Disclaimer: One Piece and Harry Potter does not belong to me, each belongs to their respective author. This fic is not intended to make money, but be a recreational way to practice English and develop creativity.
-.- What we are
The Hogwarts Express, bright and shining, was waiting patiently while dozens of students reached the platform.
One of our first relevant students to arrive was a girl with bushy hair that after a brief farewell to her parents, she boarded the train, getting compartment for her and her friends. She entered one of the last cars and after accommodates her luggage; she took one of her books and devoted herself to read.
After several moments and as she looked up through the window she noticed a familiar face. Leaving the book aside, she rose from her seat, peering down the window and shouted "Neville!"
The aforementioned looked up to see his friend calling him and smiled, as he stopped the cart and the girl went to help him, and together they carrier the trunk up to the train.
"Nice to see you," said the girl.
"We saw each other just a few weeks ago"
"It doesn't matter, I'm glad to be back" And lowering her view to her wristwatch the girl checked the time "Soon will be time to go. Where are the others?"
"Surely they will not take long to arrive "says the boy, while making sure again that Trevor was in his pocket.
"I really hope so"
The whistle announcing that everyone must board the train already as it would leave soon it was heard. Hermione looked at Neville and the boy could only say "Maybe they're in another car"
The train began to move and patiently they sat in their places for several minutes.
There were only fifteen minutes when Hermione said, "We could go and look for them"
In response Neville stood and Hermione did also when the compartment door opened.
"Sorry for the delay," Fred said.
"There is now need to cry, we are here" concludes George.
Neville just laughed while Hermione, upset that she had been worried in vain said, "No one was crying" While the twins entered followed by Ron.
"Where's Ginny?" Asked George.
"She stay behind us," said the boy as if nothing.
The twins looked shocked as they spoke:
"You left your little sister"
"Completely alone"
"To her fortune"
"On a train ..."
"Now, stop" said Ron, "as if you hadn't done that"
"No" said the twins looking at each other conspiratorially.
"Last year you left me" Ron said.
"And you fell in excellent hands" Fred said.
Everyone laughed at the time, as he had fallen into the hands of Ace.
"And going to more cheerful subjects" Fred said "how was your summer, Hermione?"
Arching her eyebrow in suspicion, the girl answered a simple "Decent"
"And as here we're just us," George said closing the compartment door. "You tried to turn lead into gold?"
The reaction was instantaneous, the girl's jaw clenched tightly, while she clenched her fists "Absolutely not"
The twins raised their hands in peace.
"You still have it?" Asked Neville
"Of course I have it, I carried it all summer"
"You didn't have to carry it all the time," Ron said in good faith, only to fall victim to the glare of the girl.
"And leave it for anyone to find and steal it, or use it, or worse someone could had asked me what was it? What would I have done? "
The twins facing each other, while Ron shook his head in disapproval.
Neville hesitantly decided to give his comment: "You could say it was only a stone"
"Sure, a stone" Hermione said sarcastically "A precious stone, and then had accused me of stealing"
Silence
"Well," George said, "Technically that's what we did"
"You're not helping," Ron muttered, sitting in surrender.
"But it is the truth; we all did, as a team"
"Great," the girl said "We are now a band of thieves"
"But we're not a band of thieves, it only happens once"
"It only happens once, that doesn't mean anything" added Fred to clarify the idea of his twin.
"I also believe that if we were to be defined as a group we would not be calling it a band of thieves."
"A group of troublemakers" suggested Ron
"Sure Snape considered it appropriate," Hermione dropping into the seat.
"There has to be something that really defines us," Fred said.
"We're not bad," George said
"But we are not saints either." his twin answered walking around the compartment.
The twins observe younger one, looking for disapproval. Finding none they continued.
"We do what we want"
"Whether it is breaking rules"
"To befriend a giant dog"
"Or rescue a friend in danger"
"Even though no one took us" George muttered, clearly they were still upset about what happened last Halloween.
Meanwhile Hermione smiled, remembering the moment, encouraged by the happy memory of how she had ended attached to this group she added. "We are not equal, everyone is different, and we are a very diverse group"
"All this to what turns us?" Asked Fred
"Excellent question, brother. A group as talented as us, we must be something bright, something united and firm, but without losing our freedom."
And to everyone's surprise, the answer comes in the small voice of Neville: "In Pirates"
Stunned and intrigues, all observe the child, he bowed his head to the floor gulping to refine his throat to give justification. "Ace told me, being a pirate means to be free."
Tentatively he looked up to see everyone's reaction, unsure of how to explain more clearly, or if what he had said was enough for everyone. Ron was shown as if that explanation, just by being told by Ace, was enough; Hermione looked puzzled rather than bothered by the term, after all piracy, in many places, were considered acts of theft or violent crime at sea; The twins meanwhile, looked as they liked the idea... maybe too much.
"Well, if Ace said so" said one.
"This could be a good idea," said his twin.
"In addition original"
"And now what idea are you plotting?" said the girl.
The twins smiled "Let's make a pirate crew"
"This is not true," he murmured the girl, her brain taking the upset part, more than the intrigued one.
"I think it is a good idea," said Ron, ignoring the internal drama of her friend "We just need Ace's approval"
"Technically he told Neville about pirates" Fred said "Sure he will like it."
-.-
Meanwhile, unaware of what his possible future crew was planning. Ace was in the damp dungeons in front of five large boxes.
Across the boxes Snape watched him carefully, reading his expression of displeasure, know what to expect from this.
"Tonight is the feast," began Snape "I believe there is not need to say that tomorrow start classes and I have class in the morning. So it is necessary for these cabinets to be full of the ingredients that came in these boxes." And to reinforce the idea he put his hand on one of these boxes. "As you know we need them labeled so that no student is confused and cause a disaster."
And with that he cames out from behind the desk and walked to the door.
"I guess I don't have to say, you cannot go to the feast until you finish" and after that left the room.
Ace stays there for a moment in the dark and empty place, there was no big difference between the class room full of student and this empty room.
With idleness he opened the boxes, the first box of jars, and the first box of ingredients; only to sigh ... He didn't do something like this since the Moby Dick, when he had to replace the spices in the kitchen after a little prank that left Thatch with tears for his beloved spice cabinet...
... He quickly pushed the thought.
One by one he empties the contents of the bags into the jars, before pulling out a label and with a marker he writes the name of the ingredient.
The tables where students work were slowly filled up until the boxes were empty.
He throws the boxes on one side and opened the cupboard, looked side to side, it was impossible to see what time was being there, sighing he went to the tables and started taking bottles to the cabinet.
If not for the damp and dark environment of the dungeon, this could be completely like the time when he had worked with the spices cabinet in the Moby Dick.
It was in one of his first days at the Moby Dick, Haruta and he had been playing tags since early in the morning and end on the kitchen, where jump between bars and tables, the got against one of the cabinets of species ... And both got in cleaning duty that day and organizing new spices bought at the next port few days later.
The time had passed quickly, between Haruta joking and doing imitations of Marco when he found the mess, the work had been fun.
It was too late to stop the memory and the thought of his mind, and Ace met a sad conclution: He missed his family.
-.-
When he got out of the dungeon and selflessly climbed the stairs to the towers, thousands of voices began to sound indicating that students were still in the Great Hall, eager to get distracted a while, and set aside any thoughts that had arisen in the last few hours, Ace rushed for dinner.
He went downstairs and entered the hall where everyone was seated, and walked to where a group of red heads was seating, and without many words Ace dropped himself on the bench in the gap opened between the twins being right in the middle of them, and he let his head fell on the table, not in an attack of narcolepsy, but in a sign of fatigue.
"Where were you?" asked Ron sitting right in front of Ace, at what the pirate just pointed over his shoulder at the staff table, where, the tall, dark figure of Professor Snape, was watching them attentively.
"It was today?" asked Ron, referring to the punishment Ace had told them in summer.
"Yes, it was today," said the pirate lifting his head slightly as he buried his fingers in his hair to find a toehold before placing the elbow on the table.
"Just before the banquet?" Ron said indignantly, "that's unfair, he could not wait for tomorrow"
"Tomorrow we start classes," said the girl, located between Ron and Neville
"They had Ace all summer," claimed the boy, "Why until now?"
CLACK
At least five people round them, turned to where the sound came: Ace, which had fallen head over the plate leaving the arm, where the head had been a few moments ago, rose in the air. All those who were around, they ran a quick glance before returning to their affairs.
"Why am I not surprised?" muttered Ron.
At that time Professor Dumbledore stood up to inform thevarrival of the first years. In perfect sync, the doors opened, leading to several small nervous children watching with admiration the beauty of the Great Hall, before being formed in front of everyone.
Silence fell, and the old Sorting Hat began its song to the surprise of all the smallest ones, slow and leisurely, the hat spoke of the four founders and their four houses, naming attributes that valued each before he return to full silence, to receive the cheers of all students who applauded, giving signal to the start of the ceremony.
"Should we wake Ace?" Asked Neville as Professor McGonagall called the first student of the huge list held in her hands.
"Better let him sleep," said George, "He will wake up only when the food start"
"Besides, you know it's impossible to wake him by normal methods"
"But ..." Hermione began " the ceremony ... ugh, never mind" and directs her eyes forward while the Gryffindor table exploded in applause at a small boy who had been selected in the Lion House.
At the top, next to the children who would be selected they could distinguish Ginny with her bright red hair who looked nervous at the ceremony, knowing she would be the last to be called.
The twins saw this. "Surely she will kill us," Fred muttered.
The twins look each other before adding a simpleton "No"
"Ginny is cute and innocent," said George.
"She couldn't hurt a fly"
"Don't tell me you told her that nonsense of fight a troll," Hermione muttered as low as possible in an attempt to not distract the ceremony.
"Of course not," said Fred in a voice of false offense, "we would be incapable of saying something so uncreative"
"We told she had to pass a three-headed dog"
"You have to bring Fluffy in this?" Hermione muttered.
"It was Ron idea, actually"
With an annoyed expression, Hermione watched Ron, who quickly looked for an excuses.
"They did it to me last year," said the boy in a high volume of voice that caught the attention of some around.
"That's no excuse," murmured the girl, her tone even angry "and you shouldn't have brought up Fluffy, he is not bad."
Just then, the smallest of the Weasley was selected in Gryffindor and timidly went down to the table where she received several congratulations.
"Now, let's start with the feast" said Dumbledore.
"Finally," said Ace joining the table as the food appeared on the platters.
As always the house elves in the kitchen prepared the most delicious dishes for the children and of course, they made sure to prepare extra for the Gryffindor table where a bottomless stomach tried to be filled, but no one was sure if that would be possible.
Once with full stomachs and that Professor Dumbledore gave the announcements of the beginning of the course, including the presentation of the new Defense Against the Dark Arts, where hundreds of screaming fans were heard rumbling room, overshadowing the low grunts of several of the boys. It took a while to calm the girls, and only then he could give the instruction to go to the dormitories.
Percy led the first years, while the rest of the students walked along the way they knew best toward the dormitories, most taking small shortcuts to get there faster.
"Then we will go to the joust of Beginning of the year?" asked the twins.
Hearing that phrase, Hermione who was behind them took the neck tunic of Ace stopping the whole group.
"It's barely the first day, we will not go looking for trouble so soon"
"Come on, Hermione" Fred said "How many have the chances of attending a joust? Just like in medieval times. "
She grimaced, her curiosity was great and all of them knew it.
"We will go to support Ser Jozan" Ace said. "In fact I was told how to enter one of the balconies that are facing the corridor where the joust is, there is a passage behind a tapestry"
"We don't have to go dress in medieval still, right?" Asked Ron.
"Of course not, nor that it was a Muggle Halloween" George muttered.
"Although it would be really interesting"
"Alright guys" spoke a little louder, calling everyone's attention "Who's coming with me tonight?"
The twins were the first to raise his hand, followed closely by Ron. "I will go," Neville said, raising his hand and with a resigned sigh, Hermione reached up, but not before adding her terms "At the first sign of trouble we go back."
Ace just smiled. "Do not worry."
-.-
It was near midnight when the group crossed the halls of the school, in complete calm, dressed in pajamas and robes, well, at least the majority. Leading the group were Ace and his hawk Mecha, the boy dressed in shorts and a tank top; It was closely followed by the twins wrapped in their blue robes to match. In the center of the group was Ron with his brown robe and closing the group advanced Hermione in pink and Neville in scarlet, her grandmother idea for him to match the colors of his house. The last two guys really looked nervous, no doubt afraid they would be discovered, after all Hermione's greatest fear was to be expelled and in the case of Neville he did not want to face the wrath of his grandmother.
But here they were, first night in the castle, breaking rules.
Fortunately Ace soon stopped in front of a tapestry on the wall, one showing sirens and what looked like a giant octopus.
Passing under the tapestry, Ace began to scout out the walls looking for a particular brick, around him the rest of the guys looked nervously watching the pirate's little hands go over the wall until finally the noise of rock against rock was heard and saw the hand of Ace sink, while the wall moved leaving room to a large lit balcony and the sound of many voices.
Cueing quickly through the space, the boys lean out over the balcony, recognized the place quickly, but never imagined that from the multiple balconies that seemed to have no access, the small and simple hallway that led from one wing to another, the view could be this. On the other balconies dozens of translucent white figures, of different genders and costumes from different eras conversed and between the balconies multiple painting decorated the walls giving the classic overloaded decoration of Hogwarts.
The six kids approached the railing of the balcony, where a ghost, flying near the hall that served as a stage presented the first contestants.
It was a real surprise that the castle didnt awake with all the hoopla that they were doing. The sound of hooves of horse armor, hit the marbling ground loud and clear, and the clash of spears shrieked over the shouts and cheers of the spectators, but nothing like the children who were on a balcony. Several ghosts and portraits watched them from time to time, some with disapproval, with the idea that the living should not be there, and on the top children, if Professor Dumbledore, who was the Headmaster, didn't attended these events, why could a group of rowdy children?
Said children did not pay attention; they continued to make their ovations and cheering those who they were supporting at that time, and from moment to moment commenting on the quarreled, "Did you see how he dodged it?" "He's really good," maybe they weren't experts in fighting, but they were having fun and that was what matters, while Neville and Hermione just watched and let loose from time to time cries of surprise.
Finally it was the turn of Ser Jozan. The screams from the balcony of the children were higher than any of the neighbors were waiting since several were startled. Meanwhile the knight stood up, raising his spear in salute to the cheering balcony before preparing for combat.
"He's really good," said Ron, without much experience, but this time he was right.
"And he is not even fighting with the sword; he is really good at that, but not as much as Vista"
"Vista?" Hermione asked, happy to have something else to focus other than the fight, there was no blood or really blows, but she was not in favor of violence.
For a moment Ace expression froze, his grip on the railing became stronger. Hermione at receiving no response from the boy, she leaned a little closer to him; there it was, that pained expression that you never saw, and that she had seen only when he spoke of the man he call father in the mirror of Erised, the man who she did not know who it was but it was not James Potter.
She returns her gaze to the competition, her mind still in the expression of her friend; maybe she was a very logical person, and she had an impressive curiosity, but strangely she knew how to read the emotions of others, and at that times she knew she could not ask that question, though she would like to ask about that unknown Father, and this person called Vista, she knew she had to stop.
Ser Jozan topples his opponent at that time, and the judge declared him winner of the round, while the boys celebrated, Ace remained drowned in his thoughts, so the girl opted to distract him. As she toke his arm, she pointed to the hallway where Jozan greeted the audiences and exclaimed: "Look Ace, Ser Jozan won"
And his expression turned to an smiling.
"... Damn lots of tin, you are wreaking havoc again!" Exclaim a hard voice from down the hall.
"Damn, it is Filch" Ron muttered, getting away from the rail.
"He always interrupts the tournament," Ace muttered, "they always leave something somewhere else to distract him, but eventually he gets here"
"Ah, that because they have never hired us," Fred said.
"We should take this project, who is the organizer of all this?"
"Later we can send our business proposal" Hermione said "Filch can't do anything to the ghosts and armor, but to us he can."
"Well," said Ace, "Say no more, withdrawal"
"Roger that" jokingly greeted the twins while Ace ran out followed by all the kids.
They walked in the shadows of the castle as he walked away from the light of the tournament, running fast just stopping at the first corner, where after revising, Ace quickly turned to the group. "Stop at the corners, the first in the line check for troubles and gives way to the rest."
With that, he turned again to check the corner and, after making sure there was no one, he made a hand sign that they could advance across the hall to the other corner, when they had all passed, Ace followed. The following to stop at the corner were the twins, being Fred who checked the hallway before let the boys pass. George continued the dynamic, enthusiastic, after all not every day you are at risk of being caught by Filch and feel like doing an excellent teamwork. Ron stopped narrowly at the corner, braking suddenly and almost stumbled, but managed to save which was fortunate because steps were heard in the corridor that again lost in the shadows from whence they came. Fearfully Neville made an effort to control himself, and with a trembling hand he gave the instructed to follow.
Hermione was the first to reach the portrait, and she quickly gave the password entering the place, where all collapse on the couches. Ace laughed out loud while Mecha stood at the top of the chair by the fire, while he settled his feathers.
"I thought he would found us"
"But he did not," said Ron "It was really amazing"
"We should do this more often," she said Fred "we really work well in team"
"To be the first time we do an organized escape, it was not bad" Ace rewarded.
"Yes, the last time we just ran without stopping"
"It was helpful, we found Fluffy" insisted George "But this was fun, like a real team"
"Perhaps after all, it is not so bad that we form a group"
"Group?" Asked Ace.
"Yeah," Ron said, "We thought we might be one"
Ace observes a moment, "I hope you don't say bandits" Luffy did not like mountain bandits.
"Not at all, something much better," Fred said, smiling a twin to the other said in unison "Pirates"
It was the expression of absolute surprise, but he recovered soon, with a serious expression and neutral, one that Hermione and Neville noticed soon.
"No," he said sharply, and turning around said "Forget it"
Shyly and a bit nervous Neville asked, "Why not?" seemed strange the reaction to him.
"It's not something we can do," said the boy, his fists tightly clenched and his eyes fixed on a point that was not in the guys around him.
"You don't have to take it so seriously," Ron said, "It's not like we really ..." and then he stopped because Ace quickly turned and locked his eyes on the boy, as if daring him to follow, Ace's eyes more gray than green.
"It is precisely that, why we cannot be pirates" Ace said, "it's not a game, we are not a crew, we do not have a flag, we don't have a name" without more he climbed the stairs to their bedroom leaving the common room.
"He didn't took it as I expected" muttered Hermione.
"I thought he would like the idea" said Ron
"But when he talked about pirates he sounded so excited"
"If we could show him that it is a great idea" muttered Fred
"I like a lot the idea" said George. "Well, you heard him, we need a flag and a name, let's start with the name"
-.-
Author's Notes.
Ace don't feel comfortable with the idea, he must have some issue there; but you heard the twins, we need a name for a crew. Send me your name ideas of pirate crew, either for review or PM; the suggestion box close at 10/19/2019. At the end of this year (Hogwarts school year, of course) and if the Twins convince Ace, we will choose one.
Also, Please note that I will be out, without access to internet for the followin month. Expect delay on my chapters.