Chapter 11

Hermione stretched and yawned as she slowly woke from a deep slumber. Opening her eyes, she saw the soft light of a new day washing the walls of her bedroom with a pale golden hue. Her bed was comfy and warm; she felt cocooned by the soothing weight of the blankets covering her and Draco.

Draco.

She'd forgotten he'd slept with her again last night, although she didn't know how she could. She certainly remembered the way he held her before they fell asleep. The way he kissed her. The way they snuggled together under the covers; facing each other, her head resting on his shoulder, her leg wedged between his, his arm resting comfortably around her waist. It had all felt so natural. So right. Glancing over at her bed buddy, she grinned at the sight that met her. He had one arm above his head angled in a way that looked terribly uncomfortable; his mouth was slightly open, emitting little puffs that were not quite snores. His hair was a mess, but she was relieved to see it. At least, she wasn't the only one with bed head.

While Hermione stared, he mumbled something. She strained to hear him while noticing his eyes moving back and forth under his lids.

He's dreaming, she realized. Intrigued, she watched, wondering what vision filled his mind. His mouth twitched, his lips forming a half smile. It made her smile back. He had such an appealing mouth. Appealing everything, really. It was mesmerizing.

Dang it…it's not fair….it's like he's part elven…Tolkien's version, anyhow, she chuckled to herself. There was no way Draco looked like any of the elves at the castle. But like the elves in that British author's stories, Draco was uncommonly….beautiful, in spite of his present condition, and had always been, even when he was younger and had sported the pointiest chin and nose she'd ever seen. She'd known then his attractiveness would only increase with age. Looking at him now, she saw how right she had been. He had long eyelashes most women would die for; his complexion was so perfect, it looked airbrushed. Yet these qualities did not detract from his masculinity. He was muscular and male and…all mine to enjoy, she thought with a sudden gleeful possessiveness that startled her with its intensity.

Not that his good looks had always been a draw; quite the opposite, in fact. In the past it had angered her that physical beauty had been given to someone she deemed unworthy of it. In Hermione's world of logic and fairplay, outer appeal should match the inner. And his hadn't. Until she'd learned the truth about his life and what he'd been forced to suffer. Now when she studied him, she saw endurance. She saw someone who hadn't been broken. Someone strong….someone….okay, not a hero….not even her current infatuation could make her believe that. But he was a survivor. And now a prince.

It suits him.

Rising quietly so as not to disturb his slumber, she left the bedroom and made her way down to the terrace, stopping at the kitchen for a cup of Coco's espresso coffee. He always had it waiting for her, no matter what time she rose. It was the best she'd ever had, if she were to be honest, and was one of the things she looked forward to each morning. She had been surprised to learn he made it with a Bialetti moka pot. It amused her that a muggle invention made coffee superior to anything wizards could offer. Pausing to take a sip of the pure bliss, Hermione went on, carrying her mug to her favorite spot on the terrace that had the best view of the ocean. There, she settled down in a cushioned seat while propping her feet up on the matching ottoman. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes, focusing on the soothing sensation the wind made as it moved through her hair. Nearby, a bird was singing, welcoming the day. Below her on the beach, a sea gull answered back while the waves kept a steady rhythm, their sound almost lulling her back to sleep again. Hermione felt such harmony…such serenity….it was wonderful.

How did I get here? she mused while taking another sip of coffee. It had only been a matter of weeks…ten, if she remembered correctly… hardly any time at all transitioning from a muggle born student to a reigning monarch. No wonder her life felt like a dream. Yet, it was real. She couldn't go back.

This is my home….and my life now. No more being viewed as an outsider, no more fighting to fit in, no more bullying and rude remarks (at least, not to her face), no more having to prove that she belonged in this world.

No wonder she felt at peace.

Not that everything was perfect or that she'd forgotten her former life; there were moments when she would remember a particular dig and feel a sudden yearning for…..retaliation? Surely not. She wasn't the vengeful sort…was she?

Get real, Hermione…you know you would love to knock a few people off their high horse. And don't forget what you did to Rita. She sighed. Perhaps she did have a streak of vindictiveness in her. She was only human.

If she were going to be honest with herself, she'd have to admit the thought of going to Hogwarts and finding the students who had caused her grief and putting them in their place was very appealing, especially now that she had the power to do so. Not surprisingly, the ones she most wanted to confront were her housemates, because she'd expected better from them; Lavender, with her catty put downs and barbs about her appearance; Seamus, with his constant teasing about her being nothing but a walking trapper keeper and even Ginny with her comments about her lack of flying prowess and disinterest in Quidditch. Then there was…Ron. Supposedly one of Hermione's best friends, his words had always hurt the most. More than Draco's….. even more than Lucius'. She wished just once that one of her fellow Gryffindors had had the temerity to challenge Ron's comments, but no one ever did. Maybe him being the little brother of the school's pranksters had been a deterrent. Or maybe no one had cared enough to try. The only backup she ever received was when she was being heckled by a Slytherin, and even then she could only count on Harry or occasionally Neville to speak up. Not that she couldn't defend herself….she could very well, but that wasn't the point. The lack of support had still hurt. Especially when she could see how other houses defended their own. Slytherins were well known to be loyal; so were Hufflepuffs. She wasn't sure about Ravenclaws, but even they had to be better than her own house. Which never made any sense to her. Weren't Gryffindors supposed to be brave? And didn't bravery and loyalty go hand-in-hand?

Not always, apparently. Wish there was some way we could mix the houses so they could share the best of their characteristics. Not for the first time, Hermione thought the way Hogwarts was set up was in need of a change.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt a warm hand slide across her shoulder.

"I didn't know you were out here….why didn't you wake me up?" Draco asked before yawning widely.

She chuckled at his half-awake appearance; he was squinting as if he were a mole seeing daylight for the first time. "You obviously needed the rest."

He hummed in agreement. "Perhaps; but right now I need coffee."

As soon as he said it, Coco appeared with a soft pop, holding a steaming cup of it made just the way Draco liked. "Coco heard his Prince and obeyed."

Draco took the mug from him and patted his head. "You're a godsend, Coco. What would we do without you?"

The little elf blushed. "Sir is very kind."

Draco paused. He could easily remember a time when he hadn't been, but all he said was, "I think we know who wins the kindness award around here. You and the other elves have been very good to us, and Hermione and I love you for it."

Coco's eyes immediately begin to fill with tears; Draco didn't understand why until he looked over and saw Hermione's eyes in a similar condition. Then it dawned on him what he said. He blushed, embarrassed. He'd never been the one to express gratitude to anyone except maybe to his mother and Blaise….and now Hermione. He'd certainly never said anything of that nature to an elf before.

"Coco….I didn't mean to upset….." he began before the elf threw himself against Draco's legs, hugging them tightly.

"I knew it! I knew my Master was good!"

"Wha' the…." Draco froze, totally baffled at the little creature's behavior.

"Coco? What do you mean?" Hermione asked, wiping the moisture that had slipped from her lashes.

The little creature quickly let go of Draco and glanced over at his mistress, suddenly afraid he had overstepped.

"It's all right," she assured him. "You've done nothing wrong. We just want to understand."

Relieved, the elf visibly relaxed. "Well…..it's the way of us elveses…we can…." he hesitated, considering the best way to describe it, "see into those that will be our family. Coco's known since Sir first arrived."

"Known what, exactly?" asked Draco.

"That you would belong here, Sir."

"Hold on…..you're saying you knew I would choose…that he would be…ours?" Hermione asked, stunned at the thought. When they'd come to the island, he'd just been a guest.

"Yes," he patiently answered, "that's what Coco is saying, Ma'am. When she and Sir first came to the castle, we could sense Sir would be our master."

Intrigued, Hermione couldn't help asking, "But how?"

Coco smiled shyly. "It's part of elf magic. It's what makes us feared. We know. We hear the winds. We feel the ground. We understand the whispers of the Old One," he explained, referring to the ancient Yew tree, "Its heart knows the secrets of all other hearts. It told us that Sir's love for Ma'am was very strong and enduring."

Surprised, Draco's brow rose, but he quickly laughed when he saw Hermione's jaw drop in astonishment.

"When we learned that he was the one, we went to see the elves where Sir grew up."

"You went to the Manor?"

Coco looked at Draco. "We did. 'Tis our duty to learn about our Masters….how they take their tea, what foods they like, when they prefer their meals, baths, bedtimes….everything that can help them feel welcome."

"That's very kind of you," Hermione praised.

The little elf blushed again, clearly pleased with her assessment.

"Well, I suppose you met Dotty, then."

Coco turned back to the blonde. "Yes….yes, Master." His words slowed and took on a somber pitch. "Dotty…..she loves her Mistress and misses her, but as for Sir's father….not so much."

"She's right to feel that way. My father was and is a very cruel man."

The little elf nodded. "Dotty would not say that, of course, but another one did. One that had come to visit her while we were there."

Hermione looked at Draco. They both could guess who that was. "Dobby?" she asked.

The little creature stilled, glancing back and forth between them as if afraid to go. He began to wring his hands again. "He… he informed us of the Master. And he said…" he faltered, obviously reluctant to go on.

"It's all right, Coco," Draco encouraged. "Tell us what Dobby said."

The little elf's face scrunched up in misery. "He… he warned us that the son of the master had grown up to be like his father. He…..he told us to be careful."

Draco looked away, shamefaced.

"But I didn't believe him, Master!" he declared, grabbing Draco's hand with both of his. "I told him how kind you were. How much you loved our Queen."

"But he wouldn't accept it, would he," Draco stated more than asked. "Not that I blame him."

Coco sadly shook his head. "No. He would not. Now, we elveses don't know what to do. Dobby is spreading lies! He's warning other elves of our Prince and saying our Queen will be forced by him to be bad to us all!"

"Oh, my word," Hermione huffed, clearly exasperated. "And here I thought dealing with the different bureaucracies would be my biggest worry. I didn't expect to have to contend with a gossipy elf." Looking at Coco, she gave him her kindest smile and said, "You did well telling us this, Coco. You are a good elf and Draco and I appreciate you. Can you do us one more favor?"

The little elf vigorously nodded his head. "Oh yes, Mistress! Just tell Coco what you want him to do!"

She patted his head. "Will you and Chaton go and get Dobby for us? We need to put his fears to rest and assure him that Draco is not like his father."

She'd barely finished speaking when Coco popped out of site, eager to do her bidding.

"What do you have in mind?" Draco asked her.

"Well, you and I will talk to Dobby first, and if that doesn't work, we'll contact Harry and get him to talk some sense into him."

He sighed and scratched the back of his head. "You know….Dobby didn't lie, love. I was growing up to be like my Father. If it hadn't been for you and Blaise, I would probably…" he closed his eyes, ashamed….. "probably have a dark mark of my own."

"Maybe…..but don't discount your mother. I think she would have done her best to stop it."

"She wouldn't have been able to…..you've seen what my father is capable of."

"Well, let's not discuss what ifs. A lot of things could have been. What's important is what is."

"Thank you," he said softly before leaning down to give her a kiss.

She patted the chair by her. "Come, sit by me and let's have breakfast out here."

Then Hermione called the cook and asked for his signature Crepes Suzette, knowing it was a particular favorite of Draco's. While they waited, they talked about more pleasant things, their upcoming bonding being one of them. Traditionally, the bonding of sovereigns had been performed in the courtyard underneath the ancient yew tree. Both had seen the strange markings that encircled the tree and were wondering if this bonding would be different than others they'd seen before. Agreeing to research it together, their conversation then drifted to the business of the day; mainly their upcoming meeting with the palace courtiers, Blaise being one of them. Lucius Malfoy being another.

"Ugh….is there no way to avoid your father?" she groused. "Honestly, Draco….if he tries to manipulate me one more time….."

"Let him have it," he answered seriously. "Or send him off on a mission that would keep him away from us. Mother and I don't want him around, either."
Hermione's eyes became distant as she stared at nothing. "Hmm…..that's not a bad idea…. Maybe I could assign him one that would take a considerable time to complete….

Narcissa's cheerful voice broke into her thoughts. "Good Morning, my dears," she called out as she padded across the terrace to join them. Hermione hid an amused smile at seeing the normally regal witch wearing fuzzy house slippers. "I didn't know where you were at first, but Coco told me before he hurried off to go who knows where. That elf is always as busy as a bee, isn't he?"

"Well, he is this morning, at any rate," said Draco, who proceeded to fill his mother in on their conversation.

She sighed while adding four lumps of sugar to her tea. Hermione now realized where Draco got his sweet tooth. "Poor Dobby….I'm afraid he bore the brunt of Lucius' anger when he was with us. No wonder he's warning the elves."

"Yes, but he needs to stop," Hermione said. "Draco's nothing like his father."

Narcissa smiled, pleased at the fierce loyalty she was already showing. "No, he's not. But one thing is puzzling me. Why is Dobby just now doing this? If Coco went to the manor when we first arrived at the island, why did Dobby wait until now to stir up trouble?"

Hermione frowned. "That is odd…and very suspicious timing, don't you think? I wonder….."

Her wondering didn't last long. They were suddenly interrupted by a loud pop of apparition. Coco and Chaton were back, accompanied by Dobby, looking decidedly nervous.

"Here he is, Mistress!" Coco announced proudly. "Dobby tried to hide, but palace magic found him."

"Thank you both," she smiled at the two elves. "You did well. Chaton, will you go now and prepare the main conference room for our morning meeting? And Coco, do you mind pressing my light blue robes? I want to wear them today."

The two elves scurried away, delighted to do her bidding. Hermione turned her attention to the elf that remained. "Hello, Dobby."

Bless him, he was quivering with fear but trying hard to hide it. It softened Hermione's heart. Whatever mistruths he'd been spreading about Draco, it was obvious the poor thing believed them.

"Miss…..Miss Hermione…..friend of Harry Potter…Dobby did not know all those times before that he was talking to his Queen."

She smiled, trying to put him at ease. "That's alright; I didn't know either."

"Did Miss need Dobby for something?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I did. Coco told us you were warning the elves about Draco. We wanted to talk to you about that."

Dobby whimpered, giving Draco a quick glance. However, he held his ground. "Dobby has a duty to protect his own."

"Of course you do," she tried to soothe him. "But what you may not know is that you're hurting someone who was punished much like you were. Someone who couldn't be freed by a sock."

His eyes grew even more bulbous. "Draco Malfoy was treated like a house elf?" he asked, his voice shrill with disbelief. "Dobby didn't know that, Miss."

"Dobby," Draco speaking for the first time, "Look into my mind. I know you have that power. I want you to see what happened before I moved to the castle."

The little elf swallowed noisily, but did what he'd been asked.

Elf magic is so much smoother than a wizard's, thought Draco, feeling the light touch of Dobby's probe combing through his memories. A moment later, he felt it when he pulled out.

Dobby's huge eyes began to fill with tears. "Dobby did not know, Sir! Dobby is ashamed of himself! Draco Malfoy was hurt worse than Dobby ever was!" Before they could stop him, he ran across the room and crashed his head against the wall. "Bad Dobby, Bad Elf!" he wailed, either from distress or pain, they couldn't tell.

"Dobby, STOP! I forbid you to punish yourself!" Hermione cried out.

The little creature immediately sank to the ground, rubbing the crown of his now sore head. "Thank you, Miss. But Dobby is confused."

"I guess so, after giving yourself a concussion," Draco mumbled under his breath.

Narcissa heard him and grinned, but Dobby had not and went on.

"Why did Harry Potter's friend tell him to beware? To watch out for Harry Potter? To warn the other elves?"

Draco, Narcissa and Hermione looked at each other.

"Harry Potter's friend, you say?" asked Narcissa. "Which one?"

'Why, his closest one. He said he was Harry Potter's best friend. The one who cared about him the most."

Hermione pursed her lips in irritation. She now knew the source of the gossip and why it had centered on Draco. "Ronald Weasley," she hissed.

"Why yes, Miss. Miss is smart; she guessed before Dobby could even say his name."

Hermione's smile was brittle, but all she said was, "Thank you, Dobby. Now, why don't we start at the beginning and you tell us everything Harry Potter's best friend said."

"I'm going to kill Ronald," she muttered as she and Draco waited for their couriers to arrive. They cornered Blaise as soon as he appeared and asked him if he had any knowledge of the smear campaign that had been leveled against Draco. Indeed, he had, but the good news was that the reaction was mostly in their favor. Some thought Dobby was still employed as a Malfoy elf and was only repeating things Lucius had told him to spread. The prevailing theory was that the Malfoy patriarch was playing dirty politics, slinging mud as usual, only this time directing it at his son in the hopes that enough would protest the union that his precious pureblood heir would be prevented from bonding with a muggle born queen.

Others, especially those of the female persuasion at Hogwarts, bought into a "star-crossed lovers" theory, saying Draco's and Hermione's fighting in the past had only been misdirected passion.

"I might have helped spread that one," Blaise grinned smugly. Hermione laughed while Draco teasingly cuffed his head.

Then the three put their heads together and came up with a plan to keep Lucius out of their hair while promising they would attend to Ron after the meeting.

During the staff review, Hermione assigned Lucius a task that would hopefully keep him out of the country for a while. Word had come to them that there had been an uprising in the vampire communities in the Baltic States. She'd asked him to track down the nomadic vampires and assess the situation. Predictably, he'd balked until the other courtiers convinced him he was the only one qualified enough to do the job. Hermione inwardly smirked when he'd finally acquiesced. Using her thrall to get a general consensus had made her feel uneasy, but goodness knows, she had to give herself an advantage somehow. She told herself it was for a good cause; still, she knew she would need to be careful.

Once that was done and the meeting was adjourned, Draco and Blaise joined her in her study. There, she filled them in on an idea she'd been contemplating.

"You know how Hogwarts sometimes sponsors foreign exchange students?"

Blaise's eyes turned dreamy. "Do I….. like that dishy little number visiting from Brazil last year? Momma mia….. she was divine."

Draco smirked while Hermione rolled her eyes. "Well if you could quit drooling for a moment, I was going to say that I'm thinking of asking the Headmaster to do it again but only locally this time."

Draco's brow furrowed in puzzlement. "I don't know what you mean."

She brought up the thoughts she'd had that morning. "I think the separate houses thing has come to the point where it's producing more negatives than positives. What I'm proposing is for there to be an exchange between the houses."

Blaise began to grin. "I smell a cunning little rat. And just who do you have in mind for this….swapping?"

Her smile became positively devilish. "Well for starters, I think Ron should be placed in Slytherin for a time, don't you?"

Both boys began to smirk. "The lioness has her claws out," Blaise chuckled.

"Isn't she beautiful when she's being devious?" Draco concurred. "So…who is your next victim, uh sorry, I mean participant?"

Hermione poked him with her elbow. "I have a list. I thought we could start with Gryffindors first."

Sure enough, she did, producing an enchanted parchment glowing almost as much as her gleeful grin. Reading the names, the boys expressions soon matched hers. Along with Ron, she had Harry and Ginny going to Slytherin. "Harry almost got placed in Slytherin anyhow," she said waving her hand unconcernedly, "so no biggie there, and Ginny should go because duh, Harry, and also because she'll be able to keep Ron in line if he gets too unreasonable."

She wanted Lavender shipped off to Ravenclaw to see how she liked being around witches who wouldn't give a rat's rear about her supposed beauty but would care about her lack of intelligence. As for Seamus, she thought he should be placed there as well. Let him try to make a joke about being overly organized to a bunch of Ravenclaws and see how far that gets him.

"Not sending anyone to Hufflepuff?" Blaise asked, enjoying this side of the queen. How they didn't see what a perfect match she was to Draco when they were younger was a mystery.

"Nope," she answered crisply. "I actually like the Puffs too much to do that to them."

Snorting in amusement, he watched as she quickly pulled out a piece of parchment from the stack on her desk and penned Dumbledore a note. Giving it to him, she added, "If he can make it this afternoon, I'll have Cook prepare a lemon sorbet to have after tea."

Blaise grinned. Everyone was aware of the headmaster's favorite dessert. "Tempting him, huh? You know he won't pass that up."

She winked back. "No harm in being nice….and trying to put him in a good mood." Then she added, "Try to come back with him if you can manage. And bring a change of clothes so you can stay the night. Actually…..why don't you just pack a suitcase to leave with us so you'll have clothes on hand whenever you come? Because you know you're always welcome here, Blaise," she added warmly. "I know Draco misses you dreadfully."

"Dead right, l do. I love my brother," Draco said without any trace of embarrassment as he clasped his friend's shoulder.

Blaise was deeply touched, but only said, "You two needed some alone time. The least I could do was give you that."

Hermione wrapped an arm around Draco's waist. "We appreciate that, but I think my future husband will be happier if he could see you more."

Draco grinned. "She's not exactly wrong…..not that you don't make me happy, love," he quickly added.

Blaise laughed. "Smooth, man. I see you've lost none of your charm. Okay then…I'll see what I can do. Maybe we can discuss it this evening with the professor."

"Good, then it's sorted. But can you do one other thing for me, Blaise?"

"What's that, Ma'am?"

"Will you promise to look after Harry if the Headmaster accepts my suggestion?"

"You mean, make sure that none of the other Slytherins poison him, or something like that?"

She grinned. "Something like that, yes."

He gave her a jaunty little salute. "I'll see what I can manage."

A/N: I may be slow, but I will finish all my works in progress. Hope all of you are doing well.