Tales From the Grand Line

Disclaimer: I own only the obvious, the rest belongs to JK Rowling and Eichiro Oda.

Author's Note: My how time flies! I'm really sorry about the very late reply.

Rating: T

Chapter Five: Where the Wild Roses Grow

While Usopp came up into the rigging and to the crow's nest in order to keep watch, the shrouds and the beams were actually Draco's and Harry's domain. Years of quidditch and wild broom rides had given them both a good head for heights and excellent balance. Coupled with Draco's animagus form and their magic and very little could actually throw them off or make them lose their footing.

Not that they got the chance to really test any of that. The weather in East Blue was beautifully calm, sunny, warm and simply a dream with just enough wind to keep the Going Merry moving. It was the kind of weather people going on cruises hoped to get but rarely got, and they had it all the time, day in and day out.

The Going Merry was perfect for their small crew. It was easy to handle, had two rooms below decks that made it easy to separate boy and girl sleeping quarters. There was more than enough storage space for provisions and powder and extra equipment, and the ship slid easily and quickly through the waves. It couldn't have been better had they planned for it. Nami certainly seemed to enjoy herself steering and navigating, and Luffy's favourite perch was on the ram's head figure head. Zoro was often found on the back deck either training or simply snoozing the lazy day away, and Usopp was usually experimenting with new shots for his slingshot.

"If I didn't know any better I would say that this was getting a bit boring." Harry remarked one lazy day. "But I do know better. This is the calm before the storm. Something will happen, we will have to fight for or run for our lives, Luffy will do something stupid and total chaos will follow."

"Speaking from personal experience, Potter?" Draco couldn't quite pull the innocent smile.

The two of them up in the rigging, stretched out on the beams and using magic to stick there. Their newly-painted sail and pirate flag with the white skull wearing a straw hat flapped in the gentle breeze.

"Yup. It's amazing what kind of trouble Luffy can get into. You'll get to see that for yourself soon. It could be a spit of deserted rock in the middle of nowhere and he would find the dangerous part about it."

"You aren't exactly a saint in that department yourself, or have you forgotten seven years' worth of death defying adventures and battles?" the blond snorted.

Harry smiled. "Now plus my Potter luck with Luffy's, and what do you get?"

Draco was silent for a few moments, and then sighed. "We're totally screwed here, aren't we? You two together are going to bring the world down upon us. We should just throw in the towel right now and spare ourselves the suffering."

"Or we could be the ones to take over this world."

"That's even worse. A world run by Gryffindors. We're all going to die horrible painful heroic deaths and go down in history as, well, heroes."

"Ah, but if you give up now then you'll never figure out why we Gryffindors do what we do, why we get involved in everyone else's business."

"I think I could handle not knowing if I could only stay alive long enough."

Harry chuckled.

"Harry!" Luffy's voice broke the calm, and Harry looked down at their captain. "I'm hungry!"

"No you're not!" Harry called back. "You just think you are, but really, you're not!"

"I'm not?" Luffy looked like one big question mark. "But my stomach says otherwise!"

"It's saying that it's had more than enough food for one day! It doesn't need more! It begs for time to digest everything before you stuff it with more!"

"My stomach is talking?! And you can understand it?! You're such a cool mystery man, Harry!"

Harry sighed and felt like sweat-dropping. Stupid captain. Until they got a proper cook, cooking and the kitchen had become Harry's domain, and the first thing he had done was to ward the kitchen and the fridge and the cupboards against Luffy and anyone else wanting to sneak in a snack or ten. They didn't have that many provisions, and Luffy could eat his own weight ten times over without trouble – and without getting fat.

"I hate him." Draco grumbled. "I always gain weight and have trouble losing it again. Do you know just how much trouble I have staying as fit as I am?"

"You're too vain." Harry grinned.

"Says the guy who's thin as a twig with a rat's nest for hair. Malfoys, however, always look their best."

"And you just proved my point."

So, other than keeping their captain out of the kitchen and the food stores, there was little to occupy their time. Which was good. Harry enjoyed it; the peace interspaced with occasional bursts of adventure was just what he needed. He had time to think and reflect, but it was also never going to get completely boring and monotone.

-x-x-x-x-

"Land ahead!" Usopp called down from the crow's nest. They had been at sea for four days and the difference that a big, sturdy ship made was beyond noticeable. Everyone was more relaxed, less worried – not that there had been much worrying going around anyway – and with proper showers, proper beds and proper food people were generally more happy. So while the spotting of land before would have garnered a great big 'hallelujah' now it was just a minor curiosity.

Zoro lay dozing against the bulwark as Harry walked over and looked at the horizon. He could barely see something blurry and almost fog like right now, but in about an hour it should be fully visible.

Luffy was on his customary seat on the ram head figure head. "Let's go and check it out! Perhaps we can find a musician there!"

"What do you think, Nami? Would it be safe to go there?" Usopp asked as he got down on deck.

"It should be okay," she replied with a grin. "I've been there before. That town doesn't have a marine base so it's safe, and it's bigger than your village so we can get more necessary equipment and provisions for the trip."

Usopp turned to their captain. "Hear that, Luffy? It should be safe enough!"

"Land, land, land, land, land!" Luffy sang.

"I would like to stock up on food and water again." Harry mumbled. Despite his best efforts their food supply had dwindled at a crazy rate. They still had quite a lot, but it was better to stock up rather than risk the possibility of suddenly going hungry in the middle of the ocean.

"And I would like to buy our captain a new brain." Draco said as he came out of the galley. "What's wrong with the idiot? He attacked two marine bases and he thinks that he can simply walk into every town without trouble? If he's going to become the Pirate King then he better start being smart about it."

"So you accept him as your captain then?" Zoro spoke up without opening his eyes.

Draco grimaced. "Hell no. He is like a horrible train wreck that you can't look away from. That's all."

"Sure it is."

"You're so annoying."

"And you're arrogant."

"Alcoholic."

"Ass-"

Harry stepped between them. He was grinning. "Let's behave until we get to the island, children."

An hour later they could see the island more clearly. There were fields of neatly planted trees that stretched off into the distance, roads wound here and there shaded by wild trees and bushes, and white-washed houses practically glowed in the sun. The city centre itself wasn't the biggest, but the city's residential areas stretched out way beyond it into the gently rolling hills. The occasional white-washed farm house lit up like little stars amongst the orchards.

"Orchard Island." Draco read from the sign in the harbour as they docked the ship. "They certainly aren't very creative with names around here, are they? I don't suppose they bothered to name the inn anything but 'the inn'?"

Zoro grinned. "At least it fits."

"Not if there is more than one inn around here."

"With a small town like this I doubt it." Harry said. "Come on, let's go. It was decided that we're going to eat together first and then we'll go our separate ways and go shopping."

It was easy to find the inn. If Luffy's nose hadn't led them there then the fact that it was the only two-storey building in the entire town might have. Or any number of the extremely helpful citizens who didn't seem worried at all to have a pirate ship docked at their port.

"Either they are very used to having pirates around, or they hope that being nice that we'll disappear as soon as possible." Zoro remarked.

"Or they're just stupid. Honestly. Trusting pirates to stick to unwritten rules about behaving- what?" Draco turned to Harry who pointed up at the sign of the inn with a grin.

The sign which very proudly proclaimed the building to be "The Tavern".

"You've got to be kidding." Draco looked torn between sweat-dropping and raging at the obviousness.

"At least it's not 'the inn'." Harry patted the Slytherin's shoulder and entered with Zoro with a grumbling Draco bringing up the rear. The crew sat down at one of the few tables big enough for all of them, and soon there was a veritable feast on the table in front of them.

"It's nice like this," Harry said, "being normal visitors who only stay for a short while."

"Reminds me of Syrup Village." Usopp pointed to himself. "I built that tavern where you ate with my own two hands! Day and night I worked for a hundred years to make it just so for you! The walls were made from the bones of the Wall-i-Topps who live on Wall Island! I travelled through dangers unmentionable for seven years to get there, and I fought their chief and all one thousand warriors to get enough materials!"

"Whoaaaaaa! That's amazing!" Luffy's eyes were practically sparkling. "Tell me more!"

"The fighting went on for thirty days and thirty nights without stop! The Wall-i-Topps are big as mountains and stronger than anything you've ever known, but I fought them with only my pinky finger! First you take out their legs to make them fall over! Since they are so square shaped they can't roll back onto their backs! After that it's easy to tickle them into submission!"

"Woooow! Seriously?!"

Draco groaned and rubbed his forehead. "Those lies are so bad that it's painful to listen to them being uttered."

Nami sighed. "What a pair of idiots."

"For a 107 year old liar he certainly looks good." Harry pushed his empty plate away and leaned back in his seat, taking up the tankard with grog and sipped at it.

Zoro grinned from next to him. "A lie a day keeps the doc away."

"If that's the case then Usopp will easily outlive us all put together." The green-eyed Gryffindor chuckled.

"They fear me still on that island! And they call me the Great Master of All Seas Usopp!" Usopp struck a pose. "So make me the captain!"

"Hell no!"

-x-x-x-x-

Nami left the tavern first claiming that she needed to do some female shopping – whatever that meant – while the rest of them stayed for a good while yet. Usopp had gotten right into the spirit of things, telling tall tales that Luffy and several local children were eagerly listening to. Luffy had eaten another three platters before Harry – and a lack of money – forced him to stop, and Zoro, Harry and Draco were leaning back and keeping an eye on the captain and the sharpshooter until Luffy finally decided that it was about time to get back to the ship.

"The sea's calling!" Luffy declared with a grin, adjusting his hat before turning to the man behind the counter. "Uncle! Thanks for a wonderful meal! I'll be sure to come back again!"

The proprietor grinned and waved them off, happily counting the golden coins they had given him as payment.

"I've still got to get new provisions." Harry said once they stepped outside into the warm air.

"We'll come with you and help carry it." Zoro decided before anyone else could say anything.

Usopp groaned and clutched his stomach. "Ugh, sorry guys, I have a bad back. I can't carry anything heavy today. I should probably just go back to the ship."

Draco pushed him forwards. "If your back is bad then why are you clutching your stomach, idiot?"

"The pain is so horrible that it goes all the way through my body!"

"If that were the truth then you wouldn't be able to move. Now get."

Luffy chuckled and Harry and Zoro grinned as Draco kept shepherding a very reluctant Usopp. Asking a civilian soon had them pointed in the right direction and five minutes later they reached the local marketplace. Booths were placed up and down along the small plaza, with fruits and vegetables and fish and other meats. Some of it was recognisable to Harry and some of it was totally unknown. What the hell was a Panda Shark and a Seaboar anyway?

They got all that they needed and a little bit extra thanks to a good deal, and each of them took one box each. Harry and Draco cast lightweight charms on several of the boxes and they headed downhill back towards the harbour. It was during this trip that they noticed that they were being observed. And followed.

"There are five of them." Draco said. The skin around his eyes was slightly silvery and scaly. It was a partial transformation that allowed him to use the dragon's eyes and senses, and he had picked out their stalkers easily.

"Want to deal with them now?" Zoro asked. One hand was carrying a box over his shoulder, gripping onto ropes wrapped around it, and his other hand was resting seemingly casually on his three swords.

Usopp protested with a claimed case of We-Have-To-Leave-This-Island-NOW-itis, but all that garnered him was a sympathetic pat on the shoulder from Harry. The other three ignored him completely. Luffy walked on for a moment, surprisingly silent, and then he suddenly smiled and was back to his normal, goofy self.

"Nah," he said, "we'll leave it be for now. I don't wanna get thrown out of this town; the food in the tavern is too good!"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Of course it's the food."

"It's the most important thing in the world!" Luffy insisted.

"Whatever you say, captain."

The rest of the walk to the harbour and their ship they spent in easy banter and talk but kept a watch on their stalkers just in case. There was no trouble though and they reached their dock easily enough. The crates and boxes were put on the dock next to the gangplank and they took a short break. Nami showed up five minutes after them, carrying a big bag filled with whatever it was she had gone out to buy.

"What the hell have you bought?" Draco eyed the bag. "You do realise that the ship can't hold much more, right?"

"No worries, we'll throw something – or someone – off board and create more space." Nami grinned in reply.

"Want to try saying that again, thief?" Draco went for his wand and Nami's hand crept towards the pieces of her dismantled staff in response.

Before anything else could happen between them their stalkers finally revealed themselves. A group of about twenty men gathered at the end of the dock where the Going Merry was moored, shutting off the escape route into town. Harry stared at them. They looked like bandits, with bandanas and sashes in the same colour and scimitars hung at their waists. Their leader stepped forwards, a silly turban with a big feather being the only thing that marked him as different from everyone else.

"Sorry about this, friends, we don't mean to interrupt your day," he called out. "We just want to have a friendly-like chat with one of you. That one to be precise."

Harry looked at Nami with a raised eyebrow.

"I don't know who you are. Get lost." Nami called back. Her staff was in her hands and she was gripping it tight.

"Not going to work, ducky! You owe us a lot of lovely gold and silver and jewels, and we would really like to have them back. Nothing personal, darling, but we don't really like being stolen from."

"I don't have anything of yours." Her knuckles were turning white.

"Well then you'll simply have to pay us back in some other manner," the man said, hand landing on his scimitar. "I heard that organs are really sought after in the South Blue. And Loguetown has a nice red light district where you can work it off. Your body's good enough."

"You seem under the impression that we'll simply let you walk off with our navigator." Zoro growled, hand on his swords.

The man snorted. "I'm not afraid of a group of wanna-be pirates. We've watched you all day long, you haven't done anything to convince us that you're real pirates. You seem more like an entertainment troupe. Can you even use those pig pokers there? Now give us the woman or we'll kill all of you and take her anyway."

Draco snorted and glared at Nami. "What the hell did you get us involved in, woman?"

Nami didn't meet his eyes. "I haven't done anything!"

"Draco." Harry nudged the Slytherin. "Leave that for later, yes?"

"Uh, guys, they look ready to attack!" Usopp was backing up, scampering to the edge of the dock and putting the boxes and crates between himself and the approaching bandits.

"Morgana's curses! We don't have the time for this!" Draco growled and turned to glare at the bandits. "….Oh."

The bandits were lying on the ground, unconscious and with lovely bruises forming all over.

Luffy's arm snapped back into place. "That was fun!"

"Not worth the workout." Zoro's sword slid into their scabbards.

Harry whistled and twirled his wand between his fingers before placing it securely in the wrist holster. "You were too slow, so we took care of them."

"I don't think I saw them move." Usopp whimpered.

"What kind of monsters are you three?" Nami clutched her staff for a moment before she managed to force herself to put it away.

The Malfoy blinked. "That was quick. Either you are better than expected or those guys were pathetically weak."

Harry grinned and picked up a box to bring aboard. "That seems to be a recurring thing in this world," he said as he walked past.

"What kind of world is this?" Draco muttered and with a sigh picked up a box of his own.

They were quick about the loading. By Luffy's orders they were to get away as soon as possible before the civilians discovered what had happened and banned them from the town and, consequently, from the tavern and the food for having beaten up the bandits. God forbid that ever happened, Harry snickered and helped the others sail the Going Merry out of the harbour and back onto the sea where Nami soon had them on course.

"So what did those bandits want with you anyway?" Draco asked suddenly.

Nami rolled her eyes. "Honestly, you're as stubborn as a dragon."

"I am a dragon, and this dragon still wants to know."

"I told you that I don't know!"

"And I believe that about as much as I believe Longnose's pathetic lies."

Usopp frowned. "Hey!"

She sighed and walked over to her bag, rummaged around for a moment and then came back with a thick, leather-bound book, a bottle of ink and a simple pen. She handed it over to Draco. "Here. If you can't say something nice then don't say it at all, and if you feel that you really have to make remarks then write them down in this. At least then we won't have to listen to your bad attitude."

Draco stared at the book and then at Nami. "The hell-?"

"And you owe me 50 berri for the book, ten for the ink and two berry for the pen."

"Excuse me?"

"With interest. Rate is about 25% a day."

"What?! You can't be serious!"

"Watch it or I'll raise the rate! I'm being very generous!"

"Generous Merlin's arthritic foot!"

Harry smiled as he watched smoke and small tongues of flame escape Draco's mouth as the Slytherin got more and more agitated, his hands gaining claws that dug into the leather cover of the book and scraping against the ink bottle. Zoro stood next to him, leaning on the bulwark that separated the upper deck and the kitchen from the amidships deck.

"Do you think this book diary or whatever will help Draco curb his tongue?" he asked in amusement.

"Nope." Harry grinned widely. It was probably for the best, too.

After all, he Slytherin was their pet snake.

Dragon.

Whatever.

-x-x-x-x-

That's it for now! Please review!

DEBob19 and others who complain: if I took the easy way out there would be no story. Trust me to have a plan(-ish) with what I am writing, okay? :)

Next chapter: is somewhere on the horizon. Gotta find it first.

Thanks to:

Tsukune no Inugami, TheChildGrim, daemonkieran, Ireadtomuch, tragicmat1, Kanberry, 917brat, sakura240, Pirate Queen of the 21st century, Sharingan-Youkai, mysticmoon1331, ellesra, Smileadaykeepmeaway, Daicha, Levin, Myra the Dovahkiin, ruby890, Zaidee, Rhirhirhi, avatoa, DanielHimura, story-teller666, smexyforever, IchikoKitsuneKoumori, nwyd, Guest, Hola, Son Luna, The Nemesis of Expectation, Yoshishisha, Jiopaba, zerofiran, Letitallburn, Sakura Ichigo Morihiko, Sevenar, kage kitsune 14, Mecaldar, Trishia and GranIndigo.