Hermione sits, flanked by people in heated conversation. Draco and Ruth are
laughing together, while on the other side LADY DUFF-GORDON is holding
forth animatedly. We don't hear what they are saying. Rose is staring at
her plate, barely listening to the inconsequential babble around her.
Hermione has a tiny fork from her crab salad. She pokes the crab-fork into
the skin of her arm, harder and harder until it draws blood. Annoyed of
knowing what her life was going to be like forever.
Hermione walks along the corridor. A steward coming the other way greets her, and she nods with a slight smile. She is perfectly composed.
She enters the room. Stands in the middle, staring at her reflection in the large vanity mirror. Just stands there, then--
With a primal, anguished cry she claws at her throat, ripping off her pearl necklace, which explodes across the room. In a frenzy she tears at herself, her clothes, her hair... then attacks the room. She flings everything off the dresser and it flies clattering against the wall. She hurls a handmirror against the vanity, cracking it.
Hermione then runs along the B deck promenade. She is dishevelled, her hair flying. She is crying, her cheeks streaked with tears. But also angry, furious! Shaking with emotions she doesn't understand... hatred, self-hatred, desperation. A strolling couple watch her pass. Shocked at the emotional display in public.
Harry is kicked back on one of the benches gazing at the stars blazing gloriously overhead. Thinking artist thoughts and smoking a cigarette.
Hearing something, he turns as Hermione runs up the stairs from the well deck. They are the only two on the stern deck, except for QUARTERMASTER ROWE, twenty feet above them on the docking bridge catwalk. She doesn't see Harry in the shadows, and runs right past him.
Hermione runs across the deserted fantail. Her breath hitches in an occasional sob, which she suppresses. Hermione slams against the base of the stern flagpole and clings there, panting. She stares out at the black water.
Then starts to climb over the railing. She has to hitch her long dress way up, and climbing is clumsy. Moving methodically she turns her body and gets her heels on the white-painted gunwale, her back to the railing, facing out toward blackness. 60 feet below her, the massive propellers are churning the atlantin into white foam, and a ghostly wake trails off toward the horizon.
Hermione, now standing like a figurehead in reverse. Below her are the huge letters of the name "TITANIC".
She leans out, her arms straightening... looking down hypnotized, into the vortex below her. Her dress and hair are lifted by the wind of the ship's movement. The only sound, above the rush of water below, is the flutter and snap of the big Union Harry right above her.
"Don't do it." He says firmly.
She whips her head around at the sound of his voice. It takes a second for her eyes to focus.
"Stay back! Don't come any closer!" Hermione yells at him.
Harry sees the tear tracks on her cheeks in the faint glow from the stern running lights.
"Take my hand. I'll pull you back in." He says softly.
"No! Stay where you are. I mean it. I'll let go." Hermione says shakily.
"No you won't." Harry says flatly.
"What do you mean no I won't? Don't presume to tell me what I will and will not do. You don't know me." Hermione continues.
"You would have done it already. Now come on, take my hand."
Hermione is confused now. She can't see him very well through the tears, so she wipes them with one hand, almost losing her balance.
"You're distracting me. Go away." Hermione says annoyed.
"I can't. I'm involved now. If you let go I have to jump in after you." Harry said with a smile.
"Don't be absurd. You'll be killed." Hermione says, trying to talk him out of it.
Harry takes off his jacket. "I'm a good swimmer." He says shrugging. He starts unlacing his left shoe.
"The fall alone would kill you."
"It would hurt. I'm not saying it wouldn't. To be honest I'm a lot more concerned about the water being so cold."
She looks down. The reality factor of what she is doing is sinking in.
"How cold?" She says quietly.
Harry takes off his left shoe. "Freezing. Maybe a couple degrees over." He says shrugs his shoulders and starts unlacing his right shoe. "Ever been to Wisconsin?"
Hermione is perplexed. "No."
"Well they have some of the coldest winters around, and I grew up there, near Chippewa Falls. Once when I was a kid me and my father were ice-fishing out on Lake Wissota... ice-fishing's where you chop a hole in the---"
"I know what ice fishing is!" Hermione says, now very annoyed.
"Sorry. Just... you look like kind of an indoor girl. Anyway, I went through some thin ice and I'm tellin' ya, water that cold... like that right down there... it hits you like a thousand knives all over your body. You can't breath, you can't think... least not about anything but the pain." He takes off his other shoe. "Which is why I'm not looking forward to jumping in after you. But like I said, I don't see a choice. I guess I'm kinda hoping you'll come back over the rail and get me off the hook here." Harry smiles at her.
"You're crazy."
"That's what everybody says. But with all due respect, I'm not the one hanging off the back of a ship." He slides one step closer, like moving up on a spooked horse.
"Come on. You don't want to do this. Give me your hand." Harry says encouragly.
Hermione stares at this madman for a long time. She looks at his eyes and they somehow suddenly seem to fill her universe.
"Alright."
She unfastens one hand from the rail and reaches it around toward him. He reaches out to take it, firmly.
"I'm Harry Potter."
Hermione smiles, her voice quavering, "Pleased to meet you, Mr. Potter."
Hermione starts to turn. Now that she has decided to live, the height is terrifying. She is overcome by vertigo as she shifts her footing, turning to face the ship. As she starts to climb, her dress gets in the way, and one foot slips off the edge of the deck.
She plunges, letting out a piercing SHRIEK. Harry, gripping her hand, is jerked toward the rail. Hermione barely grabs a lower rail with her free hand.
QUARTERMASTER ROWE, up on the docking bridge hears the scream and heads for the ladder.
"HELP! HELP!!" Hermione screams.
" I've got you. I won't let go." Harry holds her hand with all his strength, bracing himself on the railing with his other hand. Rose tries to get some kind of foothold on the smooth hull. Hermione tries to lift her bodily over the railing. She can't get any footing in her dress and evening shoes, and she slips back. Hermione SCREAMS again.
Harry, awkwardly clutching Hermione by whatever he can get a grip on as she flails, gets her over the railing. They fall together onto the deck in a tangled heap, spinning in such a way that Harry winds up slightly on top of her.
Rowe slides down the ladder from the docking bridge like it's a fire drill and sprints across the fantail.
"Here, what's all this?!" Rowe asks furiously.
Rowe runs up and pulls Harry off of Hermione, revealing her dishevelled and sobbing on the deck. Her dress is torn, and the hem is pushing up above her knees, showing one ripped stocking. He looks at Harry, the shaggy steerage man with his jacket off, and the first class lady clearly in distress, and starts drawing conclusions. Two seamen chug across the deck to join them.
Rowe yells to jack "Here you, stand back! Don't move an inch!" Then to the seamen "Fetch the Master at Arms."
Hermione walks along the corridor. A steward coming the other way greets her, and she nods with a slight smile. She is perfectly composed.
She enters the room. Stands in the middle, staring at her reflection in the large vanity mirror. Just stands there, then--
With a primal, anguished cry she claws at her throat, ripping off her pearl necklace, which explodes across the room. In a frenzy she tears at herself, her clothes, her hair... then attacks the room. She flings everything off the dresser and it flies clattering against the wall. She hurls a handmirror against the vanity, cracking it.
Hermione then runs along the B deck promenade. She is dishevelled, her hair flying. She is crying, her cheeks streaked with tears. But also angry, furious! Shaking with emotions she doesn't understand... hatred, self-hatred, desperation. A strolling couple watch her pass. Shocked at the emotional display in public.
Harry is kicked back on one of the benches gazing at the stars blazing gloriously overhead. Thinking artist thoughts and smoking a cigarette.
Hearing something, he turns as Hermione runs up the stairs from the well deck. They are the only two on the stern deck, except for QUARTERMASTER ROWE, twenty feet above them on the docking bridge catwalk. She doesn't see Harry in the shadows, and runs right past him.
Hermione runs across the deserted fantail. Her breath hitches in an occasional sob, which she suppresses. Hermione slams against the base of the stern flagpole and clings there, panting. She stares out at the black water.
Then starts to climb over the railing. She has to hitch her long dress way up, and climbing is clumsy. Moving methodically she turns her body and gets her heels on the white-painted gunwale, her back to the railing, facing out toward blackness. 60 feet below her, the massive propellers are churning the atlantin into white foam, and a ghostly wake trails off toward the horizon.
Hermione, now standing like a figurehead in reverse. Below her are the huge letters of the name "TITANIC".
She leans out, her arms straightening... looking down hypnotized, into the vortex below her. Her dress and hair are lifted by the wind of the ship's movement. The only sound, above the rush of water below, is the flutter and snap of the big Union Harry right above her.
"Don't do it." He says firmly.
She whips her head around at the sound of his voice. It takes a second for her eyes to focus.
"Stay back! Don't come any closer!" Hermione yells at him.
Harry sees the tear tracks on her cheeks in the faint glow from the stern running lights.
"Take my hand. I'll pull you back in." He says softly.
"No! Stay where you are. I mean it. I'll let go." Hermione says shakily.
"No you won't." Harry says flatly.
"What do you mean no I won't? Don't presume to tell me what I will and will not do. You don't know me." Hermione continues.
"You would have done it already. Now come on, take my hand."
Hermione is confused now. She can't see him very well through the tears, so she wipes them with one hand, almost losing her balance.
"You're distracting me. Go away." Hermione says annoyed.
"I can't. I'm involved now. If you let go I have to jump in after you." Harry said with a smile.
"Don't be absurd. You'll be killed." Hermione says, trying to talk him out of it.
Harry takes off his jacket. "I'm a good swimmer." He says shrugging. He starts unlacing his left shoe.
"The fall alone would kill you."
"It would hurt. I'm not saying it wouldn't. To be honest I'm a lot more concerned about the water being so cold."
She looks down. The reality factor of what she is doing is sinking in.
"How cold?" She says quietly.
Harry takes off his left shoe. "Freezing. Maybe a couple degrees over." He says shrugs his shoulders and starts unlacing his right shoe. "Ever been to Wisconsin?"
Hermione is perplexed. "No."
"Well they have some of the coldest winters around, and I grew up there, near Chippewa Falls. Once when I was a kid me and my father were ice-fishing out on Lake Wissota... ice-fishing's where you chop a hole in the---"
"I know what ice fishing is!" Hermione says, now very annoyed.
"Sorry. Just... you look like kind of an indoor girl. Anyway, I went through some thin ice and I'm tellin' ya, water that cold... like that right down there... it hits you like a thousand knives all over your body. You can't breath, you can't think... least not about anything but the pain." He takes off his other shoe. "Which is why I'm not looking forward to jumping in after you. But like I said, I don't see a choice. I guess I'm kinda hoping you'll come back over the rail and get me off the hook here." Harry smiles at her.
"You're crazy."
"That's what everybody says. But with all due respect, I'm not the one hanging off the back of a ship." He slides one step closer, like moving up on a spooked horse.
"Come on. You don't want to do this. Give me your hand." Harry says encouragly.
Hermione stares at this madman for a long time. She looks at his eyes and they somehow suddenly seem to fill her universe.
"Alright."
She unfastens one hand from the rail and reaches it around toward him. He reaches out to take it, firmly.
"I'm Harry Potter."
Hermione smiles, her voice quavering, "Pleased to meet you, Mr. Potter."
Hermione starts to turn. Now that she has decided to live, the height is terrifying. She is overcome by vertigo as she shifts her footing, turning to face the ship. As she starts to climb, her dress gets in the way, and one foot slips off the edge of the deck.
She plunges, letting out a piercing SHRIEK. Harry, gripping her hand, is jerked toward the rail. Hermione barely grabs a lower rail with her free hand.
QUARTERMASTER ROWE, up on the docking bridge hears the scream and heads for the ladder.
"HELP! HELP!!" Hermione screams.
" I've got you. I won't let go." Harry holds her hand with all his strength, bracing himself on the railing with his other hand. Rose tries to get some kind of foothold on the smooth hull. Hermione tries to lift her bodily over the railing. She can't get any footing in her dress and evening shoes, and she slips back. Hermione SCREAMS again.
Harry, awkwardly clutching Hermione by whatever he can get a grip on as she flails, gets her over the railing. They fall together onto the deck in a tangled heap, spinning in such a way that Harry winds up slightly on top of her.
Rowe slides down the ladder from the docking bridge like it's a fire drill and sprints across the fantail.
"Here, what's all this?!" Rowe asks furiously.
Rowe runs up and pulls Harry off of Hermione, revealing her dishevelled and sobbing on the deck. Her dress is torn, and the hem is pushing up above her knees, showing one ripped stocking. He looks at Harry, the shaggy steerage man with his jacket off, and the first class lady clearly in distress, and starts drawing conclusions. Two seamen chug across the deck to join them.
Rowe yells to jack "Here you, stand back! Don't move an inch!" Then to the seamen "Fetch the Master at Arms."