Disclaimer: See the first chapter, or the prologue. But I own nothing.

-
Treasure Of Gryffindor
-

Chapter 7 - Closer
-

It got warmer and warmer as the Marauder headed southwards. The warm air and constant sunlight lifted the crew's spirits; it was nice to be out of the chilly European waters. Hermione was becoming very brown, and she wondered what her mother would think of how unladylike she had become in the past few months.

The Marauder's crew weren't the only ones getting excited with their progress. The Azkaban wasn't far behind them. Bellatrix was not going to give up the fight very easily. She was standing on the deck now, fidgeting with the feather in her cap as she watched the small dot which was the Marauder move along the horizon. Her sister Narcissa was steering; her cousin Regulus was perched neatly on the railing, his expression hidden by his shaggy, shoulder-length hair.

Bellatrix glanced at her cousin from the corner of her eye. He had been strangely quiet since their battle with Sirius' crew; she supposed it had something to do with her inability to kill his elder brother. Regulus and Sirius had been fierce rivals ever since Regulus had been born, and it had carried through into their adult lives. The hatred between the two boys had resulted in a split which had affected the entire family... Bellatrix didn't even know the whole story, but she had never liked Sirius, whom she had always seen as a do-gooder; and so she had wholeheartedly supported Regulus. Only Andromeda had been on Sirius' side; the two disappeared one morning and were not heard from until much later, when the Marauder and the Azkaban first met one another in combat.

Regulus looked up, shaking his hair out of his eyes. "What is it, Bella? You're looking at me rather... oddly."

"Oh - nothing." She didn't want to admit her ignorance concerning the family squabbles.

"Still angry with my brother's lover?"

"Oh -" she seized the excuse. "Y-yes. I still can't believe he could do something like that..."

"Just to protect my worthless brother..." Regulus' expression was quite hard to read. A possibility occurred to Bellatrix.

"Regulus - you - love him, don't you?"

Her cousin snorted. "Love my brother? Please! That filthy, stinking, son-of-a-"

"No. Lupin."

He stared at her. He was slightly pink. "Bella -"

"Or you want to shag him, at least." Bellatrix sighed. "What is it with Lupin? Everyone wants him! You, your brother, Severus... even Lucius..."

"Please don't bring that up," Narcissa snapped.

Her sister ignored her. "I suppose you want me to leave him to you next time, my dear?"

Regulus smiled. "I know you want payback, Bella... but would you mind leaving him to me afterwards..."

She smirked back. "No, darling... if he lives, you're free to have him..."

-

"It's so warm." Hermione was standing on deck between Ginny and Ron, gazing out at the shimmering horizon. The weather was so warm that almost everyone wore sleeveless tops; members of the crew with long hair had it pinned up. Fleur was too much of a lady to show her pale arms or slender neck; she remained in her usual long, heavy gowns, and tried to seek comfort by sitting in the shade and fanning herself with a lace fan, a present from the captain. She was often joined by Remus, who had very sensitive skin and did his best to stay out of the sun; they would spend long hours conversing quietly together in French.

"It's nice," Ginny said, tossing her flaming red braids over her shoulders. "It's too cold at home."

"I daresay we'll get tired of it soon enough," Hermione said dryly. "Right, Ron?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah... sure." Ron hadn't been paying the least bit of attention. He had been casting suspicious glares over his shoulder at Viktor, who was occasionally sending glances Hermione's way. Ron was quite certain the prince's glances were more than just friendly. He glared at Viktor, who turned up his beaky nose and looked away. The nerve of that bloke...

"Ron!" both girls said at once, making him jump. He had been lost in his own thoughts. "What?"

"Honestly," Ginny said in disgust. "Haven't you been listening? We're supposed to be fixing that leak in the second storeroom."

"Okay," Ron said, following the girls belowdecks. He couldn't help but give Viktor another nasty look as he passed.

-

As the rest of the crew went about their work, enjoying the sunshine, Sirius and Harry were at the wheel. Harry glanced at his godfather. Sirius was dressed in tight dark trousers, tall black boots, and a loose, white silk shirt. His long hair was braided neatly (Remus' work) and tied with a red ribbon. He was currently studying the compass in his left hand. For some reason, Harry suddenly felt a strong upsurge of love for his godfather.

He had always been lonely since the death of his parents; he had spent his childhood with his mother's awful sister and her terrible husband, only to be kidnapped by Lord Voldemort's servants and held in his terrible prison. At the time, he had felt resigned to a long imprisonment, only to be followed by a painful, drawn-out death. But one night he had been startled out of sleep by the sound of his cell door creaking open.

Standing in the doorway was a tall man with long black hair, dressed in pirate's clothes and fine jewelry. Something about him had struck Harry as very familiar... something about the slow smile spreading across his face, or his twinkling, dark blue eyes. Like he was someone he knew from before his parents died.

"Come on, Harry." Even his slightly hoarse voice had struck a chord of remembrance with the boy. "I've come to take you away."

Harry had staggered to his feet, trembling slightly; the only thing he could think to say was, "Who... are you?"

"It's me, Harry... Sirius." The man took a step forward, biting his lip. His eyes searched Harry's face for some kind of recognition. "I suppose it's been too long... you don't remember me..." he shook his head. "Never mind. We have to get out of here, first. Then we'll talk." He took Harry's hand and pulled him out of the cell; soon the lad found himself hurtling along dark stone passages. Voldemort's minions were pursuing, shouting and waving their weapons. Sirius had turned his sword on a few of them, killing them so fast that Harry barely had time to register what had happened. More running along dark, dank passages, and finally they had emerged out onto a small beach, under a full moon. Harry had been so dizzy and weak from hunger and shock that he had fainted at this point. He was terrified it had all been a fantastical dream brought on by lack of food, but when he awoke, he had found himself lying in bed in a ship's cabin that was flooded with warm sunlight. It was quite unlike Voldemort's dungeons. Sirius had been there, and so was another man who looked very familiar. Seeing the two of them together had somehow triggered Harry's memory further.

"Sirius -" he struggled to remember. Vaguely, he could remember his mother bending over his cradle to sing to him, her long red hair shining. He could remember being held by his father, could remember how his father laughed when Harry had taken the glasses right off his face. And... he could remember two men... one with long black hair, the other with short brown hair... smiling down at him, the same way these two were now.

"Sirius, Remus..." the names came to him from a deep well of memory. "I remember... not much... but I remember you..."

He had been folded into his godfather's arms, and all three of them had been crying. For Harry, it had been like being reunited with his parents...

The boy shook himself from his thoughts. It had been at least seven years since his rescue from Voldemort's stronghold. In those past years, he and Sirius and Remus had become quite close. Harry wished he had been able to live with them from the very moment his parents had died; but it had been impossible. Still, they were making up for missed time now.

It wasn't the time to get nostalgic. Harry looked out over the horizon. Land could be seen clearly in the distance. It wouldn't be long now. The treasure would be theirs.

-

"How close are we getting?" Hermione asked.

She and Tonks were sitting side-by-side on the deck, mending some old fishing nets. There were precious few places to stop and replenish their supplies, so Sirius had ordered the nets to be repaired and dragged along behind the ship in an effort to catch fish for dinner. Hermione had been very surprised at the order; dragging nets would surely slow the ship down.

Tonks raised a hand to brush her candy-pink hair out of her eyes. "Sirius has been getting more and more excited for awhile now. Mum says we're on the right track this time." She paused. "I hope so. It would be horrible if we got all this way and found the treasure wasn't here. I think it'd drive the captain mad, it would... "

"You're right," Hermione said quietly, looking out over the sapphire ocean. "It would completely crush his spirit."

There was silence for a moment as both girls wondered what would happen to them if the captain went mad out here in the middle of nowhere; then Tonks abruptly changed the subject. "You know, that prince character has been giving you the eye ever since he came aboard. What's going on between you two?"

"Nothing!" Hermione dropped her end of the net in surprise, her face turning red. "Nothing at all! I've talked to him, but there certainly is no... prelude to romance between us!"

Tonks chuckled. "No... of course not. Like there's nothing between you and Ron?"

Hermione flushed darker. "Ron is - Ron is different," she stammered, picking up the net. "He's... I don't know. There's something about him... I like Viktor and all, but I don't think I could... love him."

"And Ron?"

Hermione bit her lip. "Since when did my love life come under such scrutiny?"

Tonks laughed. "You forget, darling, we have precious little gossip out here. This thing between you, Ron, and Viktor is the closest we've had to a scandal since Sirius returned from a three-month absence with Remus in tow."

"Can we please talk about something else?" Hermione begged. "Please?" She didn't feel comfortable discussing this right now. She really did like Ron more than Viktor, but could she really... love him?

"Land ho!" The cry echoed down from the crow's nest, saving her. Bill was leaning over the edge, grinning down at the crew. "Take a look!"

Hermione and Tonks dropped their nets and hastened over to the railing to have a look. Sure enough, they were drawing close to a long spread of land, stretching as far as the eye could see. Hermione squinted against the bright sunlight. She could see thousands of trees, a dense jungle of them, a little further in the distance.

"We're going ashore!" Sirius shouted from the wheel. "Make preparations!"

The crew hurried to do as he ordered. Hermione felt butterflies fluttering in her stomach. Suddenly, she felt very excited and nervous.

-

Sirius stepped out onto the smooth white sand, straightening his hat and surveying the dense jungle before him. Remus joined him, sucking in his breath sharply. He had never seen anything like it, even after nearly twenty years of being a pirate captain's lover. Behind them, the Weasley children, Harry, Hermione, Andromeda, Tonks, Kingsley, Luna, and Moody were occupied with drawing the rowboats up on shore and anchoring them in place. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Fleur, and Ted had remained behind to watch the ship, along with a few others.

Sirius took a deep breath, almost as if he were scenting the air. He could feel it, the power of the treasure pulling at him, pounding in his veins, running in his blood. It wanted him to find it. He beckoned imperiously to his crew, took Remus by the arm, and started forward.

Hermione swallowed hard, walking between Ginny and Ron. Sirius was moseying casually up the beach, arm-in-arm with his lover as if this were simply a peaceful excursion; but she felt nervous indeed as she looked at the dark canopy of jungle they were headed for. She had no idea what lay in wait under those trees, and they could all be following their captain into death. But she, like the others, had vowed to see the quest through. It was too late to turn back now.

-

Unbeknownst to the crew of the Marauder, Bellatrix and her crew were also hastening into the very same jungle, intent on the treasure. Like her cousin, Bellatrix could feel the strong power of the treasure in her body, drawing her on. She grinned broadly as she followed Crabbe and Goyle into the jungle. The two burly men walked ahead, chopping dense foliage with their machetes, heading the way Bellatrix told them to. She would succeed. She would be the one to find Gryffindor's treasure, and harness its amazing powers. She didn't know what those powers were, but no doubt they would give her more wealth, power, and strength than anyone in the world. She could bring Sirius and her miserable sister groveling to her feet. With a very wicked laugh, she ordered Crabbe and Goyle to press on.

Regulus strode along behind Bellatrix, lovingly fingering the handle of an ornate dagger stuck in his belt. He hoped Sirius was in the jungle somewhere, looking for the treasure as well. He hoped they would run into each other. He longed to seize his brother by the hair and slit his throat, spilling the blood of the person he hated he most. And after Sirius was dead, he would have Remus all to himself - whether the Frenchman liked it or not. He had lusted after Remus from the very moment he had first laid eyes on him - a skinny, wide-eyed wretch half-hiding behind his brother. There was something about the look in his hazel eyes that begged anyone to take him, perhaps even by force; Sirius had just gotten there first. Regulus had never forgiven his brother for that. The quarrel they had had as young boys had split them, but Remus was the wedge that had driven them apart forever.

These thoughts entertained him throughout the day, helping him to ignore the strange insects that buzzed around him and tried to alight on his sweaty skin; he didn't even realise how tired he was. Bellatrix was almost running by now, a mad gleam in her eyes. Even as night fell, she refused to stop. She allowed only a quick pause to light torches, and then resumed the hunt.

"Come on, we're nearly there!" she hissed, pushing Crabbe and Goyle out of her way. She led the group, holding a torch high with one hand and chopping ferociously at the vines ahead of her with a machete clenched in the other. She didn't even seem to care when a huge, furry spider fell onto her shoulder; she just pushed it off without looking at it and pressed on. Narcissa gave a frightened squeak as the spider scurried towards her, and skirted around it nervously, holding her mud-splattered skirts above her ankles.

-

Sirius had likewise been pushing his crew hard, but around dawn they were so tired that they lagged behind. Sirius didn't even notice until Remus let go of his arm to walk at a slower pace. He turned around impatiently. "Well? What is it?"

"We are tired, my love," Remus said, dropping down to the ground and stifling a yawn behind his hand. "Please let us rest."

"Okay." Sirius shifted from foot to foot as his crew sat down, sighing in relief. He was very jumpy, nervous, like a frightened animal. Hermione knew he was anxious to press on, but was unwilling to go without Remus. She smiled a little, touched by how much Sirius seemed to love Remus. It would be nice to have someone love her like that someday... if Ron would love her like that...

Embarrassed at the thought, Hermione quickly took a drink of water to hide the flush spreading across her cheeks. It was a little soon to be comparing herself and Ron to Sirius and Remus. After all, the two men had a firm, loving relationship that had lasted nearly two decades; while Ron didn't even know she fancied him. And what about Viktor? Hermione still couldn't work out how she felt about him. It was clear to her, especially after her conversation with Tonks, that Viktor was smitten with her; how was she going to tell him she fancied Ron?

She was shaken rudely from her thoughts when Sirius barked for his crew to get up. They were going on. Hermione hastily stood up and hurried to keep up with her friends. The jungle was thick and dark around them. Hermione didn't want to get lost in there. She looked anxiously around at the trees, and jumped when someone took her hand. It was Ron. He squeezed her hand with a reassuring smile, and she felt immediately at ease.

Sirius suddenly held up his hand, coming to a halt. "Shh."

The crew stopped as well. Faintly, in the distance, they heard the rustling of leaves. Was it an animal? Hermione swallowed and squeezed Ron's hand.

Then, softly : "Shite."

Sirius was looking off to the left, seemingly following the sound of rustling. "It's Bella," he murmured. "And she's heading the way we need to go. She must be on the trail, too." He pulled Remus onward. "We've got to hurry. Come on!"

What followed was a breathless race through the jungle; Hermione held Ron's hand tightly and ran as fast as she could. Branches and leaves occasionally whipped against her cheek as she ran, drawing thin blood. But she didn't dare slow down. The crew continued to hurtle through the dark trees, following Sirius' long hair. He was panting like a dog, that mad light in his eyes even brighter than before. "So close, so close!"

They burst out of the jungle to find themselves in a clearing. Somewhere nearby was a waterfall, its roaring echoing through the trees. A wall of rock loomed before them, a gaping mouth in its base. But Sirius was looking across the clearing.

Bellatrix and her crew had emerged from the jungle almost at the very same moment. She had stopped in surprise as well, staring at Sirius.

"Well. I see you've gotten here as well," she finally said.

"Stand aside, Bella," Sirius said, his hand moving to the sword at his side. Hermione noticed one of the pirates behind Bellatrix was staring at Remus, his tongue slowly moistening his lips. It was the pirate who bore such a strong resemblance to Sirius, the one who had tried to kidnap Fleur. Remus seemed to have notice the man's stare; he sidled sideways so that he was half-hidden behind Sirius.

"Not a chance." Bellatrix drew her sword. "This is where it ends, my dear. This is where I win."

Sirius drew his sword as well. "No, Bella. This is indeed where it ends, but I shall be the victor."

"We shall see about that," Bellatrix snarled, and she and her crew began to advance.

To Be Continued...

-

(A/N: Yay! Chapter 7. Please stay tuned for Chapter 8! I promise to make it thrilling!

This was an excellent diversion from the heaps of snow outside. After the foot and a half or so we got in the blizzard, it snowed AGAIN, adding another few inches. I'm sick of shoveling and I've had more snow than I can stand, so writing about pirates is good. I get lost in the story, and picture myself on the ocean or in the rain forests of South America, and I feel all warm and happy. Then I stop writing, and find myself at my desk wrapped in a hundred blankets. What's more, my tea has gone cold.)