The Black Lake Chapter 15, a harry potter fanfic

A/N: Please note that due to the AU nature of this fic, there may be differences from canon regarding wand lore, curses, and other plot points.

Chapter 15

She couldn't believe what she was seeing. Yet there was the evidence- the proof - right before her eyes. Below the surface of the water were two human legs. Gaping down at herself, she only vaguely registered Harry reaching around her to grab something on the rock and pull it down into the water between them. Gently, he wrapped his scarf around her waist, cheeks tinged red as he did so.

Oh. There was that obvious bit as well. But more thoughts on that would have to wait because she had legs- slender, light-skinned, and... most definitely hers.

Harry was right. He had always known it- and deep down she had known it too- but now there could be no question in anyone's mind. Finally, she tore her gaze away from her legs to look at him. He was grinning, looking delighted. All those weeks ago, when they had first met, he had been so open and curious- accepting of exactly who she was. Hours and hours he had spent with her, undeterred by her timidness, unworried that she was a blank canvas of barely any memory and nearly devoid of emotions. Then little by little, he had whittled away at the frozen exterior, adding color and life as he began unleashing her true self both inside and out.

All of it she owed to him.

"Harry, I… I don't-" The words were caught in her throat as emotion rose within her. "I can't seem to find the words." He had done so much for her, even if only to give her a sliver of hope. A silver lining. Swallowing hard, she realized her speechlessness didn't matter, because words were far too inadequate to convey the feelings rushing within her. Embarrassed by her stammering, a flush rose in her cheeks. Harry simply grinned at her. It was so beautiful to see that her heart began to stutter just as her words had.

"It's alright," he breathed. Comforting. Always so comforting. "It's you, Gin. This is who you are."

He's right, she thought. This is how I'm meant to be. Gingerly she placed her weight fully on her legs, testing out their strength. They trembled slightly as she held onto Harry's arms for support, but somehow still held her upright. Letting out a half-gasp half-chuckle, she lifted a foot and stepped in place. The stepping turned into little hops, eliciting a giggle from her.

"Shall we test them out on land?" Harry asked with a grin.

He helped her out of the water to stand next to him in the grotto. Reaching down to check the scarf was still covering everything necessary, she wobbled a bit.

"Easy, now, Ginny," Harry chuckled, holding her steady. His words were not jarring, but the moment they reached her ears they seemed to pry something loose in her brain, and she froze.

She was flying, soaring up in the air to impossible heights. Red locks were flying wildly around her in the wind as she grasped a wooden handle. Pure, heady adrenaline thrummed through her like a drug as she willed herself to go faster. Higher. Someone with strong, freckled arms was sitting behind her, holding her in one arm and the wooden handle in the other. "Go faster!" She squealed.

"Easy, now, Ginny," a voice answered with a laugh, "Mum will kill me if she finds out…"

"Are you alright?"

The images disappeared, and she blinked as she rose out of her trance.

"What is it?" Harry asked, concerned. "I lost you just now."

Blinking again, she shook her head. "I'm fine, I just... sort of fell in a daze for a moment. Really, it's nothing."

Despite looking unconvinced, he nodded in acceptance. Grateful he wasn't prodding her further, she allowed herself a moment to wonder what had just happened... A dream? A memory? The thoughts were cut off when her knee buckled, and she grasped Harry tightly to right herself with a yelp.

"These things don't want to stay straight!"

"Your body needs to remember how to use them," Harry said with a chuckle.

"Unfortunately, memory is not a strength of mine."

"Perhaps. But fortunately, I am something of an expert when it comes to using legs. Loads of experience. And I've been told that I am an extremely average Teacher."

"Oh well that's alright, then. I'm feeling so confident now." Shaking out her shoulders, she blew out a breath. "Alright, I'm ready."

There was arguably more laughing than walking accomplished. Ginny would take a few steps then stumble, squealing and clamping onto Harry for dear life. After a few minutes, she seemed to get the feel of things, before her muscles began to protest.

"I need to sit down," She gasped, feeling like she would collapse at any moment, "I can't do it anymore."

Harry helped her sit down, positioning her so she could lean back against the rock wall of the grotto. He sat next to her and wrapped his arm around her, placing a kiss on top of her head. "You did brilliantly."

Gritting her teeth, she tried not to show the enormous amount of frustration she felt. It was still so strange and foreign to have legs despite the irrefutable evidence that they were in fact hers. She had managed to walk on legs her entire life, surely it shouldn't be so difficult now? This body is new, but it is still mine. It's just an adjustment to the newness, nothing more. Trying to focus on that thought and relax a bit, her mind wandered to the curse, and how perhaps this would lead to something that would make this permanent instead of temporary…

"Harry, how much time do we have?"

Glancing at his watch, he looked suddenly somber. "Not much, only about ten minutes."

Oh. Had it really been that long already?

Swallowing her disappointment, she sat up straighter. "I should get in the water now, otherwise you might have to drag me in."

Looking as glum as she felt, Harry nodded and helped her up. Together they entered the water waist-deep, which he warmed with a flick of his wand. Despite the warmth, he reached for her immediately and she allowed herself to be held close. This boy seemed willing to go to the ends of the earth for her, and it left her feeling so unworthy in return. He asked so little of her, and she was quite unable to give him much of anything except her company. Even that had its limitations, she thought bitterly. If she could somehow permanently break the curse, then perhaps she could give him more- so much more. With her body- and perhaps her memories- restored, there were endless possibilities between the two of them. Excitement raced in her mind. They could be together. Always, if they wanted. There could be minutes, hours and days spent only in each other's company. Time filled with kisses, soft touches, and loving words. She could give herself fully to him. Be with him in every way she could be with someone… hide no part of herself from him. Those soft touches and chaste kisses could become more... An image entered her hazy thoughts, where she and Harry lay together tangled in sheets, bodies and hands entwined, Harry's lips leaving trails of pleasure on her naked skin… Feeling her cheeks flaming, she tried unsuccessfully to rid the image in her mind.

Senses heightened, she became suddenly very aware of each point of contact between their bodies. She had never – in the memories she currently possessed- ever been this close to another person. And even now it felt different to her. They had embraced many times, but never had she been pressed up against him like this. She briefly wondered if- before becoming a Mermaid- she had ever been held this intimately. Had anyone in her past put their lips on hers like Harry had? Traced her skin with their hands? Harry's heart thumped where her head rested on his chest, making her eyes flutter closed, and she realized she didn't care to know either of those answers. Refocusing on the present, she soaked in the warmth of their embrace, enjoying the feel of the lean, muscular arms around her. One of Harry's hands began tracing the bare skin of her lower back, making her tingle everywhere. Slowly, his other hand moved across her skin and wrapped around the nape of her neck- A touch so warm it burned. Biting back an embarrassing moan, she reveled in the heat between them. The cold, frozen recesses of her mind and heart had thawed over the past few weeks, and while she knew that she was just beginning to feel things she hadn't known that anything could feel this good. Harry must have felt it as well, because his breaths became shallow, and his heartbeat quickened under her cheek. Did this closeness feel just as wonderful to him? Did he burn under her touch like she burned under his? Feeling a gentle pull on the nape of her neck, he urged her to look up at him. Eyes darkened with lust stared down at her, making her mouth go dry. The look he was giving her made her breath catch in her throat, and she involuntarily clenched his shirt in her hands. Vaguely, she registered her own breathing start to quicken, wanting as much of this heated contact as possible. She thought suddenly of how it would feel to be completely bare before him, to have his hands and mouth and lips on every inch of her. More fantasies of the two of them formed in her mind, of her writhing beneath him, both of them caught up in ecstasy as they became one-

"Gin," His voice came out as a strangled moan, halting the erotic fantasy playing out in her head. At the same time, his fingers had dug into her neck and hip almost to the pain. "Kiss me."

Unwilling to waste another moment, she surged upwards to meet his lips. It was frantic and messy but she didn't care. All she cared about was keeping his mouth on hers. But Harry had other plans. He kissed her for what felt like a long, sunny day, but broke away. Before she could admonish him for ending the kiss, his lips collided with her neck, and she promptly forgot any rational thought. His soft lips trailed over her pulse point, giving a small nip that made her gasp.

"You're so soft," he murmured against her skin, "and you smell so good. Like flowers in spring time."

She was struggling to find any coherent thought. "I didn't know anything could feel so good."

His mouth made its way back to hers, a whimper leaving her as she felt his tongue trace her bottom lip. Wanting to feel his tongue again, she gripped her hands in his hair and surged into the kiss again. Just as she did so, a bright light filled the grotto, and the couple broke apart.

The light was coming from the water. No, it was coming from her- from her legs. Looking at Harry, she knew they both wore identical looks of sadness and apprehension. There was only a millisecond to linger on this before a cold sensation began tingling in her feet, rising upward. The pain and discomfort from the initial transformation returned, making Ginny gasp. She clenched her jaw as the sensation came to a head, felt herself dip further into the water as the steady support of her legs was taken away.

Then it was over. She was a Mermaid once again.

Her eyes burned as she looked down at herself, feeling the bitter sting of what Tom Riddle had taken from her. An hour of respite- of freedom- and now-

She was trapped again.

"Hermione, mail's here."

Looking up from her book, Hermione reached across the breakfast table to sort through her letters. Upon seeing the letter from the private investigator, she hastily opened it, trying to fight down any excitement.

I think I figured it out.
Meet me tomorrow at the Prancing Pony.

"Oh, for goodness' sake," Hermione scoffed. "There is no 'Prancing Pony,' he must mean the 'Dancing Dragon.' "

"Does it matter?" Ron interjected, yanking the parchment towards him. "He thinks he figured it out."

The two exchanged a look, each not daring to hope.

Had he really figured it out?

TBC

Thank you always, gin110881 and to Leo Tom James Avery for the Dancing Dragon.