Chapter Text
“The thing about The Realm of The Grail that I never entirely understood was……… any of it. It was governed by a servant of The Cup that had free will and kind of a mouth on it, and that The Realm itself existed nowhere and nowhen, or – to put it another way – in every time in history and every location in the world at once which meant I could leave The Realm to anywhere and anywhen – something that turned out to be helpful in my quest to stop my girlfriend from killing me”
xoxox
Hermione stared at the row of arches in front of her, then blinked as one of them flickered to life. She walked over to it, then stared at it intently for a few minutes before a look of worry crossed her face.
“Granny Christine?” She whispered, then she drew her wand.
“If I go through, will I be able to return?” She called out.
“Under two conditions” The voice came back “You have to be alive and your past has to persist”
“Pardon me?” Hermione blinked in surprise.
“You know what you’ve seen will be at stake” The voice took on a serious tone “In here you are in a state of grace, but if your history ends while you are out in the world………”
“I will cease to exist?” Hermione shrugged “All due respect, but I can’t spend my life here with you. I have to do this” She turned back to the portal, squared her shoulders and smiled.
“Onwards to glory I go”
xoxox
She walked out of the portal onto the deck of the ship and looked around.
“She survived the voyage, and returned to Liverpool a year later. Mum told me the story enough times, especially after that godawful film came out” She rolled her eyes “That bloody song was stuck in my head for so long………” She shook her head “No – I’m not going to down that path again” She strode off along the deck, walking past a number of lifeboats with the words “RMS TITANIC” emblazoned on them.
xoxox
Nimue, who after eight hundred years had been through so many names she had decided to go by Mimi, walked along another of the decks, glancing at the faces of the passengers she passed.
After their last few encounters, her plan to destroy Hermione had become more personal – the battle in London had made it personal – and now she wanted not only to destroy the magical world but also ensure Hermione suffered as well.
“I will bring an end to her and everything she stands for” She said softly, then she looked at the door she had walked up to.
“First class cabins. Time to go to work”
xoxox
Hermione walked up to the rail and stared out over the Atlantic.
“So calm. So pretty” She said in an awe filled voice “Such a pity it has to end so sadly”
“You could change it” A voice whispered in her head, but she shook it, dismissing the thought.
“That’s not how it works” She replied, although she knew she was talking to herself “So don’t bother” She turned away from the rail and started walking along the deck again.
“She can’t kill her directly – even in the chaos of the sinking the blatant murder of a first class passenger will be noticed” She walked down a fight of steps onto the first class deck.
“So she’s going to have to either make it look like an accident, or like part of the disaster” She continued “Which means she’ll need to find somewhere to put her” She leaned back against the wall.
“Who are you?” She looked up as a member of the crew approached her with a curious expression.
“Time traveller. Here to save my great-grandmother from an immortal Dark Lord who is hell bent on destroying my life” Hermione replied, then she waved her hand and the crew member wandered off.
“Oh – before you go, do you know what cabin Chastence Mulgrew is assigned?”
“Cabin Three Fourteen. Deck Two, Section Seven” He replied without looking round.
“Thank you” She looked around, then waved her hand and a map of the ship appeared in front of her. She studied it, dispelled it and then headed off towards the bow of the ship.
xoxox
Nimue walked up to the cabin door and knocked on it.
“Who is it?” A voice came from inside.
“Steward, ma’am” She said in an authoritative voice “Telegram for you”
“A telegram?” There was a pause “Give me a minute” Nimue drew her wand, then leaned back against the opposite door.
A minute later, the door opened and a woman with short blonde hair and deep blue eyes opened the door.
“A telegram for Prudence Mulgrew” Nimue said, but the woman frowned.
“You aren’t a steward………”
“STUPEFY!” The bolt of red light shot out of her wand and blasted the woman backward into her cabin. Nimue smiled, then sauntered forward, walking into the cabin and closed the door behind her.
She strode into the living area to find a thirteen year old girl sat reading a book. The girl looked up, then frowned.
“Who are you?”
“I’m a friend of……… it’s hard to explain” Nimue replied “But your great-granddaughter hurt me – hurt me very badly. So now I have to make her pay” She raised her wand “You haven’t done anything wrong, and you are innocent, but you are the only way I can make her pay” The girl stared back at her blankly.
“So either you come with me, or I will make you come with me” Nimue finished.
“Mother says I can’t leave the cabin” The girl said, shaking her head.
“Your mother is unconscious and if you don’t come with me I’ll kill her” She took a step forward “So what’s it to be?”
xoxox
Hermione pushed the door to the first class cabins open, and walked into the corridor. She looked up and down, then headed down the passage towards cabin Three Fourteen. A few moments later she turned a corner, then stopped as she door the door to the cabin opening.
“Remember what I told you” A voice came from inside the cabin – a voice she recognized.
“I’m your niece and we’re just going for a walk through the ship” A much younger voice replied.
“Good” Nimue said calmly “If you try to alert anyone, or warn anyone, it will end badly for you, and for them”
“I know” The voice replied, then Nimue and a girl aged around twelve or thirteen emerged from the cabin.
Hermione disillusioned herself, then followed them through the corridors.
She continued this for the next half hour or so, until they reached a compartment at the bottom of the ship.
“Now, child, I’m going to leave you” Nimue pushed the child into the compartment, then slammed the gate across it.
“When the ship meets its eventual fate, you will be the first to die” Nimue stared down at her “And as you die, so will the future of the Granger line, and with it the future of magic itself” She smiled “I advise you to enjoy whatever time you have left, because I can promise you that is all there is” Before the girl could respond, Nimue turned and ambled out of the compartment, whistling to herself.
Hermione waited until she’d gone, then drew her wand, cancelled the invisibility spell on herself and walked over to the gate.
“Who……… who are you?” The child asked.
“My name is Hermione, and I am – or will be – your great-granddaughter” Hermione said softly “You are Chastence Mulgrew, daughter of Prudence?”
“My………” Chastence stared at her.
“You and your mother are sailing to America to meet your father, but you end up going home and your father moves to the UK instead” Hermione paused “But I have to get you back to your mother, otherwise none of that will happen”
“How do you………”
“Well………” Hermione drew her wand “I’m a witch” She pointed her wand at the gate “Alohamora!” The gate slid open, making Chastence’s eyes widen “And now, if you’d like to take my hand, I will return you to your mother”
“Okay” Chastence nodded, and held out her hand. Hermione took it, then they vanished in a twirl of white light.
xoxox
They reappeared in Chastence’s cabin, and found Prudence unconscious on the floor.
“I’m going to remove the events today from her mind, so she doesn’t remember being attacked” Hermione said calmly “I can do the same for you, or I can let you remember” She knelt down in front of her ancestor “But if I let you remember you can’t tell anyone – not your mother, father, friends” Chastence gazed at her.
“Can I tell my kids? If I make it a story?” She picked up the book she’d been reading “Can I tell my kids and my grandkids?” Hermione stared at her thoughtfully, then smiled.
“You’ll keep your memory, with this interdiction – you can only tell others if you tell them it is a story. As a fiction” She whispered, and a blue-pink haze surrounded the girl. Hermione then turned and cast a memory charm over Prudence.
“Look after yourself” She said in a gentle voice “I’ve got a lot invested in your future” She smiled, then gave the girl a hug.
“Where are you going now?” Chastence asked.
“I have to find someone and have a little chat” Hermione said “I’ll see you later” She turned and walked out of the cabin, casting a waking spell on Prudence as she passed.
xoxox
Forty minutes later she walked onto the expanse of deck at the stern of the ship and smiled as she saw Nimue leaning against the railing, staring across the sea.
Drawing her wand, she cast a series of spells, then walked up to stand beside her former girlfriend.
“This is your doing?” Nimue asked in a conversational tone, as if they were back in the tavern they’d met in, talking over their first drink.
“I wanted to talk, and anchoring you here was a good way to ensure that” Hermione replied “If you’d come after me, I would have let you walk away. But trying to kill my family? My history?” She paused “A CHILD?” She shook her head “That’s something I can’t forgive”
“It is you who should be begging for forgiveness – after what you did to me in London. After the fire………” She trailed off at the confused expression on Hermione’s face “You really don’t know what I’m talking about, do you?”
“I don’t care what you’re talking about” Hermione retorted with a snap “You were going to allow a child to suffer the most horrible death I can imagine” Her face turned hard “So for that, you will pay. STUPEFY!”
xoxox
Nimue blinked, then blinked again and looked around.
After a few minutes, she realised was bound to a solid steel pole by steel chains. She struggled a little, but she soon found out that she couldn’t get them to budge.
“You’re awake” She looked around again, and saw the spectral figure of Hermione floating a few feet in front of her.
“The pole is part of the core structure of the ship. The chains are Hephaestus Steel. I’ve muted you and bound your powers for three days” The floating figure said “I know you’re immortal, and this won’t kill you, but you’re going to suffer until you escape. Maybe you’ll suffer enough to make you think twice about touching my family again” The figure vanished, leaving Nimue staring at the air for a moment. Then she closed her eyes before the sound of metal scratching on metal filled the air.
xoxox
Hermione walked back through the archway into the amphitheatre.
“She is apparently set on destroying my history and ending my line” She announced “Which means I need to find a way to kill her”
“Immortals can’t be killed” The voice replied.
“I’m a witch who can travel in time and I helped kill a Dark Lord” Hermione shrugged “I am also Merlin’s big sister. Are you really going to bet against me?”