We are the new Americana,
High on legal marijuana,
Raised on Biggie and Nirvana,
We are the new Americana.
We know very well who we are, so we hold it down when summer starts.
What kind of dough have you been spending?
What kind of bubblegum have you been blowing lately?
New Americana by Halsey.
***
SLAP!
''...don't touch him! Bellatrix wants him alive...''
Something tore his shirt apart.
''...he's not marked...are we sure he met the mermaid?''
Draco's eyes shuttered. He was cold, terribly cold. He was soaking wet, rain hitting his skin restlessly. The ground was hard, and he felt as if he was hangover, the world seemed to sway.
Then his eyes opened for good. He was on the deck of a large, three masts ship. He tried to move, but he was tied down by ropes, and laid down on the hard floor. His weight made his move in perfect harmony with the ship, from left to right and back and forth. Although he noticed the dark skies, and the rain didn't made it easier to see, he noticed that someone was looking at him, he saw a flash of red, red hair and red beard.
''Welcome aboard your highness!'' Yelled the man loudly to be heard over the storm. ''I'm Captain Weasley, this is my crew – '' he pointed at a bunch of men, all dressed up in old clothing and soaked to death, one of the man was even missing most of his teeth, he also noticed that both Crabbe and Goyle were looking at the deck, not daring to cross his stare, ''and this ship is my treasure! We call it The Burrow. And you – '' he pointed his finger at Draco's face, smirking wildly,'' you, my dear prince, you are our bait for the mermaid.''
Draco gulped.
''And you will make us the richest pirates on land! Ah ah!'' The crew cheared drunkily in the back ground, approving their captain's words.
''Listen, I'm not even marked, she's not going to come for me – ''
The captain cut his words by putting an old piece of dirty tissue in his mouth. Draco did anything in his power not to throw up at the thought of what that piece of tissue might've cleaned in another life.
''Put him up!'' Weasley yelled.
Crabbe tied a rope around his waist, with the help of a strange mechanism and complex knot, Draco knew he could not try to escape this one. Goyle then threw the rope around the mast of the sail, climbed up the structure and tied it up in the air, then climbed down without hesitation, although the storm couldn't have brushed him off in the waters.
Crabbe and Goyle began to pull the rope, and Draco's weight slowly began his ascension in the air.
As Draco's feet left the ground, his body pulled over board, his life hanging on the rope of the ship, his body shook in all directions by the winds of storm, Draco thought it was the end. His adventure to find his Hermione would finish badly, Severus had sacrificed his life for nothing and his father would be left alone, without an heir. He tried not to be sick at the motion he was suffering. Sometimes, his feet would slip briefly over the water, and he tried his best not to think of all the creatures that could feed on him if they saw him hanging there. The boat was rocking back and forth on the huge waves. The skies continued to cry dark tears, as if it knew what faith he was destined to.
The Malfoy's heir lost track of time. He could have been hanging there for hours, of minutes, he didn't know anymore. He was soaked, cold, hungry, thirsty and shivering. The waters of the sea made his mouth tasted salty, and sometimes he was almost drowned by the waves. He had to cough his lungs out to hold on to life.
Draco caught the glimpse of Hermione's face in one of the waves which crushed down on him. His eyes locked with hers.
Hermione, he thought, I'm hallucinating, I know, but I'm so glad to see you before I past.
The hallucination didn't move. She was staring at him from the bottom of his feet, her face half hidden in her hair, and the waves didn't seem to affect her one bit.
That's when he clicked.
She was really there.
His eyes grew bigger at the realisation that her life was in danger, and he tried not to show the panic attack he was suffering not to warn the crew the mermaid was there – a few inches away from all the weapons pointed at the water.
She smiled wildly at him, and put one finger over her lips, the motion indicating him to keep quiet.
He had to find a way to communicate with her, to tell her that they wanted her blood more than anything and that she would be tortured alive for her fins, her hair, and everything that composed her was made of pure magic.
My star, he heard in his head. He looked at her, agape. Did she just invaded his thoughts? Her voice was soft and warm. He felt his body warming up at every syllable that followed.
I know they want me, but I can't save you now, she continued, her head still floating inches away from his feet. He caught a glimpse of her long tail, and thought it was beautiful.
I will wait for them to not expect me anymore, but I have to mark you, for other mermaids are roaming the sea to capture human males, she said. Her eyes looked sad. This will hurt, my love.
And then, a huge wave came crushing down the boat, half of it vanishing into the water. Draco's body plunged into so deep into the cold waters that he didn't even see the surface of the sea, he tried his best to hold his breath.
Then he felt it, an incredible pain in the middle of his back made him contort his body in hope to escape it. He had wanted to yell, but he couldn't afford that. By the time he could turn around to see what Hermione was doing to him, he felt her lips on his. She bit his lips, and the water around them tainted reddish for a second before the waters became dark again. Warmth spread through his body, from head to know, and he found that breathing underwater had become quite easier for gills had started to grow on his neck.
It was a brief kissed, because right then, he was pulled backwards by the rope. The last thing he saw, before fainting, was her sad face, surrounded by the hair, and her incredibly long purple tail moving under her. She was the most beautiful creature he had ever laid eyes on.
XX
''You – evil – little – useless – cockroach !'' He heard a raspy feminine voice yelled. ''You had one job! One simple job, might I had, and you ruined it!''
Draco was laying on his back, on the deck of the boat. It must've been close to mid day, because the sun was shining brightly, burning his skin and almost blinding him even if his eyes were closed.
''Bellatrix our plan didn't work –''
His words turned into a painful yell. Draco didn't dare to open his eyes but he knew that Weasel – or whatever his name was – was suffering a great deal of pain. Although it probably wasn't as half as much as being held out in the dark over board, crushed by waves and then bit by a mermaid.
And kiss by one too... he thought all of sudden.
It took all his mental strength not to open his eyes and check if he was indeed marked and if the gills were still on his neck. But he knew for sure that she had kissed him, because his lips were a bit swollen.
''Was he marked last night?''
''No – no we checked his chest and there's nothing,'' blurted out the captain of the Burrow, panting after his short session of torture.
Draco risked opening one eye slightly. All he could see was Bellatrix, the woman who has served him dinner back at the Philosopher Stone tavern, was walking on the deck, clearly pissed off.
The pieces of the puzzle fell slowly into place, when Draco noticed how she had aged a lot during the past few days. Her skin was wrinkle, her glorious dark hair was now stripped with locks of white and grey, her skin was stained with scars here and there. Even her robes seemed to be coming from another era. She seemed to have gained 80 years within days.
''You have three days,'' she hissed, her eyes looking crazy, ''when I come back, make sure that the mermaid is waiting for me.''
''Y-Yes ma'am – ''
In a mad laugh, she vanished, circled by a green puff of air.
Weasley then approached him without hesitation. He kicked Draco awake, and threw water on him.
''Wake up, your fucking lazy highness! We're going mermaid fishing!'' He spat with anger, his beard moving along his jaw making him look ridiculous. His cloth were dripping with blood, and he looked like a mad man.
''During day?'' Asked Draco innocently, yawning.
''During day,'' confirmed Weasley. ''Crabbe, Goyle, put him up like last night!''
''Sir, yes captain!'' Yelled the two fat fishermen nervously and tying up Draco immediately.
''She's never going to come,'' sang Draco as he was pulled up.
Weasley made a motion with his hand to stop the effort of Crabbe and Goyle. He walked toward Draco, menacingly.
''And why is that?'' Asked Captain Weasley pulling on Draco's ripped shirt. Their faces were inches apart.
''Because she's the brightest of them all, dirty scum,'' sang Draco happily, as if he just hadn't insult the man whom was toying with his life.
Furiously, Weasley ordered for Crabbe and Goyle to continue their work, and then walked up to the top of the boat to calm himself down. He hadn't noticed the night before, but the deck was incredibly huge. And the crew was as well. The members of the Burrow were running from side to side, putting weapons on the side of the ships, coming from the basement of the ship and climbing stairs to the upper deck. Men were also climbing up the sails to tie up ropes.
Draco's body was back where he had swung just a few hours ago. The sea was calm that day, and the turquoise waters reflected the sun like a mirror.
His escape didn't take less than two minutes.
He felt her presence before he could actually see her. He looked down at the calm waters. He noticed something large coming from the depth, and for a few seconds, panic seized him. What if it was a shark? Or a whale? Or a sea dragon? Did whales eat man? Did sea dragons really existed? Malfoy was weapon less, and couldn't do anything.
But before he could take in that it was Hermione, he noticed that she wasn't alone. Hermione was swimming faster and faster from the depth to gain speed, then jumped out of the waters, followed by hundreds of mermaid who jumped on the deck of the boat, and captured the members of the crew, one by one. The yells made him ears bleed, as he saw Crabbe and Goyle throw themselves overboard and being marked and drown by some mermaids who had been waiting for them.
Hermione managed to cut the rope from which he was hanging with her fins and fell back to the water.
Draco took a deep breath, falling down in her arms. Before he could thank her for her help, she started to untie the roped around him.
Then she looked at him deep in the eyes.
''Hold on to me, and don't let go,'' she whispered in the water, and he surprisingly understood her perfectly. ''Oh, and close your eyes please, my star.''
He put his arms around her waist, closed his eyes and she started to swim faster than he could ever expect to go on a ship.
****
Oh, yes, Ronald's in da game! Won't be seeing any of Harry though, sorry. I just imagine Rupert playing a pirate the other day, and couldn't resist to actually write him down in my fic.
What did you think? Did you expect Hermione to save her star ? (aka Draco)
Comment, vote, share!
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