A/N: I have indefinitely post-poned the progress of He Who Must Not Be Poked and the Dream Eaters. It will finish soon, but not quite yet. For now, I would like to introduce my take on Pirates of the Caribbean… Wizard style. Some character backgrounds have to be adjusted to make sense. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Pirates of the Caribbean.

Wizards of the Caribbean:

The Curse of the Dark Mark

Chapter 1: Ghosts and Black Ships

The water was pitch black in the white cold fog. There was hardly a ripple, yet the wind was blowing fiercely at intervals. The thick fog made it impossible to see any further than several metres in front of anyone. The waters were dangerous, infamous for being ideal spots for pillaging and pirating. Yet for the H.M.S. Dauntless, the crew on the ship would pass without disturbance. The Dauntless was one of the main pioneering ships of the British Ministry. The soldiers aboard were highly ranked Aurors, people who specialized in killing wizards. Apart from the Aurors on board, were three important people. Governor Albus Dumbledore was one of them, and another was Lieutenant Cormac McLaggen. The other person was a young girl of the name, Hermione Granger. She was staring out past the mast, and singing a song. "We kidnap and ravage and don't give a hoot, drink up me 'earties, yo ho. Yo ho, yo ho, a wizard's life for me," she sang quietly. A hand clutched her shoulder, and she whipped around in surprise. Standing in front of her, was Mr. Hagrid, a boatswain on the ship.

"Quiet missy!" hissed Hagrid, "Cursed wizards sail these waters. You want to call them down on us?"

"Mr. Hagrid! That will do," said a voice. Hagrid turned around and saw Lieutenant McLaggen staring down at him disdainfully.

"She was singing about wizards, sir! Bad luck to sing about wizards, with us mired in this unnatural fog, mark my words," warned Hagrid anxiously.

"Consider them marked," said McLaggen, still disdainful. Mr. Hagrid nodded reluctantly, before moving away quietly, muttering on the decision to have a woman on board the ship. Lieutenant McLaggen approached Hermione along with Governor Dumbledore.

"I think it would be rather exciting to meet a wizard," remarked Hermione. McLaggen snorted at the very idea.

"Think again, Miss. Granger. Vile and desolate creatures, the lot of them. I intend to see to, that any man who sails under a wizard flag, or wears a wizard's brand, gets what he deserves… a short drop and a sudden stop," said McLaggen, with a grim smile on his face. Puzzled, Hermione stared over at Hagrid, who mimicked someone being hanged by the neck.

"Captain McLaggen, I appreciate your favor, but I am concerned about the effect this subject will have on Hermione," interrupted Governor Dumbledore. McLaggen apologized before walking away to his cabin.

"Actually, I find it all fascinating," said Hermione. Governor Dumbledore sighed loudly.

"And that's, what worries me," muttered Dumbledore. He left Hermione to stare out across the waters. Hermione stared down near the edge of the boat, until something comes along of her interest. An umbrella was floating on the water, as though it was swept away from a maiden's hand by a strong wind. Further ahead of the umbrella, was several bits of driftwood, until…

"LOOK! THERE'S A BOY IN THE WATER!" screamed Hermione. The Aurors on the ship rushed over to look. Lieutenant McLaggen had a horrified look on his face.

"MAN OVERBOARD!" roared McLaggen, "FETCH A HOOK! HAUL HIM OUT OF THERE!"

The Aurors ran from all over the ship, grabbing hooks and ropes, until they managed to pull the boy out from the water, and onto the ship's floor. "He's still breathing," said McLaggen quietly, while checking the boy's body. Everyone else on board was paying attention to McLaggen, except for Mr. Hagrid. He was staring, awed at something in the water.

"Dear mother of God," gasped Mr. Hagrid. There was an eerie wreck of a ship on fire and bodies floated in the water. McLaggen was astounded at the two unusual appearances and Governor Dumbledore was shocked.

"What happened here?" asked Dumbledore.

"An explosion in the powder magazine. Merchant vessels run heavily armed," explained McLaggen. Hagrid scoffed at McLaggen's proposition.

"Lot of good it did them!" exclaimed Hagrid. He stared at Dumbledore and McLaggen, who gave him stern looks. "Everybody's thinking it! I'm just saying it…Wizards!" warned Hagrid.

"There is no proof of that. It could have been an accident. Captain, these men were protection. If there is even the slightest chance one of those poor devils is still alive, we cannot abandon them!" said Dumbledore. McLaggen nodded, and immediately sent a few of the Aurors to scout the wreckage in rowboats.

Hermione was observing the strange boy from head to toe. He had ginger hair, with freckles, and was abnormally tall for his strange appearance. Hermione's eyes crossed to a chain hanging out of his shirt. She touched the chain gently, when the boy suddenly gasped for breath and clutched her hand tightly.
"It's okay," reassured Hermione, "You're safe now. I'm Hermione Granger,"

"R-Ron Weasley!" stuttered the boy. He fainted of shock, and Hermione proceeded with examining the gold chain. She pulled something disc-like out of his shirt, and it was shocking. A golden skull with a serpent protruding from its mouth with strange symbols around the edge of the medallion, was clutched in Hermione's trembling hand. She gasped in surprise.

"You're a wizard," said Hermione weakly.

"Has he said anything?" interrupted McLaggen. Hermione quickly pocketed the medallion, and turned around to face the Lieutenant.

"His name's Ron Weasley. That's all I found out," stated Hermione. McLaggen nodded, satisfied with Hermione's information. He left her again once more, overseeing the return of the scouting Aurors. Hermione nervously withdrew the medallion from her pocket, inspecting it closely, before letting it fall from her line of sight. As she lowered the gold medallion, there was something moving in the fog. It was a black ship, with black sails and made of black wood. On its mast, was a billowing flag with a snake protruding from a skull's mouth against a black background. That was when Hermione Granger woke up from her dream…

To Be Continued. In tradition with my other story, there will now be a skit involving characters from both stories.

Jack Sparrow: Now what may I be doing in such a dreaded place?

Harry Potter: And why am I with some weird guy with a red bandana and a really long sword?

Jack Sparrow. You mate! Where be the rum?

Harry Potter: I'm underage!

Jack Sparrow: That's no excuse! Bring up the rum and wine, and we'll party all night!

Harry Potter: If there's alcohol involved, than I'm in!

Will Turner: JACK! You can't give a sixteen year old, rum and wine!

Jack Sparrow: Can and I will, Turner. You see, what me dad said long ago, was that if there's any rum found in a location, and that location has to be a very good place, then that very good place would obviously hold some rum, which is a good thing! Then obviously we shouldn't let the drink go to waste, savvy?

Will Turner: But…

Jack Sparrow: Splendid! Bring on the rum!