Viktor would not kill Hermione. Not in that ridiculous cap and rabbit fur. Besides, nobody who was serious about manslaughter announced their intentions as vividly as Viktor had. Severus drew his wand out nonetheless.
Hermione struggled, her wand in her grasp. One of Viktor's henchmen summoned the wood from her hand. Severus fired. His spell was deflected easily.
And then each Professor began to fire. The spells shot down from the ship. They knocked Hagrid down first. Then Flitwick's glasses were cast aside and the old man was hanging by his trousers in the air.
Severus hid under a table. The Dumstrang men launched forwards. They fought without mercy and kindness. Minerva shielded herself from an unprovoked strike.
He had to be clever. He made his way to the back, hoping to catch Viktor by surprise from behind. The battle would have ended far quicker if Severus had his powers.
He had to resort to Muggle ways of fighting, he grabbed the leg of a chair and aimed at the bearded man. A henchman with light hair swooped up behind and sent him flying across the room.
"Here! The Time-Turner!" The new Potions teacher, a relative of Slughorn's, had raced into the room with the device in hand. Perhaps Hermione should not have been so friendly with the wrong people.
"No Patricia! It's a trap!" Hermione let out before Viktor cast a muffling spell over her lips.
"Give me the Turner and Miss Germeeone will be safe. My promise."
Patricia held her palm open. Viktor summoned the device. And then he grasped Hermione tighter and stepped back towards the ship.
"What about Hermione?" Patricia was shaking.
"I only say she will be safe. Not back with you."
And with that, he grabbed a rope and flew up to the deck. A loud whistle sounded. The henchmen retreated and followed their Captain. Severus, who had been buried under the rubble, crawled to his stomach. There was no way he could give up now. He clutched his back, wishing he were twenty years younger and his arthritis had not been there.
The ship began to back out of the room. It groaned. Bricks fell from the walls. Minerva cast a protection shield. Severus, wand in hand limped forwards. Then he walked. And with the last burst of energy grabbed hold of a loose rope. His arm bled as the ship dragged him across the floor and lifted him into the sky. He remembered how much he hated flying.
And like that Severus was on the floor of a large wooden cabin. The last thing he saw before he passed out was the light dancing on the empty glass bottles below.
He woke up by the screaming of men and the sounds of footsteps above. Gulls screeched and the water lapped onto the floor below. Severus spluttered out the pungent and murky liquid the touched his lips. Where was he? Right, on the Durmstrang ship with Hermione.
He struggled to keep balance as the ship rocked. He spotted a ladder and climbed up. He lifted the flap only to see how many men had been on the ship. It was a great deal. Each youth looked stronger than the last. They pulled the sails down by pleated ropes. They cast spells over a leakage on the side. They laughed and cursed.
Severus was not afraid of a few young boys, but he was afraid of what Viktor might be doing to Granger. Clearly, this was no ordinary trip to attend the Triwizard Tournament.
He jumped down and looked for another exit and found himself in the middle of the kitchen.
"Stranger on the board! Seize him!" Severus did not protest as he was dragged by spells across the rows of pots and pans.
"Ah, the man in the black cape? Captain Krum would like to know how you snuck on."
And in a few moments, he was face to face with the captain himself. Krum puffed his chest and ran his hands through his windswept hair.
"Mr. Sneg. How lovely a surprise! You come alone?"
Severus kept his mouth shut.
"He comes alone, Captain. We didn't find anyone else," the Kitchen Man stated.
"Excellent. Now, Mr. Sneg, I am sorry but you are…how do you say, wheel number three. And I do not like your smell. Or this nose. So we must be rid of you."
Severus contemplated the different ways in which he will strangle the man as soon as his arms are unbound. Perhaps he can start with twisting his nose into a Shrivel Fig.
"Put him on the plank. We will see how he dances."
And Severus' eyes were blinded by a steady curtain of light. The calls of birds became louder. His cape was removed and he was hoisted on a plank. If Viktor thought the Spy of the Dark Lord would be eaten by sharks or mermaids, he thought wrong.
"Step, step, off you go!"
Severus cursed the Ministry a million times for weakening his magic upon release.
"I think you would be better opponent. But you've lost the magic touch."
There was only one way out: down.
"Stop! Viktor, let him go or I will jump." Hermione was standing by the edge of the ship. She placed one foot on the border and hoisted herself up.
Viktor did not flinch. Only when the Time-Turner was dangling from her palms did he let out a grunt. She had become ridiculously good at holding her own. Before Viktor could summon the device from her grasp, she had already knocked several of his men aside. She did not account for an unexpected attack from behind and was now just as trapped as Severus was.
"My Dove, you will not win this fight on my ship."
"But Severus and I are the only ones who know how to use the Time-Turner. Take one of us down, and the other goes too."
The words appeared to soften Viktor's position. Severus made his way back onto the ship and watched as Viktor stepped away. They were beckoned into his cabin. At the door, the men who were leaving them lowered the wands pointed to their backs.
Hermione looked not the least bit flustered. In fact, her cheeks were flushed with a very pleasant glow from the fresh breeze.
As they entered the cabin, Severus did not know where to stop his gaze. The cabin had been filled to the very brim with various capes and outfits of all colours. Paintings covered the walls and a large chandelier flickered at the ceiling.
"Please sit." Viktor cast away several silken shirts and a box of shoes from two chairs.
"Viktor. Can I speak straight? You were not planning to kill us, were you?" Hermione looked him straight in the eyes. Viktor shook his head.
"Then why in the Devil's name did you put on these theatrics? The plank, the crash in the school, kidnapping me?"
Viktor summoned over a photo. A little girl with dark hair and blue eyes. "My dear Rosa, my only daughter. She passed away a week ago and with your help, I can be again with my girl."
Hermione took the image and caressed it in her hands. Severus looked over her shoulder. She did have Viktor's smile and his hair.
"And that is all? I mean, I could have helped you Viktor. I could have helped you see her without all of this."
"It is not simple. She is un-curable. The Healer says so, a blood disease. But there is a Shaman on the Isles that can brew a potion to help. I was too late, too late to ask. But now, I will be on time."
Hermione looked as though she were contemplating helping the bastard. A very handsome bastard with a full beard and a rather nice hat, but a bastard nonetheless. And to really add weight to his argument, Viktor began to cry. Tears dripped from his eyes. Oh, the horror!
"There, there. Viktor. We need a moment."
He nodded his head and retreated behind a mound of dresses.
Hermione cast a silencing spell and leaned forward. Enough that Severus could smell her floral shampoo.
"Here's the plan, we take the Time-Turner and we travel back to yesterday and pretend none of this happened." Severus eyed the device which was strung around her neck. The medallion settled in her breasts.
"Are you kidding? Severus, the man just lost his child. We cannot refuse! Besides, I was looking to take a vacation from teaching."
Oh, Sweet Lucifer in Hell. Was Hermione seriously suggesting they help the man who nearly drowned him in the Atlantic?
"Please Severus, please please!"
"The Time-Turner holds only two-"
"Up to four with the new extension I developed. We could travel together." Hermione's eyes widened. Had her lashes always been that long?
Severus contemplated. On one hand, he could stay behind on the ship with a bunch of teenage boys. On the other hand, he could embark on a potentially dangerous and mindless adventure to the Caribbean with a maniac and a woman with very large…convictions. He swallowed, drawing his eyes back to her face where they should be. Proper gentleman he was.
He really considered the wisest course of action. Of course, his magic was not as strong. He would not be of much use. Hermione clearly worked hard on the Time-Turner. She would be of much more use on the mission.
But on the other hand, he was leaving Hermione alone with Viktor Krum. A very handsome specimen and his very handsome students.
Severus was a simple man who made simple decisions.
So this is how he found the Time-Turner chain looped around his neck. Hermione nuzzled close to him as she turned the device and muttered an incantation. Viktor, who was also a man, had his eyes on the little gold wheel. They travelled back two weeks and found themselves sailing towards the Caribbean Isles.