Author's Note: This was supposed to be a one shot. Guess you'll have to settle for a three shot. Sorry not sorry.

Beta Thanks to Corvus Draconis and Hollowg1rl for putting up with my shenanigans.

Chapter 3: The Peace of the Deep

That night, before they went to sleep, Ron asked Hermione out on a date to Hogsmeade the following weekend.

"I can reserve a balcony table at Madam Puddifoot's. It's a full moon, you know, so it'll be beautiful," Ron had said, rubbing his thumb over hers.

"But isn't that incredibly expensive?" Hermione asked, "I can't expect you to spend that much money on me."

"Don't say that, Mione! I expect to have a...bonus, from work," Ron said, "You know, yearly evaluation and all that. So how about it? Would you celebrate with me?"

Hermione thought of saying no, but he seemed so earnest. Lately, it seemed like he'd been giving her more space, and he was always so relaxed by the time the evening meal rolled around.

"It always feels so good to get all that extra frustration and energy out," he'd say with a smile that made Hermione think of his expression during the Quidditch World Cup. She could smell an odd, bloody scent coming from him under his usual sweaty musk, but when she'd asked him, he'd come up with a grotesquely detailed story about a bludger and his hand, and she'd dropped the subject. He showed her the gauze wrapped around his hand, and she'd felt vaguely ill at the scent that had emitted from it.

A small spotted owl landed in Hermione's porridge on Monday morning and Hermione's yelp of surprise was so soft that no one noticed. Her voice wasn't the only thing that had continued to change, though. Her arm was gray and scaled all the way up to her shoulder now, and her voice was so soft that the charm to amplify her speech was no longer sufficient and she'd had to consult several shops in Diagon Alley for something to help her. She'd been lucky that Jiggery's Jewels had a necklace on display with a pendant that would translate her thoughts to words said aloud in her voice, but only if she held her wand to it at all times. Not only was this exhausting, but Hermione found that unless she focused 100% of her mental energy on what she wanted to say, sometimes unexpected idle thoughts would escape her lips.

Frustrated, Hermione decided that she'd write Harry a letter asking him to pick up a Muggle book on sign language, for he'd be more well-suited to do so, seeing as he lived in London. When he'd written her back and asked her if she'd lost the other one he'd purchased for her, a pit of unease began to grow in her stomach. She replied that it had been lost, and he'd sent her another, but Ron kept "misplacing" it when she brought it to his room, which annoyed her to no end. She'd finally begun keeping it in her office in a hidden drawer of her desk.

The message tied on the owl's leg puzzled her.

Firenze,

I am sorry, but I have to reschedule your hoof treatment due to an appointment at four this afternoon. Please accept my humble apologies.

Luna

"Whatcha reading?" Ron's voice was light, but his eyes were narrowed in suspicion.

"Oh nothing," Hermione whispered back with a shrug. "Looks like this got misdelivered."

Ron relaxed and went back to stuffing his face.

But when Hermione went to Firenze later to deliver the note, the centaur looked confused.

"I just had a hoof treatment yesterday," he said, showing Hermione the healthy sheen of his hooves, which had been painted intricately with vines and flowers and covered with some sort of clear coat to protect the colour.

"I'm sure it was just a mistake, then," Hermione said with a laugh.

But then, as she went to throw the note in the rubbish bin, her mind raced back to the expression on Ron's face that morning, and how fearful Luna had looked when she'd seen Ron a few days earlier. Hermione hated the thought of being suspicious of Ron, who'd done everything possible to be a perfect gentleman...at least...she thought that he had. There were so many foggy patches in her memory. It had begun to scare her that none of her studies offered any answers for why it would get worse after a traumatic incident. Even worse, she was wondering if the transformation to her body had something to do with it.

Hermione's extensive experience with Hogwarts mystery shenanigans told her that all of it was far too obviously suspicious for it all to be mere coincidence. Her suspicions were further aroused when Ron told her that he had to attend an Auror meeting at four o'clock and would be unable to accompany her to supper.

And so, at ten minutes to four, Hermione stowed her remaining unmarked student essays in her desk, cast a Disillusionment Charm on herself, and set out to visit the stables.

Even with the Disillusionment over her body, Hermione still felt horribly exposed. She clutched at her robes so that they hugged her body, and she had to force herself to step lightly for all the quivering in her legs as she moved across the grassy expanse between the castle and the stables. Memories of the screaming and the fire and blood filled her mind and she bit the inside of her mouth hard enough to draw blood in the hopes of distracting herself. It worked, mostly, but she was still grateful when she reached the door to the stables. As she did, though, the door opened and Hermione scrambled to hide behind a large, scratchy bush.

It was Luna.

Hermione stared. The Care of Magical Creatures professor was wearing obnoxiously yellow wellies and a red knitted shirt that looked as though it had been meant to be a dress on the back, but the person who'd made it had given up halfway, leaving it short in the front. The turtleneck pattern covered her up to her chin, and she had her hair in braided pigtails, which were full of flowers. On her legs, she wore unicorn-print leggings that Hermione was nearly 100% sure that Harry had purchased for Luna's birthday.

"I SURE HOPE FIRENZE RECEIVED MY NOTE AND THAT IT WAS NOT ACCIDENTALLY DELIVERED TO THE WRONG PERSON!" Luna shouted loudly.

Hermione was about to stand up and make her presence known when Luna took a deep breath and shouted again. "BECAUSE IT SURE WOULD BE TERRIBLE IF SOMEONE WERE TO FOLLOW ME."

Hermione was familiar with Luna's various eccentricities, (many of which rubbed her the wrong way), but this was completely different. Hermione watched as Luna stood around for several minutes, then loudly exclaimed, "WELL, HERE I GO."

Hermione watched Luna start down the road that wound around the back of the castle and the Black Lake and took a deep breath. Not only was it mostly grassland the whole way to the boathouse but Hermione remembered what Ron had told her about what had happened there...something had grabbed her…

Hermione set her jaw and took a determined step forward. Something told her that this was more important than her fear— every night in her dreams before the pain and the darkness found her, she had heard his song in her head, felt his arms around her. There was a familiar scent to Luna's sweater that Hermione could catch as the wind shifted in her direction, and it only tightened her resolve.

She had to know the truth.

Luna was fairly certain that Hermione was following her. Though she knew no one else could see them, a thick cloud of Wrackspurts buzzed merrily around the Disillusioned professor in a sadly endearing manner. She hummed happily as she moved along slowly to make sure that she wouldn't outpace her follower. If Severus was going to escape, it would have to be now, and she needed Hermione because the confidentiality charm physically stopped Luna from opening the doors to let Severus go free.

Ron, she knew, was off at Hogsmeade talking to a potential buyer for the "freakish specimen." Ron had laughed in Severus' face about how he'd probably be stuffed and placed in a glass case for a rich wizard to show off to his friends like some kind of hunting trophy. If the meeting went well, Luna knew that the chances of Severus escaping safely would be close to zero.

Severus was already weak, despite her best efforts to keep him healthy. Ron had developed a habit of torturing Severus while she was forced to watch and take notes. Though every cell in her body itched to hex Ron to the ends of the Earth, Severus had told her that she was not allowed to intervene.

You know what he did last time, Luna. I cannot ask you to endure it again...or worse.

If she refused, Ron would hit her somewhere that could be easily hidden by her clothing, and one time, when she had pulled him off of Severus after he'd cruelly shoved a hot poker into the merman's belly, Ron even threatened to rape her.

"I can't do this with Hermione, you know," he'd slurred, his voice reeking of alcohol as he'd pawed at her chest. "She's going to be my wife, so I gotta do things well and proper like. But you...you're just the kooky girl who sees imaginary creatures. Nobody would believe you. Especially if I ask you all nicely-like. Don't you want to do that for me, Luna?"

In the background, Severus weakly pulled against the shackle around his neck, and thick, dark blood oozed from his wound as he gasped with the pain and exertion of it.

"I wonder, if I could make the monster compliant too. Is that what you want? To fuck the fish? Even though you could have a real man? Maybe I should do a little experiment, see if he can't fill you with freakish half-human spawn. I bet you'd like that, wouldn't you?"

Luna had looked into Ron's eyes with a defiant expression, and to show just how unaffected she was by his hypnotic voice, she spat in his face. He'd grown so furious that he'd backhanded her and stormed out of the room, but not before screaming at her to clean up the blood that had splattered onto the floor.

"Oh, I most certainly do hope I am not being followed!" Luna exclaimed to distract herself from her violent memories.

Luna turned her head back and smirked to herself when she heard Hermione swear softly at getting a sleeve caught on the bramble bush she'd dived behind. Luna had to keep up some semblance of decorum, or the charm on her wrist would begin to burn unbearably hot, and Ron had been careful not to mince any words when describing what would happen if she did not acquiesce to the limitations of the charm.

But Luna's love of magical creatures, especially those who could not protect themselves, was more important than her own safety, and she was willing to risk it. Even though he definitely did not regard her as an equal, he still seemed to hold back from mortally wounding Severus while she was watching.

She'd also picked up on the fact that the fury that Ron felt for Severus wasn't merely due to Severus being non-human. There was something personal in the way that he cut into the merman's flesh, in the words that he used while he taunted and insulted.

If it had been anyone else, they would have wondered why Ron seemed to be jealous of a creature from the depths of the Black Lake.

But Luna was a Lovegood down to her bones, and she had gotten to the heart of the matter; Hermione had loved Severus, and Ron had ensured that they would never see one another again.

It was all wrong.

Which was why it was up to her to make things right.

"As usual," Luna said softly to herself, "they simply do not know how to look for what is right in front of their faces."

Hermione was getting tired of diving into bushes. She was pretty sure a rock was permanently lodged into one of her toes—the one that was already in the process of developing a sizable blister. And if that wasn't bad enough, she'd had an itch on her back in a place that she couldn't reach easily for at least the past five minutes. She tried to tell herself that it wasn't some manner of biting insect—a tick, a spider, a mosquito—she brushed her hair out of her face again and focused on Luna.

She wanted to scream. Luna sure was taking her sweet, sweet time. The walk, which probably should have only taken a few minutes, was beginning to feel like some sort of expedition.

Frustrated, Hermione quickened her pace. Luna, who'd been waving at a butterfly, immediately quickened hers. Hermione stopped. Luna stopped and bent over to look at a pebble.

'She's keeping an almost equal distance from me. I'm betting that isn't a coincidence,' Hermione thought. 'Two can play at this game.'

Hermione crouched down onto the ground, stretching out her legs a bit, then jogged in place for a few moments.

Luna, meanwhile, was transferring an unusually large stick bug that she'd found in the grass from one hand to the other, seemingly oblivious.

With a deep breath, Hermione dropped her head and started into a sprint.

Immediately, Luna seemed to disappear from where she'd been standing. When Hermione lifted her head, she was shocked to see Luna skipping merrily through the air with her hands outstretched as though balancing on an invisible tightrope. The stick bug had somehow migrated on top of her head, and appeared to be clinging on for dear life.

'Hmph, she's good, but I can do better!' Hermione thought, pushing herself harder than before.

Luna's stride lengthened, and Hermione once more found herself flabbergasted. Luna had done some quick transfiguration work and her body from the thighs on down had elongated into giraffe's legs. The sound of her hooves was deafening in Hermione's ears, but she continued to run after Luna until finally, they reached the back door to the castle. Luna was sitting by the door with her eyes closed as though she was meditating when Hermione finally arrived, panting and sweating like crazy from her run.

"You...are...such...a…" Hermione wheezed, her voice the barest of whispers.

"Hey, Hermione?" Luna asked, her eyes still closed.

"Yes?" Hermione panted, trying to catch her breath.

"I know you're tired, but my wrist is starting to burn, so if you could point your wand somewhere vital and threaten me to open the door upon pain of death, I'd really appreciate it." Luna opened one eye and indicated her wrist, upon which the charm was starting to smoke.

Hermione immediately did as she was told, putting her wand to Luna's neck. "Open the door upon pain of death, then," she hissed.

"Ah, that's better," Luna replied as the smoke dissipated. "Bit of a loophole, that. The charm can't hurt me if I'm in mortal danger."

Hermione could see the ugly welt rising on Luna's

wrist, and underneath it, the shape of the Confidentiality charm, and she felt a stab of anger. "Did Ron do this?"

"It wasn't a mountain troll, I can tell you that," Luna replied sagely.

"How...how can you understand me?" Hermione asked, realizing that she hadn't used her charmed necklace to speak.

"As I told him, it's all about knowing how to listen." Luna smiled enigmatically. "Also, I know how to read lips. Father and I often have entire silent conversations over the roar of his printing press, so I have had loads of practice. It's rather fun, don't you agree?"

"I don't know if fun is the word I'd use," Hermione grumbled.

"Speaking of fun, please, let me see your arm," Luna requested.

"I thought that I was holding you hostage on pain of death," Hermione retorted, pulling her sleeve away. She was not particularly chomping at the bit to reveal her...transformation, not even to Luna, who would probably be more accepting than most. "So. Upon pain of death, etcetera etcetera, open the door or else."

Luna shrugged and did as she was told. Hermione followed behind Luna, looking at the interior with great interest. They walked down a long stone passageway, which ended in another door. Then they repeated the charade another time and entered what looked to be an old, unused professors' quarters.

"Professor Lupin used to stay here," Luna said, sliding her finger over a dusty table.

Who is there?! Luna? Hermione?

Hermione shook her head to clear the shouting in her head, even as her stomach did a somersault that felt somehow familiar. "Who was that?"

Luna smiled. "Only the reason you're here, Hermione. Tell me, have you been having odd dreams lately?"

Hermione swallowed thickly and nodded.

Luna grabbed a long, golden rope, which hung down one side of the two large, slightly moth-eaten red velvet curtains that stood near the far wall.

"Do you order me to pull this," Luna asked seriously, "on pain of death?"

"The most painful ever, I promise" Hermione promised, rolling her eyes.

Luna pulled the rope and stepped aside, a knowing look on her face.

Hermione stumbled backwards, her hand over her mouth.

Hermione?

The familiar voice brought her back to her senses, and she took one halting step forward, then broke into a wobbly run, grasping the rickety metal railing that led up the tall metal staircase to the top of the massive glass tank.

He was waiting for her as she rounded the final bend and clattered onto the platform, his dark eyes watching her steadily. He reached up to her, his webbed, scaled hand glittering in the torchlight, and she could not help but drop to one knee and mirror his movement, reaching out with her left hand, the one she'd hidden from all others.

The one that matched his.

Her mind flashed with fuzzy memories of a cozy room with him floating above her, and then their fingers touched. Rather than the cold, slimy sensation she'd expected, his fingers were warm and firm under hers. Then, a shock of sensation shot up her arm like a bolt of lightning, and the fog in her mind lifted.

Hermione tipped forward, then, and she found herself floating in the cool, calming, greenish-blue water with his arms wrapped tightly around her. For the first time since that last night in Severus' hidden quarters, she finally felt truly at home.

Hermione, look.

She opened her eyes. He was close; closer than she'd ever been, save the dreams. But this was so, so real. He pressed his forehead against hers.

Severus. How—? Her eyes went wide. Even though her thoughts were in turmoil, she knew that she'd somehow said those words with her mind.

—Did you get to be just like me? He held up her right hand, and she was shocked to see that it now matched her left in both colour and form.

I...I'm terrible. I forgot you, Severus. Hermione could feel the stinging sensation as she fought to hold back tears, but the water surrounded her like a comforting hand and the pressure of his body against hers made it hard for her to know if she'd had any luck in keeping them from escaping.

Not of your own accord. I know what he did to you...what he did to both of us. Severus' eyes flashed and Hermione could feel her own doing the same.

It still doesn't excuse my stupidity for letting my guard down! Hermione winced as her mind-voice echoed through the water. She hadn't been able to yell for so long that she'd almost forgotten she could do it, albeit in a different way than she was used to.

Hermione...you can't control everything.

Yes I can! If I just do everything, take every precaution, I'll finally feel safe! I'll finally stop having flashbacks to the battle, to the screams, to the smells of death! Because if I don't...if that doesn't work...the alternative is...is…

Hermione…

She shook her head. I can't be broken. I won't allow myself to be. I have to be strong. Stronger.

Why?

Hermione frowned, glaring at Severus. She hadn't expected this to be the sort of thing that the silent, friendly merman who'd kept her company for so many weeks would say to her. How could you say that? I need to be strong because I have always had to be strong. If I don't, then I have nothing, then I am nothing!

Severus stared at her with those large, dark eyes, and something like a bitter smirk played across his lips. Understandable. I can relate, actually.

Then why would you say that? She willed herself not to let her lip quiver, not to break down again.

Because it's true, and you know it.

Hermione wanted to argue. She wanted to shout. But when she forced herself to think about it, she had to admit that what she had been doing wasn't strength at all. She'd hidden away, distanced herself, isolated herself in mind and body, and lived a smaller, duller life out of fear. Even now, as she let a few small bubbles escape from her mouth and realized that she had not needed to take a single breath of air for at least a full ten minutes, she could feel the fear rising, the desire to turn in on herself and shut out everything else to avoid the inevitable conclusion she'd have to come to, given her quick, clever mind.

Come, Hermione. I want to show you something.

He pulled her closer to the glass of the tank and Hermione saw in it the truth of her new flesh. Her eyes were huge, liquid, and golden, like the sand inside of a Time-Turner. Her gills were pink and fluttered gracefully about her throat like a frilled collar. Her skin had gone gray, except for her face, which was a beautiful sandy colour, with intricate midnight blue markings spiraling down her cheeks and neck and over her shoulders. Her hands matched now, smoky gray and webbed, the scales shimmering in the water like jewels. And her vision had cleared, much to her joy, and when she turned to look back at Severus, she noticed the matching silvery markings down his cheeks and neck.

I know that I once was a man of the earth—a wizard who wished only to survive when all was lost. But after I met you, everything changed. I had hoped to be cured of my curse at the full moon, but it has surely passed and I had begun to think that all was lost. The regret in his words filled Hermione's head and she wrapped her arms around him almost instinctively and tucked her head against his chest. But now...I cannot think of a more beautiful gift than the one you have given me now.

Hermione waited for a moment to feel disappointment and anger at her altered appearance, for surely it was some sort of curse of its own, but instead all she felt was relief. The water was soothing on her scales. It pushed against her comfortingly, and with him there she found a part of her that she had been unable to silence for so long had finally gone still.

It was then that she heard a deep sound ringing against her ear. It took her a long moment to place the sound. He was humming. The sound built, full and round, inside of him, and rose until it burst from his lips in much the same way as the sound had erupted from golden egg that Harry had won in the Triwizard Tournament.

It was the most beautiful sound that Hermione had ever heard.

His voice flowed through her in a pulse of power, and Hermione felt her own voice rise to meet his. She wavered at first, but her tone was clear, and rode high over the deep baritone of his voice as they sang to one another. He sang to her of his loneliness, of his joy at sharing time with her. He sang of how he would have her for his mate eternal, if only she would answer him.

She, in return, sang of her pain, of the shame of her trauma and her own own, self-imposed loneliness.

She sang of the stillness inside of her when he wrapped his arms around her—of the clarity of memory he bestowed upon her—and of the rightness of swimming at his side and sharing their lives to lessen the burden of their healing.

Her markings shone like starlight alongside his, as they turned in the water, wild magic building up around them with the power of their duet.

So enthralled were they with one another, and the deeply wild nature of the magic that surrounded them, that they did not see the door fly open and Ron's red-faced exclamation of fury as he saw the two in the tank. The figure (who was likely the one who had successfully bid on the odd merman specimen) who stood behind him in a long, dark robe, face hidden by a hood, took one look and turned around to run for their life. Ron ran towards the tank, his face hot with fury, and and banged on the glass with his fists. His rage was so great that he did not seem to notice the cracks that had already begun to spread across the tank and tiny sprays of water were beginning to spurt randomly from where they intersected.

Let us return, my love, to the deep,

Where we are safe, where we can sleep,

Away from the hate upon the shore,

Come be mine forevermore.

Bright, golden bioluminescent lights ran up their arms and down their spines as long, spiny fins burst from their backs like spiky wings, all glowing brightly as they fed the rivulets of power down the markings on their bodies. The magic pressed harder and harder against the tank until finally, it gave way, and the glass shattered. The water around Severus and Hermione flexed like a living thing, and pushed outward, filling the room. The warded door to the room could not withstand the power of the water and the magic that it held, and it broke through. Severus and Hermione were wrapped in a protective current of water and flew with it until they burst from the door and out into the early evening air.

The torrent did not dissipate once it reached the road, though; it held its form as though it were a massive snake made of water, flying back towards the Black Lake with a singular purpose. At the head of it, Severus and Hermione twisted together, their hands and bodies wound tightly as their voices resonated through the entire length of the water, amplifying the sound until it echoed across the hills.

Later, some would say that it had been heard as far as London, though others refused to believe such nonsense.

With a roar, the water rushed into the Black Lake, disappearing with little more than a ripple behind to show that it had passed by. A few minutes later, Luna surfaced and spread out so that she was lying on her back in the water staring at the stars as they began to appear above her, sighing as the effects of the tiny strand of gillyweed she'd chewed on finally wore off. She cocked her head as if she could hear something from far away, and shrugged, loving the sensation of the water rippling around her shoulders.

"He can wait."

Below her, the Black Lake glowed softly and the muted sound of the song continued to echo through the water for a long time afterwards.

Even the Giant Squid kept its distance from the two as they twisted together in the darkness, their glowing scaled bodies glittering together as they consummated their bond. Hermione's legs were wrapped around Severus' back as he finally slipped deep into her core, the head of his cock pressed snuggly against the entrance to her womb.

They were weightless and free in the water to move and change position in all manner of ways, their minds linked together in pleasure as they freely fed one another the sensation of what the other was experiencing. Their mental bond was no longer mere conversation, it was deep enough to feel everything right down to their very souls—each stripped so bare while also experiencing such a magnitude of trust was the most delicious and rarest of pleasures.

When they were finally spent, they floated together in the water, their webbed feet kicking lazily to keep them in place. Then, Severus took Hermione's hand and brought her to a soft, sandy place, and tucked her into it just as Neffie had done years ago for him. Then, he lay down next to his mate and kissed her neck, wrapping his arms tightly around her before both finally slipped into a sated slumber.

Ron Weasley was having a bad day. No, scratch that. He was having a fucking abysmal day. As usual, he'd been reckless and had paid the price for it.

"No," he groaned, "it's all her-ugh-fault…"

One of his eyes was swollen shut from when his face had slammed into part of the metal railing, and as he gingerly turned his head to look down at his arm (which was bent at a terribly unnatural angle), he also saw the jagged shards of glass jutting from his chest. He was just beginning to think that it was odd that he wasn't feeling any pain when several simultaneous stabs of agony wracked through his body and he began to shake uncontrollably. He tried to scream, but all that escaped his lips was a strange, wet "whumph" noise.

His wand lay on the ground near the far wall, but he had no strength left to summon it. His undamaged arm fell at his side, sending another wave of pain and nausea through his body.

"H..help muh-me," he rasped, disgusted by the sticky, wet sensation squelching under his robes as he struggled to breathe. As he lost consciousness, his last thoughts were of that damned merman and how he ought to have gutted the damn fish himself when he had the chance.

The full moon seemed artificially huge in the sky as Severus and Hermione clasped hands on the bank of the river. The lower halves of their bodies were still submerged in the shallows, but they still sat upright, their eyes shining with their love for one another. The wild magic that had freed them had already bonded them for life in the eyes of the merfolk and the denizens of the Forbidden Forest, but Severus could not bear to keep Hermione from her work at Hogwarts, and Potions class simply wasn't compatible with a body that required submersion in moisture at least 90% of the time.

We don't have to do this, Hermione said in her mind-voice, her frilled ears quivering. Hogwarts will survive. Minerva will be able to hire another person to take over for me.

You know that there is no one more qualified in this world. Besides myself, of course, Severus replied, his webbed foot twisting around hers in a comforting gesture. It is only thanks to our bond that I remember more and more of my old life, but even without it, I can tell that your heart grows full when you are able to impart information and skills upon others. I may have the skill, but I do not have the patience for the vast majority of the dunderheads you call students. Even when I become a land dweller once more, I shall always be able to visit the lake as long as I have some gillyweed and the desire to do so.

I know...but…I am stealing you away from them. Hermione's golden eyes sparkled like starlight and she looked up at the moon because she couldn't bear the sight of the torn expression that she could practically feel radiating from his face.

The book you provided to the merfolk has given them new ways to advocate for themselves, Hermione. You know that they wish only happiness for the both of us. Severus covered her delicately webbed hands with his and grasped them tightly. With you by my side, I could endure anything.

Hermione meant to say something, but a strange glow by the shore refocused her attention, and she found herself left speechless by what she saw.

In between the nest of gillyweed, a giant, perfect bloom was swelling and growing under the light of the full moon as it hit its apex. The thin petals were as transparent as thin wisps of smoke, but the veins inside pulsed with prismatic colours like a jellyfish, and it began to emit an utterly intoxicating scent both unlike anything she'd ever smelled before and somehow familiar as though she'd dreamt of it once and forgotten it until that very moment. In truth, it was as intimate and perfect as any moment in her life, and with the pressure of Severus' body against her own, she sighed with the pleasure of it despite herself.

The Gillyheart has heard your desire. Neffie was behind them both, her webbed fingers gently pressing against the shoulders of her adopted son and her new daughter-in-law. Take its gift with hearts of peace and let it give you its truth.

Both Severus and Hermione gently plucked a velvety soft petal from the bloom, watching as the long, thin length of it curled until it resembled a tiny, luminous crepe.

They looked at one another, nodded, and placed the petal on their tongues, letting the flavour linger on their tongues before swallowing it.

The change flowed through their bodies, lifting them into the air and wracking them with painless yet strong spasms. Gills faded, webbing shrank away, skin grew pearlescent and pink, and their eyes shrank down to human-sized irises.

Hermione opened her eyes to see Severus, his body bare, lying on the bank next to her. His skin was scarred and bruised in the moonlight, but all she could see was the wound on his neck gaping terribly. Blackish blood had already begun to flow from it, and Hermione gasped, flying to his side regardless of the cold air on her naked skin.

His eyes were half-lidded, in shock, as the magic restored him to the state he'd been in at the time of the change, and Hermione turned back towards the bloom only to notice that it had gone puff-ball white, tiny orbs glittering as the moon began to set. With a gust of wind, each broke free of its moor and they blew across the Black Lake, floating along the top of it like tiny bubbles.

Hermione turned back to Severus, her nudity reminding her that all of the phials of potions hidden in her robes, not to mention her wand had sunk to the bottom of the Black Lake; lost forever.

His hand was grasping for hers, and he made a wretched choking noise. He was trying to say her name.

"Shh, shh, stop it," Hermione said softly, her hands covering his wound.

Hermione….please...there was a chance that this might happen….

"You knew this might happen?" Hermione's voice cracked, but it was back to normal.

Please...Hermione...sing to me...

His mind voice was weak, but she heard him as clearly as if he'd spoken the words to her aloud.

"I...I can't…" Hermione's eyes stung.

...try...for me…

Hermione opened her mouth and a choked sound escaped from her lips. "Hoggy...Hoggy...Hogwarts…"

A wheezing laugh escaped his throat and he raised a shaking finger to her chest. No...sing...from...here.

His hand dropped heavily as he lost consciousness and Hermione stiffened with terror and she grasped for something, anything to change the scene of horror before her. Something deep and magical pulsed from inside of her, radiating outward, answering her call. Her hair flew around her in staticky snarls like snakes lit up by tiny arcs of lightning and her eyes glowed golden as she looked down upon his still form.

Her mate. The love of her life. The twin to her own soul.

Sing to him a song from you heart. The voice in her head was her own, but it filled her with a new knowledge that flowed through every fiber of her being.

The world shrunk down around her and everything was silent as though waiting for something.

Only Hermione knew what that something was.

She knelt down onto the grassy cold bank of the lake, her forehead pressing against Severus' cold cheek, and she sang.

Warmth and power rolled through the air, filling it with tiny points of light as she poured out the power of her heart and soul into healing the one she loved beyond all reason. She knitted his body together from the inside out, her power infusing his magical core with heat until it sparked anew and his heart began to beat in tune with hers. A small sigil began to form on his chest above his heart; it was curved and segmented like a shell. And then, finally, his hand rose and rested against her chest, where the twin to his marking rested darkly against the glow of her skin.

"You...have improved," he said weakly, then, and she crushed herself against him with relief, smothering him with kisses.

"I knew you could pass the Gillyheart's boon with flying colours," Luna said, appearing from the gloom, with two long cloaks made of woven flowers. "Come, now, the others are waiting."

Both Severus and Hermione blushed scarlet but Luna just laughed airily, her voice like tinkling bells.

"Don't worry," she said mysteriously, "This is nowhere nearly as embarrassing as that one time where my clothes got eaten by Scarlet Twinbills and I had to get back to Ravenclaw Tower completely starkers."

Hermione started giggling first at the absurdity and then she heard the deep thrum of Severus' chuckle in his chest as she lay against him. She rose, snickering at how quickly Severus went to cover his nudity (especially considering how cavalier he'd been while in his aquatic form), and allowed Luna to adorn her with the flowery cloak. Luna lifted her wand and a flower crown wove through Hermione's hair.

"You look lovely, Hermione," Luna said dreamily, kissing her friend on both cheeks. "Oh, and this is yours."

Hermione's wand (which had been polished and waxed) was pressed into her hand, and Hermione threw her arms tightly around Luna in thanks.

"Severus," Luna said, "because I believe that if anyone other than Hermione has the right to call you that, it would be me, please step forward."

She fastened the floral cloak around him, and somehow it looked fitting on his tall, emaciated frame. A flower crown, too, was woven through his dark, lank hair, and she kissed him once on the cheek before he was able to stand up on his toes and avoid the other.

"A gift for you, too," she said, bowing down and producing his wand in her hands.

Severus was so stunned that when he bent down to grab the wand and Luna kissed his other cheek, he didn't even protest.

"Come now," Luna said, once Hermione and Severus had linked hands. "The others—"

"–are waiting. We know," Severus snarked. "How the devil did you get these cloaks so soft, anyway? They should itch like mad."

"Nargle silk, of course," Luna replied matter-of-factly. "Now, then, come on."

"Are you ready to see them?" Hermione asked, squeezing Severus' hand.

"Yes," he replied, squeezing back, "but only if you stay by my side. I doubt I'll be able to endure their insipid chatter otherwise."

"Oh, Severus," Hermione replied, smiling, "I'm so glad that you're back."

"I'd never forgive myself if I did anything else," he said, quirking his lip. "You'd be furious."

"You're damned right I'd be," Hermione said with a smirk, and she couldn't help but pull on his hand so that he'd angle his face down enough for her to kiss him softly on the lips. "I'd sing the worst rendition of the Hogwarts theme song over your grave every day just to spite you."

"You wouldn't!" Severus said in mock horror.

"Does this look like the face of someone who would lie to you?" Hermione said, pointing at herself.

"Duly noted," Severus mused, and, hand in hand, they walked up the pathway behind Luna to what awaited them beyond.

Ron's eyes fluttered open and a groan of confusion passed through his cracked lips. His body still hurt terribly all over, but he was fairly certain that he was not dead. The magical shackles that bound his wrists and ankles were an indication of that, as he doubted that the afterlife was that kinky.

"Ron, why?" Harry was saying, as he sat beside the bed, his head drooped with defeat. "Why did you have to do it? Why couldn't you let her go?"

Ron tried to reply, but his mouth was thick and uncooperative.

"You told me that we'd quit the Aurors Department together, that we'd both take a year; a sabbatical to find ourselves That...that you'd figure yourself out as someone without Hermione...but you never did any of that, did you?" Harry's glasses were fogged up, and Ron was fairly certain he'd been crying. No matter how hard he tried, he could not move his body or his mouth, and it began to dawn upon him that this sort of existence was possibly worse than death.

"The medi-witches say that your spinal cord was shredded. The damage was too severe for magical healing to take properly, and every therapy I've tried to get for you has failed. It's almost as though you got in the way of powerful magic, and from what Luna has said, you did, though I can't find anything like it in any of the books I've read through on the subject." Harry's hand drew into a fist, and then loosened with defeat. "And the worst part is, even if you did heal, you'd be looking at a lifetime in Azkaban for what you did. Luna's memories alone...what were you thinking, mate? How could you use the Compliance Charm like that? Not to mention the unauthorized use of a Compulsion Stone. You've disgraced the name of the Aurors, and Luna wasn't able to sleep well at night for several months after everything happened. That's right, Ron. Luna and I...we...we're planning on marrying next June. I wish you could see her. She's grown into such a wonderful woman these past four years—no thanks to you."

Inside his head, Ron was screaming WHAT DO YOU MEAN FOUR YEARS HAVE PASSED?! WHERE IS HERMIONE?! SHE OWES ME! SHE SHOULD BE HERE CRYING OVER MY BROKEN BODY NOT YOU!

But, of course, no one heard him.

Harry patted him on the arm, but Ron couldn't even feel it.

"The nurses said that your eye movement is random and not indicative of actual thought, but I can at least pretend that you know exactly what I'm saying, and that I'm here to finally let my hatred and grudges go. Luna came by earlier and put some sort of flower over your chest, said that it would give her closure, and I guess that was her way. But this is mine."

Harry pointed his wand at Ron's face and a look of fury clouded his features. "I hope you suffer, Ron Weasley. You are worse than Draco Malfoy, and I would spit on you if it would do any good. If you do heal one day, you had better never come within five miles of Luna or myself, or I'll hex your bits into bits. Goodbye, Ron Weasley. Hopefully, whatever you did to become this sorry broken man was worth it, because everyone knows the truth about you now."

Ron was screaming mindlessly, now. He was certain he was going mad, that this must be some sort of nightmare. He tried to reach towards Harry, to explain himself, to explain that Hermione was his and he'd only tried to show her that fact. He wanted to tell him that he'd not meant to hurt Luna, that she'd resisted, that he'd been forced to do what he had. He wanted to blame the merman, wanted to tell Harry who the true villain was in all of this, but he could not do anything to stop the door from closing behind his former best friend.

As it swung closed, he saw Luna, who had grown older and taller than she had been before. Her hair was long and had random braids and clips and beads interspersed through it, but it suited her. She was speaking with Harry, and wrapped her arms around him, but as she did, she glanced into the room and locked eyes with Ron, her expression cold and focused.

She knew. The bitch knew! That flower, it brought him back from wherever he'd been in blissful sleep and now...and now…

I tried to warn you, Mr. Weasley. Oh, and Severus and Hermione say hello, Luna's voice said, echoing in his head before he felt mental walls slam down around him, trapping him inside.

Ron was alone in the darkness, a prison from which he could never escape; a prison that he had brought upon himself with his actions.

And there, as his soul withered in the shell of his broken body, Ron Weasley slowly lost his mind.

Ten years later…

Severus sank into the water with the seasoned familiarity of an old professional. As he pressed against the sigil on his chest and called to his other form, his legs melted into a long, silver-scaled tail, complete with dorsal fin and smudgy dark gray patterning to the frills on his tail. His hands were finely webbed and his black hair swirled around him in the water, unmoored by gravity's normal constraints. His ears were long and frilled at the tips and his eyes were swallowed by darkness with silver fire burning in their depths, his grin as sharp as Neffie's ever was. Hermione, swam by his side, her body already acclimated to the change, and they swam circles around each other as they lost each other in the euphoria of the water.

Their children, Sedna and Julian, swam below them, kicking in and out of the grasses as they tried to lose each other in their game of tag. Though Julian was older, Sedna had been the first to master the full change on her own, and had easily begun to speak the language of the water-dwelling creatures. Her friendship with a romp of otters, all of whom had become her fast friends, was legendary, and they would always whistle and wave at her from shore whenever she passed by the Black Lake on an errand for her parents.

Julian would be starting his first year at Hogwarts as a student in the fall, but he wasn't worried.

As Hermione often said, "The only thing keeping the boy from Sorting Ravenclaw for sure is that the Tower is too far away from the Black Lake."

Sedna was far less interested in studying, as she tended to learn best with hands-on lessons, but her innate magical ability, even without a wand, was impressive. Severus, for all of his hatred of dunderheads, excelled as a father, doting on his children but also offering a stern and firm parental figure. He taught them both in Muggle and magical lessons, and from their performance was fairly certain that they'd be at least two years ahead of the rest when they started at Hogwarts. When he was not attending to his children, or his loving wife, however, Severus had become a force to be reckoned with in the fight for Mer-rights at the Ministry of Magic. Severus' unique perspective, and his war hero status afforded him the sort of clout and speaking power that was second only to Harry Potter himself. Hermione, on the other hand, had been largely freed from her debilitating agoraphobia and PTSD-induced panic attacks when she had cemented the bond with her husband. Still, she knew that letting any lingering trauma fester was no longer an option, so she spent a few years in therapy with a trusted and discrete Muggleborn therapist in Hogsmeade. Meanwhile, she stayed on at Hogwarts as Deputy Headmistress, and now, with Minerva nearing ninety years of age, would likely take over as Headmistress in a few years. But when her husband spoke at the Ministry, she stood by his side, her hand in his in solidarity as they battled bigotry and ignorance against magical sapient beings.

Marlin had become a doting uncle in his own right, instructing his niece and nephew on the finer points of merfolk life. He was an expert fisherman, bringing back bounties of the sea to his clan and his family, and sold the extra catch to Hogwarts.

Neffie had gone on to found the first interspecies sign language class at Hogwarts. She taught both mer-children as well as Hogwarts students. It was considered an elective for third year and above, and nearly all the Slytherin students took it in order to communicate with the merfolk at their window. She adored and spoiled her grandchildren, treating them to her hypnotic voice and of course all of the best seafood (her specialty being abalone medallions so sweet and buttery that they melted on the tongue).

Hermione grasped at her husband's hand with her own, twirling through the water and finding herself in his arms. He wrapped his tail around hers and they danced in the silent water as the mid-afternoon sun filtered down into the depths.

Ew, Mum and dad are being lovey-dovey again! Sedna's mind-voice complained.

Then don't look. At least our parents are happy together. Not many kids are lucky enough to have that. Julian, as usual, was the voice of reason. Come on then, Sed. I bet I can beat ya on a swim around the lake.

Bet ya can't! In a swirl of bubbles and speed and a triumphant laugh, Sedna burst ahead.

Julian sped after her but not before looking back at his parents for a moment.

Go on, then, Julian, or I'm going to snog your mum in a highly inappropriate manner in front of you, Severus deadpanned.

Oh. Wow. Thanks for the mental image, Dad. Julian's mind-voice was nearly identical in tone, though he had quite a ways to go before his voice would be as deep as his father's.

Scamps, the both of them, Severus complained as Hermione kissed him on the lips.

Yes, but they're our scamps, Hermione agreed.

Correct as usual, my love. Severus kissed her back, then his eyebrow arched suggestively. You know, I wasn't merely joking about snogging you in a highly inappropriate manner.

Don't mind if I do. Hermione's mind-voice was a purr and they sank slowly into the darker depths of the Black Lake, their hearts beating together in perfect synchronicity.