Day two, chapter two. If you're on spring break, I hope you're enjoying your first week end !

The Great Lake always reminded him of that summer. He never saw the mermaid again and yet, he never forgot about it either. One could say this was just the memory of an impressed child. Many things could be said, actually.

On the course of February, the Marauders decided to spy on Snape since for some reason, the Slytherin student used to disappear to a secret location which wasn't the Shrieking Shack. Tonight had been one of these nights. Once there, they said they'd pull a small prank on him, not to lose the good habits. The hurried behind him in their Animagi shapes (except for Remus, who was exceptionally carried by James) for few miles. The wind got colder, but the woods got clearer too. They started to wonder what was worth going through such a hassle, almost daily.

This small trip leaded them to the Great Lake. They could see the waves regularly breaking the landscape's reflection. Another surprise was that Snape wasn't alone. That or he drove insane and talked to himself. Their doubts vanished as they heard a feminine voice talking back.

"This plant", she said, "Is quite common in potions supposed to affect one's behavior. It mostly grows around.."

"Mate, I didn't came here to hear him taking additional Potions lessons", Sirius growled.

They had been turning back into humans and dressing up again in no time. Remus told them to shut up before they get noticed. James wanted to see who was he talking to. If it was another student, he wouldn't have risked sneaking out after the curfew. There was no moonlight to help him. Hopefully, Remus had a great sight and Snape was using his wand to make some light.

"Please, describe her for me", James asked Remus.

With a small sigh, Remus dared to peek at the pair. Snape held a notebook on his lap and eagerly wrote down everything she said. No surprise. What was he supposed to do again ?

"How does she looks like ?" Sirius asked again

Ah, yes. Describe the woman.

"She's uh, a mermaid. Redhead, green eyes and... guess her tail is dark because I can't see the color from here."

James heart beated faster. It couldn't be her. Sure, there had to be a lot of redheads with green eyes and a dark tail wandering around.

"Can you see her chest ?"

He smacked Sirius at the back of his head. There were eighty percent of chances of this mermaid not to be the same but just in case, he would not allow any perverted thoughts.

"Ow !"

Snape and the mermaid stopped talking to look in the noise's direction. Sirius kept growling while rubbing the spot where his friend hit him. Remus pushed them deeper in the forest.

"We have to go !"

He totally agreed. Snape might have guessed who they were, but she had no clue. Sadly, Sirius wasn't sharing this idea. He ran to to Snape with a cheeky grin. James came after him but he couldn't prevent Snape from seeing them this time. The mermaid was too startled to flee. Maybe she thought they'd harm him, hence why she didn't wanted to leave.

"I'll be fine, Lily. Just go", Snape hurriedly told her.

James couldn't help but stare at her. She seemed to be the same. And she did looked like being as old as him. Maybe a bit younger. This time, she was the one to be stuck, not able to wander away.

"What are you doing ? -"

Sirius waved his wand and the mermaid was lifted few meters away from the lake. Four pairs of eyes were looking at him with utter shock.

"Sirius, stop it for fuck's sake", Peter said.

"It's okay Pete, I know what I'm-"

He pulled him out of the way before Snape's spell reached him. The red beam of light ended up exploding against a tree. Lily was momentarily freed from Sirius' spell. He had been too surprised to keep focusing on it. Snape told her to leave, again.

James wanted to tell him to shut up. She left the plant on the dirt and swam away from them. An arrow was shot from their right. If the centaurs got involved, they'd never be able to step in this place again. All five of them ran until they reached the castle's grounds.

For the second time, she escaped before he could do anything about it. Snape walked past them, angrily gritting his teeth. To the other Marauders, this had been a waste of time. He didn't thought so. But the outcome of this expedition made him feel more flustered than he had ever been.

First, he couldn't talk to her. Second, he had to admit that Snape somehow managed to approach her and build some kind of relationship. He felt jealous of that. And Sirius barging in certainly didn't helped. Getting closer from her will be complicated. As if it would stop him.

At least, he knew she was around. After they small meeting, if it can be called this way, Snape stopped visiting the Great Lake. James only started going there after few weeks. Except when the full moon was near, because Remus needed them at that time. Otherwise, he would sit there for an hour or two and talk about random things. Few times, he saw an unnatural change in the waves direction, but there weren't only mermaids around, and he couldn't be convinced it was her. But somedays he felt like the lake was more quiet than others, and these days, he knew she was away.

One night, she dared to approach the shore until she was only two meters away from it. But she just stayed there, eyeing him with mistrust. Soon, it'll be spring and the days will get longer. He will be able to come more often. At the moment, he came around the new moon. And vanished as the moon rose.

"Your name is Lily, right ?"

She nodded. Her hairs were spread around her shoulders. The water made them move as if they had a life on their own. Her eyes still shined more than human eyes would. He was used to talk alone now, talking with a mute interlocutor didn't changed much.

"My name is-"

"James."

She did not let him finish introducing himself properly. His eyes widened. He had gotten used to the idea she'll never talk to him.

"I heard your father calling you that day", she added.