Hey everyone. This is the first chapter of my very first Mermaid AU. This story is written in response to both The Return of the Chocolate Frog Cards and the Fortnightly Challenges Thread's Leaf Pile Challenge. I used the prompt for (Gold) Merpeople: Write a Mermaid AU for The Return of the Chocolate Frog Cards. For Leaf Pile Challenge I used the Yellow prompt of AUs which was Mermaid AU. I hope you all enjoy A Mermaid's Tale.

Lily enjoyed swimming in the shallows off the shore more than she did in deeper part of the ocean. The shallows were always teaming with fish and other wild life that liked to befriend. Also the shallows were the first place she saw him. The one thing in the world she knew she could never have. The handsome prince James.

Ducking under the water as he looked in the general direction of where she was swimming she tried to keep calm. If he came over here she was sure to want to talk to him. If she talked to him she was sure to want to take him home and she knew for a fact that human's didn't really survive underwater. It wasn't very conductive to the process of breathing that they needed to survive.

Hearing the splashing of a the human boy coming her direction she knew that she had to make a choice here and now. Did she swim off and make him think that he'd just been seeing things? Or did she stay and take the chance of getting her heart broken in? It wasn't any question for her determine but if she didn't make the choice soon it wouldn't be in her hand to do so.

"Don't go," came the voice from not to far away.

She felt her choice fluttering away from her with the sound of his voice. Just hearing him speak had sealed her fate she poked her head above the surface of the water and was soon looking into his beautiful hazel eyes.

"Hi," he panted tiredly from the trek out to the shallows she'd tried to conceal herself in. "I don't think we've met before. I'm James." He smiled his most charming smile and held out his hand to her. "Might know the name of the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on in my entire life?"

She felt a blush creep up on her cheeks as she took his hand in hers. The light tingle that ran down her arms at this single touch told her that she had found her one. "I'm Lily," she smiled serenely at him.

"Lily," called the voice of her sister Petunia from off towards the ocean, "Mum and Dad are looking everywhere for you. Where are you Lily?"

She turned to James an apologetic smile crossing her face as she steeled herself to leave the cove. "I have to go," she whispered sadly. "Maybe I'll see you again some day." She turned and splash away from towards Petunia's calling voice.

James watched her leave in complete and utter shock. Had it been his imagination or had he just seen a scaled tail where her legs should have been? He watched until she reached another girl and both disappeared under the waves. Hoping above hope that he'd see her again he walked back down the shore to catch up with his friends. He'd have to tell Sirius about this mystery girl. His Lily.

I hope you all enjoyed A Mermaid's Tale. I choose Lily/James for this story because I think they'd make for a great mermaid/Prince Charming couple. I will try to update this soon.