La Bella et la Bête

Author: Cursed-PirateChick

Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing not even the story plot except for a few changes that I hope you'll recognize, like the ending. This is a fairytale story with a mixture of Cinderella, Snow White, and Sleeping Beauty, Beauty and the Beast.

Note: Enjoy and please review. Oh and 'Belle' the beginning song from BatB will be the only song sung so don't get frustrated if it frustrates you, please stick with it.

Summary: Hermione Beautè is far from being a normal girl of her time. She loves to read and is always day dreaming, which is very weird for a woman. You'll never see her without a book in her hand. She is the most beautiful of the village and all the men fawn after her especially the arrogant Harry Gaston, but what happens when a ball is held in the most frightening castles with a Beast for a host? This is a story that will throw you into the overpowering emotions and acts of love, passion, fear, power, innocence, rage, and murder.

A Rose

Long spidery fingers circled the floating blood red flower but didn't dare touch it. The magical glow pouring off of it in a fountain of sparkles that washed over his albino palms in a soft caress that made him withdraw his hands and fall to his knees in the most vulnerable of positions. The small rose that hovered above the small rounded table with one leg that branched out into four lion's paws at the bottom held his life in its beautiful petals. Every time he was with the rose he remembered his past and that night.

Flash Back

When he was younger the world had taken his mother from him and his father was abusive; always beating and mentally attacking the young prince hardening him to the world. He grew to crave power and fed on rage but never learning the most important feeling of all, love. He was incapable of the glorious feeling that would save him and his castle. He killed his father once he had reached seventeen and took it over. Unfeelingly he destroyed lives and raised supporters under him to control the people; however, one day it all changed. An old bent over beggar man with a dirty grey beard that ran down his front and brushed the ground showed up on his doorstep begging for mercy, "Please, Lord, give me my family back and grace mercy on us," he sobbed.

Voldemort threw back his head in an icy laugh, "Old man! I show mercy to none, you have brought this upon yourself; tell me who your family is so I can punish them for your stupidity!" Ruby eyes glared into the faded azul eyes of the old man as a black lock of hair fell into his face.

"Do you have no heart?! Show us love and free my family, please," a tear slipped down his wrinkled cheek.

"Love is for the weak! I have no heart old man! Begone from my step and pray the wolves eat you before I get my hands on you myself!" He hissed out.

Suddenly in a blinding flash the beggar rose to his fool height. A long silver beard trailed down his torso to his waist and twinkling blue eyes behind half moon spectacles watched Voldemort step back in fear, "So be it, Prince Tom Slytherine, you shall forever be Lord Voldemort and a beast," at that moment a pain rack Voldemort's body and his body began a transformation when he looked up a tall mirror floated before his face; he was no longer the handsome man of fairytales but a stark white snake. His hair was gone and his nose was replaced with slits.

The magnificent old man snapped his fingers and a rose appeared in a case of glass shimmering, "I strip you of your power and authority, and remove you from the minds of all except for your servants who shall always walk the grounds of this place as lions until you learn to love and be loved. This rose is your life and your heart. Once the last petal falls you shall forever live unwanted and hunted like a freak of nature meant to be killed and purged from this world and your servants shall hold their noble forms," the voice was overpowering and frightening as the old man was engulfed in a shining blue light of raw power that shot out knocking Lord Voldemort unconscious and onto his back. It traveled through the castle changing the white stone into a haunted gothic building. It rushed over the servants and turned them into the golden four legged cats of the savannahs. When he awoke he tried to go back to business as normal but only succeeded in revealing himself to the people and they began to form mobs to kill him. Lord Voldemort had no choice but to stay hidden behind his lions and the walls of his castle.

End Flash Back

Another petal fell to the table's surface as he rose and made his way over to a large mirror upon the wall. He stared at the reflection of what he used to look like and it mocked him, "enough! I wish to never see that face again!" He growled angrily.

The mirror cleared and revealed a mask that spoke with an empty mouth, "What is it that you wish to see, Prince?"

"The girl that shall love me and I shall love back, mirror," his expression never changed.

"Prince, you forgot to say Mirror, Mirror, on the wall," the hollow chuckle made Voldemort shake in anger, "I cannot show the girl but I shall show you this."

Voldemort held his breath as the image swirled to reveal an open book and a small feminine hand laid on the pages before it was removed and the book closed abruptly to reveal the title, Cinderella. The image disappeared, "she wants a prince charming not a beast! How can anyone love this?!" He points at his reflection and sighs, "how can I love?"

"A woman to teach you," a white blonde lion nudged into the room, "m' lord the rose is wilting fast. It has been many years since they have seen you. All have forgotten about you or only think it a myth. Something must be done m'lord," the large lion sat down at his master's feet and watched the rose painfully.

"Yes Lucius you are right, but what," Lord Voldemort moved out to the balcony and looked out over the snow covered forest to the village.

"I do not know m'lord," Lucius leapt onto the railing and followed his masters gaze, "Bellatrix has left, she is angry that you cannot love her and vows to kill the woman that teaches you to love," Lord Voldemort snarled in protection of the unknown woman, once I find her she shall never leave me, I cannot let her go, "She is in the village there isn't she m'lord?"

Lord Voldemort nodded his head, "I know she is, Lucius," suddenly the image of the book crossed his mind again, Cinderella, and he new what to do, "A masquerade ball, Lucius, I shall hold one and she shall come. Inform the others to prepare the castle for our oncoming guests and send out Pettigrew to deliver the invitations to every occupant of the village before they rise tomorrow morning," Voldemort leant against the railing, "has Rodolphus stayed?"

"I shall stand by your side always m'lord," A black lion the size of Lucius leapt onto the railing on his left.

"Strengthen the security, once she is here she shall not leave," Lucius shook his head and Rodolphus secretly feared for the girl.

"Will you know her when you see her, m'lord," Rodolphus questioned.

"I shall know her, Rodolphus, now both of you leave me and do as I have ordered," both lions jumped down and left their master in solitude.

Hermione slipped from her small cabin outside of the village with a small basket in hand and the book Jack and the Bean Stalk lying inside shifting slightly as she swung it back and forth, "Little town it's a quiet village, Everyday like the one before," she crossed the bridge and spun on entering the village, "Little town full of little people, waking up to say…"

Men and women burst out into the streets and threw open their shutters shouting, "Bonjour!"

Hermione continued her song, "There goes the baker with his tray like always," she smiles at the chubby man, "The same old bread and rolls to sell," she twirls in a circle toward him, "Every morning just the same since the morning that we came,
To this poor provincial town!"

The man turns and looks at her as he hands the bread through the window, "Good Morning Hermione!"

She smiles beautifully at him, "Good morning Monsieur!"

He grinned at her, "Where you off to?"

Smiling broadly and excitedly she answered, "The book shop...
I just finished the most wonderful story, about a beanstalk and an ogre and an..."

Her smile faded and she sighed as he interrupted her, "That's nice," then yelled completely ignoring her, "Marie! The baguettes! Maria!"

Shrugging she strolled off toward the bookstore ignoring the familiar whispers of her oddities.

A woman thought she was whispering quietly, "Look there she goes that girl is strange no question. She's can distracted can't you tell?"

The woman spoke to a man shaking her head, "Never part of any crowd."

He answered back, "Cuz her heads up on some cloud."

They sang together, "No denying she's a funny girl that Hermione."

The town was in routine again with their everyday habits of buying food, talking about their town lives, and complaining about prices when Hermione sighs again before she cries out in song, "There must be more to this provincial life," she entered the book store. Her smile returning and her face brightening up at the sight of the books.

The shop clerk beamed at her, "Ah! Hermione!"

"Good Morning, Madame Pince! I've come to return the book I've borrowed!"

She smiled at Hermione and shook her head at the beautiful woman, "Call me Irma. Finished already?"

She bounced through the store, "Oh I couldn't put it down. Got anything new?"

Irma burst out into laughter, "Not since yesterday!"

Hermione shrugged then clambered up the ladder to run a finger along the titles, "That's alright," before she stopped on her favorite, "I'll borrow...this one!"

Irma looked at her in shock, "That one?!" she shook her head but continued to smile, "But you've read it twice!"

Hermione held the book to her chest, "Well it's my favorite! Far off places, daring swordfights, magic spells, a prince in disguise!"

Irma crossed her arms, "Well if you like Cinderella that much, it's yours."

Hermione gasped, "But Madame!"

The elder woman walked over and began to usher her out the door with the book, "I insist."

Hermione was filled with excitement and joy as she was pushed out of the door by Irma, "Well thank you! Thank you very much!"

The men gawked and called out to her as she walked by but she was immersed in her book and when she did not answer they made fun of her reading. Woman stuck up their noses and called her a dreamer that was a puzzle to everyone.

Hermione slipped down onto the stone fountain as sheep jumped up around her and looked down at the book as she explained, "Oh! Isn't this amazing? It's my favorite because you'll see," she turned the page, "Here's where she meets prince charming. But she won't discover," the sheep grabbed the top of the page and ate the corner as she sang out, "that it's him till chapter three."

A woman angrily pointed out, "Well it's no wonder her last name means beauty, her looks have no parallel!"

A man joined in with her, "Very different from the rest of us."

The whole town jumped in, "She's nothing like the rest of us. Yes different from the rest of us is Hermione."

Harry Gaston had come back from a hunting trip around this time with his little tag along named Ronald, "Wow! You didn't miss a shot Gaston! You're the greatest hunter in the whole world."

He grinned arrogantly, "I know."

Ron boosted up his boasting of Harry, "No beast alive stands a chance against you. And no girl for that matter."

His smile grew and a determined look came to his eyes, "It's true Ron. And I've got my sights set on the one," Hermione strolled by and he points to her.

Ron gaped, "The inventors daughter?!"

He hit Ron on the back and watched Hermione hungrily, "She's the one! The lucky girl I'm going to marry!"

Ron screwed up his face, "But she's..."

He leaned against a house and continued to watch her as he arrogantly continued to talk, "The most beautiful girl in town. That makes her the best! And don't I deserve the best!?"

Ron became nervous, "Well of course, I mean you do, I mean..."

He looked into a pot to see his reflection as he began to sing, "Right from the moment when I met her, saw her, I said she's gorgeous and I fell...here in town there is only she, who is as beautiful as me. So I'm making plans to rule and marry Hermione," so interested in his reflection he lost sight of Hermione and had to turn around to find her walking away then stormed after her.

He passed a group of girls that sighed heavily, "Look there he goes, isn't he dreamy? Monsieur Gaston, oh he's so cute! Bestill my heart, I'm hardly breathing. He's such a strong, tall, dark, and handsome brute."

The mass of villagers kept Harry from reaching his prey that was obliviously consumed in her book. Finally hearing the people's loud confused conversations she looked up and cried out, "There must be more than this provincial life!"

Harry cries out, "Just watch I'm going to make Hermione my wife!"

The town people crowded around Harry as Hermione began to leave the town, "look there she goes, that Hermione is strange yet special. A most peculiar Mademoiselle!" They followed her, "a funny girl, a beauty but a funny girl, she really is a funny girl, Hermione!" They held her name then went back to work when she turned around as if they had been doing nothing else.

Shrugging Hermione turned to walk back to her cabin and ran into a solid wall of muscle, "My dear, Hermione, I've been looking for you," he filled each syllable with as much charm as he could muster.

The smile that accompanied the statement almost made Hermione gag but she replied calmly and unperturbed, "Hello, Harry. Why would you be looking for little ol' me?" She strolled past him not interested in his answer but her book.

Enraged at being ignore Harry grabbed the book from her and held it with disgust in front of his face out of the complaining Hermione's reach, "you read to much, Hermione, it's not natural for a woman to read so much," he flipped it around in his hand to read the title which made his lip curl, "Cinderella, what kind of book is that?"

"An adventurous one! Give it back, Harry!" When he didn't she tried a different approach, "and pray tell is natural for a woman?"

He grinned like a predator at her, "to find a husband and bear him children, Hermione," he wiggled his eyebrows to emphasis the action of making children before throwing the book into a mud puddle and keeping her from getting to it, "I want you to marry me Hermione," he stood up straight, threw his head back with a dashing smile, and then stuck his chest out.

Taking her chance she got her book and cleaned it off. She was furious he had ruined her book, told her a woman's place was in a man's bed, and had the audacity to tell her what he wanted her to do, "Harry, I am not going to marry you," she turned and walked toward her cabin.

Harry was utterly shocked and had to think a moment before processing what she had said, "WHAT!?" He turned to find her already on the bridge and dashed after her catching her as she reached the cabin, "Hermione, of course you need some time to think this over. I did not mean to surprise you with asking you to marry me," she was trying to salvage her book but it was no use.

She sighed sadly then spoke to Harry without turning toward him, "I believe you were the one that was surprised not me, Harry. I don't need time to think. I will not and am not going to marry you and that's final now leave me in piece," she was frustrated but her voice never rose above a whisper as she slipped into her house quickly slamming the door in his face.

"Did she just tell you no!" Ron gaped at the door.

Harry was shaking with rage, "I shall have her Ron, mark my words, Hermione, will be mine!" He turned and stormed off dragging Ron by the back of his shirt toward the pub.