-1All It Takes

Chapter Six

"Well…" the voice behind them continued. "Yeh'll have to get through me first. ARR!"

Harry and Moody whirled at the exact same time, and found themselves face to face with a fearsome pirate. He had a black bandanna with a jolly roger on it wrapped around his head, and his teeth were filthy and cracked. He smelled like rum and rotten fish. He also had an intimidating looking patch across his left eye. A diagonal scar started across his forehead, disappeared under the eye patch and came out the other end onto his cheek.

The pirate drew his sword (a slightly rusted cutlass with a simple iron handle.) and Moody drew his own blade. Moody's blade was more of a scimatar, but it was still quite impressive. Steel clanged against steel as Moody and the newcomer pirate fought.

Suddenly the newcomer pirate lost his balance and nearly toppled over backwards. This was all the opportunity Moody needed and there was a sickening "splortch" sound as Moody's blade struck home in the pirate's left hip.

"Arr…" The pirate managed before collapsing into a bloody puddle on the beach.

Moody made a big show of removing his blade from the corpse of the pirate. He cleaned off his blade and walked over to Harry, who was still cheering.

"YAY DAD! YOU DID IT! YOU KILLED THAT MEAN OL' PIRATE!

"Aye, lad. That I did. Lead on, young one. Take us to this Treasure… " Moody replied.

Harry lead the way into the tropical forest with childish enthusiasm. Moody turned his head and winked at the pirate on the sand. The Pirate in question smirked slightly and winked back.

Moody followed Harry into the woods.

Harry navigated them through the forest with an aptitude for maps that would be unrivaled by anyone his age.

"Here!" Harry said, pointing down. Sure enough, there was a big "X" drawn in the sand. Moody waved his wand and sent a shower of sand up into the air, revealing the treasure chest underneath. Moody levitated the oak chest out of the hole and opened it with a simple "alohamora"

Harry lifted the lid and saw himself staring at a huge mound of Pirate's gold. "Wow…" Harry said. "We should take this chest and get out of here before more pirates show up!"

"Right you are, lad." Moody made them a second Portkey, and the two of them were whisked away and back in the living room, along with the chest.

Across the Island, a thirteen year old Nymphadora Tonks was dumping sand out of her boots. Her mother, Andromeda was waiting with another Portkey, to send her home.

Though the entire treasure hunt was staged, Harry didn't learn that for at least five more years. The end result was, Moody "Started" a private account for Harry at Gringotts, filled with the pirate gold. It was actually Harry's inheritance from his parents, but it was all worth it to hear Harry talking enthusiastically about his pirate journey for months on end.

Years went by and Harry learned and grew. He was nurtured instead of ignored, taught instead of forced. At his seventh birthday, Harry was given his very own wand and Moody proceeded to teach Harry all sorts of spells. (Harry also got occasional tutoring sessions from Remus, Kingsley Shacklebolt, and on a few rare occasions, Albus Dumbledore. Harry also had a few tutoring sessions with the Weasley Twins, but that was an entirely different matter.) But Moody did not neglect Harry's non-magical education either. As a retired Auror, Moody had nothing better t do than spend his entire waking hours tutoring Harry in everything from Math to History. Since Moody was Half-Blood, he knew how to live in both worlds, and Harry was taught the essentials of both as well, in case he needed them someday.

Harry didn't learn until later that the only reason he was allowed to have a wand so early was due to the ex-Auror's reptation. When someone has so many Order of Merlins that they are used as coasters about the house… well the ministry generally owes you something.

All too soon, Harry's eleventh Birthday arrived. And Harry got a very special letter that day. Harry was going to Hogwarts!