A/N: Starting in January [2023], pretty much the only creative thing I'd been doing was writing this story. (I also started a knitting project around the same time, but I see that as more of a literal "creating" thing than an act of creativity.) This past month, I've found my creativity popping up in different areas: I'm writing music, planning painting projects throughout my house, reading stories out loud and doing character voices. I've been having a lot of fun, and I think working on this story just for the sake of having a creative writing project helped kick all that energy back into gear. May these projects continue to fuel each other, and may my creativity continue to flow \m/
The next day was much of the same. They got up early and, after a quick breakfast of eggs, beans, and toast, turned their eyes to the still blessedly calm sea. They'd all agreed that they'd take the dingy out as soon as they located the pod, lunchtime be damned.
They had been puttering around the open sea for over an hour before Malfoy finally spotted the whales. "Direct to port, not too far!" he called over his shoulder, and Hermione's hair blustered lightly around her head as Samuel turned off the engine. She'd worn it down today, not willing to forgo the feeling of the ocean breeze in whichever of her curls were left uncovered by her heavy knit hat. She peered at the expanse of ocean around them, barely breathing as she waited for the next sighting. They all saw the next burst of water a little ways off the bow and Hermione's face broke into a smile.
"Alright, then," Samuel announced. "Let's load up, shall we?"
Before she knew it they were back in the dingy, rowing out to the general area where the spouts had been appearing. Malfoy manned an oar opposite Samuel and Hermione glanced at his wrists as he pulled, looking for—and once again finding—the motion sickness band that he was wearing. She smiled to herself.
And then she and Samuel were assembling the equipment (she actively participated this time and was pleased to not make a fool of herself in the slightest) and lowering the rig over the side of the boat. She caught Malfoy's eye as she straightened back up and he gave her an easy grin, his face bright with anticipation that mirrored her own. She smiled back as she perched comfortably on the cushioning at the stern, notebook in hand, waiting for the music that she hoped would come. Pretty soon Malfoy shifted to join her on the other end of the bench, reaching for his notebook from his pack and turning to face Samuel, who was lounging casually near the dingy's bow.
When the vocalizations finally made their way through the speakers, Hermione nearly laughed out loud. The quiet air came to life with a random assortment of squeaks and clicks and honks, trilling together much faster than the melodic meander of yesterday's discourse. Malfoy's expression was filled with awe, his eyes focused on some middle distance as his smile grew; he looked like a child slowly processing that he'd just been offered an endless supply of sweets whenever he wanted them.
Finally, after a particularly hilarious snort-bellow, Hermione couldn't hold in her laughter any longer. Samuel chuckled loosely and Malfoy seemed to snap out of his reverie, turning his smile to her once again and shaking his head in quiet wonder.
"Does this style of communication tend to come with noticeable behavior differences?" Hermione asked Samuel, opening to a fresh page and clicking her pen, giggling as the frequency jumped drastically again. "It feels so much more playful than yesterday's songs."
"Aye, you'll hear this a lot when they're working together for something. Feeding or anything that might require cooperative or coordinated movements." He leaned forward from his place at the bow. "If we're lucky we may see 'em breach."
Hermione forgot all about her task for the Ministry and the challenge of tying this experience in to their quest with the merfolk. In that moment, she was invested, heart and soul, in whatever this snatch of the natural world was willing to share with her. Her heart pounded and ached in her chest with the desire to witness something new, something she'd looked forward to for so many years that she'd lost accurate count.
She was as stiff as a board, she knew, leaning forward tensely and gripping the seat on either side of her legs so hard her knuckles must have been white. The only thing moving were her eyes, scanning the ocean frantically, hoping to catch a glimpse of anything to let her know the whales were still nearby.
Suddenly the speaker crackled with a string of what sounded like thwops and barks. Hermione jumped with a startled laugh and heard Malfoy's singular "Ha!" as Samuel chortled. The surprisingly silly sounds continued, driving a wide grin to her face as her body relaxed in the suddenly light atmosphere. The vocalizations continued, jumping haphazardly in pitch and variance and keeping Hermione and Malfoy both delightfully entertained.
It was right after a particularly ridiculous set of climbing squeaks that a whale spout blew up not five yards from where Malfoy was sitting, spraying them all with droplets of sea water and scaring the ever-living shit out of Hermione. She recovered quickly and scrambled across the bench until she was craning over him, her bum barely touching the seat as she tried to spot the whale underneath the surface, all notions of personal space forgotten. It was a mark of how excited he was, too, that he didn't comment on it. She held her breath.
Then there was a great bump from under the dingy that sent her bouncing sideways into Malfoy's shoulder with a gasp (and a low mmph from him). Hermione froze, still hovering awkwardly over him as she felt fear quickly overtake her excitement, her mind racing through important information in case their vessel was flipped, complete with water temperature data and hyperventilation timelines.
But Samuel was laughing. He leaned over the opposite side of the (terrifyingly small, now that Hermione thought about it) boat and slapped his hand on the water's surface.
"Mabel, you ol' clown!" he shouted good-naturedly into the water. An answering spout erupted from directly in front of the bow and Hermione jumped, letting out a nervous laugh and shifting to plant her bum firmly on the bench. She stayed close to Malfoy, though—just in case.
"Mabel?" Malfoy had apparently recovered from the shock more quickly than Hermione. As if on cue, a string of clicks and squeaks came through the speaker.
"Aye," said Samuel fondly, his hand now swirling gently across the surface. "She and I have both been at this for quite some time."
"Do you know her by song?" Hermione asked, the desire for knowledge stubbornly shoving its way to the forefront of her mind. "Are their voices distinguishable to the human ear?"
"I can't tell from what I hear, no," he replied with a shrug. "Sometimes I feel like I know it's her who's singin' out there, but it's certainly not that 'quantifiable data' your kind are always on about." Samuel smiled. "But she's the one who says hello from time to time."
And at that, a large, bumpy, barnacle-sprinkled snout erupted from the depths, pushing into Samuel's palm and shoving their boat back a bit in the waves. Hermione's "Oh!" was covered completely by another strong exhale as the great whale—Mabel—let the rest of her body float lazily to the surface.
Then Malfoy's hands were gently pushing her, encouraging her to slide across the bench to where Mabel floated and following close behind. Hermione started at the touch but moved quickly to lean over the side of the dingy and get a better look. Malfoy carefully shifted to the bench across from her, scooting just as close to the edge.
"She'll let you touch her, if ya'd like," Samuel said cheerfully, and Hermione felt her heart nearly break with joy as she snapped her head up to look at him, tears filling her eyes.
"Really?" she asked quietly, hardly daring to believe it.
"Sure!" Samuel replied, giving the whale's enormous head a firm pat. Hermione did not need to be told a third time. She turned back to the magnificent animal in front of her and leaned over the side of the dingy.
"Hello Mabel," she whispered, and reached out her hand.
/\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\
The three of them shared several pleasant hours with Mabel and her small pod. A litany of silly honks and clicks made their way through the speaker at random, sometimes lasting a quarter of an hour, other times only quick bursts. Mabel came and went, approaching every so often to nudge their craft, eliciting a small squeal from Hermione each time no matter how prepared she tried to be. Malfoy laughed every time, amusement crinkling his eyes long after he'd grown quiet. They saw several flukes rise up dramatically before sinking with barely a ripple beneath the surface, Samuel pointing out the differences in shape and coloration while Hermione took frantic notes. It may not help with their research into merfolk, but it was fascinating.
Finally, it was time to return to the Pequod. Hermione felt lighter than air as she and Malfoy helped Samuel unload the gear, barely registering the cumbersome weight of the equipment as she carried it off the dingy and down to the control room. She knew she was grinning like a drunken fool, and she couldn't care less.
When she got to their quarters, Hermione found Malfoy sprawled in the desk chair, a dazed look on his face. She shut the door behind her and watched his gaze slowly focus as he broke out into a goofy sort of smile that she never would have imagined on him. She'd put money on their expressions being quite similar at the moment.
"Wow, huh?" she sighed, walking further into the room and sinking onto her bed. Malfoy hummed in agreement before closing his eyes, tilting his head back as if soaking in the warmth of an unseen sun. Hermione couldn't help but stare at him in this state—relaxed, academically sated, content. Just like me, she thought idly, surprised at how... rosy that made her feel. She shook her head gently and reached for her water bottle, wandlessly lifting the concealing charm she had placed on the visual message relay.
Despite sending a brief update the night before, there was no message awaiting her. Hermione wasn't surprised; her department head had agreed with her assessment that he shouldn't risk responding to their updates while she and Malfoy were scheduled to be in close contact with muggles. She had to admit, it was nice to have one less level of human interaction to manage.
After a couple minutes of mental rearranging, Hermione wrote out a quick message:
Glad for the opportunity to connect with depth-based creatures on a basic level—very educational. Looking forward to the next phase. Will check in upon arrival in the morning.
She stood, gathering a change of clothes and her toiletries with the intention of showering before dinner. Malfoy was still leaning back in the chair, his eyes closed and a small smile relaxing his features.
"You know, a bed might be more comfortable," Hermione said lightly as she took the two steps to the door.
"Mmhmm," Malfoy replied hazily, not moving a muscle. She snorted softly and left him to it, a noticeable part of her hoping that he could avoid waking with a stiff neck.
/\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\
After they had finished eating dinner and sat around the small kitchen table, Samuel leaned over and withdrew something from a small bag on the floor and tossed it to Malfoy.
"As agreed, here are the recordings from yesterday and today," he said with a nod. "Anything else we might pick up tonight I'll be sure to get to you before you go ashore."
Hermione barely contained her squeal of excitement and settled for a breathless "Oh, thank you" as Samuel cleared their plates and set about washing them at the sink. She'd forgotten that part of their arrangement included the audio from their underwater listenings—to help with their academic research, of course.
Glancing at their captain to make sure he was otherwise occupied, Malfoy scooted his chair closer.
"Recordings?" he asked quietly, eyes still on Samuel's back.
"An audio-form capture of what the equipment picked up," Hermione said equally lowly, smiling at the warmth that had settled all along her skin. "With the right equipment, we'll be able to revisit the sounds we heard any time we want."
Malfoy's gaze flicked back to her. "And what's the right equipment?"
"Oh, right. Well this is what's known as a cassette tape—" she reached over to pull it from Malfoy's hand "—and it has to be inserted into a cassette player in order to project the audio stored on it. See the tape running through the two reels?" She pointed with her pinky and Malfoy squinted at the clear housing before nodding. "With the proper recording equipment, the audio imprints onto the tape and can be played back at a later time using a cassette player." Malfoy blinked and stared rather blankly at her, and Hermione chuckled. "I've got one at home. I can show you when we get back. It makes a lot more sense when you can see it in action."
He nodded, glancing up to confirm Samuel wasn't paying attention before leaning even closer to the cassette. Hermione thought she heard him mutter a quiet huh.
When Samuel came back to the table some minutes later, he found Hermione and Malfoy reading each other's notes from the day's encounters.
"Come on, you two," he said gruffly. "Plenty of time for studying later. We may as well make the most of calm seas and open skies." Hermione dutifully handed Malfoy his notebook, feeling a twinge of irritation when he accepted it without looking up and tucked it under hers—which he was still reading—before standing from the table.
"Lead the way, Samuel," he said casually, apparently ready to make the trek with his eyes glued to the page in front of him. Their captain shook his head with a laugh.
"You academics," he said warmly, then beckoned to Hermione with a genial roll of his eyes. "Come on, lass, you'll be glad for it."
She rolled her eyes as well, doing her best to shake the small discomfort she instinctively felt at not being the most studious person in the room and following Samuel up the stairs, Malfoy trailing a few feet behind.
The breeze was barely moving when Hermione reached the deck. She gravitated toward the railing, eyes scanning the sea in hopes of spotting members of Mabel's pod one more time before this part of their expedition came to an end. Malfoy made his way slowly over, brow furrowed in thought as he flipped through her notes. She watched him from the corner of her eye with mild trepidation, but all he said when he finally closed the notebook was, "You write a lot, Granger."
She smirked and turned her full attention back to the ocean where the sun was beginning to approach the horizon. "Shocking, I know."
Soon Samuel joined them at the railing, passing a steaming mug of broth to each of them. He blew lightly on his mug and nodded out to the open sea.
"So what's next for you lot after this?"
"Tomorrow we head to Scotland," Hermione said. "We'll be checking in with the institution sponsoring our research and synthesizing the data we've collected so far. After that, it's back to tent camping and live-aboards for us."
Malfoy groaned. "For what it's worth," he said pointedly, "I've much preferred the Pequod to our tent."
Samuel let out a laugh and Hermione found herself smiling as well. "Ah, there's nothin' like her," he agreed. "Especially when the serenading starts."
Hermione and Malfoy both sighed a little wistfully at that and Samuel looked sideways at them. "Well, I wish you two the best in all of it," he said kindly. "Glad we could give you a good experience in your short time on the Irish Sea."
"It was magical, Samuel, really," Hermione said fervently, hearing Malfoy cough lightly on her other side. She ignored him. Maybe he didn't understand that magic didn't always have to mean magic, but growing up in the muggle world had proven to her how true that could be.
The three were silent for a while, watching the sun dipping lower and lower and filling the sky with a riot of colors. Then, without warning, a huge mass shot out of the water fifty yards away, breaching the surface nearly entirely before slamming sideways against the sea. Hermione's heart lodged itself in her throat at the sight, her hands barely grabbing the railing in time when the new waves started rocking the boat where it floated. She was sure she was crying again—steady streams that didn't impede her vision or breathing as they simply forced their way from her eyes. Magical.
"There she is," Samuel whispered with a chuckle. "And with that, I'll say goodnight to ya both. We've got an early start back to shore tomorrow."
Numbly, Hermione let him take her empty mug, her mouth still hanging open and her eyes glued to the spot where Mabel had made her last appearance.
"Goodnight, Samuel, thank you," she heard Malfoy say somewhere to her left, his voice a bit shaky. The two of them stood at the railing until the sun was long past set. Then Malfoy bumped her arm gently and made his way to the stairs.
Hermione sighed into the falling light, a soft smile on her face as she turned and walked dream-like to their quarters. And as she lay on her bed, a dulcet, faraway humming filled the air. She drifted off with a farewell song sending her into a deep, dreamless sleep.
/\ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\
They woke early the next morning and made their way back to port following a quick breakfast fry. After shaking hands with Samuel and thanking him again for the pleasure of his charter and experience (and the wonderful recordings), Hermione and Malfoy walked leisurely through the sleepy town until they found a secluded spot, well past the inhabited borders.
"Ready?" she asked him, noticing that he looked a bit peaky and wondering if he'd forgone the motion sickness bracelet this morning. Malfoy nodded and she held out her elbow to him, her unspoken invitation to side-along accepted with only the slightest hesitation. Then Hermione set her mind to the picturesque village of cottages and shops and turning sharply on her heel.
A/N: Was this a fluffy filler chapter that took me ages to write? You bet your biscuits it was. Some folks might not like how perfectly amazing even this non-magical interaction has been for our team, and to you I say—yeah, that's fair. It's not hurting the plot at large to indulge my own whale watching fantasies while I'm writing on the topic, so if this ends up being the most unrealistic part of a story that takes place in a universe where magic exists, I'll count that as a win.
