Daily Prongsfoot Thought 30
Age of Sail AU: Young James and Sirius are best friends and the closest of companions, much to the disapproval of Sirius’ parents, who consider the Potters inferior for Various Reasons. In an attempt to separate Sirius from James’ “bad influence,” Orion and Walburga send him to stay with relatives in France and continue his education on the Continent; Orion is supposed to accompany him, but when he falls ill, Sirius’ black-sheep Uncle Alphard takes Orion’s place. James and Sirius have a tearful farewell and swear to meet again, cutting their palms and becoming “blood brothers” to seal their oath, but Sirius and Alphard’s ship is attacked and scuttled by pirates, with uncle and nephew among those believed slain in the process.
James is heartbroken and ends up entering the Royal Navy, partly to advance his family’s good name but also because he’s vowed to eradicate all pirates as the scourge they are. James is rapidly making progress towards a captaincy of his own until his ship is boarded by a pirate vessel flying a silver star on a black field. James ends up locked in combat with a strangely familiar pirate—
Pirate!Sirius/Navy!James, of course, as Sirius and Alphard were in fact rescued by the pirate captain who attacked their ship when it accidentally sank; Alphard and the captain fell in love, and when Sirius decided he’d rather stay with his uncle (and be free to find James again) rather than return to the rest of his family, Sirius was trained up to replace said captain. James’ entire understanding of events is upended, and as the boyhood friends are once more together, Sirius is more than happy to show James some of the other liberties that come with a life of piracy. 🏴☠️
