Rotkäppchen

The Great Fairy Story Drabble Series is an experiment on my part to apply out some of my favourite fairy stories into HP Fanfiction. Some of the fairy stories you may know, some you may not, in any case, the drabbles will be modern (and smutty) interpretations. Borrowing from the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen, and Joseph Jacobs, I have selected ten tales. The pairings have one thing in common, Hermione Granger, thus some pairings will appeal to some and not all.

The drabble sets will be in increments of tens (e.g. drabbles 1-10 = Remus/Hermione, etc.), and will be placed under a titled ‘set.’ Therefore, ten drabbles will compose a whole ‘ficlet.’ With a nod to Andrew Lang’s ‘Fairy Books,’ the sets will correspond to colours as well. I hope I have not made this too convoluted.



Title: Forest
Set: Lilac
Author: ianthe_waiting
Rating: T
Disclaimer: The Harry Potter books and their characters are the property of JK Rowling. This is a work of fan-fiction. No infringement is intended, and no money is being made from this story. I am just borrowing the puppets, but this is my stage.
Genre: Drabble
Warnings: AU/AR
Summary: #1 – Forest. ‘Come closer and see, see into the trees, find the girl, if you can.’ -‘A Forest’ by The Cure
Word Count: 740 words.
Author's Notes: This set of drabbles is based off of ‘Little Red Riding Hood,’ you can read the fairy story here: http://www.tonightsbedtimestory.com/little-red-riding-hood/ Puzzlewood is part of the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire. Puzzlewood is an ancient woodland, covering approximately 14 acres, and is said to be an inspiration to Tolkein in ‘Fangorn Forest,’ and ‘Mirkwood,’ in ‘Lord of the Rings.’ For more info on Puzzlewood, and pictures, go here: http://www.puzzlewood.net/



1 - Forest


Tangles of root and rock hampered her way, and the moonlight overhead barely penetrated the canopy of leaves and branches. Hermione dare not light her wand, lest she draw unwanted attention, but she ached to do so as she stumbled and fell to the mossy ground. Lying on the ground for a long while, she sighed. It was a mistake to vacation in Puzzlewood in the Forest of Dean, and it was a bigger mistake to be out under a full moon when there were dark creatures roaming about.

There was a dark underside to the popular wood, one kept from ignorant Muggles, one that Hermione Granger found herself inside without a clue as how to leave it. The goal was the cottage on the outskirts of Coleford where she would spend a sorely needed holiday. Rolling to climb to her feet, Hermione could feel her shrunken bag in the pocket of her deep crimson cloak.

She began walking again, her eyes narrowed to search for the path to the cottage, one that she had lost sight of several minutes before. Part of Hermione wanted to curse her insistence on taking the path through Puzzlewood so late in the day. The cottage was magical, warded, Unplottable, and absolutely private—it was just what Hermione had wanted. When she rented the cottage from the grandmother of a co-worker, she was warned of the dangers of the forest. Hermione did not think much of the warnings; she was a capable witch, fit, sharp, and a war hero. She had fought Death Eaters and other fell beasts, she felt she could handle anything that would somehow mean her harm.

Walking through patches of moonlight, Hermione realized, once again, she was far too arrogant for her own good. The moon was almost full, and it was widely known that the Forest of Dean was one territory that was ruled by werewolves. Of course, Hermione knew how to defend herself from werewolves, but ever since Third Year and the realization that Remus Lupin was a werewolf, Hermione had become exceedingly wary of such creatures. Moreover, there were werewolves who refused any treatment via Wolfsbane Potion, and preferred to let their affliction take over completely during their ‘moon time.’

The Ministry had lost track of how many werewolves there were in Britain after the War, and it was estimated that the ‘packs’ numbered in the dozens, with dozens more to each ‘pack.’ Fenrir Greyback was still at large, though rarely sighted. There was a rumour that a new ‘alpha’ had risen through the packs, an unknown werewolf that was a wizard and a werewolf whereas Greyback was only a lycanthrope.

Hermione’s thoughts were clinical, but it calmed her frustrations as her boots found the silvery path running between the gnarled trees once again. With her hands at her sides under her dark crimson cloak, she let her fingers brush her wand handle in the holster upon her belt. She would keep herself safe, werewolves or no.

Thoughts of how she wanted to spent her holiday filled her mind as she emerged from the trees of Puzzlewood, a moonlit field stretched from the shadowy dark to a the thatched roof of the cottage near the river. Hermione paused on the old path in the middle of the field, and inhaled deeply, smelling the forest, the river, and the fresh smell of cut hay in the fields across the river. With one last glance to Puzzlewood, Hermione smirked. She would tackle the ‘puzzle’ in the light of day, Hermione told herself. Her boots began to move again, along the path.

However, in the shadow of wood and stone, eyes watched her without her notice.

The eyes followed Hermione until she was well out of sight and in the safety of the cottage by the river. There was a distant sound, a howl, and the eyes blinked, moving away from the cottage where lights were lit from the inside. The eyes could see the warm golden light, and again, there was another howl, closer.

The eyes narrowed, and a low growl sounded from the mouth below the luminous brown eyes. The shadow of Puzzlewood kept the eyes, the mouth, and the man, hidden. The moon was not yet full, but it would be soon, and the man, whose growl grew louder at the proximity of a wolf’s bark, turned his eyes from the cottage and disappeared into the darkness.