A/N: Here's the next chapter. Thanks a lot for the reviews on the other one and thank you so much to all of you who voted for this story on SIYE...I'm very very happy and extremely pleased that you chose it as Best Romance. On another note, I know, maybe, the whole 'deliberation'/Will they-won't they, may be getting a little tiring but I hope you can hold on for another two or three chapters until the outcome comes out...having said that: enjoy the chapter! :D

Chapter 12

5th May 2006

Ginny leaned over Harry, and kissed him slowly, waking him up.

"Uhh..I.." he took a few seconds to react. "Good morning," he finally said in a sleepy voice, rolling into his pillow immediately after.

Ginny smiled. "You didn't mention that I can't Apparate from here."

Harry ran a hand through his terribly messy locks. "Yeah...anti-apparition wards. Why don't you use the Floo?"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Probably because my clothes are nowhere to be seen."

The prince nodded in understanding, finally waking up completely. "Your robes are probably being washed right now. The stuff I leave on the floor disappears immediately and appears the next day in my wardrobe."

"Oh, Merlin…do you realize how terribly spoilt you are?" Ginny laughed.

Harry shook his head. "I'll remind you I've lived out of the palace before and I've handled myself just fine. Either way, why don't you just stay in bed? What's the rush anyway?"

"I always try to have breakfast with Ron and Hermione on the first Friday of the month. I used to do it only with Hermione, but when she got married to Ron he became part of the package. I thought I'd have mentioned it before…"

"I don't think so, but maybe you were distracting me at the time and you know what they say about men…we're useless about doing two things at the same time…" he joked, touching her cheek lovingly.

"Oh, I don't know, Your Highness," Ginny teased him. "There are a few things that you do perfectly at the same time."

She then kissed him, causing Harry to roll over so that he was pinning her to the mattress.

"Are you sure you have to go?" he asked, kissing her while he caressed her breast softly.

"As much as I hate to say so…yes, I do," she told him, pecking him softly on the lips. "Do you know what I can do about my little problem?" she asked him, looking down at her naked body.

He laughed. "Well, you could just take one of my pyjama tops; it'll look like a comfy dress on you."

Ginny laughed. "What if I end up falling out of the wrong fireplace? Imagine the shock someone could get at seeing Ginny Weasley fall into Diagon Alley with nothing on but a royal pyjama top."

Harry chuckled, putting some of her hair behind her ear. "I'll just have Dobby-"

Before he could continue, a pop was heard and Dobby appeared. Ginny almost fell out of the bed, trying to pull the covers over her naked form; Harry didn't seem to mind all that much, which made Ginny think he might've been caught by the house-elf in a similar situation before.

"Dobby is at your service, you're Royal Highness, Prince Harry James Potter of Evans and Gryffindor," the elf spoke, his green eyes opening widely. Ginny wondered why she'd never seen him before and then remembered he was the free elf that they'd told her about last night.

"Do you think you could fetch a robe and its convenient under-robes for Miss Weasley to wear, Dobby? She's kind of small, so maybe you can just shorten one of Elizabeth's old ones…"

"Hey!" Ginny protested half-heatedly, but, before she could tell the elf her actual size, the little creature had disappeared.

She simply looked at Harry and laughed.

"That's one set of expensive robes you're wearing..." was Hermione's welcoming comment as Ginny came out of the fireplace.

Ron was already dressed in his Ministry clothes while Hermione was sporting a beautiful blue working robe. They were both sitting at the table, obviously waiting for her. Ginny couldn't help but sigh at Hermione's observation.

"I think they're Elizabeth's...I stayed over at the Palace," she announced, making her brother grimace.

"There was no need to specify," Ron protested.

"Be an adult, Ronald. I don't think there's any need to remind you that your sister is twenty-four years old and in a very serious adult relationship," Hermione defended Ginny, as she looked at her sister-in-law, offering her some jam. "So," the brunette started happily, "it went well, then. It must have if you stayed over. I know for a fact you've never done that before."

Ginny shrugged, having known that she would be interrogated but not knowing the way to describe the outcome of the dinner. "They are great people," she confessed.

"They are," Hermione agreed. "You always think they're going to be stuck up and just not normal, but they're a fantastic family."

Ginny offered her a smile. "Now I know why Harry's the way he is, and even though I know he'd always be a good man, I can see why he's so honest and brave. It was also incredible to see the way the King and Queen look at each other...I don't think I've ever seen Dad and Mum so in love, and trust me, I had never seen anyone as mushy as our parents, so that's saying something..."

"They must've been made for each other," Ron guessed. "After all, I know Hermione doesn't believe in divination, but it's always been said that the prince was prophesized to be the chosen one. If it's true, then it was written in the stars or the moon or whatever, that those two people were going to end up together and give birth to the only one who could destroy You-Know-Who."

Hermione gave a very un-lady-like snort. "I'll remind you it was Albus Dumbledore who destroid You-Know-Who, so you can believe in nonsense or you can just believe that they're a couple who have been together through terrible things and have learnt to live their lives leaning on each other."

Ron gave Hermione a small smile and leaned over to kiss her forehead. "You're the intelligent one, love. I'm just guessing mindlessly..."

Hermione had to smile at that...hell! Even Ginny had to smile at those words.

"The king reminds me of Fred and George," Ginny let them know. "He's incredibly funny. And the Queen just carries herself with such elegance and a 'knowing' air that makes her look wise beyond her years. They didn't even give me a hard time."

"So it went well?" Hermione asked excitedly.

Ginny shook her head a little. "I didn't say that," she made clear. "Yes, they were extremely kind and, yes, they made me feel welcome. I even talked with the Queen in all honesty about the situation and she made two things very clear. One, that she approved of me as her son's girlfriend or future wife and, two, that she didn't think I had it in me to be Queen."

"Yet, it's all in the hands of the King, isn't it?" Hermione asked, already knowing the answer.

Ron shook his head disapprovingly. "He's never going to allow Ginny to be Queen," he said. "She's a harpy with a bad reputation, and who has been married; can you imagine what most people would say? I'm sure some of the most traditional families would go against the Crown, maybe even get the Wizengamot involved."

Hermione nodded sadly. "It's sad but true," she admitted. "But, who knows? Maybe the Wizarding World might just surprise you."

Ginny shrugged. "You already know I don't want to be Queen. The only thing I want is to be with Harry, there's not much I can ask for apart from that."

"Blimey," Ron suddenly said, seemingly realizing something. "Do you reckon you'll have to leave England?" he asked. "If he abdicates, that is..."

His sister bit her lip. "Yeah, probably; but we've tried to keep those thoughts at bay. The first thing to do is try to make the country understand that I can be Queen. Or, more likely, understand, believe... oh, who am I kidding? We have to lie to them and make them see me as something I'm not. Then," she continued, "if that doesn't work...we'll leave."

"But, you won't be exiled or anything like that, will you?" Ron asked, worried. "I mean, you'll be able to come back every once in a while, have your kids go to Hogwarts, you know..."

"Not really, I don't know..." was Ginny's answer. "I'm really not sure how it works at all. I know that Harry's parents left for America when You-Know-Who took over and that Harry was born there, but then I also recall that his parents where in England with him on the night he got the scar."

"It's probably up to you, then," Ron supposed. "But I don't think you'll be able to come that much..."

"I'd rather not think about it, Ron," the red-head told her brother. "I'm kind of leaving it in Harry's hands. I think I can trust him with this."

"By 'this', you realize you mean 'the rest of your life', right?" he asked. Hermione kicked him underneath the table but Ron, used to it by now, barely yelped.

Ginny looked at her brother with a small smile. "It's already his, isn't it? I've decided I'm in... by saying that, I basically said 'I do'."

"What about Quidditch?" Hermione asked. "Your legs look completely healed."

Ginny shook her head. "Don't let me fool you," she told her. "They're still stiff and not ready to play, but if I'm honest, I'm not too sure I have it in me to go back to the Harpies. My contract is up in June and I don't know if I'll ever be up to League standards again. Besides, I've been playing professionally since I was 17 so, maybe...just maybe, it's time to put Quidditch aside and concentrate on Harry and the rest."

Ron nearly spit out his drink. "Are you honestly telling me you're going to stop playing Quidditch so you can marry the prince and start a family with him?" he asked, unbelieving.

"Well, by the time Mum was 24 she'd already had Bill, Charlie and Percy," Ginny offered. "I'm not saying I'm going to have a baby now, but it can't hurt to start thinking about retiring officially. Chasers start making mistakes once they cross the 25-year-old line and I'm pretty close to it."

Ron's response was surprising. He stood up and reached for his work bag.

"It's up to you, Ginny," he let her know as he kissed her softly on the top of her head. "Hermione's right. You're old enough to know what's good to you." He then turned to Hermione. "But if she beats us to having kids I swear that I'll never let you hear the end of it."

Having said that, he disapparated, leaving Ginny and Hermione looking at each other with surprised smiles.

"Buenos días!" Harry exclaimed happily when he reached the table where his parents were having dinner. The Spanish welcome had come out spontaneously, matching his happy mood after what he thought had been a perfect night. He kissed both his parents' heads and sat down opposite his mother. "It's sunny today."

Lily smiled. "Luckily it'll stay like this until we leave for Norway next week."

James sighed. "I had forgotten about that..." he said, obviously not as enthusiastic as his wife about the arrangement.

Harry nodded. "It probably will; it looks like it might be a warm summer."

"Yes, it most probably will be," James agreed, ending the conversation and introducing an awkward silence.

The fact that they were still talking about the weather should have been the first sign that things were a little tense, but Harry didn't quite realize it.

"So," he started. "You two were incredible last night. You don't know how much I appreciate it. Ginny truly loved both of you."

Lily smiled again, this time even more brightly. "She's a remarkable witch. I've met very few like her."

"There's no one like her," Harry made clear. "She's as unique as it gets."

"And funny too," James admitted. "What a sense of humour that girl has... and she doesn't fall behind in the looks department either."

Harry couldn't be happier. "They always say that you look for a reminder of your mother in the girls you date. I think I finally realized that it might be true."

"She doesn't really look that much like me," Lily expressed her thoughts.

"No, she doesn't," Harry quickly stated. "Elizabeth and you have darker red hair and she's paler... but she does remind me of you sometimes; the way she talks, just the way she 'is' in general."

James nodded. "She's not Cho Chang, that's for sure."

Harry's eyes shone with hope.

"But," came the inevitable word. "It can't be, Harry, I'm sorry."

Lily frowned. "Maybe it's a little soon to..."

However, James didn't seem to be listening to her. "She's an amazing girl, Harry. She comes from a good family, her father is an important part of the Ministry and her brothers are well known for different but all honourable reasons."

"So what's the problem?" Harry spoke defiantly, knowing full well what the problem was.

"She's a female Quidditch player which," he continued, making sure he wouldn't offend his wife with his words, "...is completely fine, but is not a job that the people will see as adequate for a future Queen. Then she's a Harpy, no less, which ensures that rumours of any 'inappropriate behaviour' have always run around like friendly fire."

"Rumours are only that, Dad, rumours..." Harry tried to defend Ginny.

"Not when there's a signed document that states that she has been married to another man," James stated. "That's not a 'rumour', that's just a clear undeniable fact. And I'm not saying it makes Ginny into anything she's not, but... it's just not right for someone of our standards, Son. I know it's unfair, I know it angers you; but that's just the way things are."

Harry looked down at his plate. "You haven't even tried to look outside the box, here...Ginny is a wonderful woman, she's caring and kind and honest; and she has many people who support her as a Quidditch player and as a woman."

"Sweetheart," Lily spoke, taking Harry's hand on top of the table. "She most definitely is a wonderful woman, but I'll tell you what I told her last night; she doesn't have it in her to be Queen. She's stubborn and feisty and doesn't like being quiet about injustice. Being Queen would be torture for her."

"She'd do it for me," Harry told them. "I know for a fact she spent a whole afternoon gathering basic protocol notions so she could behave appropriately at dinner. However, she left them aside because I asked her to be herself. I have complete faith that she can be Queen."

"What about the people, Harry? Do you have faith in them accepting her as such?" James asked.

Harry shrugged. "We're in the 21st century."

"We also still write with quills and use owls to carry post...We are not the Muggle world, son...maybe Muggle Spain took in a divorced woman as a princess, but we don't have such a society and you know that."

"I also know that, if she can't be Queen, then I can't be King..."

"Don't be so extreme, Harry," James protested but Lily was completely silent.

Harry looked at his mother. "I'll have to leave?" he asked her. "Let the power fall on Max's shoulders?"

"You have enough on your own plate, Harry," Lily spoke. "Don't worry about your brother. Just do what you have to do."

Having said that, Lily left, and not a minute later, her eldest son did the same.

"Hard day, your Majesty?" Hermione asked as she entered the Queen's office, leaving a few letters on top of her desk.

The Queen was looking outside the window, admiring the way the sun shone on the gardens that surrounded the royal palace. Things had just taken a very complicated turn for her. She had known Ginny would be an amazing girl from the first time her son had told her about the red-head, but she had never expected to find her so charming. She still thought that Ginny couldn't be Queen, if not because she didn't have it in her, because the people wouldn't accept her but, what other faults did she have? She was elegant, beautiful, caring, smart, kind... and the most important, she truly loved Harry.

"A little bit," Lily responded, as she made her way to her desk. "I'm guessing you know about our small dinner event?"

The brunette offered a small smile. "Yes, my husband and I had Ginny over for breakfast this morning and she told us about it. The King and you really impressed her, she was very grateful for the way you treated her."

"She left us no other option. The king and I are used to Harry's girlfriends being very...how could you say it? Very...Unwelcoming. Your sister-in-law was definitely a welcome change."

Hermione laughed. "She spent the entire afternoon learning some protocol so she wouldn't embarrass herself."

Lily nodded, acknowledging the effort. "I could tell that she was keen to make a good impression; she loves the prince very much."

"The prince loves her very much too," Hermione admitted. "He's made her believe in love, which is something we all thought was impossible for Ginny. Your majesty," Hermione continued, "I know it is not adequate for me to ask, but against my better judgment I'd like to know if the King sees Ginny as an option."

Lily obviously didn't have to ask what Hermione meant, so she just sighed.

"The king loved Ginny, Hermione," the queen made clear. "As did I... but she's not an option, Hermione. I think you know more than any of us about how royalty works, you've been studying it for years, and so you know perfectly well that this situation is very hard."

"But, what...I mean, things are changing, your Majesty. You managed to make your way into the royal house being a Muggle-born. Maybe...maybe Ginny marrying Harry is difficult but possible?"

Lily gave her a sympathetic smile. "Think about the Malfoys, Hermione...or the Rocklands, or, Merlin, even the Diggorys. Do you honestly think they would accept a commoner queen with Ginny's past?"

Hermione was silent.

"We are not a Muggle monarchy, Hermione. The King and Harry have enough raw magic to destroy every single enemy that Britain could ever have, yet, they can only use it when they are presented with a direct threat. Being a royal is no joke; being a royal means carrying the responsibility of protecting your people, and the people don't take that lightly. We can only imagine what the reaction might be if Ginny were to become Princess, but who can assure us that the original families won't start a revolt that might end in the 'consucutio auspicio'?" Lily thought out loud.

Hermione looked slightly shocked. "The amount of power that would be needed for that...they'd probably have to get another royal family involved."

"And who's to say they wouldn't?" Lily asked rhetorically. "I'm aware it's unlikely...we have many close friends in the Wizengamot that would never go against us like that, but I don't think it's something we even want to test."

"It just seems...unfair," Hermione voiced out her opinion. "Harry could be an amazing King, especially with Ginny at his side."

Lily shrugged. "And he'd probably be a terrible one without her... which means he just can't be King."

The mirror lighted up again, but Harry ignored it for the third time. He knew Ginny had some training today and she was probably calling to tell him know how her legs were doing, but he couldn't bring himself to answer. He had a lot to think about.

He should've seen this coming. He'd just been so naive to believe that, maybe, just maybe, his father would try and see this situation from his perspective. Harry truly believed the country could accept them if they only made them understand. And, yet, Harry knew that that wasn't what Ginny wanted, or what his parents wanted.

The mirror made a sound this time and Harry knew it was probably time to answer.

"Where the hell have you been?" Ginny asked angrily. Harry could tell by her red cheeks that he wasn't going to get out of this one easily. "It's almost night-time and I haven't heard a word from you since this morning."

"I know," he answered quietly. "I'm sorry."

Ginny scowled. "Is that all I'm going to get?" she asked, ready to start shouting at his image.

He shook his head. "I had a lot on my mind. I just wanted to sort it all out before talking to you..."

"You talked to your parents," Ginny reached the conclusion immediately. "You did, didn't you?"

Harry nodded.

"And you're having doubts now?" she asked incredulously. She couldn't quite believe that after everything they'd gone through he could start doubting their relationship now.

"No," Harry replied quickly. "I just...I guess I expected them to think it through. It's like Dad didn't even think about it...his mind has been made up since day one."

Ginny managed to be slightly sympathetic. "Harry...I thought you knew that was the most likely outcome."

"Yeah, yeah...I know. It's just different to have it said like that," he told her. "I mean, we didn't talk about it officially but he's basically letting me know that I have no other option than abdicate."

Ginny breathed in, maybe it was the time to offer him a way out. She knew it would kill her but if it was what he needed to be happy, she would try her hardest to live without him. "If you need me to back off, Harry...I-I will," she told him. "I guess this just became real for you so, if you need a few days to think everything through, I..."

"Don't you dare," were his words. "I wasn't lying when I told you the only thing I wanted is you by my side. Maybe this is a bit of a wake-up call but it doesn't change anything. I won't be King without you Ginny; I won't be anything without you."

Ginny offered him a sad smile. "I'm sorry it didn't work out how you wanted it to."

Harry slugged. "You're still here," he answered. "That's all I really need."

At that moment Ginny wished they were talking face-to-face. She wanted to kiss him very badly.

"I'm sorry for being absent all day," he apologized. "How was training?"

Ginny bit her lip. "Horrible," she admitted. "My leg wouldn't work properly and, therefore, my broom would become unbalanced easily. Also, Gwenog is in another country and it just doesn't feel like the Harpies without her."

"I'm sorry it didn't work out how you wanted it to, either," he confessed, smiling a little at the repetition of her words.

Ginny shrugged with a smile. "So am I but, there's other things I can do apart from Quidditch. And, besides, I think that, for the next few weeks at least, you and I need to concentrate on bigger problems."

The prince nodded in agreement. "I love you, Gin," he told her, a little out of the blue, but feeling the need to let her know. Now, talking to her, he realized that it didn't matter if he had to abdicate, it really didn't matter if he had to move away and start a new life. Nothing really mattered if he could grow old with Ginny by his side.

The red-head smiled. "I love you too, Harry."

6th May 2006

A knock was heard on Arthur Weasley's door at around ten to twelve. He was signing off some papers before leaving to have lunch at the burrow but he wasn't surprised to be interrupted. Arthur was used to people coming to him even more than they would come to the actual Muggle Artifacts minister.

What he was surprised at, however, was finding the queen standing outside his office.

"Hello, Arthur," she spoke in a sweet voice.

Arthur bowed. "Good morning, Your Majesty," he answered, leaving space for her to enter. "I'm sorry about the mess, I wasn't expecting you today."

Lily smiled. "Don't worry, Arthur…I hope it's not a bad time."

The man shook his head. "Of course not," he told her. "I was only signing some papers before leaving to go home for lunch."

The queen laughed. "Oh, that's okay…I won't keep you away from Molly's food for long."

They both smiled and were in silence for a moment.

"Arthur," she started. "I know I shouldn't come here to talk to you about this, mainly because I don't even know if you're aware of what's happening, but…"

"If you're talking about my daughter's relationship with your son," he told her. "Yes, I'm well aware. Prince Harry's become a welcome guest around The Burrow in the last few Sunday lunches. And I think Ginny had dinner with the king and you on Thursday, didn't she? She was quite a wreck before it."

"She's an outstanding woman, Arthur. You and your wife did a great job with her," she truthfully told him.

Arthur nodded with a small laugh. "She's very in love with the prince, your Majesty," he told her in all sincerity.

Lily started nodding in agreement but Arthur interrupted her. "No, it's…when they're together, Harry's the one who pays attention, he's the one who waits on her, who checks on her every few seconds to see if she's alright. Ginny's not like that, she doesn't show her love that way, but trust me when I tell you she is more in love than I can even imagine. The fact that my daughter has even thought about being queen… that proves just how much she can't live without Harry. She'd do anything for him."

"I think, in the end, they're both going to give up a lot," she spoke, more to herself than the man standing opposite her.

Arthur shrugged. "They can't protest…after all, they have each other. I think that that is all they really need."

The red-head sighed. "Aren't you scared of losing her, Arthur?" she asked, from a parent to another parent. "I'm scared they'll take off and Harry won't ever look our way again."

"Of course I'm scared," he told her. "But isn't that our job as parents? If we weren't scared we wouldn't be doing it right. And, if I were you, I wouldn't worry; you aren't going to lose Harry. Maybe you won't see as much off him as you're used to, but I'm sure he won't be mad enough to cut off ties with you, from what I know of him, Harry's not like that."

The queen tried to calm down. A few minutes ago she wasn't sure what she was doing here, but now she understood, Arthur Weasley was in a position similar to hers and, maybe, he could help her be at peace with herself.

"King James isn't going to accept their marriage, is he?" Arthur asked.

Lily shook her head. "He hasn't said anything officially, but… I'm pretty sure that someone somewhere will be told soon enough to draft some abdication papers for Harry to sign."

The man looked at her sadly. "It's a shame they weren't able to meet in other circumstances. How easy things would be for them if they were just a boy and a girl."

"Through my life," Lily said. "I've realized something, Arthur. The things that aren't all that easy tend to be the things that are really worth it."

To those words, Arthur could only nod.

"What if we let them?" Lily spoke that night, as she climbed into bed, where her husband was already reading.

He looked at her, confused. "Let who what?" Were his even more confusing words.

She looked up at him. "Let Harry marry Ginny, without signing the abdication papers."

James looked at her as if she had grown two heads.

"You're letting your softer side get a hold of you. Be practical, Lily…you can't possibly think that that would be a safe option," was James only answer.

Lily bit her lip. "She's well loved by many people; maybe…maybe the people will be able to accept her. She's charismatic and she's sweet…"

"Lily," James spoke softly. "Do I have to remind you about the multiple warnings I had to deal with when your dear son was dating Cho Chang? I got called into the Wizengamot 'unofficially' three times and I was told by some of my own good friends that Harry needed to find someone more suitable."

"But Ginny…" Lily tried.

"Ginny is incredible," James admitted. "And she's perfect for Harry…but the original families would never allow someone with her morals and her social status as a leader. You know this, Lily…"

"I'm just trying to find a solution…if you had listened to me when I warned you that this would be a problem we wouldn't even have a problem right now," Lily scolded him. "I just don't want Harry to leave, or Max to have to stand the power insertion."

"Don't be so quick to judge," James warned her. "Harry still hasn't signed anything. I still have faith that he'll realize he loves England more than he loves Ginny. I'm sure it's just a matter of time before he realizes there are other girls out there who can also make him happy."

At that moment, Lily looked at her husband as if he were a disgusting stranger. Was it only she who saw that Ginny was the one for Harry, just like she was the one for James? Harry wasn't going to choose a country over Ginny ever; Lily knew he'd always choose Ginny over anything else.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" James asked, standing up a little more.

Lily looked down angrily, getting out of the bed. "Or you don't know your son at all, or age has turned you into a man I don't even recognize. You know Harry loves Ginny! A blind man could see it!"

"I'm just trying to deal with the problems as they come, Lily!" James defended himself.

"That's always been your problem," Lily spoke quietly but with anger. "You put things off until it's too late to solve anything. And because of that we're going to lose our eldest son!"

Lily let out an exasperated breath and turned around, towards the door.

"Where in Godric's name are you going, Lily?" he asked, seeing she was leaving.

"Somewhere where I can wait for you to get your head out of your arse, without having to see you while you do it, preferably," she snapped at him, leaving the room with a slamming of doors that was sure to be heard in the whole palace.

Hope You liked it! :D Remember to review and I'll send you the preview for the next chapter once I finish it ;D