Author's Note: More Lupin fluffiness as he attempts to catch a Grindylow to show his class. I think they left it out of the films, but I always wondered where he got it from. Now that I've finally finished writing this, I totally want a pet Grindylow for my windowsill (though I wouldn't say no to a Lupin if there was one going spare...)
Professor Lupin walked purposefully over the green grass of Hogwarts grounds, a large glass tank hefted under his arm. The sun was rising up over the Forbidden Forest, casting long shadows over the grass. It was nine o'clock on a Saturday morning so most of the students were still in bed, and as he strolled down to the Black Lake he took a moment to appreciate the trickle of birdsong and the gentle wind that tugged at the hem of his cloak. Whilst he enjoyed teaching above all else, the students' noisy chatter could become a little wearingafter a while and the long stone corridors of the castle had made him a little claustrophobic. It was good to breathe in the fresh air for a while.
A ten minute walk along the edge of the lake brought him to a sloping, grassy bank that led down to the water. Lupin stopped just a metre or so from the edge and set down the tank with a grateful sigh, being careful not to squash the clump of speckled orange daisies beside it (a student's attempt at the Colour Change Charm no doubt, though he didn't have the heart to change them back again). He spread his cloak over the damp grass and lay down, lacing his fingers together under his head.
Shiny green dragonflies skipped and danced over the surface of the lake, their tiny wings flickering in the warm summer air. Lupin watched them sleepily for a while. He'd never been much of an early riser, especially on weekends, but it was hard not to admire the beauty of the morning. It would be so easy to fall asleep here, just for a few hours when there was no one around to disturb him, but he didn't succumb to the urge. He hadn't got up at this hour just to admire the scenery.
From the pocket of his cloak Lupin produced a well-thumbed copy of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. He flicked through pages annotatedwith notes in his own handwriting to a page in the middle of the book, tipping out the Drooble's Best Blowing Gum wrapper he'd used to mark his place. Beneath a large diagram of an angry-lookingsea creature with tentacles and sharp teeth was a section titled Grindylow Catching.
There are various ways to catch a Grindylow, it read, and the method you choose will depend upon the environment, number of Grindylows required, and willingness to get wet. What Grindylows lack in intelligence they make up for in cunning, so the witch or wizard hoping to capture one must be willing to experiment with different methods. A list of useful charms is included below.
Taking out his wand, Lupin flicked it at the calm waters of the lake and cried, 'Accio Grindylow!' but nothing happened. 'Ah well,' he murmured, 'it was worth a try.' There was no question that a family of the creatures lived in the Black lake; Sirius and James had made a game of Grindylow-catching during their school days, though their educational interests had stretched only as far as sneaking them into the prefect's bathroom (he'd found this even less amusing in his fifth year when he'd been made a prefect himself and he still had the scars). Lupin's third years were due to study lake creatures next week, and after the success with the Boggart he was keen to give his class another practical lesson. The problem was that he'd never caught a Grindylow before, and he couldn't for the life of him remember how his friends had used to do it.
The book's list of charms seemed a sensible place to start. Lupin tried each one in turn, but after nearly fifteen minutes of waving his wand it became clear that no amount of Ascendio, Carpe Retractum or Wingardium Leviosa was going to work. Disheartened but not defeated, Lupin read the next paragraph:
Grindylows aren't too fond of being charmed and the majority of spells can prove ineffective if they are deep underwater. To draw them to the surface, any spell which causes movement or disturbance in the water above them is usually enough. Grindylows are naturally aggressive and will take this as a cue that there is food nearby.
Lupin glanced furtively over his shoulder before edging closer to the water's edge. Summoning up memories of a summer long ago when Sirius had decided to jump into the lake to impress Emily Walters only to come face-to-face with the Giant Squid, Lupin waved his wand again. 'Expecto Patronum!' He frowned at the silvery wolf that appeared on the bank beside him, its long tongue hanging from toothy jaws. It barked once and ran down the bank and into the water, submerging without the slightest splash. With a flick of a shaggy tail, it slid away as swiftly as a shadow. If he was lucky, he'd only have to wait a few minutes.
Lupin leant back on his elbows and gazed up at the sky. He'd worried that coming back to teach would awaken too many painful memories, but lying here he could so easily forget he'd ever left at all. There had always been a sense of timelessness about the place; perhaps Hogwarts had been enchanted to keep old memories alive. He smiled to himself, rummaging in his pockets until he found the remaining half a bar of Honeyduke's dark chocolate. There was nearly always a wrapper containing something in one of his pockets, and he had to be careful not to rustle when he was teaching a class. Chocolate was one of Lupin's greatest weaknesses, though he told himself that was only because it was such a useful antidote to Dementor attacks and post-full moon stress. He broke off a large piece and lounged happily in the sun, watching as a group of first-years practiced skimming stones over the lake across from him. Yes, he'd missed it here at Hogwarts, if only because it was a place where he wouldn't be subjected to the discrimination his kind usually faced.
The wolf Patronus leapt onto the bank a short while later, shaking silvery droplets off its fur before fading away into nothingness. In its wake, the water was rippling and waving as if in a strong wind. If the plan had worked, his only problem would be in luring the Grindylow to the surface.
Baiting is not generally recommended for catching Grindylows, as a diet of algae and the occasional fish isn't difficult for them to come by. Some wizards recommend the use of cheese, but no solid evidence exists to prove this claim.
Well, that was no use. Lupin didn't have any cheese with him, or anything similar for that matter. Perhaps he could make use of the sweet wrappers, but Transfiguration had never been one of his strong points...
Lupin was about to reach out and turn the page when something cold and wet clamped around his ankle in a vice-like grip. He barely had time to look down and register that something was floating near the surface of the lake before the owner of the hand gave a violent tug and he was dragged down the bank and into the water. Lupin snatched frantically at his wand as he slid past it but all he grasped was the chocolate wrapper. The only thing he could do was take in a deep breath before he plunged in and the waters closed over his head.
Despite the warm summer's day the water was bitingly cold, and he choked and swallowed a large mouthful of it as he struggled to kick free but the Grindylow's grip only tightened further. It was swimming at full speed towards the bottom of the lake, black eyes fixed on his as it dragged him away from the surface with frightening speed. In a strange flash Lupin remembered that this was how Grindylows killed fish before eating them: by dragging their prey backwards through the water so that they drowned. The light above him was fading fast and the water around him grew colder and heavier, numbing his fingers and chilling his bones. Coloured dots swirled in front of his eyes and as he turned his head desperately towards the last vestigesof sunlight he couldn't believe just how careless he'd been. He was unlikely to be missed for several hours yet since he'd told no one what he was doing, and by then...
It was silent, so silent in the depths of the Black Lake. All he could hear was the gurgling of water in his ears and his own gagging sounds as he strained despairingly against the lack of oxygen. He imagined Dementors drifting through the long weeds billowing around him, their long fingers brushing his face as he went down, down until he expected to touch the floor of the lake at any moment. Lupin kicked and thrashed and struggled with aching limbs but he just couldn't get free. Nothing he did would budge the Grindylow's spindly fingers from his ankle. His lungs felt like they were going to burst. He had only a minute or so before he lost consciousness and perhaps half that if the Grindylow stopped to take a bite out of him. What was he going to do?
The darkness was almost absolute down here, and it was difficult not to wonder if he'd seen Hogwarts for the last time. Lupin forced himself to think calmly and logically, remembering his Auror training. He had no wand, no weapons, nothing in his pockets he could use... then he remembered what he was holding in his right hand. Without thinking what he was doing, Lupin freed the remaining slab of chocolate from its wrapper and waved it at the scowling green face below him. They'd finally come to a stop and there was hunger etched all over its scaly features. Come on, he urged silently as the edges of the world began to blur. Come on, it's got to taste better than I do. The Grindylow's grip loosened slightly. It was staring at the chocolate. Just a little bit more... He could no longer feel the foot it was holding on to, and when he looked up there was only blackness. Even if he got free there was no way he'd reach the surface in time.
And then it struck him. Crossing his fingers, Lupin let go of the chocolate and it swiftly bobbed upwards, out of reach. The Grindylow's fingers sprang open and as it went darting up after it Lupin grabbed a handful of the tentacles on its back. They rose with surprising speed. His ears popped as the water became warmer, the light slowly brighter. The last few bubbles of air left his mouth and he felt his hold on the slimy tentacles slipping. He simply couldn't hold his breath any longer, he was going to drown...
A short while later Lupin staggered onto the bank of the lake, coughing and spluttering and gulping the warm summer air. Hanging from his elbow, the Grindylow was quietly munching on the dripping chocolate, tentacles curling in a placid sort of way as it was carried over to the empty tank and dumped unceremoniously inside.
Lupin collapsed onto the grass, shivering. Flicking his wet fringe out of his eyes, he picked up his wand and pointed it at the tank. 'Aguamenti!' he croaked, and it filled with water. The Grindylow didn't seem at all perturbed by its capture, still too intent on finishing its prize to take much notice. As he watched, its sharp little teeth chomped through the last of the bar and sent crumbs floating to the surface, where it swiftly swam up to eat them too.
If Lupin wasn't so shaken he might have laughed. Instead he lay there, sopping wet, until he summoned the energy to cast a heating spell to dry his clothes and hair. So much for a relaxing morning. There was algae in his shoes and lakeweed tangled in his hair, as well as five purpling bruises where the Grindylow's fingers had dug into his ankle. The back of his shirt was striped with mud from where he'd been dragged along the ground.
The Grindylow looked up hopefully as Lupin secured the lid of the tank with a flick of his wand. 'That's the last of the chocolate gone, I'm afraid,' he told it, and his mouth quirked with a smile as an expression not dissimilar to disappointment spread across the Grindylow's face. 'I suppose that's one thing we have in common, then. It's much easier to get hold of than human flesh, I assure you.'
The book was lying open where he'd left it on the grass, as if to mock him for his negligence. Taking out a quill, he scribbled in the margin, JUST USE CHOCOLATE.He was fairly sure that he was the first to observe the creature's preference for sweet things, and it was worth investigating further another time. It could certainly make for an interesting practical lesson on Monday.
The Grindylow watched Lupin with new interest as they squelched back to the castle, having now associated him with its favourite sugary snack. He nodded politely to the group of Slytherins who stared and pointed as he passed by, the ends of his hair still dripping. All he really cared about at the moment was getting a cup of tea to warm him up again. As he began the long trek back to the third floor, Lupin thought about his new discovery. The Grindylow's preference for chocolate was definitely worth looking into, though he'd need to get some supplies first. He'd send off an extra-large order to Honeyduke's the next chance he got- purely for educational purposes, of course. Though there was bound to be the odd spare here and there, it was only natural...
Still thinking about this interesting idea, Lupin tapped the front of the tank. 'I think I can propose an arrangement which will suit us both quite nicely,' he said. 'How would you like to be my assistant this term?'
The Grindylow appeared to think about this offer for a moment or two, then as if in response its eyes widened slightly and it puffed its gills out importantly. 'That's what I thought,' he said with a chuckle.
Lupin smiled.
And to his surprise, the Grindylow smiled back.