A/N: Hi everyone. I'm trying my hand at another HP fic. This one's about bandits and princesses. Oh so fun. It's AU, set in somewhere in the desert.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of them. But I can play with them for a bit.
What A Mess I've Gotten Myself Into: chapter 1
Looking longingly at the high slit in the stone they called a window, Hermione sighed. What did she do to deserve this? Well, other than throw a royal tantrum and flat-out refuse to marry the man her parents had selected for her…That didn't mean they had to lock her in her room in the tower, did it? The only means of escape was that faraway little opening that was well out of her reach. It was times like these that she hated being the only daughter of the king and queen.
Hermione tied back her bushy hair and drew her veil up about her head. A cape hid her rich clothing and a pair of sturdy slippers adorned her feet. There was no way they would keep her in here for long. She snagged the sheets off the bed, tying them together to form a relatively strong rope. Now all that was left was to get it through the opening. A few misses later, the looped end of the rope caught the inside shutter of the window. After giving it a yank, she started climbing up her bedroom wall.
She sat on the wide sill and looked out over the sprawling town. Many ramshackle were crammed very close together, forming twisting alleyways and a million nooks and crannies. The sun was just starting to drop down to the west, making it barely passed midday. Hermione looked down. It was a good fifty-foot drop from where she sat, straight into the trees that bordered their lands and continued to grow right up next the palace. Wanting to escape, not kill herself, she scaled down the wall with help from her bed sheets. The trees would provide cover for a while, and then she could make a break over the wall and into the city.
With despair she looked at said wall. There was no way she could just hop over it, not with the guards atop it and not without rope of some sort. She was just about to give up when she noticed a group of harried looking servants dressed similarly to her making their way to the main gate. If she could just slip into their midst just long enough to fool the guards…
Within moments she was outside the palace wall. None of the guards had questioned them, and after the wooden gate shut she was free. Hermione tried to hide her awe as she looked around her. Looking at the town from above was one thing, but being in it was something completely new to her. Never before had she even attempted to leave the palace walls. Papa was always worried something would happen to her, and Mama would never disagree with him.
She wandered the alleys for a bit, finally finding what she figured was the merchants' main street. Vendors were everywhere, selling just about anything she could imagine. One fancy booth, tucked very far into a corner, with velvet rugs and odd wooden boxes caught her eye. The sign above it read "Ollivander's Fine Wands and Magical Items from the West." An older man within caught her eyes and motioned her over. She cautiously approached, fingering her nearly empty money purse. When she had readied to leave, she hadn't planned on stopping to shop. All she had was about 100 Galleons and 70 or so Sickles.
"Hello there, milady. Anything catch your fancy?" the man, who she assumed to be Mr. Ollivander, asked with an accent. It sounded British, but she couldn't be sure. Instead of answering directly, Hermione fingered the thin boxes that littered the booth with a gentle touch. The idea of magic had intrigued her greatly ever since she was a child.
"Ah, looking for a wand, eh? May I suggest this one? Nine inches, dragon heartstring, mahogany. Well, what are you waiting for?" he asked when she just stood there holding the twig-like wand in her hand.
"What am I to do?" she asked, her voice soft.
"Why, just give it a swish, my dear." She did so and nothing happened. He turned around and snatched another box off the pile. "This one's eleven inches, phoenix feather, pine." Again, when she waved it about, nothing out of the ordinary happened. "This may take a while. You see, a wizard cannot pick his wand. The wand chooses the wizard," he explained as he grabbed yet another package. "Try this one: eight inches, dragon heartstring, white beech."
The moment she touched the wand, she knew this one was different. It felt right, like an extension of herself. When she twirled it about, gold and red sparks began to fly out the end. Mr. Ollivander grinned at her and said, "Congratulations, milady. That'll be 37 Galleons and 4 Sickles."
Hermione paid him and continued on her way, looking at her wand. She tucked it in her belt, looking around her again. Now she began to notice that many of the vendors' signs read 'magic this' and 'magic that.' There was an apothecary with everything from dried and crushed mushrooms to frog's eyes to preserved newt's tail. One shop displayed more breeds of owls than she had ever known existed. Another booth was stacked high on all sides with books, thick and thin, with titles like Magical Me and Magical Beasts and Where to Find Them.
When she had left the normal shops, she didn't know. Here even the people were dressed differently. Many of them wore weird cloak-like garments of bright colors, and there were some with floppy hats and feathers. It was like she had strolled into a whole new world. Hermione couldn't say she wanted to go back, but she desperately wished this wasn't a dream. And if it was she didn't want to wake up. This place felt more like home than the palace ever had.
Suddenly she was knocked aside as a tall man adorned all in black rushed past her. A hood covered most of his face, and a black cape edged in emerald flared out behind him as he strode past. But she could see his snake-like features, the red eyes and the stringy black hair. His eyes met her chocolate ones, and then proceeded to sweep the rest of the street. She couldn't help shivering as he brushed against her for that one instant, his aura was that clouded and cold. Shouts and cries came from up the street as a whole group of men in black and green pushed by.
Two red haired youths were following them, clad in a white robes. One was pointing a wand, calling for back up to apparently no one. But then several people just popped into being right in front of her, hitting the ground running. Hermione was just about to continue on with her stroll when another man in black came to a stop in front of her. A smirk twisted his face as he suddenly grabbed her arm and began down a side alley. She fought and struggled, but his grip never slackened. When she tried to call out for help, his other hand clamped itself over her mouth and he lifted her up into his arms. Her heart was pounding and all she could hear was her blood rushing in her ears.
'This was not what I had in mind when I wanted out of the palace,' she thought angrily. 'Did my father send these people to get me?' her anger mounted with every minute.
The man whipped his hand away from the girl's mouth. The little hellcat had bitten him! Blood welled up in his palm, but he ignored it as she glared at him. Her voice was deadly cold and filled with all the authority of a princess when she said, "Put me down this instant. I will not be treated this way! Did my father send you?"
The man's mouth curled up at the corners. "Don't think so, sweetheart. Now just be a good little girl and be quiet," he sneered. A wave of fear flooded Hermione. If they weren't her father's men, then they had to be…bandits. And she had gotten herself caught by one. 'Just great,' she thought. 'If I ever get home, I'll never hear the end of this.'
**Tired now. No more till after I get some sleep. You know the drill. Read and review. Please.