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PIRATEY THINGS!


The skeletal ship moored in the underground bay groaned and creaked as it swayed gently in the dark black water. Torches flickered, giving the spooky ship a ghostly feeling, casting long shadows across the deck. A thickset boy, wearing the wool and fur uniform of Durmstrang, sat on the deck, reading a book that he had balanced on his knee. The bay had been so peaceful… until --

There was suddenly a great deal of commotion and the heavy set boy dropped his book on the deck and watched with wide eyes.

“PATRONUS MAXIMA!” the voices of the Prewett twins rang together across the cavern, their arms shaking as they stood in the mouth of the corridor that led out from the castle. The tone of their combined voices seemed to be begging even the magic itself to hold up. Chriselda Blythe was sobbing as she staggered along before them - Bilius clutching onto her, trying to comfort her, but unsuccessful in his efforts. Dorcas Meadowes, who was also trying to help Chriselda, gave up and turned to join the twins, seeing that they’d come to the end of the protection of the hallway and the Prewett’s charms could only withstand so much as the Death Eaters sent their own spells crashing into it, trying to weaken the shield, trying to get around to attack. The look of bloodthirst in their expressions burned, and rang in their voices. They wanted blood. Peter Pettigrew stood on the dock with Maryrose Jenkins, the weakened Remus Lupin shaking as his arms were draped over their shoulders, clinging and looking thoroughly miserably up toward the ship with an expression of fear. Also looking rather miserable, though in a different way than the bedraggled Remus Lupin was, stood Severus Snape - the only one below that the Durmstrang boy recognized - carrying an absolutely shattered James Potter over his shoulder.

The Durmstrang boy stared in wonder and confusion at all of the people below - but most especially Severus Snape, who was the only one of the lot of them that he actually recognized. What was he doing??

Suddenly there was a wand pressed to the back of the boy’s neck. There hadn’t been a sound behind him - not that he’d heard, not so much as the creak of a floorboard, even!

“Hullo. If you’re holding a wand, I suggest that you drop it now,” came a low voice from behind him.

The boy put his hands up into the air to show his captor that there was no wand in his hands.

“How many people are on the ship right now?”

“Me and maybe a couple others below,” the boy said, his voice thick with Russian accent. “I am not sure.”

“My name is Sirius Black,” the voice continued, “I’m sure you’ve heard of my family?”

The boy nodded.

“Heard what a terrible, fearsome bunch the Black family is?” he asked.

The boy nodded again.

“Well it’s all true,” Sirius murmured, “Heard of Voldemort, yeah? Well my Father was one of his greatest supporters… Vicious man, my Father was… Typical of the Black family. And if you don’t help me and my friend here out, you’re going to experience it first hand just how much of that is in my blood.” His voice was as threatening as he could muster it to be. He twisted the wand against the boy’s skin. “Do you understand?”

“Yes,” the boy’s voice tremored.

“Very good! Smashing!” Sirius exclaimed. “Now, we’re going to need to board the ship, my friends and I, you’ve seen them down below there... and we’re going to need you to show us how to drive the ship.”

“Drive the ship?!” the boy exclaimed.

“Yes, we’ll be needing it to escape and… other Piratey Things,” Sirius declared.

“And where do you think you are taking our ship?” the Durmstrang boy demanded.

“Oh to Hogwarts, of course, my good man,” said Sirius. He paused and turned to look at Lily Evans, who was just pulling herself over the edge of the ship where they’d climbed up a rope ladder. “Evans, this kind fellow’s agreed to help us man the ship.” He grinned.

Lily raised an eyebrow at the way Sirius’s wand pressed into the skin no the back of the boy’s neck, “I’ve a feeling he’s less agreed than been made to agree.”

“Po-tay-toes, po-tah-toes, Evans!” Sirius replied. “Now, kind fellow, my friends are carrying some precious cargo down below there and there’s no way for them to climb that bleedin’ rope ladder. Certainly there’s a gang-plank?”

The boy nodded jerkily.

“Be a lamb,” Sirius said, grinning as the wand nudged against the nape of the boy’s neck. “Show me the way?”

The Durmstrang boy led the way across the deck to the trap door that led below into the belly of the ship and Sirius followed along, wand never straying, with Lily coming up behind him, covering his back, prepared to hex or charm their way out of any sticky situations that may arise. The boy was careful though, afraid of what a member of the notorious Black family might do, and he simply showed them exactly what they wanted - the door that opened on the side of the belly of the ship.

Sirius hastened to command the boy to help him and Lily in getting the gangplank pushed out the door, to bridging the gap between the shore and the ship as it rocked in the water. Below, on the wood piers stood most of the others - Peter, Maryrose, Remus, Severus with James, Chriselda Blythe, and Bilius Weasley. Across the cavern, barricading the door with their spells, stood the Prewett twins and Dorcas Meadowes, struggling to hold back the Death Eaters, their shield charms cracking and hissing, weakening.

“C’MON!” Bilius shouted, seeing the gangplank coming through the side of the pirate ship, lowering toward them - hope for escape, “Let’s go!”

Gideon glanced back over his shoulders, saw them scrambling on board the ship and he yelled, “Dorcas! Go! We’ll hold them back.”

Dorcas hesitated.

“Go!” Gideon repeated.

Dorcas turned and ran for the ship. The moment her spell dropped from the shield, it was weakened even further and although both Prewetts were doing their very best to uphold the spell, the charm’s protection began to break down and patches broke, melting away. Sparks flew through the shield, and the jets of magic connecting the shield to their wand arms shook violently and the force of the Death Eaters attacks threw the twins backwards onto the stone together, their shouts identical as their backs hit the ground.

“Expecto patronum!” Dorcas cried, looking over her shoulder and her wand burst a brilliant light and a great big mare fell from her wand and galloped quickly back at the Death Eaters as they poured from the corridor, slamming into them and side-butting their, slowing them for a second before bursting out of existence. But it was long enough for Gideon and Fabian to scramble to their feet and dive for the boat.

“Hurry, hurry, hurry!” Bilius cried, ushering Chriselda through the mouth of the door on the ship right behind Remus, Maryrose, Severus with James, and Peter Pettigrew. “Dorcas, c’mon.”

“I’m coming.” Dorcas stood paused, though, halfway across the gangplank, watching fearfully as the Prewetts ran like hell for the ship, their faces broken with sweat from the exertion of the shield they had held for so long, and at the plank they scrambled madly, Gideon going first and pushing Dorcas forward, followed by Fabian…

“Avada Kedavra!” screamed Rudolphus Lestrange, and Bellatrix cackled as the spell flew from her husband’s wand and struck -- the side of the ship, as Fabian Prewett only just barely managed to sidestep the jet of green light.

There was an explosion of black, moldy wood, and Dorcas let out a shriek as it splashed into the water, leaving a gaping hole in the side. She threw herself through the door and Bilius caught her, straightening her up and turning to urge on the Prewetts. “C’mon, c’mon!!”

The two twins were nearly there - Gideon but a step and Fabian right behind him - when some spell hit Fabian in the back and he stumbled forward into Gideon, knocking his brother through the door as he slammed into him, his eyes wide with shock of the pain that ran through his veins very suddenly as his blood felt like electricity had been charged with in him.

“OH GODS,” cried Gideon, feeling the pain that brought a scream to Fabian’s lips.

Chriselda Blythe quickly aimed her wand, “Finite incantantum!”

Fabian tremored a moment more as the spell ended and he lay still as Gideon twisted over to inspect his brother, whose eyes were unfocused by the pain.

“ALL ABOARD THEN? ALRIGHT!” Sirius cried. Spells were striking the ship now, he could hear the already worn out wood cracking and giving in, “No time to spare! C’mon you -- time to man the revolution!” and he roughly grabbed hold on the Durmstrang boy’s arm and wrenched him back the way they’d come, back to the main deck...

The Death Eaters were blasting the sides of the ship with spells, making it rock even harder than it had been before and the deck tilted and dipped as Sirius pushed the Durmstrang boy across toward the helm as the others emerged from the galley. They could hear Bellatrix Lestrange shrieking and Sirius pushed the Durmstrang boy against the helm. “Get us out of here!” Sirius shouted, “Get us out!”

And the boy, just as afraid of the Death Eaters below as any of the others were, grabbed hold on the ship’s helm.

Dorcas Meadowes and the Prewetts were leaning over the sides of the ship, sending showers of spells down upon the Death Eaters, and Bilius left the still crying Chriselda Blythe sitting on wood barrel with Maryrose Jenkins and ran to help. Remus, Peter, and Lily were crowded around Severus Snape - Peter holding Remus up now as Remus looked a bit green from the wavering of the ship’s deck - swaying up and down and up and down - and Lily accioed an old sail that lay on the deck, where there had been repairs being made to the ship and Severus lay James Potter upon it, and he groaned and his ragged breathing shivered all the more… Lily threw herself to her knees on the deck beside him, grabbing onto his hand.

“It’s alright, James, we’re nearly out now,” she promised.

His eyes fluttered at the sound of her voice and he looked up at her through barely opened lids, a blurry image of red and green against the grey backdrop of the cavern. “Evans,” he breathed.

Lily clung all the tighter. “I’m here, James. I’m right here.”

And the lines of worry melted off his forehead, his grip still tight on her hand, but his eyes closed and Lily felt a sob catch in her throat.

Suddenly one of the masts flew past overhead, controlled by Sirius, who was changing their direction, and the pole very nearly caught them in the heads - had Peter not pushed Remus’s head down, he certainly would’ve been struck by it, and Severus swore, “What the bloody hell does he think he’s doing?” and he turned and dashed up the stairs to the higher deck where Sirius was shouting commands for the magically controlled ship.

Peter set Remus down on the end of the mast, by James’s feet, and Remus, trembling, rubbed his knees and looked over at James, “C’mon, Prongs,” he pleaded, “It’ll be alright.”

“Yeah, Prongs,” Peter agreed in a pleading voice.

Above, Severus was pulling himself across the deck as the ship began to violently change direction, the deck dipping to the left harshly. “You have to cut the hawser!” he bellowed.

“The what?” Sirius asked.

Severus aimed his wand for the thick rope at the end of the ship, mooring it to the shore, “Relashio!” he bellowed and the rope snapped with a loud cracking sound and the ship moved forward in the water and Sirius hooted, catching onto the Durmstrang boy for support, having no sort of sea legs at all. And Severus waved his wand at the rigging, tightening it ‘round the cleats across the deck so that the masts would steady - and the wind caught the mounted sails and they billowed out and the cracks and pops of magic from the Death Eaters below intensified with frustration as the ship pulled away from the shore, rocking harshly in the water, and Sirius ducked as a jet of green light only narrowly missed striking him.

The Prewetts and Dorcas ran along the deck, keeping themselves facing the Death Eaters, blocking the spells and hurriedly repairing damages to the ship that their magic was creating, raparo-ing the hull...

“FULL SPEED AHEAD!” Sirius shouted, “HOIST THE MAIN SAILS! SWAB THE POOP DECK! AND ALL SORTS OF PIRATEY THINGS!” He waved his wand before him like a sword as the boat swayed it’s way toward the mouth of the cavern, escaping…

Severus rolled his eyes at the Durmstrang boy, who looked too frightened of Sirius to question the clueless shouting of random phrases.

The ship dipped and swayed across the bay - through the mouth of the cavern and onto the bay beyond, sliding from beneath the stone and into the simulated sunshine of the magically created sky, across glistening blue water that sparkled like diamonds, away from the castle. Laying on the deck, the sunshine hit James Potter’s face and he groaned and winced as the light flooded over him and Lily reached down to shield his eyes from the brightness of it. “We’re nearly there, James, nearly there.”

And the ship dipped it’s way across the water until they’d reached the center and Severus Snape lowered his wand and the riggings came out from the cleats and the sails were loosed and the ship slowly glided to a stop and Sirius looked around as the hull turned in the water, the speed they’d been moving at releasing and turning the ship about.

There was a gut wrenching pause in which the ship sat perfectly still upon smooth, perfectly still water and Sirius felt a moment of nervous energy swell inside him. Had he allowed Snape and this Durmstrang boy to bring them out to the middle of the water only to strand them until Voldemort could regroup and attack? Were they sitting ducks?

He turned to ask Snape, opening his mouth to speak the words, when the Durmstrang boy reached for a lever and there was a great shuddering feeling that went up through the ship and Sirius grabbed onto a rail to steady himself as the ship suddenly started to move again, the masthead tuning, leading the way, and the ship tilted slightly to one side - crates and barrels and anything not fastened securely down began to slide across the decks. A shriek went up from below as Maryrose lost her footing and fell onto the wood, and Dorcas Meadowes started to as well, but Gideon Prewett caught her up, pulling her into his chest as he grabbed hold of one of the ship’s cleats and they stared at each other in surprise at how close they were… and Bilius leaned over the side to see the water below them was opening up into a great yawn and the ship was spinning ‘round the funnel formed in the water, moving rapidly ‘round the opening, moving downward in a great spiral, downward into darkness below the surface.

“WHAT IS HAPPENING?” screamed Sirius.

“YOU WANTED TO GO TO HOGWARTS, YEAH?” yelled the Durmstrang boy. “WELL --”

And the ship sank beneath the bay.