Disclaimer: I don't own the original stories or characters.
Once Upon a Time at Hogwarts
Rumpelstiltskin
Once the haze fell away, Hermione heard shouting, and looked to her left, only to see Ron gesticulating with a red face, obviously very angry. She turned to see the cause of his problem, in the form of Draco Malfoy.
Malfoy sneered, "My daughter comes from a line far more wealthy and pure than yours. There is no question that she is the better match." He gestured to his daughter, a rather smug looking Pansy Parkinson.
"Only if she were to wear a permanent glamour. Someone might mistake her for the king's stable hand," Ron shouted back, and Hermione finally noticed that there was another person in the room. Severus Snape was sitting on a throne, looking highly amused. "Plus," Ron continued, "Hermione's got brains!"
Hermione blushed once she understood the implications of what was going on. Each was trying to get the king to marry their daughter. She supposed being Ron's daughter wasn't as twisted a relationship as it could've been.
"Pansy can brew the Drought of Living Death," Malfoy retorted, and Hermione caught the disbelieving look Pansy gave him. She smirked. No way could Pansy brew that unless the Potions Master helped her at every step, and he was currently the king they were vying for, so that wouldn't be happening.
Hermione saw Ron's ear tips grow red, and knew whatever came out was going to be a bold-faced lie.
"My daughter can brew a potion that will turn anything it touches to gold!" There were raised eyebrows all around.
Finally, Severus intercepted, before things got really ludicrous, "If you claim these things, I suggest a little … competition. Your daughters will each be put in a room with what ingredients they might need, and attempt the potion. Whoever succeeds, I will take their hand in marriage. If neither succeeds, I will not marry either of them, and search else-where."
Both Malfoy and Ron were looking pale. They seemed to have dug their own holes.
Severus led them down a corridor, the two pairs following reluctantly. Malfoy was whispering quickly to Pansy, no doubt trying to instill in her exactly how to make the Drought of Living Death. Pansy was concentrating, but Hermione doubted she could remember all the minute steps required for such a delicate potion. It would probably end up becoming some sort of deadly poison.
Next to her, Ron was quiet and pale. As Severus gestured to the room she would be in, he gave her a pat on the shoulder and a look she supposed was meant to be encouraging, but looked more melancholy.
Hermione stepped into the room and heard the door close behind her. It appeared to be some sort of Room of Requirement, though it wouldn't provide her with anything gold. No, that would be too easy. Hermione started to brainstorm, trying to get her mindset into that of a true alchemist.
Four hours and as many failed potion attempts later, Hermione sat on a squashy chair reminiscent of something from the Gryffindor common room and cried. She didn't like to fail in the first place, but if she didn't figure out what to do, they'd never get out of this book.
Suddenly, there was a familiar pop across the room from her, and Hermione lifted her teary gaze to see her possible ticket out.
"Dobby," she exclaimed in happiness, remembering how the House-Elf had helped Harry with the Tri-Wizard Tournament.
"Why is you crying, Miss," Dobby questioned, his ears flattened as if afraid he might have offended her. He was already looking eagerly around for something to punish himself with.
"Oh, no, I was just frustrated. I'm so happy that you're here!"
The elf's ears lifted at this, and a thin smile stretched wide across his brown face. "Anything Dobby can help the Miss with?"
Hermione explained her predicament.
"If you help me, I'll make you a hat out of golden yarn," she gave the incentive, and the elf's whole body seemed to shiver with excitement. He winked out without a reply.
Hermione had to suffer two hours of ignorance as to what Dobby was doing. She filled it with reading the various books the room provided her with, though she was too distracted to soak in much of what she read.
Dobby popped back into the room and Hermione looked up eagerly, only to see his ears drooping.
"Dobby is sorry, Miss, but he can't find potion. Dobby can use House-Elf magic to turn things gold," he offered. Hermione smiled. She'd do anything to turn something to gold. She thought hard about what she wanted, and a pile of multicolored yarn appeared.
"If you could turn this to gold, I'll be able to make you a hat and have enough to show the king."
Hermione wasn't afraid about whether he would demand to know how to make the potion. She wouldn't give it to him. As of now, it was the only incentive holding him to her, as, with the recipe, he could brew it himself with no need for her. Not that there'd be a potion to brew. Hermione snorted. It would be fun to give bold face lies to the Professor.
With a snap, Dobby turned the yarn to gold, and Hermione got started on his hat.
The next day, four astonished onlookers stared at the small pile of golden yarn. Ron's eyes bulged out of his head in disbelief before he gave Hermione a hug and whispered that he knew she could do it.
Severus picked up a string and peeled back the different threads, making sure it really was all gold. Draco and Pansy just scowled in the doorway. It was obvious they hadn't had as much luck. Hermione almost felt guilty. Almost.
After examining the thread, Severus looked at her, "And the formula for this potion?"
"I'm afraid I'm unable to share it, for my own interest, your Majesty," Hermione replied respectfully, and Severus' expression was a cross between anger and pride that she had thought things through.
"I see. Well, we'll just have to see if you can replicate the results at a larger scale than what you have produced today. I would like to see three times as much golden yarn by tomorrow morning." With that, the Potions Master left, and Hermione huffed in irritation. Ron gave her a sympathetic look and a pat on the back before leaving, and Draco and Pansy had been long gone by then. Hermione sat back down on her chair and glanced about the room. It looked like it was back to square one. Hopefully Dobby would answer when she called.
He did, listening as Hermione explained her new predicament. She produced the correct amount of yarn for the king's wishes, plus extra to make Dobby a pair of golden socks with. The House-Elf could not deny such an inducement.
The next day was very much like the previous one, Severus trying not to show that he was impressed.
"Now, there will just be one final test, to figure out whether it's not just yarn that you can turn golden. Turn this cauldron golden," He gestured at a large cauldron in the corner of the room. Hermione grimaced, but nodded.
Later that night, Dobby stared at the large cauldron nervously.
"Dobby has never tried his magic on a cauldron before, Miss. I is not sure it is possible."
"I understand, Dobby, but could you try? What can I give you to repay this?"
Dobby's eyes shifted nervously about the room, before settling them on Hermione's dress.
"Dobby would like … a wand," he whispered, half scandalized that he had spoken such things, and half exhilarated.
Hermione winced. She didn't know how to make a wand, and knew that it would most likely be a very hard process. She pulled out her own wand from her dress, Dobby's eyes following it as she set it down on the small table beside her.
"I don't know how to make a wand, so the best I can do is let you borrow mine for a day. How does that sound?" She smiled as she watched Dobby's whole body shiver in anticipation, his eyes luminous.
"Miss could do that?"
"Yes, just make sure to bring it back sometime tomorrow."
"Yes Miss, yes, yes, yes!"
Hermione reluctantly handed over her wand to the shaking House-Elf. He took it from her reverently, as if the slightest movement might be enough for the wand to crumble in his hands.
Lifting it, he aimed it to the cauldron, and with concentration, managed to turn it into a glinting gold. Hermione gasped at its beauty. She'd never seen so much gold in one place before, besides the one time she was able to peek into Harry's vault at Gringotts. The cauldron was given a warm glow by the light of the candles, and reflected off the walls in its corner.
"Oh, Dobby, thank you so much," Hermione exclaimed, but the House-elf was hypnotized by the wand held in his hand. "Dobby?"
The elf slowly looked up, a crazed glint in his eye. He held the wand up like an idol, caressing it with his knobby little hands, "Dobby has a wand … Dobby has a wand!"
"Erm, Dobby, you'll give it back to me tomorrow, won't you," Hermione nervously asked.
The elf blinked out of the room without a response. Hermione was now genuinely worried. She'd seen the look on his face, and she remembered now why House-elves didn't have wands, and also why they were now indentured servants to witches and wizards. House-elves had wild magics, magics that became exponentially more concentrated and powerful with the aid of a wand to concentrate them. The elves had stirred up quite a bit of destruction centuries previous, and had made a pact with the witches and wizards about the use of wands. That pact had been distorted over the years, but the elves seemed to think they needed to help the wizards their ancestors had given so much trouble to.
Hermione was truly worried now. She'd had that wand since she was eleven, and didn't wish to part with it. It wasn't guaranteed that the things that happened in this book would change what happened outside of it, but she didn't want to take any chances. There was only one thing she could think to do, and that was to make a wand Dobby would like better than hers.
Hermione thought about it. She'd never made a wand before. What would be the best core for a House-elf's wand? And what type of wood should be used? She concentrated, and a whole bookshelf appeared before her, with various books on the wand-making process, and what ingredients caused what results.
A few hours later, Hermione was in her element, surrounded by books, and narrowing down a few good combinations of ingredients to make the best wand for the House-elf, based on what she knew about him.
From examination of the different types of wood used, Hermione singled out Ash, Vine and Oak. She also decided that Unicorn hair would be the best core for Dobby's wand. Considering the elf's size, she decided to make it a smaller wand. Hermione spent the rest of the day and night experimenting.
The next morning, Severus, Ron, Draco and Pansy showed up, and Hermione was a little surprised, mainly because she had been focusing on her wand problem, and hadn't thought about the first problem since the previous night, before Dobby had made his request.
Severus examined the cauldron, tapping it and listening, making sure it was completely composed of the precious metal. He stood with a smirk.
"It appears you have completed the challenge adequately. Congratulations," The congratulations were directed to a beaming Ron. Hermione almost huffed, but saw the glint in the Potion Master's eye. He wanted to get a reaction out of her, and she didn't want to give him the satisfaction of it. She kept her composure as she was finally led out of the room she'd been trapped in for three days.
There was a feast that night, and after it, Hermione was led by Severus to what was to be her chambers.
"You won't have to worry about me bothering you tonight, Hermione," he murmured, no doubt seeing her nervousness. She flushed at the fact that he had called her by her name, as well as the fact that she was slightly disappointed.
Hermione looked up into his hooded eyes as he smirked and brought her hand to his lips, lightly kissing it before bowing and leaving her to enter a tastefully sumptuous room. Hermione disregarded the room in the wake of her fluster and dilemma. She turned to her nightstand and pulled out a box containing the fruit of the previous night's efforts: three wands, one of which she hoped would take the place of hers.
"Dobby," She called, nervous when she didn't get an immediate response, as she usually did. Soon enough though, the elf appeared in her room, as flushed in complexion as he could get, her wand still in his hand.
"You calls, Miss?"
"I know how much you have relished using my wand, and I know it pains you to give it back to me, so I decided to make you one myself."
The House-elf finally was able to look away from the wand and into her eyes, his own glistening.
"You made Dobby a wand?"
Hermione felt sympathy for the elf at his tone of wonder. If only witches and wizards were kinder to their elves …
She opened the box and he drifted over to see three different wands, all smaller in size, but more in proportion to him.
"They each have Unicorn hairs in them, and they are all slightly flexible, but one is made of Oak, one of Vine, and one of Ash. You should pick each one up, one at a time, to see which one responds the best to you." Hermione held out her hand for her wand, and silently sighed in relief when, in his distraction, Dobby handed her wand back over. He picked up the first one, made of Ash.
Nothing happened.
The House-elf's ears drooped.
Hermione smiled reassuringly, "Don't worry; it took me ages of going through the wands to find the perfect one for me. Mr. Ollivander definitely had his work cut out for him."
Dobby reverently placed the unresponsive wand back into the box before picking up the next one, the Vine. It crackled.
"Well, give it a wave," Hermione gestured. Dobby did as told, and both winced as the teapot on a tray broke, spilling tea all over it. "Well, at least that's an improvement."
Dobby put the wand back and stared at the last one, almost afraid to find out whether it would work or not. His knobby hand trembled as he reached for it.
The moment he picked it up, he grinned, waving the little wand and fixing the teapot with a flick and swish. Hermione smiled as well, though hers was due more to relief. She didn't have to give up her own wand.
Dobby gave a great smile that stretched across his whole face, eyes glinting as they glanced from the wand to Hermione and back again.
"Dobby is grateful, Miss," he squeaked out, jumping slightly with excitement.
"Go have fun."
Dobby needed no encouragement, and winked out, the room feeling slightly empty now that his energy of excitement was gone. Hermione felt her vision blur, and was grateful that yet another story was finished. Hopefully there wouldn't be many more.
A/N: Taken from the Grimm Brothers version of Rumplestiltskin. Please review!