Chapter 3! Will Draco ever fall in love with Hermione? She's so hopelessly besotted with him that she goes so far as to invite him to go on the Summer Progress with her Gryffindor court...

Hermione

The Slytherin duke and duchess are due at court today. My heart gives a tiny betraying leap of joy, replaced almost immediately by a twinge of guilt.

They are our enemies, our greatest enemies, their house threatens the peace of England, I try to warn myself sternly. I should not feel anything but contempt for them.

I dress myself in heavy gold and red brocade in an effort to demonstrate the power and majesty of my house. The sleeves of my gown are sewn with countless blood red rubies the size of thumbnails and I choose my thickest gold chain to adorn my neck.

"You look beautiful, Your Grace, no doubt the most beautiful woman in England," Lady Ginny tells me almost reverently as I glance at myself in my mirror. She helps me to pin my French hood onto my hopelessly bushy, untidy brown hair.

"The members of the House of Slytherin are here, Your Grace," one of my ladies-in-waiting says as she opens the door to my bedroom a fraction of an inch.

I take a deep breath, composing myself. My ladies-in-waiting line up behind me and the guards throw open the doors of my bedroom and I step out into my presence chamber, which is packed with courtiers. I spot the Slytherin duke and duchess standing near a window overlooking a maze, trying to conceal their nervousness.

My breath catches in my throat when I see the duke. He looks even more handsome than when I last saw him. Besides him, his wife has a disdainful sneer on her face. A sudden surge of jealously catches me off-guard, but I quickly smooth my features into an expressionless mask.

Sitting myself on my throne, I say clearly, "Lords and ladies, you may rise." I motion for the newly married couple to come closer to me and I extend my hand for the duke to kiss. To my embarrassment, I find that my hand is trembling slightly. His lips brush my hand gently, and as he looks up for a split second, our eyes meet and the intensity of his gaze makes my heart skip a beat. If only he were of the house of Gryffindor, I catch myself thinking wistfully. Then he would already be my husband.

"I offer my warmest congratulations on your marriage, my lord and lady Malfoy," I say formally. "I am always pleased to receive news of a union," I continue somewhat sarcastically. "And I hope that your marriage will be blessed with joy and happiness."

"We thank you for your kind words, Your Grace," the duke says stiffly. Besides him, the duchess' face seems to be carved from stone.

"We," I motion to my lords and ladies, "would like to invite both of you to go on the Summer Progress with us. And I would be delighted if the duchess would accept a position in my household as lady-in-waiting." I have to raise my voice over the sudden outbreak of raised tones of protest among my courtiers.

It has previously been unheard of for members of the opposing house to join us on our Summer Progress or even serve the reigning monarch. It has been the tradition to allow the opposing house some land in the north of England to rule, and there they will stay, almost in exile, unless summoned to court on a rare occasion.

I have broken tradition and there are scandalised looks plastered on the faces of my courtiers, but I do not mind. Just one summer with Draco Malfoy, I tell myself, just one summer. And by placing his wife in my service, I have just ensured the duke's regular visits to court.

I gaze down from my throne at the outraged expressions on the faces of the duke and duchess. They know they have no choice but to obey me, the Queen of England.

Later, when the duke and duchess have retreated from my presence, I reassure my indignant courtiers that my only motive for keeping them so near at hand is to spy on them and their household. I hope I manage to convince them.

Bellatrix

I storm out of the queen's presence chamber, my face like thunder.

"It's a great honour, dear wife," my husband tries to reassure me though his face is filled with shock. "Lady-in-waiting to the queen-"he attempts to continue but I cut him off with the most ferocious glare I dare muster.

"We should refuse the queen," I choke out. "How dare she offer me a place in that household of hers! I will be surrounded by enemies, our enemies, and I will be serving the greatest enemy, the queen herself! How dare...how dare she!" my words are stuck in my throat and I am unable to continue.

"Wife, calm yourself down, the servants are staring!" my husband says nervously as he tries to keep up with my pace as I walk down the corridor in furious strides, hardly caring where I'm heading.

I hardly pay any heed to his words and I quicken my pace, not caring where I am heading.

"Do you even care that I will be surrounded by people that hate me with a vengeance and who I hate in turn? Why don't you do anything? Aren't you a duke?" Rage clouds the logic in my mind and I spin around to face my husband. My useless husband, I think inwardly.

In one fluid motion, my husband holds my arms to my sides and pins me to the stone wall.

"Let me go!" I cry out. I try to struggle free, but my husband is too strong for me.

"Listen to me, dear," he begins. His grip is strong but his voice is gentle. "There is indeed no way we can refuse her. The queen is the queen, her word is law, her every whim and fancy a command. She wants you as her lady-in-waiting and so we will have to obey her."

"But you are a duke..." I say pitifully, but even to my own ears I sound weak. "Surely there is a way."

"No, wife, there is no way." my husband sighs and lets go of my arms. He cups my face gently in both of his palms. It is a tender gesture, but I stiffen at his touch. The last man who had cupped my face in his palms was Tom and by my husband's gesture, I am unwittingly reminded of him.

I look at my husband with cold eyes. "I had no idea that even a duke is so powerless," I say.

I feel a sort vindictive pleasure at the brief look of hurt that flashes across his eyes and so I continue, "And this duke will not even try to free his wife from the service of the enemy. Why, is he a coward? Even a lowly stable boy will stand up for the woman he loves."

At my cruel words, my husband lets his arms go limp at his sides and he looks like he has been slapped. But it is too late for me to take back my careless words. The damage has been done, I have wounded his pride.

Slowly, I back away from him. I know I have gone too far by comparing him to a stable boy.

"I shall take my leave of you, my lord husband," I say formally and curtsey to the duke who is as motionless as a stone gargoyle. Then I walk away, feeling his eyes bore into my retreating back.

That's it for chapter 3! Do review, I'll continue writing as long as one person wants to continue reading :)