Chapter Text
The massive ship sailed far away from earth as the sailors aboard - pirates- went about their daily duties. The crew of Henry “The Bastard” Baker ran like a well oiled machine. Because they knew that their captain accepted nothing less than perfection. In the brig Harry Baker, one of Henry’s many sons, and Quartermaster of the ship was dealing with the most unusual plunder they had gotten in recent years.
A small child.
Now it wasn’t often in the first place that any space pirates bothered with the planet Earth. It was usually a relic of the past ignored in favor of all the rest that space had to offer. This trip back to the Old Planet was a supply run until they swung by a part of London where one of the ship’s young twins, Jack and Jill found a child left outside a closed down orphanage. The child must have been about two, wrapped in a ratty blanket with a note attached.
“Oi! This baby might fuckin’ freeze out here. The damn orphanage is closed.” Jack said as his sister held the baby in her arms trying to sooth it
“Poor fella” She said.
“Damn idiots how could they not notice? There’s a godsdamned sign!” Jack said. “Shit, they must have really hated this kid.”
“Bring him onboard” Their Uncle Harry said. The two ten year olds boarded the ship as Jill tried to read the letter.
“‘is name’s ‘arry Potter!” Jill said.
“Was ‘e a secret lovechild or somethin’?” Jack asked. That’s usually how these things went.
“No...I reckon…’e was the sister’s baby. The dead sister.” Jill said reading over the note. “Gods these people are bloody awful.”
“Respectable folk usually are,” Jack said with a heavy dose of sarcasm.
She brought the baby to the brig and laid him in a box. “That should work. We’ll let Uncle ‘arry deal with this”
“Hades, we don’t need two ‘arrys on this damn ship” Jack muttered.
Now Harry-the older one, obviously- was left to figure out how to deal with a whimpering toddler who could barely speak. This was why he didn’t stick around to raise children. He managed to get the kid to point at what he wanted, and had a wench bring some milk and basic food. He glared at her as she muttered under her breath as she left.
This wasn’t his fault. He didn’t create the little bastard.
He kept the child quiet for the rest of the way there, letting him sleep in the empty box on a blanket at the ship pulled into Port Tortuga. As he carried the child off, the wench from earlier gave him a dirty look.
“You were keeping him in a crate? Oh Gods you really don’t know a thing about children, do you” She said with a sigh.
“Shut up.” Harry snapped. He couldn’t help wondering what was with the lightning bolt shaped scar on the boy’s forehead. What could have caused that on this primitive planet?
Captain Henry Baker walked up to him and looked over the child. “That’s him, is he? Looks in one piece”
“Yes, sir. The twins brought him aboard..” Harry said.
“We have a meeting to make at the manor after that we can drop him off at the orphanage.” Harry followed the man up to the large house on the hill, feeling a bit self conscious about holding a child. People would assume things. Still, he filed into the house with a crowd of other crewmates from other ships.
While all the captains of the twelve crews spoke privately, Harry waited still holding this child and feeling rather foolish. The child gazed at all the surroundings with wide eyes.
“ Is he yours?” an American voice asked. A young pregnant woman holding a small girl and pushing a stroller approached to fawn over the child. The woman looked to be around her mid twenties with brown hair and glasses, with a blonde, bespectacled boy of about three or four following her. She was with the crew of The Wolf, Australian captain Templeton Foster’s ship.
“No. He was brought aboard when we stopped by Earth” Harry said running his free hand through his hair. “Abandoned.”
“Oh poor thing. Here let me hold him” She said setting the baby girl in the stroller and reaching for the orphan boy. Harry gladly handed him over. The child clung to her body as she expertly handled him, like only a mother knew how. “Oh? Where’d he get this scar?”
“You think I know?” Harry said exasperated. “We found him with a letter. Says his name is Harry Potter-”
“Oh he has the same name. Sure he’s not yours?”
“Dammit woman! No, he’s not” Harry said.
“Oh calm down, it was just a joke.” She said. “What are you going to do with the little guy? He’s a cutie!”
“Captain says to drop him by the orphanage-”
“You must be joking” The woman said,looking affronted “The orphanage?”
“I don’t suppose you have a better idea?” Harry snapped. “I’d be glad to let you take him off our hands.” The woman raised one eyebrow.
“Aren’t you full of warmth?” She sighed , gently bouncing the child in her arms. “I’m sure I can think of something better than an orphanage, for heaven’s sake.”
“ You do that then. Make sure your husband knows of this, woman.”
“You’re a real charmer, you know that?” She said rolling her eyes. Harry ignored her and walked away happy to be free of the child. He was someone else’s problem now.
Ellie Foster sighed and looked to the child and to her own children. Her son looked up at her excitedly.
“Are we gonna have a new little brother?” She thought about it still gently bouncing the child.
“Let’s see what Daddy says,” she said. She had a feeling her husband wouldn’t be so keen on yet another mouth to feed if it wasn’t his. “Harry Potter, huh?” She eyed the scar on his forehead. “Oh how’d you get that? Looks like a real ouchie.” She carried him into a kitchen and set him in a chair before looking through the fridge for some food. He must be hungry.
As the meeting went on she fed the child and found a room to change him in, before the captains, including her husband, filed out of the room.
Captain Templeton Foster was a lean but intimidating man with platinum blonde hair very slowly going a bit gray- the perks of demigod immortality. His holographic glasses floated in front of his eyes. He searched out his wife, holding a dark haired child in her arms.
What the fuck?
He walked over, folding his arms. “Ellie…..explain.” He said cooly.
“Oh..well….he’s not ours” His wife started, “I ran into Harry Baker, he said he found this child on a run to Earth, and they were going to send him to the orphanage-”
Captain Foster held up a hand pinching the bridge of his nose with his other. “Ellie…..are you bloody serious?”
“The orphanage though. I- I couldn’t let him just dump him-”
“Yes.. Yes you fucking could! Ellie…” Captain Foster paced as people started to watch. “Let’s find somewhere private, we need to talk.” He led her to a room and closed the door, “How many times have I told you we don’t need to get involved in other people’s messes?”
“But…”
Captain Foster put a hand up to silence her. “Woman- I fucking swear-”
“Excuse me!”
“Excuse yourself!” The child started to wail and Captain Foster took a deep breath on the verge of yelling. “Shut him up!”
“He’s a child-”
“He’s not our child, is he? He’s another mouth to feed and we don’t even know where the hell he comes from-”
“He comes from Earth-”
“Oh THAT narrows it down!” Captain Foster shook his head and continued pacing. “We’re not keeping him.”
“Oh come on-”
“We’re not keeping him, Ellie. For…. you have a child on the way! You can’t just take in every stray-” he sighed again and ran a hand down his face looking over her and the child. “Oh Gods fucking dammit.”
“Language!”
“Don’t you dare!” Ellie went quiet as he continued, clearly thinking. She knew better than to interrupt him. “.......I suppose….there’s always…” He scratched his chin. “One of Killian’s wives recently lost a child…” After several minutes, he heaved a sigh and held up a hand. “Here’s how it’s going to go. We’re going to try Killian and see if he’ll take the brat If not, it’s the orphanage. Got it?” Killian was a grandson of Captain Foster who ran an inn and tavern on Tortuga.
Ellie sighed with relief. “Oh thank you.”
“Don’t mention it. And don’t pull this shit again.”
“Yes honey” she said sweetly. He shook his head again walking out of the room as she followed, praying that Killian would take him.
---------
The trip to the inn was quiet, as Ellie did her best to let her husband cool off. Even Max, their normally troublesome son was smart enough to be quiet the whole way there. She peered out the window of the car as it pulled to a stop in front of the inn. Business looked to be slow, that was convenient.
They piled out and walked into the inn lobby where the curly blonde Cecilia looked more dour than usual.
“What can I-oh! Captain!” She looked up surprised. She glanced over to Ellie, who nearly winced at her envious glare. “I wasn’t expecting you, sir” her eyes widened looking at the child in Ellie’s arms. “You wouldn’t be here to bloody rub it in my face would you? That you have a baby?” Ellie winced as the other woman’s voice rose, getting shrieky and making people stare.
“Oh ease up” Captain Foster rolled his eyes, “Ellie, give her the little one so she doesn’t bite our heads off. We need to speak with you and your husband” Ellie sighed and nuzzled little Harry Potter before handing her over to Cecilia.
“Oh you’re cruel” Cecilia muttered gently taking the toddler.
“Actually you’ll find I’m being nice for once. So….your husband?” Captain Foster raised an eyebrow. Cecilia grumbled holding the baby close.
“I’ll get him” Once she left Ellie sighed.
“Poor thing. She’s really broken up about it” she murmured. She winced when she heard Killian’s voice and Cecilia’s yelling from two rooms over.
“He’s taking it nicely.” Captain Foster said shortly. In moments the younger man burst through the doors with Cecilia trailing behind lovingly cuddling the small child. Killian was of a similar body type as his grandfather. He had brown hair partially slicked back, with a chin full of stubble and a goatee contrasting with the beat up denim jacket and tank top.
He strode up to Captain Foster who looked back evenly..
“What are you playing at?"
“Your lady sure seems to like the kid.” The older man said with an amused smirk.
“Well no shit. You knew…”
“Yes , Ellie got ahold of an orphan she fell in love with and we heard you were trying to have another. What’s the difference really? Come on, Killian.”
Killian sighed and rubbed his temples. “Suppose I refuse?” He weighed his options.
“Then it’s to the orphanage,” Captain Foster said bluntly.
“What?!” Cecilia exclaimed, marching over “Killian we are not leaving this child at an orphanage!”
“Plenty of kids are at that orphanage and they’re fine” Killian protested. The small boy clung to Cecilia, wailing over the raised voices.
“You cheap bastard! You better not take this away from me if you really love me! You do, don’t you?” Cecilia demanded. Killian groaned and ran his hand down his face before looking at Captain Foster.
“I hate you” He sighed heavily. “Fine! Fucking- fine! FINE! We’ll keep him! Does he have a name?” Killian said exasperated.
“Harry.” Ellie said, “Harry Potter”
Killian looked to Cecilia who was already rocking the child and soothing him. “Works for me.”
“Good. Come on then, Ellie.” Captain Foster guided his wife out of the inn and into the car. “That went well.” Ellie shook her head.
“You wanted to mess with him didn’t you?” she asked.
“I wanted to get rid of that kid. But seeing him squirm was a bonus” Captain Foster said with a chuckle.
“You are a horrible person”