Disclaimer: I wish I owned the Harry Potter universe, but I don't. I thank a slew of historical romances for inspiring some of the language used in this chapter, and in the subsequent chapters.

The Debutante and the Diadem

Chapter 1: The Debutante

Dearest Hyacinth,

I am so delighted to hear that you are well, and that you have found all the happiness in the marriage state that any one person could possibly find. With the greatest respect and warmest friendship do I decline your offer to "fix me up" with Lord Duffington; just because your union has made you "mad with joy," it does not mean that everyone can find such pleasure in marriage, least of all me. I feel sorry for the man who marries me; he would try to rule me, like my mother, and for that I would probably have to kill him.

However, I fear that the day I must marry looms near; Mother has not given up on her idea of a coming-out ball at Hogwarts. Let us pray that she comes down with an incurable illness before the day. Oh, I know you are far too tender of heart to think anything so wicked. It is but a jest! (Really, I have no idea how toad spawn got into Mother's soup at Muffy's party last Tuesday….) There is no stopping an Ambitious Mamma from the sport of husband-hunting. For the world, I would not attach myself to one of those titled peacocks, so full of themselves and with all the insolence of imaginary superiority!

It is so lonely here without you. I will not beg you for a visit, but I will let you know that if you were to call on us at Hogwarts, the visit would not at all be thought unfavorable!

Your most dedicated and affectionate friend,

Helena

Helena Ravenclaw hated being the only student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Her best friend, Hyacinth Hufflepuff, (who usually joined her during the holidays) had escaped the confines of the magical institution, graduating the year previously with her Advanced N.E.W.T. diploma… and Helena missed her terribly. The days of the Hy-Ena book club, of midnight excursions to the restricted section of the library, of spurning boys, and of pranks on the professors (usually instigated by Helena) had come to an end. Now, at the beginning of summer break, she was completely alone with the exception of her mother, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Professors Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin whom all lived at the castle. She envied her friend; for Hyacinth was already happily married and was already promoting her first novel, Magic and Muggles: A Social Commentary, which was "simply brilliant" according to a review in last month's Prophet. Oh, how she loathed brilliant people. And speaking of her mother….

Helena had been idly perusing the shelves of the Hogwarts library, looking for something she hadn'tread, when she heard the distinctive sound of her mother's squawk. Of course, she was not exactly being fair; Rowena Ravenclaw would have had a rather pleasing voice if she weren't always making caustic remarks or being piercingly witty. Her mother was very beautiful, very intelligent, and very sarcastic. Maybe it was because her sharp tongue was more than often wagging in her daughter's direction that, to Helena's ears, Rowena's voice held an underlying screech, like nails on a chalkboard.

"Helena, dear!" shrieked Rowena, upon rounding the corner of shelves Helena had unsuccessfully been using as a shield. "I've been searching for you for almost an hour! Have you been here all this time?" Before she could think of an appropriate response, her mother rushed on. "Of course you have, dear. You've decided to be a writer. If you would like my opinion, if you spent a little more time actually experiencing life instead of just reading about it, you would have a bit more to write about, wouldn't you? Though extensive reading will help the quality of the writing, (and I daresay, in your case there is most definitely room for improvement), the content is just as important as the quality… don't you agree?"

Controlling her fury after her mother's standard snobbish and belittling criticism was not an easy feat; she managed to contort her lips into the ghost of a smile and was about to reply when her mother outdid her again. Helena thought that if she could only force her mother to stop talking for longer than a minute she could prove to her that she was not at all unintelligent. However, whenever her mother condescended to speak to her, it always took time for Helena to master her anger, and by the time she found something polite to say, the tiny window of silence would be filled once more by Rowena's unrelenting and patronizing chatter. It was a never-ending cycle that left Helena feeling drained and resentful and Rowena feeling smugly superior, if only a little worried that she had produced an heir that did not quite live up to the Ravenclaw standard of intelligence.

"Anyway, darling, I was looking for you because we need to discuss your coming-out party. I've already spoken with the other professors, and we've agreed that to host it in the Great Hall on the 21st of July would be ideal… unless you have anything else planned for that date?" She gazed coyly at her daughter through her long, dark eyelashes. Helena despised her mother for posing the question; of course, she had nothing planned—all of her friends were on holiday or else married, and the only people she had to interact with were her professors and a pesky poltergeist.

"Actually, mother, I was planning a trip into Hogsmeade that day, to see if I could unearth a birthday gift for Hyacinth," she replied sweetly. Rowena scowled at her daughter, and frown lines began to bridge the gap between her finely combed eyebrows.

"Don't be stupid, girl," she snapped, her handsome dark eyes flickering with irritation. "Hyacinth's birthday isn't until October! Now," she continued more pleasantly, removing a long scroll of parchment that she had kept tucked in a fold of her robes, and shoving it into her daughter's hands. "I have taken the liberty of preparing your guest list. Look it over, and tell me if there is anyone I neglected to invite. I plan on making the invitations tonight, so bring me the improved list by eight o' clock, in my office." With a beatific smile and a small wave, Rowena spun gracefully on her heel and glided out of sight. Helena was more than happy to see the back of her silky blue robes.

Sighing heavily, she turned back to the book shelf, noting dismally that she actually had read all of the literature there was on Cheering Charms …. At least this time she had been able to get a few words in edgewise, (though, overall, it had been a fairly juvenile attempt). Any time she was able to manage this rare feat, not to mention aggravate her mother to the smallest degree, she felt that she should be congratulated. Helena was not at all looking forward to her coming-out ball, but it was necessary for every young witch of marriageable age and of her class to be introduced into society. At least that was what Rowena had impressed upon her daughter since she had turned fifteen. Two years later, Helena still wholeheartedly disliked the idea of becoming a debutante-- being bred like a pig only to be led out to the slaughter house that was marriage.

One would think that, a woman like her mother—Rowena being in such a powerful position, at the forefront of the educational renaissance that was revolutionizing the wizarding world—one would think that she wouldn't want her daughter to be constrained by the conventional ideals of marriage, that she would want Helena to become her own person, to be free to pursue any dream or desire she wished…. But it was not so. Rowena just wanted to marry her off to a powerful man, to deepen her own connections in society, or more accurately, she would want to marry Helena to a pile of galleons so that she would have a constant supply of money flowing into her beloved school.

She smiled bitterly, unraveling the scroll, and gazing dismally at the incredibly long list Rowena had thrust into her unwilling hands. It looked as if her mother had invited every title-bearing witch and wizard in the west…. At least she had had the decency to invite Hyacinth as well as a few other students from her year that she considered agreeable acquaintances. Her mother had done a good job of it, she conceded grudgingly, as her eyes slid down the list of names. She couldn't think of anyone else she should invite…. Her eyes widened abruptly in shock as they suddenly lit upon a name. No, it couldn't be! But it was….

Baron Beedle the Bard. The Beedle the Bard! Her mother was inviting the world renowned author of magical fairy tales; Helena had grown up reading and being inspired by his stories—she positively thrived on the legend of 'Babbity Rabbity and her Cackling Stump.' Though he hadn't written anything in several years, "The Warlock's Hairy Heart" still burned in her mind with grim clarity. With the same clarity of mind, she turned purposefully to the shelf behind her and set to finding the original book of fairy tales she had stumbled upon when she was ten, hidden amongst the 'Magical Allegories' section of the library. After several minutes of searching, she had it; she immediately flipped the book open to the back cover… and was just as soon disappointed.

Usually there was a portrait of the author on the inside cover, and in this respect she was not dissatisfied. However, the quality of the portrait was poor, and the Beedle in the image kept moving into the shadows of the paint, as if he would rather have not had his portrait painted at all. All she could make out were a pair of very dark eyes in a sallow face and a very hawkish nose. Beaky nose or not, she felt a shiver of excitement race down her spine at the prospect of meeting the man. For once, her mother had done something right.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed the first chapter! Next chapter: Enter the Baron. Read and Review!

P.S. A cookie to anyone who spotted the Jane Austen reference! ^_~

~Majestic Waters