Chapter One: The Other Pince Girl
It was in Irma's dreams where her own small fairytale land could finally prosper. The cold and dark hours of the day where counted down and spent in anticipation for the night. It was then that Irma's small mousy black curls covered her ugly face and a blanket of tranquility spread over her body. In her deepest and desperate dreams, she was beautiful. All of her insecurities disappeared, and she was finally free from herself.
That night, Irma curled up into a tiny ball underneath her thin covers. Her creaky bed creaked and wailed. She could hear her sister's breathing beside her. The soft inhale of the beautiful girl sleeping next to her was almost comforting. Celia didn't have a care in the world. She was the gorgeous Pince girl, the one everyone cared for and adored. Irma waited and waited to drift into an easy sleep. But none came. Her thoughts rambled over in her mind. She couldn't calm her self. All she could think about was Sam.
In her most personal day dreams, Sam loved her. His big soft hands would rap around her waist and pull her close. His lips would move with hers as they kissed softly but passionately in one of his spacious rooms. All she wanted was for Sam to hold her close and whisper loving words into her ear. Pressing his lips against her forehead, he would admit his love for her. As he told all of his true feelings, he would slowly lift her shirt. Pulling, pulling, pulling, until… the rest would never come to her. Because she would always remember that it would never happen. She was a beast. Her shrunken face, her giant nose. Her greasy black curls and her thin figure. She had no curves, even though she was fourteen. She looked like a small, ugly, and repulsive creature. Their was not one element of beauty in her face. Her eyes were black and wild, and her eyelashes were short and masculine. Her ugly frame was no match for Sam. Sam the beautiful. Sam the brave. His sandy hair swept his face like the simple elegance of the ocean. His big green eyes looked like island storms. They wouldn't be fit for each other. Sam could never fall in love with a girl as hideous as Irma.
She remembered the first day she ever saw Sam. He was like a breath of sunshine to Irma. It was the day of Mistress Pince's funeral. The trees seemed to bend their heads' in sorrow, and the wind cried with bitter cold tears. Irma had curled up under a tree. Her tears stinging her face, she hid behind the shadows. She didn't want to see the funeral. She didn't want anyone to see her cry. She knew no one would comfort her. No one cared about "that ugly Pince girl".
A small cry escaped Irma's lips, as the memories of her mother flooded her mind. Scenes of her dancing and swishing about were like whips to her heart. Her mother had loved her, even though she was a creature not fit to be seen. Her mother had told her that she was beautiful. Her mother whispered loving songs into her ear as she fell into a deep relaxing sleep. For as long as she could remember, Irma's mother had been the one stable object in her entire life. She was the only one who cared about Irma. And now that she was gone, Irma was alone in this cold and harsh world.
The funeral was over. Irma's legs were stiff and tired. But still, she couldn't move. She was frozen in sadness. Suddenly a clear voice bolted her out of her dream world.
"What was she like?"
The voice belonged to a young blonde boy sitting on a rock. Irma peeked at him between the trees. Sitting next to him was eleven year old Celia. Her long black hair twisted into ringlets behind her back. And her deep chocolate eyes twinkled when she answered him.
"She was the best witch in the world" She said sighing. "She always sang songs and danced around in elegant dresses."
"She sounds wonderful" the little blonde boy replied.
She didn't know what made her do it, she was usually very shy with strangers, but suddenly Irma crept out of her hiding place and slowly walked over to her sister.
"Oh… Irma," Celia proclaimed "This is Sam Taylor, he's our neighbor."
Maybe it was just the reflection of the light, but when Irma looked into Sam's eyes for the first time, she felt something her little eight year self had never felt before. It was like a big balloon of warmth spread out over her body; every single part of her tingled.
"Hello" Sam said kindly. He wasn't afraid of the ugly Pince girl. "It's nice to meet you"
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As Irma got older, Sam became more and more apart of her life. Sam was no longer a stranger- he was like a brother to her. When Sam and Celia went to Hogwarts, Irma missed them both so badly. Although Celia had always been distant to her sister, Irma missed the company of an older and wiser sibling. Celia was beautiful and elegant. She had grace and charm. Everyone who met her loved her almost immediately. Irma was the opposite. She was shy and awkward, ugly and untrusting. She was the kind of girl who lurked in the corner, too scared to come out. Celia and Irma had a deep bond between them. One of them was everything a girl wanted to be, and the other was the person everyone stayed away from. Celia was kind and compassionate, but she didn't know how to talk to Irma. She could sense the pain of her sister… but didn't know what to do. Some nights Irma would lay in Celia's arms and cry, it was a silent bond between sisters- their was nothing to say and nothing to do. Each sister had her place; they were way apart from being equal. Nobody gave Irma a chance.
Every day, Celia would invite Sam over to play. While the three of them sat playing wizerding chess, Irma secretly she stared at Sam. She loved the way his hair fell on to his face and how his perfect nose twitched when he laughed. She didn't know it yet, but she was falling in love with him. From the first day she saw him she was totally and completely shook by Sam Taylor. And as everyday passed and a new one began, that love became stronger and stronger until it became a full-fledged obsession. The burning love in her throat was always a secret… nobody would ever know how Irma really felt.
The next couple of years were the worst in her life. Celia and Sam went to Hogwarts, laughing and screaming as the rolling train ran passed Irma and the rest of the anxious parents and siblings. And while Sam and Celia had the time of their lives at Hogwarts, Irma was left with her father. Laurent Pince was a silent man. Grieved by the death of his wife he seldom talked or did anything at all. He never really liked his ugly daughter, and now that his wife was dead he didn't find any reason to talk or console her. She was an embarrassment to the Pince family.
Everyday, the thought of Sam would tormented Irma. Sam would even find his way in her dreams. As she got older, she dreamed of Sam kissing her and holding her close. When Sam came home for the summer holiday, Irma would stare at his face wishing she was brave enough to touch it. When she saw Sam and Celia together a pang of jealousy would wash over her. The love she felt was strong and overpowering. Her whole body shook when he was near.
The year Irma got her letter, she began noticing changes in both Sam and Celia. They were both third years now, almost fourth. She sometimes saw Sam wrap his hands around Celia casually. She even saw her sister blushing when he talked to her. It didn't take long for Irma to see the love in Sam's eyes when he looked at Celia's beautiful rosy face. Sam and Celia were both in Griffindor. Naturally, they were strong and brave. Irma knew she could never be like that. Instead, she took pride in being smart and well read. Books distracted her from her many problems. It was refreshing to take a break from her own life and live for the characters in her stories. Even Sam was pushed to the back of her head when she opened a book.
Irma's first day of Hogwarts was a happy day. Celia helped Irma pack her trunk as she told her of the wonderful people and things she would see there. The train ride was like a story out of a fairytale. Irma sat next to Celia in the compartment they shared with Sam, and their friends Howe and Lillith. They chattered about their summers, and the new school year they were looking forward too.
Not to her surprise, the sorting hat put her into Ravenclaw. She liked the prospect of being smart. It was her one talent. She saw her sister and Sam almost everyday. They didn't have any classes together, but she visited them in the great hall almost everyday. She knew Sam and Celia were together now. She had always known Celia had feelings for Sam. From afar she would watch Sam slide his perfect lips onto Celia's forehead and would see the clasp of their hands as they grasped on to each other like their was nothing else in the world. Even though Celia and Sam were perfect together, the love did not end. It felt as though a hole was being burnt through her heart. Even now, almost four years later, Irma lays dreaming about Sam's dreamy eyes. She sleeps with the hope that she will wake up to see Sam beside her. She wants his perfect face to be the first thing she sees in the morning.