Little Red Riding Hood

Little Red Riding Hood

Once upon a time, there was a little girl called Hermione Granger. She lived in a little cottage in a little village next to a huge forest. Everyone in the village loved little Hermione. She was extremely smart and there was something magical about her. Hermione's favourite colour was red and for her birthday last year, Madam Malkin, the village seamstress, made her a little red cape. Many people thought that little Hermione looked absolutely adorable in her red cape and they called her Little Red Riding Hood.

One day during the weekly village market, Mrs. Granger heard from the dye-seller that Grandmother Granger had fallen ill. Mrs. Granger would have gone to the next village herself to see how the old woman was doing but as Easter had just past, she and her husband would be busy for the next fortnight at least. (They were dentists, you know.) Mrs. Granger thought: her daughter was a sensible young girl, not like the other giggling nitwits in the village. She should be able to visit her grandmother all by herself.

So the very next morning, Mrs. Granger baked some pumpkin pasties and put them in a basket with a few bottles of butterbeer.

Mrs. Granger then found her daughter sitting on the grass just next to the rose beds re-reading her favourite book, Little Village, A History.

"Hermione, dear, I found out yesterday that Grandmother Granger is ill. Will you go and see if she's alright?" Mrs. Granger asked.

"Of course I will go," Hermione said, closing her book.

"Well then, I've left a basket for you to take on the kitchen bench. And don't forget to take your cape - Ms. Trelawney says that there will be a cold front later on. And if it gets too late, just stay the night at your grandmother's, there's a full moon tonight. But I didn't need to tell you all of that, you're clever enough to figure it all out by yourself," Mrs. Granger said, stroking her daughter's hair.

Hermione went up to her room to put her book on the shelf and to put on her red cape and her walking boots. She went to the kitchen and peered into the basket, then put in a box of painkillers for good measure. After that, Hermione made sure that all of the doors and windows in the cottage were locked before setting out.

Now the forest next to the village was called the Forbidden Forest. No one in his or her right mind would go in there after dark. Even the woodcutter would only go up to a certain point to cut wood. But the only way to the next village was to go through the forest. You could walk around the forest but that usually takes around three to four days. The path through the forest took about four hours. If you stayed on the path, nothing to bad should go wrong.

Hermione set off into he forest at a brisk walk, enjoying the tranquility under the shade of the ancient trees. As she walked, the wind grew colder and the trees grew thicker until it blocked all of the sunlight. Hermione jumped when four bunnies leapt across her path.

Hermione quickened her pace when she came upon a man painting a picture.

"Good morning sir," Hermione said politely.

The man smiled up at her. "I believe you are mistaken. It's the afternoon already."

"Is it that late already?"

"Well I just ate my lunch so I assume that it's the afternoon."

Hermione smiled back at the man. "That's a really pretty painting."

"Thank you. I've been coming to this forest to paint for several months now. See, I finished this one just this morning."

Hermione looked at the painting the man handed to her. It was a painting of a field of lavender. Grandmother Granger loved lavender and Hermione thought that it would be a nice idea to pick some for her, so she asked the asked the man where the field was.

"It's just a quarter mile back along the path you came from, you'll see a game trail lined with birches and the field is just another quarter mile down that track. My name is Remus, by the way. Remus Lupin."

"I'm Hermione Granger."

"And what is a young girl like yourself doing in these woods all alone?"

"I'm on my way to visit my grandmother in the next village. She's not feeling very well. I'd better get going if I want to pick those flowers and get to grandmother's place before dark. It was very nice meeting you Mr. Lupin," Hermione said.

"It was very nice meeting you too Miss Granger," Remus smiled.

Hermione's red cape swished as she turned back down the path she had come from.

* * *

A quarter of a mile down the path she had come from was a game trail flanked by a pair of birch trees just as Remus had said. Hermione followed the game trail down to a vast field of lavender. Hermione wandered into the field and started to pick the fragrant flowers.

Hermione's bad habit was that she had a tendency to lose track of the time. As she was enjoying herself picking a big bunch of lavender, the sun was slowly drifting across the land, making its way towards the horizon. At last when Hermione was happy with her arrangement, she finally noticed how much time had passed. Hermione quickly walked back down the game trail and then along the forest path determined to not stop for anyone or anything.

When the sun finally set and the moon rose, Hermione's heart began to race as strange noises resonated all around her. Hermione quickened her pace hoping to get to her grandmother's cottage very, very soon.

* * *

Remus was enjoying the last of the sun's rays as he sat at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Suddenly he felt the familiar dreaded tingling in his limbs. He glanced up at the sky in shock and there it was. The full moon.

Remus' body convulsed as it transformed into a werewolf.

The creature remembered the meeting with the young girl earlier in the day and raced all the way to Grandmother Granger's cottage. Once at the cottage, the werewolf scoped the area to make sure that there were no prying eyes before knocking on the door.

"Who is it?" Grandmother Granger called out weakly.

"It's Hermione. I've come to visit you," the werewolf said in a high-pitched voice.

"It's nighttime already dear, quickly lift the latch and come in. My head is spinning too much for me to get out of bed," was the answer.

The werewolf lifted the latch and entered the little cottage. He saw the old woman in her bed but she was all skin and bone! There would be no point in trying to eat her. So the werewolf hit the old woman over the head with a frying pan and stuffed her under the bed. Moving quickly, the werewolf put on one of Grandmother Granger's nightgowns and a lacy cap and leapt into bed just as there was a knock on the door.

"Who is it?" the werewolf called in a feeble voice.

"It's Hermione. I've come to visit you."

"It's nighttime already dear, quickly lift the latch and come in. My head is spinning too much for me to get out of bed," the werewolf said.

The door opened and Hermione slipped inside. Something felt wrong as she entered the cottage but she as still anxious after being in the forest after dark.

"Come here so I can see you my dear," the werewolf coaxed.

Hermione sat on the edge of the bed and put the basket in front of her.

"My, what big ears you have!" Hermione 'mentioned'.

"All the better to hear you with my dear!" the werewolf replied.

"My, what big eyes you have!"

"All the better to see you with my dear!"

"My, what big arms you have!"

"All the better to hold you with my dear!"

"My, what big teeth you have!"

"All the better to eat you with my dear!"

Shocked to find that she was sitting next to a werewolf, Hermione threw the basket at the werewolf and ran out the door.

The werewolf was startled for a few precious moments before he ran after the young girl.

* * *

Hagrid, the village woodcutter and giant, had been on his way home when he saw Little Red Riding Hood run past him as if scared for her life. A few seconds later, he saw a werewolf chasing after the young girl. Hagrid reached down and grabbed the animal by the scruff of his neck and shook him none too gently.

"Little Red Riding Hood," Hagrid called out. "It's alright, I've got the werewolf here."

Hermione slowed down as she heard this then came to a complete stop.

"I'll just keep him in a tight cage until the moon sets. You should go back to your granny's house to make sure she's alright," the giant said.

Hermione ran back to her grandmother's cottage and searched the entire place for the old woman. She finally found her under the bed, still unconscious. When Hermione eventually revived her grandmother, they realised that the painkillers Hermione had added to the basket came in very handy.

And they all lived happily ever after. After the moon set in Remus' case...