Once Rose had been allowed on the ship, it was like a door had opened into a whole new world. Suddenly her life was full of nautical terms, and fresh air in her lungs, and the sort of strength that came from hard physical work rather than studying. She was still the best second year Gryffindor, of course – Hermione Granger's daughter could hardly be anything else – and she still strove to be the best, but her rivalry with Scorpius didn't seem nearly as interesting any more. It was a game for children to play at, and she had much more important things to do and much more interesting people to learn from.

Not since she was a child had Rose had so many people willing to teach her all sorts of things. Horus still taught her how to manage a longboat, but he was only one of the people she spent her time with now. Ardashir, the pilot, showed her how the helm worked, and though she wasn't allowed to actually steer the ship, she quickly picked up on how it was meant to be done. Lula taught her all about the rigging and how the sails were controlled. Rike taught her about cannons, and Rose was even allowed to fire one, though it only had black powder in it.

"We wouldn't want to cause any damage," Rike said as Rose prepared the cannon to fire. "The worst this will do is make a loud noise and scare the fish."

Liesa taught her the tricks of climbing the mast to reach the crow's nest, although she let Horus lead her up so she could see how the ship rocked and dipped while she clung to the wood and laughed from excitement and terror. It was more wonderful than he had told her it would be, and when she made it back down to the deck, her legs were shaking so hard she could hardly stand. Even Tavian taught her a few things, like how to move across the deck during a storm, though he was rather bitter about it, and Rose suspected that he didn't like anyone at all. Why they let him stay was a mystery she was in no hurry to solve.

But her favorite times were spent with Captain Anholts. He treated her like a daughter, and if she hadn't been so fond of her own father, she might have looked up to him as a second one. As it was, she treated him with the respect and fondness she would give to any of her uncles. He didn't teach her so much as tell her stories about the places he had been, and he showed her maps with little marks displaying the cities where they had made port.

"I'll tell you about Essemeulia first," he said when she first stood beside his desk. "Tell me, though, did you really know Queen Avina?"

Rose nodded. "My cousin fell in love with her." She didn't think it was important that Scorpius was the one who had been closest to Avina. After all, he wasn't here right now. He was probably hanging out in the library with Albus and Ruby.

"Incredible," Captain Anholts whispered. Then he launched into a description of Essemeulia, telling her poetic tales of the sea lapping against the shore and the way the sides of the buildings curved and seemed to be part of the land itself. He told her about its occasional wars with its neighboring countries, and about the crewmembers he had picked up from there. "Liesa's from Essemeulia," he said, "and so was Laila."

"So most of your crew isn't from Essemeulia?" Rose asked. She said the country's name as often as she could, reveling in the fact that she could say it correctly, especially since Scorpius had stumbled over it so often the year before. "What about you? Where are you from?"

"I'm from a land called Gillik," Captain Anholts said. He drew out another map and showed her the city where he had been born. "The people there are said to be the most intelligent on the Nameless Island. I was meant to live as an academic, but the sea called to me. Vittore's from here, in the west." He pointed to a swath of the map that was largely yellow-green. "It's called the Kinland, and the people there are farmers. Rike is from the east, the Kieland." The east of the map looked to be a large group of mountains. "The people there can neither read nor write, and no one knows what their lives are like. Even Rike won't tell us, and she's been on the crew for years."

"What about the south?" Rose asked, pointing to a land that looked covered in marsh.

"That's called Fourth Land," Captain Anholts said. "Not very creative, but not many people like those who live there. That's where Tavian's from. Even though he's far away from all the prejudice against the Fourth Landers, he's still rather bitter about it."

"Is that why he's so angry at everyone?" Rose asked.

Captain Anholts smiled a little. "That would explain it, wouldn't it? We've been trying to get him to be more relaxed, but I'm afraid that as long as Rike, Vittore, and I are around, he'll still feel like he has to be the one Fourth Lander and the least appreciated on the crew. It doesn't help that he was the cabin boy for the longest time."

Talk of cabin boys made Rose think of Horus, and she asked, "Where did you get Horus from?"

"To tell the truth, I'm not sure," Captain Anholts said as he rolled up the map of the Nameless Island. "We've visited so many lands that I hardly remember what all of them are called, and sometimes we don't spend very long there. When we found Horus, we only spent a day or two near his home before leaving with him. I couldn't tell you the name of the place, but I do remember that it was on a river. I also remember that there wasn't much around. The river ran right through a desert, and the only things outside of his little civilization were savages and wild beasts. I wouldn't say we rescued him, but I was quite glad to come with us."

"Where will you go next?" Rose asked.

"I'm not sure. Wherever fate takes us, probably." Captain Anholts had been toying with the rolled-up map, but now he tucked it into a drawer in his desk. "We'll probably try to go back to Essemeulia to help with the fight."

Even though she knew their leaving wouldn't be for a while yet, Rose still felt a pang at the thought of looking at the lake and not seeing their ship. "Will you carry a message to Avina for me?" she asked.

"I'd do anything for you, clever girl," Captain Anholts said with a smile. "Bring us the letter and we'll see she gets it."

After that, Rose had no excuse not to find Albus. It was easy enough to track him down; he was in the library with Scorpius and Ruby, as she expected. It was just as easy to send him a message by enchanting a piece of paper to fly to him and unfold on top of the book he was reading, displaying a message.

I have a way to get a message to Avina. Write her a letter and get it to me as soon as you can.

Rose

Two days later, Rose felt a tap on her shoulder as she went to Charms. When she turned, she saw Albus standing behind her, holding out an envelope. Avina was written on the front in his careful, slanting handwriting, and he had a nervous smile as she took it.

"Thanks," he said. "I've been trying to find a way to get a message to her for months."

The envelope was thick, and Rose tucked it into her bag, wedging it between Standard Book of Spells, Grade Two and an essay for Potions. "No problem," she said. "I'm glad to help."

"Really," Albus said, and he wrapped his arms around her in a sudden hug. She hugged him back out of reflex, and he held onto her even tighter than normal. "I've been really worried about Avina, and I haven't seen you all year, so I'm really glad I get a chance to handle both of these at once."

"It's not like you needed to see me," Rose said. She tried to loosen her grip, but Albus kept holding onto her, so she had no choice but to continue the hug. "You've got Scorpius and Ruby to hang out with all the time."

"Yeah, but they're not you," he said. "I've missed you."

Rose tapped the top of his head with her chin, rising up onto her toes to do so, and Albus took a step back. "You'll see me at Christmas, dummy," she said with a smile, and he smiled back, more easily than she had. "Everyone's going to the Burrow again. You won't be able to avoid seeing me, and we'll get to spend as much time together as we want." And she wouldn't have to worry about sharing him with anyone else, even the girl who had been her best friend the year before.

"I know," Albus said, "but will you hang out with us after Christmas?"

"With all of you?" Rose forced a laugh. "I don't think Scorpius will want me around much unless there's something I can help him with." Lowering her voice conspiratorially, she added, "And I'm not going to help him with his schoolwork."

"I won't mess up your fight," Albus said with a smile. "But Ruby misses you too. Maybe we could do something that's just the three of us. Like a snowball fight in the Quidditch pitch or hide-and-seek at night."

"Or sneaking into the Forbidden Forest?" Rose asked, her eyes lighting up.

Albus shuddered but grinned. "Maybe when we're a bit older. I don't think the Forbidden Forest is the best place for kids."

Rose let go of her cousin and took a step back. "I'll see if I can find time," she said. "I've been pretty busy this year, and I'm only just barely staying ahead in my classes."

"What have you been doing?" Albus asked, following Rose as she turned and walked down the hall. "Is it something about the ship? I've heard that you've been spending a lot of time with the pirates."

"Where did you hear that?" Rose asked. The halls were nearly empty, and she knew she would likely be late to Charms, but she didn't want to just brush off her cousin. She was too fond of him for that. She knew she wasn't supposed to have a favorite family member, but if she had to pick, it would be him.

"Different people are talking about it," Albus said. "It's just a lot of rumors, mostly, but making friends with pirates seems like something you'd do."

"Yeah," Rose said, "because it is. They're interesting, and they think I'm lucky and clever…" And they pay attention to me, she thought but didn't say. "And I'm learning a lot about different places on the world where Essemeulia is."

"Well, have fun," Albus said. He grinned and slapped her shoulder gently, in the way that James might have done, though Albus's touch was much lighter. James liked to have people feel his presence. "Don't run off with them, okay? I think even Scorpius would miss you."

They both laughed, and Rose punched Albus in the shoulder. It wouldn't be enough to leave a bruise – she wasn't that mean – but he winched and rubbed his arm before turning and running down the hall. She wasn't sure what class he had next, but she hoped she hadn't made him late enough to lose house points. He could be sensitive.