A couple of evenings later, they were sitting on the deck near a light so Harry could read an assigned book on maritime law while Ginny worked on something in a notebook.

“Harry?�

“Hm m?�

“Do you plan on finishing school? You know, your seventh year?�

Putting his finger on a paragraph, he looked at her and found her to have a very contemplative expression. “Why?�

“Just wondering as I was thinking about what to do for myself.�

He considered the question. “While I was gone, I looked over some of the books Hermione brought. I learned the spells that I thought looked useful; I didn’t bother with the theory too much. I don’t know for sure, but I guess I’ll look over the books some more and finish learning the rest of the spells when I get time in a few months, but I won’t ever sit for my NEWTS.�

She nodded. “I’ve thought about something similar. We also have all of the library books you brought so we can look through those for extra things we want to learn if we want.�

“True,� he agreed.

“Hermione didn’t do lessons? I’d sort of expected she would have.�

He laughed lightly. “She did for herself but she also knew we had more important things to do. I think me looking at the books and learning at least some kept her happy enough.�

“Will you let me know when you’re ready? I think I’d like to join you. The others who didn’t finished might like to as well. It shouldn’t be too hard with several that have already finished available to tutor us.�

“True.� When she didn’t say anything else, he returned to his reading, but considered she had a point. After he finished his captain’s license, which was a higher priority, would probably be a good time.

As Thursday afternoon ended, Harry looked at his teacher. “Captain, I thought I’d let you know that I won’t be up here tomorrow as I need to take the day off to take care of personal business. Also, we plan to have a private party tomorrow evening, so the dining room and kitchen will be closed. However, Glenda said we’ll bring food for everyone up here so the crew can eat when they want, sort of a buffet.�

“Thank you for telling me, Mr Evanson, and for the buffet. I’ll let the rest of the crew know,� the older man said.

“Are you all right? I only ask because you look a little extra tired.�

The captain smiled, briefly and tiredly. “I am reasonably fine, as is Mr Pappas, although he’s hiding it better since he’s younger.�

Harry nodded as the First Mate was still in his late twenties, though Harry didn’t see him much because Alex Pappas normally took the late shift.

“We’ve been working longer shifts than normal because there’s only two of us, but we’ll be in Jakarta day after tomorrow even at our slower pace and I plan for us to take at least two if not three days there. We’ll get a lot of rest, you can restock any food that you need -- especially fresh produce. When we continue, I plan to change the shifts so you and/or Miss Glenda will cover six or seven hours during the day, although I plan to be available for at least two of those for training. It won’t be so tiring that way as that will make it closer to the normal three on the crew who can pilot.�

Harry was shocked. “Are we even ready for that this soon?�

“Officially,� Captain more said with a smile again, “I’m still in charge of the boat and you’ll be sailing under my instruction so you’re covered legally. Otherwise, it’s time for you to gain some experience and we’ll be sailing in open water in only light traffic since we’re not going by the most direct route, so I believe you’ll be fine. I’ll watch you closely the first day or two, but bring your books and you can study for your license during that time when there’s nothing to watch out for.�

Harry nodded. “I guess it’s a step forward and I’ll tell Glenda.� Ginny had the same slightly shocked reaction he’d had.

After breakfast the next day, Harry returned to his cabin while Ginny was busy talking to Winky and planning for this evening as well as making a list for food supplies to buy when they came into port.

Harry had two cargo trunks. One was almost full of gold bars, although it was only half of his original amount as he’d given the other half of the bars to Jean to sell. That money, and the Francs and Pounds he’d received from the Goblins, had gone into his Muggle bank account and had purchased this boat. In fact, buying the boat had used nearly three-quarters of that account, but he had enough left in there to live for a while and Jean still had more bars to sell over time, so his account would go back up. Harry had also sold a couple of bars in Sydney and several more in Singapore to have some ready spending money to pay the crew. He also still had most of Sirius’s emergency money for an emergency.

In addition, he was receiving money from the Black account as Andromeda was selling a few things off and giving him half. He had found it amusing some of the money came from old loans the Black family had lent to Death Eater families that hadn’t been repaid and she was calling those due. It would create a bit of a financial hardship for some of those families, but none of them would really miss a meal. Still, he had no problem creating a major annoyance for them.

Ignoring the trunk of gold and the trunk of library books from the Black house, he opened the third trunk that was filled with non-monetary items from the vaults of the Potters, the Blacks, the Malfoys, and Bellatrix Lestrange. Part of him was curious as to what he’d find, yet he was also apprehensive. Fortunately, everything was in boxes and marked as to which vault it came from.

He pulled out the “Potter� boxes first and the first one showed him the contents were shrunken, so there would be a lot of things in this trunk as it was full of boxes. He started to suspect much of his parents’ house was in here given the many mundane things he found, but he had no idea if it really was his parents’ or not. Most of those things he just put into a box to decide on later.

“Oh,� he said to himself as he pulled out a shield, “that would be the family crest.� He sat that to the side; he’d hang that in their cabin later. He found a box of real silverware with the same crest on it.

The books he pulled out were sat on a few shelves that had been empty; he’d look through those later, probably when they were sailing and there was nothing in front of them but open water.

A small ornate chest came out next. Inside of it he found some things that Ginny might like. He pulled a few items out to put in his drawer before he sat the chest on Ginny’s dresser for her to find later.

There were items he couldn’t identify. Some photographs were very welcome as he no longer had his family album that Hagrid had made for him. He could identify his parents and he guessed the older couple with them were his grandparents. Others were of people he didn’t know and there was nothing on the back to help identify them. Then there was an entire box of records; those would have to wait too.

The box for the Blacks held mostly financial records and business papers. Since he thought Andromeda had kept those he was surprised to find them. He’d have to go over these later too, but not too much later in case Andromeda needed them. If required, he mail them to Jean to give to her.

Fortunately, the boxes for the Malfoy’s and Bella hadn’t been too much different from the Blacks, and so his fear of finding a lot of Dark magical items never materialized.

Ginny returned around lunch time. “How is it going?� He’d told her last night what he planned to do today.

“Well, I suppose. I’m about done with sorting through it all, at least generally. There is a lot more to look at in detail later,� he waved his hand negligently towards the books and the boxes of records nearby, “but at least I know what’s here. Then there are multiple boxes of normal household items. It almost makes me wonder if maybe Dumbledore boxed up my parents’ house when they were killed and had it all stored in my family vault or something.� He shrugged. “It could be items from some other relative too for all I know. I suppose the worst part is that I have no one to ask.�

He grinned suddenly. “I found the family crest.� He pointed at the shield he’d found.

“Oh, that’s nice,� she told him as she walked over to look. “Will you hang it up?�

“Yeah, probably on that wall unless you have a better place for it.�

“No, that one will be fine.� She looked around. “Wait, what’s that on my dresser?�

“Something I found from the Potters. I thought you’d like it,� he told her and walked over to watch her.

“Wow, this is nice,� she said as she looked through her new (to her) jewelry box. “This will be nice for tonight.�

“Good, enjoy it,� he encouraged her. “Let’s go find lunch, I’m starving. Did you work everything out with Winky?�

“Yes,� she replied as she closed the jewelry box, “or at least we have tonight planned and a good start on what to buy when we make port. We can do this,� she said with a smile as they walked out.

— — —

Pius Thicknesse was still in charge of the Ministry. That was mostly due to Lucius Malfoy being gone now and no one else really had enough power by himself to force a change. Also, he was probably the least offensive of the people available and he’d held the position for nearly a year, so being an incumbent really helped.

“Let’s get started,� the Minister said. “Stills, have the Aurors found Potter yet?�

Geoff Stills, the new Director of MLE, didn’t look happy. “No, he and all of his friends still haven’t been found. I will point out they hid for nearly a year, so it could be difficult to find them. I’m fairly sure they’re in the country though because any Apparation or Portkeys off the island will be sent here to a Ministry holding cell and they haven’t shown up yet.�

“What about at relatives’ homes?� Thicknesse asked.

“Whose?� Stills asked rhetorically. “Potter has none that we’re aware of, except for his Muggle ones and they are nowhere to be found.

“The Weasleys are gone except for the oldest son who’s missing and the second son who’s in Romania and hasn’t been in the country for three years according to our records, which are a bit of mess so I can’t guarantee anything about the last year. Arthur Weasley’s house was destroyed a year ago and we don’t know where they lived in that time. The Weasley shop in Diagon Alley is empty.

“We sent someone to Granger’s parents’ home only to find they’d left the country a year ago.

“We had hope for catching Lee Jordan, but his parents’ house is completely empty.

“There were plans to recover something from Longbottom Manor after Augusta’s passing but by the time we got there blood-based war wards were up.

“Last is Lovegood Manor which has wards up no one understands.�

“Send the Department of Mysteries,� someone suggested.

Stills sent a glare. “When I said no one, I meant no one. In addition, the Unspeakable I talked to just laughed at me when I mention the Longbottoms, so I suspect someone there is related to the family. If you want to enter either of those houses you’ll have to hire a Curse Breaker. Don’t ask us because we don’t have the expertise nor the manpower to take on wards of that capability.�

“Fine,� Thicknesse said with resignation, “but keep looking. Finance, what have I been hearing about paychecks being late?�

Bert Appleby sat up a little straighter and leaned forward. “Tax payments have been a little late for months because of the war, but we’ve had a cushion. That cushion has now been exhausted, so paychecks will be about two days late.�

“Why didn’t you arrange a short term loan like we normally do in these situations?� Thicknesse asked.

“Because the Goblins have raised the short term interest rates from three percent to ten percent and we can’t afford that.�

“What?!� multiple people shouted.

“You’d need to ask the Goblin Liaison to get the details, but from what little I could find out the Goblins are a little short on ready Galleons so they’re limiting large withdrawals and they’ve raised the interest rates to help themselves,� Appleby explained.

“Creswell, what’s going on?� Thicknesse’s question was met with silence and everyone looked around for the man. “Where is he?�

A quiet voice from behind the Minister spoke up. “I received his resignation this morning by an owl.�

The Minister turned and scowled at his secretary but she only shrugged. “You’ve been too busy to give it to you. I have two other resignations plus Arthur Weasley isn’t here either, so that’s a total of four sub-heads to replace,� she told him.

“I’d suggest,� Appleby said into the silence, “that you don’t replace them for a while if you can help it because that would save us money. I’d also suggest that if there were people any department had been considering laying off that you do so now.�

“I can’t!� “We’re too short-handed now!� “Are you daft?!� “We can’t run that way!� And so the shouts went for over minute.

Thichnesse just rubbed his temples until they quieted down to only mutterings.

Appleby just made it worse with, “Or if you don’t want more delayed paychecks, then everyone in the Ministry, and that includes those in this room, need to take a ten percent pay cut until tax revenue returns to a normal level.�

That started a new round of shouting. This time Thicknesse looked at the ceiling and wondered if he should resign and let someone else deal with all this.

— — —

Harry straightened his tie. It had taken him only four tries to get it looking mostly right. His hair was combed and straightened as much as he could. He considered getting it cut shorter when it was only his friends on the boat; fortunately it didn’t grow quickly.

Ginny came out of the bathroom fully dressed in a black dress that came to her knees. The top was two wide strips that started on each hip and crossed to cover each breast before tying behind her neck. With her hair up, some golden jewelry, and in modest black strappy heals, it made her look several years older. “Very nice,� he told her appreciatively.

She smiled broadly and gave a slow twirl. “You like?�

It showed a little stomach with some cleavage but not too much. It showed about half of her sides but the back was completely bare as were her shoulders. While her breasts weren’t large, there was no doubt she was a young woman now. “Yes and I’m lucky you’re mine. I’ve never seen that dress before; when did you get it?�

“I got it that day in Singapore when you went to sell the gold and Fleur, Luna, and I went shopping for a few more things. Fleur suggested we get some formal clothes since we’d be on a luxury boat and we might need to look the part. That’s also when I purchased that suit for you.� She smiled at him. “It looks good on you.�

“Thanks, but I believe you’re the better looking one. Shall we go?� He offered her his arm. “I have my wand in case we need it.�

“I have mine too, but yours is probably easier to get to,� she told him.

“I’ll be happy to get it for you,� he offered suggestively.

Ginny laughed, “Good try, but no. It’s only for emergencies anyway. You can put up the privacy charms.�

When they arrived in the dining room, Harry found it was decorated and the table (which looked small in the large room) was set for the eight of them. There was also several large platters that were covered in cling film. “Be a dear and take those to the bridge, please,� she asked. “I took bottled drinks up earlier.�

“Sure.� He grabbed the two large stacked platters and took them up. Captain Moore was on duty and looked pleased to see the food.

Back down in the dining room the others had come in. All were dressed smartly, even George. Harry put up the privacy spells so they couldn’t be heard outside the room. It also allowed Winky to come out, although she always stood or sat near the entrance to the kitchen.

Harry was directed to one end of the table with Bill and Fleur to sit near him. Ginny took the other end of the table with Lee and Luna near her. George and Neville took the chairs in the middle of the long sides. Harry held out Ginny’s chair for her before walking to the other end to take his own seat. Bill did the same for his wife and Neville did it for Luna.

Winky brought out a large ham on a platter, followed by bowls of vegetables, a pineapple sauce, and a couple of wine bottles -- the boat had come with a large selection.

After they started eating, Harry said, “I’d like to use part of this time for a meeting. I heard from Hermione this afternoon and they’ve left Sydney and are heading south, so our schedule of not arriving at Australia’s coast for about another three weeks is still holding. After we get there, we’ll slowly sail around the coast to whichever port is nearest to their location.

“Next, Ginny and I are making progress in learning to pilot the boat, the most important task of captaining the boat. We should be making port in Jakarta at about noon day after tomorrow. Captain Moore said he planned for us to be there for about three days. We’ll pick up supplies before leaving too. So if you’ve found anything you need but don’t have, you can try to buy it there. In case you don’t know, Jakarta is in Indonesia which is not an ICW country, so we should be safe during the stop.�

Ginny spoke up, “I’ve started a list of food to buy, but if you’d like anything special let me know by breakfast tomorrow morning.�

Harry looked to his right. “Bill, I guess you can go next.�

“Right. I should start with thanks for letting me use your Invisibility Cloak; it’s been very helpful,� Bill said. “Fleur has been helping me and we think we have the wards you want up. Anyone, except for the eight of us, who try to Apparate or Portkey to the boat will find themselves being bounced off at least a hundred meters. That means I’ll have to key in Ron and Hermione when they join us. I think that will protect us from being boarded by magicals, at least for those that try to get on the easy way. Fleur and I are now working out what other protections we can do, such as fire protection and making the hull harder. It’s unusual for me to be working on a moving location that I can’t tie to a piece of land,� he said with a grin.

Everyone chuckled at that.

“Thanks for the help, Bill and Fleur,� Harry said graciously. “Neville?�

“Our indoor garden is doing well. Thanks to Fleur,� he gave her a brief smile, “the room appears nine times larger than it really is, and that includes wall height which will let us put small trees in there as the ceiling is a little under eight meters up. I may try to get a few miniature fruit trees when we go ashore. Winky has already been harvesting a few herbs. The vegetables will be ready in about another month or so. The plants for potions need at least a couple more weeks, except for those that have special harvesting conditions, like on a full or new moon, or on an equinox, or whatever.�

“Good, that will help us.� Harry looked at the last pair.

Lee shrugged so George said, “It’s going well down in engineering, or well for the two of us who’ve never done this before. The head engineer Russo is a grouch, but he knows his stuff from what we can tell. Mia, the assistant, is a lot easier to work with so we tend to hang around on her shift more and help her out. Lee especially.� He grinned at his friend.

“What? She’s pretty and easy to talk to,� Lee protested lightly.

“Lee, be careful there,� Ginny warned. “Don’t get too involved and then hurt her when she has to leave because that time will come.�

“I know,� Lee said a little heatedly before he paused and took a deep breath. “Look, we’re just friends and I think it’ll stay that way, but she is easy to talk to and fun to be around. She does have time when she’s not on duty and she has to do something besides hang out in her cabin or the crew room by herself.�

“Lee, all we’re saying is be careful for both her and your sakes,� Harry said lightly. “Does anyone have anything else to report?�

“I have a non-personal suggestion,� Lee said a little defensively after the previous item. “I had an idea the other day but I don’t know if it’s possible. If you think about it, there are three main reasons we have to go into port: parts, food, and fuel. I found out we carry replacement parts for the most common repairs we might have to make, so that’s mostly covered until we have to replace them. Neville is working on the food, although if we can expand the freezer we could carry more and we also have an ocean with a lot of fish in it.

“That leaves fuel. We have a really big tank, but it will eventually run dry, which causes us to have go to port and spend money. But I’m wondering if magic can help – when it’s only us. We have duplicating charms for paper and parchment, and there are a few other specialty duplicating magics. Could we build something that duplicates fuel?�

“Duplicated things eventually go away, turning back into free magic like other conjured things, so that wouldn’t help,� Bill countered.

“Sure, if you wait long enough,� Lee agreed. “But what if you duplicated it just before it was used? By the time it goes away, it’s already burned and in fact having it go away would be a good thing. It’s like duplicating paper then burning it. You get the heat from it being burnt as that happens before the duplication reverts.�

“Oi, that could work!� George exclaimed.

“If we could figure out how, it could,� Bill agreed thoughtfully. “Now that you remind me, when I was in Egypt and we were low on wood, someone broke up what wood we had into small pieces and enlarged them. They would burn to give us warmth before the charm wore off so our wood supply lasted a lot longer than it would have otherwise. I haven’t run into anything that would do what you suggest though and it would have to be rune based.� He looked at his wife.

Fleur shook her head. “I have not, but I can check my books.�

“I’ll set up the books we took from the Black house in the cabin we’ve reserved for Ron and Hermione. People can look thru them to see if they find anything when they have time,� Harry said and everyone nodded. “I also have a few books from the Potter vault.�

“I should probably look over all of the books for curses first, especially family based ones that probably only you could open,� Bill told him. “Put the trunk in there and I’ll unpack it tomorrow and start checking for curses.�

“We … for safety,� Fleur told him.

“Right, we can start that.� Bill gave her an apologetic look and received a smile.

“I’ll come look after you’ve checked some,� Neville offered, “since I have more free time than most of you who are learning about the boat.�

“I’ll help with that too,� Luna said.

“Good idea, Lee,� Harry told him with a big smile. “Even if it takes us a while to figure it out, I think that will help a lot. Is there anything else we could do to reduce fuel usage, other than not sailing?� Everyone chuckled at that.

“The only other things that use fuel are the skiff we’ll use to go to shore when we have to anchor in the water, but we won’t be using that very much,� Lee replied.

“The generator,� George added. “It’s a small motor that Russo said that runs all the time when we aren’t sailing and have the big motors running. He said it’s to power the lights but I don’t think it should have to do much for just the lights.�

Lee rolled his eyes. “George, it’s for more than the lights. Remember what Mia said? It’s for everything that uses electricity on the boat, which is actually fairly large as that includes the kitchen and all the instruments on the bridge, which makes it very important.�

“Do you know how a motor works?� Harry asked. “Could we duplicate what it does with magic? I ask because I don’t know how one works.�

“No I don’t know,� Lee said with a shake of his head, “but I’ll do my best to learn over the next week. We have some smaller motors down there and I think I saw one in the supply room with extra parts. Hopefully Mia can explain it well enough I can understand.�

“Well, you know more than me in this case,� Harry told him. “It’s really you, me, and Hermione when she joins us, with a Muggle background. I can see the rest of you are learning quickly, but there’s a lot to learn.� Everyone agreed with that.

“Since we’re done eating, let’s go sit in the lounge area where it’s more comfortable.� Everyone stood and Harry led the way with the wine bottles in hand.

— — —

Mario Russo grumbled as he read the note on the door about the kitchen being closed tonight and that there was food on the bridge. Swearing under his breath he turned for the stairs to go up yet again to get a late dinner. Inside the bridge area he found the Captain in his chair and the First Mate at the radar station, each with empty plates nearby.

“I can’t believe they closed the kitchen so I had to come all the way up here,� Russo groused. “Where’s the food they said would be here instead of in the crew area?�

“Mr Russo,� the Captain said raising his voice slightly and adding extra enunciation. “That is a poor attitude for a well-paid Chief Engineer on a luxury yacht.�

Russo looked like he wanted to tell the Captain what he could do with the attitude but held his tongue.

“In addition,� the Captain said, “they’ve held far fewer parties than most luxury boats I’ve served on and I suspect that to be true for you as well even if we’ve never served together before. Also, they have provided excellent food, well above the normal fair.�

“You’re just saying that because you’re an Aussie and the owner is a Brit,� Russo retorted.

“Err, not really,� Alex Pappas replied, “the food is really very good, probably the best in the five years I’ve been piloting. If you don’t want plain ham, try the ham salad on one of the rolls with some Swiss cheese. Drinks are in the small fridge over there.�

The engineer glared at the young man, who just shrugged off the look from the cantankerous old man.

“Take the food you need and leave if you’re going to be that way,� the Captain said with a steely look. “In fact, if you’re that upset, get off the boat at Jakarta and go back to Italy. I’m sure we can find a more pleasant engineer, one who would gladly take your pay and bonuses.�

That earned another glare, but the engineer now kept silent, grabbing a large plate of food and leaving to eat elsewhere.

“You know,� Pappas said casually when the two were alone again, “I’m enjoying this cruise, but that man is a real pain in the neck, I think you’d say.�

“I’ve never met him before or I would have warned Mr Evanson not to hire him,� Moore said eventually with a shake of his head. “I do believe you have the right of it though. I agree that Evanson and his bunch are very decent. Are you ready to take over?�

“Yes, sir!� Pappas took his plate over and placed it on the table with the food to be cleaned up later.

“Very well, the helm is yours,� the Captain said, adding his plate to the stack before he left for his cabin nearby. He wondered if he should make a few phone calls to find a new chief engineer or not.

Harry slowly turned the ship and smiled. “How’s our position?�

“About 24 kilometers to the coast of Western Australia, so we’re in international waters. Good job, Harry.� Ginny beamed at him from the navigation seat. “We could be in Perth in about a day if we went to full speed.�

“I don’t see the need because--� the phone rang and stopped him.

The two looked at each other, but it was Ginny who walked over to the communications center as the phone rang again. “It’s going to your personal number.� She pushed the proper button and said, “Hello, this is the bridge.�

“Ginny?� came out of the speaker.

“Hermione, this is a surprise. I thought you talked to Harry yesterday.�

“I did, but I’m calling to tell you that my guess was correct and my parents really are in Melbourne, or really in a small town right outside. I’m following them home now.�

“Great, I’m happy for you,� Harry told her. “We plan to be there in about a week. That will give you some time to get to know them again.�

“I know, it’s just that...� Hermione trailed off and her voice now had a hitch in it.

Harry locked the controls into place and walked over. “Ginny,� he said quietly, “take the helm.� He picked up the receiver and pushed a button so the conversation went to the receiver in his hand and not the speaker.

“You’re off speaker but I’m still on the bridge,� he told his friend as Ginny sat in the captain’s chair. “What’s wrong?�

“I’m so nervous about this and then...� She trailed off.

“Then what?� he asked gently.

It took a moment before he heard, “Then there’s Ron. He’s hardly speaking to me anymore. I’d hoped he was just having a bad day at first but it’s been like this for nearly two weeks.�

Harry just blinked at hearing that and looked at Ginny, who was looking concerned even if she hadn’t heard Hermione’s answer. “Do you know why?�

“Maybe. He’s … he’s really unhappy. He’s … he wants to leave and join everyone else,� she finally got out.

Harry took a deep breath, then two more. “Why didn’t you tell me before?�

“I didn’t want to worry you,� she said in a timid voice.

Harry rolled his eyes even if she couldn’t see him. “Do you have a phone number where he is right now?�

“Harry, I don’t think--�

“Hermione, give me the phone number to the hotel and his room number.�

“But--�

“He rmione, you don’t need this, so let me fix it. The number please.�

It was a long moment before Hermione told him.

“All right. Don’t return for at least an hour,� he told her. “When you return, if he’s still a problem then grab your things and leave. You have my credit card so you can even get a room in another hotel -- tonight. We’re going to full speed and should be there in about four or maybe five days at the most. Call me if you need me. If there’s an emergency, call me immediately because we’ll be at Perth tomorrow and I can get off and fly on an airplane to help you out if you need me.�

She sniffled for a moment. “You don’t have to, but thank you, Harry.�

“I’ll do what I need to do for my friends.�

“Thank you, Harry. I need to go. I’m not sure if I’ll talk to my parents tonight or not, probably not with the way I’m feeling,� she said.

“I understand. Take care of yourself and call me tomorrow unless you need me before then,� he told her.

“All right, thanks, bye.�

Harry hung up and looked over.

“What’s Ron done, because it’s obvious he did something,� Ginny said with some exasperation.

“He’s made her life difficult and I’m going to see about fixing that. You have the helm until I get back. If you need help, call the Captain. Oh, and go to full speed, but gradually so you don’t alarm anyone. After we round the southwestern corner, we’ll head straight to Melbourne instead of following the coast ... assuming I don’t have to get an airplane ticket and fly there tomorrow.�

He turned and stormed to his cabin. “Damn it! This is the second time he’s done something like this,� he muttered. Fortunately for the others, he met no one on the way.

Once inside his cabin, he grabbed the phone and called the number Hermione had given him. He was thankful the boat had a communication system that could do this. It was expensive to make calls like this, or expensive compare to normal calls, but this would be worth it.

The hotel answered and then transferred him to the room number he gave. The phone rang three times before it was answered in a familiar if quizzical voice. “Hello?�

“Ronald. Billus. Weasley. What the bloody hell do you think you’re doing to my best friend?� Harry didn’t pause for an answer. “When you left you told me to be good to Ginny, but I didn’t say anything to you about Hermione because I thought it was obvious you should take care of her since I sent you to protect her. Yet she just called me in tears about how nervous she is about her parents but she couldn’t go to you for support because you weren’t talking to her anymore. So why, Ron? Tell me why and make it good.�

The silence stretched out.

“Ron, answer me or I swear to you that I’ll find a way to be there tomorrow and you won’t like what I say or do.�

“That’s not fair. It’s not my fault. You don’t know how hard it’s been. All the Muggle stuff everywhere. I can’t use magic for anything. It’s not normal.�

Harry had to look at the phone to make sure he was on a call and wasn’t imagining this. “Are you bloody serious? That’s the excuse you’re going to use this time?�

“What do you mean this time?� Ron retorted. “And yes I’m serious.�

“Oh, you don’t remember walking out of a tent and leaving us just because you couldn’t take a little hardship?� Harry asked more than a little sarcastically.

“That was totally different!�

“You wanted out physically then, and you’ve walked out figuratively now by not supporting Hermione.�

Ron didn’t say anything, so Harry went on.

“Listen Ron, you have one chance to fix this. Get your act together and grow up fast. Do the right thing for once and suffer a little for the good of a friend. When I next talk to Hermione, I better hear from her about how sincere you were in apologizing and then helping her without complaint … and that better continue. If you don’t, I swear to you Ron, when I get there you will not like what else I say to you and I also swear that you won’t get on this boat. If you are so selfish that you won’t help one of your best friends for something that’s easy, then you can go and live on your own without us.�

“You can’t leave me here!�

“Don’t tempt me!� Harry he yelled and slammed the phone on the hook before looking out the window and trying to get his emotions back under control. It took nearly five minutes before he trusted himself to leave the cabin and make his way back to the bridge.

When he arrived on the bridge, he found Captain Moore and Alex Pappas standing near Ginny. “Err, is there something wrong?�

“I think that’s something we should ask you,� Moore said. “I felt the ship change to full power; I’d noticed something like that even if I was asleep and I wasn’t.�

“It woke me up,� Alex said softly.

Moore nodded and looked at his employer.

“My friend has an unexpected problem and she’s in Melbourne. I’d like to get there sooner than in the seven or eight days we had planned. My guess is about four or five days from now at full speed. I’ll find out tomorrow how big the problem is and if we need to stop at Perth for me to take an airplane to meet her.�

“You mean we,� Ginny said pointedly.

Harry looked at her for a moment. “Yes, that probably would be a good idea.� Looking at the captain. “If we both had to leave, you could come slower if that made it easier. After Melbourne, I can take a full shift again. I’d like to head to New Zealand and that’s probably where we’d drop off the four of you.�

The two crew members nodded in understanding. “Very well, if that’s what you want,� the Captain said.

“Captain,� Ginny looked at him, “do you mind if we go to our cabin for a bit? I think I need more detail about the problem, but we can return to finish the shift.�

“This sounds important, so go ahead and don’t worry about coming back. It was only another two hours until the end. I can take that until it’s Mr Pappas’s time,� the Captain said.

“Thank you,� the two teens told the captain before Ginny almost dragged Harry out of the bridge.

As soon as they were in their cabin, Ginny demanded, “What’s my brother done this time? Tell me all.� Ginny was not happy at the end of Harry’s story.

— — —

An hour later when everyone came to dinner, neither Harry nor Ginny were feeling any better. As they sat down, George indirectly brought it up and Harry couldn’t really hold it in completely.

“Harry, why the big increase in speed?� George asked. “We noticed it in the engine room.�

“I received a phone call from Hermione about an hour ago. She found her parents,� he answered gravely, working to keep his temper in check.

“Err, shouldn’t that be a cause for joy?� George continued, perplexed at Harry’s reaction. “You don’t look happy.�

“It should be a good thing, but something’s happened and we need to get to her sooner rather than later. In fact,� Harry paused and looked around the table, “if you’re … part of the red-haired family,� he didn’t want to give their name away in case one of the crew walked in right then, “there’s a mandatory meeting after dinner in our cabin. If you’re not, you can come or not as you like.�

Everyone but Ginny looked surprised. “Hmm, Hermione’s in trouble and you need to talk to the three of us, so that means Ron did something and it was probably stupid,� George speculated.

Harry looked at him with a tight expression. “After dinner please.�

George looked over slightly, since Harry and Ginny were sitting next to each other as they usually did for normal meals. “Ginny, do you know?�

“As he said, after dinner.� Her voice sounded overly controlled.

“This must be a good one,� Bill commented. “All right, after dinner, but I think it should be a quick dinner as I’m now dying of curiosity.�

“Thank you,� Harry said with the barest of nods.

A few attempts at conversation were tried, all failed so the meal was mostly eaten in silence.

Luna was the last to finish eating, although only a little after Fleur. As soon as she was done, Harry stood and offered Ginny his arm to lead her to their cabin. Everyone followed.

The owner’s cabin was double sized compared to the normal ones. Besides a nice bedroom, bathroom, and closets, it also had a sitting area that was completely separate from the bedroom. Once inside, Harry brought in two chairs from the bedroom into the sitting room before he sat on the couch beside Ginny. “A couple of you will have to make your own chair.�

Bill conjured a love seat for him and Fleur before he asked, “I suppose I’m head of the Weasleys now, so what’s happened?�

“The medium version,� Harry started, “is that Hermione called us and said she’d found her parents in a town outside of Melbourne, which is where I was sailing towards anyway since she’d told me she was heading south. She broke down into tears and she said she was nervous. When I was able to get her to answer ‘why’ on the tears she said it was because Ron wasn’t supporting her and had hardly spoken to her in the last two weeks because he was tired of the Muggle lifestyle.�

“Seriously, he’s doing it again?� George asked incredulously.

“While it’s wrong of him not to help her,� Bill said, “what do you mean by again?�

George started the story. “Six months ago, or something like that…�

“A bit before Christmas,� Harry filled in at George’s look before George continued.

“Yeah, then, Ron abandoned Harry and Hermione while they were hunting for the way to kill You-Know-Who. He just walked out and left them.� George shook his head.

“I heard he did go back, eventually,� Lee added, “right?�

Harry nodded. “Yes, near the end he did come back. This time, he hasn’t walked out physically, but he has abandoned her emotionally. I’m even more upset because one of the last things he said to me before he left was tell me to take care of Ginny. I didn’t bother saying the same thing about Hermione, who I think of like a sister, because I thought it should have been a given after all we’ve been through. I mean, that’s why I told him he had to go so she wouldn’t be alone and I knew they needed to work out what was between them. Instead, he abandons her.�

“I’d be very tempted to hit him if he was here,� George said and made a fist.

“I did tell him how … disappointed I was in him and threatened him.� Harry looked down for a moment before looking at Bill. “I threatened that if he didn’t grow up and make things right I’d leave him in Australia.� Several gasped at that. “I was really upset and now that I’ve had a little bit of time to think, I don’t believe I’d really do that as I don’t want the ICW to catch him; but I am seriously considering bringing him with us, locking him in a cabin during the trip, and leaving him in New Zealand. If he wants to be selfish then he can live by himself.�

Bill tiredly ran a hand over his face and looked down for a long moment. “I’m trying to think of what Dad would do. I know he’d be very disappointed in Ron, and probably upset too; but I don’t think he’d abandon him in a foreign country. That’s about all I know and I’m not sure what to do.� He looked over. “Ginny, you’ve been very quiet about this.�

Ginny’s forced neutral expression hardened. “He’s very lucky I’m not there or he’d have bat bogeys coming out of every orifice and attacking him for a long time. I really thought he’d grown past things like this, but I guess not. However, to be complete, what Harry said about leaving Ron behind was only if he didn’t grow up and make things right. If he’ll do that in the next twenty-two hours then he’ll only be in the dog house and not facing my wand -- probably.�

Bill nodded. “I can see your point. He could fix this … for a loose value of fix. Harry, would that remove the worst punishment you were thinking?�

Harry nodded. “I did tell him to grow up and fix this and then keep doing the right thing before I threatened him. If he will do that, I won’t kick him off the boat. I don’t expect him or anyone else to be perfect, but to not support one of us just because he’s experienced a little discomfort is what bothers me so much.� He gestured at George, “As he said, this is the second time recently.�

“Just like in my third year too,� Ginny added, “or your fourth during the Triwizard Tournament.�

Harry nodded again. “I was trying to not bring that up, but I haven’t forgotten him turning his back on me then either.�

“Apparently there’s more history here than I was aware of,� Bill said slowly and looked at his wife who didn’t have any advice for him. “I’m not sure what to do, but I will agree something has to be done. How about we make sure one of the normal cabins is ready and put him in there when we pick him up. Hermione can take the cabin you were preparing for them.�

“Yes, I was thinking something similar. That means we need to move the books out of there,� Harry commented.

Ginny snorted. “Or if you want your project done quickly then leave them in there.� Everyone chuckled at that, even Luna. “We have enough cabins to put Ron in his own and still have one left over for Hermione’s parents if they decide to join us. We can decide what to do with him over the next few days. Or maybe you can, Bill, because I wouldn’t be very charitable to him right now.�

George nodded solemnly. “I can’t say I would be either. He was trying to start something with Hermione which would have made her family except now he’s abandoned her.� His looked down and put a hand over his face as he quietly finished, “And we’ve lost too many.�

Bill shot a spell at George’s chair to widen it before he sat down and put his arm around his brother. “You’re right, Ron needs to come with us because family sticks together. I’ll figure out something to show him the mistake he’s made and have a talk with him. Harry?�

“Sure, he’s all yours,� Harry agreed. “Just don’t expect me to say much of anything to him or be around him for a little bit.�

“I do have a little bit of good news,� Bill said in an effort to help the group. “I was thinking about the issue of duplicating fuel and remembered how the Goblin can make fake duplicate Galleons when someone tried to rob a vault. It was done with runes on the vault.�

Harry snorted. “Yeah, I’ve been there and seen that.�

“Right, I’d forgotten.� Bill smiled a little. “I have a general knowledge of how that was done and I think Fleur and I can figure it out exactly. If we can, I think we can change it so it would work on the fuel. You’d probably need a small extra tank after that as the duplicate fuel needs a place to go, and you’d have to change the system to only send it through there when the level in the extra tank drops instead of feeding fuel constantly like it probably does now. But I think we can do this given some time.�

“I found out something in talking to Mia about saving energy,� Lee brought up. “It seems there’s something called solar panels that will convert sunlight into electricity. You’d also need more batteries to store it for the night. If you had enough of them you wouldn’t need to run the generator at all, or so she thought. Unfortunately, she also said those are pretty expensive, although cheaper than they used to be.�

“I’ve given our situation a little thought,� Harry said. “If we can convert the lights and a few other things to run off of magic then we’d need less power. So maybe if we did all of this, reduced our needs and had enough of these solar panels, then we wouldn’t have to run the generator?� he half said half asked.

Lee nodded. “Maybe. Let me try to work up something with Mia’s help to try to figure that out. Err, can I say one more thing?�

“Sure,� Harry said, leaning back as he felt better about dumping the Ron problem on Bill.

Lee suddenly looked nervous. “I know this is crazy as I’ve only known Mia for about six weeks total, but I was thinking about asking her to stay … with me when … you know … the rest of the crew leaves.�

The room went silent and everyone looked at each other. “Well? Say something,� Lee demanded after a long moment of silence.

“In theory,� Harry said slowly as he tried to think this through, “I don’t have a problem, but I’ve always heard it’s a big change to live with a Muggle as a … companion.�

“He’s right,� Bill agreed. “The difference in world view can be difficult to overcome.�

“I know, but we’ve come to really like each other,� he said. “She’s from New Zealand originally; she’s M�ori. She said they respect the elements and believe in balance and harmony. They’re also big on family and community. That’s not so unlike us.�

“I’m not saying it can’t work,� Bill told him, “but the problems come from lack of magic for her.�

“I think she’s a Squib or else a low level witch,� Lee said firmly.

“Why do you think that?� Harry asked, interested.

“Because I’d left my wand on my dresser and she came to visit me and picked it up. When she did a single spark came out.� Everyone sat up and a few started to protest so Lee hurried on. “I told her it was for a prank on George but the battery was wearing out so it didn’t make many sparks any more. I know it was lame, but I managed to distract her and then it never came up again, but I was sure surprised when my wand reacted to her.�

“But she still won’t be able to do magic as a Squib,� Bill pointed out.

When several started to protest again, Harry held up his hands. “Let’s not argue about this right now as we have a few things that need dealt with first. I would think it’d be at least a couple of weeks before we reach New Zealand, so we have time to talk about this. Let’s handle the problems with Ron and Hermione and her parents first.

“Bill and Fleur are working on the fuel duplication device.

“Lee, see what you can figure out on the solar panels you talked about. Even if they are a little expensive they may be worth it.

“In the meantime, we can all think about what it might mean if Mia was asked to stay. It is possible she’d say no and then we don’t have to explain magic to her at all.�

Even Lee acknowledged that possibility, even if he was sure Mia would join them.

The next day Ginny was listening and watching Harry closely. He nodded and uh-hmm’d. The fact that he wasn’t getting upset seemed to be a good sign she thought. “Call me every day about this time,� he told her. “Take care.�

When he hung up, she asked, “Well?�

“Apparently Ron has gotten his act together and apologized last night without her prompting him after she went back to the hotel late in the evening. He also spent about ten minutes explaining why he was wrong and covered most of her mental list. This morning he’s behaved himself, although she still felt wary.� He shook his head.

“Anyway,� he continued, “she feels good enough about things now she’s going to reveal herself to her parents this evening and remove the memory spell. She also said she plans to do that without Ron present as she thinks that will go better. Her plan is to bring Ron with her the next day if all continues to go well.�

Ginny considered that. “It’s a start.�

“It is,� he agreed, “but I’m not slowing the boat down.� She agreed to that.

(A/N: To pre-empt a few complaints… No, I am not bashing on Ron. Yes, I am continuing his behavior from book 7 in a small way, which was only about 6-7 months ago in story time. As should be obvious from the last scene, this will not go on for long. HTH)