheless, Hermione paused and gave a tired nod. "And I expect you'll be there no later than ten to."
"Of course," Hermione said softly, making sure to look Mrs. Pince in the eye.
There was a pause and then Mrs. Pince nodded. Hermione turned to leave just as Mrs. Pince's voice stopped her yet again. "The only reason you're here is because your father is a good man and I owe him a favour. You best remember that."
[o][o][o]
"I forgot to ask – how's your father doing?"
Hermione paused, watching as the murky water drained from the sink. The usual flicker of worry wormed its way into her stomach as it always did whenever she thought of her father and she fought to push it down. "He's okay," she said, clearing her throat. "Mum says he's starting to look better now, but that's what she always says."
Molly clucked her tongue sympathetically. "I'm sorry, dear," she said in a soft voice that only mothers seemed to possess. "But your father is strong, he'll get better soon."
Hermione said nothing and nodded, hating the way her throat constricted and her eyes began to burn. She cleared her throat one more time before placing the bucket under the faucet and turning on the tap. After washing the bucket out, she banged it a couple of times against the edge of the sink to get any excess water out before placing it in the cupboard. Their tasks for that day were finally completed and Hermione was eager to get home.
"All finished, I presume?" Mrs. Pince asked, walking into the kitchen with her head held high.
"Yes, ma'am."
"Good," the woman nodded, her beady eyes taking in the two in front of her. "You may go now. Be here again tomorrow at the same time."
Hermione gave a quick curtsy and another "Yes, ma'am," before scurrying out of the kitchen, Molly right behind her. The sun was just beginning to set as they stepped outside. The cool air felt wonderful on Hermione's skin and she allowed herself a happy sigh.
Molly let out a pained groaned, causing her to look back. The older woman was rubbing the back of her neck while craning head from side to side and grimacing slightly. "What I wouldn't give to be able to use magic at work," she said wistfully.
Hermione pressed her lips together painfully, unable to stop the hitch in her breath. Thankfully, Molly didn't notice that she had slipped up and kept on walking. Hermione wasn't offended by her friend's words; Molly would never consciously say something that mean to Hermione. In fact, Molly was usually extremely careful when talking about magic around her. No, Hermione knew that Molly meant well and that she sometimes forgot that even though they were both in the same caste, the Weasleys were still of a higher status than Hermione.
They were allowed to use magic outside of work. She was not.
"Is your mother visiting your father again this weekend?" Molly asked completely oblivious to Hermione's inner-monologue.
"She is," she nodded, pushing down the flash of bitter resentment she had felt. "She took the last bus into the city after her shift today."
Molly hummed, her brows furrowing. It was no secret that the older woman was not impressed with how Hermione's mother was handling her father's sudden illness. In fact, it caused quite a few arguments between the two women. Hermione's family had grown close to the Weasleys over the years and while the bond between them and Hermione had grown over the past four months, her mother was starting to wear out her welcome.
"Why don't you come over for dinner tonight, dear?" Molly suggested. "It's not good for you to be in that house alone."
This was also another regular argument that happened between Hermione and Molly. With Hermione's mother spending more and more time in the city with her father, the Weasleys would offer Hermione some of their hard-earned food. At first, Hermione accepted. The Weasleys had come into some extra money with the surprising promotion of one of their children. But after Percy decided he was too good for his 'low status' family and moved to a nicer town (and taking the extra income with him), Hermione felt bad for taking them up on their offer. The family of eight needed all the money they could get just to have one meal a day. She couldn't agree to that when Molly had her own children to think of.
"I think I'll pass for tonight," she said, trying to give Molly a smile. She was sure it came out more of a grimace. "I'm really tired from today's work and I have to be up early tomorrow for my shift at Mr. Masen's."
"Mr. Masen's?" Molly stopped, reaching out and pulling on Hermione's arm to turn her around.
"Yeah," Hermione nodded, trying to ignore the scrutinizing look the older woman was giving her. "Mr. Masen found out Dad was sick and sought me out. He said if we needed any help with money to let him know so I'm starting to do work for him in the mornings."
"Oh, Hermione," Molly breathed. "No wonder why you're tired all the time!"
Hermione had to look away from the sadness that filled Molly's brown eyes. She didn't need her pity.
Molly grabbed both of Hermione's hands and tugged on them, forcing her to look at the woman. "I'll leave you be tonight, but you are coming over tomorrow for dinner and I am not accepting a refusal," she stated, her voice holding no room to argue. "We'll have a family meal and then we can all listen to the broadcast together, understand?"
Hermione felt a genuine smile creep up on her and she nodded, her heart suddenly bursting with love for the Weasley family. Try as she might, Hermione couldn't say no all the time. Molly could be damn persistent. "Loud and clear."
Molly smiled, gently patting Hermione's cheek and they continued walking. They eventually parted ways and Hermione walked down the slightly uneven sidewalk, watching as the posh surroundings she began in bled into the dirty, rugged area she had learned to call home.
As she turned onto her street, Hermione noticed there were new scorch marks on the fence across from her house. She rolled her eyes, wondering what the Creevey boys had done this time.
[o][o][o]
Hermione arrived at the Chang residence at precisely quarter to two. She stood outside of the gates, quickly finishing off the muffin Mr. Masen had given her and tied her hair up. Fridays were huge days for all members of society in the kingdom. It was the day that the Hogwarts Express aired.
The Hogwarts Express was an hour-long programme that updated everyone with the goings on around the kingdom and within the royal family. Most of the time it was useless drivel filled with gossip and thinly veiled drama with just a dash of politics. But because there had been civil unrest with the provinces to the North, the Hogwarts Express was starting to add more military and strategic content to their show. However, that didn't stop people from making the weekly show a cause for celebration.
Every Friday, houses of higher castes would hold parties before and after the broadcast. While the broadcast was free to everyone within the kingdom, it was only the people who had money that were able to actually watch the broadcast. Those who weren't lucky enough to serve at the parties or able to afford a Telefloo had to settle with listening via Wireless.
There was a flurry of activity when Hermione entered the kitchen of the Chang residence. Cooks rushed around, beginning their preparations for that evening's meal while Fives dashed in and out nonstop. Standing on a crate in the middle of the kitchen was Mrs. Pince's second in command. With a hand on her hip, she barked out orders to the servants passing by.
"I need all Fives to get to cleaning right away. If you answer to Mr. Filch, go to the ballroom. All Fives answering to Mrs. Pince go to the parlor to set up the area for after the broadcast."
Hermione turned on her heel and quickly made her way to the parlor. When she arrived, she saw that other Fives had already begun to push the tables and chairs aside so the floor could be washed.
A tall, dark haired man around Hermione's age entered right after her carrying a bucket of water in each hand. "Hey, Hermione," he greeted as he past her.
"Hi Justin," she smiled back, following him into the room.
"Come on, let's finish this so we can go home." Justin handed Hermione a mop and pointed to the bucket that had been placed in the corner of the room. "I hear the king is making an announcement tonight. Apparently, there's going to be some type of event going on."
"Event," Alice Longbottom scoffed from where she was stacking chairs in a corner. "Since when do events have anything to do with us?"
Justin looked slightly put out at the older woman's remark, his face falling.
"Where did you even hear about that, Justin?" Hermione asked.
"I help out at the Thomas residence sometimes. Mrs. Thomas apparently just came back from visiting the palace and this event was all anyone could talk about," Justin reported dutifully.
Hermione nodded, knowing how fast gossip and rumours could spread throughout households. She dipped the mop into her bucket and rang it out just as Molly walked into the room.
"The ladies of the town seem to think some sort of ball will be happening," she announced. She obviously had caught the tail end of what Justin had said. "Ginny is going around saying she thinks the ball will be for all castes."
"That would be the day," Justin said dreamily, resting his chin on the handle of his mop.
Alice walked over and cuffed the man on the back of the head. "Stop your daydreaming and get back to work," she hissed. "If Mrs. Pince caught you like that -"
"Yeah, yeah," Justin grumbled, rubbing the back of his head and glaring at Alice.
Hermione shook her head at their antics and began to mop the floor. The four of them worked quickly to wash the floors, set up the tables and chairs, and make sure everything would be ready for the Fives that were lucky enough to work that evening.
"I wish I could see the broadcast," Molly said as they were cleaning up. "Just once, you know?"
Hermione found herself nodding in agreement. She knew what the royal family looked like thanks to magazines and posters but could never really put the faces to the voices. And despite being annoyed at the flashy nature of the show, curiosity really did make Hermione want to watch a broadcast at least once. Those who had seen the broadcast said everyone was always dressed beautifully (which wasn't a surprise) and the host, Lee Jordan, had hilarious facial expressions.
Mrs. Pince arrived soon after to relieve them of their duties. Hermione grabbed her bag and followed Molly down the street. She was beginning to regret agreeing to the dinner but knew there was no way of getting out of it now.
"Everyone is excited to see you again," Molly chattered happily as they walked. "Ron's been asking about you a lot."
Hermione felt herself flush and she rubbed her neck. Ron was the second youngest of the Weasley children and just a year older than her. She always recalled him teasing her mercilessly whenever they were together as children, almost to the point of tears, and her father telling her that was his way of saying he liked her.
"What is Ron up to now?" Hermione asked, wanting to change the subject. The last she had heard, Ron was struggling to find work and that was putting a strain on the relationship between him and his father.
"Oh! I forgot to tell you, didn't I?" Molly beamed at her. "Ron got a in with Oliver Wood - you know, the Three who teaches up on Churchill?"
"What?" Hermione gasped. "Molly! That's great!"
"I know," Molly sighed, looking every bit the proud mother that she was. "Things were touch and go for a while after –" she cut herself off and cleared her throat. Hermione felt a rush of anger towards Percy. "Well… things were pretty hit or miss. But it's getting better. I can't believe it. My baby boy got such an amazing opportunity!"
Hermione reached out and squeezed Molly's arm, so happy for the family. It was hard for anyone in the lower castes to gain rank so having Ron do so was quite an accomplishment. A small part of her worried that he would have it go to his head like Percy had, but she quickly dismissed it. Ron, although prone to jealousy, was a lot more level headed than Percy ever was. Plus, the jump in rank wasn't nearly as drastic for him as it was for Percy. At the end of the day, Ron was still a Five while Percy jumped from being a Five to a Three.
The caste system wasn't always as it was. After the Great Wizard War almost a hundred years ago, all of the kings met together to form a peace treaty. They decided to band all of the warring kingdoms under one crown and, after much debate, the Potters came out on top. Of course, that was what was told to everyone. History books were considered illegal to everyone except for a few select Ones and Threes, and even then, they weren't allowed to let their students read from them. To know the history of the kingdom of Hogwarts was, at least to royalty, considered a huge honour and they couldn't let just anyone know their past.
There were six main castes in the kingdom and they were labelled by numbers:
The One caste was reserved for immediate members of the royal family and head of religious houses.
The Two caste was for royal advisors, branching members of the royal family, diplomats, and celebrities.
The Three caste was for educators and scholars of all types, doctors, legal advisors, and high-ranking military officials. It used to include the families of those who served under the One caste but King James got rid of that rule a few years ago. Percy had managed to become an apprentice of a budding politician, thus making his rank a Three almost immediately.
The Four caste was left for your average workers. They ranged from bakers to factory workers and while they weren't as well off as those from Three, they certainly didn't struggle as much as those in Five and Six did.
The Five caste was the only caste that had an unofficial hierarchy within it. It began with everyone within Five being a servant of some kind. But as the population in the higher castes grew, people from One and Two began wanting a higher caliber of servant. Thus, the hierarchy of the Fives was born. Everyone was called a Five but a Five who served under the crown was extremely different from a Five that served under a Three or even a Four. Unfortunately, both Hermione and Molly were at the bottom of Five totem pole.
Somewhere between when the caste system was created and now, witches and wizards born to non-magical or half and half parents became a pariah. Non-magical peoples were a big cause of concern to the kingdom. It had only been fifty years since muggles (what witches and wizards called the non-magical people) were even allowed into the country. There was still discrimination against them but they were able to live peacefully. They were given sections of cities to live in and as long as they were loyal to the Hogwarts crown, had their own governments and laws.
However, almost immediately after King Charles made the decree to let muggles live and work in the kingdom, the rate for muggle born witches and wizards rose dramatically. What was even more terrifying (to the higher ups, at least) was that the number of squibs being born (a person born from a wizarding family with no magical ability whatsoever) also rose, seemingly from nowhere. This reinforced the unofficial hierarchy of Fives to make sure that Ones and Twos were given Fives from poor, but respectable, wizarding families.
The Six caste was the lowest caste possible. These people were usually jobless and homeless, left to beg on the street or turn to a life of crime. Squibs and muggles who no longer had a wizarding family to help support them (the muggle parts of the kingdom were extremely hesitant to allow muggles back in after leaving) were usually the ones who made up this caste, but runaways found their way into being Sixes as well.
Although the Sixes got the worst treatment, it was within the hierarchy of Fives that people suffered from the most discrimination. Fives serving the castles and Ones and Twos were able to amass a small, meager wage and could afford to be proud. Those Fives could be put in charge of their own employees, essentially becoming a boss. It was the Fives that served under those Fives that got the brunt of discrimination. Most of the people who had to work underneath another Five were either too poor to work their way up, somehow fell out of favor with the main Five in charge, or were muggle-born. It was those Fives, sometimes called Fifth District Fives, that were not allowed to use magic while working.
Because Fifth District Fives were mainly muggleborns, the government issued a statement stating they were 'uneasy' with allowing them the use of magic while in the presence of their muggle families.
Muggleborns, for the most part, understood this statement. There had been some civil unrest between the muggles living in the kingdom and lower caste magical people so they could understand the government's concern. For a while they were only allowed to use magic while at work. When Hermione was just a little girl and showing signs that she was, indeed, magical, King James decreed that muggleborns were not to be used magic, at all. A muggleborns caught learning magic was an immediately jail sentence and sent to be a Six.
Neighbourhoods that housed Fifth District Fives received monthly inspections by guards to make sure no one was doing magic illegally. Those caught covering for them were stripped of their caste and, after a harsh punishment, pushed into the Six caste.
Molly grabbed Hermione's hand and tugged on it when the Weasleys' two story home came into view, pulling her from her thoughts. Hermione grinned. Apparently, she was walking too slow for Molly's liking and allowed herself to be dragged up the front yard to the door.
"Hermione!"
Suddenly, Hermione was enveloped by a mass of red hair and arms. Laughing, she tried to wiggle her arms out of the hug to wrap them around Ron. "Ron! Ginny!"
Ron let Hermione go only to have Ginny spring into her arms, giving her a big hug.
"It's been too long!" Ginny gushed, squeezing Hermione tightly.
"I know," Hermione said, feeling a bit guilty. "I'm sorry, I've been busy."
"Don't worry about it," Ron waved it off, pulling Ginny off of her while Molly looked on with a smile. "We understand." He draped an arm around her shoulder and led the way into the house.
Once she stepped into the house, Hermione groaned as the delicious aroma hit her. "That smells good," she moaned.
Ron sniggered, clearly amused. "Charlie's been cooking up a storm once we found out you were coming for supper."
"Really?" Hermione felt her smile grow.
"Of course," Ginny scoffed, rolling her eyes. "According to Fred and George you're the sister they wished they had. I really should hate you."
Hermione laughed and shook her head. The twins were two of the most mischievous people she had ever met, but they were oddly charming at the same time.
"I'm going to go see if any help is needed in the kitchen," Molly said, excusing herself. Ron and Ginny led Hermione into the living area and she sat down on the couch.
"Oh – congratulations, Ron!" Hermione said. "I'm so happy about your promotion!"
Ron grinned sheepishly, his ears turning pink. "Thanks," he replied. "It still doesn't feel real."
"You should've seen his face when he came home from his first day of work," Ginny taunted, grinning at her brother.
"Gin," Ron groaned.
Hermione laughed and then turned to Ginny. "What about you? Are you still working at the hotel?"
"Yeah," Ginny sighed. The light in her eyes dimmed slightly. "Still there."
"At least it's steady work," Hermione offered. "You know you have a place."
"That's true," she nodded. "I guess I'm pretty lucky with that."
Dinner was called after that and the three of them made their way into the dining room. It was always a bit cramped around the small table, but Hermione loved the atmosphere. She spent dinner getting caught up with all of the Weasleys and, after helping with the cleanup, found herself back in the sitting area wedged in between Fred and Ginny as they waited for the Hogwarts Express to air.
"I wonder what the event is going to be," Ginny pondered. Hermione rolled her eyes; this hadn't been the first time she had brought it up that evening and, if Hermione was being honest with herself, it was starting to get a little annoying.
"We'll find out soon, Ginny," Arthur Weasley stated calmly, looking up from his magazine. The magazine was tattered and well worn. The older man had spent months saving up his extra money to be able to buy the magazine about six years ago. It was his pride and joy.
"Not soon enough," she grumped, huffing. Hermione snorted.
Finally, the opening jingle sounded from the Wireless. Ginny let out a little squeak and rushed to the radio, cranking the dial to the right to make it louder.
"Gooooooood evening, ladies and gentlemen!" Lee Jordan's voice filled the small room, crackly and distorted from the Wireless' age. "Welcome to this week's Hogwarts Express! We have a full show tonight, folks so let's jump right into it. King James, if you'd be so kind."
There was a break with polite applause as King James made his way to wherever he was supposed to go. Ginny bit her lip as she waited. Hermione wanted to tell her she didn't think they would announce whatever it was that was getting everyone in a tizzy so soon but never got the chance as the king began to talk.
Like Hermione had predicted, the king began with some talk about budgets and some politician wanting to start a petition for better schooling within Hufflepuff. Beside her, Ginny was slowly losing interest and began to fidget with her worn out jeans.
The next forty-five minutes continued on much like that. King James, along with some of his advisors would talk about the world around them with little interruptions from Lee to keep things entertaining.
"Alright – here's the part I know a lot of you have been waiting for," Lee began. He must have given a look to someone because laughter could be heard in the background. "Someone let it slip that there was going to be something exciting happening pretty soon. I think a lot of us agree that it's been quite entertaining listening to people all week trying to figure out what it that's going to happen." There was another break with more laughter. "So without further ado… Prince Harry, would you please?"
Ginny let out another squeak, her eyes wide as a generous amount of applause could be heard. Prince Harry never spoke during the Hogwarts Express except for rare occasions.
"Good evening," Prince Harry crooned to the crowd. His tenor voice seemed to draw a sigh from Ginny, making Hermione and Fred snort. "With the coming of my twentieth birthday this summer, it leaves me realizing that not only will I be inheriting the crown in a few short years, but that it's about time I take a break to try and find the woman of my dreams and your future queen. So, with that being said, I am very excited to announce Hogwarts' fourth Drawing."
The crowd began to cheer as both Molly and Ginny 'ooh'd' and 'aww'd' at the thought of such an event. Even Hermione felt herself somewhat intrigued. From what she understood, the Drawing was an event where a number of girls were drawn from a lottery all across the kingdom. The selected girls would live in the palace for a certain amount of time while each being courted by the prince until he decided on a girl he wanted to marry. Queen Lily had been the last winner of the Drawing and was universally loved throughout the kingdom.
Prince Harry's chuckle managed to calm things down. "I'm happy everyone is as excited about this as I am," he said. "This Drawing, however, will be a little different from past Drawings.
"This year, we will be drawing sixteen names from the lottery and select four girls from each province. Anyone between the ages of seventeen and twenty-one are eligible and I encourage everyone to apply. And I mean everyone. Caste does not matter this Drawing."
"WHAT!" Ginny screeched, jumping up.
The crowd from the broadcast erupted into even louder cheers as Ginny pranced around the living area, giving her mother the widest doe eyes she could muster. "Can I apply, Mum? Please? Please?"
Fred groaned beside Hermione, "She's not going to shut up about this now."
Hermione grimaced, feeling sorry for the Weasley family for the upcoming weeks. If Ginny had been annoying for just a couple hours at the possibility of having a caste-less ball, this Drawing would be a trying period for all the Weasley men.
[o][o][o]
A/N: Thanks for reading! Leave a comment of what you thought! I love interacting with you guys!