Disclaimer: I don't own anything dealing with Harry Potter or Beauty and the Beast. They both belong to J.K. Rowling and Walt Disney respectively.

A/N: I know that I've got a lot of other fics in progress, but I can't help it. I must be as close to ADD as you can get without actually being diagnosed with it. Haha. Thanks for reading, though. Hope you guys like this, though.

Chapter One: Prologue…

"Show yourself!" The command was loud and clear as it rang out upon the vast and hallow land. There was utter silence. Nothing could be heard. Not the songs of the birds or the whisper of the wind. Mist lay heavily in the air, disrupting ones view. The scent of the mist mixed violently with that of the rotting flesh upon the ground. Battle was a cruel thing, indeed. It seemed as though no one knew this as well as the man who stood there, ready to fight. His blue eyes, usually twinkling and bright, were now dimmed as he squinted in an attempt to see through the fog.

"I said, 'Show yourself'!" he commanded yet again. There was the sound of a snapping twig behind him. He turned quickly, wand held out. He could only see his opponent's outline, but he knew who he was. Neither one moved, nor did they say a word. Then…

"Why don't you simply accept my offer?" the figure asked. Albus lowered his wand, but remained ever ready. He sighed.

"Because it is an offer I do not feel is worth accepting," he replied.

"Is that an honest answer, Albus, or do you only say it because it is expected of you?" the dark figure asked. Albus could tell the figure was smiling.

"I think you know the answer to that, Grindlewald," said Albus. The shadowy figure stepped closer, the mist swirling about him. It wasn't until he was in full view that he finally stopped. By now he was a mere four or five feet from Albus.

"Do I?" he asked. Albus said nothing as he stared at the man in front of him. "Come now, Albus. Join us-nay, join ME- and together we can rule over the entire wizarding world." Albus shook his head. For a long time, now,Grindlewald had tried desperately to get Albus on his side. But every time Albus would refuse.

"No, Grindlewald, I will not join you. Our ideals are just too different." Grindlewald raised an eyebrow at this.

"Are they really?" he inquired. Albus sighed.

"Enough cat and mouse, Grindlewald," he huffed. "I don't believe we'll get anywhere." His enemy frowned.

"Fine! If you will not join me, then we have only one choice." As quick as a flash Grindlewald had pulled out his wand and called a spell. Albus deflected the spell easily and called out a spell of his own. This went on a while, both growing more and more tired as the hours flew by. Then…

"Avada Kedavera!"

"Eliando!"

The two spells flew through the air at their intended targets. The green killing curse hit Grindlewald square in the chest while the silver Eliando spell hit Albus in the stomach, causing him to fall to the ground. He felt the air rush from his lungs and a strange, tingling feeling coursed through his body.

'What is this?' he wondered. With a great strength he didn't know he had, Albus painfully forced himself up onto his elbow and stared at his opponent. As the green light faded, he knew it was over. Yes, Grindlewald was finally dead. Albus laid his head back upon the ground with a rather loud thump.

Oh, how he wanted to just fall asleep right here and now. But the pain of the unknown spell, combined with a little common sense, stopped him from doing so. With a deep breath, he created a portkey and vanished.

Ooooooooooo

It was one-thirty the following morning when Madam O'Hara, Hogwarts' school medi-witch, finished her research. She looked sympathetically at the slowly changing figure in front of her. Tears welled up in her eyes as she thought of what her findings meant. Standing up, she walked to the end of his bed. She had always gotten along well with Albus. She supposed they could even be called friends. That is why she felt so sorry for him. After all, the poor man had already been through so much and it appeared as though he weren't done.

"Well, Adrianna?" Madam O'Hara looked up to her left as she heard the whisper and saw Armondo Dippet walking towards her.

"It doesn't look good, Headmaster," replied. She sighed as she looked back down at Albus' sleeping form. Armondo gasped as he came to rest beside the school medi-witch. The moonlight fell upon the man (if he could still be called a man) asleep on the cot. Albus' auburn hair had grown considerably. The problem was that the hair had not been restricted solely to his had and face, but his arms, legs, hands, feet, and chest as well. The man himself seemed to have grown a few inches. And his fingernails-were they resembling claws? And his teeth-were they fangs now?

"What is this magic?" he breathed.

"The Eliando curse," Madam O'Hara replied. Armondo frowned.

"The Black Heart curse?" he asked, referring to the spell's common name. O'Hara nodded. "Then why isn't it having its usual effects?" O'Hara straightened her glasses.

"As you know, this spell is meant to make the intended victim switch to the dark side." Armondo nodded, keeping his gaze upon his friend. "In this case, Grindlewald wanted Albus to go to his side. The most effective way to complete this spell is through the heart."

"So Grindlewald called this spell in the hopes of turning Albus against us and then joining forces with him." He concluded. O'Hara nodded again.

"No doubt he acknowledged Albus' ability and strength and decided an alliance would be perfect. If he had managed to hit Albus through the heart, it would have only been a matter of minutes before Albus turned himself and taken Grindlewald's place." Armondo's head snapped up.

"If?" he asked.

"Fortunately for us, the spell hit Albus in the stomach. This slowed the process considerably. And something odd began to happen. I'm sure you've noticed the patches of hair." Armondo nodded solemnly. "Something in that spell is transforming Albus into a beast. I think it's symbolic."

"Symbolic how?" asked Armondo.

"Think about it, Headmaster," she continued. "From my research, I've managed to deduce that once the physical transformations occur, his emotional and mental deformation will quicken. Then, there will be no stopping him. Now, he may not chose to attack people like Grindlewald did, but he will still be a deeply troubled man. He will lash out at anyone, he won't know friend from foe, and he will never be himself." Armondo sighed, keeping his eyes upon his friend yet again.

"Is there no anecdote?" he queried. His heart was aching. Albus had been his best friend for years. There was no way Albus would remain the same again. His heart lifted slightly at Madam O'Hara's next words.

"There is a slight chance," she said. "It's small, it's cliché, but it's our only hope."

"What is that?" the headmaster asked quickly. The medi-witch sighed and cast a quick glance at her patient.

"True love," she said. At Armondo's questioning glance, she continued. "He must find someone who he can love and who will love him as he is." Armondo appeared crestfallen. To find one's true love was incredibly hard. Not everyone found their true love. It was hard enough in human state, let alone as a beast. He looked at the form of his best friend.

"Is there a time limit?" His heart fell when he heard O'Hara reply 'yes'. He closed his eyes, attempted to swallow the lump in his throat, and opened them again, seeing his friend lying pitifully on the bed. "How long?"

"Not long," O'Hara replied. She wrapped her arms around herself. "I'd say a year at best. The last month or two will be the hardest. He'll be cruel, cold, and unforgiving. Unless someone…" She let the rest of the statement hang in the air. Armondo nodded. O'Hara then bid the headmaster a goodnight and left. Armondo walked to the side of the bed, pat Albus' rather fury shoulder, and sighed.

"Good luck, my friend," he said. "You'll find someone to love, I promise. Until then, I fear the school must close and the students be redirected to other schools for the next school year. I don't relish having to explain this to you in the morning. Good night, dear friend."

But as he left the hospital wing, Albus opened his eyes. There was no need for an explanation. He had heard it all. He sat up slowly and looked at his arms, hands, and chest. They really were hairy. Could this really be happening to him? He looked to the side table and saw a blue hand mirror facing down. Shaking slightly, he picked up the mirror. When he gazed at his reflection, he could not stop a tear falling from his eye. True, he had never thought he was devastatingly handsome. But he had hoped to be married one day. Who would marry him now?

The mirror slipped from his hand and fell onto his lap. Then, for the first time in a long time, Albus Dumbledore cried. For the first time since he could remember, he was lost, helpless. He would never have kids or grandkids, which he wanted so badly. He would never know the loving touch of a woman, nor would he experience any of the joys known to two people in love. And he could never expect a woman to love him.

For who could ever learn to love a beast?

A/N2: Okay, I just thought I would post this finally. I wrote this yesterday, but wanted to finish another story first. Hehe. Thanks so very much for reading and reviewing… Always Hopeful