Nate nodded. "Definitely. It might not be dishonest for a malicious reason, but for some other reason. In the last reading, the Princess was a behind the scenes person, a secret stable rock and espionage for the Prince. If the Princess is pushed into a more public role of the goal, they'd probably still want to hide because you can't learn as much when you're out in the open."
He cast a glance at Hermione, a small smile starting. "And your love life is fascinating, because it's a part of all this. The problem and the outcome go together, and who you ally yourself with is a part of how you navigate it, apparently."
Nate touched the final line of cards up the side. "For you, we have the five of cups, which is normally a depressing card. Traditionally, it means a loss of love. But reversed like this, it's actually hopeful, looking at new alliances, and possibly the return of someone from long ago into your life. Your friends and family see you keeping a delicate balance, but they believe you can do it. But they can also see that you might swing from one extreme to the other, from the elation of the simple pleasures to the frustrations of dealing with overly serious topics. Hopefully they'll be there to keep you from swinging too far."
The smile grew at the next card, and he said quickly, "Aces are always brill. You're hoping for a new beginning. This particular Ace usually means adventure or a family, but in our world, it sometimes just means a new era of magic. Either way, you're hoping for a brill new start, but at the same time, you're a little afraid of getting it. And in the end..." He frowned at the last card, then looked back to the beginning.
Nate's quick mind was stitching the signs together, pulling in what he'd seen in other readings, and what the cards seemed to want to tell. "The swords are central to the story," he said quietly. "See, we have the King here, a man whose duplicitousness is being revealed, which is good. But it is the Princess who is a part of that, and with her the Prince -- I still believe that, even though he's not in the reading. But this story has the Queen of Cups as well. Swords -- they're righteous. Swords are ruled by strength and perseverence. Cups are ruled by their hearts. This king -- he thinks he's doing the right thing, but he's deluded, and the princess and prince will bring him down. And the prince was working on his own, until he found the princess to help. But this queen, she's new, and she's the central trouble, and I think she's what's got the princess off-kilter."
Nate stopped, suddenly, realizing he'd gone off track a bit, but he couldn't help seeing the larger picture. "Sorry," he apologized. "I've been following trends in the readings, and yours just happens to fall right into it. Except for the prince isn't--" he looked at her, eyes widening. "Ah. That explains it. You're the prince, Hermione." It made perfect sense, because he was so sure the prince was a part of the reading, and without the card being on the table, that meant Hermione had to be it.