Author: QuillofRavenclaw
Story: Prince of the Night
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or make any money off of this fanfiction.
The next day, Hermione lead her family towards the stables. A new indoor arena had been installed to combat the cold weather. She peered into the clear window to see Severus on his horse, Prince. The way he controlled the horse's footwork was calm and relaxed.
Hermione turned towards the stalls and noticed that the name plate she sent him was nestled on the newly forged nail hook. She smiled to herself as she pushed a halter over Jasmine's ears. She opened the stall to allow herself to exit. She found that she became nervous as she entered the arena.
She fumbled herself on to the horses back clumsily. She gathered herself and urged Jasmine forward. The horse picked up Hermione's anxious thoughts. She tried to steady her mind. She had almost calmed down fully until Severus and Prince started to trot towards her.
"Keep your shoulders back woman, your making your horse tense," He said as he glared at her, "and for god's sake look where you're going." He said as he moved Prince towards the outside of the ring. She began to circle the arena while Severus completed Serpentine patterns across the enclosure. As he snaked across the arena she found herself trying to avoid him. She quickly got frustrated as he cut her off at the rounded corner of the ring.
She halted suddenly and dismounted from her horse. She dragged the reins over the horses neck and lead Jasmine back to the cross ties. She noticed a snag in Jasmine's tail and went to the tack room to get some bands for her horse's hair. She came back and began to pick through the main and tail. She relished the feeling of the course black hair running through her fingers. She methodically put eight plaits in each section of mane while humming in hushed tones.
She heard a roar from behind her. The Prince of The Night was pawing up the ground and tossing his head as he passed Hermione's mare. "Keep him away from my mare," Hermione mumbled as she moved on to the tail.
"I hate to say it Sev, but you're lucky she stables that mare in the same barn as that hot-headed stallion," said a voice from the loft. Both Severus and Hermione glanced to see Draco Malfoy hanging from the rafters. He swung back and forth before gently landing on his feet.
"I ran their records when I first came here, do you know who that mare came from?" Malfoy asked looking from Hermione to Severus. "I thought not. Her records only go back as far as the stallion that carried my great grandfather Claudius Malfoy. Naturally I went back in the family records. We gave away this mare's sire away because of a joint problem he had at birth. Great Grandfathers horse Black Arrow was a direct descendant of Morgan Lee Faye's prized pegasus Black Magic," Malfoy finished
"So what you're telling me is that one of the most valuable pegasus in the world is being braided by a rider who has no clue what she's doing?" Snape sneered.
"Yes, that's exactly what I am saying," Draco said. "That's why I'm back. I've decided to play nice for the sake of this horse. No Malfoy bred horse should ever be subject to a substandard mud… muggle born rider," He said.
"Malfoy you can't buy Jasmine, she's my horse! There was even a bonding that changed my patronus form," she said. Severus raised an eyebrow while Malfoy scoffed.
"I didn't think you would sell Granger. I just thought you might submit to taking lessons from a more professional trainer," He said simply.
"I think I can handle it thanks," She said as she snapped the rubber band over the end of Jasmine's tail. She rushed to the tack room to grab a winter blanket. She brought it back to the aisle and slung it over Jasmine's shoulder.
"After what I've just told you you're going to allow that horse outside? That horse is worth more than half the vaults at Gringotts!"
"It is not for man or wizard to determine to keep a free spirit enclosed. The least I can do is let her wander the grounds. I don't need a perfect show horse, or a perfect coat. I just need a companion. She said as she led the pegasus out to the grounds of Hogwarts. She unclipped the lead line and allowed the winged horse to take flight.
She watched the skies for a while until Jasmine had floated far enough over the forest that she could no longer be seen. She turned around to see all black riding gear. She looked up and met icy eyes. "Draco approaches things the wrong way. If you should ever want proper training you know where to find me," he said as he strode back along the icy path to the castle.
Hermione wandered over to the outdoor ring that her children occupied. She watched Hugo on Saturn with interest. Her son had really taken a liking to riding. She waved to her children and began her walk back up to the castle.
The new planer she got from Ron seemed to beckon her from its locked drawer in her desk. She opened the book and began to write her appointments for the rest of term in her signature neat script. At last she closed the book and disappeared for her rooms into the fireplace with a puff of green flames.
A/N: I apologize for the length between update times. I have taken some time to map things out for the long run of this story, but I now have to steer my current work back on course. If you are still reading, thank you, if you are new welcome!