“I know you love me, but I don’t swing that way.” Blaise winked at him, straightening himself out.
Draco looked around him. It was as though they were still in Sovereign Harbor, but there wasn’t a Muggle in sight. Instead he found wizards and witches bustling about, wearing anything from magnificent robes like Draco had once worn, to the ragged ones he had become more familiar with.
“Isn’t she a beauty?” Blaise whistled.
Draco finally tore his eyes away from the commotion to stare at the impressive ship anchored to the nearest dock. It was the largest ship he’d ever seen with snow-white sails held up by looming, extraordinary masts, a gold plated stern, and elaborately detailed nautical carvings of various magical creatures hung off the hull.
He rolled his eyes after seeing the name, MMS Potter, magically glowing on the side of the ship for all to see.
“Is that tosser going to be on this ship?” Draco groaned as the two of them made their way towards the boarding entrance.
Blaise shrugged. “Probably. But we’ll be having too much fun in the 'peasants’ quarters to run into him and his lot above deck.”
Draco winced. He knew that Blaise was trying to pass off their social descent lightly, but the truth was that they would both be bitter about it for a quite some time.
They found a line for a small table in front of the ship’s boarding ramp. A big sign for Wand Inspection hovered above the table. Draco took his wand out and fingered it.
“Is that the same one you’ve always had?” Blaise asked Draco as he took his own out.
Draco shook his head. “No, the Ministry snapped mine in half after the war. I purchased this one after I was released.”
A wizard standing in front of them jumped slightly upon hearing Draco’s words. He peered over his shoulder at them nervously.
Draco rolled his eyes.
When they approached the table they were greeted by two elderly wizards. They were both dressed smartly in matching blue robes. The wizard on the right, thin and skeletal, tipped his spectacles onto the edge of his nose as he examined at Draco warily.
“Name?”
“Draco Malfoy.”
The wizard held Draco’s gaze for a moment before scribbling some notes down on a piece of parchment.
The one on the left, stocky with ears too large for his head, took Draco’s wand and placed it on a scale. Tiny green sparks flew from the wand.
“All clear,” he said.
After Blaise’s wand checked out, they climbed up the ramp to show their tickets to an attendant. Draco took one last look around him, exhaling deeply, before stepping onto the ship.
Before he had a chance to take in his new surroundings, a smiling witch greeted the two of them.
“Welcome to the MMS Potter. I am Katrina, Guest Services Supervisor,” she said cheerfully, her smile stretching ear-to-ear. She looked to be a few years younger than Draco. “If you could please show me your tickets, I will direct you towards your cabins and provide you with an overview of the ship’s available activities.”
Blaise and Draco held out their tickets for her to see. He noticed her smile falter ever so slightly when she noticed just where they’d be staying. She quickly composed herself and rifled through a folder in her hand.
“And there you are. You’ll find a lift down this way to take you below deck.” She motioned to her left. “If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to summon the Lower Deck guest services representative, Hughie.” The two of them each received a glossy pamphlet with moving pictures of the activities available for visitors in the second carriage.
“May I see one for the Upper Deck guests?” Blaise asked, giving Katrina the same eerie smile.
She looked taken aback. “Well…I…your available activities are detailed in the pamphlet I just-”
“I know that love, I’m just curious is all. Is there a problem?”
“N-no- it’s j-just unusual,” she stammered, fidgeting with her name badge. She flushed and handed him a second pamphlet. Blaise took it with relish.
He laughed as they headed towards the lift that would take them to the lower decks. “Seven years ago that woman would’ve been groveling at our feet and demanding that Harry-bloody-Potter himself carry us to our chambers.”
“Yeah, well things were a bit different seven years ago,” Draco said quietly.
Draco tried to not let the vast array of amenities available to the Upper Deck guests bother him. Unfortunately, Blaise took much pleasure in rattling off the information from his second pamphlet.
“Blimey, get a load of this,” he said, “Three swimming pools, two of which are indoor and heated, spa and salon facilities, hot tubs, jacuzzis, a professional golf course, two night clubs, three dining halls, a ballroom, a casino, a movie theater…what’s that?”
“It’s a Muggle device that allows you to see theatrical performances on a large screen. Sort of like our photographs,” Draco replied.
“Like a telly?”
“Yes, except much bigger.”
“Bloody hell, we need to hang around up here, mate,” Blaise said, a longing look in his eyes.
“Well, what’s available for us?”
Blaise opened their pamphlet. “A dining hall, two pubs, a disco…well, that might be nice, yeah?”
Draco sighed and grabbed a hold of both of Blaise’s shoulders. “Look at me.”
His friend met his stare.
“It doesn’t matter what we do, what our beds looks like, what we eat for dinner, or what kind of Meade they serve. We’re here to have a good time. We’re the same ol’ gits with lighter pockets, ‘tis all.”
Blaise sighed and gave him a small smile.
They headed towards the lift Katrina had directed them to. Draco watched all the Wizards excitedly taking in their surroundings. There were children hanging off the ledges with parents trying to restrain them. Young and old couples walked about, holding hands. A group of young boys were pretending to duel with toy wands. It seemed as though none of them had a care in the world. They wore the best of robes, shiniest of shoes, and adorned flawless smiling faces.
“Well, well, if it isn’t my two favorite Slytherins,” a voice broke into Draco’s thoughts. He looked up to find a tall red haired man staring at the two of them. He had a smug expression on his face as he folded his arms across his chest.
“Weasley,” Blaise said, nodding curtly.
“How’d you manage to get on board?” Ron Weasley asked, a glint of suspicion flitting across his eyes.
“Stowed away, of course,” Draco said, smirking at him.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Ron grabbed Draco’s robes roughly by the collar. His eyes were blazing. “Now see here, Malfoy. There better not be any funny business going on.”
Draco kept his expression cool. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Let go of him.” Blaise sneered.
“The same goes for you,” Ron said, staring Blaise down. He released Draco before stomping off.
“Well, that was quite the reunion,” Blaise said, scowling after Ron.
“I think something’s going on,” Draco said thoughtfully.
Blaise looked curious. “What?”
“Weasley looked hot and bothered about something.”
“Gee, Malfoy, you don’t suppose…and I’m going out on a limb here…it was seeing the likes of us that set him off?” Blaise snorted.
“No, he seemed perturbed about something else.”
“Whatever, mate.” Blaise shrugged. “Our records have been as good as clean for years now.”
They headed towards the lift and began their descent. When they finally reached the bottom, they found a wide hallway that seemed to stretch on for miles. A sign hung above them. Directional arrows glowed next to each destination.
Guest Cabins
Recreational Facilities
Draco glanced at his ticket. Cabin 230. They headed down the hallway in search of their cabin. Draco couldn’t help but to notice the different people they passed by. Most appeared to be normal wizards and witches, but he spotted a few dodgy characters as well. A wizard in dark robes and a tattered hat grumbled a greeting towards the two of them. He held a cage that unmistakably carried a baby dragon.
An elderly witch that reminded Draco of Trelawney from Hogwarts stood in the middle of the hallway, staring at the ceiling curiously. She kept mumbling, “Curious, very curious” to herself.
Two identical witches wearing indecent robes waved at Draco and Blaise with catty smiles. Draco shuddered involuntarily. Blaise laughed.
They found the door to their cabin. It was a plain, rusty colored door decorated only with their number in bronze lettering.
Blaise twisted the door handle open. The room wasn’t entirely bad. In fact, it was much better than what Draco had experienced recently. It was large enough for two occupants to stay comfortably. The room was furnished with two large beds, each covered in a deep blue bedspread. There was a dimly lit lamp in-between two plush armchairs, a dresser, a walk-in closet, and a bathroom. There were two pieces of chocolates sitting on a nightstand with a simple message, Welcome to the MMS Potter!
They even had a window that gave them a view of the horizon. Draco was relieved that they weren’t underwater.
Blaise threw his bag down and flopped down onto a bed. It creaked in response. “Lucky for us the room comes with two beds.” He rolled onto his side so that he was facing Draco, who was now sitting in one of the arm chairs. “And they’re roomy enough for any lady friends we might meet.”
“What happened to that girl you were seeing a while back?” Draco asked, rubbing his eyes with the palms of his hands.
“Nothing,” Blaise said simply.
“What do you mean ‘nothing’?”
“I mean she wasn’t very interested in a piss-poor bloke like me.”
“Blaise…”
“Look, Draco,” Blaise said sternly as he sat upright. “I mean no offense, but you’ve been in Azkaban all these years. You have no idea how bad it’s been. We all know my mother had more Galleons than she knew what to do with. But her record was clean. We didn’t associate with your lot so much.”
Draco cringed.
“But my last stepfather did. Selfish old arsehole." He shook his head to himself. "And when the Ministry went on their Death Eater rampage, they seized our assets. I was left with nothing, Draco. I’ve been struggling to make ends meet since. I was never branded a Death Eater, and yet I’m treated like one in society. Nobody wants to hire me. I’ve been working odd jobs, traveling from place to place. Sure, I make it seem like it’s all fun and liberating, but it’s not. I know I’d probably have it better outside of Britain, but I can’t seem to leave this place.”
Draco was silent for a moment. “I’m sorry, mate.”
He didn’t know what else to say.