I must be mad for taking on a another multi chaptered fic, especially considering that I haven't even finished my other one. Hopefully since this is a sort of collab with my friend, Tish, it won't take months for an update. Hopefully.
This is a long A/N, but bear with me. So, in case you haven't realised, this is completely AU. No magic whatsoever and everyone (or nearly everyone) is a pirate. This has been in the making for a while now, ever since I posed a simple question during the midst of of the Jily Pirate Fest over on tumblr. Speaking of pirates, since my only form of 'research' was watching Pirates of the Caribbean, I'm pretty sure that when it comes to the intricacies of sailing and piracy, I may make quite a few missteps in that area. Cookies if you correct me.
Disclaimer: Anything that you recognise belongs to the great JK Rowling.
Twist of Fate
The street was abuzz with the flutter of activity. Children shrieked and giggled with happiness as they ran in and out of the densely packed crowd with their parents fruitlessly calling out to them to stay put. Buyers bartered over produce with the many vendors that lined the sides of the street, while others tried to weave through the throngs of patrons, whether it was to get to their homes or the nearest pub. The hustle and bustle was a way of life here at this well known port.
An angry shout was barely heard over the melee as five burly (and evidently furious) men thundered out one of the nearest pubs and into the busy lane, pushing everyone aside. A little way down, there were three other men running through the hubbub. Unlike the previous five, these were tall and lanky (and evidently running from the evidently furious men).
They pushed past everyone, throwing a muffled 'sorry!' over their shoulders every now and then, but continued to run.
"Why must you pick a fight with everything that moves, James?" called out a sandy haired man, who had just narrowly missed running into a tray of oranges. The merchant who stood behind him let loose a string of curses, but the other man paid him no heed.
"It's not my fault," the man, presumably James, replied, dodging a group of children. "They just misinterpreted me!"
"Can we talk later!" snapped their third companion. "We can decide what the wanker did to piss off a set of very large and very dangerous looking men when we're sure we're going to live!"
The other two men promptly shut up. Another angry yell was heard behind them and this time it sounded much closer and much more enraged than the last. The three men sped up.
"They are going to kill us," groused the sandy haired one, who was lagging behind slightly.
"Shut up Remus," the other two advised. They had been running for quite some time, hoping to reach the less shady part of town. The men had ventured out into the lesser known parts with the hopes of escaping the recognition that had plagued them in the heart of town. It had worked, but it also succeeded on getting them engaged in at least one other brawl before becoming subjected to running through the streets for their lives.
Soon however, the air was tinged with the smell of fish and the slight tang of salt. At this point, they had slowed their run to a jog and the men who went by the name of James and Remus glared at their companion.
"'Knew the way,' he said," mocked James, rolling his eyes. "'Can get us there safely,' he said."
"Sirius, this is most certainly not anywhere close to the inn that we were staying inn," Remus said tersely. "This isn't even in the vicinity!"
"I've noticed that!" retorted Sirius, frustrated, as he looked around the port.
"Then what the bloody hell are we to do?!" exclaimed James, running an irritated hand through his already messy hair. "We're here, on this... well, it looks like a less than honest port and the men who're trying to kill us are probably going to be here in the next minute or so. Brilliant. It's been nice knowing you, mates. Except for you, Sirius, because it's your fault that we're going to die. I'll haunt you in the afterlife."
"You're the one who started the fight," countered Sirius.
"Yes but you're the one who led us in the wrong direction."
"If either you or Remus had led we would have found ourselves falling off a cliff."
"Well then we'd have died either way!"
"Enough!" yelled Remus. "Arguing like five year olds is not going to help our situation. Now follow me. I have a plan."
The man led his two dark haired friends behind a set of large, wooden crates. Not a moment too soon, for as soon as Sirius' coat swished out of sight, the five men burst on to the scene in all their drunken glory. They cursed and yelled even more when they did not find the men and started looking for them.
"Now what?" whispered James. "It's only a matter of time before they find us."
Remus was silent for a moment, obviously thinking hard. After a few seconds, in which the cursing got louder, his eyes brightened and he glanced over his shoulder at the large ship behind him. He could not make out the name, but at that moment he did not care, as all that mattered was the fact that there was a board which allowed easy access on and off the ship.
"Now," Remus said as crawled on his hands and knees towards the board. It was just hidden by the crates, but not by much. "We board a ship."
"We what?" Sirius said, stunned. "You don't mean that ship, right?"
"Yes, I mean this ship." Remus raised an eyebrow. "Unless, of course, you rather be caught by our friends over there..."
Sirius immediately dropped onto his hands and knees. "Alright; I'm coming," he muttered as James followed suit. After a minute or so they had managed to climb on board the ship. The deck was startlingly empty and completely silent. The men stealthily slunk down the stairs.
"We should be safe here," Remus said quietly, as they finally came to a halt at the bottom.
"As long as this ship's crew decides not to kill us for trespassing," snorted Sirius, refraining from rolling his eyes.
Remus ignored him. "Let's just wait a few minutes for them to lose interest and then we can go back to the inn."
The other two nodded and soon it was still once more. However, that newfound silence was quickly broken as the sounds of voices drifted down the stairwell. The men's eyes widened and frantically started to search for a place to hide. A moment or two had passed before Sirius finally spotted a door hidden away in the corner. He jiggled the door knob, finding it to be open before catching the attention of his two mates and nodding towards it. He opened the door and they easily slipped in to the dark room, closing the door with a soft thud behind them.
James blinked a few times, trying to get accustomed to the darkness. Soon, he was able to distinguish the shadowy figures of his companions. Beyond them, he could also see the silhouettes of what seemed to be trunks upon trunks. One of the trunks was opened and James lightly brushed his hand over it, surprised to find whatever was inside of it was loose. He picked up a piece and was thoroughly surprised at what he found.
"Gold," he murmured mainly to himself.
"What was that?" asked Remus, squinting in the darkness at the direction in which he presumed his friend to be.
"These trunks are filled with gold," he repeated, running his hand over the rough face of the coin.
"Well that's good isn't it?" said Sirius. "If there're piles of gold on here then this must be one of your uncle's ships"
"Probably," mumbled James, still playing with the coin. Remus said nothing.
They were quiet for a while, save for the rhythmic clink of the coins.
"Can you hear anything now, Sirius?" said Remus, breaking the silence. Sirius pressed his ear more firmly against the wooden door. He listened for a moment before shaking his head.
"Whoever it was, they're gone now," he said, rolling his shoulders. "About time. Let's get out of here." He searched around for the doorknob. Frowning, he continued patting the door for the round ball that was supposed to be there until he gave up in defeat, realizing that there was not any.
"We have a bit of a problem," he ventured. "I can't find the doorknob."
"What do you mean you can't find the doorknob?" said James, having finally stopped playing with the coin and just held it in his hand.
"I mean that it's not there."
James blinked. "Not there? So we're locked in?" he demanded.
"At least it's one of your uncle's ships," Sirius said pitifully.
"I don't think so," Remus put in hesitatingly. "There wasn't a flag."
"A flag could be used to attract attention," said Sirius hopelessly.
Remus shook his head. "I think," he paused to take a deep breath. When he continued, his voice wavered slightly at the end. "I think that we got ourselves stuck on a pirate ship."
The only sound heard was that of the coin falling out of James' hand and clattering to the floor.
Sunlight streamed through the open window, illuminating the messy cabin. Heavy red drapes were impatiently pushed away from the gap, looking as though they hadn't moved from their position in years. The rest of the room possessed the same type of haphazardness. Shelves lined each wall, holding stacks upon stacks of books, papers and other various knick knacks. A large cabinet dominated the back wall, casing clothing, liquor and weaponry among other things. A small bed was opposite it, with its pillows falling off and sheets rumpled and creased. Clothes and maps were draped over every available surface, including the floor. Meanwhile, in the centre of the room, a large, sturdy wooden desk sat, covered with maps, broken quills, and empty inkwells in a seemingly endless mountain. Behind the desk was a small woman with a mass of copper coloured curls and a pair of vibrant green eyes which were currently trained on one of the many maps in front of her. She was dressed in tight fitting black pants and a loosed white shirt with black boots. She wore no jewellery aside from a thin strip of leather knotted around her wrist and a fine golden chain that lay hidden under the shirt.
There was a knock at the door, causing her to look up. The door opened slightly and a man with dark hair poked his head in and said, "We've set sail, Captain Evans. Any particular destination we should set course for?"
The Captain glanced down at her map once more before replying. "Head south west, as far from the coast as possible but within the channel. And out of French waters," she tacked on to the end, thoughtfully.
The dark haired man nodded his head and closed the door. The Captain stood up and stretched before removing the leather band from her hand and using it to tie up her hair. She had a revolver tucked away safely in her weapons belt and a knife hidden in her boot. Her sword lay neglected atop her desk, doubling as a paper weight since she had no use for it at the moment. The Captain walked out of the cabin and on deck to check on the rest of her crew and her ship. The Phoenix was the Captain's pride and joy and it was also one of the fastest ships on the seven seas. The wind was lightly blowing, and she could see the inlet where they had just ported getting smaller and smaller until it eventually disappeared over the horizon. The sun brilliantly glinted off the greenish blue of the ocean while the waves gently rocked the ship. The Captain made her rounds on deck, talking easily with the crew members while tying and untying the riggings, making sure the ship was in top shape before retreating to her cabin once more.
It was not until more than an hour later that there was another knock on her door. This time, it was a tall man with red hair that stepped into the room, shutting the door behind him. He looked solemn while confusion glittered in his eyes that made the Captain shoot to her feet, immediately ignoring the maps.
"Fabian, what...?" she trailed off, searching his face for a hint of what was going on. She grasped the hilt of her sword unconsciously.
"We have a bit of a problem, Lily," the red headed man, Fabian, told her.
"What is it?" she asked, swinging on her sword and moving towards the door, only to be blocked by Fabian. She took a deep breath. "I swear to God, Prewett if there's something with my ship and you're here keeping me back, I'll run you through with this sword."
"No, nothing's wrong with the ship," he reassured her. He paused, deliberating how much he should tell her. "It's... well, you should see." And he moved past her, opening the door.
Most of the crew had gathered a bit further away, mumbling uneasily amongst themselves until they saw Lily and Fabian coming through. They quieted and parted to let the Captain and first mate through. The scene that greeted her was something that she certainly had not expected, and it brought her to a complete stop, unable to say anything.
In front of her stood three men, each with their hands tied behind their backs. Two of them were dark haired while the other had sandy brown hair. The sandy haired was easily the tallest one and Lily was sure that he towered over her by nearly a foot, at the most. His eyes were a muted greenish blue colour, and his skin was paler than the others with a layer of wiry muscle beneath it. Lily could not put a finger on it, but there was a sickly look about him as his eyes nervously flickered over the pirates surrounding him. He did a good job hiding his anxiousness, she mused, watching him carefully.
The man standing next to him was shorter than him, but only just, and had a bit more muscle than the previous one and did not possess the sickly looking pallor. His dark hair flirted with the collar of his shirt as he looked over the crowd disinterestedly, almost lazily, as though being found on a pirate ship was a mere inconvenience for him. However, if Lily looked close enough, she could see that underneath all of that bravado, his muscles were pulled taut and his grey eyes were hardened.
The last man stood directly in front of the Captain, with his head raised and jaw clenched. He was about the same height as his dark haired counterpart, but instead of having neat, groomed hair, his was a chaotic mess, sticking up in each and every direction. He was lean and was staring at nothing in particular with a cold expression, as a number of emotions swirled around in his eyes.
Captain Evans surveyed the three men in front of her before turning to the crew. The look she gave them was so icy that they each took at least one step back. There was a reason she was one of the most feared pirates to ever sail the seas and her crew knew it. They also knew that if they challenged her authority when she was in a mood like that, it would guarantee being thrown overboard at the very least. No one dared to breathe.
"What are they," she sneered at the men behind her, "Doing here?"
"We- we found them ma'am," said Jack, one of the crew members.
"They were hiding down in the hold," added on Eddie. "We heard them talking."
The Captain surveyed the crew for a moment before turning back around. The three men were still in the same position as before: standing stock-still with their hands tied. However, instead of inspecting her crew as they did before, they were now regarding someone to her left- Fabian she realised belatedly- with unadulterated fear, as though he would strike them down if they so much as blinked.
"What are you doing on my ship?" asked Lily, her hand resting on the hilt of her sword. As soon as the words left her mouth, three surprised gazes snapped to her figure.
"Your- your ship?" the sandy haired boy stated confusedly, openly staring at her. "This is your pirate ship?"
Lily scrutinised him before nodding tersely. Someone scoffed to her right. She looked over and saw the man with the messy hair regarding her condescendingly.
"This can't be your ship. You're a woman," he snorted. "Women can't be captains. Especially the captain of a pirate ship." Even before the last word was uttered there were at least ten swords pointed at his jugular, held by at least ten angry pirates who wanted nothing more than to skewer the man who insulted their captain.
Lily smiled at him. A cold, feral smile that scared him much more than swords that were ready to swipe off his neck. She motioned to her crew to drop their weapons, which they did, albeit grudgingly. The Captain walked up to him, slowly and deliberately like a wolf circling its prey, with her hips swaying ever so slightly, only coming to a stop once she was a few inches away.
"Why don't you say that again," she murmured, trailing a hand down the side of his face. "And then we'll see what I'll do."
She waited until he nodded jerkily before taking a step back.
"Now," said Lily loudly enough for everyone on deck to hear. "What I want to know is how you got on my ship undetected, why you did and who you are."
The three of them nodded and delved in to their tale of being chased by a horde of angry- and drunk- pirates from the middle of town all the way to the pier. They needed someplace to hide and they saw her ship and scurried on without hesitation before inadvertently locking themselves in and becoming prisoners.
Lily mulled over their story, taking in every little detail of it before nodding once. "And your names?" she asked when they finished. They hesitated and she saw them glance at each other furtively as though they were having a silent conversation. "Come now," she said airily. "Don't give me incentive to run you through with a sword for lying to me. I just had the deck swabbed."
They glanced at each other again, but this time it was different.
Finally, the one in the middle- the one who hadn't said anything as yet- stepped forward. "Sirius Black," he said lightly, maintaining his care me not attitude from before. He flashed a grin at her. "And might I add that you are absolutely stunning, Captain..."
"Evans," allowed Lily, "And might I add, Mr Black, that the only place that flattery gets you on this ship is in the water."
"I'm known for being the exception to many things," replied Sirius, still grinning at her.
Lily hummed noncommittally and ignored him, instead focusing her attention on the brown haired man who stepped forward.
"Remus Lupin," he said quietly, though not without confidence.
"Pleasure, Mr Lupin," said Lily. She turned to the last one who still stood straight and staring off into nothingness. He did not look as though he was about to answer her question anytime soon. "And you are?" she inquired.
No answer.
"You'll tell me your name eventually," the Captain said confidently, pushing back the red strands of hair that had fallen in to her face. Meanwhile, Remus and Sirius looked as though they wanted to slap their friend for being so obstinate. "Besides, if you don't want to tell us the easy way then I'm sure we can get it out of you another way. My schedule for the next week is clear."
The man's Adam's apple bobbed nervously. Finally he said, "John Smith."
Lily smiled at him. "Was that so hard, John?"
"No," he smirked.
"Good," she said sweetly. "Now how about you try it again with your real name."
'John's' smirk fell. "What-"
"I know when I'm being lied to, John," Lily hissed dangerously. She had pulled out her knife from her boot and held it loosely in her hand. "Your name. Now."
"But my name is-"
A loud bang caused the three of them to jump and turn around. Impaled in the wood behind 'John' was the same knife that the Captain had in her hand just a few seconds ago. He swallowed audibly and turned back to face her, his eyes opened wide. The knife missed him by barely an inch
"Lie to me again and the next target could be your head," she said easily, shrugging.
Taking a deep breath, the man looked at Lily straight in the eye and said, "My name is James Potter."
Lily frowned. That name sounded vaguely familiar, but she could not place his face. However, someone from behind her inhaled quite suddenly. She turned around and saw Turner staring at Potter.
"You're the duke's son," he accused. The Captain's eyes widened and she glanced over her shoulder at James, who had now began to grin in earnest.
"Yes, I am."
Lily's face blanched and the entire crew grew silent as they took in this newfound information. Finally, she broke the silence by rasping, "Get them off my ship."
"What?" the three of them cried out in unison.
Captain ignored them. "I want them off of my ship. Throw them over board, kill them, hell, you can turn the boat around for all I care. I just want them off my ship."
"Lily," Fabian said from beside her. "Do you really think that that's a good idea?"
"I don't need the English trying to kill me!"
"They're already trying to kill you," he pointed out.
"That's different. This time I'll have the entire armada after my arse."
"Still the same thing."
She let out a strangled scream. "Gideon!" she called out to the man at the wheel. He was the split image of Fabian, save for the fact that he was a bit stockier than the other man. "Come here for a minute!" He looked up and jogged over, after getting someone to watch the wheel for him. "Tell your brother that he's being insane."
"I don't know, Lily," Gideon said warily. "He does have a point. We shouldn't kill them."
Lily looked ready to strangle both of the brothers. "Turner," she called out, not taking her eye off of the two in front her. "Take them to the brig; where our other guest is housed. Will and Bones, go with him," she ordered. The three men whose names she called out nodded and each grabbed one of the men who were still tied up. She finally took her eyes off the other gingers to watch the group depart before saying, "You two; my office. Now."
The brothers nodded and left. The rest of the crew slowly dispersed, muttering amongst themselves. Lily, still furious, stalked towards the wooden wall that her knife landed and pulled out the weapon, sticking it back in her boot before heading to her cabin.
She slammed the door shut.
"What the hell was that?" she all but yelled at two men sitting in front of her.
"That was us being rational," Gideon said calmly.
"I don't need the entire English fleet coming after me because they think I've kidnapped that tosser and his friends," Lily pressed. "Who, might I add, may not be royalty, but whose names most likely carry some sort of weight. This is practically slapping a death sentence on our heads. I do not need another death sentence on my head."
The twins shared a look. "No one knows that they're on your ship," reasoned Gideon.
"But they will soon," countered Lily. "I'll give them a month at most before they decide to start hunting down pirates. And you know who's at the top of the King's 'Need to Kill' list? Me!"
"Not you; just the person they think happens to be you," said Fabian, rummaging around her drawers before pulling out a bottle of rum. "They still think that you're a man."
"Which would immediately change if you put them off the ship. As soon as they get back to the palace or whatever, they'll tell someone that the most notorious pirate on the seven seas is in fact a woman." Gideon said before Lily could contradict them again.
"Second most notorious," Lily corrected them, mainly out of habit.
"Whatever," Fabian said, taking a hefty swig from the bottle. "If anything, that's good. He'll go after him first."
"Then I'll have two sets of people trying to kill me at the same time," Lily said, yelling at the end. "That's worst."
"Well fine, if you want to look at it that way," groused Fabian, taking another drink. It was quiet for a few moments.
"So what's wrong with killing them then?" Lily asked, crossing her hands across her chest.
"You don't kill without reason, Lils," said Gideon gently.
"I can make an exception," grumbled Lily as she slumped forward, recognising her defeat. She scrubbed a hand across her face tiredly. "So what do we do with them?"
The twins looked at one another, having one of their wordless exchanges. Despite knowing them for most of her life, Lily was never able to understand those conversations. They always left her out in the dark.
"What?" asked Lily as she raised an eyebrow.
The brothers shared another secretive look. "We keep them on the ship," said Fabian firmly.
Lily was taken aback. "Keep them on my ship? Are you out of your bleeding mind?"
"Well we follow you, don't we?" he said cheekily. "Any mind we had is long gone."
"What he means is," Gideon interjected exasperatedly so as to stop the impending argument. "If we keep them aboard the ship, then no one will know your secret. Plus you can keep an eye on them."
"And our necks will be hung before sodding Christmas. Brilliant." Lily rolled her eyes.
"We've been out running- er, out sailing- them for the last five years. They won't catch us," reassured Gideon.
Lily bit her lip, mulling over her choices. She obviously could not send them ashore; not without causing a thousand ships to come after her head. Plus, she had vowed all those years ago to never kill innocent. And while she was sure those men below deck weren't the epitome of innocence, they had not attacked her. She couldn't kill them either. That left her with the sole choice of keeping them aboard her ship, something she was none too eager to do. Especially after the man's- what was his name? James?- comment about women not being pirates or able to run a ship. Lily promised herself that she'd make him eat his words by the end of the week at least.
"Fine," she said at last. "They'll stay on my ship. But if they put one toe out of line I won't hesitate to throw them overboard."
The two men nodded and Lily rose from her seat to go give them the news.
James tried to focus on his surroundings as he was led below deck, but with all the twists and turns and the added effect of the ship's rocking, that proved to be a difficult task. The three pirates had a hand clasped tightly around their bonds as they led the men further and further into the ship. When they finally came to a halt in front of a giant wooden door, James knew at once that he and his mates were about to become prisoners.
The door was unlocked with a loud click and they were pushed in to a room. It was small and dank with a single candle serving as the only light source within the room. The flame threw flickering images onto the wooden walls and James could hear the sound of water lapping at the sides. This caused him to realise that they were perhaps locked in the hull of the ship.
"Enjoy your stay," laughed one of the crew as the door slammed shut. James blinked a few times to get accustom to the darkness of the room. There was the sound of something shuffling about, causing the men to jump.
"What was that?" asked Sirius, scanning the dimly lit room.
"A rat?" suggested Remus as the three of them shuffled closer together.
There was some more shuffling around and then the sound of someone lighting a match. A flame sparked to life and illuminated the grimy face of a man, causing James, Sirius and Remus to jump back in surprise. His pale face was smudged with dirt and his watery blue eyes were bloodshot and sunken in to his skull. There was a tear in his shirt and his hair looked as though it hadn't been cared for in weeks.
"Hello," he said, flashing them a grin which exposed his yellowing teeth.
"Hi..." said James, taking an imperceptible step back.
"Peter Pettigrew," the man said, extending an equally dirty hand towards them. His nails were bitten down to the cuticle while dirt occupied each crack and crevice.
"James Potter," he replied, trying to keep his voice calm. Remus and Sirius also introduced themselves. Neither shook his hand due to the fact that their hands were still bound. Peter seemed to notice that and pushed them towards a rusty nail in the wall.
"It might take a while, but it'll cut off your ropes," he assured them as he struggled to light another candle. "So what got you thrown in here?"
"Accidentally boarded the ship," Sirius said succinctly as he tried to cut through his bonds. "Captain sent us down here while she deliberated our fate."
"Good luck," snorted Peter as a dark look rolled across his face. "She killed everyone on my ship. Her and her crew swept in and murdered everyone, taking all the treasure and supplies and left the ship burning in the sea. I was lucky to escape with my life. Of course, that doesn't matter, as she found me and threw me down here."
At this point the men's faces were drained of blood and their eyes looked as though they would pop out of their heads.
"But... but she's not going to do that to us, right?" asked Sirius. He had stopped trying to undo the ropes in the middle of Peter's story.
The man regarded him with pity. "There's a reason she's called the Read Headed Horror," he shrugged.
Sirius and James stood confused, but Remus' face, if possibly had gotten even paler and had undertaken a sickly green colour.
"What am I missing?" James asked, looking at his friend.
"The Red Headed Horror," Remus choked out, "Is one of the worst pirates out there in recorded history. Anyone who has the misfortune to cross her always," he swallowed audibly, "Ends up dead."
The three men stared at each other in horror as Peter looked at them sadly and mumbled the phrase 'dead man walking,' under his breath. Aside from their uneven breathing, the room was silent. Remus felt as though he was going to throw up, Sirius was in shock and James' heart had jumped into his throat.
"Glad to know that my reputation precedes me," an amused voice said from the doorway. The four men jumped. They did not hear it open. "Really now," said Lily as she leant against the door frame. "Tell me more about what the royal guard is saying about me, Mr. Lupin." Remus flinched when she said his name. All of them stared back at her in horror.
Lily rolled her eyes. "For god's sake," she said, taking out her knife. "I'm not going to chop off your pretty little heads."
"Then why do you have a knife in your hand?" asked James, staring at the object in question. His cheek tingle from where it had nearly hit him.
"Come here Black," the Captain ordered, completely ignoring James. "Really?" she said, witheringly as she saw his expression. "I am not going to kill you," she enunciated.
Sirius glanced back at his friends before walking over to tiny woman. She smiled. "There's a good lad," she cooed as she grasped his arm and turned him around. "Don't move," she whispered in his ear, causing Sirius to jump. The knife flashed and she brought it down to slit his ropes. They fell in a heap at his feet. She pushed him aside gently.
"Lupin" she called out. Remus came forward and she did the same to him as well before sending him off to where Sirius stood. Lily glanced up at Potter. "I have half the mind to leave you like that for the rest of the journey." She said, playing with her knife. "But since I'm feeling generous... Come here, Potter."
James stalked over and turned around, gritting his teeth all the way. He sensed rather than felt the cool metal hovering at his wrists before it slit the ropes. That was not the only thing it slit though, as James jumped back, hissing in pain. He retracted his wrist almost immediately. A thin, angry red line, only about three inches long ran down his wrist. He muttered a curse under his breath
Lily smiled sweetly at him. "Oops," she said innocently. "My hand slipped. After all, I am just a woman. I shouldn't be trusted with sharp pointy things."
James glared at her as her rubbed his wrist. The tip of the knife had just scraped him. It was not very deep, but it did sting quite a lot.
"I'm sure it did, Captain," he said through clenched teeth.
She smiled saccharinely at him again before turning to the others and saying. "Follow me. And be careful, Potter. We don't need you to fall into the sea. I'm sure salt water would only serve to aggravate that wound even more."
"Of course Captain," he spat. He glared ferociously at her as he ducked out the door. She returned the favour whole heartedly and stepped in front of the group after slamming the door shut and locking it. In the back of his mind, James realised that she did not acknowledge Pettigrew at all.
"I've decided that I'm not going to kill you, at least, not yet," began Lily. Behind her there were three sighs of relief. "But you all are going to be staying on my ship. Not as prisoners, though. You are going to work for your keep aboard this ship."
"Why don't you just kill us?" asked James, still glaring at the red head. Beside him he could hear Sirius cursing him to high heaven.
Lily turned around and gave him a look that he did not know how to place. "I don't break my promises," she said coolly. She turned back around and continued walking as though nothing happened, leaving James confused.
He opened his mouth to question her again when Sirius roughly grabbed on to his arm.
"Leave it, mate," he muttered lowly. "Personally I'm glad she didn't decide to slice off my neck."
James grudgingly agreed, but that did not mean that he did not suspect something. "Yeah, but that was too easy. Peter said that she was ruthless."
"And you're going to take his word for it?" Sirius asked, raising an eyebrow. James had to admit that he had a point.
"Would you two stop whispering and hurry up?" a slightly annoyed Remus said from up front. "We're going to get lost."
The two dark haired men shut up and scurried after their friend. Lily was still a good ten paces in front of them and did not seem to care whether or not they got lost.
After a few more moments of walking, they finally came to a stop in front of another wooden door, though this one looked as though it was able to open from both sides.
"You'll be staying here," she said, opening the door and letting them in. The room was small, but not overly cramped. There was a small bed pushed up against one wall with a rickety bedside table next to it. The floors were scrubbed and in the opposite corner there was a jug with water for washing. Unlike the other rooms they had been in on the ship, this one actually had a window, albeit a small one right opposite the door. There were hooks mounted on the walls and a pile of cloth and ropes in the centre of the room, which James realised belatedly were hammocks.
"You all can fight over who gets the bed," she said happily. "Cheers."
"Wait!" yelled Remus, stopping her. The Captain jumped and turned around, staring wide eyed at him. "How long do we need to stay here?"
The previous smile that she wore now disappeared as she sullenly muttered. "Forever, of course. What other choice do you have?" And with that she strolled out and slammed the door behind her.
Remus faced the other two men. "Did she just say forever?"
Sirius nodded. "Looks like we're stuck on a pirate ship for the rest of our days, Lupin," he said, slapping Remus' back. James was still staring at the spot where Lily was a few seconds ago, evidently in shock.
Staying forever... on a pirate ship of all things. What the hell had he gotten himself into?
If you're interested in more piratey goodness, check out jily pirate fest on tumblr. If you've got any questions, leave 'em in a review or drop me a line on tumblr. Link on the profile.
~Nai
