DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING
Chapter 5- Halfway Home
It had been years since Hermione had last rode a horse, but it became clear that it was not something easily forgotten, and she found herself thoroughly enjoying her ride along the beach, the wind whipping around her somehow tamed honey colored hair, and twisting the long dress this way and that. So caught up in her thoughts was she, that she only barley heard the shout of her maid.
"What is that?" called Bragnae over the whistle of the wind, and pointing to where the water washed up along the sand.
It seemed to be a rather large row boat that had washed up on the beach, and while it was completely unremarkable, something about it was calling to Hermione, who dismounted from her horse and began making her way towards it at a run, ignoring the cries of her maid. It wasn't until she was so close that she could reach out and touch the wooden structure, was it that she slowed, afraid of what she may find when she looked around the boat that lay on its side. She took several claming breaths, and peered around the corner. What she saw made her heart stop.
Their lay her traveling partner, look very blue and every, dare she say it, dead.
"Blaise" she whispered, dropping to his side.
"What did you say mi lady?" came the jittery voice of Bragnae. Hermione gasped at her carelessness, for forgetting all about her maid.
"It's a man" Hermione called out reaching out a shaking hand to check for a pulse. Just then Bragnae came from behind the boat to stand next to her charge.
"Dead? Such a terrible sham…"
"Alive, help me Bragnae, quickly" cried Hermione, cutting her maid off whilst trying to haul Blaise up. After much exertion the two women managed to half carry/ half drag the boy to a small house of sorts located in the shelter of the rocks that littered the beach. Hermione's heart was now beating so fast she was half afraid she might pass out and awake to find Blaise had exposed who they really were. She looked over at his sleeping form, whilst Bragnae worked on making a fire. He look very close to dead, which probably had something to do with the gapping wound that was exposed on his chest. But Hermione was too afraid to go to him, rather finding some kind of comfort sitting in a far corner and deciding that finding Blaise, half dead or not, was defiantly a relief, and hopefully a forward step in finding a way home.
"The fire is going mi lady and I suggest that perhaps we should do the same. Who knows what this man will do to us should he awake whilst we are still here" Bragnae's fearful words brought Hermione back to reality and she glanced at Blaise once more before looking at Bragnae and shaking her head.
"I can not leave him here like this to die Bragnae. Neither of us could ever allow ourselves to have such a terrible thing on our minds. He looks perfectly safe. And even if he is not, that wound will not allow him to do much." Hermione made her way slowly towards Blaise, dropping close to his side and running a finger along the wound. As part of her NEWT's Hermione had been taking an extra curriculum class on herbs, plants and poisons and their medical uses, something awoke in her. Something that told her that she knew exactly what to do.
"Bragnae, I need you to go home and gather as many herbs as you can and return here as quickly as possible. Please don't argue. His time is short" Hermione added at the look on her maids face at the mention of Leaving her alone. "I will be fine. You must hurry though"
Bragnae cast one last worried look at her Charge before exiting the house, and minutes later Hermione head the horses gallops disappear along the beach. She reached out a hand to smooth back black curls that stuck to Blaise's tanned forehead, from sweat. His eyes fluttered open at the touch, startling Hermione enough for her to retract her hand, but relief was flooding through her and she grasped his hand.
"Blaise, can you hear me? How are you feeling?" Hermione asked, eyes looking for any sign of understanding.
"Granger, what is going on?" Grunted Blaise, in obvious pain. Hermione grinned widely in spite of the situation.
"Blaise, thank Merlin. Ok, we haven't got much time before my maid returns and I need to get you up to speed before then, so don't interrupt me." She added gesturing to Blaise's half open mouth and confused and pained look and he gave a brief nod of understanding. Satisfied, Hermione began a quick summary.
"Obviously the transportation spell has gone wrong. Terribly wrong as it happens. If my guesses are correct we've ended up in the Dark Ages somewhere, and from what I can gather from the minute amount of information I have received, we, or at least I, have taken on the role of a person from this time period. Princess Hermia as it happens. According to my "father" we, that being Ireland, is in a rather large feud with England, and while you have maintained your accent, mine seemed to have changed," said Hermione in a light Irish accent, which she only seemed to realized she had when Blaise opened his mouth and had said her name "which means you are unwelcome here you will need to stay hidden until we've figured something out" She opened her mouth to say something else, but the sound of an approaching horse stopped the words.
"Say nothing. I will try and be here alone as often as possible which may be difficult. Please be patient. Now sleep" she whispered all of this in a rush before turning from him and moving towards the fire. Moments later Bragnae reappeared with all Hermione would need, and the two busied themselves combining the leaves and herbs and roots to make a paste for Blaise's wound. Once they had finished, Bragnae became rather insistent they leave.
"Hurry mi lady. It will be night fall before long and we must be getting home before your father becomes suspicious" Hermione nodded absentmindedly, not really wanting to leave Blaise. He was her connection to Hogwarts and their real lives, and he was injured. She had no way to know who serious it could be. Perhaps she came back the next day and he had passed on? It was too terrible to think of. But she could not stay the night. It was not even a mere possibility. So with a lingering glance to the Italian boy Hermione left him to fend for himself through the night. She could do nothing but pray he would be ok.
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Harry and Ron had been called to Dumbledore's office and when they arrived they found pansy Parkinson along with crabbe and goyle and another girl the two didn't recgonise. The two groups sneered at one another, but didn't dare start a confrentaion in front of their teachers and Headmaster who had entered the room behind the two boys.
"thank you for joining us all" said Dumbledore, his air rather cheery considering his two best students had just disspaeared into an unknown time period for an indefinite amount of time.
"Now, I do realized you are all rather anxious to find out what has happened to your friends, and I assure you that while we are not completely sure of the situation I am quite sure they will both be just fine" said Dumbledore with a smile and that famous twinkle in his eye.
"Now, before you begin an unavoidable barrage of verbal abuse miss Parkinson" said Dumbledore, holding up a hand to silence her "I will explain what has happened. It seems that during a detention, Mr. Malfoy has, inadvertently changed the spell on one of the portkeys used for your Herbology class. An extremely difficult spell as it was" triumphant looks from the Slytherins in the room at this news were wiped from their faces as Dumbledore continued "thought, a complete accident as it happens. Now this time travel spell sent our two students to play out the fates of two people who are destined to meet and fall in love. The only way to return is for Miss Granger and Mr. Zabini to discover their true feelings for one another to re activate the port key and return to Hogwarts"
At this news there was an almighty uproar between the representatives of the two houses, but it was some well chosen words from Harry that silenced the group.
'Well that's just ridiculous. Hermione is far too sensible to ever fall in love with a Slytherin. It just won't happen."
It was almost as if Dumbledore had expected Harry to say these exact words, for he smiled broadly, his eyes twinkling.
"Ahh, Mister Potter, but they already are in love. They just don't know it yet"
And the unknown female Slytherin in the room promptly dropped to the floor in a dead faint.
"Young love" muttered Dumbledore with a small smile.
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a/n: ok im back! Yay! Hope you like this chapter. Review review!