Written for Quidditch League, Round 13

Team: Wigtown Wanderers

Position: Chaser 2

Prompt: mermaid/sea creature!AU

Additional prompts: (word) gesture, (word) delay, (object) jewel

Word count: 1,504

you don't ever have to feel alone

Fine mists of sea spray dusted Fleur's body as she perched atop her favorite rock. Her tail glinted as the afternoon sun hit the pale blue scales. Staring out over the horizon, the mermaid could see nothing but open sea...and a large ship that was fast approaching land. It would have to pass the large cluster of rocks that Fleur enjoyed sunbathing on, however. She scowled, being in no mood to accommodate the whims of humans on that particular day.

Fleur and the rest of her people had—at best—a tenuous relationship with mankind. Humans generally didn't believe in the existence of mermaids, and those who did only wanted to find proof so that they could become famous. Fleur's grandmother often warned of the dangers of interacting with humans.

"They won't hesitate to kill you and take your tail as a trophy, mon cher," she said. "Humans...their savagery knows no bounds."

Fleur shuddered as she recalled the old mermaid's words, yet she did not slip back into the ocean. All the while, the ship grew larger and larger. Soon, Fleur could make out the ship's inky sails and its flag.

Her eyes widened as she took in the white skull and crossbones. This was no ordinary ship—it was a pirate ship.

Fear flooded through her, turning her insides to ice despite the warm sun. Her own grandfather had been killed by pirates when she was very young and consequently, she had been warned to stay away from ships bearing their flag.

Her heart pounding, Fleur finally dove off of the rock and back into the water, which felt refreshingly cool against her skin. She ducked behind the rock that she had just vacated in order to watch the ship pass. It wasn't often that she had the chance to see humans up close, and her curiosity kept from swimming away.

Several minutes passed before the shouting began. Alarmed, Fleur poked her head out to see what was happening. The ship had nearly reached the group of rocks. Several heads appeared over the railing of the ship, squinting towards land.

"Captain! We're ready to make port!" a deep voice yelled.

"Well, what are you all standing around for, then? You know what to do!"

Fleur's eyes widened for a second time, having caught sight of the person who had replied to the first. They were undoubtedly the captain of the ship—Fleur would have known even if they hadn't responded to that title, because they were wearing the signature tricorn hat. Even from this distance, she could also see the glint of a stone, perhaps a jewel, hanging from the captain's neck. It was too fancy a bauble for a lowly crew member, she was sure of it.

What made Fleur's eyes widen wasn't the hat or the opulent jewelry, however. It was the captain's figure. Though they were dressed in an ill-fitting white top and heavy brown coat, there was a certain curve to their chest and a certain shapeliness to their backside.

The captain was a woman.

Fleur was transfixed by the female pirate, watching as she barked orders at her crew. She was so distracted that she didn't hear the loud crunching noise as the ship made contact with a rock. It wasn't until she saw the strained look on the captain's face that she even realised something was wrong, and that was when she finally heard the sound of wood splintering.

Fleur didn't stop to think. Her mother sometimes chastised her for being impulsive, but there was no time to contemplate whether she was being impulsive now. Lives were at stake, and though she had no proof that these humans were any better than the ones who had killed her grandfather, she couldn't stand by and do nothing.

Pumping her arms and tail as hard as she could, Fleur swam towards the ship, which had run aground. Many of the pirates had thrown their arms over their heads in a futile effort to protect themselves from the water crashing over their vessel. A few crewmembers had gone so far as to jump overboard, crying out in pain as they landed on the unforgiving boulders, not wanting to delay their escape. Fleur was relieved to see that the captain wasn't one of those unfortunate souls.

She quickly scanned the ship to see if she could find the woman. It wasn't hard to spot her—she was busy shouting directions to her crew. Fleur watched the Captain's hands move wildly with gestures that were unfamiliar to her.

"Forget the rowboats! Lower the ropes! Or would you rather jump to your deaths like Lynch and Montague?"

Several ropes swung over the edge of the ship moments later, and the pirates began to descend into the water amidst further yelling and chaos. Fleur couldn't see the captain anymore, and she figured she must have moved to another part of the boat to repeat her instructions. She swung her head around to watch crew members swim towards the shoreline, but they didn't seem to need any help, even with the churning waves. Perhaps fear for their lives was bolstering their abilities.

She looked back at the ship again. Where was the captain?

With a heavy heart, she watched as more pirates scaled down the ropes, then kicked and paddled their way towards land. The captain didn't seem to be among them. Fleur moved closer, noting that the ship was quickly filling with water. If the captain didn't climb down soon, she would have to swim through the wreckage instead, and that could prove dangerous due to floating debris from the boat.

A scream reached the mermaid's ears, spurring her towards the ship. After carefully maneuvering through the splintered hole, Fleur dodged several pieces of wood before finding the source of the frightened yell. The captain's leg was trapped beneath a beam, and she wouldn't be able to keep her head above water for long.

"It's okay!" Fleur shouted, hoping that she sounded reassuring. "Don't move, you might make things worse!"

She began to push on the beam, straining from the effort. It was heavy, made even more so by the water, but Fleur was nothing if not tenacious. After several long, stressful minutes, the human's leg was free. Instead of swimming to safety, however, its owner merely stared at her.

"Go!" Fleur said, indicating the hole she had swum through earlier. "The masts will probably collapse at any minute. It isn't wise to stay here."

"You're—you're a mermaid," the captain said, sounding dazed.

Fleur nodded impatiently. "Yes, I am. Now please, go!"

"You saved my life," the woman continued. She lowered herself into the water with a wince, and Fleur noticed that her leg was bent at an odd angle. "I don't know how to repay you."

"We can discuss that later. It doesn't look like you can swim with that injured leg. Here, climb onto my back and hold on tight." Fleur hoped that she wasn't making a mistake, allowing this human to get so close to her.

The woman proceeded to do as Fleur commanded, clumsily but with a determination that the mermaid found endearing. Once she was sure that the human had her arms securely clasped around her neck, Fleur sped out of the collapsing ship.

"Wait!" the woman cried.

Fleur slowed. "What is it?"

"That ship...it was my father's. He's gone now, so it's the last thing I have connecting him to me. I know this sounds odd, but I think I'd like to stay with it for a few more minutes."

Fleur nodded and allowed the captain to climb onto a rock before pulling herself up beside her. She kept some distance between them, however.

"I'm Tonks, by the way," the woman added, glancing over at Fleur. "Well, Captain Tonks if we're being proper—makes people think I'm a man. Gives them quite a shock when they find out I'm really a woman!"

Fleur laughed. "So you're used to people underestimating you, too?"

"Yeah." Tonks sighed and stared at her ship, which was slowly being pulled beneath the water.

An internal battle raged inside of Fleur. She wanted to comfort Tonks, but she didn't know if she should. All she knew was that this human didn't seem so bad. Certainly, she didn't seem as if she wanted to hurt Fleur.

"I'm sorry about your boat," she said softly, scooting closer to Tonks. After a moment, she tentatively reached out and put a hand on her arm. "Would it help to share a fond memory about it?"

Tonks flashed her a small smile. "Sure. And after that, maybe we can talk about what I can do to thank you for saving my life?" She reached up as though to take the jewel from around her neck and offer that, but Fleur shook her head. She had many of her own precious stones and had no need for another.

Fleur smiled back at her. "I think I have a few ideas in mind already."