Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.
Chapter 7: Daddy Dearest Sends His Best.
Soon the day came for the group to go swimming with May for the first time the girls were bouncing in their seats at breakfast, having already packed a small beach bag for their swimsuits and some extra warm clothes. The boys on the other hand were excited for different reasons. Draco and Blaise sat next to May on her right side while she talked to some of the other girls at the table. The boys were whispering quietly to each other.
"Mate why don't you just admit that you can't wait to see Granger in her bikini." Blaise teased Draco, who glared back at him.
"I'll admit it when you admit that you have the hots for the Weaslette" Draco shot back at him smirking when Blaise narrowed his eyes. May grinned evilly behind her orange juice when she overheard the two, before going back to her conversation. When breakfast ended the three girls along with Draco and Blaise made their way up to the Heads dormitory. The girls rushed up their room to get their bath suits before coming down with their bags and over sized shirts covering them. Draco and Blaise did a double take when they realized that Hermione and Ginny were both wearing their shirts. The boys looked at each other with a sideways glance. May was biting the inside of her cheek to stop her from smiling when someone knocked one the Portrait. May smiled and stood up.
"There's Harry and Ron." May said before bouncing over to the door to let them in, when she opened the door though it wasn't someone she was expecting to see. May stood there staring at the person that knocked on the door before Hermione came over to see who it was. She came to the door to see a tall young man with golden brown hair and deep chocolate eyes.
"Can we help you?" Hermione asked as she looked over the boy, who looked at her from the corner of his eyes, before pushing past the two girls to sit down on the couch. Draco and Blaise looked at the intruder with narrowed eyes.
"Like Hermione said can we help you?" Ginny asked placing her hands on her hips, looking much like her mother. When he didn't answer Ginny glared at him before May placed a hand on her shoulder.
"What are you doing here Cass?" May asked standing in front of him now. He looked up at grinned at her.
"I've come to check on you, your parents haven't heard from you in months they thought something bad happened to you." Cass told her as he placed his feet on top of their table. "Your mother sends her love and says you'll receive your presents when you go to see them." He old her examining his nails, May stood stiffly before she sighed.
"What of my father?" May asked him softly. Cass turned his head away from her grinning, although may was in no mood for childish games at the moment.
"I said what of my father." When he still didn't answer her she glared and ground her teeth at him. "I order you to tell me what my father said Cassius, now!" May yelled at him kicked his feet off of the table. The others looked at her shocked, but Cassius turned his head back to her and smiled.
"As you wish your highness. You're father sends his love and he is looking forward to seeing you." He said giving her a bow, May rolled her eyes at him and sat in the armchair with a huff; just then Harry and Ron walked through the door but stopped noticing the thick tension between May and this guy.
"Who are you?" Ron asked loudly, May and Cassius turned their heads toward the two boys that just entered.
"I'm glad someone asked. My name is Cassius, I'm Amelia's fiancée" Cassius said with a smirk, May sat there pouting in the chair by the fire. The group looked back and forth from May to Cassius shocked. "I've been ordered by her father to come and watch over her until she travels back home for break. I'm to keep her safe." Cassius said as he placed his hand on May's shoulder, she snorted and turned her head away.
"I don't want an arranged marriage Cassius, and before you knew you were marrying me, you hated the idea just as much as I did." May told him. Cassius sighed.
"I would rather marry an old friend that I could be happy with rather then a stranger who I could never be pleasant around Amelia." Cassius told her moving her hair away from her face May sighed and nodded her head.
"Wouldn't you rather be in love?" May asked. He sighed and shook his head.
"Amelia, love doesn't exist where we come from and you know that, anyone that has tried with the exception of your sister and grandmother has failed. Just come home before you get hurt." He begged her, kneeling in front of her with his hands on her knees. She shook her head gently
"No I want to stay here and search for it; if I don't find it then I'll marry you." She told him softly.
"What! What about Fred? May you can't just leave him." Ron yelled May turned her head towards the group.
"I don't have a choice, if Fred doesn't love then I have to return and marry Cassius… I gave my father my word." She told them. "Fred only has three more months to fall in love with me or else I'm getting married and I can never return to land again. A deal is a deal." May said getting up from the chair and walking up the stairs into her bedroom. The group looked at her shocked, before slowly sitting down on the couch and chairs. Soon May walked back down the stairs, she had on a pair of jeans with tank top with a cardigan covering her arms, she was shoeless, but was caring high heels in hand. She sighed and sat back down on the couch. Cassius looked over at her, and pulled on a strand of her hair.
"What happened to your hair?" Cassius asked her, May looked over at him and shrugged. "Its weird seeing you with your hair like this, have you worn it like you do back at home since you've been here?" May shook her head. "Will you wear it for me like that again, just once?" Cassius asked, May looked at him and nodded softly, He got up from the ground and walked out of the door, but not before giving May a warning look telling her not to go anywhere.
The others looked at each other, their faces full of worry as May looked into the fire place before grabbing her shoes off of the ground and dashing out of the door. Hermione and Ginny looked at her sadly, grabbing the boys by the backs of their shirts, shaking their heads at them.
"She'll be fine. Just let her alone for a little bit." Ginny said as she and Hermione went back upstairs to change into warmer clothes. The boys looked at each other shrugging their shoulders, before sitting back down. May was running trough the Hogwarts hallways; the lower years all stared at her strangely before caring on with walking to where they needed to be. May stopped in front of the Great Hall before changing her mind and running out of the castle. May looked to the direction of the Lake before shaking her head and made a running start for the village. When she arrived there she sat down on a brick wall, but not before melting the snow that rested there with her powers, she than got back up and began walking to the second 'Weasley's Wizards Wheezes' May walked through the streets, melting a path in the snow, he heels began to hurt her feet so she just took them off and walked to the shop barefooted, The ground was somewhat warm do to her heating the stone pathway, the heat turned her feel pink, but the cold air around her chilled her feet. Soon she was standing in front of the shop; she took a deep breath and raised her hand to open the door before changing her mind. May stood in front of the shop before frowning and making her way inside. The twin boys turned to the door at the sound of the bell chiming telling them they had a customer. Fred looked at may surprised before walking over to her and placing his hands on her shoulders gently.
"May what's the matter?" Fred asked her softly, moving pieces of hair out of her face. "Did you walk all the way here barefoot?" He asked her again; when all she did was stare at him he blinked before placing a hand on her forehead checking her temperature. May bit her lip, before wrapping her arms around his neck standing on her tippy-toes and kissing him on the lips, George stood behind the counter shocked at his twin as Fred pulled the girl closer to him. May pulled back looking up at him through thick dark lashes. Fred rested his forehead on hers, lightly kissing her on the nose, May rest her head on his chest as she wrapped her arms around his middle.
"May not that I'm complaining but what are you doing here?" Fred asked her softly, May removed her head from his chest to look up at him.
"Everything is going wrong and I don't know what to do anymore." May told him, biting her lip to keep herself from crying. Fred kissed the top of her head.
"Tell me what's going on, maybe I can help you." May shook her head, burying her face in her hands, Fred looked to George for help but he just shrugged his shoulders. Fred rolled his eyes at his brother giving him a look that said 'thanks for the help' before he led May upstairs to their living quarters.
"May please tell me what's wrong, I can't help if you don't talk." Fred said as he gently pulled her hands away from her face and whipped away her tears.
"I can't… you'll hate me." She told him softly, Fred shook his head at her smiling softly. "You will I can't tell you." May said sobbing loudly.
"I won't I promise." Fed told her kissing her on the cheek.
"My father sent Cassius to check up on me, he's going to ruin everything." May told him, Fred looked at her confused.
"Is he your brother?" Fred asked May looked at him sheepishly shaking her head.
"He's…. he's my fiancé." May told him, Fred chuckled lightly thinking she was joking but one look at her face he could tell she was serious.
"Fiancée, you have a fiancée?" Fred asked her moving away from her and sitting on the ground in front of her. May nodded her head.
"It's an arranged marriage. My father decided on it long go I don't have a say in the matter, I don't want to marry Cassius. I don't love him!" May told him whipping her face free of the tears she looked at him biting her lips when she saw that he wasn't looking at her. "Please say something." May begged him as she reached out to grab a hold of his hand. Fred pulled his hand back quickly.
"Don't touch me." He told her quietly, May let out a sob before coving her mouth with her hand. When Fred didn't move or say anything. May jumped out and ran back downstairs. George stared at the girl as she ran from the shop sobbing and in tears. George shook his head at his brother and continued on with work. Fred sat up stairs with his head in his hands wondering what he had just done.
May reached the Black Lake and walked over to the spot where Ron and Harry first discovered what she truly was. May sat on one of the large boulders before diving into the water. May swam away from Hogwarts towards the one place where she knew she could be happy. Back at the Heads Dorm the group was beginning to worry about May, knowing that she could attract trouble wherever she went. Just then Cassius knocked on the door, Ginny let him in, He was carrying she shells and ribbons in his arms before he looked around the common room at all their worried faces.
"Where is Amelia?" Cassius asked the group slowly, they all looked at him with guilty expressions; he threw down the shells before rushing out of the door. The group got up quickly following him; they reached the Great Hall in record time. Cassius burst through the doors causing a huge scene. McGonagall and Snape stood up when they saw him running towards their table.
"Amelia is missing." Cassius told them loudly. The hall was filled with murmurs; McGonagall sent the hall a reproachful look before Snape, Cassius and herself left the hall.
"Where was the last place that you saw her?" McGonagall asked Cassius, Hermione, Ginny, Ron, Harry, Draco and Blaise were not far behind them.
"I saw her last in her dorm room; I went down to the lake to gather shells and things for her, when I returned she was no longer there." Cassius told McGonagall before turning to glare at the group; Snape turned towards Harry and the others and narrowed his eyes at the teens.
"Do you know where she might have gone Potter?" Snape drawled slowly. The teens shook their heads after thinking for awhile.
"May probably went to someplace where she knew she would be safe." Hermione said thinking out loud to herself. Cassius whipped his head towards her before going to kiss her on the cheek.
"That's it, she went to her sisters May went to see Arista" Cassius told McGonagall and Snape before rushing out of the Hall towards the Lake. McGonagall and Snape walked back into the hall trusting Cassius to find May and bring her back safely. The teens turned to look at Hermione who was holding her cheek in shock and blushing. Draco narrowed his eyes and sneered at the fading body of May's fiancée. Harry looked over at Malfoy's face and then at Hermione before smirking and began to walk back to the Hall for dinner.
"Let's go." He told the group shortly. Ron and Ginny Followed behind him leaving Draco, Blaise and Hermione in the hallway, Hermione snapped out of it before running after Ginny. Draco and Blaise stood in the hallway for a little longer before following the rest and sitting at their table. The boys looked over at May's empty spot and frowned.
The teens had begun to get even more worried then they were in the beginning. It had been four days since Cassius went to look for May after she disappeared. Hermione and Ginny were sitting the Gryffindor table frowning and playing with their food. The two girls have been in a rotten mood ever since May left. Harry and Ron looked at the two girls with thoughtful expressions before turning to look at the Syltherin table. Malfoy and Zambani weren't well off either; the two boys were gazing at the empty spot between them playing with their food. The hall seemed eerily quiet without May's laugh Harry concluded. Lunch was over, signaling that they needed to head towards their next class; double potions with the Syltherins. The Gryffindor trio met up with the two Syltherins as they walked to the dungeons for potions. Most of the Hogwarts students had gotten over the shock of the two groups mingling together and being civil, all but most of the Syltherin table had accepted the two groups.
The two groups walked slowly to their potions class all silently wishing that May would bounce through the doors when they sat down. Snape blew into the class room with the same amount of anger and annoyance he did every year. He caught the glances of Draco and Blaise before shaking his head softly before waving his wand and writing the directions on the chalk board. Draco turned towards Hermione before frowning and shaking his head. Hermione lowered her head, and let Draco inform Harry and Ron that May still hasn't turned up. Up in the front Snape was explaining the potion to the class when a note appeared on his desk.
"Granger, Malfoy, Zambani, Potter, and Weasley the Headmistress would like to see you in her office." Snape told the teens before turning back to the board. The teens made their way up the office and when they reached the Phoenix statue they saw the Ginny was waiting there for them, as soon as they got there they were let in with no need for a password. The group looked at each other before Hermione began to walk up the stairs. They walked into McGonagall's office before stopping on the spot. There in the office stood May with three other people. On her right was a beautiful woman with waist long blonde hair with the same pink streaks that May has, but the woman also had blue streaks in her hair, the woman had the same color eyes as May's. On May's left there was a large man, in height that is, the man was at least 6'4". He was tall and muscular, and very handsome he looked very much like May. His hair was black with streaks of silver in it; his eyes were a shocking color of bright blue. Behind the two was Cassius.
"Guys these are my Parents. This is my mother Marina, and my father Merrick." May told her friends before stepping back and standing behind her father, next to Cassius.
"So these are the humans that you've been staying with and that you've allowed to know our secret." May's father asked, looking down at the young teens. His voice was deep and loud even though he wasn't speaking any higher than what you normally hear on the streets. May nodded her head silently next to Cassius.
"Now darling, don't be rude; they have after all kept our daughter's secret, therefore they have kept her safe." May's mother chimed in placing her hand on her husband's large arm. Merrick gazed down at his wife with a small smile. Marina's voice sounded like wind chimes in the summer, and brought a peaceful feeling rushing down upon the room. Hermione looked over at the boys to see that they were staring Marina openly looking back and forth between her and May.
"Amelia darling, do you think your…friends can keep your secret well enough?" Marina asked her daughter lovingly. May nodded her head in earnest.
"Yes mother, they've done everything to keep me safe and happy with where I am." May told her mother smiling at her friends, who grinned back at her happily.
"Well that's that then." Marina said wistfully as she sat down gracefully on the chair placed in her mother's office, nodding her head at the portrait of her father hanging above the Headmistresses chair. Marina stood slowly, her dress fanning out beneath her as she stood; she turned towards her husband with her daughter's hand in hers.
"Darling why don't we head back to Amelia's room, it seems that we have a lot to talk about." Marina said as she kissed McGonagall on the cheek before blowing a kiss to Dumbledore and ushered May and the other teens out of the door, leaving her husband standing with Cassius and McGonagall smirking at them.
Back at the head dorms May's father was pacing in front on the fire place while her mother sat on the couch watching him with a small smile on her face. May was sitting on the floor between her mother's legs as she did her hair, placing flowers and small sea shells in it. The other teens were sitting up on the stairs, past the point of were the two adults could see that they were spying.
"Amelia, this is ludicrous what are you thinking? You're merely setting yourself up for failure. Come home and marry Cassius and everything will be fine." Merrick told her as he continued pacing. May sighed and got up from the floor.
"No dad, those are your plans not mine, I don't want to marry Cassius I don't love him." May told him sighing, Merrick turned towards her with his lips pursed
"Love doesn't exist, it's a myth!"
"Love is not a myth daddy! I'll prove it to you; I have three more months here." May replied. Merrick growled in anger, the group sitting on the top of the stairs looked out the window to see huge storm clouds rolling in and large angry waves on the black lake. "You can make all the storms you want daddy, I'm not marrying him!" May yelled stamping her small foot. Merrick led out an angry breath. Marina sat on the couch silently watching the two, while shaking her head.
"You will come home, and you will marry Cassius." Merrick told her in a clam voice, though the storm clouds spewing lighting said other wise.
"I'm not coming back daddy, not until I prove to you that love is not a myth! Give me three more months and if I can't prove that love is real then I will honor your wishes and marry Cassius…and I'll call you and mother every night so CALM DOWN!" May yelled. Her father sighed and sat down next to his wife placing his head in his hands.
"Amelia you have three months to prove to me that love isn't a myth and if you fail you come home and marry Cassius. I will honor my word, and you yours." Merrick said, May squealed and ran to hug her father, who smiled into her hair.
"Oh thank you daddy!" Marina smiled at her youngest daughter and her husband.
"Amelia sweetie, why don't you go on up to bed and tomorrow you can come home." Marina said leading her daughter to the stairs and ushering her up to bed.
"Goodnight mother, goodnight father. I love you both." May said before walking up the stairs. Walking into the bedroom she saw her friends sitting on the bed waiting for her, she smiled and jumped on her bed right on top of Draco.
"May, what happened? Why did you run away?" Blaise asked her once she got off of Draco, only to be pulled into his arms and snuggle up to him.
"You have to promise not to get mad alright." She replied looking at Ginny and the boys.
"I told Fred about my being engaged to Cassius and he didn't take it very well."
'So you ran away?" Harry asked calmly, though he was anything but, alone with the other boys. In a few short months May had managed to bring this group, made out of people who used to hate each other, together and managed to make all the guys to see her as a little sister to protect. May nodded her head.
"I went to see my sister, besides grandmother, she's the only other mermaid in my family that managed to find love on land. She gave me some advice and I let Cassius take me back here." She responded as she snuggled deeper into Draco's arms. "But now that Fred probably hates me I don't think I can come to your house Gin. It would be too awkward." Ginny shook her head at once.
"You are coming, I wont take no for an answer. My mother is dying to meet you and that's that." Ginny replied smirking. May smiled and nodded her head.
"Okay bed time, and I don't think this bed is big enough for all of us, so either make a bigger bed or get out." Hermione said crossing her arms. Blaise chuckled before casting a spell to make Draco's king size bed into a huge bed that would fit all of them. May slept in the middle of Harry and Hermione, who was next to Draco and Ginny, who slept next to Blaise and Ron. May was snuggled into Harry's chest, Hermione into Draco's, and Ginny into Blaise's. May smirked as she looked over at the two Gryffindor and Syltherin couple snuggled together before going back to sleep.
"Tomorrow morning will be interesting to say the least" she whispered into Harry's chest, who chuckled softly and nodded his head into her hair, before they both fell asleep as well.