Chapter 2

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Ron was sharpening his sword for another round of sword play with Harrius. Even though he was

just a squire in training to be knight he still had skill. Since he was the son of the King he had the privilege to train to be a knight; after all he did need training to become future King of Helicon and ruler of Hogwarts. He trained with other sons of nobles, knights and Lords, including Harrius who was the son of King Arthur's most trusted Lords inside Hogwarts. Ron placed his sword back into the pocket before walking off down the corridors; which were being guarded by the guards and knights. Two guards of his own were following close behind him, as he turned down the hall he collided into someone. Ron evilly smirked when he saw it was the Hermione the peasant girl he captured from yesterday.

'We just keep running into each other, don't we…Granger?'

Hermione didn't have the worn out clothes on anymore, the servants had given her some proper clothes to wear now that she was within castle walls and in service of the Ron and the King. Hermione didn't say anything, she tried walking away, but Ron caught her roughly by her waist form behind and pulled her back against him. He laughed,

'Looks like she'll be a good chase, doesn't she guards?' The guards chuckled themselves along with Ron, who was still squeezing her against himself. He then roughly let loose of her, but before she could get away he grabbed her arm; he shook her head at her. 'Guards, tell Harrius I'll be a little late for sword play, understood…now leave me.' The two men bowed their heads before walking off down the hall. Ron then turned his attention back to Hermione who was standing there with her head down.

'Please, Prince Ronald, I must be getting back to my chores,' she begged.

'Have you forgotten who you're talking to, girl? I can send you back to that rubbish village of yours out on the fields, let alone send you back to your chores,' he spat. 'Who could have thought a beautiful slave girl like you could have such poor remorse for the Prince of Helicon.' Hermione shifted uncomfortably and gasped for a breath,

'I have no disrespect for you, Prince Ronald…I will show more remorse for you.'

'Damn straight because, no one disrespects me, especially not you filthy peasants,' Ron snared furiously; he looked at Hermione who was still standing there silently not knowing what to do. She figured staying quite was the best thing to do. 'You know, you should feel honored, my father, King Arthur, only captures the best.' Ron now seductively ran a finger down Hermione's face, and then something else caught his eye; she was wearing a piece of jewelry on her neck. 'Well, what do we have here?' As soon as he touched it, Hermione swiped her head away from his hand.

'Please, don't.' Ron frowned at her attempt; he grasped for it again, and was able to yank it off with out breaking it. It was a silver pendant that had the initials H.G. on it.

'No peasants deserve to wear nice neck wear like this,' Ron said, as he held it away from her, looking totally amused. 'Where did you get this from?'

'M-My mother gave it to me,' she replied, anxiously wanting it back, 'please, Prince Ronald, it's all I have of hers, please?' Ron took a glance at the pendant then back at he observed her for a while. Hermione saw him give her a look that she never saw before; a very strange look, a look over sadness, anger, confusion and soreness.

'You think mothers are that special? They're just the same like everyone else, they leave you with no word, or…they die b-before y-you even get a chance to know of them,' Ronald turned his attention away from Hermione; he looked down at his feet. Hermione knew exactly what he was referring to. When she was a little girl, her mother used to tell her stories about Queen Molly Weasley, often when they had times that is, in their little mud huts late at night. She didn't know what to say, she was afraid if she did say anything, Ron would yell at her. But Hermione plucked up her courage,

'Q-Queen Molly was an amazing woman, my mo--,' she cut off not wanting to bring up the topic of her mother again to Ronald, 'I used to hear stories of her when I was just a girl.' Hermione wished she hadn't had said that, because Ron looked up at her in anger, then raised his hand and then struck her right across the face.

'Don't you ever mention my own mother to me, peasant girl, it doesn't concern you!' Hermione had tears running down her face as she touched the place where she was hit. Ron looked around and called, 'Oi, you two!' Two knights standing guard at the end of the hall quickly made their way over to him. 'Take her back to where she needs to be, and make sure she does double her work for the evening.' Before walking off, he yanked the pendant back into Hermione's hands, and then ran off back to his room up in the tower.

Ronald ordered the guards not to follow; he slammed the door behind him in frustration. He grabbed the nearest object he could fine and threw it against the wall causing it to shatter; he then sat down on his bed and buried his face in his hands,

'Blimey, Mother! Why did you have to die?' Ron wasn't crying even though tears were welling up in his eyes. He thought for the Prince of Helicon it was acting like a frightened child in the night to cry and on the other hand his Father would just tell him to be stronger and take control of himself. There was a portrait in his room of him as a baby being held by his mother, and with his father at the side, when Ron was alone he often took glances at it to help clear his mind.

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After about another hour of alone time up in the tower, Ron made his way back to the Great Hall where his Father was there waiting for him. Arthur looked at him with a frown on his face,

'Why do you look so miserable, son?' Ron sighed straightening himself up.

'I-I just got into a bit of a rift-raft with one of that peasant girl Harrius and I captured yesterday.'

'You know you have every right as I do to punish this girl, Ronald, I despise having to remind you of these things,' Arthur snapped strictly, 'I will not fix your problems.'

'Father… she didn't really do anything worth for a punishment, so I doubled her working shift for this evening,' he said, strongly. Arthur banged his hand hard on the table beside him,

'Don't deny my rules, son! You are the future King of Helicon and soon to be whole ruler of Hogwarts, but until that time you're under my roof, so you will do as I say! Understood!' Ronald hated when his Father yelled at him like that, it brought back memories of his childhood, but he couldn't argue back with him,

'Yes, Father, I understand. That was foolish of me.' Arthur raised his hand in forgiveness; Ron bowed his head and walked away, throwing his cape over his shoulder. Ron had no desire to harm Hermione, it was him that made things difficult, not her, she was just frightened of him…just like everybody else. He had to find her, find her and apologize, but at the same time he had orders from his father to punish her, he didn't know what to do.

Ron made his way up to the room on the second level, where the women and girls were forced to set tables, wool linen, serve the knights and just be treated unfairly. The guard at the door stood up straight and bowed his head, clearing the way for Ron. He looked around the room for Hermione, he saw her scraping cotton from the loom, and he made his way up to her.

'H-Hermione?' Hermione flinched in surprise as she turned to look at him; Ron saw the red mark on her face which was because of his doing.

'Yes, Prince Ronald?' Hermione asked, shakily.

'I'm not going to hurt you…I wanted to apologize for striking you earlier, it's just I'm not really used to talking about--

'-About your mother, I know,' Hermione finished off for him, 'I know how you feel.'

Ron was now curious, he had never met a girl like this before, a girl who knew how it felt not to have a mother, and he stood closer to her. Hermione put the two scrapers down of the wooden table and wiped the sweat off her forehead.

'Do you want to sit down, Prince Ronald?' Ron felt surprised but he softly smiled and sat down on one of the settees beside Hermione. He never actually sat down with anyone with the exception of his father and Harrius.

'W-What happened to your mother, pea--, Hermione?' Hermione looked uncomfortable, her eyes lowered down at her lap, 'you don't have to tell me--

'No, I-…don't worry. I used to live in another land called Durmstrang, it was the land ruled by Igor Karkoraff, and I was born there. Mother used to tell me about Helicon and its land, and about how it was ruled by you mother and father,' Hermione spilled out, 'Then one night some knights raided our village looking for more of us to increase their population in Helicon…I was taken away from my mother and brought here, I was only a little girl and my mother couldn't do anything.'

Ron didn't know about that raid, he really felt guilty for pouring so much rubbish at Hermione like that; she too had lost her mother in a way.

'Is she still alive?'

'I-I don't know…in my prayers I wish she is alive and well, every night.' Ron saw that Hermione was close to tears, she was a very beautiful girl, but in the worst sort of state being a peasant girl and all.

"So all this time, she's been alone, no one to watch over her," Ron thought.

'Um…were you living alone while you worked outside in the fields?'

'N-No, some elders took me in, until I wounded up here.' Ron sighed, he was speechless, he didn't know what to do, and it was his own fault Hermione was being put through all this. His hand started to get sweaty; he reached over to take her hand, but moved away,

'I better get back to work,' she said, getting off the settee and going back to the table.

'Uh, wait!' Hermione turned back to look at him; he was blushing furiously and his hands were getting more sweaty, that's how they often were when he got nervous. 'Tell the guard that your double shift is no longer, you can leave once you're finished, I'm sorry what I said before.'

Hermione didn't say anything just thankfully nodded her head, and then went back to her work with scraping the cotton. Ron started walking towards the door, but before he walked out he took one more, short look at Hermione who was looking so innocent as she worked.

Hermione couldn't help but smile while she was working; she realized that Prince Ronald wasn't at all what she expected, at least not deep inside. But she didn't want to keep thinking about him, she needed to remain focused or else she would get into trouble.

While walking down the halls into the sandy streets, Ron met Harrius who came galloping along on his white horse.

'Hey, Ronald! I didn't catch you at the pit earlier,' he said, now slowing down.

'Yeah, sorry, mate,' Ron said, patting the head of Harrius's horse, 'I got a bit…distracted.' Harrius chuckled; he hopped off his horse so he could talk to Ron properly.

'One of those peasant girls get in your way.' Ron didn't laugh but just smiled, he and Harrius began to walk down the cobble stone street.

'Yes, sort of…but you know Harrius, she isn't like any other girl I've ever met before…she's different,' he gave a long sigh before continuing, 'she actually knows what it's like to not have a mother.' Harrius raised his eyebrows in surprise,

'Wow she sounds nice but, Ronald, don't forget who you are and who she is. You're the Prince of Helicon and future King and she's…just a peasant girl.'

'Yeah, yeah, I know, Harrius, it's just that…when I'm with her I feel so different--

'Wait, wait, what do you mean, "When I'm with her?"

'Well I sort of got into an argument with her, but it was all me, she was just scared, and I-I hit her…so then I went to apologize,' Ron said, 'how often do I apologize to anyone but my father?' Harrius laughed and shrugged his shoulders; but then his face remained serious,

'Well, I don't know where you're going with this, Ronald, but I can't tell you what to do except for do what you think is right.' Harrius hopped back onto his horse and rode back down the street. Ron just stood there in a bit of a trance, not knowing what to do, but he knew things were going to get interesting within ground at Hogwarts.

A/N- 2nd Chappie, R/R, I didn't see what was wrong with the bold font but, you're the reviewers and I guess you know best- Danielle (dandin)