Once Upon a Hogwarts
Cinderella froze at the top of the grand staircase and decided then and there that she could not go on. How she had made it this far she didn't know but she realised now that the whole idea was a huge mistake. She reached a hand up to touch her hair, once blonde now stained black with magic, and wondered how she thought this would be sufficient as a disguise.
Sure she also wore a mask, it was a masquerade ball after all, but in her vanity she had left her eyes the rich and startling blue that they had always been. Cinderella dropped her hand and let it rest on the soft yet voluptuous material of her dress. She had always looked best in periwinkle, her mother had told her so, but her new 'sisters' might recognise her in that colour and so she had opted for a lighter version of her favourite colour. A light film of shimmering gauze fell from her waist over the skirt making the material glitter as it swished about her.
She hovered on the top step. Cinderella's heart was in her mouth as her head and her heart warred inside her. Should she return to her dorm, as instructed, and hide away or should she just suck it up and live for herself for once?
Something solid collided with her from behind and Cinderella stumbled forward down the first few steps. Two Gryffindor boys from her year rushed past her, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley she thought they were, looking back they shouted apologies in her direction but continued on their way down the stairs and into the great hall.
Cinderella smiled after them and, glancing behind momentarily, she began to slowly make her way down the stairs. It seems fate had made her decision for her.
X
Ariel knew that she stuck out like a sore thumb. True she had always had a measure of obviousness due to the shock of bright red hair that she daily tried to tame but after the incident everyone seemed to talk about her.
She knew that she shouldn't have come tonight. It wasn't like anyone was going to ask her to dance, but she had been far too desperate to see him and honestly when was she ever going to get another opportunity to wear a dress like this.
Sat, as she was, at a table so near the windows Ariel took a moment to examine her reflection in the slightly warped glass. She had always chuckled at the little rhyme that 'red and green should never be seen unless upon an Irish coleen' and even though she wasn't Irish she had chosen to wear a dress of sea foam green tonight.
It was modestly cut and not too poofy but she had had it decorated with pearls and had sewn little shells out of sequins in. It was fair to say that she had always adored the sea. She'd even turned the outer skirt up at the edges in certain places so that the white petticoats underneath were visible and it looked like waves.
She sighed soundlessly and turned back to the chatter and music of the party resolved to being alone for the evening. Everyone else was dancing or talking, having a drink and a laugh with their friends.
A handsome young man with a shock of carroty hair stepped out from the crowd and made his way to the edge of the ballroom. Ariel felt her eyes drawn to them, as they had always been, and she watched as he leant against a wall, out of breath.
She was shocked that when his eyes scanned the crowd around him lazily and landed on her he straightened up. She was more shocked when he pushed away from the wall and started to make his way in her direction.
Ariel glanced around looking for who he could be coming towards but when she looked back the infamous prankster and Gryffindor beater Fred Weasley had actually come to a stop in front of her. He was smiling, at her!
"Hey you're that Ariel girl, right?"
X
Belle looked around at the students all laughing and having a good time and sighed, utterly content. This ball, her brain child, looked to be a complete success and she had to admit she was rather enjoying the chance to dress up.
It wasn't normally customary for the teachers to take part in the theme of the annual dance but Belle had insisted that in order for it to be a proper masquerade ball, like the muggles did, then everyone had to get in the spirit and she was shocked to find that they all did. Even old Minerva had broken out a stunning little black number and even though her hair was still as secure as ever in that severe bun she did appear to be having a good time.
She smoothed down her simple yellow dress and pressed a hand to her face to make sure that her little yellow mask was still in place.
"Belle, you look lovely this evening," came a familiar voice from behind her and Belle couldn't help the smile that spread across her face as she turned towards him.
"Remus," she pouted playfully, "you aren't supposed to know it's me."
Her fellow professor grinned warmly at her and she had to admit he looked very dashing in his black suit and matching mask. Muggle formal clothes really were far more attractive than magical ones.
"I came to congratulate you on your undeniable success," he continued producing two glasses of pumpkin juice, "I thought a toast might be in order."
"You're very kind," Belle smiled and chinked her glass gently against his, turning to survey her work and make sure to keep the peace.
X
Despite the fact that all she was doing was standing just to the side of the drinks table sipping pumpkin juice Cinderella was having a wonderful time. She was enjoying all the music and the idle chatter and just the chance to listen and be a part of things without being ordered to do this, that, or the other by Drisella and Anastasia.
Why her father had ever thought it would be a good idea to marry a pureblood Parkinson she didn't know. Especially since her mother had only been a muggleborn. But now her dear father was gone and Cinderella was left to deal with the consequences of his actions; if only for another year.
"A pretty girl like you shouldn't be stood here all by herself," drawled a smooth voice in front of her and Cinderella jumped casting away the morose thoughts that had been clouding her mind. In front of her stood a tall, slender you man with white blonde hair and a devilish smirk. Cinders felt herself begin to blush.
"Perhaps you should go find one to entertain," she replied sounding a lot more confident than she felt. She glanced suspiciously at the glass of pumpkin juice in her hand, wondering if one of the Weasley boys had spiked the drinks.
The boy chuckled and Cinderella examined him closely. Her eyes widened with shock as she realised that it was none other than the Slytherin prince himself Draco Malfoy who had spent more than one day tormenting her with her Slytherin step sisters. Obviously her disguise was a sufficient one.
"What is your name? I don't recognise you which is strange," he asked leaning against the wall beside her.
Cinders opened her mouth and went to reply before shutting it again and smiling mysteriously at him instead. "Well there wouldn't be much point to the mask if I just went ahead and told you would there," she stated.
Draco chuckled and pushed a hand through his hair. "I suppose not," he admitted, "but it would be strange for me to ask you to dance if I didn't know your name."
Cinderella smiled and blushed prettily. She couldn't help enjoying the attention, especially since it was ironic that the most single minded pureblood in Hogwarts was shamelessly flirting with a mere halfblood; and obviously enjoying himself.
"Well, Draco," she smirked as he raised his eyebrows. He obviously hadn't expected her to know who he really was, "you may call me Cindy."
X
Ariel opened her mouth to reply, sure that she was going to stutter and trip over herself stupidly, but of course no sound came out and she just sort of gaped up at him resembling a rather shocked fish.
"Yeah that's why I came over," he continued ploughing straight on despite her lack of answer. "You got hit with that silencing charm yeah? Well obviously yeah," he chuckled, "or you probably would have said something by now.
Ariel closed her mouth and nodded quickly as a sick and rather depressing feeling settled in her chest like a physical weight pressing down on her. Suddenly it was rather difficult to breathe and her eyes began to sting as if she was going to cry.
Of course he wasn't interested in her for her, no one ever was, he only noticed her because she couldn't speak.
"Anyway," Fred continued pulling out a chair and sitting next to her at the table, "I wondered if you would mind letting me pick your brain a bit. See, me and George are working on a new product, for the shop you know, and well we think it would be a great prank to shut someone up for a bit. I just need to know how it happened to you."
Ariel looked away, trying to ignore how much it hurt that someone else was simply coming to use her, the mute freak show. She tried to ignore how much more it hurt because it was him.
She had been mute for nearly two months now and no matter how hard Madam Pomfrey and the other teachers tried they couldn't seem to figure out what was wrong with her. She had spent a week in a specials ward in St. Mungos but they had eventually sent her back to school because they couldn't do anything more for her. Madam Pince had even been coerced into digging out some of the more ancient tomes but still no dice.
Ariel mimed writing to him and funnily enough Fred had come prepared pulling out a sheet of parchment and a self-inking quill.
First things first, she wrote making sure he could see what she said, I want you to promise me that you make sure it is temporary because from experience this sucks. The prospect of being a mute for the rest of your life is not an appealing one, I feel completely trapped inside my own head.
Ariel looked up pointedly at Fred until he nodded furiously assuring her that it would be temporary.
Well, it started about 2 months ago in charms class. You probably remember learning about silencing charms when you did them last year well we were practicing their practical uses. Mostly just casting them around us or on certain noisy objects but a few of the more advanced students were allowed to practice on a partner. Well my friend Anna was practicing on me and it was all going well until a Slytherin girl called Anastasia got into a fight with her sister Drisella and when they started pushing they ended up pushing me straight into the path of another two silencing charms.
"You got hit by three?" he asked incredulously as she nodded sombrely putting quill to paper ready to continue their conversation.
Eventually they ran out of parchment and Fred suggested that they use this lull in the music to nip across the room, grab a drink and fetch some more paper. Ariel agreed but as they made it to the centre of the room the band started up again and they were suddenly surrounded by couples with no way out.
Fred looked down at her and shrugged apologetically but his smile was friendly. "Do you want to dance?"
X
It had been a rather successful evening Belle thought as she surveyed the students. It was the last dance before clearing everyone out and just about everyone was on the dancefloor enjoying themselves.
She scanned the crowd looking for one person in particular and spotted him slipping out of the doors into the entrance hall and Belle ended up following Remus out into the grounds. The light of the full moon silhouetted him against the breath taking backdrop.
"Remus?" she called as she approached him and she watched as his whole body stiffened.
"Belle," he replied but something was different his voice had taken on a rougher quality. "You shouldn't be out here please go inside."
Belle ignored him, creeping ever closer until she rounded his still form. He stared resolutely ahead as she gasped. Fur covered his face. "Remus, what happened to you?"
"The wolfsbane potion can only curb so much of my curse," he deadpanned.
Belle reached out as if to touch him but when he noticed Remus flinched away. "You should not have come," he whispered sounding more broken now than anything, "why did you have to come?" but before Belle could answer him he had turned and fled towards the forest with an unnatural speed.
X
Cinderella was still enjoying herself ridiculously as she was twirled around in the arms of a man that she had always found attractive but had always dismissed her. The power it gave her was quite heady but as they stepped up to dance the last dance, however, Cinder's dreams of a perfect night shattered around her.
Because they had not been invited to dance with anyone for the last dance, or any really, Anastasia and Drisella were leaving the ball early. Cinderella could see them gathering their things and heading for the door. She had to make it back to the Hufflepuff common room before they came to check on her. She could only imagine what would happen if they found out that she had come to the ball anyway.
Seeing her chances at happiness slipping away Cinderella ripped herself from Draco's arms.
"Where are you going?" he called after her, giving chase as she began to weave around the ever growing crowd of people. It worked in her favour that the crowd grew thicker behind her meaning that Draco could not follow at the speed she was going.
"Thank you for a lovely evening," she called to him, not daring to look back, "but I have to go," she broke out into the hall way and made for the stairs. She was halfway up when one of her shoes caught on the step and she went tumbling forward losing the shoe as she did so.
Full of panic she watched as the delicate shoe bounced all the way down to the bottom of the steps and Draco appeared in the doorway looking wildly around for her. She realised there wasn't time for her to go back for it and instead picked herself up and kept running. It was imperative that she keep running and never look back for fear of her heart breaking.
"But wait! I don't even know your name!"
X
Ariel had enjoyed their dance immensely, it was something she never thought would happen in her wildest dreams and she savoured every second. Fred prattled away filling what would have been an awkward silence. Asking her yes and no questions but throwing a few more complicated ones in just to tease her. She would pout and frown up at him as a silent telling off.
But the song had come to an end and they had begun to make their way towards the edge of the floor when it had been declared that this was to be the final dance and the whole student body of Hogwarts had decided that they simply must be a part of it.
Fred and Ariel had been pushed even closer together in the surge and were now rather awkwardly dancing along, or at least trying to.
Ariel looked up and Fred looked down and Ariel didn't know if it was the heat of the moment or the fact that she was being pushed from behind but the next thing she did know was that her mouth was rather firmly planted onto Fred's.
Her eyes opened wide in shock and she found that she couldn't move or at least didn't want to. Fred's eyes were closed and did she imagine it or had his hand tightened on her waist pulling her just a little closer.
She didn't know or care and allowed her eyes to flutter closed and enjoy the accidental kiss before it was over and it was all too soon. The crowd relaxed around them and as it did they fell apart. Ariel tipped back onto her feet with a surprised "Oh!" before letting out another surprised "oh!"
"Hey," Fred said, "you can talk!"
"I-I can talk!" Ariel squealed with delight revelling in the sound of her own voice. It was slightly raspy from lack of use but more than anything she was happy to have it back.
So caught up in the happiness that she felt from this Ariel forgot to be awkward about their kiss, she even forgot to mention it and Fred seemed happy enough to act as if it had never happened. Fred walked her chivalrously back to the Ravenclaw tower, he had insisted and Ariel realised that a new friendship had been born.
