DISCLAIMER: I wish I own 'em all! But I don't…: (

CHAPPIE 1: The Storyteller and her Story

Princess Ginny's hands were as cold as a cadaver's. It was her first day as a substitute storyteller.

'I should be sacking out right now' Ginny thought. 'It's all Celina's fault. If she hadn't only been diagnosed with that silly chicken's fox…!'

Celina, Ginny's sister, had what the royal doctors called 'chicken pox'. She was advised to stay in bed and be isolated for it was announced as contagious. She however remembered her storytelling sessions with the commoner children every weekend, and forced Ginny to act as a proxy while she was sick.

"Please, Ginny, my dearest, someone just has to do it! You know perfectly well how I am with the children…"

"Yes, I know you love them but you also know perfectly well how I am with them!" Ginny remembered arguing with Celina.

"Please, Ginny… For me?" said Celina with her trademark puppy dog eyes.

Now Ginny can't refuse those eyes, but she tried anyways. "No!"

A minute later, she was on the royal carriage, on her way to the town hall, armed with story books that she knew the children might like.

"We are here, Your Highness" said Parvati, Celina's lady- in- waiting, who had volunteered to accompany her. Ginny spun her head and Parvati met her wide- open eyes.

"Are you scared, My Lady?" asked Parvati caringly.

"Scared! Moi! I'm perfectly fine." Said Ginny reassuringly. 'Somebody ought to catch me if I collapse.'

Children had started to gather on the grassy lawn in front of the building. Ginny saw how many they are and almost fell down the steps as she descended form the carriage.

"Th-there are about fifty of them!" exclaimed Ginny.

"Yes, My Lady." Came Parvati's reply, who was helping her on her way down. Ginny's feet finally touched the dewy grass, but her face was as white as vinegar.

"B- but I only estimated them to be about fifteen to twenty! If I knew they were this many, I would've backed out!"

"You're not gonna back out now, are you, Your Highness?"

"And have Celina laugh at me? I'd rather explore hell!" Ginny's expression turned into one of courage and determination as she trotted haughtily towards the grassy lawn, Parvati following behind with an armful of books.

The children saw Ginny, and they all goggled at the unfamiliar face. Ginny ignored her nervousness and still approached with her chin high up in the air.

"I would approach with a smile if I were you, Your Highness," advised Parvati, but she paid no attention.

"Where's Princess Celina?" a thumb sucking child wondered audibly.

"Princess Celina is sick. She needs bed rest until she becomes better. She asked me, though, if I could please substitute as your storyteller," Ginny explained. The children hushed down.

"Your Highness, perhaps if you could give them the expression that you are happy to be their storyteller…" started Parvati.

"I am happy to be your storyteller" repeated Ginny, though her face doesn't show.

"And that you are assured that they'll have a good time…"

"You'll all have a good time."

"And smile sweetly…"

"And smile sweetly," Ginny accidentally repeated.

"No, I mean you have to smile sweetly, My Lady," said Parvati in a panicky voice.

"Oh, that," said Ginny, and was forced to smile. Her face, when smiling, seemed to look friendly. The children saw that she smiled, and had also started to smile. Some had already approached her and took her hand. Ginny wanted to withdraw it; but realized that if she did, they would be back to square one (As if! They were only on square two!).

"Come here. Here's where we use to do our storytelling sessions," said a girl with a ragged doll.

"Sit here," another child directed, pointing to a seat under a sturdy oak tree. As Ginny sat, she saw the children sitting down as well. They were crammed up under the shade of the mighty oak. One toddler child, however, was not shaded. Ginny noticed him.

"Come, child. The sun's rays hurt, you know," she ordered. The toddler came, and Ginny sat her on the lap. The child looked at her with innocent hazel eyes. Ginny glanced at Parvati, and Ginny saw that she was smiling.

Ginny breathed. "So, what do you want to hear? Do you want to hear about the Little Bunny On Safari?"

"We've already heard that one," the children chorused.

"What about the Adventures of Sheldon the Soldier?"

"Boring!" came the reply.

"O- okay," Ginny again started to get nervous. "Do you know about How The Brazilian Beetles Got Their Colors?"

"No!"

One boy got to his feet. "I'm off. It's best cleaning the merchant's shoes," he said audibly. Some had started to follow his lead. Now, Ginny can't afford that. She was starting to get nervous and her temper was rising fast.

"We want fairy tales. That's what Princess Celina always tells us," said the child on her lap. Hearing this, Ginny remembered her favorite fairy tale.

A fairy tale that has etched in her heart since she was nine.

"How about a fairy tale, kids? I know one that happened in real life," she said.

Those who have heard her and those who were leaving silenced. "Really?" said the merchant's shoe cleaner disbelievingly.

"Princess Celina never told us a true- to- life story," said a brown- haired child with brown eyes. Ginny looked at her and she remembered someone special to her.

"Hush, Helena," someone told the child.

The children who had got up earlier returned and sat down again, their eyes keen with interest. "What are you gone tell us?" a boy asked.

"The story of The Goose Girl," said Ginny, who was starting to calm down again.

"What's it about? A girl who turns into a goose every full moon?" asked a boy in a baseball cap. Everyone in the clearing laughed. Everyone except Ginny, who said, audibly as she could, "No. It's about a princess who didn't know that she is one."

The laughter died instantly, and the children showed signs of excitement and interest. Parvati piped in. "Y-you mean to tell them the story of…"

"Hush, Parvati. We don't wanna spoil the surprise, do we?" cut Ginny.

"Oh please tell us!" said the children however.

"Alright. Just behave and I will," said Ginny. When she saw that they had all hushed down, she began. "Once upon a time…"

The story:

'This has been my home since I was born. If I refuse to leave, Thyatira may get mad at us. I can't afford to be the reason of a war,' Hermione thought as she looked out below. From her balcony, she could see her Mother and Father (the queen and king, respectively) giving out instructions to the servants as to what must be brought with her for her trip to Thyatira. Now that she had turned twenty, Hermione had to go to set her wedding to her betrothed prince, Prince Harry of Thyatira.

Three knocks on her door. "Your Highness, King Albus wants to see you," a servant said.

"I'll be there now," Hermione called out. She started towards the door when she remembered something. She went to her closet and opened her secret compartment and pulled out a necklace that had precious stones on it. A peasant who acquires this will not have to go hungry in his/ her lifetime. It was the gift of the royal family of Thyatira to her on her twentieth birthday. Hermione kept stuffed it inside her gown's pocket and headed towards the door. She gave her room one last look and headed towards the courtyard to meet her father.

"Were you crying, my dear?" asked her father, King Albus of Ivanna. He raised her head and saw that her eyes were puffy.

"No, father. I- I was just… Oh, father!" said Hermione and embraced her father while crying her heart out.

"I'm sorry, but I know that you know the rules, my precious. You have to be betrothed. You know that, right?" King Albus explained while smoothing her hair. Hermione just nodded. "I understand. It's just that, I'm gonna miss you all." She looked at her father's eyes.

"Just always remember that whatever happens, we're right here beside you. Give us a call."

"Yes, father," answered Hermione, drying her eyes with her handkerchief.

Queen Minerva approached them both and took her turn on embracing her daughter. "I don't wanna see you go, but I guess I'll just settle to the memories that you have left me. My dearest daughter…" said Minerva, not able to fight back her tears.

"I'll be alright," said Hermione reassuringly.

Next, two pairs of hands grabbed her into a tight embrace. "Eep, get off me, you maggots!" she said laughingly as she looked up to her two younger twin brothers of nineteen, Princes Fred and George of Ivanna.

"Gee, sis, we're gonna miss you," George said as he did his puppy dog eyes technique.

"Stop that, George, stop that or it may stay permanently on you," teased Hermione. "I'm gonna miss you both, too."

"I- if you're gone, to whom are we gonna test our Super- explicable Firecrackers?" asked Fred in a mock crying tone.

"Y- Yeah. There's no one to pester… Our life is turning into hell!" said George, and acted as if they were crying. They again pulled Hermione into a group hug. Hermione laughed.

"Now, boys, now that I'm gone there's no one to tell you to behave or to pay attention to your mentors and teachers. Now, you listen to me because it may take long before I'll get to say this again: Don't give mother and father a hard time, okay? Act your age."

"We'll be good, sister," said Fred reassuringly.

"Yeah, we're just gonna have to wait for you to leave before we go wild again," said George.

"You silly boys," said Hermione, ruffling their hair. She then turned to her father. "Who am I taking to the trip, father?"

"I've hired a new lady- in- waiting. Her name's Cho. Her mother, who passed away twenty years ago, is Chinese. She doesn't have a father. I figure she'll be good company."

"I hope so," said Hermione.

Minutes later, she was all set to leave. The villagers gathered on the palace courtyard to see their beloved Princess before she leaves.

"Fred, George, please be good," reminded Hermione as she embraced her brothers one last time. Turning to her parents, Minerva embraced her. "We're always here for you, dearest. Don't hesitate to owl us if there's a problem."

"Yes mother," said Hermione, as she was pulled from her mother by her father and was embraced tightly. "We love you, precious."

"I love you too," and with that, she cried her heart out again. "But for you, I will try to be much braver."

Turning to the people of the kingdom, to whom she had been kind and considerate with, said "I will come back for all of you."

The villagers rejoiced with what they heard. The princess was coming back after all!

With one last wave, Princess Hermione of the Kingdom of Ivanna rode her carriage and disappeared from sight. The crown dispersed, leaving Minerva and Albus staring into the space where Hermione's carriage had disappeared into.

"Shall we go back to the castle now, Albus?" asked Minerva.

"Yes. She's coming back after all," said Albus, with a twinkle in his eye.

(Whaddaya think? Post me some reviews and flames are quite welcome as long as they don't pull down my dignity and confidence… be kind please? Ty! And tc 2 u all! Gbu! Mwah! No reviews, no updates!)

(Chapter 2: What evil will Cho bring to Hermione's life? How can she be a hindrance to Hermione and Harry's romance?)