Hermione was grateful for Frigga. If it hadn't been for her, Hermione would have been in some serious trouble with Nolan. He had seemed like a nice guy, but now Hermione knew to stay away from him. The two walked down the halls, arms linked together as if they were old friends. "Are you alright?" Frigga asked. Hermione was still a bit shaken up from Nolan. "Yeah. I'm alright," she said. Hermione tried her best to keep her voice from sounding so shaky, but she knew she wasn't fooling anyone. "Ms. Granger, did Mr. Ferirson hurt you?" Frigga had a look of concern on her face and stopped walking. Hermione shook her head. It was true. Nolan hadn't hurt her, but had Frigga not come to her rescue, Hermione didn't know what Nolan would have done. just the thought that Nolan could have done worse to her was enough to scare her.
"Ms. Granger, please. If he hurt you in any way, tell me. I'll have it taken care of immediately." Hermione shook her head once more. "I assure you, your majesty. I'm quite alright." She put a smile on her face, hoping it would put Frigga at ease. Frigga sighed and began walking again. "If you are sure, then I won't do anything." Hermione didn't respond and allowed herself to be gently pulled along by the queen.
"Thor tells me you've accepted the invitation to the ball," Frigga said after awhile. "How could I refuse? The last ball I went to was back in my fourth year at Hogwarts." Hermione remembered how horrible things had gone that night. Ron and her had gotten into a fight, which had ruined the rest of the night for Hermione. She didn't bother to mention that to Frigga. "I suppose you'll be needing a dress for the occasion," Frigga said. Hermione turned to her. "Oh, no. It's alright. There are many dresses in the wardrobe I could wear." Frigga had a polite smile on her face as she shook her head. "Don't be silly, Ms. Granger. Those dresses are not meant for this kind of occasion. I'll send for a tailor to make you the loveliest dress for the ball." Hermione couldn't turn down the offer, not that it mattered. She couldn't persuade the queen to change her mind anyway.
Odin approached them not that long after. "Ah, Ms. Granger. I hope you don't mind, but I need to speak to my wife." Hermione nodded. "Of course," she said before curtseying and walking away. Frigga's smile disappeared once Hermione was gone. "I'm not in the mood to speak with you, Odin." The king sighed. He loved Frigga dearly, but sometimes her stubbornness was too much for him. Odin did his best to speak calmly. "I thought about what you said earlier, Frigga. I love you too much to lose you over a silly argument. You and Thor have persuaded me to believe there may be a second chance for Loki and that that second chance is through Ms. Granger." Sighing, he took her hands in his. "Loki will be let out of his cell for the ball and... i've considered giving him his old room back. If Loki causes any trouble whilst out of his cell, he will be put back in the dungeons without hesitation."
Frigga seemed please with his decision and agreed wholeheartedly. "Do you plan on telling Ms. Granger of this?" Odin asked. Frigga shook her head. "Loki and Ms. Granger must fall in love naturally." Odin nodded, knowing that was true. The two walked back to the throne room in peace.
...
Hermione had gone back to her room, making sure to put a locking spell on it in case Nolan came by. She was curled up in the corner of the room behind the bed, sitting on the floor with her knees pulled up to her chest. Usually, Hermione was braver than this. She was in Gryffindor, after all. She had never felt this terrified before. 'What is wrong with you, Hermione? You're a Gryffindor, for Merlin's sake. Act like it,' she thought.
A knock on her door pulled Hermione out of her thoughts. "Ms. Granger?" It was Faye's voice. Hermione slowly walked over and opened the door. Seeing that it was, in fact, Faye. "Are you alright?" Faye had a worried look on her face. "Honestly? No." Hermione pulled Faye into the room and closed the door behind her. "May I ask what's wrong?" Hermione sat down on the bed. "Do you know a guard named Nolan Ferirson?" A small smile appeared on the maid's face. "Oh, yes. He's a very nice guy. Why do you ask?"
"He and I were walking through the gardens and he kind of harassed me." Faye's eyes widened. "Wait, he didn't-" Hermione knew what Faye was thinking and was quick to dismiss it. "No! Absolutely not," she said. Faye sighed in relief and put a hand on Hermione's. "Did you tell anyone?" Faye asked.
"Not really. He didn't hurt me, which the queen asked me about. I'm okay, really. I'm just a little shaken up." Faye looked at the floor. "You should tell the king about this. He can take care of the guard." Hermione shook her head. "No. That won't be necessary. Nolan seemed like a nice guy and maybe he is. Maybe he just had a moment. If that's the case, I don't want him to lose his job."
"Forget his job. Nolan would lose his life. Things like this are taken very seriously." Hermione looked at her lap. "It's fine, really. I'm okay."
"Did you need something by the way?" She asked. Faye straightened up. "Oh, yes. The queen asked me to fetch you. A tailor has arrived at the palace. You are needed for measuring." Hermione nodded and followed Faye out of the room, making sure to lock the door behind her and making sure that she had her wand on her. The two walked down the halls into a room where Molly was waiting along with the queen and a tailor.
"Thank you, Ms. Welversdottir," Frigga said as a smile graced her features. Faye curtsied and scurried over to stand next to Molly. "Ms. Granger, this is Mr. Zenkirson, one of the royal tailors and my personal favorite." The tailor grinned and bowed his head in greeting. "Hello, Ms. Granger. It's an honor to meet you."
Hermione simply smiled at the man. Hermione followed the tailor's instructions for the rest of the afternoon. She was a little hesitant when the tailor asked her to strip down to her underwear, but Frigga assured her that it was just for accuracy and that she had nothing to worry about. That calmed her a little bit. The rest of the afternoon consisted of questions such as preferred style, color, etc. Hermione was now dressed in her clothing again. The tailor said he would have the dress done in a few weeks time. After thanking him, Hermione was left alone with Frigga, Molly, and Faye.
"Thank you for helping out, ladies. It is much appreciated." The two maids curtsied and left the room to attend to other tasks. "It's almost time for supper, Ms. Granger. We should head to the dining hall." With that said, Frigga and Hermione walked down to the dining hall together, both feeling very hungry.