I'm here and you shall all put on sunglasses because my inner glow is too much for your eyes lol! Here is the next chapter and I have school tomorrow after two weeks of holidays so bah! Enjoy!
Chapter Twelve
Looking for Lavinia Laroque was easier than expected. At the first town the Emerald Shadow stopped at the crew found that Lavinia Laroque was the Herbology teacher at Beaubaxtons academy of magic.
"So where is Beaubaxtons anyway?" Alexia asked as the crew returned to the ship.
"I'm sure at least one of the crew went there" Lily shrugged "But first we need supplies and to drop off the loot from the merchants. In fact I can't believe that we didn't do it earlier, it's been a risk carrying it round the ocean. It's time for a little visit to Les déchirures de phoenix" She called this last part to the crew who immediately set sail with out needing further instructions.
"You know the captain may have forgotten your punishments for straying aboard in the merchant raid but I haven't. James, Remus and Sirius grab yourselves a bucket and brush. You can start from the starboard side, this deck is filthy" Lara pointed smugly to a pile of cleaning equipment.
The three men obliged but not without throwing filthy looks over at the first mate who plonked herself on the edge on the railing watching them entertained. Shaiera pulled Delia over for a lesson on French and Lily settled calmly at the steering wheel. Alexia sat beside Lara and imitated her 'helping' the marauders by pointing out the spots they missed until Sirius threw a sponge at her.
This provoked Lara to turn his hair pink and refuse to change it back until he whispered something unidentified in her ear. She turned pink and refused to tell anyone what he said.
It had turned into twilight by the time the Emerald Shadow reached Les déchirures de phoenix and anchored itself into a small bay. A rickety wharf that looked to be held together completely by magic led to a shore covered by white sand. Despite the unreliability appearance of the jetty it was trod upon as if made of the strongest steel by the crew of the Emerald Shadow.
The three marauders however treated it with a little more hesitantly. As it was in the merchant's ships the loot was carried ashore with precise method. Each woman carried her load onto shore and ran back for more, keeping to the left of the pier so as not to bump into load carriers.
Soon all the booty was sitting on the pale sand and the pirates made a last trip to grab anything needed. James, Sirius and Remus having no desire to run back and forward over the unpredictable piece of wood stayed by the treasure and waited for the bandit women to finish.
"What now?" James asked Shaiera who was standing beside him when the last of the items came on shore. She gestured to Lily who was walking towards trees counting out loud.
"…six, seven. Ninety four degree right turn and four steps. One, two, three…" After continuing in this fashion for a bit she stopped in front of a tree sprouting flashy silver flowers.
She pulled out a dagger in her boot and used it to prise open a section in the trunk that slid open like a cupboard. She grabbed a silver lever inside the tree and pulled hard. With a creaking groan a large square of sand rose revealing a trapdoor big enough to fit a rowboat comfortably. It truly was a masterpiece.
Carved into the wood was an exact picture of the Emerald Shadow right down to the ropes on the rigging. Different gems bordered the picture and Remus couldn't help but notice that a Beryl was missing and a blank space adorned the picture instead. The entire crew of the Emerald Shadow crowded round the picture and put their finger on their respective gem.
When they were all there the crew shouted as one "La richesse est le pouvoir!" The trapdoor gave another shuddering groan and split in two down the middle to expose a dark staircase. Lily brandished her wand and with a swish the mound of plunder rose into the air and flew down the staircase.
"Why couldn't you have done that earlier?" Lara demanded. Lily gave her a toothy smile
"Why it's tradition to lug the booty off the ship. You don't want to bring Ms Karma down on us do you Ame? Oh and make sure you knock on the wood as you go past" She called over her shoulder at a scowling crew as she flounced down the stair which lit up with her every step.
"Come on you lot" Shaiera have the marauders a gentle push and they also went down the stair with the remainder of the crew taking up the back.
They emerged in a large cavernous room that would take up at least half the island if not for the enlarging charms. The area was almost completely filled with treasure of astronomical proportions. Set into the wall was small coffers that had gems, the name of the gem and the real names of the pirate. Shaiera saw the marauders looking at them and lent over to say
"They are like retirement dowries for when one of us leaves. Like I would get the one with Turquoise inscribed on it. They are filled with the share of treasure earned over the period worked here. The loot that we bring in is divided into shares for each crew member and treasure for the Emerald Shadows future crew's. Anastasia doesn't get anything because when she proclaimed mutiny she forfeited her dowry. Ruby calculates which goes where" she pointed a small brown skinned girl with glittery red eyes.
"Have you made the calculations?" Lily asked her. Ruby nodded and raised her own wand. The treasure in front of the group rose and split with part going into each coffer and the rest joining the huge mountain of treasure at the other end of the room.
Three small piles flew and landed at Sirius, James and Remus's feet. Most looked on in surprise as the marauders stared at the riches in front of them
"Your earnings" Lara clarified "Even though you didn't do much you helped with the raid so Lily said you should get paid for it". She summoned three chests and the treasure flew into them. She then shrunk the chests and handed them to each marauder. They took them still astonished. The last thing they expected was to be paid for being part of a pirate raid, and quite handsomely too.
"Thank you Lily" Remus was the first to regain his composure. He elbowed Sirius and James back into awareness. They too thanked her most profusely in fact James even went as far as to kiss her.
Albeit on the cheek but it was a kiss none the less much to the delight of the cat-calling crew. Lily turned as red as her hair
"We will stay the night and set off to Beaubaxtons on the morrow. By the way do any of you lasses actually know where Beaubaxtons is?" She asked after she regained some of her composure even though there was still a faint tinge of pink on her cheeks.
"I went to Beaubaxtons and my little sister still goes there" Chalcedony volunteered gallantly her smoky brown curls bouncing slightly. Lily grinned at her
"Let's get up to the main house. I'm bloody starving"
"Race y'all!" Lara hollered before dashing up the stairs followed closely by the majority of the laughing crew. The small amount of stragglers that didn't participate followed them but at a more sedate pace.
When they were outside the sky had turned dark and Lily led them up a track that was half hidden by the trees. The track led up to a house built right into the mountain. The front door was still thrown open by when the racers scrambled in but the house was lit up with candle light.
"This way gents" Lily commanded taking them into the house and shutting the front door with a large pointed bang. Lara poked her head round the corner
"Finally! We've already got food on the table" Lily looked at her pointedly again and opened and shut the door.
Lara blinked at her. Lily growled low in her throat
"Will you shut the sodding door behind you when you go inside?" Lara's mouth made an 'oh' shape
"But I was first" she complained "Tell Delia that. She was last"
"Oi I was not!" Came a cry from the kitchen.
Lily rolled her eyes "Tell whoever was last to shut the door next time then"
Lara snorted "I am not your owl; tell them your bloody self" and disappeared again.
Lily muttered "Not even worth it" under her breath.
Noticing she was alone on the hall as everyone else had filed into the dining room during the argument she strode into the room. Everyone was waiting for her to come in and stared at her pointedly for holding up the meal.
Grunting irritably to herself she slid into place at the head of the table and decreed dryly
"Too tired for grace. Eat" No need to be told twice as everyone tucked in.
After dinner Lily directed James, Sirius, Remus and Delia to their rooms as they were the only one's that had never been there before. Lara pranced up to Sirius and gave his a kiss goodnight
"My room is number seventeen" She purred into his ear.
"And no bedroom hopping" Lily called out having overheard her comment.
She didn't stop Lara and Sirius that night however being entirely to busy doing some 'bedroom hopping' of her own.
There I gave you a kiss and more. Next week is my b-day party and I will not be able to update unfortunately but on the Brightside I'm turning sixteen! Tomorrow's school and I have exams that term so that sucks. Review anyways!