Written for: The Ultimate Battle: Once-Upon-A-Time!AU (600 words)

The Beauty and the Madman

This is loosely based on Once-Upon-A-Time. I didn't focus as much on the events of the show with the arrival in town, rather some of the characters.

I know Belle was locked up, but I'm writing them as different characters than the ones in the show... so lots of changes to what you'd expect.

Hermione Granger found her life to be dull. It seemed that all she did, day in and day out, was go for a walk, and come home again to have breakfast in the small apartment that she lived in. She would eat (porridge) and wash and dress, before heading to the school.

She couldn't complain about her job - she loved what she was doing, teaching children, reading them stories… but it had always felt like something was missing, and try as she might, things never seemed to change.

It was the same faces, as though no-one came to, or left the town, ever. It was the same conversations.

But for some reason that she couldn't fathom, or understand, she still stayed in the town and carried on with the same life.

It was as though she couldn't change things.

...oOo...

"Did I ever you the story of the blue caterpillar?" the man asked, standing in the doorway of her classroom.

"Sirius! What are you doing here?" Hermione asked, curiously.

Sirius shrugged his shoulders. "I was passing by," he said. "Your car was still out front, and I thought I'd see what you were doing here after school hours, maybe tell you a tale or two?"

"Well, you've told me of the blue caterpillar, many times," she replied, with a smile.

Though at first, she had found herself wary of Sirius, who was convinced he was the 'Mad Hatter' from 'Wonderland', (wherever that was), she couldn't help but warm to him over time. He had an energy that she found she lacked.

One that caused her to wonder whether she had ever had it. Her memories of past times were strangely blank. Not that she would confide that in anyone, of course.

She also loved his stories. Sometimes it was as though he made them up on the spot, and she was fascinated by the adventures he spun, stories of a Jabberwocky, a Bandersnatch and a Red-Queen. People who were too little or two big. Sweets that made you grow, and drinks that made you shrink, and an evaporating cat, called Crookshanks.

She had grown to love the stories that he spun, and the passing in the street every day became a lot more.

Soon he was being invited over for cups of tea which he loved, along with her old friend, Harry Potter. She would secretly admire the black hair and pale skin that her best friend had, lamenting at her own boring hair. She wished her lips were as red as his, too.

She loved how good Harry was with animals too.

But most of the time, Sirius was the source of her attention.

...oOo...

Hermione didn't know what had happened, only that a stranger had come to town. Harry, distracted by the new addition to town, left his post at the hospital next to the blond man in the coma, and welcomed the stranger.

The Mayor, Lucius Malfoy wasn't up to the job, after all, hating the man the second he arrived, but Hermione didn't get involved. She had her own problems - it was as though everything was changing.

...oOo...

Hermione had been walking towards the school when it all hit her. Her memories, flooding back as though the dam on her mind had broken. Her head pounded as they flooded back in, and arms grabbed her, as she clutched her head, pulling her up.

She didn't even realise she was being carried away, until the pain finally stopped and Sirius Black was leaning over her, trying to calm her.

"Where's my beast?" she whispered. "Where's Ronald?"

Sirius moved away quickly, the concern moving away for something more guarded. "I don't know," Sirius replied. "I spent all of my time in Wonderland, Hermione. I don't even know what he looks like."

"Hermione," she whispered, the name sounding strange on her tongue. "Belle," she added, testing out the name and finding it even stranger.

"Belle?" Sirius muttered, frowning harder. "Should have guessed that one."

"Thank you for helping me, but I must be going. He needs me," Hermione said. She hesitated for a long moment. "But you look like you need me too. I could stay…"

A large part of Hermione wanted Sirius to tell her not to go, as the thought of leaving him made her panic, but he merely shook his head.

"Go and find your him."

Before she could turn to the door, Sirius had opened it and left.

...oOo...

Three days later, Sirius still hadn't shown up. Hermione had hoped he would return, as he had put his hat down when looking after her, and hadn't picked it up before leaving.

There was an information desk set up in the town hall, names, previous names, and addresses. People were being reunited with their loved ones and families.

"Hermione Granger," Harry said, having already taken charge. "The person you've been searching for is… Ronald Weasley."

Hermione stood up and walked to the front, looking around. Her gaze fell on a red-headed man, walking up to the front.

"Ronald!"

The man grinned. "Hey, Belle," he replied. "It's been a while… apparently. I go by Ron these days."

She smiled back, moving closer to him. "So… how have you been?"

"Good," he said, rubbing the back of his neck and smiling at her. "So… do you want to go for a walk?" he asked.

Hermione shook her head. "I just wanted to see you again, talk about…"

"Yeah?"

She stared at him for a long moment, expecting the feelings to kick in, but she didn't feel the same love for him as she had felt before.

Visions of Sirius filled her mind, and she mentally cursed herself. She wanted to blame the spell for making her oblivious to Sirius Black, but perhaps it was her own fault that she never noticed him… or maybe deep down, subconsciously, she had been aware that she had been in a relationship with another man.

"Talk about us," she finished, after a long pause. "I'm so sorry, Ronald, but I don't… I don't feel the same as I once did."

Ron merely nodded, his smile dropping. "You know, we've been apart for so long, following our new lives, it's to be expected. You love somebody else?"

"I do," she said. "And I chose to come and find you and ignore him, and he's going to think… I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Ron replied. "Good luck, Belle."

"I'm Hermione in this world," she corrected him, with a sad smile. He turned and left.

"Harry? Is... are you... it is you, isn't it?" came a voice from the doorway. "How could I have forgotten you?"

Hermione looked at the blond man who had woken from the coma and had gotten closer to Harry.

Harry smiled. "Draco! Have you finished visiting with your father? I heard you went straight there when you recovered."

"That evil queen?" Draco sneered. "I've had enough of him to last a life-time. You know, he did all this just to keep us apart."

...oOo...

Hermione returned to her flat, retrieving Sirius' hat. She decided that she would force Sirius to talk to her, even if it meant climbing in his window.

Well, she wouldn't go that far, but she would be quite insistent that he talk to her. She didn't want to look like a crazy stalker.

She briefly wondered, as she walked, if Sirius had anyone special that he had been waiting for.

She hoped not.

...oOo…

It took a few minutes for the door of Sirius' house to open, and she found herself staring into a pair of familiar eyes.

"Luna?"

Luna smiled at her. "Or Alice, if that helps."

Hermione's eyes widened. Alice - like in Sirius' stories. She racked her brain, trying to remember what their relationship was, but for once, her brain didn't co-operate.

"So… you're staying here?"

"I am," Luna said, smiling.

Hermione closed her eyes for a moment. Sirius had clearly left her three days ago because he had someone special waiting for him.

"I understand, would you give him his hat back," Hermione said.

"Why don't you come in and give it back to him yourself?" Luna said, grabbing her arm and pulling her into the house.

Hermione tried in vain to protest, but Luna dragged her to the sitting room, where the teacups were all set out, and Sirius was already pouring a cup. His gaze fell on Hermione, and he swallowed nervously.

"Tea?" he asked, already pouring another cup for her. Without waiting for an answer, he added in the milk and sugar, just how she liked it.

"I brought back your hat," she murmured, taking the hat from her head and placing it on the table.

"Won't you sit down?" Sirius asked. "Me and... Luna have spent three days catching up, so tell me… how was… everything?"

Hermione filddled with the hot cup. "I realised that I don't love him. How could it change so easily?"

Sirius' sharp gaze was on her, and Hermione kept hers down.

I… I expected to feel something more with him. And I don't - not with Ron anyway." She set the cup down. "Maybe I shouldn't be here, either. I'm… interrupting your reunion."

"It's okay? It wouldn't be one of Hatter's tea-parties, without someone dropping in," Luna giggled dreamily.

"I can drop by another time, once you've…" Hermione found she couldn't complete the sentence, because the thought of Sirius and Luna together made her chest hurt. Instead, she turned and rushed from the room.

Luna sighed and shook her head. "She thinks we're shagging," she informed a confused Sirius. "She doesn't know about me and Prince Neville. Maybe someone should go after her and set her straight?"

She stared at Sirius, smiling slightly.

Sirius set down his cup, picked up his hat, and placed it lovingly over his black curls, before following Hermione from the room.

He walked down the path by the river, catching up to her in minutes.

"I'm not in a realationship with her," he said, causing Hermione to turn around. "I'm starting to work out where your mind went. When you mentioned your… him, when you woke up, I thought I had lost you to him. I did go to find Alice. I was somehow unaffected by the spell - I think my mind works very differently, or maybe it's because I was from Wonderland and not from the realm which you were all from, but I remembered who I was, and who Alice was. We've been good friends ever since, but over this time, I've managed to get to know you. Hermione, I'm in love with you. I never said anything before, because I knew this day would come and I was scared of starting something, just for you to realise that you loved him more."

"I thought I loved him, but when I saw him again, I realised that I wasn't with the person I loved," she said. "It's you, Sirius. It's been you for a long time."

Sirius moved forward, pulling Hermione close, before gently caressing her lips with his own. "You have no idea how many times I've wanted to do that," he whispered.

"Maybe you should show me, rather than tell me?" Hermione suggested.

Sirius nodded. "Luna mentioned something about meeting Prince Neville. My place will be empty. Care to come over for a cup of tea?"

Hermione shook her head. "If you want me to come over, you're going to have to make a better offer than that!"

Sirius grinned. "Hermione, do you want to come over to my house, so we can get in my bed, get under my sheets and exhaust ourselves, before falling asleep in each others arms?"

"I thought you'd never ask," Hermione replied, meeting his lips again. She squealed as he lifted her up, and began to carry her back towards his house.

"Just so you know, you're never leaving my bed," he informed her.

"Is that a promise?" Hermione asked, reaching for his hat, and pulling it onto her own head.

"Yes, but only if you wear that hat and nothing else," he growled.

1967 words

Review Please :)

Cookies for anyone who can guess what character Harry was, in this fic!