Shipping A4 - Beach/Pool

Spring C5 - Ribbon/Cord

Trope C4 - Down the Rabbit Hole

Stacked With: FPC; BAON; Star; Fence; Shower; T3; Ship; SpB; TrB; IC Once

Challenges: Feathers & Such (Y); Short Jog (Y); Two Cakes (Y); Eating Cake (Y); Lunar Era (Y); Hold the Mayo (Y); Ethnic & Present (Y); Rian-Russo Inversion (Y); Gryffindor MC; Other School MC (Y); Magical MC (Y); Red Lights; Red Wave (Y); Bi Rainbow

Primary & Secondary Bonus Challenge(s): Spinning Plates; Unwanted Advice; Second Verse (Sneeze Weasel; Not a Lamp); Chorus (Machismo; Pear-Shaped)

Tertiary & Generic Bonus Challenge(s): T3 (Thimble); Once (Moses Supposes, Under the Sea; Santa Fe)

Warnings: Blood

Word Count:

For Mermay.

Universe Alterations.

~o0o~

Hermione hadn't enjoyed family holidays for a few years now. She especially hadn't wanted to go on them as an adult, but after… everything, her parents convinced her that going somewhere else would be good for her.

Okay, great, so she was sad and traumatized. Now she was going to be sad and traumatized at a beach resort in Greece. They won the war, but it killed her inside that so many losses could have been avoided if Voldemort had been taken seriously in the first place. Cassius Warrington wouldn't have been killed in the Triwizard Tournament, and sure it bridged a major divide between Hogwarts Houses, but that shouldn't have had to only come about due to a tragedy. So many friends gone.

Maybe if she were allowed to contemplate the tragedies of life while seeing actual history and the home of most (if not all) literary tragedies, perhaps she could actually start the healing process.

Instead, she had to sit on a man-made paradise that disrupted the local ecosystem surrounded by people who thought you had to have three drinks by lunch to have a good time or were just so completely obnoxious and unable to understand that you didn't have to become best friends with every person you came across while on vacation.

Mum and Dad had spent the first two days trying to include her before leaving her to her own devices and going off to have fun without her. Which was fine, she told them she appreciated their concern, but she just needed some time to herself.

Try as they might, they just couldn't understand her struggles. She would forever be grateful they adopted her, but there were things they just wouldn't understand. The remarks towards her skin, her disability, her status as a muggle-born. The horrors she had seen… they could imagine it, try as they might, but the solutions were always simple to them. If she just did this or that then things would be better. They never understood on an intrinsic level.

Hermione glared in annoyance at the sky. Did it have to be so bright? As much as she wanted the rest of the world to be miserable with her, it was arrogant and self-centered to demand it. Rather than snap at the families having fun, she stuffed everything into her bag and started walking. She wasn't worried about getting lost, it was an island. Eventually she'd make her way back to where she started.

The beach went from sand to rock, Hermione climbed over them just wanting to put one foot in front of the other. As much as she didn't want to, she replayed everything in her mind. What she could have done differently.

Hindsight and all that.

And then she fell.

She didn't know what exactly caused her to. She was distracted, she had probably slipped on some algae. All she knew was that she was free falling and had slapped into the water like a hand across a face.

Don't struggle.

Hermione squeezed her eyes and mouth shut and kicked her feet hard. Two hands touched her arms and she was lifted back to the surface. She gasped sharply, then coughed and spluttered. The hands settled beneath her arms, holding her up while she got her bearings.

"Ugh! Some water got up my nose!" she said, pinching the bridge.

"That was quite a fall."

British? Hermione swiped her hands over her eyes and pushed her hair out of her face to look at the person helping her.

Oh, wow.

He had long, raven hair, sandy skin, and stormy grey eyes. He was beautiful. Decorating his hair and keeping it out of his face were little bobbins. Were those genuine pearls?

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"I… yes, I'm okay," she said, nose burning and skin stinging. "I just had a clumsy moment. Good thing I hadn't landed on you or it would have been bad for both of us."

And she was babbling. She never could keep her head around beautiful people.

Once she caught her breath, he helped her to the shore and onto a flat rock she could sit on. She was still partially in the water, but at this point she would have to swim to get back anyway.

"You're bleeding," he noted.

"I am?" She looked down and saw a deep gash on her arm. That was definitely going to hurt once her heart stopped racing.

The stranger turned her arm over and licked the injury. Hermione yelped and kicked him away from her.

"WHAT THE BLOODY HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" she bellowed. "YOU LICKED ME?! You…"

She trailed off as she saw the gash close and disappear as if it had never happened. She looked back at him and that's when she saw something shining beneath him. Rather than legs, he had a tail. She couldn't quite make out its shape.

"Right, right, it's the two-leg walkers that have issues with licking," he said, slapping his forehead. "I was thinking of the fuzzy walkers."

"It doesn't matter! You should at least ask!" she huffed. "Who are you? What are you?"

"I'm called Cedric," he said and rubbed his chest where she kicked him. "I'm a… what is it you always yell out… sea maiden?"

Hanging on a cord around his neck was a shell. It glowed softly when he spoke.

"Mermaid," she said, watching it glow again.

"That's what I said. I apologize for alarming you, but you never know what might smell your blood."

Good point. And he was cute so, she supposed she could forgive him.

"Oh, my bag!" she said. "I must've dropped it."

Cedric dove and she saw his tail. It was long, almost serpent-like, except he had scales and fins like a fish. The scales were a yellow color that nearly looked gold in the light. He returned moments later with her bag, and as he surfaced she noticed the gills on his neck close and his nostrils flare.

How interesting.

She shook the water off, relieved it hadn't opened up during her fall. She never went anywhere without this bag. It was still packed for going on the run. She was so terrified of rogue death eaters coming after her.

"Sorry for licking you without permission," said Cedric.

"Ah, you just wanted to help," she said, looking at her arm and trying to remember where she was injured.

She scowled at the words Bellatrix Lestrange left, still fresh and scabbed. So was the injury she left on her neck.

She held out her arm towards him.

"Can you take care of this one, too?" she asked, pointing to it.

He looked at it and ran his thumb over the words. His hands had a thin webbing between his fingers.

"It's too old," he said. "I'm sorry. I can only heal fresh wounds."

She clicked her tongue. "That's alright. You know, you look different from the merpeople I've come across."

"Were they freshwater?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Well, there you go. We don't all look the same. There are some as big as boards!"

"Boards?"

"Yes, you know. Walkers fall off them sometimes and everyone shouts 'Man, overboard!' and they try to bring them back onto the board."

Language was so fascinating.

"I want to study you," she said.

"Study? Yeah, alright. Walkers never ask us about ourselves. Just as long as you let me study you back."

"Deal." She stretched out her hand.

Cedric grasped her forearm and shook once, then rested his arms on the ledge. Hermione brought out a notepad and a pencil.

"You are magic, correct?" Cedric asked. "I mean, you have to be or you wouldn't have been able to reach this area, but what are you?"

"I'm a witch," she said. "But I was raised by humans, so I can answer any of your questions."

"Good, I suspect most of your kind are as ignorant as mine are on the ways of, what was that you said? Humans?"

"Correct and, yeah, I could talk for hours about the divide between wixen and humans, the intentional ignorance they have when it comes to those different from them is maddening!"

"Yeah, that's what we gathered," said Cedric. "I'd still like to learn what I can for our records."

"Of course," she said. "May I ask a question first?"

He nodded.

"How do you document everything?"

She and Cedric talked for hours and shared the snacks she kept on hand. He thought the "surface tasties" were amazing and mentioned that since his shell granted him the ability to understand all spoken languages, he could only stand to eat seaweed these days, though most mermaids ate whatever they could find. Hermione was surprised to discover that Atlantis was real and less surprised that Cedric was a scholar tasked with observing the surface and documenting the changes in scrolls or the more important ones in tablets. An example of a tablet change occurred when motorboats were invented, which Hermione explained the name of and what she knew of how they worked.

It wasn't until she was writing by wandlight that she realized the hour.

"Oh, no, what time is it?" she asked.

Cedric looked up at the stars in confusion. "Night time?"

"I need to get back."

She worried about apparating. She wasn't familiar with the area and she didn't want to cause any trouble.

"I can take you back to shore," said Cedric. "Do you have a spell to breathe in water?"

"Yes." She tapped her nose, casting the bubblehead charm. She felt as if she had a nitrile glove over her mouth, which meant it was cast correctly.

Cedric slipped into the water and held out his hands. After sealing her purse, Hermione took them and eased in after him. They swam out a little ways.

"Hold your arms out in front of you," he instructed. "Keep them straight."

She did as he asked, kicking her feet to keep her above the surface.

Cedric dove down and she immediately wondered if he was playing a trick on her. A moment later he surfaced between her arms giving her only a second to grab onto his shoulders before he took off along the shore.

She clung for dear life and squeezed her eyes shut as the wake of water washed over her head. He was like a torpedo, cutting through the water easily even with her on his back. She tried to keep her feet straight back so his tail could easily move side-to-side.

It didn't take long until he surfaced. Hermione let go briefly so he could face her.

"This is your dwelling, yes?" he asked.

"For about twelve more days, yes," she said, cancelling the bubblehead charm. "It's a temporary housing, meant for leisure. A hotel. It's a resort, meaning all needs are contained to one area with little need for travel, food, entertainment."

"How interesting that most of you no longer require hunting and gathering for food," Cedric mused.

"Well, going to a market could count as gathering," said Hermione. "I'll explain more tomorrow. Er, when should I meet you? Where?"

"Here is fine," said Cedric. "I'll be nearby after sunrise, just swim out and I'll find you."

"It's a date," she said.

He guided her closer to shore until she could put her feet under her.

"See you tomorrow… er… I don't believe you told me your name."

Oh dear, she hadn't, had she?

"I'm Hermione," she said. "See you tomorrow, Cedric."

She hurried back to her hotel. She had her own bedroom in the suite they were staying in.

"There you are," said Mum, not looking too worried. "How was your evening?"

"It was fine," she said. "I met a merman. He's very interested in documenting modern human culture and I think it would be good to write about merpeople culture. We agreed to meet up again."

"That's interesting," said Dad. "What's his name?"

"Cedric. May I have the camera, please? You never use it anyway."

"Well, I intend to!" Dad spluttered.

He always intended to, but could never commit to taking pictures beyond the first couple days of a holiday. He and Mum typically enjoyed living the moment for what it was and never thought to take pictures until after it had passed. Which was fine and it left Hermione free to take it and document her findings. Especially if she would be going to Atlantis.

Hopefully the camera would work, she wasn't exactly sure what the pressure would do to it, but hoped that power of will and magic would be enough to bend the laws of physics as wixen were known to do. If it broke, she had some money to replace it and made sure to switch out the film reels so the few pictures that had been taken wouldn't get ruined.

She went to bed and was excited to meet her new friend. Part of her was a bit worried. Looks could be deceiving. For all she knew Cedric could be lulling her into a false sense of security. Of course, if he wished her harm, he would have done something at the cliffs or when she was on his back.

Oh well, there were worse ways to go out than a sacrifice to a sea monster.

She fell asleep making a list of questions she wanted to ask and was startled awake by her parents' alarm. They had separate rooms with a shared living space, but she slept so lightly these days.

After breakfast, she headed down to the beach, everything she needed safely stashed into her beaded bag. She put on a swimsuit, but kept a cover up in her bag. Pointedly ignoring some cat calls, she walked out into the water until the waves reached her chest, then swam out the rest of the way.

She wasn't the strongest swimmer, but Mum and Dad had her take lessons for a couple weeks each summer until she turned eleven. So it was easy to kick her feet and keep herself above the surface while she waited for her friend. If Cedric could be called that? Were they friends? Acquaintances? Mutual specimens?

Something brushed her foot and she looked down to see a silver glimmer in the water. Warped by the waves, she saw a face, then the surface broke.

She watched as water fell out of Cedric's gills before sealing up. His nostrils, which had been sealed shut, flared out as he took a breath. How interesting that he had a dual breathing system.

"I hoped you'd come," he said. "The spell to allow me on land isn't ready yet, so I thought I'd take you to Atlantis first."

She felt a jolt of excitement. The real Atlantis!

Cedric glanced nervously at the beach goers. Hermione got the hint and tapped her wand to her nose, casting the bubble-head charm. She stuck her arms out. Cedric swept around and carried her to a hidden cove. She sat on a ledge and waited while he reached into his pouch. He brought out a Pepsi bottle stopped up with a cork. Inside was a glowing green potion.

"The entire bottle will be enough for one day," said Cedric. "This time tomorrow I'll bring you back to the surface."

Hermione nodded and removed the cork. She took a deep breath and chugged it. It didn't taste awful like most potions she knew. At least, it didn't make her gag. It was strange, like drinking what fire looked like it would taste. It didn't burn, but she could sense heat. The change came over her as she drank, still she gulped it down. Finally, the last drop slid into her mouth.

She tried to inhale and felt an odd sensation like she was choking even though her lungs were filling up.

"Breathe slowly through your nose," said Cedric, taking her hand.

Hermione did as he said and inhaled deeply, counting to six. Similar to what she was told happened to Harry when he ate the gillyweed, her feet elongated into flippers and webbing spread across her fingers. Fins had also formed on her elbows, the backs of her calves, and she felt one along her spine. Good thing she wore the halter top swimsuit with a low back.

"When you dive in, keep your mouth open," said Cedric.

She nodded and slid into the water. As her head dipped under, her nose pinched shut and the gills on her neck opened. She opened her eyes, and rather than feel a burn from the brine, she felt like she was wearing a pair of goggles over her eyes.

Cedric wove through the water, his long tail zigzagging easily. He didn't go far, he just couldn't seem to turn around easily.

The sun shone prettily through the waves and she could see the sandy floor beneath her. She paddled, finding it a bit awkward to move. Cedric was patient and made suggestions. Sound travelled so strangely through the water and she found she didn't quite hear it like she did on land.

That was alright.

"Ready?" Cedric asked, knowing even if she was a good swimmer she was unlikely to be able to go as fast as him.

"Yes," she said and stuck out her arms.

He swept through the water and carried her along. She looked around in amazement as they passed beneath boats and alongside schools of fish. It was beautiful and so much more peaceful. Ariel had no idea what she was talking about, water was where it was at.

She wasn't sure how long they swam for but they did go deeper and she sensed the pressure change.

Then they passed through wards, she felt them like passing through a bubble. In the distance, she could see lights. The sun struggled to pierce the water here, leaving everything a cool, deep blue.

Even from here she could see the city. It was in a circular shape with several tiers, ancient buildings with columns and domed roofs crowded together. Aquatic plants draped onto these buildings, many glowing with a bioluminescence.

As they approached they passed buildings where merfolk like Cedric swam around, some tending to gardens, others playing games with dolphins. A couple waved at him.

The city was so much bigger than she could fathom, towers spiraling upwards and an array of aquatic beings who looked like Cedric, the mermaids she knew from the Black Lake back at Hogwarts, and there were even women in white dresses and draping with gold jewelry walking along the cobbled streets.

"Wow!" Hermione breathed.

A couple merpeople stopped and called out to Cedric in a language she couldn't understand. It sounded like singing.

"No thanks!" he called back.

There were street vendors selling food and hawkers selling wares. Cedric swam past them all and carried her to an official looking building. He went straight to the top of a tower that was flat at the top and covered by a bubble that was lit as if by the sun.

Several people were poring over books that should have fallen apart in the water, but when Cedric passed through the bubble, Hermione realized the water was different here. Thinner somehow. There was some serious magic at work.

"Hello everyone," said Cedric. "This is Hermione, she's here for an information exchange." He removed one of his necklaces and handed it to Hermione. He said something else, but instead of English, she only heard a haunting song. Similar to the recording of a whale song she once heard on a documentary.

She took the necklace and clasped it around her neck, suddenly feeling shy. She put on a good front, but she wasn't the best at first impressions.

"It's nice to meet you," she said, the necklace vibrating. "I'm looking forward to learning about you and your culture."

"You as well," said a mermaid with long, silver hair. "It will be interesting to see how you've come along."

"I will have to warn you," said Hermione. "I can't speak for all cultures, though I will do my best with what I know. Plus, human culture has a lot of nuances and unwritten rules that are hard to explain and there's usually social punishment if you don't follow them and yet you're just expected to know what they are."

"Oh, we have that too, don't worry," said Cedric.

Hermione was relieved at that and summoned out a notebook and a pen. She had one of those fancy space pens that could write upside down and underwater and she was so glad she had bought it. The pages didn't quite get wet, at least they didn't tear when she made a scribble to get the ink going.

"Right," she said. "Why don't we start with a brief summary of how Atlantis came to be and then jump forward to how things work today?"