Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition Season 7—Round 6

Team: Holyhead Harpies
Position: Captain
Task: Write about wizarding royalty

Word Count: 2,997

The Duchess

Rose wished her cousins were not so… noticeable. It was difficult enough being the children of the renowned 'Golden Trio'—people were always bound to stare—but the fact that the likes of James, Albus, and even her little brother Hugo were all esteemed Quidditch players for their respective Hogwarts houses, as well as annoyingly academically gifted, immensely popular with both students and professors, and exuded a charisma that was irritatingly charming, verging on outright cocky at times, made them the closest thing to royalty at Hogwarts.

And Rose rather loathed it.

Any outsider could have told you that Rose was no different from her cousins in terms of academic ability (of which she exceeded them anyway), popularity, and natural charisma—her only downfall being her complete lack of skill, and therefore interest, in Quidditch—but the girl herself was blind to it, struggling to acknowledge her own successes, humbled as she was by her belief that anything she achieved was the second-hand result of her parents' own achievements.

And thus she did not revel in the attention garnered from the seemingly masses of spectators who always encouraged James and Albus Potter's witty showmanship at every waking moment. Mealtime in the Great Hall was always the worst. It was during these times when they thrived, egged on by students of all houses, eager to entertain.

On this evening in particular, Rose wished there wasn't so much attention at the Gryffindor table; she just wanted to enjoy her meal in peace, before heading back to Gryffindor Tower to study for her mock OWLs. They might still have been months away, but if her mother had taught her anything, you could never be too prepared for an exam.

"Do you reckon I could levitate this entire jug of pumpkin juice from one end of the hall to the other without spilling a single drop?" James was eagerly asking his crowd of usual spectators. Fred Weasley voiced his approval of such a quest with great enthusiasm.

"Anybody could do that," Rose muttered under her breath, angrily pushing her food around her plate.

James cocked his head, smirking at his younger cousin. "Oh, yeah? What would you propose to make it more challenging, Cuz? I'm keen to prove my magical expertise."

Rose just rolled her eyes. She didn't want to encourage him further.

"Do it upside-down," an unexpected, masculine voice piped up from just behind Rose.

The redhead looked up eagerly, her displeasure for her cousin's antics instantly melting away as she stared into the oh-so-familiar face of the blonde-haired Slytherin. Rose only ever saw Scorpius Malfoy in a crowded room, and he returned her warm smile as though she too were all he could see. Albus Potter was by the blonde boy's side, as he often was.

"Hi," Rose said coyly.

"Interesting proposition, Malfoy. I'm in." James cleared his throat, allowing silence to fall and all surrounding eyes to turn to him. He took a deep breath. "Wingardium—"

"Attention, students." Professor McGonagall's piercing voice interrupted not only the over-excited Gryffindor table but the entire hall. "I've got a rather exciting announcement."

"It better bloody be," James muttered under his breath. "To interrupt my feats of magical prowess." But no one was even paying attention to him anymore. How could they? No one knew what McGonagall's announcement was, but if it was anything to do with the stunning, leggy blonde girl stood to her side, they were all ears.

"Who is that?" Albus asked in a low, impressed voice.

"Celinde Van Lynden," McGonagall declared in her thick Scottish accent, seemingly in direct response to Albus' outspoken query, "is visiting from the Netherlands as part of her royal duties."

"Royal?" several people repeated in an excited murmur, Rose included.

"A ball will be held this Friday, here in the Great Hall, which all students in fourth year and above are invited to intend. Dress robes are not optional, and must be worn by anybody wishing to attend."

A mixed murmur of emotions sprung up around the room. Rose would never admit it, but her heart fluttered. She tried not to look at Scorpius. She wasn't sure of what his reaction would be and didn't want to be disappointed.

McGonagall continued with her same air of cool authority. "The Duchess—

"Duchess?" Albus repeated like an idiot.

"—is here on informal yet still official business. She will be observing lessons, meeting students and professors, and generally receiving a warm understanding of what Hogwarts has to offer. I ask that you all treat her with the utmost respect." Her eyes, if not mistaken, landed directly on James Potter and the rowdy Gryffindors as she said this. "That will be all. Enjoy your evening."

As McGonagall stepped down from the lectern, the whole school broke out into a loud buzz.

"Who is she?"

"Why is she here, exactly?"

"Royalty? Dutch royalty?"

"Not Dutch, a duchess."

"No, she is Dutch," Rose said, her eyes never having broken away from the stunning foreign royalty now settling into a seat next to the Headmistress at the high table. "The Van Lyndens—I've read about them. A really old and noble Dutch wizarding family. They're not technically royalty, but they're as good as, and certainly revered like they are."

"What's she doing here?" Albus asked eagerly, his eyes also apparently unable to look at anything other than the prestigious young lady laughing jovially at something one of the professors had said.

"I guess it's like McGonagall said—just an informal visit. Why not? Wizarding royalty's dying out; it's good to keep connections alive."

"With Hogwarts?" Hugo piped up, confused.

"I guess so," Rose replied, the apparent well of knowledge on Dutch wizarding royalty. "I think Celinde is about our age, so maybe it's just a way for her to get to know other young wizards in a protected but less formal setting."

"Maybe she's coming to school here," Albus said eagerly.

"Oh, I doubt it. McGonagall said her visit would be brief. I'm sure she's probably home-schooled."

James Potter leaned forward eagerly in his seat, all desire to show-off to his surrounding audience long forgotten. He had a new target now. "Brief?" he repeated. "Then I best make the most of it. I'm going to win me over a princess."

"Duchess," Rose corrected.

"Oi!" Albus said in fury. "I saw her first! If anybody's going to get on good terms with the princess, it will be me."

"Duchess," Rose corrected.

James Potter was smirking at his little brother. "Oh, Al," he said patronisingly, "I was born first. As Harry Potter's first-born son, I'm the closest thing to royalty Hogwarts has. If anybody's winning the princess over, it will be me."

"Duchess," Rose sighed.

"And what about me?" Hugo piped up, much to Rose's dismay. "Who says it's only Potters who have a shot with her?"

"In that case," Fred Weasley added, "I want in."

"Good luck," Albus snorted, "but we all know the Potter boys are the only prestige on par with a princess—"

"Oh, for Merlin's sake!" Rose cried, finally losing her patience. "The Duchess is a human woman here on business. She's not looking to be wooed by schoolboys! You're all acting like dumb animals! Show some respect."

There was a temporary silence. Scorpius Malfoy, who had not said a word about the exotic new arrival, regarded Rose with amused awe.

"Okay, so who's in?" James asked, blanking Rose's outburst. "Let's make it a game. Whoever wins over the princess gets to, uh—"

"Have the losers do all their homework for the rest of the month?" Hugo suggested.

"And the losers have to attend the next Quidditch match they play in wearing nothing but their house scarf," Fred suggested wickedly.

"And underwear!" Albus insisted shrilly.

"Deal!" James Potter had never looked so delighted in his entire life. Not that Rose could ever remember him being, that was. "So who's in? Albus? Fred? Hugo?"

All three boys eagerly pledged their allegiance to the challenge.

James suddenly re-noticed the silent Slytherin boy by his younger brother's side. "Malfoy, you want in?"

Scorpius looked to Rose with firm reassurance in his eyes and offered a kind smile. "Absolutely not."

Rose's heart seemed to do a somersault.

"Alright, your loss. So when's the deadline, boys?"

"How about the end of the ball?" Albus suggested. "That gives us enough time to make our moves. And no funny business!" he added. "No sabotaging; this should be purely based on winning Cylinder over."

"Celinde," Rose groaned, dropping her head into her hands. "And how, exactly," she asked fiercely, "do you plan on 'winning her over'? How can you possibly determine that?"

All four boys fell into thoughtful silences until James Potter's eyes lit up with a mischievous glint Rose had learnt to fear. "A kiss!" he declared proudly. "Whoever can win a kiss first wins the challenge."

"The challenge?" Rose spat in disgust. "Do you even hear yourselves? This is a real human woman! Not a game! Not a prize!" She folded her arms tightly across her chest, glaring at them all in turn. "You're all despicable."

But the four boys ignored her, engaging in some disgusting spit-based binding handshake.

"Despicable," she muttered again.

Rose Weasley had snuck up on Scorpius Malfoy. Having found himself unexpectedly sorted into the same house as the already-famous son of Harry Potter, it was natural that he should acquaint himself with the boy's cousin, as close as they were. It was no surprise that the Malfoy boy had been sorted into Slytherin, but it had been a surprise to all when Albus Potter had been too. But despite their family history, the two had become fast friends in their first year and had been ever since.

Rose Weasley, because of this, had always been a presence in Scorpius' life. With her fiery red hair and constellation of freckles dotted across her face, it was hard not to notice her. Even more noticeable was her over-eagerness in lessons and her need to overachieve in everything she pursued. It was no surprise she'd been made Prefect. And when Scorpius had been too—a pleasant surprise to him and his parents—he had found himself forced into her company more so now than ever before. And this time, without Albus as a mutual force binding them together.

He had fallen for her before he even knew what was happening. That annoying, overachieving redhead, cousin of his best friend, had suddenly become the most important thing in the world to him. They weren't yet official though. They'd had their fair share of flirtatious back-and-forth, a few unofficial dates at Hogsmeade weekends, and even shared a few kisses away from prying eyes.

But Scorpius wanted more. He wanted to be hers, wholly, officially, unequivocally. And tonight, the night of the Duchess' ball, he was going to work up the courage and ask her.

All eyes, as they had been for the entirety of the week prior, were on the Dutch beauty. She was slightly older than Scorpius, and from what little interaction he'd had with her, seemed perfectly pleasant. Golden blonde hair cascaded down her back in a wavy plait. The clinging silver dress she was wearing, adorned with a thousand shimmering beads, made her already tawny skin glow. She held her head in a way only true royalty could.

"Hey," a coy voice piped up from just behind Scorpius.

As Scorpius turned to face Rose, all thoughts of the Duchess melted away. He wouldn't trade anything in the entire world for what he already had with Rose. She was so beautiful, he couldn't help but think, in a cute maroon gown that complemented her vivid hair.

"Hey," he breathed in awe, barely able to contain his delight.

Rose was beaming, but her face quickly fell into a scowl at something over his shoulder. "Oh, Merlin," she said in disgust, "I can't believe they're still going through with this ridiculous game."

Scorpius didn't need any more context to know exactly what Rose was talking about. All week the four Potter-Weasley boys had been bending over backwards to try and win favour with the Duchess, often in ridiculous, over-the-top, and self-deprecating ways. Demonstrating feats of magic, embarrassing themselves to make her laugh, desperately attempting to show off their Quidditch prowess. To his knowledge, not one of them had yet succeeded in winning a kiss from the girl.

And sure enough, as Scorpius turned his head in the direction of Rose's scowl, the four idiots were suddenly crowded around the poor girl. She looked nonplussed by the attention, always regal.

"I'm putting an end to this," Rose growled, hitching up the hem of her dress. "Once and for all."

Scorpius hurried after her, excited but also a little scared at what she was about to unleash on the unsuspecting boys.

"Celinde," Rose politely greeted, nodding her head towards the Duchess, who returned the greeting just as warmly. "I hope you're enjoying your evening so far, and these four clowns aren't making you uncomfortable."

"Rose, get lost," Albus hissed at her.

"Forgive my younger cousin for her intrusion," James spoke over the redhead, weirdly formal, "and let's get back to where we were, shall we?"

"Oh, it's no trouble," the Duchess dismissed with a polite smile. Her accent was incredibly thick, but Rose was sure this only added to her charm in the boys' eyes. "I'm glad Rose is here! I feel like I have barely gotten to know any of the girls at Hogwarts."

"Funny that," Rose said with tight lips.

"Your family is royalty, yes?" Celinde asked Rose innocently. "I'm sure my family would love to have you for dinner some time."

"Royalty?" Rose blinked in surprise. "Of course not; wherever did you hear that?"

Celinde glanced towards James in confusion.

"Oh," James laughed uneasily as Rose glowered at him, "no, no, no, I think the Princess must have misunderstood me."

"Duchess," Rose growled.

"I said the Potter-Weasleys were revered like royalty. We're not—I mean—we're not technically royalty—but we're—"

"We're nothing!" Rose cried in protest. "And every single one of you," she said, glaring at each of the four boys in turn, "should be ashamed of yourselves! Harassing this poor woman like she's some piece of meat. Show her some respect, for Merlin's sake!"

Silence fell, and four pairs of shameful eyes turned towards where the blonde girl was blinking in surprise. She was incredibly tall, swamping Rose by almost a foot. James was the only one with a slight height advantage. But it wasn't her height that set her above the others; there was something about the way she held herself. Like a porcelain doll, fragile, yet indestructibly strong somehow.

"What do you mean?" she asked, her smile dropping.

"Nothing," all four boys seemed to say at once, launching into immediate denial of any such behaviour.

"Oh, knock it off," Scorpius cut across them all. He flashed an apologetic glance at his best friend before turning his attention to the Duchess. "They've been playing a game," he explained calmly. Rose's heart swelled. "A game to… win you over. To see who could impress you the most."

Celinde said nothing for a while as it sunk it. The boys made no effort to defend themselves this time, four guilty faces waiting in anticipation for her response.

To all of their surprise, the Duchess began to laugh. A soft, twinkly laugh to match the shimmer of her ballgown. "Oh, how charming," she said with an endeared sort of smile. "How very charming."

"Wait, really?" James asked in surprise.

Rose and Scorpius shared a surprised, concerned look.

"Yes, it's very sweet," the Duchess assured them.

"Brilliant," Fred said, unable to believe his luck. "So who wins then?"

"Wins?" Celinde repeated innocently.

"The, uh, aim, was to win a kiss," Albus explained sheepishly.

"Yeah, so who wins?" James demanded eagerly. "There were high stakes, Princess, we'd appreciate a decision."

Rose rolled her eyes, disgusted by her cousin's complete lack of tact or respect. God forbid the girl who did eventually end up with him, if any.

"You don't have to kiss anyone," Rose assured her. "Just put their idiot minds at ease and pick one of them to shut them up."

Celinde seemed to consider it, looking at each of the boys in turn with deep thought. "The sweet Hugo," she said warmly, and the young redhead blushed. "The funny Fred. The smart Albus." She reached up a tender hand to hold James' cheek. "And the handsome James."

The glint in James' eyes let the others know he believed he'd already won. Rose couldn't say she was surprised. He had been the most arrogant, the most persistent. He always was.

Celinde dropped her hand. "And you, Scorpius?"

The Slytherin looked surprised at being addressed. "Oh, no, no," he said quickly, "I wasn't involved in this." He reached out to give Rose's hand a squeeze. "I've already found my princess."

Rose didn't even have the heart to correct him. She'd never felt so utterly giddy in her entire life.

"I will kiss the winner," Celinde declared, nodding to herself. James looked eager. "The one I have the most connection with?" Celinde asked for assurance.

They nodded.

"The one who has most won me over? The sweetest, kindest, smartest?"

"If you had to pick a romantic partner," James said, unable to contain his arrogant delight. "The one who ticks most of your boxes. Or"—he winked at her—"all your boxes."

Celinde was beaming. "Okay, I have made my decision."

James was practically bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet, whilst the others looked sulky. He closed his eyes in anticipation, puckering his lips. But it never came.

With a twinkle in her eye, and a genuine smile spread out across her face from ear to ear, the Dutch beauty bent down, placed a gentle hand on either side of her chosen winner's face, and to all of their utmost surprise, softly kissed Rose Weasley.