DISCLAIMER: I do not own HP, Ever After, or Cinderella. The first is the wonderful work of J K Rowling. Ever After is a 1998 movie produced by Fox (I think that's who produced it…), and Cinderella is a beloved fairy tale whose origins are unknown. Therefore, don't sue me, I'm just borrowing these wonderful characters for a while:-D
Cinderfella
A long time ago, when magic was not yet completely common, and queens and kings still ruled the world, there lived a Harry Potter. Now as a young baby, Harry lived with his parents, James and Lily Potter, who were the Lord and Lady of the Kingdom Gryffindor. This tale is not about one person, or a family, but a tale about an entire county; a tale filled with suspense, drama, deceit, betrayal, and action. The full tale is much too long to say here.
This tale is about a country called Hogwarts, which within it had five counties, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Merlin. Contrary to what many of the history books say, none of these counties were ever at war with each other, rater they were all united against much greater enemies, the most recent a young Tom Marvolo Riddle. Young Tom, a former Slytherin who also created the bad reputation of that particular county, had amassed a large number of followers and had tried to do a coup d'tat. He managed to go all the way to the palace of the King, but when he reached the throne room, he was met with all the members of an elite guard, the Order of the Phoenix. Tom had been defeated, and thanks to a great wizard, would never come back to life.
Yet, in every Great War that has been fought, won, and lost, there have been many casualties. The first of a large list of the unfortunate were the ruling couple of the county of Slytherin, Lord Cesar and Lady Augusta Snape. Their son, the now ruling Lord Snape, was only eight years old. Albus Dumbledore, a wise, trusted, but slightly crazy advisor to the King, was given to the young Lord in order to help him rule his county. Even at a mere eight years, the child knew more about ruling the county than some that were more than triple his age! As the war continued, the last to fall were the ruling couple of Gryffindor, just days before Riddle could be defeated. Lily and James Potter, who were the Lord and Lady of Gryffindor, had given their seats to a Minerva McGonagall, who became the acting head of the county during the time of war. Alas, while the Potters were on their way to the Final Battle, as it was would be called, they were killed by one of their own, a trusted guard. But, justice would be done, and the traitor had been caught escaping from the Potter's tent that night, was tried, convicted, and executed that very morning.
Unfortunately for the Potters and their little boy, Harry, news of their demise did not reach the county of Gryffindor very quickly. It took the news nearly a year to make it across the vast lands that separate the battle and the county. By this time, the subjects had taken it upon themselves to believe that Lady McGonagall was really their ruler, and had sent little Harry Potter to his relatives down in the southern part of Gryffindor to a town called Surrey. Years went by, and people began forgetting about the War. They began to be less paranoid and more trusting.
Harry Potter was given to his Uncle and Aunt, Vernon and Petunia Dursley. His relatives however already had a son that they adored. Harry was ten times better than his cousin, Dudley, was but it didn't matter. The Dursleys hated him, just because he was better, that instead of love, they gave him hate. Instead of praise, they gave him beatings. Instead of food, they gave him garbage.
"Hey Cinderfella-"
Cinderfella was what everyone in the Dursley household called him. He had been forced to sleep near the fire in order to stay warm on the cold winter nights. His soot-stained face and hands had earned his vicious nickname of Cinderfella.
"Hey Cinderfella! Get me something to eat," commanded Dudley.
"Yes, sir," replied Harry.
"Tend the fireplace."
"Yes, sir."
"Do the dishes."
"Yes, sir."
"Wash the dirty laundry."
"Yes, sir."
"Clean out the pigsty."
"Yes, sir."
"Do this, do that, and that, were the only things his entire life consisted of. He was sick and tired of being bossed around, being the Dursleys' perfect little servant. Yet, he could do nothing about it because he had no money of his own. He could not venture out into the world without even a little gold! When a messenger from the Lord of Slytherin arrived at the door of the Dursley manor, he did not know that this one particular messenger would change his life forever.
Dudley, of course, wanted to go to the ball that had just been announced. Lord Snape was to hold a ball in order to find a consort & partner.
"Father, I want to go!"
"Of course, son, you shall go to the ball. When Lord Snape sees you, he will definitely want to marry you."
Now, the inhabitants of Hogwarts had never been prejudiced against homosexuals and bisexuals. The power of some wizards, the few who could actually weld the magic within everyone, had spells to make biological children for any set of partners. However, even magic could go so far, and they did not have the power to cure barrenness or some of the incredibly complicated illnesses like the cold. So, most of the subjects were open-minded about sexuality, or at least tolerant.
Lord Snape had come out, so to speak, and declared himself as a bisexual, which made most of the male population happy. Lord Snape was not the handsome man, in the normal sense of the definition. He had the dark and dangerous look going for him. He was had this air of power and nobility, all of this mixed with a nearly genius intelligence. He was a superb catch to anyone. The messenger, who had brought an actual invitation, had brought a picture of the Lord to show the nobles who don't live in Slytherin County.
To the Lord of the Household,
You and your immediate family are invited to the Fall Equinox Ball, which is to take place on September 21 of this year. Please send your acceptance with my messenger.
Sincerely,
Lord Severus Snape
Harry got a glimpse of the picture as the messenger loaded it back into the carriage and instantly felt something for the older gentleman. Oh, how he wished to go to the ball! The following month and fortnight before the ball was worse than the last sixteen years at the Dursleys! He had to help all the Dursleys get ready for the Ball.
The night finally arrived and the Dursleys left via the invitation portkey. Harry could not take his disappointment anymore, ran out the back door, and collapsed under a huge willow tree, sobbing hysterically. He didn't understand why he wanted to go to the ball so badly but he just did. It was as if he had met his match but was not allowed to be with him.
"Hey, what's wrong, lad?" Harry continued to cry hysterically, not hearing the voice.
"Harry! Stop crying please! Why are you crying so much?"
"Who's there?" said Harry, trying to see through his tears. When his eyes finally cleared and he put his glasses back on, he was shocked. There in front of him was a huge black dog!
"What?" he yelled.
The dog gave a doggy grin and replied, "I'm your dogfather! Now, why were you crying so much?"
"I want to go to a ball, but it is useless, I don't have any money or way to get there."
"Ah, so you want to go to the Fall Equinox Ball that Lord Snape is holding? Well, as your dogfather, I can grant you that wish. Though, there are some rules that you must follow."
"Anything if I can go to the ball!"
"Alright. You must be dressed properly otherwise, you can't go! Now, take a hair from the tip of my tail and give it a wave."
As soon as Harry did that, even though he felt a little foolish trying to wave a piece of dog hair around, he was dressed in a regal silver and black outfit.
"Now, I shall first give you your rules. Never give your real name to anyone! Not even Lord Snape should know who you are! If you wish to give a name, give the name Lord Emrys."
"But, I'm not a Lord!"
"Doesn't matter! They won't know which county your from anyways. Exactly at midnight, the clothes will be turned back into your normal clothes. A minute later, you will automatically be transported back to this Manor, okay? Now I shall send you there! Don't forget the rules, and have fun!"
Harry blinked and suddenly he was standing in front of the Snape Castle. The guards, astonished at his appearance and sudden arrival, let him in without checking for an invitation. They were amazed at the beauty of the late arrival.
As Harry walked through castle to reach the ballroom, all the invitees stopped and stared at him. He didn't even hear the attendant ask for his outer cloak; he just took it off and handed it to the attendant. It was as if he was in a dream. Feeling a little out of place, he walked through the doors of the ballroom. Lord Snape, who had been told of his arrival, came immediately to greet him. It would be rather cliché to say love at first sight, yet that was what it was. Severus, once introduced to Harry, refused to leave his side for the entire night. He would only dance with the black haired man, and he refused to let Harry dance with anyone else. They danced the evening away, and everyone at the Ball knew that they had fallen in love. But, as all good things must end, the clock began to strike midnight.
Harry realizing the time, excused himself off the dance floor and literally ran through the castle, out the front doors before the clock finished striking twelve. Severus yelled for the guards to stop him, yet as soon as he reached the castle doors, Harry had vanished from sight.
Harry was back in his room, in his old hand-me-downs when the doorbell rang. Scared but at the same time hopeful that Severus had found him, he opened the door a fraction. He was disappointed to see the Dursleys standing there, looking completely exhausted from the Ball.
"Cinderfella! OPEN the door NOW!" yelled Uncle Vernon.
"Yes, sir," replied Harry, opening the door completely and allowing the Dursleys to enter. Immediately Dudley began describing his Ball experience.
"You should have been there, but most likely they wouldn't even let you in! There was the most handsome person there tonight! No one but Severus danced with him! Not even the prince, who had been in attendance!"
"What I pity I missed it, sir!" said Harry sadly.
"Lord Snape is holding another Ball! The gorgeous unknown ran out of the Ball as if the hounds of Hell were on him! So, Lord Snape wants him to come back, so he's holding another Ball! Another Ball! What fun it will be!"
"Why did he leave early, sir?"
"Who knows! The clock struck midnight, and the person left! But, he did leave his cloak in the cloakroom! Now, turn down my bed, Cinderfella!"
"Yes sir."
Harry went to sleep knowing that his one love loved him back. How he had fallen in love, and realized it so quickly, he did not know but he would not question it. Even just thinking about his Severus sent shivers up and down his spine. He fell asleep happy.
The very next night, after the Dursleys had already left for the second Ball, his dogfather came back and outfitted Harry in even more splendid robes than before. He gave him his usual warnings about leaving before midnight, and then set him on his way to see his beloved.
He danced the evening away again in his beloved's arms, and even when Severus asked him not to leave at midnight, Harry departed quickly and quietly. Only with the help of his dogfather's magic was Harry able to escape without any problems.
Back at the castle, when he heard of his beloved's escape from the guards, he vowed that at the next Ball, Harry would not even move one step without him knowing about it. All he wanted was his love; was that so much to ask for? Severus did not even know his love's name, but it didn't matter; things like that were miniscule compared to his love's disappearance every night.
He was willing to do anything in order to get his Beloved back. He contacted all the counties, all the Lords and Ladies, all the mayors of every town in the land of Hogwarts but nothing came up. It was as if the man didn't even exist! Who was he? Where did he live?
When Harry got back to the Dursley household, he had decided to tell his Severus everything, starting with who he was. However, his plans would be dashed to pieces. His uncle had been waiting for him in his room when he got home. Uncle Vernon now knew that Harry was not in the house whenever the Dursleys left.
"You dare go out while we weren't here today? Just you wait, boy, you will be punished so badly that you won't even think of leaving the house anymore!" warned his Uncle, before leaving the room.
What Harry did not know was just that afternoon, a man had come to the Dursleys asking if they had any servants they could sell to him. Now, the Dursleys hated Harry, and would do anything to get rid of him. If they could make money and get rid of him at the same time, that was even better!
The next morning, at the crack of dawn, his uncle gleefully woke Harry up and told him that he had been sold to Master Lucius Malfoy. At that moment, Harry's entire world collapsed. There would be no more Balls, no more visiting his Severus, no more talking to his dogfather, no more anything. Master Malfoy had a horrible reputation as a cruel Master. He would buy slaves and less than a month later, they would mysteriously go missing. Most of the subjects believed that Malfoy used the slaves and then destroyed them. When Master Malfoy came buy to pick up his slave, he was astonished to see how beautiful Harry was. It was then that Malfoy knew that he would love to completely break the boy.
Now, Severus had not been doing anything while Harry was taken away from the Dursley household. He had instructed his advisor to find any type of identification from the two cloaks now left in the cloakroom. Dumbledore went over each other cloaks carefully, and found the little insignia sewn into the bottom of the cloaks. It was the combination of both the Potter and the Heir of Gryffindor seals. He immediately knew that only one person would be considered the Heir of Gryffindor Harry Potter.
"Severus. I know who your mysterious love is," reported Dumbledore.
"Well?"
"Well what, my dear boy?"
"WHO IS IT, Albus?"
"It is one Harry Potter."
"Potter? As in the Heir of Gryffindor, Potter? Lily and James Potter's SON?" asked Severus astonished.
"Yes, my dear boy. Harry, who is the rightful heir of Gryffindor, is the person who you call your beloved."
"Well, where is he hiding?"
"What?"
"Albus, I do not care that he is a Potter. I do not care what he is. Just, where is he?"
"He was left with his mother's family, the Dursleys. They live in a little town called Surrey in the south of Gryffindor."
"Great, the farthest you can get from here. Well, where is that darn portkey?" he asked.
"Just a minute, my boy. It is being created right now."
"Well, hurry up!"
"Calm down, Severus, calm down. There's no need to be impatient. I'm sure he's there, waiting for your arrival!"
"You better hope so, old man; otherwise you will have one angry Snape after you."
"Ah! Here it is. Now, on the count of three. One, two, three!"
The portkey left the duo on the front steps of the fairly large Dursley Manor. Severus impatiently rang the doorbell and the door opened, as if all by itself. Looking around, he saw a great big black dog sitting in the doorway.
"Ah! Sirius! How are you today?" asked Dumbledore.
"Why are you talking to a dog, Albus?" asked Severus.
"I may be a dog, but I am much better than you, Snape!" said the dog.
"Where is Harry, Sirius?" asked Dumbledore.
"Well, unfortunately Albus, I could do nothing so, Harry isn't here anymore. He was sold off to a Master Lucius Malfoy," replied the dog sadly.
"He was sold? To Malfoy? Albus, change the portkey's destination to Malfoy Manor, Slytherin!" ordered Severus.
"Of course, Severus, calm down!" Albus took out the elaborate paperweight, which had served as the portkey, and changed its destination. Soon, they were whirling away to Malfoy Manor, Slytherin hoping to find Harry. When they arrived there, Severus threw open the door and ran into the Manor.
Screams could be heard coming from the dungeons, so naturally the duo headed down there. The sight they saw astonished them. Harry was sitting on a stool, while Lucius was being tickled to death by invisible hands!
"Harry!" said Severus.
"Severus?" whispered Harry. He smiled slowly, and then began to grin. His beloved had come for him! He ran to his Severus and jumped into his open arms. Neither could believe that they were finally with the person they loved.
"Severus? Harry?" said Albus. "We need to be going."
"Do you have anything here that you need?" asked Severus.
"No. There is nothing that I want here or at the Dursleys. But, what about Sirius?"
"You can send him a letter once we reach Snape Manor, okay?"
Harry merely nodded into Severus' chest as he had yet to release Severus from his arms. They grabbed the portkey and they were whisked back to Snape Manor.
And so they lived happily ever after, or so everyone attending their marriage hoped. Well, they did live happily ever after except for when they got into fights. Oh, and when Harry was giving birth to their three children: one boy and twin girls. Harry was told of his heritage and his inheritance of the county of Gryffindor. His marriage to Severus brought the control of both Gryffindor and Slytherin under their combined rule, yet the counties were never merged. It could have been from the fact that they were at opposite ends of the land, and never touched but who knows? But even after their death at 100 years, well Severus was actually 110 but who's counting, the Potter-Snape story became legendary. Even until today, the story of Cinderfella, the young man who won the heart of the Lord, is told to youngsters all throughout the land.