A/N: I literally just finished this chapter right now and I decided not to sit on it, but send it out into the world for you to read and critique right away.

I really hope you'll like it.

Where ever you are in the world, stay safe!

HBSJ

Chapter 21

Lucretia Black, the Princess Royal arrived in a flurry of cars down the drive to Dartmoor Manor.

She never travelled without her servants, all sixteen of them, and her dresses and her jewels of course. She was, after all, rather set in her ways at her advanced age.

It wouldn't do not to travel in style.

She turned to her companion, her darling nephew twice removed, Lord Sirius Black, Marquess of Grimauld.

He was such a handsome young man and she adored his cheerful disposition. A disposition he insisted he had passed down to his ward, a mr. Harry Potter. She was looking forward to meet the young man indeed.

Potter… that name had a familiar ring but she hadn't heard it in years and years. Well, perhaps if would be interesting to meet this young man, even if he was working for a living.

Her nephew had, as was only right, insisted that young mr. Potter was offered every comfort, estate and even the possibility of a title and he'd turned it all down for some modern reason like freedom. She scoffed at the notion, none of them were truly free, not even herself.

She had responsibilities to the crown and her family and she would be beholden to them until the day she died. As it should be when holding a title as illustrious as hers and receiving yearly funds from the government.

The laymen of the nation were not free either, despite their thoughts of the matter. For one to live, one had to make money and therefore one had to have a job of some sort. Admittedly, there were different kinds of jobs and some were probably easier to hold and enjoy than others but it was still, unquestionably, a job. And by that logic, there was no actual freedom. At least not in her opinion.

Her dear nephew, the Marquess, was as free as they came however. He had invested prudently and paid handsomely to have someone else manage his financial holdings. He had an estate manager to take care of the Grimauld estate and by all estimates, the man had not one single productive thing to spend his days on. Except fret about his ward and his lack of outrageous electrical appliances.

He had tried to gift her several of these things supposedly to improve her life.

The only one she had accepted into her home was the mini automatic donut factory, a truly clever device she had convinced her cook to accept into the kitchens. She might adore a proper British afternoon tea but it was healthy to shake things up now and again.

Even her nephew, the King, sometimes came by when her cook brought the clever little machine out. He must have a spy in her household because he always knew the exact days which to drop by.

This was not inconsequential to Lucretia, because every time she needed to have a private word with the King, she would merely let slip that she would adore those clever little American treats at her afternoon table and as if summoned by magic, he would appear more oft than not.

Such practical knowledge to have at one's advanced age in life.

"My dear aunt,-" Sirius Black interrupted her thoughts. "-you seem lost in thought. Or are you actively dying? It would be nice to know."

She snorted with laughter. "Am I supposed to take this as an insult, my darling nephew? Are you this eager for me to pass?"

He grinned. "Of course not aunt, I was merely considering if I should make a grab for you or not. But given your general coherency, I would suspect that you are not dying after all."

"No darling, I am most certainly not dying today. And why this morose topic? Could we not find something better with which to pass the time?"

He clapped his hands together in that jovial way of his. "No need, we're here!" He announced with a gleeful sort of cheer.

She peered out at the well-kept building, which was most definitely not the Dartmoor Manor house. She sighed heavily. "Where are you taking me this time?" She found herself to be resigned to whatever adventure her young nephew now had devised for her. Only the latest of several impromptu visits on their way here. A visit to the local church would have been eminently suitable but no, that was not his objective and she certainly could have done without the visit to the canning factory.

He winked. "Well, we're at the stables so you're meeting Harry right now. No need for a stuffy dinner for that. Come on."

She pursed her lips, a mark of disapproval that would shake the boots of any she encountered, except of course the young Lord Sirius. He merely got out briskly and came around to her side to assist her out with that infuriating smile still attached to his visage.

"You do realise that you are forcing an old woman outside of her norms yet again, do you not?"

He tried to look contrite but failed dismally. "I do, but I've missed the boy and I believe you would like him. He's quite special I think."

She couldn't stop the smile so she merely harrumphed and urged the younger man to lead the way. He extended his arm, she took it and they walked into the stables.

Now, Lucretia hadn't spent time in stables in years, nor had she any reason to, but this one seemed uncommonly clean. As far as she could recall from her youth, there were always work to be done with the horses but as she looked around there was nary a stall to be cleaned or a horse to be rubbed down.

At the far end stood four young people clustered around a barrel that was cleverly used as a table. There were three she did not know and one she adored. They seemed to be enjoying themselves and she watched her nephew throw back his head and laugh, a full throaty laugh.

She stared, wondering if she had ever seen him quite like this. Possibly never.

The other man in the group seemed familiar, startlingly familiar though she knew that she had never met the boy before. That unruly hair, the demeanour and the way his eyes blazed a dazzling emerald green. But from where did she know him?

One of the girls, a curly haired beauty, spotted them first. She did recognize that one from Badminton, the one that had caught Draco's attentions. She was surprised that she was still in residence but it was possible that an apprenticeship couldn't be cut short.

This was turning out to be a most interesting detour indeed.

Hermione was watching Sirius approach with the princess on his arm as if it was a normal occurrence for a princess to join them in the stables.

Harry spotted them soon after her. "Sirius!" He bounded away and almost collided with his godfather if Sirius hadn't kept him at bay.

"One sec my boy, we just need to deposit this old thing with Draco."

The Princess Royal harrumphed in mock outrage but went happily to Draco's arms where he kissed her affectionately on both cheeks with a wide grin.

Sirius and Harry then proceeded to hug each other the way that only men who were unafraid to show affection did. A tight gruff hug with lots of patting on backs and grins on both sides.

Hermione couldn't help but feel that she was intruding on a family moment. Despite him being employed at Dartmoor, Harry was still Sirius' family and so was Draco and the princess royal. She nudged to Ginny. "Come on, let's go. We'll get some runs in while they talk."

Ginny frowned. "Uhm no. I want to meet the princess. Don't you?"

She shrugged. "Not really. They should have their family moment to themselves without us gawking at them."

Ginny just rolled her eyes. "Gosh, stop being such a bore. I'm not going anywhere."

Just when she was about to turn and go back to their tacked up ponies alone, Sirius called out. "Hermione! Ginny! It's been an age since I saw the two of you, and what beauties you've both become!" He hugged Ginny and then Hermione for a fraction longer. With his hands still on her shoulder, he looked at her. "Are you okay really? I saw all of that nonsense in the media about you."

She swallowed hard against the sudden lump in her throat. With a subtle cough she managed to clear it. "I'm okay Sirius. I just made a mistake and trusted someone I shouldn't have."

He smiled indulgently. "Well kiddo, just say the word and I will cheerfully kill the man. No one insults my family." He pulled her into another hug and she hugged him right back. It was so nice having him there. He was as close to family as it was possible to be along with Harry. And considering Sirius had never married or had children, he had a large and loving family around him.

"What are you talking of over there my dear marquess?" The Princess Royal interrupted them. "I'm afraid I am much too curious for my own good but really, there's no reason to keep secrets."

Sirius barked a laugh, his sheer joy infecting all of them instantly. "No secrets my darling of aunts but Hermione here has been too much in the press lately and I wanted to know if she was okay. She is family to me after all."

The Princess Royal smiled. Well, perhaps it was more of a smirk. "If you consider the girl family, she is my family too. Extended of course."

Draco looked like he was choking on something and Hermione blinked. "Thank you your highness."

"Come over here girl and let me see you." She barked, in quite the same manner as Sirius. Though they were distantly related, some traits obviously stayed prominent in the Black family.

Hermione walked dutifully over to the princess and curtsied all the best she had learned during the Ordeal with the Debutante Ball. At least she would get an actual proper use of that blasted curtsy that had taken her months to learn and not even learn it well.

When she rose, the Princess Royal smiled kindly and nodded. "Well done! I must say, it has been a while since I've been curtsied to quite that low. I could do it myself in my youth but now both my hips and my knees would ensure that I topple straight to the ground. It is fortunate that there aren't many in the world that I am required to curtsy to." She smirked and gave Hermione a conspiratorial wink.

It sounded like some sort of rant and Hermione was baffled as to what she was supposed to answer to that. Luckily she was saved by Draco who made the official introductions.

"My dearest of aunts, may I present miss Hermione Jean Granger, daughter of the Baron and Baroness Whitecroft." He then gestured to Ginny who had inched surprisingly close. "And this is miss Ginny Weasley, daughter of the Viscount and Viscountess Catchpole." He turned to Hermione and mostly ignored Ginny. "Hermione and Ginny, may I present Her Royal Highness Princess Lucretia Black of Great Britain, the Princess Royal."

The aging princess was watching both of them with sharp eyes before she abruptly turned to Ginny. "You, miss Weasley, how are your parents doing? Your father, the Viscount, is very active in politics is he not?"

Ginny, to Hermione's absolute horror, shrugged. At a princess. "I guess. I don't see dad around much, he spends most of his time in London. And mum is always fussing about me, so there's that."

Hermione fought back a frown. That wasn't an answer to give anyone who asked after your parents, and most certainly not a bleeding princess! But she said nothing, outwardly appearing neutral about the whole thing, she hoped.

The princess harrumphed and turned away from Ginny and back to Sirius. "And this is your ward, Harry Potter."

Sirius smiled that proud smile of his and nudged Harry forward. Harry, looking awestruck and a little bit shy, bowed deeply and stood tall in face of the older woman's scrutiny.

"Do you have any family mr. Potter?"

"None that I know of, your highness." At least he spoke to her properly.

"You remind me of someone but it is blurry to my old mind. Are you quite certain you are without family?"

"I am. My mum and dad died when I was one, they lived in the village and Sirius was my dads best friend. He took me in and I cannot imagine what my life would have been like without him."

She smiled, her eyes crinkling. "I am happy that he has reared you well, despite his bachelor state." She turned sharply to Sirius. "Who is this boy's father and how did you meet?"

Sirius looked uncharacteristically sad. "We met at school and his name was James Potter."

"Which school?"

"Eton. But he could be from any family dear aunt. Potter is quite a common surname in Britain."

She nodded pensively. "I suppose he could. But not every family can have a child enter Eton." She agreed in words but from her tone it didn't sound like she agreed.

Hermione wondered what that was all about.

After they had sent Sirius and the princess back towards Dartmoor Manor, they resumed the training. Ginny was noticeably buoyant and kept talking about the princess, her friend the princess and how she was sure they would be close in the future despite their seventy year age difference. Why, as she whispered loudly to Hermione, should she settle for a duke if she could snag herself a prince?

Hermione didn't share her convictions. Princess Lucretia had seemed decidedly frosty when speaking with Ginny but how was she to know? They'd spoken for literally seconds and her only guide was that she knew both Sirius and Draco and that the three of them shared much of the Black demeanour.

Training was cut short that day as Draco was ordered by his mother to shower and dress for dinner in his gala uniform and Hermione and Ginny walked back to the Dowager House together, with Ginny carrying the conversation the entire way.

According to Luna, dinner would be ready in an hour and Hermione seized the opportunity to take a bath and soak a little bit. Just as she was about to remove her fluffy bathrobe and slippers, her phone rang.

It was her mum and she looked longingly at the bath before answering the phone. "Hi mum."

"Hermione! Oh there you are, I've been calling you all day!"

"I know mum, I saw but I've been at practice, as I usually am on weekdays." She emphasized.

"Pish posh darling, you should pick up your phone when I ring." But she sounded like she was laughing.

She rolled her eyes, knowing her mum and her wicked sense of humour well. "What do you want mum?"

"Well, I'm calling about your next seasonal event of course. I understand that there was a bit of a misunderstanding with that Riddle-fellow but still, we have to make the most of the Season."

Hermione fell on to her bed and groaned loudly.

Her mum had no problems filling the silence she left behind. "My darling Hermione, you know very well that you still have to attend three functions for the season, and I've chosen yet another one. You cannot postpone it."

She groaned again. "Fine mum, what new posh parade do you wish for me to join this time?"

"No parade. I've thought long and hard about this, and I'm not unreasonable you know. I know you sometimes think I am but I just want you to be happy darling. I love you more than anything and I hope you know that is my only goal in life." She sniffed and Hermione smiled into her empty room.

"I love you too mum."

"Right, well…" She sounded like she was composing herself. "You and your brother are both going to Chesterton's Polo in the Park this Saturday. I believe that is a perfectly acceptable function for you to indulge your love of that game whilst still attending the Season."

Her relief was almost palpable. "Oh mum, yes, that's perfect. Thank you."

"No need to thank me just yet darling, I still have a final event to choose and I can't seem to make up my mind but we don't need to speak about that now."

"Please mum, nothing too bad right?" She begged. For all intents and purposes, her mum could require that she attend some sort of house party lasting days or even weeks and call it one event.

"Perhaps. But my choices are strategic. I want you to enjoy the event and I want you to have maximum exposure to the season. It's quite the challenge for me." She sniffed.

"And I feel for you." Hermione said, utterly deadpan.

"No sarcasm, please. You know how that tends to vex me." She could just imagine her mum's expression as she spoke.

Instantly chastised, she automatically apologized. "Sorry mum."

"Thank you. Now, I bought patron tickets for you and your brother, he has already been informed that he is to make an appearance for the day. And you should invite your friends. I've booked a private table for twelve for you and paid for the tickets so I'll expect no dawdling on your part."

She smiled. "Yes mum."

"And no slouching. It's just not done."

"Yes mum." Hermione said dutifully.

They exchanged pleasantries and Hermione struggled to describe how everything was going at Dartmoor but as soon as she hung up, she texted Harry, Pansy and Daphne. They in turn texted Draco, Blaise, Theo and Astoria and all wrote back that it was a date. There was still one opening but Harry and Draco seemed to have a plan for that so Hermione didn't think more about it.

Hermione went downstairs after her bath to tell Ginny and Luna that they were going to Ladies Day at Chesterton's. They were both in the kitchen.

Luna's reaction was rather surprising. "Oh, that sounds lovely. I did have a dream the other day that I was going to be trampled by horses, so this might be the place for it. I'd love to go."

Hermione just blinked at her. "Great." If, perhaps, there was something lacking in her tone then Luna didn't notice. She just turned back to the salad she was tossing with vinaigrette while humming some eerie tune.

Ginny on the other hand, glared at her. "Nice." She spat. "So now your parents want to show off how rich they are to all of our friends? Buying patron tickets and a private table for all of us, how vulgar." She then pulled out her phone and proceeded to ignore Hermione.

Hermione wanted to roll her eyes, but refrained. A mark of truly spectacular control on her part, if she should say so herself. The term vulgar could not be applied to her parents in the least however, Ginny's actions since they'd arrived at Dartmoor were much closer to the expression. But she didn't comment, she just asked flatly, "Do you want to join us?"

Her glower, having become more pronounced in the past few seconds, was quite impressive. "Sure. Sign me up." Her voice was bordering on girlish insolence and Hermione had half a mind to just exclude her from the trip. But she wouldn't do that. Ginny was her friend and she would come round soon enough.

So she just nodded and smiled stiffly before exiting her room. There was just no dealing with Ginny when she was in that kind of mood.

Hermione was walking back to her room when she saw a sudden gust of air mingled with dust particles in the sitting room. She stopped immediately.

There was no windows open and no open doors either, other than the one she was standing in, so where did that gust come from?

Hermione stood very still, watching and waiting with baited breath.

It seemed to take forever but in reality, it was probably only a couple of minutes.

Suddenly, another gust swept through the room and Hermione almost ran to the inconspicuous seating area in the corner where Draco and Blaise had been sitting together at the party.

There was nothing special about that corner of the room. It had the same papered walls as everywhere else but in the particular room, the wooden panels were almost as tall as she was.

Almost.

There was nothing to indicate an opening of any kind, yet when she crouched down and ran her hands over the panelling, she felt the tiniest of drafts.

Her heart sped up and she grinned. What a fantastic discovery!

If only she could open the damn thing.

She began feeling her way around the corner and… nothing.

Hmmm, perhaps the opening would be on the way to the corner of the room?

She turned back and her eyes roved over every single nook and cranny of the room. There were a book case but that just seemed so cliché. And there were a little table with decorative objects but they were all loose on the table, as had been proved by Harry when he'd toppled it during the party, so that wasn't it either.

She spent more time than was probably necessary scrutinizing the large room.

But the secret passageway had taken over her every thought and she couldn't not find that leaver to open the passage.

She watched the panelling closely for more wear in some places than others, then the walls and found nothing.

Until…

There!

Right along the bookcase, sat a tiny knob of some kind.

She almost ran to it.

Up close it looked like a little screw that needed a couple more turns to be completely embedded in the wall.

But it wasn't a mistake.

With a trembling hand, she touched the small button and…

Click.

A/N: Please let me know what you think!

Is there anything you're missing in the story? This is a WIP and this is exactly as far as I've gotten. I have the outline but nothing is set in stone yet so please comment if you have a peeve that I need to fix :-)

HBSJ