The Marauders: Year Six Part 2 #Wattys2017

PIRATEY THINGS!

PIRATEY THINGS!

The skeletal ship moored in the underground bay groaned and creaked as it swayed gently in the dark black water. Torches flickered, giving the spooky ship a ghostly feeling, casting long shadows across the deck. A thickset boy, wearing the wool and fur uniform of Durmstrang, sat on the deck, reading a book that he had balanced on his knee. The bay had been so peaceful... until --

There was suddenly a great deal of commotion and the heavy set boy dropped his book on the deck and watched with wide eyes.

"PATRONUS MAXIMA!" the voices of the Prewett twins rang together across the cavern, their arms shaking as they stood in the mouth of the corridor that led out from the castle. The tone of their combined voices seemed to be begging even the magic itself to hold up. Chriselda Blythe was sobbing as she staggered along before them - Bilius clutching onto her, trying to comfort her, but unsuccessful in his efforts. Dorcas Meadowes, who was also trying to help Chriselda, gave up and turned to join the twins, seeing that they'd come to the end of the protection of the hallway and the Prewett's charms could only withstand so much as the Death Eaters sent their own spells crashing into it, trying to weaken the shield, trying to get around to attack. The look of bloodthirst in their expressions burned, and rang in their voices. They wanted blood. Peter Pettigrew stood on the dock with Maryrose Jenkins, the weakened Remus Lupin shaking as his arms were draped over their shoulders, clinging and looking thoroughly miserably up toward the ship with an expression of fear. Also looking rather miserable, though in a different way than the bedraggled Remus Lupin was, stood Severus Snape - the only one below that the Durmstrang boy recognized - carrying an absolutely shattered James Potter over his shoulder.

The Durmstrang boy stared in wonder and confusion at all of the people below - but most especially Severus Snape, who was the only one of the lot of them that he actually recognized. What was he doing??

Suddenly there was a wand pressed to the back of the boy's neck. There hadn't been a sound behind him - not that he'd heard, not so much as the creak of a floorboard, even!

"Hullo. If you're holding a wand, I suggest that you drop it now," came a low voice from behind him.

The boy put his hands up into the air to show his captor that there was no wand in his hands.

"How many people are on the ship right now?"

"Me and maybe a couple others below," the boy said, his voice thick with Russian accent. "I am not sure."

"My name is Sirius Black," the voice continued, "I'm sure you've heard of my family?"

The boy nodded.

"Heard what a terrible, fearsome bunch the Black family is?" he asked.

The boy nodded again.

"Well it's all true," Sirius murmured, "Heard of Voldemort, yeah? Well my Father was one of his greatest supporters... Vicious man, my Father was... Typical of the Black family. And if you don't help me and my friend here out, you're going to experience it first hand just how much of that is in my blood." His voice was as threatening as he could muster it to be. He twisted the wand against the boy's skin. "Do you understand?"

"Yes," the boy's voice tremored.

"Very good! Smashing!" Sirius exclaimed. "Now, we're going to need to board the ship, my friends and I, you've seen them down below there... and we're going to need you to show us how to drive the ship."

"Drive the ship?!" the boy exclaimed.

"Yes, we'll be needing it to escape and... other Piratey Things," Sirius declared.