Chapter 28: The Prison Break Part 3
Algiers, Algeria, July 18th, 1996
"Where is the island your gang is based on?" Sirius Black repeated himself.
The pirate on the chair in front of him kept looking at him with the dumbest expression he had seen since James had managed to switch Snape's potion with a fizzy muggle drink in their fourth year.
"I don't think that he understands English," Peter commented.
Sirius clenched his teeth. "I can see that."
"Why did you keep asking him, then?"
"I didn't want the Veritaserum going to waste," Sirius told him with a frown. "And I wanted to make sure he wasn't faking it."
"That makes no sense," Fleur objected.
Sirius glared at her, and Bill whispered into her ear. Probably something about Sirius being frustrated or something. Well, he was. "We need a translator," he said. "We need your friend. Saidi." The pirate would speak Arabian, at least. If he didn't… Sirius exhaled through his clenched teeth. Any minute they were wasting endangered Harry.
"I'll go fetch him - unless you want to take our prisoner to his house," Bill said.
"No, no. Get him here!" Sirius shook his head. He didn't trust Saidi too much, and the odds of an attack or ambush were a little lower in muggle Algiers - no one wanted to be accused of endangering the Statute of Secrecy. That didn't mean such things wouldn't happen, of course - he had seen, and done, his fair share of combat in muggle areas during the war.
"I'll be right back." Bill grinned - and disapparated.
Sirius sighed and threw himself onto the couch. He crossed his legs and leaned back, staring - glaring - at the ceiling. "Why can't everyone speak English?"
"Why should they?" Fleur shrugged in that French manner of hers - he saw when he tilted his head to the side.
"A lot of muggles speak English. Or something they think is English," Peter pointed out.
"See? The muggles know what's good for them!" Sirius leaned forward, clapping his hands. "We wouldn't have to wait for a wizard of dubious trustworthiness if the pirate spoke English."
"It's just a small obstacle to deal with," Peter said. His friend acted as if nothing was amiss, sitting calmly in an armchair and reading some muggle newspaper. In French.
"Unless Saidi mistranslates," Sirius pointed out.
"He won't risk angering us - and Dumbledore," Fleur said, crossing her arms.
"I would've expected you to say that we can trust him because he's your friend," Sirius told her with a slight frown.
"I don't trust anyone in this country." Fleur scoffed with a sneer.
"Saidi seems to like you." Peter didn't look at them, Sirius saw - he kept reading his newspaper.
"So he says. That doesn't make us friends." Fleur shook her head. "Beel likes him but knows better than to trust him."
"And we're trusting him to save Harry?" Sirius shook his head as well. That didn't sound good.
"It's in his best interests to help us," Fleur said.
"Ah. Self-interest." Sirius sighed. "Let's hope it's enough. Shouldn't they be back here already?"
"Saidi might need some time to instruct his servants how to behave in his absence," Fleur said. She did seem a little less sure than she sounded, though. At least in Sirius's opinion.
But then, two figures appeared in the middle of the room. Sirius recognised Bill and Saidi a moment after he had aimed his wand at them. "Ah, there you are. We were just talking about you," he said, standing up.
Meanwhile, Peter moved his wand behind their backs. Trust, but verify, as the saying went. A moment later, his friend nodded at Sirius. They were safe, then.
"Alright. There is the scumbag," Sirius said, pointing at the pirate who was still drooling on the chair they had stuck him to. "We need to know where his island is. And how we can travel there." No time to chat about the weather now.
"Of course!" Saidi was all smiles. He bowed to Fleur, then turned to the prisoner and started talking in whatever language they spoke.
This time, the pirate replied in the typically dull tone of a man affected by Veritaserum. Sirius was familiar with it, from both sides - another legacy of the war. With spies abound, the Order had had to be careful about leaks.
Saidi didn't seem to like the answers - he kept asking questions with a frown on his face for a few minutes until he turned to address the group. "The man has told me where the island on which his gang is hiding is located. Unfortunately, it cannot be accessed by Apparition, and he cannot make a Portkey, either."
Sirius cursed. That complicated things.
"And we can't use brooms either - at least not to fly through the island's protections, though, given the distances involved, I would caution against making the trip on brooms anyway," Saidi went on. "I fear we need a ship."
"'We'?" Sirius asked.
The other wizard smiled at him. "You will need a translator, won't you?"
Sirius slowly nodded. The man was correct, after all.
"We'll need a translator - and a ship, then," he said. "How much for a ship?"
"That depends on its size," Bill said.
Sirius rolled his eyes. That was obvious. "How big a ship do we need to reach the island?"
"Ah… if the weather's fair, you can reach it in a fishing boat," Saidi told them. "But if it's not fair…"
"...then we sink." Sirius shook his head. "And a larger ship needs a crew, doesn't it?"
"That depends on your experience with sailing," Saidi replied.
"I can swim," Sirius said - and glanced at Peter. Perhaps his friend once had to sneak on board a ship as a rat and managed to learn about…
Peter shook his head before Sirius could finish his thought. "I never learned anything about ships - except for the fact that they sink if you blow a hole into them."
That sounded like a story Sirius wanted to hear. He smiled at Peter. "Well, we need that kind of experience - we'll be facing a pirate ship." And pirate ships needed to be sunk.
Fleur nodded. "They'll attack us as soon as they spot us."
"A crew would also help with evening the odds," Saidi commented. "According to our friend here, the pirates number three dozen people. Which is quite a significant number compared to our own."
Sirius snorted. Three dozen? That was a little much. Even for him and Peter. "Well, so we need to hire a ship with a trustworthy crew. I don't suppose you'd know such a ship?"
Fleur scoffed, and Bill reached over to pat her hand.
Saidi, though, was smiling widely at Sirius. "I happen to know a trustworthy captain with a suitable crew and ship."
"A pirate?" Fleur asked with narrowed eyes.
"A
reformed pirate," Saidi told her - the man's smile slipped a little. "He has seen the error of his ways and abandoned this filthy trade."
"And how long ago was this… change of views?" Bill asked.
"Before or after he heard about Dumbledore's interest in his business?" Fleur scowled.
"Before, actually. As I have heard it told, he fell in love with one of his victims, and, in an attempt to win her love, he swore to forsake his trade," Saidi said. "That was five years ago, and, apparently, he's still trying to court her." He shrugged. "His apparent, ah, unwillingness to admit defeat in that matter aside, he's a skilled sailor and an experienced hand at fighting. And, as my inquiries proved, he hasn't engaged in piracy since his vow."
Such a sacrifice for love? Well, Sirius could respect that. That still made the man a former pirate who had traded in slaves. Such a stain didn't vanish after a few years - nor did the temptation vanish. But they didn't have many alternatives. None of them was a sailor. On the other hand, while three dozen pirates - and probably a few more from their families - would be bad odds indeed, Sirius wasn't about to trust pirates to fight pirates. He would get help from England. James and Lily would kill him anyway, if he didn't inform them about this. Remus probably as well. "Alright. Let's meet your 'reformed pirate'," he said.
"He should still be celebrating his latest trip to the New World in his favourite tavern," Saidi said. "I think it might be best if I am present to help with the arrangements."
Sirius nodded. But they would keep an eye on both the pirate and Saidi.
*****
"An attack on a pirate island?" The Captain, Abdul the Black, or so he presented himself in accented English, snorted. "By ourselves?"
"We just need your ship," Sirius corrected him. "We'll gather enough wands to deal with a few dozen pirates ourselves. That way, we can avoid accidentally cursing your people in the battle."
"You're quite confident," Abdul told him with a hint of a sneer.
But Sirius had dealt with far more arrogant people. Even if he didn't count his own family. "We've beaten Voldemort and his Death Eaters. A few pirates won't be a problem," he said.
"Voldemort? The Dark Lord?" Abdul raised his eyebrows. Apparently, Saidi hadn't informed him about who exactly was hiring him.
"We're members of Dumbledore's order," Sirius told him. Well, technically, only Peter and he were, and the Order was effectively defunct, but… sowing some fear into the hearts of pirates that Dumbledore would lead his private army to the Barbary Coast was never a bad idea.
"Dumbledore himself has taken an interest in this affair," Peter added.
"I see." And there went all the arrogance, replaced by a forced smile and fake cheerfulness. "Far would it be from me to refuse to help such a noble endeavour. Indeed, what better way to prove to my love, my dear Claudine, that I am a changed wizard than to battle pirates myself?" Abdul held out his hand.
"Does that mean you won't need payment?" Sirius asked, baring his teeth.
Abdul's laugh sounded honest for the first time this evening.
As the haggling began, Sirius had a good feeling about this. They would crush those pirates.
And save Harry and Miss Granger.
*****
Unknown Island, July 18th, 1996
Hovering on their broom, off in the corner of the corridor, Hermione Granger held her breath - and held Céline - while Harry, with his back to the door, yelled - though not too loudly - "Stop!" and acted as if he was wrestling with someone.
"Tout va bien," she whispered. "Everything's going to be OK." She hoped Céline believed her. "Maintenant!"
And Céline started yelling as well. "Non! Lachez-moi! A l'aide!" Thanks to the amplifying Charm Hermione had cast on her, her words sounded loud enough to carry outside. Hopefully, not too far.
And the pirate running towards them seemed to have heard her. He had his wand drawn. But would he be fooled long enough to enter the prison? Was he fooled at all, or was he just trying to get close enough to hit Harry with his first curse?
"Non! A l'aide!"
While Céline yelled some more, Harry moved further into the hallway, away from the door, as the pirate approached. He had to keep his distance and stay in the shadows, Hermione knew - their disguise was shoddy and wouldn't hold up to even cursory glances from up close.
But it seemed to be working - the pirate entered, leading with his wand, and yelled something in a language Hermione didn't understand.
And Harry whirled, throwing the remains of the chair he had been holding straight at the man.
The pirate gasped, and his wand sent a curse into the wooden parts. They blew up, and Hermione gasped as splinters were sent flying - in her direction as well. She bent over, trying to shield Céline with her body; her Shield Charm wouldn't stop a splinter bigger than her shrunken body.
Something passed close by - she felt the air current - but nothing hit them. She looked up, guiding the broom away, to some sort of cover behind a shelf.
The pirate was on the ground, yelling, but Harry cut him off with a Stunning Curse. What had… Oh. The splinters would have hit the man; he was too close and hadn't had a shield up.
Serves him right, Hermione thought, then bit her lower lip. She shouldn't feel like this about a man getting hurt.
She felt Céline tremble in her arms and whispered: "Tu as été très courageuse!"
"M-merci," the girl replied. She didn't relax, though.
"Episkey!" Harry snapped, painting his wand at the pirate as he dashed forward to the door. "Episkey!"
He passed the stunned man and stopped at the door, peering out.
"Doesn't seem as if anyone has noticed," he said in a whisper that still carried far better than Hermione's yelling due to the size difference.
But an Amplifying Charm solved that - even though casting it to whisper at normal volume felt somehow wrong. Not that she could ponder this, not now. "Good." She flew up to Harry's head with Céline. "Grab the pirate's clothes; I'll keep watch." She didn't have to say it since it was the plan, after all, but she said it anyway.
And Harry turned and got to work.
Hermione forced herself to focus on the area outside the prison. Harry could strip the pirate easily - he didn't need her to look over his shoulder. Or stand on his shoulder, in this case. In a pinch, he could just cut off the robes, then mend them once they were off the pirate.
Still, while only a short time passed, it felt far too long. She stared at the shore, at the sky, watched a pair of pirates fly overhead, towards the still capsized ship in the middle of the bay. And at every moment, she expected someone to yell in alarm, sending a curse towards the prison.
"I've taken his jewellery as well," Harry whispered. "Some of it might be enchanted to let us pass through protections."
She looked over her shoulder and gasped. "Harry! What did you do?"
He grinned. "I cut off his beard, too - and stuck it to my face. It improves the disguise, doesn't it?"
"As long as none takes a closer look," she said. "The beard - or what remains of it - covers more of the right side of your face than of your left side."
"Oh." Harry shrugged. "No problem then - I'll just show my right side to them!"
She snorted against her will.
"Alright. We'll slip into… your front pocket, So you can carry the broom and unshrink it in advance," she whispered.
Harry peered into the pocket in his captured vest. "Oh… one moment, please."
He pulled out a small - well, small relative to his size - silver box. "Now you've got enough room."
"OK." Hermione licked her lips, then guided the broom over to Harry's shoulder. He held out his hand, and she dismounted on it, followed by Céline.
And tried not to yelp when Harry moved his hand to the top of his pocket so they could climb in. If they fell from this height…
But they didn't, and while the entire pocket smelt like tobacco - Harry's Cleaning Charms must have been sloppy to miss that and get the blood - it was comfortable enough.
As long as Hermione didn't think of what would happen should Harry fall down on his front.
*****
Harry Potter took a deep breath. He could do this. He just had to walk out, stroll over to the shore, where the fishing boat was tied up, wait for their distraction to draw attention, then shrink it, unshrink his broom, and fly away without anyone noticing.
Piece of cake. If not for his mangled foot. But he could use his broom.
First, he had to shrink the pirate, though - they couldn't set fire to the prison with the pirate stunned inside it. Well, they could, but… He grimaced. No, they couldn't!
He tried not to think about the whole thing and pointed his wand at the pirate. "Incarcerous!"
Ropes wrapped themselves around the prone form. It wouldn't do for the man to wake up in the middle of this. Even without a wand and in his underwear - Harry wouldn't wear that, disguise or not - the pirate could be dangerous. Especially for Hermione and Céline, who were shrunk as well.
The man shrunk until he was barely over two inches tall. He looked OK - Harry couldn't see any obvious mistakes he might have made with the spell. And there wasn't the time to check more thoroughly, anyway. Harry picked the figure up, carefully - he couldn't put pressure on his foot - cast a Bubble-Head Charm on him and put him into his other vest pocket.
He didn't like that - if anything hit his chest, or if he fell… But it was the least bad option to transport shrunken people. If only he had an extended pocket!
"Alright," he said, for Hermione's benefit. "I'm starting the fire."
"OK," he heard her whisper.
He pointed his wand at the wood gathered in the corner - parts of it wet with water thanks to a quick Water-Making spell - and focused. "Incendio!"
The dry wood in the centre quickly caught fire, and he could see the first wisps of smoke rising from the stack. He had to wait a little before he could leave - this wouldn't be much of a distraction without more smoke. A Bubble-Head Charm would keep him from inhaling too much smoke.
The fire grew a little more slowly, but soon enough, smoke started gathering under the ceiling, drifting to the stairs - and the open door. It was time to leave.
Then he heard voices outside. Alarmed voices. And his stomach dropped. Someone had noticed the smoke already. No!
He clenched his teeth. "They noticed the smoke already," he whispered.
"No!" Hermione replied. "That's… We can't..."
"I guess we'll find out how good the disguise is," Harry said. He tried to sound confident, but he grimaced since Hermione, stuck in his pocket, couldn't see his face.
This was bad. Very bad.
Perhaps he could… no. He couldn't use the captured pirate as a distraction. Not while wearing his clothes and beard. It was still dark outside, but - as a quick glance at his watch told him - it wouldn't be for too much longer. And the smoke was getting worse.
He used the Water-Making Spell to douse himself - he heard Hermione squawk; apparently, the pockets on the vest weren't waterproof - and then smeared some soot on himself. Even though he was still somewhat covered in ash and soot from before.
Showtime.
He kept the spell going, spraying water all over the floor and the walls, not aiming at the fire itself, and limped out of the door, groaning with each stumbling step. It was a relief to let himself fall on his back to squirm in the sand and dirt before carefully rolling over while lifting his chest to avoid squashing Hermione and Céline.
Before he could get up to his hands and knees, a pirate landed next to him but stayed on his broom. He asked something Harry didn't understand but could guess. Not that it mattered. Harry kept staring at the ground, hiding his face, and flicked his wand beneath him, casting a Ventriloquism Charm.
The pirate repeated himself - or close enough. And he sounded more urgent. Harry wet his lips, tasing sand grains on his face, and used the charm.
"You'll never get us alive!" his voice rang out from the prison. "Avada Kedavra!"
The pirate next to him jerked and yelled something. Harry heard someone above them - the second pirate - reply. If only he spoke their language!
"Come and get us!" he made his voice yell. "Pirate scum!"
Harry himself groaned and coughed, still hiding his face by staring at the ground. He retched as well.
The pirate next to him suddenly grabbed his shoulder, asking something. Damn.
Harry flicked his wand and looked up. He saw the man's eyes widen, but before the pirate could yell a warning about an impostor, Harry's Stunner hit him straight in the chest, and he collapsed.
Harry pushed himself up - using just his good leg - and screamed incoherently as he sent a Reductor Curse towards the prison's entrance. The door vanished in a cloud of dust and smoke, and Harry grabbed the stunned pirate, then his broom, using it to drag them away from the prison, towards the shore.
Another spell flew towards the prison from above him - the flying pirate must have fallen for his ploy. Harry sent a Bludgeoning Curse into the smoke himself and gritted his teeth - the pirate was heavy!
More of the man's comrades were arriving on brooms and on foot, and Harry cast a Stunner at the prison, waving the other pirates on.
Unfortunately, one of the newcomers rushed towards him, obviously wanting to help the stunned pirate. Harry turned his face away and cast a Shield Charm.
And once the pirate reached him, Harry stunned him as well, then used a Reductor Curse on the ground next to him to throw up sand and smoke.
Then he flew out of the cloud, still screaming and casting curses at the prison, which was now half-hidden by the smoke.
And there was the fishing boat, just a dozen yards away!
Harry smiled. Just as planned! Mostly. He looked over his shoulder; it seemed everyone was focused on the burning prison. Perfect!
He rushed the last few steps, then dropped from the broom to the ground next to the boat's bow, where it was tied to a post. The knot looked complex, but a quick Severing Charm would make short work of the rope.
It didn't. Instead of being cut apart, the rope remained untouched.
And a loud sound, like a bell being rung, started up - Harry had triggered an alert! No!
He whirled. Two pirates who had been kneeling next to the one he had stunned were looking at him. Wands raising.
Harry sent a Reductor Curse at them. The explosion threw one of them over the beach like a ragdoll and the other ran away, holding his face. Harry pointed his wand at the rope securing the boat and cast a Cutting Curse. That did the job - the rope parted. Now he just had to… Duck!
He sat down, almost falling over, when a purple curse flew at him. But he couldn't drop - he would crush the others. Another curse clipped his shield as he slid around the boat, taking cover behind it. This was bad. Worse!
"What's going on?" Hermione whispered from his pocket.
"The rope was charmed and alerted the pirates," he said. Another spell flew over his head. He peered over the boat and sent a Stunning Curse back, then ducked down again.
The boat shook under the impact of another spell. No choice - he couldn't stay and let the boat be destroyed! But… Cursing, he pointed his wand up. "Accio pirate's broom!" He focused on the second pirate's broom.
More spells flew over the boat and his head - couldn't they aim any better? Even in the darkness? Or… He looked up. If the pirates on brooms were about to flank him…
The summoned broom planted itself in the sand next to him. Good. They had two brooms now. That meant they had options.
The boat shook from another hit. He shrunk the second broom, dropping it in his pocket - and ignored Hermione's 'Ow!'. Then he took a deep breath and shrank the boat.
He heard yelling, and as he grabbed the boat, now the size of a toy, a curse shattered his shield.
He threw himself to the side, not letting go of the boat, and landed on his back. His foot hit a rock, and he screamed with pain. Another curse barely missed him, hitting the sand next to him and covering it in sizzling green liquid. Cursing under his breath, blinking through tears, he stuffed the boat into his pocket, recast the Shield Charm and grabbed the broom. "Up!"
The broom rose, dragging him in the air as he hooked one leg above it. A Bludgeoning Curse struck his Shield Charm, shattering it again and almost threw him off the broom - he barely managed to keep a grip on the shaft as another curse passed overhead. Panting, he hooked his leg over the shaft again and pulled himself up. It was more difficult than it had to be since he had to keep Hermione and Céline from getting crushed, but he managed. While urging the broom to keep raising and speeding up.
Then he was bent over the shaft, still panting, and flew as fast as he could towards the hill.
"What's going on?" Hermione hissed.
"We're in the air," he replied, yelling.
"I noticed!"
One curse missed him - he saw the red flash pass him. He banked left, looking over his shoulder. Two of the broom riders were after him. And behind them, he could see the horizon taking on a red hue.
Time was running out.
"Hold on tight!" he snapped. A moment later, he started a dive. He heard Hermione squeak, probably frightened, but they had no choice.
He flew down towards the island in a rapid spiral. Pulling on the broom's shaft with one hand, he cast yet another Shield Charm, then levelled out - and pulled up, turning and rolling, until he was flying straight towards the two pirates chasing him. And cast a pair of Stunners.
He had to roll and bank, narrowly avoiding yellowing and brown curses, but his own curses struck one of the pirates, shattering his shield - but missing stunning him.
Gritting his teeth, Harry adjusted his course - and flew straight into the descending pirate. His own shield shattered on impact, and he was thrown around, clinging to the broom with all his strength.
But the pirate's broom had been shattered, and the man screamed as he fell to the Earth.
Harry hesitated a moment, then dived after the flailing wizard. He flicked his wand. "Levicorpus!"
The spell caught the man's ankle and stopped his fall - and the screams changed from horror to pain when the man's ankle snapped like a twig.
And Harry was past him. The second pirate would have to save his comrade, and the other pirates hadn't yet caught up.
Good. He wouldn't miss this opportunity.
*****
Hermione Granger knew she shouldn't do it - it was foolish - but she couldn't help it. She couldn't stay any longer in Harry's pocket, being jolted around without any idea what was happening.
"Reste ici!" she whispered to Céline, then started to climb up to the opening of the pocket. It was harder than expected - she was thrown around since Harry was flying like a maniac, and, once, she was almost thrown out of the pocket; only a quick Sticking Charm saved her.
But she reached the edge of the pocket and, after another charm, stuck her head out.
And wished she hadn't - they were flying at high speed directly at the jungle! "What are you doing?" she yelled.
"Escaping the pirates!" Harry replied.
She couldn't see any spells flashing by. "Are we being chased?"
"I can't see anyone."
Well, she couldn't see anyone or anything behind them. "Don't fly into the jungle!"
"What? Go back into the pocket!"
"No!" She was fine here - her spell prevented her from falling out.
"You can't do anything like that!"
"I can see!"
"In the darkness?"
"As well as you can!" she retorted. They weren't in the brightly lit village any more.
"That's not reassuring."
"Says the wizard flying straight towards the jungle!"
"I'm not going to fly through it! I just need to make them think I did!"
"What?"
"So they'll search the jungle, not the sea!"
"But they know you stole the boat!" she pointed out.
"That's why I'm going through the jungle!"
"What?"
And then they broke through the canopy. Hermione screamed out of reflex when the branches splintered before she realised that Harry's Shield Charm protected her as well.
"Calm down!"
"I am calm!" she lied - flying through the underbrush was worse. Fortunately, Harry showed some sense of self-preservation and slowed down, then changed course and flew towards the hill.
"You want to sail westwards?" she asked, as calmly as she could, as they left the jungle.
"They'll expect us to try eastwards since the African Coast is that way," he replied.
"Or they'll expect us to anticipate that and sail west."
"I don't think they think that far," Harry replied.
"Let's hope that they'll think we'll go south." That was the most likely course, in her opinion - straight away from the island and shielded from view by the hill between them and the village. Not that that would stop a broom rider from spotting them. She looked at the horizon. "The sun's rising soon."
"Enough time to get away with the boat," Harry said.
She licked her lips, looked at the growing line of red out in the sea, and nodded even though he couldn't see it. If they flew a little longer, they'd only have a small distance to sail in the boat. "Yes. Let's do it. But don't fly too far."
"I won't."
Harry flew them around the hill, using it as cover, then dashed over the still smoking remains of the forest the pirates had set on fire. She even recognised their shelter - it had been torn and blasted open, or so it seemed. If they had tried to hide in there…
But they were already over the beach, passing a few familiar rocks. "Not too far," she reminded him. They didn't know exactly where the wardline was. Not even approximately. And if they misjudged the distance, they would only realise it when whatever curses protected the island activated...
"Yes, yes," he replied.
And he slowed down, then stopped. And reached into his other pocket, pulling out a shrunken pirate and a shrunken boat.
A quick charm later, the boat was restored to its natural size and in the water, and Harry landed in it. And cursed.
"Your foot?" If he had bumped it against the boat...
He didn't answer. Instead, he held a shrunken broom out to her.
She grabbed it, then helped Céline onto it before flying down to land on the boat's middle bench.
Time to restore their own natural size. She aimed her wand at Céline. "Finite!"
The girl rapidly grew and almost crushed her when she fell off the bench. "Ow!"
"Sorry," Hermione whispered. It wasn't her fault, but Céline was a little girl. And she had gone through so much, the last thing she needed was recriminations.
Hermione took a deep breath, then ended the Shrinking Charm on herself.
She, too, almost fell off the bench. But she was back to her natural size herself, and without having suffered any side effects - at least as far as she could tell.
"Alright," She said. "How's your foot?"
"It's fine."
It obviously wasn't, but Hermione wouldn't push the issue. Not so close to freedom. "Let's go." She looked around. "There aren't any oars?"
"I didn't check," Harry said. "We'll have to use magic."
Great. Hermione didn't know any boat-propelling charm. Another stupid mistake of hers - she should've learned what charm moved the boats with the First Years across the Black Lake.
And she should've realised this before starting this. Sloppy. Stupid and sloppy. They had counted on there being oars to row the boat. That couldn't be too hard. They could paddle, at the very least. "The pirate we took prisoner could know how to move the boat," she said.
"But will he?" Harry asked.
They could try to force the man, of course. But… what if he was too stubborn to cave? Even in the face of threats? Could they hurt the man to make him move the boat? Could Hermione? She didn't answer. "We don't have sails, either."
"And figuring out how to activate the enchantment on the boat might take a while," Harry said. He looked at the horizon, which was now glowing red.
"And we would lose the cover of darkness," Hermione said, clenching her teeth. The pirates would already be looking for them. On brooms. They were running out of time.
"I can pull it on a broom. If we're fast enough, it'll slide through the wards on its own," Harry suggested.
"After you crash into the wards?" Hermione said.
"I can swim and push the boat," Harry countered.
"With your foot?" She shook her head. "I'll push the boat. You keep an eye out for sharks and other threats. She grabbed her top to pull it off, then stopped. Push the boat through the water. Like… "An octopus!"
"What?" Harry looked around. "Where?"
Céline looked alarmed as well.
Hermione ignored their reactions. "An octopus, like a squid, propels itself through water by expelling water - a sort of jet propulsion!" she explained.
They looked at her with blank expressions. Well, Céline didn't understand English. But Harry?
"The Water-Making Spell!" She blurted out.
"Oh! Yes!" Harry grinned at her. "Good idea!"
She snorted. It was a great idea. "Let's hurry!"
She pointed her wand at the sea and cast. "Aguamenti!"
Water shot from the tip of her wand.
"Aguamenti!"
"Into the water," she said, lowering the tip of her wand into the sea.
Harry followed her example.
And the boat started to move.
Yes!
She looked up, at the shore, to gauge their course. Good enough, she decided. "Keep going!"
The sun started to rise as well - the island and the hill to the east still blocked the line of sight, but the darkness was fading anyway. It didn't matter, though. Just a little bit more, and they would be free. Though since they didn't know how far exactly the spells protecting the island reached out, they would have to keep going for some time to be on the safe side. Literally.
She snorted at her own unintended pun.
"We're rather slow," Harry commented.
"Yes." She could see it - she wasn't blind.
"And the sun's rising."
"Yes." That was obvious as well.
"We'll have trouble avoiding the pirates when we switch to brooms," Harry pointed out. "It'll be day by then, and we'll be visible from afar."
"If they are looking for us," she retorted - but then, they would be scouring the sea for them. The pirates couldn't afford to let them escape and tell others of the island. "Which they will be," she added.
"They're already looking for us, I'm sure," Harry replied. She heard him take a deep breath. "Look…"
"If you tell me that you'll serve as a distraction, I'll curse you myself, shrink you and carry you in my pocket!" she cut him off.
He drew a sharp breath for a moment. She had been correct. "Look, we have three people and two brooms - we won't be able to outrun them. Someone has to keep them busy. And I'm the better flyer."
"Then you need to ensure that Céline gets to safety," she retorted. "Besides, I have a plan."
"You have?"
"Yes."
"Does it involve us shrinking ourselves again to escape on the back of birds?"
"No." They had been lucky to be able to shrink themselves - and Céline - once without issues. "We might not have the time for that before the pirates find us, and they wouldn't let a bird escape. Not after our distraction."
"Right. So much for Tolkien."
She had to laugh at that, even though the sky was turning blue now, and they were - by her reckoning - still too close to the shore to be safe.
"So, what's your plan?" Harry asked after a moment.
"It actually does involve birds," she told him. "If I conjure a swarm of them and enlarge them like before, we can…"
"Brooms!" Harry snapped, interrupting her. Straight behind us!"
She looked up. Yes, right in the direction Harry was indicating, she could see dark dots flying above the hilltop. But… "They haven't seen us. Not yet," she said.
"Not yet. How much farther?"
She bit her lower lip, hard enough to hurt, as she looked at the shore, trying to guess the distance. "A little more to be safe," she said. "Just a little more."
Harry muttered a curse under his breath. "About that plan…"
She licked her lips, staring at the tiny broom riders in the distance. They were quite far away, and it was still somewhat dark. Perhaps they wouldn't see them… "Yes. The summoned birds can serve as…"
The broom riders moved. In their direction.
"They've seen us," Harry snapped.
Céline gasped. "Non!"
And streaks of light shot up from the flying pirates. Signals, Hermione realised.
The two pirates were alerting the others that they had found them.
"Keep going!" she snapped, pulling her wand out of the water. "Avis!"
"Birds won't stop them! They can just plough through them with their shields!"
"Birds are easier to hit than brooms," Hermione snapped back. "Avis!"
"Oh."
He got it.
"Engorgio! Engorgio! Engorgio!"
Hermione started to enlarge the birds.
And the first pirates started to cast spells at them.
*****
