It took her class an age to get organized. One night in the governor's house where they hadn't even unpacked and they still weren't ready to go by nine. Ginny hadn't seen disorganization this bad since she'd been living at home.

She was about to start yelling at a couple of classmates who were bickering over what shoes they were going to wear when Elizabeth pulled her aside.

"I have to say I am sorry to see you going so soon."

Ginny nodded but couldn't bring herself to mirror the feeling. She wanted to see the Caribbean too badly. She would miss Elizabeth and Will though. During her overnight stay at the manor they had become friends, their presence aiding her in avoiding Mimsey and her schoolmates and hers letting the couple spend some time together without being scrutinized for impropriety.

"Well I will be back," Ginny said. "You still have to give me that tour of Port Royal you promised."

Elizabeth laughed and nodded.

"Indeed."

"Miss Weasley, your classmates are waiting."

Ginny rolled her eyes and threw a look over her shoulder at Jose who was grinning at her.

"Yeah, right, now they're waiting."

Elizabeth smiled at her grumble before suddenly gasping.

"Oh! I almost forgot! I have a present for you," she said, turning to the table behind her.

Ginny squirmed.

"You didn't need to do that-"

"Don't be silly," Elizabeth cut her off, passing her a polished wooden box. It was about the size of a shoe box, if not a little longer and felt heavy with padding.

"Open it."

Ginny did and gasped.

"Will made it. For your protection."

It was a dagger, gleaming and amazingly expensive looking. Ginny knew as much about knives as Draco knew about nice but she could still tell this one was brilliantly made. Gold filigree wound its way around the handle and the blade glinted beautiful and perfect. At the base of the blade were the initials W.T.

"He only initials the ones he gives away," Elizabeth said.

Ginny looked up at her, her eyes wide.

"It's beautiful."

Elizabeth beamed.

"I'm so glad you like it."

"Thank Will for me will you? And thank you too."

"Miss Weasley!"

Ginny's hair flew as she yelled over her shoulder.

"I'm coming!"

She turned back in time to be enveloped in a brief hug from Elizabeth.

"Have a safe trip Ginny."

"I will. I'll see you 'round. And thank you again."

And with that she was out the door, the dagger in its case clasped firmly under her arm.

-------------------------------------------------

The ship they were to take was called the Andromeda. It was a fair size, smaller than the fleet's finest – the Dauntless – but by no means small. The captain was a man called Joff. Tall and weather-beaten, Joff would have made an imposing character if he wasn't such a wuss. The first thing he did with the class was line them up and bark rules at them. He then proceeded to scream like a girl when a trunk was accidentally dropped behind him.

"Joff's a good man-"

Ginny spun at the voice to find Commodore Norrington behind her, looking up at the ship just as she was.

"…a little jumpy," he finished as Joff made his way down the gang-plank, taking one step carefully at a time.

"No kidding," Ginny said. She could almost have sworn she saw the Commodore smile at that.

"I'm afraid we weren't introduced last night at dinner. I'm Commodore James Norrington."

Ginny nodded.

"Ginny Weasley."

A moment passed.

"So I suppose Elizabeth sent you?"

This time the Commodore did smile.

"Obviously. I am charged with the task of seeing you off safely."

Ginny smiled and nodded.

"You know, I've only known her a day."

"You'll find Elizabeth takes to people very quickly."

Ginny nodded.

"All aboard!"

Ginny turned and smiled at the Commodore.

"Well it was nice to meet you Commodore Norrington but that's my queue."

The Commodore smiled back and tipped his head slightly.

"Have a safe trip Miss Weasley."

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Things were going fabulously. Ginny had found herself a perch out of the way of everyone on deck and had settled down with a notebook on her lap. She spent the first hours of the trip gazing out to the horizon and down at the passing waves. Everything was brilliant.

And then he happened.

"Well hello there Miss Weasley."

Ginny looked up sharply in horror.

"You!"

"Yes me," Mimsey said, taking a seat next to her on a crate. "I was wondering where I'd find you."

"What are you doing here?" Ginny blurted before she could stop herself.

Mimsey gazed out at the horizon like he owned it.

"Why, I'm taking the same tour you are Miss Weasley, I thought you knew."

He smiled the non-smile at her and Ginny suddenly wished the ship would run aground.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Two days later things hadn't improved. Mimsey seemed to seek out her company no matter where she tried to hide. He just wouldn't take a hint. He just kept talking and talking. About witches, about Satan; Ginny was about ready to give him a good kick overboard. Anything to get him to shut up and leave her alone.

Then it happened. Mimsey was chattering on at her and she suddenly thought she saw it. A dot of black on the horizon - barely there but there none the less. Another ship? Maybe. Sitting there in the hot sun listening to the tale of some poor woman who was hung for giving a man herbal tea, Ginny actually begun to wish that it was a pirate ship. Anything to give Mimsey a reason to shut up.

That said, it was so not her fault when the Andromeda was attacked in the dead of night by a ship with black sails and a scull and crossbones flag waving on high.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Ginny awoke to shouting and the smell of smoke. The three girls in the cabin with her were already awake and staring around themselves with wide panicked eyes.

"What's going on?" One of them asked.

There was shouting and a thump from the deck above them and one of the girls burst into tears. Ginny rolled off her bed onto the floor and scrabbled around under it. Their wands had all been taken off them before they left the twenty-first century, the magical energy of them being incompatible with the portal magics used. But Ginny wasn't completely unarmed. Her fingers touched wood and Ginny grabbed the box as the shouting got closer. The clanging of steel drifted through the door as she flipped the lid of the box, revealing the dagger. She grabbed it up and stuffed it down the back of her pajama pants just as the door was thrown back on its hinges.

Two of the girls screamed at the sight of the figure in the doorway. He was tall, graying and not to be mistaken for anything but a pirate. He even had the parrot perched on one shoulder.

"Aaak! Dead men tell no tales!"

The pirate didn't speak. He simply gestured to the door with his big, sharp-looking sword and the girls got the point. Ginny was the last out, walking carefully so as not to dislodge the dagger.

Stepping onto the deck was like stepping into hell. Flaming torches held aloft by grubby pirates were all that lit the world around them. Everything shifted in jagged shadows as the torches wavered. Ginny and her group, it appeared, were the last on deck. Everyone else was already lined up, crew and students alike – all at gun and sword-point.

"Well now, how was that for a bit of excitement?"

The voice was the sort Ginny had least expected to hear in this situation. The individual it belonged to however seemed perfectly suited. He was tall and as grubby as the rest of them but with hair and eyes that set him way apart, perhaps from sanity as well. Kohl-lined eyes and hair threaded through with bone and beads, he looked like piracy's answer to a drag queen. A pistol was held limply from his left hand as if he'd forgotten he'd put it there and a sword gleamed at his hip – it seemed the only thing of him he bothered to clean.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, your attention if you will! There's no need to panic, you're just being pillaged, nothing to worry about, happens all the time."

Ginny found her mouth hanging open despite herself. The man was insane. He had to be. Beside her one of her classmates hiccupped through her tears.

"Now we're just goin' though all your worldly belongings now, it shouldn't take us long plunder all we want and then we'll be on our way, Savvy?"

Someone sniffed.

"Good."

"P-parlay…"

Ginny's eyes widened. It was the girl next to her. Tears filled her voice but she still said it.

"Shut up! What in Merlin's name are you doing?" Ginny hissed out of the corner of her mouth. But it was too late. The insane drag-queen had heard it. His head quirked and then his gaze slid along the line of trembling people until it came to her.

"Did I just hear the P word?"

Ginny just stared as he made his way down the line to where she was standing, his strides long and just a little wobbly. Cautious and yet…drunk at the same time. He came to a stop in front of her and raked his kohl gaze between her and the hiccupping girl at her side. Ginny couldn't help but gape at him. Up close he was even more unusual. His facial expressions alone could have amused an audience for hours.

"Well, don't keep me hanging darlings."

His voice up close was just as strange. Almost intoxicating. Ginny couldn't for the life of her pick his accent.

"I-it was her."

Ginny almost broke her neck whipping around to glare in shock at the girl next to her. Her hiccups had ceased and the girl had found her tongue.

"What?"

In the back of her mind Ginny knew the girl was just scared. She was just doing anything to get the attention back off her. In the front of her mind however she was raging at the little cow for being gutless enough to send her to the bloody captain instead.

"Better make up your minds missies, the word came from one of you and so one of you has a meeting to get to."

He was enjoying this, Ginny could tell. He was toying with them. The girl at her side shivered and Ginny rolled her eyes. Merlin dammit!

"Fine, it was me. Parlay. Take me to the sodding captain."

The pirate before her grinned, more cheerfully than unpleasantly and motioned for her to step forward with his gun. Ginny swallowed, threw one more glare at the girl at her side and then stepped toward the pirate.

"To the captain!" he cried and led the way in a highly individual way down the deck. Ginny followed him, conscious of the dagger in her waist-band and the pirate with the parrot falling in behind her.

The beaded pirate led the way down the deck until they came to a wooden plank spanning out over the ocean. On the opposite side of the plank a black sailed ship floated ominously, seeming to not even make a whisper of sound. It was a testament to how dark it was that Ginny hadn't noticed it until then.

The insane pirate led the way across the plank, belying his wobbliness and remaining sure-footed all the way across. Ginny was next. Heights had never bothered her, she'd played seeker for Gryffindor at Hogwarts for goodness sake. But something about stepping out onto a thin plank of wood hovering over blackness made her catch her breath for a moment.

"Come come now, we haven't got all night."

Ginny glared in the general direction of the voice and then took the plank in seven quick steps. She nearly fell into the pirate on the other side as she jumped down he was standing so close to the edge of the plank. As it was he grabbed her arm to steady her. Ginny's reply was to promptly yank her arm out of his grasp. The pirate blinked at her for a moment before, much to Ginny's fury, he wiped his hands on his pants – as though she were the one who was covered in grime. The nerve of him!

Before she had the chance to blow up in his face the pirate was off once more, this time down the deck of the pirate ship. It didn't take them long to get to the captain. He was a round sort of fellow with a graying beard and suspicious eyes. In front of him, on his knees and groveling, was Joff.

"Please! Take whatever you like! The luggage…the students…do you want the students? Take them!"

Ginny couldn't believe her ears.

"Why you soggy little worm!"

Everyone looked up at her outburst, bar Joff who was still trying to sink into the decking. The captain eyed her up and down.

"Ay, and who's this you've brought us Capt'n Sparrow?"

Ginny's eyes widened. Captain? She spun on the insane pirate.

"Captain? You?"

The insane pirate looked at her as if she'd just said something incredibly stupid and he was scared that it would attack him.

"Captain. Me."

"You…why did you make me come over here if you're the Captain?" she said furiously.

Captain Sparrow blinked at her.

"You followed me."

Ginny felt like banging her head against the mast. "Yes but you said…" she stopped, taking in Sparrow's expression. She wasn't getting through, if nothing else she was simply amusing him.

"Agh!" she growled and stamped her foot. Sparrow looked at her cautiously for a moment as if to determine if she was stable before turning to the graying fellow she'd first mistaken for the pirate captain.

"Mister Gibbs. How goes the pillaging?"

"Not too well Cap'n. We're havin' a bit'o trouble with the trunks."

"How so?"

"We can't open 'em."

Sparrow seemed taken aback by that.

"What? Any of them?"

"We've tried everythin' short 'o the cannons," said the graying pirate…Mister Gibbs.

Captain Sparrow turned a thoughtful expression down the decking and Ginny followed his gaze to a pile of wooden trunks – the classes personal luggage. Ginny almost snorted. No wonder they couldn't open them, any sane witch or wizard never left home without a proper locking charm on their trunk.

Sparrow seemed to be thinking deeply. Well either that or he'd gone to sleep on his feet which Ginny really wouldn't put past him. Just as she was expecting to hear a snore another pirate stepped out of the shadows. Ginny was rather taken-aback to see that this one was female.

"We still have the students cap'n. Likely te' be a fine price paid fer the pretty heads of English nobbs."

Something in Ginny went a little cold. Ransom. They were going to ransom her history class. She was about to protest when someone else beat her to it.

"Nay cap'n! 't be terrible bad luck!"

The she-pirate rolled her eyes.

"Aye Gibbs, an' when is it not?"

Gibbs opened his mouth to retort but the captain waved his hands for silence, nearly poking out a few eyes with his enthusiasm.

"My dear Ana-Maria, but Mr Gibbs does have a point. People are notoriously difficult to control -"

"Not if yer chain 'em te' the hull -"

Ginny was just realizing how much she was really starting to dis-like the Ana-Maria pirate when Sparrow spoke up again.

"I don't particularly want to have to deal with prisoners if I don't have to -"

Ginny practically bounced at her chance.

"You don't have to!"

Suddenly all eyes were on her.

"I know how to open the trunks. I can open them and then you can just let us all go…right?"

After all it didn't seem as though anyone really wanted too much violence to ensue here. Well, except maybe the she-pirate. Ginny was rather glad the she didn't appear to be the one calling the shots. Then again Gibbs didn't seem to be looking at her in a very good way either.

"You can open the trunks?"

Ginny nodded assuredly in the face of the growled skepticism. Gibbs' eyes narrowed.

"How?"

Ginny swallowed nervously.

"You ah…need a special kind of lock-pick," she said. Well, she was only half lying, she needed a wand is what she needed and there was only one person in their party that carried one.

"Our…teacher, Jose, he has it. Bring Jose here and he can unlock the trunks."

Sparrow was looking at her like she was something he'd like to dissect. After a moment of this he nodded his head at the she-pirate.

"Go fetch the teacher Ana."

Ana-Maria nodded and headed off into the darkness. Ginny suddenly found herself standing amidst a bunch of pirates with nothing to say. Not that she really had anything to say to pirates in the first place. Damn it! Trust her to land herself in a situation like this.

"I don' like this Cap'n," the Gibbs pirate said quietly to Sparrow, obviously trying not to be heard but failing abysmally. Growing up with six brothers who all thought they could keep secrets had made Ginny's hearing very impressive.

"We tried everythin' on them trunks. It occurs te' me Cap'n…some things ain't meant te' be opened if ye' catch my meaning."

Sparrow didn't take his eyes off Ginny at Gibbs' words, but he did nod. Ginny felt a small shiver trickle down her spine. She was beginning to think she was going to have to re-assess the drunken appearance of the Captain because his eyes were anything but unfocused. Ginny was almost glad when Ana-Maria returned dragging someone behind her at gunpoint. The glad part dropped from the equation however when the 'someone' was revealed. Mimsey.

"What…I told you to bring Jose!"

"'e was unavailable," Ana-Maria said plainly to Sparrow. "Got a bit too heroic as we was boarding."

Ginny's blood ran cold.

"You didn't…he's not…"

It was Mimsey who put her out of her misery.

"He's still alive Miss Weasley. Just rather knocked out."

Ginny was sure his smile was meant to reassure her but it didn't.

"We brought ye' everythin' he had on 'im," Ana-Maria continued, jabbing her gun into Mimsey.

He got the point rather quickly as people at gunpoint often do and there was a clattering as a number of pocket-sized trinkets rained onto the decking. Mimsey had been holding them in a fold of his robe, not unlike how Ginny's mother held the pegs as she hung out the washing.

All eyes were on the objects on the deck. There was a pocket watch, a deck of cards, a few quills and a pot of ink. In the middle of it all was what Ginny was looking for. Jose's wand. Ginny bent gingerly and picked it up. Her hand tingled a little at the unfamiliar power but she thought she should still be able to use it. For a second she wondered whether she was quick enough to take down all the pirates but she dismissed the thought straight off. She had a non-violent way out of this and she was going to use it.

"That's the lock pick?" Ana-Maria said incredulously. "I almost threw it overboard."

Ginny threw her a dirty look before turning to Sparrow.

"Where are the trunks?"

They were lined up on the deck next to the plank connecting the two ships. She spotted her own straight off but dismissed it just as quickly. These were pirates and pirates typically wanted something of worth when they went to the trouble of pillaging. Instead she turned to one of the smaller trunks. It was black with silver edging and looked very new. Its owner was a girl named Lucinda Grosshawk. Ginny didn't really care for the girl much – she was only studying history because her father had wanted her to have a degree in something so he could show off his 'little educated princess'. Needless to say she was rolling in cash.

Ginny approached the trunk with a frown upon her face. What charm would Princess Lucinda have used? Crouching by the lock, Ginny raised the wand and tried to maneuver her body so it blocked the pirates' view of what she was doing.

"Alohomora," she whispered and almost snorted when the lock glowed gold for a moment and popped open. It seemed money couldn't buy intelligence – not even the second years at Hogwarts used charms that could be broken with Alohomora on their trunks.

Smiling to herself she stood and turned back to the assembled pirates, aiming a kick at the trunk as she was going that popped the lid. Ana-Maria was the first to stalk forward, a scowl still fixed on her face as she zeroed in on the contents of the trunk. It was as the she-pirate was rummaging that Ginny noticed Mimsey or rather Mimsey's face.

The skin about his neck was red and rather splotchy and his eyes were narrowed in a supremely ugly way as he looked from the trunk to herself and then down at the wand in her hand. Ginny fidgeted for a moment until Ana-Maria re-emerged from the trunk, her arms full with a crystal perfume set, a polished oak jewelry box and a pouch of Lucinda's spending money – a small fortune to most. More than a few eyes glittered upon sighting the gold and Captain Sparrow grinned.

"Brilliant! Now if you'll be so kind as to hand over the lock-pick we'll send you on your merry way."

"Uh…"

Ginny hesitated. She doubted any of the pirates had any sort of magic in their system if their appearance was any judge. If she handed them the wand it wasn't going to work and she really wouldn't put it past the Captain to re-attack their ship just to have her explain herself.

"I have to open the other trunks," she said finally. She couldn't help but notice Mimsey's eyes narrowing just that little bit more in her direction. The Captain simply cocked his head at her.

"Begging your pardon?"

Ginny swallowed, feeling Mimsey's suspicious stare bore into her.

"I ah…I'm the only one that knows how to use this," she said holding up the wand. "So I have to do it. You send Misters Joff and Mimsey back to the ship and I'll open the rest of the trunks for you."

Ginny hadn't really intended on that last part slipping out but then she really didn't want Mimsey watching her unlock the rest of the trunks with that hawk-gaze of his. She had an awful feeling he'd already caught sight of her magicing the first trunk and she didn't want him getting a better look.

Sparrow too seemed suspicious – not that Ginny could tell for sure – it was so hard to work out where the man was most of the time. Finally he clapped his hands, as if the glaring silence had never been there.

"Aye, well get to it missy. Ana, if you could be so kind as to escort the Misters back to their ship."

Ginny blinked at the order. He was agreeing? With her? She watched as Gibbs sidled up to his captain.

"I'd like te' go on record as not likin' this cap'n."

"Noted," Sparrow said as he watched Mimsey and Joff being led up and across the plank between the two ships.

Ginny followed his gaze and met with Mimseys. Oh yeah, he'd so seen her. Shaking her head Ginny turned back to the trunks. First thing's first – she'd deal with Mimsey later when she got back to the ship.

She didn't know the owner of the second trunk she chose but whoever it was was a lot smarter than Lucinda. They had worked three bindings and a curse into their lock – it took Ginny a good ten minutes to get through it all. It probably would have taken anyone else a bit longer but Ginny knew quite a lot when it came to locking charms. She was the only girl among seven children - privacy was an art form in her household.

The next three trunks were mildly easier.

It was as she was working on the sixth trunk that she heard it. Scraping and a solid clank from the side of the ship. She spun towards the sound just in time to see one of the pirates catch the plank spanning the ships as it began to fall.

"They're runnin' cap'n!"

Ginny's eyes widened as her stomach dropped into the unknown regions of her knees. No! Ginny lunged to the side of the ship and peered out into the darkness where the Andromedia should have been. She could just make out the rail as it slid away from her.

"No! Come back here you stupid son's of bitches!" She screamed into the darkness. There was no answer as the ship glided silently into the darkness.

The order went up from behind her -

"Let 'em go."

Ginny spun wildly around, panic still in her throat. Captain Sparrow was leaning casually on the rail beside her looking for all the world like he was watching a sunrise rather than the escape of his quarry.

"What are you doing?" Ginny asked desperately. "Go after them! You have to go after them!"

Sparrow turned to face her and shook his head.

"No love, I think you're confused. See I'm not the one who'll be needing to go after them. That would be you. But I suppose, being that I'm such a gentleman, I wouldn't really feel right unless I gave you a good running start."

Ginny stared at him incredulously for a moment before rough hands suddenly grasped her arms and she was pushed forward…towards the rail. Ginny's eyes widened.

"No! No please don't!"

"Swim hard love! The current'll aid ye!"

Ginny struggled mightily but whoever was holding her had a determined grip. All too soon she felt the bump of the rail against her hip and a blind panic seemed to take a hold. Twisting roughly she aimed a kick at the person behind her and accidentally dislodged the dagger she had tucked into the wait band of her pants. It clattered loudly to the decking and caused the throw-Ginny-overboard party to pause.

"What have we here then?"

Ginny was yanked around to face Sparrow once more as he picked up the dagger. The blade gleamed in his hands and Ginny felt a slight sting at seeing her gift in his possession.

"That's mine!"

Sparrow didn't even look up at her words. He'd found the engraving on the base of the blade and had gone suddenly very still. The silence stretched before he looked up.

"Throw her in the brig."

Ginny blinked. Huh? Whoever was holding her seemed to be as surprised as she was because it took Sparrow a "Well?" before they started moving, this time away from the rail. As they passed him Ginny saw Captain Sparrow slide the dagger into his own belt as he began shouting orders to get the ship moving.

All around her the crew rushed to obey but Ginny hardly noticed. She was still trying to figure out why she wasn't already treading water.