Back in Time

Chapter one

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

An unfamiliar room. That was the first thing Hermione noticed when she woke up. Then the headache. she grunted and rubbed her head, trying to sit up. She looked around, trying to find something familiar. She was sitting on the bottom of a bunkbed and on the other side of the room was another bunkbed. Hogwarts didn't have bunkbeds as far as she knew and the room didn't look like it was inside of the castle. Then she noticed it. The slight swaying. In the dark she could make out a window. She got up and looked out of the window. water.

'How is that possible, I'm on a... a ship?' She wondered out loud. She stepped back and refused to panic.

'There must be a logical explanation for this,' she mumbled and sat back down on the bed, trying to remember how on earth she had gotten on a ship, but nothing came up. The last thing she remembered was when she was in one of the hallways fighting with someone and seeing a... a beard?

'That's weird,' she mumbled and decided she better go and find someone who can actually give her some answers. She opened the door and stepped outside of the room. It was dimly lit and there was no one else. She didn't think there would be, since it was dark outside when she looked out of the window. The only thing she was wearing was a simple nightgown. She padded down the hall. She frowned at how different everything looked, how old-fashioned. She came to a door and went to open it, when she saw it. The word 'Titanic' stood just above the door handle in tiny, golden letters. She dropped her hand.

'What in Merlin's beard is going on here?' She didn't bother to keep her voice down. Her head was swimming with questions. Titanic? Did that mean she was on some sort of copy of the Titanic? And why didn't she remember anything? Frustrated, she opened the door and continued her search for someone, anyone. Like she had said before, there must be a logical explanation for this. After a while, she heard some noises. She stopped and listened. She could hear people talking and laughing to her right. There was another door. It led to a large room that smelled like smoke and liquor. There was a little group of shabby-looking people, all talking and laughing with each other. One of the men noticed her standing by the door.

'Aye love, you can come in, we don't bite,' He slurred slightly. The rest of them started laughing. Hermione wrinkled her nose and took a few steps towards them. She noticed stairs behind the man, probably leading to the deck.

'Can you tell me where I am?' She asked and immediately regretted it, as it sounded like a very weird question when it came out of her mouth. The man who had spoken to her blinked and started laughing even harder. One of them shouted: 'She must be very drunk if she doesn't even know where she is.' Another one, with a raspy voice said: 'well you can't blame her after this evening, I think half of the people in steerage went to bed drunk.' They all laughed again. Hermione frowned. Steerage? She didn't know people still used that word.

'You haven't answered my question.' The first man, still grinning, stood up and wobbled.

'My apologies, love,' he said, spreading his arms. 'You are on board of the RMS Titanic, the unsinkable ship,' he said, popping the 'p'. Hermione rolled her eyes and decided that she wouldn't get a decent answer out of them. She walked past them and headed for the stairs. As she got up the stairs, she could still hear them shouting and laughing at her.

'Honestly,' she murmured and looked around on the deck. There was no one to be seen, but she heard voices again. This time, she decided to be more careful in case it was a group of drunk men again. At the far end of the deck, there were stairs, leading to a higher part of the deck. She walked towards the stairs and sat down at the bottom, listening to the voices.

'Sir, are you alright?' A man's voice. She heard footsteps now, nearing her. 'Sir, please, come back inside-'

'Not until you tell me where the fuck I am!' Another voice. Hermione froze, she immediately recognized that voice.

'Sir! That's steer-'

'Don't touch me.' Hermione looked up when he came into view. He was standing at the top of the stairs, in a suit. He was furious. She couldn't bring herself to say anything, because she had no idea what was going on. This had to be the strangest thing hat had ever happened to her. Then he saw her.

'Granger?' He had stopped walking, holding on to the rail.

The man who apparently had been following Malfoy came to stand next to him and he eyed them both.

'you... you know her, sir?' He asked confused.

Hermione seemed to have found her voice again and ignored Malfoy. Surely, if he was here, Harry and Ron had to be around here too? Or someone else she knew?

'Sir, where are we?' The man looked at her as if she was crazy. She could see he was getting frustrated.

'Have you two lost your minds? You're on board of- Miss! You can't come up here, this is first class!' Hermione, who had started to walk up the stairs stopped dead in her tracks.

'What?'

The man hurried and went to stand in front of her.

'You're in third class! You can't come up here, this is first class!' The man looked proper hysteric now. Hermione knew people would never be treated like this. At least, not anymore. Her mind was working really hard. Could it be...? Did they somehow end up on the Titanic? She took a step back, her legs shaking, from the nerves and the cold.

'Sir,' she asked, her voice barely above a whisper, 'what year is it?' Malfoy huffed at her question, but before he could say anything, the man spoke up.

'1912 of course.' Hermione's breath hitched.

The man shook his head and started to walk away.

'Mad,' he mumbled under his breath, 'completely mad.'

'But how?' Hermione wondered aloud, starting to panic. Why did she not remember getting here? What had happened? Did they somehow go back in time?

'Granger, I can literally see that big brain of yours being tortured, don't tell me you actually believe him,' Malfoy drawled, still standing in his spot on top of the stairs.

'I...' she didn't know what to believe. 'I don't know.'

Malfoy snorted. 'Aren't you supposed to be the smartest witch of our year?' He sneered at her. 'That man just told us that it's 1912 and you tell me that you might believe him.'

'It's not just that, I don't remember getting here at all and-' he cut her short by laughing at her.

'Yes. That must mean we went back in time. Good job, Granger.' He turned around and started to walk away.

'Hey, wait! We have to find out what is going on!' She said, jogging up the stairs.

Malfoy turned so fast Hermione almost bumped into him.

'There is no we,' he snapped. 'this is just a stupid joke, and have you forgotten already? you're not
even allowed to come on this part of the ship,' he said smirking. He turned and walked away.