"Which class were you in?" Jack asked, leaning against the wall. He was sitting across from Tonks on the stairs.

"Class? Oh my house. Hufflepuff."

"I barely went to school. But seeing as the only education you need to be a pirate is out at sea, that doesn't matter much." Jack said.

Tonks nodded and they were both quiet for a minute. Then she looked over at Jack. "Are you going back?"

"To... my time?" Jack asked leaning towards her. "I don't know. Dumbledore said he needed to think about how."

"Do you want to go back?"

"I think so. I love the sea. And the Pearl, and rum." Jack said solidly. "That's it."

"That's it?" Tonks asked quietly, looking down.

"Yes. That's it." Jack thought briefly of Elizabeth, and Tia, but then his mind returned to Tonks.

"That's not what I was expecting you to say." Tonks admitted.

"Well, you could say I love lots of other things. Like my hat." Jack added.

"But no people?"

"Everyone where I'm from hates me." Jack said casually.

"Everyone? Do you deserve it?" Tonks asked, intrigued by this strange man.

"Eh. I am a pirate. We aren't good guys." Jack examined his hand.

"I bet you have tons of stories."

"I suppose. Wouldn't you?" Jack asked. Tonks gave him a puzzled look. "Being a ororrer, aurora, an uh orr-no an aror-"

"Auror." Tonks smiled.

"Can't say that word."

"Not really," Tonks paused. "Maybe a few. You should ask Harry, though he's probably too modest, so is Dumbledore."

"I see," Jack looked up at Tonks, who was staring at the floor, and she met his gaze.

"I want to see your boat." Tonks declared.

"My ship! The Black Pearl is a ship, she's a ship!" Jack exclaimed.

"Okay, okay, your ship!" Tonks put her arms up in mock apology.

"How'd you know about her?"

"Everyone is talking about the pirate ship floating in the Black Lake, and the pirate that was in it. You should probably go over there before some silly first-year turns it into a kumquat," Tonks joked.

"Can they do that?" Jack asked seriously.

"Well, yeah-" Tonks started, but Jack had already grabbed her wrist and started running. "Jack? The lake is that way." Tonks pointed in the opposite direction.