Fear of the unknown is often worse than fear itself, and though they had guessed the ship was alive, the fact that it responded showed it was capable of communication.
"Hello, Mr. Ship," Malfoy said, gathering his composure and trying to sound formal, just like his father would when meeting someone important.
"I am Draco Malfoy from Slytherin House. I'm sorry to disturb you so late."
The ship's
The voice came back, sharp and irritated.
"Mr. Ship? Who told you I'm a man, disrespectful visitor?"
The creaking and groaning of the ship grew louder, as if it was pressing its wooden boards together in frustration.
Malfoy blinked in surprise.
"S-so sorry!" he stammered, taken aback that his very first words had somehow offended the ship, especially with something as silly as assuming its gender.
He clearly remembered a figure from the night before that seemed distinctly feminine.
Could that figure have some special connection to the ship?
He scolded himself silently before forcing a polite smile.
"My apologies, ma'am. I didn't mean to offend you."
"Explain yourself. Why did you wake me for no reason, young man?"
The ship's tone was like that of a grumpy person who had just been rudely disturbed from sleep.
"Please forgive me once again," Malfoy said, bowing respectfully. "I'm a student of Professor Wilson, and I came specifically to pay my respects. If I might be so bold as to get to know a beautiful... uh, boat, it would be my honor."
Malfoy didn't dare admit that he had come seeking legendary items, so he chose his words carefully and respectfully.
Holding up the tapestry in his hand, he said, "This is a gift I specially prepared for you. I hope you like it."
The sailboat didn't even glance at the gift.
Instead, it ignored Malfoy's offering and focused on the compliment he had just given.
"Alright, sweet-talker, I accept your gift," the sailboat said with a sly tone, "but if you're going to speak, say something more. Besides 'beautiful,' what else do you see in me?"
As it spoke, the sailboat stretched out two long hemp ropes, snatched the tapestry from Malfoy's hand, and muttered with a hint of annoyance, "And those little brats hiding behind you, did you all come together? Why are you hiding so far away?
Are you scared of me?"
"No, it's not that," Harry quickly replied, stepping forward along with the others who had been hiding behind Malfoy. "Sorry, Ms. Ship, we just didn't want to disturb you."
Despite the sailboat's slightly gloomy appearance, Harry and the others noticed it was surprisingly talkative.
And since it accepted Malfoy's gift, maybe there was something interesting about getting legendary items from this sailboat after all.
Their fear faded, replaced by curiosity and eagerness to try.
Even Hermione looked at the sailboat with bright, expectant eyes.
But from what the sailboat had said, it seemed like it wanted everyone to say more than just 'beautiful'; it wanted genuine compliments.
That kind of request felt a little strange to them.
"You!" The sailboat pointed one of its hemp ropes at Ron among the group. "Tell me, what do you think of me?"
Ron, caught off guard by the sudden question, blurted out before thinking, "You, you look... big."
Almost immediately, he regretted it.
What did "big" even mean?
It sounded vague and silly.
The sailboat didn't take it well.
The wooden boards creaked louder and the ropes twitched wildly as if irritated.
"What's that supposed to mean? Are you calling me fat, boy? That's it! I'm throwing you into the Black Lake right now to swim with that giant squid!" it shouted, clearly offended.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm sorry..." Ron was quickly cut off and nervously stammered, "I didn't mean it like that, really!"
Hermione, standing nearby, immediately jumped in to smooth things over when she noticed the sailboat was offended by Ron's words.
"Actually, what Ron meant to say was... you're tall and straight, and you give off this majestic, solemn vibe, right, Ron?"
She gave Ron a quick nudge to help him get back on track.
Ron snapped out of it, nodding eagerly.
"Yes, yes, exactly! That's what I meant, I just didn't say it right."
"Hmph! You're clever," the sailboat said, calming down a bit after hearing their explanation. "But I don't like foolish boys."
Ron felt a flicker of relief, at least he wasn't completely out of favor, but then his smile faded into frustration.
It seemed the sailboat didn't like him much, and that probably meant no chance at getting the legendary item.
Then, the sailboat pointed a cable at Hermione and said, "You were pretty quick-witted just now. Let me tell you something."
Hermione's face lit up at the compliment.
After a moment's thought, she blurted out, "When I first saw you, I was drawn to your elegant and charming form. Your deck is as smooth and shiny as silk under the moonlight.
If Merlin himself saw it, he'd probably be completely enchanted."
"Hehe, not bad!" The sailboat, or rather, the cable, shivered with amusement. "You little witch sure have a sweet tongue. Much nicer than those two little devils over there. If you don't want to leave, stick around and chat a bit more. Make me happy, and maybe you'll get some benefits!"
"Thank you, Ms. Ship!" Hermione said eagerly, surprised that her made-up praise had such an effect. And did the "benefits" mean a legendary item?
She hadn't expected to be the one who'd win the sailboat over the most, but now she was the first to glimpse a real chance.
The people around them immediately grew excited when they heard the sailboat's words.
It seemed that what Malfoy had said earlier was true. They didn't need to bring any gifts to please the boat; all it wanted was sweet words.
However, Malfoy felt a pang of anxiety.
He had been the first to arrive and had even brought a gift, yet now this Muggle girl had taken the spotlight with her flattering words.
It just didn't seem fair.
But he dared not speak up rashly.
Malfoy was starting to realize that this boat was a bit of a narcissist; it seemed to only want to hear praise directly from others.
Interrupting or trying to please it in other ways might just make it angry.
Then the sailboat shook its cable, like a little girl playfully wagging her finger, before finally pointing at Harry among the crowd.
"Next... it's your turn."
Harry's heart jumped when he realized the boat was calling on him.
Nervously, he stammered, "Uh... you look so beautiful, prettier than any boat I've ever seen before, really!"
Harry didn't have the wide vocabulary that Hermione did, and his tough childhood had left him with little knowledge.
So, he simply spoke honestly.
After all, this was indeed the most beautiful boat he had ever seen, though, to be fair, he hadn't seen many boats in his life.
"Beautiful? Is that all you've got?" Ms. Ship snapped, clearly unsatisfied with Harry's compliment.
"Sure, you're sincere, but your answer is way too bland. Just stay put."
The living sailboat then flicked its cable in a very expressive way and moved back slightly, showing its displeasure with Harry.
Watching this, Harry felt a bit disappointed but not too upset.
He had come here mainly to try things out and learn, so just getting to see a living ship and chat with it was already exciting.
Malfoy, standing nearby, noticed that the sailboat wasn't warming up to Harry, and he felt a bit relieved.
After all, both he and Harry carried legendary items, and if the boat had chosen one of them, it might have made him look bad.
Still, Malfoy was annoyed.
He had thought that having legendary props made him and Harry special, but the boat clearly favored whoever was better at sweet-talking.
He glanced resentfully at the sailboat, wondering why it seemed so unreliable despite having received gifts from them.
"Hey, boy, what are you staring at? Don't think I didn't see you. Got itchy fingers?" the sailboat called out, swinging its cable with a crackling sound.
Realizing he'd been caught, Malfoy quickly apologized, "Sorry, Ms. Ship, I didn't mean anything by it!"
He didn't want to upset the formidable creature.
"Hmph. If it weren't for the gift, I'd keep it all to myself so you wouldn't get any," the sailboat said coldly before turning its attention to Neville.
"Your turn now, boy. Say something nice to make my sister happy."
Neville scratched his head awkwardly.
"Sorry, I'm not very good at compliments, but I brought some candy. Want some?"
He hadn't come here expecting anything in return; he was just joining the fun.
Neville casually pulled out the candy he had prepared earlier and smiled at the others.
"If you can't even compliment someone, how do you expect to find a wife someday?" the sailboat teased.
The sailboat, seeming a bit bored, clicked its lips and said, "But candy's good. Let me see..."
It extended a rope-like cable, which Neville picked up and pulled twice.
Then, with a bright smile, the sailboat said, "I didn't expect you to bring 'Moonlight Toffee.' That's my favorite flavor!
Alex never let's me have too much. Do you have more?"
The sailboat pinched two pieces of the toffee with a fluffy part of its hemp rope and even patted Neville on the head as a friendly gesture.