Beauty and the Beast

The dungeons

Published: 12. July 2021

Hermione's feet carried her through the castle. She felt extremely faint and her blood pounded in her ears.

That can't be right, I- I cannot be stuck here forever!, she thought dizzily. Her pace picked up and her breathing grew labored; soon she found herself sprinting through the corridors without knowing she had started to run. Despite the large hallways, everything seemed to be too small.

She felt claustrophobic.

She needed air. She had to get out.

Hermione panted heavily as she followed a staircase down in the hopes of finding the exit of this blasted place. But no matter what staircase she took, another one always followed!

This cannot be right, she thought and swallowed tensely. Hermione gripped her wand tighter as she hurried around a corner. I have to be way below the ground floor by now.

A cold draft pulled at her clothes, making Hermione realize that she was still in the white ones she had woken up in. And she was not wearing any shoes.

"Great, Hermione", she ranted as she slowed down her pace. "You couldn't have started thinking about leaving until after you've gotten your things?"

Hermione turned another corner and found that fewer and fewer torches lit the dark corridors. And the ones that remained on the walls flickered weakly and only emanated a weak yellow light.

A bad feeling started to spread through Hermione's stomach. Her feet felt numb and she shivered.

Where was she?

She gave herself the answer a moment later.

In the dungeons. She just knew that this place was the dungeons.

"Okay", Hermione mumbled and breathed in tensely. "Just turn around and cast a location spell on your backpack."

Piece of cake.

Hermione turned around and pressed her lips together into a thin line. She was Hermione Granger, for Merlin's sake! She was the one with the smartest brain , the one who always found a solution. She marched forward resolutely, her steps echoing on the ground.

She was going to get her things and leave. And nothing would change her plans, absolutely nothing-

Hermione rounded a corner and ran face- first into something furry. Her eyes widened in shock and she slowly raised her head.

Black eyes bored into her own. The Beast parted its jaws and hissed at her, sharp teeth gleaming in the dim light.

Hermione's breath got caught in her chest and she stared in panic at the Beast towering over her.

A deep growl vibrated in its chest, a threatening and dangerous sound.

The witch threw all her plans overboard as she did the first thing anyone would do with a male adversary: she kneed him in the groin.

And then she ran for her life.

———————————————————-

The Beast had spent the entire night outside, glaring at the blue-shimmering shield that surrounded Hogwarts. Only once the ruby-red sun had started to rise did he climb down from the roof of the tower and head back into the castle. He did not return immediately to his dungeons. Instead, he wandered around on the tenth floor, which was always deserted since no one ever went up this high.

When his sensitive nose picked up the smell of bacon and eggs, his nostrils flared. The castle's inhabitants were awake, no doubt. Which meant he could use that short time span to return to his quarters without having to engage in a conversation.

The Beast moved quickly down the staircases on all fours, welcoming the cool air of the dungeons once he entered them. The shadows in the corridors made him feel right at home. Here, he could blend in without anyone realizing he was there. Just like in the old days, before-

He halted. And sniffed.

Orange and ginger.

His eyes narrowed. First she had to come to Hogwarts and now she invaded his space? The Beast stood up on his hind legs, his tail swishing angrily.

If she would have to stay here forever, he would have to make sure that annoying witch knew her boundaries.
The Beast strode around a corner, his shoulders slightly hunched over as he focused on the scent.

A moment later, bushy brown hair slammed into his chest.

The Beast froze. When a pale face peeked up at him from amidst the brown curls, his eyes narrowed dangerously.
A deep growl vibrated in his chest, rising up in his throat until he bared his teeth at her.

He barely registered that she was barefooted and dressed in a white gown that was much too long for her. His first thought instead was to yell at her until she burst out crying, just like she had in her first year at Hogwarts. 

And then that witch kicked him.

The Beast almost doubled over in pain, but he caught himself a second later after Granger had shot past him. He snarled angrily.
She had kicked him! Right in the-

The Beast leapt forward and followed the witch at a rapid pace. Enough was enough! Fury clouded his eyes as he bounded through the corridors. He dug his claws into the ground to make it around the corners and soon saw Granger ahead of him.

She was fast, he had to give her that.

The Beast growled and jumped forward. Granger had chosen a corridor that led into a dead end with a portrait of a fruit bowl. She whirled around, her face paling as she saw the Beast moving fast towards her. She whipped her wand out and held it ready, pointing it at the Beast's head.

"Drop it", hissed the Beast as he slowed down. He straightened back up on his hind legs, filling out the corridor with his tall form.
The Beast took a step forward and saw how Granger's eyes narrowed in determination, even though she was still pale.

Her spells would be useless against him. The Beast blood inside him made sure of it. He flared his nostrils and took another step forward, already sure that the witch would give up.

But then she surprised him again. Granger turned around and tickled the green pear in the fruit bowl behind her. It turned into a green door handle, which she grasped quickly. The Beast growled and surged forward. But before he could reach her, she had slipped through the door and locked it from the other side.

He skidded to a stop, breathing heavily.
The green handle reverted back into a pear, looking as normal as the other fruits in the portrait did.

How had she known how to do that?

The Beast lowered himself onto all fours again and narrowed his black eyes.
She couldn't remember. No one outside the castle did, the fairy had made sure of that.

But how- how by Merlin's fucking beard had Granger known how to enter the kitchens if she couldn't remember Hogwarts?

The Beast whirled around with a snarl and bounded through the corridor. He had to have a chat with a teapot and a cookie jar.