Strolling with Dogs~*
Hermione sighed and rolled over in bed. She came in contact with soft linen and a spicy smell that was oddly comforting. She snuggled deeper into the scent, gripping at the cloth and the warmth beneath it. She sighed, drifting back off to sleep with the warmth and the cozy feeling that surrounded her. She buried her nose in the bed sheets and inhaled happily. A grunt stirred her peace of mind and suddenly the bed shifted. Hermione was jolted awake and her eyes snapped open. Memory washed over her and she gasped and scooted as far away from Lucius Malfoy as the bed would allow. He cracked open one eye and smirked placing his hand behind his head.
"Sleep good Ms. Granger?" He asked amiably. She groaned into the pillow and sat up in the bed. Lucius propped himself up on one elbow.
"You talk a lot in your sleep you know. Viktor Krum and Mr. Ronald Weasley were a major part in your dreams based on how much you said their names." Hermione flushed and flung her feet out of bed and stood up.
"Did I keep you up Malfoy?" She asked irritated.
"Not really." He said casually and sat up in bed.
"Too bad." She said caustically and sat down at the vanity. She ran a brush through her hair, blatantly ignoring Lucius. Lucius entered the water closet and Hermione heard the water running. A light knock sounded on the bedroom door.
"Come in." Hermione said. The door opened and Brageeta walked in. She smiled kindly at Hermione.
"Good morning ma'am. Did you have a pleasant night?" The maid asked. Hermione smirked.
"Yes, it was wonderful, thank you for the rose petals. They were beautiful Brageeta." Hermione said kindly. Brageeta smiled, blushing slightly at the compliment and opened the wardrobe.
"What would you like to wear today Madame?" She asked. Hermione shrugged.
"I've no idea Brageeta. Why don't you pick out an outfit for me?" Brageeta seemed surprised but nodded. She picked out a sage green skirt with a cream underlay. She laid out a cream blouse and a sage floral parasol. Hermione stood and stripped out of her nightgown and slipped into a clean chemise.
Brageeta was lacing her corset when Lucius walked out of the water closet. He smiled at Brageeta and got his own clothing out of the wardrobe and proceeded to dress.
"I'm pleased that you both liked my decorations to the room." Brageeta said. Her smile faltered as she spotted the unopened bottle of wine. "Was the wine not to your liking Mr. Malfoy?" She asked. He turned to her and smiled.
"Well, we just didn't take the time to open it Brageeta. We… were a bit preoccupied." He eyed Hermione and smiled. Hermione blushed and drew in a sharp breath as Brageeta yanked the last tie of her corset. She helped Hermione into her corset cover and the other garments, smiling happily.
Lucius and Hermione walked out onto the promenade deck once again and Hermione was growing increasingly bored as the morning wore on.
"Lucius?" He glanced down at her.
"Yes?"
"I think I may go to the reading room for a while if that's alright with you?" Lucius nodded and paused by the railing.
"I'll walk you there." He said and turned to head there. She stepped away from him and smiled.
"Really, I can go on my own Lucius. It's still in the first class section." Lucius frowned and sighed.
"You're very stubborn you know. Very well, I'll be in the palm court playing croquet." Hermione smirked.
"Croquet?" She asked with a small smirk. Lucius nodded.
"It's something to do." He said and she nodded.
"Okay then." She left on the promenade and headed towards the reading room on A deck.
Hermione walked down the promenade with her parasol over her shoulder. She nodded politely to the other first class aristocratic woman that she passed. She was honestly looking forward to meeting with the captain at two to get a tour of the grand ship. Meanwhile she wanted to retreat to the reading room and learn even more about this decade that might help her to fit in a little better. Women had already given her strange looks for her interests and for her speech. It wasn't nearly as refined as the women around her. She passed by the first class lounge and spotted the steward Rodney. She entered the lounge and approached him. He looked up at her and smiled.
"Hello again madam, is there anything I can get you?" He asked politely. She smiled courteously.
"Well, not exactly. I wanted to apologize for asking your name last night at dinner. I hadn't done it with the intent of reporting you. You're a wonderful steward." The young man smiled.
"Well thank you ma'am." He said.
"So do you work all over the ship as a steward?" She asked.
"Well, I mostly assist in the lounge and reading room. I also walk the first class passenger's dogs. It's actually about time to do that I think. Is there anything at all that I can get you ma'am?" Hermione shook her head.
"No, but would it be too much to ask if I could accompany you while you walk the dogs? To give you some company." Rodney looked surprised but pleased.
"If you would like to ma'am. I collect the dogs on the first class promenade and take them down to C deck to the third class promenade to walk them." Hermione nodded.
"Okay, I need to stop by the palm court and let my husband know where I'm going but then I'll meet you and the dogs by the deck stairs." Rodney nodded and smiled.
"Very well ma'am."
"Please, call me Hermione." He nodded.
"I'll meet you there Hermione, ma'am." He left the lounge and Hermione shook her head and chuckled. He was so formal towards her.
Hermione left the lounge and headed towards the palm court. She entered the long room and spotted Lucius lounging in one of the wooden folding chairs. She approached him and he looked up in surprise.
"I thought you were in the reading room?" He said.
"I didn't quite make it that far. I'm going to walk the first class dogs with the steward that served us at dinner last night." Lucius raised an eyebrow speculatively. Hermione smiled.
"It's fine Lucius. I'll be back before two, I promise." He nodded.
"Alright, I'll need to meet this steward now."
"No, you really don't." She argued. Lucius smirked.
"Go have fun Hermione." She shot him a small smile.
"Thank you." She left the palm court and Lucius watched her leave.
Lucius relaxed back into the wooden chair and watched the game of croquet. His mind flitted back to the prospect that this ship would sink in only four days from now. He shook his head in wonder. He was baffled that he had never heard of this tragic event. There must have been witches and wizards on board, in hiding of course. Hermione had not told him much about the incident and he wanted to question her further about it just so he would know what they were up against. Was there even any chance of their survival? Lucius sighed and pressed his fingers to his temples. He would talk to her later and question her about the ridiculous incident. How could a ship of such magnitude sink? It was impossible… He stood up from the wooden deck chair and smiled at the people playing.
"Might I join in on the game gentleman?" One man smiled and passed him a croquet mallet. He joined in with the other men and pushed the dark thought to the back of his mind as he focused on the game at hand.
Hermione made her way to the first class promenade gate and leaned against the railing. She looked around the deck and saw Rodney walking towards her with six dogs on leashes. Hermione smiled and shook her head.
"Hello Ma'am. Ready to walk these dogs?" He asked with a smile. Hermione smiled and studied the six dogs.
"Sure, why not. Do you walk them every day?" Rodney nodded. He opened the gate and they walked down the stairs and across the second class promenade to the third class promenade deck.
"So how many dogs are there on the ship?" She asked as they walked. Rodney did some mental calculations.
"Twelve in total, all belonging to first class passengers. Second and third class aren't allowed to have animals on board." He explained.
"So where are the other six dogs then?" Hermione asked.
"I walked them this morning." He explained. "We walk them twice daily, one group in the morning and evening and the other in the afternoon and during dinner." Hermione nodded and bent down to pet the sweet Airedale. Rodney smiled.
"That's kitty, John Jacob Astor's dog." He explained. Hermione nodded.
"He's sweet." She said as the dog licked her hand and nuzzled against her fingers. Rodney whistled at them.
"Come on, move on dogs. Let's keep going." A toy poodle squatted on the deck and peed. Rodney whistled again and pulled the dogs on. Hermione eyed the dog urine and looked at Rodney.
"Aren't you going to clean that up?" She asked. Rodney shook his head.
"No, we only clean up the poop. That's why we bring them down to the third class promenade to do their business."
"That's very unsanitary." Hermione commented distastefully. Rodney shrugged.
"I just do what I'm told."
"I see. So have you worked on many ships before Titanic?" She asked. Rodney smiled and shook his head.
"Not really, I just happened to get this job and decided to start a new life for myself in America." Hermione smiled.
"Where do you plan on going when we get there?" She grimaced inwardly knowing that the ship would never make it to America and Rodney would probably die along with the majority of the crew. She shuddered and Rodney glanced at her.
"Are you cold Ma'am? I can escort you back up to the first class promenade if you wish?" Hermione smiled gratefully and shook her head.
"No, I'm fine Rodney, thank you." The steward smiled and looked slightly surprised by her informal address.
"Very well Mrs. Malfoy." He said. She shot him an irritated look.
"Please, call me Hermione." She insisted. "I don't like that you're so formal towards me all the time." Rodney smiled sheepishly.
"It's only my place ma'am. You are a first class lady and I am a steward. We are to address all passengers with courtesy and respect. You must remember as well that you are married Mrs. Mafloy." Hermione pressed her lips into a thin line. Damn the marriage! It definitely wasn't a happy one, and being with Rodney made her happy and she actually enjoyed her time on the ship. She just smiled at him and nodded.
"Of course. But I still insist that you call me Hermione, at least when it is just the two of us." She said sincerely. Rodney nodded uncertainly and suddenly beamed.
"Why Nikola! Good to see you mate!" A man embraced Rodney in a tight grip, maneuvering around the six dog leashes and squirming dogs. Hermione's jaw dropped and she did a double take.
"Viktor?! Viktor Krum?" She said in astonishment. The man turned to her with a puzzled expression on his face. He was the spitting image of Viktor Krum who Hermione had attended the Yule Ball with and who she had a major crush on. They still wrote to each other from time to time. Rodney smiled.
"I'm sorry, forgive my rudeness. Nikola, this is Hermione Malfoy. She is accompanying me to walk the dogs." Rodney explained. The man nodded and eyed Hermione.
"I think zat you 'ave mistaken me for someone else Mrs. Malfoy. You called me Viktor if I am not mistaken." Hermione blushed furiously, realizing her stupid mistake.
"Oh, I'm terribly sorry… you looked like someone I knew…" Nikola nodded, not smiling.
"I know of no other Krum family zat is not Bulgarian. Vhere did you know zuch a man, if you do not mind me asking?" He said in broken English.
"I…" Hermione couldn't complete her thought as one of the dogs tethered to a leash had wrapped around Rodney's legs and in a moment of panic the dog tried to run, knocking Rodney to his feet. The leash slipped from his grasp and the dog ran off down the promenade. Rodney held tight to the other leashes as the dogs barked and squirmed to follow their escaped comrade to freedom.
"Blast!" Rodney yelled. "I'm sorry Madame; I need to go after that dog! Nikola, can you please watch the others and Mrs. Malfoy? I'll be back as soon as I catch that mongrel." He thrust the leashes into Nikola's hands and pelted off after the dog.
Nikola handed two of the leashes to Hermione. She clung to the leashes as the dogs strained against them. Nikola then tied off the other three leashes he held to the boat railing. He took the two dogs from her and tied those leashes to the railing as well.
"Zhere. Zat should 'old zhem until Rodney gets back." He said and leaned against the railing beside the dogs. Hermione bit her lip, feeling a bit uneasy. This man was a third class passenger and even though he looked exactly like Viktor, Hermione was still leery of him. He eyed her curiously.
"So, you are a first class passenger?" He asked. She nodded.
"Yes, I am." He nodded, still observing her.
"So, explain to me 'ow a first class lady knows a Viktor krum zat I 'ave never 'eard of." He said, raising a speculative eyebrow. Hermione swallowed. She had made a huge mistake.
"W-well, I… think that I read his name in the newspaper at some point." She said. Nikola was silent and he nodded.
"The newspaper, well zhe Daily Prophet certainly does 'ave a lot of information in it for sure." Nikola said. Hermione smiled and nodded.
"Yes, that must've been where I saw his…" She trailed off and stared at Nikola. The Daily Prophet was not a muggle newspaper. How could she be so stupid! Nikola smiled.
"You're a witch Mrs. Malfoy. No muggle would know about zhe Daily Prophet in London." He said quietly. Hermione flushed.
"Well, then that makes you a wizard Mr. Krum." She shot back rather defensively. He smirked and nodded.
"Indeed it does. But zhat still does not answer my question as to how you know of a Viktor Krum?" He pressed.
"Well…" Hermione began.
"Unless, perhaps it was my name you happened to glance at in zhe paper." Hermione blinked. She bit her lip, going on a hunch.
"Krum… you play for a Quidditch team! I think I may have just gotten your name confused. I recognized you from a picture I had seen." She said and crossed her fingers, hoping she was right. Nikola nodded and smiled.
"Alright, I believe you, but only because my picture was in zhe Daily Prophet several months ago when I played against zhe Irish at zhe quidditch stadium in London." Hermione smiled, feeling relieved.
"See. I was merely confused was all Mr. Krum." She stroked on of the dogs, to get her mind on something else.
"What school did you study at Mr. Krum?" Hermione asked, trying to steer the conversation onto safer ground. Asking about school was a hardly harmful question. Nikola studied her thoughtfully.
"I vas currently studying at Durmstrang academy. However I vas recently expelled from school and decided to come to America for a better start and to find vork." He explained. Hermione nodded, not sure of what to say.
"I assume you attended Hogwarts? You do not 'ave the French accent so Beauxbatons must not be." He said. Hermione nodded.
"Yes, however, when I got married, I had to quit school." She said nervously, hoping it sounded convincing. Nikola nodded.
"I see. So you're about eighteen I assume?" Hermione flushed as age came up again.
"I'm seventeen." She said self-conciously. Nikola smiled.
"At least I got zhat out of you. I'm eighteen." He said and flashed her a small smile. She eyed him. What was his motive for asking such personal questions?
"Do you have any more prying personal questions for me Mr. Krum?" She asked irritably. He shrugged.
"You just intrigue me is all. And call me Nikola. Zhere is no need for formality." Hermione flustered.
"Yes, there is a need for formality. I hardly know you and you hardly know me." Nikola smiled and repositioned himself closer to her.
"Perhaps we could change zat Mrs. Malfoy." Hermione wanted to run away from him but found herself being drawn to his handsome features that looked so much like Viktor. Nikola extended his hand to her and she took it. He smiled warmly at her, his brown eyes focused on hers. The dogs barked excitedly as Rodney came running back down the promenade with the escaped dog on a leash. He smiled at the both of them.
"Well, I hope you two got along well." Rodney said as he gathered up the other leashes tied to the railing. Hermione quickly released Nikola's hand and smiled.
"Yes, well, it was wonderful talking with you Nikola. I think I'd like to head back to the first class promenade now." She said brusquely. Nikola smiled and grasped Hermione's hand again, bringing it up to his lips to kiss it. Hermione blushed slightly and wanted to yank her hand away. He dropped it quickly after kissing it, noting her unease.
"Zhe pleasure vas all mine Hermione." Nikola said. "Rodney, I'll see you tomorrow." Rodney nodded to his friend.
"Very well Nikola. Come on dogs." He whistled to the animals and he and Hermione left the third class Promenade.
They talked some on the way back to the first class Promenade deck and Rodney left her on the deck as he went to go return the dogs to their kennels. Hermione sighed and suddenly panicked. What time was it? She looked around and hesitantly walked up to an older gentleman in a long waistcoat.
"Pardon me sir, but would you happen to have the time?" She asked in what she thought was a formal manner. The man smiled and pulled a gold pocket watch from his trouser pocket.
"It's one fifty ma'am." Hermione's eyes widened. How had she let the time slip away so quickly? She thanked the man and headed quickly across the promenade towards the bridge.
She managed to reach the bridge just in time and was only late by a few minutes. Lucius was talking with the captain and they greeted her kindly when she arrived.
"Well, Mrs. Malfoy. Glad you were able to make it." Mr. Smith said. Hermione nodded with an apologetic smile.
"I'm terribly sorry that I'm late. I got caught up in a very good book." She said. The captain nodded.
"Very well then, all is well, shall we get on with the tour?"
"Yes, we certainly should Mr. Smith." Lucius said. The captain led them out of the bridge and around the expanse of the ship. He talked of all the mechanics of the massive ship and of its construction. Hermione would have found it more fascinating if she had not already studied about all of it in school. She listened absently but her mind kept drifting back to her conversation with Nikola. He had been very uncouth with his questions but she was undeniably attracted to the man. Most of that was in part to how similar he looked to Viktor Krum. But other than that, his rugged speech and attitude drew her in even further. Not to mention that he was a wizard and played quidditch. Also, he was the only other wizard that Hermione had encountered on the ship.
Lucius seemed to be focused intently on everything the captain was saying and didn't seem to notice that she wasn't paying attention to a word of it. They were taken to many parts of the ship that passengers were not allowed to see and Hermione became rather intrigued to see how the ship worked and actually get to see it in person. The history books just didn't do it justice and Hermione was thrilled yet terrified to be caught up in the middle of it all.
