Hey, how are you all? Thanks for reviewing the other parts to this, guys. :) Anyway, here's the second to last chapter of my screwy Cinderella story. Told by Hermione, who, like the rest of the characters, belongs to J.K.Rowling. Please R/R!
Glass Slippers
by Scabbers
Chapter 7- Hermione
I couldn't tell you what I expected to find in the dressing room, but I knew I would find something. I mean, I just knew, as surely as if I'd read it in a book.
"Well, it makes sense," I told Ginny, "She was normal when she went in, but when she came out, she was...well..."
"Not herself," Ginny supplied, her freckles looking dark against her ghostly pale skin. "Right," I said, taking a deep breath and twisting the doorknob.
The lights in the little room had been left on, and every surface was covered with hairbrushes and Hogwarts robes, tossed carelessly aside in the clamor to get into costume. Exactly as we'd left it.
I worked my way systematically from corner to corner, checking for anything that looked, well, Dark Lord-ish. Truthfully, I didn't want to find anything. I mean, I know Gryffindors are supposed to be brave and all, but we do have our limits. I could tell that Ginny, who was watching me through the mirror as she scrubbed her face, was terrified, but she was trying hard not to show it.
That reminded me of Ron, but then, when you think about someone a lot, everything starts to remind you of him.
My eyes drifted past Ginny to a closed door nearly hidden by a mound of robes. "Is that a closet?" I asked her, and she shrugged, stretching her arm to twist the doorknob. "It's locked," she said, sounding relieved.
I reached automatically for my wand, but of course, I had left it in my room up in Gryffindor Tower, so I wouldn't lose it after I changed into my costume. "Well, I'll just have to open it the Muggle way," I declared, grabbing a wire hanger from off the costume rack. "I think this will do the trick," I peered at the little hole in the center of the doorknob. "I mean, I've seen it a million times on television."
I struggled with it for a while, feeling pretty stupid in my orange dress, staring with such concentration at a hanger. Finally, Ginny heaved a mighty sigh and removed it gently from my hands. "I can do this. Fred and George taught me how."
And like the craftiest of Muggle thieves, she deftly inserted it into the lock and CLICK, it was open.
I took a deep breath and swung open the closet door. I didn't realize my eyes were closed until Ginny gasped, and I opened them abruptly. There, half-hidden by a pile of clothes, sat Lavender Brown, bound a gagged by magic, eyes wide and terrified.
"Should we...should we take her to Dumbledore?" Ginny's voice trembled, and I squeezed her hand before turning my attention back to Lavender. No question, this was the real Lavender.
"Can you move your lips?" I asked, and she mouthed an exaggerated "yes!". You could tell there were a million things she wanted to say, and it was driving her crazy, not having a voice.
"We're going to take you to Dumbledore now, and he'll be able to reverse the spell that was put on you." By now, I was thinking Polyjuice Potion, but a thought kept gnawing away at me. It was a gruesome thought, but a valid one- why didn't whoever it was just kill her and be done with it?
Anyway, Ginny and I carried her out of the dressing room, in the general direction of Dumbledore, Ron, Harry, and everyone. There was a collective bewildered murmur when people saw us, as their eyes darted from the Lavender held by Ginny and I to her wild-eyed double they currently held captive. Amazingly enough, the only people who didn't look surprised were the two Lavenders themselves, who just glared at each other like old enemies.
Dumbledore quickly muttered a counterspell for the real Lavender, and she sighed with relief that she could sigh, and flexed her fingers happily. Everyone could tell by now that she was truly Lavender, and restraining hands gripped the identical stranger even tighter.
Then, everyone began to speak at once. "Well, who is THAT, then?" "Does Lavender have a twin?" "Polyjuice Potion, I'm sure of it." Finally, Professor Dumbledore shushed everyone and asked Lavender plainly, "Did you see who put the speech and motion restricting spells on you?"
"Well, yeah," she replied, matter-of-factly, "It was me...er...I mean her. Whoever she is." She pointed an accusing finger at the anti-Lavender, who actually looked sort of intimidating, despite the fairy godmother costume.
You could see that Lavender was starting to enjoy herself now, what with everyone hanging on her every word. "I don't know where she came from. I was in the dressing room, about to change into my costume, and she just appeared."
"It was Polyjuice Potion!" someone shouted, and heads started nodding in agreement. But some part of me just wasn't satisfied with that explanation. I mean, with You Know Who, it's never your first guess.
Suddenly, Seamus burst into the center of our cluster, dragging by the wrist...well, Seamus. "I don't know who he is," he panted, regarding his identical captive with disgust, but he knew I was trying to get to Lavender, and he was trying to keep me from coming backstage..." His voice trailed off as he noticed there were two Lavenders. "Oh my God," he whispered, slowly shaking his head. Seamus Number Two just scowled.
And that was about when I decided I was going to the library, and they could just try to stop me. Determined to attract as little notice as possible, I slipped away from the group and crept towards the door.
Ron noticed, though. I knew he would. "I'm coming with you," he said. I nodded and whispered "Fine", not wanting him to know that I'd been hoping he would from the start.
We walked briskly across the grounds together, down the hall, and straight into the restricted section of the library. No one was there to tell us we couldn't; they were all at the play. I quickly grabbed a few books off the shelf, nudging one to Ron and selecting another for myself. "Here, we'll start with these."
I flipped methodically through the pages, looking for something, anything, to explain the sudden duplication of both Lavender and Seamus. I could feel Ron's eyes watching me over a book as he pretended to read, and I tried to sound annoyed. "Ron, this is serious, you know!" But I couldn't keep my lips from smiling the tiniest bit, and I know he saw it.
Doing my best to ignore him anyway, I flipped past page after page of the scariest spells and potions. Spells that would make your flesh crawl. Literally. Ron had just opened his mouth to say something, off topic no doubt, when I stumbled across a spell called Jumelus Maleficus.
"Ron, I think I found something!" I twisted the book around so we could both see it at the same time.
"Jumelus Maleficus," I read, "Or the Evil Twin Curse, draws upon the age-old struggle between good and evil in our natures."
Ron nodded. "Sounds good so far."
I skimmed the lengthy explanation of the spell's history, until I reached the part that had caught my eye flipping through. "The spell is difficult for three main reasons," I continued, tripping over my words a bit in my excitement, "Firstly, the words must be uttered from lips that have kissed the victim. Um, you didn't happen to see if..."
"Lavender and Seamus? Oh yeah. They were like this before the show started." He gave a passionate demonstration on the back of his hand.
Honestly, and how old is he?
"Anyway," I continued, refusing to laugh, "Secondly, the victim must not know the spell is being performed. And thirdly," I declared, underlining with my finger the sentence that meant everything, "Thirdly, the victim must be alive and conscious while the spell is being performed!"
I gave Ron a triumphant look, but he just shrugged and asked, "So what does it do?"
"If the spell is successful," I read, "The next time the victim looks in the mirror, his or her nature will split into two components, good and evil, the latter of which is embodied in the reflection. This "evil twin" will then adopt the ambitions of its creator, he who cast the spell, for his intentions are, no doubt, evil."
It made sense, I thought, in a weird sort of way. There was an asterisk, which complied with a footnote at the bottom of the page. "This spell is often used in conjunction with Polyjuice Potion, as the victim's kiss must be willingly obtained."
I had stood up, by this point, and was pacing back and forth in my excitement. "So what must have happened is that someone used Polyjuice Potion to become Seamus, and then- what is it?" I glared at Ron who had this amused little smile on his face.
"Nothing. So, uh...you just say these words after you kiss someone, and they get an evil twin?"
I shook my head. "It's like any other spell, Ron. Obviously, you have to practice to master it...and what, exactly, is so funny?"
He grinned, and I felt my anger melt away. "Well, I was just thinking that it would be kind of nice having two Hermiones around, so don't you think that maybe we'd better start practicing?"
Don't laugh, Hermione. Don't even smile. But I was losing this battle, and he knew it.
"Come on, Hermione," he said smugly, taking my hand, "Let's go show this book to someone who can use it."
I gave him the fiercest, most evil look I could muster. "I was about to say that, you know."
"Right," he said.
~
Well, you knew she would figure it out, didn't you? I mean, she's Hermione. I just made up that spell, by the way. Hope it makes sense. And can you believe that Lavender Brown? Somehow, she wormed her way into becoming a huge character in my story. Anyway, just one more chapter to go, told by Harry. Please please review, you wonderful people. :)
Glass Slippers
by Scabbers
Chapter 7- Hermione
I couldn't tell you what I expected to find in the dressing room, but I knew I would find something. I mean, I just knew, as surely as if I'd read it in a book.
"Well, it makes sense," I told Ginny, "She was normal when she went in, but when she came out, she was...well..."
"Not herself," Ginny supplied, her freckles looking dark against her ghostly pale skin. "Right," I said, taking a deep breath and twisting the doorknob.
The lights in the little room had been left on, and every surface was covered with hairbrushes and Hogwarts robes, tossed carelessly aside in the clamor to get into costume. Exactly as we'd left it.
I worked my way systematically from corner to corner, checking for anything that looked, well, Dark Lord-ish. Truthfully, I didn't want to find anything. I mean, I know Gryffindors are supposed to be brave and all, but we do have our limits. I could tell that Ginny, who was watching me through the mirror as she scrubbed her face, was terrified, but she was trying hard not to show it.
That reminded me of Ron, but then, when you think about someone a lot, everything starts to remind you of him.
My eyes drifted past Ginny to a closed door nearly hidden by a mound of robes. "Is that a closet?" I asked her, and she shrugged, stretching her arm to twist the doorknob. "It's locked," she said, sounding relieved.
I reached automatically for my wand, but of course, I had left it in my room up in Gryffindor Tower, so I wouldn't lose it after I changed into my costume. "Well, I'll just have to open it the Muggle way," I declared, grabbing a wire hanger from off the costume rack. "I think this will do the trick," I peered at the little hole in the center of the doorknob. "I mean, I've seen it a million times on television."
I struggled with it for a while, feeling pretty stupid in my orange dress, staring with such concentration at a hanger. Finally, Ginny heaved a mighty sigh and removed it gently from my hands. "I can do this. Fred and George taught me how."
And like the craftiest of Muggle thieves, she deftly inserted it into the lock and CLICK, it was open.
I took a deep breath and swung open the closet door. I didn't realize my eyes were closed until Ginny gasped, and I opened them abruptly. There, half-hidden by a pile of clothes, sat Lavender Brown, bound a gagged by magic, eyes wide and terrified.
"Should we...should we take her to Dumbledore?" Ginny's voice trembled, and I squeezed her hand before turning my attention back to Lavender. No question, this was the real Lavender.
"Can you move your lips?" I asked, and she mouthed an exaggerated "yes!". You could tell there were a million things she wanted to say, and it was driving her crazy, not having a voice.
"We're going to take you to Dumbledore now, and he'll be able to reverse the spell that was put on you." By now, I was thinking Polyjuice Potion, but a thought kept gnawing away at me. It was a gruesome thought, but a valid one- why didn't whoever it was just kill her and be done with it?
Anyway, Ginny and I carried her out of the dressing room, in the general direction of Dumbledore, Ron, Harry, and everyone. There was a collective bewildered murmur when people saw us, as their eyes darted from the Lavender held by Ginny and I to her wild-eyed double they currently held captive. Amazingly enough, the only people who didn't look surprised were the two Lavenders themselves, who just glared at each other like old enemies.
Dumbledore quickly muttered a counterspell for the real Lavender, and she sighed with relief that she could sigh, and flexed her fingers happily. Everyone could tell by now that she was truly Lavender, and restraining hands gripped the identical stranger even tighter.
Then, everyone began to speak at once. "Well, who is THAT, then?" "Does Lavender have a twin?" "Polyjuice Potion, I'm sure of it." Finally, Professor Dumbledore shushed everyone and asked Lavender plainly, "Did you see who put the speech and motion restricting spells on you?"
"Well, yeah," she replied, matter-of-factly, "It was me...er...I mean her. Whoever she is." She pointed an accusing finger at the anti-Lavender, who actually looked sort of intimidating, despite the fairy godmother costume.
You could see that Lavender was starting to enjoy herself now, what with everyone hanging on her every word. "I don't know where she came from. I was in the dressing room, about to change into my costume, and she just appeared."
"It was Polyjuice Potion!" someone shouted, and heads started nodding in agreement. But some part of me just wasn't satisfied with that explanation. I mean, with You Know Who, it's never your first guess.
Suddenly, Seamus burst into the center of our cluster, dragging by the wrist...well, Seamus. "I don't know who he is," he panted, regarding his identical captive with disgust, but he knew I was trying to get to Lavender, and he was trying to keep me from coming backstage..." His voice trailed off as he noticed there were two Lavenders. "Oh my God," he whispered, slowly shaking his head. Seamus Number Two just scowled.
And that was about when I decided I was going to the library, and they could just try to stop me. Determined to attract as little notice as possible, I slipped away from the group and crept towards the door.
Ron noticed, though. I knew he would. "I'm coming with you," he said. I nodded and whispered "Fine", not wanting him to know that I'd been hoping he would from the start.
We walked briskly across the grounds together, down the hall, and straight into the restricted section of the library. No one was there to tell us we couldn't; they were all at the play. I quickly grabbed a few books off the shelf, nudging one to Ron and selecting another for myself. "Here, we'll start with these."
I flipped methodically through the pages, looking for something, anything, to explain the sudden duplication of both Lavender and Seamus. I could feel Ron's eyes watching me over a book as he pretended to read, and I tried to sound annoyed. "Ron, this is serious, you know!" But I couldn't keep my lips from smiling the tiniest bit, and I know he saw it.
Doing my best to ignore him anyway, I flipped past page after page of the scariest spells and potions. Spells that would make your flesh crawl. Literally. Ron had just opened his mouth to say something, off topic no doubt, when I stumbled across a spell called Jumelus Maleficus.
"Ron, I think I found something!" I twisted the book around so we could both see it at the same time.
"Jumelus Maleficus," I read, "Or the Evil Twin Curse, draws upon the age-old struggle between good and evil in our natures."
Ron nodded. "Sounds good so far."
I skimmed the lengthy explanation of the spell's history, until I reached the part that had caught my eye flipping through. "The spell is difficult for three main reasons," I continued, tripping over my words a bit in my excitement, "Firstly, the words must be uttered from lips that have kissed the victim. Um, you didn't happen to see if..."
"Lavender and Seamus? Oh yeah. They were like this before the show started." He gave a passionate demonstration on the back of his hand.
Honestly, and how old is he?
"Anyway," I continued, refusing to laugh, "Secondly, the victim must not know the spell is being performed. And thirdly," I declared, underlining with my finger the sentence that meant everything, "Thirdly, the victim must be alive and conscious while the spell is being performed!"
I gave Ron a triumphant look, but he just shrugged and asked, "So what does it do?"
"If the spell is successful," I read, "The next time the victim looks in the mirror, his or her nature will split into two components, good and evil, the latter of which is embodied in the reflection. This "evil twin" will then adopt the ambitions of its creator, he who cast the spell, for his intentions are, no doubt, evil."
It made sense, I thought, in a weird sort of way. There was an asterisk, which complied with a footnote at the bottom of the page. "This spell is often used in conjunction with Polyjuice Potion, as the victim's kiss must be willingly obtained."
I had stood up, by this point, and was pacing back and forth in my excitement. "So what must have happened is that someone used Polyjuice Potion to become Seamus, and then- what is it?" I glared at Ron who had this amused little smile on his face.
"Nothing. So, uh...you just say these words after you kiss someone, and they get an evil twin?"
I shook my head. "It's like any other spell, Ron. Obviously, you have to practice to master it...and what, exactly, is so funny?"
He grinned, and I felt my anger melt away. "Well, I was just thinking that it would be kind of nice having two Hermiones around, so don't you think that maybe we'd better start practicing?"
Don't laugh, Hermione. Don't even smile. But I was losing this battle, and he knew it.
"Come on, Hermione," he said smugly, taking my hand, "Let's go show this book to someone who can use it."
I gave him the fiercest, most evil look I could muster. "I was about to say that, you know."
"Right," he said.
~
Well, you knew she would figure it out, didn't you? I mean, she's Hermione. I just made up that spell, by the way. Hope it makes sense. And can you believe that Lavender Brown? Somehow, she wormed her way into becoming a huge character in my story. Anyway, just one more chapter to go, told by Harry. Please please review, you wonderful people. :)