A/N: I've had this story idea in my head ever since I heard that Emma Watson was going to be playing Belle in the live-action version of Beauty and the Beast and I wanted so badly for Tom Felton to play the Beast! Alas, that wasn't the case. So, while this story is well known, I have decided to re-tell it with Draco and Hermione instead of Belle and Prince Adam/Beast. I own neither the Harry Potter characters nor the Beauty and the Beast storyline (sadly). I hope you enjoy! ~HufflepuffMommy

Free.

That was the only word registering in Draco's mind. He. Was. Free.

A hand clapped him on the back, pulling him out of his shock. One of his friends who was sitting behind him, Blaise Zabini, was saying something about a party and all Draco could do was nod before a grin slowly spread over his face.

How Potter and Granger did it, he would never know, but somehow their testimony changed the course of his future. He had known, without a doubt, that he was going to spend the rest of his days in Azkaban for all the wrongdoings he did during the Wizarding War. Apparently, almost everyone in the audience attending his trial thought so too as there was murmuring so loud, that no one realized that the judge was banging his gavel, trying to get the room back to order.

"Order! ORDER!" shouted the judge. "Oh for Merlin's sake…" He lifted his wand and pointed it to his voicebox. "Sonorus. ORDER!"

Everyone in the room quieted it at once, turning their attention back to the Ministry Official judge.

"Yes, well, now that I have everyone's attention, I wanted to remind Mr. Malfoy that even though he is free from Azkaban, that there will still be repercussions for his actions."

Draco straightened his features and nodded solemnly, "Yes, sir. Of course."

"The first being," the judge continued, "Is for you and your family to pay the sum of one hundred thousand gallons to help fix damages caused by the War."

Draco nodded and glanced at his mother who was sitting to his left. She gave him a reassuring smile and a nod before he returned his attention to the judge.

"You will also need to stay out of any and all trouble for the next five years. Any wind of you causing any sort of mischief or mayhem will land yourself in a cell, do you understand, young man?"

Draco gulped and nodded.

"Good. And finally, you will receive a visit from a Ministry Official for mandatory check-ins at least once a year; more if we see fit."

Draco nodded once again, "Yes sir. I understand."

The judge nodded at him. "You are dismissed, Mr. Malfoy. Let us all hope that we won't see you here again." He banged the gavel one last time, ending the court session.

The rest of the day was a blur for Draco; true to Blaise's word, they did indeed have a party which lasted almost twenty-four hours. There was lot's of drinking, food, dancing, and even more drinking all around the manor. Eventually, Narcissa had had enough and kicked everyone out. For the first time since the trial ended, Draco was able to go to sleep, and this time, he was relaxed enough to know he wouldn't be plagued with nightmares of a cold, dark cell.

Narcissa waited until 9 the next morning to stroll into her son's bedroom and flicked her wand towards the drapes which casted bright sunlight all around the room.

Draco hissed and threw a pillow over his face, "Mother, would you kindly shut the curtains."

"Draco, you have slept long enough. I am leaving within an hour and I wanted to talk to you before I do so."

"Leave?" asked Draco, pulling the pillow away from his face. He squinted at the sunlight, which was shining behind his mother. "Where are you going?"

"I have decided that I am moving to France. We have that little chateau there that will be a better fit for me to live in."

Draco sat up on his elbows, confusion etched into his brows. "You're moving there?"

"Yes, Draco. The Manor, it's just…." She closed her eyes and pursed her lips, "I just can't live here anymore."

Draco frowned slightly, but nodded. He didn't blame his mother; over the past few years many horrible things had happened within the walls of the manor. However, he was sure this move was more because of his father perishing away in Azkaban than anything else.

He laid back down on his pillow, closing his eyes and sighing. "Well, you do what you need to do. I'm going to get a few more hours of sleep. Send me an owl when you get settled."

Narcissa raised a brow at her son. "I will be sure to do so." She started walking towards the door, before she stopped and looked back at her son. "Don't forget to go to Gringotts today and take out the money for the-"

"Mother. I know. I will do it later. For now, I plan to lay in this bed until I feel like getting up." He closed his eyes and he snuggled into his pillow. "Have Millie help you move whatever you need into the chateau, but make sure she's back before supper time."

Narcissa pursed her lips at her son, sighed to herself, then nodded even though he couldn't see. "Of course. Sleep well, my son."

Draco mumbled something as she quietly closed the door behind her.

It was noon when Draco finally got out of bed. With a yawn and stretch, he smiled to himself. He felt like a new man. A new, free, man. He could finally leave the manor on his own and do and go wherever he wanted. His mother's voice rang in his mind, reminding him to go to Gringotts. Checking the time, he knew he still had hours to go before he needed to get there before closing. He stood, stripped his pajamas off, leaving them on the floor for a house elf to fetch, and made his way to the oversized connected bathroom for a nice, hot, leisurely shower.

Draco grumbled as he walked through the cold streets of Diagon Alley. Being on house arrest while he was undergoing trial made him forget that the weather had changed from the hot summer to the bitter cold winter. He had taken his time earlier today, first with a long shower then having an extravagant meal now that his appetite was back. A floo call with Blaise, making plans for another party later that evening had him lose track of time. He had just thirty minutes to get to Gringotts before it closed.

Closing his eyes against the cold wind, he didn't see the elderly witch, selling roses on the side of the street. He knocked into her, nearly toppling her and her roses to the ground.

"Watch it!" he barked at her, not stopping to see if she was alright.

Her gnarled hand gripped the table to steady her as she watched him walk away. With a glare, she shook her head and muttered to herself as she righted a few of the flowers that had been knocked over, waving her wand over them so that they glowed.

"Draco, darling, I really do not like all this partying you are doing," said Narcissa in her most disapproving voice. She had been gone for a week and aside from a short letter after she moved into her new home, she had not heard from her son. When she decided to check in on him, she found him passed out, sleeping on one of the lounge chairs in their family room, his hair tousled and his clothes slept in from the day before. The room itself was tidy, but that was due to the house elves cleaning up after all the guests had left.

Once she roused her son and had some tea made, she made herself comfortable in one of the armchairs, sipping her tea delicately while Draco stared at his, grumbling.

"Mother, I am a grown man-"

"Grown man? Please, Draco. You're only 18," she said, tutting under her breath.

"Yes, well, that didn't seem to bother you when I was newly 17 and had this branded onto me," he said, pulling up his sleeve and sticking his arm out so his mother could see the Dark Mark on his skin.

She set down her tea, and cleared her throat, "You know very well that I did not want you to get branded. That was your father's doing. Plus, with the Dark Lord-"

"Don't call him that," Draco snarled, "He was no Lord."

"Fine, with Voldemort living here, it didn't seem we had a choice, did we?" she said.

Covering his arm back up, he ignored her comment, and took a lengthy sip of his tea. "Why are you here, Mother? I thought you couldn't be here anymore."

"I said I couldn't live here, I never said I couldn't, or wouldn't, visit. Besides, maybe if you wrote your dear Mother every once in awhile, I wouldn't have to resort to coming over unannounced to check in on you."

"Well, you checked, I'm alive," he closed his eyes and rubbed his temples.

She tsked under her breath, pulling out a vial from her pocket, "Here, take this. It should help with the hangover I'm sure you have."

Draco took the vial, unstoppered it, and drank the contents in one swig. "Thanks," he said, closing his eyes and leaning back onto the couch.

"Oh, so my son does remember his manners? It's nice to know," she said dryly.

Draco smirked, his eyes still closed, "Yes, mother. It's hard to lose all the training ingrained to me." He opened his eyes and looked at her, feeling better now that the potion was working through his system. "Are you staying for dinner?"

She raised a brow at him.

He rolled his eyes, but smiled. "Sorry, I mean, Mother, will you please join me for dinner?"

Narcissa nodded, "I would be delighted."

Once he and his mother had dined and were about to retire to the family room to say their goodbyes, there was a knock at the manor door. A moment later, a small house elf appeared in the room with a faint pop.

"So sorry to interrupt Master Draco and Mistress Narcissa, but there is a women at the door for you.."

"A woman you say?" Draco said, his brow raised. He looked back to his mother. "I'll go see who it is if you want to head back."

She gave Draco a nod and kissed his cheek before walking towards the enlarged fireplace while Draco wound his way to the entryway. Opening the door all the way, he found a short, elderly woman, covered in wrinkles and drenched from head to toe from the rain that had apparently started.

"Can I… help you?" he asked, his nose wrinkling at the sight, and smell, of her.

"Oh yes," creaked the lady, looking up at his face. "I was wondering if I could come in to dry off and perhaps get a spot of tea to warm up? In return, I have this enchanted rose I could offer you." She pulled out a red rose, slightly glowing in her hand and held it out to him.

The wrinkles around her eyes and lips creased as she smiled up at him, but Draco frowned, shaking his head. "No, I don't think so. You'll get the floors all wet, not to mention that scent rolling off of you will probably linger in the house hours after your gone. Besides, what would I do with a glowing rose?" he sneered.

The woman gave him a pleading look, "Please, young man? I promise I won't be any trouble. And the rose is-"

Draco cut her off by holding up a hand then stared at her for a moment, giving her a hard look. "You're that old woman from Diagon Alley the other week. The one who ran into me and nearly knocked me over."

She shook her head but Draco cut her off once more. "Yes, it was you. I'd know your face, and stench anywhere," he spat.

"Don't be deceived by appearances, young boy," the old witch said. "Beauty is found within."

Draco chuckled, "Yeah? Well, I don't care. Go bestow your beauty on someone else."

He was about to shut the door on the old woman, when a bright light surrounded her and Draco had to close his eyes as the light brightened. When he opened them again, a beautiful woman, with long, flowy blonde hair stood before him. She seemed to be radiating a soft light all around her.

"Wha-Who…. Who are you?" he asked. "What happened to that old hag?"

The lady tsked and shook her head, "I am that old lady, Draco Malfoy. And you, are one cruel, heartless young man."

"Look, I'm sorry," said Draco, opening the door all the way. "Why don't you come in? I'll apologize profusely, have our elf make you the finest tea, and we can all put this behind us." He flashed her his signature, charming Malfoy smile.

"Your charm won't work this time. You need to learn that who you are on the outside is not a reflection of who you are in the inside. I hereby place a curse upon you-"

"A curse? But-"

This time, she cut him off, speaking louder. "A curse that will transform you into the beast you act like. A curse that can only be broken by true love. If you can learn to love another, and earn their love in return, then, the curse will be broken. Otherwise, you'll be doomed to remain a beast for all time."

"Wait-" said Draco, nearly pleading, wishing he hadn't left his wand in the other room, making him defenseless.
But it was too late. The witch cast her spell. Draco fell the floor in agonizing pain as his body transformed. The last thing he saw before blacking out was his hand, enlarged and covered in light, blonde fur.