Chapter Five: A Heart's Desire Fulfilled

At the sound of the front door opening, Hermione nearly dropped the book she held as she sat in the library, sharing a look with Minerva before hurrying to shove it back in it's place on the shelf. The two had shared fearful thoughts of Ginevra's prolonged absence. Had she been recognized? Had she been injured on the journey? The other woman hot on her heels, she raced down the stairs, dissatisfied to find their mistresses instead of their dear friend.

"The nerve of her!" Pansy snarled as she blindly threw her robe at Hermione.

"I wish I could have hexed her," Millicent pouted, following suit.

"She did indeed look familiar," Aurora lamented, peeling off her gloves and giving them Minerva.

"You swear you've never seen her before?" Pansy snapped as she rounded on her mother. "Your absolutely certain that we do not know her?"

"I know of every lady within this realm, child," Aurora replied angrily. "Be grateful that the prince returned to the ball empty handed!"

"It isn't fair!" Pansy wailed. "I didn't even get enough time with him! All of those other hags took much longer than I!"

"Then you should have used it more wisely," Aurora answered, beginning her climb of the stairs. "We will be lucky if Lord Draco comes

to call, unless you found a way to ruin that chance as well!"

Hermione and Minerva exchanged a smile behind their backs as they followed, silently thanking this mysterious maiden for stealing the attention of the prince. While it did nothing to ease their worries of Ginevra and this new development would make their lives miserable for the next few days, seeing them fail to sink their claws in a royal was a small payoff.

When Ginevra awoke the next morning, she groggily struggled to remember how she had ended up in the loft of the barn the night before. She sank back into a pile of hay straw as the memories flooded back, her head pounding in protest of the movement.

Tonks. The dress. The castle. The prince, she thought fondly, a smile easily spreading her lips. The way he looked at her made her feel as if she was the only woman standing in that vast hall. The way he kissed her seemed to light up her body with this strange, addictive, and unknown energy. The way she felt after so little time with one person startled her, for it was an emotion so foreign. Even though she knew it was a ridiculous thought, she admitted to herself the wish of wanting to see him again. Even if it were from a distance, surely it would quell the raging within her heart, if only for a moment.

"Ginny!" came a fierce whisper. "Ginny, are you in here?"

She crawled up onto her knees, ignoring the pain in her head and the ache in her feet as she moved to the edge of the floor, peeking down to see her brother peering up at her.

"There you are!" he said in hushed tones, relief flooding his face as he removed his hat. "Remus and I have been looking everywhere for you! We feared you were lost . . . or worse. . . But then I remembered how you liked to hide here when we were young, and here you are!"

"I am safe and have returned whole, brother mine," she called back. "The sun continues to rise in the east and it is a wonderful day!"

He laughed. "Tis a good thing your brother knows you so well. Hermione might not be as lenient. She has been pacing a hole into the floor all morning."

"I know I have much explaining to do," she agreed, "so go and fetch me a robe so that I may return to the house without raising any suspicion."

As she waited she got a good look at her dress, wincing at the sight of it. Large holes had been ripped into the lace overlay, the hemline of the collar severely stretched. She was extremely relieved when her brother returned, taking care to wrap the robe tightly around herself so that he would not see. She would still keep the dress. Hopefully one day she could take it to get fixed somewhere. When her brother returned her to the chateau, she found Hermione anxiously waiting for her in the kitchen. Promising to fill him in on the details later in the day, she bid him a farewell.

As soon as the door shut behind him, Ginevra moved quickly over to where Hermione stood. "What did you tell stepmother?" she whispered before any more words could be spoken.

"I told her you had fallen ill and thought it would be better to work outside with your brother and Remus rather than infect them," Hermione said rapidly, picking a piece of straw from the other girls hair. "You should remain out of sight for the remainder of the day."

Sagging in relief, she leaned against the prepping table. "How ever shall I repay you?"

Hermione's lips thinned as a hand rested on her hip, her foot tapping impatiently. "Are you going to tell me what happened last night? We were worried sick when you did not return before your step family. I thought you had been discovered! I thought you'd gotten hurt! I thought -"

"I'm fine, Hermione, I promise you," Ginevra laughed. "You shall get your explanation, but you'll have to get your story while I take a bath."

Later on, Ginevra sank happily into the warm steaming water of the bath as Hermione kept a vigil at the window, nervous of the family returning from their afternoon excursions early.

As she explained the details of her night, she felt odd omitting or changing the story where Tonks was involved. She didn't feel it was right to divulge the truth about her fairy godmother, even if she still struggled to believe it had really happened. She would tell her friend one day, but she was still reluctant to let go of the illusion.

"Is it really true, Ginny?" Hermione sighed after she had finished her story. "Is he really that charming in person?"

"Is it that hard to believe?" asked Ginevra, lifting her head off the backrest of the tub to look at her friend. "Are you truly that skeptical about everything?"

"Can you blame me?" Hermione asked. "It almost sounds too wonderful."

"Yes," she agreed, "it does."

Hardly anyone saw Prince Harry for the next few days. He remained confined to his quarters, only to be seen by his servants when they brought trays of food to him. The only company he preferred to keep was with a single glass slipper. At a total loss as for what to do, his mood quickly grew dark. He'd taken to using spells to lock and silence his doors since the queen had become worried and began to hover over him, despite his wish to be left alone.

Draco caught sight of the queen mother as she paced in front of the door leading into Harry's chambers. He snuck up on her, leaning against the wall. "Trying to wear a new passage into the floor, mother?"

"Do not tease me, Draco," the queen said, crossing her arms as she glared at the door. "He cannot stay hidden away forever."

"You know how he is," Draco said, examining his nails. "The noble, yet sometimes brooding Prince Harry."

She sighed, temporarily resigned. "Come and keep me company. I shall tell you a story."

She led him to the library, seating him in a high backed chair, facing of the hearth of a large and roaring fire. Eyes twinkling, she settled herself into the seat beside him.

"A story, mother?"

"Of a boy who came to live in this castle nearly ten years ago," said Lily. "He was a difficult boy; floundering. Once the son of a powerful Lord, he had become an orphan, losing everything he knew to a great and terrible war. While he was sometimes a sweet boy to me, he raged against everyone else that dared get near him."

"Mother- "

"Please let me finish," she said gently, laying a hand over his. "I'll get to the point soon enough."

Nodding, he sunk back further into the chair.

"This boy and my son were of the same age, though in the beginning they fought fiercely and seemingly endlessly with one another. Until one day when a simple game played on brooms changed that." She smiled. "The two became the best and most competitive of friends. . .

"And then one day, my son wandered off into the Dark Forest. Fearing the worst, the king and I sent out a search party to comb the area in which he was last seen. Sensing my distress, the boy snuck out from under my nose and entered the forest, finding the prince within an hour and leading him back to safety. Though you were both filthy, no harm had come to you. 'Don't be sad anymore, mother.

"'I've found Harry!' Your face lit up when you said it, the first time I'd ever seen you smile. And the first time you had ever called me mother. That very day I knew. You may not be my son by blood, but you were destined to be a part of my family. You watched over the prince, and though sometimes you were rather rough with your words, your intentions would always come from the best part of your heart. . . I need you to help your brother again, Draco."

"You suggest that I give him the ugly gift of the truth mother?" Draco asked, smriking. "That, even if it comes to it, I hex that door off of it's hinges?"

"A mother would never say such things," Lily chided, stroking his cheek. "I only ask that you speak with him, what you decided to say is neither here nor there. Go and be a brother."

Feigning an exasperated sigh, he rose from the chair, laying a kiss against her forehead before he strode back to Harry's chambers.

Startled, Harry rounded away from his window as the door of the chamber burst open, bouncing on it's hinges as his friend strode in, tucking his wand back into the holster at his waist.

"What exactly do you think you are do -?"

"Giving you an overdue dose of reality," Draco cut in smoothly, taking a seat at the Prince's writing desk. "Where is it?"

"Why do you care? Do you wish to tease me further on how I keep a woman's slipper?"

"No," Draco answered with a straight face, "not today. I'm here on a request. Believe me, if it were up to me I'd leave you here to rot."

"I know they think I'm being foolish but I cannot help myself," the prince groaned, running his hands along his face as he leaned against the window. "How am I supposed to find her? The realm is so vast and she told me herself that she traveled a long way."

"Who would've thought that the cause of noble Prince Harry's undoing would be love sickness?"

Harry sank down onto the mattress, head hanging, a small smile upon his lips. "It all seems rather silly, doesn't it?"

"Well then what are you going to do about it?" He watched as a blonde eyebrow arched.

"What do you mean?"

"What will you do?" Draco said slowly, emphasizing each word. "Shutting yourself in here will do nothing but upset your mother more. If you continue to make her upset I might have to raise an angry hand, which would displease both of our parents."

"What can I do? I didn't even learn her name."

"I see that you are not catching on as quickly as I'd hoped," said Draco. "Why don't you start looking for her, Harry?"

"Do you know how many maids with red hair are within this realm? And furthermore the spells that they can do to change the appearance of their hair?"

Draco held the slipper up to the light, turning it as he watched the sparkles dance across the room. "But she cannot cast a spell to change her feet."

"Sirius, please tell me that I have not lost control of my senses," James said as his friend poured him another goblet of wine. Lying open before him was a letter that, at this very moment, was being sent out to the entire realm.

They had resigned to his private chambers with as much wine as Lily would allow them. Their cheeks began to turn red from the drink, but that had not swayed them from consuming more. The king was most troubled, and, as Sirius liked to fondly remind him, wine was the temporary cure for everything.

"He is in love," Sirius said simply.

"I think he is foolish," James shook his head. "Do you know how long it would take to try the slipper on every maiden in this realm?"

"I remember not long ago how you would do anything to gain the affections of a certain maid," Sirius said knowingly.

"Surely you jest, this is not the same!"

"His feelings seem to be. Let him do what he thinks is right. A man in love will find any means necessary to achieve his goal."

The sudden shriek of delight seemed to shake the whole of the house, causing Minerva to drop the basket of rolls she carried. "By God the frequent displays of delight our lovely mistresses give will one day be the end of me. I am becoming far too old for this."

"But not too old for this," Ginevra answered, sweeping the rolls back into the basket and placing them on the serving tray, making the older woman laugh.

Ronald burst in the door, Remus hot on his heels. "What on earth is going on? Is somebody being murdered?"

"If only it were so," said Hermione from the hearth as she stirred a stew.

"Hermione!"

"Perhaps grievously maimed?" she offered instead, making them all chuckle.

"Pray for me that I may come back alive," Ginevra said as she ascended the stairs.

She made quick work of setting out breakfast,

"Merlin had looked down upon us in favor," Pansy was saying, bouncing in her seat with delight.

"It seems you have another chance to impress our dear prince," Aurora said, the morning's post in hand. "We must start preparations immediately. And you- " she shot at Ginevra as she poured her a goblet of water " -gather the staff and get started on the cleaning. I want every last inch of this home spotless before the prince arrives."

"The prince. . .?" Water began to overflow the goblet, onto the table and spilling into the lap of her stepmother.

Aurora gasped, grasping the girls wrist tightly in her hand. "Just look at what you've done!"

"I- I'm sorry, stepmother, I d -didn't mean- "

"I think she did it on purpose," said Pansy, smiling behind her goblet while Millicent nodded in agreement.

"What on earth is wrong with you?" Aurora said, yanking her closer. "These last few days you've lost what little sense you had in that ridiculous head of yours. Sick the day after the ball? Spilling water onto my expensive cloth? Seems rather a mystery, don't you think?"

"No, mistress," Ginevra answered, willing her heart so slow it's pace. "It was er simply a stroke of bad luck."

"I don't believe you," Aurora said, her eyes full of poison. "I think that you are hiding something from me." She pulled at a lock of

Ginevra's hair as she shook her head. The girl watched as her eyes clouded before she roughly shoved her away. "Out of my sight."

Shaken, Ginevra did as told, hurrying back into the kitchens. Absently setting the tray back onto the prepping table, she sank into a chair.

"What's the matter, child?" Minerva asked, rushing forward to feel her forehead. "Are you all right?"

"I -I'm fine," Ginevra answered, shaking her head. "Do not worry about me. Stepmother orders that we clean the house."

"Again?" asked Hermione, aghast. "As if we don't have enough chores already!"

"The prince will soon be here," Ginevra answered flatly.

As the two of them began to smile, she gravely shook her head. "I think she knows."

Ginevra was careful to stay out of her stepmother's sight the next few days as they cleaned the house floor to ceiling. She traded duties with Hermione, instead doing the cooking rather than the serving; in exchange for helping with the dressing she traded with Minerva and did the laundry. Between that and all the scrubbing her elbows and knees were beginning to feel extremely sore. The few times she did catch sight of her stepmother, she caught her glaring at her with more malice than she usually did. It frightened her when she got that look. The last time she had seen it, Hermione ended up with the ugly scars she now wore across her shoulders and back.

When the last day of the search arrived, Pansy had fallen into a panic. Out of money for a new dress to wear for the prince, she'd torn through and tried on every single one that would fit within the house, yielding no satisfying results.

"I want something fit for a queen!" she railed at her mother, putting all of them on edge.

That was when Hermione came rushing into the kitchen, her face as white as a ghost.

"What is it?" Ginevra hissed, but could not get her answer before Hermione was shoved out of the way, Aurora charging into the room with Pansy and Millicent right behind her. She cornered Ginevra, roughly seizing her shoulder and shoving her down into a chair. "Stepmother -?"

"Where is it?" Aurora snapped, her wand held in her fist.

"W- where is what, madam?" Shaking with fear, she saw the eyes of Hermione and Minerva clutching each other, mirroring the emotion.

"Where is the dress?" Aurora snarled. "The entire of your mother's dowry is missing! I locked it up myself, it was in my chambers and now it's gone. WHERE IS IT?"

Taking a deep breath, she felt as if something inside of her snapped. All at once, every memory of mistreatment against her, Ronald, and her friends came rushing back to her. Every unkind word and moment of injustice played through her mind at rapid pace, her vision darkening with the coming rage. A roaring seemed to fill her ears, the hairs on her arms standing on end; any and all fear she felt earlier was swept from her mind as she pushed her stepmother back, rising from the chair with her fists clenched at her sides.

"What matter is it to you?"

Aurora blanched. "What matters is that it was you who stole them from me."

"They aren't yours!" Ginevra roared back, advancing on her stepmother. "Those were my mother's things, even if I did know where they were do you think I would give them to you? Tell the truth, stepmother. Does it bother you more that I will not give them freely or that I am competition?"

"How dare you speak to me like that!"

"How dare I? You've ruined our father's home, destroyed the last precious memories of him, and forced us to work as servants when we are your stepchildren- we have done everything you've asked and yet you still deny us! You are the only family we have left and still you've treated us this way! Without so much as a kind word, or a -!"

"How can anyone love a child like you," Aurora's chin lifted in defiance. "You are the very thorn in my side. Now, you hand over that dowry or- "

"I would rather be lashed a thousand times before I see my mother's dress on THAT SPOILED, SELFISH HAG!"

Pansy flinched as if she'd been hit. Millicent's face was the color of a plum. Hermione and Minerva were paper white, hands over their mouths in fear for their dear friend. Ginevra stood toe to toe with Aurora, shaking from head to toe with her anger.

But it was Aurora who moved first.

"STUPEFY!"

Hermione and Minerva could only watch in horror as Aurora hexed Ginevra, her body falling to the floor in a heap. Eerily calm, she murmured a spell, sending her prone form down into the basement, locking and silencing the door.

She rounded on them, aiming her wand. "If either one of you so much as thinks of touching that door you will wish you'd never been born."

As the carriage neared the last few houses on the edge of the realm, Harry could not help but roughly rub his eyes, his headache pounding mercilessly behind them. For the last two days he and Draco had visited every home of nobles that had attended the ball, trying the glass slipper on every maiden and even her servants, only to come up empty.

"These are the last names on the list, milord," the servant accompanying told him. "Sir Fletcher has no daughters to our knowledge, and the other home belongs to Baroness Aurora Sinistra and her two daughters. We believe she may have a handful of hand maidens."

"Then she must be here," said Draco matter- of- factly. "Even if she was only visiting, it would still take a few days to make the arrangements to return home, wherever that may be."

"I'm not very confident about it," Harry admitted as they slowed to a stop in front of Sir Fletcher's home. "I have resigned to the truth. She is no longer here."

The servant jumped out of the carriage at once, the sounds of a fanfare filling the air. Harry bit back a groan, watching the exchange with Sir Fletcher with no interest. Unable to control himself, he slammed a fist down when the man shook his head.

"Be calm, dear brother," said Draco. "Even if she is not here, the Baroness must know from whence she came. That woman and her daughters have their nose in all of the goings on at court. I'm sure she has one of her little birds somewhere. We need only persuade her." He padded the sack of gold in his pocket for emphasis.

Harry's mood became worse in the short ride from Sir Fletcher's to the Baroness' home. The Baroness and her two daughters were already waiting for them when they arrived. Anxious to be done with the day, Harry carefully placed the maiden's slipper in his pocket, following Draco out of the carriage.

"Your majesty," the ladies said as they curtsied in unison.

"Ladies," Draco answered, bowing in return. He turned on the charm of his smile as they were ushered into the home, causing Harry to roll his eyes behind his back.

They were led into the family gathering hall. Refusing the offer of wine or food, Harry was ready to get straight to business.

"The request is simple madam," he said to the baroness. "I will try the slipper on each of your daughters and the ladies maids you have working in the home."

"Your majesty," said the baroness hesitantly, "I assure you that we three were the only ones from the house in attendance."

"Then it should be easy to eliminate them as the maid we are looking for," Draco said smoothly, flashing them a handsome smile.

"Surely you have no problem in humoring us."

"O- of course not," Aurora stuttered. "Millicent, retrieve the ladies at once."

"Me?"

"Yes, you," Pansy snapped in a whisper.

Draco's smile faltered as he cleared his throat.

By the time Ginvera came to, her head felt fit to burst, her body completely wracked with aches and soreness. It was dark, thought she could barely make the outline of some crates in the corner. The basement.

She flinched as she remembered the angry flash of red light before she was cast into darkness. Groaning as her body protested the movement, she raised herself onto shaky legs, stumbling as she made her way to the steps, crawling up on all fours. She was filled with dismay when the handle didn't budge. She broke into a sweat as she tried to use her shoulder to push it open, but to no avail. With all the strength left in her she began to bang on the door, yelling for help to anyone that would pass by. She eventually succumbed to the exhaustion, sinking down onto the steps.

Directly above her she heard the distant sound of fanfare, tears springing into her eyes.

The prince was so close, yet so far out of reach. Her heart ached painfully in her chest, the weight in her stomach becoming heavier than before. She was completely overwhelmed, the desire to see him becoming too much.

"Please!" she yelled, tears streaking down her face. "You cannot do this! Let me out, PLEASE!"

"Madam, I beg you," Harry said sharply, reaching a hand out for the slipper, "please be careful!"

"My feet have just been swollen, majesty," Pansy said through gritted teeth, shoving the ill fitting slipper onto her much larger foot. "All that wonderful dancing. I -It has to fit!" She forced calm. "It has to."

Beside him he saw Draco's shoulders shake with suppressed laughter, turning to glare at him. "Will you please stop," he whispered, wondering why the idiot found this so funny.

As she slipped the shoe from her foot to have a go at a better angle, he used his seeker reflexes, snatching it back. "I think that we should continue with the staff, if you'd be so kind, baroness."

Offering a hand to help her up from the seat, Draco looked as if he was fit to burst with laughter at any moment, his face angled away from her as he led her over to the chaise where her mother and Millicent waited.

Taking a deep breath to regain his composure, Harry fixed a smile on his face, turning to the maiden with wild hair and the older woman. The maiden hesitated when he indicated that she sit, making his heart skip a beat. Could this be her?

"Madam, please," he implored.

Her eyes shifting nervously to her mistress, the girl complied. As gentle as he could, he slid off her tattered slipper and traded it for the other, surprisingly numb to find out that it did not fit.

"I think we both know that it is not I you seek," the older woman said when the maid rejoined her. He would have laughed had it not been so heartbreaking.

Harry stood, noticing the hard stare of the baroness to her servants, feeling some sort of unspoken threat between them.

"I thank you ladies for your time," he said hollowly. "I wish you all a good day, and must bid you farewell."

"You majesty is most welcome to join us for lunch," Aurora began, reaching a hand out to him.

"I must decline," Harry cut in, moving out of the hall and towards the double doors. "Good day."

Draco murmured an apology and goodbye, quickly following suit. When he entered the carriage behind his brother, he kept the good sense of remaining quiet.

Harry didn't know how to feel as the carriage began to drive off. He felt as if his heart had sunk to the pit of his stomach, mixing in with the acid as it was eaten away. His head throbbed painfully, his hands shook. He had the vicious urge to punch a hole through the wall of the carriage. He leg bobbed in a rapid pace, his nostrils flaring as he glared unseeing into the forest that lay before him.

The sudden jolting halt of the carriage startled the both of them, each drawing their wands. Sharing a look, they simultaneously drew the curtains of the windows closed. Feeling his pulse quicken, Harry placed a hand on the handle of the door.

"Magnus," Draco called, "why have we stopped?"

When they were greeted with no answer, Harry raised three fingers, counting down silently. Three, two, one -

"I don't think it prudent to hex a lady when you haven't even been properly introduced."

The curtain flew back, wands flying out of their hands as they both reared back. The oddest looking woman grinned at them from the

other side of the door, waving their wands back and forth. "Gentleman, there is no cause for alarm."

"What if I said that to you wearing hair as purple as table grapes?" Draco asked, his hands held up in surrender.

"Touché," she answered, opening the door to reveal herself. "There is no need to fear, I mean no harm to you. I've only put your driver and your servant to sleep."

"Why do you have wings?" said Draco, unmoving. "Are you a fairy like the kind we string on our tree at Christmas?"

She glared at him, her hair turning into a shade of angry red. "I find that insulting. I am not like those fairies. They are vain, stupid creatures."

"Oh, an elitist, then. Good."

Sighing as her hair returned to it's original color, the woman turned to Harry. "Is he always like this?"

"Always," Harry answered automatically. "What do you want with us?"

"I'm here on behalf of another," the woman said, tossing them back their wands. "My name is Tonks."

The shared a look, hardly believing the situation.

"I'm Draco," the blonde stuttered, "and this is prince -"

"Harry, I know," she cut in. "You must return to that chateau, prince Harry. You did not try that slipper on every maiden that lives within that residence."

"Madam, there are only three," Harry said impatiently. "Ladies Pansy, Millicent and the handmaiden- "

"How did you know about the slipper?" Draco asked with narrowed eyes.

Tonks leaned her head into the carriage, her eyes boring into Harry's. "Think, prince. Did that home not look familiar from the outside? Would it help if you looked upon the water well?"

"No, I . . ."

He trailed off, a memory flooding his mind. The fiery redhead that served them water. That same girl in the Quidditch shop trying to purchase a broom. The beautiful redhead he had spent a magical evening with.

"It couldn't be true?" he asked her sharply.

"Why not see with your own eyes?" The corner of her mouth turned up in a smile.

Checking that the slipper was secure in his pocket, he rushed out past her, ignoring Draco's call, running at breakneck speed back towards the manner. How foolish he had been, too caught up in his own feelings to inquire deeper about anyone else in the house. One thought and one thought alone rang in his mind: he had to see that maiden with his own eyes. Nothing else mattered.

When he pulled the rope to ring the bell above the house, he felt like he was going to explode when no one immediately answered. He rang the bell again with much more force, Draco huffing as he caught up to him.

"Are you mad?" he asked with labored breath. "Since when do you believe the tales of a total stranger "

"Think!" Harry said, shaking his brother's shoulders. "Do you not see the resemblance between the redhead at the ball and the one that put you in your place mere days ago? 'Tis so much more simple than we thought!"

The door had swung open, revealing the surprised face of Aurora. "Your majesty -"

"Did we have an audience with all of the ladies in the house?"

"Think carefully about your answer, madam," Draco warned when she hesitated. He straightened up to his full height, a hand on his waist.

"M- Majesty," she began, wringing her hands.

"If you have nothing to hide then it should be no trouble if we look again, madam," Harry said logically, sweeping past her into the house, brushing past Pansy and Millicent, ignoring their calls to him.

He found the stairwell, tearing down into the kitchen, scaring the wits out of the maiden and the older woman as they hovered around the doors to the basement in whispered conversation.

"I'm so sorry," he said, a hand held up in surrender. "I must ask you . . . is there another maiden who lives and works here?"

Draco, Aurora, Pansy, and Millicent rushed in behind him, the three women talking all at once.

Losing his patience, Harry rounded on the baroness. "If there is another here, I demand to know where she is," he said through gritted teeth.

"Majesty, there is no one!" Pansy said shrilly, hiding behind her mother.

"I warn you," Draco said, deadly calm, "it is a crime to impede royalty, Lady Pansy."

Harry felt a touch on his shoulder, turning around meet the eyes of the wild haired maiden.

"Majesty," she said in a small voice, "there is."

It seemed an eternity had passed by in the dark, especially when left alone with only ones thoughts. What would her stepmother do to her? Would she ship her off to the Americas like the rest of the indentured servants? Would she cast her out in into the street and make her homeless?

A sudden flash of light blinding her, Ginevra shielded her eyes as the doors to the basement flew open, nearly breaking when they hit the floor.

Blinking rapidly, heart racing, she felt as if she were frozen on the step as she looked up to see the prince, wand held aloft, breathing raggedly as he looked at her. Minerva and Hermione stood behind him, blinking like owls. Lord Draco had his arms thrown out, holding back Aurora, Pansy and Millicent as they struggled to get into the room.

Slowly, as if in the trance, the prince lowered his wand. A smile ghosted his lips as he stepped forward, offering a hand to help her off of the steps.

"Your highness!" she suddenly remembered herself, collapsing against him as her knees buckled when she tried to bow.

Strong arms caught her, helping her to sit in a nearby chair. He knelt before her, that easy smile breaking his face. "Seems you've gotten yourself into more trouble."

Tears filling her eyes, she nodded. "Whenever the occasion arises."

Those green eyes were hypnotic as he reached into the pocket of his robes, retrieving a single glass slipper.

"NOOOOO!"

Pansy had broken free from Draco's grasp, rushing toward Harry. She shoved at him, snatching the slipper away and throwing it to the ground with all her might, the broken pieces scattering everywhere.

"Relashio!"

Ropes sprang forth from Draco's wand, wrapping tightly around Pansy, forcing her to her knees. But it was too late. The prince stared in horror at the shattered remains of the slipper. Tears sprang into Hermione's eyes as Minerva grasped her, shaking her head in denial.

The look of triumph on Aurora's face was downright sickening.

"No," Harry denied. "It's gone."

A sudden weight made itself known in the pocket of her robes. Reaching in, her heart skipped a beat as her fingers closed around the cold glass of the other slipper. Tonks. . .

Furious, Draco strode forward, hauling Pansy, her mother, and sister up the stairs.

She placed a hand on Harry's shoulder, gently squeezing. "My prince," she said quietly, ". . . I have the other."

His mouth dropped open, staring in wonder at the beautiful shoe. He took it between shaking hands, a brilliant smile lighting up his face.

It could have lit up the whole world, Ginevra thought as she gazed upon it, silent tears racing down her cheeks.

"I thought when I saw you fly away on that broom, that I had lost you forever," he gently pulled at her worn down shoes, his thumb stroking across the skin of her foot. "The day I met you, you were like nothing I've ever seen before. . . The night we shared has been burned into my brain- I've thought of little else since." The glass sparked in the light pouring through the windows as he put on the slipper, laughing quietly at the perfect fit. "And here you are," he said, grasping her hands. "I think I've loved you from the moment I clapped eyes on you . . . and I don't even know your name."

A watery laugh bubbled out of her. "It's Ginevra. Ginevra Weasley."

"Ginevra," he repeated in wonder. "I would break if I ever lost you again. I've waited all my life for someone like you. . . I kneel before you not as a prince, nor you as a servant, but as two people who have felt something magical and real. You have stolen my heart. . . Ginevra Weasley, you would make me the happiest man on earth if you would become my wife."

Her shoulders shaking with silent sobs, she nodding her head as she reached out to him, his lips crashing against hers in an urgent kiss.

Infectious laughter filled the room as he stood up, lifting her off her feet as he held her tightly against him.

"Hermione?"

Footsteps raced down the staircase, Ronald and Remus skidding to a halt at the bottom of the stairs, grasping her shoulder. "Hermione, what the devil is going on? Why are the mistresses being detained and why on earth is Lord Draco in the house?"

On the very day he proposed, Harry had made arrangements for Ginevra and her family to be moved into the castle. In a whirlwind they were swept away, given their very own wing and rooms in which to reside. On the second day, royal seamstresses paid them a visit, fitting them all with new clothes and robes. In the beginning, she'd struggled with the new world she had to accustom herself too, though the prince was very patient as he guided her through the rituals. Hermione had immediately sought out the library, setting out to learn and practice as many spells as she could with her newly given wand. Each and every day you would find her there, often with Ronald as company, piously watching her as she taught him wand work. Minerva had been released from her cooking duties, instead taking on a the job of governess, guiding the children of lords and ladies with a firm, gentle hand. Remus would often be found in his study, pouring over borrowed books from the library, hard at work on developing new king and queen had been called away to some business, promising the prince a quick return to meet his new bride.

When the royal guard had been sent to the chateau to arrest the baroness and her daughters for the crimes they'd committed, not to mention inquire about a small fortune of unpaid taxes, they had found it recently vacated. Harry put forth orders to have the home restored to it's final glory, finally righting all the wrongs that had come to pass. Eventually, once Ronald had found a wife, he would return to the home. Considering all the times Ginevra had found him with Hermione, whispering in dark corridors, she did not think a proposal was far behind.

Between preparations for the wedding, sneaking off with her prince to fly a racing broom in the dead of night, and meeting the Lords and Ladies of court, she could hardly believe that this was now her life. And through it all, as they learned more and more about each other, he fell deeper and deeper in love with her prince as each day passed. Never in her wildest dreams did she think herself deserving of such a kind and devoted man. A man that could in one instant irritate her so,0 and in the next have her laughing until her sides split. It was a truly wonderful new life, and deep down she knew her mother and father would approve.

The night before the king and queen were set to return, she received a most unexpected visit from a dear friend.

While the prince had to attend some duties, she had snuck away to the very tower her prince had taken her on that fateful night, feeling as if she could burst. No one could be as happy as I am in this very moment, she thought, leaning both hands against the parapet as she gazed into the darkened sky.

"Tis a beautiful view on such a night," Tonks said beside her, casting her eyes up to the heavens.

"Tonks!" she gasped, throwing her arms around her godmother. "I thought I would never see you again!"

"It seems you are a rare case."

Ginevra frowned when she drew back to look at her. Nowhere to be seen were the beautiful iridescent wings or flowing gown. Though she smiled in earnest at her goddaughter, the soft glow was absent as well. She was instead dressed in a crushed green velvet gown, though her hair was still wild, this time a deep blue, like a sapphire. Still, she looked human rather than fairy.

"What happens to your wings? A -and your gown?"

"That's what I came to speak to you about." Her lips twitched. "I've been given a more permanent task. . . The powers that be were not pleased when they learned of my interference on a certain matter. Though they knew it was right, I had still shown myself to people I shouldn't have. So, instead of being stripped of my powers, a deal was struck. I keep my powers, in exchange for keeping a very close eye on you."

Hands flew to Ginevra's mouth in a gasp. "You mean to tell me that you are here to stay?"

"If you wish it," Tonks answered, spreading her arms.

"Of course!" Ginevra wrapped her in another warm hug. "I've already brought an army with me, I don't think they will mind taking in one more!"

"And the prince?"

"The prince will be as accommodating as always if he wishes to remain in my good graces," Ginevra said in a teasing tone, grasping her hand to lead her down the stairs of the tower. "Though I think he might have to grow accustomed to your hair."

"I think it will be easier a transition than you think," Tonks answered with a secret smile.

The next morning the king and queen returned. Harry and Lord Draco had met with them, leaving Ginevra and her family to make themselves presentable. As soon as the king and queen were settled in their chamber, Harry retrieved her alone from her chambers, doing his best to soothe her nerves on the journey to meet his parents.

"Scores of fabric and yet I feel naked," Ginevra said quietly, stalling him as they stood before the vast doors.

He gently tipped up her chin, silently waiting for the raise of her lashes. Green eyes met brown, a fond smile exchanged between the two. He chastely brushed his lips across her own, touching his forehead down against hers. "You look beautiful, and they will love you."

"As you love me?" she asked.

"I do not think anyone could love you as much as I do," his hand stroked her cheek. "And I will spend each day showing you how much for the rest of our lives."

Many years later, when she thought back to the grand wedding, how handsome he'd looked the end of the aisle, the way Tonks had clutched onto a blushing Remus; how happy her brother and best friend looked for both her and with each other, she would have the full knowledge that each day he'd kept his promise.

The End

Author's Note: And that's it, though I must admit I'm sad that it's over, I'm happy with the way it turned out.

For any questions that come up, I've looked up the properties and history of Polyjuice Potion and could not find when it was made, so I decided not to include it into the dialogue between Harry and Draco. Besides, the ingredients are hard enough to come by, not mention who would have time to worry about making Polyjuice Potion when there are gowns to be bought? Also, I could not help myself when it came to Remus and Tonks. In the end I will always support canon couples, at least for the most part. Long live Neville/Luna!

And as always, thank you all for reading :)