Affectionate Anecdotes

by crochetaway

A collection of one-shots from various Harry Potter competitions mainly from different FB groups. This will include any and all pairings and for safety will be rated M. This will probably be a never-ending collection.

16. Submerged

A/N: Written for KyoDreams In Another Life Fest! The prompt was:

Underwater

This story would not be what it is without the help of a few people: brownlark42 for walking me through two different iterations of this story and listening to me complain about it for a month, tofadeawayagain and MrsRen both worked hard to beta this piece at the last moment, so a huge thank you to them as well! And tofadeawayagain came up with the title for me as well!

This one is a long one! Just under 15k words. Enjoy!

If you loved this (or hated it) let me know about it in a review! See the manip for this on on Tumblr at crochetawayhpff or Facebook at Shan Crochetaway.

Pairing: Hermione/Draco

Rating: M

Summary: Hermione Granger is excited to finally meet with the leader of the Mermish population in the English Channel. But when she gets down there, everything goes wrong. Who will she discover when she's down there? And what will she do to get back home?

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Submerged

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It had taken Hermione Granger five years to get to this point. Five long years of research, getting snubbed, more research, learning a complicated language that hardly anyone spoke, getting snubbed slightly less, and yet more research, but finally, finally, the population of Mermish in the English Channel had agreed to speak with her. From all of her research, the Mermish colony in the channel were the 'originating' colony, the colony which was the oldest in the world and which had populated every other colony, including the one located in Black Lake at Hogwarts.

The Mermi were a terribly fickle people, with a culture that Hermione had been studying from afar for years. They'd finally invited her to spend two hours with them at their home in the English Channel, but Hermione was hoping she would be able to spend several days in the area and speak with them more than once. She'd bought gobs of Gillyweed for that exact reason. Placing the last few books into her trusty beaded bag, she glanced once more around the room. Hopefully, the next time she saw this space, she would be infinitely more knowledgeable about the Mermi. Her ultimate goal was to campaign for them with the Wizengamot and get them Being status instead of Creature status. Then maybe, in a few more years, she could write a book or two. The lack of knowledge of the Mermish population was appalling. In fact, the old myth that the first ever Merperson was cursed that way and lived in a bottle in the English Channel was still cited in almost every book Hermione had come across.

The myth was one of the reasons she was so excited to get to Dover and palaver with the Mermi there. Was it possible there was a grain of truth to it? Hermione didn't think so, but she wouldn't know if she wasn't able to speak with actual Merpeople and figure it out.

"So you're leaving now for the Mermaids?" Ron asked, startling her.

Hermione whirled around to find Ron leaning against the door to her bedroom. She and Ron both still lived in Grimmauld Place. It was hard for the three of them to quit living together, so they'd all settled into Harry's home after Hogwarts and nobody had moved out yet. Nor had Harry gotten sick of them; in fact, Hermione secretly thought that would never happen. Harry had always craved a family.

"They are called Mermi, Ron. We don't have to gender them," Hermione said for at least the tenth time that week.

"Whatever." Ron rolled his eyes. He wouldn't meet her gaze.

"What is it?" Hermione asked.

"It's just the first time you'll be gone overnight in years…"

"Is it you who is worried, or Harry?" Hermione asked. She knew that the friendship she had with Ron and Harry was a little too codependent, but the three of them had been through so much during the war that it was hard to break their dependency on each other.

"Mostly Harry," Ron said.

Hermione sighed. "Really, I'll be gone for a week at most. Probably only a couple of nights."

"I'm aware. It's not stopping Harry from sulking."

"He needs a bloody girlfriend," Hermione groused as she picked up her beaded bag and tossed her traveling cloak around her shoulders.

"Don't tell him that," Ron said, following her out of the room and down toward the study Harry had claimed as his own.

Hermione snorted but didn't answer. She didn't really want to go through the song and dance of soothing Harry's feathers, and really, it was becoming a little ridiculous. Maybe she should think about moving out after this trip?

"Harry?" She knocked on the door of his study.

He shouted for her to come in and Hermione took a deep breath before settling a bright smile on her face and opening the door.

"Hey," Harry muttered. His scowl deepened at seeing her.

"Oh, come on," Hermione sighed. "It'll only be a few nights."

"I just have a bad feeling about it, is all."

"Harry."

"I know. It's fine Hermione. Have fun. I hope you learn a lot."

"Right, I will. I'll send a Patronus if I'll be gone longer than three nights. To both of you." She included Ron in that statement with a brief look at him over her shoulder.

"Off with you, then," Harry grumbled.

Hermione rolled her eyes at him, and instead of leaving, she moved to behind the desk and kissed Harry on the top of his head. He really just needed someone around to mother him, which if Hermione was completely honest, she didn't hate having to do.

She bussed Ron's cheek on her way out of the study and hurried down the stairs before one of them could call her back again.

Her first breath outside of Grimmauld Place felt like freedom, and with a truly bright smile, Hermione Disapparated for the Dover coast.

---

The salty air whipped around her and Hermione could hardly contain her excitement. She pulled the old tent from their Horcrux hunting days and set it up with a flick of her wand. A few more flicks and the entire campsite was secured and hidden from everyone else's view. The Dover coast wasn't beachy so much as it was rocky. Hermione gingerly made her way to the sea, checking the time, to be sure she wasn't too early. She swallowed the first of the Gillyweed and waited as the skin in her neck itched something fierce. A wave of magic and a suffocating pressure in her lungs almost bowled her over. She touched her either side of her neck carefully; her gills had appeared. She shrugged off her outer robe and stuffed the rest of the Gillyweed into a zippered pocket in her wetsuit. Her wand was in another zippered pocket and Hermione slowly walked out into the ocean. Soon she was chest deep. She dove under the waves and swam forward. Her escort should be appearing soon, glancing at her wristwatch she found that she was right on time and the moment she looked up, a Mermi was in front of her. She drew up a little, startled because he seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.

He was gorgeous, with dark hair that waved in the current of the water. Topless as all Mermi were, and had a brilliant cobalt blue tail. Hermione wondered what that tail felt like. There were fins growing out of his elbows that matched the color of his tail, and the gills on the side of his head fluttered as Hermione stared at him.

"Follow me," he said in Mermish. Hermione nodded and followed as he swam off. The tail really helped the Mermi, Hermione found, and she struggled to keep up with him, despite the webbed fingers and toes the Gillyweed had given her.

She was surprised. The Mermi she had interacted with in Black Lake were quite a bit smaller than the specimen in front of her. This one was the size of a full grown human. The ones in Black Lake were about the size of a seven or eight-year-old human child. Did that mean they were different species? Hermione would have to ask when they reached the colony. She'd hopefully be meeting with their leader today. She knew the leader was a male, but beyond that, he was quite elusive. She didn't even know his name.

They swam for what felt like close to an hour, deeper and deeper until finally coming to an underwater city made of coral. It reminded her of city from the Disney movie, The Little Mermaid, which set off a whole slew of other questions for Hermione. Had a wizard been involved in making that movie? Or had it been a lot of guessing on the part of Muggles? Likely the Mermi wouldn't know, but it wouldn't hurt to ask a gentle question or two.

"Here," her guide said, still speaking in Mermish. He gestured to a doorway that was dark with seaweed hanging over it to create a curtain.

"Your leader is behind this?" Hermione confirmed.

The Mermi narrowed his eyes at her and nodded quickly. He gestured again for her to swim through the door. Taking a deep breath, Hermione reached into her pocket and stuffed another handful of Gillyweed in her mouth, renewing the effects instantly. Summoning her Gryffindor courage around her like a cloak, Hermione swam through the seaweed into a small room. It was lit by some sort of bioluminescent creature, it looked almost like a sea star that clung to the walls and ceiling. She would have given anything to study further, but there were more pressing matters.

Floating before her was none other than Draco Malfoy. Draco Malfoy, who had disappeared from the wizarding world five years ago, almost immediately after the war. His silver-blond hair was longer, floating in the water, making him look ethereal. He was bare chested as all Mermi were, and had a brilliant silver Mermi tail. Draco Malfoy was somehow a Mermi. Not only that—by all indications, he was their leader. He wore a crown of deep blue coral and carried a gold trident.

A hundred thoughts and emotions passed through Hermione's brain as she tried to wrap her mind about what she was seeing. How had this happened? What did it mean?

His face was stony as he took her in, and then he pointed his trident at her. "Sorry, Granger," he said in English and a bolt of purple magic erupted from the trident, hitting her in the side. Everything went black, but not before Hermione saw a sadness creep into his icy-grey eyes.

---

When Hermione awoke it was to a splitting headache. She blinked at first. Nothing made sense about her surroundings. It was almost as if she were still underwater, but surely that had just been a dream right? It felt like a dream. But why would she have dreamt about Draco Malfoy of all people? She must be exhausted. Surely, that was it. Exhaustion was driving her to have bizarre dreams. She opened her eyes again, and still, something was off. Slowly she sat up to find that not only was she underwater, but she also had a bright gold Mermi tail in place of where her legs had been.

"What in the bloody fuck?" she muttered to herself. Her heart stopped at the sight before her. She tentatively reached her hand out and patted where the tail started at her waist. That's when she realized she was no longer wearing the wetsuit she had put on. In fact, she was topless. Panic set in. How could she be a Mermi? How in the world would this have even happened? There was no spell or charm that she knew of to turn someone into a Mermi. They were an entirely different species. Her hands fluttered up to her neck and she was slightly relieved to still have gills. At least she wouldn't drown. She slid her hands back down her abdomen, feeling the slight ruffle where her tail started. The tail itself was warm and smooth. A little slimy, like a fish's scales would be, but not overly so.

"Takes a bit to get used to," a deep voice addressed her in English.

Hermione whipped around to face the doorway of the room. It wasn't a proper door, just an opening with seaweed hanging in it for privacy. Malfoy was floating there. That's when Hermione realized she was still topless and covered her breasts from his view.

"What the fuck happened to me?" Hermione asked him. She tried to infuse her voice with rage, but she wasn't sure she was successful. To her ears, she sounded scared. She removed her right arm, covering herself with just her left as she felt around for her wand.

"Looking for this?" Malfoy asked, twirling her wand between his fingers.

"Malfoy! Give me that back! And turn me back!" Hermione shouted at him.

"Won't. Can't."

Malfoy wasn't grinning or smirking. His face was perfectly blank. Hermione had no idea how to deal with this creature in front of her.

"What did you do to me?" she asked again. She could have sighed in relief that her voice at least sounded steadier.

"Isn't it obvious? I've given you a new life. You're one of the Syreni now."

"Syreni?" Hermione asked. She'd never heard the term before.

"Oh, you probably still think of us as Mermaids and Mermen," Malfoy snorted. "We call ourselves the Syreni."

"I've been calling you the Mermi, gender neutral."

Malfoy rolled his eyes.

"Why are you here?" she asked him. If he wasn't going to tell her why he made her a Syreni, then she was going to try and find out as much other information as she could.

That's when he smirked at her. "Because I have power here, Granger."

Hermione furrowed her brow. Power? This was about power?

"I don't understand."

"You wouldn't," he snorted. "Bloody Gryffindor."

"And why did you make me a Syreni?" Hermione asked. "I didn't ask for this, Malfoy."

"You think I did? Nobody comes down here and leaves, Granger." He shrugged as if it was unimportant that he had ripped her from her life.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Hermione shouted. She had been sitting on a low piece of coral that seemed to act as a bed and unbent herself, floating slightly toward Malfoy in her agitation. She wasn't quite standing, as she didn't have legs, but her tail was pointed downward and she wasn't bent at the waist as if she were sitting. It was probably as close to standing as a Syreni was capable. She forgot to cover her breasts and in her anger, swished her tail, moving her even closer to Malfoy.

"You can't just kidnap people, Malfoy! People will look for me!" She poked him in the chest as he smirked down at her.

"Like they didn't look for me, Granger? It's not my rule anyway. I might be the leader, on the day-to-day things, but I have to follow the directions of the Old-One same as everyone else here."

"None of that made any sense," Hermione growled, shaking her head. She clenched her fists, frustrated with this situation. Frustrated that Malfoy could look so cool and composed when she felt completely off-kilter.

"It will, in time," Malfoy said. His arms had been crossed over his chest, and he dropped them to his sides, startling Hermione when she realized just how close he was to her. "You make a lovely Syreni, Granger," he said as he ran a hand very lightly down the back of her own arm. He tickled the fin he found at her elbow and Hermione was surprised to feel desire pool in her belly. It was both a turn on and frightening. She had no idea how Syreni mated and she was sure she didn't want to find out with Malfoy of all people.

"Hands off," she said as she glared at him. A swish of her tail backed her further into the room. Malfoy smirked at her again. She was beginning to hate that smirk. "I can't stay like this Malfoy, you have to turn me back."

"Can't."

She was beginning to hate that one-word refusal even more than the smirk.

"Won't you mean."

"No, Granger. I can't. It's against the rules. And even if it wasn't, I don't know how to change you back. If I did it now, you'd probably turn back to human without the benefit of Gillyweed and die anyway." He said it all so nonchalantly. Hermione was furious.

"You fucking prick!" she shouted and shoved him in the chest. "You can't do this to people! It's fucking wrong!"

"Granger!" he shouted, grabbing her around the elbows. Instantly, that feeling of arousal flooded her core and she became limp in his arms. "Get hold of yourself," he hissed into her face. His face was finally showing an emotion and Hermione was terrified by it. He looked incensed at her outburst. Her terror was warring with desire and her eyes fluttered as she tried to make sense of it all.

Abruptly, Malfoy seemed to realize what he was doing and dropped her arms as if they had burnt him. The desire cooled somewhat, and it left a sick feeling of terror in her belly. She had to get out of this. What would Harry and Ron do when she didn't show up in a few days? She didn't know if Malfoy was her best bet in figuring a way out of this mess, but he was their leader and at least somewhat familiar to her.

"Who's the Old-One?" Hermione asked. She backed up entirely from Malfoy and sat on the coral bed at the opposite side of the room. She longed to put her head in her hands but didn't want to show that amount of weakness in front of him.

Malfoy narrowed his eyes at her. He ran a hand through his hair in an entirely human gesture that surprised Hermione. "I'm not sure you're ready for all the legends of our people yet, Granger."

"I've been researching the Syreni for five years. I have the utmost respect for the Syreni people and would be honored to hear the legends." She knew she was being placating, but if she was going to figure a way out of this mess, it would be better catch him with honey than vinegar.

Malfoy watched her for a long moment, seeming to consider her. Hermione held her ground, her hands still in her lap. Her tail warm and silky beneath her fingertips. It was a beautiful color.

"Come with me," Malfoy finally said and turned, moving out of the doorway. Hermione hurried to follow, straightening herself and swimming after him. It was entirely bizarre to be swimming with one lower appendage versus the two she'd had her entire life, but somehow it felt natural at the same time. At least, she didn't feel like she was flailing as she swam after Malfoy.

He swam her in and out of the huge complex they seemed to be in. There were lots of long corridors, some ramps going up and down. Hermione felt thoroughly lost. She knew even if she did find a way back to her human form, she wouldn't be able to navigate her way out of the building and to the surface. And even if she did get to the surface, how far out in the channel were they? Hermione had no way of knowing. They passed many Syreni along the way, but Hermione recognized none of them and none of them acknowledged her. They all nodded respectfully at Malfoy and ignored her completely.

Finally, Malfoy led her to a large room with a domed ceiling. She couldn't quite tell if the dome was some sort of barrier or not, but it was clear like glass and let the light from the surface filter down. What shocked her the most was that it was a library. Instead of books, there were stone tablets that would withhold being kept underwater for years.

"Is it all in Mermish?" Hermione asked as she spun in a slow circle to take in the room properly.

"Syrenish, but yes," Malfoy confirmed with a nod. "You'll find what you're looking for in here, Granger. Well, you'll find parts of it. You won't find a way to become human again. As I said, that is out of the question."

"I don't understand any of this," Hermione said shaking her head. She really didn't. Why invite her down here just to curse her into being a Syreni for the rest of her life?

"Read some of our texts. I'll come back for you when dinner is ready and we can talk," Malfoy said. He turned and left the room. The door was blocked with some sort of magic. Hermione tried to follow him but was unable to make it through the seaweed that covered the opening. That left the dome above. It looked like it was wide open, but Hermione had to assume there was some sort of barrier, otherwise, all manner of creatures would be living in the library. As far as Hermione could see, the library seemed rather clean and clear of any debris. She didn't even see a barnacle anywhere.

Instead of looking at the stone tablets for more research, Hermione decided it would be prudent to figure out if the dome was indeed some sort of barrier. She swam up and discovered it wasn't a dome at all. It was just a flat barrier over the circular room, allowing the light through. Hermione could touch the barrier, but it didn't feel like glass or anything else human made. Rather it felt sort of slimy, like her tail. She wondered what it was made of and if it was easily broken? Not that she could do anything about it even if she could get to the surface. She was still stuck as a Syreni. And as much research as Hermione had done over the last few years, she'd never once come across a curse that would turn someone into a Syreni, which meant there was no counter-curse that would turn someone back into a human.

She drifted back down to the ground and began sifting through the stone tablets. She could read most of them, although her Syrenish wasn't completely proficient. She often worked with a dictionary, but that wasn't possible down here. She frowned at the dialects that were either older or from another part of the world that she couldn't read.

While everything she read was very interesting, nothing was much of a surprise. Hermione had already surmised much of the information she'd found, which meant she was able to validate her research if she could ever get to the surface. Syreni were capable of magic, she knew that. Did that mean they were related to wizards like house elves and goblins were? How did they fit into the magical Being puzzle? She didn't know and nothing she'd come across in the several hours since she'd been here led her toward an answer. She also found no hints of the founding myth of the Syreni that seemed to be the only thing that researchers wrote about on earth. That myth—that the first Syreni had been cursed and lived in a jar—was fascinating and all, but Hermione knew there could be no truth to it.

Curiously enough, she also didn't find anything in the texts that spoke of Syreni children. Nothing about babies or pregnancy or reproduction of any kind. The Syreni either didn't write that part of their culture and society down, or it was written in one of those dialects that Hermione couldn't decipher. That seemed the likely reason. They seemed to have written everything else down, why wouldn't they write down the reproductive process as well?

It was hours later when Malfoy finally came back for her. She hadn't read everything, but she felt like she'd read everything that was relevant to her current research. What she needed now was a way to get out of here. She couldn't, she wouldn't accept that she had to stay here forever. Just because Malfoy accepted it, didn't mean she had to. Any why had he accepted it? Because of power? How had he become the leader in the first place? The texts she'd read today were very enlightening, but she hadn't come across anything that was current events or political.

"Malfoy," Hermione said as he led her back through the huge complex. She was paying more attention tonight than she had in the morning. Trying to form a map of the place in her head. "How did you become the leader?"

Malfoy snorted. "Politics, Granger. I was trained in the game of politics since the time I was a child. Coming into a relatively closed-off society, one would think it would be hard to break into their political structure, but…" he trailed off and Hermione wondered if he'd come close to telling her something she wasn't supposed to know. "It doesn't matter. I was duly elected and here I am."

"Right," Hermione said. The warren of corridors was dizzying but after a long while, they came to a huge hall. It held several long tables, and Syreni of all kinds were seated, eating from the food offered. Hermione looked close to see that it was mostly various fish and seaweed. Not wholly unappetizing, similar to sushi. She wondered how food would taste underwater. The whole idea of being an entirely different species was too bizarre for Hermione's brain to contemplate, so she did what she did best: compartmentalized. Instead of worrying about the differences between human and Syreni, she needed to worry about how to get out of here.

Malfoy led her through the large room and this time, Hermione could feel the stares of the other Syreni on her. It reminded her that she was still topless, but so were all of the other female Syreni so at least she wasn't out of place, even if she felt wholly uncomfortable. He settled them in the center at the head table, and the moment they sat on the low bench, everyone around them went back to their conversations. Hermione jumped when their tails brushed together under the table.

"This is strange," Hermione murmured as she looked over the food options before her.

Malfoy snorted and placed a couple of items on her plate. "You'll like these," he commented. Then proceeded to fill his own plate. "So you spent the day in our library. What questions do you have?"

"I need to learn more dialects of Syreni," Hermione said. "I couldn't read it all. But there was nothing on reproduction or your political system."

When Malfoy snorted again, Hermione narrowed her eyes at him. Why did he find everything she said so damned humorous?

"Oh, did you find being turned into a Syreni against your will less overwhelming and confusing than I have?" Hermione spat.

"Who said I was unwilling?" Malfoy asked, looking at her out of the corner of his eye.

"Why would you choose this?" Hermione asked. "It's a wholly insular community. Who would ever choose this?"

"Because the wizarding world is so open and tolerant," Malfoy sneered. "If you are gearing up for an argument, Granger, let's at least wait until we're in private. I do have an image to keep."

Hermione glared at him before releasing a slow breath. He was right. They shouldn't argue in public. It certainly wouldn't endear anyone to her.

"Fine, then why did I find no texts on how Syreni reproduce?"

"That I can't tell you," Malfoy responded.

"As a female whose role is generally required for reproduction, I feel that it would be my right to know," Hermione said, immediately offended by his casual dismissal.

"Don't worry, Granger. Nobody down here will get you pregnant in the human or fish sense." He looked amused and Hermione found herself glaring at him again.

"Then tell me why you think being the leader of the Syreni is preferable to being a wizard."

"Did I not just ask you to not argue with me in public? Did you lose a few brain cells in the last few years?"

"You're insufferable," Hermione huffed and turned back to the food before her that she hadn't even touched. Instead of talking to Malfoy, she inspected the food before her and picked up something that did look remarkably like a sushi roll and popped it in her mouth. She hadn't realized she was hungry until the morsel practically melted in her mouth. It was delicious. Within moments, she'd cleaned her plate.

Throughout the meal, Syreni came forward to speak with Malfoy. Mostly about small grievances they had with other Syreni. It seemed mealtimes were a time when Malfoy directly answered to the public. It was fascinating to listen to and it helped her piece together the way the society was structured, even if she was ignorant of the way the political sphere was ordered.

"Do all the Syreni live here?" Hermione asked when there was a lull in petitioners.

"Well, all of the ones in our colony, yes," Malfoy said. "There are other colonies in other parts of the world, but ours is one of the largest and the oldest."

"Do the colonies operate like countries? Or is there a central governing body?"

"No, just individual colonies. There are some treaties in place. There isn't much fighting or war, but the ocean is a dangerous place so Syreni don't live alone. They live in colonies, mostly near shorelines."

The bit about the shorelines was interesting, but Hermione had a feeling he wouldn't tell her if she asked.

Finally, the meal was considered over and Malfoy led her back to the room she had woken up in that morning.

"I'm down the corridor," he said, pointing down to another seaweed covered doorway. "I know you've a lot to think about, so I'll bid you goodnight." Malfoy didn't say anything else as he swam off down the corridor. She watched as he entered his room, then retreated to her own. Malfoy was right, she did have a lot to think about, but she wasn't tired. If anything, she had more questions than answers and she knew that she wasn't going to get those answers anytime soon.

What she really wanted to do, was find a way out of the Syreni complex and make her way to the surface. She wanted to know how close to the coast they really were. She'd been gone for maybe two days? It wasn't clear how long she had been unconscious before she awoke as a Syreni. Which meant that Harry and Ron would be looking for her in two days if they didn't hear from her by tomorrow. Malfoy still had her wand, so even if she did get to the surface, she couldn't cast her Patronus.

Hermione waited another fifteen minutes, counting the seconds off in her head. She wanted to make sure Malfoy was good and asleep before she slipped out of her room and began exploring on her own.

When she felt like she couldn't wait any longer, she poked her head through her seaweed covered door to find the corridor completely empty. She knew that to the left led to the huge dining hall and library that she had already been to, so Hermione turned right. She slipped past the door that Malfoy had gone through as slowly as possible to prevent the seaweed from ruffling in the wake she created.

The entire place was a maze of rooms and corridors. Private rooms seemed to have the seaweed over the doorways and public rooms were completely open. The bioluminescent animals and barnacles were everywhere lighting her way but giving off an eerie green glow. Hermione was hopelessly lost when she stumbled upon a large public room that was rather dark. She was about to turn around and try to find her way back when someone spoke to her.

"Is someone there?" The voice sounded elderly and Hermione turned back to the dark room.

"Hello?" she said, entering the room fully. "Is there a way to turn on the lights? I can't see anything."

Suddenly a low, green light lit along the floor, casting that same eerie glow in the room. At the center of the room was the oldest looking Syreni Hermione had ever seen. She was practically dessicated. Her tail was a brilliant teal but had as many wrinkles as the human side of her body. Her hair was grey but thin to the point of having several bald patches. Her eyes were completely filmed over with white, meaning it was likely she couldn't see and her hands were curled over and looked more like claws. None of that was the most astonishing thing though. The thing that had Hermione stopping in her tracks was that she was trapped in a very large jar.

"Come closer, child," the old Syreni said, beckoning Hermione over with one of her clawed hands. Hermione swam closer, seemingly unable to disobey the command. "You're new."

"Yes," Hermione said. "Malfoy turned me today or yesterday."

"Welcome. They call me the Old-One," she said.

Hermione vaguely remembered Malfoy saying something about obeying the Old-One. "Are you…" Hermione trailed off. The myth written about the Syreni had said that they originated because a witch was cursed into one and made to live in a jar. Did that mean it was true?

"Yes," the Old-One said. "I was cursed, many, many years ago."

"Is that why you cursed the others?" Hermione asked.

"At first," the Old-One said with a slight chuckle. It was a rusty sound that grated against Hermione's nerves. "I was young and lonely. My jar used to be kept at the end of a pier, before I had made enough others like me and we moved the colony here."

Something clicked in Hermione's head. "So that means the Syreni can't reproduce."

"Yes. The only way to make a new Syreni is to curse a new human. There is no natural reproduction within the Syreni population."

"That's barbaric!" Hermione shouted. She was immediately incensed that she had been cursed to a life she didn't want because these creatures couldn't have children.

"It's what has always been done," the Old-One said. There was a sense of finality in her voice that had Hermione backing away from the jarred prison.

"There has to be another way," Hermione said shaking her head as she backed away.

"There's not," the Old-One said with the same finality.

"I thought I might find you here, Granger," Malfoy said from the entrance of the room. Hermione whirled around to find him floating near the door. He nodded at the Old-One respectfully and Hermione narrowed her eyes at him.

"You are the one who did this to me!" she shouted as she swam closer.

"Take your petty bickering elsewhere," the Old-One said, "I find I'm tiring."

Malfoy grabbed Hermione's arm above her elbow fin and dragged her along down the corridor. Hermione struggled for a few moments, but when Malfoy's hand only tightened, she resolved herself to going wherever it was he wanted to take her.

He took a straighter route than Hermione had on her way there and they were back in the same corridor that held both of their rooms. This time, Malfoy pushed her through the doorway to his own room. It looked much like Hermione's only larger.

"Am I allowed to yell at you yet?" Hermione hissed.

"Yell away, Granger," Malfoy said. He sounded resigned to a tongue lashing from her which Hermione was happy to give him.

"How could you do this to me, Draco? Why would you curse me to this life? I know we never really got along, but is this all you think of me?" Hermione hoped by using his first name, she would get through to him. He did start a bit when he heard it.

"You should feel honored that I made you into something that I am," Malfoy said haughtily.

"You're a prat," Hermione hissed. "You cursed me because Syreni can't reproduce, right? It's the only way to get more people in your population and it's fucking barbaric!"

"On the plus side, you'll probably live for a good three hundred years or so," Malfoy shrugged.

Hermione was irritated that he was so calm when she was so upset. She wanted him to get upset with her.

"Did you really choose this? How would you even know about it to make a choice? It seems like your standard modus operandi is to do it on the sly."

Malfoy sighed. "Alright, I didn't choose to become Syreni, but it's done now, and frankly, it's still better than living in post-war Britain. You wouldn't understand," he said dismissively.

"Oh, you think being a war hero is all it's cracked up to be?" Hermione scoffed.

"Better than getting spat on in the street," Malfoy hissed.

Hermione was secretly pleased that she had coaxed some sort of emotional response out of him. "Yes, of course, people are mean to you," Hermione sneered. She narrowed her eyes at him. "I was tortured. Do you recall? You ought to, you were there. I still have nightmares. I can barely leave my house for being mobbed by people wanting a piece of the war hero, a piece of the Golden Trio. It's disgusting."

Malfoy laughed meanly. "You weren't the only one tortured, sweetheart," he said snidely. "Even as a Syreni, I still have the tremors that the Cruciatus causes. And I guarantee your nightmares have nothing on mine."

They had been drifting closer as they argued and now were floating practically chest to chest. Hermione's chest was heaving, almost brushing against Malfoy's in her anger.

"I noticed you don't have the Dark Mark anymore, no wonder you like being Syreni," Hermione sneered.

Malfoy growled and Summoned his trident from across the room. A flick and Malfoy shoved his forearm in Hermione's face.

"Don't worry, my greatest shame is still there on my skin for all to see, I just prefer to keep it covered." He looked disgusted with her and suddenly, Hermione felt sorry for him. As bad as she had it during the war and after the war, it couldn't compare to him. A former Death Eater who was pardoned based on his age.

"I'm sorry," she offered, placing her hand on his arm, right over his Dark Mark.

He flinched and pulled his arm away, dropping it back to his side.

"It's fine," he said gruffly.

"It's not," Hermione said. "It's not fine that people would treat you badly for something you were forced to do as a child. It's not fine to be pardoned by the Wizengamot and yet suffer the consequences socially. And it's definitely not fine that you were forced into a war you didn't want as a child."

"You were forced too," Malfoy reminded her. "It wasn't just me."

"True, but I could have run away to the Muggle world. Snapped my wand and washed my hands of the lot of you."

"Why did you stay?" Malfoy asked.

"Harry," Hermione said. Malfoy snorted and rolled his eyes.

"He's like my brother," Hermione said. "You may dislike him, but Harry had the rawest deal of the lot of us. Raised in an abusive home to be slaughtered because Dumbledore thought that was best. He'd been manipulated almost his entire life by people more powerful than him. He was raised to be a sacrifice and it's sheer luck that he's not dead now."

"Merlin," Malfoy breathed backing away from her slightly.

Hermione moved with him. As they'd been talking, she'd spotted her wand lying on a small shelf near his bed. She wanted her wand because she had an idea.

"I really am sorry," Hermione said, reaching out to touch his arm again. This time her fingers settled on the fins at his elbow. Malfoy grunted and his eyes fluttered and Hermione wondered if perhaps the elbow fins were pleasure centers to make up for the fact that the Syreni didn't have typical reproductive organs.

"How does this work?" Hermione asked, fluttering her fingers in his fins. They felt soft and flickered between her fingers. She could feel her own desire pooling in her belly.

"Fuck," Malfoy grunted. "Feels good."

"I had gathered," Hermione murmured. She peeked up at him to see that his eyes were closed. She swam a little closer and twisted her body enough that she could reach her wand with her other hand. She snatched it up and with a quick charm, stuck it underneath her heavy hair. She hoped he wouldn't notice that it was gone. "But how does it work?"

"No reproductive organs," Malfoy panted. His chest was heaving and Hermione wondered if he would or could orgasm from this. She kept a steady, gentle motion of her fingers on his fin. "So, we have these fins. Touching them causes pleasure. Extreme pleasure."

"Can you climax?" Hermione asked.

Malfoy snorted. "I've never tried, but I hear it's possible. With enough stimulation."

Hermione grinned at him and dropped her hand away.

"Fuck, Granger," Malfoy said after a long moment, finally opening his eyes to gaze at her lazily.

"Good?" Hermione asked, giving him a cheeky grin and cocking her head to her side.

Malfoy smirked at her and leaned forward, pressing a kiss to the corner of her mouth. "Yeah," he breathed against her cheek, causing butterflies to erupt in Hermione's stomach. She pulled back from him and smiled softly.

"I should get some sleep," Hermione said.

Malfoy nodded. "Night, Granger."

"Night, Draco," Hermione said in response and quickly left the room.

It was already dark on the surface, making the entire complex much darker than it had been during the day. Hermione didn't care about that though, she had to get herself out of the complex and to the surface so she could get back to her campsite. She'd had an epiphany while arguing with Malfoy and wanted to get back to her research as quickly as possible. Preferably before Harry and Ron would begin looking for her. Who knew what they would do when they found her abandoned tent?

It wasn't something she could risk, but now that she had her wand, things would be infinitely easier. She swam as quickly as she could without disturbing the rest of the seaweed doors and made it back to the dining area which was virtually deserted.

"Point me," she whispered once she pulled her wand free from her hair. Her wand spun in her hand and then pointed off toward her left. She followed it down a maze of corridors and past many, many rooms before she quite abruptly found herself in the open sea. A yawning blackness opened before her and fear flittered along her nerves. Anything could be waiting for her in the open ocean, a threat she had not realized when she had been planning the escape. It didn't matter now. She couldn't show up on the Dover coast as a Syreni in broad daylight. A Muggle might see her. No, she needed to do this now. She took a few deep breaths, summoning all of her Gryffindor courage and swam as quickly as she was able to up toward the surface.

The first thing she had to do was orient herself on the surface so she could accurately find her camp. It was many long minutes before her head broke through the waves and she was breathing air. Her gills burned as they flapped, trying to pull in water that wasn't there. Hermione ignored the pain, her nose seemed to work just fine for breathing the air.

"Point me," she said again and her wand spun, pointing almost directly in front of her. Hermione took off, swimming quickly. The Syreni tail was strong, allowing her to cut through the waves in a way she'd never been able to do as a human. It wasn't long until she was at the Dover coast. She could just barely make out her tent.

"Accio beaded bag," Hermione hissed from the edge of the water. Her gills were really burning now.

Her bag came zooming out of the tent and into Hermione's waiting hand. She cast a permanent Impervious charm to the bag and all of the contents first thing. Then she brought the whole thing with her into the water. She would have to continue enchanting the bag and especially the books within it. Despite the 'permanency' of the charm, it wasn't truly permanent. Subjected to harsh conditions, such as being underwater, would allow the charm to wear off after a while.

It felt like it took much less time for Hermione to return back to the Syreni complex and her room. The surface was still dark, and she hoped she would be able to find what she was looking for and still get a little sleep yet that night.

---

The following day, Malfoy came by Hermione's room and escorted her to breakfast.

"Will you tell me the story of how you became Syreni?" Hermione asked. She hoped that Malfoy would allow her to have some free rein today and not lock her in the library again. But to safeguard against that, she'd hidden her wand in her hair again.

"Not much to tell," Malfoy grunted as he speared a piece of fish with a fork. "I was lonely, depressed and spending a lot of my time at a family home on the coast of Dorset."

He paused for a long moment, looking lost in thought. Hermione had a hundred questions, but sat silent, waiting for him to tell his story.

"A beautiful Syreni started making an appearance in the waves in the distance," Malfoy said. "I spent a lot of time on the beach, watching the waves roll in. Ostensibly I was trying to figure out what to do with my life. Reality was more complicated. Depression, anxiety, they warred within me and I couldn't figure out where my life had gone wrong. I was angry. Angry at my parents, definitely, but also angry at myself. My parents didn't raise me to be anything less than self-assured and here I was doubting everything I knew about myself and my family and the world at large." Malfoy laughed ruefully and shook his head. "I was an eighteen-year-old kid with no fucking clue what to do with the life that I found myself in.

"The Syreni kept appearing, day after day. At first, I was sure I was hallucinating. It didn't occur to me that she was Syreni, I thought it was something I was dreaming up. But then she began coming closer and closer. Finally, she appeared on a rock halfway out in the bay. She appeared there for days, never coming any closer and my curiosity got the best of me. I transfigured myself a boat and went out to meet her."

He was quiet for so long that Hermione couldn't help but prompt him. "What happened then?" She noticed that the dining area had thinned out noticeably since Malfoy had begun his story.

"We talked. We talked every day for three weeks. Her name was Olivia. She was beautiful, kind, and just listened to me. She listened when I raged, she listened when I cried, she listened to every insane thing I thought for three weeks. Then she invited me to come down to see her home. She even had some Gillyweed." He shook his head, laughing quietly.

"I was half in love already and swallowed the Gillyweed without a second thought. I may have been eighteen, but I was still a child in some sense. I followed her down here and when I got here, the leader of the Syreni...made me Syreni, too."

Hermione noticed he didn't say cursed, although he'd hesitated as though he had thought about it.

"So all that tosh about choices?" Hermione asked.

"What can I say, Granger? It's not a choice, but if you make it down here, well, you've already made some choices that led you here."

Hermione huffed but decided not to argue with him. She had other things to do this morning.

"What happened to her?" Hermione asked. "Olivia?"

"She's still here, somewhere," Malfoy said, indicating the hall in front of them. "Although we've since had a falling out. Well, it appears this meal has ended," Malfoy said in an abrupt change of subject. "Can I trust you to keep yourself inside the Syreni complex today? Or shall I lock you in the library again?"

"Please don't," Hermione said. "I'll behave. I'd love to explore and work on getting my bearings if that's alright?"

Malfoy nodded and bid her adieu before swimming off. Hermione almost couldn't believe that he believed her. She didn't think she was that good of an actor, but perhaps Malfoy didn't know her that well. She swam back to her room. She wanted to read through all of her research including a few of the myths she'd been collecting as she researched.

At the time, she had hoped to debunk each of the myths, perhaps in a book, but now, she wanted to review the myths to see what they said about breaking the curse. Because as she recalled, all curses could be broken in myths. So if the myth about the first Syreni was true, then perhaps the way to break the curse of that myth was also true. At least, that's how Hermione hoped it would work. She had know idea what she would do if this theory didn't pan out. It was her only lead and she was desperate for it to work.

It took her most of the day to read through each variation of the myth and to categorize the differences and similarities amongst them. The one thing she'd found among it all, though, was how the curse was to be broken. Every myth mentioned it, which led Hermione to believe it had to be true.

She was just doing a final readthrough of the notes she made and casting an additional Impervius charm on everything when Malfoy entered her room.

"I thought I'd find you…" he trailed off as he took in the scene before him. Books and parchment were everywhere. Hermione had switched to Muggle-style pens years ago and one was floating in front of her.

"Um—"

"What is all this?" Malfoy asked. His voice was quiet, almost deadly. Hermione knew he would be upset, but she had hoped he wouldn't be too upset.

"My research," Hermione said.

"So what? You thought you'd come down here, research the freaks and go back to the surface? Don't you get it, Granger? There is no way to change you back to human. The sooner you realize that the better." Hermione couldn't help but note that a hint of bitterness had crept into his voice.

"But what if that's not the case?" Hermione asked. "What if there's a way for us to become human again?"

"Even if that were true—which it's not—I don't want to be a human. I like being Syreni. I like leading my people. This is where I belong."

Hermione looked at him sadly. He was trying so hard to convince himself that this was what he wanted. "Don't you miss it?" Hermione asked. "Don't you miss, breathing air, being able to go wherever you want? What about your parents? Don't you miss them?"

Malfoy glared at her for a long moment before turning around. "Fuck," he muttered under his breath, running his hands through his hair. His tail twitched in agitation and Hermione watched the muscles ripple along his back as he mulled things over.

When he didn't turn around after what felt like had been a long time, Hermione approached him, placing her hand on his back. His skin was warm and smooth beneath her fingers.

"Draco, come back with me. Come back to the surface and be a human again," Hermione pleaded.

"I'm scared," Malfoy finally admitted. "I'm scared of what life up there will be like. I-I've been down here for so long and…"

"But it's not real. It's not who you are or who you want to be," Hermione said. "I'll help you. If we are able to really do this. If my idea will work, I'll do everything I can to help you."

Malfoy snorted. "As if any of your ideas were terrible. What does it involve?"

"It's easy actually. You know the originating myth of the Syreni?" Hermione asked. She turned from Malfoy and ruffled through her notes again.

"I'm aware. I even know that it's mostly true," Malfoy said ruefully.

"Right," Hermione replied. "Well if the myth is mostly true then perhaps the way to break the curse is also mostly true."

"You mean break the jar?" Malfoy confirmed.

"Yeah, break the jar," Hermione said, looking up at him. "According to the myths the curse originated from Nimue. Perhaps we could invoke her in someway and save anyone who wanted to remain as a Syreni? I haven't gotten that far."

"We invoke Nimue rather frequently," Malfoy said. "As a part of transferring power from the current leader to a new leader."

"I think we'll need permission from the Old-One, at the very least," Hermione said.

"No, everybody needs to know. I'll call a council meeting. There will be many who won't be happy about this, Granger."

"I'm almost surprised at how well you are taking it," Hermione admitted.

Malfoy offered her a lazy smirk. He reached a hand out and tickled her elbow fins. If Hermione had knees, they would have buckled. An intense pleasure flooded her body and she drifted closer to Malfoy. Close enough that he dipped his head and pressed his lips to hers. Hermione melted into the kiss as it seemed to sear her very soul. She wanted more, she wanted to be closer and she used the arm that Malfoy wasn't pleasuring to hold him to her, pressing their chests together. Her nipples hardened as they pressed against his chest. Malfoy deepened the kiss, sliding his tongue along hers. When he pulled away moments later, Hermione was gasping. Malfoy had his hand firmly above her elbow, holding her upright.

"I'm doing it because I want to know what that feels like on the surface," Malfoy said, his voice husky. His lips pressed soft kisses along her jaw. "I want to know what it feels like when you clench around my cock."

Hermione whined deep in her throat at the thought of being filled by Malfoy. "I want that, too."

"It's excellent motivation, isn't it?" His hot lips pressed against the shell of her ear causing gooseflesh to erupt all over. He then released her entirely. "Council meeting will happen directly after dinner," he said before leaving the room entirely.

Hermione found herself sitting down hard on her low coral bed. That had been intense. Who knew the sexual chemistry between her and Malfoy would be that extreme? She'd barely spent a few days with him and he had her practically on the floor begging for him. And the naughty things he had whispered in her ear, Merlin! If she still had a cunt it would be clenching in need right now. Instead, the heavy feeling of arousal was in her belly. Experimentally, she reached her left hand out to tickle the fins on her right elbow. It felt nice, but nothing like it did when Malfoy touched her.

Taking a deep, calming breath, Hermione returned to her research. She had a meeting to prepare for.

---

Dinner felt tense, and Hermione didn't know if the cause was the tension that lurked between her and Malfoy, or the meeting that was to follow directly after dinner. What happened if the rest of the Syreni wanted nothing to do with this? Would Hermione be stuck here forever? She shuddered at the thought. She would miss Harry and Ron too much. Hell, she'd miss sex too much, if she was honest. She'd miss all the bits about being human she enjoyed, the sun on her face, snow, walking through Diagon Alley, window shopping. Hell, even seeing anything other than this complex. It seemed as if the Syreni hardly left where they lived. What a dull and boring existence. Hermione sighed, picking at her food.

"Nervous?" Malfoy asked. His voice was low so nobody else sitting near them could hear.

"A bit," Hermione admitted. "What happens if this doesn't work? What happens if most of the Syreni decide they'd rather stay Syreni? I can't live like this Malfoy. I can't…"

"Hey, Granger," Malfoy settled his hand on top of hers, giving it a light squeeze. "We'll make it work."

Hermione wasn't sure if he meant that they'd figure a way out if the Syreni decided against it or if he would do what he could if she was stuck down here. Logically, she knew that some of the blame lay at his feet. Did he see it that way, too?

A short time later, dinner started to wind down. The plates and leftover food was cleared away. Hermione still hadn't quite figured out how the society and magic worked down here. Did they have house elves? She hadn't seen any if they did.

"Thank you for staying for the council meeting," Malfoy said after he rose from his seat. Hermione could feel hundreds of eyes on her and she gazed back out into the sea of faces as calmly as she could. "We've come across new information about how the Syreni people came to be," Malfoy said. "I'm not going to sugarcoat it. You all elected me because I was willing to tell the hard truths. So here it is. The Old-One was cursed, as we all know. She was cursed to become a Syreni and live in a jar many hundreds of years ago. That curse has prevented her from leaving her jar, but it also gave her the power to make others like her, like us."

Malfoy paused for a moment, quiet as the crowd grew slightly agitated.

"Part of the curse is that Syreni are unable to propagate. Which is why we add to our numbers the way we do. The way we were all added." Malfoy waved his arm indicating the entirety of the hall.

Except for the slight current in the water, the entire hall was silent, waiting to hear what Malfoy would say next.

"We have an opportunity to break that curse," Malfoy said.

Chaos erupted. Shouting from all corners of the hall, Syreni turning to their neighbors in furious discussion with each other. Hermione watched as the energy in the hall seemed to increase exponentially until Malfoy banged the bottom of his trident against the tabletop. After several long moments, the hall finally quieted.

"Please let me explain," Malfoy said. "We can break the curse, but we don't have the full implications of that yet."

"What's that mean?" someone from the back asked.

"It means that we need to consult Nimue. I imagine some of you would like to stay Syreni, while others may be more keen to return to life as a human."

"It's because of her, isn't it?" a beautiful Syreni with gorgeous brown hair asked, pointing directly at Hermione. She had a lovely emerald green tail, but the look on her face was ugly and twisted. Hermione wondered if that was Olivia.

"Hermione did find the answer to ending the curse," Malfoy said. "But that's not why I'm announcing it to you. I think as a people we should decide our next course of action. I'm suggesting we Summon Nimue and find out our options before doing anything else."

There was some grumbling and a few more questions asked, but eventually, most of the Syreni in attendance agreed that at the very least they should consult Nimue. Malfoy scheduled the Summoning to happen the following day after breakfast. First, though, he had to consult with the Old-One.

"Should I come with?" Hermione asked nervously. She and Malfoy were swimming back toward their quarters. She wanted to ask him about the green-tailed Syreni but held her tongue just in time.

"No, get some sleep," Malfoy said, giving her a soft smile. He leaned forward and placed a small kiss against her temple. Hermione offered him a half-smile before disappearing into her room.

She came face-to-face with the emerald-tailed Syreni.

"Oh, hello," Hermione said, drawing up short. The other Syreni didn't look pleased, but even with the sour expression, Hermione could see that she was beautiful.

"What is your agenda?" she asked.

"I don't want to be Syreni," Hermione said simply. "I didn't come here to become Syreni, I came here to study the Syreni people and culture in order to help the wizarding government liaise better with your people."

"You say that is if you aren't one of us," the other woman accused.

"I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name," Hermione said. "I'm Hermione Granger."

"Olivia Carver," she said. She didn't take Hermione's proffered hand. Instead, she crossed her arms over her chest, pushing out her already ample cleavage. Hermione had kept herself separate enough from the rest of the Syreni that she still flushed when she caught sight of another woman's breasts. Most of the Syreni had hair long enough to cover them, but still, it embarrassed Hermione.

Olivia apparently noticed, she snorted at the look on Hermione's face. "You aren't even really Syreni yet," she said. "You may look the part, but you certainly don't act like it."

"I'm alright with that," Hermione replied, narrowing her eyes. "I don't want to be Syreni. I want to be human."

"You want to take Draco away from us," Olivia accused. Hermione could see that she was practically vibrating in anger. "He's the best leader we've had in years, and you can't just waltz in here and take him from us!"

"From the Syreni people or from you personally?" Hermione asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Listen here," Olivia said through gritted teeth. She drew herself up so that she was floating higher than Hermione. "I don't particularly care if you stay or if you go, but you aren't taking Draco with you."

"Draco is a grown man," Hermione said, infusing her voice with steel. "He will make his own choices. Perhaps if you hadn't tricked him in the first place, he wouldn't even be thinking of leaving the Syreni."

Olivia's jaw tightened and Hermione wondered if she was about to be hit, but with an angry huff, Olivia pushed past her and left the room. Hermione's heart was racing as she tried to take deep breaths to calm her nerves. She hoped the Summoning with Nimue in the morning went well. All she wanted was to get back to the surface. At this point, if Malfoy did decide to stay down here, she would be disappointed, but more than anything she wanted out of here.

---

Hermione had barely picked at her breakfast before following Malfoy back to the Old-One's chambers. That's where they would summon Nimue. Hermione was unsure of her reception from the Old-One and Malfoy was giving nothing away this morning. He'd barely even greeted her when she had shown up at breakfast. She could feel Olivia glaring daggers at her, as well. Hermione really hoped that Nimue would have more than one option available for the Syreni.

As she followed in Malfoy's wake, Hermione wondered if she could get Nimue to change just her back if everything else failed. She hated the idea of owing a goddess anything, but she would rather do that than live down here. The allure had thoroughly worn off and the more Hermione thought about life underwater, the worse she felt about it all.

The Old-One was awake and alert when they arrived in her chamber. The bioluminescent creatures were already lit, and when she and Malfoy entered the Old-One turned toward them. Hermione knew she couldn't see them, but it didn't stop an eerie feeling from creeping up her spine as those milky eyes followed their movements.

"Why have you come here, child?" the Old-One asked. She was staring directly at Hermione.

"Er, I thought Malfoy had explained…" Hermione trailed off, looking at Malfoy helplessly.

"No, why did you come down here in the first place?" the Old-One asked. "Why did you seek our people out?"

"I wanted to help you liaise with the wizarding government," Hermione said. "I wanted to reclassify the Syreni as a Being instead of just a Creature. I wanted to give you a seat at the table, so to speak."

"We care nothing for the wizarding world or government," the Old-One spat with a visage of anger. "We never have and we never will. We leave them alone and they leave us alone."

"I—"

"No! I'm not finished speaking!" the Old-One roared. "You come down here and want to destroy all that I have created!"

"I meant no disrespect," Hermione whispered. Despite everything, Hermione could very clearly see why the Old-One was angry. She'd bumbled into this mess with more arrogance than knowledge. And now that she was facing the consequences, she was willing to blow up this entire society to get what she wanted. She was really a selfish cow. How could anyone even stand to be around her? She began backing toward the doorway when Malfoy caught up to her with a light touch to her shoulder.

"She's working her magic on you, Granger," Malfoy murmured into her ear. "She's sowing doubts. It's how she lured the first of the Syreni down here. She's very good at it."

"She's not wrong," Hermione said, shaking her head. "I've been unbelievably arrogant and blasé about this whole thing."

"Maybe," Malfoy shrugged. "But I think more people than you suspect are interested in going back to the surface."

Hermione bit her lip as she looked up at Malfoy. She could still feel the doubts swirling in her head, but Malfoy was right. This society was contrived and unsustainable without cursing others to this way of life. She nodded swiftly.

"There's my girl," Malfoy murmured against the top of her head and dropped a kiss there. Hermione felt suffused with heat at the proclamation that she was his. She buried any sort of hope deep inside her. They had work to do.

Malfoy led her across the chamber, behind the jar where the Old-One floated. She found a small altar with a circle in front of it carved into the stone floor.

"The circle is small, but we should both fit in it," Malfoy said. "Let's get started." For the first time that morning, Hermione understood that Malfoy, too, was nervous about this.

Once they were inside the circle, Malfoy pointed his trident at the floor and swung it in a circle, muttering a spell under his breath that Hermione didn't quite catch. A bright blue light flowed out of the trident and encircled them both. Malfoy faced the altar, so Hermione copied him and he began chanting in a low voice. Hermione couldn't catch all of the words, but she got the gist of it. He was both calling Nimue to him and praising her at the same time. It was rather fascinating as Hermione had never participated in a Summoning before.

A flash of white from the altar filled the chamber for a moment, blinding them both for a long moment. When Hermione could finally see again, a very tall woman stood on the altar. She didn't have a Syreni tail, although the ragged dress she wore was a similar shade to many of the Syreni tails she'd seen, a lovely oceanic blue color. Her hair was pitch black and long, almost to her waist.

"Why have you called me forth, Syreni? Have you had a change in leadership?" Nimue asked. Her voice was a multitude of many voices and terrible, like steel wool grating along ceramic. Hermione shivered upon hearing it. She barely kept the cringe off her face at the sound of it.

"No, my lady," Malfoy said deferentially. He bowed his head and Hermione dropped her eyes, copying his movements. "We have called you forth to inquire about the curse of the Syreni people."

The snort that Nimue let loose was incongruous with how she looked and Hermione found herself glancing up sharply.

"I had wondered how long it would take one of the Syreni to come to me with questions." Malfoy seemed unsure of what to say to that. Hermione opened her mouth, but Nimue continued. "Go on, ask your questions."

"If we end the curse, what are our options?" Malfoy asked.

"What do you want them to be, Syreni?" Nimue asked. She was still chuckling slightly and the sound was as jarring as her voice. It seemed as if a hundred voices was buried in that one voice and Hermione didn't want to think too hard on what that implied.

"I wouldn't presume to tell you what we'd prefer," Malfoy deferred.

"I am directly asking," Nimue stated. Her voice hardened and Hermione felt herself sink lower, Malfoy grabbed her arm above her elbow fins, which stopped her tail from almost hitting the back side of the circle around them. Nimue's eyes narrowed at the small space between the edge of Hermione's tail and the circle. Hermione took a deep breath and straightened. Even she knew how dangerous it was to Summon a deity without a circle around her. Nimue would have the power to do all sorts of terrible things to her if she allowed the circle to break and fall.

"Some of the Syreni want to stay as Syreni," Malfoy said. "Others want to become human again. The Syreni would want to be able to reproduce."

Hermione looked at him sharply, he had certainly been thinking harder about this than she had. She hadn't considered that if the curse were broken, there couldn't be more Syreni made. That was all part of the curse to begin with.

"And if I make this happen?" Nimue asked. "Will the Syreni still worship at my feet?"

"Of course, my lady," Malfoy answered, bowing his head once more. "The Syreni will always revere The Lady of the Lake."

"Fine," Nimue snapped her fingers. "It shall be done. Break the jar around the Old-One and allow her to perish. Once that happens, the same spell that makes humans Syreni will do the reverse to any Syreni who wants to be human again. It has a limit, though. There will be no changing of the mind a month from now."

"Of course, my lady," Malfoy said, bowing his head even deeper. "You honor our people by allowing us to adore and idolize you."

"Be swift about it, Syreni," Nimue said. "Break the jar within the next two hours or the deal is off the table for good." And with that Nimue disappeared from view.

"Bloody hell," Hermione breathed, gazing at the spot where Nimue had just been.

"Come on, there is much to do in the next two hours," Malfoy said. He pointed his trident again at the circle and the subtle blue sheen that had surrounded them disappeared with a pop.

"You would do this, knowing you are consigning me to death?" the Old-One asked the moment they were clear of the circle.

"Do you honestly want to continue to live your life in this jar?" Hermione asked. "How fulfilling can your life really be?"

"It is enough," the Old-One said. "But if my people wish to be free, I shall make the necessary sacrifice."

Malfoy's eyebrows raised at that. Hermione suspected that he would have allowed the Old-One to die without her permission if it came to it. She wondered what that meant about how Malfoy had lived for the past five years. A few days ago he had seemed perfectly content to continue living the life of a Syreni. Now, he was willing to blow it all up. Hermione wasn't stupid enough to believe any of it had to do with her, regardless of what Malfoy said. He'd had a life before becoming Syreni. She was sure that he wanted to continue that life.

"Thank you," Malfoy nodded his head in reverence to the Old-One. "It eases my heart to know that you will allow this."

The Old-One nodded, but said nothing and turned away from them. Malfoy took that to mean they were dismissed and grabbed Hermione by the hand, pulling her out of the chamber with him.

"What are we doing?" Hermione asked as Malfoy led her back toward the hall where they ate their meals.

"Calling another council meeting. The Syreni people need to make a decision about their lives."

Malfoy led her through the corridors until they reached the hall. It was empty, which surprised Hermione, but then Malfoy approached a bell she hadn't noticed before. It hung high above the hall, near the coral ceiling. Malfoy pulled the cord and rang the bell. The sound was deafening and within moments Syreni began pouring into the hall.

"Thank you for coming to this impromptu meeting," Malfoy said. "We have spoken with blessed Nimue and have news. There is a way to not only break the curse of the Syreni but to preserve the Syreni, as well. Upon breaking the curse, Nimue will allow the Syreni the ability to reproduce—"

Muttering broke out across the hall.

"Will Nimue allow us to leave?" someone called out from near the back.

"If you choose to become human again, then yes. It is your choice. Stay as Syreni with the ability to reproduce or return to your human form."

"What do we have to do?" another voice called out.

"The way to break the curse is to the break the jar surrounding the Old-One and allow her to die. Once she has died, the spell that we cast to turn humans into Syreni will be reversed. However, it is a one-time operation," Malfoy said. "Once it's done, it's done and there will be no going back. We will no longer be able to change humans into Syreni after this."

More muttering broke out across the hall, some of it sounded excited and some of it sounded angry.

"What will you choose?" a woman's voice from near the front asked.

"I will return to being a human," Malfoy said. "I have enjoyed my time as Syreni, however, I long to walk upon the earth once more."

The chatter of the Syreni became overwhelming at this pronouncement. Malfoy banged his trident on the floor several times before gaining the attention of the crowd once more.

"If you would prefer to return as a human, please meet in the chamber of the Old-One in thirty minutes time. I will have Gillyweed for you all. The rest of you are free to join us if you wish. It has been a privilege to be your leader all these years."

Malfoy then turned from the crowd and left the hall. Hermione followed after him as conversation and noise erupted in their wake.

"Now where?" Hermione asked as he traveled through the corridors, almost faster than she could keep up.

"Grab anything you want from your room," Malfoy instructed. "We'll need all the Gillyweed we have and maybe more. How are your Bubble-Head Charms?"

"I can perform one," Hermione said.

"Good, then you might need to," Malfoy said without elaborating. Gillyweed was native to Scotland, so perhaps the stock that this Syreni colony had wasn't much. Which made sense if all they were using it for was to lure down a human every now and then.

---

Several minutes later, Hermione and Malfoy were back in the chamber with the Old-One and it was packed.

"Holy…" Hermione said as she and Malfoy weaved their way through the crowd. "How many Syreni live in the colony?" Hermione asked.

"Over four thousand," Malfoy murmured back. "This is only a couple of hundred, despite how many it looks like in this small space."

They slithered their way through the other Syreni and the chatter died down as they approached the Old-One. She had her back to the crowd. Hermione knew this would be difficult for her, but hopefully, she'd feel loved being surrounded by her kind as she went. Hermione had no idea how long it would take before she passed, but surely the magic holding her in the jar wouldn't last much longer without the vessel. She felt stupid for not having asked Nimue that question. What happened if the Old-One lasted for weeks?

"How many here are planning the transition back to human?" Malfoy asked.

Hermione was slightly relieved to see about half of the Syreni in the room raise their hands. That meant the rest were just here for the show.

"Malfoy, can you cast the spell on yourself?" Hermione asked.

"Unlikely," Malfoy said. "I'll have to get someone who is planning to stay down here to cast it."

"Anyone you trust?" Hermione asked as she watched Olivia begin to wind her way through the crowd. Hermione didn't want to fight with the other woman again, but she didn't like the look of fierce concentration on Olivia's face.

"We'll figure it out at the end," Malfoy said. He handed her the sack with the Gillyweed in it.

Malfoy approached the jar and said a few quiet words to the Old-One before pointing his trident at the base of the jar. A shot of red light later and the glass shattered around the Old-One. She practically collapsed, and would have fallen to the floor had Malfoy and Hermione not caught her.

"Give her here," an older Syreni woman said, opening her arms. Malfoy and Hermione gently lifted the frail body of the Old-One to the other Syreni woman.

"Thank you, Sarah," Malfoy said as he smoothed some of the grey hair out of the Old-One's face. "And thank you," he said to the Old-One, placing a kiss on her brow. "You are saving your people."

The Old-One reached a gnarled hand up and patted Malfoy's cheek before going limp entirely. Instantly, a sharp pain in Hermione's stomach had her bent over at the waist crying out. Every Syreni was the same, it was just enough for Sarah to almost drop the Old-One.

"What was that?" Malfoy asked as the pain began to subside.

"Reproductive organs," Hermione said. She didn't know for sure, but it was the only thing that made sense.

"Who volunteers to go first?" Malfoy asked once he had recovered.

Olivia fought her way through the crowd and raised her hand. "I'll go first."

Malfoy looked surprised, but Hermione felt dread pool in her belly. She felt sure that Olivia had an ulterior motive. Hermione handed Olivia a clump of Gillyweed.

"You'll want to eat that first," Malfoy said. Olivia stuffed the Gillyweed in her mouth. "Then swim for the surface first before swimming for land so that the Gillyweed doesn't wear off. You may want a warming charm as well. Do you have your wand?"

Olivia held up her wand and Malfoy pointed his trident at her. A flash of purple light from the trident and Olivia was swimming before them completely naked and with two legs. She shivered and Hermione cast a warming charm at her. Olivia glared at Hermione before turning and swimming for the surface. Hermione hoped that was the last she saw of her but had a feeling that it wouldn't be.

One by one, Syreni came forward and Hermione gave them Gillyweed while Malfoy turned them back to human. Once the Gillyweed ran out, Hermione began casting a combination Bubble-Head Charm and Reoxygenation Charm. She was exhausted by the time the last of the Syreni had made it through the line. Malfoy looked worn out, too.

"Anyone else?" Malfoy asked. The room had begun emptying almost entirely as the excitement from watching the others turn back to humans faded. There were just a few Syreni left and they all shook their heads.

Sarah was still in the room, and she approached them. "Are you both going up?"

"That's the plan," Malfoy said.

"Tell me the spell, I'll do you both," Sarah offered with a small smile.

"Thank you," Hermione smiled back. She hadn't met many of the Syreni, but Sarah had been exceedingly kind.

Malfoy went through the spell with her and handed her the trident. "Be good to each other," he said.

Sarah smiled one last time and Hermione cast her final Bubble-Head and Reoxygenation Charms at herself and Malfoy. A flash of purple and Hermione shivered as she became human once more. Malfoy had pulled his wand from somewhere and cast warming charms on them both before he led her out of the complex and to the surface. The swim was much, much harder as a human than it had been as a Syreni and by the time they had breached the surface, Hermione was panting hard. The sun was beginning to set and there was still a long swim back to the shoreline.

"Alright?" Malfoy asked as they both treaded water for a moment, trying to catch their breath.

"Yeah," Hermione panted. "We should get going before the sun sets."

Malfoy looked off to the west and nodded. He took off in a powerful breaststroke and Hermione followed him.

After what felt like ages, they were finally close enough to shore to touch their feet to the bottom. They walked the rest of the way to the rocky beach, almost too exhausted to move their arms.

Hermione had never been in so much pain. All she wanted to do was to curl up in her tent and sleep for at least a day. Perhaps even two. Instead, she was greeted by almost two hundred former Syreni, stranded on a beach in Dover.

"Shit, I didn't think about what to do when we got here," Hermione muttered to Malfoy as they all turned to look at them.

"We need to at least find shelter for the evening," Malfoy said, glancing around the empty beach.

"How good is your Gemino charm?" Hermione asked him.

"Why?" Malfoy asked.

Hermione waved her wand and admitted him to the wards surrounding her tent. It was in an open spot on the beach that the others had been avoiding.

"Oh, you brilliant witch," Malfoy murmured, throwing an arm around her shoulder. He planted a kiss in her hair and Hermione felt herself flush. That's when she realized she and everyone else were completely naked.

"I have some clothes in there too," Hermione said. "You copy the tent, I'll work on clothes for everyone."

---

The sun was truly down and the moon rising high by the time the newly turned humans were settling into the clothes and tents Hermione and Malfoy had conjured. It had taken hours, but finally, everyone had someplace to sleep, although most were doubled up. Hermione still had a few wards around her own tent. She was still wary of Olivia, even if the other witch hadn't caused any problems yet.

"Ready?" Malfoy asked, holding the flap of her tent open. Hermione glanced around the temporary settlement one last time before nodding and joining him. They were both fully clothed, but there was something intimate about sharing a tent for the evening. Hermione had sent a Patronus to Harry and Ron hours earlier, letting them know that she was alright but would be a few more days. She hoped that would be enough to stave them off for now. She couldn't imagine what they would think if they were to show up tomorrow.

"You still in there?" Malfoy said, waving a hand in front of her face.

"Sorry, just thinking about the logistics of the next few days," Hermione admitted with a small shrug of her shoulders.

"I can help you turn that giant brain of yours off," Malfoy suggested with a slight smirk.

"What did you have in mind?" Hermione asked. Malfoy took two steps toward her and slipped on hand around her waist. The other cupped her face and within moments they were sharing their first kiss above water. For a brief moment, Hermione wondered if the chemistry between them had been imagined or a product of their environment, but the instant Malfoy's lips touched hers, she knew that wasn't the case. The same fire she'd felt in the Syreni complex now burned through her abdomen and her core clenched. A feeling she hadn't thought she would miss. The kiss was heated and Malfoy turned it up when he slid his tongue inside her mouth. Her nipples tightened beneath her clothes and Hermione knew she was lost. Lost to the sensations he was causing. Lost to the idea of being ravaged by him. She wasn't sure she ever wanted to be found.

"Take me to bed," Hermione whispered when the kiss finally ended.

"Oh, I plan to," Malfoy murmured against her cheek. He pressed a soft kiss along her jaw. "I have to test my theory, after all."

"Theory?" Hermione asked. She wasn't sure she knew what he was talking about.

"Yes," Malfoy said. His breath was hot in her ear as his tongue traced the outer shell. "My theory that sinking my cock into your tight, hot cunt will feel so much better than your fiddling with my elbow fins."

That time, Hermione's knees did buckle. But Malfoy caught her. He pressed his lips to hers once more as he walked them both toward the bed on the far side of the tent.

---

The following morning dawned bright and clear. And while the night before had been amazing, Hermione's anxiety was back. It felt like a punch in the gut. She knew she wasn't responsible for the two hundred other people on the beach, but she couldn't help but feel like she did bear some responsibility. The least she could do was to help get them to the Ministry so they could reacquaint themselves with the wizarding world.

Which is how she found herself on the beach directing people to pack up camp. Most of the people had their wands, which was infinitely helpful, however, it turned out that use of magic among the Syreni was rather rare. Magic didn't work properly underwater, so many fell out of using it entirely. They didn't need it in their simpler lives as Syreni. Which meant that many of the people she was trying to help were unable to Apparate. How was she going to get this many to the Ministry? The Knight Bus wouldn't hold them all, but maybe some of them? She'd have to check her funds, too.

"Where were you last night?" Hermione recognized that voice, but she didn't see Olivia anywhere.

"I'll be right back," Hermione said to the small group she'd been helping to pack up their tent. She figured the former Syreni should at least try and keep the tents in case they had to sleep rough for a bit.

Keeping an eye out for Olivia, Hermione went to look for Malfoy. He was one of the only Syreni to have used magic regularly so he had been helping Hermione get the rest of the group packed up.

After several moments in which her heart began beating faster and panic crept along her nerves, Hermione finally spotted Malfoy talking with Olivia near the edge of the water.

She hurried over to join them when it was clear to her that Malfoy was angry.

"...don't belong to you," Malfoy snapped.

"You know that's not true," Olivia replied, stepping forward to touch Malfoy's arm. "I made you who you are today."

"No, you tricked me into becoming one of you," Malfoy said. "I should have been angrier than I was at you at the time, but I see it clearly now."

"Only because that Mudblood bitch figured out a way to end the curse!" Olivia shouted. "If it weren't for her, we'd still be down there and happy!"

"You are fucking delusional," Malfoy said. "We hadn't spoken in at least two years. I want nothing to do with you, Olivia Carver." Malfoy took a deep breath and turned his head, catching Hermione's eye. She was just paces from them and had heard most of the argument. Malfoy held out his hand and Hermione stepped forward to take it. He pulled her close and placed a kiss on the top of Hermione's head. Thankfully, Hermione had the grace not to blush.

"I can't fucking believe that you would give up being the leader of the Syreni for this cow," Olivia spat. Hermione glared at the other woman but didn't say anything for a long moment. She wanted to see how far Olivia would go.

"She's done nothing for this world except dirty it up with her dirty blood. What would your parents think?"

"Woah, you can't honestly claim to care what his parents think when you were the one to lure him to the Syreni colony," Hermione said dropping Malfoy's hand and stepping closer to Olivia.

"I know better than you do, Mudblood," Olivia sneered at Hermione.

Hermione knew she had made mistakes in her life, but what happened next, she'd never regret. She shoved Olivia hard in the shoulders.

Olivia shouted as she fell onto her bum in the surf. A huge wave came in just then, soaking the other woman completely and a flash of green light almost blinded Hermione. She glanced away for a moment and when she looked back Olivia's legs had disappeared and an emerald green Syreni tail took their place. Olivia looked at that tail for a long moment, horror creeping over her face before letting loose an almost unearthly shriek and swimming out to sea.

"So I guess the beach is out as a place to live, then?" Malfoy said, wrapping his arms around Hermione and dragging her back several steps.

"I...I—"

"Shh," Malfoy hushed her, placing a kiss on the side of her neck. "She deserved it."

Hermione didn't deny that she did. Nor did she deny that she felt better knowing Olivia wouldn't be out there, a threat to her or Malfoy. She didn't know for sure but rather hoped that whatever she had with Malfoy was worth condemning Olivia to life as a Syreni.

~Fin~