A year in the life of Harry Potter
Chapter 14: August, 10
The whole morning Quentin told her whole family all she knew about Holland over and over again. They would be going with the ship which would leave at quarter to midnight, menaing they'd had to be there at least two hours before.
"I'm sick of hearing of Holland," Harry moaned at lunch. "If it continues like that we don't have to go because I already know everything!"
"Practice is always better than theory," Lucy smiled.
Severus hadn't said a word since he'd broken the news that they'd go to Holland.
"You do not have to listen to me," Quentin said sulkily. "Anyway, how are we dividing the cabins?"
Severus cleared his throat. "You and Lucy will have a cabin and me and Harry."
"Daddy -"
"No, Quentin," Lucy cut her off quietly. "Please don't argue."
"But why can't Harry and I share a cabin?"
"Because I don't trust you two."
"You won't be able to watch us all the time in Ho-"
"Who says you two will be in the same -"
"There are enough secret -"
"I know all of them, Quentin. You know -"
"No, you don't," Quentin said coldly. "You don't. Harry, let's go."
As soon as they were out of the dining room Quentin looked back at her mother and father quietly talking.
"You know," she whispered, watching them. "Sometimes I feel like their marriage is perfect - too perfect. I mean, they never fight or anything. It's like - I don't know." She looked away, tears glistening in her eyes. Harry hugged her tightly and she hugged back. "It's as if Daddy didn't marry Mummy because he loved her but because he thought she'd be a good wife. Harry, Daddy doesn't want me to tell you, but I think you should know. The only girl he ever loved was your mother."
The only girl he ever loved was my mother. That sentence repeated itself over and over again in Harry's head as he sat in the train, staring out of the window. The only girl he ever loved was my mother.
"Harry!"
"Erm... yeah?" Harry asked. He hadn't noticed that Lucy had called his name.
"Do you want some water melon?" she asked.
"Uh, yeah, why not." He took the small plastic box in which water melon pieces, cut into squares, were and the fork that Lucy gave him. Slowly he started to eat. He wondered how Quentin had found out, how she had found out that Severus had loved his mother. Had he told her? No, surely not.
"Another half-an-hour until we reach the ship," Quentin moaned, looking at her watch. "Believe me, Harry, the ship is gigantic! I can't wait to go on the deck and look down into the water!"
"Hmmm," Harry grunted. He had always been scared of heights.
Seeing that no one was interested to hear anything about the ship or Holland Quentin shut up. She opened her mouth numerous more times wanting to say something, but she though it better to keep quiet rather than annoy everyone with her chattering so shortly before they went on holiday.
Finally they arrived at the ship however. Everyone took their rucksacks and left the train.
"Whoa!" Harry gasped as he saw the ferry. "You were right, Quentin. It is gigantic!"
Quarter of an hour later, after Severus had checked them in and after they had gone through the passport control, they, as one of the first passengers, entered the ship.
"Our cabins are on the ninth deck," Severus said, looking at the boarding cards. The four of them went to the escalators. As soon as they stepped out on the ninth deck Quentin, who was more than familiar with the ship, took the lead and showed the others where the cabins were. Severus had booked cabins 9113 and 9114. Lucy and Quentin took 9114 and Severus and Harry the other one. Before they went into the cabins Severus gave the boarding cards out.
"Don't lose them," he said. "They're the key to open the cabins."
Once inside Severus and Harry put their rucksacks down.
"I take the lower bed," Harry said instantly as he saw the bunk bed.
"Fine with me," Severus muttered.
In the cabin was the bunk bed, a small table-like thing with a mirror, a seating bench in the corner and a door leading to a small bathroom in which were a toilet, a sink and a shower. Above the seating bench was a telephone. Severus took the receiver and dialled 9114. He listened for a few moments before he spoke.
"In five minutes then," he said, hanging up.
"The others come in five minutes so that we all can go up to the deck before the ferry departs," Severus told Harry who grunted in reply. He opened his mouth as if he wanted to say anything else but didn't.
After they spent a few moments up in the cold air they went down to the dining room to play cards.
"You know how to play rommee?" Quentin questioned as she mixed the double set of cards.
Harry shook his head. "No," he said.
"Easy." She started giving out the cards. "Everyone gets twelve cards. The picture cards and the ace count ten points, the other cards whatever number they show. If you have a joker you can use it anywhere you like, but you can't have more jokers than other cards on the table."
"So. The one who begins takes one card from the pile. If you have thirty or more points you can start putting cards on the table, but it only works if you have, for example, three kings from different colours or a sequence of numbers - e.g. five, six, seven, eight, nine - of the same colour. Then once you did that you can put any cards with any amount of points on the table as long as they either are a sequence of the same colour or the same cards with different colours. As soon as you can't do anything more you have to put a card away to show that you finished. Oh, and by the way: you can if you are able to add cards to the cards other people put on the table."
"Okay..."
"Mummy, you start," Quentin decided.
After they finished a game which ended in Harry's favour the ship started moving.
"Let's go on the deck!" Quentin exclaimed, hurriedly collecting the cards.
The wind was stronger than before, and as soon as they stepped outside and saw how the ship was turning around in the water Harry staretd feeling unwell. They went up to the deck.
"I - I don't feel well," Harry muttered moments later.
"Maybe it'd be better if you bring him yo the cabin, Severus," Lucy said, looking at Harry worriedly. "He's never been on a ship before, so he might become seasick."
Once back in the cabin Harry went to bed instantly, and after reassuring Severus that everything was fine the man went back up to the deck.
Ten minutes later Quentin came to visit. After Harry told her that he was tired she turned the lights off, but then she needed to get something and turned them on again. Seconds later they were off, but not a minute after that she decided she wanted to put the cards into Severus' rucksack. It continued for a few moments with her turning the lights on and off, and suddenly Harry jumped out of the bed and dashed to the bathroom.
"You okay?" Quentin asked as she heard Harry making noises as if he was throwing up.
At first Harry thought he'd thrown up blood as he saw something red swimming in the toilet, but then, at a second glance, he identified it as water melon.
"I hope those melon pieces burn in hell," he muttered as he sat there on the floor, leaning against the door and ignoring Quentin who insisted upon coming in and seeing how he was. "Because that's where they belong..."