Disclaimer: I see London, I see France. I see policemen-waiting-outside-my-house-when-I-claim-I'm-JK Rowling-and-CS Lewis. So yeah, lol, Harry Potter and Narnia are sadly not mine.
A/N: So, it's Monday again! Yes, well, I think I won't put a long author's note at the beginning of a chapter because I know some people tend to skip this part and immediately read the story. So, read and review afterwards. Enjoy!
Chapter Ten: Narnian Fair
The moment Lucy walked inside his study room, that look present on her face, Peter knew that his youngest sister was up to something again.
"What is it now?" Peter asked with a sigh and Lucy stared back at him innocently.
"Whatever do you mean, Pete?" she asked, sitting comfortably on the armrest of Peter's chair. "I just came here to ask if you want tea and crumpets."
"Right," he said, a small smile tugging on his face. "But really, what is it that you want? I don't have the whole day, Lu. I do have a meeting with some of the country leaders a few minutes from now."
Lucy shifted on her seat and stared into Peter's eyes. "There's a Narnian fair today," she stated slowly.
Peter raised an eyebrow. "And?"
His sister held both of his hands and looked at him beseechingly. "May I go?" she begged. Peter guessed that if she were not sitting right now, she would have been shameless and, dare he say it, desperate enough to kneel and profusely beg. "Please, Peter? I heard there's a new perfume that they're going to sell in the fair now and I really, really wish to seek for it myself."
"No," was his blatant reply, his expression not changing one bit.
Lucy pouted and that did not even change his mind. Under normal circumstances, he would have let her without a single thought whatsoever. But what had happened a month ago in the forest before served as a learning for Peter. He almost lost his sister and he did not want that to happen again.
"Why not?" she asked. "You used to allow me before."
Peter sighed and turned back on his documents. "You know why, Lucy," he said with a hint of exhaustion in his voice. "It's a little dangerous to venture outside the gates of Cair Paravel. Especially for you, because you're a queen and the rebelling Telmarines would instantly swarm around you."
"That's preposterous, Peter! I can perfectly take care of myself, thank you very much," she said with a huff. Upon seeing the pointed look of her brother, she scowled. "Well, what happened before was a first, Peter. I'll make sure to be more careful now."
"No," he repeated, this time with obvious finality in his voice. "Don't make me repeat myself, Lucy."
To his utter surprise, his sister stopped her persistence. It had astonished him, of course, because he knew that Lucy was one stubborn girl. She would do anything in her power to make things her way.
"Oh, what a bother," she exclaimed aloud, slowly standing up and making a move to leave. "What should I do? I promised dear Hermione to bring her to this Narnian fair."
Peter perked up upon hearing Hermione's name. Unbeknownst to him, a small smirk was now seen on Lucy's face.
"Oh, poor girl. I bet she'll be crushed if she heard that High King Peter refused to allow us to go to the Narnian fair now," she continued, her steps towards the front door slow and even patient. "I guess she'll just spend the whole day lazing around the castle, with nothing to do, and a little sore she's not able to see for the first time a Narnian fair. Goodness, I can already imagine the disappointment in her face."
The High King bit his bottom lip and abruptly stood up. "Hold on!" he exclaimed. Lucy stopped and turned around, a questioning look on her face.
"Yes?" she asked.
Peter scowled at the knowing smile on her face. In spite of himself, he blushed a deep scarlet. "Oh, all right," he finally answered, followed by a defeated sigh. "But you must go out incognito. And I'll assign some guards to trail both you and Hermione." His cheeks darkened and he refused to meet Lucy's eyes. "Just" – he paused and coughed – "tell Her-Hermione to have fun."
"Thanks, Pete!" Lucy exclaimed, now clutching the doorknob. "You're the best!"
As soon as Lucy was gone, Peter slumped back down on his seat and sighed, believing that for the very first time, he had gone insanely mad.
The moment Lucy entered the kitchens, with that look on her face, Hermione knew that Lucy was up to something again.
"Hermione!" the happy queen exclaimed. "There's a Narnian fair outside and I'll be happy to tour you around."
Upon hearing the phrase "Narnian fair", Hermione's warm, brown eyes lit up. "A fair?" she asked, almost breathless. A wide smile appeared on her face and she was unable to contain her happiness. "Oh, I've been wanting to see one but…" Her smile faltered. "Does your brother know about this? I'm sure what had happened to you a few weeks ago had somehow served as a reason for High King Peter to disallow you from going outside now."
Lucy winked, a mysterious look settling on her face. "Don't worry about that," she said, holding both of Hermione's hands. "I've solved that little problem and it's all thanks to you."
"Me?" Hermione asked, confused.
"Anyway," the young queen said, grabbing Hermione's arm and pulling her out of the kitchen. "Come on. I must change my clothes first before we go outside."
Hermione turned her head around and bid Babbity and Glendolly goodbye, knowing that any form of resistance was futile.
"It's… wonderful," Hermione said, at awe and almost breathless. She looked around and saw various booths and stalls that were never seen during normal days in Narnia. A few children, both creatures and humans alike, were seen playing all over the streets. A few merchants were seen endorsing different kinds of products; some looked very peculiar for Hermione. There were street dancers prancing around and some of the townspeople joined.
"It sure is," Lucy said.
Hermione looked at the queen and smiled. Lucy had worn a peasant's dress, which was ordered by her older brother. A hooded cloak covered the queen's form so that no one would recognize her. Looking behind her, Hermione spied some Narnian guards, also dressed casually so as not to be obvious in the crowd.
Suddenly, Hermione felt the hairs at the back of her neck standing up. She whipped around, trying to look for some stranger staring at her, but saw none. She rubbed the back of her neck and frowned, a little confused of the instinct that had happened on her body.
"Come on," the younger of the two said, grabbing Hermione's hand. "Let's look around."
"Good Lord, this must be the best Narnian fair I've ever been to," Lucy exclaimed.
She and Hermione decided to rest in one of the Narnian food stalls and take a break. Currently, Lucy was licking her strawberry-flavored ice cream while Hermione was sipping her iced tea.
Their table was filled with products, ranging from perfumes, to gloves, to parchments. Some of them were for Hermione, who reluctantly but at the same time gratefully received them. Most of them were Lucy's, though, who bought a lot of things for herself and her siblings.
Touring around with Lucy had served to be tiring for Hermione. She was not really fond of shopping for things, unless she had to shop for books or school supplies. But today proved to be different for she found herself enjoying, too. She and Lucy also played a couple of games and won a couple of prizes.
"I think it's best if – "
There it was again – that feeling that someone was staring at her. Hermione had felt that sensation for quite a few times that day but she always seemed not to put a face on the stranger. Her hand once again rubbed the back of her neck as she looked frantically around, this time quite desperate to locate the owner of the eyes.
"Is everything all right?" Lucy asked, a little concerned.
"Yes, everything's all… right." Her voice faltered as soon as her eyes met a startling pair of grey eyes. The eyes belonged to an old lady and abruptly, Hermione stood up. The old lady stared at her long enough before turning around. "Wait for me here, Lucy."
She took off and ran after the mysterious woman. Lucy called for her name but she did not turn around, afraid that she would lose the mysterious lady.
Finally, the old lady stopped in front of a tent. She gave Hermione a look before striding inside the tent.
A little afraid, Hermione looked from left to right and finally decided to follow inside.
Hermione almost coughed at the thick scent of perfume in the air. Her nose scrunched up and it took all of her willpower not to cover her nose. The tent almost looked too gaudy for her own liking. Silver trinkets and weird contraptions littered the whole tent. Some were hanging on the ceiling, twinkling as they moved and hit the light.
The old lady was located at the very middle of the whole tent, now wearing a glittering cloak over her form. A small crystal ball was seen in front of the old lady, placed snuggly on top of a pillow-like table.
"Sit down," she rasped.
Hermione flinched and cautiously followed the lady's instruction.
There was silence at first and Hermione wondered what the lady might be up to. The old woman's eyes were closed and her hands kept on gliding over the crystal ball.
'This is ridiculous,' Hermione thought, slightly scowling. She never believed in this ridiculous mumbo jumbo. She always thought that Divination is for those less intellectual beings who believed in destiny and fate instead of reason and knowledge. 'I must be mad to follow this stranger inside a strange-looking tent.'
"I will be telling you your fortune, Hermione Granger," the old lady rasped, her eyes still closed.
Hermione gasped aloud, her eyes widening in sheer horror and disbelief. "H-how do you know my name?" she stuttered, involuntarily scooting a little to the back.
Her eyes snapped open, her grey eyes instantly focusing on the brunette's form. "I've been expecting you, Hermione Granger," she continued. "Every day and every night, I've always known you will arrive here."
The brunette leaned closer to the lady. "You know how I arrived here in Narnia?" she softly asked, afraid that someone might overhear.
"But, oh, how your arrival will cause another great war," the old lady declared softly, her grey eyes not leaving Hermione's. "A great war, Hermione Granger. Prepare and be brave."
"A great war?" Hermione asked, feeling a little panicked and afraid. "What are you talking about?"
Just then, the old lady convulsed on her seat. Hermione shrieked in surprise when the lady's head lolled, her eyes once again tightly shut.
"Are you quite all right?" Hermione asked, slightly leaning closer when suddenly, the lady's eyes flew open. But instead of the grey eyes she had before, her eyes were a startling shade of white.
Hermione moved back in fear, her hand instinctively clutching her wand inside her pocket.
"Betrayal by the most unlikely," the old lady muttered, her voice deep and icy, different from the voice she sported a while ago. A few more gibberish escaped from the lady's mouth; words that never made sense to the brunette. "The Ice will be back. Fire against Ice. Until then, beware. Beware. Beware. Beware. Beware."
"Are you all right?" she repeated once again. The lady kept on murmuring the word "Beware" again and again and it somehow triggered a memory Hermione had a few days ago.
"Miss?" Hermione cried, now standing up. She moved slightly closer to the lady and flinched when she convulsed again. "What's happening?" Hermione's hand touched the old lady's withered one and instantly, blinding pain and indescribable coldness seeped into Hermione's body.
An icy, almost inhumane voice was heard all throughout the tent, mingled with Hermione's pained and terrified ones.
And then, everything turned black.
When Hermione opened her eyes, she swore that her head would explode. The lights in her bedchamber seemed unbearably bright and not even her comfortable and soft bed and pillows did nothing to alleviate her headache.
A groan escaped from her mouth as she shifted on her bed. A loud cry from the room resounded around and Hermione flinched. She involuntarily growled in annoyance. Loud footsteps echoed against the stone floor and soon, a shadow was looming over her form.
Hermione, with squinted eyes, tried to make out the shape of the person hovering above her. A pale Queen Lucy materialized in front of her and once again, a pained groan escaped from her lips.
"Oh, thank Aslan, you're finally awake!" Lucy cried, her eyes strangely glossy and red.
"Wh-what happened?" Hermione rasped, her voice sore and scratchy because it had been unused. Lucy immediately gave a cool glass of water to Hermione, who gladly accepted it and gulped down its contents.
"Nobody knows," the queen said, placing a pillow behind Hermione's back. "Not even the Narnian Healer. You've been unconscious for three days, Hermione. Three days and even though the Narnian Healer said nothing was wrong with you, you still haven't woken up and oh, how agonizing those three days were."
Hermione's eyebrows slightly knitted together. "Hold on," she said. "Three days? I've been unconscious for three days?"
Lucy merely nodded. "You've given us quite a scare," she accused, a small tear escaping from her eye and trailing down her cheek. "We thought you wouldn't, you know, make it. The mere fact that you're breathing made us think that you're going to be okay."
"Merlin, three days," Hermione said, clutching her head. The headache was slightly subsiding now. It was strange, though, that she felt incredibly weak.
"Who's Merlin?" Lucy asked.
Hermione softly chuckled, remembering King Edmund asking the same question to her. "Just probably a dog I used to own without any recollection whatsoever," Hermione lied.
Lucy shook her head to clear her muddle thoughts. "Anyway," the queen said. "What really happened? I was surprised when you ran away from me and just… you know… poofed."
The brunette chuckled. "Poofed?" she asked.
"Oh, don't laugh now," Lucy said with a scowl. "Because you made me worry, you have no right to laugh at me today."
Hermione merely raised an eyebrow.
"Anyway, it took us the whole bloody day to search for you, Hermione," the queen elaborated. "Peter even ordered a group of soldiers to peruse the whole city and its outskirts. Reepicheep found you a few hours after twilight and you were unconscious already."
The older of the two ran a hand through her face. "Was there a tent or an old lady?" Hermione asked. Like what she had initially suspected, Lucy shook her head.
"None," the queen said. "In fact, they found you somewhere far from the fair itself." Lucy sat down beside Hermione and held her hand. "Who was this old lady, Hermione?"
Disappointed and tired, Hermione shook her head. "I don't know, Lucy," she said. "I don't know."
'And I'll do everything to find out who she is,' Hermione swore mentally as she squeezed Lucy's hand.
It took exactly a whole day for Hermione to regain back her energy. Peter had visited her quite a lot of times during that day and she was thankfully that they were quick ones. Her headache was still present for the whole day. It had surprised her one time when even Edmund had stopped by to check how she was feeling. But, of course, visiting her always meant something more.
"What shenanigans are you on about now?" he had asked upon his arrival. Hermione had merely rolled her eyes at him and with one last piercing look from him, he turned around and left her bedchamber.
During that day, too, Hermione mused about what had transpired between her and the old lady. It was obvious that there was something magical about the lady. She had this feeling that what she had spouted to her as soon as her eyes turned a horrifying shade of white was something akin to a prophecy. Hermione had decided to soon seek for the mysterious lady because she felt that maybe, just maybe, this old lady would be able to help her to go back to her real world.
For now, Hermione knew she had to research more, which brought her to her current problem: asking permission from King Edmund. It was not exactly a pleasant thing to do, seeing that he disliked her and she disliked him in return. But there was a book in his library that caught her attention and she had been itching for days to read it.
Hence, here she was, in front of Edmund while the said king was looking at her a little impatiently.
"Well?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
Hermione begrudgingly swallowed, a small frown now forming on her face. 'Where is Peter or Lucy when I need them?' she asked herself. She tucked a stray strand behind her ear and then lifted her chin confidently. Edmund sneered at her little act of confidence but did not comment about it any further.
"I'm asking permission to use your library once again, your highness," Hermione said.
His eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Why?" he asked.
Hermione sighed. "Do you want me to tell you about plotting evil plans again?" she asked, prompting him to glare. "I want to further research in your library, King Edmund."
"Why not Susan's?"
"Because," she claimed in slight exasperation, "your library is by far more informative that Queen Susan's. You might not know it but I'll probably be able to find a book about getting back my memory. Before you even know it, my memories will be back and I'll be out of this castle and maybe even Narnia. Isn't that what you've been coveting the most?"
He glared and scrutinized her intently. "Fine," he finally spat. "But do know that I'll be in my library for the whole day. So, if you do any funny businesses…"
"I understand," she said, sighing afterwards.
Edmund glared warningly one last time before turning around and striding away. Hermione followed in silence, leaving a good distance between the two of them.
It was an awkward walk, especially because she could notice how tensed the king in front of her was.
'Maybe he did not like the idea that I'm walking behind him,' she said with a small smirk. 'I might pull a dagger or something.'
"Worrywart," she said.
"What?" Edmund asked, looking behind.
Hermione just merely smiled. "Nothing," she said.
He stared at her in suspicion before resuming his walk.
They finally arrived in his personal library. The relieved sigh he released was not left unnoticed by Hermione. She had to suppress a laugh and was only able to release it when they went their separate ways.
Edmund's paranoia was astounding. She also begrudgingly admitted that it was ridiculously adorable. But then again, he was a king of a wonderful country. It must have been normal for him to constantly worry over things, sometimes trivial, so as to avoid mistakes and possible casualties.
"Mad-Eye Moody will be so proud of him," Hermione said aloud, walking softly towards the back of the library. "The boy sure knows how to be constantly vigilant."
She finally reached the bookshelf where she hid the book. Hermione fell on all fours and groped underneath. Her fingers bumped against the hardbound body of the book and relieved that it was still there, Hermione smiled. She pulled the book, brushed off the dust that had formed on top of the book.
Hermione immediately walked towards the nearest table and started to read.
"Bloody hell," she grumbled under her breath, glaring at the Time and Relative Dimension in Space, annoyed that it did not provide anything related to her problem. All it offered were things above time travelling and basically anything about the concept of Time.
She couldn't deny that this Rose Pond had clever insights about time and its importance, though.
"Time, as we all know, is one of the most enigmatic topics in the whole universe. Certain people, both Muggle and magical alike, had given their own ideas and theories about Time. Albert Einstein, a genius, Muggle scientist, claimed that Time is relative, as opposed to Sir Isaac Newton's (another Muggle scientist) claim of Time being absolute.
Einstein believes that the past, present, and future occur simultaneously. The separation of the three is merely an illusion; something that is mostly taught both in the Muggle and Wizarding World. With the proper, so-called technology, such as the Muggle spaceship, a person riding it can experience a few weeks or months while a person outside the spaceship can only experience a few seconds or minutes. The condition, though, was that the person riding the spaceship must travel near the speed of light."
A yawn escaped from Hermione's lips as she shifted on her seat, going over a few more pages. They're mostly about Time and Albert Einstein's theory of relativity, which Hermione had known already, seeing that she read quite a few things about it during her summer before fifth year.
What made her quite happy and interested, though, was that as the book progressed, it proved that it was really a magical book from her world. The author, Rose Pond, had proven to be a witch since she knew so many things about the Wizarding World. This fact was one important reason why Hermione could not stop reading this book.
Her eyes almost bulged when Dumbledore's name, her deceased Headmaster, was then mentioned in the book.
"… Albus Dumbledore believes that Einstein's theory of relativity is quite true and had added a few things about it himself. In relation with Death, Time can be prolonged. This claim of his was scorned by a few critics at first, but upon the invention of the Sorcerer's Stone by Nicholas Flamel, Dumbledore's good friend, his theory was proven right."
A few more facts about Time followed afterwards. Hermione had closed her eyes for a while to rest them. The so-called 'information overload' was currently happening to her and she swore that if she were to read a few more pages today, her mind would explode.
'Harry and Ron will be alarmed,' she fondly thought with a sad smile. She already guessed that they would demand where she had brought their real Hermione, seeing that she finally claimed that she was tired of reading.
Hermione reckoned that the facts about different universes would be revealed a few chapters more. Hermione wished to skip some chapters but she was afraid she'd leave essential details behind.
"Oi," Edmund suddenly said, walking closer to her table.
She instinctively hid the book underneath the impossible layers of her skirt and stood up. "Yes?" she asked.
His eyes narrowed as he scanned her whole self. "Peter's asking for our presence already. It's time for afternoon tea," he said.
Hermione nodded her head and smiled. "All right," she said. "But I must go to my room first to freshen up. Tell High King Peter that I'll be there soon."
Edmund slowly nodded his head and watched as Hermione walked out of his library.
As soon as she was outside, Hermione breathed a sigh of relief, the book she had "borrowed" from Edmund's library now tightly clutched in her hand.
A/N: So, end of chapter ten! Ooh, who is this mysterious old lady, eh? How'd you like the chapter, though? Tell me in your reviews!
Well, I'm a practicing Catholic and we celebrate this so-called "Holy Week". I'm kind of cutting the hours of my time in front of my laptop and mind you, it's a little hard. Starting today, I kind of promised myself to give up Facebook and Tumblr until Sunda. So yeah, let the sacrifice begin. Don't worry, I'll still post the next chapter on the Friday.
So, I noticed that one reviewer already had a guess who would betray Narnia in the future, which was stated in the revealed prophecy. Any speculations or guesses? I would love to read all of them but of course, I won't answer any guesses at all. I just wanted to read it. That's why.
Okay, so I've finally decided to write a Merlin/Hermione story. You know, the BBC TV series. Ugh, I think I'm starting to get fond of all this crossover things. I'm still making the outline, though, and I'm at the first half of the story. So far, I think it's getting quite good. I must warn those who want to read it that it will be filled with the "Merlin" TV series spoilers; hence, I suggest you watch the whole series. Probably, we can fangirl about it before the fifth series arrives XD UGH, so yeah, my love for this specific British series grew and grew each day. How can I help it? I'm always fascinated with this whole fantasy and magic stuff. One proof is my obsession with the HP series and Dramione. "Merlin" is a little like Harry Potter because of the magic and all, only it was set during the medieval times. So yes, I greatly recommend it to those who have nothing to do anymore.
That's it for now! Again, review!
With love,
WickedlyAwesomeMe