Chapter Four

"This is without a doubt, the stupidest idea you've ever come up with." Pansy drawled, leaning against the tree.

Before her, Blaise, Theo and Draco were trying to figure out how to make a pirate ship with no materials. Draco was supervising as Blaise waved his hands, wand in one, about dramatically. Pansy doubled over with laughter as a rain of feathers fell on the gathered boys.

Draco gave her a glare. "I suppose you can do better, can you?"

Pansy smirked, "I come from a long line of magical ship builders. Of course I can."

Blaise snorted, "Yeah, right."

Pansy glared at him. She was aware he was baiting her, but this was her family for Merlin's sake. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Well, I hear Granger had to magic up their ship too only she couldn't find any spells so she started with a toy ship and modified it."

Pansy rolled her eyes, "Of Course she had to. Only a few people know these spells."

Blaise snorted. "I doubt that."

Pansy narrowed her eyes at him. "Fine, but if I get this done," She looked at Draco, "I get to be First Mate."

Draco nodded, "What ever you say, Pans."

Pansy smiled charmingly at him. She pulled a sheet of parchment from her bag and threw it into the air. The sheet drifted lazily in the wind for a moment before Pansy pulled out her wand. Shedding her robes, she flicked her wand at the sheet before muttering a spell. The paper glowed. Suddenly it tore itself into thousands of tiny peices. Each piece grew and lenghtened to become a single long board.

Blaise raised an eyebrow appreciatively. "Now we have wood. Nothing to help us with it, but wood none the less."

Pansy shot him a glare, "Not finished yet."

She reached over and pulled a hair from his head. He cried out at the sudden gesture but Pansy was already at work. The hair transformed before their eyes into coils upon coils of rope. A few pebbles from the ground became buckets of tar while a bobby pin turned to nails. a few threads from her robe became piles of linen for sails.

"Okay, how does this work?" Draco finally asked when Pansy stopped casting.

"Huh?"

"Simple Transfiguration laws say you can't get more than you give. You can't get six hundred nails from one bobby pin."

Pansy smiled. "Nails are made of iron. The earth has iron in it. Everything here can be found in some form in the environment. Dead leaves recompiled to become the boards. Really quite easy."

Draco looked at the materials and pushed up his sleeves. He was really kinda hoping Pansy would have a few more spells up her sleeves. He really didn't fancy doing this the old fashioned way.

"Well, looks like you're first mate. Blaise, start working on the hull. I'll--"

"Oh hell no you won't!" Pansy snarled. "I will not let some amateaurs go to town on my work. Back off."

All three boys complied with a smile. Pansy once again whipped out her wand. The materials flew into the air, bending and twisting as her spells shaped them. When she finally stopped, a three masted ship worthy of any Errol Flynn movie stood before them.

Pansy sighed contentedly.

"Good Job Pans. Let's climb aboard, shall we?" Draco offered Pansy his hand. She took it and led the way up the gang plank.

Pansy's spells were top of the line. All the rooms were wonderfully furnished and the wardrobes were fitted to each person.

"I assume you know how to hoist a sail?" Pansy asked as they regained the deck.

Pansy sighed at their blank looks. The next hour was spent teaching her ship mates how to hoist a sail.

"Aren't there spells that do this?" Blaise asked as he secured the lines.

"Yes, but what happens if we're at war and you can't get to your wand? Think about it!"

"What happens if you House master finds out?" Drawled a voice from the other side of the ship.

All four slunk over to the railing too look down at Professor Severus Snape as he glared up at them. "I thought it was bad enough that the Gryffindors were doing this, but I expected better of you four. Mr. Malfoy, What does your father have to say about this?"

"He...uh... doesn't know."

Snape sighed. "I don't suppose you have a compelling reason."

"Of course we do!" Theo interrupted.

"And?"

"Huh?"

"What is your reason?"

Theo looked blank for a moment, but like a good Slytherin, he recovered quickly. "Revenge."

Snape frowned, "What sort of revenge?"

"Professor, look at it this way, the Gryffindors managed to build a puny little ship. Everyone remembers the ship from last year. Now If we can beat them at their own game... well then it's like winning at Quidditch."

"I cannot believe you just compared pirating to Quidditch," Snape groaned. "But I am willing to let this be. Curiously enough, I'm sure the real reason will out before long. Til then, don't get killed and may the better men win."

"We will!" Draco assured him. "It's boys against girls and I have confidence in the stronger sex."

"I suppose I should turn Gryff and hang out with Granger to fit in, then shall I?" Pansy sniped.

Blaise looked at her appreciatively. "Oh, Pansy? Are you a girl? How did I miss that?"

There was a breif cry as Pansy grabbed Blaise by the seat of his britches and threw him over into the knee high mud below. Pansy muttered something about studying and stormed below deck.

Draco looked down at Blaise. "I hope that hurt."

Blaise grinned through the mud caking him. "Totally worth it!"

(A/N: I love Blaise! He's so much fun. Theo was fun in this chapter too! Hell, they all were. We'll get back to our girlies next chapter!

To Robin: I definitely would love to get Jack in here somehow. Maybe we'll have a wizarding painting of him hanging around on deck!And yes, there will be much Harry and Ron torture!