DISCLAIMER; HP belongs to JKR. The story line and all new characters, new character development, new developments are my intellectual property.

AU, I wrote a few fairy tales with HP characters playing roles in traditional adult fairy tales.

Be warned and mind the rating, it is a fairytale of sorts but it contains scenes which might be better suited for older readers.

Chapter 1: The Molly stepmother and Cinder

The Molly-stepmother and the Cinder-Witch

There was a ginger-haired witch

who lived in a shoe

she had seven children

and didn't know what to do…

Once upon a time in a faraway land, far from here and closer to there, lived a young witch. Her name was Hermione Jane Granger, the daughter of Count E.R. Granger, a court favorite. She was a baby the day her mother was murdered; the same day that her father sunk into desolation.

Since she was very young, she did everything expected of any titled witch her age, namely, learned her lessons, good manners, to embroider, and all other valued activities for a titled young lady. If that were not enough, she also took care of his father's employees; thus, she often visited the poor and fed them. Lastly, being a highly intelligent young lady, she served as his father's chatelaine from the time she was six. Oh yes, she was nearly perfection, and everyone knows how perfection attracts envy and other similar followers.

When she was eight she went to visit the house of the Widow Weasley for the first time, a witch who lived in a house resembling a shoe. Her husband had worked for her father as the captain of one the ships. Sadly, it went down during a scrimmage at sea, and everyone aboard was declared dead; the reason was simple, nobody could have survived in those shark-infested waters.

At the Weasley's shoe house, Hermione took a liking to Ron, the youngest son. She quickly decided that he would look better after he washed and had better clothes, and the rest was history. What happened next was only her fault, it started by inviting Ron to the estate's yearly Easter egg hunt. To her dismay, the day of the hunt he didn't come alone and instead decided to bring half of his siblings plus his mother; and, alas, hunting was precisely what the Weasley widow did, for a rich husband – the nerve of the nosy, nasty witch.

Hermione politely brought her into the house to introduce her sad father at the older witch's insistent request, and she was sure that Ron's mother grabbed the opportunity to feed her handsome father a love potion. Molly was the name of the attractive ginger-head witch, who told her father how much she loved his daughter and blah, blah.

It wasn't long before they were married, and Hermione's hell started. Her father was often gone to sea to work; he had told Molly that he was a merchant for the crown. Shall we say, not quite a merchant, but one who engaged in sea-piracy and sold the stolen goods, he was the crown's pirate; a profession known to often land him on a filthy jail, or, until such time when he could be rescued.

Nine Years Later-

Molly's despair grew; her husband was coming back after five years at sea, and she wanted the girl out the way. His absences suited her fine since they allowed her to govern the manor as she saw fit.

Molly didn't want Hermione to report to the Count her multiple failings, and the list was long, and some were worse that the others, such as, how she had appropriated the vault at the very instance he was gone; or how Hermione had been taken out from Hogwarts' Academy for fine ladies, within the year of his departure; or the small matter of Hermione 's abject treatment.

Her husband would particularly dislike that his beloved daughter was forced to wait on her stepbrothers; and would like even less her sleeping quarters, in the drafty tower over a hay pallet after she lost her room to Ginny, her daughter. Never mind that Hermione's wand had been destroyed, and she often went hungry; oh dear, how she wished for the young witch to be gone.

Even worse, Molly was adamant that the ugly stepdaughter wouldn't make a better match than her darling Ginevra, the apple of her eye; hence she would deny Hermione any opportunity to be in society and partake in the rights of her birth. The ugly child dared to have more than a Pureblood witch, Ginny; and she'd need to pay; and paying, paying…she was paying and would keep doing so.

•-Guests and Courting–•

That evening, Hermione sat at the library waiting for another suitors' parade. She had decided that the best way to tolerate her insufferables was to fill her ears with soft washed and carded wool, which she, herself, had cut from the sheep. Afterwards she would sit in front of the visitors appearing not only dimwitted but also a bit deaf. She added a little drool to escape her lips once in a while, for effect.

Her former maneuver to wear a gown way too large and stuffed with pillows, along with uncombed and unwashed hair, no longer worked, and now Molly made sure to check Hermione before the insufferable and horrid courting visits.

"This indecent gown has to go," she whispered in anger, she despised it. Her corset was so tight as to restrict her breathing; it pushed her bosoms up to her neck barely covering her nipples, the back was half-bare, and the silk of the gown was so transparent you could clearly see the outline of her body. She was for sale and that was a fact.

Something was going at the Manor, she was made to dress and then locked up in the library. Oh well, read a book, she got as comfortable as she could and opened her book, on alchemy philosophers of the turn of the millennium. Good choice, it was fascinating.

Hermione's silly stepmother had declared that she was starting to 'stink of mothballs' at barely 18 years. And made sure to tell her about how Ginevra's beauty had attracted no less than three lords, now bidding for her hand; or was the attraction her dowry, her rich Muggle father's gift, of an unheard of 10,000 galleons for his adopted daughter.

And her father had given each of the six step-brothers a rent of 2,120 galleons per year, which had not even touched the wealthy coffers of her father's fortune, rumored to have been earned aboard pirate ships. He thought that Hermione didn't know, but she did.

What Molly didn't know, wouldn't hurt her; the fact that all his money with the exception of 30,000 galleons, and a fashionable London flat left to Molly, had already been transferred to Hermione's vault, where she also kept her late mother's jewelry.

The money Molly believed to have skimmed from her father, Hermione had released with an Owl exchange with Gringotts. They had contacted her for approval to let Molly take the funds. For Molly to take additional large sums, it would require Hermione's approval, no matter what tricks she employed.

Hermione now corresponded with her father behind Molly's back, and with the help on old servant. His father had been writing since a year ago, after being freed from 'detention' over 'grave misunderstandings at sea.'

He seemed aghast to have married Molly, thus the love potion must have stopped working after such a long time; there couldn't be any other explanation. He also wrote to her about meeting the widow of the 125 years old Goyle. Hermione shouldn't worry because Irina Goyle wasn't one hundred plus, instead, she was less than 40. He would tell Hermione all about her when he got back. He was on his way, but he had been half way around the world at the time he had been 'detained,' so it would be a while.

It was unfortunate that his father wanted her to be married to anyone, and that he was in agreement with Molly in finding her a husband. Her inheritance was hers, but she had to be a married woman to be independent and be able to access her gold. Once she was married, then she could leave the husband; however, she didn't want to risk her entire future and find herself stuck in a horrible marriage. She had a romantic heart and wanted to marry for love.

As for Molly, she wanted the bluestocking, as Ginny un-graciously called her after the years of helping Ron, to make a disgraceful match. She wanted that oaf of Crabbe to be all over her, or that pompous ponce Lord Draco Malfoy who was lovers with the frilly Italian, Blaise, as Fred and George had duly informed her.

Ah, George and Fred were not bad, except they were afraid to stand up to their mother, and their wives ordered her around as all the rest, all fools. They all loved to be served by the aristocrat in order to put her in her 'place.'

Unexpected Library Visitors

"Ah, a most beautiful flower hiding inside the inked pages, and who do we have here?"

A tall, handsome stranger dressed in fine garments, stood by the unsuspecting witch, who was reading and wool gathering at the same time.

"Your Majesty, this is Hermione— DARLING," a strident voice at the door called, if it weren't Percy. Hermione chose to ignore Percy, too bad that his screams penetrated her homemade ear-plugs.

"Hermione, I have been thinking, that perhaps I could marry you, ahem as you mentioned. Excuse Your Majesty, would you please follow me, the party isn't here at the library; I beg you, please be so kind and follow me. I want to introduce you to the real beauty, my sister Ginevra—"

Unknown to Hermione, the something they were having was a ball; hence, they had stashed her at the library. Unfortunately, or perhaps, luckily, Percy had forgotten to lock the door. It was true, he did want to marry her and that was the reason he only found her the most unsuitable suitors; besides, he was jealous of His Majesty. He could care less about his mother's nefarious wishes; he pined for his beautiful stepsister; and his blood boiled when she was around.

His Majesty

Percy was sweating and thinking, Dear me, she supposed to have been under lock and key; at least he had casted a silencing charm around the room to block the sounds of the ongoing festivity.

Hermione had been at their country manor until earlier that day when she had been made to Floo into the tower. The Floo was open for once, in lieu of being locked as it stayed to prevent her escape. Once in her room, she had minutes to dress and Side-Along with Percy straight into the library, since she was unable to Apparate on her own.

"Do leave Sir Percy, your services aren't needed. I mean leave right this instance, unless you fancy losing your head." His imperious Majesty demanded.

Percy didn't want to leave her because his mother would kill him, and he would lose her. Of the later, he was certain after seeing the gleam in the other wizard's eyes, and now he hated his mom for dressing his Hermione like a strumpet, and for selling her out to the highest bidder. He should have acted sooner but he'd had a win-win plan, to rid his mother of the 'un-marriageable' witch .

"But Your Majesty, this is most impropriate—"

CM-

a/n Surely do you know who His Majesty is. No we have Cinder-ella better CinderMione, the evil stepmother, the evil step brothers, the main one being Ron, and the stepsister Ginevra...hmm. What else? Poor Hermione, no wand, only Owl access when lucky, doesn't know anyone outside, and women-witches had zero rights. Are we ready yet?