Author's Notes:
Okay, I need to say all of the things I forgot to say in my prolouge!
First off, my DISCLAIMER: I own none of this, it all belongs to the wonderful J.K. Rowling and the people at Warner Brothers. I really don't even own the plot, I borrowed the idea for Disney's Beauty and the Beast. The only thing I really have made up myself, so far, is Emiliana Black, whom you will meet shortly.
Secondly, to all of my beautiful reviewers. I love you guys! I know there's not very many of you yet, but thank you, thank you, thank you to. You have no idea how much your comments mean to me.
Third, I will be updating about once a week, due to my busy life, with school, and extra curriculars and such.
Next, PLEASE PLEASE review!!! Its not hard, it only takes a minute! Feel free to get creative with your critisism. Tell me what I can fix, what you hate, what you love. Just tell me something! I might even update sooner if you encourage me to!
Lastly, this story is loosely based on Disney's Beauty and the Beast. No, it's not going to follow the storyline exactly, but you should be able to pick up the similarities. Such as- Harry is my version of Gaston, without falling into a pig sty after he proposed, and of course, Hermione would be my Belle. It's just too bad I couldn't fit Phillipe in, he's one of my favorites.
This is a pretty short chapter, the next one will be longer, I promise. Okay, now on with the story-
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The Beauty and the Beast Chapter One
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Hermione threw the letter across the room and collapsed in her office chair. Sobs racked her slim body, and it took her five full minutes to regain control of herself. She picked the letter up, reading the fateful passage again.
We are sorry to inform you that your father has been taken prisoner by Mr. Lucius Malfoy. All measures are being taken in attempt to rescue your father; we will notify you of any new developments.
She couldn't believe the war had finally come to this. Her wonderful, intelligent, perfect muggle parents had been dragged into this. She had the sinking feeling that she should have know it all along. She should have read the signs, the deaths of Muggle-born witches and wizards, and a magic explosion in a muggle bank, where no remains were found but the building still stood.
She sighed and closed her eyes. At this very moment, Draco Malfoy was probably sneering as his father beat hers. She cringed at the thought of her father under the Imperious charm, or any range of the Unforgivable Charms she knew Lucius Malfoy so well for.
She was working at the Ministry of Magic, in the Illegal Spells department, while finishing her Auror training. She got at least 3 reports of illegal spells from the Malfoy household a day. But she just set them aside, in an ever-growing pile, and hoped the next day would bring no reports. But recently, the pile had doubled in size. The Malfoys were taking prisoners and holding them for Voldemort.
Hermione pushed away from her desk. She was working double-overtime tonight, but she knew no one would mind if she left with half an hour to go. She apparated home to her small country cottage.
She tried to rest, but sleep eluded her until 3 AM, when she got up and roamed restlessly around the cottage. She stopped at the mantle of her small fireplace, tears welling in her eyes as she saw one of her Hogwarts graduation pictures. Her parents were standing with her, and she was wearing the long burgundy and gold robes of a graduate from Griffindor. She was smiling ecstatically, and her parents had grins from ear to ear. They all waved happily back at her, and she felt the tears welling up in her eyes. She managed to sit down in a large armchair before she totally lost control. She pulled her knees up to her chest and buried her face in a soft pillow.
Hermione jerked awake just as the birds began to chirp and the sun was slipping into sight. She was stiff and sore, and she knew her eyes were puffy and red. She moved over to her small dining table, and tried to write a letter to her mother, but the words just didn't come, and her hand was shaking so badly on the quill, her writing would have been illegible. So she sat for a quarter of an hour with her head in her hands, and she began to hatch a plan.
The Malfoy's house would be bogged down with security spells, she knew, but she thought she could get around them. She rose from the table and sprinted to her room.
Forty minutes later, Hermione was satisfied. She looked across the bathroom into the full length mirror, and smiled. The face that greeted her was almost not her own. It's owner that long, straight blonde hair and a pale complexion. She had thin, haughty eyebrows and cold blue-gray eyes. She was an unmistakable relative of Narcissa Malfoy.
She practiced sneering in the mirror, but inside, Hermione Granger was smiling in triumph. The spells had been complex; changing one's identity wasn't an easy feat. She could vaguely see the old Hermione, with her high cheekbones and thin, square shoulders, but the curly brown hair and cinnamon eyes had vanished. Hermione was thankful that she had grown in her last years at school, and now stood at a tall, slim five-foot-eight.
She put on her best robes and left the cottage, apparating first into Diagon Alley. She visited Madame Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, where she spent all together too much money on five new, gorgeous dress robes. She had to hold back tears when Madam Malkin, the short, friendly witch dressed in her usual mauve robes, didn't recognize her. She had worked for Madam Malkin for three summers, earning money to pay for her school supplies and books. She visited the Eeylops Owl Emporium, and brought herself a regal looking snowy owl. If she was going to pull this off, Benny, her plain but loveable Tawny owl just wouldn't do the trick.
She thought of Harry- she wanted to tell him, but she didn't think she would be able to speak to him with out bursting into tears. She still didn't know why she had refused him, but something about it felt wrong to her. She couldn't marry him, not now, she thought, not ever. There were too many stings attached with a marriage like that. She already recieved hate mail from people all across wizarding England, but she didn't tell Harry about them. Things like "you're just a whore who wants to be famous" and "when is the 'oops' baby due? Thats the only reason he'd stay with you," and "a Mudblood like you doesn't deserve a man like him". Their engagement would only make that worse.
She knew Harry could help her, but she wanted to do this by herself. It was her father, and with the way her plan was taking shape, Harry wouldn't be able to help her much anyway. So she pushed all thoughts of him from her head and concentrated on the task before her.
She knew where the Malfoy's grand mansion was, even though it was unplottable. The Ministry had way of finding these things out, especially with the help of a former house elf named Dobby. She had copied the file they had on the Malfoys, and decided to take the Wizarding train to Wiltshire. She sat in a private compartment for the next two hours reviewing the thick file. She looked in her little compact mirror again and smiled with satisfaction at how exactly she fit the profile of Narcissa's niece, Emiliana.
Hermione hopped off the train and walked to a little diner for a sandwich and cup of tea. When she left, she consulted her map, and knew it was only a short distance to the Malfoy Manor. She apparated as close as she could (the Malfoy's Manor had shields against Apparation) and walked the rest of the way. She levitated the expensive leather suitcase she had also purchased and the shiny new owl cage up to the entrance and struck the knocker loudly against the thick oak door.
Moments later, a house elf opened the door and she looked down her now-pointy nose at it. "I'm here to see Narcissa Malfoy," she said in a haughty tone.
"Yes, ma'am, right away, ma'am!" the house elf squeaked. "Please, come in," it said, opening the door wider.
Hermione allowed her eyes to wander around the monstrous gothic mansion, so imposing that the house itself struck fear into her.
"Ma'am?" the house elf's squeaky voice caught her off guard, but she quickly rebounded.
"Yes?" she tried to drawl boredly.
"May I tell the mistress who calls?" the elf's eyes were large and almost frightened.
"Emiliana," she stared at the poor little creature, "Emiliana Black."
The house elf's eyes got wider, if it was possible, and the poor creature scampered off up a grand staircase.
A minute later, Narcissa came to the top of the staircase, and paused, looking her over with a sharp eye. "Emiliana?"
Hermione forced a cool smile. "Aunt Narcissa. I was hoping you would be home."
Narcissa observed her uncertainly for a moment before her face softened. "Oh, my dear, it really is you," Narcissa rushed down the stairway and pulled Hermione into a tight hug. "We had thought you were in Austria, with that boy," Narcissa admitted.
"Alexander? Well, I… was there," Hermione began, forcing her bottom lip to quiver a bit, "but I left under less than pleasant terms. And I don't dare go home just yet," she looked up into Narcissa's piercing blue eyes, "You KNOW how Daddy will be. I was wondering if you and Uncle Lucius would take me in for awhile."
Narcissa hugged her again, "Oh, my poor dear girl, of course you can stay here. I wouldn't dream of sending you back to your father before he's cooled off a little." Narcissa snapped her fingers and a house elf appeared, the small creature standing uncertainly under Narcissa's gaze. "Take Emiliana's things to the East room," she commanded it, and it hurried to do her bidding. Narcissa turned back to Hermione, "Come with me dear, and have a cup of tea, and tell me all about your little adventure."
Hermione smiled a secret smile, and followed Narcissa into a large parlor.
A half hour later, Hermione happily realized that she was capable of being an expert liar. But when Draco Malfoy walked through the door, she almost betrayed herself.
"Mother…" Draco stopped dead when he saw her. "Emiliana?"
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Author's Note:
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