Black Manor was darker than Bella had ever remembered seeing it. She made quick work of putting on her usual corset and skirts covering herself with her heavy winter robes. She grabbed the bag she had prepared for her and her sisters over the past few days. Andromeda was at her door instantly, "are we ready," she whispered, trying her best to keep her voice down. Bella glared at her, raising her finger to her lips, shushing her sister. They had to leave. It was their only chance to get out before they were caught. "I told Ted to meet us at the spot. He's probably there already. He didn't ask any questions. Does Cissy know we are leaving?"
Bella shook her head no. "Come on," she threw Andy's winter robes at her and the curly dark haired girl stuck her head out of her bedroom door, looking for any signs of life. When she was satisfied that no person, elf or creature was roaming nearby, she signaled for Andy to follow her, quickly and quietly entering Narcissa's pristine bedroom. "Cissy," Bella approached her, gently shaking her shoulder. "It's time to get up. We have to go."
The young blonde sat up straight in her bed. She blinked a few times, wiping the sleep from her eyes. "Is it time for class?"
"No. It's winter break," Bella reminded her, running her fingers through her hair. "We have to go."
"Why?"
"We will explain once we get there," Bella helped Cissy out of her bed and handed her a set of warm clothes with her winter robes. She also grabbed a small blanket and Cissy's stuffed teddy bear, shoving it into the bag she was clutching. "We can't stay here any longer. Do you trust us?" Narcissa looked between her two sisters and shook her head. Bella held out her pinky finger and immediately her sisters wrapped their fingers around it. "Sœurs pour toujours," Bella quietly said before bringing her lips to her thumbs. Her sisters repeated it, immediately kissing their thumbs. Andy grabbed Cissy's hand and pulled her into the hallway after making sure nothing was coming. Bella stopped and took one last look around her youngest sister's bedroom before putting her hood up and following them out of the house, down the pathway. They only stopped for a moment when an explosion occurred behind them, igniting the Manor. The sisters took a moment to look as everything they once knew was gone in an instant. "Everything is going to be okay," she turned, continuing down the path, her sisters following behind.
--
"It's been three days," the Captain was sitting at her designated seat at the head of her family's dining table. "What did you give the girl?"
"She's hardly a girl," Andy shrugged.
"Semantics. What did you give her?"
"Something I picked up in the forest," Dora smirked. "She'll probably wake soon."
"So," the Captain crossed her arms, putting her tea cup back down. "Nobody thought to test this powder before blowing it in the face of the one person we actually need?"
"Relax Bella," Andy rolled her eyes. "After we acquired it, we tested it."
"On a couple of squirrels," Dora added quietly, not meeting her aunt's eyes.
"Squirrels?!"
"It seems a far better option than testing it on the crew members," Andy smiled when her husband entered the room carrying the porridge.
"How you managed to stick around for all these years never ceases to amaze me?" Bella grumbled watching as Ted put the pot of porridge down on the table next to the fruit, honey and syrup.
"What did my girls do this time?" Ted laughed taking a seat next to his daughter, patting her on the hand.
"The girl is still asleep and we tested the powder on squirrels so the exact working time is uncertain though most squirrels woke up in less than five days," Andy filled her husband in.
"And," Dora added, getting a large scoop of her breakfast and dumping spoonfuls of sugar on top, "only one of the squirrels died."
Bella thinned her lips, willing herself not to get caught up in the fact that her family may have ruined their whole mission, she reached over the table to the pot of porridge. "You didn't poison it this morning did you Edward?"
Ted smirked, "now Bella if I wanted to poison you I'd have put it in your tea. I'm not going to put my wife and daughter at risk just to take you out."
Bella raised one shoulder and helped herself to some porridge and fruit. She added a heaping spoonful of honey to the top, "if it's my time to go, it's my time to go," she smiled at the man and took a big sip of her tea. "Edward, you really need to keep your women under control. I would hate for them to have to face my consequences."
"Please," Andy rolled her eyes and pulled up her sleeve revealing a script tattooed on her arm that read Sœurs pour toujours. "You love us too much to punish us."
"I regret all of my life's decisions that led me to this point."
"That's also a lie," Andy smirked and turned to her daughter, "Auntie Bella loves us. Now, what are we going to do with Hermione when she wakes?"
"I haven't thought that far ahead." Bella wasn't worried. She had enough charm that many of the girls they captured were pilable to her and didn't cause too many problems. From the look of her sister and niece when they brought her back though, it seemed like Hermione put up quite the fight. Still, she wasn't worried. Bella always was an overly confident person.
"Do you think she'll cooperate?" Ted asked taking a bite from his own breakfast.
"Well her choices are cooperate or live in the cell until she cooperates," Bella day back in her chair. "Where the hell is Cissy? She missed every breakfast this week."
"Something about needing the sun rise to enhance her sight. My best guess is she's still asleep and waiting for Ted to deliver her breakfast to her room. She been in some sort of mood for awhile now and won't really talk to any of us about it."
Bella nodded and turned to her brother in law, "no more food for her. If she wants to eat she will do it here with the family. Do you understand?"
"Aye Aye, Captain," he was quick to agree to whatever command Bella gave him. He mostly wanted to keep in her good graces. He considered himself lucky to be along on their adventures in the first place.
"I'm glad we are in agreement. Now as for Hermione," she stopped and thought, not sure what the situation would call for. Bella needed this girl to wake up. She needed Hermione, it was her only hope that they could get back to how things were in their previous life. Being dealt an unfortunate hand was no excuse. A lot of time had passed and when she finally got the tip that this girl is the one who could help, Bella made it her life's mission to get back to Hogsmeade and find her. "I'm going to go down and see if she's up yet. Have a little chat with her. Girl to girl."
"So you are going to scare her into compliance," Andy asked.
"Pretty much," Bella cackled, pushing back from the table but before leaving the dining room and turned back, "thanks for another day without poison, cook."
Bella made her way through the familiar twists and turns of her ship, descending the creaky wooden planks to the bigle. She hated coming down here and only found it necessary to interrogate her prisoners. This girl should consider herself lucky, Bella thought as she quietly made her way towards the prison. They had either killed or freed the remaining prisoners before docking for the night in Hogsmeade. She did so love to hear the splash when they walked the plank. Bella turned the corner and passed three empty jail cells before stopping just outside of the occupied room. The brunette looked very small as she laid across the small cot. She doesn't look too comfortable, Bella thought then immediately chastised herself for wasting a minute thinking about the girl's comfort. She stayed in the shadows as she watched her wake, realization washing over the girl's features. She watched her climb up onto the cot, noticing they were far out to sea and her hopes of planning an escape were effectively diminished.
Bella cleared her throat, stepping into the light, "finally awake?" She asked with an amusing lilt to her deep raspy voice. "Welcome aboard, pet."
Hermione turned, not stepping down from the cot, she looked at the woman before her and she felt the air leave her body. She assumed this woman was the Captain. She was wearing a long midnight black maxi shirtdress, complete with long sleeves ending with a pair of silver skull and bone cuff links. The dress had a full length of buttons but they were left unbuttoned high on her thigh. Through the slit in her dress, two dragon leather thigh straps sat high on her leg, leaving Hermione's eyes trying to roam higher. Her short stature was combated with above the knee black leather heeled boots. The dress was cinched with a dark green corset which buckled in the front. It also appeared to be made of some sort of expensive dragon hide. "Are you the Captain?"
"Aye," Bella regarded her with a nod. "You must be the girl who took a swing at my niece," an evil smirk formed on her lips.
"How long have I been asleep?"
Bella shrugged and pretended to think, "about three days. We don't really keep track of days or time out here on the water."
"And what is it that you want with me? Why am I in this cell? Where are we going?"
Bella chuckled while leaning against the wall opposite her prison bars. "You are in there," she pointed passed the bars, "because you attacked two of my crew members the other night. I heard you put up quite the fight even after they offered you the easy choice."
"The choice to be taken to Merlin knows where against my will? That's not much of a choice is it?" Hermione jumped off of her cot and crossed her arms.
"Assault on any of my crew, especially those who are my family, have a minimum prison sentence. That's why you are here in the prison but not why you are with us on this voyage." Bella seemed to be thinking while staring the girl up and down. She had been a little dirty from the scuffle the other night and her hair was mussed from sleeping. She looked a right mess. "Why you are here and where we are going will come in due time. You are mad. I get that but I can't work with that. You are of no use to me while you are mad and despondent. When you've calmed down and are ready to act grateful for your life with us, then you'll be able to join the crew," Bella turned to leave the girl but she was stopped with another question.
"And if I refuse?"
""Then I'll kill you."
Hermione felt that she was bluffing so she pushed, "my captors said you've been searching for me for a long time. I highly doubt you'll kill me. What is it you want with me?"
Hermione swore she heard the other woman growl, "make no mistake, I will kill you without a second thought. And as for your purpose, you aren't ready for that yet, pet," were the final words issued to the girl before Bella slipped from the cell, leaving Hermione to stare after her.
Hermione flopped back onto her cot, "well that's just perfect." She laid back down against the hard surface. How was she going to get out of this mess and why did the Captain have to look like that? She had just assumed the Captain of the boat would be a man. She was not expecting that woman to walk into her prison cell. "Think, Hermione. You are a smart woman. You can figure this out." She didn't know how long she laid there on that cot, staring at the wooden planks that acted as her ceiling. Strangely, no thoughts were coming into her head. She felt drained of energy, thoughts and emotions. There was a creaking noise somewhere down the hallway and she bolted up, walking over towards the bars.
"Ahh I heard you might be awake," a male walked around the corner holding a tray of food which the brunette eyed skeptically. "It's not poisoned. If I did you in, the Captain would surely make me walk the plank. She has been looking for a reason to do so for decades. I'm going to just slip this through the slot." Decades, Hermione thought to herself. That was the third mention of being sought after for so long but everyone she's met didn't look any older than their 30s. Things weren't adding up in her brain but just nodded and waited. He carefully set the tray down, unlocked the smaller door near the bottom of the cell and slid the food through to Hermione's side."My name is Ted. I'm the cook and I figured you might be hungry for more than just bread and water."
"Hermione," she didn't smile, walking over to examine the tray of food. "Prisoner. How can I trust that this is safe?"
"You can't," Ted shrugged one shoulder, "but it's the same food I fed my family about 30 minutes ago so there's that."
She picked up the tray, took it over to her cot and situated herself crossed legged with the food resting on her lap. She was starving and the porridge smelled pretty good for being made on a pirate ship. Plus, he added honey and fruit. It was a dangerous combination that Hermione couldn't resist. "It goes against all my personal beliefs to take a bite of this food, you know."
"What good will come from you starving yourself to death?" Ted pulled up an empty crate and sat himself down outside of the jail cell.
"Dining on a pirate ship while being held hostage," Hermione's laugh was bitter. "I guess I can say I've lived now." She took a tentative bite of her food and let it sink in. When she was satisfied that the cook hadn't actually poisoned her food, she took a bigger bite. "This is pretty good."
"My daughter loves porridge. It's always a big hit with her."
"You said your family is on board?"
"You met them the other night."
Hermione's face blanched. The man who had brought her food was related to the two women who captured her. "I won't apologize for taking a swing at your daughter. They jumped me in the alley."
"I would never expect you to. I know they can be a little exuberant when it comes to Captain's orders. Now," he still spoke in an even tone, "if you take a swing at her again, then we might have some problems."
Hermione nodded her understanding. She would never apologize for trying to run but she understood where the man was coming from. She would do anything to protect her loved ones but she still wasn't happy with the execution of their plan. If he was related to the women from the other night, that means he was also related to the Captain. "So this whole pirate scheme is a family affair then?"
His smile was soft, "pretty much. Nobody here wants to hurt you, Hermione. You are very important to us all."
"But why? I'm nobody. I'm certainly not a pirate. I don't see how I could help any of you."
"You have so much to offer to us, Hermione," he stood, walking over to the door. "Enjoy your breakfast. Just leave the tray near the hatch. Someone will be along to fetch it. Try to stay positive. The sooner you cooperate with Bella, the sooner you'll have more freedom."
"It'll be a cold day in hell when I cooperate with that woman."
Ted chuckled, "then it's a good thing I don't believe in heaven and hell." He turned and left, the floorboards creaking as he went.
"Damn him and his delicious porridge," Hermione grumbled, taking another bite of the mixture.
The next time Hermione opened her eyes there was a woman she hadn't seen yet sitting outside of her cell. This woman had half brown, half platinum hair which she wore pinned up. She was dressed like a pirate wearing a pair of black pants, white blouse cinched by a black corset. She surmised that the family had a thing for dragon leather. Now she wasn't sure if this was a family member but she did bear a resemblance to the others. The woman wasn't looking at her. It seemed as if this woman was looking beyond her. Hermione couldn't figure it out. "Come to see the show?"
The woman breathed out and centered her eyes on the brunette, "couldn't let my family have all the fun without me. I needed to see what our savior looked like."
"Savior?"
"Yes," she smirked. "Hermione Granger. Savior to the Black Family."
"And who are you?"
"I'm Narcissa. Youngest sister of the Captain. It's a pleasure for you I'm sure." Hermione was already put off by the tone of the woman's voice. She had set the intentions of the conversation that she was better than the brunette and that didn't sit well with her. She didn't bother offering her an introduction as it seemed the blonde was already well aware of who she was. "The great savior has finally been found. My sister can finally rest assured knowing everything she's done, everyone she's killed, every step she's taken has been rectified by your existence." Hermione did not like this. No, she liked this sister the least. The sister who captured her, Andy she thinks was her name, was charming and easy to talk to. The Captain… well she was gorgeous and Hermione assumed beneath her pompous exterior, she was level headed. Though the murders this sister just mentioned gave her pause. Narcissa seemed cold, distant and like the world revolved around her. "Oh I don't believe that," she smirked. It was as if she could read Hermione's mind. "Don't worry about how I'm doing it. You have me confused with the Captain. She will do whatever it takes to get what she wants. Including killing any man, woman or child that stands in her way. Do you have any idea how many women sat where you are sitting while we filtered through them before we found you? And what do you think happened to those prisoners? Do you think she actually let them go? They are dead, Hermione. Just as you will be."
"The cook said if I cooperate I'll be given my freedom," Hermione steadied her voice.
Narcissa didn't laugh but the smile she gave was pure evil, "you'd like to think that wouldn't you? I've known my sister for a very long time. She'll take what she needs and you'll be the next one to die. Mark my words, Ms. Granger. Might as well cooperate so you can end your existence in a timely manner."
As quick as she came, she existed just the same. Hermione felt a shiver run through her body from the interaction. She had hoped that sister wouldn't come back for a visit anytime soon. So far her favorite interaction was with that of the cook. At least he provided a sense of security and self assurance that was quickly washed away by her most recent visit.
Hermione had fallen asleep when she finally got her brain to shut off unaware of the time. Surprisingly the gentle rocking of the boat was comforting to the brunette. It was easy to be lulled into a sense of ease when the waves were so peaceful. She missed whatever the next meal call would've been because the next time she woke, her breakfast tray was taken and the pink haired girl from the first night in Hogsmeade was delivering a tray that looked like it had some sort of bread and stew on it. "It's the next day," was the greeting from the girl. "Lunch time, actually. You sleep a lot. Must be the waves. You'll get used to it." She took a seat on the same crate that her aunt and father did. Hermione felt like some sort of caged animal at the zoo. Everyone was coming around to take turns looking at the poor, defenseless animal. "It's not poisoned. Dad would only poison Aunt Bella and he doesn't have enough guts to do so. He's been a hufflepuff. Did you know that? No," she shook her head, "I don't suppose you did."
"Your family went to Hogwarts?" She walked over to pick up the tray, inspecting the food before walking back to her cot.
"Not me," Dora shrugged. "I wasn't born around these parts."
"What does that mean?"
"That's not important right now," Dora brushed the subject off. "Take a bite. It's good. I promise." She waited and watched as Hermione studied the stew before relenting, ripping off a piece of bread, dipping it in the stew and popping it into her mouth. Hermione made an appreciative noise and wasn't sure if it was because it was actually good or because she had been food deprived. "Told you it was good. Dad wouldn't poison you."
"You said that. Is it because I'm the savior?"
Dora smiled, "partly and also because he's a big old softy. How do you know you are the savior?"
"Your other aunt paid me a visit," Hermione shuddered thinking of the blonde.
"That pleasant, huh?" Dora laughed.
"Your dad stopped by yesterday with my breakfast. He also let me know he wouldn't poison me," Hermione brought a spoonful of stew up to her lips and drank it. "Okay," she finally gave in, "he's a pretty decent cook."
"Decent?" Dora mocked being hurt. "He's the best cook in all of the forest and the seas."
"The forest?"
"Forget that part. What did Aunt Cissy have to say?"
"She said that it didn't matter if I cooperated with the Captain or not because I'd be killed either way."
Dora regarded her words before speaking, "did you believe her?"
"I don't know who to believe. The Captain said she was waiting for me to not be angry before she told me anything."
"Smart of her," Dora gave her a proud smile.
"You think highly of her?"
"She's a little high strung sometimes, runs a tight ship but she's fair and cares about her family and crew. I respect her. She's set to make me First Mate soon."
"Your father seems to think that if I cooperate with Bella, that's her name right?" Dora nodded, " if I cooperate with her then I'll be given freedom. I'm not sure what that means. Your aunt disagrees with him and I'm dead either way."
"And what do you believe?"
Hermione laughed, mainly at herself but also at her current situation. She was sitting in prison on a pirate ship eating dinner across from one of the girls who kidnapped her. "I think this is all a big misunderstanding. I'm not a savior. I guess if my only options are die now or die later, I'd pick to die later."
"Aunt Bella probably won't kill you. She's been waiting for you. However," Dora's face turned up into a smirk not quite as evil as Narcissa's, "she is very handy when it comes to torture. If you are looking for my advice, I'd cooperate sooner rather than later. Bella isn't going to wait forever."
"How many days do you think I have until the torture begins?"
Dora shrugged, "best guess? Sundown tomorrow. It's been five days, Hermione but she's been waiting decades."
There it was again. The reminder that these seemingly young looking individuals have been looking for her for decades. Nothing was making sense to Hermione "What does she want with me? Where are we going?"
"Those aren't questions that I can answer. I better get back up there. Don't want to be caught being too friendly with the prisoner," she laughed again. "Besides food is there anything I might sneak down to you?"
"I would love for something to read," Hermione knew she sounded like she was begging but she was desperate for anything to keep her awake. "Please."
Dora nodded before reaching into her cloak and pulling out a small, well worn book. She slipped it through the bars, waiting for the brunette to come and grab it. "Here," she said as she watched Hermione cast her try away, walking over and grabbing the book. "It's my favorite so be gentle. It's rather old."
Hermione pulled the book back into the cell with her. She dusted off the cover of a very old copy of Peter Pan. "Pirates?" She raised an eyebrow.
"Ahh," Dora nodded, "but we are the good pirates, Hermione. Welcome aboard La Vengeance Noire."
"La Vengeance Noire? Is that the name of the ship? The Black Revenge?" It made sense when Dora nodded. Narcissa had called them the Black family. "Give me one day's time to think it over. Can you come back for lunch tomorrow? I'll have my answer as to whether I wish to speak with the Captain or not."
"I'm sorry I had to drug you the other night but I am truly glad you are here with us. Enjoy the book, Hermione," she slipped out of the room as quickly and quietly as everyone else had.
Dora's parting words gave Hermione pause. She was glad that I was on board. Now she wondered if she had gone with them willingly would she still be held captive? Honestly, she didn't know what to think about all of this. Her main goal was to find a way off of the ship and back to her life. Surely there was at least one person in Hogsmeade who cared that she went missing. She wasn't the most popular resident but still people knew she existed. Didn't they? "Nevermind," she shook her head and wiped a single tear away, "maybe this place will be better than home." She flopped back down on the cot and pulled out her new old book. She opened to the beginning and began to read, "chapter one, Peter breaks through. All children, except one, grow up. They soon know that they will grow up, and the way Wendy knew was this…"