Upstairs, the asylum was transformed. It was full of light and full of people. As Hermione walked hand-in-hand with the girl, she looked for Adam and the others.
She found them in a foyer she hadn't been able to see before. Adam's mother lay on a settee. Hermione sucked in a breath. The woman was emaciated. Her eyes were closed, and her breathing seemed labored.
"That man was experimenting on her," Colette said bitterly. "Trying to remove magic from her."
Adam roared in rage. The newly freed prisoners shrank back in fear of the Beast.
"Speaking of, where is Monsieur D'Arque?" Hermione asked.
"He wasn't here when we got back," Adam said, indicating the coatrack to his said. "Porter said that two men had come and taken him away. They overpowered Porter." Porter hung his head in dejection. "It wasn't your fault," Adam said to the coatrack. "I should have been more careful and never left you in that situation. I was too hasty and didn't bring enough backup."
"Was one man large and one small?" Hermione asked.
Porter nodded.
"It was the men who captured me," Hermione said. "We better get out of here. I'm afraid they'll come back with more people."
Hermione looked outside. It was nighttime. Where could they take these people? She didn't know if the village would be safe, especially with people like Gaston around.
"Do you think we can take them all back to the castle?" Hermione asked. "We can take care of them there."
Adam looked at her in surprise. "Yes. Good idea," he said. "We should do that. Palanquin can't fit everyone though."
Hermione deduced that meant that they had traveled here using Palanquin.
"Let's put those who can't walk and are in the worst shape in him," Hermione said. "Are there any horses?"
Cogsworth chimed in, "I noticed a small stable in the back."
"Good," Hermione said. "Let's get anyone who can ride on horseback and double up people. Some are so thin we could probably triple up people."
Colette and Hermione organized the group so that, soon enough, Palanquin was loaded with the weakest, the horses had riders, and the rest would walk. Hermione convinced Adam to stay with the larger group rather than follow Palanquin and his mother. "Mrs. Potts will know what to do," Hermione assured him. "We need you here to guide and protect us on our way back to the castle."
Begrudgingly, Adam agreed and they set off back to the castle. Under the cover of the setting sun, they were not disturbed as they made their way to the forest or even to the castle. At a certain point, the weather shifted and snow covered the ground. Hermione suspected that meant they had crossed some sort of barrier of the enchantment.
"Curious," Hermione commented as they passed through the gates. "I heard so many stories about wolves and I didn't encounter them."
"Strange indeed," Adam said. "I'm not sure why they appear sometimes and other times not."
Colette and the girl Hermione rescued walked beside them. Colette looked pale as she took in the castle. "Are you okay?" Hermione asked. "That was a very long walk."
Colette shook herself. "I'm fine," she said. "It's nothing."
Hermione suspected there was more Colette wasn't saying but dismissed it as she shepherded the rest of the group inside the castle.
Inside, Mrs. Potts was in full swing. The entrance hall had makeshift beds set up and she bustled around ordering the staff to give this person this and that person that. The former prisoners took in the castle in awe and wonder, watching the enchanted objects bounce around talking and taking care of their fellow inmates. Cogsworth ushered the group to the dining hall to sit and relax and eat a warm meal.
"Oh, good," she said, "You're back. Glad to see all of you back safe and sound. Especially you, Hermione, we were worried when we didn't see you this morning."
"Thank you," Hermione said. "Is there anything I can do to help?"
"There's plenty to do," Mrs. Potts said. "But you ought to rest after everything you've been through."
"Where is my mother?" Adam asked abruptly, after looking around and not seeing her on one of the cots.
"We took her to her room," Mrs. Potts said. "We thought she'd be more comfortable there."
Without a word, Adam bounded up the stairs.
"Why don't you go with him, dearie?" Mrs. Potts suggested to Hermione. "I'll send up some food."
Hermione nodded and headed after Adam. Colette followed her. The little girl began to follow as well, but Hermione thought it might be best to leave her in the hands of Mrs. Potts.
"Mrs. Potts," Hermione said. "Is Chip around? This little girl could use some company."
"Certainly!" Mrs. Potts said. "Excellent idea. Chip! Come over here."
Hermione heard some barking and saw Chip riding across the hall on the back of Sultan, the footstool. She smiled at the awe on the girl's face as she saw the little teacup bouncing over on the back of Sultan, the footstool-dog.
"Hi! My name is Chip!" the teacup cried to the girl. "Wanna play?"
With amazement on her face, the little girl nodded.
"Catch me if you can!" Chip said, egging Sultan away. The girl laughed and chased after him.
"They're in good hands," Hermione said to Colette, gesturing towards the newly freed asylum inmates.
"I can see that," Colette said as they began to climb the stairs.
"This castle is something, isn't it?" Hermione said.
"Yes," Colette agreed. As they reached the top of the stairs, Colette suddenly halted and pulled Hermione into an alcove. "Before I go any further, I must confess something to you," she said, taking a deep breath. "I'm the one who enchanted this castle."
"What?" Hermione said, shocked. "You are?"
"Yes," Colette said. "I came here in search of my dear friend Estelle. The witch hunts had come to Paris and I wanted to make sure she was okay. But I'd never visited her at her home before so I wasn't exactly sure where it was. I came here in the middle of the winter, hoping for food and shelter. The prince I found was so cruel to me that I got angry and cursed him. I had no idea it was Adam, my friend's son. I thought I'd come across some horribly unpleasant bourgeois Muggle. I didn't know until I got caught by that wretched Gaston and taken to the asylum that she'd been captured and that the castle near this village was her home."
Hermione was shocked. Belle's mother was the enchantress?
"Do you know how to break the curse?" Hermione asked.
"There's no way, aside from the Beast experiencing love and being loved in return," Colette said sadly. "It's a very specific curse."
"Are you sure?" Hermione said. "From what I can tell, this is a very conditional advanced transfiguration."
"And the condition is that he experiences reciprocated love," Colette said. "I may have been able to extend the timeline a bit, but I don't have my powers."
Hermione felt a surge of disappointment. "I've got to get Belle back here," she said. "At all costs."