A/N:

Ok, quick story. Just last night, I was doing a project in English, and I was working on the computer. I had to switch computers, though, so I could use the color printer from the other computer. So, I grabbed the floppy that I use for my fanfic chapters, and... It wouldn't work! It said the disk was corrupted, and I hadn't saved this chapter anywhere else. I FREAKED. But, to make a long story short, I realized that I had the wrong disk. I found the right one, and nearly cried with relief. I was so proud of updating so quickly. If I'd have lost that disk, I would have been a little screwed.

Ok, enough chitchat. (sorry, just had to get thatout) Oh, and the results of the votes will be listed at the bottom. And now,here's the chapter I thought I'd lost forever.

Happy reading!

Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter, but if the world was fair, I would.


Chapter 15: Torn Apart

Monday, May 25 (Late at night)- Narrator – Pirate ship

Two ships floated haphazardly in churning waters. The storm was well on its way, turning a calm blue sky into black fire. It crackled and boomed overhead, threatening the ships' inhabitants.

The angry surge swept surrounding waters into a frenzy and crashed both ships dangerously close to each other. Rain pelted at the sailors, and lightning blinded them. It was impossible for one vessel to tell what the other was. A friend? An enemy? Both waited for the end of the storm's fury before choosing a course of action. And that proved to be a long wait.

All that night the ships spun in circles, but never left each other. And half the next day, it continued. They fought a weary battle with the rising ocean waves until, finally, there was a break. The eye passed over both crews, and everything became clear again. Sailors flocked to the deck, and stared out over the distance to see who they were up against.

It was time to fight another battle.


Tuesday, May 26 - Montague – Pirate ship

"Get that over there!"

"No, not yet, not yet! Let them get in range."

"Somebody help me with this."

"Hurry, people, hurry!"

Montague stumbled out of bed to a flurry of muffled noises. But after taking the wax out of his ear, the noises grew louder and more distinguishable. As quickly as possible a belt, sword and fresh shirt were thrown on, and he was out the cabin door. The sight spread before him was like a bad dream, and he had to fight down the urge to turn back and never come out.

The crew was everywhere- moving cannons, stringing rope, fastening safety lines, and loading ammo. Outside the ship and out on the waves was another ship. They were close enough that he could place it as a guard ship. Around him, the air was moist and heavy. The air was thick with electricity, but the sky was clear. He could see blue through a haze of weariness. But, if he trained his eyes far enough out, Montague could see the edge of the storm- a wall of gray and black, streaked with yellow scars.

They were in the eye, preparing for battle against their greatest enemy. "Montague, hey, gimme a hand will ya?" He followed the voice and found Peter pulling hard on a rope. He was trying to secure the rigging, but was having difficulties. Montague jogged over, grabbed the rope, and began pulling.

It took a few grunts of effort, but they finished the job. Peter turned to go help with another task, but Montague's hand stopped him. Something was wrong, he could feel it, and he wanted to know what. Peter faced him. The boy knew the confusion in Montague's eyes, and spoke before he had time to ask. "It's them. The Gryffindor. I'm not sure, but I think they've come for her… for Hermione."

Montague dropped his hand, stunned, and Peter left. The Gryffindor? So soon? But… what about Hermione? What will she chose? He spun around and around, looking for her, and when she finally swung into view, he stopped. She was leaning against the ship, in a shadowed corner. She was drained of color, drained of life. Montague left to find Draco.


Tuesday, May 26 - Cedric – The Gryffindor

The crew was everywhere at once. They were rushing to prepare for when the eye passed, and for when the pirate ship began battle. Its cannons hadn't shot yet, but as each second brought the enemies closer, it wouldn't take long. They themselves were almost ready to let metal fly.

In between loading a canon, and securing the lines, Cedric spared glances over his shoulder at the captain and his first mate. Both men tried to remain in control and calm, but the whole crew could tell- they were going crazy on the inside. The new cabin boy- Dobby- had already confirmed the name on the enemy pirate ship. It was the one that had taken Hermione, and Harry and Ron were ready to get her back.

"They're gonna shoot!" came Dobby's call from the crows nest. And sure enough, not a moment later, the first canon shot rang out. They watched the metallic ball in its arc through the air. It fell just short of the hull. But the next one- that hit.

"Ready, and FIRE!" Cedric lit up his own canon, and plugged his ears as it shot. He lit up two more, but only one of them made a hit. After that, most of the crew left the heavy black machines in exchange for blades and anxious hands. Both ships were close enough to board. There were screams of vengeance and grunts of rage. Both ships were laden on their sides with sailors ready to jump the distance, and rip each other apart. A moment more… and the battle began.

Cedric pulled out his own swords as the first pirate made it aboard. He grimaced, and knew that this wouldn't be like the other battles they'd had. There would be no sparing lives if they could help it. This was revenge- mercy wasn't involved. Bodies fell left and right, and soon puddles of blood mixed, and cries of pain rang out.

This was a real battle, a real war.

And it could only end in death.


Tuesday, May 26 - Hermione – Pirate Ship

Noises, screams, hate. She could feel it pouring out around her. She could feel the tangle of emotions inside her running scared, falling free. They were here. They were really here. She could have sworn she'd seen it coming, but she never could have prepared for it. She could never have been ready.

Tears pooled in her eyes, threatening to spill out. It was too hard. Too hard. She couldn't do it. But she had to. Her feet felt glued to the spot, and her eyes stared straight ahead. She felt weary, confused, but knew exactly what was going on. Canon fire sounded, men screamed in triumph, in pain. When had everything gone so wrong?

Hermione tried to move, but her body was stubborn. It wouldn't let her. She couldn't get away. She had to get away. Finally, a lone tear streaked down her cheek. This is what she'd asked for, and here were the consequences it brought.

There were two sides fighting here, and each represented a different part of herself. Draco and his pirates were the new, exciting side of her she'd recently found. The free, dangerous side. But then, Harry and Ron, they were the old her. The one that had never really gone away. She was still that timid bookworm inside.

And now, those two sides were tearing each other apart. They were fighting a battle that would never have happened had it not been for her and her wild dreams. It was all her fault that this was happening, and there wasn't a damn thing she could do about it.

Suddenly, someone grabbed her arm and she turned to face him. It was Draco. The tears threatened to spill again. She wanted to fall into his arms, and have him stroke her hair. She wanted him to tell her it would all be okay. But she knew that 'okay' had passed a long time ago. Nothing would be okay anymore. Everything was screwed up.

"You have to get out of here- it's dangerous. Just go hide in the cabin, and I'll come to get you when this is over." He ushered her towards the door.

"But, Draco-"

"Please, Hermione, just go. I don't want you to get hurt."

"It's not that. It's just-"

"Go, Hermione, quickly."

"No, Draco…" But the door was already shut, and she was back behind the familiar four walls. "I can't…" Hermione sank to the floor, and a puddle of tears formed below her. The people she loved the most were out destroying each other. She could never stop them. It was hopeless.

Hermione didn't know how long she sat there, but the sounds of fighting coming through the door never ceased, nor slowed. The puddle of tears below her grew, and her heart refused to go on. She was curled into a ball, and she never wanted to get up again.

Suddenly memories flashed through her mind- fuzzy and confusing. They called to her, reminded her of who she was, and who she knew. They spoke to her, and made her cry. They told her the truth of her life. And, they helped her decide.


Harry came up to her, "Look Hermione, we're just worried about you. One of these days, you'll get in over you're head. We don't want anything to happen to you, that's all. We're worried."

She was talking to Pansy, "Honestly. I didn't ask to be kidnapped, ok? I just wanna get outta here and go home."

Higgs was describing Draco, "Oh, not a pirate potential or anything like that. More of a… ah… inner potential. He was a great man- good heart, but he had the potential to be even better. I remember those days real well…"

Pansy sat sneering at her, "Once upon a time there was a young pirate who fell in love with a beautiful young girl"

Looking into Draco eyes, "Why are you so unhappy?"

Holding back tears, "Have you ever been so terrified that…"


Hermione looked up, and saw a quill and parchment sitting on the desk beside her. As if in a dream, she stood up, walked over, and sat slowly on the wooden chair. Her mind worked to drown out the screams from outside, but was failing. She wrote quickly.

A few minutes later, Hermione finished the letter with a little flourish of a signature. She read it over once more, and sighed. It wasn't what it said that hurt more, it was all that she didn't say. This letter was about to change the rest of her life, and… it was so wrong.

She tried to reason with herself. It felt wrong, but instincts weren't always right. Reason always was. This was the right thing to do. And, in the end everything would turn out fine. Everything would go along as she had always planned it. No more games, no more playing. She had to face reality.

But reality could sting.

She sealed the letter with a quick blot of blood red wax. This was her choice, this was her decision, and she would stand by it. She would see it through to the end, and she wouldn't let the foolish desires of her heart stand in the way. She was ready for this. She had to be.

A single tear darkened the letter as she laid it out for him to see.


She'd climbed out the window of a ship before, so she did the same now. It took less time, and she wasn't as worried of falling. She was turning empty inside, what would her death mean? No more pain. Yet, she didn't have the guts to fall on purpose.

Hermione made it on the deck and walked through the shadows so as not to be seen. She grabbed a rope, and held on tight as a strong gust of wind tore through the air. Looking up, she saw the calm of the eye drifting away. And a moment later they were caught in the storm's fury again.

Her eyes traveled from the sky, to the sea, to the deck of fighting people. Men were starting to swing back and forth between ships, trying to make it back to their own deck before it was too late. Now that one battle was over, another against Mother Nature would continue.

Hermione held on tight, and swung from one ship to the other, heart pounding. The polished, weather beaten wood met her feet, and it felt familiar. It felt like home, but… it didn't feel right.

She took one last gaze at the pirate ship that had been her home for the last few weeks. And suddenly… her eyes met Draco's. Both froze in place, and not even the pouring rain and lighting and thunder could tear them away. She saw the confusion in his eyes turn to disbelief, and finally- despair. She saw the hurt- the pain- taking him over and it nearly killed her. She tried to tear her eyes away, she couldn't stand it. What had she done? Hermione wouldn't be able to live without him. She had hurt him, and she would never again be the same. His eyes saw only betrayal. It was all over.

Then the storm, with a mind of its own took both ships and dragged them away from each other. Draco's face moved back. His pain distanced itself from her- but she felt no better.

Finally her gaze turned away, and settled on the hull of the pirate ship. A bolt of lighting exploded ahead, wrapping everything in a burst of daylight. And she saw- saw something she hadn't noticed before.

In simple, faded lettering on the side of the ship, lay its name. A single word, only six letters. Hermione fell to the floor and cried all the tears out of her body. She cried as long as she could. She never wanted to stop. She never wanted to feel this way again.

Broken


Sigh- this was where tagedy strikes. Sorry, I didn't give you much warning. So, what did you think? Did I writeit well? Review and let me know please! Oh, and in case you didn't catch it- the name of Draco's pirate ship is 'Broken'

Now, about the votes. I counted them up, and here's what I found:

Keep writing: 4 votes

Take a break: 2 votes

Action/ corny ending: 4 votes

Drama ending: 1 vote

Kinda both:3 votes

So, the answer seemed pretty obvious to me. I'm going to keep writing, and I figure that since it gets more exciting after this, It'll go faster.

Secondly, most everyone liked the idea of action, but they didn't like the whole corny thing. So, I attacked my brain, and I think I found a good ending. (It's a surprise, tho! And, at least from my point of view, its not corny. It's pretty unique. Also, it'll stretch out longer than I originally planned. Most likely I'll go a little over 20 chapters.)

That all? Wait... nope. One last thing. I probably won't list anymore personal fan thanks after my chapters for a while. It kinda takes to long. So, I'll do it when I have time, but that might not be often. This time, however, I got the time so... here ya go!

Beth: Fluffy? I'm sorry! But, thank you SO much for the opinion! Don't be afraid to criticize me, really, I can take it. And, It'll hopefully help me in the future. Thank you for being honest! And, 'A Pirates-True-Treasure-Land?' I love it! lol. Thanks again for review too. I really look forward to seeing what you have to say. Please keep reading and reviewing! Well, see ya next chapter, hopefully nest week. Buh-bye!

Weeping eyes of Babylon: SUPERPIVILIOUSLY? I'm not sure what that means, but it sounds awesome! lol. Thanks for taking the time to review, and thanks for the compliment! You're awesome. See ya next chapter. : )

lughnasadhfirecat: Best chapter? Really? Kool! lol. I got ur vote, too, and I'm gonna keep going, majority won. Thanks for reviewing again. Thats awesome! lol. I just got 1 question. What does your name mean? lughnasadhfirecat? What's that? 0.0

Neko dragon: Koolio. Thanks for the compliment, I like my story too! lol. Thanks so much for taking the time to review. I love getting reviews:) Well, talk to ya next chapter hopfully.

whatsnext: I like my story too! Which is surprising, because usually I hate what I write. But I dont think this one is half bad. Miracle! Anyways, thank you so veryvery much for the review- puts a big smile on my face. Hope to hear from you next chapter too!

darkest-secret: Don't worry about the ending. I'm pretty sure I've made one to satisfy everyone. and you're very welcome for giveing a vote. I like getting the feedback from my fans (kool, i actually have fans) But, anyway, the vote really really helped me pick a good ending. Anyways, hope to see ya next chapter. byebye.

Mariko: Toy hammer? AH! that hurts ya know! well, sorry it was a hard decision, but if it helps any, the ending wont be corny, it should b good. The input on the vote really helped me. Well, thanbkis for reviewing my story, and see ya next time!

123RaChEl456: Hey, kool name. And , thanks for the compliment! Warms me up inside. lol.And, i AM writing whateer ending I wanna write, and finding exactly what ending that would be was GREATLY helped by the voting. So, thank you for voting! Hope I updated quickly enough for you, see ya!

Aurum Potestas Est: Drama, angst? There's probably some coming up very soon. Like, next chapter kind of soon. But, I'm gonna keep going, 'cause majority wins, and thats what they wanted. I'll keep trying my best to do quick updates tho! Thanks again and again for the review! Byebye.

MGoddess: Guess what, I AM gonna do both- in my own secret little way. action, drama, hopefully, it'll have it all, but in a tasteful way.and, no, the review wasn;t random and stupid, but even if it was, thats ok, 'cause i think I'M random and stupid, lol. Thanks SO much for voting, it helped a lot! cya lata then.

Lauressa: Goody! you dont like corny endings, and I wont put one in. And you wanted to know id they would end up together... well I could tell you now, but... sorry, You'll just have to read and find out! lol, well, anyways, thanks for the review, and I hope you keep reading!