"What is happening? Why does no one tell us anything?"

It was not the first time the question had risen up in the room but the distress and the indignation in their voices had long faded into worry and helplessness. It had been more than a week since the King had died and her father had told her to stay in the room. But Tom had never come back to take her to the ship. She had been pleased initially at that. Maybe she wouldn't be leaving Hogwarts after. Maybe her father had changed his mind. But that spark of happiness had been extinguished since then. Not only had Tom not come back to her but her father hadn't either. It was unlike him to make up his mind and then go back on it. She had seen no one save Lucy and the guards that came to deliver their food and fetch their chamber pots. It had taken her a few hours after the King's death to realize that the doors to her room had been locked. It must have been some charm she did not know for no unlocking spell she knew could open the door. She had briefly considered using a stronger spell to blast the door open but decided against it.

Ginny also wondered about Draco. He would be King now. The bells on top of the Astronomy tower had clanged long and hard the day King Sirius had died signalling the crowing of a new King. Why had he not called for her? All the questions ate at her but she could nothing but chew on her own frustrations.

But most of all Ginny was worried for her father. She had tried to lie to herself and tell herself that things were alright but if he hadn't been to see her for a week then it was because he couldn't or was prevented from doing so. The latter thought evoked a feeling of dread in her. But just when she was beginning to think she could take no more of being imprisoned, relief arrived. Two Kingsguard, she recognized as Carrow and Montague, entered the room with scarcely a knock. The guards that had attended to them till now had gone about their tasks with complete efficiency but had scarcely spoken a word to them.

"The Queen requests your presence, my Lady," Montague said.

"If you would give me some time—"

"I'm afraid the Queen wants to speak to you immediately," Montague said in a firm voice.

"In that case I will follow you," Ginny said keeping her voice polite despite how she felt about them. She had never liked the look of any of the Kingsguard. Lucy got up and made as if to follow Ginny.

"Not you," Carrow said harshly stepping up between Ginny and Lucy. For a moment there was a trace of defiance, seldom seen, in her eyes. Ginny prayed she would not let it out and sighed gratefully when Lucy stepped back. Carrow slammed the door shut before casting a locking charm on the door.

The Queen, Ginny mused as she followed the two men. Was her betrothal with Draco at an end? She should be the Queen in Waiting if that wasn't the case. Narcissa would only be the Queen Regent until Draco came of age. She pondered over the questions until she reached the King's room. Draco wasn't there but the Queen and the members of the Small Council were present, all with grave expressions on their faces.

"Where is my father?" Ginny blurted out. All other thoughts fled her mind when she saw their faces. Something had happened to him. That's why he hadn't come to her.

"I trust you've been treated well," The Queen asked. Ginny was taken aback at how her question was ignored but recovered in time to answer. "Lucy and I fine. I would have preferred if we hadn't been kept prisoners, your Grace," she answered, more acidly than she had intended to. Again the Queen ignored her and turned to Carrow. "Lucy?" she asked.

"Her companion, your Grace," he answered. "There was nowhere else to put her,"

"You will find somewhere else to put her,' The Queen told him. "Immediately," she added before turning back to Ginny. Carrow left the room with his gleaming white cloak trailing behind him as he did.

"Dear, we have some news that you might find distressing," she began.

"Is it my father? Is he alright?" Ginny blurted out again.

"He's well," The Queen answered. "In better condition than he deserves to be truth be told. I'm sorry to tell you Ginevra, that your father has been imprisoned for conspiring against the King. He attempted to deny Draco what was rightfully his after Sirius' death,"

So huge was Ginny's shock and no words came tumbling out of her mouth even as she thought of them. She stared dumbly at the Queen and the small council, her mouth gaping open with shock, surprise and rage. It was preposterous!

"But that's impossible!" she finally sputtered out. "My father wouldn't do that!"

"I understand your shock dear," Narcissa said in a pitying voice, "but the entire small council was witness to him declaring Lord Regulus ahead of my son," she shook her head. "All thought he and Sirius were true friends but not an hour had passed since my beloved's death that your father began plotting against his son. All his men were killed as they tried to seize Draco."

"This cannot be true," Ginny protested. "There has been some misunderstanding,"

Narcissa shook her head. "If only it were so Ginevra. I saw it with my own eyes."

"NO!" Ginny shouted. "My father would not do that. He must have had a reason. If you'd let me speak with him—"

"No," Narcissa said coldly. "You see how this puts us in a difficult situation? You are betrothed to the King and yet it shall be known that you are a traitor's daughter,"

"They say the traitor's blood always shows," Fudge chipped in.

"I've done nothing wrong," Ginny failed. The unfairness of it all came crashing down on her. What had she done to deserve all this?

"Not now perhaps," Slughorn said. "But who can say what holds in the future? After all, none could have foreseen Arthur Weasley's betrayal. It may not even be you. It may be that the children you bear the King will be one's to cause mischief."

"You see the position we are in then?" Narcissa said again. "Your betrothal to Draco may not be feasible anymore. It breaks my heart to do so because Draco has taken a liking to you but there are bigger things at stake. A King belongs to his people and a traitor's daughter is not a good match for the King,"

"It may indeed be in the best interest of everyone," Snape said in his familiar drawl.

Her heart soared when she heard the Queen's words. Draco liked her? Words came tumbling out of her mouth before she could think them out. "I'm not traitorous or disloyal. I will be loyal to his grace. I will!"

Narcissa looked at her sceptically and turned around to the small council with a questioning look.

"Perhaps there is way to ascertain her loyalty, your grace," Snape said. "This is a time of great concern to the Four Kingdoms and we're on the cusp of war. Perhaps Lady Ginevra can help us prevent that."

"War?"

"Your brother has called the Gryffindor banners and rides South with his armies behind him," Snape replied. "It is a foolish attempt. Hogwarts cannot be taken. Further, it is treason. He is committing a direct act of treason against his rightful and lawful king. He will lose if he wages war but hundreds and thousands of people will die before it's all done. But you could prevent all that,"

"How can I do anything?" Ginny said with a feeling of increasing suspicion.

"You can write a letter to your brother and mother," Narcissa replied. "Let them know you are fine. Let them know what the court witnessed on the day the King died. Let them know that your father has committed an act of treason. I do not blame your brother for calling his banners for I understand believing his father is capable of an act of treason is tough. Let them know that if they abandon their foolish quest, the King intends to pardon their aggression. You can avert a war and let the whole world know that you are loyal to your King and perhaps your future husband."

Her happiness dimmed and she looked around uncertainly. Suspicion swelled into something more certain and she could not get rid of the feeling that all this had been staged for her benefit. She did not believe anything they said about her father. Bill knew that. For a brief moment, she found the idea of her brother leading an army unimaginable and fought off a bizarre urge to laugh. Suddenly, the grave reality of her position at Hogwarts sunk in. Her father was a prisoner and she might as well be one herself for all the control she had. They wanted to use her to stop. But she could not see what she could do to refuse them. Where was Draco? Did he know what his small council and mother were up to or was he unaware of it? Alone and helpless, Ginny nodded.

"What about my father?" Ginny asked weakly.

"He's a traitor," the Queen replied. "By all laws of the Four Kingdoms the punishment for treason is death,"

"But he's innocent," Ginny couldn't help herself. She would not allow them to sully her father's name.

"Enough!" the Queen said firmly. "With words like that you shout your treachery to the world. However there may be a way to save your father. Draco will hold court tomorrow. Present yourself to the King and admit your father's treason. Swear your loyalty and beg him to spare your father in return for him taking the black. But your father has to admit in his treason in full view of the public and only then will his life be spared,"

"Please, let me speak to him," Ginny said in increasing panic. This was foolish. Her father would not admit to any such thing not when he was innocent.

"Girl—"

"You mistake me, your Grace," Ginny interrupted her. "Let me see him and I can convince him to admit the error of his ways," The lie came easily to her lips. It almost surprised her.

"No, I think not," the Queen said coldly. "Lord Snape, if you could get the quill. There's a letter that needs to be written,"

Ginny sighed in frustration as Snape handed her a quill. The she bent the Quill over the parchment and began writing.

OoO

The court was buzzing with activity. It was the first time Draco had held court and numerous people from around the Four Kingdoms had come to declare their allegiance to the King. Merchants and craftsmen and minor Lords from the crownlands arrived with lavish gifts and grandeur to curry favour with Draco. People who had so been so well off or ignored with the previous King were eager to start a new reign on the right foot. They called it gifts and proof of their loyalty. Ginny called them bribes. Draco sat regally on the throne as he dealt with each one of them and Ginny had to admit he looked very fetching as a King.

The whole affair might have been something she would have enjoyed had her father not been languishing in the dungeons. She had dressed in the best gown she had brought with her from the Burrow. When she saw Narcissa standing next to Draco she experienced a feeling akin to jealously. It should have been her standing next to Draco not standing below having to beg for her father's life. She was supposed to be the Queen!

Ginny waited patiently as the throng of people subsided to a trickle and until everyone had had their say and greeted Draco. He stood up and she saw a sheathed sword on his hips.

"I thank all of you for your generosity and loyalty," Draco's voice boomed across the room. "You can be rest assured that all those who swear loyalty to me and my house will not be forgotten. But now we have more pressing matters to attend to. There are people who mistake my youth for weakness and stupidity," the harshness in his voice took Ginny aback.

"First, there is the matter of a hand. A good king needs an able hand to carry out the tasks necessary to run the Kingdom. As gallant a man and King as my father was, it appears that he chose unwisely in the matters of the Hand. I shall not make the same mistake. I name Lord Brutus Malfoy, Lord of Malfoy Manor as the Hand of the King. To him I task the responsibility of ensuring that disloyal and treacherous men are dealt with quickly and appropriately,"

"I command my uncle, Lord Regulus Black of Grimmauld Place to return to Hogwarts and swear fealty to me. In doing so, he can take up his position as Master of Ships on the small council. I command William Weasley and the army of the North to swear featly to the crown once again and give up this foolishness of playing at war. I'm the rightful King by all laws of gods and men. Swear fealty to me and you shall find that I will be just. Oppose me and I shall destroy you," Draco turned towards Snape. "Lord Snape, have missives and summons sent down to both the places. I want this foolishness to be stopped so we can get back to ruling the Four Kingdoms,"

"It shall be done, your Grace," Snape bowed.

"Good. If that's it we'll retire for the—"

"Your grace, if I may have an audience?" Ginny interrupted him. This was her only chance. If she failed here…No. She daren't think of the consequences of failing here.

A brief flash of annoyance passed through Draco's feature. It was so brief that she wondered if he had imagined it. "My lady. I always have time for my betrothed. What do you wish to say?"

Ginny collected her thoughts and took a deep breath before she plunged in. "Your grace, I wish to talk of my father," This time there was no doubting the flash of anger on Draco's face. "I ask for forgiveness for my father's treason against your own self. His actions and treachery shame us all in the North and Gryffindor and most of all are an insult to the memory of King Sirius," She had practiced the lies so many times now that she almost believed it. Almost. "And yet your grace, he's my father and once I loved and admired him just as you did with your father. I do not ask that you pardon him. I only plead that you do not kill him and instead send him to the wall where he can live out the rest of his life in guilt and shame. I beg you of this your Grace. For the love you bear me."

An uncomfortable silence descended in the room. Ginny was aware of all the stares and looks she was receiving but she resolutely maintained her gaze on Draco. She did not need anyone's pity or anger. She just wanted her father spared.

"It's a tough thing you ask of me, my Lady," Draco finally said. "Treason must not go unpunished for it encourages others to do the same. But for the love I bear you and for the future mother of my children I promise you that I shall consider your plea. If Arthur Weasley confesses his treason and crimes then I shall spare him."

Ginny bowed to him and retreated. She had known Draco would listen to her. He loved her. Now if only her father could do the sensible thing and admit his guilt.

OoO

It could only have been morbid curiosity that brought people out in their droves. To see people so eager to see her father shamed and humiliated repulsed her. It disgusted her. Keeping her eyes fixed steadily in front of her was no easy task. All she wanted to do was look around and meet her father's eyes and take comfort in them as she often had. But she dared not do that for she wasn't sure she could control herself. The brief look she had got of him had shaken her. He looked terrible. The lustre of his hair had gone pale, his skin looked papery and his eyes were sunken in defeat. This was not her father. She wanted to cry and shout at the people who had done this to him and she was afraid she would do exactly that if she turned around. And so she moved ahead ignoring the hurled insults towards her father from the gathered crowd. They made their way to an erected platform in the centre of the town. The place was used for public executions of important people. The place was often referred to as the Death Pits. The smallfolk called it the Garrett's Pits after King Garrett who had shed blood there at the rate no King had before or after him.

Ginny did not climb up the platform like the rest of the royal entourage. It would be her way, a small way and perhaps insignificant to everyone else, of showing defiance at what she was being forced to do. The King stood prominent amongst the knights and members of the small council with the crown firmly on his head and the colours of the Four Kingdoms emblazoned across his garb. Queen Narcissa herself stood alongside her son still clad in black marking that she still mourned her husband.

The Kingsguard pushed her father forward, his hands still chained together. He stumbled forward before he made himself stand upright again. He began to speak but she could not hear him over the din of the people.

"Louder!"

Her father's voice rose louder. "I, Arthur Weasley, Lord of the Burrow come before you to confess my treason,"

Insults and obscenities filled the air as her father dropped his gaze. A stone came sailing out of the crowd and stuck him on the head. Ginny stifled a scream as blood poured out of the side of his head.

"I betrayed my King and I betrayed my friend. I swore to protect his children and yet before his body had grown cold I plotted to seize the throne for myself. Draco Malfoy is the true heir to the High Seat of Hogwarts. He is of King Sirius' own blood. He's the Lord of the Four Kingdoms and Protector of the realm."

Snape stepped up and knelt before Draco. "The man has confessed his crimes and treason in front of everyone. What shall be done with this traitor your Grace?"

"The gods are just and merciful," the High Septon whispered in a voice that carried over.

"My mother bids me to let Lord Arthur take the black and my Lady Ginevra begs mercy for her father," Draco said and then snorted. "They are both wrong. They mean well and their hearts are pure but they have the soft hearts of women. As long as I am your King, treason shall not be tolerated. Ser Gregory, get me his head!"

The crowd roared but there was only confusion on the platform. The Queen and the members of the small talked and waved their hands at Draco but he only waved their words away. Ginny heard herself scream but could not make herself look away as headsman Goyle stepped up. Two members of the kingsguard held her father down. She was dimly aware of someone holding her back as she ached to do something to help her father. All she could do was watch in horrified disbelief as the giant sword swung down and met the gentle curve of her father's neck.

Read&Review!