The Dragon, The Sorcerer and The Witch Out of Time

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Page count: 8

"Ginevra, you may go."

"Your Highness..." The young girl started but Hermione interrupted.

"I am perfectly capable of exploring the grounds without your aid. I thank you for giving me a tour of the castle and though I know I shall have to walk it a few more times until I remember where everything is, I am quite comfortable here. I no longer require your presence, so please, take the remainder of the day away from your duties to do as you wish and I shall see you in the morning for breakfast."

The young girl curtsied and all but ran away from her rooms and Hermione let out a sigh, leaning back against the door after closing it over.

"She is testing my patience," she spoke to her wolf that was curled up by the fireplace on his blanket and he let out a bark in agreement.

She understood why; the handmaiden had barely stopped crying as Akela, being the protective wolf he was, accompanied Hermione on her tour of the castle and with Ginevra's cries, she'd likely annoyed the wolf, too.

"Not to worry," she said, approaching and crouching down before him as she ran a hand through his fur and scratched behind his ears. "She won't be with us for much longer. She has yet to prove to me she is capable of handling us and I don't think she ever will. I will give her a few more days and if there is no change, I will release her of her duties."

With a final pat to the head, Hermione rose to her feet and went over to her shoe cupboard, pulling it open to reveal a selection of flats and boots in different colours.

Hermione could honestly say she'd never slept better in her life than she had the night before. She begrudgingly admitted that the feast hadn't been too bad, but she knew that was Arthur's doing as he kept her distracted and Merlin would tease her when he was called over to refill either one of their goblets, or when Hermione wanted a second opinion regarding the topic she and Arthur were discussing.

Before the end of the feast, there'd been a short moment that allowed for the guests to meet and greet her and again, Arthur had remained by her side, steering the conversation away from certain topics as he soon understood she was uncomfortable being the centre of attention. When it was finally time to retire for the evening, -thankfully there'd been no music or dancing involved- Hermione had blushed red when Arthur insisted that he escort her back to her chambers and with her bloated wolf by her side –she'd honestly never seen him eat so much- they'd walked the corridors in a companionable silence. Upon arriving at her chambers, Arthur had bowed to her and kissed the back of her hand, bidding her a goodnight with a charming smile.

The room had been lovely and warm due to her having left the fireplace light and after adding a little more firewood from the nearby pile, she'd changed out of her dress, placed the tiara on her vanity stand and climbed into bed, slumber taking over as soon as he head had hit the pillow.

When the sun rose and night became day, Hermione could admit she woke in a bit of a mood. The reason being, Ginevra had knocked on her door and entered with a tray ladled with breakfast and tea, waking Hermione from one of the best night's sleep she'd ever had. The poor girl had almost wet herself.

After she'd eaten despite not being all that hungry due to the amounts of food she'd eaten the previous night –more than she could ever remember eating-, Ginevra had returned to her rooms, her arms laden with a collection of dresses and a basket of footwear. Hilda and Marcella had spent all evening and night making her a small selection of dresses to tie her over until they were able to complete her order, and Hermione reminded herself to give the women a good tip for their dedication and thoughtfulness.