Word Count: 534
Ministry: L9: Space Chamber Apprentice: Gravity
Easter Egg: Day 4, Stripe: Pirate!Au
At Sea (There Was Time)
Harry struggled against the ropes tying him to the chair, but they'd been tied by an expert, because he couldn't get them to move an inch and he was usually good at getting himself out of such situations. The chair he was on rocked ominously, and he stilled himself.
He hadn't realised he'd been moving with enough force to knock himself over, and gravity was the last thing he wanted to fight right now.
Then the chair rocked again, and it dawned on him that he was on a boat. It was the only explanation. He'd been so focused on freeing himself that he hadn't realised that he was moving more than he would be if he was being held captive on solid ground. It also wasn't good, because the sea meant pirates, and pirates meant trouble.
Doubling down on trying to free himself, he only stopped when the door to the room he was in swung open. Harry looked up and then gasped. "Sirius? What in the shit are you doing? Why am I tied up, you big jerk?"
"We had to make sure it seemed legit when we took you," Sirius said, hurrying over to untie his godson. "Otherwise, they could have blamed you for it, and we didn't want that. If they thought you'd escaped, they might have tried harder to come and get you."
"Escaped? What are you talking about?"
"The Malfoys," Sirius said, and Harry blinked at the name of his employers. "They work for Voldemort."
"What? No they—"
"They absolutely do. Lucius is his right hand, Harry. They were planning to hand you over to him in three weeks, at the solstice."
"What the hell?"
The ropes fell away and Harry rubbed at his wrists. "So you 'kidnapped' me, huh?"
"It's the only thing we could do, Harry. I know you don't want to be a pirate, and I respect that. I know you didn't want to live at sea, but there's nothing I can do about that right now. I have to keep you safe. I promised your dad that I would."
Harry nodded. He knew Sirius had been hurt when Harry decided that he wanted to live on the land rather than the sea, and it said a lot that Sirius would still come and save him, despite the fact that Harry had basically rejected him years ago.
Not that Harry had really rejected his godfather; he'd rejected the life of a pirate, a life of no roots, and no permanence. He hadn't wanted that.
But it looked like now he had it, at least for now.
"For what it's worth, I'm sorry there wasn't another way," Sirius said softly.
Harry shook his head and then stood up and hugged his godfather. "Thank you for saving me."
"Always, kid. Come on, I'll show you where you're staying, and then you can meet the others. Remus is still with me, he's looking forward to seeing you."
Harry smiled and nodded his head. "Okay."
There was more to unpack, like why Voldemort—the most feared pirate to sail the seas—wanted him, but Harry figured it could wait.
Out on the water, they had all the time in the world.