A/N: I was so amazed at the great response from last chapter and it was great to hear how much you guys liked it. Hopefully the positive response will continue :) I decided to finally post this chapter, since if I delayed any longer I would probably second guess myself. Another long one for you guys, a little less heavy in emotion, but it hopefully makes up for it in some new twists. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own anything recognizable as Harry Potter, I do own Liz, Cook, and the story.
Chapter 9: Pursued
Faint gray clouds dusted the blue sky and waves crashed forcefully against the bow of the Marauder as the ship cut through the swirling waters. Bracing his palms on the rail, James let the sea wind caress his face, brushing the bangs from his brow. Normally the sea wind would have calmed his nerves, now however it did no such deed. Straightening, James turned and narrowed his eyes at the ship steadily gaining on them.
It had been on the horizon for hours, and only recently had it become apparent that it was not only following their own course, but increasing its speed to catch up to the Marauder. It was using their own wind to shorten the distance between the two ships further, a trick he himself had used many times in the past years, and there was very few ways to counter the maneuver, especially with them already so close.
What worried him more than its quickening pace, was the fact that no flag flew from the main mast. It would have been only slightly more comforting if there had been a French or English banner flying.
Remus turned his head from where he guided the wheel of the ship. Focusing his own gaze on the ship he tightened his grip on the wooden handles of the wheel. "Any guess at who they are?" His question was directed at James, though the captain kept his icy eyes on the approaching ship.
James sharply shook his head. Unconsciously, his hand shifted to the hilt of his sword, reassuring him it was there and ready to be used. "We treat them as enemies until we know different." He replied bluntly, turning on his heel and descending the stairs as the ship inched ever closer. His mind whirled with possible counter-attacks and tricks he could pull, each one less suitable then the next.
Stepping down from the last step, James nearly ran headlong into Lily. He quickly caught her shoulders and spun, avoiding sending her sprawling along the deck. One they had straightened, James let his eyes roam over Lily, taking in the sword and knife at her belt. He lifted a questioning eyebrow and Lily crossed her arms defensively across her chest. James didn't even need to voice his question to know the answer as Lily returned his steady gaze, not glaring but not budging either.
James fixed her with a look, letting out a long breath. "Lily -"
An explosion interrupted his words and James fell against the rail, barely catching himself before he could fall over the edge. Lily's knees hit the deck as a splash revealed the barely missed cannonball.
"All hands to posts!" James' yell forced the men into action. Jerking himself to his feet he surged up the steps, stopping on the landing.
Sirius gripped Lily's arm, pulling her to her feet and up the steps. The boat rocked again and Lily gripped the rail as another cannonball left the dark ship and skimmed the side of the Marauder.
Looking out at the imposing ship, Lily swallowed. "Who -"
"Remus turn around." James ordered. Four heads swiveled to stare at him, mouths gaping at the order.
Remus' recovered first. "You want me to -"
"Turn the ship around. Face them head on so we can swing to their side and board if we have to." Remus started to stutter something, but James was adamant. "They want us to run! They're not going to expect us to attack them!" Months ago even Riddle hadn't expected such a maneuver, and if it worked then, for however short a period, it could work now long enough for them to turn the tables on their pursuers.
"Can we do that? Attack another ship?" John wondered lamely, thoughts of the contract James had signed echoing in his memory. Another explosion sent him sprawling across the landing, Remus into the wheel with a grunt, and Lily into James' chest.
"I hate to be the bearer of bad news." Sirius inserted as he heaved himself off the railing where he had been thrown. "But they're attacking us!"
"Ready the guns, ready yourselves and prepare to turn!" James hollered as John scrambled off the landing. Turning, James looked down at the woman against him. "Lily, get below deck."
Her face settling into a determined frown, Lily shook her head. "No."
"Lily, I cannot argue with you right now!"
"Then don't argue." She gripped his arm and forced James to meet her eyes. "You need every available hand to defend this ship."
James blinked at Lily, her chin stuck out and her eyes speaking volumes of her resolution. The look in her green orbs reminded him of a day not so long ago when she had stood toe to toe with him while she protected an innocent boy. Now she was standing toe to toe with him – for the right to fight beside him.
Another cannonball streaked by the ship, splintering the side of the ship as it smashed into the water. "James," Sirius broke in, securing the sword on his belt and readjusting the gun strapped to his hip. "We really don't have time for this!"
James ignored him, holding Lily's gaze. The heavy weight of uncertainty and nerves at the thought of her fighting was still present, but the confidence radiating from her eyes made his decision in spite of it. A brief nod of his head was all the acknowledgment he gave.
A flash of a smirk normally found on Sirius' face not Lily's, briefly graced the redhead's lips. It was as much of a response as James needed as he turned from her and shouted another order to the crew.
"Prepare to come around! Prepare to board!"
Remus whipped the wheel around and Lily felt the ship move under her feet. Out of the corner of her eye she saw James, flanked on either side by Remus and Sirius, the wind blowing through his hair as his eyes brewed like an approaching storm fixed on the ship they now faced, creating an imposing picture in the midst of the current adversity.
"Sirius, get the cannons our on the starboard side only." The first mate glanced over at James "Line up the men on that side with guns. When we cross them – hit them with everything." Sirius slowly grinned.
"Aye aye, Captain." He responded before resting a hand on the inner railing and jumping off the landing. He landed like a cat on his feet and repeated the order in a loud voice that reverberated across the deck, sending the men to their posts. If Lily wasn't mistaken, she thought she saw grins of anticipation on all the ex-pirates' faces. They were going to enjoy this.
The Marauder surged over the swell, crashing down into the waves as it shot like an arrow from a tight bow toward the dark ship. The crew braced themselves as the ship swung ever closer.
"Fire!"
The ship shook under her feet, and Lily gripped the riggings nearby to steady herself. Plumes of smoke seeped from both ships, but it was obvious that the ship that had pursued them hadn't been expecting them to turn the attack back upon them.
The crew knew what to do without James having to order it. It was just like any other marauding experience, albeit with fewer men on their side this time. The grappling hooks flew through the fog of cannon-fire, tethering the unknown ship to the Marauder. And the men began to cross over, loud shouts coupled with gun shots had Lily's mind reeling.
Remus had secured the wheel and James appeared at Lily's arm as they ran toward the starboard side of the ship. James caught her around the waist when they were at the rail, grabbing hold of a rope as he stepped on the rail. It swung forward, sending them flying through the air and Lily felt her stomach lurch as James' boots hit the other deck and he swung her out of his grip to pull out his sword and meet the blade of a pirate rushing him.
And it was indeed a pirate, Lily could see as she jerked her own sword out, barely managing to evade the blow of a pirate with tattoos covering his face. Lily's arm shook and she felt fear claw at her throat as she realized what she had gotten herself into. This pirate wasn't going to stop because she was a woman, he would kill her anyway or do worse. The clang of metal nearby caused Lily to turn her head for a fraction of a moment, a mistake that nearly cost her her life as her foe's sword slashed toward her.
Lily fell backward in a cry of pain, hitting the deck with her elbow, wincing and clutching at her arm that was slowly growing wetter with blood. The gleam in the eye of the approaching pirate made Lily's stomach churn, but as he came toward her and her hand gripped empty air, she remembered a lesson James had taught her.
Use anything. Your whole self has to be the weapon.
Lily kicked out with her foot and her heel connected with a unsettling pop against the pirate's knee. It sent him down on the deck with a scream louder than her own and she pulled out her knife before another thought could defer her and shoved it into the screaming man's stomach.
He gasped and clawed at her, and then lay unnervingly still. Stunned for a moment, Lily stared down at him. The battle around her seemed to slow and go silent as she pulled her red knife from the dead man's stomach.
It wasn't the first man she'd killed, that had been Riddle. But Riddle hadn't screamed like that. Lily swallowed hard, her hand already feeling the deck for her sword as she was brought sharply back to reality by two swords meeting in front of her face.
"Lily, move!" It was Sirius, who threw his shoulder into the pirate who had attempted to cut down the stunned redhead. Lily scrambled away, picking up her fallen sword as she did so. Sirius freed his sword and pointed his gun at the now weaponless pirate.
"Parley!" The man whimpered.
It made Sirius pause a moment too long and the man lunged at him. A shot echoed loudly and Sirius turned his head to see Remus shove the corpse aside and fix him with a frosty look.
"We're not pirates anymore." He reminded the first mate, not waiting for the silent nod of appreciation before turning to face an oncoming pirate.
The pirates on the unknown ship outnumbered them But they were young and foolish. James twisted his blade out of a locked grip and ran the pirate through in the same motion. They were untrained, and compared to the Marauder crew they might as well have been children fighting seasoned soldiers.
But James' pity was short lived as he felt the hilt of a sword hit his shoulder and he stumbled even as he parried the steel away from his body. Trained or not they were attacking his ship, and he'd be damned if they were going to get away with it.
His back hit something soft and he half turned, only enough to see a flash of red hair as Lily herself shifted to parry a pirate's blade. At least she was holding her own, though the red staining her arm worried him. The tip of his foe's sword nicked his wrist and James winced, more in irritation than actual pain. Swerving out of the way and James sent his free fist into the pirate's nose, before he grabbed the pirate's shirt and flung him across the deck.
Lily shoved her own pirate counterpart back and twisted her sword arm, effectively deterring his blow as well as landing one of her own with her already used dagger. The pirate staggered back and Lily fell backwards into James' waiting chest. Glancing up she saw a half grin on his flushed face.
"Not bad for an ex-duke's daughter."
She glanced over his shoulder at the pirate he'd just sent sprawling. "Not bad for an ex-pirate." She countered breathless, surprised she could banter so lightly given the situation.
James let out a short laugh, then shoved her to the side, barely saving her from an oncoming pirate. In two breaths the pirate was dead on the deck and James' chest was left heaving from the sudden adrenaline.
He felt Lily fighting at his side as another pirate came toward him. There seemed to be no end to the number of enemy pirates. Where as there was a definite end to his energy and his own man power. Grunting, James shoved the other man away, stumbling back into the stairs to the landing with the momentum.
James brought his sword up, barely catching the sword of yet another pirate, who shoved him backward with the same motion. James felt his feet slip and his back hit the edge of the stairs. With a grunt he rolled out of the way of the boot that came toward him and jumped off the steps, turning to face the pirate who moved with him up the deck.
This pirate was bigger and much better trained than some of his lackeys, James noticed as the man parried each of his advances and James' tired arm only barely managed to block the onslaught. His clothes were also finer, his face surprisingly clean shaven. But there was no doubt he was a pirate as his sword neatly twisted James' and a dagger appeared from nowhere, aiming at the ex-pirate captain's heart.
James caught the wrist of the arm holding the dagger, struggling to keep it away from his body. A brief idea hit him and he dropped backwards, letting the momentum bring the pirate with him, until his back hit the deck and James swung up his knees to send the pirate careening helplessly over him.
James heard the slam of a body into the deck and twisted up in time to kick the sword away from the limp hand of the pirate, and place his own sword at the pirate's throat. The pirate beneath him froze, looking up at him. It was the smirk that began to twist his features that James didn't like.
"Captain James Potter."
James' skin prickled at the use of his name from the pirate's smirking lips. His eyes narrowed, ignoring the fight that was dying down around him.
"It's nice to finally meet you, face to face." The pirate captain on the ground continued.
Nearby Lily stopped as the pirates fell away from the Marauder crew, looking unsure as they glanced toward their captain at the mercy of the man that they had been pursuing. Remus jerked a sword out of one of the pirates grip and shoved him toward Mitz who began tying him up. Lily kept one eye on the pirates that were being gathered and her other eye on James, whose brow was pinched at the familiarity the pirate spoke to him with and the fact that James didn't recognize him in the slightest.
"Give me one reason why I shouldn't kill you where you lie." James demanded, pressing the sword so close to the throat of the pirate that it might have drawn blood and refusing to acknowledge any familiarity between them.
"What good will that do you?" The pirate asked, still smirking. "You think I'm the only one?"
James stared down at him, feeling Sirius silently come to his side, his own eyes dark as he watched the pirate. Only one what, Sirius wondered to himself.
The contented grin on the pirate's face was beginning to rub James raw with irritation.
"Get up." The captain ordered.
The pirate did not move and James' eyes narrowed. "Get. Up." He enunciated the order with an icy glare and added pressure to the blade at the pirate's throat. The pirate moved now, taking his time to rise to his feet, the challenging look evident on his face.
"Who are you." The next words weren't a question, but a demand.
"Wouldn't you like to know...."
Sirius had shifted to the pirate's side and now he took the man's arm and twisted it painfully around to his back, jerking it as the pirate winced with evident discomfort. His other hand dug into the pirate's shoulder. "Answer the question." The first mate hissed.
The man gritted his teeth and Sirius increased the pressure on the pirate's shoulder and arm. "Sirius, don't kill him." James said bluntly, causing both the first mate and the pirate's eyes to turn to him. James held the pirate's gaze with his own, as he continued. "Yet."
The pirate narrowed his eyes ever so slightly. "Crouch. Captain Barty Crouch." He spat the words and a good deal of spit at James' foot.
James ignored the spit as he racked his brain for the significance of the name. When none came, his frown visibly deepened.
Remus tilted his head, but no recognition showed on his face either. The rest of the crew were too busy bunching together the surviving pirates to pay much attention to their captain and his own captive.
Lily frowned as the name reached her own ears. That name...it sounded vaguely familiar. She was sure she had heard it before, but where?
"You've gone soft if you're not going to let him kill me." Crouch was now saying, a bitter smile on his face.
James raised an eyebrow in disgust. "I said 'yet'." He reminded the pirate captain. Stepping over to him he met the man's dark eyes with his own icy ones until the man twitched ever so slightly in discomfort.
"You were attacking my ship." James said slowly.
"You'd better have a good reason." Sirius grated, tightening his grip.
"There is no good reason." James admonished, glaring still.
Crouch snorted. "You don't scare me, James Potter." In response, Sirius tightened his grip even further so James was sure he heard Crouch's shoulder pop as the pirate winced visibly in pain.
"What do you mean you're not the only one." James questioned now, his eyes blazing.
Crouch leered at him. "You can do whatever you want, Potter. Like I said, there are more coming after you than just me."
More coming after me? James processed silently, with dread flooding his stomach.
"Liar." Sirius bit out.
Crouch glared at him over his shoulder. "Don't believe me? Just kill me and see how many other ships still come after you. They're all after you. All the pirates are after Riddle's treasure."
The name froze James' blood, but the implication had him dropping his glare in surprise. "We don't have any treasure." He replied numbly
Crouch let out a laugh of disbelief, pulling against Sirius' suddenly loose grip to smirk widely at James. "You killed Riddle. You're the only one who could have the map to his treasure – the only one who could know where it is."
It was the most twisted piece of logic James had ever heard in his life, especially since he had seen the English burn Riddle's ship with his own eyes. If the map was anywhere it was either an ashy mound at the bottom of the ocean or in the hands of the Duke, most likely the former. But the man's eyes didn't lie, he believed fully in what he was saying. Which made James assume that whoever else thought he had Riddle's treasure, believed it that strongly too.
"You mean Ribb's treasure." Sirius corrected in the silence, confusion in his voice as well.
"I mean Riddle's treasure, you half-wit!" Crouch broke off in a hiss of pain as Sirius twisted his arm tighter. "Riddle had his own treasure. Just wait until the other's catch up with you..." He smirked at James.
James' face smoothed as he gave Sirius a meaningful look. Then turning his back to the pirate captain he started toward Lily.
Sirius jerked Crouch backward toward the rail, even as the pirate began struggling, pulling against the iron grip of the first mate.
"It doesn't matter what you do to me, Potter. They'll come after you! And you'll die! You and your crew...and your woman!" He hissed, his eyes finally finding Lily. "Riddle's treasure will be reclaimed!"
Sirius stopped at the rail and turned Crouch around to face him, before landing a hard punch in the other man's jaw. Crouch stumbled backward, over the rail, splashing into the waiting ocean below.
When James reached Lily he faced Remus first. "Bind any survivors and perform some sabotage on their steering. I don't want them following us if they get free, or if that rat manages to surface." Remus nodded and moved away.
"You're going to leave them alive?" The question surprisingly came from Lily as she followed James across the deck and the boarding plank that had been dropped between the two ships.
James jumped onto the deck of his ship, then turned. Taking Lily's waist in his hands, James set her lightly down on the deck before responding. "They won't be able to do anything. At best they're sitting ducks for another ship, English or pirate." James assured her, guiding her toward his cabin. "Let's take care of your arm."
Glancing down at her left arm, Lily realized that her sleeve was darkened red. "I'm sure it's...fine..." She lamely attempted.
James snorted and sent her a look as he gently pulled her into his cabin. "Humor me."
The crew left on the pirate ship heaved the dead pirates over the side of the ship as Remus, Mitz, and John bound the wrists of the few remaining pirates. To their credit, the pirates didn't resist, but Remus wasn't incline to be very pitying at the moment. He pulled the rope tight around the wrists of one of the pirates, causing a hiss to escape his captive.
As he knotted the rope, the corner of his eye caught color on the pirate's skin. Tattoos weren't uncommon among pirates, but Remus still moved the rope aside to better see the pirate's forearm, ignoring the questioning look he was being sent by both Mitz and the pirate.
The blue-green tattoo of an eye glared up at him. Memory pulled Remus back to the burning ship weeks ago, where he had taken Dora's necklace from the dead grip of a pirate – with the exact same tattoo.
Remus dropped the pirate's arms and stood up abruptly. Scanning the area around him, he quickly moved over to John, pushing the other man aside to look at the forearm of the pirate he was tying up. Ignoring John's protest and Mitz calling him back to the half-bound pirate he had left behind, Remus pulled the pirate's sleeve up to reveal the same tattoo. It was slightly darker from age, but there was no mistaking the likeness.
Remus looked up briefly to meet the look of the bound pirate whose eyes had narrowed slightly at Remus' action. The pirate didn't speak but continued to stare at him until, mouth tight, Remus dropped the man's arm.
Turning away from the captives and Remus fought to control the shaking of his hands as he mentally followed the breadcrumbs backward from the tattoo of the men nearby, to the tattoo of the dead pirate, to the necklace in his hands, to the woman who had lost the necklace.
Remus moved swiftly along the deck, leaving the ship without a glance back at the captives he should have been supervising. He barely heard Sirius giving the order to disembark as Remus shoved James' cabin door open.
Lily was sitting on the edge of the desk, her shirt off but her chest thankfully covered by a corset as James carefully secured a white bandage around her upper arm. The slam of the door caused them both to jump and Lily's face to redden when she saw Remus standing at the door.
"Remus." James frowned, glancing quickly at Lily, and then back to the second mate whose breath was coming much too quickly.
"The tattoo." Remus broke in, breathless. "It's the same tattoo!"
James frowned in confusion, shooting Lily another quick glance, before opening his mouth to ask Remus what he was talking about. Before he could, the door swung open and Sirius walked in, letting the door close loudly in his wake.
With barely a glance at the agitated second mate, he faced James. "We've separated from the Black Storm – the ship's name by the way." Sirius reported smoothly. "Their crew is either bound or dead. And their captain is either treading water or sinking – personally I'd prefer the later."
"James, the tattoo!" Remus interrupted, having regained his breath.
"Tattoo?" Sirius sent Remus a half irritated look. "I'm trying to tell - "
"This is more important," Remus ground out. "Than your idle commentary on the condition of that pirate crew."
Sirius flushed, more from temper than embarrassment. "Well forgive me for intruding on your own rant of body art, but in case you've forgotten it's my job as first mate to inform the captain that we've left the ship in our wake!"
Remus mirrored Sirius' stiff stance. "Then stop rambling and tell him so that I -"
"Be quiet!
It was Lily who yelled over the argument, having quickly pulled her shirt over the bandage on her arm during their argument. James' eyes widened at her outburst, but he held his tongue. The two other men looked at her abruptly and she fixed them each with a look normally reserved for their captain. "Honestly, you two. How is he supposed to understand either of you!"
Sirius and Remus had the good sense to look slightly abashed at her words, but Remus recovered quickly. "The pirate I took Dora's necklace from," He began, ignoring the annoyed look Sirius sent him. "On the burning ship. He had a tattoo of an eye on his forearm."
"Most pirates have tattoos." Sirius pointed out, still frustrated. "What is your point?"
Remus ignored him, stepping over to James, who had leaned against the desk and was rubbing some spare blood off his knuckles. "The pirates on the ship that just attacked us – had the same tattoo."
James paused and looked up at him. "Are you sure?"
"Of course I'm sure!" Remus yelled, flinging his hands up in anger. "Stop asking me if I'm sure! I wouldn't be telling you if I wasn't."
"Hold on." Sirius stopped them. Remus turned with anger boiling in his eyes as he prepared himself for another sidelong comment. But Sirius' face held a slackened expression, lacking any humor or bite.
"Pirates with the same tattoo...and that idiot Crouch saying there were more coming after us....do you know what that means?" Sirius' tone pitched as he looked at each of them. "It's a coven of pirates."
James' face visibly lost some color at the word and his hand that still held the rag dropped limply to his side.
Remus swallowed and tried to recover despite the unsettling nature of Sirius' words. "What's more important is that Crouch's pirate friends could be the ones who have Dora."
"You are missing the point!" Sirius balked at him, running his hands roughly through his hair, both in irritation and growing fear. "We have a coven of pirates after us!"
Lily looked between them, confusion on her face at their reactions. "What is so important about a coven of pirates?" She questioned James, who recovered enough to turn toward her.
"A coven of pirates is run by one pirate, usually the most powerful pirate on the seas. For example, Riddle." As he spoke James realized the truth of his words. If there was a pirate coven, especially one looking for Riddle's missing treasure, it was very possible that it had been controlled at one point by the dead pirate himself.
"It's like the king's armada," He continued in numb monotone. "One pirate in control of several ships and hundreds of pirates. They're rare because normally pirates don't normally want to be controlled by other pirates."
"But when they actually exist, they're best avoided." Sirius put in lamely, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Do you realize the trouble we're in? This is worse than one ship after us, James." He illustrated the point by swinging his hands out in front of him, jabbing empty air in frustration. "This is tens maybe dozens of ships with hundreds of pirates. And they're all after us!"
"Did you hear what I said?" Remus pressured, looking sternly at James. "The pirates had the same tattoo, which means the pirates who probably have Dora are in the same coven that just attacked us. Which means if we find them – we find her!"
Sirius gave him an frustrated look, eyes wild. "Can you for once, look at the whole picture instead of just at Dora? This is bigger than her, Remus!"
James pinched his eyes shut, feeling Remus' anger as though it was tangible, and sensing Lily's uncertainty at the simmering argument between the first and second mate. What they needed right now was more information, not another argument. What they needed was to know more about the possible coven and more on Crouch. He said as much before Remus could get his own barb into the argument.
Sirius frowned at James' suggestion. "We're going looking for the people who are looking for us?" His tone indicated just what he thought of the idea and his captain's sanity.
"They wouldn't know that you would be looking for them." Lily pointed out, and all three of the men turned to her. "They're going to assume you will run or try to hide Riddle's treasure map...which you don't have." She reminded them slowly.
"They're not expecting you to go looking for them. And they are definitely not going to expect you to go looking for a girl you lost six years ago."
The men absorbed her words, Remus nodding with a determined gleam in his eye. "It will make it easier."
"What easier?" Sirius demanded bitterly. "Getting ourselves killed?"
With a fierce look, Remus ignored Sirius and turned to face James. "Your orders?" He asked even as Sirius shook his head, a disbelieving look marring his face.
Right to business, James thought mildly. If it had anything to do with Dora, which this did in whatever roundabout way Remus had discovered, he knew his second mate was going to be willing to do whatever necessary. The dark haired first mate was going to be different, James realized as he averted his eyes to take in Sirius' stormy look.
"Tell the men to return to course until chart us a new course to a port where we can stay under English and pirate eye to find out some information. Have a few men keep an eye on the horizon at all times." Just in case, James kept the final warning to himself. Remus left without even a farewell. James let out a breath as the door shut behind the second mate with an echoing snap.
Sirius watched James from behind his black bangs, silent as he waited for James' gaze to return to him. "Orders?" The question seemed to be a plea to be left out of any of the insanity the situation was steadily turning into
"Help Remus." James ordered, catching the slight wince in Sirius' eyes at the command. But James held to the order. The sooner Sirius and Remus smoothed things over, the sooner he would feel more comfortable about this whole expedition. He wasn't going to have them jumping at each other's throats, especially if he was going to need to focus on whoever might be jumping for his throat.
Despite the wince, Sirius didn't protest and with a brief nod he left the cabin silently. James let out another batted breath and leaned against the desk, tilting his head to glance down at Lily who had remained by his side.
Lily was watching him intently, green eyes fastened on some hidden thought. "Do you think there's a connection?" She asked slowly, trying to ignore the obvious tension between the two men who had just left the cabin.
Shaking his head ruefully, James dropped his gaze to the ground. "With my spectacular luck...probably."
"It would make finding Dora easier." At James questioning look, Lily explained. "It's easier to look for hundreds of pirates than to look for one girl."
"One would think." James muttered to himself. Averting his attention back to her, he glanced at her shoulder covered by the sleeve of her shirt. The now dried blood reminded him of the wound he had been taking care of before Remus had barged in.
"Let me look at your arm."
Lily shied away as he reached for her arm. "You just..."
"We were interrupted. I would like to make sure it's bandaged tight, an that it won't bleed through." James explained, tugging at her sleeve with his fingers.
Lily stared mutely back at him, not moving. "James, I'm sure -"
"Lily, take off your shirt so I can check your bandage." James resorted to the order, holding her eyes with his own. Gingerly, Lily did as she was bid. Slipping the shirt off her shoulders as James helped her. He handed her the discarded material, which she held tight in her fists as James turned his attention to her arm.
James' gentle fingers felt her upper arm, which was now wrapped with a tight white cloth. He checked the ties, careful to not put to much pressure on the wound. James swept his fingers over the edge of the bandage, brushing against the bare flesh of her shoulder, and then became distracted by the small goosebumps that rose from his light touch. Blinking slowly, James slid his palm under her arm, feeling her soft skin under his hands. Then he carefully helped her off the edge of the desk, feeling his neck warm when he found her eyes watching him.
"It should be fine now." He muttered slowly, dropping his hands away from her arm.
Lily nodded and James ducked away behind her to the chair at his desk, sitting down and averting his gaze as she put her shirt back on. Lily took her time buttoning the buttons again as she followed him around the desk, watching him with calm interest.
James didn't look up at her, though he did feel her pause by his arm. An uncomfortable uncertainty had settled in his stomach, more from the fact that he still hadn't apologized for his outburst two nights ago then Lily's actual presence. Their late night conversation had seemed as much a forgiveness on Lily's part as an apology on his, even if had produced so much more than the simple words. It had forgiven him of more than just his harsh words, absolving him of all of his crimes, not just those against her.
However her reprieve made him feel awkward and unsure about himself, specifically from the words she'd used in her forgiveness than from anything else. While it still felt as though he should voice his apology, part of him longed to simply bask in the warmth of her affection than call attention back to the earlier row.
Lily watched him, not completely unaware of the tug-of-war going on within him. James had spoken little over the past two days, and it was only in the small smiles he gave her that revealed how much her admittance the other night had affected him. The crinkled confusion that had coupled with those same smiles made Lily stay in the cabin now, instead of returning to the galley where she knew the men would soon be congregating for a meal.
Pausing near him, Lily ran her eyes along James' ruffled hair and carefully averted eyes, down his cheeks that were rough with a midday shadow, down until she saw the red staining the wrist of the man sitting near her. Reaching down, Lily brushed her fingers on his wrists, cupping his hand in her palm and causing James to start.
"You're bleeding." She reminded him, turning his wrist in her hand. The simple observation brought James completely out of his inner world into the real one with a quick glance at her tender hands gently encircling his wrist, to the actual cut along his arm.
"It's not deep." He murmured. Sensing her frown, James fixed Lily with a calming look. "It will heal on it's own."
The objection was on the tip of her tongue, but the calm way in which James watched her had Lily bit it back. Instead she tilted her head ever so slightly as he watched her with a serious expression.
"You did well...fighting, I mean." James clarified when Lily's brow wrinkled in confusion at his stumbled attempt at a compliment. Doing well was a bit of an understatement, James thought blandly. That she had survived with only a scratch was near a miracle. Then again, she had held her own against Riddle.
Pride blossomed under Lily's breastbone. James had given her compliments on her fighting before, but only after she lost a spar to him. To hear his confidence and praise now made her cheeks warm in delight, even as she acknowledged the change in subject.
"You held your own nicely." Lily told him, letting go of his wrist and sending him a warm smile of her own.
James shook his head, giving her a wry look in response. "I don't think your father would like how I rubbed off on you." He observed dryly before he could stop himself. A faint smile pulled at his lips when Lily blinked at him, and he pulled himself closer to the desk and smoothed a map out with his palms.
The ghost of a daring smirk pulled at Lily's lips and she cocked an eyebrow at him as she leaned against the desk and turned her head to him. "What about how I rubbed off on you?"
"What? Making me a good man?" He wondered offhandedly, the corner of his lip twitching in amusement.
Lily's lips shifted into a real smile. Putting a hand under James' chin she turned his gaze to her. At his confused gaze, she whispered, "James, you were a good man before I met you."
In truth he wasn't that stunned at her words, given what she had said before it really wasn't unexpected or surprising. However, he was stunned enough to only be able to stare at her for a long moment, before James let a ragged breath come through tight lips. He almost let the practiced, self-degrading rebuttal fall from his lips, catching himself just in time as her eyes melted through his own. James lifted his head away from her hand and turned his gaze back to the map sitting in front of him.
Lily shifted her own gaze to the map instead of pushing him further. A frown formed on her brow at the criss-crossing marks and circles that were scratched along the English coast that was etched on the yellowed parchment. "What are all the marks?" She asked, turning fully to brace her hands on the edge of the desk as she studied the map with curious interest.
James ran a hand over his jaw, feeling the stubble that had accumulated over the past few days. His eyes completely on the map he replied, "The circles are the ports we planned to visit, if there's a slash through it," He showed her with a slash of his own finger along the page. "Then we looked and didn't find Dora. The lines along the water," Again he traced the dark lines with his finger. "Are the course we took."
"And there?" Lily pointed at a roughly drawn star on one part of the coast at the lower end of England.
"Liz's port, where we just left." James informed her. "We made our way north," He dragged his finger up the dark line, northward. "Hitting ports along the English coast, and some on the Irish coast."
"Did you ever go south?" Lily questioned, following the line with her eyes to a few marks below Liz's port. James nodded slowly. Focusing her gaze on the marks and coastline as James did, Lily narrowed her eyes. James was looking for something, she could tell as his eyes darted along the traced outlines of her homeland. "You're going to retrace your steps?" Lily wondered thoughtfully.
Barely glancing at her for her astute observation, James let out a long sigh. "Try. The problem is that this particular map is over six years old. Ports have both grown, and disappeared. Some new ones have even come into existence. This map is not only outdated, but it does us no good in checking off ports that are now in trade."
"But you have your old course. Couldn't you acquire a new map and compare the two?" Lily suggested.
James tilted his head up at her. She wasn't looking at him, but at the map with a crease in her brow and unconsciously chewing at the corner of her lip. "We could..." He said slowly.
Lily nodded, sure of the fact. "Then you'd know where you'd been, which ones had grown since then, where you'd need to look."
James almost smiled, but he managed to hold it back just in time. While he'd intended to do just as Lily was suggesting, to actually hear the idea coming from her made him appreciate her presence more than for the normal warmth she ignited in his heart. Not only did her suggestion mean she was willing, despite what he'd said earlier, to help him in this endeavor, but it was also support for his own decision. He might not have necessarily needed it, but James welcomed someone else's voice of approval that served to solidify his course of action, especially when his two friends were otherwise occupied in their own problems and desires.
"Exactly." He murmured, still watching her.
Lily turned her head back to him at the softness in his voice, smiling when she found his eyes on her. "What?"
"Nothing." James shook his head, smoothing over the map with his hand. Reaching down, he heaved another map from an overflowing drawer and set it on the desk. The new map also had marks across it, but fewer, and the map looked slightly newer. It was also primarily focused on a limited section of English coastline.
Tapping one of the circled ports James spoke, "This port is about two days sailing north -east of us. It's a thriving port, but there's not too many legal patrons to be able to jump to any conclusions, and not enough illegal parties to literally jump us. It's size will also ensure there's plenty of gossip and information to be had, as well as sufficient maps to serve our purpose."
Lily nodded, seeing the logic in is decision. "Information about Dora?" She clarified, as much to get an answer as to test James' willingness to talk to her about the other woman.
James blinked at her, as though sensing her plan. Even so he nodded. "Partly."
Lily frowned. "Partly?"
"Partly." He affirmed, rubbing the back of his neck as he leaned back into his chair. "More importantly I want to see if there's any gossip on that lout Crouch."
Lily frowned at the name. Despite Crouch knowing James' name it was clear, at least to Lily, that James did not know Crouch. However, the itching feeling that she should know the name had returned, though Lily was certain she had never seen the man in her entire life.
James left his chair and maneuvered around his desk, pacing agitatedly through the center of his cabin as his mind whirled with too many questions and too few answers. "He knew us...or thought he did. And if Sirius' theory of a coven is right, then that means there are more people who have the same information Crouch did." James muttered, more to himself than to her.
"He was...familiar." Lily added softly, her thoughts finding their way into words. James halted and turned to stare at her.
"What?"
"Crouch...something was familiar about -"
"You knew him?" James wondered sharply, coming to the side of the desk to look at her.
"No!" Lily defended against his accusation. She met his questioning look with a firm gaze. "His name...it was familiar, James. It almost sounded like an old family name." Lily mused, eyes going distant as she ran through the possibilities. "A name that would belong to noble...a duke, a lord, or a -"
"Count." James supplied, a thoughtful look crossing his face. "Lily, when Remus told you about Dora...do you remember him telling you about a Count?"
Lily nodded, confused by the abrupt change in subject, but willing to follow its course. "Yes...he was the one who hurt Dora." Lily recalled slowly. "Count..."
"Lestrange." James finished. "At least that's what the pub-master told Remus. Do you know who he was? Or where he could be? It might lead us to Dora." And perhaps even finish this quicker, easier, and with far less bloodshed than Sirius, or I for that matter, fear, James added silently.
Lily read his plan and abruptly shook her head, contradicting his assumption. "No. To be honest, James, I'd never heard the name in my life until Remus mentioned it." That at least she was sure about. Unlike the foggy memory that Crouch's name had prodded, Lestrange's name rang no such bells.
"But he's a count!" James protested, feeling his stomach dropping with disappointment. "Or he was. And he would've had to be in your uncle's court -"
"Do you know how many people are part of my uncles court?" Lily interrupted him with a look of both pity and regret in her eyes. "Tens and dozens. There are more dukes, duchesses, lords, counts, and nobles than this ship could ever hope to house comfortably. And that is not including the visiting dignitaries.
"When in court you know the names and faces of only the most important, and most prominent nobles. Others are flashes of faces, perhaps a last name in passing, but they are only pawns of the court compared to the bigger game pieces." Lily explained patiently. "No higher level noble in my uncle's court would be this far south, or risk their political power by brawling with young boys, no matter how questionable their character."
James felt the urge to kick something quite hard, but resisted and simply ran both his hands through his already messy hair. "You said Crouch sounded familiar..." He pointed out lamely, leaving his hands on his head as he looked back at her.
Lily nodded slowly, her frown returning. "But I don't know where...it could have only been my father talking about a pirate attack..." Even as she suggested it Lily didn't believe herself. The feeling of knowing him wouldn't have been so urgent if it had just been the name of a pirate in passing.
The urge shifted to James wanting to bang his head repeatedly against a wall. Letting out a long breath, James dropped his arms. "If you remember -"
"You'll be the second to know." Lily replied, abandoning her frown for a small reassuring smile.
James' eyes narrowed. "I was going to say the first."
"Shouldn't it be Remus." Lily inquired, walking over to him, and tilting her head to look up. "It is Dora we're looking for...and news about Lestrange or Crouch could lead us to her."
James was shaking his head, and Lily fell silent. "We might be looking for Dora, but this is still my ship. Crouch said they were coming after me and my ship."
At his own admission, James made a mental note to have a sit down with the crew. As the crew they were technically entitled to know only which way to steer the ship – but he trusted them, all of them. They had stayed by his side through Peter's betrayal, Riddle's fight, and his own signing of the Duke's contract. James had no doubt that they would stay through this, but to be able to rely on them, they needed to know some of the details – if not only Crouch's threat but also their search for Dora. Perhaps not in specific terms, James decided wondering how Remus would take revealing his personal secret to the entire crew, but at least in allusion.
Lily found herself nodding in understanding, though part of her still yearned to tell Remus anything pertaining to Dora without distilling it through James, if only to reward Remus' long retained hope. But even with her unease, she would follow James' order. "You'll be the first to know." She reassured him.
James smiled down at her. Feeling her cool breath on his chin as she watched him, James was tempted to lean down and kiss her waiting mouth, or at least wrap his arms around her, but he stopped himself. Now was not the time, especially when he now had more than one mystery to solve, even if they all seemed to intertwine in some odd, luckless way.
"You should get to the galley....the men will be hungry after that fight." And a little riled, James considered. Perhaps he would wait until their adrenaline calmed before confronting them about the new 'treasure' they were searching for and the new enemy they were now running from.
With a brief nod, Lily stepped around him moving towards the door until James reached out and caught her hand on impulse. Glancing down at his loosening grip, Lily felt warmth run up her arms as she turned her green eyes back to his waiting face.
"Yes?"
James licked his lips, opened his mouth for a moment, then closed it. Finally he nodded at her shoulder. "Keep an eye on your bandage...if it starts bleeding -"
"You'll be the second to know." Lily told him as his hand released her.
James' brow wrinkled at her response. "The second?"
A sly smile slowly pulled at her lips as she looked at him over her shoulder. "I'll let Cook look at it first." She moved away to the door until James' voice made her stop.
"Cook? Why Cook?" He questioned, his voice unusually suspicious.
Lily leaned her back against the door, raising a smug eyebrow at him, feeling more daring than she had in awhile. "He isn't likely to be distracted by my bare shoulder." She nudged the door open and with twinkling eyes left James, wearing a slightly dumbstruck expression, standing motionless in his cabin.
How was it? Too much, too little, good, bad???? Let me know please! The next chapter is half done, but the semester's starting so I'll try to keep working on it and get it up as soon as possible. In the mean time - please leave me a review!!! :) :)