Disclaimer: Check the previous chapters. I'm sure I've already established that I will never, ever be J.K. Rowling or C.S. Lewis.
A/N: So yes, Monday is here; therefore, it's update day! Here is chapter fourteen, my dear readers. Review afterwards and do enjoy!
Chapter Fourteen: Distressing News
"Hermione, over here!" Lucy happily proclaimed, gesturing wildly at the brunette.
Hermione smiled and rushed towards Lucy and the others. She curtsied and tightened the cloak around her. As opposed to the grandiose clothes worn by the monarchs, Hermione was simply wearing a dress that was leant to her by Babbity with a cloak over and a basket at hand.
Once again, they were in a Narnian fair but this time, the other Pevensies including Caspian tagged along. Also, Lucy was not forced to disguise herself as a peasant since her brothers were with her.
The brunette stared in amazed as all the store owners swarmed around the Narnian royalties while offering different kinds of products to them. She admired how they still continued to look cool and polite despite the little riot that was happening around them. Although, she could already see that King Edmund was trying his very hardest to cover up a growing scowl on his face.
"How are you today, Hermione?" Queen Susan asked, grabbing her elbow to get her attention.
Hermione smiled warmly at the queen. "I'm quite fine today, your highness," she answered. "And you?"
"Never been better," the older of the two said, followed by a contented sigh as she stared at Caspian standing beside her.
The brunette felt genuinely happy for the married couple. King Caspian was already well from the past injury he had from the rebelling Telmarines and his wife looked positively radiant. It had somehow worried Hermione that the gentle queen lost her radiance during Caspian's injury but now that he was finally well, Susan looked very happy again.
"I hope you slept well, Hermione." This time it was Peter who talked, and Hermione reluctantly smiled at him.
"Yes, your highness. Thank you," she politely said, inclining his head.
The king charmingly smiled at him and Hermione abruptly averted her eyes away. Ever since the Welcoming Ball, High King Peter had becoming increasingly mindful of her. There were gestures, although small, that spoke volumes for the brunette. His actions became increasingly alarming and for the past few days, she tried her very hardest to avoid him. It was to no avail, seeing that he seemed to always seek her. She thanked Lucy for her constant presence since her company became an excuse for her not to talk to the High King.
Peter was actually one major reason why she did not want to come with them to the Narnian fair. The Narnian High King had more responsibilities ever imaginable for a twenty-year-old and Hermione knew that her mere presence was a distraction to him.
But then, Hermione realized it was another opportunity for her to find the mysterious, old lady that she had encountered in the past Narnian fair. She had this inkling that the lady somehow held the key for the solution for her problem. Of course, some fiasco happened during their last encounter, but that did not faze Hermione. She was determined to look for the old lady today and get some answers from her.
"Are you all right?" Lucy asked, linking her arm with the brunette. "You're awfully quite today."
"Hmm… yes," Hermione said, sounding a little distracted. Her eyes met King Edmund's, the latter's eyebrow raised. "I'm all right."
Their tour around the fair took a few more hours and Hermione was growing restless. Twilight was nearing and the fair was ending, but still, she could not break away from the group and search for the old lady.
Lucy and Peter were constantly chattering her up and Hermione could not find the right time to excuse herself. Even Edmund's constant stare was starting to unnerve her.
"THIEF! THIEF!" a shrill voice called. Hermione's head whipped towards the voice and saw a poor Beaver, her face almost close to tears and she kept on calling for the thief who stole the cloths she was selling.
"Edmund!" Peter exclaimed, and his brother nodded in understanding. The two brothers rushed towards the commotion, with Caspian in tow. Susan looked scandalized at the thievery that had happened and Lucy rushed towards the Beaver to calm her down.
Hermione found herself standing alone in the street and almost smiled at the perfect timing of the thief. She looked at the others one last time and turned around, meaning to search for the old lady.
The same prickling sensation at the back of Hermione's neck happened and she whipped around to locate the pair of eyes. Like what she had predicted, the eyes belonged to the old lady.
The mercurial eyes of the mysterious woman met Hermione's brown ones before the old lady turned her back and walked away.
Hermione weaved through the crowd, annoyed that so many creatures were swarming against her. She cursed softly when she lost the old lady.
The brunette whipped her head everywhere, desperately trying to locate her. 'Please, please, please,' Hermione begged to the cosmic powers above. 'Please, let me talk to her.'
As if her prayers were heard, the old lady materialized out of nowhere. And this time, she did not move.
Hermione cautiously approached her. As she walked, she was surprised to see that they were in a secluded area from the Narnian fair. Hermione instinctively gripped her wand hidden inside her sleeve, just to give her some comfort. After all, she was alone with a mysterious lady in an isolated area; anything could happen.
"Please," Hermione started, slowly stepping forward. "I-I don't know who you are or what you are, but I think you can help me return back to my own world."
The old lady's face was void of any emotions. "Hermione Granger," she said. "This is a wonderful place. Narnia is a wonderful place. Why do you want to go back?"
The brunette bit her bottom lip, not really knowing what to answer. The old lady had a point. Narnia was way wonderful than Hogwarts, seeing that her world was already slowly crumbling down due to evil. "I don't belong here," was her final answer, but the old lady sadly smiled.
"I cannot help you," she revealed. "You are brought here for a purpose, Hermione Granger. I cannot help you."
"Why?" Hermione asked. "Please, I must go back. They need me. My world needs me."
"But your world doesn't need you anymore," the old lady retorted back. "You cannot go back anymore. Your world has succumbed to the darkness. Harry Potter is dead" – Hermione released a loud gasp, surprised that she knew the name of her best friend – "You are dead. If you go back, you are dead. I cannot help you, Hermione Granger."
Unknowing tears formed at the corner of her eyes and rolled down on her cheeks. "I… died?" she asked. Hermione then distinctively remembered Bellatrix Lestrange and the last curse that came out from the deranged Death Eater. "I died," she stated this time.
'How could I forget?' she asked herself as more tears rolled down from her eyes. It was the last thing that she remembered, and yet, she had forgotten it these past few days.
Hermione's head perked up when she heard footsteps. To her surprise, the old lady was approaching her. She backpedalled, but chose not to run.
Once the lady was standing in front of her, she pulled something out from her pocket and showed it to Hermione. The brunette gasped in recognition, the tattered and old Sorting Hat clutched tightly in the lady's hand. "Use this at your bravest," was the lady's advice.
Hermione held the Sorting Hat and stared at it in awe. "But how - " Her words died down when she heard a peculiar, yet very familiar sound.
When she lifted up her face to look at the mysterious lady, she was gone.
The old lady had apparated away.
"Well, that wasn't tough," Edmund proclaimed, returning his sword back to his sheath. They had captured the thief, who turned out to be a cowering Satyr. It turned out that the thief merely wanted something to sell for the food of his children. Out of pity, it was Lucy who gave the Satyr some gold coins. The pieces of cloth were returned to the Beaver and all was well in the Narnian fair again.
Or so he thought.
"Hermione?" Lucy called, looking wildly around. "Has anyone seen Hermione?"
Edmund looked around and was surprised to see that the brunette was missing. Smirking slightly, he shook his head. 'She always has this knack of disappearing, eh?' he asked himself, approaching his little sister. "I'm sure she just wandered off to some nearby stalls, Lu."
His words were uttered to comfort her, only it did not. "I just remembered that the last time we went to a Narnian fair, something bad happened to Hermione."
This seemed to alarm Peter, for he gestured to the other soldiers to look for the brunette. "Find Miss Hermione and bring her back safe," he ordered.
"I don't think you have to do that, Peter," Caspian said, his voice awfully grave and soft. His eyes were directed towards a certain direction and Edmund followed his line of vision.
Not so far away from them, he spotted Hermione, clutching a peculiar-looking cloth in her hands. What caught his attention, though, were the tears leaking from her eyes.
Lucy took off immediately, running towards the obviously distressed brunette. "What is it?" she asked frantically, pulling out her handkerchief and giving it to Hermione. "What's wrong, Hermione? What happened?"
Her lady-in-waiting vigorously shook her head as she wiped her tears away. "C-can we just go back?" she sobbed. That was how Edmund noticed that she was trembling. Of what? He did not know.
"I think it's best if we do," the just king said, looking at the others. Susan's face showed worry. Both Peter and Caspian had their lips drawn into a thin line.
Finally, Peter nodded his head and with his order, the whole group returned back to Cair Paravel.
Lucy was late for breakfast, and so was her lady-in-waiting. It had made Edmund highly curious since Hermione was always the first one to wake up in the whole group. That was why his usually late sister was always the first one in the dining table, together with her lady-in-waiting.
"I'm sorry," Lucy apologized as she ran inside the dining hall, slightly dishevelled. She sat down on her chair and worriedly stared on her own plate.
"Where's Hermione?" Peter asked, but Lucy sadly shook her head.
"She said she did not want to eat breakfast today," the queen worriedly whispered.
Silence settled inside the hall. Edmund was so sure they were remembering the tears that were shed by the brunette yesterday. It had baffled all of them to see that the usually cheerful Hermione looked obviously distraught.
His thoughts were interrupted when Lucy suddenly stood up from her seat.
"Lucy, sit down," was Peter's order, but Lucy vigorously shook her head.
"I'm going to bring her some breakfast," she declared. She turned at one of their attendants and asked for a tray. "I'm not going to allow my lady-in-waiting to starve." Once the tray she had asked was given to her, Lucy gathered as much food as she could on the tray and took off to Hermione's room.
"Whatever could have happened to that poor girl?" Susan mused aloud.
"Do you think it had something to do in the Narnian fair?" Peter asked, also very worried.
Caspian shrugged and absentmindedly held the hand of his wife. "Well, we may never know," he said. "She doesn't remembering anything. Maybe a snippet or two came into her mind during the Narnian fair that had caused her to look so… so distressed."
Silence once again befell in the whole table. Edmund took in Caspian's insight and made a mental note to ask Hermione herself.
Hermione tossed on her bed for the umpteenth time.
She did not sleep well last night. In fact, she did not sleep at all. The encounter she had with the mysterious, old lady kept on replaying in her mind.
"You cannot go back anymore."
Those words echoed the loudest in her mind. Hermione released a groan and buried her head under her pillow. For the whole night, tears always formed at the corner of her eyes. Sometimes, she was able to suppress them.
Most of the time, though, they fell.
Her eyes were awfully itchy and puffy due to her sobs. She had to cover her mouth because she was afraid that the whole castle would hear her.
"You cannot go back anymore."
Tears once again formed and she sniffed. 'But what about Hogwarts?' she asked herself. 'What about my friends? What about the Light Side? What about those innocent people who kept their trust in us… in me to make their lives better and eradicate the evil around them?'
Hermione wiped away her tears and shifted on the bed again. Her eyes landed on the Sorting Hat and she shakily grabbed it from her bedside. The old lady told her to use it at her bravest, which confused her slightly. The Sorting Hat had been lost in Hogwarts a fortnight before the war happened. It had surprised her greatly when the supposedly lost magical hat was found here in Narnia, of all places.
The brunette inserted her hand inside the hat but was unable to grasp the sword of Godric Gryffindor. She remembered Harry using it in their Second Year. Dumbledore had told him that only a true Gryffindor will be able to pull out the said sword of their founder.
'But use it at my bravest? What does she mean?' she asked herself, placing the hat back on her bedside table.
Hermione had so many questions running inside her head but no answers came up in her mind. She swore that she would look for the old lady again and finally, finally give her the answers she most coveted.
It was undeniable: the lady was a witch, too. That mystic aura that shrouded her, the fact that she was able to apparate… 'She's a witch,' Hermione told herself with conviction. And not just any other witch – she was a witch that came from her world, too.
A soft knock from her door snapped her off from her musings.
"Hermione?"
It was Lucy and truthfully, she did not want to talk to her right now. In fact, she did not want to interact with the others at all today.
"Hermione, please let me in," the queen earnestly begged behind the door. "As your mistress, I'm not allowing you to skip breakfast." Her last sentence was added in a commanding voice and in spite of herself, Hermione smiled. It was the first time Lucy used such a stern and strict voice and it sounded so odd coming from the young, sweet queen.
Sniffing and wiping her face, the brunette finally stood up from her bed and walked towards the door. "I'm sorry, your highness," she whispered through the door. "I wish to be alone today."
An exasperated sigh was heard from the other door. Lucy startled Hermione by loudly pounding on the door again and the brunette was afraid the queen would soon destroy the door because of the force she was exerting on it.
"Open up, or blimey, I'll force myself inside," the valiant queen suddenly said in the end, Hermione had no choice but to open the door.
What greeted her was a frustrated Lucy, a small tray of breakfast food balanced on one hand. How she managed to do that, Hermione did not know.
The youngest Pevensie then forced herself inside and settled the tray of food on Hermione's bedside table. The brunette, at loss of what to do, gently closed the door and strode back to her bed. She shot a look at the food and sighed. Although the smell was aromatic and scrumptious, she had no appetite to eat at all.
"Eat," the queen ordered, thrusting a fork into her hands.
Hermione stared at the eating utensil, as if it was foreign, and then sadly shook her head. "Please don't bother about me, Lucy," she croaked, her voice still a little sore because of the tears she had cried last night. "Might as well eat your own breakfast."
To her surprise, Lucy crouched down in front of her so that her beautiful eyes would level with Hermione's. The stubborn look that she had been sporting a while ago now morphed into a concerned one. She reached out and held both of the brunette's hands, giving both of them a tight squeeze.
The gentle gesture that the queen was offering her had squeezed something in her heart and the next thing Hermione knew, stubborn tears were once again rolling from her eyes.
"What's wrong?" Lucy softly asked, her eyes softening upon seeing the vulnerability and distress of the older girl in front of her.
Hermione retrieved a hand from Lucy's grip and haphazardly wiped away her tears. Some landed on her forehead and neck, but she seemed not to mind at all. "This is ridiculous," she said, trying to release a watery chuckle. She only managed to make a peculiar sound that shattered Lucy's heart into pieces.
Lucy lifted her hand and wiped away the tears that were streaming down from the eyes of her lady-in-waiting. "Did something happen yesterday in the fair?" she asked. "Do you want to talk about it?"
Flashbacks of yesterday rushed into Hermione's mind. More tears escaped from her eyes and then, a guttural sob escaped from her lips. More sobs came and soon, Hermione was sobbing noisily. She covered her face with her hands, a little ashamed that she was crying heartily in front of another person.
The queen the stood up and pulled Hermione into a hug, wondering what had made the brunette so miserable.
Lucy soon came back to the Great Hall when all four of them were almost done with their breakfast. She came back without her lady-in-waiting beside her. The breakfast tray that she had brought up to Hermione's room was still tightly clutched in the youngest queen's hand.
"Is everything all right, Lucy?" Susan asked, standing up upon seeing the strange look on the valiant queen's face.
To the utmost surprise of the four, Lucy had burst into tears and vigorously shook her head. Edmund gravely stood up from his seat and approached his bawling sister. He snatched the tray from her hands and placed it on top of the table. He then wrapped an arm around her shoulders and offered his handkerchief.
Lucy wiped away her tears with the said material. Sniffling, she managed to blubber, "I-I've never seen such a devastated p-person in my whole life before."
The rest of the breakfast was spent in grave silence, all royalties now deeply wondering what had caused the distress of the mysterious lady-in-waiting.
It was nearing dusk when Hermione finally decided to go out from her room. Her bedroom had gone dreary for the whole day and the brunette knew it would do her some good if she spent some time in the open air.
Thankfully, she was not able to encounter any of the Narnian monarchs. Merlin knows what she'd do and feel if she were to get face-to-face with any of them. Crying messily in front of Queen Lucy was enough for her to feel excruciatingly shameful. What more if she was to burst into tears in front of the other four?
The castle was oddly quiet. Hermione figured that the royalties were having another meeting with the country's soldiers.
Hermione ran a hand through her face. Her eyes were sore and puffy, mostly because of her crying. She was tired, physically, mentally, and emotionally, and she knew some rest would do her good.
She finally walked out of the castle and into the garden, her face greeted by the gentle breeze of the looming night.
Absentmindedly, she strolled in the garden, her nose being tickled by the fragrant smells of the numerous flowers planted all throughout the garden.
Then, she was able to spot the gazebo at the heart of the greenery and without any second thoughts, Hermione strode towards it, only to see that it was currently occupied. Her heart dropped upon seeing the unmistakable hair of King Edmund. She immediately turned around, meaning to run back to her room, but the king's eyes were now staring intently at her form.
Sighing, Hermione knew that if she walked inside, Edmund would follow and pester her until Merlin-knows-when. Therefore, she walked closer to the gazebo and walked inside. She sat on the chair opposite the monarch and waited in silence. Her eyes wandered all throughout the garden, but never settling on the man sitting opposite her.
"Your face looks… weird," he finally said, breaking the silence. Hermione looked at him in confusion and frowned. "It's all... I don't know. Poofed up or something," he said.
Hermione glared and absentmindedly rubbed her cheeks. "I'm sorry if I don't look presentable today, your majesty," she muttered under her breath, annoyed that her cheeks were growing hot under his gaze.
Unfazed, the king softly chuckled. "As expected from crying for the whole day," he said. "Blimey, I'm surprised you're still functioning well, seeing that you've released a lot of liquid from your body today." A small smile settled on his lips and he looked at the surroundings, his face peaceful and relaxed.
Blinking, Hermione thoughtfully looked at the king and tilted her head. "If you don't mind me asking," she started, "are you, by any chance, waiting for me, King Edmund?"
His reaction was abrupt and astounding. His cheeks colored and he coughed behind his hand, his eyes still refusing to meet the brunette's. "W-what are you talking about?" he asked hastily, scowling. "O-of course not!"
Despite the heavy feeling in her heart, the brunette smiled. "Liar," she accused, and the king grew affronted. "You stuttered."
The scowl grew and he crossed his arms. "When I stuttered in the Welcoming Ball, you knew I was saying the truth. But when I stuttered today, you accuse me of telling lies," he stated in exasperation, shaking her head. "What is with you and stuttering, eh?"
Hermione absentmindedly shrugged and played with the hem of her dress, once again surveying the greenery around her.
Silence settled inside the gazebo and the brunette had allowed it. At the corner of her eyes, she could see that the king was intently staring at her, but she seemed not to really mind.
"About what happened yesterday," King Edmund slowly said, breaking the silence. Hermione slightly tensed on her seat and met his onyx eyes. He did not seem accusatory, in fact, he looked guarded and a tad curious. "Did you… perhaps, see another flashback of your memory?"
She regarded him with surprise, his guess bringing a small smile on her face. Although he still did not believe an enigma like her, it was a little surprising that he was starting to believe about the snippets of her memories coming back to her mind.
He did not look suspicious at all, and somehow, it had warmed Hermione's heart. She thoughtfully looked at her lap and started, "There was this war."
"A war?" he softly asked, prompting her to continue.
Hermione shot him a look and nodded. His rapt attention had baffled her and she continued. "The image was hazy," she said, "but nonetheless, I knew it was a war. There were… there were bodies everywhere. On the floor, floating on the lake, hanging haphazardly on poles… bloodied, lifeless… dead."
She was surprised that she was telling it to him, but she seemed not to mind. Hermione slowly closed her eyes, relieving that day, and added, "There were screams. I can't see the faces. Just screams. Loud and deafening. There were bright lights flashing to and fro coming from nameless people."
Her story was a mixture of the lie and the truth: the lie, because she was telling it to Edmund as if it really was a sudden memory that resurfaced into her supposedly amnesiac mind; and truth, because he was telling him what she had really witnessed during the Second War in Hogwarts.
"I was running. Running and running. Direction was pointless and I just… I need to survive," she continued in a whisper, fresh tears now rolling down from her eyes.
"A war," he once again stated. The immense surprise was evident in the king's voice and if she were not too immersed with the story she was telling, Hermione might have smiled.
"And then, I saw him," she then said. "Harry Potter." Her tears increased and her voice started to shake. "H-he fought hard. H-he suffered the most." The brunette then drew her hands against her face, once again mentally cursing herself for breaking down in front of another monarch. She willed her tears to stop, but she couldn't. "And then he was there. O-on the ground. Like the others. U-unseeing and l-lifeless."
Her story had ended but her tears continued. She had no idea what the king was looking right now because her face was still covered behind her hands.
His footsteps were heard and Hermione guessed that he had left her. She did not blame him, though. Hermione knew she was putting him in a very uncomfortable situation.
An arm then wrapped around her shoulders and she stiffened in shock. She lifted her face and saw that an embarrassed King Edmund was sitting beside her. Upon seeing her look, he scowled. "Just embrace this moment of sheer idiocy, Miss Hermione, and don't say anything," he commanded.
She smiled through her tears and closed her eyes, earnestly nodding. "Thank you," she cried.
And Edmund, completing the act of what he dubbed as sheer idiocy, lifted up his right hand and brushed her tears away.
The next day, Hermione felt refreshed. Still a little disoriented about the events two days ago. But nonetheless, refreshed.
She lifted herself out from her bed and walked out of her room. The torches in the castle were still lit, seeing that dawn had just arrived. Strange shadows littered the whole castle and Hermione could not help but slightly smile. It reminded her of Hogwarts and all the strange things found inside it.
The smile fell as she caught herself. Her thoughts were dangerously leading her back to the cause of her distress for the past two days and the brunette knew she must stop wallowing now.
'I must be strong,' she told herself, her back now ramrod straight. 'Where's all that Gryffindor courage you have, Hermione Granger?'
Although the idea that she could not go back to her world anymore was still sinking in, Hermione knew that researching was futile. Of course, normally she would have searched for a glitch… a flaw in the whole situation she was suddenly thrust into. But somehow, what the old lady said had made perfect sense to her. She did remember getting hit by the Killing Curse by Bellatrix Lestrange and although her sudden arrival in Narnia was still inexplicable, she knew that if ever she would go back to her world, she would be as good as dead.
Her thoughts were halted once she was standing in front of Lucy's door. Her smile went back to her face as she remembered the sweet queen's actions yesterday. It was obvious that her distress had completely caught Lucy off-guard. After all, Hermione had never shown that miserable side to anyone in Narnia yet. But it had somehow made her extremely grateful for the queen and her obvious worry for Hermione's welfare.
Hermione then noiselessly entered the queen's room and was immediately greeted by her usual fragrant smell. A small lump was buried under the covers of the vast bed at the middle of the whole room. Gingerly, Hermione approached the sleeping form of Lucy and shook her.
Lucy roused up and opened her bleary eyes. Her eyes were unfocused at first but once they made out Hermione's figure in the darkness, she immediately shot up from her bed.
"Hermione!" she claimed in surprise.
Hermione smiled and inclined her head for greeting. "Good morning, your majesty," she said. "It's time to wake up now."
Lucy carefully scrutinized the brunette in front of her before slowly nodding. "Okay," she said, shifting on her bed so that her feet could land on the cold, stone floor. The queen stood up, wore her robe and looked back at Hermione again. "Are you all right?"
The older of the two nodded her head. "Yes," Hermione answered. "Thank you for asking."
The queen's face then broke into a bright smile and, to Hermione's surprise, wrapped her arms around the brunette's frame and hugged her tight. "I'm glad," Lucy earnestly said.
Hermione chuckled and placed both of her hands on top of her back. She absentmindedly dropped a kiss on the young girl's head and muttered, "Thank you."
Lucy pulled away and smiled prettily before readying herself for the breakfast.
Edmund walked out of his bedroom and took off for the Dining Hall.
While walking, his mind strayed to yesterday's events, specifically last night.
Like what Caspian guessed, a snippet of Hermione's memory had caused the said brunette's distress for the last two days. He did not know why he had believed her, seeing that he swore never to believe a fraudulent person like her, but the story she had shared… Edmund believed that that one was not entirely false at all.
A war, she had said. There was a war and she had partaken in it. It was the 1940's and he clearly remembered that World War II was currently happening in their own world. His father, in fact, needed to be part of the military to defend their beloved country.
Her story had somehow made him believe more that she was a Londoner; that she was like them. From what he knew, this whole magical world was at peace, save from the rebellious acts of some Telmarines. Or perhaps she had been part of the war between the Telmarines and Narnians before?
Edmund rejected the idea and shook his head. It was a war between Narnians and some Telmarine soldiers. From what he had observed before, they were the only humans in the Narnian side. The Telmarines, on the other hand, did not have any female soldiers during the fight itself. There were no civilians, too, because High King Peter had made sure that the battle would happen far away from the other civilians.
Thus, the idea that she was a Daughter of Eve, a Londoner, strengthened in his mind. It just baffled him that her story made him discover that she had been closer to war than any of the other Pevensies. Her description was vivid and the expression on her face while she was retelling was genuine. Edmund did not have the heart to accuse her of bearing false lies, especially because of how her sobs turned guttural.
'Maybe her claim of having amnesia is true after all,' he reluctantly concluded, a frown growing on his face.
Still, Edmund wanted a proof. He had been in wars for years now and experience had taught him that trusting immediately in people is dangerous. Although he was slowly accepting that maybe Miss Hermione did not mean to harm anybody in Cair Paravel and in Narnia generally, she was still an enigmatic person and trusting her completely might cause many people's downfall.
Or perhaps, his.
He finally arrived in the Great Hall and strode inside. Live chattering greeted his ears. He almost backpedalled in surprise, seeing the object of his thoughts sitting on her usual seat beside Lucy.
"Good, you're here," Peter announced, finally seeing his younger brother.
All eyes landed on him and Edmund, not know why, looked back at Hermione. His eyes slightly widened upon seeing the gentle smile on her face and he immediately looked away, an embarrassed blush growing on his cheeks.
"Yes, yes," he said, striding quickly towards his sit and sat down across Caspian. "Let us eat."
Breakfast commenced and the animated chattering continued. Edmund found himself quickly joining into a conversation among the others.
Subconsciously, he observed that the brunette looked refreshed today. The traces of her feelings two days ago were still evident, but she was sporting her usual smile now.
"Hermione," High King Peter interrupted.
The whole table quietened down and all eyes looked in front. Edmund's eyebrow raised in suspicion when his big brother furiously blushed.
Peter Pevensie never blushed.
"Err… I'm just wondering if you would like to accompany me in the woods today," he finally said, as dignified as possible.
Hermione bit her bottom lip and knitted her eyebrows. And then, she answered, "I think that's a lovely idea, your majesty."
The smile that Peter had flashed reached his ears and Edmund rolled his eyes at his ridiculousness.
Unbeknownst to them all, Hermione was slowly regretting her answer.
Once she stepped foot in the garden, Hermione released a huge sigh of relief.
Night had befallen all over Narnia and the brunette was relieved to back in Cair Paravel.
After breakfast this morning, she and Peter had embarked into a small tour around the country. As the dedicated high king of Narnia, he proved that he really knew every bends and turns. He knew establishments and monuments and gardens… Hermione did have a good time. Of course she knew most places that Peter had shown her, seeing that Edmund had toured her before when only the two of them were left in the castle. Nevertheless, she had fun.
The only thing that had made the whole tour rather unpleasant to Hermione was the obvious feelings that Peter had for her. There were hints, sometimes excruciatingly blatant that had dampened the whole atmosphere. He was sweet, of course, but Hermione just felt extremely awkward when such gestures were given to her by the high king.
Again, she believed that she was brought here in Narnia for a mission. Messing with the hearts of the residents in this magical world, much less the high king himself, was not part of it. And besides, the Narnian monarchs were already struggling with the issue about the rebelling Telmarines. For her to suddenly butt into the picture would make the whole thing messier.
She was nearing the gazebo and was not really surprised when she saw that Edmund was already lounging inside. She did not know how they always coincidentally see each other in the said place, but Hermione seemed not to really mind.
Although Peter was awkward, Edmund was comfortable. They did not start in good terms and she knew that the just king still did not completely trust her. But then, his little hostility brought comfort to Hermione.
"You're back," Edmund pointed out as Hermione sat down on her usual place. "I'm quite surprised it had ended early."
Hermione frowned. "We were away for practically the whole day, King Edmund," she said. "I think we were away for quite a long time already."
The just king smiled and shrugged, his eyes gazing faraway. "Peter likes you," he pointed out. "Quite ardently, I suppose."
The brunette cringed and scowled. Of course she knew it all along. Hell, she was the brightest witch of her age. But hearing the obvious aloud had made her slightly frustrated. "I know," she grumbled under her breath, glaring at her sandals.
"I can say you're the first girl that my stubborn big brother had ever fancied," he added. "Both in our world and here."
Hermione heaved a huge breath and shook her head. "Frankly, I'm not really looking for any romance here in Narnia," she revealed. "And besides, you lot have enough problems to address. I'm just going to be a big distraction for the High King."
Edmund shrugged once again and looked back at her. "I'm sure you're going to eat your words someday, Miss Hermione," he said.
"Oh yeah?" she asked, a challenging look on her face. "Watch me." Hermione then stood up from her seat and glared petulantly at the king still seated on his chair. Edmund was unfazed by the sudden hostility on her face. In fact, he looked very amused. "Merlin, I came here to clear my mind. Now you've messed it up all the more. Ah, seriously."
Hermione then turned around and walked back inside the castle, failing to see the genuine smile that had appeared on King Edmund's face.
Her knowing glance was starting to unnerve Hermione and finally, she looked straight at Queen Lucy. She looked a little guilty, Lucy's eyes roaming all around her lavish bedroom as if she had never stared at Hermione at all.
"Nothing happened," she finally said in exasperation.
Lucy perked up and stood up from her seat, looping an arm around Hermione's and pulling her back on her bed. "Are you sure?" she asked. "I saw Peter a while ago and he never looked happy before. I deduced you might have shared a kiss or something.
Hermione groaned and pressed her palms against her eyes. "Not you, too," she accused.
"What?" the young Queen asked, looking strangely at Hermione. "You know it's true, Hermione. Peter fancies you like some hormonal teenage boy. I guess it's a first and it shows, doesn't it? Goodness, he doesn't know how to be subtle during times like this."
"Lucy," she cried and the queen beside her laughed.
"Now, now," Lucy admonished, patting Hermione's arm. "You don't need to be all scowls about it. Peter can be a right git at times, but he does have a charming side in him."
Hermione tutted and stood back up. "I'm going to retire back to my room, your highness," she claimed. "Good night."
Before Lucy could even stop her, she was gone.
Review Responses
Dragonfly1339: Hehe, things will soon unfold around Hermione. You just wait for the next chapters :D Oh, and I've finished all eighteen episodes of "Once Upon a Time" and I must say that Mr. Gold/Rumplestiltskin is by far my most favourite character, too! OMG, THE "SKIN DEEP" EPISODE. It just killed me, okay? And I just want them to meet SOOOOO BAD. Anyway, thanks for your lovely review!
Nina Felton: Well, I actually thought about making them continue their dance in the gazebo but thought not to in the end. The stammering part was just a spur-in-the-moment. I wanted Edmund to at least compliment Hermione for the first time, and well, since he still realizes that he was such a badass to her before, I'm sure the "stammering" bit would be appropriate. And yes, I found that part awfully adorable, too! You know what, I think I just miss Draco Malfoy, too. Haha, anyway, thanks for reviewing!
Rachel: A tiny step in the right direction, indeed. (Or is it?) Lol, I'm here again, messing up with my readers. Hermione's secrets will be revealed soon, I promise, oh and of course Edmund will be there. I just can't say if it will be hell for Hermione or not :D Anyway, thanks for reviewing!
TheSlimiie: I adore love/hate relationships. It's my… thing. Haha, shipping Draco/Hermione is one proof. Her secret will be revealed soon, don't worry. Oh, and she will have her magic back; just trust me and wait *wink* *wink* UGH, I know. When Graham died, my heart just shattered into pieces. I still want to refuse to believe he's dead, though. I have this weird theory that maybe he's in storybook land and injured or something. You know, like how James was "dying" back in storybook and then in coma in Storybrooke. I just don't know how they'll do that since his heart was crushed by the Evil Queen, though. But yes, I still hope he's alive :( Anyway, thanks for your lovely review!
A/N: How'd you like it? Good? Bad? Eh? Meh?
Haha, I simply loved the "Watch me" part by Hermione. Makes me ridiculously giggle. Little did she know... And ooh, so Hermione can never come back anymore, eh? Says the mysterious old lady.
Well, I don't really know what to say right now. I've finally finished watching the eighteenth episode of "Once Upon a Time" and I'm still reeling with everything that had happened. I'm so glad I've watched but dear Merlin, I'm getting introduced to so many fandoms already and I have so many pairs that I ship. SIGH, oh well, the advantages of summer :)
Anyway, that's it for now. Again, please do review!
With love,
WickedlyAwesomeMe