Before Hermione went to bed, a warm bath waited for her. Grateful for the thoughtfulness if the staff, she soaked in the water, enjoying its warmth and the way it made her feel grounded and calm.
It had been an eventful day! She had gotten the Beast's — Adam's — cooperation and discovered a connection to two of the wizarding schools in Europe.
They hadn't been able to get much more useful information out of the portrait of Colette. After all, portraits reflect only the information that either the artist themselves knew about the subject or the information that the real person instructs to the portrait. For example, the headmasters of Hogwarts often instruct their portraits about matters the headmasters believe would benefit future heads of the school. It appeared that Estelle had painted the portrait of Colette as a remembrance of her friend, but neither Colette nor Estelle had spent much time instructing the portrait beyond the surface.
However, it was enough to know that Adam's mother had a connection with Beauxbatons. Hermione wasn't sure yet what she thought they could do with that information but she knew something would come to her.
Hermione wasn't quite used to using a chamber pot, but she relieved herself before going to bed.
Laying in bed, Hermione felt rather satisfied with all that she'd done. She felt like she was getting a handle on this new world.
As she drifted off to sleep, her awareness swirled into darkness. She dreamed of walking down a long corridor, not sure what would be at the end of it. When she reached the end of the corridor, she found the only way she could go was right. Hermione followed the path until she rounded another corner to be blinded by a bright white light. As her eyes adjusted, she saw that it was the woman in the portrait.
"It's you!" Hermione cried. "Colette!"
The woman nodded and gestured towards a portal behind her. It revealed the grassy hilltop where Hermione had first seen Belle. Colette vanished before Hermione could ask her anything, so Hermione stepped through the portal to find Belle waiting for her.
"Belle!" cried Hermione. "I have some news."
"Okay," Belle said, dejectedly. Hermione could see a troubled look in her eyes.
Hermione's excitement faded somewhat. "Are you okay?" she asked. "What's wrong?"
Belle sighed, her shoulders slumping. "It's just... it's been difficult, Hermione. Pretending to be you, it's wearing on me. I've always valued being true to myself, and this deception... it doesn't sit well with me."
Hermione's brow furrowed with concern, her spirits sinking. "I'm so sorry, Belle. I never meant to put you in this position."
Belle shook her head. "I know. There's more. Draco Malfoy... he's figured out that I'm not you."
Hermione gasped. "Malfoy knows? How? What did he say?"
"He noticed the differences in my behavior," Belle explained. "He confronted me in the library. He did something to me. He made me look at him and, when I did, I saw…memories."
"You saw memories?" Hermione asked intently. "And he had eye contact with you? It sounds like he used Legilimency on you." Hermione looked thoughtful. "I had no idea he could do that. That's very advanced magic. Harry mentioned that he might have learned Occlumency, but to be able to use Legilimency too…Wow…"
"Um…" Belle said, breaking Hermione out of her reverie. "What?"
"Oh, sorry," Hermione said. "I got lost in thought. Basically, he read your mind."
Belle nodded, "I wondered… Can anyone do that?"
"No," Hermione said. "Only really skilled wizards and people who were born that way can do it. It's rare."
"That's good," Belle said, feeling relieved. She didn't want people going around reading her mind.
"There's a way to protect against it as well," Hermione said. "But it's also difficult to master. I don't think it's something you need to worry about. What are you going to do?"
"Well, Draco promised not to tell anyone," Belle said. "So I hope my secret is safe. But... our conversation made me question everything. Am I really helping by maintaining this charade?"
Hermione reached out and grabbed Belle's hand. "Belle, I understand your frustration. But please believe me when I say that your presence there is crucial. The wizarding world is still recovering, and any disruption could have serious consequences."
Belle nodded slowly. "I know. Ginny and Luna have explained that to me. But it doesn't make it any easier."
"I promise I'm doing everything I can to find a way to switch us back," Hermione assured her. "By the way, I think I might have found something out that might cheer you up."
"Really?" Belle said. "I could use some good news."
"First," Hermione said. "I heard from Cogsworth that your father is home and safe. He's recovering from an illness but seems to be fine. They will continue to check on him."
Belle's eyes filled with tears. "What a relief," she murmured. "I wish I could have been there for him. He had a nasty cough when I found him in the castle. But I'm glad to hear he's on the mend. I wish I could see him with my own eyes to know for sure."
"You will soon," Hermione promised. "The Beast is cooperating with me now. And we made some progress figuring things out. Just before bed we had an interesting development. We visited the Beast's mother's study and found a portrait of a woman named Colette."
Belle's eyes widened. "Colette? That's... that's my mother's name."
"It is?" Hermione asked, excitement building. She thought the breakthrough about the Beast's mother might cheer Belle up, but now she sensed something even deeper at work. "This portrait of Colette mentioned that she went to Hogwarts. I remember now that you told me your mother went to Hogwarts."
"Really?" Belle asked, shocked. "What did she look like?"
"She had long golden blonde hair," Hermione said. "Light colored skin and green eyes. I've seen her before in these dreams. She brings me to you."
"That sounds like her," Belle murmured. "And I've seen her in my dreams too."
"Amazing," Hermione said. "We found her portrait in the Beast's mother's study. It seems that his mother and Colette, perhaps the very same Colette as your mother, were friends."
Belle took in a deep breath. "I don't know what to think," she said, stunned by the news.
"Colette said that she and Estelle, his mother, were school friends," Hermione continued. "It seems that Colette studied briefly at the wizarding school located in France called Beauxbatons."
"And the Beast accepted this?" Belle asked, wonderingly.
"He was surprised," Hermione admitted. "But he's seeming a lot more open to the magical world. He's realizing that not everyone who can do magic is bad." Hermione paused. "I found out his name. It's Adam. He's actually a prince."
"That makes sense, I suppose," Belle said. "He does live in a castle and have a ton of servants."
"Indeed," Hermione said. "I wanted you to know that we're making progress. I visited his library — it's wonderful. It's even grander than the Hogwarts library. You're going to love it."
"I can't wait to see it," Belle said with a small smile.
"We're getting close," Hermione assured Belle. "This information about your mother and Adam's mother might be the key we need."
Belle managed a small smile. "Thank you, Hermione. I'll try to hold on a little longer. And I'll keep working on finding a solution from my end too."
As the dream began to fade, Hermione called out, "Stay strong, Belle. And be careful around Malfoy. He may have promised secrecy, but his track record works against him."
Belle nodded as she faded from view. "I will. Good luck, Hermione."
Hermione blinked herself awake in Belle's bed with a renewed determination to solve their predicament.