They had been sailing back to Hogwarts for two days now. If it hadn't been for the dratted wind not blowing near the end of the first day they'd have been there and back again by now. James paced the deck as he looked out over the sea. They had to make up the time somehow. He just didn't know how they'd do it. A plume of smoke rose over the surface of the water.
"Master Moony, do you see where that smoke is coming?" James called up to Remus in the crow's nest. A shock of fear ran through him as his thoughts ran back to the elusive Lily Evans and her ship the Seashell.
"Looks a ship that's been over run by pirates," Moony called down to him.
James wished he wouldn't make that pronouncement. They were pirates after all too and never once did they leave a ship to the fire. They usually took all the loot from the person and left them and their boat intact.
"Master Wormtail," he called towards the cowering boy at the helm, "turn us towards that smoke. We'll help however is left alive."
He felt the ship turn in the direction that the smoke was coming from. The thoughts of Lilly and her crew of girls didn't leave his mind and he couldn't help but pray it wasn't them. It couldn't be them. As they came closer and closer he could hear the scattering curses from the harried crew as they ran around the deck trying to put the fire out.
"Can we help you, ladies?" James called out as he pulled as aside the ship that he was praying he wouldn't be seeing right now. "Boys, let's help these little ladies out. Shall we?"
"We don't need your help your help, Potter," came the voice of Lily Evans as stood mid-ship with her arms crossed across her chest. "We've pretty much got it covered here."
"Lils," came her first mate, the beautiful blonde bombshell Marlene McKinnon, as she looked walked up to her captain, "I think right about now we can use all the help we can get."
"I second that," came the voice of the raven haired petite Hestia Jones as she looked over from where she was putting out yet another fire near the mast. "They can help if they want."
"How do we know they didn't send the people who did this?" Lily's voice was like knife to James' heart as she flung this not at her crew but at him and his. "They'd do anything to keep their precious haul safe."
"I swear on everything that good in this world, Evans," James called over to her, "that I had nothing to do with what happened here. I solemnly swear that it wasn't us."
The other boys nodded to show that what James was saying was true.
"Doesn't look like you got much time before you don't have a ship left to sail, Evans," James called to her hoping to get her to agree with his next statement. "Perhaps you and your crew should join me and mine?"
Lily sighed and looked over her crew. Or what was left of the crew that is. James knew there had been much more to the crew when they had their last run in with them. It was now to a good hand full of intact fighter and a handful of wounded girls.
James watched as Lily and her handful of trusted advisers whispered among themselves every once in a while pointing over at them. He could see the venom in Lily Evans' eyes as she glared over at him but a few minutes later the discussion was over.
"We've decided that it would be foolish not to accept your generous offer, Captain Potter," came the voice of Marlene McKinnion. "We will allow you to help us and if that is not possible we will join your crew."
"Then what are we waiting for boys," James turned to his crew and motioned for them to board the other ship.
A few hours of trying to save the Seashell and nothing could be done. The damage was far more than could be repaired and ship would sink soon. The boys helped Lily and her crew bring her haul over to The Marauder's Map. As they were bringing the treasure from the other ship over James found something he'd hoped he'd never see up close. It was definitely one of their jobs. The Death Eaters. The unexploded cannonball he held in his hand definitely had their mark on. As soon as everything was brought over he motioned for his main crew and Lily and her trusted handful to follow him to his meeting room.
"We have a problem," he said holding up the cannonball with the Dark Mark on it. "Someone on your crew is in league with them Lily. I fou..."
"I trust my crew with my life, Potter," Lily's eyes blazed with a fire he'd only seen when she was fighting. "And nothing you found or say can change that." She stormed out of the room.
Marlene watched Lily's retreating back. "She doesn't want to admit it," the blonde said pushing a hand trough her sweaty hair, "but maybe it was Severus that is working with them. The Death Eaters that is."
"It couldn't be though," Hestia pointed out. "Severus is as devoted to Lily as the rest of are. It doesn't make sense."
"But he has been a little distant since the last encounter we had with Captain Potter and The Marauder's Map's crew," Alice Prewett pointed out pushing a lock of her dark hair out of her eyes. "Marlene even pointed it out too."
"Then we'll just have to keep an eye on old Snivellus," James point out as though it was the obvious answer at this point in time. "Shall we adjourn this meeting?" He looked around at each tired face knowing that he felt as tired as they looked. He'd have to make sure that Lily didn't get hurt in this matter. Severus was one of her best friends after all.
He caught Wormtail scampering off after the meeting and made a note to make sure that Severus and Wormy were never left alone in a room together. Something seemed increasingly off with Wormy and he was growing concerned.