That morning, the Beast was already in the dining room when Hermione arrived.
"Good morning," she said, pleased to see him there.
"Morning," he murmured.
"Did you sleep well?" Hermione asked as she took her seat.
"Better than usual," the Beast said, a note of surprise in his voice.
"I'm glad to hear it," Hermione said with a smile. "Sleep is a magic worker."
The two fell into silence as they both served themselves food and began to eat.
Hermione recalled her conversation with Belle from the night before. "I have a question for you," she said to the Beast. "Do you know what happened to Belle's father?"
"Her father?" the Beast asked, surprised, a slight note of anger in his voice. "That thief who intruded into my home."
"Now, now, master," Mrs. Potts said. "We couldn't let the poor man freeze and starve."
"I sent him back to his village," the Beast said. "He should be at home now."
"Oh," said Hermione. "That's a relief. Is there any way to check on him?"
"Why do you ask?" the Beast said. "Why a sudden interest in Belle's father?"
Hermione realized she'd stumbled right into this one. Should she tell the Beast she saw Belle in her dreams? He'd likely think she was crazy, but he'd accepted her this far. At least, eventually.
Taking a risk, she said, "I see Belle in my dreams every night. Belle has asked about her father several times."
"You see her?" the Beast breathed. "Is she all right?"
"Yes," Hermione said, intrigued by the Beast's apparent interest in Belle. "She's doing quite well. She's learning to do magic."
"She's turning into an enchantress," the Beast said, stunned.
"She already had the latent skills," Hermione said, trying to defend Belle. She hoped this wouldn't affect the Beast's opinion of Belle. "It turned out that they only needed to be activated. Her mother had apparently gone to my magical school."
"She's the daughter of an enchantress," the Beast said, almost echoing his previous sentence. "I don't know what to think."
Hermione felt somewhat surprised by the Beast's attitude toward Belle. He acted as if he'd been betrayed somehow by Belle. Yet, as she's learned, they'd only known each other a day. Did he care for Belle? Could feelings develop that quickly?
"It doesn't change the woman you met," Hermione said, continuing to defend Belle. "It's just that she's learned a new skill. You wouldn't be angry if she learned how to knit or something would you?"
"I wouldn't put knitting and spellcasting in the same category," the Beast said, the wariness still in his voice.
"Well, maybe that wasn't the best analogy," Hermione admitted. "But I hope you get what I mean. This ability doesn't change Belle's character or good heart."
"I suppose…" the Beast said. The two fell into silence again as they continued to eat their meal. Hermione considered the Beast's words about Belle again. She hoped the Beast wouldn't hate Belle because she could do magic. Hermione loved the Beauty and the Beast story and truly hoped she didn't derail the story too much. To tell the truth, Hermione was rooting for Belle and the Beast to fall in love when she could figure out how to bring Belle back.
Hermione remembered that they still hadn't discussed Belle's father fully. "Anyway…" she tentatively said. "Is there some way to check on Belle's father?"
The Beast thought for a moment. "I can send someone to check on him," he said, turning towards Cogsworth and beckoning him over.
"Yes, master?" Cogsworth said.
The Beast, being on the far end of the other table, murmured something quietly to Cogsworth that Hermione couldn't here. Fair enough. At least he seemed cooperative.
"Right away, master," Cogsworth said and scurried out of the room.
"Cogsworth will see to it," the Beast said.
"Thank you," Hermione said. "Belle would be most relieved to hear good news of her father. Any news would be beneficial."
"Well, okay then," the Beast said. The two returned to their meals. Hermione watched as the Beast struggled to eat with the normal serving utensils that seemed so dainty in his large paws. Sympathy rose in her. She truly hoped she could figure out how to help them.
This time, the Beast broke the silence. "So how do you want to go about figuring out how to break this curse?" he asked.
"Well," Hermione said. "Truthfully, I don't know where to start. It seems I couldn't bring my wand with me when I switched places with Belle, so I don't know how to perform magic in this world. Yet." She sighed. "If only I could go to a library."
The Beast looked startled. "A library? You want to go to a library?" he asked.
"Yes," Hermione sighed. "Books have rarely failed me and I think there must be books on enchantments and magic somewhere in this land." She looked thoughtful. She knew books weren't as common in earlier centuries as they were in her time. Where would she find books on magic?
"Well, you're in luck," he said. "Because I just happen to have one."
Abruptly, he got up and strode out of the room, leaving Hermione to scramble behind him to keep up.