Muggle Studies – Assignment 3: Swimming [Mermaid AU]
Little Piece of Nowhere
Her brown hair floated in the water around her as she lay on her little rock in what felt like the middle of nowhere. It was the middle of nowhere, for her at least. She was sure the land dwellers had some name for this place, but she didn't know it, nor did she care to find out.
There was a reason she was here though. One very good, red-haired reason, who should be arriving on his boat soon.
"Oh, come on Hermione!"
She sat up as she heard the groaning voice, glancing around her for the little blue island that contained him. There was always that bush-haired woman with him, and sometimes another black haired man, but the woman annoyed her with her voice. There was always that tone of knowing more than anyone else, one that Parvati's sister Padma sometimes had.
The girl was always bossing the red-haired boy, who she learned was called Ron sometimes Ronald, around forcing him to do everything and complaining. She couldn't understand why Ron didn't just leave the woman behind. He always sounded so annoyed at her presence. It was like he didn't want her there anyway, so why was she always there?
She liked how that black-haired boy always engaged the girl in conversation every time Ron got too annoyed. He sometimes even took her into the boat with a question of some sort that distracted her and ensured that know-it-all voice returned.
It was those times that she liked best.
Ron wore that little frown on his face during those times. He would stare into the water, silent and unmoving, giving her enough time to simply stare at him from beneath the waves.
She knew that she could never let him know of her presence. She could never meet him because it simply wasn't possible. She didn't know how he would react to the merpeople.
It didn't stop her from dreaming though. She wished for half the opportunity that woman had. She wished she could interact and laugh with him as she saw the woman occasionally do. She wanted something, anything more than simply staring at him every day and wishing, because her dreams no longer sufficed her unrequited longing.
Today the black-haired boy wasn't there though. Ron and the woman, Hermione, were arguing again. They were louder than usual as she could hear them even though they were still quite a distance away.
It was almost as if the sea was reflecting their argument as the waves grew choppier and choppier. Soon the boat was swaying dangerously, but she could still hear their voices arguing.
She dipped beneath the water as they got to the point where she knew they would see her if they looked. She doubted they would though, too engrossed in whichever topic they were arguing over this time.
She watched with bated breath as the woman seemed to push Ron's shoulders just as the boat swayed. Ron caught himself just in time, but was forced to catch the woman as well when she slipped into him, causing the hand that was holding onto the railing to turn white in an effort to keep them in place.
She found herself half hoping that Ron would fall into the sea so she could meet him. She watched hopefully as every sway of the boat caused the tight grip of his hand to slip slightly. The woman also had a hold on the railing now, so there was no chance of her falling in with him.
She felt her heart leap as he lost his grip, tumbling into the water only a few meters away from where she was.
"Ronald!"
Hermione's voice was piercing and terrified.
She didn't care. She wanted to meet this ginger that had haunted her dreams for so very long. Her tail pushed her body through the frantic water, powerfully moving towards her sinking destination. She knew there was a risk that he was still awake and would see her, but she couldn't find it within herself to care. She wanted to be seen by him.
He was in her arms within seconds, but those precious few seconds was all she needed to know that the entire situation was painfully wrong.
As much as she wanted him to stay with her, she realized that as similar as they looked, they were different. He would die if she were selfish enough to keep him with her. He wasn't meant to live in water. He needed the pale blue skies that she would never need. He would die if he was beneath the water for much longer.
She dragged him to the surface quickly, hoping that she wasn't too late.
She knew she would prefer for him to be alive and with the woman who always fought with him, than a floating corpse with her. She hated it, but she knew what she needed to do.
She needed to get him back onto the boat, and back to that woman.
Her new job was made easier as a small splash of a floating circle was soon followed by the larger splash she recognized as one of a human. It seemed the other black-haired boy had been there all along. He was the one swimming in search of the redhead in her arms.
She brushed her lips over his forehead and with a powerful kick of her tail they broke above the water's surface.
The boy swam over to her gratefully, pulling the circle over the ginger's head so that it supported his weight.
"Thank you. I was scared for a moment that I wouldn't be able to find him. You probably saved his life. Where is your boat, by the way? I don't see another boat."
"It wasn't a problem. My boat is just beyond the mist. I heard the scream. It had sounded like someone needed help."
She shrugged as if it were nothing while waiting and hoping that he bought her story.
He nodded. "Okay. Again, thank you."
She sighed in relief as he swam off.
She allowed herself one last longing glance before disappearing beneath the angry waves, knowing she would never return to that little piece of nowhere ever again.