Beauty from the lake

A/N: So, here's my story, re-written and reposted. I hope you'll still like it. It's rated PG- 13 just to be safe. Sorry Malfoy fans, I made him a villain in this one. It'll be a Ron/OC story, but you can imagine that OC is you (as originally was), since doens't allow ‚you' stories. And please excuse the grammar mistakes, I know my English isn't all perfect, but when I give it to my friend to correct, it takes too long. Well, I still hope it's not that terrible.

Disclaimer: I admit I don't own Harry Potter, it belongs to talented J.K.Rowling.

Summary: Mariana is a beautiful mermaid, who lives in Hogwarts lake. Sometimes she would watch students that are walking by the lake, or sitting there, but she rarely talks to them. She is contented with her life under water surface, she gets on well with most water creatures, and her friend, Hogwarts ghost Myrtle (yes, exactly, Moaning Myrtle) often visits her. But one day this all changes. The day of second task of Triwizard Tournament. Swimming in lake, she finds four unconscious people there, tied to stone column and guarded by merpeople. Among them, there is a certain red haired boy that catches her eye. Since this moment, she is very curious about him. She would often sit at a rock near lake shore and watch students in hope that she'll see him. And even more, she feels strange desire to become human and one of students, too...

Chapter 1 - Unexpected help

Mariana opened her eyes and yawned. Then she got up and swam out of her house. (It had only two rooms, but was quite spacious, with holes for windows and doors and made of stone.) She saw variously shaped and coloured fishes, few merpeople in their village in the distance, and when she looked up to the surface she could see light coming from there. That meant she overslept and it was already a day.

"Mariana," suddenly she heard a voice behind her. Mariana turned and spotted Myrtle, a ghost from Hogwarts castle, who was by chance also her friend. "Oh, hello Myrtle," she replied.

"Mariana," Myrtle repeats, "you won't believe what has happened to me!" Exclaimed she happily.

Mariana immediately got the feeling that whatever it was, it must have been somehow associated to Harry Potter, because Myrtle used to talk about him most of the time. It seemed pretty positive, that she had a crush on him. Soon when Myrtle continued, Mariana's suspicion was confirmed.

"Well, I was just resting in a prefect bathroom yesterday night, when something suddenly woke me up from sleep. And guess what....I saw Harry bathing, or more like swimming in that big pool that is there."

Mariana opened her mouth to reply but before she could think of any appropriate answer, Myrtle cut her off.

"I decided to talk to him and asked him why he hadn't come to see me and he said......"

Mariana pretended to listen and occasionaly nodded, or said: "Really?","That's interesting." or "Wow!", while her mind wandered in different places. She really couldn't understand Myrtle's fascination by this boy; he was a human. But, Myrtle didn't seem to mind. She used to be one too, after all.

Since Mariana was little, she'd been always told by her mother not to get involved with humans much, because she'd been afraid they could hurt such a delicate creature as her little daughter was. She said that humans are dangerous, cruel and like to fight a lot.

Mariana, however, didn't agree with her; although she could see that some of them were bit harsh sometimes and not quite considerate to other creatures, like that blonde student who liked to throw stones at her when she was sitting near the bank.

But not all of them were like that. Some students were nice to her, and liked to talk to her. For example that girl with wavy brown hair, who was always reading some book. Mariana saw her few times with Harry, so she assumed they were friends. Her name was something like Hermione, or at least Mariana thought so. Hermione talked to Mariana a lot, and was very curious about life underwater. Mariana told her about it, and Hermione told her about Hogwarts school and life on land.

Or the man who taught here last year Defence against the dark arts, Professor Remus Lupin. Mariana really liked to talk to him. He wasn't like other human men she knew, he seemed so kind and gentle, she almost couldn't believe when he told her he was a werewolf. And inconsiderate humans sacked him for this in the end. For being different. Mariana knew what it was like, when others didn't like you because you were different. She felt that she had lost a friend when he'd left Hogwarts.

The mermaid stopped musing about humans with a sigh only to find out that Myrtle's rant about famous Harry Potter was nearing an end.

"...and after I helped him to solve the mystery of the egg, he thanked me and promised to come and visit me sometimes," Myrtle ended, sighing dreamily.

"Hm...Myrtle, that is really...ehm...wonderful," Mariana replied, unsure of what to say.

"Oh, I know," she said with a happy smile. "And what about you, Mariana? You're always sitting on that rock next to the bank and watching students, and sometimes you even talk to them... Don't tell me there isn't a single one who would catch your eye."

Mariana suppressed a heavy sigh and shook her head. 'So she still wouldn't give up.' Myrtle saw it and gave a small laugh. Then they talked little more, fortunately, this time not (only) about the boy who lived.

Later that day Mariana was sitting on her favourite spot, a rock near the lake shore. She watched her surroundings for a while. It was so calm and peaceful, the trees swaying in gentle breeze, her golden hair fluttering, sun shining brightly, reflecting in her green eyes, a few students sitting in a distance, talking or reading.

She looked towards the Forbidden Forest and saw something white flash there. After a while she spotted it again, but this time more clearly. It was a beautiful creature, almost like a wonderful white horse, but with a corn. Mariana smiled. It must be unicorn,' she thought, Hermione told me about them...'

But her thoughts were interrupted when she heard a loud splash!' right next to her. Mariana looked around and saw a blonde boy, the one who didn't seem to like her much, holding a stone in his hand. Oh no, not again,' she sighed desperately. She couldn't understand what he's got against her - after all, she'd done nothing to him; except being different, that's it.

He threw the stone at her, but she dodged it and it fell into the water again. Meanwhile he picked up another one and Mariana concluded it'd be better if she just disappeared underwater and returned later after he leaves, when she saw something uncommon. The blonde boy (it seemed to her his name was Draco but she was not quite sure) raised his hand and made a movement in attempt to throw another stone at her, but suddenly someone caught his hand.

"Stop it, Malfoy! She's done nothing to you, you've got no right to harm her!"

Malfoy turned around and stepped aside so now Mariana could see her saviour. It was a boy, quite tall, with shining red hair and clear blue eyes. "Yeah, Weasley? And just why do you care? I know your family is poor, but I never thought that you were so pathetic to sympathize with stupid half-breeds. That's even worse than being friends with Mudbloods."

"She's not a half-breed, you prat! You have no right to insult her like this. And I'm sure she's more intelligent than your little pitiful self have ever been," exclaimed the red-haired boy, whose name was presumably Weasley, angrily.

Malfoy took out his wand. Mariana knew that humans (of course wizards and witches) used it to do magic. He pointed it at the other boy, who did the same.

"No, Ron, don't," Mariana heard someone yell suddenly. So her saviour's name was Ron. Ron Weasley. Then she spotted the person who'd called it and saw it was - Hermione! Next to her was standing Harry. Are they his friends?' She wondered. Probably.'

"Now you overdid it, Weasley," shouted Malfoy, his wand still pointing at the red-head. "Rictusempra," he yelled.

"Furnunculus," called Ron in response and the duel started. Oh no, I hope no one one will get hurt because of me,' the mermaid worried, though it seems like that Malfoy'd deserve so.'

"Ron, please don't do it, you'll get in big troubles if any of the Professors see you," pleaded Hermione with him while Harry shouted: "Malfoy stop it immediately or I'll call Professor Dumbledore!" Mariana knew that Dumbledore was Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, but seeing that the two boys won't stop fighting she realised that now there was really not time to think about it, and decided it was time to use a bit of her own magic - a water magic.

She raised her hand, pointed it at the waters of the lake, made a movement with her wrist, muttered a spell under her breath and suddenly there was a big stream of water flowing from the lake, swirling around her in the air. She pointed her raised hand towards Malfoy, still fighting with Ron, and the water stream divided into more, surrounding him and tying him like chains.

Malfoy got scared and dropped his wand, calling for his bodyguards (A/N: I mean Crabbe and Goyle, of course), but they just stared dumbly as he struggled in attempt to free himself. No, that wouldn't help, the water chains were strong, as was Mariana's spell. "You freak, what are you doing?" Malfoy shouted at her and Hermione called: "She's not a freak, Malfoy!"

"Shut your big mouth, you worthless Mudblood," he retorted. "And you, filthy half-breed, free me in and instant, or you'll get in big troubles. My Father works for Ministry of Magic, he could -"

Mariana waved her hand again and Malfoy was lifted in the air. She made the water carry him closer to her, looked at him with disdain and said in a calm, but firm voice: " So what will you do now? Insult me again? Or threaten me? I don't care about your silly threats; they cannot intimidate me, and nor do I care whether your Father does work for Ministry or not. I only see that you need a lecture to improve your behaviour, so I'll tell you this and you better remember it for future - you have no right to call Hermione a worhtless Mudblood, because she's cleverer, more talented and for sure more worth than you with your pure' blood are. If your blood were the purest of pure, it wouldn't give you the right to think yourself superior to others, because you're not. You're disgrace to your race."

She spat out the last words, then moved her wrist fiercely and the water chains loosened, leaving Malfoy fall onto the ground. "Thank you," she said simply to Ron, Hermione and Harry before slipping of the rock and diving in the waters of lake, now smooth once again.

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