That Ship Has Sailed

Draco & Hermione II

The raft was completed and the trio had set sail days before. For the long hours of the day, there was no wind and for the cold hours of the night, there was no fire to keep warm or food to eat. For days, this was their life, until one day, a storm, not unlike the one that had shipwrecked them in the first place, arrived and began tossing the raft all around.

"What are we going to do?!" Rose screamed over the wind and rain.

"Hold on tight!" Draco said, "Another wave!"

The wave tossed them about and they held their breath as they were plunged underneath another wave. When they re-surfaced, they choked for air and Draco called out to ask if they were all right. He didn't relax until he heart two confirmations.

"Look out!" Hermione screamed.

A piece of debris came flying on top of another wave and put a crack in their raft, knocking loose three logs. Rose grabbed onto the attached logs, letting the others slip away from her and Draco reached out, grabbing her for support. Hermione grabbed his other arm and he held tight on to them.

"What are we going to do?" he called out to Hermione.

She looked back at him with sad eyes and a pained expression. The smartest person he knew had no ideas and that terrified him more than the storm. Still, he ignored his fear and panic and held tight to the two girls, "Lie down!" he yelled. The two lay down on either side of him and he wrapped vines around them and held on to the other ends so he was holding them both aboard. "We're going to be okay!" he called out, "I think it's dying down!"

The storm was not dying down. If anything, it was growing to it's peak. Another wave crashed and the harsh water tore another crack in the shrinking raft. Hermione screamed and Draco let go of the vines to catch her from falling.

"I've got you!" he yelled, "You're okay!"

"Rose!" Hermione screamed.

Draco turned and reached, grabbing Rose's arm as she had been pulled under and was scrambling to reach the surface.

"Save her!" Hermione screamed.

"I can't hold you both!" Draco called back, barely holding Rose's hand and Hermione's arm at the same time.

"Save her!" Hermione screamed again, grabbing on to a piece of the raft to hold herself on top. Draco nodded and let go of Hermione, leaning over the edge until he grasped Rose's other arm and was able to pull her atop the raft.

Rose lay, looking lifeless, on the raft. Draco slapped her cheek a few times, "Rose!" he called, "Rose, wake up! Can you hear me?"

Rose remained motionless. Draco lay over her body to protect her from another wave that crashed, then leaned down and listened for a heart beat. It was faint, but still there. So, plugging her nose and opening her mouth, he began to breathe air into her lungs. Hermione watched in horror as he tried to revive the girl.

"Rose!" the two screamed in unison.

Rose suddenly choked out mouth fulls of water and gasped for breath. As she choked, another wave hit and she gasped in a breath full of water, choking again as it filled her lungs. Draco held on to her and tried telling her it would be all right.

"Draco!" Hermione screamed.

Draco looked back just in time to see Hermione slipping. He let go of Rose for a moment to grab Hermione.

"Draco, she's slipping!" she called out.

"I can't let you go!" Draco screamed, "I promised! I can't leave you behind!"

"Save her!" Hermione screamed, reaching for anything to hold on to on the raft.

Draco looked back as Rose began sliding back into the water, seemingly unconscious. He looked back at Hermione, then at Rose again. He tried to reach out and grab her, but she was slipping too quickly.

"I can't save you both!" Draco screamed, tears forming in his eyes, "What do I do?!"

"I can't decide for you!" Hermione screamed back.

"Tell me what to do, Hermione! You're the smartest person I know!"

Hermione looked back at him, tears in her own eyes now, her hand beginning to slip from his grasp. He made a quick motion to pull her close before leaning over and grabbing hold of Rose's arm, digging his fingernails into her arm to hold her tighter. He looked back at Hermione.

She began to slip again and he grabbed for her hands, "Hermione!" he screamed.

"Draco!" Hermione screamed back, "I love you! I always have!" tears rolled down her cheeks and she grabbed madly for his hands, not wanting to slip from his grasp.

Draco looked back at Rose and then at Hermione, knowing he needed to make a choice. He looked back at Rose who was unconscious and screamed, "I'm sorry, Rose! Forgive me, I'm so sorry!"

Then he let go.

Rose fell beneath the waves and Draco lunged toward Hermione. After yanking her back onto the raft, he embraced her tightly. Hermione stared, wide eye'd and open mouthed into the sky. She couldn't believe what had just happened.

"I have to go after her," Draco said into Hermione's ear as he held her tightly.

"It's no use, Draco," Hermione said back, "You'll only die, too."

"I can't just leave her! She trusted me! I liked her!"

"Draco," Hermione said, "It's not your fault! There's nothing you can do!"

Just then, another wave came barreling over the two and they held tightly onto each other and the raft, hiding their faces and gasping for breath as the storm raged on above them. For hours, they held tight, breathing and not letting go of each other. Their knuckles were white and their skin bled from holding tightly and from the whipping wind and rain, but they felt nothing.

Then, something happened.

Heat overtook them.

Hermione blinked her eyes open and looked up, bright sunlight nearly blinding her.

"Draco," she said, "Look." When he didn't move, she nudged him, "Draco, look!" she said more adimently.

Draco looked up and blinked back tears that had been stinging his eyes, seeing the bright sunlight breaking through. Suddenly, he felt nothing, and yet, everything, all at once.