Beauty and the Beast

Hermione entered her home and was not surprised to see her father fiddling behind his dental project because he had been in that position for the last few months.

Edward Granger looked over the top of his invention at his daughter. "Hello, Hermione. Have a nice time out?"

Hermione shrugged. "I did get a new book."

"Another book?" Edward asked. His attention went right to his invention the next second though. "No, that doesn't go there..."

Hermione allowed her father a few minutes of working at his invention, and then voiced the question that had been stuck in her mind. "Do you think I'm weird?"

"Weird? No," Edward said. "Why?"

"Everyone in town thinks so. There's nobody her who understands me."

"Well, what about those two boys? Harry and Ron?"

"They're alright. But they're not really my friends. They think I'm a nuisance," said Hermione.

"What about Draco Malfoy? He seems fine."

"Yes, very fine," said Hermione. "A fine, self-conceited, handsome, rich snob."

Edward sighed. "Maybe we should leave Diagon Alley and go back to living in regular London."

"No!" Hermione protested. Her father had been working on a Muggle dentist project to show the wizards, and she didn't want him to have to stop it. "You have your important dental project to show the Ministry of Magic. They'll love it."

Edward looked at his invention. "I hope so."

In about fifteen minutes, Edward's invention was packed and he was ready to find his way to the Ministry of Magic.

Half an hour into his journey, however, it became clear to Edward that he was lost. He had managed to end up in a dark forest.

"This can't be right..." he muttered. "I'm supposed to see a building, not a forest..."

There was a click of pincers, and out of the forest came three large Acromantulas.

Edward turned around to find the source of the noise, and spotting the Acromantulas, he scurried down the forest. The Acromantulas chased after him, pincers clicking furiously, and Edward sprinted faster, looking for something, anything, that might save his life.

He spotted some bars ahead in the misty fog, and upon getting closer; he could see that it was a gate. Thrusting all his weight on it, the gate creaked open.

"Where do you think you're going, human?" one of the Acromantulas clicked.

Edward slammed the gate in the spider's face and ran toward the castle.

"A horrible beast lives up there. It will eat you alive!" another Acromantula called.

But Edward had reached the castle doors now and did not hear the message. He knocked on the door, but got no reply. Normally, Edward would not barge into someone's home, but because of the circumstances, he opened the door and cautiously stepped inside.

"Er...hello?" he asked. He got no reply and his question seemed to echo off the walls of the dark, gloomy castle.

"I was out and I lost my way..." he continued. "And I was just wondering if I could take shelter here...just for the night..."

On a nearby table was an ordinary candelabra and clock. Or at least, it looked like an ordinary candelabra and clock.

"Don't you say a word," the clock mumbled.

"I won't if your nose doesn't start dripping," the candelabra mumbled back.

"Is anyone here?" Edward asked.

A drop of water from a small crack in the ceiling landed on the clock.

"Looks like you lose, Snivellus," whispered the candelabra.

"I did not, Black, it was the stupid ceiling that-"

"Of course you can stay here!" rang out the candelabra's voice.

"W-who was that?" Edward asked.

"Over here," said the candelabra.

Edward gasped as he spotted the talking candelabra. "Okay, even in the wizard word, there are no talking candlesticks..."

"You're not in just any part of the wizard world," said the candelabra. "I am Sirius Black, and this is Severus Snape. But he would really like it if you called him 'Snivellus' instead."

The clock leapt forward. "Don't mind him. He's crazy. He doesn't know what he's talking about."

"I certainly know what I'm talking about when I refer to a certain mark...that is dark..."

"Alright, alright! Stop! Don't talk about it any further!"

"Good," Sirius smiled. He looked at Edward. "Come this way, sir." He jumped off the table and started hopping toward a room. Edward followed Sirius, astounded.

Snape made his way over to Sirius. "What are you doing? You're not going to let this man sit in my chair, are you?"

"'Course not," Sirius said.

Snape breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'm going to let him sit in Remus'," the Sirius finished.

Snape glared at him. "No you're not! He's not going to sit in any-" Sirius whacked him, and Snape fell back and over.

"In here!" Sirius called to Edward.

Edward entered into a room that would be completely dark if it weren't for the fire crackling in the fireplace. He had only just sat down when a blanket was put on him and a tea tray came speeding toward him.

"Tea?" asked the teapot.

"Uh, sure," Edward said.

The first sip was delicious, and he was just beginning to take a second sip when the door banged open like a gunshot.

Framed in the doorway stood Remus Lupin, looking extremely ill and his face full of rage.

"You know what, I was against this stupid thing, it was entirely Black's fault," Snape said quickly.

Remus ignored him and looked at Edward. "What are you doing here?"

"I was just here because..." Edward's voice faded out.

Sirius started speaking quickly. "Well, Remus, you see, this man was lost in the woods, and he came-"

"What, did you come to stare at the Big Bad Werewolf and see if the stories were true?" Remus asked, his voice cruel and his mind mixed with angst, anger and depression as it so often was.

"No!" Edward trembled. "I was looking for a place to stay!"

"Don't you worry. I have a place for you to stay." And Remus picked up his wand, muttered a spell, and had Edward levitated out of room and down a staircase.

"Now then, Goyle, do you remember the plan?" Draco asked. They were standing outside Hermione's house, and, without her knowing, had a celebration set up where most of the villagers were.

"Uh, yeah," Goyle said. "She comes out, and then we eat cake, right?"

"No," Draco said. "I go in, propose to her, she'll say 'yes', come out-"

"And then we eat cake?"

"No! There is no cake involved!"

"Then why is there cake here?"

"Because it's a party! Now shut up, I've got to make my speech," Draco said. He cleared his throat and looked over at everyone. "Good, you're all here for my wedding celebration like I told you to. Now I have to go propose."

Pansy Parkinson, Millicent Bulstrode, and Blaise Zabini burst into tears.

"Don't do this!" cried Millicent.

"I love you more than she will!" shouted Blaise.

"Forget her and marry me instead!" yelled Pansy.

Draco winked at them for fun once more and then knocked on Hermione's door.

Hermione had no idea who it could be. The first person she suspected was her father, but it was impossible that he'd be back. Hermione glanced out the window and groaned once she saw that is was Draco. Reluctantly, she opened the door, and Draco bounded inside.

"My dear Hermione! I hope you know what day it is."

Hermione opened her mouth to respond, but Draco interrupted her.

"Today is the day when all of your dreams come true. And do you know what dreams those are?"

"Not really," Hermione said.

"Those dreams are- hold on, wait a minute." Draco pulled a bottle of hair gel from his pocked at opened it up. He took a gob out, rubbed it on his hands, and then slicked back his hair. After checking in the mirror that it was perfect, he put the bottle away and turned to Hermione. "As I was saying, I know that your dream, like every other girl's, is to marry me. Don't ask how I knew that, I'm gifted, I know."

"I'm not sure that I really want to-"

"Picture this," said Draco, interrupting her again. "Us two living in my mansion, having a nice dinner, you putting the kids to bed, you spending a romantic evening with me, and me wearing leather pants. They'll be a million, of course."

"Romantic evenings?!" Hermione cringed.

"No!" said Draco. "Pairs of leather pants. So, let's get it started. Will you marry me?"

"I...I don't know what to say."

"How about saying you'll marry me?"

"I could, except..."

"Except what?"

Hermione slapped him. "Except I don't want to disappoint your fan girls!"

Now that Draco had been slapped, he was very dizzy, so Hermione seized the moment, opened the door, and pushed him out.

"Cake time!" Goyle shouted as Draco came flying out of the house and landed with a loud thump on the hard ground.

While Goyle started running to the food table, Pansy, Millicent and Blaise screamed and ran over to Draco.

"Oh, Draco! Are you okay?" the said, making a fuss over him. When he had managed to get them all off, Goyle came over to him with a load of cake on a plate.

"Want some?" Goyle asked.

Draco took some cake and shoved it in Goyle's face. "I'll have Hermione! No matter what!"

A while later, Hermione came outside and looked around. "Is he gone?" she muttered to herself. "I can't believe it. That self-conceited snob wanted me to marry him! That idiot...

Mrs. Malfoy

Can't you just see it?

Mrs. Malfoy

His little wife

No sir, not me

I guarantee it

I want much more than this provincial life!

I want adventure in the great wide somewhere

I want it more than I can tell

And for once it might be grand

To have someone understand

I want so much more than they've got planned..."

Hermione settled down into the grass and a small figure appeared on the horizon getting larger as it came closer. The setting sun shone on the figure's hair, illuminating it to look as if it were on fire. It was Ron Weasley.

"Hermione!" he called. "Hermione!" When he had finally reached her, he fell down on the grass too.

"What?" Hermione asked.

"Okay," Ron panted. "The Ministry of Magic was tracking your dad-"

"Why were they tracking my dad?!"

"I dunno, probably just to make sure that he got there. Anyway, he got lost, and he ended up in that haunted castle."

"What?" Hermione scrambled to her feet. "I have to find him! Do you know which way it is?"

"Well, yeah, but I really don't want to go there..."

"Ron! Take me to the castle!"

"Oh, alright, fine..." Ron mumbled.

Sometime later, Ron and Hermione were in the dark forest and had reached the castle gate.

"It's just through there," said Ron. "I'm going to leave now. I don't like it here. There are too many spiders. 'Bye." And with that, Ron left her.

Hermione pushed open the gate and ran up toward the castle doors. She pushed those open too and stepped inside. "Hello?" she asked. "Dad?" She wandered around the castle some more, and then asked, "Dad?" again.

Sirius and Snape had taken notice of her.

"Look! A girl!" said Sirius. "Maybe she's the one!"

Snape eyed Hermione. "Hmm...she's hot."

Sirius smacked him. "Not for you, Snivellus! All those times I attempted to fix you up and now you're interested! I don't think she's really going to be interested in a cloak. Especially since you look better as a clock then yourself."

"Black, if I could use my wand, do you know what I'd-"

"Well, you can't. And Snivelly, I'm sure you don't like being a clock as much as I don't like being a candelabra, so shut up."

Snape glared at him and stormed off, and Sirius silently followed Hermione.

"Can you hear me, dad?" she asked, deciding to go lookdown a dark staircase. When she reached the bottom, she saw a number of cells and knew that this was the dungeon.

"Hermione?" coughed a voice.

Hermione ran over to the cell where she heard the voice and saw her father.

"Listen, Hermione, go! Leave!" he said urgently. "You don't know what the man here is!"

Hermione wasn't listening. "Who did this to you?"

Before Edward could answer, the door banged open and Remus Lupin had stormed into the room. "Who invited you here?"

"No one," said Hermione weakly. "I just came for my father. Will you let him go?"

"No!" said Remus. "He is my prisoner now."

"Please!" Hermione begged. "I'll do anything!"

"There's nothing you can do," he said. And then, though more to himself, he added, "There's nothing anyone can do."

Hermione was silent for a few moments, and then she spoke. "What if...what if I traded spots with him?"

Remus was astonished. He had never heard of anyone doing such a thing. "You would do that for him?"

"Hermione, no, don't do it!" Edward told her.

Hermione ignored him. "Yes," she said do Remus. "But...if I did...you would have to let him go."

Remus contemplated the idea. "Then you would take his place and stay here forever?"

Hermione didn't really like the idea of having to stay forever, but she wanted to get her father out of the gloomy castle, and at last she said, "Yes."

"Done!" Remus told her. He went over and opened Edward's cell, then dragged him over to a fireplace. He drew out his want, lit a fire, and threw some glittery powder into the flames. "Say 'Diagon Alley'," he instructed. Then he pushed Edward into the fireplace.

"Diagon Alley?" Edward tried to ask him, but it was much too late. The flames whipped over Edward and he vanished out of sight.

Hermione looked at Remus to the empty fireplace, and then back again. "You did even let me say goodbye! And I'll probably never see him again! My own father!" she wept.

There was an unusual mixture of sympathy, hatred and guilt in Remus' mind, and he tried to brush it off by saying, "Come on, I'll take you to your room."

Hermione looked up in confusion. "You mean I'm not staying h-?"

"If you want to stay here, then go right ahead. Don't come."

"No, of course I don't want to stay here," Hermione said.

"Follow me."

Remus and Hermione left the cells and started walking down the corridors in silence. Remus carried Sirius the candelabra as a source of light in the darkness, and Sirius kept whispering things to him. The more Remus didn't listen, the more frequently Sirius whispered things.

"Say something nice to her!"

Finally, Remus gave up. "So...I hope you will like it here..."

Hermione gave no reply, and a tear silently flowed down her cheek.

"Say something else!"

"Er...now that the castle is your new home, you may go anywhere you want. Except for the Shrieking Shack at the West Wing," Remus added sternly.

"What's there?" Hermione asked, slightly curious.

"It's forbidden! That's all!" he said sharply.

"Oh..." she muttered softly.

They had soon reached a pair of doors, and Remus stopped at them. "This will be your room."

"Hey! Why don't you invite her to dinner?" Sirius urged.

"Join me for dinner," said Remus. "And that wasn't a request!" He closed the door and left.

Hermione stood in the darkness of the room, the shocking moments of what happened to her that day running through her mind while at the same time, dreading the future of living in the castle. She sunk to the ground and sobbed.