FIC for twistedlillstar
Title: The Yasmin Turk
Author: summerborn
Recipient's name: twistedlillstar
Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters/Pairings: Remus/Sirius
Rating and Warnings: PG-13
Summary: Sirius is the pirate captain, Remus the first mate, when they find an abandoned ship floating on the open sea.
Notes: I will never be able to fully repay klynie1 for her amazing help. Also many thanks to J for all the inspiration, among other things :) 1400 words. To twistedlillstar, happy swashing!
"Are there any dates on the entries?"
Remus Lupin peered at the logbook and moved his wand across the pages. "The handwriting is rather hard to make out," he said at last. "I think this says December, though."
"December what?" Sirius Black didn't wait for an answer before continuing his train of thought. "It's at least a month ago, anyway. I can't believe a ship like this would be left alone for a whole month."
Remus nodded absently as he turned the pages. "I'm going to take this out on deck, maybe see better."
Sirius looked relieved. "Excellent idea. Nothing but gloom down here anyway."
Gloom... and ghosts, Remus could have added.
The captain's cabin, where he'd found the logbook, was the only part of the ship that looked like it had been touched in the recent past. The crew's sleeping quarters were too tidy; the utensils in the galley too neatly stored; even the food had been packed tightly into the storage hold and sealed off.
They'd opened up a crate to find dried beef strips, heavily salted and apparently still good. "Dare you to try one," Sirius had whispered in the glow of his wandlight, and Remus had rolled his eyes.
"Peter would have done it if I dared him," Sirius remarked now, following the flow of Remus's thoughts with alarming accuracy.
"I'm not about to start doing things just because Peter would," Remus retorted as they emerged into the sunlight. He spread the logbook out on the capstan and began to read.
"Speaking of Peter," Sirius muttered. "I'd better signal the rest of the Marauders, to let them know we're still looking." He climbed up the ladder to the poop deck, presumably to cast the signal flares where their ship could see them. Remus was soon lost in the tiny, spider-like handwriting that apparently belonged to the captain of the Yasmin Turk.
September 14
WSW 14 deg from Lagos, calm. 13t sugar @ 45; 20t silk @ 81. Water: gd; rum: gd; rations: gd.
Announced extra rations of rum for next three days. 1st mate to distribute.
September 20
SW 9 deg. 2 casks of water bad. Opened reserve stores for third shift.
Bellis, Grimmond - 20 lashes, drunkenness, hoarding rum.
October 9...
Remus looked up when a shadow fell across the book. "Anything interesting yet, Moony?" Sirius asked.
He shook his head. "Lots, but nothing that explains what happened to the crew."
"Maybe you'd better skip ahead," Sirius advised. "I'm going to check the officers' quarters again."
November 28
SSW 10 deg until this morning. SOS spotted on the horizon. See navigation log for course changes. Water: gd.
Remus sighed. Just what he needed, a reference to a book he hadn't found yet. He turned ahead, scanning quickly until he came to a few that didn't fit the standard format.
Nov 28, supplemental
Nothing on the abandoned ship but an old cat - no crew, no sign of a fight. Some stores aboard.
December 3
Had to restrain Pritchard this morning, said the cat attacked him. Jones and Pullman both failed to report for duty. Must be hiding somewhere. Cat also missing.
That was odd. Remus glanced back a few entries, but there was no more information about the mysterious animal and the ship it had come from than he'd already read.
December 7
Found Jones' body - Pritchard swears the marks are claws and teeth. Lockdown for all crew.
December 9
Three more today - the cat, it can't be but it must be - it could come for any of -
There was a loud THUMP from somewhere below decks, and Remus jumped. Where was Sirius? He left the log lying open on the capstan and moved to the hatch that led down. "Sirius?" he called out, listening as hard as he could.
Another thump, followed by other noises - Remus couldn't tell what was happening, but it sounded like more than one person down there, and that meant trouble. He jumped down the ladder, wincing as he landed a bit crooked, and ran through the cramped rooms until he found the storeroom the noises were coming from.
On the other side of a stack of crates, he could just see the movement of a tall, black dog, and the hissing and angry yowl of some sort of feline creature - could it be the cat he'd read about? Remus moved further into the room, ducking his head under a beam, and suddenly time seemed to slow to a crawl.
The cat was no ordinary cat - it was the size of a mountain lion, and the snarl on its face showed the three-inch long fangs. The gleaming silver eyes and tufted ears marked it as a Dark Creature, and suddenly Remus put the pieces together. The missing crew, the strange tidiness of the ship, the lack of bodies and blood - the Yasmin Turk had been taken over by a Renhorim, an especially nasty sort of Dark creature related to Dementors, that preyed upon the souls and living flesh of human beings.
In the second that it took Remus to process what he was seeing - the Renhorim hadn't been seen in over fifty years - Padfoot lunged forward, trying to catch the enemy in his jaws. The Dark creature spat and struck out at the dog, and Remus realized that Sirius must have recognized it just in time, shifting to animal form before his own very human soul could be damaged. Now all he had to worry about was the physical well-being of Padfoot.
Padfoot bit and snapped, and the Renhorim fought back more furiously than Remus would have thought possible. He had to do something - but what? He couldn't call upon his animal form now, and going in there would be suicide - and then he remembered his wand. It was in his hand in an instant, but Padfoot and the cat-like Renhorim were tangled up, wrestling and turning and biting and moving so that Remus hadn't the faintest chance of being able to hit one and not the other. But he had to act quickly - one bite from those poisoned fangs and Sirius would be done for.
"Move away, Pads!" he called out, desperate enough to risk a fatal distraction.
Both of the animals looked up at him, but the Renhorim recovered more quickly and was leaping for Padfoot's throat even as Remus cast his spell. A sizzling red bolt shot out of his wand and ran through the air towards the Dark creature, just as the thing made contact with Padfoot.
A flash of light, two thuds as bodies hit the floor, and then suddenly time resumed its normal speed. Remus blinked away the flare in his eyes and hurried across the room to the mounds of fur.
The Renhorim, in death, had reverted to its camouflage state - now no bigger than a Kneazle, it could almost pass as an ordinary housecat. Remus shoved it away in distaste. He only had eyes for the black form of the dog that lay motionless up against a stack of crates.
"Pads?" Remus whispered, sliding his hands along the dog's body. Where did you find a heartbeat in dogs, again? The fur on Padfoot's face and ears was warm and as soft as ever, and Remus gently picked up his head, as fear and worry made his voice harsh. "What were you thinking, fighting that thing? You're a wizard, for Merlin's sake..."
Steeling himself, Remus peeled back one of the dog's eyelids, and was overcome with relief when Padfoot shifted, grinned, and tried to lick him.
"Silly mutt," he laughed, pushing the dog away. He set about casting a few first-aid charms, to last until they could get back to the ship. The instant he was done, Padfoot thumped his tail on the floor and was back in his face, licking and slobbering like crazy.
"Pads!" Remus scolded, and then suddenly he was pushed back and it was Sirius, eyes bright, panting and too close.
"My hero," Sirius murmured, leaning closer.
Remus shook his head, but he didn't move away. "You could have come and got me, you know."
"And ruin your chance to run in and save the day? Not a chance." Sirius grinned again, and Remus decided to shut him up with a kiss.
Author: summerborn
Recipient's name: twistedlillstar
Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters/Pairings: Remus/Sirius
Rating and Warnings: PG-13
Summary: Sirius is the pirate captain, Remus the first mate, when they find an abandoned ship floating on the open sea.
Notes: I will never be able to fully repay klynie1 for her amazing help. Also many thanks to J for all the inspiration, among other things :) 1400 words. To twistedlillstar, happy swashing!
"Are there any dates on the entries?"
Remus Lupin peered at the logbook and moved his wand across the pages. "The handwriting is rather hard to make out," he said at last. "I think this says December, though."
"December what?" Sirius Black didn't wait for an answer before continuing his train of thought. "It's at least a month ago, anyway. I can't believe a ship like this would be left alone for a whole month."
Remus nodded absently as he turned the pages. "I'm going to take this out on deck, maybe see better."
Sirius looked relieved. "Excellent idea. Nothing but gloom down here anyway."
Gloom... and ghosts, Remus could have added.
The captain's cabin, where he'd found the logbook, was the only part of the ship that looked like it had been touched in the recent past. The crew's sleeping quarters were too tidy; the utensils in the galley too neatly stored; even the food had been packed tightly into the storage hold and sealed off.
They'd opened up a crate to find dried beef strips, heavily salted and apparently still good. "Dare you to try one," Sirius had whispered in the glow of his wandlight, and Remus had rolled his eyes.
"Peter would have done it if I dared him," Sirius remarked now, following the flow of Remus's thoughts with alarming accuracy.
"I'm not about to start doing things just because Peter would," Remus retorted as they emerged into the sunlight. He spread the logbook out on the capstan and began to read.
"Speaking of Peter," Sirius muttered. "I'd better signal the rest of the Marauders, to let them know we're still looking." He climbed up the ladder to the poop deck, presumably to cast the signal flares where their ship could see them. Remus was soon lost in the tiny, spider-like handwriting that apparently belonged to the captain of the Yasmin Turk.
September 14
WSW 14 deg from Lagos, calm. 13t sugar @ 45; 20t silk @ 81. Water: gd; rum: gd; rations: gd.
Announced extra rations of rum for next three days. 1st mate to distribute.
September 20
SW 9 deg. 2 casks of water bad. Opened reserve stores for third shift.
Bellis, Grimmond - 20 lashes, drunkenness, hoarding rum.
October 9...
Remus looked up when a shadow fell across the book. "Anything interesting yet, Moony?" Sirius asked.
He shook his head. "Lots, but nothing that explains what happened to the crew."
"Maybe you'd better skip ahead," Sirius advised. "I'm going to check the officers' quarters again."
November 28
SSW 10 deg until this morning. SOS spotted on the horizon. See navigation log for course changes. Water: gd.
Remus sighed. Just what he needed, a reference to a book he hadn't found yet. He turned ahead, scanning quickly until he came to a few that didn't fit the standard format.
Nov 28, supplemental
Nothing on the abandoned ship but an old cat - no crew, no sign of a fight. Some stores aboard.
December 3
Had to restrain Pritchard this morning, said the cat attacked him. Jones and Pullman both failed to report for duty. Must be hiding somewhere. Cat also missing.
That was odd. Remus glanced back a few entries, but there was no more information about the mysterious animal and the ship it had come from than he'd already read.
December 7
Found Jones' body - Pritchard swears the marks are claws and teeth. Lockdown for all crew.
December 9
Three more today - the cat, it can't be but it must be - it could come for any of -
There was a loud THUMP from somewhere below decks, and Remus jumped. Where was Sirius? He left the log lying open on the capstan and moved to the hatch that led down. "Sirius?" he called out, listening as hard as he could.
Another thump, followed by other noises - Remus couldn't tell what was happening, but it sounded like more than one person down there, and that meant trouble. He jumped down the ladder, wincing as he landed a bit crooked, and ran through the cramped rooms until he found the storeroom the noises were coming from.
On the other side of a stack of crates, he could just see the movement of a tall, black dog, and the hissing and angry yowl of some sort of feline creature - could it be the cat he'd read about? Remus moved further into the room, ducking his head under a beam, and suddenly time seemed to slow to a crawl.
The cat was no ordinary cat - it was the size of a mountain lion, and the snarl on its face showed the three-inch long fangs. The gleaming silver eyes and tufted ears marked it as a Dark Creature, and suddenly Remus put the pieces together. The missing crew, the strange tidiness of the ship, the lack of bodies and blood - the Yasmin Turk had been taken over by a Renhorim, an especially nasty sort of Dark creature related to Dementors, that preyed upon the souls and living flesh of human beings.
In the second that it took Remus to process what he was seeing - the Renhorim hadn't been seen in over fifty years - Padfoot lunged forward, trying to catch the enemy in his jaws. The Dark creature spat and struck out at the dog, and Remus realized that Sirius must have recognized it just in time, shifting to animal form before his own very human soul could be damaged. Now all he had to worry about was the physical well-being of Padfoot.
Padfoot bit and snapped, and the Renhorim fought back more furiously than Remus would have thought possible. He had to do something - but what? He couldn't call upon his animal form now, and going in there would be suicide - and then he remembered his wand. It was in his hand in an instant, but Padfoot and the cat-like Renhorim were tangled up, wrestling and turning and biting and moving so that Remus hadn't the faintest chance of being able to hit one and not the other. But he had to act quickly - one bite from those poisoned fangs and Sirius would be done for.
"Move away, Pads!" he called out, desperate enough to risk a fatal distraction.
Both of the animals looked up at him, but the Renhorim recovered more quickly and was leaping for Padfoot's throat even as Remus cast his spell. A sizzling red bolt shot out of his wand and ran through the air towards the Dark creature, just as the thing made contact with Padfoot.
A flash of light, two thuds as bodies hit the floor, and then suddenly time resumed its normal speed. Remus blinked away the flare in his eyes and hurried across the room to the mounds of fur.
The Renhorim, in death, had reverted to its camouflage state - now no bigger than a Kneazle, it could almost pass as an ordinary housecat. Remus shoved it away in distaste. He only had eyes for the black form of the dog that lay motionless up against a stack of crates.
"Pads?" Remus whispered, sliding his hands along the dog's body. Where did you find a heartbeat in dogs, again? The fur on Padfoot's face and ears was warm and as soft as ever, and Remus gently picked up his head, as fear and worry made his voice harsh. "What were you thinking, fighting that thing? You're a wizard, for Merlin's sake..."
Steeling himself, Remus peeled back one of the dog's eyelids, and was overcome with relief when Padfoot shifted, grinned, and tried to lick him.
"Silly mutt," he laughed, pushing the dog away. He set about casting a few first-aid charms, to last until they could get back to the ship. The instant he was done, Padfoot thumped his tail on the floor and was back in his face, licking and slobbering like crazy.
"Pads!" Remus scolded, and then suddenly he was pushed back and it was Sirius, eyes bright, panting and too close.
"My hero," Sirius murmured, leaning closer.
Remus shook his head, but he didn't move away. "You could have come and got me, you know."
"And ruin your chance to run in and save the day? Not a chance." Sirius grinned again, and Remus decided to shut him up with a kiss.