"Professor, this isn't Azkaban, is it?"
Snape rubbed his head as he muttered the question.
He had only just recovered from the dizziness and nausea brought on by Side-Along Apparition, and his head was still spinning.
Before them stretched a vast, boundless sea, its waves crashing violently against the stone cliffs along the shore. Behind them lay an expansive meadow studded with enormous pebbles.
"No, Severus," Dumbledore replied calmly. His silver-white beard and hair drifted in the sea breeze. "This is the coast of Yorkshire. You can't Apparate directly to Azkaban."
He raised a hand and pointed toward the sea. "The place we're going is in the middle of the North Sea."
"Then how are we getting there?" Snape asked, squinting at Dumbledore against the sea wind. "Are you going to teach me how to fly?"
"Heh, not yet." Dumbledore smiled and waved his Wand. "We'll take a boat."
At his movement, a strange curtain of light flashed. In the blink of an eye, a black wooden sailing ship appeared out of nowhere and slammed into the sea with a boom, sending water spraying everywhere.
Dumbledore waved his Wand again, and a thick rope shot out like a nimble python, securely linking the sailing ship to the shore.
He strolled over unhurriedly and, only after confirming that the ship was firmly moored, nodded in satisfaction.
"Let's wait here for a while," Dumbledore said softly. "Alastor will arrive tomorrow and go with us. He knows Azkaban better, and with him here, this trip should go more smoothly."
"Then why did we set out today?" Snape asked loudly, his brows furrowed deeply against the sea wind. "Was Hogwarts too comfortable, so you wanted to come out for some fresh air?"
"Oh, Severus, what's a little wind and waves?" Dumbledore smiled gently and