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A Swim in the Dark
I walked out of the castle doors, only to find that the night was perfect. There was no moon out tonight, and the stars were covered by the clouds. This way Granger can see the full effects of the potion. I chuckle evilly. I almost can't wait. I walk over to the large boulder by the lake's edge, where we planned to meet, and lean against it. A light breeze drifts across my face and flirts with my hair, and I realize that it's been too long since I've been able to enjoy it. I rarely ever go outside.
As I contemplate when I can fit a walk outside into my schedule, I see Granger walking up to where I'm at, her wand shooting light far enough that I have to blink a few times to get used to it. I'm practically being smothered from the waves of excitement that are emanating from her. "Granger, please calm down before you wet yourself." I say in a bland voice. She looks at me indignantly, but calms down. Yes, my sarcasm can put a damper on things. "Tonight we will be going into the lake only for the sake of testing out the potion. While I'm sure you wish to, I do not think it wise to collect specimens on our first venture. If you wish, you may come to help collect some when I go again." Those words almost hurt, coming out of me. I grudgingly admit that I will need some help, and Granger will at least know what she's doing.
I hand her the potion, trying not to observe her too closely as she examines the glowing violet of it and shrugs. "Bottoms up," I hear her murmur as she tilts her head back and drinks it in one gulp. She grimaces, probably because of the taste. I can't help the grin that gets wider as she starts to glow a bit. Granger stares at me as if I'm weird and looks down, only to see that she is glowing through her clothes. She looks back up at me in horror, but it quickly turns into amusement.
I raise an eyebrow at her. "You forget that you will have to take this potion as well, Severus." She replies cheekily. "I admit that I don't think lavender is your color." At this my smirk instantly goes sour, and she has the nerve to giggle. Giggle!
Grumbling, I start taking my robes off. There's no way I'll be wallowing in them while I try to swim. I down the potion and scowl again as Granger looks at me weirdly. "what Granger? Never seen a half naked man before?" I ask, adjusting my swim trunks (black, of course) so that they don't hang too low on my waist. Really, maybe I should gain some more weight. Granger is still staring at me, so I huff and start heading towards the water's edge.
I hear a rustle of clothing and look back at her, then quickly back to the water. Merlin. Did she really have to look that good in a swim suit? It's only a one piece, for Pete's sake! I wade into the water so that I can cool down a bit.
I hear a little splashing behind me, but don't bother to turn around again this time. "This potion allows a person to get their oxygen through osmosis. You won't have to worry about whether you should still breathe through your mouth and nose. It won't matter, as that is not where you are getting your oxygen from anymore. Just make sure that, when the potion wears out, you remember how to breathe properly. The potion will last for about two and a half hours, so we'll come up after two, just to be safe. Then, for the last half hour, we'll swim underwater close to the surface until it stops working, to time it. You won't have to worry about using lumos, as we are glowing bright enough to see about ten feet in front of us in the lake. Just keep your wand out for protection." Without further ado, I dive into the waist deep water.
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It's about quarter till ten when I leave my dungeon room to go to the lake. I make sure to glance out the water window before I leave, and see all sorts of glowing shapes floating by the window. I can't help but feel really excited. Tonight I'm going on an adventure like the old days. This time it's not with Ron and Harry, who always seem to get into trouble. Snape is more than capable of taking care of himself. He probably has to worry about me this time. Hahaha.
Anyways, adrenaline hasn't pumped through this body this fast since our final encounter with Voldie. It's good to be back.
I walk through the castle's front doors, only to find that it's pitch black outside. The only light is coming from the torches on either side of the doors. I pull out my wand. "Lumos," I whisper, turning my wand to observe my immediate surroundings. I carefully make my way down to the water's edge and walk along it until I come to the designated boulder. I see a dark figure leaning against it, and there's no chance of mistaking it to be anyone other than Snape.
He cracks a smart-alec joke about my excitement, and I quickly become annoyed. I find out from him that we aren't actually doing much for the sake of Potions, but maybe that's for the best on our first expedition. Yes, first. I heard the implied invitation through his gritted teeth. I almost can't believe it.
Snape hands me the potion, which is glowing a violet color. It looks like what a Muggle radioactive chemical would look like. Of course, it's safe to drink. I trust Severus. Besides, it'd be hard for him to explain how I disappeared, especially since I have Ginny as a witness. Putting on a brave face, I down the potion, but can't stop the grimace caused by the disgusting taste of rotten fish and sour milk. At least, that's what I compare it to what it might be.
I look up to notice a grin on Snape's face as he looks at me. Confused as to what could possibly make a man like him grin, I look down to see that I'm glowing the same color as the potion I just swallowed. Let's just say that this really isn't my color. I suddenly grin as I think about how Snape will look when he's phosphorescent.
He raises an eyebrow at me, and I tell him the source of my amusement, to which he promptly scowls. I giggle. Wow, I actually giggled. I didn't think something so…girly…could come out of me. It seems that Snape isn't really amused by this either.
He grumbles and then proceeds to take off his robes. I can't help but stare. Oh. Wow. I observe closely as he lifts a vial of the glowing potion to his lips. Nice arm muscles. Nice muscles period. Yum. He makes another crack, this time about me never having seen a half naked man before. Of course I have. Erm, my dad counts, doesn't it?
I watch as he pulls the black swim trunks he's wearing up an inch or two. He turns and starts to wade in the water, and the splashing noises kick me back into the present and out of what my mind was just thinking. Bad mind! Bad! Seeing as he's almost waist deep in the water, I scramble out of my clothes. My one piece navy blue swim suit is plain, but serviceable. It'll be useful for swimming fast. I follow Snape into the water and stop about four feet from him. Strangely, he doesn't turn around to face me as he gives out instructions. Hmm.
The potion works in a fascinating way. I would have never thought about osmosis for an underwater potion. Before I have more time to contemplate the intricacies of the potion, Snape dives into the water. Not wanting to be left behind, I follow shortly after.
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I'm surprised that the bookworm can actually keep up with me. Too bad. My arsenal of insults I prepared for this excursion has shrunk marginally. "Did you learn how to swim from a book, Granger?" I decide that the sentence is quite colorless, compared to my usual jibes. She seems to notice as well. I can just imagine the raised eyebrow.
"Swimming was actually one of my favorite pastimes during the summers while in school. Of course, the lake isn't my top choice, so I never really swam here, unless you count the Prefect bath." This wasn't the answer I was expecting. We continue to swim deeper, and I can see glowing specks in the distance.
"Don't worry about your ears or lungs popping from the pressure. This potion gives us protection." I tell her, knowing her curiosity. Again I think of her mistake with the Polyjuice and can't help laughing quietly. It's a bit unnerving to be able to talk normally underwater, and not even have to take in regular breathes. I continue the exercise, knowing that it could be fatal if I forgot once the potion wore off.
Granger gasps as something small and neon yellow darts past us. We turn around to see where it went, and it appears right in front of her. The sight is strangely beautiful. A glowing lavender woman with a yellow fish floating inches from her face. The fish looks strangely tropical, and I see recognition in Granger's eyes. She smiles and reaches out to pet the fish, but it darts out of reach and she retracts her hand. The fish cautiously swims back to her, and she doesn't try to pet it again, only studying it. I swim a little closer to her, wanting to get a clearer view of the fish, and what it might be.
Curiously, I've never seen this type of creature before, and am surprised at how vibrant it looks in this dank dark lake water. I'm distracted from the little fish when I sense a dark shadow headed our way. I notice it's coming from the other side of an entranced Hermione. Quickly, I dart around to place myself in between her and the unknown thing that lurks towards her. She notices my stance and surveys the area, spying the dark shape as well. We both have our wands out and are on our guard. By now, the little fish has disappeared. It looms closer, until we can start to figure out the exact shape of it. It looks like the…giant squid?! Before we can even have a chance to swim for our lives, two tentacles rush out to wrap around us. I hold tightly to my wand and try to get it in a position where it won't accidentally injure my foot. I'm struggling so much to escape the grasp that at first I don't hear Hermione calling for me. I look over to her and stop struggling, noticing that she has stopped, and the squid doesn't look like it's going to eat her anytime soon. Hmm. Well of course Dumbledore wouldn't let anything dangerous that a swimmer couldn't handle inhabit the lake. I feel like a fool.
I look back over to see Hermione petting the tentacle loosely wrapped around her. It lets go of her slowly, and I start to do the same. I guess the giant squid is the guardian of the lake. The monster slowly retreats until it is no more than a distant shape.
"Wow." I hear Hermione say, and I don't think I could have put it any better. I can feel the adrenaline that was rushing through me ebb away, and I can't help but think I haven't felt this way for a while. I guess that Hermione hasn't either, as she is looking amazed and thoroughly excited. I look away and start swimming towards the bottom of the lake, hoping the water's a bit cooler down there. I try to erase from my mind the idea of dragging her back to shore and completely ravaging her. I can't help the little groan that escapes at that thought.
We reach the bottom and explore for a bit, but soon after our time limit is up, and we reluctantly swim back to the surface. I notice that our lavender glow has gotten a bit dimmer, but as long as breathing under the water is possible, we'll be fine. We swim around on the surface until we notice that it's a bit harder to get oxygen. I break surface, Hermione in tow, and check my water proof magically enhanced watch. It seems that the potion lasts for about two hours and forty-five minutes, fifteen more than I was expecting. I tell this to Hermione, and she's delighted by it.
"I will be coming back out here to start really exploring on Monday at the same time. Come if you wish." She smiles, and I know that she'll be here. I turn my head to hide my smirk, and start swimming to the shore, which is a short distance away. I walk to where my robes are and pull out two pieces of cloth, enlarging them until they are decent-sized towels. Hermione thanks me as I hand her one, and I can't help but glance at her a few times as she dries off.
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That really was some adventure! I never expected to have a close encounter with the giant squid, to be honest. I greatly enjoyed our exploration, and noticed some plants that I am very eager to experiment with. Severus was courteous enough to give me a towel after we got out. I took it from him, even though I had brought my own. As I dried off, I subtly smelt the fabric, delighting in the scent of herbs that was becoming more familiar to me. Mmmm. I wonder what he tastes like. Blushing at that inappropriate thought, I hand him back the towel and slip my robes on. It's still dark without the moon, but we manage to walk side-by-side to the castle doors without tripping on anything. I absently bid him goodnight as I head towards the entrance, my mind back on the possible uses of the things I saw.
Entering my room, I immeadiately head to the bathroom, determined to get squeaky clean. After a luxurious bath, I plop onto my bed and drift off.