"Yes," Neville replied casually, "I still have two big boxes of Moonlight Toffee. I can give you all if you want."
"Great! Great!" the sailboat said happily, swinging the cable.
"Bring it to me tomorrow, and I'll invite you aboard to hang out, or I can bring you up now!"
The others, except Neville, exchanged surprised looks.
They hadn't expected the ship to be so eager about candy!
It was almost ridiculous.
Could a boat really like sweets?
Malfoy, in particular, felt his beliefs shaken.
How could
'How could a ship be so... soft? It didn't match the powerful image it had always shown.'
As everyone silently questioned this odd sight, the sailboat suddenly changed.
A blue light shimmered across it, glowing brightly before slowly dimming, not shutting off all at once like a lamp, but fading like the tide pulling back.
The blue light seemed to flow inward, sinking deep into the hull until it vanished.
The sailboat returned to looking lifeless, still, with its cables slack and wooden boards silent.
Just as everyone was processing this transformation, a pale blue head suddenly appeared on the side of the boat facing them, instantly shocking everyone.
The blue figure didn't stop after stretching out its head; it kept pushing forward until the entire body emerged.
Then, it flipped over and sat cross-legged on the edge of the boat.
Once everyone in Harry's group had settled down, they saw that the figure was actually a strikingly handsome young woman, but she was dressed in medieval men's clothing.
She wore sturdy leather pants and boots, a wide casual belt, a slightly wrinkled shirt, a fitted jacket, and a weathered three-cornered hat perched on her head.
At her waist, a cocked hat was pinned, and a machete with a gauntlet wrapped around the handle hung at her side.
Her appearance clearly didn't belong to this era.
She looked like a medieval female captain, the kind of legendary pirate captain you'd hear stories about.
Though she resembled a ghost from Hogwarts, there was something different about her.
Her body was less transparent and noticeably more solid.
If you had to compare, she was more like Peeves than a typical ghost.
"You, you're the boat lady from just now?" Hermione asked, a bit unsure.
The female captain chuckled and replied in a clear, confident voice that was completely different from before, "You've got a sharp eye and a sweet mouth, little witch. I'm Bellive Leona, but you can call me Captain Leona.
Or just Leona, if you prefer. But please, don't call me Mrs. Leona, my sister's still single."
After teasing the five of them under the boat, Leona pushed aside two moonlight toffees she'd just gotten from Nawei, popped them in her mouth, and chewed happily.
Watching her eat the candy made everyone even more certain she wasn't a ghost, or at least not an ordinary one.
They'd only been at Hogwarts for a week, but they already knew most ghosts were incorporeal and couldn't touch real objects, let alone candy.
The sudden transformation from a mysterious blue figure to a full-bodied pirate captain left everyone exchanging confused glances, unsure of what to say.
But once Leona appeared so casually behind them, the tension and fear they'd felt earlier faded.
After all, a ghost-like humanoid was far easier to accept than some kind of living ship.
"So, what's the matter? Weren't you all so sweet-mouthed a moment ago? Now you're all quiet again?" Leona teased with a grin.
Leona glanced around playfully before turning her attention back to Neville.
"By the way, you didn't answer me, do you want to come and hang out on my boat?"
Neville scratched the back of his head, feeling a bit embarrassed.
"Me? Can I?"
He hadn't expected the big boat in front of him to suddenly seem like a beautiful older sister, which made him blush shyly.
Leona chuckled softly.
"Heh, I didn't expect you to be so innocent. I like a strong, youthful guy like you."
She smiled warmly at Neville, then casually waved her hand.
Instantly, she stretched out on the boat, pulled out a cable, and gently rolled Neville up to sit beside her.
"Ah... this!"
Neville was startled by her sudden move.
Sitting so close to a girl for the first time made him straighten up nervously.
Plus, he was a little afraid of heights.
"Don't be nervous, little brother. I won't hurt you. I'm still waiting for you to bring me some sweets," Leona said with a smile, wrapping her arms around Neville's neck.
Neville didn't quite know how to respond, so he just gave an awkward "Oh."
Around them, the others had also snapped out of their daze.
Though Captain Leona was acting a bit unusual, her personality was clearly shining through.
Hermione, curious as ever, couldn't hold back.
"Ms. Ship, sorry, Captain Leona, is this your real body? Is the ship just controlled by you, or are you actually the ship itself?"
Leona smiled but gave a teasing reply.
"Sweet-talking little girl, it's rude to ask someone's details right away when you first meet."
Her smile didn't fade.
"But your questions aren't wrong... and at the same time, they're not quite right either."
Hermione quickly realized she might have crossed a line and apologized sincerely.
"No worries," Leona said. "Honestly, I get bored sometimes. It's nice to have company now and then, especially a cute kid with a sweet mouth like you. Much better than some gross old man with greasy hair."
Leona was busy fiddling with Neville's hair beside her, clearly intrigued by something, before suddenly pointing at someone.
The moment she did, everyone's minds instantly pictured Snape, their Potions Professor.
It was obvious who she meant.
This only made Leona stand out more to everyone.
She came across as a ghostly big sister with a strict, controlling vibe and a certain narcissistic streak, mixed with an air of mystery and oddity.
Meanwhile, Malfoy hadn't forgotten the famous props that had been on his mind.
"Captain Leona, you were the one who gave Sister Farley those props last night, right?"
Leona tilted her head, thinking for a moment before nodding proudly.
"Last night? Yeah, that serious girl, yep, I tossed a prop to her yesterday. Why? You want one too?"
Malfoy was about to say yes enthusiastically, but when he caught the mischievous gleam in Leona's eyes aimed at him, he quickly held back.
"I... can I?" he asked cautiously.
"That depends on whether you know how to win my sister over," Leona replied, her eyes narrowing into two sly crescents. "Just don't be like that jerk Alex. You're clearly handsome, but he's always nasty and scheming behind people's backs for no good reason."
"Use your hands and feet? Could Professor Wilson really be a pervert?"
Leona's teasing comment immediately threw Harry and the others off balance, and even Hermione blushed with embarrassment.
Noticing their reactions, Leona covered her mouth to hide a sly grin.
Before she could continue, a cold voice cut through the air.
"Don't scare the people outside. Since they're here, let them come up."
It was Alex's voice from below the boat.
Only then did everyone realize that Professor Wilson had been on board the whole time, which made them exchange awkward glances.
"Hmph, I see how you boss people around," Leona muttered, rolling her eyes, but she still obeyed.
With a snap of her fingers, the sailboat lowered a wooden bridge.
She smiled at everyone.
"What are you looking at? Didn't you hear your professor calling? Come up quickly."
With that, she turned and headed back to the boat, scooping up Neville by the neck and carrying him onto the deck.
After sharing nervous looks, the rest had no choice but to follow her onto the boat.
Everyone felt a bit anxious, knowing they'd broken school rules by sneaking out at night, and now they had been caught by a professor who was known to make even the Weasley twins stay quiet with just a look.
They wondered what kind of punishment awaited them.
Once on the deck, they could clearly see the ship's layout.
The deck of this three-masted sailing ship was huge, big enough that hundreds of people standing there wouldn't feel crowded.
The ship's setup was pretty simple: besides the three masts, there was a smooth, empty deck.
The front and back of the ship each had a raised level connected by two rows of steps.
The raised front area led to the ram at the bow and featured a double door.
The raised rear section housed the rudder controls, with two single doors symmetrically placed on the left and right sides.
The entire ship had a strong classic feel to it, though it didn't seem very long.
It was hard to tell if it was well maintained or recently refurbished.
"Come on, your professor is waiting in the captain's room. Ever since I met that guy, he's practically taken over my sister's room. When you see him later, you've got to help me give that bastard a piece of your mind," Leona said, complaining animatedly to anyone who would listen.
Then, with a calm air, she led the young wizard down to the back of the boat and pushed open a door.
After hearing her rant, Harry and the others just smiled awkwardly.
They didn't dare say a word against the professor.
Once inside, they found themselves in a spacious, well-lit corridor.