The Journey Home

Chapter 2: The Ships to Durmstrang

"Uggggghhhh," moaned George.

"Tell me Hermione," wheezed Fred, "why we couldn't Apperate where we're going to?"

Twelve hours earlier the Twins were enthusiastic that they were going to take a ship heading North. Little did they know they were sailing right into a storm front. Hermione handed them each a small potion vial as Ron came off from the deck with a now empty bucket. Fred moaned at the mere sight of the bucket again, loathing it like a long remembered enemy. George leaned back, feeling his stomach rumble at the sight of purple liquid in his vial swaying back and forth.

"Because," said Hermione as she packed up her supplies, "the terrain is far too dangerous to Apperate there. We could get lost or separated if we don't have guides to help us."

Ron tossed the bucket to Fred who had a face of utter repulsion that he was touching it again. He dropped it to his side, between the chairs he and his brother were occupying.

"Never knew you were prone to being seasick guys," said Ron making conversation, a slight smile was on his face.

"Shut up you," said George.

"Yeah..." moaned Fred. "Besides, it's George's fault."

George gave a disapproving stare at his twin, "How is it my fault?"

"You're the one that gets seasick. Me, being your unlucky twin, has to share in your misery," lectured Fred.

"Hows about I give you a black eye?" wheezed George holding up a weak fist.

"You're one to talk, you'd feel the pain," Fred smiled weakly.

The moment lifted their spirits as they all laughed. George had to throw up after a few moments though, followed with Fred's contribution. Ron, with a disgusted look, began to pick the bucket up gingerly with his robes, but the twins stopped him.

"There's more where that came from," they both said, looking extremely pale.

With a crash, the door opened to the cabin. A sea salt smelling old man with a wire black and grey beard came waltzing into the room, steadying himself against the walls with his hands. He plopped down by Ron, lit a pipe with his wand and started to puff away.

"Smooth sailing from herein mates," quipped the captain.

"You call this smooth sailing?" said Fred, getting a bit of colour back into his face.

"I've had smoother sailing when I'm getting hit by two Bludgers...at the same time," said George.

"You softies," said the captain, blowing smoke rings around the cabin. "You should sail when it's storm season...can't get a wink of rest because I'm at the wheel all the time. Waves so high, I've sailed upside-down for a good minute one time."

"Was that before or after you drank all the wine?" asked George.

The captain laughed as if he heard an amusing anecdote.

"Er, excuse me Captain," started Hermione. "Who is at the wheel right now?"

"Why no one of course!" said the Captain laughing again. "And call me Salty dear...haven't been called Captain since I lost my crew seven years ago!"

"What happened to them?" asked Fred.

"Well they all grew up and got married," he said. "Got fine respectable jobs in the big towns and cities. I miss my children so, but the sea life isn't for them. Only us old codgers travel the routes anymore." Salty paused as if reminiscing of a distant but pleasant memory.

The Twins look disappointed, expecting a story about pirates, buccaneers and sea monsters, but the Captain just kept on laughing, singing innocent nothings to himself. His bright blue eyes twinkled in the candlelight.

"But Salty," said Hermione, apprehensive about using his name, "who is steering the ship?"

"It's by magic, silly girl," he said. "Waters this rough can only be navigated by magic. And I'm one of the last sailors left in the world that can use the proper spell to steer the ship with magic. It's not all maps and compasses and memorizing some spells, you have to feel your way through the waters. Taste the saltiness of the air, feel the waves under your feet."

George's stomach lurched at the last statement.

With a flick of his wand he summoned five mugs and floated a pitcher of clear gold liquid to pour out in each one, "Now enough about me, tell me about the outside world. It's daft hard to get the Daily Prophet out here, considering the isolation and the northern winds. Owls just can't make it unless it's really important, even then they are dead tired."

The room went a bit silent. Salty looked a bit disappointed.

"Well then tells me about your journey then. Not many people come through this way without no purpose," said Salty.

"I suppose so," started Fred. "I mean this isn't exactly the pleasure cruise to Durmstrang."

Hermione gave a sudden hiss. Fred looked at her like he didn't do anything wrong.

"We're out to meet an old friend," said Ron apprehensively.

"Durmstrang eh?" mused Salty. "Ain't heard nothing but bad sayings about them lot. But as I always said, don't judge someone until you met em. Bad things said about them seemed to drop off after You-know-who got all blown up by them kids. Harry Potter and his two friends...they had red and brown hair just...like...you..."

They saw lines being connected in Salty's eyes. He looked back and forth between Ron and Hermione, his mouth a gape as the pipe clattered on the floor.

"Bless me soul. It's you ain't it?" he laughed. "The companions of Harry Potter. Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger! I knew I saw your faces before. Just that now yer older, different looking."

Salty gave a great laugh and offered to refill their cups again. Ron and Hermione just smiled nervously as Salty blessed them more and more with great praise. Fred and George just smiled, egging Salty on to praise them as Ron and Hermione gave them glowering looks.

"Well what are you doing here for? Are you meeting up with Harry Potter?" asked Salty.

"Well yes...I mean no," said Ron, silently debating what information he should let out. "We...we are going to pick up my sister. She passed away earlier in the week."

Salty's face turned grim and for once the twinkle in his eyes faded a bit. He took off his old sea hat and pressed it to his heart, giving a moment of silence.

"I'm sorry there sir," said Salty sincerely. "Been so long since anyone came through here, I just run my mouth off and put my nose where it shouldn't be."

"No...don't Salty," said Ron. He gave a weak but warm smile. Everyone else nodded understandingly.

"What ever happened to Mr. Potter after the fall of You-Know-Who?" asked Salty.

Everyone looked around the table, as if they were seeing whether or not to explain.

"Well...it was a pretty happy time really," started Ron. "Everyone was glad, Harry made a recovery. No limbs missing of course. He had all these offers for everything. From job positions to sponsorships to book promotions, the whole works."

Ron paused as if searching for the right words to say, "But there was something that was different about Harry after the fall of the Dark Lord. There were times he would be extremely sad. Like his whole heart was full of sorrow. He was lucky to have my sister, Ginny, with him. They were together for such a long time. Then one day, a few years after, they got married."

"I remember that," said Salty. Everyone looked puzzled trying to remember if a crusty looking sailor with a pipe ever came to the wedding. "Saw it on one of my trips to my son's. He showed me pictures and clippings of that day. My did they ever look great together."

"Yeah," said Ron smiling, "I guess they did."

There was a long pause, "Then what happened?"

"Well they stayed around London for a while," continued Ron, "but then he just up and left. Quit his job, quit everything. We got letters from Ginny who went with him. She wouldn't tell us much at first, but soon we heard about Harry being depressed or really sad. He would spend hours pouring over documents they got on their journeys. We'd see him at certain gatherings for a few years, but then it was just only Ginny coming to them. Then they just...disappeared off the map. No communication, no nothing."

Salty just stared at Ron expecting more...something...an ending perhaps. But he gathered himself, took a swig of his drink and poured some more for himself. Everyone else declined a third helping of the drink.

"Blimey," whispered Salty, "you'd think he'd be the happiest person in the world."

"Well, happiness came at a price for Harry," said Ron. "He paid the most out of us that fought against You-Know-Who."

"Harry was so strong," said Hermione in amazement holding Ron's hand. "So much had happened to him."

"It was because of you two," said Fred.

"You two and Ginny. You eased the burden a little," said George.

The sounds of waves crashing against the boat filled the cabin. George raised his mug and saluted.

"To Harry Potter," he said.

Everyone else toasted with him and finished their drink.

"Hey," said George, "my seasickness...it's passed. Thanks Hermione."

Fred cuffed him up on the back of his head, "Pay attention you git! The ship isn't moving as much anymore."

Salty had already buttoned up his coat and wrapped a scarf around his neck, "I best be getting back up on deck. Even though spells brought us this far, you still need a sailor's eyes and hands to maneuver through the rest o the way. Ice flows and bergs are other there, just waiting to sink you for no good reason at all."

Salty laughed a great laugh again and closed the door behind him. Fred and George gave a look as if they were surprised to meet someone happier than they were.

"We're not going all the way with this bloke are we?" asked Fred.

"I mean we like him...but it's just that we're going to sail this boat all the way to Durmstrang?" asked George.

"No," said Hermione as she started to tie off her supplies, "but we should be there soon enough. Put on your coats."

"For what?" asked Fred.

"We having some sort of stop over? Perhaps a lunch break?" said George sarcastically.

"Something like that," responded Hermione, ignoring them.

The Twins grumbled at the reply and started to bundle up. Ron and Hermione had already brought up their luggage onto the deck. Salty was singing old shanties as Fred and George lumbered up to the stairs, huddling around the small torch placed near the cabin. It was nearly evening, but you would never guessed it here. The sun still peeked over the horizon, giving the sky a blood red tinge. The ice reflected into the air, giving off an eerily purple light all around them.

Gigantic ice flows passed them as the ship maneuvered through them. The wood creaked as it brushed small icebergs which were not small at all when the Twins looked over the edge. There were meters of ice below the tips, stretching as far as the eye can see through the crystal clear water. It was so strange, so mesmerizing about the pure water-- but the twins knew to jump in was to invite death as well.

They floated on for a half an hour until the Twins were getting tired. It was fairly disorienting to feel tired while such bright light was still around. They were also slightly on their guard seeing how they feared it was also hypothermia taking over their senses.

CRASH!

The Twins untangled themselves from the clump they fell into. Hermione told them to stop fooling around and bring their luggage to the starboard side. As Salty helped them up and carried some of the luggage, the twins looked over to the left side of the ship. There was nothing but ice as far as the eye can see, stretching out to the horizon. The sun burned their eyes and they searched for anything, even a sign of a man. It was a wasteland of white.

"What are we..." started Fred, but he quickly stopped.

A giant CRACK sounded below their feet. They could feel the shuddering of ice on the rickety wood of the deck. Suddenly something like a spear shot through a crack of the ice, bursting through it. Slowly the ice heaved and formed a crude mountain as two, then three more giant poles appeared from below. There was a giant crash as a slab of ice smashed down, while other pieces crumbled like a small avalanche. With a great heave, a bow of a ship crashed up onto the ice, and then floated in the giant hole it had made.

They've seen this ship before, long ago when it visited Hogwarts.

"Never get tired of them doing that," said Salty breaking the cold silence. "I'll give them credit...they really know how to make an entrance."

Ron, Hermione and the Twins left Salty's ship as he waved them good bye. A plank came down from the larger ship as a student, still in his teens, came down in a blood-red cloak with white fur trim and bowed.

"You Herm-own-ninny?" asked the student gruffly.

Fred and George laughed, but Hermione gave them a glare telling them to hold their tongues.

"And you are Ron-uld?" he said.

Ron gave a small nod while the Twins were suppressing giggles behind them.

"Whom are they?" he asked, pointing at the Twins.

"We're Fred and George," they said.

"They're with us," said Ron.

"Pardon...my English not good," said the student looking slightly embarrassed and apologetic.

Hermione said something that made the student's face lit up. He responded in a language that Ron and the Twins didn't understand. Soon enough they were lost in a small conversation and he laughed as if he realized a small miscommunication. The student called out and four other younger students came and took their luggage aboard the ship. The older student gestured them to follow him up the plank onto the the ship.

"What was that all about?" whispered Ron as he walked along with Hermione.

"Oh, talking some Bulgarian with him," said Hermione with a coy smile.

"When did you learn Slavic? You know everything!" said Ron surprised.

"That's why you married me Ronald Weasley," she said as she walked off, catching up with the older student and started again off in Slavic.

"That it tears Ron," said Fred, "we always told you she was a keeper."

"But if you ever divorce her," continued George, "we're getting first dibs on her post-Ronald dates."

"Shut up you two," said Ron as the Twins roared with laughter while boarding the ship.