The diesel engine rumbled, and the ship pulled away from the pier. Richard headed to the wheelhouse to see Stephen, Harry following him. Scott Potter turned pale from the very first moment.
Richard stopped next to the detective and asked sympathetically:
- Sir, are you alright?
"Fine," Scott muttered discontentedly.
- Are you sure, sir?
"It's seasickness, man," Scott's face turned slightly green, and the man barely restrained the urge to vomit. "It's okay, I'll make it."
"Sir, I'm sorry I bothered you so much. If I'd known you were afraid of heights and couldn't stand the pitching, I wouldn't have bothered you."
"Everything's fine, kid. Don't pay any attention. I'm just going to sit here off to the side in the fresh air."
- Sir, please put on your life jacket and try not to fall overboard while you are "breathing fresh air overboard."
- Get out of here already!
As soon as the boys disappeared into the wheelhouse, Scott rushed to the side of the ship, where he parted with his breakfast with a terrible sound.
"Uncle Scott doesn't look like himself," Harry remarked.
"Stress, hangover, feeling unwell," Richard stated calmly. "I understand. It's a shame, but I don't know any cure for seasickness."
"Me too," Harry said. "Richie, I think it would be a good idea to learn how to brew healing potions and study healing charms at Hogwarts."
- I'm not interested in potions, Harry.
The boys arrived. The ship's wheelhouse was small. There was a small sofa and a chair. A maximum of four people could fit in this space.
"We've arrived," Stephen noticed the boys. "Sir, where should we head?"
- Just a second.
Richie took out his wand, placed it on his right palm and twirled it.
- Edict ship "Port Nicholson"!
The stick spun in his palm like a top, but after a while it stopped, and a thin red beam burst out of it.
"Sir, head due east," Richard stated after checking the compass on the instrument panel.
"Yes, sir," Stephen responded.
"What kind of spell is this?" Harry asked curiously.
"Similar to Accio, but instead of attracting the target, the beam points in the direction of what you're looking for. True, you can't find wizards or artifacts with this spell, only ordinary items without a hint of magic."
"That's a great thing!" Potter Jr. exclaimed delightedly. "Will you teach me? I often can't find my other sock."
"Harry, no problem. I'm just afraid it won't help you find your socks."
"Why?" Harry asked, surprised. "They're not magical."
"The thing is, Harry, socks disappear into another universe. They're stolen by sock monsters. So, alas, no charm can show the way there."
Harry paused for a few seconds, trying to digest what had been said. The tense lines on the young Potter's face smoothed out, and the corners of his lips curled upward.
"So you're joking!" he exclaimed.
"You don't believe in sock-snatching monsters, but they exist!" Richard continued, barely suppressing a smile. But the twitching corners of his lips gave him away.
Harry Potter laughed, and Richie followed suit.
"Okay, Harry, let's go on deck," Richard glanced at the control panel. "Judging by our speed, we've still got about five hours to go. You'll have time to learn the locator spell."
On deck, Harry learned a new spell.
After several hours of sailing, the boys climbed up to the wheelhouse and began periodically adjusting their course using a spell. Soon, the spell's beam began pointing downward at an angle, and the boat began circling until it rested on the deck.
The first thing they did was measure the depth. It turned out to be a whopping two hundred and thirteen meters to the bottom. This made it impossible to anchor. Steve decided to heave to.
"Sir," the bodyguard said to Richard, "how are you going to get the treasure?"
- Let's dive and get it.
"Sir," Stephen continued, "the water is too deep and the current is too strong to dive."
- Magic can do anything!
Richard went up on deck and pulled two small, toy-like spacesuits from his suitcase. Using a wand, he enlarged them to child-size.
Harry watched his friend's actions with delight, expecting to see something new and magical.
Pale Scott sat in a deck chair and looked wearily at the spacesuits.
"What are these, scuba gear?" he asked.
"Almost, sir," Richard replied. "These are supposed to be spacesuits. But for now, this is just one of the first prototypes."
Mr. Potter raised himself up on his elbows and looked closely at the spacesuits made of silver material with a transparent glass dome.