The clamour at breakfast was like it always was after a holiday at Hogwarts; lots of energetic chat about what everyone got up to and the eagerness to learn more or prank a little harder. Draco and Marilyn sat side by side like they had done before the disastrous chain of events before Christmas and couldn't be happier to be open about their partnership. Pansy Parkinson was boasting once more at the expensive gifts she received and so did Daphne Greengrass, their comments casually directed towards Draco and Marilyn's ears to cause some sort of reaction. Marilyn just dimly glared at them both from over the top of her copy of the Daily Prophet and carried on talking to Draco about the latest scandal. He had had a good night last night; he saw Goyle, Crabbe and Zabini and even had time to catch up with Nott who had been avoiding him of late. It turned out that Theodore had a major crush on Marilyn and couldn't look his friend in the eye. He reported the juicy gossip to his beloved over breakfast.
"No! Oh that's so evil of me!" Marie gasped, "He hasn't said anything to me – must be my tail at work again. We'll get that a lot you and me."
"Yeah… Neville won't stop giving you the eye either." Draco noted looking at the Gryffindor who was blushing when she clapped eyes on him. Draco laughed devilishly at the sight before topping up his glass.
"Shh, stop it Draco!" She scolded him, "You'll frighten him off. Oh look, Astoria's giving you the goo-goo eyes."
Draco looked at the other Greengrass girl and made a disgusted face; "She'll be just as bad or worse as her big sister – someone give me a barge pole."
She laughed at that, remembering how much of a leach Daphne had been. All of a sudden there was a hush in the Great Hall as Dumbledore addressed the student population.
"Good Morning and Happy New Year, yes! It's already January again. Anyways, before I get too nostalgic for yesteryear, our own Professor Umbridge would like to say a few words-"
"Yes, thank you Albus." Dolores quipped moving him to the side before he could finish, "I have a new matter of order from the Ministry and as such I feel it right we put it straight to practise. I have noticed a spate of illegitimate activity around this school, activity which unaddressed will lead to nasty circumstances. I think it fit that we all crack down on this before anyone gets hurt. Please understand we are doing this for your own good and so that you can be safe. So as from today, all unregistered or unaccompanied movement will be prohibited and anyone found out of bed after 9 o'clock will be heavily punished. I will be cracking down on secret meetings, student led gatherings and all social interactions will be monitored. Thank you, and may you all start a happy and bright new year."
She then gave one of her signature giggles accompanied with her fake smile and bowed slightly before exiting the stand. She returned to her chair, hundreds of angry, seething and confused pairs of eyes staring at her. The Mers sat in stunned silence. 'She knows, oh shit Marie, she knows!' He sang inside his head desperately whilst his face was still like marble.
'Calm down Draco. She might not.' She sang back in reply. Marilyn turned to look at Hermione, Harry and Ron who looked as white and pale as the Bloody Baron. As the Hall gradually returned to normal, the chatter now to indignation and anger, Draco gave Marilyn the most panicked look.
"What do we do?" He whispered.
"Nothing! Act like nothing has happened." She whispered back. Soon the Slytherin prefects were rounding their house up and taking them to their first lesson of the day; this was what she meant by accompanied movement. Even at break the houses were all kept separate, the first to seventh years all huddled to one part of the grounds.
"This is ridiculous." Blaise moaned to Draco, "What if we need to go to the library or the Common Room?"
"I know Blaise, it's totally ludicrous. We can't even stand with the girls." Draco stated back. Umbridge had that covered too; apparently 8 inches was too generous and so the genders were permanently placed apart. He knew Marilyn would have it harder since he actually got on with the boys in his house. From where he was standing he could see Marie all alone by the Whomping Willow as all the other girls formed their cliques far away. He listened to her song intently and sang back something cheery to keep her spirits up. She replied with a happy tune and a smile he could see even at a distance. She looked at the other girls all whispering and chatting and had a sinking feeling they were talking about her in the rudest way possible. She hid the feeling from Draco but it still hurt.
The Common Rooms were sanctioned into gender and years as well and every waking moment Marilyn was surrounded by the girls who had a personal vendetta against her. She didn't return to her bathroom or her own private bedroom, given to her for safety, but instead persuaded Pansy to give back her bed and move back into the dorm.
"Where've you been Marzipan?" Bulstrode sneered when she entered the room Monday night.
"I've, I've had my own room but – But Dumbledore took it away. He's ah, revoked his kindness. He said I had to get on with you guys if that's ok." Marilyn said manipulatively. Pansy scrutinised her for a moment and looked to Greengrass, Bulstrode and Davis who sat in the corner; "What do we think girls? Shall we let the harlot in?"
"Hey, don't call her that!" Tracy Davis piped in retaliation, "She's not all that bad."
Tracy got up and shook hands with Marie giving her a winning smile, "Tracy Davis – it's nice to meet you at last."
Tracy had chocolate eyes and even darker hair which was bouncy and in ringlets. She looked trustworthy enough, but Marie doubted she would tell her everything like she had told Hermione. When greetings were exchanged she helped Marilyn move all the stuff left over from the ball and dump it on Pansy's chest much to their vicious glee when the girl was asleep. They bid each other goodnight and soon it was morning. Tuesday's edition of the Daily Prophet came with an alarming headline with the truth that 10 Deatheaters had escaped the confines of Azkaban Prison. Those from Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Gryffindor gave worried and accusing glances to those in green and silver, mutually agreeing the Slytherins must be overjoyed at the news. In all fact Draco felt sick to the stomach, knowing one day he'd have to work to some capacity with those escapee nutters. Contempt and unrest for everyone however was at its peak on Wednesday after yet another Educational Decree was put up: teachers were now forbidden to give information beyond lessons, something which created lots of tension. The first years felt particularly lost as they had more questions than other group about the situation. Trista and Gloria managed to sneak a conversation to Marie to ask about what was happening on Thursday.
She reassured them both as best she could and they went away sated. Parkinson watched the conversation from afar, keeping an eye on that tricky girl. She still had many questions, wondering why for the most part she didn't turn into a mermaid at the ball. Pansy was sure it would have done the trick, but Marie just stood there dripping. She'd never forget his anger, at how ruthless he bit. She was still adamant there was a mermaid in Hogwarts though as the creature had left traces in her school house. All the Slythie boys including those from the above years had suddenly lost interest in any of their female counterparts in green and even some girls seemed terribly lovesick for an unnamed waif. It was if the beast was wandering around wearing a perfume made of a love potion. Pansy remembered looking across at the other houses at meal times and saw the odd boy fixate on the same girl. Those who gained such interest were Luna Lovegood, Cho Chang and Hermione Granger. Could one of those be a Mer? People could lie and scheme after all.
Pansy approached Marie carefully after the girls had gone.
"Hello Gray."
"Oh! Pansy, I didn't see you there." Marilyn said in panic, "Erm, how are you? Was it a good Christmas?"
"Relatively speaking it was good. What did you and Malfoy get up to? Nothing intimate I hope." Pansy probed.
"Oh, no, no, nothing like that. We stayed here and just chilled. Ah, sorry about the ball." She apologized. Pansy looked at her startled, she wasn't expecting to hear it; "Whatever for?"
"I mean I'm sorry about Draco. He gets… protective about me. I'm sorry if I ruined your evening." Marie said with a warm and off-putting smile. Pansy felt oddly bad for giving her hell; 'She's a nice enough Mudblood.'
"No – I had a bit of fun actually. Bunked off and gossiped. I'm the one who should be apologizing. I didn't ruin your dress did I?" She asked. Marilyn smiled reassuringly as she said; "No, not at all. It came out in the wash… say, why did you really chuck that punch at me?"
"Well, I – I dunno, proving a theory I guess." Pansy said dismissively, "I thought you were the mermaid so I thought getting you soaked would prove my point. I'm sure it'll work on her when I find her."
Marilyn gave her enemy an injuring stare, "Why do you have this vendetta against a rumour? What do you have against Mers?"
Pansy looked at the girl as if she was out of her mind, "They're filthy Marilyn. Ugly, filthy, magic stealing hags the lot of them. They take the form of the bodies they've drowned and snare purebloods to fertilize their eggs. And Dumbledore has the blind madness to enrol one! The old coot has put us all in danger."
Marilyn's eyes widened as she carried on; "And Half breeds, don't get me started. What crazed lunatic agrees to be donor to them? And then those children think they have a right to wizarding society? Com'on Marie, even you and your blood status can see that's a bad thing."
Marilyn turned her gaze away and clammed up. "Mudbloods are a lot better, count yourself lucky you're not a Mer. I'm amazed Draco has such tolerance of you to be frankly honest."
"Well there are other things to a relationship than someone's inheritance Pansy. Relying on what you've been given is no start for anything." Marilyn said curtly, "Anyways, it's 9pm and unless you want to send me to Umbridge I'm off to bed. Goodnight Pansy."
"Goodnight Gray."
Her office was pink, which in retrospect wasn't surprising but it did put her teeth on edge. Fluffy and barely meowing kittens adorned everything, including on the cup of tea she was offered. Dolores Umbridge was the one woman Pansy actually admired in the whole of the staff and thought she'd appreciate a little news on a Friday evening. As Slytherin prefect it was her duty to inform and assist in the day to day running of the school surely?
"Ah, Miss Parkinson, what can I do for you?" Umbridge asked over the rim of her powder pink teacup.
"I thought I'd come and update you on our progress in the house… I must say discipline has been perfected with your rules." Pansy complimented.
"Yes, it's been so orderly I feel completely in demand. Dumbledore has never seen such progress." Umbridge chirped bristling with pride.
"Yes… speaking of our headmaster, I'm afraid he's done something rather silly. I was hoping it was an oversight but I have my doubts." She said before taking a pretentious sip, "Every Slytherin seems a little out of sorts lately, mostly in my year."
"Why whatever for?" Dolores asked becoming noticeably keen.
"We seem to have a creature in our midst."
It was an uneventful weekend to say the least. The weather outside was dull and boring, only briefly becoming interesting when it rained. The Slytherins had two options; stay inside the Common Room and study in solitude or be accompanied with Snape to the Library for reading material and then a whole afternoon in the Great Hall studying from said books. Most went for the Library option, so much so only Draco and Marie were left by 2 o'clock. She looked up from her astrological chart plotting the journey of Europa, Io, Callista and Ganymede around Jupiter and saw her man fast asleep in his favourite armchair. She smiled at the sight warmly, knowing he was at peace. The book he was reading had fallen to the floor and his homework was strewn about the place. Marilyn looked around cautiously for any sign of authority and sneaked over. She budged him up and straddled his lap, cuddling up to his chest. Feeling the warm weight against him he instinctively wrapped his arms around her and squeezed affectionately. It had felt like years but it was only days since they had last hugged. Marilyn woke him up gently, a soft kiss to his jaw. His eyes fluttered open lazily and then smiled his breathless smile when he saw her.
"Good kip?" She asked whispering.
"Yeah." He answered nuzzling, "I've never felt this tired."
"Can't you sleep?" Marie asked.
"Not really… not in a human bed… could we, break a few rules and get wet?" Draco asked carefully.
"Is the Pope a Catholic?" She grinned back.
"What?" He pondered scrunching his eyebrows together whilst she just rolled her eyes in reply and took his hand; "Come on Fishbutt!"
With a trepid and sneaky sprint they were soon entering Marie's own old bedroom and he couldn't help but breathe in the familiar scent. The chandeliers which looked like crystalized jelly fish had multiplied in their absence along with the smoke and light ones in the dark bathroom. Before he could strip though in his fervour she kissed him softly and at length, gently persuading him to let her undress him. The blue and indigo light from the jellies made him look more wonderful than usual and she wanted to commit everything to memory. Button by button his lilac shirt was off, hanging off of his shoulders. His body shivered at her touch; torso gills fluttering in bliss against her own in a tight embrace. She sat him on the ledge of the pool, letting him take off her top and unclasp her bra. They were careful not to throw any clothes into the water as they'd need them dry to return without suspicion. With Marilyn's permission Draco cupped her breasts and squeezed them playfully, both of them giggling like naughty school pupils, which they realized they were. She kissed him a little forcefully after that and then kissed his gills. He could breathe her in that moment and closed his eyes in bliss.
"We are never going to fall asleep at this rate…" Draco said coyly inserting clawed hands into her jean back pockets. She raised her eyebrows up at him and crouched over him, seducing him to lie down upon the soft seaweed; "Then why don't we skip the nest and sleep here? We can have a quick soak before dinner."
"I like the sound of that…" He grumbled throatily. Marilyn smiled and lay on top of him, letting his hot soft skin comfort her. His arms kept her back warm as they held her waist and his chest felt firm and reassuring under her bosom. He kissed her cheek for sweet dreams and both Mers couldn't be any happier.
The girls marched into the Great Hall after the boys the next Monday morning, moaning once again at their situation. Marilyn sat opposite Draco, the only time they were permitted together during the day and it felt awful. They had repeated Saturday's escape on Sunday, that time actually sleeping in their true form and waking up to discuss silly little things. Marilyn told Draco about what Pansy had said to her and he tried to explain why the girl felt that way about their kind. He put it down to ignorance and the lack of willingness to learn, something he admitted was hard to do.
Back in the present though yesterday felt like a lifetime ago and he was truly grateful for the ability to listen to her inner melody. Whilst everyone else got moodier and lonelier, Marie and Draco sang more and more, singing lullabies and good mornings. They were just in the middle of a cheery ballad when once again the insufferable lady in pink took the attention of the hall. Their song shattered and so did their hope.
"Good Morning Hogwarts!" Dolores chimed as usual; the students groaned back; "Good Morning Professor Umbridge."
"Well, let's start today with a little news. When I mean that the Forbidden Forest is out of bounds I am not making a false statement; all first years caught in the woods again will be severely punished and or sent home. It's also nice to see you all play fairly with our new system at the weekend, keep it up! When you study hard you will go far… Now for a deeply unsettling matter I dared hope I'd never have to trouble you with… There has been a complaint filed with me by the general student populace that a mermaid has been enrolled into the school. As school policy this is a human only establishment." Dolores stated prudishly whilst Dumbledore sat and glared daggers behind her back.
"Oh shit." Hermione exhaled when she saw the look, trying desperately not to look at Marie.
"And as such, this violation must be drawn to a swift close. So as of today if anyone has any information or if the girl in question would like to volunteer to leave, my office is always open. 100 house points will be given to those who have given staff the correct information to find her; that is all."
'Now she knows. Now she definitely knows.' Marienne and Draconis sang in duet; a duet that plagued them for the rest of the day.