AUTHOR'S NOTE: Welcome to my retelling of the tale Beauty & The Beast. I only posted this chapter last night and I'm so excited about the hits and reviews that I have already gotten. Thank you so much for reading this story. I will update as soon as possible, most likely once every week. There will be 24 chapters, and hopefully, I will have another ideas for stories that you all will love. Well, without furthur ado, here's my rendition of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST.

TALE AS OLD AS TIME: CHAPTER ONE

Hermione Granger stared at the paper in front of her. Forms after forms were in front of her. It was too much to ask of the 21 year old. Only a few years out of school, and she had already too much on her plate. Taking a deep breath, she leaned her head back, and rubbed her eyes. "Don't slouch, dear." She could hear her mother tell her. A faint smile tugged at the corners of her mouth, but these days there wasn't much to smile about. After trying to save the Wizarding World from a Dark takeover, she had to lose her mother to cancer a few months ago. She was Potion Mistress for the Ministry and she couldn't save her own mother. Frustration built up inside of her, and luckily for her employees, she had her own office. Grabbing her wand, she quickly muttered a hex and watched as it blew open her door, smashing the flimsy wood into pieces.

"Hermione? You okay?" A familiar voice called out to her, followed by a head of messy black hair. Green eyes met her brown, and a grin graced the face of someone she had loved for years.

"Harry! I'm fine. Why'd you ask?"

He raised his eyebrows, and entered through the doorway.

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe because your door is halfway to the States, and your workers all ran from the Potions department screaming about a mad woman on the loose?"

He sat down in the chair opposite her, and placed his feet adorned with well-worn sneakers on her desk. She scoffed, "I'm not a mad woman. I'm only a frustrated woman."

Harry grew an impish grin. "Frustrated, huh? Well, I know a couple of people who'd be willing to help you in that department."

Hermione's face grew red with embarrassment. "Harry James Potter! I do not mean in that way!"

"Oh, so you've been keeping secrets now, have you? Have someone been taking care of our dear Hermione?"

It was just her luck, that Ron Weasley, her other best friend, and former boyfriend happened to walk by her office at that time. He popped his bright red-head into the office, with an impish grin of his own. "Oi! 'Mione's finally decided to stop acting like a nun, eh? Hey, mate, why you think she's been hiding it?" He asked Harry as he sat in the chair next to Harry's, in front of Hermione with a completely innocent look on his face.

"Harry, Ron. I'm only going to say this once. Please keep out of my personal affairs when it comes to things such as being in the bedroom." The color on Hermione's face was nearly the color of Ron's hair, and the boys knew how uncomfortable it was making her. So, they decided to have more fun with it.

"Hm. Who do you think it could be, Harry? Wood?" Ron asked with a slightly serious face.

Harry almost dissolved in a fit of laughter. "No, couldn't be. Our dear Hermione would completely destroy ol' Wood. What do you think of Nott?"

"Nott? Not a chance. Zabini is a possibility, but Nott wouldn't stand a chance."

"Ah, what about Malfoy? You know Hermione has had an mmmphhh." Hermione stuffed a handful of gummy bears that she kept on her desk into Harry's mouth. "Now, would the both of you shut up? I have things to do. Shouldn't the both of you be at work? I understand Aurors might not have to fill out paperwork, but I do. I need new ingredients, and I can't have you two badgering me. And for the record, I do not have anyone entertaining me in the bedroom. I'm too busy for that."

"Well, isn't that a shame, Granger. Wouldn't think of you being so uptight about things that go on in the bedroom. Maybe you haven't found the one to keep you occupied."

Hermione groaned when she heard the drawl from the door.

"Now, I'm regretting smashing my door into those itty bitty pieces. Harry, get me a new door quick."

Not wanting to leave, Ron and Harry both stood up, mirth in their eyes. How funny it was that Malfoy showed up right when they were teasing Hermione. "Um, right you are. I'll get that door for you. Malfoy." Harry said in salutations, before rushing to get Hermione a new door. Preferably one that she couldn't break again, although he was definitely sure that Hermione might find a way to. She was undeniably determined when she wanted to get something done.

"Potter. Weasley."

Ron rolled his eyes. Even though all three of them were Aurors, he still couldn't stand the smug bastard. They were all on the same team, Kingsley Shacklebolt finding it necessary to put the three together, claiming, "It was best for the ministry to have their three dominant Aurors working together." Sure, Malfoy had helped him out of tough spots, but it was a rivalry that will always survive. The Malfoy and Weasley fight had been legendary since their great grandfather days and Ron wasn't ready to be the one to stop the rivalry. They could be associates, co-workers, but friends? No, the day Malfoy and Ron became friends, Neville would become a ninja.

Walking out the office, Ron snickered at the thought of Neville being a ninja. Malfoy watched him out the corner of his eye, and plopped down in the chair that Harry had possessed. "Weird one, he is."

"What do you want, Malfoy?" Hermione sighed, again looking over the forms that were in front of her. She took out a new quill, not sure where she placed her original one, not realizing that she had left it in the bun that was on her head.

"Oi, Granger. You're wounding me, here. Why can't I visit an old colleague from school without wanting anything?"

"Malfoy, we are hardly what you can call friends, one and two, you always want something. I sure as hell aren't doing anything for you in any shape way or form."

"Gosh, Granger. Got your knickers in a twist?"

She growled. "Malfoy we are not discussing my knickers. Go do your job and leave me alone."

He slowly got up from the chair he inhibited. "Fine. I know when I'm not wanted, Granger." He walked towards the door, and muttered, "Silly bint."

It took Harry almost an hour, but he finally came through with her door. "And please, 'Mione, don't break this one. Nott said he will not be supplying you with doors for your unhealthy habits. Becoming too violent, he said." Harry used his wand, and fixed the smashed door, now, a tad more resilient to wand attacks.

She glowered at Harry. He threw his hands up, and walked away from Hermione, muttering under his breath, "Women."

Hermione was ecstatic when the dragon's roar, signifying the end of the day reached her ears. The last of the forms were completely filled out, and with a flourish, she signed her name to the last paper that was in front of her. Everything was piled all nice and neat in her outbox, and she felt a sense of accomplishment. Leaning back into her chair, she thought back on the last couple of years. Her mother had passed away due to cancer, and her father had stopped returning her calls. She knew it was evident once her mother had died, but still she was hurt. He was her father, and he was ignoring her in a time where they needed each other. Hermione normally would have gone to see him, but the pain was much too hard. She didn't want to deal with the pain or the guilt.

It made no sense to Hermione why her mother would suddenly die from cancer. They were close, why didn't she tell Hermione anything? Her mother would barely allow Hermione candy, so she knew that Jane wasn't a smoker. And plus, her mother was afraid of the sun. The cancer had just mysteriously appeared and left Hermione without a mother.

Apparating to her flat, Hermione was greeted with the sight of two of her favorite flowers: roses and lilies. Two bouquets of the flowers were on her dining room table, and she quickly rushed over to the flowers to see if there was a card. There was none, but a letter addressed to her was sitting in between the vases.

Dear Hermione, ma Belle,

These are for you. I know how much you love these flowers these lys et des roses, even though it would be unexpected, I guess. Enjoy your day. Your smile is way too beautiful to be hidden underneath a frown.

From,

Un Admirateur

An Admirer

After a long day of work, this was a definite genuine surprise. A smile tugged at the corners of her small mouth, and she pulled her hair loose from the bun, coming across her hand, was the quill she was searching for earlier. Laughing heartedly, she heard the doorbell to her apartment ring.

As Hermione opened the door, she saw that Ginny Weasley was standing at her door, robes in hand, and looking tired as can be. "Ginny, come in. You look exhausted."

"No one can be you, 'Mione. I'm exhausted. Madame Maulkin is working me thin. Mum's complaining because my hours are long, and Ron is being an insufferable git, he never lets me go out on a date. Harry has made it clear to me years ago that we were just friends, and yet Ron sticks his overgrown nose into business that doesn't concern him." Ginny sighed as she plopped onto Hermione's couch.

"Tell me about it. Harry and Ron both stopped by my office today to tease me of having a man in between my sheets and then Draco Malfoy overheard. It was completely dreadful, and yet, look what I arrived home to." She pointed at the flowers, and Ginny got up squealing.

"So, 'Mione – who do you think sent these to you?"

"I don't know. But I'm grateful for them at the very least. "

Both girls, along with Luna Lovegood, had become very good friends. Since the war, it had been a tightknit group. Harry, Ron, Neville, Ginny, Luna and Hermione. Harry and Ginny tried to have a relationship, but Harry was too afraid for her all the time, which ended in their separation. Ron and Hermione had tried to have a relationship, but Hermione wasn't in love with Ron that way, and Ron quickly set his sights on someone else. Lavender Brown. It was rumored between the small group that he was going to pop the question to Lavender at any moment, and Hermione couldn't be happier for the two of them. Neville and Luna, on the other hand, had been in a relationship since the DA days, which surprised most of their friends and family, for both of them keeping it a secret.

Both Neville and Luna were special in their own ways. They just weren't ready to get married just yet.

Luna arrived to Hermione's house not long after Ginny had gotten there, and all three women were discussing the nature of the appearing flowers, when something new appeared on Hermione's dining room table.

"Oi 'Mione, there's a locket here. And it's beautiful." Ginny exclaimed. They had played Rock, Paper, and Scissors for one of them to get drinks. Unfortunately the redhead lost. She picked up the heart shaped locket, which had a key sized hole in the middle of it. "There's something written on it."

When you find the holder to the key, then your true love will be found

But appearances are not all what they seem; follow your heart's beating sound

When two become one, then one will be whole,

Tale as old as time, watch the story unfold.

Luna's face became even more dream-like. "Sounds like the Racrumpets are intervening."

Hermione gave her a look. "And pray tell, Luna. What is that?"

Luna just gave a smile. "Your future."