(A/N: I just made a couple of small changes to the last chapter for corrections. They're probably not enough to go reread, but if you are one to save off stories then you probably want to go get that. The corrections are a "Brit-pick" (thanks to Brennus who is a Brit) and a description of the bay area at Melbourne (thanks to Sibling Creature who lives in that area).)

Chapter 5

All of his friends were standing in a line which led to the skiff; Harry was last and Ginny was beside him.

Mario Russo came first with his duffel bag slung over his shoulder. Everyone shook his hand and thanked the man for his service as chief engineer. When he reached the end, Harry shook his hand as well. "Mr Russo, thank you for your work, especially in teaching Lee and Gawain." He handed an envelope over. "I believe this takes care of our promise: your last paycheck, the bonus, and money for the ticket you wanted to return home plus a little extra."

"Thank you, Mr Evanson. Again, I'm sorry for things being a little rough at first, but I'm glad I stayed and it all worked out."

"As am I. Good luck." Harry watched him walk the short distance to the skiff and climb in.

Mia was being hugged by Ginny, who told her, "I wished we had made the effort to know you sooner, but maybe that can happen anyway."

"Probably," Mia allowed.

"I have your phone number," Harry told her as she turned to him. "I'll call you in a week as we'll be here at least that long. Here's your last payment and bonus. Since you're not traveling I put an extra bonus in there to be fair."

"Thank you, Mr Evanson, that's very thoughtful."

"Remember, you have an opportunity, but do what's best for you," he advised her.

"Yes, sir. We'll definitely talk later." She headed on.

"Steve," Harry shook the man's hand and gave him his envelope. "Thank you for being flexible and working with us."

"I enjoyed it, even if it was long days." Steve held up the envelope. "My wife will enjoy this. Thanks for the work." He headed on.

Alex was next to reach Harry who said, "Thanks for all of your help and training. I liked our talks about your early years on the job. This is for you."

The young man laughed as he took his envelope. "Thank you, Mr Evanson, even if you do make me sound old that way."

As Ginny released the hands of the last crew member, Harry stood a little straighter. "Captain, I can't say thank you enough for your help, training, and encouragement, not to mention signing our license paperwork. Becoming half as good as you will be an accomplishment."

The older man smiled. "I think you're already there; all you need is some experience … that's to each of you." He looked at Ginny also. "Just remember to be cautious as the ocean is a harsh mistress and is not forgiving."

"I shall not forget that, nor to check the weather," Harry told him, having been reminded of that often in the beginning.

"Then I have accomplished much," he said with a smile and took the envelope when Harry held it out. "Good luck, I have enjoyed serving here. You have my contact info if you need my services again for any reason."

"I do," Harry told him and shook his hand one more time. "Thank you again for signing our license papers and good luck to you as well."

Bill followed the man. Harry gave him a thanks for taking care of ferrying the group to shore. He and Ginny stood there and watched them leave, waving at the end.

When they turned to go to their cabin, he asked, "You ordered the supplies, right?"

"Yes," she replied. "They'll be ready to pick up tomorrow at three. They said if we'll pull into their berth they'll deliver them by crane since the order is so large."

"Good. Still like Mia?"

"Yes, but not as much as Lee," she said with a chuckle. "It'll be nice not to have to use our aliases anymore and we won't have to be as secretive. I know Ron will be happier too as he can start using magic outside of his cabin."

"I'm looking forward to going somewhere I can fly my broom again," he told her.

"Me too, and thanks for buying us all brooms," she said with a squeeze of her hand that was around his waist.

"They're fun and they might come in handy too; you never know. Let's head to the bridge and look at the maps," he suggested. "I'd like to figure out where we're going next."

Bill was standing next to the rail on the bow of the boat looking over the water when Harry found him. The man was leaning over, both elbows on the rail and looking contemplative.

"Hi Bill."

He turned his head. "Hi Harry." He went back to looking over the water.

Harry joined him and leaned on the rail too. "Problem?"

"Not in the usual way," Bill replied. "I was again thinking about what happened to us and the spot we find ourselves in as exiles, or essentially so. I never could have predicted this."

"I know what you mean," Harry agreed. "Ginny and I will be talking normally and then something is said and before you know it one of us is upset about what happened. Usually it's Ginny about the loss of her parents but I've had my moments too about the unfairness of it all."

They stood in silence for a moment before Bill asked, "Got plans for how to handle this afternoon?"

"Yeah," their new captain answered. "It's all supposed to come in boxes so I thought we'd get everyone up and form a line. The first person grabs a box and passes it to the next and so on until the last person gets it and can stack it. Hopefully, the last person is under cover and Winky can be there to send it to the appropriate storage room. I don't think it should be too hard. Ginny has done a great job taking care of the ordering and management of things around the boat."

Bill nodded thoughtfully. "That she has. I've been a bit surprised but I supposed all of you had to grow up sometime and the last couple of months has forced that." He snorted. "I've noticed Ron doing reasonably well too since he's returned."

"He has," Harry agreed. "Say Bill, can we talk about Ginny and the future?"

Bill turned his head and looked at him, taking his measure for a moment, before turning and looking back out over the water. "It wasn't until the second night at the Delacours that I discovered where Ginny was sleeping. I mentioned something about it and received an earful from my lovely wife who I also found out had helped that along. She pointed out Ginny was so close to being of age that the small difference didn't matter.

"It was at that moment when the idea of her being with you at night and the loss of my parents came together and I knew I'd be having a conversation with you about her." Bill sighed. "Yet another thing I shouldn't be having to do."

Bill snorted in amusement. "Even stranger is that I can't do any of the normal things that Jean did with me. I can't posture and threaten you about taking care of her because you've already saved her life twice, and that doesn't count you just defeating the most recent dark wizard. I don't need to ask if you can take care of her needs because of this." His hand slapped the rail a couple of times.

"And I don't need to ask if you love her, or if she loves you, because I've watched you two around each other. I find it a little sickeningly sweet, while Fleur says it's cute and then reminds me that we used to be that way not so long ago. What's a man supposed to do?" Bill sighed.

Harry waited and after a long moment when Bill still didn't say anything else he suggested, "You can say yes."

Bill chuckled which turned into a laugh. He stood before he turned to Harry and stuck out his hand, which Harry accepted, and said, "Good luck, she's all yours. You have my permission and blessing, although I don't think it's required."

"She asked for it," Harry commented as they let go.

"She's just following tradition because she thinks that would have made our parents happy - she is right about that," Bill replied. "Mum would have been over the moon and Dad would have been happy for both of you. Are you going to ask the magic question tonight?"

Harry snorted. "I'm not allowed to ask until September because she wanted me to really think about it and give us time to talk. I was thinking of waiting a week more just to have fun with her and make her wonder."

Bill laughed. "I like the idea, but be careful as that might be playing with fire. She's always been a handful, even to the point she could keep the twins in line."

Harry smiled. "I know, it's part of what I love about her. I don't expect life with her to ever be boring."

"I think you're right there," Bill agreed.

Since Harry felt they'd finished the previous subject he asked, "Hey, while we have a few minutes, will you show me the work you did on the space expansions and the cold charms? I'd like to learn."

"Sure, it's not too hard and it's something you probably should know." Bill led him off.

Harry was happy that had gone so well and was also now done.

Harry and Ginny stood at the side of the boat and watched the skiff return. Ron was driving with Bill beside him to watch and guide. This trip was Ron's first time to do it.

"Ron's doing well with the skiff," Ginny commented. "I'm glad he's starting to pick up jobs around the boat and learning about it."

"He's been doing well for the nearly three weeks he's been back with us," Harry told her. "I think he's really turned a corner. However, Hermione doesn't seem to spend much time around him."

"She's still wary of him." Ginny shook her head. "I don't think he burnt that bridge, but he certainly singed it really well. Only time will tell if they get back together or not."

Harry looked at her and smiled. "Since we have a moment..." He leaned down and they started to kiss. In fact, they lost track of time and it was about to turn into a full out snog session when they heard a throat being cleared loudly behind them. Not embarrassed at all, they pulled back slowly and turned to see Ron, Bill, and Mia.

"Really, Harry?" Ron complained a little sarcastically.

"I thought he was James," Mia said, puzzled.

Harry smiled. "Why don't you come with us to the lounge where everyone else is and we can answer that question and others. I know Lee will be happy you're back and I do hope you decide to stay."

"You make it sound like I might not want to," Mia said as she followed them.

"I'd like to hope your decision to join us will continue, but as I told you when we talked on the phone, this will always be and should always be your decision and no one else's, not even Lee's," Harry told her as he led her into the lounge. She'd said she wanted to join them when they'd talked on the phone, but he wondered if this discussion would change that.

Everyone else was seated and waiting, although Lee stood and came over to her, greeting her with a quick kiss.

"Feel free to grab any kind of drink you like," Harry said as he grabbed some apple juice and headed for the seats. Ginny followed with some tea. Mia joined them with coffee and sat beside Lee.

Despite his smile, Harry felt nervous. "Mia, there is one large secret we might as well start with and get it out of the way. I think everything after that will be easy." He paused and took a deep breath. "This was so much easier in my mind than for real." A few of the others chuckled, while Mia looked concerned.

"The truth of the matter is, Mia," Harry started, "there are two kinds of people in the world. You're probably thinking, right: male and female. While that is true, I'm making the distinction between those who can do magic and those who can't."

Mia looked puzzled. "Like pull a rabbit out of hat? What's so secretive about that?"

"No, like do things that should be impossible kind of magic. Who has an empty cup?" Harry asked as he pulled out his wand. Hermione held hers out and Harry levitated it from her hand and moved it so it was in front of Mia and hovering. "Grab it and examine it. It's a normal cup. The reason it's floating in the air is because of me."

Slowly and with a hand that was no longer steady, Mia reached out and took the cup, allowing Harry to end the spell. She looked it over for a long moment. "It seems normal," she finally said and looked at him in wonder.

"Drop it."

"What?!"

"Drop it."

"It'll break!"

"I know and it'll be fine."

Mia looked like she still didn't understand but dropped it on the wooden floor and the cup broke into almost five main pieces plus some little ones.

Harry waved his wand again while saying `Reparo` in his head and all the pieces jumped back together. "Pick it up and check it out again. You won't find a crack on it as it is completely repaired." He watched her do it. "I can do a lot more if you need to see it to be convinced, but are you satisfied magic really exists?"

Mia slowly nodded as she looked back at the cup then at Lee. "You're like this too?"

Lee pulled out his wand and conjured a rose to hand to her. "I'm sorry I lied to you, but we're not supposed to reveal magic to others … unless that person will be living with magicals. That's what this is about. I really meant it when I said I wanted you to come live with me, but you have to accept I have this extra gift."

Harry wasn't sure he'd ever seen his jovial friend this serious while Mia looked at and then smelled the rose and smiled.

"I think you might have a touch of the gift as well. Remember how my wand gave off a spark when you waved it around?" When she nodded, he held out his wand again. "There are no batteries in it; it takes magic from within you to make it work. Take it and wave it again and try to make it make sparks."

She hesitated before she slowly took the wand. Looking like it was hard to move, she waved it a little and two white sparks fell out, limply, making her wide-eyed.

"Look at me," Luna commanded and Mia did lock gazes with the blonde; she also didn't seem to be able to look away until Luna did.

"I believe she's a very low-powered witch after all," Luna confirmed. "I doubt she'll ever be able to do more than first year spells and even most of those will be hard for her, but she is magical. A custom fitted wand would be the best thing we could do to help her."

"How could you possibly know that?" Hermione snapped.

"Isn't it obvious that a custom fitted wand would be most helpful?" Luna returned, not bothered by the outburst at all.

Hermione looked exasperated. "No, that you can tell she's a witch just by looking at her."

Luna still wasn't perturbed. "It's a gift, just like we all have gifts. Some have more than others, whether in number or in size or in both. You know that. Your best friend is the most gifted of us all, that's why he is our leader and partly why Ginny can't help but want him – beyond the fact that he's yummy."

Harry just looked at her and blinked as she turned to him and smiled in her enigmatic way.

"You know it's true even if you don't want to admit it," Luna told him. "Ignoring modern day politics, the strongest has always been the leader."

Harry decided to hurry off that subject. "Mia, that's the big secret. We're all magical here, apparently even you. So if you come live with us, you'll have to keep the secret and hide it too."

"Even from my family?" Mia asked in surprise.

"There are exceptions for immediate family," Hermione informed her. "My parents know even if they aren't magical, but my extended family does not. I'd suggest you fully come to terms with this before you tell them."

Mia nodded a little numbly and continued to look at Lee's wand in her hand. "This might explain a few stories I've heard about my mother's parents."

Harry said, "It's not uncommon for magic to return to a family in later generations if it disappears. Anyway, that is the most important part of us and we can all teach you more later if you stay. The why we are here and not in Britain may be important to you too."

Going slowly so as not to confuse her, Harry explained about the war and the government's reaction over the last few years. Then he explained about winning the final battle only to be thrown into prison unjustly and then their escape.

"So after we escaped our illegal imprisonment, we took on new names to leave the country and ended up here to be far away from Britain and to find a new life. It was either that or stay and start a new war," Harry ended. "If that's all right with you, you're welcome to join our group and be like one of us. You can stay with Lee or have your own cabin … or maybe start in your own and move in with him later." Harry shrugged. "None of us will care as its your life. We only asked that no one gets hurt and that you help out around the boat. Being our chief engineer would be an obvious position, but if you're tired of that, you can find something else to do – although I'd ask that you be willing to continue to teach Lee and George as needed."

Mia nodded slowly. "It's a lot to take in." She waved the wand again and another spark came out, which made her smile. "I'll stay. I really like Lee and think that will work out. Magic is just a bonus, even if I never master it."

Ron snorted. "I'm not sure any of us really master it, but welcome aboard."

The rest smiled and echoed his welcome. The girls all jumped up and rushed over to give her a hug. They had a new member and Lee definitely had a girlfriend.

A phone call to Jean, who talked with the Goblins of Gringotts, revealed that most of the magical population in New Zealand was on the southern island, not that the population was all that large. So they sailed that way as they were in no hurry. In the magical community they found an old wand maker who was able to create a wand for Mia. He also agreed with Luna that Mia would never be able to do more than simple spells, but then again, many magicals only did simple spells most of the time anyway.

Harry made sure there was a party for Ginny's birthday. He even made Ron and a slightly unwilling Hermione help him with some of the details – unwilling because Ron was involved. Afterward in a private conversation, Hermione admitted that Ron was getting better, but it was obvious the bridge between them was still singed, as Ginny would have said.

Rounding the island and heading north on the eastern side, then soon left New Zealand behind as they headed for New Caledonia and its neighboring islands. Harry never went more than about half speed as they were in no hurry and there were no significant storms.

Next on the itinerary was Vanuatu and its islands. They generally stopped at most islands – even if they were small - wherever they went to see what was offered and get some shore leave to have fun. Going on shore was also a better way to have some private time even if they were on a big boat.

— — —

Their first evening on Vanuatu during dinner, Bill told them all, "Don't leave when you're finished eating, Fleur and I have something to show you."

"Oh?" several asked at once.

Bill just smiled. "You'll have to wait," which earned him several groans.

Bill finished a little early and left to retrieve his props; meanwhile, Fleur conjured a table, a bucket, a funnel, and a couple of tubes. He returned a few minutes later with what looked like an overly large tin can with a connector on each end.

He attached a tube to one end of the small device then attached the funnel onto that. A tube was attached to the other end and hung off the table over the bucket that was on the floor. "Watch this," he told them as Fleur handed him a cup of water which he poured into the funnel that led into the device. A moment later a deluge came out of the other tube, almost filling the bucket. "For any liquid I pour into here, you get about ten times the amount of the same liquid out, whether that's water or diesel fuel – the magic doesn't care."

Harry grinned, "Brilliant! Between this for the fuel and the changes we made for electricity, we'll need very little energy to stay on the boat." Everyone was happy, but none more than the three engineers who said they'd install the device in the morning.

— — —

The next evening Harry decided to put his plan into action as it was now the third of September and Harry was noticing frequent expectant and thoughtful looks from Ginny. He didn't think she knew he'd talked to Bill already, but there was no doubt in his mind she was wondering when he was going to propose to her. They'd had a lot talks in the evenings about what they wanted to do, especially in regards to children. Harry was tempted to wait a little longer to tease her a little more, but decided that might not be healthy for him.

Since almost everyone spent their free time on the forward deck, Harry set up a private area on the rear deck with Winky's help, and he warded it for privacy. They had dinner on the putting green, in fact. As dinner ended, Harry walked around the table as if to help her up, but instead he dropped down to one knee. He didn't care about theatrics or being flashy, but he did want to give her at least a little romance.

He surprised her when he went to one knee and grabbed her left hand. He then held up the engagement ring he'd pulled out of the jewelry box before he'd given it to Ginny months ago and held it up so she could see it. "Please marry me, Ginny, because I love you with all that I am and I want us to spend the rest of our lives together, until death do us part."

Ginny looked overcome at the suddenness and nodded briskly, barely managing a husky, "Yes."

He slipped the ring on before he stood and pulled her up where she hugged him tightly and kissed him hard. All of his other plans were thrown overboard as she suggested, "Let's go back to our cabin where we have more privacy and discuss this." He didn't object so off they went.

A few minutes later he was glad he hadn't objected as not only did her dress come off, so did her knickers. They didn't make an appearance the next day until it was time for lunch.

At lunch they appeared to a number of grins and teases about sleeping late … until Ginny showed her new ring. The girls squealed and had to come over to look. The boys were less excited, but still raised a cup to Harry and said, "Congrats."

"When's the big day?" Bill asked.

"Are you going to marry yourselves as the captain of the boat?" George asked in jest.

Harry rolled his eyes at George before he answered Bill. "That was a big topic of discussion. Ginny is thinking in two weeks or maybe three."

"What?" It was Bill who'd exclaimed but others were looking at Harry in shock too.

It was Ginny who answered though. "I'd like to buy a special dress, but otherwise there's not much else to do, other than get a camera for someone to take pictures as I'd like some. Otherwise, we just have to find someone who can do a magical wedding and pick up a few flowers at a shop. I think getting married on the beach sounds nice." The girls agreed a beach wedding sounded good.

Bill asked the last major question too. "I can give the bride away, but who will be your best man?"

Harry looked at Ginny and she shrugged before nodding to him slightly. `Chicken` he thought at her; she must have guessed that because she also smiled and batted her eyes at him. "At this time, we're thinking we won't do that tradition because I'd hurt someone's feeling no matter who I picked and you all can't be best man. Same thing for maid of honor. Sorry."

While the girls all looked disappointed, Bill said, "That's actually probably for the best, for you and all of us."

"Where do you want to get married? What island?" Fleur asked.

"I was thinking Fiji," Ginny answered. "I like the pictures of it in the book we bought about the islands. We can spend our honeymoon in one of this little huts on the water too."

When they were ready to leave the area around Vanuatu, Harry and Ginny were on the bridge looking at the maps and getting ready for their next journey.

"I think straight to Fiji," Ginny said, "there's not much else near here to see unless we go north."

"There's nothing between here and Fiji though, so it's a straight run," Harry pointed out. "We could do it in a single long day if required, or do you think we should go at our usual slower speed and make it two days?"

"I don't really care," she replied. "Two days is fine if you want. While I am looking forward to getting married," she said with a grin, "I don't think one extra day is going to matter. We'll probably have to be there several days anyway, and Jean said the magicals in that area are mostly on a smaller island to the east and call it the Isle of Magic. So I expect we'll need to go to both, but at least the two places are only a couple of hours sailing apart."

Harry pulled out a report he'd received only a half hour before. "Look at this though, there's a storm to the south. It looks to be … here." He put his finger on the map to the south of them where the report indicated. "It's heading east too, but should stay south of us. I think we can go ahead."

Ginny scanned the report. "Yes, I'd agree, although I will note we'll be heading slightly south to get to Fiji."

"Not very much, maybe 150 nautical miles or so at most." He nodded. "We got this."

— — —

By late afternoon of their second day, it was obvious the storm they thought wouldn't be a problem was a problem as it had turned northward. The wind had picked up as had the waves. The boat could still handle it, but it was rougher seas than Harry had ever sailed on before, even when Captain Moore had been with them.

Their best hope was to make it to Fiji and anchor on the leeward side of the island to let it shelter them. He'd also gone to full power to get there faster, but they were going to get tossed about for a while and the bigger waves also slowed them down. This was a lesson he was going to take to heart – storms can change paths even if they're big.

Ginny was standing on lookup at the front of the bridge, making sure they didn't run into anything and give warning if land suddenly appeared. Ron was watching the radar for land or other ships. Hermione was watching the depth finder to make sure nothing surprised them from underneath. Normally, the pilot could watch them all as long as they weren't in a harbor or someplace tricky, but now Harry wanted everything watched continuously because he was feeling stressed.

Ginny returned to the map station and looked at their GPS coordinates then at the map. "Harry, I have a suggestion. I think we should head for this little island ahead and a little to the north. Turning will have us go more with the waves and even if the island is small it should give us shelter until the storm passes."

"Is it big enough to have people and a harbor?" he asked as he fought the wheel wanting to turn more than he wanted.

"Doesn't look like it. I don't even see a name on it and if I'm reading this right, it might be about a kilometer in size, maybe, but probably less," she replied.

"I don't know if that's really big enough to help, but it'd be better than being out here in the deep water," he thought out loud. "How far?"

"About ten nautical miles, I think. Fiji is another two or so hours beyond it in this weather and rough waves, so it'll save us that," Ginny answered.

"Sounds like a good idea to me," Hermione told them, looking a little green despite have had a motion sickness pill." Ron looked all right, but he'd been quiet for some time.

"The waves are still building and slowing us down, but ten miles isn't that far." Harry thought for a moment. "Let's do it; heading?"

"Thirty degrees more north," she answered before returning to the glass windows and taking the binoculars this time. When she stopped to think situations like this through, she was a little amazed at how fast she'd picked up the Muggle sailing technology, or at least how to use it as she still had no idea how much of it worked.

The boat turned as needed. There was still the up and down motion but less side to side. "It's a little better this way," Hermione commented.

"It's getting darker as evening comes plus the dark storm clouds, but I think I can see something way out there," Ginny said suddenly.

"Hermione?" Harry called out.

"It's getting a little shallower, but you still have over 200 meters of depth," she replied.

Harry considered it all for a moment as they continued to head to the island. Captain Moore's warning of the ocean being a harsh mistress was really coming home to roost. He also needed to know which was the best side of the island for them and his map of this area wasn't as detailed as he would have liked – something to rectify at his first opportunity in a larger port.

"I need to know where to go," Harry finally said and looked at Ginny who'd turned to look at him. "I hate to ask this, but can you go get your broom and fly out to the island as you can go a lot faster. Take one of the radios so you can tell me if I need to go to the north side or if there is an atoll with an opening we can get into."

"Probably best if two of us did so we can cover more area. Ron?" She looked at her brother who nodded at her, so she Apparated to her cabin. Ron realized what she was doing and left with a crack too. The two returned a moment later, each with a broom.

Ginny grabbed a small radio and turned it on and tested it before putting the strap around her neck. She also grabbed the phone on the wall and pushed a button. "George? Good, Apparate to your room and get your broom and then come to the bridge, immediately." She hung up before he could have possibly answered.

"You think we need him too?" Ron asked.

"Can't hurt," she replied. "The only other really good flyer is Harry and he has to pilot the boat. Despite being a Weasley, Bill's told me he's not great on a broom like Charlie is." Her other older brother appeared with his broom.

"What's up and why the emergency?" George asked.

"Come on, we have to go scout the island and find a good place to shelter the boat." She led them out of the bridge and they all took off.

"Sorry, Hermione, but you're going to have to watch the radar too. Or maybe call someone else up," Harry told her.

Hermione had learned the communication system like everyone else for emergencies, so she pushed the proper button to make a ship-wide announcement. "Neville to the bridge and hurry."

She'd barely returned to her station when Neville Apparated in. "What's going on besides rough water?"

"Take the radar station and tell me about anything that lights up," Harry told him, straining to look out the front windows for where to go as the darkness continued to fall and they headed towards a dark shape.

"You mean like this big lump that looks like an island right in front of us?" he asked.

"Yeah, especially that. How far?"

"Err, if I'm reading this correctly I'd say you've got maybe three miles or so."

"Harry, come in." Ginny's voice crackled on the radio.

He grabbed the mic near him. "What did you find? Over."

"I don't see any lights, so I think no one lives here. There's an atoll on the northwestern side and it's large enough for us. We're heading that way to find an opening. Over."

"Good. I'll need you and Ron to hover as best you can in this wind over the edges of the opening so I know where to go. Over."

"Roger."

When there was no more conversation for a long moment, Neville said, "I assume we're going to the island for shelter, but what's an atoll and how does that help us?"

"You know that an island is really only the top of an underwater mountain, right? And usually a former volcano."

Neville shrugged. "I guess I do now. Why is that important?"

"Some islands," Harry explained, "have a ring around them or part of them. Usually it's from coral, but sometimes because the volcano blew out one side and a little is left over at the original edge. That ring of rock or whatever it is creates a lagoon. If we can get through the ring and into the lagoon, we can anchor in shallow water and the ring will protect us from the worst of the waves while the island will help with the wind – hopefully."

"Oh that makes sense. Hey, you're getting close to it, slightly less than a mile," Neville told him.

"You're losing depth fast but are still at about 100 meters," Hermione announced.

Suddenly there were multiple flashes of red light in front of them and Harry turned the boat slightly to head that way.

"That was spell-fire," Neville said as he looked out the window too.

"Probably making an opening bigger," Harry commented as he slowed to half speed.

Flashes continued in front of them, then a few flashes started occurring behind the others so there were three sources. "I do hope they hurry," Harry said just as it started to rain heavily. He locked the wheel for a moment and took a couple of steps over and hit a few switches to turn on all of their lights, including a floodlight facing forward.

"Yes, we see you're coming," Ginny's voice sounded suddenly. "Slow down more, we need more time. Over."

Harry dropped back to idle speed and let the boat coast forward, even if he really wanted into the lagoon now. More red flashes, probably from blasting hexes, were seen.

A couple of minutes later, white light from two lit wands were seen and moved around and then up. The red flashes further in were still ongoing.

"Come in slow and stay between us," Ginny's voice said. "George is working on the lagoon. It's a lot calmer there. Over."

"Why is George working on the lagoon?" Neville asked; he didn't have much to do now.

"Could be shallow spots he's trying to fix," Harry said absently as he sped up to quarter power.

"Thirty meters and rising to twenty ahead," Hermione said with concern.

"Tell me if you see ten," Harry said, watching for the wand lights and trying to get between them.

"Go starboard then swing to port as you're going to have to go left soon after entering, and slow some more. Over."

"Roger that," Harry returned and slowed so he was barely moving. He was also having trouble seeing the wand lights through the rain. The bow was heading inside and he could feel less rocking now which gave him some comfort.

"Twelve meters and decreasing to eight. We aren't going to make it! You have to stop!" Hermione shouted.

"It's fine, Hermione," Harry told her tensely. "Ten is my preferred limit; we can do five if we must. We will ground at four for certain." She still looked to be in a panic as the boat was now going through the opening.

Suddenly, the light on the starboard side dropped and there was a bang on that side.

"What was that?!" shrieked Hermione.

The light returned and Harry smiled at her. "I think that was Ginny trying to make the opening a little wider with a spell and you just heard the blast through the hull."

"Uh, mate, both my eyes and the radar say there's a rock wall in front of us," Neville said overly calmly but heading towards dread.

"Yes, the lights do show that," Harry agreed, working to keep his voice level.

"Ginny, how much more until I turn to avoid the rocks? Over."

"Almost there, steady ... steady … hard to port! Go 45 to port!"

Harry spun the wheel and the boat slowly turned. A new light was up ahead.

"George says don't go past him. Over."

"Roger that." Harry cut power a moment later and coasted the rest of the way. He applied reverse thrust for a moment before shutting the engines off and hitting the button to drop an anchor at each end. A gentle jerk later told him they were stopped and he hadn't scrapped the bottom. The water was calm enough in the lagoon the large boat barely moved, just the occasional sway from the wind.

"We made it," he announced to his two friends. "I wonder where everyone else is?"

"Lee and Mia are in the engine room and the rest of us were in the lounge watching out the windows," Neville informed him. "I'd like to see where we are but that'll have to wait until morning. It's really dark outside with the storm, plus I don't want to go out into that. Thanks, Harry, you did a good job."

Harry snorted. "I had a bad read on the weather and we got lucky to find this place. Besides, it was a team effort. Thanks for your help, mate."

Neville nodded and Apparated away, probably down to the lounge so he didn't have to walk outside.

"All right, Hermione?"

She'd dropped her head to the console just before they'd stopped and only now raised up. "That was almost too much for me. I'm tired enough I feel like I've been in a fight."

Two thumps where heard outside before the door opened and two very wet and bedraggled redheads with hair and clothes plastered to them walked in.

"Good piloting," Ginny said, "but you owe me for having to fly in that."

Harry's wand came out and she was dry almost instantly, although her hair looked a mess. He did the same for Ron.

"A good start but not enough," she told him firmly.

"Err, thanks," Ron said. "It was really wet out there."

"Thanks for the work, Ron. I'll tell George that tomorrow. Thanks to you also, Hermione. Come on, Ginny. How about a hot shower, some warm red wine, and a good snuggle?" He grinned and then tried to give her a suggestive look.

Ginny held her demanding look for a few seconds until she snorted and then started to chuckle. "I'm not sure if that's really for my benefit or yours, but I'll take you up on it." They walked to the inside stairway to go down to their deck and then cabin; it was longer then going outside but they wouldn't get wet this way.

Hermione looked at Ron. "Thank you for doing that," she said quietly. "I couldn't have flown like that."

Ron looked back for a moment before smiling. "You're welcome. The wind made it a challenge but it was also a little exciting." He paused for a moment. "Would you care to join me in the dining room for some tea? I'd like a hot drink after that."

It took a long moment before she said, "Sure, a hot drink would be good." She led the way to the dining room and through a halting but calm conversation.

(A/N: Just 1 more chapter to wrap up.)