Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Characters of the Harry Potter Franchise™. They belong to J.K. Rowling and Warner Brothers®
A/N: This fanfic is completely Alternate Universe, so if such things don't appeal to you please press the back button on your browser now. This is not my first fanfic but it is my first one that I have ever decided to/had the time to post. I have dallied in alternate universe a little and this is my… adventure into a period piece.
Description: A woman flees her past with help from a close relation and takes to the high seas. Meanwhile, a young man takes on the challenge of his business, lordship and … a season at the hands of the courtiers.
Prologue
Jail… the one place Hermione Granger believed she would never end up. Married and trapped yes, but in jail no. Between being chased by other crews and nearly discovered by Spanish bankers this was the most dangerous situation she and her crew mate Edward had ever gotten into.
"What would Nicholas say now?" she thought irately.
Her brother had helped her to escape a horrid circumstance and now this is how she would repay him. She sank to the cold, dirty stone floor with a sigh. She tried to pull her skirts in closer to her body and out of the grasps of the other prisoners who were leering at her through the cell bars.
"How tactless…" she thought with a look of mild distaste crossing her face.
"Come on poppet, come a little closer." A younger man in rags said.
"We won't bite" said another man, winking at her. She tried to retreat farther but bumped into another person, Edward Mayes.
"Keep away from the lady; she is not some common whore or strumpet." Edward said menacingly. Edward sat down next to Hermione and wrapped him arm around her shoulder pulling her closer.
"We're in trouble aren't we?" she asked quietly her voice betraying her unease.
"Well ... I guess… the crew is without its top three officers and we are pirates. It's likely we will be given the mark or we might have a dawn appointment with the gallows. Or if we are in luck both" he gave a nervous laugh.
"So you suppose this is it isn't it then?"
"No. We'll get out of here and you will probably be the one to save us all."
"I did have one idea" she said with a smirk.
"What's going on in that pretty little head of yours?"
"No worries Edward. We'll be back on the open sea by the time the sun sets tomorrow" she gave him a large grin. "I promise we will not see the gallows."
How pirates of such caliber managed to get caught by men of the East India Company was unknown to any other faction who heard about the Singapore incident. Those imprisoned that night were some of the best pirates sailing the seven seas. The rest of the crew was in the cells, dead in the tavern or sailing out of Singapore on their ship The Cruel Victory.
"Aye! You pirates! Come with me you have an appointment with Lord Kington."
The two pirates got up and joined the rest of their crew mates in the narrow, dank hallway.
Nicholas Granger was the "go between" of two worlds. He was a banker who worked with merchants. But he also dealt with the worst enemy of the merchant. The Pirate. Any ship belong to Nichols Granger was safe from attack from any faction of pirates. His associations with pirate and merchant alike took him across the world. He currently sat in Portugal with a crew of French pirates who had just returned from Singapore.
"Vous faites entendre sur l'incursion à Singapour, Monsieur Granger?"(Have you heard about the raid in Singapore Mr. Granger?)Asked the first mate Bartholomew Françoise.
"Excusez-moi, Monsieur Francoise?"
"L'incident de Singapour... la majorité du servir d' équipier de la victoire cruelle de bateau a été capturé par British East India Company" (The Singapore Incident…the majority of the crew of the ship Cruel Victory was captured by the British East India Company) Bartholomew switched to English so that no word was lost upon the banker, though his accent was quite heavy. "From what I gather the only officer to evade capture was the Captain. Out of a crew 40 strong only 15 escaped. 10 are dead and the rest captured by the Company, they face the brand. "
"Have you heard anything of the fate or whereabouts of Mia Grant?" Nicholas asked feigning interest.
"La femme?" Nicholas nodded while still adding numbers to the ledgers before him.
"Aye, she was captured as well. She was the highest ranking officer, the first mate. She almost escaped you know…Made it almost as far as the docks with the second mate, they were both cornered and captured. It's a shame…they be some of the best pirates I ever known. Have you ever worked with them, Monsieur Granger?"
"Umm… yes ...I guess you could say that…I have" he said thinking of his younger sister Mia Grant known to him as Hermione Granger.
Nicholas stood up handing the men their individual ledgers.
"Monsieur Bartholomew and Messieurs aimables…your accounts are in order." He shook Bartholomew's hand. "Mai la mer soit en votre faveur, messieurs (May the sea be in your favor, gentlemen)."
"Merci, Monsieur Nicholas" said Bartholomew turning to leave. "Oh et bone chance avec les comptes de la victoire cruelle. Peuvent ils vous apporter beaucoup d'or et de bonne fortune. (Oh and good luck with the accounts of the Cruel Victory. May they bring you much gold and good fortune)" said the pirate closing the door with a smirk.
'What has my sister gotten herself into? After all of this…My Sister is going to be branded.' Nicholas sighed and sat down. 'This is one situation all of my money could not get her out of'
"Harry?" exclaimed Count Sirius Black." Harry James… Please come down here... we need to talk…Harry?"
Foot steps on the stairs echoed in the foyer of Godric's Hollow. Down the stairs came a handsome young man of 18 years old. His bright green eyes followed his godfather's feverish pacing across the foyer.
"Sirius… How have you been? You called?" asked the young man.
"Yes, Harry …I wanted to speak to you about…" The older man hesitated as choosing his words very wisely. "Well…about…"
"Sirius you can just tell me…"
"I wanted to speak to you about…" Sirius took a deep breath. "The upcoming Season. Harry you must hear me out. You are turning 18 in two months the first ball of the season is coming up. You will come into your inheritance very soon. Harry you do understand you are the sole Heir of Gryffindor and the Lord of Godric's hollow? You must take-"
"Sirius I do not want to hear another word about marriage. If it pleases me I will remain unmarried!" Harry sighed." It's just that… I just want to live my life. My fathers shipping business is still booming and Voldemort Is dead. I just want to live my life, Sirius. I never thought that I would live to see 17 let alone to see the age where marriage would become a concern."
"Harry it is only proper that as your god father I guide you into marriage and into your Lordship. This season I want you to at least try to look for a suitable wife…what about that girl you went to school with? Ummm... Her father is Colin Granger…" Sirius looked to Harry for the name.
"Hermione?" he said a bit taken aback at the mention of his old friend.
"Yes. Hermione… she was introduced to society just over year and a half ago…and I have a business meeting with her father tomorrow."
"I haven't seen or spoken to her since than" Harry looked away from his godfather at a portrait hanging on the wall. It was of himself, Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger after the Final battle with Voldemort their seventh year at Hogwarts.
"Just give the courtiers a chance, my son. The right one will come along eventually" Sirius said forlornly leaving his godson on the stairs as he exited the manor.
Colin Granger sat in his study admiring a finely painted portrait of his eldest daughter, Hermione. He had not seen her for a year and a half. The night of her first official ball (when he and his wife Cassandra formally introduced her to society) she disappeared. Colin hoped his daughter was still alive and in good health. For there had been whispers she was in the colonies. The bright eyes of the girl in the portrait stared straight at the older gentleman.
Hermione had always been one of his favorites. She was extremely intelligent. She was never overly concerned with fashion or marriage like some of his other girls tended to be. She had begun school at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as the youngest in her class. She graduated as a lovely young woman with plenty of classifications to acquire a profession in economics or medicine in either world. A profession is what Colin Granger hoped his daughter had run from society into. His brilliant daughter, He laughed as he remembered when she was young she had trouble saying her full name. He would call her Mia, just to help the young girl.
Of course there was also Elizabeth. She was as bright and brilliant as his sister. She was just as intelligent as well. Elizabeth was fresh out of her 5th year at Hogwarts. Colin had no idea what she would do after Hogwarts. In a place deep inside of his soul (a place he would never allow his wife to see) he hoped she would flee just as her sister had.
"Come in," said a voice from beyond the ornate wooden doors.
"Colonel Kington, I have brought you the highest ranking officer from amongst the pirates," the young officer pulled Hermione Granger forward throwing her to the ground. "Get up!"
She rose to her feet as the young officer left the room.
"Come forward," said Kington, not once looking up from his writings. "State your name"
Hermione didn't move or speak. The colonel looked up.
"Tell me your name!" he shouted.
"I would never tell you anything."
The colonel rose from his seat and walked to the fireplace on his left. He put a glove on his finely manicured hand and picked up a wrought iron brand. The end of the brand that had been in the fireplace glowed red hot. A backwards P could be seen on its end. Hermione glanced at the brand.
"It generally means pirate. But here in Singapore it also stands for prostitute. Here there certainly plenty of both. The pirates hold you in high regard. The pirate scum handed you over as a leader, so assume you are one of them. My dear, you have two choices. The first, a name, any name. The freedom of you and your crew, the brand and I need a favor of you," he said holding up the brand. "Or I can take you and your crew straight to the British Royal Navy…"
"Sir I fear the only name I can give you is Mia"
"Good I see we are off to a good start, Ms. Mia… we only have a few more items we must talk about." He said placing the brand back into the fire and then sitting down. "Please sit down… have a cup of tea. We may be here for awhile."
The sickening smirk that crossed his face would haunt her from that moment on.
When Hermione Granger left the study of Colonel Kington that night she spoke to no one as she descended the stairs to the cells where the rest of her crew were kept.
"Mia, thank heavens you're back!" exclaimed Edward as the rest of the crew rushed to the bars of the cell. "We've never been happier to see you and you're okay!"
She nodded and unlocked the doors of the two cells. She could see each of them bore an identical fresh brand of a P on their left arms. The men rushed to the door.
"Madame, while you were gone the crew present here voted you as our new captain" said Thomas, the youngest crew member. He smiled at their new leader. Edward stepped forward with a concerned look on his face and took the left arm of his dear friend steering her away from the rest of the crew. She pulled her arm away from him quickly.
"Are you alright?" he asked her, his voice rose just barely over a whisper. He looked at the arm he had just grabbed. Her left arm "He's branded you as well?"
"I will be fine Edward. Don't worry about me" she said quietly stepping away from him to address her crew.
"Men, let us be gone from these shores as fast as the wind may carry us!"
"Aye Aye! Captain!" they cheered in reply.
"But Captain we have no ship," Said Thomas.
"Aye that is true but I've heard it said the Company has some of the fastest ship on the seas. I say we commandeer ourselves one of them," the captain said allowing a sly smile to cross her lips. "Besides the Colonel of the Company owes me a favor,"she said with disgust.
The crew followed their captain out into the night.