Rose Petals ✿ Remus Lupin - Discontinued :(

Chapter 43

Belle's eyes roamed the gigantic building in front of her, the only thought running through her mind being that she felt extremely underdressed. The gorgeous mansion that stood on the edge of a private cliff, surrounded with aged pine trees seemed directly out of a fairy tale-too perfect for Belle's taste, currently. This was the house Belle had dreamed of living in when she was little, an astounding castle on the peak of a mountain, with glittering windows so tall you could never reach the top. She was surrounded by woods in every direction, somehow-even though it was mid August-covered in falling snow.

If Belle had known it had begun snowing during August, she would've worn something more than what she had: an orange, polka-dot halter jumpsuit with bell bottom-esque pants. She had to admit, it was exactly what she had worn the past three days, but to say she loved the outfit was an understatement. She normally paired her jumpsuit with her flared sunglasses, but she assumed to be inside most of the day. In hindsight, bringing a light coat would've been smart.

Amidst the snow were beautiful sculptures of animals that swirled in and out of the ground, twisting above and under the walkway Belle had recently traveled. At the end of the walkway, opposite to the enormous doorframe she now stood in front of, was a lone fireplace that she had arrived from. It was an amazing entrance, and she could only imagine the interior of the house was just as, if not more, spectacular.

She raised her hand to the knocker, but before she could use it, it jumped to life, scaring the pants off of Belle. She jumped back a few steps in a confused daze, watching as it cackled at her. She thought growing up in a magical world would've prepared her for anything, but she still found herself getting scared by magic.

"Ha, I scared you!" The knocker chortled loudly, though it sounded vaguely familiar. She scrunched her face as she took a wild guess.

"...Rose?" Belle huffed.

"Damn, you got that fast. The other's took longer, but James nearly pissed himself he was so scared-"

Rose's voice was cut off as another took the position as the knocker, "I did not!" She could hear giggles throughout the knocker, but before Belle had gained enough courage to try to open the door, Rose quickly took 'it' back.

"Sorry, look up!"

Belle turned her eyes upwards to the first tower, spotting a group of teenagers waving out various windows. She laughed and waved back, happy to see her friends again. Once again Belle couldn't have fully prepared herself for what was about to happen. As soon as she lifted her arm to wave, something sharp but gentle had latched itself onto her and slowly snaked its way around her torso and legs. She immediately recognized it as the snake sculpture from the garden, the one that had formed the path to the door. She screeched as it begun to lift her, but she was only two feet off the ground before the giant door pried itself open and a small house elf appeared. It's eyes were too far apart and it seemed to have an uneven nose, but it still resembled innocence.

By this point Belle was nearly having a panic attack-she was surely going to suffer from heart problems if she kept getting this frightened. But the house elf didn't seem panicked, if fact, it seemed annoyed. It snapped it's fingers and the plant immediately let go, letting her breathe once more. She could hear her friends laughing from the tower, but she disregarded them.

"Deeply sorry, Miss Roux. Miss Domina and her friends are in the first tower door on your right-just up the stairs there. I'll take your bags, Miss."

"Oh, t-thank you," Belle panted, and once she was sure she wouldn't pass out, she entered the beautiful house. The first detail she noticed were the floors, which were complete marble and seemed to be charmed to look like water. The vaulted ceilings were covered in glass chandeliers and and staircases polished to perfection. Dozens of red carpets lined the floor, each fiber being trimmed and neatly protected from dirty shoes. Her eyes couldn't stop roaming around the magnificent house as she ascended the stairs, finding herself in front of the door to the first tower quickly. She raised her hand to use the knocker, but remembered the trick from earlier and settled for knocking with her hand instead.