Written for Hogwarts Challenges & Assignments - Term 14, Assignment 11 - Health & Fitness, Task #8: write about someone rebellious.

Uncharted Waters

Ginny dove back into the water with a splash, her heart beating wildly. She had almost been spotted...again, and she didn't want to sit through another one of her mother's lectures about her "reckless" behaviour. She should head home before she suffered another close call.

It took her nearly a quarter of an hour to reach the castle, which was located deep underwater where no unsuspecting humans could stumble upon it. From the outside, it looked like a massive cluster of blood orange leptoseris—a vibrant, fuzzy coral.

"Where have you been?" Percy asked as she swam past him, intent on returning to her room to daydream about the wonderful things she had witnessed.

Ginny sighed. Percy never did know when to mind his own business.

"Nowhere. I just went for a swim. Is that illegal now?"

Percy peered down his nose at her. "You were watching the humans again, weren't you?"

Ginny had to work hard to keep her face from showing her surprise. She thought she had always been careful. She took different routes to the surface and always checked to be sure she wasn't followed. How was it that Percy knew of her human-watching habits?

"Never mind," Percy said with a huff. "Your silence is confirmation enough."

"How did you—?"

"I have my ways." Percy folded his arms. "I could tell Mum, you know."

Ginny let out a quiet scoff that Percy, thankfully, didn't seem to hear. Her brother was bluffing—he had to be. He never started conflicts unless there was something in it for him. He was more content to observe than to act.

"You wouldn't." She raised a single eyebrow at him, a look that she had picked up from their mother. After a moment, she decided to put all of her cards on the metaphorical table. "There's nothing in it for you."

"Who says there isn't?" With that, Percy swam off, his navy blue tail undulating gently. Ginny remained where she was, struggling with the weight of several burning questions.

...

Percy's threats couldn't keep Ginny from the surface for long. The very next day, she took an entirely new route, zigzagging between rock formations, around an underwater volcano, and even through a rotting shipwreck. She made sure to look over her shoulder numerous times, but she never saw anyone on her tail.

At the surface, she pulled herself up onto her favorite rock. It had a small, smooth ledge for her to perch on, but kept her hidden from the shore where the humans liked to gather.

She never came to watch anyone in particular, just whomever happened to be around when she could sneak away. Sometimes she recognized people from previous outings, but that wasn't a frequent occurrence.

Today, however, she was certain she had seen the brown-haired man relaxing on the sand before. It was hard to tell from her distant vantage point, but he appeared to have a large build. He wore a maroon swimsuit that didn't cover much of his thick legs, and his chest was uncovered, exposing his muscles.

As Ginny sat and gazed at the man, he suddenly sat up and looked at something. She followed his gaze to another rock that sat closer to the beach, and frowned when she caught a glimpse of something red. It was remarkably similar to the colour of her hair...or the hair of one of her siblings.

Percy must have had her followed. The question was, which brother had he convinced to spy on her? Bill and Charlie were out—they weren't at home anymore. Fred and George didn't seem like viable candidates either—they were too independent to obey the likes of Percy. That left only Ron. Ginny curled her hands into fists, unable to believe his betrayal. She was going to confront him as soon as she grew tired of people-watching for the day.

...

Ginny's stomach grumbled as she slipped underwater an hour later. It was nearly lunchtime, and she still had a brother—two brothers, really, since Percy had orchestrated the spying—to demand answers from.

Submerged once more, she glanced towards the base of the rock where she had seen the flash of red earlier. An iridescent tail dipped into the water. Her breath caught when she realised Ron hadn't left his post yet—she could confront him now.

As she swam closer, the owner of the tail remained on his perch, his tail swishing lazily below the surface of the water. Ginny felt a twinge of annoyance. Hadn't Ron noticed that she had left?

She tried to be stealthy as she approached, because she knew that her vivid red hair would be an immediate giveaway if Ron happened to look down. A few metres away, she held her breath and snaked the final stretch towards the tail. Reaching out, she gave it a quick poke before taking on a defensive stance.

With a yelp and a splash, her brother went tumbling into the water, and Ginny's eyes widened at the sight of spectacles.

Ron wasn't the spy. It was Percy—and he looked more embarrassed than she had ever seen him. His cheeks were crimson to match his hair and he refused to look at her.

"Percy, what's going on?" she demanded.

"Nothing," he said quickly, but she wasn't going to accept that reply.

"That's not—where do you think you're going?"

Percy had begun to swim away, leaving only a trail of bubbles in his wake.

"I have to go," he said over his shoulder, sounding distracted. "It's not safe—the humans could have spotted me—"

Ginny winced. That man on the shore had probably heard Percy's noise of surprise, but hopefully he hadn't seen Percy himself.

"I'm sorry." She swam after her brother, still intent on getting some answers. A school of fish had to turn sharply to avoid her, but she paid them no mind. "Hey! I'm sorry I almost blew your cover, but what were you doing at the surface?"

"Watching humans, same as you," Percy said, finally turning to face her again. He folded his arms. "Do you have a problem with that?"

"No, I just...didn't take you for the people-watching sort." Ginny was certain there was more to it than that, but she was content to wait him out. If she didn't say anything else, perhaps Percy would try to fill the silence and, in doing so, let something slip.

"Well, Dad wants us to learn more about them, doesn't he?" Percy asked. Ginny nodded. "I've been doing some reconnaissance. That's all."

Ginny remained quiet.

"It's been interesting to see how they interact with each other, you know." Her brother pushed his spectacles further up onto his nose. "Some of them go on dates to the beach, or sometimes they bring children... it's all very fascinating, I can see why Dad has taken such an interest in them himself."

Ginny nodded again.

"That human who was there today...have you seen him before?"

Ginny suppressed a grin at Percy's would-be casual tone. His real reason for being at the surface—and the real reason for his embarrassment—must have something to do with the man in the maroon swimming trunks.

"I have," she replied, equally casual. "He's very good looking, isn't he?"

Percy let out a choked noise. "Is he? I—I hadn't noticed."

"Oh, cut the crap, Percy," Ginny chuckled. She reached out and patted his shoulder. "There's nothing wrong with finding him handsome."

"There is when he's a human and I'm decidedly not."

Ginny didn't like seeing the pain that darkened in her brother's eyes. She didn't like the way his chin dropped to his chest a moment later, either. Percy was hurting, and she could find no joy in that.

"Maybe you can meet him someday," she said gently.

Percy snapped his head up to stare at her. "That's too dangerous, Ginny. He could—what if he means us harm?"

"And what if he doesn't?" Ginny retorted. "Look, you're right. We don't know what he's like. But maybe humans and merpeople can coexist and even grow to love each other. We won't know unless we try."

Percy bit his lip, and Ginny could practically see him laying out potential arguments in his mind. He was afraid, she realised. He didn't want to deal with the possibility of rejection.

"I know the uncertainty is scary," she said, taking his hand and giving it a squeeze, "but we come from a brave people. Creating our own futures, forging new connections—that's in our blood. Do you want to be one hundred years old and regret that you didn't take this chance?"

"No," Percy said, his voice barely audible over the sound of a whale's call. He straightened his shoulders and smiled at Ginny. "The next time I see that man, maybe I'll let him get a small glimpse of me."

Ginny grinned back. "Good plan."

WC: 1,475