It had been a very slow groggy morning for Draco Malfoy due to his tiredness and it was only ten to nine. He kept jabbing at his breakfast, wishing the foul mood away and glared at Pansy when she started to talk. He had a headache most horrid and just wanted rid. Parkinson carried on regardless. He looked to the top table for the teachers and saw Dolores Umbridge sitting pretty whilst the others just glared at her. Dumbledore looked troubled.

"I think we've got a mermaid in Slytherin." Pansy sighed to Draco offhandedly looking pleasantly at him, redirecting his stare.

"We've got a what? Don't be so stupid Parkinson! We would've smelled her fishy scales by now if we did have one." Draco snapped back finishing his kedgeree.

"No - I'm sure we've got one. I keep hearing singing late at night in the common room and someone walks around when we're asleep." Pansy pushed forward.

"How ground-breaking - Singing sleepwalkers - hardly evidence to say sirens are in Slytherin."

"But I've seen -" She hissed.

"Seen what? Draco snapped. This infernal girl was not helping. What he would give for a working mute spell.

"I've seen Dehydration Potion in the Girls Bathroom! There's only one reason a girl would be using it. Someone's got gills and I want to find out."

"Then douse the Girls Dorm with sea water and see who sprouts a tail, see if that'll work. Besides I've got essays to do so I'm off to the Library." And with that Malfoy left the Great Hall with a mighty swoosh of his black robes and headed for the third floor.

From the Slytherin table sat a girl watching Malfoy and Parkinson converse in great curiosity, catching snippets of the conversation. When she heard what they were talking about - a mermaid in Slytherin - she perked up and leaned ever closer in. The discussion grew heated and as the boy left the girl followed, hurriedly grabbing her bag and books. She followed the Malfoy boy quite keenly, keeping pace with his strides. His robes kept swishing out behind him like a black tail of a koi fish and he soon finished his strut when he came to the Library. She crept quietly in and watched him go to the aquatic section. Her eyebrows rose and then she blushed as his fingers lingered on 'Mythical Marine life: How to Look after them' and then onto 'Sirens, Singing and Seduction' which he duly picked off the shelf. He sat down at a study table with a couple more tomes on mermaids. Obviously the conversation between him and Pansy had unlocked a certain duty within him and she couldn't help wanting to aid him. He flicked open the 'Sirens' book at the first page and set about wasting his first free period researching, sighing into the aging pages. Her eyes darted to her hands, the floor and then to the back of his head, whilst biting her lip in torment. She paced for a little while, clenching and unclenching her fists as she tried to sum up the courage to-

"Can you stop pacing please? I'm trying to read." Draco Malfoy whispered into the silence. She stood frozen, his whisper sounding like a shout and she slowly turned around to face him. He looked at her with acknowledgment, slightly nodded his head up and smirked. He saw the flash of green around her robe's hood and let his defences slowly fall away. She was a very pretty girl, he noted, classically elegant with that kind of beauty only Renaissance statues had. Her hair was the first thing that struck him as being unusual; it was exceptionally long, grazing the tops of her hips he supposed and it was wonderfully wavy. The other thing that was peculiar about it was its colour. At its roots it was like his, a silvery white platinum, but hers flowed into light sky blue, then to aquamarine, then to dark turquoise and then at its curling tips to darkest emerald and black. Wisps of white permeated the gradient of her curls and it cascaded over her shoulders, hiding her bosom and pooling at her waist. The corners of his lips turned upwards as he motioned for her to sit beside him and she did so gladly. She smiled at him warmly and he blinked surprised. Slytherins didn't really smile at each other that heart-feltedly. As she smiled he noticed how her eyes lit up; a golden blue hazel was the best way to describe the colour. Around her eyes sat carefully applied black eye-liner and her lashes were thick and sleek. Her lips, he was now noticing, were ruby red, a great contrast to the green that haloed her. They looked...pleasurable and sweet and other things Draco regretted thinking about because a hot flush crept in. Thankfully she didn't notice it as she struck out a hand for him to shake. He noticed her long light pink painted fingernails as he took it and he shook it coolly.

"Draco Malfoy. And your name is?"

"Marilyn Gray. It's nice to finally meet you." She beamed.

'This girl is too cute to be snake...' Draco thought.

"It's nice to meet you too Gray. Don't you have some reading to do?"

"Um - Oh yes." She said flustered before diving into her satchel and retrieving 'Warring Warlocks'.

Draco nodded his head slightly and headed back to reading. The book was semi-interesting; the author prattled on about the rarity of such creatures of the deep, saying how they had migrated to deeper waters when wizards and muggles started invading their space. She claimed that muggles were the greatest threat; their occupation of making the environment a misery to mythical creatures alike caused populations to dwindle especially with the use of 'nuclear power' and 'pollution'. The author said nothing on mermaids having royal families or aristocracy apart from saying that it was a muggle concept of human domination and bureaucracy. She did instead say however that merpeople had a matriarchal society where the mother passed her wealth and status onto her eldest daughter. Mermen would hunt and swim in schools following the path like currents through the oceans through the seasons, not communicating with the women until mating season in the spring. If courting was successful the male would be able to settle with his bride whom he would give up hunting for. He would take up an artisan role in the ocean, helping the women with their work. Their brood would then either stay in the colony if a girl and if it was a boy his father would take him to the currents at the age of 7. The boys would send their kill back to the colony semi frequently to feed it.

Draco yawned. This really wasn't helping him understand why Pansy thought there was one in the Girl's dorm. He looked to Marilyn and she was at Chapter 4 of her book. She looked peaceful as she read and that tranquillity seemed to settle into him too. She had a very calming presence, as if she and he were just lounging in glorious summer sunlight on a sandy beach. She started to notice his staring eyes and looked up smiling a small demure smile.

"Book boring you Draco?" She chuckled.

"Just a little bit." He said truthfully.

"I thought so. She really doesn't know what she's saying." Marilyn spoke with authority, "Well, what do you expect from a witch who only had an hour with gillyweed underwater every day or so. If she really wanted to find out she should have become one and lived in a settlement."

"Do you know a lot about mermaids perchance?" Draco drawled giving her a searching glance.

She blushed lightly, "I'm no expert but I've done plenty of research."

"Ah I see. Ever met one? Potter says he has in the Black Lake." Draco tested her.

"Oh yes. I've met those in the lake. They're lovely ladies." She nodded.

"Apparently they're git ugly. Fangs and trout pouts." He said pursing his lips in mockery.

"No, they're quite beautiful when you get to know them. There are different types you see." Marilyn began, "There are those who have evolved from fish, like those in the lake, and there are ones which were once witches who went to the sea and never came back to land. They're the ones you see drawn by muggles."

"I see." Malfoy nodded thoughtfully.

"Why are you doing this research anyway?" She asked him brightly turning in her seat.

"Pansy thinks there's a mermaid in Slytherin and I'm just trying to prove her wrong. Com'on, you and I both know mermaids don't come out of the sea and go to school!"

"What a ludicrous idea!" Marilyn giggled then gasped, "Oh! I forgot! I've got to go see Professor Flitwick! It was nice meeting you Malfoy! I ah-ah better go! Bye!"

And with that she dashed away with her books and disappeared from sight. Draco slumped in his chair and the pre exam stress soon crept back in again. She really had soothed him without knowing it. Now he was on his own, flummoxed by her sudden absence and confused to what she had said. I'm no expert. It had sounded like a lie.

He looked at 'Sirens, Singing and Seduction' and decided to take it out with all the other books he had on his school subjects. Snape had started to pile on the essays but Draco wasn't that worried; he had his godfather around his little pinkie. The only thing he had to really worry about was keeping his head above water with the amount of homework he received each week from the other teachers and his father. He always worried about his father; 'Uphold the name!', 'Marry so and so' and 'Kill Potter if you can!'

The truth was Draco Malfoy didn't actually dislike the orphaned Wonder Boy as much as everyone else thought he did and he really hated that fact. 'If only we had been friends...' He thought to himself over lunch when he spotted the Golden Trio at their usual table. Potter laughed at one of Weaselbee's jokes. Draco smirked because in all fairness the poor gangly lump of wizard was funny. The things they talked about - what Draco would give just to join in on friendly terms - and it always sounded like they had the best adventures. And then they would resort to teasing him if they ever caught his glance but if they ever watched him watching them they would find him smiling and silently laughing. He was, in a way, in love with them. He just wished that he could express it in a way that wouldn't create scorn or disbelief. Ideally he needed a friend who was also a friend of theirs; a kind of channel or a link. He considered it for a moment and then discarded the thought when he realised that person would never exist.


It was a cold foggy morning and Hermione Granger had decided to skip breakfast and go outside to enjoy the dewy grounds. She did love autumn and being inside Hogwarts Castle was feeling more and more like being in the Ministry. She was going to go see Hagrid and see what he was up to, but decided instead to do that later when it had warmed up. Hermione went to the shore of the Black Lake and when she arrived she found her favourite rock and sat down. She produced a parchment and quill along with a well-thumbed volume of difficult spells. There was an essay due and she didn't want to spend such a lovely crisp day inside. Whilst she was down at the pebble beach she noticed a girl wandering - or rather pacing - along the water line, not daring to get her feet wet. She looked deep in thought so Hermione left her to her own devices. She started writing and after 5 inches worth had been written she heard a large rock plum into the water. She looked up and saw the girl, a Slytherin, in great personal turmoil. She was wringing her hands and grabbing stones and throwing them into the water as she confounded herself. She was so struck by her drama that Hermione called out to her.

"Hey! What's up?"

The girl looked at her teary eyed and slightly vacant but still angry with herself.

"Come and sit with me. Tell me what's wrong." Hermione cooed like a mother hen. The girl moved forward then stopped, looking to the glassy water before stomping a foot and moving towards the brunette. She sat down beside her and slumped, holding her heavy head in her hands. Her blonde and blue wavy hair ran down the length of her back and her eyes, although red and crying, were hazel.

"Hey, tell me. It's ok." Hermione whispered patting her back.

The girl gave a little sob and sat up straight, smiling weakly.

"I've - I've embarrassed myself. I- I-"

"Go on..."

"I made a fool of myself...in front of-in front of someone I like."

"Oh, don't worry. I've done that plenty of times and you know what it doesn't matter. They'll come around eventually. What's your name?"

"Marilyn Gray." She sniffed.

"Well Marilyn, I'm sure if you keep trying they'll eventually take the hint. I'm still trying with mine."

"But I made him think I was crazy!" Marilyn said with fresh tears.

"Oh Shh sh sh...all guys think we're crazy, it's part of the plan. It's just getting them to understand it and join the fold. Don't worry. It'll all be fine. I'm Hermione by the way."

"Hi Hermione." Marilyn sniffed shaking her hand, "I'm so sorry. I've interrupted you. I, I better go."

"No, no. Stay if you want to. I'm actually going to go see Hagrid in a bit. Would you like to join me?" She asked.

"He's the kind giant here isn't he?"

Hermione nodded, "Let's go see him now. We can get you warmed up hopefully, you look a little frozen."

The walk to Hagrid's house was brisk in the cold and they soon rapt on his door. The half giant broke into a rosy smile when he saw Hermione and in turn smiled at Marilyn.

"New friend?" He asked grandly.

"Yes Rubius. This is Marilyn Gray. I found her by the lake crying." Hermione said gesturing to her.

"Ah. Better not stay around those waters too long or you might end up living in it." Hagrid chuckled. He then turned to the stove and produced a huge copper kettle filled to the brim with boiling water.

"Would you like a cup of tea, ladies?"

They nodded eagerly and soon were handed large cups with saucers as big as dining plates. Marilyn had never seen crockery so huge. Her eyes bulged and Hermione laughed.

After Hagrid sat down in his arm chair he pondered upon the colour of Marilyn's robes.

"I don't get many Slytherin's in 'ere." He said, "Ur not 'urnin' to tha dark side are ye 'Ermione?"

"No she isn't." Marilyn piped, "She's just being gracious and brave like all insufferable Gryffindors. Besides, I don't get all of this house rivalry. We're all at the same school for pete's sake."

"Here, here." Hermione cheered, "I just can't stand that Malfoy lot."

Marilyn blushed and nodded at the same time. "I agree. I sometimes wonder why I was even put there; I'm ambitious yes but I'm not power-hungry."

"Are you self-protecting?" Hermione asked taking a sip.

"Yes I am, but only because I've got good reason to." She defended.

"There you go then. You're a Slytherin through and through." She said with a defiant nod.

"Well, since thars settled, why doncha tell me whats 'appin 'Ermione. 'Av'ya any news of You Know 'Oo?"

The conversation turned to the Dark Lord and Marilyn, who didn't concern herself with such troublesome things carried on with her tea only half listening. When the conversation eventually turned to a broader and less controversial subject, Marilyn was able to speak again. They ended up talking about the formal do near Christmas as a repeat from last year's Yule Ball.

"Er wen' s'good las'time, why no'ave-a nuther one?" Rubius boomed.

"Yes exactly!" Hermione chimed.

"What's the Yule Ball?" Marilyn asked simply.

"Well, last year we had two other schools come to Hogwarts for the Triwizard Tournament, Beauxbatons and Durmstraang, and at Christmas we had a bit of a party. It's traditional to have a ball during the Tournament so we held one. It was quite fun actually; there was dancing and good food-"

"An' this one ere bagged one of the Champions as her partner!" Hagrid said gesturing his thumb at the Gryffindor.

"You didn't!" Marilyn chided.

"I did really. Viktor Krum his name was...he was a gentleman. But the interesting thing is why don't you know about the Yule Ball? Weren't you here last year?"

"I wasn't; I was at Beauxbatons last year but I wasn't chosen to attend the Tournament." She replied simply.

"Oh - I'm sorry. I thought everyone from your old school came. Why didn't you get picked?" Hermione asked sadly.

"I was too ill." Marilyn said in a grave tone.

"Oh, I really am sorry...Tell you what, we'll have this new Christmas Ball just for you then!" Her new friend said beaming.

"Now that really is too Gryffindor of you!" She giggled.

"It really isn't. I could help you get dressed up for it too and find you someone to go with."

"That's very nice of you Hermione but you don't need to go through all that trouble-"

"Shh, I'll do it because I want to. And besides, it'll be nice to keep my mind off of the Dark Lord that way."