April 10th 1912
Hermione spent the rest of the afternoon, in her room writing in a journal. She wrote about her fuzzy memories from Hogwarts, followed with her newer memories. Draco Malfoy was also on her mind, an annoying pest that kept nagging at her usually focused brain. Caroline came in around five to help her start getting ready for supper. It was a tedious process, with lots of tugging and pulling. Hermione was thoroughly uncomfortable when her corset was completely laced and her exquisite dress was pulled on. The dress was, as it were, lovely. It was a lavender color, with an empire waist that flowed out to the floor. The sleeves were elegant but free and she looked wonderful in it. Hermione pulled white gloves on and Caroline fussed over her hair, which was—regrettably—a mess. After an hour or so, it was pulled back into a chignon with a few fresh flowers stuck in it. Marcus entered, a large but slim box in his hands. He jerked his head and Caroline scuttled away, leaving Hermione alone with him. She avoided his gaze, focusing on a silver hand brush.
"Your behavior today at lunch was unacceptable," He reprimanded coldly.
She continued to ignore him, until he was in front of her. Hermione finally looked, but not at his face, rather the velvet box in his hands. He opened it, revealing a clearly priceless diamond necklace. It was obviously heavy, rectangular shaped—the color of blood. He unclasped it and, without asking, placed it around her neck. It was indeed heavy, so much so, Hermione immediately wanted to take it off. It was a constant feeling of being throttled. Ironically Hermione was positive she was perpetually being throttled, metaphorically of course. Nevertheless, she thanked him with a peck on the cheek and walked off quickly.
Marcus followed Hermione out of the room, where Katherine and Johnathan were waiting. Katherine latched on to Marcus, cheerfully expressing her enjoyment of the ship thus far. Johnathan offered his arm to his daughter, who accepted it carefully. Hermione said nothing as she examined his features; he bore a striking resemblance to the real like Johnathan Granger—her true father—and yet his nose lacked the bump from a childhood break, the scare above his left eyebrow was missing, and the true John lacked such a bushy mustache. Despite this, Hermione took some comfort in his company, more so than that of Katherine's.
The quartet made their way down the grand stairway. Hermione was in awe of the craftsmanship, not just of the staircase but the ship in general. Society members mingled around them, smiling dantily. They were seated with all the usual suspects, none of whom Hermione paid much attention too. She nibbled on her roast duck and drank more champagne than was acceptable, as Katherine whispered out the side of her mouth several times. After Marcus physically pulled her glass away, she excused herself in order to not whip her flute at his pompous head. In an uncharacteristic act of frustration, Hermione stood up very quickly. All the men at the table followed suit, staring at the young woman curiously. Marcus glared at Hermione coldly, but she merely turned on her heel and marched out of the dining salon. She blindly made her way to the boat deck, the roaring sound of steel cutting through the ocean burning in her ears.
Suddenly, her heart jumped into her throat. She was in a foreign world, on an unfamiliar ship, with an unknown fate. It was took much. Hermione took off in a blind sprint.
She ran so fast her lungs were on fire, but she didn't care. Her legs fought against the straight skirt of her dress and her arms nearly ripped through her sleeves. Hermione pushed forward, ignoring the disgraced looks of the passerbys. She ended up at the stern, grasping the railing for dear life. She stared out at vast black ocean, watching the propellers churn the foam. Hermione stepped up onto the railing, to the third rung, to look closer. She was mesmerized and her head was spinning.
"Miss?" A voice called out. Hermione screamed and then it was done. She fell forward, slipping on her dress and falling over the rail. Hermione managed to grab the bottom rung, but fear coursed through her veins. She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment and thought I'm about to die. She reluctantly forced her eyes open and saw a figure appearing, his arms outstretched. His face was shadowed as he heaved her back over, until she was on top of him.
"Thank you-sweet Merlin!" She gasped, standing up and stepping back.
"Granger," Draco Malfoy said. His pale eyebrow were so high almost reached his hairline. She stood there looking flummoxed for a good minute.
"It's er, good to see you." She murmured, a blush tainting her cheeks. He stepped forward.
"What the bloody hell happened to us?" He whispered fiercely. Hermione glanced around hastily.
"I don't know. It's strange, I have so many memories that aren't mine. I have a fiancee and my parents, or they appear just like my parents, are here. And bloody hell, Malfoy, we're on the Titanic," said Hermione, her voice leaning towards hysterical at the end.
"Yes, thank you, I realize that." He rolled his eyes. Hermione shook her head.
"No, Malfoy, you've never heard of the Titanic? It's one of the most infamous disasters of all time. It will sink in a few days time."
His eyes widened. "We need to get off this bloody ship, Granger."
This time she rolled her eyes. "Yes, thank you captain obvious but it's not like I can just dive overboard and swim back to London. It was the Tempus Novoro potion."
He went and sat down on a bench and for the first time Hermione got a good look at him. He was wearing a pair of dirty trousers, a plain white shirt with suspenders and a thick jacket with patches on the elbows. He looked...poor.
"What do you remember about reversing the Tempus Novoro?" He asked. She frowned and sat back down. Hermione leaned her head back and tried to recall her foggy memories. She had read the chapter several times, that she knew. The list of ingredients was the first that came to her and it was less than promising.
"Malfoy, think about the ingredients. There's no way we could find mandrake roots on a ship." She said despondently. He looked sick.
"So what, we're going to die? Don't you have your wand?"
She shook her head. "No, I left it in my bag because I didn't need it."
"I dropped mine when you fell on me," he said accusingly. Hermione closed her eyes and thought back to the text.
"It said...it said..." She murmured, thinking deeply. "Nothing. I can't remember anything more."
"Lucky for you, Granger, I can. The only other way to return to the present, besides brewing the potion, is to complete a task." He said smugly.
"Well what's the task?" Hermione asked. He frowned grimly.
"See, that's the problem. No one knows. In rare instances, a handful of witches and wizards have found that if they do something of greatness, they end up in the correct time."
"So the only reliable way to return to our time is to survive this and make the reverse potion in America." She said quietly.
"It can't be that hard to survive. So what the ship sinks, they have safety measures and whatnot."
Hermione looked bleak. "That's why Titanic was so infamous. It was, is, unsinkable. Until it sunk."
"Maybe that's our task, we tell someone the ship is going to sink." He suggested, standing up. She shook her head.
"We cannot change the past like that, it's reprehensible. I do remember that changing the future too drastically could ruin the way of the world." She said sensibly. Hermione stood up and smoothed her hair. She used the pins in her clutch to tie to back and pin it back up.
"It's nearly eleven, I best be getting back to my suite." Hermione murmured. Draco looked around then sighed.
"I suppose I should escort you back." He said sullenly. She rolled her eyes but allowed him to lead her back to the deck. She was quiet for the most part.
"How are the accommodations in first class?" asked Draco bitterly. She smiled wryly.
"I cannot breathe, speak, or choose my meals freely. It's gruesome and oppressive." She said calmly.
"Is that why you looked like such a fright when you nearly jumped off the stern?" He joked cynically.
Hermione was about to respond when she saw a figure emerged from the first class doorway.
"Sweetpea," Marcus drawled, walking forward. "We've been worried."
Somehow Hermione doubted that. She glanced at Malfoy who was shuffling his feet. "Marcus, this is Mr. Malfoy. I uh, got lost and he showed me back." She lied smoothly.
Marcus didn't look like he noticed. He nodded blankly to Malfoy then offered Hermione his arm. She accepted it quietly and nodded toward Malfoy. He turned to leave when Marcus stopped him. "Join me and Miss Granger for dinner tomorrow, won't you? You did help her find her way, after all."
Malfoy shot Hermione a look and she shrugged noncommittally. "Sure, Mr..."
"Chambers. Marcus Chambers."
"Draco Malfoy." He stuck his hand out but Marcus ignored him. He guided Hermione through the door and down towards their suite, leaving Malfoy.
He frowned and felt genuine animosity towards that Marcus guy. He also felt animosity towards the filthy rich, thus further stumping the young wizard. Somewhere, in the very back of his mind, Draco knew for certain he himself was rich, probably richer than Marcus, but yet he wanted nothing more than to watch people like Marcus suffer. Draco shook his head and retreated back to the third class cabins, a cloud of confusion encircling him.
A/N: well do you guys like it? I wrote alot of the core story a while ago, so as I go through now I'm embellishing and changing a few things. Anywho, next chapter will begin back in the present. Any thoughts on whats gonna happen there?
review friends. please.