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

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Treasure Of Gryffindor
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Chapter 8 - The Treasure of Gryffindor
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Hermione was scared witless as the battle started. It wasn't the same as her first battle, the night the Azkaban had attacked. This time, she might not be so lucky. This time, she might die. Any of them might die. And all of it just for a single, stupid treasure that may or may not exist - it was truly madness. As she drew her short, light sword and turned to face the approaching crew, she said a quick prayer. She just wanted everyone to be safe. The crew of the Marauder were like her extended family, and she wanted them all to be safe. They had to live. Ron had to live, so she could tell him how she felt about him... so she could tell him that she loved him.

It soon became a bloody battle indeed. Bellatrix's crew fought dirty and didn't seem to care who they hurt; Sirius' crew had to stoop to low levels as well in order to gain somewhat of a foothold. Hermione had her hands full, trying to keep herself uninjured. As she backed away from a fallen opponent (wounded badly, but hopefully not fatally, she prayed), another opponent approached. It was the blonde man, the one she had injured in her first fight, and he seemed intent on her blood. His cheek had healed, leaving no trace of the wound she had inflicted on him, but he was still angry with her. He stopped a few feet away and smiled cruelly.

"Well, darling. We meet again." His long earrings gleamed in the light. "I was hoping we would."

Hermione couldn't think of any way to respond. She just held her sword a little tighter and glared at him.

He bowed sarcastically. "Lucius Malfoy, my darling. And I believe we should settle this score between us."

"Enough talk, then," Hermione managed bravely, though she was shocked by the words coming out of her mouth. She had never expected to challenge anyone like that. But Lucius' smile only widened.

"Very well!" he cried, and jumped at her, brandishing his sword. Hermione dodged, tripping over a root and cursing as she hit the ground, hard. Her elbow began to trickle blood, but she barely noticed as she hauled herself to her feet. She couldn't let her guard down. Lucius would cheerfully stab her in the back without a single thought, so it was important to keep on her toes. She slashed out at him as he ventured closer. He was holding his sword oddly, and Hermione wondered if the man had ever received proper training in swordsmanship. But it turned out to be a ruse - the odd grip was part of a single quick, smooth movement that would have been fatal had Hermione not dodged it. As it was, the side of the blade cut a ragged edge in the hair beside her ear.

"You aren't very good at this," Lucius remarked mildly, as she fought to hold her own sword steady. Her legs were trembling with fright, and she didn't know what was going to happen. Lucius was grinning, his grey eyes alight with malice. He raised his sword to strike, and Hermione found she couldn't move. This was it, it was all over for her -

But the blow never came. There was a loud crunching noise, and Lucius' eyes suddenly glazed over. He fell face-forward to the ground, and Hermione saw Charlie standing behind him, clutching a thick piece of wood.

"You saved me again," Hermione said weakly, smiling at him.

"That's what friends are for." Charlie grabbed her hand and pulled her along. Two pirates advanced on them, snarling; Charlie and Hermione slashed out, making both men fall to the ground with hoarse cries. As soon as one pirate fell, more would come - it was like a terrible nightmare. Apparently, Bellatrix had more crew members who had been hiding in the jungle, waiting for their opprtunity to attack.

Ron and Bill were standing back-to-back, dueling furiously with Crabbe and Goyle. Andromeda had killed three pirates with three dangerous swipes of her sword, and blood was pooled at her feet. Ginny was leaping from side to side as she fought with Narcissa, avoiding the clumsy parries from the older woman's sword. It was clear Narcissa had never fought before; she was preoccupied with holding her long skirts out of the dust and blood at her feet. Every thrust she made was abysmal; Ginny was getting tired of avoiding them. She reached out quickly with the handle of her own sword, and rapped Narcissa's knuckles hard enough to make her drop her weapon.

Harry was fighting with Narcissa's son, Draco. The two had been mortal enemies since the day they had met, their enmity as deep as the hatred between Sirius and Bellatrix. Like Harry, Draco had grown up around swords and boats, and they were very evenly matched. It was hard to say who had the upper hand.

"Scared, Potter?" Draco panted maliciously. "We'll get you. Even if you win, Auntie will find a way to get the treasure away from your godfather. You know it."

"Sirius will never give up without a fight," Harry retorted. "Bellatrix can't possibly hope to stand before him for long."

"Can't she?" Draco smirked. Harry dodged as Draco's next strike came very close to his shoulder.

"What does your 'Auntie' want the treasure for, anyhow?" Harry panted, as his sword clashed against Draco's.

"I wouldn't expect you to know the full extent of Gryffindor's powers," Draco jeered. "Suffice it to say that once Auntie gets the treasure, she will become the most powerful, most feared woman in the world!"

Sirius and Bellatrix were circling each other warily, paying no heed to their battling crews. The treasure was pulling strongly at them both. It was a clash of desires. Both wished to destroy the other; but they also wished to be first to find the treasure. Neither could run; but neither could stay.

"Go home, Sirius," Bellatrix snarled. "It's mine. Admit defeat and get away!"

"I'm not aware I've been defeated yet," Sirius growled. "I'd say it's first come, first serve. Whoever reaches the treasure first shall be its owner."

"Will we race, or will we duel?" His cousin's eyes were alight with madness and hatred. "Either way, only one shall live. If I get the treasure, rest assured you will be the first one I kill with its magic!"

"I was just about to say the same thing about you," Sirius responded in a low hiss. "I will enjoy killing you, Bella."

Remus, who was fighting nearby, heard him. He slashed his opponent, pushing him away. As the man fell, snarling, Remus turned to Sirius. "Love, no!" The idea of Sirius murdering over this ridiculous treasure was nearly unbearable. He had never killed before unless it was necessary; but now Remus was afraid killing Bellatrix would start a rain of blood. Sirius would bathe in her blood, wallow in it, and after that, he would be gone. The sweet, gentle man who had been so good to Remus for so long would be gone forever. A bloodthirsy murderer would be all that remained. "You can't!"

Sirius turned to him, and so did Bellatrix. Her face split in a truly evil grin, and quick as lightning she seized Remus and held him to her, her pistol pointed at his temple. Sirius froze.

"Now I see what I can do to make you change your mind," she hissed. "Your little bitch is more precious to you than the treasure, even. He's my hostage, now. Try and take him from me if you dare!" Cackling madly, she pulled Remus with her into the cave, using him as a shield.

"REMUS!" Sirius screamed in anguish. He fairly dashed after his cousin. "Bella, LET HIM GO!"

"Sirius!" Harry hurried after his godfather, abandoning his duel with Draco. Ron hurried after his best friend, followed by Narcissa, Ginny, and Regulus, and before long, the remainder of both crews followed suit.

The cave was formed out of a dark shiny stone, faintly lit inside by some sort of luminous fungi. Glittering heaps of gold and jewels were piled all around. It looked as if it had been a pirates' cache since the dawn of time. It was filled with treasures that many people would kill to get their hands on, from every corner of the globe. But everyone's eyes were immediately drawn to an enormous chest sitting in the centre of the cave, on a raised dais. It was made of shining, solid gold, and studded with countless rubies. Bellatrix was standing at the foot of the dais on which it sat, gazing up at it. She still had a firm grip on Remus, who had dropped his weapon in the confusion. He was clearly frightened; his eyes were wide and scared as he trembled in Bellatrix's grasp. Regulus' eyes were upon him, hungrily.

"Is that...?" Hermione gaped up at the chest along with everyone else. It seemed to glow with an ethereal, otherworldly light. There was a strong, magical feeling in the air, something older than time and stronger than any mortal feeling. It was almost as if the spirit of Godric Gryffindor was with them in the cave at that moment, a kind of Atlantean strength flowing forth from his treasure. At that moment, any doubts any of the pirates had were extinguished. It truly was the Treasure of Gryffindor, the thing they had all searched for for so long, the ultimate bounty. It was a sight so beautiful it could move one to tears.

"It is," Bellatrix answered Hermione's unfinished question. "Gryffindor's treasure. The last of the four great treasures belonging to the kingdom of Atlantis!" She pushed Remus away from her so that he stumbled and fell into a pile of gold coins with a cry of pain. Bellatrix paid him no heed.

"Slytherin's treasure gave success and great power to its owner. Ravenclaw's treasure brought about one of the greatest scientific and artistic movements ever known. And Hufflepuff's has granted good fortune to all who have had contact with it. What will Gryffindor's do, I wonder? Will it give me powers even greater than those of Slytherin's treasure? Will it indeed harness the powers of my ancestry, to make me queen of an army unlike any ever seen before? What will it do?"

"Stop!" Remus cried from his place on the floor. "Please stop! You do not know what you are doing!"

"Shut up!" she roared. "You know nothing about it!"

"Please!" Remus shouted. "Dumbledore himself has told me! He translated the records left by ancient Druids. They recorded everything the great Seer Cassandra Trelawney ever predicted relating to the treasures! Gryffindor's is more dangerous than you can imagine! She saw what would befall the one who got their hands on the treasure! It would -"

"Shut up!" Bellatrix shrieked. She struck out blindly with the butt of her pistol; it struck Remus in the temple, making a ghastly thudding noise. He slumped over, suddenly lifeless, and slid partway down the heap of coins he had been kneeling on. One hand was outstretched, almost as if reaching for Sirius one last time.

The sight of his lover stretched lifelessly over the ground was too much for Sirius. The somewhat accusatory glare in Remus' hazel eyes bored into him. Something snapped inside him. Suddenly the treasure didn't matter. Nothing mattered if Remus was dead. He screamed, pushing aside friend and foe alike to gather Remus in his arms. "Remus! Remus!" he sobbed. "Remus!"

Bellatrix let out a shriek of triumph and leapt forward, heading for the chest. Her crew scrambled to follow. Sirius' crew could do nothing but stare, numb with disbelief and sorrow, as their captain hugged his lover to his chest and sobbed, heartbroken. Hermione didn't feel the tears running down her cheeks as she watched Sirius. How could it all end like this? How could it? They were supposed to win! They were supposed to get the treasure, and return triumphantly to London and disprove all the wild rumours about Gryffindor's treasure. Remus wasn't supposed to die! She sobbed harder, and couldn't even feel better when Ron hugged her to him.

The crew of the Azkaban paid no heed to anything going on below them. They were all gathered around the chest, waiting expectantly for their captain to empty it. Bellatrix grinned. "This is it!" she cried, and flung back the lid.

Instantly, a wild shrieking noise met their ears. Sirius' crew looked up, frightened. The shrieking grew louder and louder, and a bright light emanated from the chest. It lit up the faces of the pirates around it. They all looked terrified. Some tried to run, but couldn't. Everyone on that dais seemed to be held in place by the strange golden light. And then, they began to scream in pain. Their screams grew louder and louder, mingling with the awful shrieking noise from the chest. And suddenly, they burst into flames. The cave was alight with the fire, rich with the smell of burning flesh, the pirates' screams echoing and echoing until Hermione had to clamp her hands over her ears in an effort to block it out. The burning smell was making her feel very ill. The last thing she saw was Bellatrix' look of realisation and horror, just before she and her whole crew disappeared into thin air. The flames died down instantly.

Silence fell, broken only by Sirius' hoarse sobs as he held Remus' body against him. He hadn't even looked up when Bellatrix and her crew had started screaming. He just continued to cry, his long hair hiding his face from view, and his crew watched him helplessly.

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Six Days Later

The Marauder was back on its way to London. Before leaving, Harry had ordered an enormous boulder to be pushed in front of the cave's mouth, to keep others from getting in. "That is not something normal people should see," he had said. "We must take it upon ourselves to keep anyone else from succumbing to the same fate."

Sirius hadn't said a word since their return to the ship. Remus was not dead; he had been knocked unconscious by Bellatrix's furious blow and remained in that state. Whether or not he would wake up at all still remained unknown, and the captain refused to leave his lover's side until Remus either awoke or died. He hadn't even shown his face above deck for the past week, and the only person he allowed in his cabin was Mrs. Weasley, who attended to Remus.

Harry and Andromeda took turns at the wheel; they consulted Sirius' compass and steered in a listless mood that made it quite clear their hearts weren't in it at all. As for the rest of the crew, they went about their usual business, but in a very subdued way. Everything that had happened on shore had left them depressed and frightened; and without Sirius to guide them, their situation felt even more depressing. Hermione spent her days in a kind of tired daze. She was exhausted, unable to sleep because of the nightmares which haunted her, and because of her constant worry for Sirius and Remus. She wasn't the only one, either.

"This is terrible," Ginny said dully one morning. "Everything's... just not right. It's not the same. I guess I never realised how much Sirius kept us going. His goal was our goal, in a way. And now that we know what the treasure is, and how awful it is, it's like our dreams have died."

It was the most philosophical thing Hermione had ever heard Ginny say; but right now she was just too tired and sad to care. She closed her eyes, a single tear trickling down her cheek. Even Viktor felt pity for the captain's situation; he often sat moodily on deck, staring out over the endless water.

Not for the first time, Hermione wished she had never signed up for the voyage. She wished she was safe at home in London. As soon as they returned home, she vowed, she was quitting. She would never set foot on another ship again. She would stay home with her mother and sew. She would attend fine parties and marry a nice lad and have children. Maybe someday, the memories of her return on the pirate ship would just stop hurting...

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Sirius Black sat beside his bed, staring at his lover. He was a mess. He hadn't bothered to shave or comb his hair, and was still wearing the same clothes from a week ago. He couldn't even muster the energy or the will to get up and eat. All that mattered was Remus, lying so still and pale in their bed.

It had been like a bright light coming on when he had seen Remus fall to the ground in the pirates' cave. At that moment, he had realised how stupid and foolish he had been. The treasure didn't matter. Why would he need fame, riches, or power when he had Remus by his side? Remus had always been there, supportive and loving. For more than half their lives they had been together. And Sirius had thrown it all away for the stupid treasure. Everything he ever needed in life was going to be lost.

He began to cry again for what felt like the millionth time in the past week. He leaned over, folding his arms on the bed and resting his forehead against them. His hair, unkempt and in need of washing, fell around him like a shroud. His throat was sore from all the crying he'd been doing over the past few days, and by now he was so depressed and so weak from hunger that he couldn't even summon the strength to wail aloud. Instead he cried silently, shaking with sobs, his heart torn in two. Nothing mattered anymore. Remus was dying.

"Remmie..." he choked out, raising his head. He couldn't stand to see Remus this way. He climbed into bed and put his arms around his lover, making a vain attempt to warm him, to pass on some of his own waning strength to Remus. "I was so stupid," he whispered in Remus' ear, hoping desperately that his mate could hear. "So damned, bloody stupid. All I thought about was the treasure... I was greedy and selfish. I didn't see how much I was hurting you. I did hurt you, didn't I? I put the treasure over you. And you still loved me. You still supported me. You made me feel like I could do anything. And I used to do anything... just for you. But I... got caught up in it all... the treasure..."

He swallowed hard. "I stopped trying to do things for you. I stopped trying to show you how much I loved you. Nothing mattered but the treasure... I swear, my darling, I would give every last gold piece I own just to have you back. I'll hate myself forever, my love. It's my fault you're like this, and if you die, I... I will never forgive myself. I'll kill myself before I ever forgive myself for betraying you like I did."

His fingers brushed Remus' white cheek, running over the soft skin. Memories crowded in on him - the day he and Remus had met at the slave market... the look of idolization in Remus' eyes when Sirius had taken him from the man who had bought him... how Remus' laugh sounded, like tinkling chimes... the first kiss they had ever shared, so shy and gentle... how he had always showered Remus with gifts after raids, and how funny his mate had looked after being draped in countless strings of pearls and golden bracelets... the first time they had made love, here in this very bed, with the moonlight shining down on them and the sweet salt air drifting through the open windows... but mostly he could see Remus as he usually was, smiling, his eyes filled with love and adoration, his hair lightly tousled by the wind and highlighted gold by the sun. He might never see that loving expression again.

"I could search for a thousand lifetimes and never find anyone like you ever again. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, Remmie. I was just too bloody stupid to realise it until now." He kissed Remus' forehead, gently, and started when Remus chuckled softly underneath his lips.

"Yes... you are not the most intelligent man I have ever met." Remus' half-lidded eyes gazed up at him. A small smile curled his pale lips. "But I love you anyway."

"Remus!" Sirius could barely believe it; he pinched his own arm, hard. It hurt. "You're alive!"

"And with a very bad ache in my head." His lover continued to gaze up at him, and Sirius was overjoyed to see that the great love in Remus' eyes still remained. "Bellatrix hit me quite hard. What happened after that?"

Sirius buried his face against Remus' neck, weeping with relief. "It doesn't matter," he whispered. "You're alive. You're safe. God, I thought I was going to lose you. Oh Remus... I love you so much..."

"And I love you, as well." Remus brushed Sirius' hair away from his face, then rested his hand against his lover's cheek. He looked into Sirius' eyes. The frantic, insane light was gone. Every thought of the treasure was gone. All Remus could see was the total devotion Sirius had for him, and how glad his lover was that he was awake.

It looked like everything was back to normal.

To Be Continued...

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(A/N: I cried when writing about Sirius waiting for Remus to wake up. If that's not eternal love and devotion (between them, I mean), I don't know what is. I hope you all didn't cry when you read it. I know that it's a good thing if you cried, because it means I wrote a wonderful, touching scene (or bad, because my writing is so abysmal it bored you to tears), but I don't like making people cry. I like making people laugh. I'm sorry I did nothing with the Hermione/Ron/Vicky triangle. I promise I'll get to that in the next chapter.

Forgive the format of Chapter 7, and of Chapters 62, 63, and 64 of "Snippets From The Potterverse'; for some reason I can not upload them correctly on my Mac anymore, though it used to work splendidly. So now I have to struggle with our super-slow Windows in order to post. sigh.

I recently posted a bunch of my black-and-white HP cartoons on my LiveJournal (I think the entry was on January 27; somewhere around there). I'd really appreciate it if you would go and take a look - there's a link to my journal on my profile page. Don't be shy! Please leave comments! Constructive criticism or just plain praise is fine! But please, watch the language, and try to be nice, even if telling me my art is terrible.)