Freeman worked best alone. There were no time-consuming hassles such as communication, cooperation, or the destruction of inflatable duckies. He felt quite self-satisfied, having finished his raft while some of the others were still bickering. Yes--it was proven. Solo was the way to go.

Upon instruction, Freeman had fastidiously set a board across two logs and created an immaculate catamaran with several well-placed charms. He'd ignored everyone else in the class entirely. Now completed, Freeman neatly rolled up his pant legs (the swim-suit suggestion had been quickly rejected) and removed his shoes. He tucked each sock inside a shoe and placed both of them in the center of the raft.

Pushing the raft into the water, Freeman hopped up before his clothes could get wet and gently steered away with a long stick.

He couldn't help but turn and give the remaining students a smug look.

Soo.

Was it sail or fail?

SAIL!

Gold REALLY wanted to jump up and down, now. Because they were on the water, not in it! In other words, the raft hadn't sunk, and made them gasp and swim to the shore for safety. "We did it!" she said, green eyes bright as she looked all around. She had been on a raft before, on a ship too, but this felt more satisfying simply because of the knowledge that the vessel she was on, was one she had helped to make.

She conjured some fat cushions, several red and several blue, sat down on one, and looked at Eli. Gold could not for the life of her, figure out why he was blushing. But she thought that was cute, and wanted to give him brownies and hugs all over again. Tucking a bang of bright, red hair behind an ear, she nodded. "I think it should have both Eli and Gold in it, to show that we made it. Maybe something like Eli and Gold's Ginormously Cool Ultimate Power-Raft. EGGCUP, for short."

Hehehe.

After merely moments out in the lake, Jacob felt as though a weight was lifted from his head. He could think clearly again!... Maybe three years without sailing was just too much for Jacob to handle. It felt so good to just lay on his raft in the lake, and think of old memories. Jacob's hand slipped into the lake and he splashed the water.

He saw out of the corner of his eye a rafter with Professor Lainey and Becca, Jacob lifted his hand out of the water and waved to them as they sped by... silly landlubbers, don't enjoy the calmness in the sea, even though they were only on a lake. They can't appreciate how wonderful weather it was for just laying out in the lake at sea and just relax

Jacobs hand dropped back into the water and his mind started to drift off into his memories of the sea. From laying lazily the deck of his uncle, Captain Bartholomew Bunt's ship, when they were supposed to be helping the rest of the crew clean it for his grandparent's visit. Then to his first Broad sword practice with the weapon specialist on his father's ship. He had so many diffrent memories on each of the ships in the Blunt line. There wasn't one pirate in the Blunt family tree that didn't grow to be an awe inspiring captain... until him. He was the faulty gene. And ever since he realized that, He hadn't been the same Jacob Blunt. The one who could swing a broad sword at the age of ten with one hand. The one who was completely possitive of every action he made. Jacob spalshed the water hard. Now what was he? The self concious little boy that could do a few little magic tricks. He had Fame and Money, Jewels and Leadership. And he threw it all away.

Jacob took the oar and started to row only on on sid so the raft would start to spin. He needed to calm down!

Hmm, done already? For some reason, it felt like they were just starting!

They should totally hurry and finish putting the raft together. It was going to stay up right? Not going to break down on them while swimming? Who knows what else is in the waters besides the giant squid and merpeople. "This thing...is going to stay afloat, right?" she asked, crossing her arms and examining it. Just seemed weird that a ton of wood with seven or eight people on it would stay above water like that.

It seemed sturdy enough. But what did she know! She'd only seen pictures of rafts in books. And even though Patroclus demonstrated how it wasn't going to break under them and such, she couldn't help but be a little hesitant.

"Dianna, Dianna Malfoy." she said.
Dianna took the treasure map and looked out at the lake. "Awesome! There's treasure? I thought we only have to get to the other side?" her eyes widened at the thought of treasure.

" The treasure is on the other side" Rex told Dianna. " Well, hello Dianna Malfoy, my last name is Trigwell" Rex said to her. " Now here are our weapons to stop the othersfrom the treasure" Rex explained to Dianna. Thay are water pistols. "Are you ready for our adventure, aye?" Rex asked Dianna trying to sound like a pirate such as Bluebeard.

Dianna got her water gun and filled it up with water.
"Aye Captain!" she said as she tied her hair in a high ponytail.

"Aye, Aye Dianna" Rex told her. " Yo, ho, ho and a bottle of Butterbeer" Rex called out. " You are going to be one tough pirate" Rex said to Dianna. Rex filled his watergun, too. " You can use your cuteness to kure the other boats to us" Rex explained to Dianna.

"Right sir!" Nymphy said, walking over to his boat and doing 10 jumping jacks on every side, he then checked for leaks, waited 10 minutes, saw that the boat was right in order and then raised his hand. "Professor......My boat survived the test. Whats next"

Becca snickered, waving at Jacob who was now very far behind them. "See you on the other side!" Heh. Heh heh. THEY WERE COMPLETELY DOMINATING! There was only one boat remotely close to overtaking them - Simon, the Hufflepuff - but he was still pretty far away. She directed her attention back to her hot air charm and concentrated hard, making sure the raft was going its ultimate speed. "We're almost there, Miss Professor Lainey! Over halfway there!"

The winner should get house points. Or cool points. Or something, because it was about to be HER!

With Lainey as her trusty sidekick.

Jacob realized that he was being silly. That life was far away... he couldn't go back now. Then he barely heard what Becca said. But that didn't sound like something he could back down from. "That sounds like a challenge!" he yelled and sat up straight, he was still spinning, but he stopped quickly. Jacob now stood up and started rowing one side then the other... He felt the wind picking up by the sail. But he kept rowing, he was at least going to catch up. Her magic isn't anything to his professional sailing skills... wow he whispered, he actually had some self confidence in the water. Probably the only place he had any, he should probably come out here more. Something hit the bottom of the boat, he almost lost balance, but he seemed to have gotten his sea legs back. Jacob kept rowing, with a deep hunger to try and beat his team mate. She might be better than him in the air, but the water was his!

SPEEED.

They needed speed! Gold, one to value it, set two oars to work. She was glad, when she did, for Professor Kazimeriz, and what he had taught them. Better [and faster!] magic, than manual. Sitting on a fat, red-and-gold cushion, as the sail blaaaazed in the wind, she had to say she was enjoying every second of this experience.

The lake and sky were an expanse of pure blue, the former a reflector of the latter. "We're doing good," Gold said, green eyes bright, as the raft picked up speed and saaaaaailed beautifully on, farther and farther from the shore where they had worked on it. The twin flags, the Lion and Raven ones, flew in the wind, flapping noisily as the raft continued to pick up speed.

"I hope they don't fly away," Gold said, glad that she had tied her hair, for this class. Or it would have been all over the place, right now. She glanced at the flags again, certain that her sticking charms were strong enough to keep them in place, but still wanting to make sure they were there, and had not been carried away by a powerful gust of wind.

Resisting the urge to get up and jump up and down on the raft, Gold decided to root for the awesome oars. "Go, go, oars!" She said, cheering them on, as if that would make them work faster.

Halfway there!

He tried not to look at Abbi like she was crazy because she was doing jumping jacks on the deck of the ship. He didn't want to scare her or have her thinking that he wasn't her friend. He was. She was just a bit loony. "I do have a wand you know. Wind if fairly simple to do." he told her with a small chuckle. "You do realize your a witch don't you?" he asked her curiously.

Her constant pacing around him was starting to make him crazy and she was glad when she stopped but then she started pumping his arm like he was a old fashioned water pump. "Thanks Abbi," he gently removed his arm from her grasp and smiled at her.

He looked around the lake and spotted a upturned cauldron from their last history of magic lesson. "Accio cauldron!" he shouted. The cauldron flew at him with much more force than he intended and it bowled him over as he caught it. He lay on the deck winded a bit before he gathered himself enough to sit up and use his wand to change the cauldron into a water cannon. "We've got a cannon!" he announced happily.

He looked out on the water and saw that a few ships had a head start on him and Abbi. "All hands on deck!" he shouted. Using his wand with hand, producing wind, and steering the wheel with the other he guided their boat out into the water and was quickly gaining speed on Becca and Professor Lainey. "Abbi get the water cannon ready," He shouted at her. There was a little rope at the top that she could pull to fire the cannon. Did he feel bad about firing on his professor. If it were anyone else yes he would have, but Lainey was crazy enough to return fire on them he was sure of that.

"Of course I'm a witch" she told him with a roll of her eyes, "my wand just doesn't work" aheem. Right, that was true. Her wand never casted the spells she was meaning to communicate with. Eh?

She grinned at him when he took his hands away from her grip to get something and turn it into a water canon now that was Cool! She needed more Slytherin friends for sure! "Does that mean we can win?" she bounced on her heels like a little cub. "Ehhh?" she held onto the rail the lad was really into speeds, he should have warned her, or she needed to focus more whichever came first.

One downside to teaming up with a boy they always expected you to know how to work everything. "Okaay" she could work out, she hoped. Probably not. As soon as she gained balance and was able to walk, she grabbed onto the cauldron eh cannon and pointed it out horizontally, this reminded her of a game she played out in the fair when she had to drown the fishies. "How do you turn it on Dilly?" she frowned down at it then out at the sea, "and who are we hitting first?" it better not be Professor Lainey cause she was scared of the woman, even if she was wearing a helmet.

"We're ready over here." Carter said. "Shall we all levitate it to the edge of the water?" he suggested. "Then all the girls can get in so they don't have to get wet. And then Patroclus and I can push it the rest of the way into the water. And then we sail!"

Mina stood back and looked at the raft. Oh my they really did it and it looked good too. Now the true test would be if it would float and make it across the lake.

Pulling her wand out again, she smiled and looked to the group. "I'm ready whenever anyone else is." She was kind of itching to get on the water now.

Seriously, what use was being in a swimsuit if you didn't get in the water and get a little wet. Water and friends were always a good combo and she was ready to set sail.

Was Carter serious?

He wanted her, the CAPTAIN, to levitate this raft?

BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

He was part of the crew, he should do it. All by himself. He was a Gryffindor for Merlin's sake! He was supposed to be STRONG!

Oh..no..that was brave. He was supposed to be brave.

Well, he can be brave by levitating the thing by himself. Yeah!

Adjusting her duckie floatie, Destiny hopped onto the raft and held onto the mast, pointing to the open SEA. Well, in this case the open lake. Too bad they weren't going to the sea though; Destiny was quite fond of collecting sea shells.

"All aboard! Come sail away, come sail away with meeeeee!"

Muggle songs. So darn catchy.

Well, she had to admit it... in her mind that is... that she agreed with Carter on this plan. Levitate it to the water and then jump in. However, it was really hot out! She wouldn't mind just jumping into the water.

Actually, looking down at herself, she laughed at the warm cotton cover up she was wearing. Well, no wonder she was a little too warm at the moment. Meh, she'll just take it off when they're finally on the raft.

"Alright then. So, levitate it on three?" she asked everyone, looking from Gryffindors to Ravenclaws to Slytherins...and Hufflepuffs...they were like a multicolored group! And then there was Destiny. "Destiny! We're supposed to levitate it to the lake fi- ugh. Nevermind."

Best not argue with that one.

Oh will we just, Patroclus thought at Carter's assumption that the boys would do all the work, he was going to anyway, but thought it funny Carter putting him forward. But Carter's plan was quite a good one, so Patroclus was more than happy to follow his fellow lions lead!!

Patroclus couldn't help but laugh at their now singing Captain, mounted on the grounded raft, it was truly a sight to behold, and Patroclus could easily admit, Destiny was the funniest Captain in the world!

"Cap'n I suggest you hold on! If we are to levitate the raft, with you on it, you are in for a bumpy ride" Patroclus readied his wand, waiting for the Hazel-eyed Slytherin to begin the countdown. The sun was shining brightly and he wanted to be in the water so badly, so the sooner they were sailing, the sooner he could fall overboard, on purpose. "Ready when you are Evelyn"

Oh!

Destiny stopped singing when her crew members started talking to her. Not to be rude, she turned and faced them, so they thought she was paying attention. She really wasn't but they didn't need to know that. She did hear Patroclus tell her to hold on, and like the BEST captain EVER, she needed to please her crew.

So giving him a salute, she wrapped her arms around the mast. "I'm ready! Levitate away!"

Hopefully the mast held up.

She did hear something about a bumpy ride..

Nodding at Patroclus, Evelyn raised her wand, waiting for Destiny to hold on tight to the raft so she didn't fall off before counting down.

However, when looking out to the lake, she frowned as she already saw people sailing away to the other side. And some were already half way there. EEEEP! Gotta get moving.

"Alright!" she called the others. "On three!" WOOOOOT! Then time for sailing!!!

"1..."

"2..."

"3!"

With a swish and flick of her wand, and of course the magical 'wingardium leviosa' words, she started to levitate the raft, or at least tried to. The thing was heavy! Eesh.

On three, Patroclus swished and flicked his yew wand and called 'Wingardium Leviosa' in time with those around him.

The raft gave a wobble and then started to lift from the sand bed, Patroclus had his eye on their courageous captain, making sure she wasn't going to go toppling off the raft, and headfirst into the ground.

"Right Cap'n?"

"Ahehehe.." Dianna blushed. "Well Thanks!" she smiled.
"So should we get this ship going then captain?" she asked.

"WHOOOOP!" Eli crowed happily. Look at them go! He looked over to Gold, taken with the way her eyes sparkled and the glints of sunlight in her hair. He grinned at her and scooted a little closer to her on the raft, so he could sit right beside her.

"Go oars! Go, SS EGGCUP! WOO-HOO!!!" he cheered along agreeably. He wished they could go slower- well, not really. He loved the speed, and wanted it to go as fast as it could.... but at the same time, he wanted their cruise together to last forever.

He closed his eyes for a moment, feeling the wind ruffle his purple hair, and thought he had never been so happy in his entire life. He opened them and looked back up at Gold, his eyes shining.

No. He had never, ever been so happy.

Amy jumped onto her boat and began to paddle across the lake using the oars, humming row row row your boat under her breath and running her hand through the water as she went, making it break around her hand