Hermione rolled over and buried her head in the pillow as Ginny bustled about the room. After spending most of the previous night in Draco's arms, Hermione was still tired and wanted nothing more than to carry on sleeping. However, it was the jousting final that afternoon and the champion's ball was being held the night and Hermione was in charge of everything running smoothly.
Reluctantly Hermione threw the covers back and forced herself to get up out of bed. While her maid cheerily chatted about the jousting that afternoon, Hermione got washed and ate her breakfast. Once she had eaten, Hermione picked out her outfit for the day and Ginny helped her dress.
"I'm going down to check on final arrangements for this evening." Hermione told Ginny. "I don't think I'll need you until tonight, so you can have the whole day off."
"I'm sure I can find a way to fill in my time this morning." Ginny smiled. "Of course this afternoon, I'll be at the jousting."
"I think the whole kingdom will be there." Hermione replied. "Not the mention the dozens of people that have travelled to watch the tournament."
"I'll see you this afternoon, then." Ginny gave Hermione a quick wave as she skipped out of the room and disappeared down the corridor.
As Hermione headed down to the ballroom she tried not to think of where Ginny was spending the morning, or more precisely who she was spending it with. It certainly hadn't escaped Hermione's attention that Ginny had headed in the direction you would go if you were visiting the other side of the castle, where the King's chambers were located. Shaking off the disturbing thoughts that were creeping into her head Hermione set about checking everything was in place and sorted for that evening.
Hermione spent all morning in the ballroom, talking with the servants and handling a couple of last minute crises. Finally satisfied everything was sorted and the night would be a success, Hermione headed back to her chambers for lunch. After eating she double checked her appearance before she left to attend the tournament.
As Hermione was heading to the jousting arena she caught sight of the four tents set up for the finalists and she had an overwhelming urge to speak to Draco. A quick look at the horses tied up outside each tent and the equipment laid out beside them led Hermione to the tent were her lover was busy preparing for the afternoon. Making sure no-one spotted her, Hermione hurried over to the tent and slipped inside.
"I wasn't expecting to see you before the first joust." Draco commented as his secret lover appeared in his tent.
"I wanted to wish you good luck." Hermione smiled. "I never got a chance this morning, you left so early."
"I didn't want to risk Ginny finding us together." Draco explained. "But I would much rather have woken up beside you. I've never done that before."
Hermione nodded, understanding the desire to wake up together. The one time Hermione had woken wrapped in Draco's arms there had been someone at the door and she was so distracted by the fact they could be caught that she didn't get time to enjoy the feeling of waking up with the man she loved.
"Maybe one day, you'll get the chance." Hermione said.
"Maybe." Draco agreed, even though they both knew the likelihood of that happening was remote. "Anyway, you came to wish me luck." Draco smiled, trying to lighten the mood that had gotten distinctly gloomy.
"I did, didn't I?" Hermione smiled as she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Draco's neck, pulling the blond as close to her as he could get. "Good luck, Draco."
As soon as she had finished speaking Hermione closed the gap between her lips and Draco's, pressing them gently together. Draco automatically wrapped his arms around Hermione's waist and pressed her body into his as he deepened the kiss. Hermione moaned softly as Draco's tongue slipped into her mouth and his hands caressed her backside through the material of her dress. When Hermione's hands began wandering down Draco's torso, she groaned in disappointment when she encountered the cold metal of his armour. Breaking the kiss she pulled away scowling at the sight of Draco already clad in his entire suit of armour, the only thing missing was his helmet.
"What's wrong?" Draco asked, looking puzzled by Hermione's reaction to the kiss.
"I don't like your armour." Hermione pouted, drumming her fingers on his breastplate. "I can't feel you."
"I know what you mean." Draco agreed with a smirk. "With my armour on I can't feel your amazing body pressed against mine."
"I might have to come back after the tournament and help you out of it." Hermione grinned cheekily at Draco. "That way I get to feel the real you, not a metal version."
"I like that idea." Draco smiled back at the Queen. "Do I have to win the tournament to get the Queen's personal attention or do I get it anyway?"
"I'm sure you'd get it anyway, but if you win the tournament I promise to be very nice to you." Hermione leant forward and pecked Draco quickly on the lips, pulling back before he had a chance to embrace her and deepen the kiss. "I have to go now before someone comes looking for me. Good luck."
Hermione smiled at Draco before she quickly darted out of the tent and hurried off in the direction of the jousting stand. When she arrived at the royal box King Albus and Queen Minerva were just taking their seats and there were still several empty seats, including the one for her husband.
Hermione had barely sat down when King Severus arrived, looking very pleased with something. As Hermione watched the King take his place she spotted Ginny settling into the neighbouring stand. The redheaded maid was wearing a look very similar to the King's, leaving Hermione to conclude that her earlier ideas of where Ginny had spent the morning were right.
Shaking off thoughts of her husband and friend together, Hermione turned her attention to the tournament. The first match was being prepared for and Hermione wasn't surprised to find it was between a Slytherin and a Gryffindor. While she hadn't seen the schedule or knew who was competing first it made sense to pit the two Slytherin knights against the two Gryffindor knights. Like the previous rounds the jousting was also a knockout situation, the winners of the two matches would progress to the final where they would compete for the title.
Less than ten minutes after Hermione had sat down the jousting was set to begin. Once all the royalty had arrived and the knights were ready King Severus gave yet another speech before starting the final phase of the tournament. The first jousting match was between Sir Blaise and Sir Harry, meaning Sir Draco was taking on Sir Ron in the second joust.
As the joust began Hermione watched intently. As Queen Hermione she had seen jousting tournaments before and knew the rules but for Hermione this was all a new experience. Because the Queen knew the rules, Hermione knew the rules so she knew how to keep a check on who was winning. It was actually fairly easy to keep track, each knight had three lances to use and when they were broke the match was over. Every time you broke a lance you earned points for where on the opponent's body it had broken and the knight with the most points at the end was the winner.
After the first round the points were equal at one point each. Both Sir Blaise and Sir Harry had broken their lances on the other's chests, earning them a point each. After each knight had received a new lance they lined up for the second round. In the second round Sir Harry got the upper hand, breaking his lance on Sir Blaise's helmet and earning himself a further two points, while Sir Blaise merely struck a glancing blow and received no points. After Sir Harry had armed himself with his third and final lance the scene was set for another round, if the Knight from Gryffindor managed to shatter his lance the match would be over. Unluckily for Sir Harry he only managed a glancing blow to Sir Blaise and didn't receive any points, but luckily for him Sir Blaise only managed a single point, meaning he was still ahead in the point's total. As the final round began the crowd watched with bated breath as both men struck each other in the chest. The one point they each received for the blow was enough for Sir Harry to be declared the winner, by four points to three.
After the first match there was a slight pause as the arena was prepared for the second match and the two knights introduced to the crowd. After a good fifteen minutes or so, Sir Draco and Sir Ron were on their horses, waiting for the beginning of the match. Hermione was much more nervous for this match and she was sure her anxiety was visible if anyone was watching her closely, luckily though everyone was focused on the jousting match that was about to begin.
When the trumpet sounded, signalling the start of the round, Hermione found herself holding her breath as the two knights rushed each other. When they collided in the middle Hermione winced as both lances shattered, Sir Ron's from coming into contact with Sir Draco's chest while Sir Draco had landed a blow on Sir Ron's helmet. The second round produced exactly the same result and with Sir Draco now leading four points to Sir Ron's two, only a hit to Sir Draco's helmet and the blond knight missing his target completely or a de-horsing could win the match for the Gryffindor knight.
Hermione was openly nervous as the third bout got under way. When the two knights clashed in the middle and one of them came flying off his horse Hermione gasped and stood up for a better view, just like the rest of the royal box and the other people in the crowd. While some people were unsure which knight was lying on the floor Hermione knew it was Sir Ron, meaning that her lover had won the second match and would advance into the final.
After it was checked that Sir Ron was okay, Sir Draco was announced as the winner. Hermione watched in amusement as the knight lapped up the attention, yet again Sir Draco was reminding her of the real Draco. The previous year during a Quidditch match he had caught the snitch in rather spectacular fashion and he had basked in the applause of the crowds, very much like Sir Draco was currently doing.
After the second match there was a half hour before the final was to be held. Instead of leaving the arena everyone stayed in their seats and talked amongst themselves. Hermione found herself talking to Queen Minerva and several times her mother had brought up the topic of Sir Draco. By the end of the conversation Hermione was beginning to wonder if the Queen of Gryffindor was more observant that she had given her credit for. While Queen Minerva had never told Hermione she knew or even suspected what was happening between her and her knight, Hermione still got the distinct impression the older woman knew more than she was letting on.
Before Hermione had a chance to worry about what the other Queen did or didn't know the final of the jousting was announced. Settling into her seat Hermione tried to remain composed as Sir Draco and Sir Harry lined up for the first round. Her composure however flew out of the window when the match began and the two knights rode straight at each other, lances clashing in a shower of wood.
The first round ended with both men scoring a point for breaking their lance on the other's chest. The second round was a conclusive victory for Sir Draco, he earned two points while Sir Harry failed to score. The third, and ultimately final round, produced the same result as round two. Sir Harry failed to get a clean hit on Sir Draco while the blond knight broke his lance on the Gryffindor knight's helmet, nearly knocking him off his horse in the process.
While the final may not have been as exciting as the battle between Sir Draco and Sir Ron, there were still loud cheers and shouts when the Slytherin knight emerged victorious. Both Hermione and King Severus were amongst those cheering as they celebrated their top knight doing what was expected of him and winning the tournament.
After the fighting came another lengthy speech from King Severus as he praised the winner and all the knights that had taken part in the tournament. After the speech people went their separate ways as the celebrating began. While there may have been an official feast and ball in honour of the new champion taking place in the castle, the people of Slytherin still planned on celebrating their knight being crowned champion and a night of drinking and fun was clearly on the cards.
Making their way from the royal box, Hermione and King Severus stopped by to congratulate Sir Draco. As Hermione was congratulating her lover she managed to whisper a message to him, she wanted him in her chambers as soon as possible and he wasn't to remove his armour before then. Draco nodded quickly, letting Hermione know he had the message. Hermione smiled as she and the King left their top knight to celebrate with the other knights and the many well-wishers that were lining up to congratulate the champion.