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Colin Creevey had no idea where he was. He had just woken up to the putrid smell of vomit and rum from the burlap sack blocking his vision, and felt a pang from a bump on the back of his head. As he became more aware, he events of the last couple of hours came back in a flash of senses. It was sunnier than usual in the seedy Hogsmeade port. The wind was cold and smelled of the sea. He was in the Hog's Head, a place he'd always been told never to go but managed to anyway. He'd brave the wobbling drunkards and dodge the occasional robber for a chance he might find them.
It was on this bright, windy day that he’d recognized a man known as Padfoot, one belonging to the infamous pirate ship Firebolt. He decided this was his only chance; there was no time to go back to his room and pack his things. Colin swiped the man’s bag of gold and made it exactly six steps from the door before he was tackled, his head covered, and he was knocked out. He thought he’d been able to get in a few yells of “I want to meet your captain!” before losing consciousness, but he wasn’t sure. Now he was being jostled, jeered at, and carried while someone poked him in the forehead with a sword.
Then, without warning, he was dropped. He landed in a heap on some hard planks of wood, and waited with held breath for something to happen.
“Where’s the captain?” Creevey heard Padfoot ask, “We got someone who wants to meet ‘em.”
“Who’s this?” a feminine voice interrupted. He felt a sword on the back of his neck. It pressed a little harder, “Looks like another mouth to feed.”
“Might be better to just kill him.” More voices were joining in now, getting louder and more aggressive by the second.
“If we kill him, can I take what’s in that bag of his?”
“We’re not going to kill him. He said he wants to see the captain!”
“Who died and made you boss then?” The sword tip on the back of his neck disappeared. In the next moment his ears were assaulted with the sound of shattering glass as the yelling and movement around him turned into a dull roar. It wasn’t unlike drunken bar fights he’d occasionally seen in the Hog’s Head and, like when he was witnessing those fights, Colin bent over and hoped he wouldn’t be punched.
But just as he was starting to get worried, and Colin was considering making a blind escape, everything ceased: the noise, the yelling, everything. As quickly as it all started, the air around him was quiet. Just a single pair of footsteps creaked along toward him until they were but a few paces away.
Someone ripped off the sack, and Colin blinked his eyes at the bright sun above him. When his vision finally came into focus, it was all he could do to hold back a gasp.
Before him stood Harry J. Potter, in a black and scarlet coat trimmed with gold that twinkled royally in the sun. He wore no hat, which Colin found rather odd, but instead sported a black cloth around his head with two golden pins on the bottom. The rest of the crew were standing at attention and watching him with interest. Colin gulped. What had he learned about Mr. Potter, not to mention his beautiful first mate, wherever she was? That they’d vanquished the most evil Pirate Lord of all time? That they’d gotten married while fighting off a sea serpent? That they found all seven of the legendary Horcrux treasures and still only hunted for the most elusive prizes? That Potter himself was nothing short of intimidating?
Nothing in his studies had prepared Colin for the understatement that was 'Harry J. Potter is intimidating.' If he wasn’t sure he’d be impaled or shot, he would have ran. Windswept hair black as ravens framed his scarred face. Despite the fact that the man was somewhat silhouetted, Creevey could still see the lightning bolt shaped scar that ran from the top left of his forehead to right below his eye. It was the reason his left iris was a much paler green than the other. Though by some miracle his injury must not have completely damaged his vision, as he was damn near looking through Creevey as he stared down at him. As Creevey watched, wide-eyed, Potter whipped his sword from its sheathe, leveling it beneath Creevey's chin and lifting slightly. Creevey felt the cold of the metal and was very aware of the point pressing into his skin.
“Name?” Potter asked. His voice was soft, but no less commanding. Creevey gulped. He took a second too long to answer and Potter’s eyes hardened.
“Name, or you’ll be short a nose,” he said.
“Colin Creevey!”
“Purpose?”
“T-to...to write a book about you, Sir! You are Harry Potter, right? ” Mr. Potter paused, a flicker of confusion on his visage.
“So, let me get this straight,” he said. He withdrew the sword from Creevey’s chin and sheathed it, instead taking out a revolver and idly gazing at it as he spoke, “You stole Padfoot’s gold, on purpose, so you would be captured on purpose, and brought here... on purpose? "
Colin gulped, and nodded.
“To write about me?”
“I want to write about the Captain and the first mate,” Colin said. That revolver was still swinging in Potter’s hand and that green gaze was still there, not leaving Colin for more than a second. Colin had a sudden thought and reached into his bag, though instantly regretted it when he found fourteen variations of sword tip and firearm pointed directly at his face.
“It’s just my books!” he said, hurriedly pulling out his faded copy of "Pirates, A History" and waving it in the air. Potter raised his hand and the crew (with some clear reluctance) lowered their weapons. He then fixed his attention on Colin and waved him to continue.
“I was thinking th-that perhaps my books didn’t have everything in them, Sir,” Colin said, holding out the volume, “I wanted to know just how the infamous Captain Potter can find treasures no one else can.”
Potter blinked, his hand halfway out to take the book. Colin thought that perhaps he was in trouble again. Should he run? But in the next second, Pirate Harry J. Potter laughed. It was quiet at first, but morphed into a deep reverberating guffaw that infected the whole crew. Colin could do nothing but sit and watch as they absolutely roared. Someone smashed a tankard.
“He thought...he thought I was the captain!” Potter exclaimed.
A freckled redhead came over and slapped the raven-haired pirate on the back. “Probably on account that you’re so scary.” They both looked expectantly at Colin, who gave a nervous shrug.
“You are pretty scary, to be honest,” he said. Potter took a moment to compose himself and slid his gun into its holster. He then reached down and hoisted Creevey up by his elbow.
“You’re brave,” he said, "Stupid, but brave. Just for that, I’m going to show you someone really scary.” The man, not-captain Harry J. Potter, led Colin to a set of wooden doors. He knocked on them twice, hard, before pushing them open and dragging Colin inside.
It was brighter and cleaner than he expected, with lanterns everywhere and piles upon piles of books and maps and constellations and...a woman? Sitting behind an ornate desk?
Colin hastily opened “Pirates, A History” and flipped through the pages until he found a picture titled ‘Captain Potter’s ferocious first mate’. He looked down, then up, then down, then back up again. The woman in the picture had soft curls and dark eyes, a long dress tattered at the bottom. The woman in front of him had the same curls and deep brown irises, though hers were much more wild and gave Colin the impression that she knew more than she would ever let anyone know. Her coat matched Potter’s though it was coupled with a brown feathered hat that rested atop her mass of hair. He decided in that moment that his book did her absolutely no justice. Ferocious was the wrong word. Rather, she looked like the epitome of control and held Mr. Potter (and likely by extension the entire crew) at rapt attention.
Potter had walked behind her, running his hand over the woman’s shoulders and neck. She leaned into his touch, but didn’t take that dark brown gaze off Colin. Her irises looked almost black.
“This, Mister Creevey,”he said, “Is Captain Hermione Jean Granger.” It was at this point Colin noticed the desk in front of her was absolutely covered in maps, open books, and materials that would make scholar and captain alike green with envy. A ginger cat was curled on one side, eyeing him with an expression almost as intense as the woman. She reached down to stroke its orange fur as she regarded him.
“There must be a good reason for this interruption,” she said, “I was so close to finding the location of the Goblet of Fire.”
“He wants to write about us, love.”
“A spy?”
“I don’t believe so. He risked his life getting here.”
“Dagger,” she said. Colin watched as Harry reached behind him without looking and grasped a small silver weapon, which he handed to Captain Granger without question.
“Explain to me why I shouldn’t kill you,” she said to Colin, twirling the dagger in one hand.
“Er...because then no one will tell your story properly,” he replied. He’d rehearsed this part. Granted, he thought he would be saying it to Harry Potter, but he hoped it would work on Captain Granger too. He looked to Potter for help, but it seemed there would be none. In the firelight, Creevey could see those green eyes trained on Granger but made no further effort to explain.
The Captain seemed to be considering his words, leaning back in her chair and beckoning Potter to her. She whispered something in his ear and he replied as Colin shifted from foot to foot. Despite Potter’s change in attitude toward him, Colin had a feeling that if Captain Granger wanted him dead where he stood, Potter would have a sword through his chest in an instant.
Really, really scary.
It was a few more brittle moments before he got his answer. When they turned back to him, Captain Granger had the ghost of a smile on her lips.
“Very well, you may write about us,” she said, “We don’t want any inaccurate histories floating around, do we? The last time that happened, someone thought I’d married Captain Krum. Almost started a war.” Potter gave a small grimace, but Colin nearly tripped over himself with excitement.
“R-really?" he babbled as he reached for his bag again, "I’ll just interview you and be on my way, then. I won’t be a bother, I promise!”
“On your way?” Granger shared a look with Potter and laughed, “You thought you could just waltz onto my ship and have a look around?”
"Er..." He’d suspected as much, though truth be told he was hoping they’d at least let him get the rest of his belongings from the Inn. It didn’t look like that was going to happen, though, and as Captain Granger still had her silver dagger in hand, he figured he shouldn't push it any further. He couldn't blame them, though; they wouldn’t want the intimate details of their exploits to fall into the wrong hands.
“Study us, if you wish, but you’re a pirate now whether you like it or not. Publish your book when we die.” Captain Granger then rose from her seat, turning toward Potter as her voice took on a softer tone, “We should get going while we still have the light.”
Then, to Colin’s utter surprise, she kissed him brazenly, openly, only the lips. Harry Potter let her, closing his eyes and leaning into the kiss until she pulled away. At that moment, Colin understood how they could've said their vows while fighting the Basilisk of the sea, if that story were true.
Captain Granger then nodded at Colin and smiled before exiting her quarters. Colin hurried to follow, finding her again just as she started barking orders at her scrambling crew.
“She likes books,” he jumped as he heard Potter’s quiet whisper in his ear, “That’s why she’s decided to give you a chance.” He was talking to him, but watching Granger as she took the helm with wild hair blowing in the wind. She looked unnameable, but also like she knew what she was doing. No wonder someone like Potter could follow her. No wonder someone like Potter could love her.
“How did she get here?” Colin asked, "How did someone like her become a pirate of all things?"
“Did it for me, at first,” Potter said, “Saved my life more times than I can count. But she likes the thrill of finding things, I think, and we’d both be lost without a bit of adventure. But truth be told I’d settle down for a bit if it were up to me.”
“Why doyou do it, then?” Potter smiled and patted his shoulder.
“Because she’s my treasure.”
“What are you two doing?” Hermione yelled from her position, “Get to work!”
Both Colin and Potter jumped.
"Yes Captain!"