A/N: Thank you to all of the readers, reviewers and those who favorited or followed this work. You guys keep me going! I would first like to apologize for telling you this work would be up "shortly". I thought it would be, but in saying so in print I must have jinxed myself. After posting that I was asked to babysit, pet sit and house sit all in rapid succession. Then five people at my job quit and I was asked to work twice my normal hours. I promise you I feel very guilty for the long absence. Hope the chapter makes up for it.
NOTE: An observant reviewer let me know that I was unclear in my time line of this story. To clarify, these events are taking place directly after Hotch and Hermione spoke in the last chapter. She arrived home on that night to find Lucius in her apartment, which is where I picked up her point of view from, without letting the readers know the chronology events. It was an oversight, and a sloppy one at that.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I do not own Criminal Minds.
The Nott Dead Death Eater
Sitting in his Quantico office, the Director of the FBI wearily closed his eyes. It had been a long week for Carl Reitman. Not because of any official business- on that front all was well. Both petty and violent crime were down in recent months, so things at the Bureau were running smoothly. His troubles were of the personal variety. Two days ago his wife of thirty-five years had finally left him. All that time playing second fiddle to the job had finally gotten to her. Susan had left him for a man ten years his junior, who she'd met at her gym. Carl supposed that he deserved it after working eighty hour weeks for the past twenty years to get this position and putting in upward of that to keep it. Prying his eyes open, he looked at the couch, wondering if anyone would notice if he spent the night in his office. Going home was awful because for a moment he always expected to see his wife's things lying around. A pair of shoes in the entry way, her coat slung over the back of the couch and so on. Every night that he went home to an empty house made something inside of him die a little bit more.
His miserable thoughts were interrupted by a loud pop that made him jump out of his chair. He accidentally knocked over a tray of outgoing papers, sending documents scattering in every direction. In front of him, where there had once been an empty guest chair sat a sharply dressed military man. The intruder flicked his wand and the papers on the floor fluttered back onto his desk, arranged themselves in proper order, and slid back into the tray. Incredulous, Reitman watched as the tray straightened to its original position. The Director took a deep breath, fighting to hide his discomfort before facing down his dark haired guest. Something about this man always made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end.
"Commander Potter," he greeted cordially. "What can I do for you?"
"I need to speak with Agents Aaron Hotchner and David Rossi immediately," Potter said without preamble.
"He and his team returned around seven this evening. He's finishing up paperwork now," Reitman said. He sat down and dialed Hotchner's office line, relaying the message. The team leader told him he'd bring Agent Rossi up with him, sparing him a second phone call. Reitman hung up and regarded his guest carefully. It was the man's eyes that were strange he decided. They were a shade of unnatural emerald green that glowed against his pale skin as they took in every little detail.
"They'll be just a moment," Reitman stated.
Potter nodded silently and an uncomfortable silence descended. The director drummed his fingers on his desk. "So why the urgent call?" he asked, trying to make conversation.
"There's been a terrorist attack," Harry replied briefly.
"Of what nature? Against whom?" the FBI director demanded, sitting forward in his chair. "Was it in the United States?"
"In the Magical United States," Harry confirmed. "Our intelligence indicates that it began while the BAU team was returning from Nashville. Hermione is currently a hostage."
Before Reitman could respond, the door to his office swung open. Aaron Hotchner entered first with Rossi following closely behind him. Harry noted the spark of recognition in Rossi's eyes when he looked at him.
"Major Potter," the Italian greeted him with a raised eyebrow.
Stepping forward, Harry extended his hand to Agent Hotchner.
"You must be Hermione's boss," the profiler said.
"As you've heard from Agent Rossi, no doubt," Harry said smoothly.
Hotch didn't deny it. "Yes. What's the meaning of all this?"
"Captain Granger is being held hostage by a terrorist," Harry said flatly. "She was able to get a message to me a short while ago."
"I'll assemble the team," Rossi told the men, reaching into his jacket for his phone.
"Anything we can do to help," Aaron put in. Despite himself, he was concerned.
"I'd rather you didn't make that call," Harry said to Rossi.
Both men looked surprised. "And is there a reason for that?" Hotch demanded. His eyes were hard as he glared at the tall man. While Hermione wasn't his favorite person in the world, he considered it his duty to look out for her as a member of his team and a human being.
"I suppose now would be the best time to get this part over with," Harry grumbled. With reluctance he pulled his wand out and waved it towards the Director's desk. A burst of blue light shot out and Carl Reitman dove for cover, thinking the spell was intended for him.
When the spell hit the desk there was a flash of white light. For a moment, the muggles were blinded. When their vision cleared, a puppy sat where the director's desk had been.
Rossi swore, while Hotch stood rooted to the spot, an expression of disbelief on his face. Director Reitman had dived for cover behind a side table that flanked his desk. Lying prone with his hands over his head, he peaked over his shoulder to see a golden retriever puppy sitting in the mess of papers, pens and office supplies that had once decorated his desk. The puppy caught sight of him and bounded over to lick his face. Reitman jerked away, startled by the very real feel of a wet tongue on the side of his jaw.
"What the hell was that," Hotch demanded, stepping backwards warily. His eyes were telling him that he'd just seen a desk turned into a puppy, but his mind was arguing they were mistaken.
"I'm a wizard and Hermione is a witch," Major Potter said. "If you need more persuasion, I can demonstrate further."
"We're good," Reitman interrupted from the floor. He'd sat up and the puppy had taken advantage by hopping into his lap. The director was struggling to keep a hold of the wiggly animal as it tried repeatedly to jump up his chest to lavish him with slobbery kisses.
"So I take it that this terrorist is… like you," Rossi asked. He hadn't taken his eyes off of the puppy yet, as if he thought the animal might vanish into thin air.
"Yes. Hermione identified her hostage taker as Lucius Malfoy, a known dark wizard. He's a member of a group known as the Death Eaters. They're similar to Nazis in their ideology and they believe that only pure blood wizards are really wizards. If a wizard is born from non-magical folk, as Hermione is, they are considered inferior and targeted."
"Is that why they've taken Hermione?" Hotch inquired.
"In part. She's a very powerful witch and they needed her to complete a bank heist. We believe this operation was successful. As of right now, the Magical Treasury of the United States has been robbed of more than thirty million in gold and we're considering this event a terrorist attack. What concerns the FBI is that Hermione went along with their demands because your son is being threatened."
"Jack is in danger?"
"We believe so," Harry replied.
Pivoting on his heel, Hotch stalked towards the exit. Harry snapped his fingers and the door swung shut. An audible click announced its locking.
"Don't you dare," Aaron growled at the wizard, turning back around to face Potter. He stepped up so that the two men, similar in height, were nose to nose. "All I have left is my son. I am not going to sit here while he is in danger."
"I've moved a team of soldiers to your home. One of them took a potion to disguise himself as your sister-in-law, Jessica. The rest are invisible."
"If he's in protective custody, what's the threat," Rossi asked, forcing his way between Hotch and Major Potter.
"He was given a charmed bracelet. Hermione informed me that it will kill Jack in eight hours."
At this information, Hotch went deathly pale.
"Sit down," Rossi ordered, shoving his friend into a nearby chair.
"We're doing everything in our power to protect your son," Harry said.
From his pocket he pulled a shard of mirror and tapped it with his wand. The mirror shimmered in his hand before it emitted a voice. "Major Potter this is Lieutenant Finnegan."
Turning the mirror so that Hotch and Rossi could see, Harry asked, "Passcode?"
"Chocolate Frogs," Jessica's reflection said from the mirror.
"Meet Lieutenant Seamus Finnegan," Harry introduced. "He's keeping an eye on your son and trying to remove the bracelet."
"What progress have you made," Hotch rasped.
"We've confirmed that the bracelet is charmed with a spell that affects cardiac function. It appears to be on a timed delay, as Hermione said."
"What do you mean affects cardiac function," Rossi asked Jessica's look alike.
"It will stop the boy's heart if we can't remove it in time," the figure in the mirror told him. "We tried a counter jinx but the charm is protected by several hexes. Before we can do anything to the bracelet we have to get through the hexes."
"Start with an examining spell. It should indicate what the hexes are," Harry advised. "Keep working and update me on the hour. I'm going to take agents Rossi and Hotchner to Hermione's residence and see if we can't find anything that might lead us to her. The other team is on their way to the National Treasury."
"I've got the situation under control," Seamus said confidently. "I'll be in touch."
The mirror went dark and Harry tucked it back into his coat pocket.
"Let's go," he said to Rossi and Hotch. He headed for the door with the two profilers on his heels. Director Reitman grimly watched the trio leave his office, hoping they'd find a way to save Jack Hotchner. The puppy squirmed in his lap, leaping for his face again.
Damn this furry little monster, Reitman thought, pushing it away.
Undeterred the puppy sprang back up, this time knocking the man off balance. The Director caught himself with his free hand, but by then the puppy had already climbed up his chest to lavish him with enthusiastic kisses. He pulled the puppy off his face and started rubbing its ears to distract it. Immediately the little dog began to wag its tail and pant happily. Despite the terrible night he'd just had, the Director smiled. It was a cute puppy and with Susan gone he needed companionship. He could probably get a dog walker without too much trouble and there was always pet daycare for while he was at work. If he had to stay late at the office he could have his niece, a grad student at Georgetown, pet sit for him. It would be a good way for her to earn some extra income without feeling like she was accepting a handout he thought, stroking the puppy's silky fur. Glancing around his destroyed office, Carl decided it was time to call it a night. He picked up the puppy and headed for the parking garage, still smiling.
Hermione stumbled as Lucius shoved her forwards. With trepidation she eyed the gangplank that led to a two-masted schooner. On the walk from the Treasury building to the industrial docks of magical Washington, she'd been in something of a haze. Reeling from Simon's murder, Hermione had blindly allowed herself to be herded along for the better part of a mile. Now standing at the bottom of the gangplank, her self-preservation was setting in.
"Move, mudblood," the dark wizard hissed. Before she could take a step he grabbed her arm and twisted it behind her at an unnatural angle.
"Ahhh," Hermione gasped, stepping forward. Lucius pushed her up the plank towards the ship, twisting her arm further when she tried to jerk away. Once they were aboard he wrenched her around and waved his wand, spending a burst of magic that hit her in the chest.
"What was that?" Hermione demanded.
"A tethering charm. You're not able to move more than six feet away from me." Lucius explained as he dug in the pockets of his robe. He withdrew a vial and handed it to her. "Drink this."
"No," she refused. "I don't know what that is."
"It's polyjuice and it's for your own protection," Lucius said. "The crew of this boat might not be very excited to know that you're on board, understand?" Malfoy pointed his wand straight at her throat. "I'm intent on getting you back to England alive. Now do as I say."
With no other choice in sight, Hermione downed the vile tasting potion in one swallow. The effects were immediate and she felt herself growing taller, her hair shortening. Lucius cast the spell to transfigure her clothes and when she looked down, she found she was in a man's body wearing jeans, a long sleeved shirt and boots. Her transformation was just in time.
From behind them a hatch banged open and a short man in strode towards them.
"Lucius Malfoy! I was wondering if you were going to be late." The man's voice was hoarse as he spoke.
"I'm never late," the pale man proclaimed. "Name one time in the past twenty years that I've been late, Nott."
Nott? As in Theodore Nott's father? Hadn't he died in the Battle of Hogwarts?
Hermione watched in horror as Harmon Nott approached, very much alive. Immediately she noticed a family resemblance between father and son. Harmon was a thinly built man who barely came up to Lucius' shoulder, with the same prominent overbite she remembered Theodore having. His gaze fell to her and she masked her expression. Too late it seemed as the former Death Eater sneered. "Surprised to see this old man alive?" he asked with hostility.
"Ah…. Yes," Hermione responded. Lucius' bony fingers tightened their grip on her elbow. "I mean-"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Nott interrupted her. "The government reported me dead, but when have they ever been a reliable source of information?" He dismissed her with an irritated wave, turning to Lucius. "You sure this is the recruit Mulciber wanted you to get? He doesn't seem very with it."
"He's a bit sea sick," Lucius responded icily. "If you wouldn't mind showing us to our quarters, we're eager to be on our way."
"You'll dine with the crew first," Nott said, his tone leaving no room for argument. "They've been dying to hear how you got out of Azkaban."
"Fine," Lucius said with a dark scowl. Nott apparently didn't care and turned to lead them below deck. Lucius kept Hermione between him and Nott as they walked down the stairs.
The roar of voices hit her as soon as they were below deck. In amazement, Hermione stopped on the bottom step and looked around the mess hall. More than a hundred people of various ages, races, and genders were crowded around long tables chattering animatedly among themselves. Below deck it was clear the ship had been magically expanded. The dining area alone was twice the size it should have been by the laws of physics. Hermione didn't see any faces she recognized but she kept her eyes peeled as she followed Lucius to the front of the ship. Nott stopped at the front of the dining hall where a raised table was prepared.
"Welcome to the Captain's table," he announced proudly.
"An honor," Lucius replied sardonically looking down his nose at the worn table.
"It's a pirate ship not a mansion, you lout," Nott grumbled. He turned to face the rambunctious room while Hermione processed his last words.
A pirate ship? The former Death Eater, Harmon Nott, had become a pirate? It was insane, but made perfect sense. There was no better place to hide than in the middle of the ocean. Magical governments didn't declare territorial waters or patrol the seas. Nott could have gone almost anywhere in the world and as long as he stayed on the ship, no one would be looking for him. How many other war criminals had done the same?
"ATTENTION!" Nott screamed to the room. Only a few heads turned towards him and Lucius snickered. The pirate's face became ruddy with embarrassment. With a furious sideways glance, he put his wand to his throat, amplifying his voice. This time the cry of "Attention!" was so loud Hermione's ears rang.
This time the ruckus quieted down and the crew turned to face their captain. "Everyone, please welcome Lucius Malfoy, a veteran of the Death Eaters and our honored guest."
The applause was thunderous as room cheered in excitement. Some of the pirates pounded on the table and whistled their approval.
Nott grabbed Hermione by the elbow and pulled her forward. "And with him, the newest Death Eater recruit," he broke off suddenly. Leaning in the man elbowed her in the ribs. "Hey, what was your name kid?"
"Jason," Hermione replied quickly.
"Jason!" Nott pronounced grandly, causing the room to cheer and clap once more. "As you know we're providing them passage back to The State, so expect to be seeing them around the ship. Lastly, for a special treat Lucius will tell us how he escaped Azkaban prison after the feast! Eat up everyone!"
Nott clapped his hands and a banquet appeared. The tables became filled with roasted whole turkeys, patters of steak, bowls of dumpling and steaming plates of vegetables.
The situation was so bizarre Hermione felt as though she'd stepped into the twilight zone. She followed Lucius up to the raised table, where Nott seated them on either side of him. Over dinner most of Nott's attention was on his conversation with Lucius. They discussed which of Voldemort's followers were still active, and who among the imprisoned Death Eaters were still sane. Hermione listened closely for any information she could glean while pushing food around on her plate.
"Why don't we talk privately," Nott suggested to Lucius as dinner was nearing its close.
"I'd rather-," Lucius began.
"It wasn't a request Malfoy," Nott interrupted, standing from the table.
The blonde man looked disgruntled at being ordered around. "I don't think you remember who I am," he snapped.
Nott planted one hand on the table and braced the other on the back of Lucius' chair, cornering him. He leaned down into the Death Eater's personal space and spoke harshly. "You've fallen pretty far, old friend. We're going to discuss terms of passage in my cabin. That bag of gold on your companion is going to be a few pounds lighter by the time you get to The State, understand?"
A muscle ticked in Malfoy's jaw as Nott stared him down. "There will be hell to pay for this," he snarled.
"You overestimate your reach," Nott said with amusement. "Gentlemen, please follow me."
Hermione trailed after Lucius and Nott as they exited a side door that took them to the ships main passageway. Nott took them in the fore direction towards the bow of the ship. She'd been in magically expanded tents before, but Hermione was stunned by the distance they had to walk before turning. Descending down a second flight of stairs they entered a common room where a guard sat at a table flipping through a copy of the Daily Prophet. Nott gave him a casual salute that was barely acknowledged before taking them down another hall to the great cabin. The three of them shuffled into the room single file and Nott closed the door behind them. Lucius perched himself on the desk while Nott pulled out his chair and settled into it. For a long uncomfortable moment, the men stared at each other.
"How much do you want?" Lucius said breaking the silence.
"Depends on how much you've got. Why don't you let me take a look?" he suggested turning to Hermione.
She handed him the bag without resistance, taking pleasure in the furious glare Lucius sent her.
The pirate opened the sack and pulled out his wand, mumbling a few words she couldn't make out. The bag glowed and sparks flew out of the opening before a slip of paper was spat out. The old Death Eater grabbed it before it fluttered to the ground and whistled in delight.
"Thirty-two million, gentlemen. That is quite the haul! You've got enough to start up a small economy."
Lucius shifted. "Let's negotiate, Nott."
The short man snorted. "We are negotiating. I'll take a small cut of five million and you'll get safe passage to England as I promised yesterday. There, negotiation over."
"That's unreasonable," Lucius groused. "The State's superiors are expecting me to deliver a sum of at least thirty million."
"Are they?" Nott said carelessly, pulling out a cigar from a box on his desk. He snatched a pack of matches off of the end table by his bunk and lit up. "Such a pity. Why work for those crazy fools? You could always take the money and cut loose. Look at me, I'm living the dream," he proclaimed, propping his feet up on the desk beside Lucius and puffing out rings of smoke with a smug grin.
The blonde wizard looked ready to strangle Nott. "You have nothing out here," he hissed. "No power, no respect, no impact! You're sailing around like a sixty-year-old Peter Pan while wizarding society rots to the core."
"Huh," Nott said contemplatively. "I think it's your head that's rotted, Malfoy. You're a slave to a doomed cause."
Malfoy flushed and clenched his fists. His gaze flicked to Hermione. "Wait in the other room," he barked.
She glanced over her shoulder. The hallway that led to the cabin was at least ten feet long, a distance farther than her tethering charm would allow. Hermione sent Lucius a questioning look that read, how? Lucius flicked his wand, and she felt the spell ease.
"We're in the middle of the ocean," Lucius said casually, his eyes boring into Hermione's face.
"Yup," Nott said. He beamed with pride as he spoke. "We set sail during the feast. By now we're about a thousand nautical miles from D.C. She runs so smooth you could hardly tell."
Making eye contact with Hermione, Malfoy smiled. "I guess there's no way off this ship."
"Nope," Nott seconded. "No deserting on this ship! There's an aparation ward around the ship that extends more than a mile. And forget swimming in these waters if you want to see your next birthday."
Son of a gun, Hermione cursed as she left the captains' quarters and headed for the other room. There was no way off this damned ship.
Out in the common room the guard was still engrossed in his paper. He didn't so much as glance at Hermione as she entered the room. She ignored him and went to the porthole to check Lucius' observation. All she could see through the window was darkness. It was a moonless night and her eyes could barely differentiate between what was ocean and what was sky. A dozen expletives danced through her mind as she turned away from the porthole. She had to do something but in the middle of the Atlantic, what could she do?
Hermione was exhausted. Today had drained her energy, between the case in Nashville, lying to Hotch and her first official state side operation as an Auror, she felt like she'd been raked over hot coals. The last thing she needed was to be dragged around the world by Lucius Freaking Malfoy and a band of Death Eater sympathizing pirates. Across the room the guard crackled over the funnies and Hermione sent him her iciest glare. He didn't even register that she was in the room. Am I so insignificant? Hermione wondered. Perhaps her presence wasn't worth acknowledging at all.
Dejected by the general state of her affairs Hermione sank down by the wall and shut her eyes. Jack's face appeared in her mind's eye, reminding her of what she was trying to escape. He had less than eight hours to live. At that thought, something important tickled at the back of her mind. Thinking back, Hermione frowned.
Was it eight hours? Lucius had said so, but he'd most likely meant eight hours from the time that the bracelet had been put on. In hastiness, she'd taken the eight-hour deadline as beginning when Lucius had told her, but charms couldn't work on a delay.
Her head spun, trying to absorb the thought. When had Jack put on the bracelet? It had to be prior to Lucius arriving at her apartment. Wracking her brain, Hermione tried to think through the adrenaline. She'd left Quantico at eight, but traffic on the freeway had been bad. By the time she'd made it home it was already five past nine. Screwing her eyes shut, Hermione willed herself to remember everything about her confrontation with Lucius.
Mentally she sent herself back to the apartment. In her mind's eye she visualized herself walking up stairs to her apartment. She'd been tired and distracted, which was probably why she hadn't noticed the wards around her apartment were down. Initially there had been a struggle. Lucius had blindsided her with a stunner when she stepped through the door. It had knocked her clear off her feet and into the wall, where she'd hit her head on the corner of a shelf. He'd captured her wand before she'd even managed to draw it from her sleeve. With her wand secured Malfoy had knocked her out. When she'd come around he'd been sitting on her sofa, twirling her wand between his palms.
Her words came back to her. "What do you want, Malfoy?"
"It's less about what I want and more about what you want," the dark wizard had said cryptically.
"I don't want anything from you."
"Considering that I played a lovely soccer match with Jack Hotchner this afternoon, I'm sure you're mistaken," Lucius replied, his smirk widening.
Hermione froze, wondering if she'd heard him correctly. "Jack Hotchner?"
"Yes, your boss' son. Such a lovely, caring young boy. It made giving him that charmed bracelet so much easier. In eight hours he'll be dead and I won't have to lift a finger. Aren't charms the best?"
Snapping back to reality, Hermione opened her eyes.
Jack must have been given the bracelet sometime before the team got home. Logically, he would have been playing during daylight hours. The sun set at about 7:30 in April, and the hour before that was dusk. That put the latest time for him to get the bracelet at 6:30. But he'd said afternoon, which generally meant 12pm to 6pm. Her gut insisted Jack had gotten the bracelet earlier. Hermione knew that Jack's school let out at 3:30 because on Fridays Hotch left early to pick him if the team didn't have a case. The variable she wasn't sure of was his afterschool routine. Practically, Jack would have to get home, change and get to the park, so Hermione put the earliest he could have gotten the bracelet at 4:00 pm. Eight hours from 4 would mean Jack had until midnight to live. Swallowing hard, Hermione checked her watch. The blinking green numbers read 11:23. Numbly, Hermione stood. She had to get off this boat and get to Muggle Washington D.C. within the next thirty minutes.
The angry sound Lucius and Nott's voices could still be heard coming from the captain's cabin. Her wand was still in Lucius' custody, Hermione realized as she felt for it. Looking around the room for a weapon, her eyes settled on the rolling bar against the far wall. It was loaded with every type of liquor imaginable, and about half of them were unopened. The heaviest looking of the bottles was a full three-liter jug of fire whiskey.
Hefting the crystal bottle, Hermione quietly made her way towards the table. The guard had his back to her and was absorbed in his Daily Prophet, completely unaware he was being hunted.
Three more steps would put her in range of the guard. Carefully she moved forwards relieved at each step that didn't make the floorboards creak. Bringing the heavy bottle up behind her, she took the last step forward just as the boat pitched. She was thrown off balance and stumbled, causing the guard to turn towards her. Swiftly Hermione swung the bottle at his head with all her might. Instantly the man went down. The blow had been much too loud, and her eyes went to the door of the captain's quarters. She held her breath, believing at any second Lucius and Nott would come running. Nothing happened.
Knowing her luck was running out with each minute she wasted, Hermione searched the unconscious guard for his wand. Finding the item, she did a few test spells and found that while it was difficult to use it wasn't as bad as she'd expected. Hermione braced herself for what she was about to do and then waved the wand.
"Imperio," she whispered. The curse woke the guard and he jolted awake, blinking in surprise. His blank expression assured her the curse had worked.
"Where do you keep the potion ingredients," she asked him.
Dumbly he pointed to the bar that she'd taken the whiskey bottle from. Hermione dug through the top and came up empty before realizing the cart had a small bottom drawer. She threw it open and pulled out a tray with dozens of tiny bottles. Setting it down Hermione dug through the compartment further, searching for the rest of the ingredients. There were some boxes that had fallen to the bottom and she prayed they were what she needed.
Box one was labeled "Lacewing Flies – stewed twenty-one days."
"Thank heavens," Hermione muttered, pulling it out along with the other boxes. More raiding of the bar cart produced a Boomslang skin and Fluxweed which she could only hope had been picked at full moon. There was a bowl of ice on top of the bar and she dumped the bowl's contents into the drawer to hide her activities. Using it as a cauldron she began to add ingredients to make a polyjuice potion. As she worked she kept one eye on the door and listened closely to the muffled sounds of Lucius and Nott's voices. Their volume had grown and at one point she thought she heard a spell ricochet. There was nothing to stir with so she used her hands wincing as the mixture heated to near boiling when she added the Boomslang skin. For her last ingredient she plucked a hair from her head dropped it into the mixture. With bated breath she waited for it to bubble.
The potion didn't so much as fizz.
"Damn it," Hermione swore as tears pricked behind her eyes. She needed to buy time if she wanted to get off this ship and the potion was the only way to do it. Agitatedly she shook the bowl, sloshing the contents all around. As if she'd willed them into existence, bubbles appeared. Dazedly, Hermione wondered if she was seeing things.
Shaking off her astonishment Hermione picked up the bowl and handed it to the guard, ordering him to drink. He picked up the bowl with both hands and chugged obediently. The spell worked rapidly and she watched at the pirate was transformed into her regular likeness. As distractions went it wasn't very good but it would have to do. Hopefully Lucius would assume that the polyjuice he'd given her had worn off. She didn't allow her mind to think about what would happen to the guard. Knowing what little she did of Harmon Nott, it wasn't difficult to imagine his fate. Focusing on the fact that Jack needed her she transfigured his clothing and gave him final instructions. "When they see you, run. When you can't run anymore, fight them."
Hermione raced back up the steps and headed in the aft direction. She had no real plan, only the determination that she was going to get off this ship one way or another. After what felt like a million twists and turns, she found a stairwell up to the deck of the ship. Salty sea air hit her in the face as she made her way towards the balustrade.
Lucius' words echoed in her mind. There's no way off the ship. Nott's warning joined in chorus as she climbed over the railing and balanced herself on the edge. There's an aparation ward around the ship that extends more than a mile. No one who wants to see their next birthday would swim in those waters. Staring down at the churning black waters, a sense of hopelessness sunk in. You have to try, she told herself firmly, staring down at the roiling waves as the brackish wind whipped her hair across her face. There resounding crash from below deck and Hermione tensed, wondering if the guard had been discovered.
There was no time to waste she decided, and flung herself down into the angry waters of the Atlantic.
Thank you for reading. Please review!
