Disclaimer: Still own an impressive shell and sea glass collection, but still don't own Harry Potter and company. -sighs-
Pairings: Harry/Bill
Summary: Harry and William have formed a bond in accordance with the Murúch tradition and have since been happily living their life in the sea. Now, though, the time has come for Harry to meet the Weasley family, officially, and explain to them who it is that has taken their son's heart. If only Harry can get past his guilt for stealing William for his own to live away in the sea, perhaps he could finally find the love of a family he always wanted.
Enjoy! And happy belated Valentine's Day!
Murúch:
Meeting the Family
~...~
Harry stepped out of the surf and braced his bare feet to prepare to walk across the scorching sandy beach towards Shell Cottage, towards his home. Even after several years of getting used to changing back and forth into his human form, he still felt wobbly on two legs, and the bottoms of his feet always seemed to take the worst of the abuse. While he had conceded to splitting his time between two worlds, wearing clothes, getting a house on land, and many other things for William's sake, he still refused to wear shoes, feeling they were far too uncomfortable and confining to be worth the protection they provided. As a result, though, the skin across the soles and heels of his feet usually looked much worse for the wear whenever he came onto land.
"Harry!" a lovingly familiar voice called out his name in relief, followed by the quick pounding of trainers bounding from the small stone cottage on the hill and down across the shore where Harry stood waiting a few feet from the water's edge. William didn't wait for permission before scooping Harry up in his arms and bringing their lips together in an enthusiastic welcoming kiss. Harry threaded his arms around William's neck and allowed his lover to carry him back to their home on shore, figuring that this was a much better than having to walk across the unforgiving land himself.
Once the door had shut behind them, the elder man steered them into the living room and lay Harry down on the soft sofa before plopping down himself and snuggling next to his mate. "Good," he let out with a tired sigh, "I was hoping you'd get here before my family arrived." Shifting so that he could look into Harry's face, he reached up to run a caressing hand down from his hair to his neck, to just above his collarbone, which was laid bare in the borrowed button down shirt he wore, one of William's that he'd left in their main home under the sea. "Any trouble on the journey," he asked solicitously, his eyes checking over every bit his hands missed. Seeing nothing superficial to worry him in conjunction with Harry's dismissive shake of his head, William settled for brushing a stray strand of hair out of the Mer's eyes and running another hand down the side of his face.
"Will," Harry spoke affectionately with an amused roll of his eyes before softly shaking his head with a smile and closing the small distance between them. They had only parted company three days ago in order for William to return to shore, settle the final preparations for the cottage, and contact his family for today's meeting. Harry had used that time to ward their primary abode beneath the waves in anticipation of their extended absence, as well as to swim his way to Shell Cottage. He preferred swimming to all other forms of travel despite William's offer to Side-Along Apparate him. Yet regardless of the short time apart, once their lips met they kissed like they had been separated for years, not days.
Finally breaking the somewhat sloppy, desperate, passionate kiss, Harry rested his head against William's shoulder and closed his eyes in contentment, burrowing into the other man's side.
William ran his hand up and down Harry's arm soothingly and pressed his forehead into Harry's crown. Bussing the raven-haired Mer's temple, he breathed in Harry's distinctively salty scent. "Nervous?" he whispered.
"About meeting humans again for the first time in years? Aside from you, of course. Or about meeting my mate's family who I've idolised since my time at Hogwarts?" Harry answered uncertainly, his voice at least an octave higher than normal. He could feel himself tensing up from the thought alone even as he spoke.
In response, William silently pulled Harry closer to his side and swept the Mer's newly formed legs across his lap, currently fitted in a loose pair of William's khaki trousers. Pushing up the fabric to reveal pristine pale ankles, William rubbed the smooth skin that was as soft as Harry's beautiful tail with his open, calloused hand that had only recently started to soften from long exposure to the salt water. "You shouldn't be nervous, you know. They're going to love you no matter what. And we don't even have to tell them who you were before," he reminded Harry for what seemed like the thousandth time. "All they have to know is that you're the gorgeous Murúch I fell in love with and that we're incredibly, blessedly, and incandescently happy together."
Harry beamed in response, feeling some of the tension bleeding out of him at William's declaration. Still, after several moments of comfortable silence had passed, Harry spoke up of another matter that had been worrying away at his heart. "You don't think they'll be mad at me for taking you away to the sea...for...for not even being human?" he muttered sotto voce, not completely comfortable with breaching this concern with William in regards to how accepting his family would be. "I know after the war," he attempted to continue, but was interrupted by a warm hand covering his mouth gently.
"You can stop right there, love," William ordered. "My family aren't the Malfoys. They'll respect you for who you are and be ecstatic to finally get the chance to know you after all this time. And I'll be forever grateful for you for doing this."
"They're your family, Will," Harry chided exasperatedly, though still nervously, "I know how important that is." The unspoken statement that he only knew how important it should be, not ever having had a family of his own settled in the small, miniscule spaces still left between them. William swallowed thickly at the vague mention of Harry's own thoughtless upbringing. He cleared his throat heavily of the lump inside it before assuring Harry once again. "And soon you'll know what it's like to be a part of one."
Harry frowned slightly at that, but before he could even form an answer, the Floo roared to life and William sprang up at the sound of his mother calling out his name. In spite of his earlier words, he fretfully fixed the wrinkles from his shirt and ran a hand through his shoulder length hair before offering Harry a hand up. Once they both were standing, William wrapped a steadying arm around Harry's waist, to help him get used to his legs once more, and led him the few feet into the kitchen where the Weasley family had begun to congregate. At the door, Harry felt his breath catch in his throat and any strength he'd gained from the walk over leave him.
Their bright, open kitchen with white walls and exposed framing overhead had gone from a peaceful, quiet place to watch the sea to complete bedlam. But to Harry, it was like he was back at Hogwarts again; an eleven year old hiding in the shadows under the staircase, watching on as the boisterous family of redheads filled up a room and jostled around one another affectionately. Even with two of their sons lost to the Blood War, and another child taking up permanent residence in St Mungo's, they still managed to liven up a room with such ease.
"Nice place, brother," said Fred, no George, judging by the long scar on this side of his face when he turned his head to examine the unfinished woodwork of the windowsill and the wind chime of shells and driftwood hanging from the corner. His twin hummed loudly in agreement as he peered curiously around the corner to take a peek up the shadowed staircase. "Not bad at all."
Charlie, only two years behind William, pulled Fred back from the stairway and pushed him into one of the seats at the scrubbed wooden kitchen table a bit more forcibly than necessary. "Sit and be good," he ordered, giving George a warning look before turning to the couple framed in the doorway. "Harry," he greeted expectantly, moving forward with his hand outstretched towards the Mer, "So good to finally meet you. You've somehow accomplished what none of us even thought possible and tamed this wandering git," he said jokingly, flicking his head towards his older brother with a grin. "However did you manage it?"
Answering the grin a bit uneasily with one of his own, Harry gripped the calloused hand of the dragon tamer, feeling an odd, vaguely familiar warmth in his palm that reminded him somewhat of his Will. Inwardly stumbling for a moment in search of a response, Harry shrugged as Charlie finished pumping his hand and responded, "I guess it helps that we both like to wander and explore together." And what better place to explore than where no humans, wizard or Muggle, have been to on the ocean floor? He kept that last part to himself, of course, waiting for Will to decide when would be the best time to tell his family their big secret. Well, one of them at any rate.
Charlie opened his mouth to reply, but was soon interrupted by Mrs Weasley coming up to Harry with arms thrown wide open, advancing on Harry with an adoring gaze gleaming in her warm brown eyes. Harry had been warned of the woman's smothering tendencies and the likelihood that she would hug first and ask questions later. And yet he felt completely unprepared when he suddenly found himself ensconced in her arms, pressed into her generous bosom as she squeezed the air out of him for several long seconds. He had never been hugged before by a mother, at least not that he remembered. William was very affectionate, of course, but this felt much different than the kind of love he and his mate shared. Mrs Weasley did not seem to notice Harry's uncomfortable tensing in the slightest, though, as she didn't pull away.
"Oh, Harry! Our William's very own Harry! It's so good to finally meet you," she cried, repeating Charlie's own words with much more enthusiasm. "I'm so happy one of my babies has finally settled down," she crooned, tears choking up her voice as she finally let up and placed Harry at arm's length, looking him up and down assessingly like a mother ensuring that her child had actually cleaned his hands before dinner.
Harry stood rigid under her stare, refusing to squirm. This was Molly Weasley, the mother who put all other mothers to shame in Harry's eyes since he was a young boy, the mother who Harry had wanted as his own since he'd first glimpsed the Weasleys during Hogwarts' Family Day. And now she was looking back at him for the first time, deciding whether he was worthy enough to join her family. He had dreamt about this moment for years; so much had changed since those first dreams. He had changed so much; he wasn't even human anymore. And yet, frozen beneath the Weasley matriarch's scrutiny, he realised just how much that particular wish hadn't changed, and hoped beyond hope, to all the deities of the sea that she wouldn't find him wanting.
Finally, after an insurmountable stretch of time had passed between them, Mrs Weasley's features softened and she gave an almost imperceptible nod and she smile graciously at Harry before turning to her eldest son. Will was more than used to this, however, and met his mother with open arms, pulling her to his chest, where her head just passed above his stomach.
Bringing William's head down, she whispered rather loudly in his ear, "He seems like such a nice young man. I don't understand why you haven't brought him home to us before now."
Harry felt himself blush several shades of red as a few amused, yet exasperated grins were sent his way. It was like a giant spotlight had been turned on him, placing him directly in front of a redheaded audience, all looking on at him as the main event and preparing to judge him accordingly. Surely they were waiting for him to do something horribly embarrassing, or perhaps something expected of a young human suitor being introduced to his partner's family. But he had not a clue as to what that should be. Instead, he could only feel his face getting even hotter as Mrs Weasley returned her attention to him and asked, "So, where are you from, dear? I'm afraid William has told us so little." She shot a quick, disapproving glare at her eldest as she bustled Harry over to the table. "Come, sit down, dear, and tell us all about yourself."
Harry stumbled slightly as Mrs Weasley pulled on his arm and directed him to a chair, still not steady on his newly formed legs. Keeping his gaze down to hide his embarrassment and avoid the critical stares, he managed to pull himself into a seat, regretting that he hadn't gotten here earlier and taken the time to walk around on his own for a bit. She vaguely heard the Weasley matriarch ordering William to make some tea for everyone as she took the chair beside Harry and pressed in closer.
"Mum," William warned from across the room, "give Harry some space. He's not used to the Weasley family style. Ease up a bit."
The twins, seeing that their mother was about to object, took matters into their own hands. Leaning rather exaggeratedly over the table, both twins held out their hands for Harry to shake at once.
"Alright there, Harry?" asked Fred as George pumped his hand before they switched off.
"Can't say we've heard much about you, but lovely home you have here," George nodded decisively as he cast his gaze around the room once more.
"Hope you know that once you're part of the family that opens you up to surprise visits from said members," Fred leant in a stage whisper as he gripped Harry's hand and continued to shake it long past the required time.
"Mainly us," George elucidated unnecessarily.
"Too right," his brother agreed.
"Best way to get to know our newest brother, after all."
"Guaranteed."
"We were terribly put off about not being invited to the wedding, you know. That is,"
"If there even was one," Fred finished, pulling a dramatically shocked expression and looked scandalously at his twin.
"Don't tell me the two of you have been living in sin," he whispered the word with theatrical dread, throwing his hand over his mouth the second after he'd said as though he'd sworn in front of his mother.
"Alright, you two, that's quite enough," William raised his voice as he set the mugs down on the table and then threw a balled up dishtowel at the twins, which they both ducked to avoid. "Sit down everyone," he said in a more even and calm, though no less commanding tone, though he continued to glare warningly at his youngest brothers. "There's something Harry and I have to tell you."
Once everyone was settled, each cradling a mug of tea and shooting looks at William and Harry that ranged from apprehensive to amused, William moved to stand behind Harry. He laid his hands comfortingly on his mate's shoulders and then cleared his throat in preparation. The two had discussed this together several times over the past several months while they'd been in the process of buying and then cleaning up Shell Cottage. They had stealthily taken back the Potter fortune from under the Dursleys' noses to do so, on William's insistence; or rather, what was left of the money. Luckily, it had been a good enough sum for what they needed, especially after Harry had worked with the goblins as a liaison to quietly claim back the Potter mansion, evict its petty owners, and liquidate the rest in order to furnish their new home. It had been somewhat vindicating, but Harry felt that William ultimately benefited in getting righteous vengeance on Harry's behalf. So he hadn't exactly complained, and let William do what he wished in defending him.
Still, when it came down to it, Harry knew that William was the only one who would know how best to tell his family about them, and William had agreed.
"So, you've all been asking why I haven't introduced Harry to you sooner, or why you haven't seen me in so long." He cleared his throat again, shuffled his feet across the wooden slatted floor, and he tightened his grip on Harry. "The answer is quite simple, really, we –"
"Oh, you have eloped in some foreign, way-back country, haven't you?" Mrs Weasley wailed, her hands coming up to cover her face as she sobbed about her very own son not wanting her at his own wedding.
"Mum," William shouted over the muffled shrieks. "We didn't elope anywhere!"
'Not technically,' Harry added silently.
"Will you just listen first?"
Mrs Weasley lowered her palms from her face, revealing a hopeful expression as she gazed intently at William. "Then there's still a wedding to plan?"
"Urgh," William groaned, dropping his head back and looking desperately up at the ceiling. "No, Mum, there's not because we've already bonded through Mer tradition." The room fell silent for several seconds in shock, most likely not expecting such an answer. Taking advantage of the momentary quiet, William continued in a calm, lecturing tone, "Harry is one of the Murúch and we've been living in our home in the Norwegian Sea for the past couple years now."
No one seemed to no what to say, as several jaws dropped around the table, eyes wide and switching accusingly between William and Harry, as though waiting for either of them to drop the joke any second now. Finally, everyone surged forward and began to speak at once.
"So, when you say 'in' the sea, you mean..." Charlie trailed off in confusion.
"You have been living in sin, after all," Fred cried triumphantly, pointing an accusing finger at his older brother.
"What's a Murúch," Mr Weasley asked in interest, leaning forward excitedly, his gaze latching onto Harry avidly.
"Mer?" George added in his own two knuts worth in tandem with the rest of his family. "As in merman? But he has legs!"
"Then there hasn't been a wedding yet," Mrs Weasley cheered, a huge, anticipatory grin blooming on her face.
"Quiet!" William yelled out over the din, raising both his hands commandingly in the air. "We'll answer your questions one at a time." Bringing his palms back down to massage Harry's back and shoulders, William lowered his head and voice to address his mate. "I think you should probably answer about being Murúch, though, love." He squeezed his hands reassuringly and then levelled his gaze at his family warningly, daring any of them to speak and interrupt Harry.
All too soon to his liking, every blue-eyed gaze was turned to Harry once more.
"Erm, well, I um," his eyes darted from each crown of red hair to the scrubbed wooden table top, to the white panelling on the walls, to his hands fidgeting in his lap. He decided he liked looking down a lot better, when one of Will's hands came down to cover his own and his mate laid a sweet kiss on the side of his temple.
"The first thing you should know," Will began for him, "is that the Murúch are not merfolk, strictly speaking." Harry glared lightly at him for that purposefully ignorant jibe, knowing Will had done it intentionally to help loosen his nerves and tongue. "So all that you know about merfolk means nothing when it comes to Murúch. Harry's nothing like the people in the Black Lake.
"For one," Will paused and looked at Harry, smiling when he saw that his little joke had managed to at least open the younger male's mouth. Harry took the cue and continued the thought.
"We are both known as 'Mer' and considered to be within the same family, roughly speaking, but that's about where the relations end. In fact, my people are closer to the Selkie folk than any other, if you want something to compare us to. A better, more appropriate term for my kind would be 'merrow'. We look much more human from the waist up and –" Harry stopped short as all present more or less inconspicuously leant forward to try to catch another glimpse at his legs, as if checking that their eyes hadn't deceived them before. "And," he pushed on determinedly, "we have the ability to shape shift into anything we choose. Which explains a high recorded rate of intermarriages between other magical creatures, especially witches and wizards, throughout time."
"So you trick them?" George blurted out, narrowing his eyes as he scanned Harry's face shrewdly.
"No, now –" Will started to argue, sitting up straighter in his seat.
"Some are known for it, yes," Harry admitted, overriding William's protest; as touched as he was, what Will's brother said did bear some truth. "But that's not something I've ever felt comfortable doing, and it's not how I met Will or how we got together."
"He saved my life," William supplied, "before the war had just begun, I was sailing to a Gringotts site and got caught in a powerful storm. Harry saved my life when he didn't need to and took care of me until I was well enough again."
"When he seduced you!" Fred cried enthusiastically, a little too excitedly for either Harry or William's liking.
"When he let me go. Brought me to shore and let me go." William didn't mention the red cap, or rather, the Cohuleen druith that allowed William to dive beneath the waves and live with Harry in their underwater cave, despite still being human. It was something he kept with him at all times, safely tucked away. "I came back to him after the war, five years after we had parted ways, not because I was seduced, but because I realised how much I had grown to love him during our time together, as well as apart, and I didn't want to be without him in my life any longer," William said softly, staring down at Harry like he was the only one in the room, the only one that mattered.
Harry returned the gaze, thanking the gods of the seas and all that was magic that he had been there to save Will that day. He hadn't even recognised him at first as he'd pulled him from the floating piece of driftwood, breathed air into his lungs, and used the Magic gifted to him to bring Will down to his home, where he could care for him better. It was only after, when he'd laid the shivering man on his bed of seaweed and brushed the hair out of his face that recognition had hit. He had just saved William Weasley!
He'd never been happier for taking that risk and exposing himself to one of the Wizarding World for the first time since his change. It had been the best decision he'd ever made if his current bonded bliss was anything to go by.
An awkward, stilted cough broke the couple's stare, reminding them of their current company.
"So," Charlie shuffled his mug from hand to hand, looking curiously at his older brother and Harry, "now that I have a better idea of what a Murúch is, what about our other questions?"
Harry glanced tentatively around the table, finding a few more politely inquisitive looks now that it had been explained that he hadn't seduced William, though they still looked a little wary of him. He didn't blame them for that; his kind were essentially unknown to all landwalkers and he was a mystery who happened to be in a serious relationship with their son and brother. And what was worse, they still didn't even know the half of it.
"You do live in the sea then?" the twins chorused together, eyes widening and twinkling madly like the cat that just caught the canary. Before Will and Harry had even finished nodding tentatively they were already asking, "When can we come and visit?"
Blinking rapidly in surprise at the unexpected non sequitur, Harry began tripping over his words, "Er, well, um, you see that's – er –that uh, I –"
"That's not possible," William cut in assertively. "Even with magic you'd never survive the journey; it's too far down; really deep. You'd explode from the pressure alone."
"What!" Fred cried in dismay. "How do you survive, then," they asked together challengingly.
William smiled secretively, reaching down to brush his pocket where his special cap lay and then moved to thread his fingers with Harry's. "I'm bonded to a Murúch," he said as though that explained it all, and refused to answer any more questions about it despite the twins' persistent pestering.
"But bonded isn't wedded, is it?" Charlie prodded, a teasing smirk on his lips as he knowingly instigated his elder brother.
Mrs Weasley, who had been looking decidedly caught between amazed, flustered, and confused, latched onto that little titbit immediately, just as Charlie no doubt knew she would. "You're absolutely right; we have a wedding to plan for!" she cried, clapping her hands together excitedly in front of her, a large smile already stretching her features wide with ebullience. She looked ready to start hashing out the details any second, and only her initial elation choking her up and causing tears to spring to her eyes kept her quiet for the moment.
Harry instantly felt himself go pale while all the Weasley men groaned. The matriarch leant in to hug the couple excitedly, when Harry drew away instinctively, pushing back his chair and making Mrs Weasley momentarily lose her balance and fall against the side of the table. William was quick to catch and steady his mother while keeping one hand pressed against Harry's back, preventing him from running just yet.
"I know you mean well, mum, but," William hesitated for a moment as he helped his mother right herself and sit back, flustered, in her chair, "that's not such a great idea."
"Why ever not?" Mrs Weasley demanded, looking more than a little put out by Harry's flinching; the infamous Weasley red beginning to flush her cheeks as a perturbed frown pulled down her cheeks. "Don't be ridiculous, you must have a wedding. A simple bonding," she added derisively, "is –"
"Perfect for what we need," William insisted, raising his voice in conviction. "A magical bonding for the Mer has just as much significance as a wedding and achieves the same purpose as any wizarding ceremony."
A few raised eyebrows met that declaration, at least from those who fully understood what a full wizarding wedding entailed.
"But Will!" Mrs Weasley began to protest again obviously not one to be denied anything, especially when it concerned her children.
"There will be no wedding, mother, and that's final," William stated loudly, raising his voice in a way Harry had never heard before. He sounded annoyed and Harry felt himself growing warm inside, even as the guilt continued to rise, recognising Will's words in defence of himself. William was speaking up against his own family! "I invited you all here so that you could meet Harry and take the opportunity to get to know him. Not," he emphasised, "so you could decide how to parade him around in the human world. That's not what either of us wants and we're more than happy with the way we live. The only thing I really miss," William lowered his voice, "and the thing that Harry really needs from you all, is family."
All eyes turned to Harry then, some guiltily, some in morbid curiosity, others in pity. Pity was the last thing he wanted or needed, but seeing it on Mrs Weasley's face mixed with the guilt he already felt made him wish he were somehow stronger. It made him wish that he could push all his fear and dislike of the Wizarding World aside and assure his Will that a wedding would be fine. That he could forget for a moment the life he had brought William into when he'd formed that bond with him, a life that didn't include his family. And why wouldn't he want to celebrate their love with Will's family, especially seeing as they lived where no one would ever be able to follow them, whether the twins actually believed them or not?
Yet he couldn't find his voice to say otherwise.
Charlie, who Harry had been told was the more observant of the Weasley brothers, looked from Harry and William to over where his father was trying to calm his wife and talk her down from harassing the young couple any further. Quietly, scrutinising Harry and William's expressions as though gauging their reactions, he asked, "What about a small wedding?" He gestured outside to the stretch of beach and lazily lapping waves beyond. "Right here on the shore. With just the family; no one else. Immediate family," he quickly amended at hearing the twins less than silent guffaws. "Then you would be getting your wedding, mum," he conceded to his parents with a nod, "and you two get to keep you privacy, while still celebrating with us," he finished matter-of-factly.
Harry swallowed. That was a good compromise, he would have to admit. It took the Wizarding World completely out of the equation. But there was still the guilt. And he still didn't think he could do it. If only they knew. If they only fully understood what they were giving their whole-hearted blessing to, then maybe Harry would feel more at ease with going along with their plans. No, he did not understand humans in the way he understood his Will, but he realised how important this was to them, and he wanted nothing more than to give in and make them happy. Only, he knew it would only be temporary.
The worst part was when William looked over at him tentatively, the question clear in his eyes, awaiting Harry's reaction. Harry could feel the stares of all the Weasleys in the room bearing down on him. He absently wondered whether yielding to their wishes had anything to do with being a good son, even a respectful almost-son-in-law by bonded association. Though, he wouldn't go as far to say that what he and Will had would ever be recognised by any wizarding law as their bond stood now. But if they were wedded that certainly wouldn't be a problem any more.
William ran a heavy, smoothing hand over Harry's shoulders to calm him, but while Harry felt a bit assured, the stares had not lessened any, and his answer was still expected. He gulped heavily and tried to think of a way out of this.
"Um, er, I –uh," Harry fumbled over his words as he tried to avoid each and every pair of eyes, friendly and encouraging, or otherwise. "I need a moment to think," he announced, eyes wide and frightened as he jumped up, stumbling somewhat unsteadily to his feet, and with a strength of limbs he hadn't possessed moments before until necessity had struck, he fled the room and ran outside.
The kitchen door slammed behind him as Harry flew over the sandy grass, over a patch of boulders, and skidded down the hill to where the rocks met the white sand. Once his toes touched the fine grains, he collapsed bodily onto the soft ground, all strength having drained him dry with that last run. He could probably make it to the water and swim away with ease, but his cowardice and shame kept him from making it that far, where once he reached the water he wouldn't be able to stop himself from escaping. And if he did, he didn't know if he would ever be able to find the courage to come back.
Harry beat his forehead against the sand and fisted handfuls of soft granules in his palms, wishing it were hot enough to burn him and really hurt, just as he deserved. But instead the sand clumped with a comforting weight in his hands and pushed soothingly against his temples as he finally let his head fall to the ground and turned to look out on the water. The only pain came from his knees, where the tiny pebbles rubbed against his new skin harshly. He welcomed it.
From his tilted view of the beach, he watched the waves come in and go out again, tumbling over one another to be the first to touch the shore, and then pulling back to sea with a melodious hiss. The sea, for all its unpredictability and mercurial temper, was something that he could understand, it was somewhere he felt safe no matter what. On land, amongst humans, even magical ones, he just felt scared and like he'd stepped into another dimension, one he couldn't understand no matter how hard he tried. And yet despite all that, he had fallen in love with a wizard; a landwalker from this strange dimension, who oddly enough, ended up understanding Harry best of all.
He knew he loved William more than he could say and would do anything to make him happy. Only through bringing William pleasure and contentment could he even hope to share in some of that as well. And yet, though he had seen how important this was to William, he still couldn't just suck it up and agree to something as simple as a wedding. What was wrong with him?
The soft crunching of bare feet over loose stones broke him from his reverie. He knew those footsteps, was familiar with that presence approaching, yet Harry refused to turn his head. Instead, he waited until William had stopped just short of him and dropped down to lie alongside Harry. A warm hand ran nimble fingers over the top of his head and through his hair. Harry leant gratefully into the gesture, relieved that Will was not too mad or disappointed in him to avoid contact with him, even if he wasn't speaking to him yet. Silently, they stayed like that, each looking out at the ocean and not breathing a word.
Harry felt his eyes beginning to close in response to the soothing ministrations that hadn't ceased, but he willed himself to stay awake – at least until they had the chance to talk. Gathering his courage in defiance of his nerves, Harry opened his mouth and pushed the words out before it was too late.
"I'm sorry –," Harry began as William said, "You don't have to –"
Harry turned his head to look at Will as they both stopped mid-sentence, finally meeting each other's eyes and laughing somewhat nervously.
Twisting around until he was facing his other half, Harry reached up and placed a soft palm, weathered by salt and sand, over his mate's mouth gently.
"I should've known," came Will's fervent, muffled reply against Harry's hand.
Harry just shook his head in response and began rather abruptly, "I don't know why I decided to save you that day. By that point my soul had already been claimed by the sea...or so I thought." He paused and let his hand fall to Will's chest, right above his heart. "I shouldn't have even cared if you drowned or not. But I did. For some odd reason, I did." He nodded and looked into Will's face, sombrely conveying his current feelings of devotion to the man without words. "I did," he repeated softly. "And once you woke up and we started talking, I began to care for you. You woke up in me things I had thought long dead."
Rolling over into Will, placing his back against the man's chest, he allowed his mate to ensconce him in his arms as he turned his gaze back to the waves.
"I never knew," William whispered gravely in his ear. "The full extent of it, at least."
"No," Harry answered after a moment, feeling William's arms tighten possessively around him. "I wasn't sure if I wanted you to." Harry paused and seemed to grapple for words, rubbing his hand distractedly up and down the appendage holding him to the other man's chest. "It...it made me seem...it reminded me of being so cold and alone. I, erm, I didn't want you to think you had committed your life to someone who had closed off his heart for so long, and who– I...well, if anything were to happen to you..." Harry swallowed hard and buried the side of his face under William's chin. "I'll become cold again," he whispered fearfully. There was much more that needed to be said than that, but he didn't quite have the words for it in that moment.
"And for that not to happen," he began again slowly, lifting his head up to be able to speak clearly, "I need you with me – under water – for much longer than wizards ever live. Much, much, much longer."
William scrunched his brow and turned Harry's face to look directly into his eyes. "What do you mean? How long?"
Harry bit back a sigh as he fought with himself to keep William's gaze. "I'm not - Murúch aren't like the naiads of the Black Lake at Hogwarts. We're not even like the Nereids or sirens who need the love of a human soul to gain immortality." Sucking in a great, deep breath, Harry hesitated for a moment, feeling waves of tension coming from his mate. "If –ifyou," he faltered, stumbling over his own tongue. "If a Murúch," he started again steadily, looking at William's face carefully as he spoke, "has a reason to live, then theoretically they can go on forever. And...if one's mate is not originally born of the Sea, not a Muir-gheilt...eventually they are given the choice to be reborn into it, so that they can stay with their, uh, mate."
"Kind of like being a Second Born, like you," Will asked weakly while his grip on Harry became more urgent and fiercer by the minute.
"You – uh, they –those, er, given the choice, would be considered Third Borns. But essentially, uh...yes." He nodded, his gaze straying back to above the dune where the Weasleys were no doubt still waiting for the wayward couple to return.
"I, uh," William took another deep breath and followed Harry's gaze back towards the cottage. "Well, that's a lot, but, uh..." Breathing out a heavy sigh, Will whistled long and low for several seconds. "Well," he repeated with a more determined air before turning Harry's face back to his to bestow a sweet kiss on his lips. "Though I hadn't really thought about it before now...I am more than prepared to spend forever with you. And I would be honoured to be reborn to the Sea to be with you."
Harry smiled weakly in response, cradling Will's face with one hand. He had been fairly sure Will wouldn't really have any objections, already having agreed to the bonding and spending his life under the sea with Harry. But it was still nice to hear. The only thing that continued to worry him was that his Will still didn't understand the full magnitude of what it all entailed.
"What? What's still bothering you?" Will asked gently, recognising the faraway worried look in Harry's eyes for what it was.
"Your family," Harry blurted out distractedly, immediately regretting his quick speech by the alarmed look on his lover's face. "No! No! Not like that." Not really, he added silently to himself. Sighing in frustration once more at the lack of words coming forth, Harry turned his face seawards again, trying to collect his thoughts. "By agreeing to be with me," he restarted, putting emphasis on each and ever word, "you're also agreeing to one day give up your family. And not just by outliving them all, but by giving yourself fully to the sea. And me," he added quietly. "And it's just – it's just so difficult to sit in there and be welcomed into the family when I already...already..." He grappled for the sentiment he was trying to express, but found only empty air and shapeless thoughts teasing him playfully as they skittered out of reach.
"You're leaving them for me, even if you hadn't known it yet. How could I be so selfish? How could I not have thought of your family when we bonded? How can I stay in there and pretend everything's perfect when I'm being so selfish?" he asked despairingly, too embarrassed and ashamed to even look his mate in the eye. Harry didn't deserve to have his love, his faith, his trust. If William never said another thing to him again, or ultimately decided to leave him in favour of being with his family, Harry would understand. His earlier promise meant nothing without all the knowledge of what his commitment fully demanded.
But William's answer, surprisingly, was only to pull Harry to his chest all the tighter and bury his face in the black head of hair that smelt of salt and seaweed. Even without words, though, Harry felt a comforting, familiar warmth of assurance wash over him, and even though he wasn't sure how it would all work out just yet, he knew that they would be fine, the two of them, in the end.
Together, they stared out at the waves crashing on shore together for an indeterminate stretch of time, just taking comfort in the closeness and trust ebbing and flowing between them with all the strength of a powerful current.
...
...
It was almost an hour later that either of them began to stir.
Pulling the two of them into a sitting position, Will placed his back against a water-smoothed rock and gathered Harry to him once more. "So," he said at length, dragging the single word out into a million different implications. "Is all this," Will waved his hand vaguely about, "the only reason you don't want to be married the wizarding way, for my family's sake?"
Harry didn't answer immediately, he wasn't entirely sure himself of the full extent of his uncertainties or the sources behind them. And yet, he knew that he could at least admit to... "Mostly."
"And the rest?" Will followed hesitantly.
Harry fidgeted slightly; silently communicating that he wasn't comfortable, nor confident sharing his worries aloud just yet, not having the proper expressions or understandings to fully voice them adequately.
"Would you – I mean," Will shifted his hold around Harry's waist and pressed his lips to the top of Harry's head, "Would you be willing to do this anyway? For me?
"I promise to leave this life completely for you, for one together in the sea. But...but while we still have time to share part of our life on land and with my family, I want to make them happy by knowing I've settled down and married my soul mate. That I am so blessed and lucky to be where I am. I know the only way my family will be completely convinced is if we get married 'the proper way' in their eyes."
After all that and considering how calm and accepting Will was of Harry's important, belated, and rather shocking revelation, Harry knew there was only one possible answer. And despite his hesitation, he knew without a doubt that he would go to hell and back for this man. What was one little wedding compared to all that? So regardless of his discomfort with the entire idea and the prospect of spending so much time with humans, and William's lovely, welcoming, completely oblivious family to boot, he answered without any of his previous reluctance.
"Of course I will. Sorry it took me so long to come around," he added ruefully.
"Don't be," Will waved his apologies away firmly and took Harry's hands, rubbing them warmly between his own. "I'm just glad we finally had this talk."
"It was a bit overdue," Harry admitted sheepishly.
"Any other surprises you have for me? Things I should know about for our future?"
Biting his lip, Harry hung his head in response. "Just teaching you how to live better in the sea without always relying on me. How to become a Third Born without losing your heart and mind," he added. "And what I need to do to make sure you want to stay in the sea with me, of your own freewill. But," Harry shrugged, "I promise I'll share everything with you when the time is right. You, er, don't want it all at once," he chuckled grimly. "It can be quite overwhelming," he stated, speaking from experience of his own hasty, bombard-like tutelage upon first entering the world of the sea.
Nodding, William dug his chin softly into Harry's shoulder. "I trust you will."
Eventually, the easy silence between them was broken by the soft pounding of footsteps from behind, making the couple turn towards the source.
"Oh good," Charlie called out good-naturedly as he crested the hill and began to make his way down the sand dune to where the couple was. "We were worried you two might've left us to go back to the water, or something. Glad to see you're still here after all." Drawing closer, Charlie slapped a hand on Will's back, jolting the two slightly. "Are you lads ready to come back in now?"
In answer, Harry dislodged himself from William's lap and then turned to offer a hand up, which was quickly accepted and he hauled his mate to his feet.
"We are," Will responded, looping his arm around Harry's waist and leading him back inside, "And we have some good news."
...
...
Harry sat at the bottom of the seafloor, his heart beating slowly as he looked on at the wonders around him. Beautiful, brightly coloured coral, sponges, and anemones surrounded him. Fish of all varieties and species swam to and fro, barely sparing the pair a passing glance. Glancing over to Will with a smile, which was easily returned, Harry thought of how nice it would be when they would be able to speak to one another under water without the need for air. It would be a few years yet, but Harry knew that it would be more than worth the wait. William was worth the wait of all those years spent alone, which started from the time his parents had sacrificed themselves for him, to when he'd been adjusting to his new life under the sea.
William Weasley, who was still wearing his silly red cap snug tight on his head, had saved Harry from it all; and what was more, the amazing man had also committed himself to staying at Harry's side forever. Harry couldn't possibly ask for more than that.
They now had the rest of their lives to explore the water's wonders, but for now they had someplace to be. They had their own wedding to get ready for and Harry knew that they couldn't be late. He was determined to be a good son-in-law, officially, and find his place in the Weasley family for however long they were able. And he would make sure to enjoy every minute of it. Not just for himself, but for his soon-to-be husband.
Swimming up and then turning to wrap his arms around his mate's torso, Harry hugged William tightly to his chest, securing him in his arms, and then began to bring them up to the surface. Harry focused on gaining altitude while making sure Will was properly expanding and deflating his lungs at the right intervals. And as the surface grew brighter and brighter, so did Harry's smile. For once, he didn't feel like he was sacrificing anything or being forced into any uncomfortable situations. This was his wedding, and he was more than looking forward to it. He was ready to greet this next stage in his life and planned on making their wedding an event to remember.
What happened from there... only time would tell.
An Deireadh ~
A/N: So, several people asked for a sequel to Murúch, and here I am delivering. Not perfect, but I hope everyone enjoyed it. Whatever thoughts this story has left you with, I would love to hear them!
Thanks, and Happy Valentine's Day!