"Holy hobknockers, this place is amazing!" Sirius couldn't stop the delirious burst of happiness that possessed him to start shouting and running around the deck. Of a ship. A pirate's ship! In the middle of Hogwarts lake?!
The air was fresh in his face, streaming his hair behind him as he whooped with enough joy to possibly even tantalize the mermaids at the bottom of the lake to come above and see. He began latching onto ropes and swinging about, trying to haul himself into a crow's nest, and then taking off down below to try and see through a porthole before anyone else could even get their bearings.
"Should we, stop him?" Remus asked in mild concern. "I certainly don't want to know what's going to happen when he figures out how to work a cannon."
"Why would they even have a cannon on here?" Alice asked in extra concern behind them.
"Why is it here at all?" Lily countered prodding the massive wheel in front of her, then flinching away as if fearing the slightest breeze would send the whole thing capsizing.
"Well obviously Hogwarts is going to be attacked by pirates, can't be the arrival of the other schools," Regulus rolled his eyes as he trailed up from below, rubbing his head.
They could all still hear Sirius shouting like a loon from below decks, but they all spread out regardless to find the book with extreme curiosity, not one of them had ever had this experience, and as nothing was trying to kill them, they'd at least enjoy it while they could.
Alice found Frank happily swinging from a hammock below decks, grinning with that smile she'd missed so much lately. He invited her up into it, and the two spent another few moments giggling at the feel of it, though unable to imagine sleeping in such a thing.
Peter had landed in what must have been the galley, sending a sack of potatoes rolling around and a half-eaten sandwich upon the floor. His stomach rumbled just a bit, and after only a few moments hesitation he shrugged and began collecting the fallen spuds and washing them in the basin.
James and Remus found Sirius in the cargo hold, which also seemed to be some sort of improvised classroom of sorts. Books were lined along the lower shelves, several instruments they could identify on the top portions. Remus glanced along the nearest paper, but frowned in confusion upon finding it in Bulgarian so had not a clue what could have been going on down here. The two exchanged a look before deciding to stay regardless, and instead waited patiently for Sirius to finish inspecting a porthole and the lake life beyond rather than acknowledge them.
Lily decided to stay up on the deck, shivering a bit at a gust of wind, but smiling regardless at the stars above and admiring a view of her school she hadn't properly seen since her first night here, riding across this very lake. Hogwarts castle was as imposing as ever, she could still flashback to riding that boat with Sev, the two in awe along with the rest of the first years at the sight. Out on the grounds, Hagrid's hut could be seen, and something odd in front of it. It almost looked like a carriage, and horses perhaps, but they must be quite large to be so easily spotted from so far away. She began pacing across the deck in fascination as she looked up at the sails and the wood creaking beneath her feet, it would almost be spooky if she were here alone.
Regulus found himself in what must be the captain's quarters. There was a grand bed in the corner and an open bottle of rakia half-drunk beside a book on the desk. Upon closer inspection, it was the exact book Regulus needed for this to continue, and with a curious enough feeling he flipped it open to find his chapter did indeed live up to his assumption.
"Beauxbatons and Durmstrang," Sirius nodded without surprise, finally turning around to acknowledge the two. "Want to take a gander who brought this?"
Remus rolled his eyes, of course Sirius hadn't taken a look at any of the papers or books with the language hinting at an answer.
They hovered in slightly awkward silence as Regulus' voice echoed around them of Harry writing a note to Sirius to try and dissuade him from returning to this very castle. Sirius was wrankled slightly Harry thought it a bad idea coming back, he would think it obvious he'd want to be around his godson to help and was more than pleased at James' reassuring smile saying he fully agreed with his best mate. Remus on the other hand looked very hesitant, and Sirius decided he'd rather have Moony get it off his chest now.
"Well go on Moony," Sirius sighed and waved at him. "I know you've got the reasons I'm an idiot listed alphabetically by now."
"And laminated," Remus agreed, ignoring his confused look. "I do wish you'd be more careful, I'm not going to deny that, but it's not as if anything I've ever said dissuaded you from doing anything regardless. Either of you." He hesitated, then added softly, "any of you."
Sirius and James flinched and didn't look at each other for a moment again, but Remus cleared his throat and continued with purpose, "look, you two need to work out what your problem is, then all three of us can go and talk to Peter. It's not as if we can avoid him the rest of our life because of this."
"I don't see why not," Sirius said petulantly, but for the first time not as if he meant it, the smallest kernel of pity finally lodging in him. He could still vividly recall how alone he'd felt when all this began, because he'd made a horrible mistake he still didn't know if Remus would forgive him for. Then, under the light of that Dark Mark, he could no longer deny it hadn't been entirely Peter's fault...he was at fault for the betrayal in some way...
"Well I do," James snapped back defiantly, and Sirius took a quick step back like he expected to be hit in the face again. His nose still looked a bit swollen from that. "We never even heard his side- our Peter's," James finished when Sirius opened his mouth. "That book, yeah alright that future guy said why he did it, but you know what our friend's been doing this whole time? Exactly what I asked, giving us some breathing space, just like you were for nearly a month Sirius."
Sirius winced and didn't deny that.
"I think it's high time we let him say his peace." James concluded.
"I don't know what you're hoping he's going to say, to make it better," Remus sighed. "Even if he promises he'd never really do it, how much can it mean? Now, well, we'll always wonder-"
"Are you going to spend the rest of your life afraid Sirius is going to send Snape into your den the next full moon?" James harshly shot back.
Remus answered immediately, "no, he clearly regrets that." He bit his lip for a moment before half lying, "that's, what we talked about back in the Leaky Cauldron. I forgive him."
"And Peter doesn't deserve the same?" He gently tried to cajole. "For a crime he hasn't even done yet."
The two exchanged an uneasy look, but Sirius would be lying if he tried to say he wasn't now looking for anger rather than feeling nothing but as he responded, "it's not the same Prongs! I didn't actually get anyone killed! He did, you!"
"You almost did though," James crossed his arms, but hesitated as he wouldn't deny, "you think I'm looking forward to talking to him? You think I've forgotten any more than you? I just," he swallowed uncomfortably as he heard the news Professor Moody would be putting the kids under the Imperius Curse for extra training, the miracle that was his and Lily's future child and what all he was having to survive through. "I'm willing to try."
With that he left, he couldn't force them to do the same.
Remus stepped closer to Sirius now that James was out of sight, hesitating only a moment before rubbing a hand up and down his back and leaning down to whisper for him alone, "I hope you really heard all that."
"Every word," Sirius sighed, shoulders still slumped in defeat, pressing his forehead into Moony's shoulder rather than having to look him in the face. "Prongs is too damned forgiving though," he muttered one last-ditch reprieve for getting out of this, he already knew it had worked. He'd...try.
"That's one thing he and Evans have in common, hell, it's why he continued to put up with you after the first day," Remus say with an almost cheerful voice. He stopped in surprise and sniffed curiously at the air. "You smell that?"
Sirius dragged his face away from the warmth, but did indeed scent the air, and wouldn't deny his grumbling stomach the pleasantness of it as he grabbed his hand and squeezed for a moment before dropping it and taking off.
They found Evans, Smith, Longbottom, and Prongs already in the galley with massive bowls of a hearty stew. The two were quick to join in, but the three Marauders were the quietest and slowest to eat, all eyeing the door and ready to drop the delicious meal the moment they saw a particular someone enter. They wouldn't deny this time they'd drag him off to finally have it out...whatever it turned out to be.
"There's stew down below," Peter told Regulus as he finally found him perched comfortably in a captain's chair, feet propped up on the table and a bottle of alcohol with a third of it missing.
"No thanks," Regulus shrugged without concern as he flipped the pages, finding in Harry's story the arrival of the foreign students was indeed upon them. He knew he'd regret this later, but he only had a mild appetite for now, it certainly wasn't enough to entertain all others who would be attracted to the same.
"Thought you'd say that," Peter shrugged, before setting down one of the two bowls he'd carried around. "Don't worry, I can eat both fine."
Regulus tried, and failed to hide a smile of delight. The only person who'd ever brought him food before was Kreacher. It didn't matter how sick he was, his mother had always fussed over his table manners during dinners more. He gingerly dragged the warm bowl to him and took a tentative slurp, then dug in with gusto while still reading with just a bit more of a quick pace now. He wanted to be done eating before Sirius or his rotten friends showed up to ruin this good mood he was in.
Peter ate quietly beside him, not adding anything, though he'd been all for laughing about all sorts of things Harry got up to when he'd been hanging around Sirius and their lot. Regulus still wasn't sure what he hoped to gain from avoiding them, but he couldn't claim to be any better as he was now doing the same. It was their turn to do something about this.
The two did exchange a very curious expression as yet another instance of the twins up to something was again passed along, neither of them would deny they were abundantly curious what those two trouble makers were doing, but neither still felt much of a need to speculate on it, the two redheads reminded them too much of James and Sirius, not a duo they wanted to linger on.
Regulus did stop in mild admiration of Hermione Granger trying to keep the attention of a whole house on the acts of what house-elves do. He liked the company of his own, more than most of the people in his home some days, and could almost see her point the ones at Hogwarts should be thanked more, but Kreacher loved his life and the family he served. This little Muggleborn was merely showing her ignorance of what she was trying to pretend they needed a better life, it's no wonder his mother and father thought ones like her shouldn't be associated with real wizards, they had no idea what a real wizards home was like.
Then Sirius wrote a reply back to Harry saying he was back in the country already and safe as could be, and Regulus couldn't deny the breath of relief. He chanced a side look at Sirius' friend who wasn't bothering to hide any such thing, pushing some now soggy potatoes around the bottom of his bowl and chewing on his lip. Neither of them still wanted Sirius dead after all the rotten things he'd done recently, but could he say the same about them?
Finally the chapter was reaching its end and the other schools were really arriving, Beauxbatons Academy of Magic landing first with apparently an impressive display. He supposed it might have been in person, but all he really felt was grateful they got to enjoy this cool ship rather than some smelly old horses for this experience.
He sat up properly in his seat as he reached the final section, and read rapturously of the magnificent boat arriving, and paused for several moments to wonder dreamily if this vast vessel could really take them away, anywhere they'd like. Sailing may even be better than flying...
He heard shuffling footsteps downstairs and rummaging around the deck and scowled, realizing the minute peace the two of them had achieved themselves was about to be interrupted, and he'd rather do that on his own terms as he hurried to finish. The last little shock indeed surprising that Viktor Krum the International Quidditch player had been aboard this ship and he hadn't even the chance to see his quarters before they all vanished.