The Beast and the Lioness (A tale as old as time)
Minerva Esmeralda McGonagall sighed as she quickly walked through the darkened corridors of Hogwarts; the clicking sound of her heels on the marble floor echoing behind her. The following stoke of the clock indicated that it was already later than she had anticipated. Damn Cornelius and his stupid meetings….
Pulling her emerald green traveling robes closer around her, the young ebony haired witch turned one corner after the other in the freezing hallways; ignoring the slightly scary shadows cast by the light of the flaming, scorched torches on the walls.
It was strange to see the castle so empty; usually at least some of the older students kept lurking around, though they probably all preferred the warmth of their Common Rooms to the icy temperatures on the snowy grounds outside of Hogwarts.
Another turn later, and Minerva finally reached her quarters. She quickly spoke the password and the portrait of Godric Gryffindor that was guarding her private rooms sprung away and granted her entrance.
Quietly, she fully walked into her rooms and looked around. Almost everything was exactly as she had left it behind before she left for the Ministry Meeting. The lights were turned off; only the bright and flickering flames in the fireplace enlightened the room a little. Though it was enough to see that the essays she had started to grade were still laying unfinished on her desk, quill and ink neatly put aside. She sighed again. Another thing she had to finish tomorrow.
Nevertheless, a small smile graced the witches red lips upon seeing the little white paper with a painted emerald heart that was also amongst the papers. Moving her eyes further, she spotted the small hole in one of giant bookshelves and judging by the location she could already tell what kind of books was missing.
Careful not to make too much noise, she walked on her tip toes over to the little cream-coloured sofa in front of the fireplace and the sight that greeted her caused her heart to jump a beat: A little girl about five with shoulder length ebony curls falling down her back and covered in several fluffy blankets, her beautiful bright blue eyes closed and already half asleep on the sofa; the book with the tale of 'The three brothers' opened on the small wooden table next to her.
Waving her wand, another blanked flew right into Minerva's hand and not wanting to wake her daughter, she carefully tucked it around the little girl.
Despite her best efforts, sleepy blue eyes opened and a tired yawn escaped the little girl.
"Mummy?"
Minerva reached out and softly stroked the girls dark hair before she sat down on the sofa next to her. "I'm here, Kitten, don't worry."
Stretching, the blue-eyed girl got up and cuddled against her mother. "Can you read me a story? Please?" she asked and pointed with her tiny fingers towards the book that was resting on the table.
Minerva turned her head slightly to look at the old grandfather clock at the other side of the room. "It's already late Arina…"
The girl's eyes filled with tears. "But… but Mummy, you promised. Please."
The elder ebony haired witch winced. She had indeed promised her little girl to read her a story tonight, though how could have assumed that the stupid meeting would take that long?
But the pleading look Arina was giving her made it hard for the 30-year-old witch to say no. "Alright, but just this once, okay? And don't tell your Daddy about this when he comes back tomorrow."
Bright blue eyes lit up with joy and she nodded enthusiastically.
"Now, come here," Minerva whispered and re-arranged the blankets after her daughter moved and snuggled even closer against her body.
With another flick of her wand, the book on the table closed and sorted itself back into its rightful place in the bookshelf.
"Mummy, what are you doing? The book…"
Arina's curious blue eyed followed the flying book; a skeptical look on her face and her thin rosy lips were pursed in a very similar way her mother always did it.
Minerva chuckled. "The Tale of the Three Brother's isn't suitable for a girl your age, Arina."
"But Uncle Xemerius…"
The witch laughed. "Your Uncle Xem has no idea whatsoever. But don't worry, I'll tell you a different story today. A tale probably as old as time itself…"
The girl's eyes widened. "Without a book?"
The emerald eyed witch laughed even more at the child's innocence. "Yes, Kitten, without a book."
"Is it a true story, Mummy?"
Minerva thought about it for a moment, then smiled at her little girl. "Well, let's just say it's as true as it can be…"
Arina leaned her on her mother's lap, who in return drew soft circles on her back.
…x.X.x…
Once upon a time, there was a land very much like the one we're living in. Witches and Wizards living peacefully amongst people without magic; creatures of every sort imaginable were to be seen all around them and like in our time, men and women were searching the whole Kingdom to find their very own soul mate.
Now in order to fully comprehend the story, we must go back in time a little further…
Some years ago, there was a young man living in a castle. He was brilliant, really, but also quite arrogant. Though you will soon find out that once a person broke through his well-guarded heart, one could easily see that he was a lovely man deep on the inside. His hair was a dark auburn, and his eyes were very much like yours; a bright sparkling blue. The only unfitting thing about his so perfect appearance was his nose; crooked and possibly broken quite a lot of times. Rumor had it, that the wizard's very own brother broke his nose at least once.
But never mind that. The wizard's name was Prince Alb- erm, Allan and he lived in a great and luxurious castle; a black lake around it.
Now, of course, despite being a great wizard, Prince Allan was also searching for his soulmate. Once he had met a strong witch and he was convinced that she was the right one for him. But apparently, fate wanted his life to be a little more challenging. Allan had courted the lovely blonde haired Lady Lavinia, but soon he realized, that she wasn't the right one for him. She was nice, but the first time they had kissed, nothing happened. The soulmate-sign that was supposed to appear on your wrist upon finding your one true love didn't appear.
The Lady Lavinia got beyond angry, screaming and shouting at the Prince, accusing him of using magic on the signs.
…x.X.x...
"But Mummy, didn't you say that the soulmate signs is stronger than every magic in the world?"
Minerva smiled, unconsciously rubbed her thumb over her wrist and nodded. "Indeed, Arina. But the Lady Lavinia wanted to be a Princess, no matter the cost. That was when Prince Allan realized, why the sign hadn't appeared."
Arina's blue eyes sparked and she sat up straight on the sofa. "I know! Because she didn't really love the Prince! She only wanted to be his wife to be able to rule over the kingdom, right?"
The emerald eyed witch nodded. "Right. And of course, Prince Allan told her he never wanted to see her again but he never knew how much trouble he got himself into…"
…x.X.x...
The enormous wooden doors of the castle burst open with a loud noise, a cold breeze of the winter's wind filled the corridors of the hidden castle and the ground it was built on shivered. Bricks and rocks fell to the grounds, the statues of old ancestors following them only shortly afterwards.
"Allan!" Lady Lavinia screamed, her wand held high and pointing at the Prince. Her purple robes were flowing behind her as she walked with quick steps into the Hall, her wavy blonde hair blowing in the wind.
When the Prince saw her, he was shocked. Lavinia's whole appearance had changed: Where once love was written in her light brown eyes, all he saw now was darkness and hate and shallowness. She had gained a lot more weight causing the dress she wore underneath her robes to stick to her body. Her once perfect hair was now frizzled, her hands were dirty and her once rosy cheeks were ashen.
"Lavinia, what…"
She waved her hand; caught him completely off-guard and sent him flying backwards – crashing against the wall.
"Look at me! You ruined my life! No other man in the whole Kingdom even looks at me after your rejection."
It was well known amongst the magical population, that Prince Allan was one of the most powerful wizards in the whole Kingdom. But as he got up from the ground, his pained and disappointed expression fixed upon the woman he had once thought would be his wife, he realized that this was not the Lavinia he knew. No, this witch standing in front of him had changed. She had darkened her heart and formed an alliance with the Forbidden Arts – dangerous, irresistible and painful. She had become an Enchantress of the Darkness.
"I didn't reject you," Allan grumbled and took a couple of steps forward; hands held up in a defensive gesture. "We weren't meant to be."
Lavinia cackled. "Oh that's what you think? Well, I don't care. I'll let you pay for what you did!"
She held her wand up high, moving it around in circles and creating a cloud of sparks, thunderbolts and air to hover up above them. Allan mumbled one spell after the other, but he was powerless. Soon, the cloud of dark magic embraced the whole castle, the grounds, the lakes and assumingly every single person working and living there.
Lavina's eyes were completely covered in darkness, her voice was hoarse and emotionless, scary and terrifying. "You will suffer the worst fate imaginable! Feel what I felt to be alone forever! Never meeting this soulmate of yours!"
...x.X.x...
"What did she do to him, Mummy?" the little girl asked with wide eyes.
Minerva shrugged and handed her daughter a mug with steaming, hot chamomile tea, which the blue-eyed girl accepted thankfully.
"Well, Lavinia, despite being a really annoying lady and having multiple lov– " here Minerva really had to stop herself. True, the emerald eyed witch never got along with the real Lavinia Rochêtte, but this probably had something to do with the fact that she was her husband's first love. And Arina really didn't need to know about the woman's other questionably activities, though it wouldn't do any harm using her as inspiration for her story, would it?
"Anyway, the Enchantress Lavinia cast a very dark curse," Minerva explained and took a sip of her tea. "The cloud around the castle form some sort of time-capsula, causing the time on the outside to move much faster than on the inside. Afterwards she turned the staff people into objects. The Prince's best friend Alastor got transfigured into a golden candle stick, the medi-witch into a tea-pot and the yellow-eyed kitchen maid into a tiny tea-cup."
Arina clutched her hands over her mouth and stared at her mother. "But Mummy, didn't you say that we never use transfiguration as a punishment?"
Minerva hadn't taken that in consideration and started searching her brain for a fitting excuse to explain the situation. "Well, I also said that dark magic is dangerous, didn't I? And well, Lady Lavinia became one of the most dangerous and darkest Enchantresses of the whole Kingdom!"
Admittedly, this was a little over the top… Lavinia wasn't really talented at magic at all, and a small giggle escaped Minerva at the thought of her trying to cast even the easiest of transfiguration spells.
"What happened next?"
Shaking her head, Minerva focused on the story again. "Well, the evil Enchantress had one thing left to do and she transfigured the Prince into a very frightening beast. His hair looked like a lion's mane, his body got covered with fur and resembled a strong bear and his face looked like a wolf. The only part that was apparently untouched by the curse were his eyes. They still held the same sparkling blue colour, though the hope that was once to be seen in them was now lost and replaced by pain, anger and sorrow…"
…x.X.x...
The years passed quickly after the Enchantress had cast her curse and left to leave the beast in his own misery, alone, and without a chance to ever find his soulmate. In her quest for revenge, Lavinia had even possessed the nerve to tease the Beast. She had picked up the most beautiful red rose mankind had ever seen, put it under a veil-like, see-through Manson Jar and enchanted it. From that time on, the rose represented the time the Beast had to find his one true soulmate. And the Beast, captured in his own house, was left to stand idly by, watching as the rose-petals, one after another, fell to the ground. And by the time the last petal had fallen to the ground, the beast would die, slowly and painfully.
Now the people in the Kingdom never really knew what happened. They didn't know about the Enchantress and what she did. A lot of legends were passed on from one to the other, but that's the thing with them; one never really knows the whole truth. Soon, they had all assumed that Prince Allan had been killed by the Beast that was now living in his castle. So naturally, they all avoided the place and soon, the blue-eyed and auburn haired Prince was forgotten and only the rumors about the terrifying and brutal Beast remained.
Nearby, in a tiny little Village close to the Highlands, lived the old Alchemist Apollo with his daughter. His wife had passed away during childbirth several years ago, so his little girl was the only thing he had left of her. They didn't have a lot of money, but it wasn't necessary. As long as they were all healthy, he didn't dare ask for more.
As the sun rising in the morning, he kissed his daughter on the cheek, leaving her to go to the Village and get some bread while he would deliver some of his potions.
The 17-year-old was a beauty, even though she never saw herself that way. But the way her long, ebony hair cascaded down her shoulders in big curls, her ivory skin, rosy cheeks and the smile wore on her face was the lit up everyone's day. The most stunning thing about her were her eyes; they sparkled in a bright, emerald green and earned her the name Esmeralda.
And like every time the Beauty walked through the busy streets of Diagon Alley, the basket hanging from her arm, she talked with several people, trying to behave as natural as possible.
But no matter how hard she tried, Sir Cornelius always seemed to know where she was. He got from his horse, bowed to the several women that were literally gasping at him, then turned his massive body towards Esmeralda. She had developed the habit of rolling her eyes every time she saw him; she was indeed quite sick of him and his attempts to propose to her. With a disapproving look, she also noticed that shining diamonds were embedded in the uniform he wore, and that a couple of these tiny little stones alone would be enough to feed an entire family for about a year.
Yes, the beauty had every right to think of the man as frightfully disgusting, and not for all the money in the world would she marry him.
"There you are, Belle," he shouted and slid his arms around her waist. She visibly cringed; at his touch and the ridiculous nickname he had given her upon their first meeting.
"Oh, what a joy to see you here in Diagon Alley today, Cornelius," the emerald-eyed woman replied, though the man with his gelled back hair didn't seem to catch the sarcasm that was lingering in her voice.
He leaned down to give her a kiss, but Esme skillfully avoided his drooling mouth on hers. Ever since she was a child, stories were told about the power of a first kiss, and that it caused the soulmate sign to appear upon kissing the right person. Deep down, the Beauty feared that fate really wanted Cornelius to be her soulmate, but as long as she was under the living, she would avoid him for as long as she possibly could. She had after all inherited her late mother's famous temper, and everyone who had already stood at the receiving end knew better than to anger her.
"My my, don't you look good today," he mumbled, and it didn't surprise her the least when he stared into his own reflection in the mirror.
Yes, the Beauty had every right to think of the man as egoistic and self-centered.
Other women passing by were already giving her dirty looks; the jealously clearly taking over their common sense. These kind of women would probably give anything to be with a man like Cornelius; after all they only cared about money and advantages.
But the Beauty was different. She had no intention at all to become a trophy-wife – married, ignored and only looked after to make sure she'd behave properly at a social gathering. No, Esmeralda preferred the quiet life with her father, who she knew would one day need her help with brewing potions.
As she slowly got rid of the annoying arm that was still placed around her, she quickly walked over to the little bakery shop – Cornelius following to her dismay right behind her.
"Heyo, Beautiful," the silver-eyed baker greeted her, and smile graced her thin lips. Brooks was the only one allowed to call her that; she had known him ever since she was a little girl and no matter how many times she had told him her name, he insisted on calling the same he did on their very first meeting.
"Hello, Brookie," she replied, ready to give him a hug when he held up his in dough-covered hands. "Oh, busy day, hmm?"
"Always," he said, snipped his fingers and immediately his hands cleaned up. "Seems like you were quite busy yourself…"
At first, she didn't understand, then she followed his pointed finger and sighed. Cornelius had just entered the shop. "There you are, Belle. I've been looking everywhere for you!"
The Beauty rolled her emerald eyes and mumbled "how ambitious of you."
Brookie had trouble containing his laughter; to distract himself he took Esme's basket and filled it with her things.
Once the basket was filled, Cornelius glanced at it and raised an eyebrow. "What in Merlin's name is that?"
Esmeralda rolled her eyes, this time so that he could see it. "It's bread. I think you must have heard of it before."
"Well, except you come from a Kingdom that only consumes water," Brookie added, now holding his hand in front of his mouth and giggling.
Admittedly, the face Cornelius made at the moment was priceless.
…x.X.x...
"I don't like him, Mummy."
Minerva laughed. "Brookie? I admit he's a little weird but…"
Here she trailed of; a memory of her best and oldest friend flashing right before her eyes. To this day, he was like the brother she never had; funny, crazy, sometimes a little out of his mind, but she could always depend on him. He had also been the first one the emerald eyed witch had told about her pregnancy; and how excited, scared, happy, and overwhelmed she was at the same time…
Arina vehemently shook her head and rolled her bright blue eyes. "No, Mummy, I like Brookie! He's funny! He reminds me of Uncle Xem!"
Chuckling, Minerva put an arm around her little girl and pulled her closer. "They do behave in a very familiar way, don't they, Kitten?"
"Yes, it's this Cornelius person I don't like… posing around, pretending to be a knight in shining armor when he's nothing but a fraud…"
"Well, it seems like you feel the same way Esmeralda did…"
And taking in consideration the way Minister Fudge behaved at the latest meeting, the emerald eyed witch was more than proud of her daughter. True, it wasn't really Cornelius fault that Minerva had accidently forgotten to change after visiting her husband during lunch, so she wore rather low-cut robes that showed a lot more cleavage than the witch would have ever allowed. Naturally, the Minister's eyes were a lot more focused on that than on the reports in front of him, which caused the meeting to last for hours.
"Why does he want to marry her so badly? He only looks into the mirror anyway…"
Minerva thought for a moment and flicked her wand to send their by now empty tea cups back into the kitchen. Well, the real Cornelius had always been attracted to her; and never really understood that she just wasn't interested in him.
"Hmm, I think, Cornelius suspects that the magic running through Esme's veins is very strong."
Arina moved again and cuddled closer against her mother; fidgeting with the little phoenix-necklace that was hanging from her neck. "Was Esmeralda as powerful as you are, Mummy?"
Another chuckle escaped the older witch. Arina was a lot smarter than other children her age, which sometimes put Minerva in rather difficult situations; this time however, she enjoyed her little girl's curiosity.
"Well, I'd say they are on kind of the same level. But remember, in the Kingdom it wasn't really common to display magic openly on the streets. And after the people in the village heard the rumors about the Beast… well, many of them thought that the Beast killed people with magic…"
The little witch looked positively appalled. "But Mummy, the Beast is Prince Allan! He's not dangerous!"
Minerva faked a very serious face. "True, he wasn't. But all the time he spent as a prisoner in his own castle, with absolutely no one to talk to and watching the rose loose its petals… Things like that tend to change people, and once all hope is lost… frustration, and hate get the upper hand sooner or later…"
…x.X.x...
While Esmeralda was on her way back to their little house in the highlands, her father had got lost on his way back. It had never happened to him before, and that irritated him more than anything else. After what felt like hours, Apollo finally reached the shore of a very black lake. He got of his horse, giving it a time to rest.
Walking up the small hill to the enormous castle, he pushed the large wooden doors open. Upon entering, his eyes widened; this castle contained more gold, jewels, and silver items than he could ever spent in a lifetime. But Apollo had taught his daughter that stealing was a crime, so he just took a second to admire the view. Glancing around his eyes finally fell on a small, elegant wall-painting and his heart skipped a beat in excitement. A map!
Studying it, his eyes darkened with fear with each passing second. He wasn't very far away from his village; actually, he was pretty close. Stumbling backwards, he realized that the hill he had just walked up was the Hogs-Hill, and the castle he was in once belonged to Prince Allan. And now to the Beast...
Running outside as fast as he could, he stopped dead in his tracks upon passing through the rose garden. There it was, a beautiful dark red rose, put under some sort of see-through veil, that immediately captured his attention. Admittedly, the flower had already lost a lot of petals. He was mesmerized by its beauty and instantly reminded him of his daughter.
He knew that Esmeralda loved her books, and the adventures that were written in them. Taking on last, deep breath, he carefully grabbed the rose-filled jar, lifting it from its place. He didn't care about all the priced possessions in the castle, all he thought of was giving his daughter a little present. And what was more suitable than bravely taking something that reminded him of entering the feared Beast's castle.
Suddenly, he felt a big, strong, furry hand on his shoulder, forcing him to turn around and seconds later he started into the dark and shallow blue eyes of the Beast.
"You shouldn't have done that," the Beast whispered into his ear, sending goosebumps down his spine as the creature put the claws of his paw right underneath Apollo's chin.
The old man tried to get his terribly shaking legs under control, but his whole body was trembling. "I – I apologize. I didn't – "
The Beast leaned down further, his wolf-like face almost touching the elderly man's. "That rose means more to me than your little pathetic little life ever could."
For a brief moment, Apollo was able to see a flicker of light in his shallow eyes, but it vanished as soon as it came. Then the Beast waved his wand and thick, iron chains came out of nowhere, binding itself around his body.
"Once upon a time, I would have enjoyed the company. But you saw the rose, I don't have any time left to waste on you," the Beast once again waved his hand and the Rose-Jar levitated back to its old place. "It's beautiful, isn't it? Beautiful and deadly. I learned a long time ago that I desire the things which will destroy me in the end."
In a deep, hoarse tone, the loin-haired beast spoke a spell, and an extra protection built around the rose. Then he turned his attention back to Apollo, once again the claws pressed under his face.
"You're an Alchemist I hear, help me break the curse of the rose… or prepare to die."
To be continued... I hope you like it, thanks for reading! #hugs
For all of you waiting for the next chappie of 'The Blood of the Lioness', I'm working on it :) And the lovely Lady Lavinia will be featured as well *grins*
Words: 4,360
Written for the March Event: Jewel-Day-Challenge at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry -
Written for the Writing Club at Hogwarts - Monopoly (Location: Diagon Alley)
Written for the April Event: Decoration Month - #60. Enchantress 1. (word) Enchantress / 2. (fairytale) Beauty and the Beast - Bonus / 3. (quote) "I desire the things which will destroy me in the end." - Sylvia Plath / 4. (object) Mason Jar (einwegglas) / 5. (word) scorch
Written for the 365 Drabble Day event at Hogwarts #35. Bake