Once more fredfred deserves huge thanks for betaing. His help has improved the story a lot.


Chapter 7: Fair Wind to Jamaica

'The rise of the houngans is one of the events that has shaped the Caribbean more than any other. In the span of a few decades, the houngans turned from escaped slaves fighting for their freedom into the rulers of two of the largest islands in the Caribbean. How was this possible in a region that had been dominated for over two centuries by some of the European countries?

Contrary to popular belief, it wasn't the infamous sympathetic magic of the houngans which was responsible for this remarkable achievement. While the ability to strike their enemies from afar and turn both wizards and muggles alike into mind-controlled servants certainly contributed to their military successes, it was the implementation of the International Statute of Secrecy in 1692 that paved the way for the houngans to become one of the pre-eminent powers of the magical New World.

Suddenly, the nations of magical Europe were bereft of the resources of the muggles. While that wasn't as important in Europe itself, it had a huge impact on the balance of power in the Caribbean. The need to both hide the existence of magic and build the infrastructure and governments for the newly created magical countries absorbed almost all of Magical Europe's means for several years. And even after that challenge had been met, the loss of the muggle ships and manpower prevented the magical nations from easily projecting their recovering power across the Atlantic.

This opportunity was first exploited by the various wizarding pirates in the Caribbean, who thrived in the decades following the establishment of the Statute of Secrecy. And as their actions exposed the weakness of the colonial regimes, the wizards and witches who had escaped slavery in Jamaica took notice - and started to prepare. Their day came when Wizarding Britain was once more beset by a goblin rebellion in 1752. While Britain struggled to suppress the rebellion at home, the houngans struck, quickly overwhelming the weakened British garrison and settlers in Magical Jamaica. In the following decades, Wizarding Britain tried several times to retake the island, but, each time, the logistical problems of waging war across the Atlantic against both the houngans and opportunistic pirates ensured their defeat until the island's independence was formally acknowledged in 1827.

By that time, the houngans had already spread their influence and rule over Hispaniola, and only a falling-out between the majority of the wizarding pirates and the houngans allowed the neighbouring magical nations, many of them having recently earned their independence as well, to curtail further houngan expansion.

However, to this day Magical Jamaica's relations with most of the other wizarding nations remain tense. Their practice of kidnapping magical children to raise them as apprentices was only ended after the personal intervention of Albus Dumbledore in 1957, and while rumours that, following the defeat of Gellert Grindelwald in 1946, the dark wizard's second in command, Herbert Kohlmeier, found refuge in Jamaica were disproved on the same occasion, not many doubted that the houngans would have welcomed the 'Schlächter von Schlesien' as long as he shared his knowledge of the Dark Arts.'

- Excerpt from 'A History of Magical Conflicts IV - the New World' By Magdalena Müller, Königsberg, 1978


Florida, Key West, Smuggler's Bay, Smuggler's Cove, August 27th, 2001

"Smells bad. It smells bad."

Ron Weasley refrained from sniffing. He knew that it stank inside the tavern - smoke, old sweat and beer. As if the natives had never heard of Air-Freshening Charms. Or, he thought as he looked at the floor littered with puddles and dried stains, any Cleaning Charms. A Bubble-Head Charm took care of the smell for him - but Ari didn't want to use one.

"Do you mean the stench of the people present here, Miss Ari, or something else?" Mallory asked, leaning forward.

Ari frowned at him. "Booze." She nodded at the closest puddle.

"Ah." Mallory sounded oddly disappointed.

"Why're we here anyway?" Ari suddenly turned her head and sneered at a man eyeing them from a table nearby. "Don't trust them."

"We need a capable smuggler to take us to Jamaica," Mallory said.

"Why? Can fly."

Ron flicked his eyes over to the bar, where Harry and Hermione were talking with the bartender. It was taking a little longer than he had expected. Nothing that would be cause for alarm, though.

"It's a little far for a broom trip, my dear," Mallory told her.

"Can take plane."

Mallory winced, Ron noticed. "There are only a few airports in Jamaica where we could land, and the houngans have those watched for wizarding visitors just as, decades ago, they had the ports watched."

"And the muggle police will be watching for muggle planes avoiding the airports," Ron added. He certainly didn't want to travel in an aeroplane to Jamaica if there were alternatives.

Ari pouted. "Safer than trusting another pirate."

"Despite my unfortunate experience, I think it's safer to trust a smuggler, all things considered," Mallory said.

"As long as you don't trust the wrong kind of smuggler," Ron said. Like Mallory had trusted the wrong kind of people in Smuggler's Bay to make arrangements to keep his home safe.

The man scowled for a moment before answering. "That is why I'm letting Mr Potter take the lead on this."

"They trusted wrong pirate, too," Ari said.

Ron glanced at her, as did Mallory, but the witch shrugged. "Can kill this smuggler, too, if betrays us." She shifted in her seat and crossed her legs - she was wearing Hermione's outfit again, this time. It didn't look too out of place among all the local wizards and witches dressed as pirates. And it looked very nice on her, of course.

Hermione would disagree with Ari. Would point out that killing Ryan had caused them a lot of trouble. But Ron was fed up with Kraft's thugs. He nodded. "Yes."

Ari beamed at him, and he smiled back.

Sometimes, you had to trust your gut. Bill had said so as well.


Captain Neva - she stressed the title, as had Ryan, Hermione Granger noted, and didn't give her full name - cut a striking figure. For a character in a pirate movie. Long, bright white hair - probably magically dyed was Hermione's guess - blood red, ruffled shirt, black leggings, thigh-high boots. And a headband. All she was missing was the eye-patch and parrot and she could start working in Disney World. She looked quite young for an 'experienced smuggler', too. And she had an arrogant smirk that would have made Draco Malfoy take notes.

Hermione didn't like her but kept her expression from revealing her sentiments. Ari didn't bother - the witch had been all but growling at the captain. Hermione hoped that that wasn't a bad omen and that Neva wouldn't betray them as Ryan had.

"So, you need passage to Jamaica. That's a very dangerous trip." Neva smirked and crossed her legs. "Which means it's an expensive trip as well. And that I'm ferrying wanted people will add to the cost." She didn't have an accent Hermione could discern. Not a native, then, to the New World.

"We've been cleared, and the warrant has been dropped by the ICW," Harry retorted.

"I wasn't talking about the authorities," Neva replied. "Everyone knows someone has it in for you."

"An envious competitor," Hermione said.

"Kraft," Ari cut in with a hiss.

Hermione refrained from glaring at the other witch; Ari meant well, but she was too impulsive.

Mr Mallory butted in. "The kind of gutter rats who'd be foolish enough to attack us shouldn't be a factor for an experienced smuggler like you, Captain."

"Everything's a factor," the witch countered. "And scuttlebutt says that the crew who attacked your home wasn't made from bilge-rats, but experienced professionals."

Ari scoffed. "Ron defeated all of them alone!" She grabbed Ron's arm for emphasis.

Hermione pressed her lips together. Announcing your capabilities like that might be common in Ari's tribe, but it wasn't a good idea in Smuggler's Bay.

Neva chuckled. "I can see why you didn't try to hide your identities." So, the captain was quick on the uptake as well, as Mr Mallory would say. With Kraft aware of their visit to Mr Mallory, and Ari not yet used to fitting in with Caribbean society - or any other society apart from her tribe's - trying to hide their identities would have been pointless.

Ari hissed in return. "You betray us, you die. Like Ryan."

The Captain's smile slipped a little, and Hermione saw her tense up. "Is that a threat?"

"A warning," Harry said with a smile that didn't match his words. "We've grown tired of being attacked and betrayed."

"I see Dumbledore trained you," Neva replied. "But he was able to scare the houngans by himself. You aren't."

"The houngans aren't your problem," Harry told her. "We just need a trustworthy, skilled and discreet skipper to transport us to Jamaica - without anyone else becoming aware of our destination."

Judging by Neva's sudden frown, she must have understood what her problem would be should she betray them. "As long as your gold's good, my word's good."

"Then let's talk price," Harry said.


"You've been quite generous with my money," Mr Mallory remarked as soon as they had left the Smuggler's Cove. He didn't seem angry, or so Hermione Granger thought, but he wasn't making idle conversation either.

Harry shrugged. "Trying to save money by underpaying your employees isn't a good long-term strategy."

"We're only hiring the captain for one trip," Mr Mallory replied.

"We might hire her for our next leg as well," Hermione cut in. "And if she thinks we underpaid her, she's more likely to sell us out to Kraft."

Mr Mallory scoffed. "I know her kind. She'll sell us out as soon as we're off her ship."

"Even if she does, we'll be on Jamaica at that point," Harry said.

Hermione nodded. And they wouldn't need help to get off the island. They wouldn't have to worry any more about alerting the houngan patrols to their presence and triggering a manhunt, which would greatly hinder their search for the outpost. Instead, they would be able to simply fly north towards Cuba. On Firebolts, it would be a relatively short trip. Shorter than the average Quidditch match. Hermione doubted that the houngan patrols could match their speed.

"The Captain could inform Kraft, who could alert the houngans," Mr Mallory pointed out.

"I don't think Kraft would go that far," Harry said. "That would ruin her reputation in the entire Caribbean."

"Probably in the whole New World," Ron added. "And in a big part of Europe as well."

"That would only be the case if her involvement is discovered," Mr Mallory retorted.

"She'll be suspected if something happens," Harry replied.

"We've taken precautions," Hermione added.

"You left a note with Dumbledore, I presume."

Hermione didn't respond to that, but Mr Mallory nodded after a moment anyway. "Still, Captain Neva might be compelled to betray us by other means than bribery."

Hermione glared at him. "Are you suggesting that we obliviate her?" She shook her head. "She'll have taken her own precautions against such a course of action." Especially given recent events.

"If you no trust her, no hire her," Ari said.

"I do trust the captain - to a degree. Everyone has their price, after all." Mr Mallory said. "We're taking a great risk with this expedition."

"You can always back out," Ron said.

That earned her friend a glare. "I'm no coward," Mr Mallory snapped. "We'll have to trust this will not go wrong, yet prepare for the worst. I'm merely pointing out potential problems." He shook his head and muttered something under his breath Hermione didn't catch.

She frowned. Mr Mallory had known their destination long before their meeting with Captain Neva, yet he hadn't voiced his concerns beforehand. Of course, Hermione knew that he had good reason to be nervous about their trip if he had been kidnapped by houngans as a child.

But they really didn't need Mr Mallory trying to obliviate their skipper and causing another incident.

Especially not on the way to Jamaica.


The Caribbean Sea, near Cuba, August 29th, 2001

Captain Neva's ship, the 'Stiletto', was slightly smaller than Ryan's had been, but faster, as far as Harry Potter could tell. And covered with more spells as well. Knowing that did little to calm him, though. They were headed towards Jamaica, after all - the heartland of the houngans.

He looked up. It was only a few days until the full moon. Granted, the ship would be invisible for the last leg of their trip, so it didn't really matter whether or not there was a lot of moonlight - they could just as well travel by day, though more muggles would be out and about on the beaches and in the water, getting in the way - but Harry still worried.

Dumbledore had told them that the reputation of the houngans was quite a bit overblown. That their vaunted magic wasn't as powerful as most thought, and that their zombies posed less of a threat to a prepared wizard than a muggle. But he was Dumbledore, who had singlehandedly cowed the houngans almost fifty years ago. Harry and his friends were good Curse-Breakers, but no Dumbledores.

And Dumbledore had kept underestimating Voldemort until the end. If not for Auntie, the Dark Lord might have triumphed in the final battle.

Harry sighed.

"What's wrong?"

He turned and saw Hermione walking towards him from the ship's hold. "Nothing," he replied.

She frowned. "Do we have to talk about lying about these things again?"

He looked around.

She rolled her eyes. "Ron and Ari are below decks, claiming to be studying. Captain Neva's in her cabin. Your reputation is safe." She cast a privacy charm anyway, though.

Danger was part of a Curse-Breaker's job. It wasn't for the faint of heart. He sighed again. "I'm just a little concerned."

"Worried, you mean."

He narrowed his eyes at her. She ignored it and slipped her arm around his waist as she joined him in leaning against the railing.

"Alright, worried, then," he said.

"Don't be," she replied, resting her head on his shoulder. "They can't cover the entire coastline. And once we've made landfall, they'll be unable to find us among all the muggles."

"Unless Ari changes and mauls someone with her claws. Or otherwise breaks the Statute."

"Ron's teaching her to pass for a muggle. It'll be easier since we'll be posing as tourists," Hermione said, after a moment's silence.

"You don't like her," Harry said.

"I'm merely concerned about her lack of education and self-control," Hermione replied, though, again, after a small pause.

"She hasn't attacked anyone who hasn't attacked her first," Harry pointed out. "And she hasn't caused trouble with muggles either."

"She growled at that American on the beach as if she were about to change and attack him," Hermione said.

"He was hitting on her," Harry said, "and he found her reaction amusing." Which hadn't pleased Ari, of course, but she hadn't pushed things further.

Hermione sniffed but didn't reply.

Harry took a deep breath. "She saved us from her own tribe. She's helped us with our expedition ever since. And apart from killing Ryan, she hasn't caused us any problems."

"I know."

"So, why are you so…" He trailed off.

Hermione remained silent as he waited. Finally, she sighed. "She just rubs me the wrong way, I guess."

She could do better than that, so he didn't say anything in response.

After a moment, she sighed. "She's lived her whole life in the jungle, isolated. She hasn't gone to Hogwarts or any other school. She's no Curse-Breaker. But just because she's Ron's girlfriend, she's now part of us."

Ah. "Ari hasn't gone to Hogwarts, but she's no slouch with her wand," Harry remarked. "And she's smart - she learns quickly."

"We trained for years for this!" Hermione retorted. "We worked hard, we studied - both magic and muggle subjects. All she's done is… become Ron's girlfriend."

"Sirius wasn't a Curse-Breaker either," Harry said, "when he started working with Auntie."

"He didn't join Petunia straight away, though," Hermione replied.

He had wanted to, Harry knew. "But he did so as soon as he could. Before he had any idea about Curse-Breaking."

"That was because of the war against Voldemort." Hermione snorted. "I don't think our current problems with Kraft are as serious."

He chuckled at her inadvertent pun. She tried to pull away from him with a huff, but he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. After a moment, she sighed and leant into him again. "So you think she's got it too easy."

"Well, I wouldn't say that. She's lost her home, her family, her entire world, in a way. It's just…"

He squeezed her shoulder and waited.

"We're Curse-Breakers and Archaeologists," she said.

"Sirius is no archaeologist. And Auntie can't even use a wand." Harry clenched his teeth, hating himself a little for saying that.

After a minute, Hermione broke the silence. "I guess she can learn. And she can keep Ron from causing trouble with more women. Somewhat," she added, no doubt having remembered the sirens.

"You'll have to teach her," Harry said.

She snorted. "That's Ron's job. Even if I'm certain that they're doing something else half of the time. Like now."

"Well, tomorrow night will be busy," Harry said. He slowly turned and moved until she was facing him with her back to the railing. "They're just using what free time they have." And if things went wrong tomorrow… Harry could think of worse ways to spend the night before that.

Judging by her expression before she kissed him, so could Hermione.


The Caribbean Sea, north of Jamaica, August 30th, 2001

Ron Weasley smiled as he watched the sun setting over the sea. You couldn't see such a spectacle at home. If Mum and Dad could see this, they would… well, they'd still worry about him, but they might understand his choice of career a little better rather than blaming everything on Bill and Petunia. He took a deep breath, enjoying the fresh air. The sights, the gentle breeze, which turned the temperature from hot to warm… it was almost enough to forget that they'd be sneaking across the Jamaican border in a few hours.

"Stinks."

He barely jerked any more at hearing Ari suddenly speak up next to him - he was getting used to her sneaking up on him, moving silently like a cat. Not that he minded, especially not if she was wearing nothing more than her bikini, like now. "I don't smell anything," he said. Not for the first time. "Fish rotting somewhere?"

"No. Ship stinks." He saw her sneer. "Didn't stink before."

It couldn't be the food - 'Cajun cuisine', as Captain Neva called it, was a novel experience for Ron and his friends, but he found he liked it, and Ari certainly had taken to it with gusto. "Same as Mallory's house?" he asked, turning slightly to look around and check where everyone was.

"Yes." She wrinkled her nose. "Still not know… I still don't know… what this is."

"Is it the dog's smell?"

"No." She shook her head. "Used to that, now." Judging by her expression, she still disliked it, though.

Ron rubbed his chin. It was another two days until the full moon. If Mallory were a werewolf, wouldn't he be showing signs of it by now? Like Remus when the full moon approached? Although, everyone was nervous as they drew closer to the island. And if Mallory was a werewolf and didn't tell them… Ron pressed his lips together. As much as he understood cursed people hiding their condition, and that they weren't the beasts some bigots thought they were, neither Ron nor his friends would forgive Mallory if he endangered them by hiding his curse.

And if Ari got hurt or cursed because of this… He bared his teeth.

"You smell it too?" Ari asked.

"No. Just had a stray thought."

"Dog thought?"

He chuckled. "Not that kind of stray." Looking around again - Harry and Hermione were near the bow, Captain Neva in the aft at the helm, Mallory was still below decks, he added: "I don't like it, though. Mallory's hiding something."

"Should ask him? Should we ask him?" she corrected herself. "Secrets are bad."

"That would be prying - and revealing that your sense of smell is better than he suspects." He grinned as he leaned forward and tapped her on the nose.

Her scowl looked adorable - it was more of a pout, anyway - as she grabbed his hand. "Told you not to do that."

He smiled at her. "I couldn't resist."

She growled, but he knew that growl - and she let his hand go as he put his other hand on her hip.

Too bad they didn't have the time for more than a few kisses.


"Look sharp, everyone! We're entering houngan waters now!" Captain Neva's voice sounded entirely too cheerful for her announcement, in Ron Weasley's opinion.

For Air's too, he could tell by the way she shifted her weight and gripped the railing. He glanced to his right. Harry was acting as if this was nothing, but Ron knew him too well to fall for the act. And if Hermione really were as calm as she looked, she'd be reading a book, not standing next to Harry with her wand out.

He didn't know Mallory well, but the man was sweating and gripping the line near him with enough force to whiten his knuckles.

All in all, they were holding up well, in his opinion. The ship's very good Disillusionment Charms were helping, of course. He had taken notes - they would want the same quality for their expedition vehicle. He wasn't quite as impressed by the Silencing Charms, but Captain Neva insisted that they were needed, despite the ship barely making a sound under sails.

"Land ho!" the skipper announced. "And nary a patrol in sight!"

"About half an hour to the shore," Hermione said, "if we keep our current speed."

With the wind at their back, it felt as if they were going slow, but the Captain said they were making seven knots - which was roughly eight miles per hour, as Ron had learned while tracking old ships' courses from their logs.

"It stinks!" Ari hissed next to him. She was dressed in her 'tomb raiding clothes', as she called her and Hermione's outfit.

Ron glanced towards Mallory.

"No, not him - rotten fish." She sniffed, then pointed towards the stern of the ship. "This direction."

Well, they were on the sea. Fish died all the time there. Probably. Ron blinked. "Did the smell appear just now?"

Ari nodded. "Strong, too."

Not strong enough for Ron to smell anything. But since the current and the wind were coming from straight behind them, wouldn't Ari have noticed it sooner if they have passed over a dead fish? It wasn't as if they swam…

Ron hissed. This was Jamaica. The dead could move - or swim - here, couldn't they? The houngans could control both types of zombies…

He quickly moved to the afterdeck. Captain Neva was frowning. "What's up?"

"We might have picked up some company," he said. "Zombie fishes." He raised his binoculars and activated the spells on them, scanning the sea behind them. Nothing… there! Several fins were trailing them. "Sharks!"

"What? But the spells are working!" the skipper protested.

"Only fooling eyes and ears, not noses," Ari said.

Captain Neva's cussing made the worst Curse-Breakers Ron had heard in Egypt sound like first-years at their Sorting.


The houngans were using zombie sharks as patrols! Hermione Granger cursed under her breath as she rushed to the railing, recalling what she knew about the animals. They had an incredible sense of smell and also electroreception. "Are they animated corpses or mind-controlled zombies?" she snapped as she reached Ron and Ari.

"Smell like rotting fish," Ari replied.

"Don't know," Ron said. "But if they smell rotten…"

Hermione nodded. It wasn't as if it made any difference - she had to assume both types of zombies possessed the living animal's senses. She bit her lower lip. "We need to throw them off the trail. But I don't know any spell that would mask our scent…"

"They tracking boat, not us," Ari said.

"But they'll track us if we go into the water," Hermione countered. They would be useless as guards if they weren't ordered to track all ships. "We could fly…" She looked up.

"Zombie birds?" Ron asked.

Hermione nodded.

Ari sniffed. "No smell rotten bird."

"They don't have to be animated dead birds," Hermione pointed out, trying to spot any birds. "They'd be much easier to feed than sharks." Owls would see very well at night. And some birds had a good sense of smell as well.

"We don't have much time," Harry said. "They'll have alerted the houngans."

"I'm turning around!" Captain Neva announced. "I'm not going to wait until the houngans arrive!"

Hermione pressed her lips together to keep from snapping at the woman. They couldn't expect the woman to sacrifice her ship - and herself - for them.

"We have a passage to the island!" Mr Mallory yelled - he obviously didn't share her opinion.

"If we continue we'll be dead or worse!" Captain Neva yelled back, turning the helm.

"You yellow witch!" Mr Mallory replied. He drew his wand with a sneer.

"We'll get off!" Harry said. "Get your brooms! Hurry!"

That gave the other man pause, and he cursed as he lowered his wand and stuck his free hand inside his robes. "I won't pay you if you turn away now!" he added with a glare at the captain.

"Keep your stupid gold!" Captain Neva snapped. "I'm getting out of here." The ship was turning away from the coast already. The boom would soon swing across the deck.

"I'll drop some blood in the water," Hermione said as she pulled out her Firebolt. It would - or so she hoped - distract the sharks. That might help Captain Neva in getting away.

"We should drop the coward into the water," Mr Mallory muttered. "That'd distract the sharks." But he was mounting his own broom - a Nimbus 2001, Hermione noticed - and wasn't threatening the captain any more. "Or bleed her."

Hermione, already disillusioned, shook her head and guided her broom up and away from the ship. A flick of her wand sent gallons of blood splashing into the water. She saw the other markers - Mr Mallory had disillusioned himself now as well - floating nearby as they gathered. Behind them, the yacht was making good time, heading away from the shore and now sailing close to the wind.

"If they are already here, they'll be waiting on the beach," Harry said. "Focusing on the yacht, but we can't count on that. There'll be more guard animals. Or zombies."

"No smell humans - or birds," she heard Ari say - the witch was with Ron on his broom, as their markers were almost overlapping - "But wind blows from behind. Birds could be in front. Wait - smell people! Behind us!"

That meant between them and the rapidly moving yacht. There was no one visible there, though - disillusioned houngans on brooms, now upwind of them? Hermione grabbed her binoculars and pulled the loop over her head.

"We need to…" Harry started to say. "...Dear Lord!"

Hermione gasped. A fin as tall as a human had broken the surface behind them - and was racing after the Stiletto. And the body beneath it was as big as the yacht. "A megalodon!" she whispered. But how? Then she almost scolded herself. "No, an enlarged great white shark!"

More huge fins appeared - three, no, four enlarged sharks following the yacht. And they were coming from the shore…

"They cut her off!" Harry yelled.

Hermione focused on the Stiletto just in time to see half a dozen sharks ram the yacht, one after another, batting the ship around like seals playing with a ball. She could see the protections of the ship flare up, then an explosion threw up a pillar of water and shredded shark parts next to the ship - and she saw the protections shatter under the blast's power.

A moment later, though, the ship was rammed again - and it capsised, almost breaking apart.

"We have to help the captain!" Ron snapped. He started to fly towards the yacht. Hermione followed him, as did Harry. But they were so far away...

"No!" Mr Mallory yelled. "Not with houngans around! We need to go!"

And as Hermione had feared, it was too late anyway - bereft of her protection, the ship was torn to pieces in seconds by the surviving sharks.

"She's got on a broom," Harry announced - even with glasses, he had caught what Hermione had missed. "Disillusioned."

But then, explosions started to appear in the air. Flashes preceding them - spells being cast. One, two, three-four…

Something hit the water. A moment later, another spell struck the same area, blasting a pillar of water into the air.

No more explosions followed.

Captain Neva might have escaped, but Hermione didn't think so. Her friends must have agreed - they stopped flying towards the remains of the yacht.

"Let's not let her sacrifice go to waste! We need to move!" Mr Mallory sounded almost hysterical. He had followed them despite his obvious fear, though.

But he was also correct - they didn't have any reason to wait any more. They had to move before the flying houngans spotted them. With the yacht gone, the houngans would certainly start searching the area.

Hermione still felt guilty as she followed Harry's marker, giving the beach in front of them a wide berth. As much as she would have liked to blame Kraft for this, she couldn't.


Enlarged zombie sharks in the water, probably zombie birds - zombie owls - in the air, and houngans on the beach. And their ship sunk, their skipper killed.

Harry Potter pressed his lips together as he flew westward, leading their group in their flight along Jamaica's coast. The captain had known the risk - she had been an experienced smuggler, after all. She had been familiar with Jamaica's waters and the houngans' patrols as well. Supposedly, Harry added - she certainly hadn't been prepared for what they had seen today.

Harry and his friends had hired the captain because they hadn't known enough about Jamaica's border patrols. But Captain Neva's death still felt like his fault. If they hadn't hired her…

He forced the thoughts away. He had to worry about his friends and himself now. And Mallory.

"Another fifty miles, then we'll swing around and fly to the beach," he said. The enchantment on his collar carried his voice to the rest of their group, including Mallory. Who hadn't yet learned that he didn't need to yell.

Unlike Ari. "No smell of birds or fishes," the witch reported.

That didn't mean they were safe, of course - but the houngans couldn't be watching the entirety of their coast. Unless they were unlucky, they should be fine.

Should.

"That'll put us past Montego Bay," Hermione said. "It's a major tourist destination. If we can slip into the masses there, we'll be fine."

"We need to slip past the border, first," Harry replied.

"Owl!" Ari announced.

"Where?" It couldn't be Hedwig - Harry had told her not to visit them tonight. He looked around.

"Towards the beach," Ari said. "Upwind."

"If it spots our brooms…" Mr Mallory broke off.

He spotted it - it was an owl, but it wasn't flying towards them. Probably hadn't seen them, then. Was that… He grabbed his binocs. Yes. "It's a post owl."

"They might disguise their patrols as post owls," Mr Mallory said.

"I don't think smugglers will let post owls pass," Hermione replied.

Harry didn't think so either.

"We did," Ari said.

"We're not smugglers," Ron said.

"Technically, we are," Hermione replied. "We're carrying magical supplies."

"And we'll be caught by the houngans if we keep talking!" Mallory exclaimed.

"My spells keep anyone from overhearing us," Hermione retorted.

"And we're not doing anything but flying straight along the coast," Ron added.

"No blame… don't blame us for your fear." Ari snorted.

"Do you want to end like the captain?" Mallory hissed.

No one said anything for the next few minutes.

Twenty minutes later, Harry stopped. "Alright. This should be far enough. And there's a forest behind the beach. We'll head straight into it. If we get split up, we'll meet up in the Hilton in Montego Bay tomorrow."

"It's past midnight, so it should be today," Hermione said.

Harry snorted as he urged his broom forward and flew towards the beach.

They were about a mile out, but a Firebolt - even flying slowly enough to not outpace Ron's, which was carrying two people - covered the distance in no time.

FLying low enough for their boots to hit the tips of the taller waves, they reached the narrow beach. A moment later, they were in the forest and had to slow down.

Two hundred yards into the forest, out of sight of the beach, Harry stopped and watched the markers of the rest of the group join him. It looked like they had made...

"Dogs," Ari announced.

A moment later, they heard barking.

"Bloody hell!" Harry heard Ron curse. "How unlucky can you be?"

"Very," Harry replied. "Can they track us if we don't touch the ground?"

"We can't avoid the foliage," Hermione said, "unless we fly above the canopy."

That would rob them of cover. They would have to outpace the hounds.

"I have a potion that will mask our scent," Mallory said.

"Why didn't you…" Ron started.

"It only works on people, not ships," Mallory cut Ron off. "I learned it from a native shaman - his tribe uses it to hunt." He appeared with a vial in his hand as his spell faded. "Drink this!"

Harry hesitated a moment. Could he trust Mallory? Not like he trusted his friends. But the man obviously feared the houngans. And he knew Dumbledore wouldn't let him get away with hurting them - he wouldn't betray them. Harry dispelled his Disillusionment Charm. "Alright."

"Stinks!" Ari complained. "And blood?"

"Not for long," Mallory replied. "Just take a sip." He handed the vial to Harry.

Harry cast a Poison Detection Charm anyway - it was safe. He took a sip. For a moment, he tasted a hint of metal. Then he didn't taste anything any more before he felt, for a second, as if steam poured out of all of his pores, engulfing his clothes.

"That neutralises the scent of your robes," Mallory explained.

Harry nodded and passed the vial on, noticing that Hermione was casting a Diagnosis Charm on him before nodding.

"Worse than Bubble-Head!" Ari complained again. "Everything's wrong!"

"Not for long," Ron said.

"We need to go now!" Harry spoke up - the dogs were much closer now. If they hadn't been flying…

He disillusioned himself again, as did the others, and led them away before the dogs caught up to them.


Jamaica, Montego Bay, August 31st, 2001

Muggle Montego Bay was packed with tourists. Hermione had told them that it would be, but Ron Weasley hadn't realised just what that meant until he saw the masses filling the narrower streets of the older parts of the town. He shook his head as he looked at the huge cruise ship anchored in the harbour. "We've either got the best or the worst timing in the world," he muttered.

"Why?" Ari asked, looking up from the menu of the café in which they were sitting. She couldn't read well, but the menu had pictures.

He gestured at the tourists surrounding them in the outdoors café. "We're pretty much a needle in a haystack here, but they will leave with the ship in a day. Probably less than that. And then we'll be more conspicuous." She frowned, and he explained: "We'll be easier to find."

Ari shrugged. "Fine if we're not easy to find."

He nodded. Her mastery of English wasn't perfect, but she was improving. And she was correct. "You're right. There'll be a lot of tourists still around - just not as many as today."

"Good." She sneered. "They smell."

"Like Mallory?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Perfume. Too many perfumes."

He didn't bother explaining the differences between deodorants, perfumes and aftershaves. "You can always ask Mallory for more of his potion," he joked. She growled at him, and he raised his hands. "Sorry."

"Don't say you sorry - show it!" she replied, holding out the menu and pointing at the most expensive ice cream on it. And they were in a café catering to rich tourists.

Ron wasn't poor any more - but shelling out so much money, even if it was just muggle money, still made him wince.

Ari hadn't missed his reaction. "Too much?" she asked. "Was joking."

But he could see that she hadn't been joking - or, rather, that she really wanted to try the ice cream. So he shook his head. "Just a stray thought," he said with his best smile. "Let's order two." He could afford it, after all - it wasn't as if he used much of the muggle money he earned for his part in their discoveries. Most of it went straight back into the 'pool' for buying supplies from muggles. Or paying them bribes.

And, seeing how Ari's face lit up at his words, it was money well spent anyway.

Half an hour and smaller than expected, but still respectable, amounts of ice cream later, they made their way through the throngs of tourists - Americans for the most parts - towards the beach.

"Should not… shouldn't we help Harry and Hermione?" Ari asked.

He shook his head. "They don't need our help - they just have to buy a few supplies. And rent a car." And without Ari, they were less likely to draw attention.

"And Mallory?" She asked with a frown aimed at the plastic bottle they had bought from a street vendor.

Ron shrugged. "He's resting in the hotel." Harry had been driving them hard last night, and they hadn't checked in at the Hilton until this morning. Mallory wasn't that old - but he wasn't young any more.

"Stinks," Ari muttered.

"The bottle or Mallory?"

"Both." She sniffed. "Don't like the smell. And Mallory stinks."

"Might he be sick?" Ron asked. He had read about muggle dogs being trained to sniff out sick people, but that had been in The Quibbler, so its veracity was a little suspect.

"Not sure. Don't know smell. Dog."

"Well, he's no werewolf." And probably no animagus - Ari hadn't complained about a bad smell in Grimmauld Place. "Might be his potions - the one last night stank, didn't it?"

Ari nodded, then took a sip of her bottle, wrinkling her nose.

Ron held his soda out to her. The cola's taste would overpower whatever plastic aftertaste was ruining Ari's water.

"Thanks," she said, then took a mouthful.

Nearby a family vacated a bench with a good view of the bay, and Ron guided Ari over to it before someone else could occupy it.

He caught Ari watching the family walk towards the pier. She had a rather wistful expression, as far as he could tell. After a moment's hesitation, he asked: "Missing your family?"

"No." She shook her head, but he couldn't tell if she was lying. "Wondering about children."

He frowned. She knew how… Oh! His eyes widened a little. "You want children?"

She looked at him as if he had asked if the sky was blue. "You don't?" She was frowning now.

"I want children," he said quickly. "But our work makes raising them difficult."

"Leave with Molly until older."

That was a practical solution, but… "We'd be away very often." Ron wasn't sure if he wanted to be an absent father.

"Like school."

"That starts when they're eleven," he replied.

"Yes. Molly only need to care until then."

"If we wait until we have a permanent camp for our work, like Petunia had, we could take the children with us. Until they enter school."

Now she frowned at him. "Danger is part of work, you said."

"Well, a Curse-Breaker camp is usually safe."

"Usually means not always. Goblins are not safe. Kraft is not safe."

"Well…" Ron took a deep breath. "We don't have to have kids right away. We're still young. We can have kids when things are less dangerous."

To his relief, she nodded at that without asking what exactly he meant - he hadn't really thought about this.

But he knew he wanted kids. And with her.


Jamaica, Montego Bay, September 1st, 2001

"Cockpit Country?" Mallory exclaimed. "You said it was an outpost on the coast!"

"Actually, we didn't say that," Hermione replied in the tone she took when she was annoyed - Ron Weasley was quite familiar with it. "Just because the two other outposts we discovered were on the coast doesn't mean all of the outposts were. And if it had been on the coast," she added with a slight sniff, "someone would have certainly discovered it already. It's only logical that the outpost would be hidden in the most remote part of the island."

"That's the houngan heartland!" Mallory shook his head, pacing in the hotel room. "That's where they built their communities among the Maroons until they took over the island."

"Indeed. But after they took control of Magical Jamaica, they spread over the entire island." Hermione snorted. "Apparently, if you rule a country, living in a small village hidden in the jungle is beneath you."

"It's more likely that the houngans wanted some distance between each other's homes," Harry said. "Although Dumbledore mentioned that all of the ruling houngans owned large manors."

"Oh, that sounds familiar!" Ron said, shaking his head. Like the Malfoys and the other rich Slytherins.

"That doesn't matter - they didn't abandon Cockpit Country!" Mallory drew several breaths through clenched teeth. "Their most sacred places are located there, protected by their most powerful curses and other defences!"

Ron wondered, privately, how the man knew that. It certainly didn't sound like common knowledge.

Hermione, though, sniffed again. "We'll avoid any such locations on the way to the ruins."

"And if the ruins are part of such a location?" Mallory asked.

"Well, then we'll find out just how good their defences are," Harry said.