Smooth Sailing

Before

Sailing Terminology: A regatta is a sailing competition. Rigging a boat means setting it up, attaching the sails, making sure it's in good condition, etc. De-rigging a boat is the opposite of rigging; you have to take down the sails, untie the knots, and drain out any water. The helmsman uses the rudder and the mainsail to steer the boat. They sit in the back of the boat, or the stern, and they face forward, towards the crew. The crew uses the jib (the smaller sail) to control the boat's speed (I think?). They sit towards the front of the boat, or the bow. They can either face the helmsman or the bow.

On his first day of sailing practice in a new school, James Potter had no idea what to expect. He didn't know how to rig a boat, what a helmsman's job was, or even how many people sat in the dinghy. But he was "branching out", as his parents had said on the phone. New school, new me, he remembered thinking as he stepped into a boat with the most experienced sailor in the club. Sirius Black had turned out to be the rebellious heir to a massive fortune, but they'd taught James everything they knew about sailing, without using incomprehensible jargon in every sentence, and they'd never asked James to teach him how to curse in "Indian" or asked where he was really from—he was born and raised in Southampton, by the way—so that was a plus.

Since that day in Year 10, James had been the helmsman and Sirius had been the crew. Every coach knew that was how things worked, and they were happy to oblige; James and Sirius worked as if they were extensions of the same body, often wordlessly communicating each turn they'd take. The partnership had given their team chances to compete in invitational regattas all over England.

"Remember, everyone, you will be on the water racing in a week's time. You all know these waters as your second home, so I expect to take home a first-place trophy, especially from you two. Potter and Black, are you listening?"

"Yes, Coach," James and Sirius chorused. Rolanda Hooch was a tough coach, but she was fair and always excited—maybe a bit overzealous—at the idea of a win. She was strict, but not strict enough to fully control the chaotic duo that was James Potter and Sirius Black. They had a permanent ban from teaching; apparently, there was a time and place for excessive "That's what she said" jokes, and lecturing six-year-olds on how to rig a boat was neither that time nor that place.

Coach Rolanda talked strategy with a newer pair of sailors, a couple of first-year university students named Evan Rosier and Barty Crouch who showed up to practice every day in an honest-to-God Tesla blasting the same five Arctic Monkeys songs and acting like, in James' opinion, walking red flags. When they first joined the team, they couldn't rig their own boats, and while James had to admit that they were good sailors, he just couldn't take them seriously.

"Having trouble there, Rosier?" James called over, watching the blond boy attempt to roll up his sail, which he couldn't do to save his life. In response, Evan kicked the sail in frustration, which ruined the roll once again.

"Just pretend you're rolling a joint, you wankers," Sirius added with a laugh as they finished up and came to watch the train wreck that was two clueless boys trying to de-rig. Even Coach Rolanda had given up helping two of them; if they couldn't tie their own knots, they were no use to her, so they had to learn to be independent if they wanted to keep their precious spot in the rotation. Despite James and Sirius taking the piss, they truly were improving, and they eventually finished as well and sped off in Evan's car.

"Sirius, you know I love you, but your cousin and his friend have spaghetti for brains," James remarked.

"Spaghetti? That's a new one...but it's strangely accurate?"

James messed up Sirius' hair. "That's because I'm always right." He hopped in the passenger seat of Sirius' car and plugged in his phone. James and Sirius had to admit that their cars were more expensive than average, but that didn't stop them from making fun of Evan's Tesla whatever chance they got. They were asking for it, anyway; they'd customised the horn so that it moaned, for crying out loud.