Disclaimer: I do not own any characters, places, or ideas relating to or pertaining to the world of Harry Potter and JK Rowling. I graciously thank JK for her life-changing works and our ability as faithful readers to use her creations as our own for pure fanfic pleasure. Because honestly, if I did own the rights to Draco and Ginny, obviously they would end up together forever and always.
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As previously stated, the contents of each chapter are not based off of what happened in the previous Part. The entire story will wrap up as if all the events happened in the same set of mind for Draco and Ginny, as in they will have knowledge in the upcoming chapters of what has happened in the preceding Parts but those events will not necessarily influence everything else that happens. THIS particular chapter takes place in an AU where anything I want can or already has happened. If you think some of these events sound familiar – AWESOME. But I do not claim them and am merely twisting them for my own purposes.
It was about the time of year when the leaves were beginning to change, ripe green becoming a scarlet red as flaming as her silky tresses. Others turning a bright yellow only shades darker than his flaxen locks. Fall was upon the city of London and the Queen was using the cooperating weather as an excuse to stay outdoors as long as possible. Anything to show her subjects that there was nothing to fear despite the looming war with neighboring Ireland.
Her short reign had at first been troublesome but with the assistance of her most trusted adviser, Queen Ginevra had risen above the criticism to lead her country. Considering the turmoil and tyranny that had been ripe in the air, the people had come to respect their Queen and some had even come around to join her side. Many a citizen still resented the young, flame haired beauty for overthrowing the late King Rupert but the few who had stood behind her had been rewarded greatly. Namely the man responsible for her campaign to the top, Ginevra's personal everything, Draconis. The towheaded man had seen the Queen through many battles, physical and political, and he continued to guide her actions with the best intentions. Somewhere along the line though, he had become more than just her assistant and guard - they had fallen in love.
Sworn to secrecy, the lovers hid their affair from the prying eyes of the British court, staving away rumors and gossip of the intimate relationship. Draconis had remained faithful to Ginevra despite her hasty and rash decisions, his silver gaze never breaking when he stood behind his Queen as she announced her newest decrees and the people roared in displeasure at her edicts. He had protected her when outraged citizens had successfully ambushed the castle with the intent to kill the Red Queen. Finally, when her reign had reached the decade mark and still the slight majority of people refused to abide by her rule, Ginevra understood the harsh reality of being a monarch and grew cold, becoming distant even to Draconis as the Irish threatened war every day. He was hurt, visibly upset with the Queen when they were in each others company until one or both of them would be forced to leave the room. Ginevra feared that by allowing any more of her weaknesses to show, her people would ultimately grow weary of her uncertain characteristics and stage a coup.
The only way to prevent that was to invade Ireland and end the war before it could begin. Of course that would require a full fledged army, one of which she did not currently possess. Many men had been killed from the Plague and the few that remained were ill fit for combat. Those that remained did so for the honor of their country, willing to fight for their monarch whoever they may be.
Demanding to be left alone but knowing a lone soldier was still keeping watch over her movements, Ginevra retreated to the barren apple groves on the corner of the royal property nearest to the woods. This was where she came to think, to escape the many worries that accompanied the title of Queen. Tucked away within the grove of trees was a small bench that was hidden under the canopy of fading leaves. A cool breeze softly blew through the hanging branches, ruffling the lace hem of her velvet emerald gown as she sat down, her freckled hands sweeping across her lap automatically to remove any creases. The silver clasp holding her black cape around her shoulders dug into her neck and Ginevra pulled the ornate jewel off her pale skin to breathe easier. One hand strayed to grip the stone seat while the other reached up to roughly jerk the light golden crown from her fiery curls.
Holding the jeweled tiara in front of her disdainfully, Ginevra scoffed - frowning at the headpiece as if it were going to burn her if she held it any longer. "Queen. . . What do I know about ruling a country? My people are right to hate me."
There was a large rustling of the leaves of a tall bush behind her and Ginevra peered over her shoulder to glare at the spying man as he ducked through the limbs.
"You have made a fantastic Queen, Ginevra. Why must you continue to think otherwise?"
She huffed, turning back to stare at the dark bark of the surrounding trees as Draconis noiselessly paced around the bench to sit beside her, the crown clanking to the stone on her opposite side. His warm closeness surrounded her but Ginevra fought the rush of electricity that threatened to tremble her haughty facade when he moved his leg closer to brush his knee against her thigh.
"They hate me, Draco," she quietly stated, her tone imploring him to understand as she refused to meet his silver gaze, anger and guilty resentment lacing her voice. "And they have every reason to - I had my own brother killed so that I could become Queen."
"With good reason! Rupert was mad with a lust for power. If he had not attacked the Irish royal family during a time of peace, your hand would not have been forced to eliminate his greedy ways."
"It does not matter," Ginevra responded, her thin fingers weaving together as her chocolate eyes blinked resolutely. "Nothing will change their minds now - the people loved Rupert. They despise me. That will never change."
Rotating to sit sideways, Draconis rapidly reached forward to grab her small hands in his own larger palms. Her attention was instantly focused on him as her torso was forced to turn towards him. "You must never say never, Ginny. Anything is possible if you set your mind to it."
Mocha eyes growing wide, tears suddenly springing to the darkened corners, he noticed her pink lips tremble before tightening into a narrow line. He knew that the use of his nickname for her always elicited a strong reaction but Ginevra stilled for other reasons. Fiery curls bounced across her shoulders as she tugged her fingers from his touch, jolting forward to stand before taking a timid step away from the bench. Ginevra crossed her arms, shoulder slumping as her red head bent and she spoke into the wind.
"I don't know how much longer I can do this. They're expecting a swift attack and all I really want is to somehow make peace again with Ireland."
She heard the low rustle as Draconis hesitantly stood, pacing to tower over her as his calloused hands gently wrapped around the curves of her waist, and Ginevra shut her eyes to inhale his scent slowly as she momentarily leaned back into his embrace. His shaggy blonde head dipped to rest on her shoulder and she shook lightly when his hot mouth pressed a soft kiss to the inside of her neck. The consuming ball of lust that endangered her calm senses whenever he was near grew to a flaming mass between her thighs as Draconis fluttered kisses along the underside of her jaw, his hands deftly roaming up the sides of her gown to inch closer to her heaving breasts. Working up the anxious courage to pull away, Ginevra unwound her arms to clutch at his wrists and propel herself forward, leaving Draconis irritably stunned as she rushed to the other side of the small, treed enclosure and tentatively leaned against a gnarled trunk with her back to him.
"Why do you keep fighting me?" He growled, quick temper rising as he strode across the short space to forcefully grab her arm, twisting her to face him. "For the past several months you have avoided me - gone out of your way to not have to be near me. Why is that, Gin? What happened?"
Her own anger eclipsing the rapid beating of her heart, Ginevra sneered and pushed his hand off her arm.
"Know your place, guard."
Body trembling with white hot fury, Draconis controlled his spasming limbs as his blonde head nodded forward in a sarcastic bow. "Forgive me, my Queen. I only thought the man who got you to your current political standing, the man who has and would lie down his own life for yours, this man who loves your stubborn ways, that he would be owed some sort of gratitude and trust."
Attempting to slide past his tall, muscled frame to escape into the forest beyond, Ginevra shakily inched around Draconis before softly tossing out, "We can't all get what we want," her voice distantly sad as she glanced sideways and missed the rapid grab of his swift hands.
This time when his long fingers coiled around her bony shoulders, Ginevra was unprepared and thrown off balance as he twirled her body so her back was pressed against his toned chest, his blonde head craning so his hot breath fanned the side of her face. Draconis held her to him, lifting her off the ground slightly as his short fuse exploded and he angrily whispered into the shell of her ear, his rotation turning them so the far edges of the castle were just visible over the tops of the apple trees.
"Is this not what you wanted?" He gruffly and rhetorically asked. "Everything you see - its yours. All of it. Would you just throw that all away because the scared little girl inside of you convinced you that it was all too much? Are you willing to give us up because you can't face your people?"
His grasp was steadfast and she squirmed under the pressure but Ginevra heard the strained sadness to his words and felt her stomach plummet for the pain she had caused him because of her own insecurities. Her auburn head dropped against her chest shamefully and Draconis tilted his gaze further to peer around her curls to stare at her inflamed cheeks.
"If they knew about us - they would use it against me. They would see it as a weakness and would play you to get to me," Ginevra quietly admitted, all of her royal glory gone as she bared her most inner thoughts for the one person who mattered most. "They would never accept us."
Instead of going soft at her honest words as Ginevra had hoped, Draconis felt the coiling of spiteful anger burst and he suddenly released her arms to let her stumble forward.
"They would never accept us? Or you won't give them the opportunity to?" He spat, his silver eyes narrowed and his blonde eyebrows furrowed as he glared at her stuttering steps and gaping mouth. "Don't forget that I was the one who crept into your brother's chambers and murdered him in his sleep - an underhanded, deceptive death that you insisted on. I put my neck out for you so that our country could prosper under the rule of someone who I thought could handle the pressure. You say I'm your weakness, Ginevra, but your only weakness is your inability to decide what you want."
Giving her a disgusted once over glance, Draconis scoffed, shaking his head unbelievably as he turned and moved to walk away. Ginevra let him get to the treeline before a sob tore from her constricted throat and she shakily yelled, "Wait!" Pausing dramatically and rolling his shoulders to convey his irritation, Draconis held his back to her as she softly rushed to stop behind him, one pale hand cautiously reaching to touch his back before it recoiled hesitantly.
"Draco - this is so hard," she almost silently stated. "I've been Queen for almost a decade and nothing has changed. War is still looming on our doorstep. The people still resent me for taking away their beloved Rupert. And now you can't stand the sight of me because I have pushed you away too. Every decision I have made seems to be the wrong one and I don't know where to go from here to where everyone will be happy." Glancing up she could tell she had his attention from the way his head was just slightly inclined towards her raspy voice and Ginevra continued on with her mumbling speech. "Being Queen is so much more difficult than I anticipated and most days I have to force myself out of bed when the maids come clamoring to see if something has happened to me. I just wonder how different it would all be now, if we had not killed Rupert and had left him to destroy Britain."
"If you're so miserable," Draconis started, swirling fluidly to face Ginevra as she hopefully met his gaze. "If you hate ruling so badly, then we should run away - escape to somewhere where they'll never find us and you would never have to worry about what others think again." His words were rushed but sincere as his anger dissipated and was replaced by imploring desire. "We could be together and no one would be the wiser that you were British blue blood and I, a lowly peasant."
The tears that she had held back thus far fell over the brim of her lower eyelashes and Ginevra blinked rapidly to clear the moisture from her vision. Without preamble Draconis lifted both hands to sweep away the salty trails, his thumbs brushing her soft cheeks then stopping as his large palms held her head preciously. He kept his silver gaze locked on her brown eyes as he directly said, "If our roles were reversed, I would give up anything to be with you. You are the light to my darkness, the sun to my moon. I love you Gin, and I want everyone to know it."
Tears once more dropped off the wet ends of her auburn eyelashes but they were accompanied by a small, giddy smile as Ginevra brightened visibly.
"I love you too Draco," she responded softly, her lithe body pressing forward against his hard chest as he kept her gaze steady.
Ever go slowly he tilted his head forward, bending his neck slightly until his full lips were a hair's breath from Ginevra's mouth and her eyes fluttered shut in anticipation. Her plump, pink mouth parted and her feverish tongue darted out to lick her dry lips, the small action sending the blood rushing to his hardening cock as Draconis wrapped one hand around the back of her neck and pressed his lips against hers after a shared exhale. The kiss was enrapturing, completely blanking out the rest of the world as the pair grasped at clothing to somehow get closer. Ginevra's hands crept up his broad chest to grab hold of the lapels of his stiff coat, her fingers crawling to slip between his silky locks. Draconis kept the Queen tight against his body as their lips danced passionately, their tongues tangling for electrifying dominance. So long it had been since they had last been intimate or even kissed that their oral union now was ravenously filled with hungry lips and needy hands.
When their mouths separated, Ginevra was gasping for breath as Draconis dipped his blonde head to nibble at the soft flesh of her neck and jaw. She was panting loudly, breasts pushed completely against his chest as heat pooled in her nether lips.
"Oh Draco," she moaned roughly.
"I love it when you call me that," he rasped in response, his voice gravelly as he leaned back slightly to meet her lusty gaze.
"Draco?"
"Yes Gin," he growled and captured her lips again as Ginevra slipped her fingers around his neck and tugged on his flaxen locks. As difficult as it may have seemed she still attempted to jump up and wrap her legs around his torso. Unfortunately the extra poofy skirt of her gown made her look demented as she instead tumbled backwards, their lips unceremoniously unlatching as Draco shot an arm out to catch her. A blush reddened her freckled cheeks but he chuckled deeply, grinning as she tried to smile without the embarrassment.
"Let me help you with that, love," he said and swiftly bent his knees to sweep his other arm under her legs to draw her against his chest fluidly. Ginevra rocked in his arms, one hand snaking around to lock around his neck as Draco turned and began walking back to the stone bench, her fiery head tilting so their lips feverishly collided. Rotating and squatting when his legs hit the edge of the bench, he leaned back against the stone backing as Ginevra twisted one leg around his waist to straddle his torso, their greedy lips never parting as Draco's large hands clasped at the small of her back and she held his broad shoulders. Their make out session was turning hot and heavy, the clutch of her cape coming undone and falling off her lithe frame as the top buttons of his coat were quickly dismantled and a pale sliver of skin was showing on both of them.
Draco's eager lips had moved down her jaw to nip at the soft skin above her collarbones as Ginevra tilted her flaming curls backwards, groaning throatily as she held onto his lustrous blonde locks. His face was buried in her cleavage, tongue licking at her sweating skin, and she had her head thrown back with her chocolate eyes shut, a blissful smile pulling up her lips, when a sudden, loud throat clearing caught their attentions. Draco kept his head where it was against her chest and Ginevra slowly peeled one eye open to look upside down at the uniformed guard standing on the far edge of the clearing.
"Pardon my intrusion, my Queen," he stated, clearly embarrassed as he kept his young gaze diverted as if he were speaking to the ground. Ginevra leaned forward, pressing her breasts further into Draco's face as she turned her torso towards the guard. "But the French liaison just arrived and Jane thought it prudent for you to be waiting to receive him."
The Queen of England resumed her straight forward stance, red head bending to meet Draco's silver stare as his teeth bit at the fullness of his lower lip and he grinned impishly. "Of course. I'll just be a moment," she said without turning to see the guard's bright eyes widen suddenly as his hips jerked uncomfortably, his trousers tightening at the arousing sight of his beautiful Queen. After a moment when she still did not acknowledge his presence further, the young guard awkwardly spun on his heel to race through the gardens back to the castle.
"Duty calls," Ginevra stated reluctantly, loose fingers trailing along the sharp planes of his cheekbones as Draco held their hips firmly together.
"I guess that means our plans of disappearing are out of the question," he remarked humorously, his grey eyes twinkling as Ginevra falsely pouted.
"It will have to wait for another day," she admitted with a promising smirk. "For now - someone has to be Queen."
"And I would not prefer it to be anyone other than you," Draco added pointedly, one honey eyebrow arching as he knowingly stared her down.
"Nor would I," she reluctantly conceded, bowing her flaming head to avoid his gaze as her hands fluttered to lay lightly on his chest.
"Come on," Draco prompted, jostling his knees to bounce her slightly as Ginevra glanced up to his mercury eyes. "I will escort you up to the castle."
Nodding slowly, Ginevra awkwardly threw one leg backwards and pushed her weight off his lap as Draco wrapped his fingers around her elbow securely, strengthening her balance as she stood in front of him. Draco stretched his knees to stand as well, Ginevra turning and bending to retrieve her fallen cape off the ground while he watched silently. When she flung the black material around her shoulders he grabbed for the clasp to secure the garment as she fidgeted with the nonexistent wrinkles in her gown. Forgetting her crown, Draco picked that up too and reverently placed the light metal on top of her fiery curls, dipping slightly to bow.
"Perfect, my Queen," he breathed and Ginevra felt her heart hammer against her ribs and her head grow lightheaded as he gracefully returned to his full height but held his fixed gaze on her.
Draco rotated halfway, offering his bent arm for her to slip her hand past his elbow as they slowly walked out of the apple grove. The castle was clearly in sight, merely a handful of paces more until they were out of the gardens, when Draco rapidly jerked their linked arms and rushed to the right to hastily press Ginevra against the last tree trunk before the stone entrance. Immediately thinking that he had seen an imminent danger that she had not, her chocolate eyes widened to furiously blink over his broad shoulders. After she did not see or hear anyone stealthily moving towards them, Ginevra looked up to Draco's handsome face, confused frown turning down her lips as she took in the adoring grin on his stoic features.
"What is it?" She asked cautiously, hands now tightly gripping his upper arms as Draco held her weight to the tree with his muscled torso.
"I love you, Gin. And I don't care who knows it. They'll never take you away from me. I promise."
Before she could reply Draco crushed his frenzied lips to her parted mouth, stealing her breath away as Ginevra's mocha eyes slid shut of their own violation. The kiss was her lasting reminder that peace needed to be achieved in the near future as the Queen of England sauntered through the empty hallways alone, marveling at the splendor of her castle as she walked to meet the French ambassador. She knew Draco was right - he would protect her through anything and now it was her turn to prove to him that she had faith in their love as much as he did. One day soon, they would be together for all the world to see.
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A/N:
Thank you for reading! This was the chapter that inspired the story and I am glad I was able to get through it quickly. Leave me a review because they are severely lacking so far with this story. I know there was no magical aspect to this chapter but the characters alone are enough to motivate any loving writer and I hope you went with the flow of the story idea instead of wondering what the fuck was happening.
Stay tuned for the next posting! And find me on facebook for more often updates.
