A/N: I'm having too much fun writing this...probably because the kid in me wants to be a pirate.
She opened her eyes and was immediately blinded by the sunlight reflecting off the water. She turned away from the glare only to get knocked to the ground. The air in her lungs made a drastic exit from her body. Someone had kicked her down! She felt a large piece of metal bounce in the palm of her hand only to escape her grasp. Hermione looked over to notice it was a large silver sword that was now mere inches from her hand. Her instinct was to immediately retrieve it, but was halted by the weight of a boot pressing into her left shoulder.
She groaned at the pain shooting down her arm. She looked up at her assailant; a tall, thin man was currently pointing the end of his sword at her throat. With the sun shining behind him, and the shadow his hat cast upon him, made it difficult for her to see his face. He stood there for a moment before lifting his foot from her shoulder, still keeping the sword aimed at her throat, he crouched down beside her.
"Well, well, well. Look who we have here. I must say I wasn't expecting someone of your character to be joining the fight today, Granger. Don't you usually let your lackeys do all the dirty work for you?"
"I was bored." She stated.
The man above her chuckled, "So you decided to send them to their death? You have a twisted sense of adventure. Well, now that I have you, what to do with you?" he asked as he drew his face closer to hers, "Perhaps, I should throw you below for my men, they too have been bored."
Before the man had a chance to let her up, Hermione threw her head forward and connected her forehead with his nose. The man stumbled back, losing his hat in the process, covering his face with his hands. Hermione grabbed the short blade she kept in her boot; she placed the knife square against his Adam's apple, while the other hand grabbed a fist full of hair.
"I will not be your crew's toy tonight, Weasley." She hissed in his ear.
"Let him go, Granger." A voice from behind called.
Hermione heard the click of the musket behind her head. She looked over her shoulder.
"Going to shoot me Jordan?" she asked.
It was enough of a distraction for her prisoner to grab her wrist, wrench the blade from her hand, and push her against the rail of the ship.
Her captor glared at her, with one hand on her throat and the blade against her stomach. He looked her in the eye, there was slight fear, yet he could sense she was still calculating a way out of the situation. He saw her come to the realization that he had won, she sighed beneath him.
"How many Lee?" he asked.
"Five, sir. Her first mate among them." He responded.
"And the rest?"
"Their bodies are being thrown overboard as we speak, Captain." Lee stated.
"Good. Get me a pair of shackles." The Captain smiled, and waited until Lee left. "Now, back to our original inquiry… what to do with you? Since you disapproved of my generous offer of staying with the finest crew in this sea, perhaps you feel you deserve a higher quality living arrangement. Being a Captain and all, one does get used to living with the finer things," he explained as Lee returned with the shackles. He placed the shackles around her wrist and ensured they locked. "Since I am so merciful, you shall stay in my quarters, until I decide what to do with you. Lee, would you take the princess to my rooms, make sure no one goes in, no one comes out."
"Aye, Captain." Lee said as he grabbed Hermione's shirt at the shoulder and dragged her to the Captain's quarters.
She looked down towards the bow to see that indeed many of her men had been killed and were being piled up by the starboard rail. She watched as one crew member was leading Neville, her first mate, to the crew's quarters to be interrogated. The rest were being led to the brig. Neville caught her eye, giving her a slight nod. He was alright, and she knew he wouldn't reveal anything. Death before Betrayal. That was the way of it on her ship.
Lee gave a sharp tug on her shirt and brought her to the doors of Captain Weasley's quarters. Unlocking the door, he shoved Hermione in.
"Might as well take a seat, princess. The Captain might be a while, what with torturing the rest of your crew and all." Lee stated as he pulled a chair out for her at the large table in the middle of the room.
Hermione lifted her chin and obliged his offer.
"You won't get anything from them. Their too loyal to me." She defied.
"We wouldn't expect anything less. The dogs they are being led by the sea bitch. But never fear, your highness, the price on your heads maybe worth more to the Captain than the information you possess." Lee laughed as he left the room.
She heard the sound of the lock turning, and his footsteps departing down the hall. She reached up to pull one of the pins from her hair. Her long braid fell onto her shoulder. Pieces of hair had come undone during the battle, framing her face. She took the pin and went to work on unlocking her shackles.
A slap rang threw the air.
Neville hit the floor, breathing heavily. His hands shackled, preventing him from cushioning his fall. They had been at this for an hour. He had been kicked, punched, nearly drowned, and now humiliated by being slapped around. His lip was bleeding, he could taste the metallic taste of blood in his mouth, his nose was burning from inhaling water, yet he refused to speak.
"Where are you releasing the creatures?!" The Captain yelled.
Neville rolled to his side, glaring at his interrogator.
"I grow tired of this game. I have shown you great mercy. If you tell me where you release the creatures, you, your Captain, and the rest of your crew will be set free. Leaving with nothing more than the scars you gained today. Remain silent, and I will be forced to return you to Gryffindor to face the wrath of your king."
"I have no king." Neville hissed.
"Mmm, perhaps. I do believe that the price for your head is…what…twenty thousand galleons?" the Captain looked to Lee for confirmation.
"Aye, sir. I believe a hanging is in order as well for the crew too." Lee stated.
"And you think bringing us back to Gryffindor will save you from the noose? You're just as wanted as we are. You'd be lucky to make port before the king's guard captured you." Neville spit as he got back up on his knees.
"Ahh, but you see, I have the princess, and as long as I have her within my grasp, no harm shall come to me or my crew." The Captain responded, "So…I'll give you one last chance… where are the creatures?"
One Year Prior
"Darling, do you have to go? I'm sure Neville could handle the run to Slytherin."
Hermione turned from her desk with a hand full of maps and walked them over to the large dining table in the center of the room. She spread the first map out and placed her weighted stones on the corners. She looked up at the prince.
"Harry, you know Neville and Draco don't get along. Father assigned me as the head of trades for a reason." She said,
"Because you can read a map and sense the changing of the winds?" he asked as he pressed her back against the edge of the table.
"No, because of my charming personality." She whispered as she rose up onto her toes to kiss him. "And besides, Father said once I secure this shipment, and make the trade, trading between the two lands will become vastly simple. So my talents will be far less needed, which means I will be home longer, and we can prepare for the wedding."
"How will it become simpler?" Harry asked.
"Father didn't say, but that the cargo was of high importance in the truce of our lands. I have been given the best soldiers to protect us on our trip, in case we run into pirates." She answered.
"Granted, Dean is good with a sword, I highly doubt that Seamus is considered the most outstanding soldier in the land." Harry worried.
"Ahh, but he is highly gifted at manning the canons. He has come up with a new mixture of gun powder, faster burn, increased speed of the ball, means more damage."
Harry gave her a long look. Hermione sighed.
"Look, I bring the cargo to Draco, he pays me, I come home. It shouldn't be more than a week. Besides the last I heard, the Weasley's were out scouting Ravenclaw. I won't even be a sight in their telescopes."
Hermione had worked her way out of her shackles hours ago. She took the time to scout the room for any type of weapon. Yet, it seemed that Captain Weasley kept his armory on him during the day. She did find a letter opener on the desk, it would have to do.
She scanned the maps that were laid out on the desk. While she knew Weasley brothers had recently frequented the lands of Ravenclaw, the tales of the riches that Rowena Ravenclaw had come to light, and as some of the more ruthless pirates, how could they resist. But why they ceased their explorations and came after her crew was what confused her.
She heard footsteps making their way down the hall. Quickly she placed the unlocked shackles around her wrists and sat back in the chair Lee offered her. She could hear the Captain giving orders to his first mate before he entered the room.
He casually made his way over to his armoire; he shouldered out of his coat, and placed his hat on the shelf. He then made his way over to the small table that held a carafe of rum. As he poured a drink, he turned his head slightly towards her with a smirk.
"Let's not pretend as if we both know you managed to free yourself, or that you are currently hoarding my letter opener in your corset."
Hermione released her hands and dropped the shackles on the floor, and then pulled the small blade out of her shirt and placed it on the table.
"There, I always found honesty was the best policy. You on the other hand, have trained your dogs not to bark. It's sad that a Captain will stand by and watch her crew be beaten, instead of sharing with the rest of us. We are all pirates after all; we should be helping each other, no?"
"I am no pirate." Hermione hissed.
"Really, then what would you call yourself? A revolutionary? A savior? A traitor? I wonder what your father would call you. Or even Prince Harry? How did that shanty go…?You promised me you'd marry me, But how you did deceive me…" he said as he drew closer to her. "Don't lie to yourself, love. You're as much as a pirate as I am."
"I thought you were scouting the outskirts of Ravenclaw, what are you doing out here?" she asked trying to change the subject.
"My brother has taken charge of the search for Ravenclaw's treasure, but I am interested in what you're doing." He stated.
Hermione smiled, "And how is George?"
"Better, now that his ear has healed, no thanks to you." He sneered.
"If he wanted it back, all he had to do was ask. I keep it in a jar in my officer's quarters. But that should teach him a lesson about trying to track me. One I'll be teaching you very soon, Fredrick."
He slammed his glass down on the table and grabbed her by the neck, forcing her out of her seat and against the table. He reached for the letter opener she had placed on the table and held the tip against her heart.
"And how will you do that, princess. You are unarmed, and no match against me." He whispered.
He gazed upon her form, as her hands tried to find some means of escape, luckily for him, all his map weights were out of reach.
"Perhaps it is I who should be teaching you…" he threatened as the letter opener sliced through the thread of the button of her shirt.
His hand upon her throat moved to the back of her head and grabbed her braid, forcing her head back. He breathed against her bare neck as he spoke.
"A wise decision on my part…not giving you to the men. I have better uses for you."
Her breathing increased.
"Do your worst, but I will never give you what you truly seek." She whispered back as she tightened her legs up against his sides.
Fred pushed back so she was lying on the table. He forced the rest of her shirt open and began working on the complicated laces of her corset.
She was breathing rapidly; muscles were contracting as she grabbed a hold of his shoulders. She felt her climax building, as she moaned in his ear, lifting herself upon him. Her legs squeezing him closer. She felt him wrap his arms around her, as they changed from a sitting position, to him taking charge. She grabbed the headboard as he began to take charge. It wasn't long before they were overcome with sweet release.
"I am really going to miss you." He whispered in her ear.
"Pray that the winds will fill my sails, and I'll return to you quicker than the tides change." She said as she pushed his black hair out of his face.
The next morning the skies were clear and a good head wind was blowing to the east. Hermione dropped her sack on the dock for one of her crew members to take aboard. She made her way over to Neville who was busy making sure that the inventory of supplies was in order.
"Couldn't ask for a more perfect day to set sail." She said as she glanced at the list.
"Aye, red sky last night. Let's hope it holds out for the entirety of the trip. Especially this wind. The quicker we get home the better." Neville said as he continued to check off items as they went up the ramp.
"Oh come now Neville. Draco isn't that bad. Merely a puppet under his father's strings. But on his own, he's harmless."
"Still doesn't mean I have to like the git."
Hermione rolled her eyes and began to board her ship. The Scarlet Rose was the envy of all the ships in the Hogwarts isles. Red oak, scarlet sails, with the flags of Gryffindor and a rose dancing in the wind off the main mast.
She roamed the decks, ensuring her crew was doing what they could to make it an easy departure. She watched as the precious cargo was lifted from the dock and guided into the hold. She saw Seamus and Dean coming out of the Officer's quarters, and making their rounds on the deck. Neville soon joined her at the wheel.
"All set, Captain." He said.
"All to stations, we depart immediately!" she yelled to the crew. The bustle of men quickly reporting to their designated spots and the repeat of her commands rang through the air.
"Let's take her sea."
It was two days later, and the Scarlet Rose had made good time, they would be arriving in Slytherin early the next evening. Yet, there was a sense of uneasiness amongst the crew. She was sitting in the mess hall during dinner and overheard some of the whispers.
"I swear to ye mate, I heard scratching coming from the hold."
"Aye, I heard it too, and young Master Colin thought he heard voices."
"Nonsense, Master Colin still believes in monsters under his cot, little does he realize it just be Will snoring at night."
"No, I heard them too, more like whispers, almost as if the wind was talking."
Hermione found this strange. Sure, her crew held the typical sailor superstations, never leave port on a Friday, or when the sky is red in the morning, but the notions of whispers and noises coming from the ship was not typical talk at the table. Having her curiosity peeked, she quietly left the hall and made her way to the hold.
She was sure it would be nothing more than a stow away, she met Neville in her travels towards the hold. She grabbed him by the elbow and steered him towards the ladder that led to the hold.
"Not that I often question your motives, Captain, but what are we doing?" he asked.
"Shhh, listen." She said as she placed a finger to her lips.
They stood at the base of the ladder. At first all they heard was the normal creaking of the ship as the waves rocked it, they heard distant footfalls of the crew on the deck. But then a small scratching noise came from the back of the hold. Hermione pointed out the noise to Neville, and he gave a nod to confirm. As quietly as they could, they each pulled their swords from their sheaths and stepped closer towards the noise.
A soft whisper danced across the stale air. The two glanced over towards the large crate. Neville signaled to her that he would circle the left side and she the right. She nodded and began side stepping along the crate. The two of them reached the other side, hoping they would find the stow away, but came up empty.
Hermione gave him an odd look. Neville began to glance around the area to see if they had missed something, when another whisper reached their ears. Only this time from within the crate. Neville walked a few paces back towards the ladder to retrieve a crowbar. Hermione unclasped her musket from her hip; she nodded to Neville to begin. Neville inserted the crow bar under the lid, and with a great heave lifted the front corner. They heard a shuffling from within. Neville made quick work of the other three corners, dropped the crowbar, and lifted his sword. He shoved the lid off the crate, and they both leaned in with weapons ready.
Hermione stopped when her musket was aimed between two very large brown eyes.
"Please…princess…do not hurt us…" it said.
"My god." Neville whispered. "Elves, I thought they were a myth."
"So did I." Hermione responded lowering her musket and sword. She scanned the creatures; there must have been at least twenty-five or so. "Did you know about this?" she turned on Neville.
"No! How would I know about this?" he yelled.
"You're in charge of the inventory!" she accused.
"I am! And I can assure you Captain; Elves were not on the list." He responded.
"The king…" one elf whispered. "The king put us in here. Says we are to go to the land of snakes, work as slaves for the king of snakes. That the king of lions and the king of snakes are to rule over all us creatures."
"Why would your father want elves working in Slytherin?" Neville inquired.
"We elves work in the castle. We cook, we clean, and we are messengers. Our magic allows us to travel from land to land. Never to be seen or heard." Another explained.
"Then why not use your magic to escape the crate?" Neville asked.
"Oh no Sir! We elves must obey our masters, the rulers of the land. King of Lions said we are to go to the land of snakes."
"Do you receive payment for your work?" Hermione asked.
"No, princess. We are enslaved to the rulers."
"Dear Merlin." Hermione sighed.
She looked at Neville. His face must have mirrored hers; he looked just as shocked and outraged. She turned back to the elves.
"Are there more of you? Here on the ship?" she asked.
"I don't believe so, but we did see jars filled with light being packed in another crate. A small one." One answered.
"If I let you out, will you help me find this crate?" Hermione asked.
"Hermione…" Neville interrupted.
She held up her hand to signal him to stop, she looked back at the elf. "Will you?"
"Of course, princess."
Hermione reached in and offered her hand. The elf was very light, thinner than she expected. He was dressed in rags covered in dirt. His hands were callused from work. She set him down on the floor. Hermione glanced over at Neville, who had set his jaw.
The elf began to search to cargo hold. Hermione began to follow him, only to have Neville take her elbow.
"Are you sure about this? How can we be sure we can trust them?" he whispered.
"What reason do they have to lie?" Hermione responded and went to follow the elf.
After a minute or so the elf pointed at a small crate on top of several others.
"There, princess." He said.
Hermione looked to Neville. He grabbed the crowbar and made his way over to them. Hermione climbed on the bottom crate and reached for the small wooden box. She passed it down to Neville who worked on the corners.
Inside were several small jars. When Hermione lifted a jar, at first she thought they were filled with flies, but slowly they began to glow. Each with its own unique color, they flew around in the jar, crashing against its side.
"They are used as decorations. Made to stay in one place until they are recaptured or die." The elf explained.
Hermione looked at Neville with disbelief.
"I need a moment to think." Hermione said as she placed the jar down.
She made her way over to ladder in order to get some fresh air.
'Think, Hermione, think. Elves, Fairies, Slytherin, slaves, Father, think!' Hermione paced weighing out the options. 'Maps, islands, Slytherin to the east, Gryffindor to the west, islands…islands….Hogsmeade!' She snapped her fingers and made her way back to Neville.
"We set a new course." She said firmly.
"A new course? What about Slytherin?" Neville asked.
"Neville, we can't send them there. It would be a death sentence. We set a new course for Hogsmeade isle."
"Hogsmeade? There's nothing there!"
"Precisely." There was a glimmer in her eye.
"Hermione…you realize, if we do this, we will become traitors of the crown. We will start a war between Gryffindor and Slytherin. We can't go home."
"I know."
Fred's fingers were tangled in the laces of her corset. He cursed and reached for the letter opener. 'I just cut the blasted thing open.' He got the blade under the bottom lace when a knock came at the door.
"WHAT!?" he snapped as he threw the blade to the ground and stared at the door.
"Sir, the men just finished ransacking her ship and found…oh…I can come back…" Lee said as he began to back out of the room.
"No…come in…this can wait. What did you find?" Fred said as he backed away from the table.
Hermione righted herself and clutched her shirt together. She looked over at Lee, who was giving her an odd look. He quickly looked back at his captain.
"Well?" Fred demanded.
"Uh…maps, sir. We found these maps hidden under her mattress." Lee stuttered as he placed the maps on the table.
Hermione gave the maps a side glance.
"Maps hidden under a mattress? What have you to hide princess?" Fred asked as he began to unravel one.
He glanced at the first one, an old course map of trading routes between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. Fred quickly tossed it aside and grabbed another, exploration drawings of the small islands off the coast of Gryffindor, again tossed aside. But when Fred reached for the third, he noticed a small reaction from Hermione. A quick intake of breath was all he needed to know he found what he needed.
He smirked at her as he slowly unraveled the map. But one look at the map, and the smirk was instantly gone.
"Hogsmeade Isle. You've brought the creatures to Hogsmeade Isle?" Fred glared at her. It was then that he remembered that Lee was still in the room. "Leave us." He said to his first mate.
Fred waited until Lee closed the door.
"Why would you bring them there?" he demanded.
"Why are you so interested in them, Captain?" she hissed.
"That is none of your business." He countered.
"I thought honesty was your best policy." She threw back at him.
Fred didn't answer her. He took to studying her map. Hermione took the moment to study him. Captain Fredrick Weasley, one of the few truly feared pirates of the seas. He and his twin brother George were known for their tactical display of seizing a ship or town and plundering it for all it was worth. From what she knew of their tale, he came from a large family that could barely feed all their children. Their father, cast out from the court of Gryffindor, when his suggestions on how to handle the lower class became outlandish and foolish. Their mother, a lady of the house with a trade in sewing and cooking made little money selling her wares. It was rumored that the twins first became pirates after their beloved sister was kidnapped in a raid. Rumor had it, a vicious band of pirates took her for their own, and the twins seized a ship to go after them.
They were unsuccessful. Their ship was not built for speed, and the pirates soon got away. Yet from that day on, the twins went on to pillage better ships, faster ships, gained a following and a crew. They funded their excursions by stealing from others, pirates mostly, and the occasional wealthy town. It is believed that they are still searching for their lost sister, still searching for the ship that took her.
"It is impossible, how could you have gotten the cargo onto the island? It is surrounded by mermaids. Surely you would have lost men, and mermaids aren't very fond of human females either." He seemed to be talking to himself, not really expecting her to answer.
"Living creatures aren't cargo." She snapped.
Fred looked up at her. He saw the fire in her eyes, he had pissed her off.
"You see them as equals? These beasts?" he asked her.
"I will not stand by while foul beings like yourself use them as slave laborers. They deserve to live freely, happily. Not die from starvation and being over worked just so you can have clean shirts and food on the table. Nor will I stand by and watch them be traded between our countries to keep a false peace. No, they will all be free while I am alive." She piped.
Fred continued to stare at her a moment before letting out a small chuckle.
"Spoken like a true royal. That spark you have for this fight, I can see now why Prince Harry would sleep with you." He boldly stated.
Hermione slapped him. Hard.
"That one princess, you get for free, but the next one will come at a price. You will show me how you got them on the island or you will watch as I send your crew overboard with cannon balls tied to their feet." He grabbed her by the back of the neck and shoved her face towards the map.
"Someone is paying you to find them, aren't they? Is it the Malfoys? Do they feel cheated out of the ridiculous bargain my father gave them? How much are they paying you?" she asked with her face pressed to the table.
"You know nothing of what you speak. Now tell me! How did you get the beasts on the island?!" he yelled.
Hermione glanced at him out of the corner of her eye.
"Magic." She whispered.
A/n: So...what did you think? Leave a review, next chapter should be up shortly... and trust me when I say there will be quite a twist...mwhahaha.