The Black Riddle

Ch 8. Persuasion


“I never thought I’d say this, but you’re even more insane than Jack!” Gibbs shouted, and again gaining the attention of the entire tavern.

“It’s suicide! That’s what!” He yelled. Bella sat in front of the raging man completely unfazed by his ranting.

“For it to be suicide we would have to kill ourselves, if we go in there and get killed it’s assisting to our own death’s. There is quite the difference.” She stated calmly. Jack peered at her quizzing.

“Why are you not even a little taken aback by his temper?”

“If you call that a temper, you haven’t met my aunt, now saying anything against her, that is suicide.” Gibbs was about to finish as they returned their attention to Gibbs.

“You two are mad as hatters. You make a good pair and your children will reflect upon your insanity and occasional brilliance!”

“There is a fine line between madness and brilliance Mr. Gibbs” Bella said to the complete silence. The silence was thick enough to dig out with a spoon and finally Jack couldn’t take any more.

“So is that a yes then?” Gibbs closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“The pair of you are completely insane, if I agree to this I’ve got an invitation to the wedding, right?”

“Ye’ll be my best man, savvy?”

“Who’ll do the seremony?”

“The whelp of course!”

“Aye, that sounds good. Deck of the Pearl then?”

“Naturally. Barbossa wedded the whelp and Elizabeth there, it was my mother’s ship before she…ouch.” He glared at Bella.

“Did I just miss a very important punch line because I do not know how we got from potential treasure to our never-to-come-wedding if the two of you don’t focus!” Jack seemed to take in her words.

‘how did we get into the wedding talk, isn’t that her job to nag me about?’ he thought, out loud he repeated what he asked earlier.

“So is that a yes then?”

“It might just work Capt’n”

“Of course it will work, I’m Bellatrix Black Riddle! The fact that I’m still alive proves my brilliance.” She huffed. Jack just stared at her and cocked a brow.

“Same as her mate. I’m brilliant, proven cause I’m still alive. This is just another in a long line of insane things we have done. This is just a new kind of challenge. We will actually have to use our intelligence instead of brute force and intelligence. It will be a challenge for our nature. If we can do this, then we are truly pirates. If we can do this, I can call myself King of Pirates, not just chosen by the Brethren Court as their head of council, but by the fates themselves, my first mate and my queen…” he twinned a lock of hair between his finger.”… will stand by my side along with my crew, which despite the lack of fancy blue coates, are the finest in the world, and we can say that we kicked the British empire’s arse to Russia!” Gibbs sat wide-eyed along with the rest of the crew behind him.

“How in the blazes do you think we can decline after that?!”

“Well, I don’t expect you to.” Jack said and took another swag of his rum. He frowned into his drink. ‘that tasted funny.’ He thought and put the mug back down.

“Is this really a suicide mission Captain?”

“We will discuss the detail when we set sail in two hours, so I suggest you all hurry in getting the supplies we need.”

“Oh” Bella jumped, “I need to go shopping too.” Jack raised an eyebrow.

“For what.” Bella matched his expression and hooked a manicured brow.

“You don’t expect me to be able to go trough with this plan with water salt and sand do you. Dreadlocks are terribly difficult to unwind and it will take ages, so if you want time to set a toe on the helm for the next month, we will go shopping!” Jack raised his palms in defeat.

“Shopping it is love.” The crew snickered at their constant shift of dominance. Jack turned back to the crew.

“I know this plans is the crazies thing we’ve ever done, but I have only lost two crewmembers in my time as captain, Bootstrap Bill, and his whelp Will, and they’re not even completely dead, so rest safely. You are truly the finest crew that has ever sailed the seas. Now shoo! I want everyone back at the Pearl in one hour!” he said and waived them all off with erratic wrist movements?

“Do we really have to go shopping?” Jack whined the second the rest of the crew were out the door.

“No, I just need to know if you’ve got any allergies.”

“Um, no. Why?”

“It would not be good if you got a rash would it. You just sit here, drink up and be at the ship in an hour.” She said and kissed him and headed to the door. Gibbs just stared after her in amazement then he turned to Jack with a determent look on his face.

“If you don’t marry that lass I’ll keelhaul you Capt’n. She can fight, does not force you to go shopping, she is as insane as you. She’s perfect for you and you know it.”

“I know she’s perfect and I like her, but…”

“But…?”

“I’m scared.” Jack whispered with his head in his hands. “She won’t be here forever and I could not stand to lose her.”

“Now Jack, we’ve all seen how she looks at ye, she wont leave because yer a bit different.” He said and patted the younger mans head. Gibbs was the only other person that knew of Jacks magic. They had known each other since Jack was just a boy captaining a navy ship. He had always known, they say that is was his nose that singled them out, that he could smell their magic.

“No, it’s not that.” Jack mumbled. “She’s like me. The skies listen to her like the sea does to me. Did you know that there are millions of us? Entire cities, schools, universities, bookshops, ministry, they even have an aristocracy! Each of those families are richer that the crown of England. The closest they have to royalty is the founders.” He babbled.

“Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw and Salazar Slytherin.” He sighed. “Me and Bella are related to Slytherin. Cool huh?” he laughed tiredly. He didn’t know where all his energy went, but he was suddenly very ready for his cabin.

“Aye. I’ll be off then. Have to get some ropes, ‘cause the crew never get the right ones.” Gibbs said and headed for the door. Jack jus lifted a hand to say he heard and he was free to go.

……………………………………………………………………………

Bella was walking down the main street, nodding and greeting Merlin knows how many people. As it turned out, sailing with Captain Jack Sparrow and harbouring any personal attachment to the man brought much fame. She staggered under the weight of the heavy box she was carrying and nearly fell over as Gibbs caught her and yanked the box out of her hands.

“Ye be careful there lass. Jack would keelhaul me if anything happened to ye.” Bella grinned.

“Thank you Gibbs.” She smiled.

“So what ye been buying the eh?”

“Loads of stuff well need to turn Jack into a Lord. He’s got the bone structure and good skin, but those dreadlock have got to go.” She wrinkled her nose. “Pity though. I like them. It’s like he wouldn’t quite be Jack with out them.”

“Aye, I understand what ye mean. Eh, the Capt’n mentioned something about founders and some lad named Slytherin or something like that. I already know about ye powers and such so don’t hold out on me.”

“Yes, I’ll tell you all about the founder, but I’m not finished shopping, so if you’ll join me?” Gibbs nodded and walked beside her.

“There are four founders and each of them were the most powerful of their age, and since, until me, Jack, and my father, Frank Longbottom, Lucas Lovegood and James Potter. All of this is loaded with politics so you’ve got to pay attention and I’ll do the best I can.”

“Aye.”

“ Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin got together and built the greatest school ever made. Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The school consists of four ‘houses’ each named after the founders. They wound personally sort the student into the appropriate house, and when they died they gave the job to a magic hat.” She glanced at Gibbs disbelieving face

“ I know it sounds dumb, I didn’t believe it myself until I had the hat on my head. Anyway, each of the founders sought specific things. Gryffindor sought bravery, Ravenclaw sought intelligence and logic, Slytherin sought cunning and will to survive, and Hufflepuff sough loyalty, but also she wanted those who didn’t fit anywhere else. All of this is grand of course, but the hat didn’t do it’s job as they expected, instead it sorted after how much like the founders each of them were” she took a swag of water and continued.

“Godric was brave, much so indeed, but he was also brash and self-righteous. Rowena was the smartest witch of her age, but also a romantic. Helga was loyal, discreet, smart and the deadliest of the four, and at last Salazar. Salazar was the most powerful of the four, because he was cunning. He sought that, and self-preservation but unknown to most that are not from the house of Slytherin themselves, they value family. He would, and did die for his family. There was nothing he would not do for them.” she tuned to Gibbs with a serious look on her face.

“Here is where it all gets complicated. What I’m about to tell you about is something our people still wage war about even a thousand years later. Godric believed that all people had the right to magic. In itself it is a good thought, but he wanted to give it to people who were not magical in themselves, muggles we call them, like you. They developed a two terms, squibs, and muggleborn, or mudbloods as the pure families call them. A squib is a person born to magical parents, but has no magic themselves. A muggleborn is a witch or wizard born from muggles. The trouble is there is no such as squibs or muggleborns. The root of our hearts situates our magic. What they did was rip the magic from a newborn magical child and put it into a muggle child. That is why we are opposed to it. they are not natural and have almost destroyed our world with their religions and prejudices.” She was getting upset and started waving her hands around.

“There are only six pureblood families left and they are very inbred. In contraire to popular belief we do not mind if a magical person and a muggle have children and they live by our ways, but it is wrong to rip someones birthright from someone, so that another can spend a few years in our world. Because that is what they do. They go to school then they go back and live like muggles, while the lives of those who have been stripped of their magic is ruined. They don’t know how to live like muggles because they have never even been in muggle areas. They become helpless in a world where no one is willing to help someone that is beneath them, squibs especially. All of the squibs are from pureblood families, and when they are not able to produce a magical child ever, whether they have a magical spouse or not, puts and end to our lines. These families founded Britain; their roots date back to before the island was even populated. In the end we fight for our lives, and we are loosing, because the ministry is run by a bunch of Gryffindors. No Slytherins are trusted because of the lies they have spread. The same goes for Gryffindors the upper parts of society. My cousin Sirius is the eldest child of my aunt and uncle. They were so proud of him, showed him off and spoiled him. We were best friends when we were children. Then when he was eleven, he got sorted into Gryffindor. Do you see where this is heading?”

“Aye” Gibbs nodded, he knew he would not like the sound of the next words coming

“They cut him off. Burned his name off the family tree with a cigarette. They treat him like he is not worth to lick the spit from underneath their shoes. We are no longer aloud to talk to him at all. The worst part is that he is not unique in his situation; my sister got sorted into Hufflepuff. They are seen upon as weak and dumb, worse than Gryffindor. God I’ve been babbling all this time. You wanted to know how us being related to Slytherin and Ravenclaw is going to help our plan?”

“Aye, that was actually it.” he said a bit sheepishly.

“The founders and the most prominent pureblood families are well known in the higher ranks of the British aristocracy. That is because we often marry each other. Money, stature, political power and so on and the squib are often sent to live with them, in a world with their equals. Only the very richest families wan afford this, just because they are pure-blooded does not mean rich. “ Gibbs nodded to show that he was still on board.

“We will be presented as Lord and Lady Slytherin. Now I’ve got a few questions of my own.”

“Ask away lass”

“Why do people bow to me?” Gibbs laughed heartily.

“Ah, I was wondering that myself. Has Jack asked you to sail with him?”

“Yes, why?”

“Just wondered. To answer you question; Jack said to Anne that you slept in his bed and stood by his side at the helm, then told her to spread the word. The reason for her…. miffed mood and the need for your demonstration of you blade skills was that every single woman in the Tortuga, especially those two, wanted to be the one to capture the Pirate Kings black heart. “

“Jack is a king?”

“Aye, I gather he told you of the Brethren Court?” She nodded.

“Well, Jack was a Pirate Lord, one out of nine, he was handed the title from his grandfather Jonathan Sparrow. It only goes to the one worthy, not by bloodlines. After the Battle of Davy Jones, the King, Elizabeth Swann- she’ll be at the party by the way, who was elected for the war did such a shit job, that they decided to re-elect. Luckily they came to their senses and realised that even if Jack owed that all money or something else, he was reliable. He had never lost a battle or a crewmember. And even when not in command he called the shots that saved everyone’s lives. The title of King however is passed on through family so if Jack had a child…”

“What has this got to do with me?” she interrupted.

“Ah, you said yes when he asked you to sail with him , aye?”

“Yes.”

“And you are a couple, in that sense of the word, aye?”

“I guess so, yes?”

“Then in light of this, basically you are now the Lady of the Pearl, like Jack is Captain and Lord. “

“Okay…”

“And you’re kind of the Pirate Queen as well.” Bella stopped dead still and looked at him with wide eyes.

“Oh.” Was all she was able to say.

“Look, “ Gibbs said, and walked back up to her. “Jack has never had someone like you… I mean a steady relationship. It has always been a girl here and another there, but he really loves you, he told me so himself, but he is scared for you leaving. I’m begging you, don’t break his heart, he’s had too much shit to deal with in his young life.”

“But I can’t promise that! Merlin knows I don’t ever want to leave, I’ve never been so happy, but the same thing that brought me here will take me back and I won’t know until I am actually back home in my father’s study.” The desperation in her voice was beginning to show.

“Whoa! Slow down lass. What thing?” Bella sighed and shook her head.

“My parents forgot to mention that I was engaged to the most foul smelling boy at my school until the day before the wedding. I spent the entire night crying in the arms of my mentor. He knew of this spell that would do so that I would not be able to carry the heir of any other man than the one I was born to. The side effects were unknown, but a diary from my predecessors all said that they’d give their lives to do it again, so we figured it couldn’t be so bad. Since it would only work on a woman of his line, Slytherin, he adopted me, did the spell and here I am.” Bella wiped away a tear that had leaked from the corner of her eye, and smiles weakly up at Gibbs.

“Does the Capt’n know ‘bout this then.”

“Yeah…”

“That explains why he’s scared of loosin’ ye.”

“Hmm. Because he will loose me, but never my heart.”

The rest of the walk back to the Pearl was made in silence. Both of them had much on their minds that needed to be sorted though. When they reached the Pearl she was almost ready to sail, but Jack was still a no show.
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A/N: i can already tell you now that it will be a while until the next chapter, cause i'm going to italy in a few days and i will be internet robbed. sorry, but i hope you all will pray for a quick sufferingm it will hurt like a curcio. please review