Beauty and the Beast

Carol of the Bells

Published: 01. October, 2021

Hermione did not get far with her Beast-list. There was just too much she didn't know about him. And whenever she tried to approach the subject with Lumière or Mrs. Potts, they hurriedly changed the topic.

And that was not the only thing occupying her mind. She kept getting flashbacks during her walks through the castle. One time, she had stumbled into a grumpy mop, who immediately yelled at her for dirtying the floor (even though her shoes were clean). But during his rant, she got a mental picture of a scrawny man with a thin face and a rugged old cat with red eyes sitting at his feet. Just as quick as that vision came, it was gone, and Hermione found herself staring at the mop in confusion.

Another time, she was once again in the room filled with the disgusting jars (she was convinced it was a Potions classroom of a sort) and she suddenly thought she remembered brewing something in the front row.
But that couldn't be. She had never been here before.

Yet as the days turned more into weeks, Hermione couldn't shake the feeling away that she knew this place. And that its inhabitants were hiding something from her.

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After Hermione had gotten through the book on summer roses, she wasn't much smarter than before. They could be used to find your soulmate, she knew that much. They were also guarded by fairies, which only let their rose be taken if the one needing it was pure of heart. Otherwise, there would be consequences. But what consequences these were, the book did not mention.

Hermione decided to play the piano for a while, letting her mind wander as her fingers slid across the keys. She was deep in thought about the summer rose, barely noticing what she was playing, when a creak echoed through the room.

She looked up and found the Beast- S- watching her silently. His eyes narrowed when her brown ones met his and he turned away.

"S", said Hermione quickly, wanting to find out more about this mysterious castle inhabitant. "Do you play?"
She stopped playing and let her hands drop into her lap.

The Beast shot her a look, obviously questioning her sanity.
"You are asking me if I play the piano", he growled slowly, "with these?"
He held up a furry hand, his black claws shining in the afternoon light that came in from the windows.

Hermione had to suppress a smile.
"I can place a charm on the keys", she suggested, "then they won't get scratched."
She slid to the side, offering him some space beside her on the stool.

S hesitated. When Hermione thought he was going to stand in the doorway forever, he finally started moving and approached the grand piano. As he walked closer, she examined him closely.
S was able to walk on all fours as well as on his hind legs, just as he was doing now. That indicated that his spine had to be able to make the shift of position easily possible. But that didn't make any sense. Walking upright on two legs, his posture exactly the same as a human's, required a human-like spine. But when he was running on all fours, there was no way he could do that with a bone structure similar to a human's without hurting his back.

And his eyes- they were just too- human. Hermione could see a round black iris, the white parts around it and a round pupil in the center. How did a creature have so many different animal characteristics- horns, claws, a tail, canines- yet seem to posses human traits as well? Nothing about S made sense.

"Finished?", growled the Beast, baring his teeth at her.

Hermione turned pink and nodded.

S slowly sat down on the edge of the stool to her right, keeping his distance from her as if she were carrying a catching disease. He stared sullenly at the white keys.