Beauty and the Beast

The castle

Published: 05. July 2021

Hermione ran as fast as she could. Her heart pounded so hard in her chest that it hurt. Ahead of her, her patronus led the way, its white glow illuminating the dark. It didn't matter anymore if the patronus made her an easy target; the Beast would find her either way.

Her neck burned painfully and Hermione started wheezing as she sprinted through the forest. Branches and leaves whipped into her face, leaving little cuts across her cheekbones.

She couldn't tell what direction she was running in, she had lost her bearings completely. It wasn't until Hermione broke out of the thick undergrowth that she realized she had reached the end of the forest. And only fifty meters away was the castle. To the left was the black lake, its surface calm like a blank mirror.

Which way?, Hermione thought in panic, where do I go?

A loud roar behind her gave her no time to think about that. She just started running. Her feet carried her down the slope towards the lake.

Perhaps the Beast can't swim, Hermione thought with a mixture of hope and hysteria. She doubled her speed and extinguished her patronus; instead she cast a spell on her feet that would enable her to run across the water's surface.
Water splashed up when she reached the shore and Hermione panted heavily as she started running across the lake. It felt like running through jelly. The water slowed down her pace considerably, but Hermione didn't stop.

"No!", she heard the Beast bellow behind her. "Foolish girl!"

Hermione wasn't going to turn around to find out what that was about. All she knew was that the Beast's voice was getting quieter. That meant she had a chance if she would stay on the lake because she could run whereas the Beast would have to swim.

The black surface shimmered from the moonlight and Hermione slowed down when she reached the center. She turned her head and came to a stop. Behind her, the dark castle rose into the air and she could barely make out the large outline of the Beast sprinting to the shore on all fours.

Hermione gripped her wand tightly and exhaled in relief. She was safe for now.
Once she had calmed down, she could rethink her plan and-

Her hand went up to her shoulder, but there was nothing there.

"Shit!", Hermione cursed when she realized she had left her backpack under the yew tree. "Shit, shit, double fuck!"

All her things were in there. She couldn't outrun the Beast to the forest, she would be dead before she had even made a step.

Hermione mentally smacked herself for her stupidity.

Her potions, her camping things and her food, all things she would need, were laying uselessly in the forest. And now she was stuck on top of a black lake while the Beast would wait at the shore for a chance to kill her.

Hermione paled when she realized the Beast had come to a stop at the edge of the lake. It was standing on all fours, growling and snarling at her. Its white fangs gleamed in the moonlight, looking even deadlier than they had before.

Then the young woman frowned.

What the-

The Beast wasn't snarling at her. It was growling at the water.

Suddenly, something could and slimy wrapped itself around her left leg. She could feel the cold water through her overalls.
Hermione looked down alarmed, but couldn't see what it was.