Part of the Fairy Tale Princess series – First one is Hermione Granger as Cinderella
Once upon a time, there was a rich duke and his fair duchess. They lived in an enormous mansion, with many, many servants and maids. They invited their many friends and had company almost everyday.
One day to their delight, they had a daughter. The named her Hermione. Ever since Hermione got her first taste of books, she read them day and night. Hermione became very clever, and knew all stories and folktales and history of daring knights and forbidden kingdoms. Hermione enjoyed reading storybooks with her mother and father every night before she went to sleep.
Hermione was seven when her mother died of leukemia. Hermione knew all about leukemia, of course. And to her sadness, she knew her mother would not be able to survive it. She knew of the cure – the sacred leaf. But that was found all they way over thousand mountains, on the other side of the world. Everything was hopeless.
Hermione cried everyday for her mother. She was lonely, and she locked herself in her room reading her books to keep herself from the pain she had felt. Hermione's father, feeling incredibly sorry for Hermione, decided to marry again.
It was almost dinner time, and Hermione was preparing dinner for her and her father. She waited for her father patiently, reading her books. Her father came at last – with a woman and two young girls about her age.
Her father introduced the woman as Loretta, and announced to Hermione that he will soon be wed to her. He then showed her Loretta's two daughters, Pansy and Giselle.
Deeply shocked, but Hermione showed her calmness and politely greeted Loretta and her daughters – her soon-to-be stepsisters.
Her father's wedding was very soon, and Hermione sadly watched him laugh with Loretta, thinking of her mother.
One day, her father announced to Hermione and her stepmother and sisters that he would be going away on a trip for business. He kissed Hermione on both cheeks and asked her to behave. Tearfully, Hermione asked him not to leave on such a long journey.
Several days later, Hermione got a letter from Loretta saying that her father had passed away due to violent weather and poor health condition. Hermione weeped and weeped, and prayed to her mother to keep watching over her.
Loretta mistreated Hermione rather badly. She made her clean the entire house, and dismissed the servants. Hermione also had to cook for every meal for her stepmother and sisters. She was to move out of her grand room to an attic upstairs, and give up all her jewels and silk to Pansy and Giselle. Reluctantly, Hermione obeyed, tears glistening in her eyes. She was now and orphan and had no choice. Besides, Hermione was warm-hearted. She always did what she was told.
………………………….
Days went by, and Hermione grew up into a young beautiful woman. Loretta was furious that Hermione seemed to outshine her two daughters no matter how dirty her rags were, she kept on ordering Hermione to do dirty work and bought Pansy and Giselle rich, expensive jewels.
Pansy and Giselle also ordered her around and mocked her for her dirty clothes. They taunted her when their laundries weren't done, or when their soup was not hot enough. They made her make their beds, and clean every single dust off their windows.
Day by day it was the same situation for Hermione. After a day of muscle-aching work, Hermione would sit by her window and prayed to her parents to look over her. She befriended mice and birds that occasionally flew to her window. She talked to them, and took out her old tattered books and read to them.
Hermione was sweeping her living room when there was a knock on the door.
"Someone's at the door!" Pansy shrieked, munching on her pudding, ordering Hermione to answer it.
Hermione opened the door curiously, and saw a plump man dressed in rich silk in style of a page boy standing at the door. He held out an envelope to her hand, which Hermione took.
"From the Kingdom of the Weasleys!" he announced, and turned and walked away.
Hermione closed the door and was about to open it, when she realized all the mails were to be directly delivered to Loretta, unopened.
Secretly wishing she could read it, she stared at the Royal Stamp. It was chiselled with gold and had a fancy letter 'W' on it. What could possibly the King have in mind for her house?
"Mother, Hermione's got something." Giselle demanded, eyeing Hermione suspiciously with the envelope in her hand.
"I am going to give it to her." Hermione said hastily, as Loretta calmly came downstairs, dressed in her usual rich velvet dress.
"From the King, madam." Hermione said, giving her the envelope.
Loretta took the envelope, and opened it. As she read each line, her eyes became wider and wider.
"Girls!" she exclaimed. "The King is throwing a ball to find a perfect wife for his Prince Ronald!" she said excitedly. Pansy shrieked and Giselle ran, her bony ankles showing under her puffy dress.
"A ball?"
"As the prince's wife?!"
"Oh mother, what am I going to wear?" Pansy yelled, jumping on her spot, fussing about her hair.
"Mother, this is fantastic, I'm going to be the prince's wife!" Giselle danced on her spot, clumsily tripping on her foot.
"Go see what you have in your wardrobe, girls, and we'll go out this evening to make sure all the fittings are perfect." Loretta said calmly, her cold eyes now staring at Hermione.
"You-"
"Oh Loretta, can't I possibly go to the ball also? I-"
Hermione's voice was soon drowned by shrieking laughters of Pansy and Giselle, who mockingly stared at Hermione up and down. "You? The Ball? This isn't for poor peasants like you Hermione, perhaps you will do better in ragged doll contestant!" Giselle said, and Pansy laughed loudly.
Loretta smiled, and continued to stare at Hermione coldly. "Don't be ridiculous child, now go help your sisters with their dresses." She ordered.
"Oh but, please Loretta, I-"
"The ball is tomorrow evening. You have nothing to wear, and your hair is absolutely in the most disgusting mess. Also there are gardening to be done in the backyard, and you must collect the oats from the ashes by tomorrow night. If you can do so, then you may go to the ball with us." Loretta said.
Hermione's heart skipped a beat. "Oh Loretta, really? Oh my goodness, thank you! I'm sure I'll get something to wear, and I'll definitely finish all the chores!"
Pansy and Giselle immediately protested.
"There are over fifty yards of oats to be collected. And the gardening has fully grown weeds that cannot be pulled by bare hands; also she has nothing to wear." Loretta said, grasping the envelope in her hand.
"Oh," Pansy and Giselle smirked, laughing at their own happiness.
………………
Hermione cried bitterly at by herself, ashes of oats lay across in front of her, endlessly carpeting the ground. She prayed to her mother.
"What am I to do?" she weeped. "I cannot even go to the ball!" she weeped some more.
Just then, there was a bright light. In front of her, Hermione stopped crying as a kind old woman stood before her, in blinding light.
"Mother?" Hermione asked. She seemed so much like her mother.
"I am your fairy godmother, Hermione." The woman said, smiling. She waved her wand. "And I will make sure you can go to the ball, sweet dear. You have worked so hard." She said, and at once, the oats were all collected before her in five baskets.
Hermione's mouth fell open.
"Now, for your dress….well, here it goes!" she wove her wand several times. With another blinding light, Hermione stood, dressed in periwinkle blue silk dress, with diamonds in her hair and pearls as her necklace and earrings.
Hermione gasped. "How can this – how can I – oh, thank you!"
The Fairy Godmother smiled, and created a horse-drawn carriage. "Now, the ball is starting in seconds, go on, don't be late! Make sure you're back by midnight!"
Hermione kissed Fairy Godmother on her cheek and wove back at her, and was in her carriage to the King's castle.
…………………………………….
Hermione gasped at the grand, marvellous castle, made out of shiny marbles with golden tans outlining the entrance. She got out of her carriage, her heart beating fast with joy. Two guards saw her and held open the door for her to enter.
"You look beautiful, madam." One of the guards bowed, blushing.
"Thank you." Hermione smiled, glowing under the dimming sky.
She entered the castle. She remembered the very last time when she was here with her parents, attending the masquerade ball the King and Queen had back then. Now, it seemed so different. She remembered all the beauty that the castle possessed.
She entered the foot of the stairs, and saw a scene of a grand ball in front of her. Everybody went silent and turned their heads to look at her. There Hermione was, dressed in royal periwinkle blue, sparkling, and her brown eyes twinkling under the eyes. Her hair was soft and pulled back from her usual bushy-ness.
She saw the prince look at her, too. Shyly, Hermione walked down the stairs, one by one. The prince immediately came to her.
"Will you have this honour to dance, my fair lady?" The Prince asked, giving her his hand.
"Yes." Hermione answered, smiling with happiness.
And so they danced and danced, while many other girls looked upon them with envy, jealousy and admiration. Nobody was able to take their eyes off of her, as Hermione was the most beautiful girl that night.
As they danced, Hermione looked into the Prince Ronald's eyes. He had bright red hair, and clear, blue eyes that stared back at her with love. He had light freckles on his nose, and he was dashingly handsome. He was tall, and was extremely good at dancing, and soaked Hermione with his gentle words.
Prince Ronald and Hermione never stopped dancing. They danced and danced until their feet hurt. They did not care. At last, they sat down by the beautiful courtyard, and gazed at the stars together.
"What is your name?" Prince Ronald whispered.
"I- my name –"
Ding
Alerted, Hermione looked at the huge clock on the wall. It was twelve o'clock. To her horror, she remembered the Fairy Godmother's words.
"Make sure you're back by midnight!"
"I-I have to go!" Hermione said, suddenly getting up.
Ding
She started to run, but Prince Ronald grabbed her hand. "Please, don't! I don't even know your name!"
Ding
Hermione tried to release her hand. "I'm sorry, it has been the happiest time of my life dancing with you but I must go! Goodbye!" And with that, she ran as fast as she could out of the courtyard, down the stairs.
Ding
"Please wait!" was the Prince's desperate cry. Out of the corner of her eye, Hermione saw the prince running after her, guards behind him.
Ding
Hermione rushed down the steep stairs. She felt a tug, and she realized one of her glass slipper was loose. It was too late to go back for it. They were getting too close…
"Please! Wait! Don't go!" The prince continued to cry, running after her.
Ding
Hermione ran to the castle, wearing only one glass slipper, and hopped into the carriage as fast as she could.
The magical carriage took her away, fast and furiously, until the castle and her prince was disappeared into the darkness.
After the final bell, Hermione found herself sitting on a pumpkin, and in her usual ragged clothes.
Sighing, Hermione looked at the sky. She thanked her mother for the most wonderful night she had. It was like a dream she remembered. And the prince…oh how charming he was!
…………….
The next day, Loretta and her two daughters were in bad moods than usual. Pansy shrieked at her to clean the rug properly, and Loretta had sent Hermione back to the kitchen twice to cook the meal, saying it wasn't sweet enough. Giselle managed to insult Hermione's bushy hair and her dirty hands.
But Hermione was affected by this, at all. She thought of the prince the whole time, and how lovely it was dancing with him. She could not forget him. She daydreamed as she cooked, cleaned and served. Pansy and Giselle eyed her suspiciously for her strange behaviour.
Several days have passed, and there was a knock on the door. It was the same page boy that had come to their door many days before, and this time, he was holding a velvet cushion covered with silk.
Curious, Hermione stared at him.
"By the Prince Ronald's order. We are to try this glass slipper on to every single maiden in this village until he finds the mystery girl he had been dancing with!" he announced.
Hermione's heart beat with a thud. As the page boy revealed Hermione's lost glass slipper, she knew instantly it was hers. Before she could say anything, Loretta and her two daughters pushed her aside.
"You, go tend the kitchen!" Loretta ordered coldly. Reluctantly, Hermione went to the kitchen, wishing she could be there with the page boy.
There were yelps and screams, as Giselle and Pansy's feet were both too big for the glass slipper.
"Let me try." Loretta answered coldly, yanking the slipper off the page boy's hand. She managed to slip her toes, but the page boy interrupted.
"Madam, you are too old to be Prince Ronald's wife. You see, I did get a glimpse of her. She was absolutely beautiful, with her brown hair and eyes, her smile that just melted the prince's heart…what about the maiden in the kitchen?" he suggested.
Hermione, hearing this, rushed into the living room. "Oh, I'd love to!" she exclaimed.
"This girl has never been to the ball. She is our servant. She does not know how to waltz properly nor own any type of fancy dress." Loretta said coldly. "And her feet will taint the glass slipper, sir."
"Ah, but the Prince has it so that every single girl in the village is to try them on!" he said excitedly, and slipped the glass slipper onto Hermione's foot.
It fit perfect.
………………………………
The Wedding was glorious, as Hermione and the Prince Ronald kissed in front of the large crowd. Her step mother and sisters huffed and puffed, and angrily walked to their house.
"I'm never losing you again." Ronald said, holding Hermione's hands. "I love you."
Hermione smiled at him. "I love you too."
And they lived happily ever after.