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Chapter 42. Perfect Storm

When Madeline awoke the next morning, she realised she had severely underestimated how dearly she would come to miss Draco's hangover potion.

The only remedy came at the hand of an exceptionally strong brew of coffee at breakfast, and another following it.

She thanked Georgia for the refill, and the stewardess sent her an appreciative nod before taking the sterling silver carafe away.

With the slight derailing of the ship's plans, there had now been an extra day before they would be docking in Capri. A day that she, Jolie, and Daphne had been more than grateful for.

The day would be spent recuperating, gathering their bearings before the ship finally anchored for their planned lunch with Felix Carrow, Otto Warrington, and whoever else.

Until then, Madeline would abstain from the routine morning mimosas until further notice.

With the storm came a sudden drop in the sea's temperature, confirmed by Captain Tate as he'd stated the weather amongst the ocean's crystal blue waters made for it to be much colder than it would be on land.

So now, after they had eaten, changed into a warmer attire, and with lots of convincing, Madeline and Jolie began towards the large full scale tennis court on the lower deck.

As they approached the court, Jolie groaned again.

"Would you stop it?" Madeline hissed at her side.

Next to her, Jolie's feet continued to drag as they approached the empty clay court.

"I just don't see why we couldn't go to the sauna instead," Jolie replied.

Madeline rolled her eyes.

"The exercise will be good for us," she argued. "Besides, I didn't like being that sweaty."

She'd truly tried to enjoy the sauna the day prior, but sitting in nothing but a towel, sweating her tits off in the boring room had been an experience she didn't wish to try again.

Even if that was where the others were now.

"I would argue it's better for you," Jolie protested. "And that doesn't mean I can't go."

Madeline shrugged. "I need a doubles partner."

Shortly following breakfast, Cassius and Adrian expressed an interest in returning to the court later that day, even if the two had not the slightest idea on how to actually play.

Madeline on the other hand, the only Muggle-raised being on the entire ship besides the crew, found it difficult to allow the two to boast over the sport they had been wholly improvising.

So after their first lesson, with a particularly messy and drunken game the second day of their trip, she couldn't say she wasn't eager to prove the wizards wrong. And thus, Cassius presented them with a challenge, him and Adrian versus her and Jolie.

The winners would solely receive bragging rights.

The only advantage Madeline had was a previous knowledge of the rules. In the past, there hadn't been a single year in which she and Ms Whitby failed to tune in to Wimbledon or the French Open.

A short while later, Cassius and Adrian approached, and with the four of them armed with their racquets and a fresh canister of tennis balls, the game began.

Only thirty minutes later, Madeline doubted bragging rights were ever important to begin with.

Within the last five, Jolie was nearly doubled over on the brink of heat stroke, Cassius had sent three tennis balls up over the above deck to either be rolling all over the ship or falling into the ocean, and Adrian had managed to question every last one of Madeline's claims to the ball being out of bounds.