Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or location... i did devise the plot though!
Let me know how it floats your boat!
Nine Pearls: Let The Adventure Begin
"The Nine Pearls, There were Nine," Professor Binns paused for a moment shaking his silvery head slightly, "Okay that was a bad start."
"The Nine Pearls," with the beginning of his next statement numerous students throughout the classroom fell into what was known between the Marauders as the Binns' Slumber. As we gaze across the room, pausing slightly to admire the enchanting view visible through the windows which were currently pouring cheery sunlight into the vicinity, it was obvious my fellow classmates had given into the sweet temptation and disengaged from the lovely lecture Professor Binns was beginning to beguile us with.
Little did they know, this was one discussion they wouldn't want to miss.
"…are also known as the Nava Moti, meaning nine gems. These sacred gemstones are highly coveted for their legendary powers, especially when all nine are together. Muggles had possession of the some time before the 18th century, when wizard Albertus Seba inherited them by mere chance and described them in his guide to bezoar stones and oyster pearls entitled Cabinet of Natural Curiosities. A few renowned wizards familiar with the myths of the Nine Pearls identified the pearls. Within days a mob had broken away with Seba's gems, disassembling the mysterious and one of a kind collection."
Professor Binns floated around in a sad attempt at a heated pacing. Obviously, he wasn't used to the open eyes and eager looks, or at least not mine anyway.
He enthusiastically pressed on, "Since the days of Seba, no written documentation has been produced as to the gems' whereabouts. But, rumor has that the stones are floating around Hogwarts, just waiting to be uncovered by someone knowledgeable enough to recognize their worth and awesome power."
The little fuzzy hairs on the back of my neck prickled excitedly, kind of like the hyper jittery state you found girls in when they had their pretty little hands on the latest bit of hot gossip. Do you know why the little fuzzy hairs on the back of my neck prickled excitedly like hyper jittery girls who just got the goods?
That someone could be me! I always knew I had a greater purpose.
I raised my hand in the way an overzealous monkey would, at least in the way an overzealous monkey would if it realized the bugs in its fur weren't there for convenience, "Professor?" I shouted to the stump of a ghost now almost frightened by the fact that someone was listening, "Do you think someone could actually find these gems here? At Hogwarts? The school we are now attending? The school we are sitting in at this very moment? The school that just so happens to be firmly planted beneath my bu--"
"Mr. Black assuming they are here at this location, that you have made quite clear, they are also rumored to be protected by enchantments of wizards much more powerful than yourself."
"But isn't it possible that they are here at this school and indeed accessible and waiting longingly for a handsome owner to come and rescue them from their solitude?"
"I don't see why not," a smile sprouted instantly on my face, and my eyes widened out of the excitement of the treasure waiting, like I said before, longingly for me, "but I don't see why either!"
What was that?
"Professor Binns!" I shouted, rattling a few of the pristine windows, "I shall find them! There is no task to great for theeeeee Sirius Black, in fact I shall start on the 2nd second of the 2nd minute of the 2nd hour of the 2nd day of the 2nd week of term. That's today!"
"Eh hem!"
I gazed around the room, becoming oddly aware of the fact I was standing upon my desk. The majority of the class had turned around to stare at me, some of them rolled their eyes, some looked frightened, some looked blank. At least I was more interesting than Binns.
A warm and energized chattering had begun to travel around the sunny room. Professor Binns turned toward me and firmly suggested the greatest idea on earth, "Why don't you make a hunt of it then. In fact let's make a deal." He took a step, sort of, toward the podium and floated a few inches higher than normal, trying to appear taller and far more powerful than I, as he laughed like I was the biggest fool around. "If any of you find even one of the Nine Pearls I will take the liberty upon myself to--"
"To dance around in pink tutu singing 'I'm a pretty princess' in front of all the students at the end of term feast," one of my fellow classmates threw out there.
"Or end classes for the remainder of the year," the quiet girl two seats to my left burst out.
"Or tell everyone the real reason you are ghost isn't just because you left your body behind at all but because you were possessed by an evil demon named S. Quirrel, who force fed you talking peas until you told everyone your deepest darkest secret and faded out of this world as you knew it due to sheer embarrassment?" The odd boy three seats ahead of m--I'd never lie to you. That was James'. And actually he was sitting right next to me, on my left, wondering what on earth had made him divulge the most bizarre dream he had ever dreamt…evilly.
"Oh, Merlin," muttered a spitfire redhead sitting diagonally from James. She turned to the quiet girl from before and said, "Why don't they just tell him to--"
But Binns the big girl's blouse (english for wuss) brought himself back into the conversation before any of my devilishly clever classmates, not forgetting myself, could come up with a better situation, "Now, now settle down."
His face showed every trace of worry, even more so than when I teased James about Lily not liking him, which was way more fun than it should be. "I have every confidence you shall not find a single trace of these stones." He settled back into his hard wooden chair, what a prick. "The only pertinent information is how these stones play into the history of magic as we know it. The rest is irrelevant."
"If you will turn to page fift--"
"Professor!" Binns had tried to continue, but I cut him off. Every ounce of outrage on the planet coursed through my veins in potent amounts, a lesser wizard may have died. "You can't build up our hopes with no intention of following through!" I dramatically took a stand. Puffing my chest, I took a deep breath and continued my role as defender of the students' well being, "It does not sit well with me, or any of my classmates, that you find your inability to commit an adequate excuse for backing out of our deal. One should finish what one has started, especially when the one that was the one to come up with the idea in the first place. We shall not stand for this injustice. We shall not sit quietly knowing the inhumanity. We shall fight for the rights which are ours! So I say, if we find thesss…," I sneakily squinted at the closest page of notes, "..sse The.Nine.Pearls, for our sake, for our equality, and for your own self peace, you should hold up your end of the bargain that has yet to be made, but a bargain nevertheless, and buy everyone in this room CANDY!" I pounded my fist on the nearest desk, making the bloke sitting there jump.
Everyone looked bewildered, and Professor Binns quickly took the deal seeing no other way out of it, and probably incapable of witnessing another one of my dramatic, enthralling, bedazzling, tear jerking, and compelling performances. When you've got it, you've got it.
Professor Binns sifted through a few papers and settled into his lecturing position. "Alright then. I suppose I should educate you on these specimens you shall follow to the ends of the earth to find. The first pearl is known as a Conch Pearl." Due to the fact that I couldn't take notes, based on my reputation, I kicked Moony who was sitting to the right of me.
"If you don't get all of this down mate, I'm going to feed you to the…purple…purple-knarky-globber-bug!"
"Padfoot," he said leaning toward me a little, "That may work on Peter, but I know there is no such thing as a purple-knarky-globber-bug."
"Where!" James yelled in my ear. Apparently Wormtail wasn't the only one it worked on.
"Just take the bloody notes!" I shout-whispered. Tuning back into Professor Binns, I began to find myself paying attention to this ghost, for the first time in my, now, 6th year at Hogwarts.
"The Conch Pearl, a true rarity. This pearl can be white, pink, yellow, or toned with a deep red. It can only be found in the digestive track of a member of the greater Conch family. There is no definite shape, and no two are alike. The Varahamihira states, 'The pearl born of conch shell is round, lustrous, beautiful and moonlike... The pearls from conch shells... ought not to be perforated…as they possess inestimable virtues or excellences.'"
Boring Binns droned on, except people were paying attention. See! Everybody loves candy! "The Shanka Mani is sacred to the Goddess of Wealth. Anyone who possesses this particular pearl will be provided with vast riches. That's more than I made in my lifetime."
"After death too apparently," James hissed in my ear. I hate it when he does that!
My fist slicing through the air, I jumped to my feet, again, "I shall find it! This pearl doesn't stand a chance! For I am Sirius Black, ruler of all that is conch-y and worth candy, finder of all that is missing--"
"Except your brain!" Peter slugged me on the shoulder; needless to say it hadn't hurt.
It was only after I opened my eyes that I realized class was dismissed and no one heard the pure emotion I mustered into my vow to them. Those blokes!
"PADFOOT!"
"MOONY!" I smiled at the windows. It was a beautiful sunny day and I couldn't wait to get outside to watch the gorgeous scenery, both nature and girls alike, mind you.
"Wait a second," I muttered half to myself and half to Prongs, the imbecile who hisses in people's ears, "Prongs, don't panic." I watched as he nodded his head and paid the utmost attention, eyes widened. "Moony has an OUTSIDE VOICE!"
"Ahhh!" He mimicked a girl's scream. "And the worst part is… he lied!"
"Remus, did you tell them a lie?" Wormtail asked, instantly becoming the one and only Mother Potter, his imitation was spot on as usual.
"No." Remus for once played along. He impersonated a 5, no, 6 year-old. Wait! Better go with 5 and a half.
"But James told me you did."
"James lied."
"Remus, Mother's not angry, but if you lie to Mother Potter she will be"
"Okay I did it." Remus' head drooped, fully ashamed of his actions.
"Why did you do it"
"I don't know."
"HE LIES!" I screamed the closest suit of armor lining the hallway we were traversing clattered slightly. "Again." I added with a slight wiggle of my brows, took me hours to perfect that one.
James took hold of Moony's planner. "Friday September 10th, Remus admits to lying, then, proceeds to lie again."
"I can see through your plan," I pointed on long, perfect, Sirius Black pointer finger at Moony's exasperated face, "You won't fool me."
After reaching the Grand Staircase, we took a detour through Peter's favorite shortcut. It was not my favorite though. It was short in height and about a meter wide. Curse those stupid rocks for hitting me in the head! Oh yes, it was their fault. The Flawless Sirius Black would never hit his head, especially on something so forgettable and menial as ceiling stones.
But at least I was bringing up the rear. That meant I could trip James at any particular solitary moment without fail. Who cares about ceiling stones, and who knew it would be so fun to use your friends as dominoes.
"Oi, Prongs," I tapped him weakly on the shoulder. "Your trainer is untied."
"What?"
One swift move from me, and a boom, and a bang, and a bing later, my best mates toppled in a tangled jamesremuspeter heap. I tapped the stone wall behind the jamesremuspeter heap, for lack of a better name, with my wand and watched in amazement for 634th time as they rippled into nothingness. Stepping over the lot of them, who were still writhing, trying to get free, I gave them a cheeky wink and strode into the sunlight that had been taunting me the entire morning.
It took them a few minutes to catch up, but when they did they weren't happy with my pretty little head.
"I've got something to say to our self acclaimed Prankster Extraordinaire," James said using that tone that let you know everything was not going to be okay because he was up to something.
"Yeah, that would be me," I stated plainly, no sense in beating around the bush, or denying my status as an extraordinaire.
He draped his arm across my shoulders. No way! He couldn't be doing that! I taught him that technique! I copyrighted it too, I called it the closing-in-for-the-kill method.
"Padfoot, now I understand perfectly your feelings toward Chocoballs."
Oh no!
Moony's hand came out of his pocket and showcased the delicious brown ball full of strawberry mousse and clotted cream.
"To further explain the depth of this situation." Prongs steered me toward the lake. I could see from a mile away in a dark room with no windows or lights exactly where this was going.
We stopped inches away from the cliff above the lake. The sun shone so magnificently upon the restless water that the reflecting light made it seem like golden coins were captured in the dark waves.
"If you will shift your eyes to my lovely assistant Peter, you will see he is gesturing toward the lake," James went on in his false announcing voice, "Now, if what Remus has gets added to what Peter doesn't really have but sort of does, then where does that leave you?"
Remus edged to the… well edge. I could feel my stomach squirming as my taste buds yearned for the creamy strawberry filling that was always so kind…... and delectable.
"You wouldn't dare," I glared at Moon Boy, his face was dancing in glory. He was reveling in the moment. I could tell. He straightened his arm and held it over the water.
"I know let's have a countdown!" James chimed in again. "Seven. Six. Five." That was mine too! I started on seven. Note to self must find copyright documents. Prongs is infringing upon COPYRIGHT! "Four. Three."
He wouldn't dare drop it. He couldn't. He shouldn't. He…was going to, wasn't he.
"Two."
To jump or not to jump? That is the semi-half-question that already sort of has a definite answer to it.
"One."
To jump!
"Zero."
On queue, Moony's scarred hand released the poor defenseless candy.
It was all in slow motion, I bellowed, "Noooooooooo!" We, the Chocoball and I, were both hurtling toward the icy waters of the lake.
Even with the wind hollering in my ears I could hear Peter saying, "Chocoball plus Lake equals… one soaking wet Sirius."
I crashed into the frigid waters a split second after the candy. I couldn't quite reach it, undulating playfully in the water, sinking farther and farther into the vast blackness which masked the muddy bottom of the lake. I quickly performed a Bubble Head charm. Instantly able to breath, I searched helplessly for the little treat. There was no way I was going to share it. I'd have rather die than to watch a grindylow eat my Chocoball.
The glacial depths of the lake seemed to encompass everything, I couldn't see a blasted thing around me.
Something caught my eye as I looked past my left foot. "I'm coming Chocoball!" I yelled to no one in particular.
Pushing the water past my hands, I seemed to be moving only centimeters at a time, everything looked the same. I swam faster hoping to catch another glimpse of the candy.
Slowly something else came into sight.
Oh, it was only the side of the cliff. I tread toward it anyway, at least I'd be able to escape this dismal place later. With one hand on the gravelly wall, and another propelling me forward, and another… hang on… one, two… oh wait that's all. Either way, I made my way closer and closer toward the dark bottom. Further ahead upon the wall was a small black mass. As I neared what I took for an odd underwater creature, or a Chocoball, I was disappointed and yet amazed by the truth. I had just found an underwater cove.
One problem, it was darker than the bottom of this Merlin-forsaken lake. When I get out this, I swear James Potter with a P, that you will be the laughing stock of the entire school! With a reassuring pause, and my natural curiosity brewing like an angry cauldron, I guided myself into the dark opening. If the Chocoball was in there, my sweet probably just needed a home.
I reached for my wand, the everyday movement slowed down substantially within the water. "Lumos!"
I could see! Yipee! That was…OUCH! In my excitement I accidentally whacked my foot on a stalagmite. "Just my luck." I muttered.
The cave was about two meters wide and two tall. The water had a slight green tint to it and I did not want to know what was making it that way. There were a few stalagmites and a few stalactites scattered throughout what I could see of the cave. Toward the back there was a soft golden glow which probably marked an alternate route out of this place. "Here Chalky Chalky Chalky!" I only hoped the Chocoball would recognize its new name.
I shortened the distance between the golden light and myself as the cave swallowed me whole. I called out louder this time, "Here Chalky Chalky Chalky!" Bugger! He couldn't hear me.
But something else could. As I delved deeper and deeper into the grotto, I couldn't help but feel an unfriendly and wintry shadow growing over me. I was definitely being followed.
Now slightly frazzled, and hoping I wouldn't lose my Chalky to a manner less frozen fish, I swam a little faster. But, so did the presence. So, I sped up a little. It copied me. Even faster. It shadowed me only the way a good shadowy shadow could and in a shadow-like way of course.
Reminding myself I was Sirius Black and could probably handle any stupid creature on my own I turned around to face it. What I saw made me freeze faster than the arctic waters I was currently submerged in.
It was James, Peter, and Remus! All of them were horribly mangled, with blood seeping out of various cuts all over their blue-skinned bodies. Well that would have been interesting. But I think I lied, just a little.
It was indeed Prongs, Wormtail, and Moony, except they weren't horribly mangled or blue-skinned, however their heads looked oddly misshapen due to the Bubble Head charm. But that's not all, firmly grasped within Remus' hand was Chalky. How did he find it! James motioned to the entrance of the cave. He wanted to leave! But we had just gotten here, and I wasn't done exploring. I gestured toward the glowing light. They could have left if they really wanted to.
But seeing as they were probably just as curious as I we continued toward the yellow light.
I saw three pairs of eyes begin to swim with interest. With me leading the way, well at first, until James tried to race me for the lead, we ripped through the gross greenish waters. Using my quickest glance back at Remus, Chalky was located finally. The intensity radiating from my glare was enough to make him fork Chalky-kins over. Look at that he already had a nickname.
We were centimeters away from the light now. It was so brilliant my eyes burnt a little. Beautiful rays emanated from the source, dancing faintly in the spinning waters. James and I came to a halt before we crashed head first into a smooth wall. The goldenness was coming from what I had taken as the ceiling. As I swam upwards my stunning black hair, now that it was pasted to my head, broke the surface of the freezing waters. I fully welcomed the warmth of the air spreading slowly across my skin. The numbness in my face died down.
This cavern was bigger and way better than the last. It was odd being on land underwater. Directly in the center of the cave was a sort of island. Light shone all around the room as if the sun itself were present. After reaching the isle I pulled myself out of the water fully immersing myself in the warmth of the place. I removed the Bubble Head charm and breathed in the sweet air, took in the sweet sights, and ate in the sweet candy. I was in heaven, literally. The aura of this tranquil place combined with the luscious and sugary taste of Chalky had me engaged in full bliss.
My mates and I were sprawled across the small island. It was only when Remus pointed out a small rock bridge adjoining our newly established Marauder Island with a smaller one that I realized that something special was going down.
"Come you slow blokes!" James hated when I used his line. I guess I was being evil.
Either way I would make him the laughing stock.
We crossed over the small strip of land adjoining Marauder Island to… to… the …Isle of …Chalky's Doom. Yes, the Isle of Chalky's Doom was smaller in size. A variety of plant life had grown upon it, and delicate aromas drifted from the exotic flowers living on Chalky's Doom.
Moony, Wormtail, and Prongs were just as excited as I. "What do you think could be over there?" Peter asked, the dreams of lost treasure shaking his voice.
"I suppose just about anything," Remus' eyes were shining with wonder.
"Oh, oh," James started, "Maybe, it's the hidden treasure of the mutant flowers of the Isle of Chalky's Doom," Yes, I had shared the name with him. Brilliance never stayed hidden for long.
"Yeah, yeah!" I laughed, and we continued to walk the walk that our fathers walked before us when they searched for the hidden treasure of the mutant flowers of the Isle of Chalky's Doom.
A few steps later, my foot made contact with the Isle. The ground felt slightly soggy, almost as if it spent most of its time under the surface of the water. Dispersing ourselves across the Isle in order to cover more ground, I headed straight for the heart of it. Stepping on many plants, and almost getting bitten by an odd yellow flower that weird as it was resembled Snape, who by the way looked hilarious in sunshine yellow (must store that in memory for future pranks), I came across an opening. The ground here was not like the rest of the island. It was very fine sand that was more of a white in color. I bent down and fingered it. The sand was softer than anything I had ever felt. As I watched the grains roll off of my skin, I wasn't even sure if I was really touching it.
"He's over here!" James shouted to Moony and Wormtail while entering the clearing. Not watching where the young lad was going, as usual, he tripped over an odd sand covered lump in the center that I had not noticed before.
"You found it Jamesie!" I sprinted over to where he was sprawled.
Groaning in pain, he only got out a 'no problem' before reaching for his ankle in pain.
I dusted the silky sand off of the object Prongs had sacrificed himself to find. As the outline of a box began to form, I swallowed hard and pinched myself, just to make sure I hadn't drowned, died, and gone to heaven while looking for Chalky.
Ouch.
And no.
I was still here. This was really truly honest to goodness happening. Peter impatiently knocked the rest of the sand off. It was a pale brown box with an odd swirling pattern in the grain.
About halfway down the front of this ancient box was a metal lock which did not appear to be well crafted.
Once again retrieving my wand, I touched the tip of it to the clunky golden metal.
I took a deep breath, preparing to use the Alohomora charm. But before I could enunciate the A, the lock had shape shifted into an odd sort of plaque.
Now being scrawled across this sheet of metal, in a not too tidy script, I read aloud, "My lip feathers out to a width paper thin, I never leave this place, but don't look within. Distinguish me from all others I'm the one with the whorl. I am sharp and brittle, but I may hide your pearl. I am…"
Silence met our ears as we dug through our minds searching for the answer that would unlock this hidden treasure… of the mutant flowers of the Isle of Chalky's Doom (sorry I couldn't resist mate). "Alright, what has a lip that can be paper thin?" I was perplexed.
Peter scratched his head, but that didn't help.
James began blabbering, which also didn't help, "Well books have paper so if you think about it, if they had lips. Then that could work. But they don't. Hey, but a story could never leave a book. It could have a whorl on its cover.."
"Ha!" I accused him, "You don't even know what that a whorl is!"
"Sure I do!"
"Then what is it?"
He squinted and looked at the ceiling, "A spiral, coil, vortex thingy."
"Ha!" I shoved my finger in his face!
"Actually, Sirius," I turned to look at a bemused Moony, "he's right."
"Bugger!" I scowled. Well at least now I knew what it meant.
"Err…," Peter began, now stroking the beard he didn't have, "Could be about a girl."
"That doesn't explain the lip, or the whorl Wormy," I punched his shoulder which made him squeak…like a rat, "Only the sharp and brittle part. Okay the pearl thing could be true too," I added seeing James' livid face. He knew I was referring to Evans.
"I know," Moony's small smile whispered confidence; he looked very pleased with himself. "A Conch."
Using my I-Knew-That / Anyone-could-have-guessed-that tone, I exclaimed, "Of course!" I watched the metal morph for the second time into an elegant, shining handle. We all stood there in wonder, anticipating the contents of the archaic container.
I wrapped my slightly damp fingers around the cool metal. Every single man present held his breath as I slowly raised the sandy lid. We all gasped at the beauty awaiting us.
The inside of the box was lined with a soft, white material, as smooth as the sand that had encompassed the box seconds ago. But, on a small platform, in the center of the box, lay a small ovular object. This object was light pink in color, with deep red tones. Boy, I thought, if I made this beauty into a necklace it would enchant the hearts of any girl within Hoggy Warty Hogwarts.
As James pet the velvety lining of the treasure chest, Moony explained just how valuable this little…thing was. "Blimey! It's the conch pearl Binns was talking about!"
"What are the odds of that!" Peter cried.
"Only about .5 in three quarters of infinity!" James was still feeling up the fabric.
I reached out for the small pearl. It was weightless.
As if I had set off an invisible switch, the Isle of Chalky's Doom began shaking. "Bugger!"
Remus looked around confused, his face was all scrunched up. "We better run for it!" The Isle shook even more violently.
"It's going down!" James shouted in my face, before grabbing the box and making a mad dash for the bridge. That was probably why the ground had felt so different.
I pocketed the pearl in the blink of an eye. After all I couldn't leave the thing that could give me all the riches in the world behind to perish in the sand, as Chalky had in my mouth.
We hightailed it out of there.
Peter squeaked the whole way through the forest of the mutant flowers of the Isle of Chalky's Doom over the bridge and to the end of Marauder's Island.
"Best of luck mates!" I cast the Bubble Head charm upon myself, and with one last look at my best mates, James had dumped the box with a look of yearning, and plunged back into the icy waters I had only just been relieved of.
I glanced back to make sure Moony, Wormtail, and Prongs, although devoid of box, were still there. We swam fast as we could nonstop all the way back out through the oddly green cave into the clear empty waters and up to the surface of the lake. All of us laughed as we bobbed upon the surface.
We tread the rest of the way back to shore, pausing once to feed the last Chocoball to the giant squid. No fair.
Reaching the bank, we threw ourselves out of the cold waters, removed the charms, and laid completely wiped out, staring at the blue cloudless sky. The sun's warmth felt even better now than it had when we had initially exited our 'little' castle.
"That was great," Peter sighed.
Sitting in a circle, we passed the pearl around, each of us admiring the little object that was supposed to make give us riches. Even if it didn't bring monetary riches, the adventure it had just given us was worth all the gold presently in Gringotts.
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