Long time no update. Sorry 'bout that. School's been overtaking my life for the past few months, but you don't want to know the ins and outs of that. Big thanks to everyone who's read and reviewed and everything. You're all flawless bunnies.


Girl With One Eye


The quick walk from the boys' room to her cabin was enough to show Lily that none of her crew had been severely injured in the fight. There were the usual scrapes and bruises, of course, but the worst of it seemed to be the wound on Lily's arm and the gash that ran down Turner's side. Other than that, everyone seemed fine.

Normally, she would stick around on deck to ensure everyone else's wellbeing after a fight, but since she was the one who had been injured today, no one begrudged her for heading straight to her cabin. In fact, they hustled her along, finding that she was moving too slow for their liking.

Lily gingerly peeled off her tattered and bloodstained shirt, throwing it into an empty bucket. The wound stung and the area around it was sore, hurting even as she tenderly wiped away the clotted blood. She gritted her teeth as she poured rum over the cut, and could barely refrain from wincing as she wiped away the excess. She knew it was important to do so, but she still hated it. Now that it was cleaned, Lily examined it curiously. It ran down almost the entire length of her bicep, almost a good seven inches, and the angry red stood out starkly against the pallor of her skin, looking as though it was going to be a hindrance to her for at least the next week. Lily prided herself on hardly ever being injured and a wound like this was a severe blow to her ego.

Matters of pride aside, it was the words spoken by the now deceased pirate as they'd fought that had unnerved her.

The Dark Lord sends his regards.

Lily shuddered just thinking of the words.

The Dark Lord was one of the few outside her crew that knew of her true identity; that the Red Haired Horror, one of the most dangerous pirates ever to sail the seven seas, was a woman. There was no doubt in her mind that he would have told those who belonged to his inner circle, and that man she killed had been one of them. She would bet all the gold on her ship that if she were to check his wrist, the Dark Mark would be glaring back at her. Even as their ship was left to burn in the middle of the ocean, Lily could not escape the unease that bubbled in her stomach.

With her wound tightly bandaged, Lily set out to find a new shirt, as well as a new chemise and corset; the one she was wearing during the fight had been stained by blood down the side. Once dressed, she left the bloodstained garments to soak in her cabin and trudged onto the deck.

The crew had cleaned up already and were now setting about repairing the ship. There weren't a lot of damages: just some splintered wood to fix here and there, and a section of the banister that had been blown apart by a stray cannon and needed replacing. She scanned the deck, but caught no sight of the twins' flaming red hair. The adrenaline was finally leaving her bloodstream, making her feel tired and drained, as though one more step could easily cause her to collapse in a heap. She supposed it was due to the loss of blood, and it didn't help that she had been sleeping fitfully for the past few nights.

With a sigh, she traipsed below deck, heading straight to the kitchen, where she knew Benjy would have brewed something up for her already.


She stumbled into the kitchen and even before she had the chance to mumble a greeting, Benjy had placed a tankard filled with some sort of brown liquid with steam rising in swirls from the top.

"Drink," he ordered her. Lily didn't object; she grabbed the tankard and took a huge sip, only to end up coughing.

Sputtering, eyes streaming, she asked, "What the hell is this?"

He laughed at her. "Something my mam used to make whenever I fell ill."

"It's terribly bitter."

"S'posed to be; it wakes you up and gets the blood pumping." He glanced over at her wounded arm.

"Or knock you off your feet," she muttered to herself, taking a smaller sip this time and managing not to wince again as it travelled down her throat. Lily knew that by the time she finished drinking it, her throat would feel rubbed raw. She sat quietly in the corner, nursing the drink as she let her mind wander.

It wasn't news to her that Riddle knew she had the map. Or, at the very least, thought she had it. After all, the man had been scouring England for at least a decade in search of that map before her and all Lily had to do was buy a new trunk. It was right before she got her own ship (or rather, stole her own ship) and she needed something to pack everything, so she went to town and bought the cheapest trunk she could find. When she opened it later on the ship, there was a creased piece of parchment stuck to the bottom of it, practically blending in with the surrounding wood.

There was a round of raucous laughter that jolted Lily out of her daydreams. She looked up to see Gideon, chatting with Benjy about something or other.

"Gideon," Lily interrupted as casually as she could. He looked up at her. "I need to see you and Fabian in my cabin after dinner."

The look she gave communicated just how urgent this was; she didn't want to say it outright. It wasn't that she didn't trust Benjy - they had been friends for several years - but she knew how fast word could travel on a pirate ship.

"Sure thing, Lils," he said. Lily smiled and emptied the rest of her tankard.

"Benjy," she said as soon as Gideon swept out of the room. "Can you make another one of those for me please?"

"For you?" the cook asked incredulously, his eyebrows climbing further up his forehead. "Christ Lily, you couldn't even handle one!"

"It's not for me, you tosser," she said, hiding a smile. "It's for Remus."

Benjy drew his brows together. "Remus?" he asked, obviously confused.

"One of the stowaways," Lily clarified for him, hopping off the stool.

His eyes flared in recognition. "Oh! You mean the tall lanky one who looks as though he's ill half the time?"

Lily bit her lip at the description of him. It was obvious that the crew knew that there was something wrong with him, but many just waved it off as him being sea sick. She knew that Benjy was not one of those who did, but didn't want to tell him about Remus' condition. It would not be her place to tell. "Yeah, he's sort of in the same boat as me," she laughed. "Literally," she added as an afterthought.

He chuckled. "You're making jokes; guess that means you're feeling better," he teased as he set about mixing ingredients to prepare another tisane. He finished quickly and Lily was on her way to their room in a matter of minutes.

She knocked lightly at the door and James answered, his glasses sitting askew on his nose and looking as though he had just woken up.

Without a word, Lily swept into the room and headed straight to the bed where Remus was sleeping heavily. The cloth she had given him seemed to have stopped the bleeding for now, but she still would prefer to have it bandaged. Placing the steaming tankard on the table, she turned to James and said, "Wake him up for me so I can get a better look at that wound."

It was an understatement to say that she was surprised when James nodded solemnly and did as she asked without even the slightest bit of an argument. In fact, Lily stood and stared open-mouthed at him as he went through with her instructions.

Shaking herself out of her reverie, Lily quickly gathered the bandages she had brought and took them over by Remus, who was rubbing his eyes. She managed to muster up the energy to flash a smile at him. "Feeling better?" she asked kindly. He nodded.

That was the end of conversation as Lily started tending to his wound. She wiped it down with the alcohol once more before wrapping a bandage tightly around it several times.

Meanwhile, James stood quietly in the corner, watching her nimble fingers at work. The more time he spent on this ship, the more confused he got. She could go from being ferocious and filled with bloodlust to gentle and caring in just a few minutes. This woman was going to give him whiplash with her mood swings.

Lily passed the cup over to Remus and ordered, "Drink this; it'll help." Standing by the bed, she watched as he downed the entire thing. "Get some sleep," she told him before turning around.

Lily caught James staring at her and narrowed her eyes. "What?" she asked brusquely.

"You have any idea why they attacked you?" he asked, running a hand through his hair.

Averting her eyes, Lily merely shrugged her shoulders and said evasively, "None." She left no room for discussion as she walked away, straight-backed and muscles tensed.

"Wait!" yelled James, automatically taking a step forward and grabbing her arm. Lily hissed in pain, and he glanced down to notice that, in his haste, he grabbed her wounded arm. He dropped it as though it had burnt him and took a small step back from her, as though she was an angry hellcat.

"What?" she snapped, glaring at him. All the previous warmth with which she regarded Remus was no longer present.

"You don't think that it was because of me, right? I mean, I would love to get of this damned ship, don't get me wrong, but I didn't send a message to anyone," he said, rushed.

Her expression was unreadable. "Trust me," she said in the strangest voice he had ever heard. "This has nothing to do with you. That's one thing I could say for certain."

James regarded her suspiciously. "You know something," he declared. "I don't know what, but whatever it is you're trying to keep hidden, I'll figure it out eventually."

The smile she gave him was feral. "You're not the first man to try and learn my secrets, Potter," she said, taking an imperceptible step closer to him. "I should let you know that so far no one has succeeded. In fact, I look forward to your attempts. It would be amusing."

James cocked an eyebrow. "That's where you're wrong, Evans. When I set out to do something, I get it done, no matter what the cost."

"Do my ears deceive me? Is the infamous James Potter, the King's nephew himself, proclaiming that he actually does work by himself? My, oh my, who would have known that the pretty boy gets his hands dirty from time to time," she murmured, the barest scrap of a smirk tugging at her mouth.

It was then that James realized how close they were standing. Trying not to let that faze him, he let a lazy smile grace his face and laughed lowly. "Only when someone's taken my silver spoon out of my mouth for cleaning." Without thinking about it, his hand dropped down onto the juncture between her neck and shoulder and brushed away the red hair gathered there. Leaning forward slightly, he continued suggestively, "I can do plenty."

She fought back a smile that was threatening to break through her facade. "I'm sure you can," she replied smoothly, ducking under his arm. Tossing her hair back so the dark red curls fell down the length of her back, she looked him directly in the eye and said, "But getting me to give up anything to you is not one of those."

"You'll come around eventually, Evans."

"I wonder how many times you've used that one."

"Wouldn't you like to know."

"No, actually," she said. "I don't care for your dalliances." She walked towards the door before turning around once more, leaning against the doorframe, and said, "Oh, and Potter? I'm going to start training you tomorrow."

He frowned. "Training me in what?"

"Sword-fighting." She said it so nonchalantly that it threw James off for a few seconds.

"Sorry, come again?"

Lily grinned up at him, one of the few smiles that she had given him since he came on the ship that wasn't tainted with derision. "Sword-fighting. You know, the thing I did earlier today? The same thing you and Black have been harping on about for God knows how long?"

"Oh, that." He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "I didn't think that you actually trusted us with a sword."

"I don't," she said bluntly. "But in light of recent events ... I figured it be best that you at least know how to hold your own until I come to save you. Again. And besides, I'm not stupid enough to give you a sword."

James scoffed. "Do you actually think that we would kill you? First off, you're a much better swordsman - er, that is, swordswoman - than the three of combined. And even if we did, your crew would have our necks faster than I could say boo."

"Don't care. You might trip and accidentally end up skewering yourself."

"Do you really think me that inept?"

"Yes." Without another word, she turned on her heel and left, calling over her shoulder, "Don't be late. I'd hate for our playtime to be cut short," and leaving James staring at the spot she had stood not minutes before with his mouth slightly ajar until Sirius returned.

"What happened to you, mate?"

He closed his mouth. "Evans," he replied succinctly.

Sirius nodded sagely. "That explains it. What'd she want now?"

"She's going to teach us how to fight."

"She is?" Sirius's tone clearly implied that he was just as surprised as James.

The latter nodded. "Yeah, starting tomorrow." He paused for a moment before confessing, "I think it's just an excuse for her to beat me up."

Sirius bark-like laughter echoed throughout the room, causing Remus, who had dozed off during James' conversation with Lily, to groan slightly and shift in the bed.

"I wouldn't doubt that."


As much as she hated to admit, Lily actually liked talking with Potter. It certainly was not because of the person, however, but the stimulating conversation. No one else on the ship dared defy her orders and certainly no one belonging to her crew dared to challenge her as much as he did. The twins might have done so on occasion, and so would Benjy, but they mainly did it out of teasing. She found their conversations to be more of a battle of the wits than anything else.

Frankly, a battle of the wits was exactly what she needed to relax her mind for a moment. She felt as though she had not properly rested in two days, and with the fight and everything that had gone on in the last few hours, Lily had not realised how tired she actually was.

She patted around her pocket for the small pocket watch that she always kept, and cursed when she remembered that it was still in her bloodstained clothes. Not that it mattered. She was going back to the cabin anyway.

For the second time that day, no one stopped her as she strode quietly back to her cabin. The whirlwind of thoughts that had become subdued by her talk with Potter rose to life once more.

The first time she had met the Dark Lord was just a few months after stealing her ship, and she was merely eighteen. She, Gideon and Fabian were at a pub, discussing what their next move would be. It was just after the three of them singlehandedly overtook a merchant ship and made away with all the gold on board. It was the first time they had made a name for themselves. The first time Lily's much more colourful moniker was used. The Red Headed Horror.

She had not expected it; none of them had. Lily had dressed in some of the twins' clothes that they had outgrown and secured her hair tightly at the back of her head. No one would have known she was a woman unless they looked closely, something they never got the chance to do with Lily hacking away at everything that moved.

"The Red Headed Horror," he said in that soft silky voice of his, as he pulled up the stool beside her. Lily's blood ran cold at the name. "Such a pleasure to meet you in person."

With a certain amount of effort, she managed to school her face into one of casual indifference and replied, "Sorry, beg pardon?"

The condescending chuckle was certainly not what she was expecting and she turned to get a better look at that mysterious stranger. It was obvious that he would have been rather good-looking in his younger days, but now, now he certainly did not.

There was a scar that ran the length of his cheek, marring the pale skin there. Meanwhile, his head was shaven and his eyes, dark as they might be, were surrounded by red. She quickly glanced down and noticed the hilt of a sword poking out of his heavy travelling cloak and the tattoo on the inside of his wrist. It was one of the oddest tattoos she had ever seen, seeming to be a snake coming out of a skull before wrapping around it.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to tell your little secret," he assured her, before gesturing to the barkeep to bring over two drinks. He passed a tankard filled with a dark brown liquid over to her. "I don't think you'd like anyone to figure out that you're a girl, would you?"

Lily frowned, and pretended to take a sip of her drink as she thought of ways to escape. "I haven't the foggiest idea what you're talking about; you've got me mixed up with someone-"

"The Greenheart raid," he cut in smoothly. She gripped the handle of her tankard tightly, her knuckles turning white at mention of the words. He easily caught the subtle movement a thin smile grew across his face. "Yes," he continued. "I thought that that might have grabbed your interest." Lily did not meet his eyes; instead, she kept her face stony as she stared fixedly at his long, pale fingers, which ran around the rim of his glass. "Three pirates managed to take on an entire merchant ship by themselves, steal all the jewellery and kill everyone in sight." He paused before saying thoughtfully, "Well, not everyone; you forgot to check the holds, my dear."

"What are you getting at?" she ground out. "Are you here to turn me in to the Redcoats?"

The laugh he gave sounded like nails on a chalkboard in Lily's ears and she just barely refrained from wincing. "Quite the opposite. See, the man you forgot happened to be working for me. He related the entire incident. At first I thought that it was merely three very talented buccaneers, who I wouldn't mind taking under my wing. But then he mentioned that one of them was a girl, and that got me interested immediately." He gave a cold smile. "How many pirates that are women do you know?"

"Not many," she replied tersely.

"Exactly. No one would ever suspect a woman. Especially one like you. With me, you can climb to the tops of the world."

"Sorry," she said, frowning lightly. "Are you proposing that I work with you?"

"Oh, I don't work with anyone. But those who work for me are untouchable by the King."

"Well that's all very well she said loudly as she stood up and quickly scanned the pub for the twins. "But I don't like working with other people. I especially don't like working for other people."

His skin was icy when he grabbed her wrist. The pretence of a smile was no longer there. Instead, his face was shadowed and when he spoke, his voice carried the undeniable note of a threat.

"Do you know who I am? As new as you may be to this world, you should obviously know that there are people who you can and cannot cross. I am someone you cannot cross."

"Well, I like to live by own rules," she said coolly, shaking her hand out of his grip. "And I'm not interested in any other sort of propaganda you have to spew."

His scowl became more pronounced and Lily knew it was only a matter of time before she said something that would make him pull out his cutlass. She had a knife hidden in her boot, but that would not help her much in a fight with an obviously experienced fighter carrying a far superior weapon.

"You will regret the day you turned down a request to form an alliance with the Dark Lord," he said forebodingly. "And when that day comes, it would be your blood staining the seas."

Lily tried not to show her palpable fear, but a trickle still managed to escape her well-schooled mask. "I'll keep that in mind."

As she walked out of the noisy pub, she was able to catch the utterance of his last few words: "No one wants me for an enemy. Not even you, Red Headed Horror."


"Hey Benjy, where's Lily?" asked Fabian as he popped his head in to the kitchens.

The lanky cook was standing by a counter peeling potatoes and merely looked up for a few seconds to say, "She was here a while ago. Said she was heading up to them boys to check on them," he replied easily.

Fabian grunted his thanks and climbed up a flight of stairs before rapping sharply on the scrubbed wooden door. He heard some shuffling about and muttered swearing from the other side before a messy-haired Potter pulled open the door.

He seemed thoroughly surprised to see Fabian standing on there; no one else really visited them besides the Captain.

"Evans in here?" asked Fabian, not waiting for an answer before pushing his way in.

James shrugged. "Dunno."

"Benjy said that she was here," said Fabian suspiciously.

The other man snorted. "Yeah, she was about ten minutes ago; wanted to snap my neck off as usual."

"Can't say I blame here," Fabian said smoothly. "You're a right pain in the arse."

"You lot aren't one to talk."

Ignoring the subtle jibe, Fabian scanned the room, frowning as he noticed the two occupants. "Where's the other one of you jokers?"

"I'm guessing you mean Sirius?" asked James. Fabian only raised an eyebrow and James sighed. "He said he was going to the kitchens, although that was almost an hour ago."

"I was just in there and there wasn't a soul, save for Fenwick's." Fabian crossed his arms. "Try again."

James ran a hand through his hair, causing it to stick up more wildly than it was before. "Hell if I know," he said, frustrated. "Probably fell over board or got lost. I'm not his keeper."

Fabian opened his mouth to argue when the door to the room flung open to reveal the man in question, Sirius Black. He took one look at the scene - a bright-eyed Fabian scowling at James, who was severely irritated - though that may have been because he'd been woken up, rather than because he was talking to the first mate - and sighed.

"What's got your knickers in a knot this time?" he asked James as he walked in the room and poured himself a glass of water.

"Where were you?" asked Fabian, cutting off whatever it was that James was going to say. "Potter said that you were in the kitchens but last I went, there was no one else there."

"You can ask Fenwick if you'd like and he'd tell you that I was down there earlier, mate," Sirius said easily, sipping his water. "I went for a walk around the ship to cool my nerves after that fight."

The ginger-haired man snorted. "You weren't even part of that fight."

Sirius and James shared a quiet look before James said, "A few of them escaped on to the ship and attacked us. Evans handled it."

The first mate muttered something that sounded very uncomplimentary towards his captain before saying louder, "Well, she neglected to tell me that."

"Figures," Sirius snorted.

Ignoring him, Fabian said, "I'm going to find Evans. You all just stay here and, I don't know, play chess or something. That's what noble people do in their free time, right?"

"We don't have a chess set," said James the same time as Sirius said, "Only when we're not ruining the lives of the less fortunate."

Fabian rolled his eyes at their antics and stalked out the room, closing the door behind him, before heading on determinedly to the captain's quarters. The sun was setting, casting a golden glow over the waters that surrounded them. He scanned around the ship, happy to see that there were no other ships in sight, including the one they had set ablaze earlier.

He knocked loudly on her door. After waiting for several moments without getting an answer, he pulled open the door, only to have to duck to avoid becoming impaled by a knife flung his way.

Lily swore out loud. "Are you okay?" she asked as she bent to retrieve her weapon.

"I'm fine," he said, dusting himself off as he got up. "Are you trying to kill someone? Who pissed in your cup?"

She gave him a tight smile. "Only our lovely old friend, Mr. Riddle."

Fabian's eyes widened and he muttered a curse. Glancing over his shoulder, he pulled the door shut, leaving both of them locked in the captain's room. It was dark, as Lily had neglected to light any candles. He blindly patted around until he found a box of matches and struck one, lighting the oil lamp by her bed. The colours of the room came into relief as well as the several knives impaled in the wall by the door.

"Throwing knives in the dark? Really? Are you trying to kill yourself?" he demanded.

Lily shrugged. "I'd rather die on my own terms or because of my own foolishness than at Riddle's hands."

"Oh, yes," he said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "Because dying is obviously the only logical way out of this situation."

She glared at him. "Don't sass me."

"Don't be thick, then," he countered. The glare intensified and she stalked over to the knives sticking out of the wall, yanking one out only to throw it at her desk, where it stuck out neatly in between the many stacks of paper.

"Listen, Lily," began Fabian. "The three of us knew that this was going to happen eventually."

"I was hoping that it never did, to be honest," she confessed.

He raised an eyebrow. "You mean to tell me that after you turned down the offer of one of the worst pirates to ever sail the seven seas to join him and his crazy army of slightly disturbed psychopaths, and then came to accidentally stumble across a map that he's been looking for since forever, you don't think he would have been the least bit upset by it?"

"I think I'm starting to like Gideon more than you," she scowled.

The two of them stood in the middle of the room in silence, deep in thought. Lily played with the hilt of a knife, absentmindedly tossing it in the air while she dwelled on the subject of Riddle. It had been sheer dumb luck that after he'd come to recruit her, she'd found the map.

She sighed. "If I wasn't so sure that he would have killed me on the spot, I would be glad to give him the stupid map. I haven't the foggiest idea where it leads."

She remembered the long nights she spent perusing the old map, memorising every word, every drawing and every crease of the old parchment. It made no sense to her. None of her other maps in her extensive collection showed anything like the island chain on that one.

"We'll find out eventually. Who knows, maybe you should take it out and let Gid and me have a look. I'm sure we could come up with an idea," reasoned Fabian as he pushed off a pile of clothes that rested atop a nearby box. "You should really clean in here. It's a miracle that you can actually find anything in here."

"I can navigate my way through my things just fine, thank you very much," she sniffed disdainfully. "Go and find Gideon then. And bring up something to eat."

With a little sardonic smirk twisting at his mouth, he raised his hand in mock salute and said, "Aye, aye Captain."

"Don't make me throw another knife at you, Prewett!"

Once again, Lily was left to herself. She never particularly minded the loneliness; it gave her time to think and quickly work out solutions to any problems she may have had. But she also knew that when she, Gideon and Fabian were combined together, things could be either solved in a matter of minutes, or left hanging there for days on end as they argued over whose solution was better.

Placing the knife down, Lily walked over to the liquor cabinet. It was filled with bottles that Lily hardly ever used. However, it was not alcohol that she was interested in. Sitting on the last shelf by itself was a box, a small wooden thing that was just a bit larger than that of a jewellery box. She fished the key out of her blouse were it was hung on a fine chain and pushed it in the lock.

The first object in the box was a gold chain that belonged to her mother. A golden locket hung from it which opened to reveal a set of grandparents that she had never met as well as a picture of her father. She could remember her mother always wearing it, telling Lily that she had had it since she was just a baby. Eventually, both she and her sister came to possess lockets as well, similar to that which their mother had owned. Hers lay in the box as well, though it contained no picture.

The second was a scrap of parchment with her father's handwriting, looping and elegant, besides the messy scrawl that belonged to her three year old self. He firmly believed that young girls should at least know how to read and write and intended on showing her how. She was always envious of his neat script, up till this day. She could still remember his booming laugh as he sat with her on his lap as he helped her grip the quill and trace shaky letters.

Next was a photo of her and her sister. Despite the lack of colour, Lily could still vividly remember the details. The dark red of her plaits that somehow managed to compliment the soft gold of her sister's hair. Both their eyes - green and blue respectively - lit up in laughter as their father made faces from behind the camera person. She remembers the day too, when they went to town and had the most fun she'd ever experienced.

And then, next to the photo was a crudely made bracelet, made using spare thread, grass, flowers and just about everything that could have been found in the moment. She remembered that day perfectly clear as well. She and Sev sat out in the back of the Dursley's large house as they made friendship bracelets for the other, painstakingly taking their time to make sure that both were identical. Lily never had the heart to throw it away; even though Mrs. Dursley yelled at her numerous times that she would not have that filth in her house.

Last of all, folded neatly underneath all of those things, was a piece of parchment.

Lily carefully scooped out the other knick-knacks that sat in the box and set them atop her bed before pulling out the parchment. She made room on her desk (this was done by simply pushing everything out of the way) and carefully opened the parchment, taking care not to jostle the severely creased and saltwater stained paper that was already far past its prime. When she finished, it took up almost half her desk, having not changed since the last time Lily saw it.

Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs are proud to present,
The Marauders' Map.

The title was scrawled on to the top in dark red ink that was only a slight bit faded and each one of the Marauders' names were signed by each of the notorious Marauders. Until that day, every pirate knew about them; she would wager to say that about half of England probably knew about them as well. No pirate was ever - nor could they ever be - as successful as the Marauders. It was a known fact that they had copious amounts of treasure, so much so that it could have been very possible for several generations to comfortably live off it without having to do a day's work.

Underneath the title were three islands drawn in a curve, with several words near to them, written in what she suspected to be Latin. Finally, on the left side there were several more words - though written in English this time - in the form of a riddle.

The riddle was frustratingly difficult; that much had not changed and Lily could not for the life of her understand it.

She jerked upright when the door squeaked open, her hand automatically going towards her knife when a voice called, "Try not to cause anymore almost accidental decapitation this time!"

Gideon and Fabian entered the room, with the former holding some food and the latter looking very smug about his joke.

Gideon walked forward and placed the plates on her desk before asking, "Shall we?"

Lily nodded. "Let's."


When Remus finally woke up for good, it was dark and he had a pounding headache.

"There he is; see, I told you he was alive," joked Sirius before he turned to Remus and said in a very serious tone of voice. "We decided that if you died we would have stuffed you out the window and took the bed for ourselves."

"Charming," groaned Remus as he sat up. "You lot are a right bunch of tosses, you know."

James made an indignant sound in the back of his throat. "Excuse you, but I was the one who stayed here while this one," he jerked a thumb in Sirius' direction, "Went gallivanting off to God knows where."

He yawned, stretching his arms back before throwing over the covers. "Where's Lily?" he asked.

"Probably in her cabin," shrugged James, though he kept a close eye on Remus who was wobbling slightly. "I suppose you remember her patching you up to good health."

Remus nodded. "Do you think you could call her? I would like to say thanks."

"I'll do it," said Sirius. Without waiting for an answer, he swept out of the room. Remus turned to James curiously.

"He's been cooped up in here for a bit; one of the twins told us to keep put. You know how Sirius can't stay in one place at the same time," explained James. Remus slowly nodded his head in assent.

The walk from their lodgings to the captain's quarters was a short one and Sirius took his time, staring out at the sea and watching as the last bits of the sun disappeared behind the horizon. There was no land in sight. He had no idea where they were or where they were going.

Walking up to the door, he rapped sharply on it. From inside, he could hear the muttering voices which undeniably belonged to Lily and the twins. A few seconds later, the door was pushed open by one of the twins.

"What do you want, Black?" he asked, barely opening the door.

"To talk to Lily." When the man did not look satisfied, he said. "It'll only be for a few seconds."

The man looked as though he wanted nothing more than to slam the door in his face, but a call from inside stopped him and he grudgingly held it open wider. Sirius had never been inside the captain's room before, but he never thought that it was going to be so messy. Clothes were strewn everywhere and paper littered the floor. Meanwhile, there were several things spread out across her bed, which included two necklaces and -

Sirius' eyes went wide.

He'd only ever seen a bracelet like that once before and that was not a good meeting.

"Can I help you, Sirius?" she asked not unkindly, effectively jolting him from his thoughts.

"Oh! Er, Remus wanted you to come up so he could say thanks," he replied distractedly, tearing his eyes away from the bracelet.

Lily stood up. "He's awake? That's good. Tell him I'll be up in a moment."

Sirius nodded and took that to mean that he could take his leave. He went back to the room in a confused haze, all of which surrounded one question.

How on earth did Lily Evans know Severus Snape?


The chapter's title is a song by Florence and the Machine and I recommend you all listen to it, purely because it's really awesome. The riddle should hopefully be in the next chapter (because I am not good at those sorts of things) and then we'll see who can actually solve it.