I have written some time ago this prompt about Ginny’s troubles learning to live in the high-society:
I generally like “Long Live The Queen” by offsides, It is unashamedly a muggle-wank story, if you like them, a story I would consider classic in the trope. However, I have been disappointed with its (arguably rather small and generally unimportant in the overall story) romantic subplot: in the beginning, Harry and Ginny finally find an understanding (and sharing a first kiss), then the story happens, Sir Harry is suddenly buddy-buddy with the Queen, high-society flying, and what he does in the romantic arena? He dumps all his old friends (including but not limited to Ginny) and he says that he has to start to build his friends network again. I really believe that not just Bat-Bogey hex, but good ol’ fashioned kick in the balls was deserved there.
I was thinking about the similar situation (Harry gets to be unbelievably important), but he doesn’t leave Ginny and they together try to navigate the new waters they found themselves in. I was thinking about mostly Ginny-centered story, where she struggles with her being originally a working class farm girl picking up eggs from their hens in the morning to private dinners with Queen and Royal Household. I was thinking for example about her becoming a friend of then (1995, just before their divorce) Lady Diana and her common sense and her ability to keep cool would help the princess to sail through better than how she in the real life did. Or something like that. And yes, of course, all small jokes about Harry and Ginny struggling with the order in which to pick forks and similar stuff.
It was two years ago, when I wrote this, and since then I have met only one story which at least distantly resembles this prompt: “The Commoner Queen” by Pilargirl. The summary describes it pretty decently: “AU. A 1000 years ago, a plague extinguished 3/4 of Britain’s magical population, including 3 of the 4 founders; Godric Gryffindor remained and founded a new world, with a monarchy that would last for years to come. Now, Ginny Weasley is the Holyhead Harpies’ star Chaser and a simple commoner, but Harry James Potter of Evans and Gryffindor, Prince of Wales, has his eye on her.”
It is very AU and I really don’t like much any kind of royalist!universe, because it clashes horribly with the original bourgeois spirit of the canon, but when working with this kind of prompt some kind of upper class/aristocracy is necessary. And at least it is not Hermione-is-pureblood racism whitewashing type of story.
It is nice that the length of the story is pretty reasonable (21 chapters more or less just exhaust everything which is available) and the story doesn’t waste MUCH space on nonsense.
However, the principle conflict I wanted to have: Ginny working her way out of la merde des poulets towards being an upper-class lady is well preserved. Thank you.