Harry and Evanlyn had both finished exchanging stories. Evanlyn had even told Harry her real identity as Princess Cassandra. Harry could tell that Cassandra was still bursting with a million and one questions about the wizarding world. He assumed that the only thing that held her back was her politeness. She was trained to be formal and polite all the time. She told him all about how she snuck out of the castle to practice her aim with her sling and rebelled against lots of other rules and regulations in castle life.

They were sitting contently surprisingly enough. The Skandians seemed to busy steering and rowing the ship to pay much attention to the two of them. That was fine by Harry, although it did remind him of spending days outside in the summer heat, trying to listen to the news at the Dursleys. He had just given a little sigh and closed his eyes, ready to take a nap, when Cassandra spoke.

"What's that?" She questioned worriedly. Harry opened his eyes and looked over at her, before following her gaze. She was looking at some ominous storm clouds that were approaching at an alarming rate.

"Bloody hell!" Harry exclaimed, using a bit of profanity Ron was quite keen to, before thinking rapidly. He tried racking his brains for any spell that would help them and reached for his pocket which usually held his wand. Then he remembered that his wand was gone, probably still left at Hogwarts. He only hoped that Will, whoever he was, had it and was taking good care of it. If he came back to find it was taken by Voldemort or something... But then again, he might not even survive the mess he was in right now. The dark grey clouds of the oncoming storm rapidly reached towards the ship with tendrils of bleak fog , shrouding the air with the mist of the heavy rain and the raging waves.

Harry gulped in fear as he realized he was helpless to do anything to prevent their seemingly inevitable fate. Just then, one of the Skandians came towards them, throwing them some rope and telling them to tie themselves to the mast so they wouldn't get tossed overboard. Evanlyn looked terrified, her face draining of color.

"You mean the waves actually come aboard the ship and wash people off?!" The Skandian nodded grimly and helped them with their knots after a failed first attempt. After, he raced back to his post next to the captain, manning what looked like a very large oar. Harry attempted a smile,

"Well at least that shouldn't be happening to us right? We should be as safe as we can get here." Just as he said that, the storm hit with all its force. Harry was thrown from his position next to the mast alongside Cassandra, and together they tumbled across the deck until the rope tightened and snapped them back about a foot.

Cassandra groaned and clutched her head. Harry figured she must have knocked her head against the deck as they were thrown against it. Harry himself wasn't in great shape. The wind was a vicious force, which knocked the air from his lungs and snatched it away as soon as he tried to get another breath. The waves crashed against the side of the boat, and onto the deck, splattering them with freezing ocean water. Harry's teeth were chattering and he was already soaked to the bone with no hope of warming up anytime soon.

A huge wave was rushing towards them, and by huge, he meant massive. The wave towered over them, taller than the Astronomy Tower at Hogwarts, and Harry felt like a bug about to be crushed underfoot as he stared at the looming water. Then, impossibly, they began to go up the wave. Harry was aghast for a second before he realized what was happening. They were trying to get up and over before the wave crashed down on top of them.

Both he and Cassandra scrambled back to the mast, trying to get a good grip so as not to be thrown about like a rag doll by the rope. Plus, Harry didn't trust the feeble rope to hold his weight; he feared it might break if it held the strain of his body for too long.

Just as they got to the mast and managed as tight a grip as they could, the ship broke the crest of the wave and they were thrown back once again as tons of water crashed onto the ship from the splash. Harry coughed up salty water and tried to get a deep breath in. His attempt failed miserably, and he weakly tried to push himself towards the mast. He noticed Cassandra laying still beside him, and a sudden fear overtook him. He scrambled over to her and checked her pulse, something he'd learned from Hermione. He felt a flutter of a heartbeat and realized she was still breathing, just unconscious, but it wouldn't satay that way if she was left here. The water would crash over her and she could drown.

Mustering the last of his strength, Harry grabbed Cassandra around the waist and pulled, trying to at least get back to the small protection that the mast offered. They reached it, and Harry slumped over exhausted. He glanced up to see that they had turned and were now riding in front of the waves. They moved just fast enough, so as not to be overtaken by the wave behind them. Harry felt a surge of respect for the Skandians. Sure he was mad that they had taken Cassandra and the other boy, Will, but he couldn't help but admire their strength and perseverance. Harry wasn't even really doing anything, but just the sheer force of the wind and waves had exhausted him both mentally and physically.

It was utterly terrifying to think that in a second, a million different things could go wrong. Of course, Harry had been in life or death situations before, but this was completely new. The closest he had ever come to this sort of peril before was in the Tri-Wizard Tournament, when he had nearly drowned in the Black Lake. But then, he knew that as long as he reached the surface he would be safe. Here? He knew they weren't remotely safe until the storm had passed, and even then they were to be sold as slaves in a foreign land.

He found himself wishing he was back home. Back at the Burrow with Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and the twins. Wishing that everyone was safe, and they could just relax and be normal teenagers, having fun and messing around. Worrying about grades and what to get Ginny for her birthday. Wishing there wasn't a war going on. He just hoped Will was as incredible as Cassandra claimed he was.

He looked over to Cassandra and found her eyes fluttering open groggily. He had to protect her somehow, but what was he without his wand? Without his wand, he couldn't even stand up to the Dursleys, much less escape slavery. But he made a silent promise to himself: he would protect her at all costs. It was the least he could do considering Will was probably doing the best he could to protect who Harry cared about. From what Cassandra had told him, Will was selfless, courageous, and determined. He had burned down the bridge and stayed on the other side, knowing full well he could be killed or captured. It was admirable, Harry had to admit, and Harry swore he would go to the same lengths to protect Cassandra. No one else was dying, not on his watch.

And that's a wrap! Okay so this took forever and I am truly very sorry, but homework has been insane, and we just finished Science Fair, so hopefully now I'll have more time to write! Until next time!

-RangerLizzyTreaty48