A/N: I think one more chapter after this. I had great fun writing this little fic and thank you to everyone who read and commented. You're the best!

Harry sat down on Number 4's steps and looked out on Privet Drive. It was starting to be dark out and he watched the streetlights come on one by one. A curtain twitched across the road. What he would like to do was go back to the sea any way he could, but by now he had come to the realisation that Severus was in charge. Still, he could try.

"The Nektons said I could—"

"That's not going to happen," Severus said. He knew exactly what the Nektons said, he was there after all.

"I really liked them," Harry said and sighed.

Life was too sad, he thought. But was it? He still had his health like Aunt Marge loved to say. He still had friends—something he never had before—and he wasn't going to feel Dudley's pinches any time soon. Not being a maudlin type of boy, he sighed once more and then decided it would be his last sigh. Time to plan. He was going to forge full sail ahead.

Having made up his mind, he told Severus, "I suggest we go find a ship and travel the world searching for my family." He kept it to himself that he would not search too hard. "I can be a cabin boy and you can collect."

"Is that so?" Severus asked.

"Yes."

Severus whisked them away, not to the sea but to an Indian restaurant where he bought two curries to take away and then he whisked them off again to his house. Much like the Dursleys' home, Severus's one was identical to its neighbour's. The difference was that here were no gardens, they were all attached to each other, the walls were black with soot, and the paint on the doors had started peeling off. The street was fully dark by now and far in the distance one streetlight flickered heroically, illuminating a stray cat. Harry shivered as something cold ran down his spine wondered if anyone else lived there. He asked about it, scooting closer to Severus.

"I have no idea," Severus said. "And I couldn't care less. I live in school most of the year." He opened the door. "You may expect some dust."

He knew it! Teachers did live in school! Also, it was true, there was a lot of dust.

They ate their curries in the kitchen after Severus cleaned the table with his wand, but he didn't bother cleaning plates and they ate it directly from the cartons with plastic forks. That was a little adventure on its own, Harry had never eaten with a plastic fork, and afterwards Harry felt much better and more ready to face the future.

The future was a bath and bed in a dusty little room upstairs.

"What will we do now?" Harry asked when he was safely tucked under the covers. The day's emotions had taken it out of him and he was happy enough to go to sleep.

"We will figure it out in the morning. Sleep now. Good night."

"Good night, Severus."

The next day Harry woke early. It was the first night in weeks that he hadn't spent on the rolling ocean and for a while his stomach felt quite queasy at the absence of motion. It made Harry think with longing of his days as a cabin boy and decided he should keep in practise. To that end, he unearthed a bucket and a brush from under the kitchen sink. He filled the bucket with warm water and squirted a good handful of dishwashing liquid in it. He tied two dusty dishcloths over his knees. Then started scrubbing the kitchen floor, humming a sailor's song.

In his time on Captain Tom's steamer, Harry had learned quite a few songs. He also learned that there were different types, ballads that told a story of famous pirates, rude sea shanties when everyone thought he was safely asleep in his cot, or work songs sung in sync with your movements that helped set the pace or alleviated boredom. 'Fish in the sea' was his favourite for scrubbing the decks, and he automatically started singing it.

"Come all you young sailor men, listen to me

I'll sing you a song of the fish in the sea…"

He scrubbed the worn linoleum under the kitchen table.

"And it's windy weather, boys, stormy weather, boys

When the wind blows, we're all together, boys,

Blow ye winds westerly, blow ye winds, blow

Jolly sou'wester, boys, steady she goes…"

He scrubbed the linoleum under the chairs. Severus stepped over him and rolled his eyes.

"Up jumps the eel with his slippery tail," Harry sang,

"Climbs up aloft and reefs the topsail!"

Severus put a pan on the stove and started searching for eggs. Magic was very welcome when you weren't in your home for many months at a time. He found what he needed in his cold-box. There were eggs, milk, and bread as fresh as the day he bought them, and he started preparing their breakfast. Magic could also scrub your floors if you so wished but he let Harry have his fun.

Harry moved the bucket to the living room which had a hardwood floor and sang on,

"And it's windy weather, boys, stormy weather, boys

When the wind blows, we're all together, boys

Blow ye winds westerly, blow ye winds, blow

Jolly sou'wester, boys, steady she goes!"

He scrubbed in front of the dusty sofas. He scrubbed in front of the hearth, scraping the ash to one side.

"And then up jumps the shark with his nine rows of teeth

Saying, "You eat the dough, boys, and I'll eat the beef!"

He scrubbed his way to the parlour. By now the water was very dirty and he felt quite satisfied. He sang,

"And it's windy weather, boys, stormy weather, boys

When the wind blows, we're all together, boys

Blow ye winds westerly, blow ye winds, blow

Jolly sou'wester, boys, steady she goes."

He scrubbed in front of the door. Harry was singing quite lustily now for Severus was awake and clattering pans, he thought in rhythm with the song, and the smell of eggs and toasted bread energised him.

"Up jumps the whale, the largest of all

If you want any wind, well, I'll blow ye a squall!"

Severus stuck his head out of the kitchen and called, "Come have breakfast."

Harry picked up the bucket and sang,

"And it's windy weather, boys, stormy weather, boys

When the wind blows, we're all together, boys

Blow ye winds westerly, blow ye winds, blow

Jolly sou'wester, boys, steady she goes!"

"Got it out of your system, then?" Severus asked when Harry dumped the dirty water out the back door. "Wash your hands." He put two plates on the table and poured a glass of milk for Harry.

They ate their breakfast in companionable silence and when they were done Harry washed the dishes just like he had for Cook.

"I have a few calls to make," Severus said. "Stay in the house and keep yourself busy."

Severus spent the morning alternating between talking on the telephone and sticking his head in the fireplace which had green flames. The first time he did it, Harry nearly fell over in shock and rushed to save him. They had tea to calm his nerves and Severus explained that wizards called each other through the fire and even travelled through it if they wanted. It was the 'Floo' they had talked about the previous day. He demonstrated that it was quite safe if you threw Floo powder into the flames first and waited until they turned green. Once he got started, he went into full lecture mode and even made Harry practise. He let him talk to the Headmaster who asked Harry how he had slept.

"Fine, thank you," Harry said politely.

The Headmaster asked about the Dursleys. "Do you know of any other family they might have gone to visit?" he asked. "Do you have any idea where they could be?"

Harry thought of Uncle Vernon's sister, Aunt Marge. She didn't like him at all. Perhaps even less than the Dursleys did. "No."

"Very well. I'll let you get on with your day."

Harry scrubbed the bathroom, and shook the bedsheets out in a tiny little courtyard behind the kitchen. The courtyard held an old, rickety outhouse that leaned precariously to the left, and a rusty metal tub.

"Do you have any buttons to sew?" Harry asked Severus when he had scrubbed everything he could find.

Severus put the telephone down. "Go wash up, we will go to the pub."

"I don't like rum."

"You may have a milkshake," Severus said. "We will have lunch. I do believe you've worked enough for the day."

He never had lunch in a pub and was quite excited. He scrubbed his hands and face until they shone pink. He cleaned his glasses. Lastly, he removed the dishcloths from his knees, and fetched his sneakers. They travelled to the pub through the Floo which was an amazing experience and also very sooty, as it smudged his face up enough that Severus had to clean him with his handkerchief when they stepped out into a pub called the Leaky Cauldron.

The pub was dark and mysterious, all the menu items had 'Leaky' in their names, and menus and money and plates circled over the diners.

Both ordered a hearty stew—Harry because that was what sailors ate after a hard morning's work, and Severus because he was an adult and adults tended to like those types of food. Harry also had his very first milkshake and declared it better than hot cocoa.

Harry ate and watched the people come and go. They were all sorts, wizards and witches in colourful robes and hats mixed with ordinary people dressed in jeans and sweaters. Some stopped for a drink or a meal, but most went through to the back and didn't appear again. He imagined they went into a magical place and would have asked but rather enjoyed imagining all sorts of things instead. Perhaps there was a magical zoo, he thought when he saw quite a few families with excited children disappearing into the back. Perhaps there was a whole new magical world filled with aliens and strange exotic animals and three moons instead of a sun...

Sometimes not knowing was more fun and he was happy enough for this to be one of those times.

"Have you found Aunt Petunia yet?" Harry asked when he had slurped the last of the milkshake up and reality returned. Opposite him, Severus was having tea.

"I have people looking into it."

"I can go to the Nekt—"

"You will stay with me until I take you to your aunt. Let's not hear of that again, if you please." Severus said this with such a teacher's face and such a teacher's voice that Harry made himself small in his chair.

Did he mind staying with Severus? He didn't think so but soon he would have scrubbed everything in the little house and what would he do then? There were no ropes to tie, no buttons to sew, no masts to climb and seagulls to feed, no deck rocking under his feet…

Not being a particularly shy little boy he stopped making himself small and asked.

"I'm sure we'll manage to find you something to do," Severus said, not much bothered. "If not then at least school will start soon," he continued and waved for the bill.

Harry would have been aghast at learning the summer holidays were reaching their end, but instead of their bill, a tawny owl settled on Severus's hand, and Harry nearly dropped out of his chair in shock. "An owl!" he called inanely.

Severus looked at him as if he had said something impossibly stupid but surely he was allowed to be surprised? He had not yet plumbed the depths of all that was magical, how could he? Feeling rightfully affronted, Harry scowled back, ready to say this, but Severus wasn't paying attention to him now. He had pulled a parchment off the owl's leg and was reading it.

"They found your aunt in Australia," he said. "Number 7, Bean Street, Coober Pedy."

"Oh."

First, they went to buy a Portkey. Harry learned there was a whole magical shopping district behind the pub and was not disappointed at all. He was not allowed to dawdle and look, though, for Severus was suddenly in a hurry to get to Australia with Harry and come back without.

The Travel Agent's shop was nothing more than a small closet-sized office between a broom shop and one that appeared to be selling toilet seats. Most of the walls were covered in racks that held pamphlets and at the back was a large fireplace that took up what space was left. A motherly woman with a sunny smile helped them and asked a few in-depth questions about Harry when she learned where they were off to. She didn't find Severus very trustworthy which he took as a matter of course. Mostly he found himself the same. Truth be told, he didn't have a good reputation for various reasons that a six-year-old didn't have to know about. After interrogating them both she stuck her head in the Floo too discuss it with the Headmaster on Severus's suggestion, and only then did she sell them a Portkey.

It was an innocuous green pen.

"Oh," Harry said when Severus held it out to him right there in the shop. He thought hard. "My wetsuit is still in your—"

"I will mail it to you."

"I still have to scrub your courtyard…"

"You don't have to scrub anything. Let's go, Potter."

Harry squared his shoulders, did not sigh even though he wanted to, and took hold of the green pen. "Let's go, then," he said, and if his chin wobbled and his voice was thin, Severus was at least kind enough not to mention it.

They disappeared and appeared with a long stretch in between, and when Harry opened his eyes he found himself face to face with a spider as big as his head. Eight eyes reflected his pale face back at him. He screamed.

"Oh, sorry, mate," someone said and reached over him to remove the spider. The spider whistled a protest and Harry saw it was hanging from the ceiling on a thick silky rope. "That's Jack, he's a whistling spider. He thinks it's mighty funny to prank incoming travellers."

"It's okay," Harry said as soon as he got his breath back.

The travel agent said, "Neato!" He held out a jar filled with black little raisins, only it wasn't raisins at all. "You want to feed him a fly?"

Harry fed Jack a fly and looked curiously around.

The little shop was not much larger than the one they came from and the walls were filled with racks of pamphlets the same. The only difference was Jack who now sat on a stool and laughed, an awful hissing-whistle sound, and that the agent was a blond, suntanned young man in safari clothes and a wide-brimmed hat. When he smiled his teeth were enormous and blinding.

Looking through some of the pamphlets, Harry saw they had underground homes called dugouts that you can rent, an Opal Mine and Museum, a Golf Course, a Kangaroo Orphanage, and a Big Winch. He imagined his Uncle Vernon putting up a Big Drill-bit. He decided if he was going to stay here he would see if he could work at the Kangaroo Orphanage and once he made enough money he could run away to the sea.

Unaware of Harry's big plans, Severus enquired after transport to 'Number 7, Bean Street, Coober Pedy', and was given directions.

"You can just walk there, mate. It's two streets down, second house to the left, great big lump of a lad in the front yard my nan says. Can't miss it."

They did not hold hands when they stepped outside for there was no beach and no sea to run away to. It was hot. Everything as far as Harry could see—once he had unfogged his glasses—were brown, from the dirt roads to the houses with their sandy lawns. A car passed them by, dust layered thick on its windows. The afternoon sun burned down on them and Harry was immediately glad for his shorts and striped sailor shirt when the sweat started beading off him within seconds. He felt sorry for Severus who must be sweltering in his long-sleeved black shirt and trousers, but Severus shook his wand out and waved it over them both and a cool breeze kicked up. The breeze stayed with them as they walked and also took care of the flies.

Harry said, "Neato!"

"You'll fit right in," Severus told him and they set off to find the Dursleys.

'Two streets down' weren't so close, the houses were long and flat, and the brown gardens were larger than any Harry had seen before. Some of the gardens were as big as playgrounds! In one a group of barefooted kids was playing football, yelling, and kicking up dust. In another, a family was diving in a round blue pool that rose up out of the ground. Severus took Harry's hand to move him along. They passed a lemonade stand made by two little gap-toothed girls younger than Harry, and did not buy anything despite the girls yelling how sweet their lemonade was, sweeter than mountain dew, mates!

On they walked and walked, the sun low in their eyes. Two streets down and the second house to the left they found Dudley sitting in the middle of a large, dusty front yard, on a red beach chair. There wasn't a plant in sight. Flies buzzed around his head, but he paid them no mind. His round face was nearly as red as the chair, sweat dripped off him in buckets, and there were ugly sweat-stains under his armpits. He didn't look up as they entered the gate for he was too busy playing with his Game Boy, shouting rudely at the loud game.

"Your cousin?" Severus asked.

"Yes."

Severus and Harry gave him a wide berth and stepped to the brown front door where Severus knocked.

The door opened and Aunt Petunia stuck her head out to see who it was. She looked quite displeased at being disturbed.

"Hello, Petunia," Severus said and pushed Harry forward. "Mislaid someone?"

"You!" Aunt Petunia called, seeing Harry.

"You!" Aunt Petunia called, seeing Severus.

She pulled her head back and slammed the door with a loud bang in their faces.

Severus thought it might be due to shock at seeing her nephew alive, and was ready to knock again, but the noise had got Dudley's attention and he looked over. "You!" he called on seeing Harry. "We don't want you here! Why did you come?!"

"Why indeed," said Severus under his breath.

"I told you so," Harry repeated and asked, "Can we ask Aunt Petunia to write Kaiko a letter? I'd like to be a cabin boy on the Aronnax." He thought longingly of Ant and Fontaine who even when they were fighting were much more pleasant than Dudley.

"You will not be a cabin boy on the Aronnax," Severus said and he knocked again. This time he knocked louder, banging his fist against the brown paint. He bellowed, which is another word for shouting loudly, and called, "Open up, Petunia! Unless you want a scene!"

Harry's aunt opened the door and dragged them inside, hissing at Severus to be quiet. "We don't want him," she hissed directly after that. "He should be dead!"

Severus put his hand on Harry's head, and astonishingly it stopped Harry's chin from wobbling. He took a deep breath to calm down and was about to ask for a letter, but Severus did so instead. He said it was quite clear that Harry wasn't wanted asked Harry's aunt to relinquish Harry into his care and to write a letter to that effect. "I don't suppose you kept any of his clothes?"

"No," Aunt Petunia said quite shamelessly and went to write the letter. She did not once look at Harry.

Five minutes later they were back in the street, the letter stowed safely in Severus's pocket. Dudley looked up long enough from his game to shout, "Don't come back!"

Harry yelled, "I wouldn't want to if you paid me a gazillion Galleons! I'm off to be a sailor!"

They bought some lemonade on the way back.