Chapter 45: Preparations

February 22, 1994

Tonks entered the Slytherin Common Room to Sia sitting on the couch, looking happier than she'd ever seen her.

"What's up?" Tonks asked, taking a seat next to her.

"Everyone who participated in the prank war is going on a cruise!" she exclaimed, grinning.

"Really?" Tonks asked. "Who organized this?"

"Professor Dumbledore did. He's paying for it."

"Wow," muttered Tonks. "I'm so happy for you guys. I hope you have fun."

Sia frowned. "Why aren't you coming? You are, right Tonks?"

Tonks blinked, not sure if she'd heard correctly. How could she come on the cruise? "How could I come on the cruise?"

"Liana's dad is." Sia rolled her eyes.

Tonks raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Yeah. Liana couldn't stop whining about it in our dorm." Something crossed her face, and Tonks knew what it was. She didn't like it when people didn't appreciate their parents, especially when those parents were nice and showered them with affection, love, and care. Sia never got that, and she didn't understand why people complained about it. "But why can't you come too?"

"I can't pay for it," explained Tonks. "I don't have that kind of money. Her dad does."

"Okay."

"So, are you going?" Tonks asked.

"Definitely! Well…" Sia's face fell. "I mean… well, if my parents… er… allow it."

Tonks nodded understandingly, wrapping an arm around the girl's shoulders. "They'll let you go."

"No they won't. They would never allow me." Her eyes glinted. "If they knew about it."

Tonks laughed. "It'll be fine. Dumbledore won't allow something like that to happen. He's really… adamant on this cruise, it seems, if he's paying for you."

She grinned again. "Tonks, guess what!"

"Yeah?"

"Professor Snape is going too! Dumbledore made sure of it!"

Tonks stifled a laugh. "Severus?"

"Yep! It's going to be so much fun!" she exclaimed. "I can't wait."

"I hope you have fun," Tonks told her, not feeling jealous at all. She was happy for the students, and she did hope they'd have fun. "Are the professors going, then?"

"This is a question about a certain professor, isn't it, Tonks?" Sia asked. "But yes, they all are. Even Professor Lupin."

Tonks grinned. "Cool."

"I'm sure Lupin on the beach will look quite nice, won't he?" Sia continued, clearly trying to get Tonks to come on the cruise.

Tonks laughed, turning pink. "I'm sure he will."

Dumbledore marched over to Fred and George. "You get the suite!"

"We what?"

"You get the suite!" Dumbledore exclaimed. "The largest of the rooms with two sofas, and it's got a balcony! And windows! And a plush bunk bed, each bed really huge!"

Fred grinned. "That sounds great, Professor, thanks!"

"Of course! I honestly think you two deserve more, but this must do," Dumbledore sighed. "If you would like anything else, do not hesitate to ask me."

"This will be great," George told him. "I can't wait to go on a cruise. Dad's told me all about them."

Dumbledore nodded grandly. "It will be lots of fun! And you two get to experience the best of it all. Beaches, ziplining, tours, everything you could ask for. And lots of food. You just have to blend in with the Muggles. They cannot suspect us."

"No wands?!" cried Fred.

"Yes, but don't let the Muggles see you using them," Dumbledore explained.

George grinned.

"This is going to be a lot of fun."

Molly growled.

How dare her kids get to go on a cruise! Without her! All because Fred and George had done a prank war. Dumbledore had gone insane!

In reality, she was just jealous. She wanted to go on a cruise. The beaches… the restaurants… all the fun stuff a cruise had to offer! Their pools and water parks and lounges and all the different people she could learn about. How come her kids got to do that but not her! Humph.

"A cruise?" asked Arthur, reading the letter from Dumbledore over her shoulder. "Why, that's not fair!"

Molly scowled. "Tell me about it."

"We must go!" cried Arthur, grabbing the paper from her and reading it. "Maybe Dumbledore will want chaperones?"

"The letter specifically says the kids should be able to have a blast of a time without their parents hovering over their shoulders," she grumbled. "He said that the teachers will chaperone."

"That's not fair," complained Arthur.

Molly growled.

"What should I wear on the cruise?" asked Kylie loudly.

"Why are you already planning that?" Liana asked, frowning.

"I don't know, it's going to be so much fun!"

Candice appeared from the closet. "It will, Liana, loosen up."

"But why are we packing now?"

"It's going to be fun!" yelled Kylie.

Liana sighed, running a hand through her hair. It would be fun, she knew, but she didn't want her dad coming along. That would ruin the whole experience, a dad hovering over her shoulder.

"What do you think about Tonks?" Candice asked.

"What?" Liana asked, turning around. "Wait, why did you ask that?"

Candice shrugged. "I'm just wondering. I saw her a couple of times in the hallways."

"I mean… she saved us from that forest," Liana answered. "Tonks was the Auror on the case for us going missing, don't you remember?"

"Yeah, I remember!" Kylie shouted.

"But Tonks is friends with Sia," Liana continued, making a face. "She seems like a cool person, but I mean, who likes Sia?"

"Tonks does," Kylie answered.

Liana rolled her eyes. "I get that, Kylie, but other than Tonks? And Valentina? I mean, Sia's so mean. And Tonks is her friend. How can that even happen…"

"I don't even know," Candice admitted. "But putting that aside, Tonks is pretty cool."

"She's dating Professor Lupin," Liana told them.

"No way!" Kylie cried. "Really?"

Liana rolled her eyes. "I… just told you that."

"Right." Kylie grinned. "Well-"

"Kylie?" asked a third-year girl, entering the room. "Er, is Kylie in here?"

"Hi, I'm Kylie!" chirped Kylie enthusiastically, bounding towards the third-year. "Did you need something?"

"No, but a boy named Neville Longbottom is outside for you. He wants to talk to you."

Kylie frowned. "O… kay? I'll be right back, Liana, Candice."

"We're coming with you," Liana said immediately. "We can't miss this."

Kylie shrugged. "Okay. What is there to miss?"

"I don't know, but if a dumb Gryffindor like Neville wants something from you, then…"

"We've got to be there," filled in Candice softly, tucking a strand of her black hair behind her ear.

The three of them walked down and exited the Portrait Hole (Candice and Liana hiding) and saw Neville standing there.

"Hi, Kylie," he mumbled.

"What did you need?" she asked.

"I wanted to say hi," he said. "And if you need tutoring, I'm here." He turned pink. "Only in Herbology, though."

"Thanks, but no thanks," Kylie rejected. "I'm good."

Liana sniggered into her palm, a strand of her hair flying into her face.

"Okay, if you're sure," Neville fretted. "Let me know if you need help."

"I'll let you know-" Kylie started.

Neville beamed.

"-if I ever need someone mental."

"I can't believe we're going on a cruise," Hermione told Ron and Harry. "That's crazy!"

"Dumbledore is the best."

"He's a little off his rocker, but yeah, he's amazing," agreed Ron. "How does Muggle stuff work anyway, Hermione? You have to teach me. You too, mate," he said, nodding at Harry. "You guys have to explain to me everything about this stuff."

Hermione brushed her hair out of her face, sighing. "Well… the basics?"

"Yeah. Teach me what a cruise is."

"Okay, well… a cruise is like a super huge ship. I mean really big. It can fit over five thousand people, sometimes a lot more. They've got restaurants, and casinos-"

"What's that?"

"Where you put in money to get money. You either lose a lot of money or you get a lot. It's addicting. But we're not old enough."

Ron frowned. "Oh."

He was so insolent. But she liked it. "Yeah, so forget that. But it's huge. Really. You will not even be seasick. You will not remember that you are on a ship. They have activities in the night, like magic shows and ice skating-"

"Magic shows?" Ron asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Yeah, Muggle magic. They use sleight of hand and everything."

"Fascinating!" Ron pulled out a piece of paper and started scribbling down.

"You've never taken notes before," noted Harry.

"This is so cool, and I'm going to send them to Dad. Keep going, Hermione, what else is on a cruise?"

"Massages, gymnasiums, pools, really everything. Then they'll stop at a place, and we can go out and do stuff at that place. Like ziplining-"

"What?"

"You get attached to this little harness thing, and you swing down a rope that's long and far above the ground. Long ones are across forests… I've done some across lakes before."

"That's kind of scary," muttered Ron.

Harry ran a hand through his hair. "It's not. They're really safe."

"What if they snap?"

"That's the thing," Hermione sighed. "They don't."

"Okay. Do you have to book… whatever you're going to do? At the place?"

"They're called shore excursions," Hermione explained. "And you can do some on a computer, that's how you track everything, but we can just do it on the ship too."

"What's a computer?"

Hermione sighed.

She had a lot to teach.

"That's a lot of money," James noted to his wife, flipping through the printed cruise expenses.

"I know," she replied, running a hand through her hair. "I mean, we have this kind of money. It won't be the same if you don't come, though."

He grinned. "I'll do it, don't worry."

Her face broke out into a smile.

"It's nice that Dumbledore is paying for all of you guys," James reflected. "I mean, I know some kids and teachers wouldn't be able to pay for themselves."

"Like Remus," Lily agreed. "And he really deserves to come on this trip."

"Exactly!" he cried. "But Remus wouldn't want to go on a cruise."

"Why not?"

James snorted. "Can you see Remus in a pool? Or Remus on a beach? He has scars and stuff."

"But can't Healers magically cover them up?"

"They can. But even otherwise, Remus just isn't that type of guy. For whatever reason, he doesn't like displaying himself at, like, a beach."

"But Tonks would like it," she reminded him.

He grinned. "She definitely would. So would others, actually. Remus just doesn't like it. Because he's weird."

"Speaking of which, is Tonks coming?"

"I don't know. She wasn't invited."

"Neither were you," Lily reminded him. "Tonks would enjoy it. So would Remus, actually. You know, some company. Other than us, obviously."

"Yeah, it would be fun if both of them came along," James sighed, running his hand through his hair. "Okay, I'll talk to Remus and Tonks about that."

She nodded, smiling. "It's going to be so much fun."

"You can say that again."

Charity was sitting in her room, sipping a cup of coffee and grading a student's project when Dumbledore burst into the room.

"Hello, Charity!"

"Hey," she replied. Her feet were propped up on her desk and she was smiling widely. "What's up?"

"I need you to change your curriculum and teach all your students about cruises and planes," he told her.

"Oh, right." Charity grinned. "Of course. I'll also hold extra, public sessions for kids who don't take my class."

"Wonderful!" Dumbledore clapped his hands together, jumping up and down. "This is going to be so much fun! You must teach them about restaurants, spas, Muggle currency, everything! You must!"

"I will," Charity assured her. "Do you want to stay for ice cream?"

"Ooh, ice cream!" Dumbledore jumped onto the seat, waving his arms in the air. "I love ice cream! What flavor?"

"Let me check." Charity walked over to her cooler. "I've got dark fudge… vanilla… mint chocolate chip… and strawberry."

"STRAWBERRY?!" yelped Dumbledore. "Well, we must! Hand me some strawberry!"

Charity grinned, pulling out the package just as Severus entered the room.

"You called, Headmaster?" he asked stiffly.

"Yes, I did! But that can wait! Charity here is giving us ice cream!"

Severus raised his eyebrows. "Us?"

"Yes, you must have some too!" Dumbledore ran over to him and grabbed Severus's hands before jumping around in a circle.

To say Severus looked disgusted was an understatement. He wrinkled his nose, slapping Dumbledore's hands away, and took a large step back.

"Burbage," Severus said to her, "did you happen to give him coffee ice cream?"

"No, we haven't had anything yet," replied Charity, grinning. "He wanted strawberry, actually."

He nodded. "Well, I won't have any ice cream."

"Really? If you don't like strawberry, I've got fudge and vanilla and mint chocolate chip."

"You have vanilla?" he asked.

"Yep. You want some?"

He glared at Dumbledore, who was blinking expectantly. "You must have some, Severus, I will not let you leave the room without having had ice cream."

"I will not let you leave the room alive," muttered Severus to himself before turning to Charity. "Vanilla."

"Do you like vanilla, then?" Charity asked, scooping ice cream into a bowl and handing it to him.

He didn't answer, rolling his eyes.

Charity grinned and handed him the bowl, which he accepted.

Dumbledore walked over. "Strawberry ice cream, please."

"Sure thing." Charity handed him a bowl of strawberry ice cream. "And I'll take mint chocolate chip and strawberry. Like a mix! No offense, Severus, but I'm not too huge on vanilla. I mean, it's nice, but it's too bland. You need some excitement."

"Reflects your personality," he replied.

She smirked. "It sure does. But I prefer, like, exotic mango. Pineapple crunch… okay, no, I wouldn't go that far. But like, tropical stuff. You know? Strawberry mint. Bubblegum. Unusual flavors."

"I will eat any ice cream you give me!" Dumbledore exclaimed. "I love ice cream."

Charity grinned, but Severus gave him an exasperated look, rolling his eyes. She had to agree - Dumbledore could have two personalities. The serious personality barely came out anymore. She frowned at Severus, wondering if he was like that. Maybe he did have a fun, exciting side. Maybe he did. Maybe he'd show that on the cruise.

"Why did you call me here?" Severus asked exasperatedly once he'd finished his ice cream neatly.

"Oh, I just did," said Dumbledore, licking ice cream off his fingers. "I wanted company. No offense, Charity. I wanted someone else to jazz up the place."

"None taken," she assured him, still grinning.

"I invited Minerva and Lily… they should be here anytime now."

Something in Severus's expression changed. "Lily?" he and Charity asked at the same time.

"Yes! Lily."

No. This was not happening. "Does she have to?" Charity asked.

"Yes!" He frowned at her. "Your relationship with Professor Potter is quite peculiar…"

"None of your business," mumbled Charity, scowling. "I'm going to go… I have to discuss a project with a student."

"Of course," said Dumbledore knowingly. "Just leave the ice cream out here for us, would you?"

"Sure."

"I need to go too," snapped Severus. "I thought you called me here for a reason, but apparently you didn't."

But as Severus and Charity left the room, Charity wondered if Severus had a past with Lily just like she did.

A/N: Here we are! Everyone's super excited for the cruise, as you can tell. Just wait 'til they get on it ;)

maia04: thank you so much for the review! Remus gradually transitions into calling Tonks 'Dora', and you're going to see that a lot more going on.

MillyWidow: thank you for all your reviews! There's no way Tonks is missing out on the cruise. She just wouldn't stand for it ;)