A/N: What's this? Another update without it being months and months since the last? Gasp!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Harry Potter or the novel this is based off of The Selection. J.K. Rowling and Kiera Cass are the ones who came up with it! I'm letting my fantasies run free!

Enjoy~

The Drawing

Chapter Six

As soon as the meeting with Prince Harry was finished, he was whisked out of the room by a group of people Hermione hadn't noticed until then. Amelia had dismissed them, telling them to take the afternoon off to get ready for dinner with the royal family. "Lessons will begin tomorrow afternoon," she told them before walking out of the room.

The tension had all but gone from Hermione as she followed Ginny back to the Ladies Room, leaving her feeling drained. She wanted to go back to her room to nap but decided against it for now. Ginny would surely want to talk to Hermione and Katie in the Ladies Room. Plus, they did have all afternoon to themselves.

Ahead of them, Parvati, Lavender, and Angelina were locked in an animated discussion as they compared their conversations with each other. Susan and Hannah were talking about the upcoming dinner with the royal family, both of them expressing how worried they were to mess up while Cho and Daphne were critiquing how each girl looked next to Prince Harry.

The Ladies Room was bright with the early afternoon sunlight, giving the room a cheery air to it. Hermione followed Ginny and Katie as they skipped to a pair of beige plush sofas by the large bay windows overlooking a field. Hermione sat down next to Ginny while Katie sat on the sofa across from them.

"I can't believe we just met the prince," Katie said, sounding dazed.

"And we're meeting the king and queen this evening." Ginny grinned excitedly. "This feels like a dream."

"Enjoy it while it lasts." Daphne's grin was smug as she walked by them, Cho and Romilda trailing after her. They tittered with each other as they continued on to the corner of the room. "You'll be waking up sooner than you think."

"We'll show them," Ginny murmured, glaring at the girls as they walked away.

"They're just trying to get a rise out of you," Katie said. "Don't listen to them."

"They're just so nasty," Ginny spat. She took a deep breath. "But you're right, they're just trying to get to us. The best way we can respond is by making it farther in the Drawing then they do. Let's see how they feel when they see us in the top four."

Hermione shifted awkwardly at Ginny's words. She sincerely hoped she wouldn't be in the Drawing for that long. She found that she liked Prince Harry when they spoke earlier and, while she could admit that he was very handsome, Hermione knew that she'd have no romantic feelings towards him. If Prince Harry kept her in the competition for that long, she would feel guilty for having led him on.

Hermione frowned to herself, leaning back into the sofa as Ginny and Katie talked about their conversations with Prince Harry. That was one part of her plan that Hermione didn't think all the way through. She was so determined just to get picked and stay in the competition for the money that she didn't think of how she would go home. She could just ask the prince to send her home, Hermione supposed. But if she stayed too long, he might have begun to see her in a romantic light and attempt to persuade her to stay.

Hermione crinkled her nose. She was delusional if she thought that Prince Harry would be attracted to her with in the first place; there were so many other gorgeous and interesting girls there that were more suitable for this lifestyle. An unpleasant feeling settled in her stomach, making Hermione huff. Why was she even bothered by that?

"- don't you think?"

"Huh?" Ginny and Katie looked amused (Katie more so than Ginny) as they stared at her. Hermione's cheeks warmed as soon as she realized they had been speaking to her. "I'm sorry, could you repeat that?"

"Prince Harry wasn't as formal as we'd thought he'd be, don't you think?" Ginny asked, a smirk on her face. She knew Hermione wasn't paying attention.

"Oh. Yes." Hermione cleared her throat. "It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be."

"Bad?" Katie asked, looking horrified. "Why would you think it would be bad?"

"Uh…"

"Hermione's always been a bit shy when it comes to romance," Ginny said quickly, "and when she's nervous she starts rambling and embarrasses herself."

Hermione glared at Ginny, equal parts thankful and annoyed at her friend.

"Really?" Katie looked at Hermione, her eyes wide. "But you're so sure of yourself."

"I am?"

"She is?"

"Hey!" Hermione swatted Ginny's arm. She laughed, leaning away.

Hermione decided to back to her room after a while, the exhaustion from that morning catching up with her. Dinner with the royal family was sure to be another stressful event and she wanted to try and rest. Ginny had waved her away when she explained her reason for leaving, still caught up in her conversation with Katie.

After her nap, Hermione showered and, with a resigned sigh, sat down in the chair presented to her in front of a mirror. Tonks and Sally got to work on drying and styling Hermione's hair, tossing ideas back and forth on how to style her bangs around the bruise along her temple. By now, it had turned a dark blue hue.

"Have you thought about what to wear tonight?" Sally asked.

"How about something like…" Hermione paused, trying to remember the dresses she'd seen in the closet that morning, "a longer dress?"

The looks Tonks and Sally gave Hermione made her want to shrink down in her chair. Tonks turned to Sally, "Go grab the chiffon dress we were thinking about earlier."

"You may as well just pick out the dresses for me from now on," Hermione said as Sally disappeared into the closet. Tonks didn't respond, giving her a placating smile as she resumed applying makeup.

Sally returned and, in her arms, was a long, sleeveless red dress. Hermione swallowed instinctively, eyeing the garment warily. She'd expected to be given a dress in a soft colour like they had in the past couple of days.

"What do you think?" Sally asked, presenting it.

"It's a bit… bold."

"Well it is a special night."

Hermione pinched her lips together as she examined the dress. Her heart began to thump painfully in her chest, the thought of her wearing something so bold making her a little lightheaded.

Tonks paused with what she was doing and took a step back. "Do you mind if I speak openly, Lady Hermione?" she asked.

"Of course." Hermione ripped her eyes away from the dress with a frown. "You don't have to ask to do that."

"This will be the first time the royal family, not just Prince Harry, will experience everyone together and interacting," she said. Sally nodded sagely behind her. "Please trust me when I say that even this gown will be toned down compared to what other ladies will be wearing."

"This is the time to stand out," Sally added.

"I don't know…." Hermione hummed. She glanced from the dress back to Tonks and Sally. They had such earnest expressions that it made Hermione's chest tighten. "Okay, I trust you."

The relief on Tonks and Sally's faces made Hermione's guilt increase. Tonks went back to work on applying makeup while Sally hung the dress up on a hanger. She fluttered around the room, grabbing items that Hermione couldn't see, humming to herself.

[o][o][o]

Nearly an hour later, Hermione was dressed and ready to go for dinner. She examined herself in the mirror. While she still thought the red was a little too bold for her tastes, it wasn't as bad as Hermione had initially thought it would be. Her makeup, too, was darker than she would've liked. She decided not to fight it.

Hermione left to go down to the dining room. To her surprise, she was one of the last people at the dining hall. Ginny waved her over from the end of the large dining table, pointing to the empty seat between her and Hannah.

The dining table sat directly in the middle of the room, surrounded by highbacked wooden chairs with an intricate looking swirl design at the top. As Hermione neared the chairs, she could see flecks of gold mixed in with the wood on the swirls. Candles floated lazily above everyone, the bright lights emitting a cozy and personal atmosphere. Fancy looking frames hung on the walls with portraits of people Hermione didn't recognize.

Hermione sat down beside Ginny and gave everyone around her a small smile. She was happy she listened to Tonks and Sally about the girls being so dressed up. Hermione's dress, while bold to her, was nothing in comparison to the dresses the other girls were wearing. Ginny was brave enough to have her black dress lined with rhinestones along the bodice.

Hermione wasn't surprised to see Daphne, Cho, and Romilda seated near the head of the table, especially with the two empty chairs near them. The smug expressions on their faces, and the bitter ones from the girls near them, was enough to let Hermione know she'd thankfully missed out on some drama.

What did surprise Hermione, however, was the empty chair on their end of the table by Ginny. Her breath stuttered as soon as it clicked that someone from the royal family would be sitting with them during dinner.

Ginny sat across from Lavender, whose blue eyes kept darting from the three empty seats. "I hope Prince Harry sits on our side of the table," she sighed, leaning against the table.

"Either way it'll be a member of the royal family sitting beside us." Katie, who was sitting beside Lavender, said.

"Yeah, but it might not be the prince," she whined.

Alicia, who was sitting on the other side of Katie, turned at Lavender's tone and scoffed. "Are you seriously complaining about that?" she asked incredulously. "Do you know how many people would kill to be in your seat right now?"

"I'm just saying." Lavender pouted for a moment then turned to Hermione and Ginny. "I imagine the two of you are really happy to be here, though."

Everyone froze. Hermione's shoulders tensed up as her brain processed what she'd just heard. Lavender couldn't have meant that, could she? No. Judging no the look of her face, it was obvious that her comment was not malicious at all.

Ginny sat stiffly in her chair, her fists clenched under the table. Redness was slowly beginning to creep its way up her neck. "What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, her voice controlled.

"Just that you two have never done this sort of thing before. It's got to feel great."

"Lavender!" Alicia looked at the younger girl with disapproval. "That was rude."

Lavender's eyes went wide, her hands coming up to her mouth. "It was?"

Her face was bright red and her eyes began to shine with tears. Hermione sighed, "Yeah, it was a bit rude."

"I am so sorry!" Lavender turned her gaze to Hermione and Ginny, her eyes wide and imploring. "I didn't mean for that to come off as rude, at all. Oh god, I'm so sorry."

"Lavender, it's okay," Ginny said.

"No, it isn't." She shook her head with such ferocity that the bun her hair was pulled into shifted slightly. She didn't notice. "I should've known better. Ginny, Hermione, I'm so sorry!"

Hermione felt bad for Lavender. She knew from the information package she'd received that Lavender was the youngest of the group at seventeen. From the few interactions she'd had with her, Hermione could tell Lavender was a bit immature compared to everyone else. Perhaps a bit naïve, too. "It's okay, Lavender."

"Calm down," Katie said, her voice soft. Lavender's mouth snapped shut. "You made a mistake and apologized for it. They accepted it. Everything's fine, just try to think before you speak on subjects of such a delicate nature."

Lavender nodded and lowered her gaze, sniffling. Katie reached over and began to fix Lavender's hair. Hermione let out a breath and leaned back in her seat, sharing a look with Ginny.

"Presenting His Majesty, King James, Her Majesty, Queen Lily, and His Highness, Prince Harry."

Chairs scraped across the floor as everyone stood, turning towards the double doors that magically opened. Hermione dropped into a curtsy. An unpleasant fluttering sensation squirmed its way into way into her stomach.

The royal family walked into the dining room with King James leading the way, Queen Lily on his arm. Hermione's breath hitched at the sight of the couple as they glided towards the table. The king was tailored in a crisp black suit and a tie that was not quite white but not beige either. Hermione had never seen the color before, but it matched the queen's dress perfectly. Queen Lily was wearing a long-sleeved dress that went down to the floor and spread out behind her. Her hair was in a half up, half down style. She looked absolutely breathtaking.

Prince Harry followed after his parents. He had changed into a suit like his father's and had a simple black tie. His eyes were on his parents and he had a soft smile. Hermione heard Lavender sigh softly.

They rose from their curtsy and the royal family took their seats. Hermione's heart thudded in her chest as she watched King James and Queen Lily head to the front of the table, taking the two empty seats there. Prince Harry moved to the empty seat by Hermione and Ginny and they sat down.

The look of absolute outrage on Daphne's face made Hermione shrink back in her seat. Cho's expression wasn't much better. Along the table, the girls were looking over at them with a mixture of bitterness and jealousy. It was suddenly extremely warm.

King James cleared his throat, breaking the spell that seemed to take over the room. A quick look of amusement crossed his face, but it was gone just as fast as it arrived. He grabbed the chute of wine that was in front of him and stood.

"Ladies, I welcome you to Hogwarts Castle," he began. "Before we begin with dinner, I'd like to propose a toast. To each of you wonderful ladies, I wish you the best of luck. And to my son, Harry, I met the love of my life during my Drawing. I know that someone sitting at this table will be yours. To the Drawing!"

Glasses raised in the air as a chorus of 'To the Drawing' was said. King James sat back down and suddenly Fives appeared, placing plates of food in front of everyone. For a moment, only the sound of tableware could be heard, everyone getting what they needed or wanted for their dinner.

"What did you think of this afternoon?" Katie asked, turning her torso so that it faced Prince Harry. "It must have been overwhelming to meet everyone all at once."

"It was a bit," Prince Harry said slowly. He took a quick sip of his water. "However, everyone was so nice and welcoming that I forgot how nervous I'd been earlier."

"Why would you be nervous?" Hermione bit back a groan as Lavender spoke. It was like the girl had no social awareness.

"Anyone would be nervous meeting a group of new people," Ginny said tightly, shooting a look at Lavender.

Katie nodded. "Especially if it was going to be publicized."

Hermione's eyes darted back and forth between Ginny and Katie. Something in both of their tones didn't sit right with her. Ginny could hold a grudge, that Hermione knew, so it wasn't too much of a surprise that she'd given Lavender a little attitude. Katie giving attitude, however, threw her. She'd been nothing but sweet and inclusive to everyone since arriving at the castle.

Which hadn't been all that long ago, Hermione realized with a jolt. They'd only been at the castle for two days. She didn't even know Katie.

Alicia cleared her throat, leaning forward to look at Prince Harry. "You mentioned during our conversation that you were a fan of Quidditch," she said. "Do you play?" She caught Hermione's eye and smiled briefly.

"You like Quidditch?" Ginny asked excitedly.

"I love Quidditch." If Prince Harry noticed the attitude coming from Ginny and Katie, he didn't acknowledge it. He turned to Alicia. "And I do play, although not as much as I would like."

"Do you follow the league at all?" Alicia asked.

"Yes. I'm a huge fan of the Chudley Cannons."

Ginny's head whipped around. "You're a Cannons fan?"

"You like them too?"

"Of course I do!" Ginny exclaimed. Alicia looked like she'd just sucked on a lemon and Hermione shot her a sympathetic look. "They've had a couple brutal seasons, but it feels like things are starting to look up. It's about time, too."

"I've always found Quidditch to be stressful to watch," Katie interjected. "Are you not scared of being up so high and at such speeds?"

"Not at all!" Prince Harry shook his head. Hermione couldn't help but grin at the enthusiasm coming from him. "The higher the better, in my opinion."

"I'll have to take your word for it."

"Not a fan of heights, Katie?" Lavender asked. It was the first time that evening that she'd not said anything stupid. Hermione almost felt proud.

"I prefer my feet on the ground."

It suddenly occurred to Hermione that she hadn't said a single thing during this whole conversation. "Me too," she said quickly, smiling at Katie. She hoped it didn't come off as panicked. "Heights and I do not mix."

"What about you, Lady Alicia?" Prince Harry asked. "Do you play a lot of Quidditch?"

"I'm in the same boat as you. Not as much as I'd like to." Alicia's expression brightened at the conversation going back to her. "Still, back home I managed to be able to play once a month or so."

"I'm jealous," he said wistfully. "Just to play once a month would be a dream."

"It must be hard to be able to get in time to do things you want to do," Lavender said softly.

"Sometimes. But I'm also very grateful for my position in life. It's not something I take for granted." He glanced around him. "So. Do you ladies know what's on the agenda for tomorrow?"

"Just our lessons, I believe," Hermione replied. She wanted to say more but the words weren't coming to her. This wasn't good.

"I know Madam McGonagall will be teaching our morning lesson," Lavender said eagerly. "Not sure about the afternoon one, though."

"Didn't Amelia say Madam McGonagall would be the main instructor for our lessons?" Ginny asked. Her tone was cordial, but Hermione could sense she was still bitter towards the younger girl. "It's safe to assume she'll be our instructor for both."

"To make a long story short," Alicia jumped in, "we'll be having lessons tomorrow."

"We haven't been told much other than that, I'm afraid." Katie sighed with a shake of her head. She glanced at Prince Harry and gave a flirtatious smile. "What are your plans for tomorrow?"

Prince Harry was momentarily stunned by Katie's words but recovered quickly. He shot her his own grin, "It's up in the air right now."

Ginny, Alicia, and Lavender all looked less than impressed as Prince Harry and Katie smiled at each other.

There was a lull in conversation after that, everyone focusing on their food in front of them. Ginny, Alicia, and Lavender pushed the food around on their plates, seemingly lost in their thoughts. Katie happily ate in silence, looking quite pleased with herself.

The rest of dinner passed by uneventfully. Ginny and Katie were the two who Prince Harry seemed the most taken with, much to the dismay of everyone else around them. Not that he paid them any more attention than the rest of the girls. It was the way Prince Harry spoke with them, speaking to their interests directly, that gave Hermione that impression.

Alicia's face was dark with frustration and she replied with short answers anytime someone talked to her. Hermione's heart went out to her – she'd been the one to bring up Quidditch, yet Ginny and Katie were the ones to swoop in and direct the conversation.

Hermione still wasn't too sure on what she'd witnessed earlier. The scenario itself was something Hermione was familiar with – girls trying to get a guy's attention was not exactly an original concept. It was, however, Hermione's first time experiencing that situation firsthand. Speaking in too nice of a tone to the other girls, jumping into the conversation no matter who was talking. It left Hermione's mind reeling.

What shocked Hermione the most was how easy it was for Ginny to jump right into that proverbial battleground. Here they were, two Fives, and she was managing to keep up with Alicia, a Two, Lavender, a Three, and Katie, another Three. And the attitude Ginny displayed when talking to Lavender…

Hermione was shaken out of her thoughts as a hand reached in front of her and took her plate away. The table was being cleared and it looked like the evening was beginning to wrap up. Her eyes darted around the room. Had she been zoning out? If she had… for how long?

King James stood up, causing the multiple conversations to die down. "I hope everyone enjoyed their meal," he said, smiling. "I want to thank all of you ladies once again for coming to the castle and participating in the Drawing. I know it won't be easy having your lives publicized during your stay here, and it takes courage to be able to do this. I hope all of you have a good night."

With that said, Queen Lily and Prince Harry rose from the table. After a quick goodbye, they left the dining hall.

As soon as the double doors closed behind them, the room erupted into loud conversation. Those who hadn't been close to Hermione's side of the table jumped up and hurried over.

"I cannot believe Prince Harry chose to sit by you." Daphne moaned. She crossed her arms, a haughty expression coming over her face.

Alicia turned to glare at her. "Maybe he could sense how wonderful your personality is and decided to not subject himself to that for the evening," she snapped.

"Excuse me?" Daphne asked, her expression morphing into a snarl. She took a step forward and Pansy, who was next to her, quickly backed away. "Do you even know who you're talking to?"

"Do you?" Alicia challenged. She pushed her chair away from the table and stood up, her hands on her hips.

Daphne let out a condescending laugh. "I know what this is about. You're just angry that your attempt at getting the prince's attention failed."

"You were on the opposite site of the table," Lavender pointed out. "How would you even know what we were talking about?"

"It's called an indoor voice, honey. You lot might want to learn about it if you don't want your conversations to be overheard."

The sound of a chair scraping across the marble flooring made everyone wince. "What is your problem?" Angelina demanded loudly. She pointed an accusing finger. "You've been nothing but horrible to everyone you talk to since stepping foot into this castle. Why? It's not making you any friends here."

Daphne let out a loud laugh that sounded to Hermione more like a cackle. She shifted her weight and propped her hands on her hips. "Newsflash - I'm not here to make friends. I'm here to become queen."

"You and everyone else in this room," Cho said. She was still sitting her in chair and looked quite bored with the whole conversation.

"But the difference is I'll be the one who actually makes it to the top."

The situation was deteriorating quickly. Hermione's eyes darted around the room. Her mouth had become dry and there was this energy within her that hadn't been there during dinner.

"What is going on in here?"

Hermione started at the new voice and she turned around. Relief spread through her as Amelia marched towards the group. That relief soon went away, however, when she saw the angry expression on the older woman's face.

"I apologize, Amelia," Alicia said. She sounded calm, the emotion in her voice earlier completely gone. "We just had a difference of opinions."

"Yes, I heard that." She looked between the girls and gave a heavy sigh. "I don't care if you do not get along with each other. What I do care about is you arguing in a place where people of importance might hear you… like the royal dining hall."

Hermione winced at the venom in Amelia's voice. Alicia's dark skin paled dramatically and even Daphne looked nervous. No one spoke.

"Breakfast will be in the Ladies Room tomorrow and lessons will begin at ten o'clock sharp." Amelia's voice was stiff as she stared at everyone. "Until you learn how to be cordial and diplomatic with one another in public, I suggest sticking to your own room or the Ladies Room. Dismissed."

[o][o][o]

A/N: Things are starting to get catty up in here! Sorry for the shorter chapter; what I have planned would've made it very awkward to put in a single chapter or split it into two.

Don't be afraid to let me know what you think! I love hearing from you guys.

Cheers,

HP.