When Hermione and Ginny emerged from the castle as they prepared to depart for Gryffindor, Hermione chuckled quietly to herself at the King's shocked expression. Because they were making a long trip on horseback both Hermione and Ginny were wearing trousers, boots and a shirt. Back home in Gryffindor the girls had often dressed in trousers when they were riding a long distance but so far in Slytherin there hadn't been any need to get out their riding clothes, normally when Hermione went riding one of her more plain dresses sufficed just fine.
"You look different." The King commented as Hermione reached his side.
From the look on his face Hermione couldn't decide if he was appalled by the outfit or intrigued by it. Personally she was hoping for the former, the last thing she wanted was for King Severus to take a sexual interest in her.
"This outfit is more comfortable for travelling long distances, a dress really isn't practical." Hermione explained.
"You could have used the carriage." The King retorted. For days he had actually tried to get Hermione to use the royal carriage but she had insisted on making the trip on horseback.
"I'm looking forward to the ride." Hermione shrugged.
The King made a non-committal sound before turning to Sir Draco and Sir Theodore. While King Severus was issuing the last minute instructions to his knights Hermione and Ginny mounted their horses. A few minutes later the two knights did the same and the small party set off.
Sir Draco led the party while Sir Theodore brought up the rear. In-between the pair of them rode the two women, who passed the time by chatting quietly together. The group rode like that for nearly two hours before they stopped for a brief rest. When they set off for the second part of the journey Sir Theodore took up the lead, while Sir Draco travelled at the back of the party.
"You can go and talk to him if you want." Hermione said to Ginny after they had been riding for half an hour.
"Talk to who?" Ginny questioned.
"Sir Theodore." Hermione chuckled at her friend. "You've been eying him up since we started off again. Go and talk to him."
"I don't want to leave you." Ginny protested.
"I'll be fine, go." Hermione insisted.
After thanking Hermione, Ginny quickened her pace until she was riding with Sir Theodore. Less than a minute after her maid had left her, Hermione felt Draco come up beside her.
Turning her head she smiled as she saw her lover was riding next to her. "Hi."
"Hello." Draco smiled at Hermione. "Are you enjoying the ride?"
"I'd be enjoying it more if we were alone." Hermione replied, glancing at Ginny and Sir Theodore, who were too busy flirting to pay attention to the couple behind them.
"I'm sure we can find some time alone over the next few days." Draco said, sounding hopeful.
"I'm sure we can." Hermione agreed. "As long as we're careful."
"You're not still worrying about Sir Ron, are you?" Draco asked. "I've already told you, he'll not realise anything is going on."
"Wait and see." Hermione retorted. "I guarantee after meeting him, you'll see why we have to be extra careful while we're in Gryffindor."
Draco still looked unsure that one knight could notice something that an entire kingdom had missed, but he wasn't about to argue the point with the Queen. Changing the subject the couple chatted happily until the next rest break. After the second rest it took just over an hour before Gryffindor castle came into view.
As the group entered the courtyard they realised that they had a welcoming party. Standing at the bottom of the stairs leading into the castle were the King and Queen and surrounding them were a few servants as well as the top batch of knights in the kingdom. Hermione noticed that Sir Ron's attention was focused on her, while Sir Harry seemed preoccupied with the return of Ginny.
When the horses came to a stop Draco was off his horse and helping Hermione off her horse before anyone else had the chance to move. As he did so Hermione inclined her head towards Sir Ron and Draco managed to get a glimpse of the Gryffindor's knight furious expression.
"Hermione." Queen Minerva smiled widely as she approached her daughter. "How are you?"
"I'm good." Hermione replied, hugging the older woman.
"Good, good." King Albus smiled, coming up beside his wife and daughter. "Let's get you settled in, shall we."
Hermione watched as he then started ordering the servants to take people's bags to the appropriate rooms. Hermione had already given Ginny permission to spend the rest of the day with her family so the redhead said goodbye before grabbing her bag and heading into town. The King then sent Sir Theodore off with a couple the knights, he was apparently staying in the knights' quarters for the duration of the stay.
"I've arranged for a room near to Queen Hermione for you." King Albus said to Draco. "I figured it was best if you were closer to her."
"Thank you, Sire." Draco nodded at the King.
"I'll let Hermione show you the way." King Albus said before turning to his daughter. "I'll see you at dinner, I thought we could have a private meal."
"I'd like that." Hermione smiled at her parents as they turned and headed into the castle.
As she turned back around to speak to Draco she suddenly realised that Sir Ron was still present. She had thought he had gone with the other knights, but clearly she had been mistaken.
"Hello." Hermione smiled at her old friend. "How have you been?"
"Fine." Sir Ron replied. "How is it living in Slytherin?"
"It's good." Hermione said, smiling slightly at the reason it was so good living in Slytherin. "We can talk later, I really need to go and get settled in and show Sir Draco his room."
"About that, I was thinking that while you were here I could resume my old duties." Sir Ron turned to Draco as he spoke and the jealously was evident on his face. "I thought you might like a few days off." He said to the rival knight.
"That won't be necessary." Draco replied sharply. "It's my duty to guard the Queen and I intend on doing my job."
"I was only offering." Sir Ron muttered.
"I appreciate the offer, but I don't need time off." Draco said. "I'm perfectly happy to be by the Queen's side throughout the visit."
"Come on, we should get indoors." Hermione said to Draco before turning to Sir Ron. "I'm sure we can catch up later."
Sir Ron nodded as he watched Hermione turn round and walk into the palace with her blond knight. Until they were out of sight from the courtyard Hermione could feel her friend's gaze on her.
"You were right." Draco admitted, once they were out of ear shot of the other knight. "We will have to be careful."
"Told you." Hermione replied with a smirk.
Sir Ron never came up again in conversation as Hermione showed Draco where her chambers were located. It then didn't take them long to find the room the King had prepared for him. Once she knew Draco knew where to find her when he needed her, Hermione left the knight alone and headed to her own chambers.
The minute she walked into her chambers Hermione felt nostalgic. It had been just over five months since she had left Gryffindor and while Hermione hadn't experienced every minute of those five months it felt like she had. Hermione was now so immersed into the story that most of the time she didn't really think about the time jumps, she now always knew instantly what had happened in between jumps so they didn't disorientate her any more.
After getting re-acquainted with her chambers, Hermione began searching for a suitable dress to wear for dinner. She'd just picked out a deep red dress when there was a knock on the door and one of the maids entered. The young girl explained that she had been sent to help Hermione in Ginny's absence. Hermione gratefully accepted the help and the young maid began helping her get ready.
An hour later Hermione was dressed and ready to head to dinner. After double checking her appearance one final time Hermione walked out of her chambers. When she emerged into the hallway she smiled as she found Draco waiting for her.
"I thought I would escort you to dinner." Draco explained.
"Thank you." Hermione smiled and fell into step with the blond knight. "Do you have plans tonight?" She asked, as she directed them to the dining hall.
"The knights of Gryffindor have invited Theodore and I for a drink in the local tavern." Draco replied.
"Make sure you don't end up too drunk. A few of our knights really know how to put it away." Hermione chuckled.
"I can hold my drink just fine." Draco insisted.
"I'm sure you can." Hermione smiled.
A few minutes later they reached the doors to the dining hall. Hermione was surprised there were no guards on the door but a glance around revealed two knights standing further down the corridor.
"I guess, I'll see you tomorrow then." Hermione said, reluctant to leave Draco. They'd already discussed that it wouldn't be wise to sneak about on their first night so they were stuck with waiting until the following night when Draco had taken time to learn the guard's routines, ensuring they won't get caught.
"I guess so." Draco replied, sounding just as disappointed as Hermione that they couldn't spend the evening together. "Good night, My Lady."
"Good night." Hermione wanted to kiss Draco but she refrained and instead smiled at the knight before turning and entering the dining hall.
King Albus and Queen Minerva were already seated when Hermione entered the room. Greeting the royal couple she settled down in her usual chair as the King ordered dinner to be served. King Albus waited until the servants had produced the food before he began questioning his daughter on her new life and marriage.
"How are you finding it living in Slytherin?" The King asked. "Are the people treating you alright?"
"The people are treating me fine." Hermione answered. She didn't think her father really needed to know that while she was treated with nothing but respect by the court, she could still sense how unhappy the kingdom was to have a Queen that hailed from Gryffindor. "And I really like living in Slytherin."
"What about King Severus? Is he treating you right?" The King inquired.
"The King treats me perfectly." Hermione told her parents. Again she didn't think her parents needed to know that there were days they barely spoke and that their entire marriage was a sham.
"And everything else is alright?" The King asked, continuing with his questioning. "You don't have any problems with your security or anything? And you can do what you like, can't you?"
"Yes father, I can do whatever I like." Hermione replied. "And my security is excellent, I always feel very safe with Sir Draco by my side."
"He does seem like an impressive young man." The King said. "After King Severus told me he would be looking after you, I did some asking around. Did you know he was a champion jouster? He's also rumoured to be fearsome opposition with a sword."
"Well, he is the top knight in Slytherin. I would expect him to excel at all types of combat." Hermione replied.
"Well as fascinating as this is, talking about fighting, I would like to know more about my daughter's life." Queen Minerva interrupted the talk about Sir Draco and his battle skills. "Tell us more about living in Slytherin."
Hermione obliged the Queen, telling her about the long rides she indulged in and the beautiful gardens at the palace. For the rest of the meal Hermione spoke about her life at Slytherin, even though she had to leave the most important thing about her life out of her tales. Throughout the whole discussion Hermione was very careful not to mention Draco too much, she didn't want either of her parents picking up on how close she was to the blond knight.
It wasn't until she had left the dining hall and was returning to her chambers that Hermione realised she had spoken very little about King Severus. Her parents hadn't asked too many questions about her husband and since he didn't feature in her life that much he hadn't popped up in the stories she told. As she got ready for bed and crawled in-between the sheets, she only hoped that neither of her parents had picked up on the state of her marriage. She really didn't want them interfering and possibly talking to King Severus, if that happened the King might feel pressured into making their marriage a real one and Hermione didn't think she could cope with that.