Harry Potter ~ Classical Fairytales

Snow White and The Seven Dwarves ~ Part Two

From that morning, Hermione looked after the house for them. Every morning, after breakfast, they went into the mountains looking for ore and gold, and in the evening when they came back home their meal had to be ready. During the day the girl was alone and did the chores.

The good dwarfs warned her, saying, "Be careful about your stepmother. She will soon know that you are here. Do not let anyone in."

Now the queen, believing that she had eaten Hermione's lungs and heart, could only think that she was again the first and the most beautiful woman of all. She stepped before her mirror and said:

"Mirror, mirror, on the wall,

Who in this land is fairest of all?"

It answered:

"You, my queen, are fair; it is true.

But Hermione, beyond the mountains,

In the next kingdom,

With the seven dwarfs,

Is still a thousand times fairer than you."

This startled the queen, for she knew that the mirror did not lie, and she realized that the huntsman had deceived her, and that Hermione was still alive. Before going after Hermione, she went after the huntsman. She had Draco Malfoy imprisoned for kidnapping and killing the princess. He would be imprisoned for life and perhaps killed, the Queen didn't care. Then she thought, and thought again, how she could kill Hermione? For as long as she was not the most beautiful woman in the entire land her envy would give her no rest.

At last she thought of something. Taking a box from the shelf, she took out a vial and drank the contents. She disguised herself as an old peddler woman, so that no one would recognize her. In this disguise she went to the house of the seven dwarfs. Knocking on the door she called out, "Beautiful wares for sale, for sale!"

Hermione peered out the window and said, "Good day, dear woman, what do you have for sale?"

"Good wares, beautiful wares," she answered. "Bodice laces in all colours." And she took out one that was braided from colourful silk. "Would you like this one?"

"I can let that honest woman in," thought Hermione, then unbolted the door and bought the pretty bodice lace.

"Dear," said the old woman, "how you look! Come, let me lace you up properly."

The unsuspecting Hermione stood before her and let her do up the new lace, but the old woman pulled so quickly and so hard that Hermione could not breathe.

"You used to be the most beautiful one," said the old woman, and hurried away.

Not long afterward, in the evening time, the seven dwarfs came home. They terrified when they saw their dear Hermione lying on the ground, not moving at all, as though she were dead. They lifted her up, and seeing that she was too tightly laced, they cut the lace in two. Then she began to breathe a little, and little by little she came back to life.

When the dwarfs heard what had happened Dumbledore said, "The old peddler woman was no one else but the evil Queen. Take care and let no one in when we are not with you."

When the wicked woman returned home she went to her mirror and asked:

"Mirror, mirror, on the wall,

Who in this land is fairest of all?"

The mirror answered once again:

"You, my queen, are fair; it is true.

But Hermione, beyond the mountains,

In the next kingdom,

With the seven dwarfs,