Harry stood with his arms crossed over his chest, shoulders squared and back straight. His stance was strong, almost cocky, and very self-assured. He met the gazes of each of the Order members unwaveringly, as if daring them to challenge him. Draco and Luna stood slightly behind him, flanking him.

The Order members were seated in the eight thrones. One of them was empty and Draco assumed that was Peter's. All but Sirius and James were sitting straight. James was resting his chin on his fist, leaning against one of the armrests, and Sirius was sprawled in his seat, one of his legs thrown over the armrest of the throne. He still managed to look curiously regal. Draco saw Apolline shooting Sirius disapproving glances while he studiously pretended not to notice. Remus merely looked amused.

It was difficult for Draco to wrap his mind around the fact that Sirius shared blood with his mother. He had seen the Black family tree countless times and Sirius wasn't a part of it. He looked for any semblance between the Marauder and Narcissa and found only the same high, elegant cheekbones. Thinking of his mother made Draco's heart ache, so he turned his attention to Harry, who had begun to speak.

"There is a prophecy," Harry said, his voice cool.

"Regarding?" The man with silvery hair asked gently. Luna had whispered to Draco that this man was Albus Dumbledore, leader of the Order.

"The Lord of the Lamented."

Charlie's brows raised as Apolline's furrowed. Draco noticed Sirius began to pay more attention, as he stopped fiddling with one of his rings and sat up a little bit.

"Does Peter know about this?" Remus questioned.

"I assume not. I've no way of contacting him."

James spoke. "He must have his suspicions. He was the one who alerted us that Voldemort had escaped the locker. I suspect he's already begun guessing at Voldemort's intentions."

"How did Voldemort escape the locker?" Apolline asked, her voice lilting and almost entrancing. "I notice Peter is not amongst us."

James instantly whipped his head to the side to stare her down. "If you're implying that Peter had a hand in this, I suggest you hold your tongue. He is a Marauder. I would appreciate you not accusing him of betraying the Order." The expression on his face was almost identical to the one Harry made when determined.

"It is a concern that needs to be raised," Apolline pushed. "No one has ever escaped from the locker before."

"I agree with your suspicions that he had help," Luna interrupted, stepping forward slightly. Though she spoke softly, her voice carried and everyone turned to look at her. "Someone believes if they assist Tom Riddle in gaining the title, he will be indebted to them and they will be able to manipulate him to do their bidding. Someone wants the sea rid of pirates and is desperate enough to enlist a pirate to help them."

"Only a human would be foolish enough to do this," Apolline said sharply.

Minerva spoke sternly. "We begin to digress." Everyone quieted. "Is Tom Riddle aware of this prophecy?"

"If he is, he heard it from either Sybill or Cassandra," Luna's voice sounded dreamy, almost far away. "This is an ancient divination. Either of them could have channeled it."

"All we know," Harry said, "is that he's actively seeking the power."

Everyone was quiet for a little while. All Draco could hear was the sound of the dragon's wings flapping somewhere above, sounding far away, and the water cascading down the platform. He shifted his weight and waited for someone to speak, slowly processing all the information he was gathering. Everyone was seemingly deep in thought and when the silence was finally broken, it was by Albus.

"How do you propose we stop Tom Riddle?" This was directed toward Harry.

All eyes were on him, everyone wanting to hear some sort of solution. "Somehow, we need to send him back to the locker."

"He will not go easily," Charlie was frowning.

Sirius was smirking. "We've sent him to the locker once, we can send him back again. What say you, Prongs? Moony?"

"No," Albus said, quietly yet firmly. "You cannot put your given tasks on hold again. The ocean needs your command. I'll not have chaos reign in your element." Albus looked at Harry. "You were the one to hear the prophecy. I suspect fate has already been put into motion."

Harry instantly tensed. "I'm not the right man for this task. I'm no hero, nor would I like to be. I am a pirate. I was hoping to inform you of this, then wash my hands of it."

"I am afraid there will be no hand-washing, Captain Potter," Minerva said.

"And if I refuse?"

Draco's eyes widened slightly at Harry's defiance. He couldn't imagine daring to challenge the word of any member of the Order. This was Harry, though—he didn't seem as if he was overly fond of doing what anyone told him to, no matter who that person was.

"You wouldn't have brought Draco if you were truly planning to refuse." Albus had a small smile on his face.

Suddenly, all attention was on him. Draco, initially shocked by Albus's words, considered them. He realized that Albus had a point. He wasn't even sure if Harry had been aware of the reason he had brought Draco.

If Harry truly had planned to pass the task over to the Order and be rid of it, he wouldn't have found Draco and come back for the vial. He wouldn't have brought Draco—whom he knew was vital to the mission—back onto the Siren. He wouldn't have brought Draco to the meeting. He wouldn't have cared if Draco knew more about the Lord of the Lamented or Voldemort or the prophecy.

"We will all assist you in any way we can," Albus said gently. The other members of the Order nodded their agreement.

Harry's muscles were taut and Draco could see that his jaw was tightened. He cleared his throat, then looked over at Remus, Sirius, and James.

"Where do I begin? How do I go about this?" He sounded uncertain, for the first time Draco could ever remember.

James's face was twisted with a combination of pride and worry. It was Sirius who spoke.

"You're going to need to find allies. Voldemort will undoubtedly have an army of humans behind him, especially if it was a human who helped him escape."

"Don't I need information first?" Harry asked. "I should know more about him and his plans before I make my own."

"Find allies first," Charlie said. "Leave finding the information to us. We each know how to find you, so we'll each come to you with information within a fortnight." He looked at the rest of the Order. "Agreed?"

Everyone nodded.

"He'll know, by now, that we're after him so he'll be ready for a fight," Sirius continued. "Nonetheless, it's your job to find him. Then, you just have to kill him and send him back to the locker before he becomes the Lord of the Lamented. Simple." He said the last part nonchalantly and almost cheerfully. Draco shot him a look of disbelief.

"Right," Harry said sarcastically. "Simple."

"We'll be there to help you along the way," James reassured him. "Already, you have seven allies right here."

Looking at the faces of those around them, Draco suddenly felt the reality of the situation. He was going to help Harry stop Voldemort.

They were actually going to do this.

The Siren was still deathly silent when they returned. Timber Toe, Tommo, and Bottom were shooting Draco curious looks and Red looked anxious. Draco's mind suddenly made the connection between Charlie and Red—he knew that Red's real name was Ronald Weasley. He took in Red's fiery hair and blue eyes and wondered if he and Charlie were related. If they were, he found himself questioning why Red was on a pirate ship if his brother was a dragon tamer.

He was drawn from his thoughts by Harry's boots striding across the deck. The mist was still thick around them and Draco could feel it dampening his clothes and hair. A sheen of moisture had already gathered on his skin and he could feel droplets of water gliding down his neck, back, and arms.

Harry walked up to the wheel and pulled a compass from his weapons belt. He had used the moisture in his hair to slick it back and keep it from his eyes. His brow was low and he looked determined, yet displeased.

"Hoist the sails." His voice was low. "Raise the anchor."

Immediately, the crew members scrambled to do just that. As they all followed Harry's orders, Draco walked up to the helm and stood beside Harry. He let his arm brush against the other man's. Harry didn't say anything, just stood still, one hand resting on the wheel, the other holding a gold compass. His eyes watched as his crew raised the sails.

"Where are we going to find allies?" Draco asked quietly. "Tortuga?"

Harry was silent for a long time before shaking his head. "No," he said, "not Tortuga. We're going to an island called Asylo."

Draco had never heard of such an island. He had spent many hours with the Commodore when he was younger, poring over maps, learning about the sea, but he couldn't remember ever hearing of Asylo.

"Asylo? Why Asylo? Is it some sort of secret pirate island?"

"Something like that." The wind caught in their sails and Harry steered the ship as it slowly began to move. "I know of an ally who makes port there every two fortnights."

Draco's curiosity was piqued. "Who's this ally?"

Harry turned his head to look at him.

"My mother."