So it looks like people want Peter/Hermione. This chapter will start to hint at that ;) Hope you like it!

"But you hate magic!" Hermione protested.

"Not so much that we don't want to learn about it. And you seem nice," Lucy said with a big grin. The two sisters begged Hermione until she finally capitulated and showed them some magic. She mostly stuck to simple, non-combative spells to keep some stuff secret, in case it turned out she had joined the wrong side.

"Can you teach us?" Lucy asked, staring wide-eyed at the Patronus Hermione had just created.

Hermione shook her head. "Magic is something one's born with. If you had been born with it, you would have gotten a letter from Hogwarts inviting you to go to school there."

"Ohh," Lucy said. Susan masked her disappointment much better.

"Anyways, why are you two so much more open to my magic than your brothers?"

"Well, Edmund had some really bad experiences with the White Witch," Lucy said. She went on to tell an abbreviated version of what occurred.

"I guess it would be hard for him to just accept magic. And Peter?" Hermione asked. The two girls just looked at each other and shrugged. "So he's just a bossy arse?"

The sisters giggled. "He can be sometimes," Susan admitted. "But he's under a lot of pressure right now."

"That's no excuse for almost executing someone on the spot!" Hermione said.

The sisters looked at each other awkwardly and shrugged. Neither of them were ever that supportive of executions – Lucy always wanting to see the best in everyone and Susan being too gentle – but the boys and their advisors had insisted they were necessary. "Well, he is the High King," Lucy said uncertainly.

"What's that mean?" Hermione said with a frown. She kept getting bits and pieces rather than the full picture of things, and it was beginning to get frustrating.

"High King?"

"Yeah."

"It means he is the High King over all the kings and queens of Narnia," Susan explained with a touch of pride coming through.

"So… even more autocratic than most monarchies?" Hermione shot back. Lucy and Susan looked shocked.

"And just what do you mean by that?" Susan practically shrieked.

"C'mon, if you're really from the same world as me, you know how to make countries more democratic and just for those in it," Hermione insisted. "Why has no one heard before about stuff like a jury of peers?"

"Edmund was in charge of most court cases and known as the Just King because of the just edicts he handed down," Lucy said, trying to comfort Hermione.

"Or a Parliament?"

"We had advisors," Susan pointed out, although she knew it wasn't quite the same.

"How's it going?" Peter said, walking up to the trio. Hermione noticed his hair was damp from sweat and realized he must have just come back from swordfighting.

"We moved on from archery to debating the pros and cons of forms of government," Susan said a bit crossly.

"I don't understand why you would be talking about that when you need to be getting ready for the war," Peter said with a frown.

"We are perfectly capable of doing both," Susan said a bit snottily. Peter just ignored her.

"What would you even know about government, Hermione?" Peter said, sounding annoyed. "After all, you're a …"

All three girls gave him the glare of death. Peter put his hands up defensively. "A witch! Seriously, did you really think I would say girl? I know you two know everything about running a government, but Hermione, what would you know about non-magic stuff?"

"Not as much as I would like, but I'm certainly not one of your mindless idiots who just follow your orders!" Hermione said, much more angrily than she intended. Something about Peter simply infuriated her. Even more than Ron, if that was even possible.

"Excuse me?" Peter gasped.

"You heard me correctly. I think any type of totalitarian government is wrong," Hermione said, crossing her arms and glaring at him defiantly.

"It's… no… You don't understand Narnia," Peter said. He normally was much more eloquent, but everything she was saying was throwing him off. And it was hard to concentrate on what she was saying rather than how attractive she looked when angry. Not that he would ever tell her that.

"Try me," she said, taking a step towards him. Peter naturally did not back down. Lucy and Susan shuffled uncomfortably, not wanting to be part of this argument.

"Our subjects were happy to be under our rule," he hissed.

"So you brainwashed them," Hermione stated. She was really starting to not like this Peter. She had thought Harry's ego was getting to big from being "the Chosen One." That was nothing compared to this boy!

"No! They chose for us to be their rulers, so obviously they wanted us!" Peter shot back.

Hermione blinked in surprise. "They chose you? It's a… democratic monarchy?"

"Well, no… there was a prophecy. So when we first entered, everyone told us we were to be the kings and queens, no matter what we said about being just normal kids from Finchley," Peter said.

"You tried to get out of it?" Hermione asked, reading a bit between the lines.

"Yes," Susan interjected. "It was a bit much to take in, especially since it immediately meant leading a war."

"Oh… I guess you're not as egotistical and power hungry as I thought you were," Hermione said to Peter. Peter wasn't sure if that was an insult or a compliment.

"In that case, I guess you're not as annoying and stubborn as you seemed," Peter shot back.

Susan poked Lucy and gestured for them to leave. Lucy frowned, confused at first. She then giggled and whispered in Susan's ear, "That would be cute, but I don't think so." Regardless, she followed Susan as she left. Peter and Hermione barely noticed them leaving.

"But you're probably still stubborn enough to be against my using magic," Hermione said with an annoyed look, turning away from him.

"I… maybe I could be persuaded. Show me something," Peter said, in a much calmer voice.

Hermione was surprised, but showed him some rather harmless spells.

"That's beautiful," he commented when she showed him her Patronus. "You…your magic is simply beautiful."

Hermione was touched by how deeply he seemed to mean it. "So you don't think my magic's evil?"

"No. The Narnian Witches knew more how to destroy than how to create. And they might have beautiful magic, but beautiful in the sickening way, if that makes any sense. Your magic is wholesome, natural beauty," he practically whispered, stepping closer.

"Is there anything else you'd like to see?" she asked eagerly. She had people impressed by her magic before, but the way Peter reacted to it was different. She found that she really wanted to impress him and see his reaction even more. Or… maybe she just wanted to impress him. No, it couldn't be that. It had to be her normal showing-off.

"Can… can you grow things with your magic?" he asked curiously.

"Yes. At least, I'll try. Not my best spell," she admitted. She tried to remember the spells for different types of plants, but with Peter so close, her memory was failing her, a rather novel experience for her. All she could think of was the spell for mistletoe. She went ahead with it, and it began growing. Peter dropped to one knee to see it better.

"Isn't that… mistletoe?" he asked. Hermione nodded. He smirked and said, "Good thing it's not Christmas, or else we'd have to kiss."

Hermione laughed. "That's definitely a good thing. Not being Christmas, I mean."

"On the other hand, I'm not actually sure there's a limit on what parts of the year the mistletoe tradition holds," Peter teased. Hermione's eyes widened. Peter picked up the mistletoe off the ground and got up.

"So… you're saying we should kiss?" she said uncertainly.

"Nah, it's Narnia. There's no mistletoe-kissing tradition in Narnia," he responded. His voice grew teasing again, "Why? Did you want to?"

"Ron?! Ron?!" Harry asked after Ron took a bite.

"What? I just took a bite!" he said, looking at Harry as though he was crazy.

"Oh… good," Harry said, relieved that nothing seemed to happen.

"These are delicious! You're really missing out if you don't eat them. I could do nothing but eat this Turkish Delight for the rest of my life! I would do anything for it!" Ron said enthusiastically. If Ron wasn't always so into his food, Harry would have been worried. By the time they reached the Common Room, Ron had practically wolfed down the entire box.

"Ah… I guess there's none to share," Ron said nonchalantly.

Later that night, after Harry was asleep, Ron found himself craving more Turkish Delight. Which house was Jadis in again? He decided it didn't matter. He would find his way into all of them if it meant more of that delicious Turkish Delight! He walked out and was surprised to run into Jadis on the staircase down the hall from the Fat Lady.

"Hello," Jadis practically purred. "I was wondering how long it would take for you to come to me."