Yes, there are more Dramione moments in this chapter, so do enjoy!
Draco
It is dawn when I stumble back to my rooms. The first rays of the rising sun are cruel reminders that in less than a day, the uprising will take place.
Hermione...she seemed so vulnerable, so desperately beautiful, so helpless in my arms, I do not think that I can bring myself to do anything to hurt her. To see the Queen of England in such a state breaks my heart and the sharp stab of anger I suddenly feel towards my house does not greatly surprise me.
I am hopeful that I might find solace in my bedroom, away from the vicious gossip guaranteed to spread throughout the court today from the most lowly servant to the queen's own kin.
But the moment the doors to my presence chamber swings open, my heart sinks as I catch a glimpse of a lone figure seated near the fireplace. Her dark hair spills forward onto her chest as she dozes but her head jerks up the moment I enter.
Mere weeks ago, I would have been overjoyed to see her in my presence chamber, but now I feel slightly ashamed and warning bells ring in my head. It can mean nothing good if Bellatrix Black has decided to pay a visit to my rooms.
She dips me the shallowest of curtseys, her accusing gaze never leaving my face as she says coldly, "So you have finally returned to your rooms, my lord husband."
I have no idea on how to reply her. The silence in the presence chamber grows oppressive and I clear my throat nervously.
Bellatrix smiles strangely, it is a smile that sends chills down the back of my spine.
"A letter came last night, from your father." Here she pauses, relishing the look of hurt that passes across my face that my father would turn to her, his daughter-in-law, instead of me, his own son.
My wife leans closer to me, though there is no one else in the deserted rooms. "Your father commands me to kill to queen," she whispers, the same bone-chilling smile playing on her lips.
"Imagine, if the queen were dead and the House of Gryffindor defeated, your parents would be King and Queen of England, and us their heirs." Bellatrix laughs, a frightening sound. I recoil from her, filled with horror.
How can it be, how can the seemingly charming and beautiful lady whom I begged my parents to let me marry turn out to be a...witch, a merciless, power-hungry witch?
With her cruel laughter, any remaining love that I have ever felt for her vanishes.
"Husband, are you not happy?" Bellatrix taunts me. "The queen will be dead and we will rule England in the near future. The house of Gryffindor will be dead along with her and when we wear the crowns on our heads she will be rotting in her grave!" she crows in a sing-song voice.
Every word she utters causes my blood to boil and I am standing still, trembling with rage, unable to escape as the witch circles around me, taking in every inch of my anger, enjoying the pain that she knows she is causing me.
"Or..." Bellatrix lowers her voice to a vindictive whisper again. "I know, you are in love with the Gryffindor queen, are you not? Is that not just so sad, a tragic love story-"
"Shut up!" I roar, my fury bursting forth from me like a tidal wave. I grab her face between my hands, my fingermarks bright red on her pale face.
I am filled with a violent desire to hurt her, hurt this witch who would take the life of my beloved without a second thought.
"You love Tom Riddle, do you not? The turncoat," I hiss, relishing the look of shock that passes across her face.
"You could not take your eyes off him, you foolish woman. Ever since I saw you staring at him when we were riding side by side, I knew something was out of the ordinary." The words which have been a thorn on my heart finally spills forth from the depths of my soul.
"I began to observe this man, and I recognised him as a stable boy in your father's house. Whenever he was around, you eyes would follow his every move, begging him to acknowledge your presence. But he is always surrounded by women, is he not? He has no need for you any longer. I dare say he has moved on." It is my turn to enjoy the unconcealed devastation on the face I once so dearly loved. I take a deep breath, ready to deal my final blow.
"Tom Riddle is to be married to one of the queen's ladies. It is said he loves her so dearly that he cannot bear to let her out of his sight." I loosen my hold on Bellatrix and as my anger ebbs away, her knees give way and she crumbles to the floor.
I see tears leaking from her close eyelids and for a moment I feel a hint of regret.
But the moment passes and I turn away. She asked for it, I tell myself. No one can threaten to harm the queen, my queen, and expect to get away scot-free.
Hermione's frightened honey-brown eyes flash in my mind, and I make a vow to myself that I will be her knight in shining armour, I will protect her and her throne, no matter what the cost may be.
Hermione
"Your Grace!" a pageboy bursts into my audience chamber where I am pacing anxiously, waiting for replies to my letters.
I look up and he hands me a bundle of letters, the replies. I tear them open, filled with hope and anticipation. Maybe I can be saved, I think, but as I scan through the letter I am holding, what little hope present in my heart drains away and is instead replaced by the horrible feeling of hopelessness.
I tear open one letter after another, they all contain bleak news. None of the lords can summon enough men for me in such a short notice. Only one county in the South can promise two hundred men, hardly substantial but that is all I have from the lords all over England. Pitiful indeed.
"Ale," I command, my voice shaking. A mug of the liquid is almost immediately passed to me and I sink down onto the chair at my desk.
"Two hundred men," I say hollowly. "Only two hundred men who are able to fight for our cause."
The eyes that meet mine around my chamber are incredulous, even outraged. But slowly, as the news sinks in, a look of sheer dismay replaces the outrage. We are greatly outnumbered and we are well aware of it.
A firm hand taps my shoulder and I turn around. It is Duke Harry, his face solemn.
"Your Grace," he whispers into my ear. "Perhaps it would be more...prudent to ensure your safety? I am sure Tutbury Castle, my home, will be more than honoured to host you until the danger has passed."
I pull away and stare into his face, trying to conceal my insulted feelings. A strange glint, one which makes me slightly uneasy, is in his eyes.
"And why would I want to abandon my court, especially in such a time of danger?" I demand, not bothering to keep my voice down.
Somehow, it does not seem right that I run away. And, a small voice reasons, Draco is still in this estate, still within reach. If you go to Tutbury castle, God knows when you can next see him...
"We will have all the troops we can muster sent here, Your Grace, you have no need for worry. Your safety is of the utmost importance. Without you, the House of Gryffindor will have no heir." Duke Harry continues in an urgent, persuasive tone.
"The duke is right, Your Grace, you have to go to Tutbury Castle, for the greater good of our house." Lady Ginny chimes in.
A fleeting look passes between Duke Harry and her, but I think nothing of it.
But Draco...Draco...I think in despair. Without me in the estate, his safety is under even greater threat from my lords.
Besides, we have just begun to know each other, we barely know each other, must we bid goodbye so abruptly and at such a dangerous time?
"For the good of the House of Gryffindor, you are strongly encouraged to go to Tutbury. It's just for a short while," Lady Ginny cajoles me, like a mother to a reluctant young child.
I take a deep breath, doing my best to push aside all thoughts of Draco. For my house, for my parents, I tell myself.
I force myself to nod, but still all I can think of is Draco and my impending separation from him.
"Good, good," Duke Harry is all smiles suddenly. "You shall leave tonight with only Lady Ginny. A carriage will be waiting for you at the foot of this Tower, I will come up to fetch you when it is ready."
After Duke Harry departs, I set my ladies-in-waiting the task of packing my bags for the journey and my stay at Tutbury while I slip away to find Draco.
There is nothing but shock on the faces of the guards at the threshold of Draco's rooms , but they bow deeply and open the doors without a word. After all, it is not every day a queen pays a visit to a member of a rival house in his rooms.
I locate Draco almost immediately in his presence chamber, leaning against the unlit fireplace, his face blank, lost in thought.
He glances up his unexpected visitor, and a look of unrestrained delight appears on his features as he sees me. And despite myself, I cannot help but return his smile.
Draco opens his arms, as if we were a couple married for many years, and I run into them, crossing the remaining distance between us as quickly as I can.
And then he is holding me to his chest, his arms once more secure around me, the comforting beat of his heart in my ear. If only we can put a hold on time, I catch myself thinking wistfully.
"Draco, I have to go to Tutbury castle," I say sadly, my voice muffled. "I have to, for the good of my house. But Tutbury is so damp, so lonely, and it's so far from here, from you," my voice breaks and I surrender myself to my tears once more.
"Darling, it will be alright, I am certain we will meet each other again before too long a time passes," Draco says consolingly, stroking my hair, but I can detect a note of reluctance and uncertainty in his voice.
"You are a queen, Hermione. It is not easy, but you were born to be queen. And you, as well as I, have to make the sacrifice to keep you on your throne," Draco smiles bitterly.
I know it is even harder for him. In trying to ensure my safety, he is going against his own house and his parents.
Draco lets go of me and takes a step back, placing his right hand over his heart.
"I am forever yours, Your Majesty," he pledges.
The solemnity of his address is not lost on me. I reach out for his hands and hold them in mine. "And I will always be your queen," I whisper. "No matter what happens."
Hermione
That night, I leave for Tutbury castle under cover of darkness, trusting Duke Harry that he has done what is best of our house.
I do not glance back as I leave. I do not see the triumph plastered all over Duke Harry's face, I do not see Draco's tear-stained one gazing out of his window, trying in vain to catch one last glimpse of me.
To be continued! Reviews keep me going, so do keep writing them :)