A/N: I would like to thank Gemsibob for the idea for this story after reading her story Once Upon A Time, and for the permission to use her idea and make my own fairy tale plot. I have also been dying to try a FemHarry/Draco story, so here we are. This is also my first story in third person rather than first, so please forgive me if it's a bit off.
Everyone was sick of it. Those two had become a complete menace to the school, and something needed to be done. This year was especially bad, and even Ron and Hermione were rolling their eyes when the two enemies met in the hallway. Draco Malfoy and Holly Potter were utterly ridiculous.
"When are they going to figure it out and duck into a broom closet?" Ron asked Hermione tactlessly.
She rolled her eyes, but even she had to admit that things had escalated. Just this morning they had almost leveled the Entrance Hall and were now serving detentions in the trophy room.
"I have no idea but it's obvious to everyone that they have some sexual tension that needs to be worked out."
"Who does?" Holly asked as she entered the common room and joined her two best friends on their favorite couch.
"Ugh, Holly, you reek of polish." Hermione said as she rolled her nose.
Holly grinned at her and rubbed her hands in Hermione's face.
Hermione squealed and ran off and Holly and Ron laughed after her.
"So what were you two talking about?" She asked her best friend.
"You and Draco. Everyone says the two of you need to shag and get it over with."
Holly scoffed. "I wouldn't touch that snake with a ten foot pole."
Ron laughed. "You do have a way with snakes."
Holly narrowed her eyes at him. "You think he is so brilliant, Ronald Weasley, have at him."
She got up and stomped up the stairs to her room. She was going to shower and call it a night.
When Holly had finally drifted off to sleep, however, she realized she was having another of her visions. Only this time everything was wrong. It felt real, but her scar didn't hurt, and there was no one else around.
She was in a forest by herself and there were no sounds besides the usual forest critters.
"Princess! We must go! Your parents are awaiting you for your birthday celebration!"
She turned to the person calling her. It was a plump elderly lady that reminded her very much of Mrs. Weasley.
"Princess? Do you mean me?"
The woman smiled kindly. "Of course I mean you! Come on, we need to get you ready for the ball so you can meet your betrothed."
"Betrothed?"
"Yes Princess, the Prince has been eagerly awaiting your arrival."
"I just bet he has." Holly muttered quietly to herself. She decided to play along and see what was really going on.
She followed the kind lady to a small cottage not far from where she had been, and watched at the woman grabbed some bags and threw them into a carriage before ushering Holly along after them.
"The King and Queen are so excited to have you home after sixteen long years, Princess Holly. Now that they are sure the curse has worn off, they are eager to have their daughter back. I am sure you feel the same."
"Curse? What curse?"
"Why the sleeping curse, Milady. The evil witch Bellatrix placed a curse on you the day you were born that before you turned sixteen you would fall into a deep sleep for one thousand years, only to be awakened by true love's first kiss."
"But today is my sixteenth birthday?"
The old woman nodded. "We sure showed her!"
Holly wasn't so sure. She knew that the witch still had several hours left in the day to put this curse into effect. She held her tongue, however, and looked outside the carriage. She saw a castle in the distance and gasped. It looked remarkably like Hogwarts.
"Is that my parents' castle?"
The woman nodded. "Isn't it beautiful? It is so lovely to be home again after all of these years."
The carriage eventually pulled into the front of the castle, and the servants hurried over to help them and usher Princess Holly to her rooms.
She looked around the castle as she was brought up to her tower and realized it was exactly like Hogwarts but without the trick stairs. Her bedroom was where the Gryffindor common room should be.
She looked in the mirror and saw that she was still herself, but she was wearing an old fashioned peasant's dress. She sat down on the bed and pondered her predicament. Surely this was some sort of odd trick of Voldemort's doing. What was he playing at?
There was nothing more for her to do but to continue to go along with it. She felt around herself for her wand and realized for the first time that she didn't have it. Panic started to wash over her in wave after wave like buckets of ice water being dumped on her head. Did she drop it in the forest or had she never had it to begin with?
I just need to stay extra alert. She told herself.
Some servants came in carrying a tub and filled it with hot water for her. They left the room and she looked warily at the tub. Was it going to swallow her? Drown her?
She took a deep calming breath and decided that there was only one way to find out. She took her clothes off and slowly sank into the tub. It didn't cause her any harm at all. In fact, it was quite relaxing. She soaked in the hot water for a bit and scrubbed herself clean. She wrapped the towels around herself and sat in front of the fireplace to dry herself off.
More servants entered the room and helped her plait her hair with green ribbons that matched her emerald eyes, and put her into a green ball gown. Everyone always wanted to dress her in green, she thought with amusement. Even Mrs. Weasley had always made her green sweaters for Christmas. She didn't have the heart to tell any of them that her favorite color was actually yellow.
"Do you know anything about this prince?" She asked the ladies.
"No, Miss. His father rules the next kingdom over, but we have never seen him before."
"Do you know his name at least?"
"No, Miss. All we have heard is that he was born the same year you were and that he is very handsome."
"At least he isn't old." Holly muttered under her breath.
"All finished." One of the maids told her.
She took a proper look at herself in the mirror and smiled. She really did look like a princess. She even had a tiara on her head. Her long black hair was in a thick braid over her shoulder with ribbons woven through it. Her ball gown was off the shoulder and showed a bit of cleavage, but not so much that she was uncomfortable. It hugged her tiny waist and puffed a bit at her hips from the tulle skirts she was wearing under it.
They escorted her out of her rooms and downstairs to the great hall. The hall was decorated beautifully for the celebration. She noticed the enchanted ceiling was even still there. At the teacher's platform were three thrones.
"The Princess Holly." Someone announced as she entered and everyone turned to stare at her.
At least she was used to that, she thought. She glanced around the hall and almost fainted when she saw the king and queen. It was her real parents, and not people who resembled them.
That's impossible! She thought.
They smiled kindly at her, and she felt like she was in a trance. She walked over to them slowly and touched each of them to make sure they were real.
"Is it really you?" She asked, feeling the sting of tears in her eyes.
They smiled and nodded.
"Welcome home, my dear, sweet Holly." Her father said.
She hugged them before she could stop herself and cried on their shoulders.
When she pulled herself together and wiped her tears, she saw that they had been crying too, but were still smiling at her.
"Happy Birthday, Darling." Her mother said and kissed her cheek.
"Are you ready to meet your prince?" Her father asked.
Her stomach turned, but she smiled at them and nodded. They led her to the throne on the far left and she sat. Her father sat next to her, and her mother next to him.
People came up to kneel before the newly returned princess and both pledge their loyalty as well as wish her a happy birthday. She thanked all of them.
Finally, someone announced the arrival of the prince and his parents. She wanted to cry again, but for a different reason.
"Your Majesties, King Lucius and Queen Narcissa, and their son, Prince Draco."
Holly groaned to herself as she watched her arch nemesis and his parents walk into the room. She noticed he seemed relatively surprised to see her as well. It was the first time someone else in this dream had recognized her as not belonging here. They kneeled before her and she had to stop the smirk that was appearing across her face.
She nodded to each of them in turn, and her father greeted them.
"Welcome to our kingdom, King Lucius. I hope you and your family will be comfortable here and find our humble palace to your liking."
"Thank you, Your Highness." He said.
Holly could tell this was not really Lucius. This man had a kind look about him. She looked at him curiously.
"Allow me to introduce my daughter, Princess Holly." Her father said proudly.
"Ah yes, she is quite the beauty, James."
He took her hand and kissed the top of it and she tried not to cringe.
"Your Majesty." She greeted.
"Why don't we allow these two to get to know each other, shall we?" Her father suggested.
She smiled at him and took Draco's offered arm.
When they were away from prying ears, she turned to him.
"Draco, is that really you?"
"Of course it's me." He snapped.
"I mean, you recognize me? You know this shouldn't be happening?"
He nodded. "Did you get to keep your wand, Potter?"
She shook her head. "No, and I have no idea what's going on. They said I was some princess and brought me here. Draco, those are really my parents, but how can that be? Something is off about your father too."
He nodded. "You noticed that too?"
"Straight away."
"Well, you are supposed to be the hero, what do you suggest we do?" He asked.
"I think we should continue to play along until we flush out the culprit. They already let slip that Bellatrix put a curse on me, so I think Voldemort is behind this somehow." She said under her breath.
He hissed. "Why on earth would The Dark Lord trap us in a fairy tale of some sort? Don't you think you are being a bit paranoid?"
She raised her eyebrow at him. "Really? Then why are we in the same dream? Who else would do this?"
"I have no idea, but like you said, we need to play along and see what happens. Did they tell you what the curse was?"
She swallowed. "They said I was cursed to fall into a thousand year sleep. I could only be awakened by true love's first kiss."
He laughed. "That's easy, just look around for whoever your boyfriend is, and tell him to kiss you when the curse comes into effect."
She frowned at him. "You really are thick, aren't you, Malfoy?"
His face went even paler than usual. "Me? We can't stand each other. If you are relying on me to wake you up like that, you are about to have a really long nap, Potter."
"No, Malfoy. I do not expect you to wake me up like that. It wouldn't work anyway. That's the point, isn't it? Only my true love can wake me up, and seeing as how I have no feelings like that towards anyone, I am screwed. I think you are meant to help me make it past midnight."
He snorted. "Or not. This could be a test. If the Dark Lord really is behind this, he could be testing my loyalty."
She looked at him, surprised. She had known his father was a Death Eater since second year, but she thought Draco was better than that. More of an annoyance, really. She slowly backed away from him.
"Where are you going?" He asked her, and seeing the fear in her eyes when she looked at him, he realized what he had said.
"Holly, wait. I'm not one of them, I am only buying my time until you do your hero thing. I don't want that life." He said it almost desperate for her to understand, and he looked relived when she stopped backing away.
"Would you like a glass of wine, Milady?" One of the servants asked her.
She nodded and took the goblet. "Thank you."
She took a sip of her wine to relax, and fell forward. Draco barley caught her in his arms.
There was a loud cackling and he recognized it as his aunt.
"The Princess has fallen!" She shouted in glee. "She will sleep for one thousand years, and awake to find her entire family and loved ones gone!"
Draco glared at the witch as she danced across the room and disappeared. He looked down, and Holly was gone. He looked around for her and saw everyone else falling into the same sleep.
He did the only thing his could do, and ran out of the castle. When he made it out, he looked back and saw Devil's Snare and large vines covered in roses quickly surrounding the castle and grounds.
A plump older woman appeared before him. "Do you wish to save the princess?"
"How? She said only her true love could save her. Even if I could get to her, what would I do then?" He asked. He didn't realize until then that he really did want to save her.
"Look deep into your heart, Prince Draco. Are you sure about that? Do you not secretly love the fair princess deep in your soul where you hide it from all others?" She smiled kindly at him. "I have placed the same spell on the rest of the castle. They are all sleeping and waking the princess will break the spell."
"How? I don't have my wand!"
She frowned at him. "You have a sword, dear prince. You must prove your love for her with feats of courage. She is in her tower." The old woman said, and disappeared.
Draco sighed and sat down to think. Sure, he had thought Holly was pretty, any bloke with eyes could see that. Even when she was in her ragamuffin muggle clothes, she was clearly still adorable. But thinking a girl was cute did not mean he loved her, or even liked her. Did it?
He looked at the castle again. He couldn't just leave her in there. It wouldn't be very gentlemanly of him. He stood up and pulled his sword. He stepped towards the vines and started slashing.
"Are you really risking your life to save that girl?" A voice asked him.
He turned around, but didn't see anyone.
"Up here."
He looked up and saw a tiny fairy floating in the air. She looked like Granger.
"I hardly thing cutting some weeds is risking my life." He replied as he continued to slash the vines.
"You didn't hear the old woman? You had to complete acts of courage. There are dangers hidden in here, Prince. I ask again, are you really going to risk your own life for hers?"
"Yes." He replied.
"Good. Then allow me to bestow a gift upon you for your journey." The Hermione fairy said.
He felt his body get a bit heavier, and looked down to see that he was now wearing a silver armored breast plate and greaves. He chuckled and realized he had just been transformed into a knight in shining armor to save the person who should actually have been the one out here cutting these wretched vines.
He realized that had it been him in there and Holly out here, she wouldn't have hesitated like he had. She would have gone charging into that castle if she had to hack the vines away with her teeth. She would have tried. It wouldn't have mattered to her who was trapped in that castle.
He started cutting faster.
What felt like hours later, he finally stopped to take a breath. He was exhausted and only wanted to sleep. It must be dawn by now.
I get the feeling she was right. This is not just some crazy dream. He touched his cheek where a thorn had caught him and looked at the blood. The pain and exhaustion were real. It was getting cold and he wished he had his wand. He scowled. When I get my hands on the person responsible for this, they are going to wish they were dead.
"You have made it quite far. I congratulate you." Said a different tiny voice.
He looked up and saw another tiny fairy, but this one looked like that oddball Luna. He sighed and figured he was losing his mind when he realized he was actually happy to see her.
"How far have I gotten?"
She smiled and tilted her head thoughtfully. "You are almost there. I am here to grant you another gift. You have shown true determination to save the princess. I wish you well, Prince."
A fire lit in front of him and a cloak dropped over his shoulders. A picnic basket appeared in front of him as well. He looked up again to thank her, but she was gone.
He opened the basket and was pleased to find that it was filled to the brim with food. There was soup, bread, cheese, and even some chicken legs. There was also a bottle of pumpkin juice. He tucked in and ate as much as he could. When he finished and looked at the basket again, he noticed it looked the same as it had when he first opened it. The bottle of juice was full as well. He wrapped the cloak tighter around him and laid down in front of the fire to sleep.
When he awoke again he couldn't tell how long he had been asleep. It was dark under the cover of the vines, and one couldn't tell night from day. He fashioned a crude torch and lit it from the dying fire in front of him and continued along his way.
The fairy had been right. He couldn't have been working more than an hour and he found the front door to the castle.
"You made it. It's about bloody time." It was another small voice.
Draco looked up and this time it was a Ron fairy. He couldn't help himself. He burst into a fit of laughter.
"Oh ha ha. Are you going to stand there all day or are you going to rescue the princess?"
"I was rescuing her until you interrupted me." Draco sneered.
"Here. Take this gift as another congratulations from the fairies." Ron said.
A shield materialized in front of Draco and he looked at it warily. "I thought I was already through the hard part."
"You have just begun, Prince. I hope you can keep that sense of humor about you." Ron said, and popped away.
Draco sighed and picked up the shield. He shook his head at his own madness and took another deep healing breath before pushing the castle doors open. He had a pretty good idea where she was. She would obviously be in Gryffindor Tower.
He stepped into the silent castle, and walked warily up the stairs.
This place is creepy when it's all quiet like this. He thought.
He heard a dragging sound ahead of him on the stairs and stopped walking to listen. He had to stop himself from calling out. The old woman had said that she had put everyone to sleep. Whatever that sound was, it wasn't something he wanted to call to him.
He crept silently ahead, hoping to get a look at whatever it was barring his path before it saw him so he could formulate a plan. He lay flat on his stomach and pulled himself slowly around the corner of the stairs and had to shove his fist in his mouth to stop from screaming.
This is only the second obstacle? He thought, horrified. He was sure that even Holly had not faced the giant snake Nagini yet. Of course, if the rumors were true, the Dark Lord wouldn't have put the snake against Holly. It was probably the only living creature she could kill without hesitating. That snake was the only thing he loved, according to the rumors.
He crept slowly backward down the stairs so he could think. There was no moving forward without killing the snake. She was on the main stairwell and he had to pass her before he had other options on which direction to go. As far as he knew, there was only one sure way to kill a snake. You had to chop it's head off.
He took a shaky breath and stood. Might as well get this over with. He crept back up the stairs and peeked around the corner again. The great snake was still slithering around. He stepped around the corner to face it. It coiled up and hissed at him and he pulled his sword and charged it. It reared back and tried to strike, but he blocked it with the shield and spun to slice it's head off. The head went spinning off and the body fell. He kicked it to make sure it was dead, but it didn't move.
His adrenaline was pumping now, and he ran forward to face his next challenge. He couldn't help but smile to himself. He had done it! He had killed Nagini! He thought that after her, there was nothing else that could stop him. He didn't dare take any secret passageways. He was sure that whatever was in them more than made up for the shortcut. He got to the top of the main staircase and was faced with his first choice. Left or right? He had no way of knowing what was in either direction, so he went with his first instinct and turned up the left staircase.
He regretted immediately. He walked slowly backwards and tried to go to the right instead, but the stairs were gone. He really wished he had his wand. He looked again to be sure he had seen them. There were about ten inferi wandering around in the second floor corridor. He grabbed a torch from the wall and moved forward. They spotted him and moved to grab him. He thrust the torch at them, and killed them all one by one. When he was finished he sat down and caught his breath. This was going to be a long day.
How does Holly deal with this crap? He wondered to himself.
"That girl is a bloody moron." He answered himself. "When I wake her up, I am going to talk some sense into her." He growled as he pulled himself up to face his next challenge.
He got to the third floor corridor and listened. He didn't hear anything, so he moved forward. Just when he thought he was clear and about to move up to the fourth floor, something stepped out and blocked his path. It was a sphinx.
"Do you wish to pass, valiant knight?" She asked him.
"Yes."
"Are you sure? In order to pass you must answer my riddle. If you answer and fail, I will kill you. You can turn back now and keep your life, or you can try to answer my riddle and move forward."
He thought for a second. He was fairly clever, and he was sure he could deal with a riddle.
"If I do not answer after you ask, am I still free to leave?"
"Yes."
"I will take the riddle."
"I can run but not walk. Wherever I go, thought follows. What am I?"
He repeated her question and sat down to think for a minute. He repeated it over and over in his head. It took him twenty minutes, and then he slapped his hand to his forehead and stood up. It was often the most simple of answers that were the hardest.
"You are a nose." He stated.
"Are you sure?"
He nodded.
"Very good, Knight."
She moved aside and allowed him to pass.
That wasn't so bad. He thought to himself.
He cleared the fourth floor, and smiled as he made it to the fifth floor where the entrance to Gryffindor Tower was.
That was, until he saw what was curled up in front of the entrance to the common room.
A fucking DRAGON?!
Was he supposed to slay a dragon for her? He could reason himself with the idea that she hadn't done it herself, either. He had watched her do it. That was when the thought struck him. He had seen her do it. He saw what she did, and he knew that all he had to do was get the dragon to move aside.
Right. That's all. Just ask the dragon if it wouldn't mind stepping aside for a bit. He mocked himself.
He looked around for something to throw down the corridor in the opposite direction. He didn't want that thing running towards him. He grabbed another torch off of the wall and blew it out. He walked as close as he could without the dragon being able to see him, and threw the torch as afr over the dragon's head as he could get.
It picked it's head up and looked, but didn't move, so he did it again. The dragon moved in the direction of the sound, and he grabbed a few more torches to throw further down the corridor. He saw the dragon slow down and he threw another for good measure. He finally reached the entrance to Gryffindor tower and was relieved to see that he didn't have to give a password.
He slipped inside of the door quickly and closed it quietly behind him. He looked around the room and saw more rose vines, but these were not obstructing him. In fact, they were wrapped around the room and across the top of the king sized bed centered in the room. He gasped when he saw her.
She was lying in the center of the bed, and looked so peaceful and radiant.
Merlin, she is beautiful. He thought to himself.
He sat next to her on the bed and stroked her cheek. She really looked as though she were just having a peaceful night's sleep. He was almost hesitant to wake her, but he knew he should.
"I really hope this works." He said to himself.
He leaned forward and grazed her lips with his.
Nothing happened. He felt like his heart had broken. He hadn't realized how badly he wanted it to be him until he saw her.
Maybe it has to be better. He thought to himself.
"Please wake up, Holly. I just realized that I do love you." He said, and leaned in for a better kiss. This time he pressed a bit harder and gave her a real kiss. One that probably would have gotten him slapped before this happened.
He felt her love and put her arms around his neck.
"Draco." She whispered.
"Yes, Love. It's me." He answered.
She did something then that he hadn't expected. She slapped him in the back of the head.
"You GIT!" She shouted. "I was watching everything! I could see and hear everything you said. You called me a moron?"
He laughed and pulled her to him for another kiss.
"You realize what this means, right? I am your true love, Holly." He said with a smirk.
She growled at him. "Do you think the spell is broken?"
He took her hand. "Let's go look."
Holly opened the door to the fifth floor corridor and woke up in her own bed. She sat up and looked around. It had only been a dream. She frowned and looked down. In her lap was a green ribbon. She looked out the window. It was morning, and she wondered if Draco remembered the dream or if it had only been her from the start.
She took a shower and got dressed for the day and clutched the ribbon in her hand as she walked down to the great hall for breakfast. She saw Draco leaning against the wall outside of the hall alone and he was playing with a green ribbon exactly like hers.
They locked eyes across the entrance hall and ran towards each other. She leapt into his arms and wrapped her legs around his waist.
"I love you, Holly." He said.
"I love you too, Draco." She replied.
He kissed her again knowing for sure this time it was real.