AN: Written for Quidditch League

Chaser 1 for the Cannons: Pirate/smuggler AU

Optional prompts: (character) Helga Hufflepuff, (quote) "The only difference between a conqueror and a thief is an army." - Margaret Owen, (color) silver

Word count: 1,178

Rowena stared at Helga through the bars of the jail cell. Her clothes looked clean for a pirate, but that wasn't saying much. They were still covered in stains, and despite being mended repeatedly, there were visible holes in the fabric. They were a far cry from Rowena's own carefully maintained uniform. The ensemble also included trousers. Rowena pressed her lips together. She'd requested a pair from her commander once, and he'd laughed. Even becoming a naval officer didn't mean a woman should be in trousers. Of course pirates would feel differently.

As she took another step towards the bars, Helga looked up at her. Her blonde hair looked silver in the moonlight. It contrasted sharply with her otherwise disheveled appearance. Rowena half-wished that they provided prisoners with baths. It would have done the pirate a world of good. Rowena had seen what Helga looked like at her best.

Those had been simpler days, though they hadn't realized it then. Their biggest fears had been the days they were married off. What if they had to leave each other because of the whims of their husbands? Rowena hadn't expected to be left behind because of Helga's own whims, but she had been. No matter how much Rowena told herself that Helga was a different person now, her heart didn't believe it.

"Your hair is what gave you away, you know?" Rowena motioned at the hair in question, keeping a safe distance from the bars even as she longed to get closer. "Everyone knows about the female pirate with hair so blonde that it looks silver in the moonlight. Too bad you didn't think to cover it."

Rowena only suggested it because she knew how deeply such a thing would annoy Helga. She'd resisted many attempts by her mother to put her hair up as a child, and that, at least, didn't seem to have changed. Her hair fell as freely as it always had, and it was the one part of Helga that looked like it had been recently washed.

Helga acted as if Rowena hadn't spoken. She tilted her head back against the stone wall of her cell, her eyes black in the darkness. "I won't betray my crew," she said without a hint of emotion. "If you're going to question me about the treasure, then you'd have better luck searching for it yourselves."

Rowena nodded and began pacing in front of the bars.

"I expected as much," she said. "You might have changed over the past decade, but some things about a person always remain the same. You were always loyal to a fault. Everyone assumes that's how the pirates got to you, you know?"

Helga laughed. "You make it sound like they manipulated me. Maybe Salazar did a bit, but Godric is quite earnest. This will shock you, but he has good intentions about overthrowing the navy one day. They'll probably never come to fruition, but there are values behind what he does. Salazar, on the other hand… Yes, I admit that he's motivated by greed. He'd probably admit as much himself, but though our motivations are different, we work well together and we follow the code. I won't betray them."

Rowena frowned, but she wasn't deterred. "All the pirates we catch start off talking like that, but they all crack eventually. They're all more interested in themselves in the end."

Helga shrugged. "Many of them probably were. Others were probably just frightened. We all joined for different reasons. Did you figure out why I left when I did?"

Rowena didn't answer. It was a question that had driven her to near insanity for years, and she'd finally moved past it. She thought she'd finally gotten it, but she had no desire to go back to the days when she'd been unable to sleep from nightmares of Helga being abducted.

"You rebelled a bit too," Helga pointed out, motioning at the insignia on Rowena's uniform. "I've never seen a woman who managed to become an officer. It makes sense. Neither of us were cut out for what they wanted of us. You chose the navy; I chose the pirates. How's your decision working out? Do they still expect you to marry a nice man? I see they still have you in a dress. That must be bothersome in a scuffle."

Anger rushed through Rowena's veins. "It can't be worse than those diseased ships you live on."

Helga laughed. "I've been held prisoner on a navy ship before, you know? They're not any worse than ours. You get a bunch of people in close quarters on a ship for months at a time and the stench just happens."

It was true. Rowena knew it was despite how often she told herself that the navy ships were better. Ignoring it was easier, as was ignoring that she was jealous of Helga. Not just because she could wear trousers without anyone caring but because of the entire situation.

"Is it true that they're okay with women being together?" she asked in a hushed voice, her eyes flickering towards the door in case a guard walked by.

Helga smirked like she'd won something. "Yes, no one cares. You'd like it, Rowena."

Rowena's heart twisted over hearing Helga speak her name. It had been so long. It was tempting to reach through the bars. Instead, she backed up towards the wall.

"No, you're pirates. Your criminals. Thieves. How could I possibly like living like that?"

"The only difference between a conqueror and a thief is an army," Helga said simply. "Our ships are the same, and you're lying if you think your people aren't in it for the gold just like most. You come to these places and take what they have to send back home. It's not any different. How many of you are there who have a greater sense of purpose? Five? You're just pillaging with the strength of the crown behind you."

Rowena's hands tightened into fists. She took a deep, shaky breath.

"I'm freer than I've ever been," Helga said, looking her straight in the eye. "Even while I'm locked in this jail cell. You're not going to take that away from me, but you can still be free too, Rowena. If you leave with me—"

"Stop!" The word rang in Rowena's ears, and she prayed that the guards didn't come running to see what was the matter. After a moment without hearing anything, she continued, "I don't want to hear anything of it. I'm a loyal citizen who fulfills my duty. I'm perfectly satisfied where I am. It's you who should be ashamed."

Helga tilted her head back to look at the ceiling, ignoring Rowena's rambling. Rowena paced the room again, taking deep breaths as she tried to calm herself down. It did nothing to help. Heat crept up her neck like she was on fire. Glancing at Helga again only made it worse.

She needed to get out. Without looking back at Helga, she rushed for the door, her eyes stinging as she went.