The Black Lake
Chapter 5
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The world was a strange place, and the girl felt no less strange in it.
Her mind was quite blank, and her existence was almost a stasis. She felt no hunger. She felt no thirst. Days and nights passed, but it was of no consequence or thought to her. Day after day she sat on the boulder at the bottom of the lake, her red hair gently billowing around her in a crimson crown, and her long tail gently fluttering with the current. The thoughts came to her mind less and less over time, floating away from her and lost in the deep lake. Her only urge, the only evidence of her consciousness, was her arms clutching the green sash around herself, and her chocolate- brown eyes occasionally lifting the surface of the lake.
To wait.
Until one day she forgot to do that as well.
It was oddly blissful. She simply existed- no worries, no cares, and no purpose. The world around her was calm and peaceful, and she was a part of it. She had no name, no memories, no past. She just... was.
"What is your name?"
The redhead blinked, turning slowly towards the voice. It was the voice of a familiar-looking female Mermaid. She had a new sash around her waist, adorned with shells and pearls. Her wizened yellow eyes regarded the girl stonily, but there was no malice within them.
"Your name," she repeated, her voice deep and hypnotic, "What is your name, little one?"
The voice of the Mermaid broke the girl's trance-like state. She opened her mouth to answer but her mind remained curiously blank.
Name?
Her name?
"I- I don't..."
The girl struggled to search the recesses of her mind, but it was like swimming into a cave looking for treasure, only to come up empty-handed. There was nothing to be found. She supposed she should have felt frightened at this- at the immense nothing that was in her mind- but it was not fear she felt. The only thing she felt was a deep sadness that had seeped into her very bones. She shook her head slowly at the Mermaid before her.
"I don't remember."
The Mermaid's eyes shone with sympathy, and she held a regal, bejeweled hand out to the girl, beckoning to her.
"Come."
The girl eyed the hand warily. Tentatively, she reached out, placing her pale palm into the gray hand of the Mermaid. Gently, the Mermaid pulled her up from where she sat. Rising from the rock, the girl's green tail gently propelled her forward as she was led by the female. One hand holding to the Mermaid, and the other holding the sash tightly around her bare upper body, they swam. Through dark, dreary water they swam, not a living thing in sight, only the gentle sway of the water plants. After several minutes, the female stopped the pair, and they stood on a ledge overlooking a deep ravine.
Down below, there was life. Lights shone with movement and commotion in the deep water. She could see what looked like an underwater city, with huts and lights and dozens of Merpeople milling about. They were swimming, talking, working... and all had grey skin, yellow eyes and tails just like the female who held the redhead's hand. The Mermaid gestured down where the Merpeople were and gave her hand a gentle squeeze.
"Come," she repeated again, her voice echoing ethereally. "You have a place with us, little one."
The girl looked at her before tightening the sash around her shoulders. Glancing uncertainly between the Mermaid and the surface of the water, she slowly gave a slight nod. The Mermaid nodded back to her, almost smiling, and gently, she guided the girl down and into the village.
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"Your name, Your real name is Ginny Weasley." He said, "And you are not a Mermaid."
In the light of dawn, Harry was gripping the shoulders of Ide as they bobbed together in the frigid waters of the lake. Her wet, crimson hair was spilling around them, and he could feel her smooth, cool skin under his hands. Her pretty mouth was slightly open, and her dark eyes were so wide in shock, it almost hid the angry scratch across her brow. One of her small hands held onto him, and the other was held across her chest.
"You-" she sputtered, her mouth opening and closing, and had the conversation not been so important, Harry would have pointed out that between her gaping mouth and her tail, she looked more like a fish than human.
"I... you..." She began again, seemingly unable to find words.
"Look, I know it sounds crazy," Harry gripped her tighter, willing her to see the truth in his words. "But something happened to you, something terrible, and that's why you're stuck this way. That's why you're a Mermaid. You're trapped."
She stared at him for a moment, her eyes boring into his, but then she shook her head.
"I'm not." She said simply.
"This isn't you," Harry continued insistently, trying to sound calm and collected though he was anything but, "and I don't know exactly what's happened, I'm still trying to figure it out, but I know it's true. I know it. You've got to believe me-"
"Harry Potter."
Harry stilled as he realized this was the first time he had heard his name leave her lips. She moved a hand to his cheek, and her face filled with a mixture of sadness and sympathy.
"I won't deny that there is... something that has brought me to you. Neither of us understand it, and I can't pretend to know what it means, but somehow you called me to you. But this-" She gestured to herself, "is me. I know you think I'm someone else, I know you think I'm Ginny Weasley, but I'm not. I'm not her."
Ide leaned towards him, the distance between their faces merely inches, until he could feel the breath of her words leave her lips and gently caress his face.
"I'm not that girl."
It seemed like a bubble of warmth began to enclose the two of them as they held each other up in the water. Harry looked at Ide's face, pleading with him to understand, but the face that was looking back at him was the same face in the dream. The same face in the portrait. The same dark eyes, the same long hair, the same full lips... It was her.
"Ide, I know that you don't believe me-" She opened her mouth to retort and he held a finger to her lips, trying to ignore the tingling sensation he immediately felt in the pad of his finger, "but that's alright. I know it sounds mad, I really do. I would have thought the same thing. But I'm not going to give up. I'm going to figure out what happened, and I'm going to fix it. You'll see, it will all be alright again-"
"I am alright!" She snapped, eyes flashing dangerously. "This is who I am. I am a Mermaid, not a human. I don't need to be rescued! I don't need to be saved! And you- you don't know what you're talking about!"
Ide's hand gave him a hard push, and had he not a good hold on her shoulders she would have gotten away. He held her firmly, unwilling to let her go just yet.
"Wait, stop," he said, even as she tried to squirm away from him. "I'm sorry, alright? I won't-" he stopped mid-sentence, his eyes widening in alarm at what he saw.
"Oh, god, Ide..."
She stopped struggling at his words, and he heard what sounded like a whimper escape her. She had managed to squirm around in his arms so her back was facing him, and he held her by the waist. Keeping one arm wrapped firmly around her stomach, the other went to her back, slowly moving her long red hair forward and off of her shoulder. Stretched across her shoulder were three slashes in her skin. They looked painfully deep, and each sported a slow trickle of blood. Her pretty top, made of twine and white shells, had been torn as well.
"You're hurt," He whispered sadly. "You're bleeding." His hand nearly touched the gashes in her skin but he stopped himself, not wanting to cause her more pain.
"I'm alright," he heard her say, but he noted a slight tremor to her voice.
Slowly, and careful not to touch her wounds, he turned her back around so she faced him. Her face remained impassive, and had he not seen the wounds himself he would have had no idea she was hurt.
"Let me heal those," He looked at her imploringly, "Please?"
She looked as though she had no intention of letting him do any such thing.
"I'll be fine."
Stubborn girl.
"Of course," Harry said, then he flashed her a crooked smile. "But, you see, fair maiden, you saved my life just a few moments ago- you saved me from the grindelows. I'm forever in your debt. The least you could do, as my hero, is allow me to pay you this one small favor."
One delicate red eyebrow raised at his antics, but she said nothing.
"Please, Ide?" He asked, boldly allowing his finger to graze her jawline. "Let me help."
She searched his face for a moment. Something in her eyes still looked wary of him, but she gave a silent nod.
"Alright," Harry said. He looked toward the shore where his wand lay, before turning back to Ide. He gently touched her unhurt shoulder. "Close your eyes."
To his surprise, she complied. He immediately summoned his wand to his side, before hiding it in his trousers.
"Alright, let's go."
The two made their way to the grotto he had found earlier in the summer. Harry conjured a small flame to warm the grotto and proceeded to dry himself before setting to work on Ide's wounds. She sat perched on the edge of the grotto, her back facing him and her front facing the lake, her tail fluttering lazily in the water.
Now fully dry, and warm head to toe, Harry knelt down behind Ide, and began cleaning her wounds. She held perfectly still, her long hair to the side, as he slowly and meticulously ran his wand up and down each wound.
"Really, though, Ide," he murmured quietly, brushing a lock of hair away from her back as he worked, "Thank you. For helping me with the grindelows."
"Of course," she said, holding perfectly still. "Grindelows are dangerous at the best of times, but to wander right into their nest is almost suicide."
"Ah, well," Harry conceded, running his wand down the length of her back again, "after years of living on the edge I suppose I just naturally attract danger at this point."
"Clearly," She said, and he could hear a smile in her voice. "What a life you must have lived."
"I suppose," he chuckled. He brought his fingers to her back, checking the integrity of the skin he had just healed. He traced the faint lines that still remained on her back, that he hoped wouldn't scar. He wasn't a trained healer by any means. But even with the angry red lines, she still had the most lovely curve to her back. Her voice cut into his thoughts.
"Tell me."
His fingers halted.
"Er, what?"
She was glancing back at him over her shoulder, her eyes sparkling.
"This life you've had- living on the edge- it sounds exciting. Tell me. I want to know."
"Oh, well," he was suddenly fighting a blush. "It's not that exciting. But I suppose it was pretty unique. My parents, they- they died when I was a baby. I was raised by my godfather." He paused a moment, the pad of his finger moving across her smooth skin. "His name was Sirius. You would have liked him. Most women did."
"Charming?" She asked.
"Sickeningly so." Harry chuckled softly. "He thought a smile and a wink could get him anything, and for the most part it did. He got us out of a bad spot on more than one occasion. Our living situation was... complicated."
His fingers trailed off the mark of her healed wound, tracing the curve of her back towards the bottom of her spine. She arched her back ever so slightly.
"Were you happy?" She asked softly.
"Yes." His fingers changed direction and began slowly moving up her back. "We were constantly moving. There were some dangerous people who wanted to find us, and we had a lot of close calls over the years. But it didn't seem to matter to us, we were always laughing, always on an adventure. I have so many good memories of him."
Ide leaned to the side slightly, resting on one hand. Her tail moved languidly in the water, the waves gently lapping in the grotto. Harry's fingers were now almost up to her neck.
"What happened?" She asked in a whisper.
His fingers stilled completely. When he didn't answer, she turned around to look at him. Her face was so open to him in that moment.
"He died." He said quietly. "Last year."
Her eyes filled with sadness, but she did not shed a tear. Instead, she placed a hand on top of his, squeezing gently and looking at him deeply.
"I'm very sorry to hear that."
He gave her a weak smile.
"It's alright." His eyes found the scratch that was on her forehead, and he moved her hair out of her face to see it better. "May I heal that?"
She nodded, then closed her eyes. He brought his wand up, tracing it gently across the cut. It was much smaller than the ones on her back, and within seconds it had healed completely. He set his wand down and took her face into both of his hands. She hesitantly opened her eyes.
"There," he murmured, "all better now."
He did not release her, and she did not attempt to move away from him. Instead, the pair stared at each other until Harry felt a heat begin to seep into his hands where they held her face, like it was the most precious thing he had seen in a great while. His senses became hyper-aware. The grotto was pleasantly warm, and the waves of the lake lapped gently on its rock walls. Ide was looking at him so intensely that any moment he thought he would be forced to look away. Her skin, which had always felt cool to the touch, was beginning to burn pleasantly under his palms. One of her hands reached up to clamp onto his forearm, but she didn't try to pull his arm away. Her other hand was across her chest, holding the torn remains of her top. Harry felt a jolt of heat sear down his spine at the thought of her state of undress, so he settled his gaze on her lips. He leaned closer, and he could feel her breathing increasing. Seemingly of its own accord, his thumb moved down her face, tracing her full bottom lip, admiring its softness.
He found himself absolutely mesmerized, and he leaned in even closer. Ide drew in a shuddered breath, and her fingers dug into him painfully. He froze just as his lips were about to brush against hers.
"What are you doing?" She whispered, her eyes wide. He suddenly noticed how rigid she had become.
"I want to kiss you," he said, keeping his lips agonizingly close to hers.
"A kiss?"
"Yes, a kiss. Let me show you."
"Harry Potter," she said, gently pushing him back, "you can't."
"Why not?"
She leaned away further, and her cheeks became pink-tinged.
"B-Because! You're- well, you... and I'm... me." She shook her head, and in Harry's opinion, sounded like she was trying to convince herself of her own truthfulness. "It isn't right."
"Oh," Harry said, his hands falling to his lap. "I don't care that you're a Mermaid, Ide."
"I can't." She looked away from him, now blushing furiously and began fumbling with her top. Harry watched her, a sly smile sliding onto his face. He drew close to her ear.
"Ide..." He said slowly, drawing out her name.
"No."
He got right in her face, raising an eyebrow and blatantly looking her up and down.
"Just one little kiss? That's all I ask."
"Is that your best work?" She smirked, eyes dancing with mirth, "I'll admit, I had some rather high expectations there, but that was rather disappointing."
Harry folded his arms across his chest.
"You know, for someone who is definitely a Mermaid, you sound an awful lot like a human."
"Potter!" She snarled, glowering at him. "Shut your trap. You're about to find yourself back in the grindelow nest!"
"Oh, you wouldn't be so heartless," he said, leaning into her again. "Come on, Ide. Let me have one kiss, and no more talk of you being human. I'll lay off the subject."
At least for today, he thought.
She eyed him calculatingly.
"Just one?"
"Mhmm..." he said, eyeing her lips closely, and then he licked his own. "Just one."
She tilted her head to the side, bringing her hand to her face in thought.
"Alright," she said, tapping her chin. "If you stop spouting nonsense about me being human, I'll give you a kiss. One kiss." She looked down quickly at herself. "Oh, and fix my top, would you?"
Harry rubbed his hands together, grinning widely.
"Done."
Trying not to look too triumphant, he waved his wand over the front and back of her top, while she held her eyes closed tightly. The top repaired itself, and with another wave it tied itself back onto her snugly. She opened her eyes, and looked down at the results of his magic, before smiling back at him.
"Magic is wonderful. Thank you."
Harry grinned and settled closer to her.
"Time to pay up, Ide."
She raised both eyebrows.
"You mean right now?"
"Yes, I mean right now."
She blushed and looked as if she had half a mind to back out on their deal.
Harry leaned close to her.
"One kiss," he said, his voice low and husky. "Fair is fair."
Her gaze darted down to his lips, then back to his eyes.
"Alright, then."
They leaned in, and Harry allowed his eyes to close. It proved a costly mistake, because just when he felt sure he would feel her lips against his, he instead felt them on his cheek. She placed a much-too-chaste kiss there, before sliding her lips away and barely brushing the corner of his mouth when she pulled back. His eyes snapped open, and it was Ide who was looking triumphant.
"What?" He sputtered. "Thats it?"
"Now, just a moment," she said calmly, "I gave you one kiss, just like I said I would. It was you who failed to specify details."
Harry gaped at her, and she smirked back at him.
"Fair is fair, Potter."
He glared at her, before giving her a predatory smile.
"Why, you devious little-"
He tackled the redhead, grabbing her with both arms and making her squeal. He plunged them both into the water, realizing too late that this accomplished nothing except to make him very wet and cold again. They broke the surface, Harry sputtering and Ide laughing. Despite being cold all over again, her laugh was glorious sound to hear.
"Didn't think that one through, did you?" She said gleefully.
"Oh, that was completely intentional. I hear cold water clears the mind." He tried to hide a violent shiver. "I'm all about good mental health."
Suddenly, her laughter ceased, and a glazed look came into her eyes.
"What is it?" He asked.
"It's- its only," she gave an odd sort of shrug with her shoulders, "I think that's the longest I've ever been out of the water."
"Oh. Well, are you okay?"
She smiled up at him and nodded.
"Yes."
He grinned back at her.
"Good."
The two spent the next hour talking in the grotto. Harry eventually succumbed to the cold water, heaving himself out a drying himself off once again. Knowing he had spent more time than he should have at the lake, Harry bid her goodbye, both of them promising to meet again the next day. Ide had given him a dazzling smile before she had swam away, and as Harry walked back up to the castle, he could not help smiling ear to ear.
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"What are you eating?"
Ide was looking up at Harry from the water, her elbows propped up on the rock in the grotto as she eyed the item in his hand. He was sitting cross-legged, his school papers scattered around him. He had brought his work with him to the grotto today, not wanting to miss any time with Ide.
"Chocolate," he said, showing her the bar in his hand. "It's a treat."
She raised an eyebrow at it.
"It's brown."
Harry chuckled. "It's delicious." He held it closer to her. "Try some."
He broke off a small morsel of the chocolate bar and held it out to her. She frowned at it.
"Come on, you'll like it."
Her small hand took the morsel from him, and after making a series of scowls at it, she slowly put it in her mouth. After a few moments, her face relaxed, and her eyes widened slightly.
"I like that," she said, her words slightly garbled.
"I knew you would." He took another bite himself. "What do you normally eat anyway?"
Ide shrugged.
"I don't usually eat," she wiped a bit of chocolate dribble off her bottom lip, then promptly licked it off her finger. "Not really."
"Don't you get hungry?"
"No."
Her bizarre answers sent wheels turning in the back of Harry's brain.
"I should get going," he said, gathering up his things. "I have a lot of work to do."
"Already?" She looked disappointed, and he found it pleased him. "Why?"
He slowly pulled the strap of his bag over his head, looking out toward the lake.
"Ide," he said quietly, "Don't you find it odd that you don't eat?"
She fiddled with her hands.
"I never really thought about it."
Harry looked down at her, seeing her brow slightly furrowed in thought.
"I'll see you tomorrow, alright?"
"Yes," she said, her eyes distant. "Tomorrow."
The two then parted, each lost in their own thoughts.
So lost had Harry been in his daily liaisons with Ide that he had nearly forgotten the circumstances that had brought them together in the first place.
He had work to do.
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Harry found himself on Hagrid's doorstep. The minute the door opened he was nearly knocked over by Fang.
"Oh, hello, Harry. Everythin' alright?"
"Yes, everything's fine, Hagrid," he said, trying to calm down the enormous dog. "Er, fancy a drink?"
"Really?"
"Yeah. Um, maybe I could take you up on that drink at Rosmertas?"
"Oi! Now there's the spirit, Harry! Lemme get me coat."
An hour later, Harry found himself listening to Hagrid with wrapt attention. The man had been at Hogwarts a long time, before even his parents had attended. As the large man polished off more mead, he became more and more eager to share his stories. Perhaps the most shocking of all, was to learn that Hagrid had known Lord Voldemort in school, and had subsequently been expelled due to his lies.
"Still can't believe it," Hagrid murmured, wiping his chin with his hand. "I mean, sure- I was all angry and out of sorts he got me expelled, but a dark wizard like that? I never woulda guessed. Not ever."
Harry could only agree. It seemed no one had guessed – had even fathomed- what the young man would eventually become.
Harry gripped his mug, hesitating a bit.
"Were you at the castle? That night?"
Hagrid's face fell a bit.
"Yeah. Yeah, I was there."
Harry didn't speak, allowing time and space for what Hagrid was willing to share. Hagrid wiped his eyes with back of his hand, but his voice was strong.
"I been lucky you know. Bein' half-giant an all, spells don't do much ter me. I did me best." He looked at Harry with a grateful smile. "But it was a hopeless cause until you showed up. You saved us all you know."
Harry winced inwardly, his throat feeling uncomfortably dry.
"Not everyone." He muttered bitterly.
He felt Hagrid's large hand pat his shoulder in a comforting manner.
"Aye," Hagrid agreed, "Many I couldn' save either."
Something sprang open inside of Harry, and he found the words spewing out before he could stop them.
"It was too late- too late by the time I got there. If I hadn't taken so long to get there..." He trailed off, and this time it was Hagrid who allowed the silence to carry on, letting Harry gather his thoughts. Bitterness welled up inside him, filling his words as he released them.
"We had no idea- Sirius and I- that they had shown up at the Hogwarts... But then Death Eaters showed up at our place. There were so many, I don't know how they even found us. They showed up and started attacking. We fought them off, and that's when we realized what must be happening. They were trying to keep us from getting to the school. But, Sirius, he- he told me to run. He told me to leave him and get to the school. He held them off of me, he fought them so I could escape. Just as I was leaving, that's when they..."
Harry's throat closed off, and he blinked, his eyes burning. He cleared his throat, refusing to get emotional.
"Well, anyways, Sirius is the real hero."
Hagrid nodded, and he raised his mug to Harry's.
"To Sirius, then."
Harry nodded back, and they drank to his godfather.
Thirsts quenched and belly's full, the pair began trudging back toward the castle, the cool night air a welcome relief from the warm pub. Both were quietly contemplative for a time, until Harry broke the silence.
"Hagrid, about Tom Riddle..."
Hagrid stumbled a bit. "Aye?"
"It's odd," Harry said, "When I first arrived at the school, that night, I mean, I found Voldemort down by the lake..."
Harry abruptly halted in his tracks as the words left him, his heart racing.
The Lake.
"Harry?" Hagrid inquired at his sudden stop. "What is it?"
"Nothing," Harry shook himself, and continued talking. "He- Voldemort, I mean- had changed his appearance. But I knew it was him, I could feel it. And he had those horrible red eyes." Harry's pace slowed as his mind struggled to catch up with his racing thoughts. "He looked like me, didn't he?"
Now it was Hagrid who stopped, gaping at Harry. But his small black eyes looked over his features, and he sighed.
"Well, I suppose," he conceded. "Just a bit. Ya both have the same dark hair. Maybe a similar frame too."
"Thats how he looked at the lake," Harry said. "When I first found him."
Harry turned and started slowly walking again, hearing Hagrid's heavy footfalls next to him. Without looking at him, he spoke something he couldn't seem to get out of his mind, but he knew to be true.
"Thats where you found Ginny Weasley's clothes," Harry said heavily, his heart pounding. "And the blood?"
Hagrid rounded on him, his large hand grasping him.
"How d'you know that?"
"Never mind that now. Is it true? It is, isn't it?"
Hagrid's mouth was hanging open in shock.
"Well- I mean, yes. That's where I found them. We- we suppose that's where you-know-who killed her."
Harry nodded at him.
"And... did he kill her whole family? Everyone? You mentioned someone named Ron."
Hagrid shifted nervously beside him.
"Well, no. He- he killed everyone 'cept Ron. That's one of her brothers."
"Where's he now? Is he a student?"
"No, no, he's done with school. Last I heard he applied to the Auror academy, but why do you-?"
"I'm thinking of visiting family members of the Hall of Heroes," Harry interrupted, "You know, give them my thanks and... stuff." He finished lamely.
Hagrid seemed to buy it, and he relaxed considerably.
"Oh... I see. That's awful kind of you. I'm sure many of them would be pleased to meet ya."
"Right."
The two of them made it to the grounds, but Hagrid turned to Harry before moving to his hut.
"Harry, I'm glad ya changed yer mind. We been worryin bout ya you know."
Harry nodded. "I'm glad too."
"Hogwarts is a good place ter be," Hagrid continued. "It's family, see? Good people, good people. The best. Anyway, I sure hope you come down with us to Rosmerta's sometime. I'd love a pint with ya again."
Harry smiled up at Hagrid, feeling genuine gratitude for the kind man.
"I'd like that," he said truthfully, "thanks, Hagrid."
Hagrid beamed, patting Harry affectionately on the shoulder. He turned and wobbled away towards his hut. Harry turned and made his way up to his room. He lay in bed wide awake for several hours, his thoughts loud and jarring.
You're not him.
Who?
The boy...
Tom Riddle at the lake...
Ginny's clothes on the shore...
Tom Riddle cursed Ginny Weasley...
Harry sat up in bed, fumbling for his wand. He held it out in front of him, his hand trembling slightly. He had battled Lord Voldemort and obtained his wand. The Elder wand. The same wand which he now held in his hand.
The wand he now knew had been used to turn Ginny Weasley into a Mermaid.
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"You didn't come yesterday."
Harry was pulled from his deep thoughts by Ide's soft voice. It took several moments for her words to register in his brain. He looked at her closely. He had missed her yesterday, but he hadn't lied either- he had been busy. And as Ide watched him expectantly, he debated on how much to tell her about the events of the day before. The mystery of this girl had been consuming him, and he clung to it desperately. When he wasn't with her at the lake, she floated around in the back of his mind. When he was working on his curriculum, visions of wet, crimson hair and dark eyes swam before him. When he slept, he saw her swimming lithely in the lake, her green tail glistening and fluttering in the water. Then she would emerge from the lake, and the tail would disappear. She would walk to the shore on beautiful legs and bare feet, dressed in a sopping wet school uniform.
Today, they were back in the grotto. Harry sat on the edge of the rock, his trousers rolled up to his knees and his feet dangling in the cool water. Ide was in her usual position, propped up on the rock by her elbows, leaning on one hand and looking up at him. It was how they had spent so many afternoons, with him chatting away about school, about Sirius, and about... well, everything. And she would listen- gods she was a good listener. He had never felt such a pull to open himself up to anyone. And here was someone who knew- or rather, forgotten- everything about the wizarding world. She held no judgment or expectation of him. She was just... a friend? A kindred spirit? She was something. Something he hadn't felt... ever. Her eyes would watch him carefully as he opened up, smiling gently at all the right times, and careful not to ask too many questions, or push him too hard.
He wasn't entirely sure what he was to her, or what she was to him. She allowed him to open up to her, while she herself remained cautious, with shadows crossing her face more often then he cared to see. On the rare occasion she did answer his questions, her answers were simple, and she kept her secrets close to her.
Whatever she was, she was important. Important to him. Precious, even. And, selfish though he knew it was, he needed her.
God did he need her.
His life with Sirius had been focused on survival. A daily, constnat battle. A mission. And when they had finally learned of the prophecy, and Harry learned- and decided- that he would destroy the Dark Lord once and for all, his very being revolved around that purpose.
But now Voldemort was gone.
Sirius was gone.
And this girl- she was his survival now. She was his buoy in the ocean to keep him from drowning, because at last he had realized that he had been treading water for the last year, with nothing to keep him going. Nothing to give him purpose.
But she, she needed him. And now he had a mission and a purpose.
Now he had something to live for.
And even if it was a selfish obsession of his, even if he was drawn to her for something other than saving her, it was putting renewed life in his veins. It was sending his mind spinning and his heart pounding, and it was a reason not just to survive but to truly live.
He would allow himself to cling to it. He would allow himself to cling to her. Even if in the end, Ginny Weasley wanted nothing to do with him, even if she hated him for showing her who she truly was, it would all be worth it to have something to make him feel so driven these past weeks.
"I'm sorry," he finally said, blinking and trying to bring himself out of his thoughts and back to full awareness. "I was busy yesterday."
"Oh."
He didn't miss the brief downward glance of her face, but she quickly masked it and began fidgeting with her hands in the water. He wondered if Ginny had fidgeted when she was nervous as much as Ide did.
"That's alright." She murmured.
One hand came up to her face, tucking the hair behind her ear. The lock of hair ended just below her chin, just as it did in her portrait in the castle. Harry studied her, allowing the silence to penetrate the grotto.
"It must be a lot of work being a teacher," Ide said with a small smile. "I imagine you won't have much time to come down here once the students arrive."
He remained silent, and she began to blush and fidget under his gaze. Her mermaid tail moved gently in the water, occasionally catching the rays of the sun through the grotto opening and sparkling brightly when it did. Her hand moved to her necklace and she fiddled with it between her fingers.
"It must be exciting though," she continued quietly. "The school, I mean. All the people and learning all that magic." She began biting her lower lip before continuing, again moving a lock of hair behind her ear. "More exciting than here, I'm sure. I've enjoyed our talks, Harry Potter. I'll miss them."
Harry clenched his teeth, rubbing his hands together.
"What's wrong?" She asked, looking at him in concern.
Harry looked out the opening of the grotto. He stared across the vast expanse of water, expressionless. His eyes glazed over slightly, not truly seeing.
"Tell me about your childhood, Ide."
She leaned back in surprise.
"What?"
"Your childhood, Ide," Harry said flatly. Then he turned to her. "Tell me about it."
"I... I don't-" She gaped at him, her mouth slightly open. "I mean, I just-"
"Just one thing," Harry said sharply. "Tell me. Tell me just one thing you remember."
Her mouth opened but she did not answer. Harry narrowed his eyes at her.
"Ide."
She huffed in frustration at his commanding tone, and anger began to swirl around her.
"You- you have been- you're just-" Her hands clenched into angry fists on the boulder. "You know what? I'm leaving."
She thrust herself off the edge of the boulder with the water up to her neck. Her arms spread out to dive down. Before she could swim away, Harry lept into the water beside her, grabbing ahold of her arm and stopping her from diving down. She turned to him in an indignant rage, her wet hair plastered to the side of her face.
"Let go of me, now."
Her dark eyes flashed at him, but Harry held onto her tighter. His feet found a good hold on the rocky bottom of the grotto, and he held onto Ides shoulders as the water lapped around their necks.
"Answer the question, Ide. Why can't you just answer my question?"
"You are being horrible today!" she spat back at him. Her hands grabbed onto his shoulders, attempting to push him away, but he was much stronger than her.
"You can't, can you?" He said, pulling her close. She stopped protesting, but the anger did not leave her face as she looked at him.
"You can't answer my question," He reiterated, softer this time. He gave her shoulders another squeeze, begging her to listen as he looked into her eyes.
"Haven't you wondered why that it?"
Something passed across her face, and he saw her jaw clench.
"Don't." She warned. "Don't start this."
"Ide," Harry said, his fingers digging into her. "Enough of this. Stop being so blind. The truth is right in front of you- you're just afraid to look at it-"
"I'm not afraid! Ive told you- I'm NOT HER! I am not that girl-"
"You ARE, Ide!" Harry shouted angrily, pulling her against him. His hands moved from her shoulders to her wrists and he held them to his chest so she couldn't back away from him.
"You are her! But you're being so bloody stubborn! You refuse to see it. You refuse to admit it. But it is the truth. You don't belong here in the lake. You don't belong with the Merpeople. And somewhere deep down, you KNOW it- You know you don't belong here!"
Her eyes widened slightly in fear. She tried to recoil from his anger but he only held her tighter.
"You don't have any memories of your life. Only up until last year, am I right?" He growled at her. Her stubbornness was sending his temper haywire. "Odd, isn't it? But no, that's not enough, is it? Well, how about this- have you ever looked at yourself? Have you looked at the Merpeople? Are you daft enough to honestly think you aren't different from them? You don't eat or drink, you hardly sleep, and you don't seem to have aged at all over the past year! From what I hear, Ginny Weasley wasn't stupid, but you are doing an awfully good job at convincing me otherwise. So stop acting like a bloody fool!"
Ide gaped at him as his angry words echoed in the grotto. But quickly, her anger returned and she snarled at him, trying to pry herself free from him.
"You're mad, you're absolutely mad," She spat at him, "and you promised you wouldn't ever bring that up again, you promised you wouldn't!"
"I didn't bring it up again that day," Harry pointed out, his voice a deadly calm. "It was you who failed to specify the details of the agreement."
With an angry shout she thrashed against him, and he roughly pinned her against the rock, holding her wrists beside her.
"I'm not finished," he growled. She stared back defiantly at him, her chest heaving with angry breaths. Harry lowered his voice to a calmer decibel as he moved closer.
"Your name is Ginny," he murmured quietly, "And you are fearless. You have fought in battles, for merlin's sake. You have been through pain, through torture, through some of the worst suffering someone can go through. But you were absolutely heroic. You say you aren't her, but you are. She is in there." His eyes flickered down to where he could almost hear her heart pounding in her chest. "I know she is."
Her gaze softened, fear creeping into it.
"But what if you're wrong?"
"I'm not wrong," He insisted, his face inches away from hers. "I'm not."
Both of their tempers diffused, and a tense sort of quiet filled the grotto, with the only sounds being the gentle lapping of the water, and the breaths of the pair as they calmed themselves down.
"It's time to stop being afraid," Harry said, his words brushing over her face. "Ginny Weasley is no coward. You are no coward. It's time to find the truth- your truth, Ginny."
Her breath hitched at his words, her lips slightly parted. In their close proximity, the water around them seemed to be super-heated, and Harry wouldn't have been surprised if he had seen steam wafting off of him. His body almost seemed magnetized to hers, as it had from the very beginning, from the very first time he saw her. His thumbs began stroking the inside of her wrists as he held her, soothing the skin he had been holding onto so tightly. He leaned down closer to her.
"Don't be afraid," he whispered against her lips, and he could feel her trembling beneath him. "Don't."
Unable to stop himself, as if he were no longer in control of his actions, he slowly lowered his lips to hers.
Her lips were soft- so soft- and the sensation was unlike anything he had felt before. He felt her tense beneath him as his lips moved gently over hers. He opened his mouth to let out a small exhale of relief – of pleasure- before placing his lips back on hers. Her lips, like the rest of her skin, were cool to the touch, but oh so sweet to taste. A small sound escaped her as he kissed her, but she made no move to break away from him. With great restraint he kept himself from delving in further- kept himself from deepening the kiss and his tongue from tasting her. Instead, he released his lips from their lock on hers, waiting a moment before completely removing them from her flesh.
He hadnt realized he had released one of her wrists until his hand came up to her face, where he ran his thumb acorss her chin, just underneath her bottom lip. Her flesh was incredible beanth his hands, beneath his lips... He moved his hand to touch the side of her face, looking at her through hooded eyes.
"Go," he said huskily, trying desperately to keep his self-control, "Go to the Merpeople. Talk to them. Ask them."
She didn't answer, her eyes were completely fixated on his lips as he spoke. They flickered back up to him, and she looked to almost be in a sort of trance.
"Ginny," he said, his voice stronger this time, and her eyes cleared up as they looked into his.
"Go," he repeated, "Go and ask them. I'm going to be gone for a few days, that will give you plenty of time. Do not rest until your questions are answered. You've got to find out the truth for yourself. Do you understand?"
She gave him a nod, and she seemed reluctant for him to let her go. The thought pleased Harry. He smiled at her encouragingly and released her.
"I'll see you soon," he said, gently prying her hands off of him and backing away from her.
Still slightly wide-eyed, she swam towards the mouth of the grotto, turning once more to look at Harry.
"Don't be afraid," he said, "Go."
A glint of resolution moved into her eyes. Just then, in the mouth of the grotto, her crimson hair flowing around her and a determined look on her face, she was more Ginny Weasley in that moment than Harry had ever seen her. He smiled widely at her and she smirked back at him. She gave a little salute before turning and diving into the water, tail propelling her into the deep.
Harry tread water for a moment as he watched her swim away.
He couldn't linger for long though, he had somewhere to be.
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TBC