Chapter 1
Apples and parchment paper. Such odd, yet complementary smells at the same time, Bellatrix thought. She looked down at the princess from above the apple tree. Everyday for the past few months, the young princess would ride her horse out into this field and sit under this apple tree with a book. And everyday Bellatrix would sit high in the branches, waiting for an opportune time to strike. Because she was on a mission to prevent a prophecy from happening. A prophecy that would spell the end of Bellatrix.
The Evil Queen will no longer reign evil over her land once Hermione Granger turns twenty-three.
Prophecies never lie, and prophecies try to be as vague as possible. That was the lesson her mother ingrained in her since she learned how to cast her first evil spell. And Bellatrix would have completed this menial task of ending Hermione Granger’s life had there not been extenuating circumstances. The first time was when she followed Hermione Granger to this apple tree, intending to strike her down with lightning. The young princess had been crying about an engagement to a prince of a neighboring country to her horse.
“I do not love him, Jasper. How could they do this to me?”
And Bellatrix thought, sure, she was an Evil Queen. But she wasn’t that evil. Kicking someone while they were already down was not very classy nor Queen-like of her. So she decided to spare Hermione Granger’s life that day. Because, really, Bellatrix still had a few more months left to end her. And, sure, she might have conjured up a dandelion next to where the princess was sitting to cheer her up. But that was all in the name of getting her to a positive state of mind before she would exact her diabolical plan.
“I wish for true love.” Hermione closed her eyes and blew on the dandelion, scattering the bristles into a hundred different directions.
Bellatrix knew she made the right decision when something fluttered in her stomach at the site of Hermione Granger’s tear-stained cheeks. A bigger and more evil plan to take her out was on the horizon, and Bellatrix just needed to be patient.
The second time Bellatrix decided to let her live, it was truly something out of her control. Hermione Granger confided in that annoying horse of hers again that the sheep she was keeping just had baby lambs. And Bellatrix knew she could not possibly do that to those poor lambs. Collateral damage was not part of her brand of evil. By taking out Hermione Granger, she’d effectively kill them by cutting off their food source. So Bellatrix knew she had to wait some time. Her evil henchman told her that it takes approximately twelve to eighteen weeks for lambs to wean. So she’d give them that much time to mature and fend for themselves. After that, they were on their own like one is in nature.
“The lambs are so cute, Jasper. I named them after my favorite constellations - Cassiopeia, Orion, and Pegasus.”
Cassiopeia was a good one, Bellatrix remembered thinking. That was her favorite constellation too.
The third time was most definitely out of her control. Bellatrix had it all planned out with a poisonous scorpion she had captured from the Sahara Desert for the sole purpose of ending Hermione Granger’s life. But right before she was about to let the creature slither down the tree to feast on the princess, Bellatrix caught a glimpse of the book Hermione Granger had been reading. Normally, the princess liked to venture into the fantasy world of fiction. But that day, she chose a mystery novel instead. And there was no possible way Bellatrix could end Hermione Granger’s life in the middle of an investigation while a manic, serial killer was on the loose. Bellatrix needed to see to the end to the story the princess was reading to ensure that all was well in that fictional world.
So that brought Bellatrix to today - October twelfth - six days before Hermione Granger’s birthday. Her fourth attempt. Bellatrix knew she needed to act quickly and decisively. So she hatched the clever plan to poison an apple from the tree she’d been hiding in. Bellatrix would drop the apple straight down onto Hermione Granger’s lap and voila! One bite of that and Hermione Granger was a goner. But the princess proved to be a stubborn one and refused to take the bait every single time. Instead, she fed it to that horse of hers, Jasper. Who munched and munched away annoyingly. Luckily for the animal, Bellatrix’s poisonous apple only worked on humans. She made it that way because she was a responsible evil queen. It would just be absolutely reckless to make a poisonous apple that would kill any living thing that ate it. One of these days, though, if that horse continued to eat so obnoxiously, there will be a poisonous apple with his name on it.
So Bellatrix continued dropping poisonous apples down onto Hermione Granger’s lap. Apple one. Apple two. Apple three. It was about the fifth apple that she became fed up and slid down the tree herself.
“Hello.” Bellatrix crossed her arms in front of her chest, about had it with this delay.
Hermione Granger was clearly surprised to see her as her eyes widened at Bellatrix’s sudden presence. She stood from her spot on the floor. “Hi, I’m sorry. I thought I was alone.” Bellatrix noticed she was about Bellatrix’s height. Her hair browner up close. And the smell of apples and parchment paper somehow stronger.
“Do you come here often?” The princess was an odd person with her openness and friendliness with a complete stranger. Clearly, she didn’t know any better because Bellatrix was a dangerous stranger.
“You could say that.”
“I’m Hermione Granger.”
There was no point in keeping her name from the princess since she’ll just be taking it to her grave, Bellatrix thought. “I’m Bellatrix Black.”
“Bellatrix? Like female warrior in Latin? That’s a pretty name.”
“Yes.” Bellatrix nearly stumbled on the word. Okay, the princess was cultured, she’d give her that. But cultured people also died. And Hermione Granger was no exception. So Bellatrix reached behind her back and magicked a poisonous apple into her hand. This was it. She brought it forward and offered the apple to the princess. “Can I offer you an apple?”
“Not right now,” she said. “Though I don’t know what’s going on today. I’ve had like four apples fall into my lap while I’ve been trying to read this book.” The princess waved the book in Bellatrix’s face like it meant something.
It did not. “That’s not a very good book, though. Are you sure you don’t want to eat this apple instead?”
“What do you mean it’s not a good book?” She asked, almost offended.
Bellatrix didn’t really mean to get into a literary discussion with Hermione Granger. All she wanted was for Hermione to eat the poisonous apple. But she realized that the princess needed a bit more coaxing to let her guard down. So Bellatrix patiently explained to her that the male protagonist was just an arrogant, wealthy prick who belittled the female protagonist’s family and upbringing to make himself feel important. “And what kind of name is Darcy by the way?”
That made Hermione Granger laugh. And, oh. It was a sweet laugh, Bellatrix realized. Sweeter than the apple from the tree - poisonous or not.
“I should be getting back to the castle. The King doesn’t like it when I’m late for dinner.” And then something strange happened. The princess’ cheeks flushed pink like one of those pretty flowers on the field. She bit her lower bottom lip and asked Bellatrix shyly, “Can I see you again tomorrow?”
Tomorrow? Bellatrix only had six days left to do this. Why would she possibly wait another day? There were no extenuating circumstances like before. Bellatrix would be a fool to not end Hermione Granger right here, right now. “Sure.”
Idiot.
“Great!” Hermione picked up the dandelion on the floor by her feet. “Trade you.” The dandelion-apple exchange happened quicker than Bellatrix realized. And before she knew it, Hermione was walking back to Jasper, bouncing an apple in her hand.
Oh. This was bad. And not bad in a good way, Bellatrix thought. It was bad in a…confusing way. Because now, Bellatrix really didn’t like this poison apple method of murder. It was—. She stared at Hermione’s back. At her brown hair and her feminine form. Remembered her sweet laugh and the smell of apples and parchment paper. Well…it was—. Goodness, Bellatrix didn’t know how to explain it.
“Did this apple come from the tree?” Hermione turned back around and held the apple up to her face, smiling as she inhaled the sweet, crisp scent of it. And before Bellatrix could think to react, Hermione took one giant bite out of the red, shiny fruit. “It’s delicious.”
“NO!” Bellatrix shrieked, and the sky nearly tore in half. The red apple dropped to the floor with a thunk as the color drained from Hermione’s face. Bellatrix dove to catch her, and the princess was limp in her arms.
“No. No. No. No. No.” This was not supposed to happen. Not this way. She was supposed to…she had six more days to do this, and this was not the right method. She tapped on the princess’ cheek lightly. “Hermione Granger, you need to wake up so we can redo this. I cannot have you in a coma on me this way. It is unbecoming.”
But nothing. The princess was out, her mind somewhere distant and far away. And it was then that Bellatrix felt it. This unfamiliar and uncomfortable feeling that gripped at her chest, her stomach, her whole body. It swirled and swirled and got worse whenever she looked at the princess’ pretty face that was now pale and and lacking its usual cheeriness. Bellatrix knew she’d have to consult the Queen Mother on this. To reverse course so that Bellatrix could…could write history the correct way. Yes. She was still going to end Hermione Granger. Just not like this. So Bellatrix fixed Hermione onto Jasper’s back securely with some ropes and said to him, “Get the princess back to the castle safely and you will not be poisoned.”
Jasper made a sound of agreement and dashed ahead in the direction of the castle while Bellatrix made out in the opposite direction.
—
She arrived at her castle before sunset to find the Queen Mother staring into her mirror.
“Mother, please stop talking to your mirror. It is not healthy.”
The Queen Mother made a face at her. “I hear Maleficent does it and it responds to her.”
“That’s all gossip,” Bellatrix said and began to pace. “I am here today because I wanted to seek your guidance on a matter, mother.”
“My guidance?”
“Yes.” Bellatrix stopped her pacing. “I went to see the princess — Hermione Granger — because of the prophecy.”
“Ah, right. The prophecy,” her mother said with a knowing look. “And what did you do?”
“I tried different methods to end her, but there were extenuating circumstances that thwarted my success. An engagement announcement. Some lambs. And an interesting book, to be exact.”
Her mother hummed thoughtfully. “All common items encountered in these types of stories. Continue.”
“Exactly!” Bellatrix threw up her hands with a huff and began pacing again. “So then I thought about poisoning an apple and giving it to her.”
“Oh! That’s a fine method. How did it go?”
“Well, she ate it.” Bellatrix stared in the direction of the castle and repeated the words again. “She ate it and now she’s in a coma. And I am…I am frustrated.”
“Why, darling?”
“Because it’s not what I want. It’s not the right…method.”
“The right method…”
“Yes. I’ve decided it’s not the right way to end Hermione Granger’s life. So I am asking you to help me reverse this.”
“Oh, Bellatrix. You must know that the only way to wake up a person from a poison apple curse is true love’s kiss.”
True love’s kiss? “She was going to marry some boy from a neighboring kingdom,” Bellatrix said. But the thought of this prince kissing Hermione Granger immediately made her recoil. Why wasn’t there an easy pill to fix all of this? Witches and their complicated remedies.
“Yes, get him to kiss her and the curse will be reversed. I hear it’s happened in a faraway land somewhere,” her mother added. “Though the details of it are a bit murky.”
Bellatrix didn’t like this one bit, but it seemed they had no other choice. True love’s kiss. Alright. She was going to get that stupid boy to kiss Hermione Granger to wake her up.