A Pirate's Tail | By : SamHill Category: Harry Potter AU/AR > Slash - Male/Male Views: 3181 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0 |
Disclaimer: Not in any lifetime does Harry Potter (and his universe) belong to me. They are the sole property of J.K. Rowling, et al. I make no money and I mean not copyright infringement. |
A/N: See Chapter One for all disclaimers and warnings
Chapter Two:
Draco glared up into the sun-tanned face, mercury gaze taking in the ruffled hair that passed fashionably long and the whiskers that spoke of too much drink and not enough personal hygiene care. His nose scrunched up as he inhaled delicately and he was pleased to find that whatever this captain was lacking, it wasn’t the common sense to bathe regularly.
“You’re ruining a perfectly good view of the sky, so if you don’t mind, I’d really rather you leave,” he sniffed, tilting his head away from his captor.
Harry laughed, the rumbling sound surprisingly warm. “Gin says I need to shave as well.” He rubbed a hand over his stubbly face musingly. “I think it makes me look rather fierce, don’t you.”
“You look like a beast that should be shot and killed. I know, let’s call up my father and tell him where we are. I’m sure he’d love to have a go at you!”
Something indiscernible darkened the vibrant gaze, but it was gone before Draco could name it. “Your father is being quite stubborn about the ransom, young lord. Perhaps we should send him a finger to show we aren’t to be taken lightly?” Draco blanched and Harry tossed back his head as he let out a loud, belly laugh. “Don’t worry. I don’t make it a policy to damage the goods.”
Draco opened his mouth to retort when he heard feet clattering down the steps. The door to the hold was thrown open and two heads peeked around the doorframe, faces identical right down to the freckles scattered over noses and cheeks.
“There you are, Harry mate!”
“We thought-”
“You had-”
“Abandoned us!”
Harry grimaced. “Fred, George, to what do I owe this undoubted pleasure?”
“Oi, that hurts, Harry.”
“Here we’ve come-”
“All this way-”
“To tell you that-”
“Dinner is ready.”
They stepped into the room, and Draco got his first look at the crew who had joined the ship in the middle of night not a week prior. The contrast between these two young men and their captain was astounding and he wondered where Harry had found them.”
“Oh, he’s looking at us-”
“As though he finds us-”
“Displeasing.”
“That’s because you are,” Harry cut in. “Look at you two. You’re too pale to be running around without shirts. You’re already as red as a lobster. You’ll not be able to work come the morning. Right useless you two turned out to be.”
“Don’t underestimate our prowess, Harry,” one young man suggested lewdly.
“Shut it, Fred. You and George are needed on deck. We make port in three days to pick up Neville and Luna. I don’t want any unnecessary incidents between now and when we reach Hogwarts.”
“What about his young lordship,” Fred leered. “We’d be glad-”
“To keep him company for you,” George – Draco was fairly certain that was other redhead’s name – finished with an assessing look. Draco felt his lips curl back with distaste but was even more surprised at his captor’s response.
“I think not,” Harry snapped. “You’ll keep your hands to yourselves or I’ll be sending you home without them. Got that?”
“Sure, sure. No need-”
“To bite our heads off.” The twins retreated from the room and Harry sighed before turning to face the blond.
“You know, once the others discover where I’ve hidden you, it’ll be hard to keep them away.” The gaze was lustful, the voice a seductive purr that sent shivers racing up Draco’s spine. He squashed them ruthlessly even as he thrust out his chin.
“Why should you care? You’re only in this for the money, right.”
Harry sidled closer and leaned in close to Draco’s neck. “I might be persuaded to sample the goods before I return them,” he whispered suggestively, his breath warm against the pale column of flesh. Draco lifted his foot and meant to bring his heel down hard on the other man’s toes but only succeeded in having his leg caught and unceremoniously wrapped around strong hips.
“I wouldn’t allow myself the indignity of willingly touching a commoner like you. You’re pathetic, stealing from the rich just because your parents had the indecency to be born poor with no motivation for better. You’re trying to steal my inheritance away to please your greed. You-”
He realized he was talking to thin air when the door slammed shut and he growled in frustration. Night was drawing near and he had to piss something desperate. Usually Harry untied him long enough to eat and perform his ablutions before tying him into the hammock but it seemed his captor wasn’t going to be so generous this time.
He didn’t know how long he stood there, his feet numb and his body cold, before the door opened again. This time it was a young woman with a mass of dark brown ringlets and a decent-sized chest barely contained within her wench’s dress. He rolled his eyes and looked out the window.
“Ah, now I see what all the fuss is about,” she murmured, moving about the room. She settled a tray down on the small table and pulled a nasty looking gun from the folds of her dress. “The name is Hermione and while I might not have grown up with a household full of rough young lads like Ginny, I have known Harry since we were eleven. So believe me when I say you don’t want to take your chances by attempting to escape. Harry’s ordered me to take over this particular chore; apparently he doesn’t trust the men, and now I see why.”
“A peasant like him isn’t even good enough to hold the pot I piss in,” he bit out.
Hermione paused, warm brown eyes suddenly harder, cooler. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I know enough! I’ve been kidnapped, held against my will, tied to a post until the ropes have rubbed me raw and fed gruel three times a day while someone watches me every time I-”
“You needn’t finish that sentence. Perhaps things haven’t been the best for you, but they haven’t been great for Harry, either.”
“Ah yes, what with the stealing from those who have earned their wealth to feed his greed.”
“Do you know where you’re being taken?”
“No, and nor do I care to know unless it’s to be told that I’m to be returned to my father.”
Hermione snorted. “You’re being taken to Hogwarts Castle in Glasgow, Scotland.”
“A castle? Has someone heard of my plight? Am I to be rescued?” He felt giddy at the idea and that, combined with hunger, made him slightly light-headed and so he had to ask her to repeat herself when she replied.
“It’s Harry’s castle.”
“Potter’s castle? How on earth does one steal a castle?”
“He didn’t steal it. It belongs to him.”
“But he’s a pirate,” he pointed out.
“Mmm, and a rather good one, too. He hasn’t lost a duel either. Both the ladies and young men seem to take a shine to him.”
‘Yes, well, that doesn’t surprise me. Despite his rough features, he isn’t what I would call ugly per say.’
“His godfather lives at the castle with his lover. I believe you’ve heard of him, the godfather I mean.”
“Well, if you would give me a name, I could tell you.” He looked as annoyed as he sounded, but Hermione only raised her brows and shook her head.
“You’re very impatient, aren’t you? His name is Sirius Black.”
“Black? Sirius Black. As in cousin to Lady Bellatrix Black-Lestrange.”
It was Hermione’s lip that curled as her hate for the mentioned woman hung nearly tangible in the air between them. “Bellatrix. That foul, twisted, bitch. She’s the reason Sirius can’t leave the castle! He had to give up traveling because of her.”
“Was he a merchant?” Draco was only mildly interested; his father had told him often enough that merchants, while still common, had their uses.
“No, he was the original captain of this ship, The Grim.”
“Grim?”
“Oh, pish. That’s only an old wives’ tale. Don’t tell me you believe that sort of thing. Here, you can use the chamber pot on the other side of that divider. Harry found it on the last ship he took. I believe it’s a genuine Japanese silk screen.”
Draco shook loose the ropes and stepped behind the screen. He spoke to cover the sound of his urine striking the metal.
“So you’ve known Potter a while then, have you? And you say he’s no commoner?”
“No more than you,” she returned. “His parents were part of the rebellion against the Prince Regent. When Voldemort had them killed under suspicion of treason, he was sent to live with relatives. The Potters were from Upper London while the Dursleys have always lived in Hampshire. They aren’t even allowed use of the Potter’s country home; Harry uses it to set folks up for a time.
“His childhood was pretty bad until Vernon took him on a trip. He intended to sell Harry to some brothel that specialized in very young children.” She shared a grimace with her companion. “Yes, not a very kind man at all. Anyway, the ship he was on was taken by the Grim. Turns out, Sirius was once good friends with James Potter, Harry’s dad. He recognized poor Harry straight away and literally fed Vernon to the sharks. His wife is in the women’s prison back in Liverpool and their son, Harry’s obese cousin, works as a servant in the castle. Actually, given his own treatment by the Dursleys, Harry has been quite generous.”
Draco stared at her incredulously. “And yet he continues to treat me this way?” he demanded, outraged.
Hermione looked ready to say something but changed her mind with a sigh. “I’ve said more than enough as it is, but please know this; his parents are still a sore spot for him. Knowing who it was that murdered them and how he knew where to find them even after they went underground… He’s not had an easy time of it, I can promise you that much. Speak unkindly of them and you’ll suffer his anger as an enemy.”
While Draco digested that information, Hermione cleaned up the dishes from his meal. There was a knock at the door and Harry entered, his face a blank mask as he moved to the hammock. Without a fuss, Draco arranged himself for the night and spent the time he was being bound reflecting on Hermione’s revelations. Without thinking he asked, “Are those twins also of noble birth then?”
Harry let out a bark of laughter. “Hell, no. They’re as common as you are a Lord and quite proud of their births. They don’t think highly of those who attend court. We’ll make port in about a fortnight. Until then, you’ll be kept down here. We’ll be traveling by horse to Hogwarts, but trust that you won’t find an opportunity to escape then either. Goodnight, young Lord Malfoy.”
The door shut, but Draco was relieved to see that a candle still burned softly in the pressing darkness. His face burned with the remembered shame of his first night on board the ship.
“No!” Draco fought the ropes binding him to the makeshift bed, his voice a strangled cry in the pitch black cabin. Terror squeezed at his heart and he fought for breath. ‘I will not die like this. I won’t allow it.’ The brave thoughts did nothing to quell his fear and he had all but given up hope when the door slammed open and light poured in past the tall, broad-shouldered figure in the doorway.
“What the hell is all that racket for?” Captain Potter demanded, striding into the room with a candle held high. Draco struggled to speak, but his mouth was still dry from his battle against his childhood phobia for the dark.
“Please, a candle, anything. Just… Just don’t shut me in here like this,” he finally croaked out.
There was a look of pity in Potter’s eyes that Draco normally would have found unforgivable. Now it was solace. “All right then. I’ve got a few ever-burning candles Luna gave me just last winter. Who knows, perhaps she foresaw your stay with me. I’ll fetch one. Until then, I’ll leave this with you, eh?” He affixed the candle into a holder and disappeared once more. The seconds stretched into minutes and then he was there, using his own candle to light the new one before stepping back to the doorway.
“Next time, save yourself the embarrassment and just tell me if you’ve a fear of something. There’s no shame in it.” He didn’t wait for a response, but shut the door softly and left Draco to his thoughts.
Harry hadn’t mentioned the incident the next day, or any of the ones following that, but it was clear he remembered for every night without fail he would light an ever-burning candle before shutting Draco in. The young Lord Malfoy drifted off to sleep, thoughts of his captor the last one to flit through his head.
~ * ~
tbc
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