Beauty and the Beast – Drarry AU
Disclaimer: no infringement intended. Harry Potter and its characters do not belong to me and I obviously get no profit from it (I wish...)
Notes: This is my first ever "published" fanfic, so please be nice :D AU; Beast!Harry; basically Drarry and Romione, focusing on the first.
Warnings: Slash and mild violence in the future.
Summary: Draco has always seemed different than most in his village; constantly dreaming of adventure. When his mother comes across a strange castle, with a beast for its master, after getting lost in the forest, his life takes an unexpected turn towards what he has never dreamed of. Or has he?
Prologue – The Spoilt Prince
Once upon a time, in a distant kingdom, lived a handsome prince in a great and wondrous castle with plenty of servants and nobles to his court. The prince was an orphan, thus having the undivided attention and all at his beck and call, day and night. Although Prince Harry had all he wished and demanded – and most likely for that same reason – the boy was spoilt, arrogant and unkind, constantly complaining and dissatisfied.
Harry felt he had every right to be demanding and accepted only what he thought was best. Vain, the prince abhorred anything remotely bad-looking or poor and judged everything based on its exterior, never seeming concerned with the feelings that lay inside the puppets he so easily dismissed.
One night, however, when Harry was already thirteen years of age, a mighty storm shook the castle, keeping the prince from sleeping. The frames of his windows rattled and vibrated with the force of the wind and the sound of thunders. Unexpectedly, a loud slam sounded from the front doors – although they were far from the West Wing, where he resided – as if someone was making a great effort to make themselves be heard, knocking powerfully. Being up and in a foul mood, Harry descended from his chambers in order to end the disturbance.
On opening the door, he was faced with and ancient-looking man dressed in worn-out robes and drenched in water and mud from the rain. The old man was a beggar, and offered a single red rose in exchange of shelter from the bitter cold of the night. Disgusted with the man's haggard appearance, Harry scoffed at his offered gift and dismissed him with a cold flick of his wrist, saying, 'You do not belong here and are thus not welcome to stay. Be gone at once, for I do not want to see your face any longer.'
The beggar then looked at him with piercing blue eyes and argued in a low voice, bowing his head, 'Do not judge me for my vessel, your highness, for true beauty lies within. It is the heart you should see, rather than the mask before it. If you have a kind heart, do not deny shelter to a man who has seen the woes of this land.'
Sneering at the stranger, the prince lost his patience and shouted angrily, 'Do not presume to give me advice! Here, you are no one and I will treat you as such! Leave this place and take your ridiculous flower with you.'
The prince's harsh words did nothing to faze the other, who replied in his ever calm voice, 'I can see now that you do not have love in your heart and cares nothing for the feelings of others. You may have beauty outside, but inside you are as ugly as a beast. Let the horror be shown and your true character revealed for the world to see.' A loud thunder sounded and bright lightning fell, blinding Harry momentarily.
On recovering his eyesight, he gasped in surprise, for before him there no longer stood a hunched beggar, but a tall warlock in rich purple robes and half-moon spectacles, his piercing blue eyes blazing with power and wisdom. His now clean white hair fell neatly around his old face and over his shoulders, his long silver beard tied in a silver clasp. The powerful wizard held out a silver hand-mirror encrusted with precious gems in front of Harry's face and his serene voice rebounded through the night, 'Behold your true form, O Beast. I condemn you to this appearance, harsh as your words, ugly as your heart, and all those around you shall pay for your deeds alike.'
Harry then looked at himself in the mirror, only to scream in terror and fall to his knees, for he was no more a handsome prince, but a fierce and horrid, vicious animal, with huge razor-sharp fangs and covered in thick black fur. His hands and feet had been replaced by strong, clawed paws and atop his disfigured head, unbelievably, were two curved, pointy dark horns, making him look like a creature escaped from hell. Even his deep emerald-green eyes no longer held beauty in them – although they were brighter than ever – but solely a killing power that frightened him.
'The rose I have brought you,' started the warlock once the prince had quieted, 'is enchanted and will bloom until your twenty-first birthday. If, until then, you find someone to love and the person loves you in return, despite your form, you will be human again and your life will return to normal.' There was a pause in which harry absorbed the man's words, 'should you fail to do so and the last petal falls without you knowing love, this,' the wizard pointed at the prince's face, 'shall be how you look like for the rest of your days.' The man then smiled gently, 'I truly wish you luck, Harry, for the ones I pity most are those who live without love.'
With this, the man turned and began climbing down the steps to the entrance gates of the castle, walking calmly through the rain, though it did not touch him at all, as if he was involved in an invisible shield. Before crossing the gates, however, the warlock turned and, although it should not be possible to hear the man's voice from that distance, Harry heard him say clearly, 'I have altered that mirror. It will not show your reflection, but whatever else you wish to see. Use it well.' Harry looked to his side and saw the silver hand-held mirror. Taking it, he turned it in his hand and read the words engraved on its back.
I show not your face but your heart's desire.
Looking up, the prince noticed the wizard was gone.
Years passed and no one foreign dared approach the castle, in fear of the monster it was said to be its master. Soon the prince began to lose all hope of ever breaking the spell and closed in with himself, wallowing in grief and loneliness, for who could ever learn to love a beast?
His former life was soon forgotten and his reign abandoned, and through it all, the enchanted rose continued to bloom.
TBC
*There you go! The prologue, I hope you like it, I tried to stay similar to the Disney movie, but anyways :3*