Worth Loving

Chapter 14: An Unpleasant Familiar Face

"Good afternoon to you too honey." Virginia approached him with a broad smile on her face.

"What are you doing here?" Harry crossed his arms, returning to his cold tone of voice.

"Oh come on, is that any way to treat your future fiancée?"

Hermione just dropped her book at Virginia's last word. Fiancée?

"You are not my fiancée. Just because Alexandra fancies you does not mean I do. Now excuse me, I must attend to other affairs that do not concern you." Harry leaned down and picked up the volume from the floor again, giving it to Hermione, who stood still as a stone, just staring from Harry to the familiar girl who was throwing herself at him.

Apparently, she noticed the gesture.

"Ooh, who is this Harry dear? I do not believe you have introduced us properly."

"Ginny-" Harry was growing annoyer by the minute.

"My name is Hermione." The princess of Sparta bowed her head politely. Virginia did the same.

Virginia raised her head, looking at Hermione's gaze.

"Your name sounds terribly familiar. Have we not met before?" Virginia asked.

"I would remember," Hermione answered.

She did. Harry's "sweetheart" was the daughter of Athens's wealthiest army general, and they had fought alongside Sparta in the Trojan War. However, she could not hide the disdain that she felt. Hateful words just came out of her mouth. She did not want to admit however, that it had something to do with the way she was clinging to the man she had just made love with.

"Yes, I supposed you would." Virginia smiled arrogantly, igniting Hermione's temper even more. "I still think I have seen you somewhere though." Virginia looked at the Spartan princess thoughtfully. "Hermione...of Sparta? Oh my God! You are Menelaus' daughter?"

"Hey, what do you know? You have a good memory," Hermione replied with sarcasm.

"My, look who is all grown up! I must say I did not expect to see you here, of all places."

"Life is full of surprises," Hermione replied. "What brings you here? Your father is in good health, I assume?"

"Oh yes, thank you. I would not want to impose in dear Alexandra's castle. She has been so kind to me. But I missed my Harry too much."

"Your Harry ?" Hermione raised an eyebrow.

She had been too occupied with the fact that there was actually a girl too close to Harry for her comfort to hear the word fiancée being interchanged. Was there something that the prince of Troy had forgotten to tell her?

Virginia however, changed the topic before she touched the subject.

"But what are you doing here? Your uncle let you out? I swear Agamemnon has more eyes for you that the whole Spartan country! He never lets you out of sight! If I did not know any better, I would say he fancied you!" Virginia laughed.

Hermione just pursed her lips. If it were not for the sake of diplomatic civility, she would have smacked the red-haired girl then and there. How dare she be so inappropriate?

However, Harry interrupted her thoughts before she could actually say to Virginia exactly what she was thinking.

"Agamemnon?" He glanced at Hermione.

"Uh?" Hermione glanced back at him. He had been so quiet that she actually had not expected him to speak.

"That bastard is still alive?" Harry blurted.

"I beg your pardon?" Hermione asked.

"Hermione, he has not-"

"There you are Ginny! I have been searching high and low!"

Alexandra's appearance made Harry keep his questions to himself.

"Alexandra, how are you?" Virginia smiled broadly as she and the queen exchanged kisses on the cheek.

"You found Harry, I see," Alexandra cooed.

However, the chuckle was momentarily suppressed once she laid eyes on Hermione, who was right by Harry's side. "Helen number two! Why, good afternoon. I assume you have met Harry's fiancée?"

"I have had the pleasure, your majesty," Hermione answered politely, although the fiancée part did not go too well with her, considering she had just slept with that man.

But then again, why should it matter? She was not supposed to have touched him in the first place.

"She is not my fiancée," Harry muttered, effectively interrupting all thoughts battling inside Hermione's mind.

"Begging your pardon, Harry dear?" It appeared that Alexandra had not heard well, but her eyes were displaying a warning for Harry to correct his earlier statement.

Unfortunately for her, her threats were ineffective when it came to the Trojan prince.

"I said that she is not my fiancée, for the thousandth time." Harry's voice was rising up by the minute.

"Well, of course not. We have to have a proper engagement party," Alexandra replied, trying to correct Harry's statement for him. But Harry would not have it.

"We will not be having anything, because there will be no engagement," Harry muttered once more.

Alexandria noticed his temper rising and decided to change the subject. And she definitely would not miss the opportunity to bother Hermione now that she noticed the princess was ready to leave. She had glanced at her just as she was turning around and hoping to leave quietly.

"Oh Harmonia, have you finished convincing Harry to take the throne yet?"

Suffice to say that Hermione turned around abruptly.

"I beg your pardon?"

"I was merely asking if your task was done. I mean, your job consists of no more than to pick a worthy heir to the Trojan crown and since Harry is the legitimate heir, I figured that someone would finally convince him to take the crown, whatever methods of diplomacy or techniques that may require."

Alexandra smiled broadly at Hermione's fish frozen face.

Harry turned to look at Hermione. Was his aunt suggesting that Hermione had slept with him to make him take the crown? Was that true? But how did his aunt know what had happened last night in the first place?

Before he could give further thoughts to the matter however, Hermione found her voice.

"Well your majesty, as much as I would like for my task to turn simpler and for your heir to take the throne, I respect his decision. If he does not want the throne, then he should not take it. It is as simple as that. Therefore, he should know that I will not try to convince him. He is twenty years old. He can make his own mind. Excuse me."

****

Hermione was walking so fast that she nearly pushed Fleur to the floor.

"Fleur, where were you?"

****

"Well, I must be excused as well, Aunt Alexandria. Unlike you, I do have things to do," Harry excused himself as well.

The truth was that he wanted to catch Hermione before she could draw her own conclusions to his supposed "engagement."

"Surely you will not leave Ginny all alone in the castle today, will you Harry? I am sure she would like a tour of the castle's interior gardens," Alexandra tried to stop her nephew once more.

"Oh, I will not leave her alone, by all means no! A lady should never be alone. That is why she will stay with you dear aunt. I trust you will take good care of her."

Harry smiled broadly as he bowed his head politely to an indignant Virginia and walked away.

****

"I have been around," Fleur answered innocently. "This castle is simply a wonder once you explore it."

" I imagine so. You are not an early riser though." Hermione looked at her skeptically.

"No, but it is such a beautiful morning to let it go to waste." Fleur tossed her long silvery blonde hair while Hermione frowned. Her sister had just quoted Oliver.

"Yes well, the morning is over. It is mid-afternoon now."

"I am sure I will enjoy afternoon as much as I enjoyed the morning. But what about you? Where are you headed?"

"Stables. I fancy a horse ride. By the way, I did not ask you how your lessons in horseback turned out, Fleur." Hermione crossed her arms. She knew all too well that her "lack" of horse back riding abilities had been just something to get Oliver's attention.

"Oh, I assure you Herms, very promising indeed. I will see you." Fleur strolled past her sister.

Hermione sighed and made her way to the stable. She figured she would had to leave Troy before her sister became "too friendly" with it, and that included being "too friendly" with the Ithacan prince.

****

Hermione put her red cloak over her shoulders and dropped her book in her chamber. She was eager to get out. The queen already had given her a daily dose of embarrassing public scenes, in front of Harry no less.

Hermione's mind wandered over the queen's statement once more:

"Whatever methods of diplomacy or techniques that may require."

If she did not know any better, she would say the queen already knew of her rendezvous with Harry last night. But she could not, could she?

"Hey."

Hermione gasped as she came across Harry, already saddling his horse, his hunter green cloak already attached to his shoulders.

"Harry."

"Ready?"

"Uh?"

"Well come on now, you seriously did not think I would throw away our plans just because of Alexandra's constant bickering. Come on."

Hermione sighed, figuring out they would either talk while riding or once they were wherever Harry wanted to go. She walked towards him and he took her by her waist, mounting her into his black steed and swinging up behind her.

"Harry, what are you doing?"

"I am riding with you. I told you that I would take it into consideration, remember?" He grinned.

Hermione sighed and leaned against Harry's chest as he kissed her forehead.

He was inexplicably drawn to her and was not by all means going to let last night turn to nothing. He had expressed his feelings toward the Spartan princess and although he was not sure where that might lead him, he was not going to turn back now.