Disclaimer: you know the drill. If you don't, shame on you.
Author's note: Hope you likey-likey. If not…well…. screw you. This chapter is longer, but the good stuff comes in later. Sorry!
Chapter Three: Feelings for the Princess?
There was complete and utter silence. The girl looked to her grandfather as though for explanation. He cleared his throat once more and said, "Let the feast begin." The instant the food filled the golden plates, chaos reigned. The chatter and calls and the whispers were louder than ever.
"Who is she?"
"It's Dumbledore's granddaughter, you git."
"Is she going to take over Hogwarts?"
"Don't be stupid!"
"What house will she be in?"
"Why is she here?"
Harry turned to his friends and asked, "What d'you reckon?" After that he remained in his own thoughts. This stranger came to Hogwarts. And she's Head Girl? he thought What was Dumbledore trying to pull? And why was she here? When dinner and the last of the dessert had been swept away, Dumbledore stood again. The room hushed immediately. The princess remained seated in her lush golden chair, which Harry now recognized as a throne. "I am sure you are all very curious about my granddaughter. She was placed very recently into my care. There was not any time to decide where she would stay, but she has requested to choose for herself as to what house she will belong to. Have you made your decision, my dear?" The princess rose from her seat and nodded. Not a word was spoken as the Hogwarts students waited with baited breath to see which house would have the privilege of having royalty in their house. "And…?" Dumbledore prodded. Her eyes scanned the four tables. She looked at her grandfather- and pointed to the Gryffindor table. Harry thought afterward that he was surprised the table didn't get flipped over. The Gryffindor table exploded with cheers. Everyone was grinning and smiling, clapping and screaming. Dumbledore smiled a little grin as well. "Ah…yes…Well, now is the time for presentations. Will all of the boys from 6th and 7th year please line up in front of the princess?" The boys looked at one another, and with a scrape of chairs, all of the boys from 6th and 7th year made their way into a single file line. Dumbledore continued. "You will say your name and then make yourself known to the princess. I know this seems strange-" the princess' eyes flashed at her grandfather "-but it is the duty of the princess. Only after this ceremony may she speak freely to you." The princess rose from her seat of honour, walked around the staff table, and stood in front of the podium.
Poor Neville was first. He looked around for help, but when he saw that no assistance was to come, he gulped hard and stepped forward. "N-Neville L-Longbottom," he said shakily. Nodding, the princess stretched out her right hand. Unsure of what to do with it, Neville took it in his damp palm and shook it vigorously. The princess wrenched away from his grip, raised her hand, and brought it down swiftly on Neville's cheek. The sound of the hard slap she gave him resounded throughout the room, and all was still. Harry was around the middle of the line, but even from that distance he could see how cold and unrelenting her eyes were as she looked darkly upon Neville. However, after a few moments of silence, the princess reluctantly stuck out her hand again. Neville's eyes traveled over her shoulder to Dumbledore, silently pleading for help. The Headmaster got the hint immediately, reached over, grasped Professor Sinistra's hand and kissed it lightly. Neville turned back to the glowering girl in front of him, took her hand and kissed it. The princess did nothing but nod again, so Neville hurried quickly back to his seat. Ron was next. "Ron Weasley," he said hurriedly, kissing her hand and going back to the Gryffindor table.
The line moved slowly, and people started to get bored. Students began to talk softly, but Harry mainly caught snatches of nasty remarks from the 6th and 7th year girls.
"Honestly, it's not fair how she's made so much of"
"I bet she's really ugly. No normal person would hide her face like that."
"If I even suspectDylan
of enjoying having to kiss that stupid girl's hand, it's over!"
Harry just rolled his eyes. Girls are too jealous. How he wished he could meet a girl who wasn't so self-conscious and who didn't constantly need reassurance. However, he soon found that most boys in his age group were pretty stupid, too. Once they saw that the princess wasn't slapping people anymore, they even started taking liberties. Adrian Prewett, a sixth-year Ravenclaw, even started to kiss up her arm, at least until Dumbledore "AHEM"-ed loudly. After that, Adrian had to take the Walk of Shame back to his seat, his face a deep crimson.
When it was Harry's turn he stepped up, and looked at the princess. When he looked into her eyes, her large hazel eyes suddenly fell soft, and her face shone with an expression he could not read. He was mesmerized. Remembering why he was there, he said "Harry Potter" in a clear voice. This time, she handed him her right hand, instead of the left. He kissed it, and made his way back to his seat. Hermione and Ron were discussing something, but he wasn't listening. Instead, he turned back to where the princess stood. It was Malfoy's turn next, and as the Slytherin kissed her left hand, a sudden storm of anger and pain erupted in Harry. "Whoa!" Harry exclaimed softly, realizing how upset he was getting over nothing. Hermione stopped talking to Ron and asked Harry, "What is it?"
"I felt strange for a moment…I-I can't explain it…"Harry told them. "Well, try to." Ron replied brazenly. Hermione nodded. "We can't help you unless you talk to us, Harry," she counseled. "Well, when Malfoy was kissing the princess' hand, I felt like.."Harry blushed furiously and said the rest very fast, "-like I wanted to run up there, snap his head off, and carry the princess away on my broomstick."
Ron looked mildly surprised. "Got a little bout of jealousy there, have you?" "But why would I be jealous?" Harry argued, "I don't even know her!"
"Maybe you love her," Hermione contemplated.
"What?!?" Harry and Ron squawked. Hermione looked at Harry in a very business like way. "This reminds me of your father, Harry. Perhaps this was the way he felt the first time he met your mother."
"But I don't KNOW her!"
Hermione shrugged and said simply, "You asked, I answered." Harry looked to Ron, distressed. Ron gave him his patented "I-agree-with-you,-mate" look.
After the presentations, Dumbledore stood and dismissed them to bed. Harry had to go to the Head Dorms, reserved especially for the Head Boy and Girl. He parted with his friends and took the school letter out of his pocket. He didn't know where the Head Dorms were, and the letter told him how to get there, as well as the password.
After quite a few minutes of searching (which was not helped at all by befuddled directions from variousportraits, or a surprise visit from Peeves, the school poltergeist) Harry arrived at the correct portrait. It was a scene of a young farmer's daughter with all of her sheep. The shepardess giggled and asked, "Password?" in her girly sing-song voice. "Er-" Harry consulted the letter, "Cuckoo Flowers". She swung open, and he went inside, ready to turn in for bed.
My two cents: Like I said, the good stuff comes in later. I just had to include this stuff to set up the plot. Please review. This is my first fan fic, and I am hanging by a thread to know what you think. Well, as of now the story is To Be Continued…