Warning: Magical AU, where Remus is a merman. Possibly OOC behaviour and some M/M kissing
A/N: So it's taken me a while with this chapter because I've been trying to make this whole story 3 parts including an interlude but I think it'd gonna have to be longer. It's a tentative 1 or 2 chapters more (with another naughty interlude if enough people ask for one after this chapter). I hope you enjoy! I had one hell of a time trying to figure out Remus' character/ personality.

Sirius felt wonderful. He wasn't entirely sure why. Maybe it was all the work the day before. Being productive always made him feel good. Or maybe it was that wonderful dream he had. It was a rather strange one but pleasant nonetheless. Finding a merman who sprouted legs then ravishing him in bed? Strange things may happen in the magical world but that was beyond belief. Maybe the stuff of fantasies but there was satisfaction glowing in Sirius' bones, so he supposed the dream had done more good than harm.

Stretching out his back until he heard a pop, Sirius stood up, found a pair of discarded flannel bottoms and made his way downstairs for breakfast. He was too content to notice some of his drawers had been opened and rummaged through or the mess the wind had left in his room.

Not wanting to put too much bother into his breakfast, Sirius made some toast and grabbed an apple before heading back upstairs to get dressed. Taking a bite of the apple, thoughts of the jobs he needed to finish ran through Sirius' head. As he was about to turn the corner and head for the stairs, something caught his attention. Passing the entrance to his library study, a pair of legs hanging off the side of his favourite armchair held his eye. Sirius stopped in his tracks and turned to see the top of a head with golden hair lying down on the opposite arm of the chair. Heart pounding in his chest, Sirius was still trying to figure out what to do. His wand was up in the bedroom and rushing to get it would bring too much attention to him. Then again, if someone had broke in somehow and was dangerous, would they just be lounging about? Shifting a foot slightly caused the wooden boards under him to creak and caught the attention of the man in the chair. The blond man turned around at the noise and Sirius was sure his heart had stopped when he recognised the merman from his dream.

When Remus saw Sirius, the merman smiled enchantingly and quickly stood up from the chair and put down the book he had been flipping through. It seemed he had quickly learned how to use his legs for Remus seemed to be gliding on the ground as if he were gliding through water. Or perhaps Sirius was still dreaming. He hoped he was. What other explanation was there?

Just as Sirius opened his mouth to ask what was happening, Remus placed a kiss on his lips and wrapped a pair of strong arms around Sirius' waist. Sirius knew he should push the other man away once the kiss started but it was so inviting and warm that he couldn't find the strength. Then, Remus lightly rubbed his nose tip against Sirius' and any hope of gaining an upper hand in the situation was lost for the time being.

"Am I still dreaming?" Sirius asked in a slight daze.

"Of course not. Why would you be?" The merman asked, threading fingers through Sirius' hair for a rather lovely head massage.

"But, you have legs and before and an orange fin?"

"Perhaps we should go back up..." Remus suggested, his voice had started to thicken into honey; sweet, relaxed and alluring. Sirius wanted to wrap himself in it. The effect was almost like getting but his final shred of reason started to fight.

"What? What are you doing...I don't-" insisted Sirius, trying to get out of the merman's grip, both physically and mentally. The air felt thick and Sirius could feel his blood heading south without warning. Something in the back of his head was shouting that something wasn't right. This wasn't him. Sirius pulled back when she noticed Remus reaching out for him again. Falling back into the doorframe, Sirius fought when the comforting pairs of hands tried to help him up.

"What are you doing to me? S-stop it," he started to take deep breaths and focused his vision on the floor. There he noticed his forgotten toast and apple. When did he drop those? Before he could protest any further, the fog started to ebb and the atmosphere thinned. Looking up, Sirius saw Remus leaning against the back of the chair with the beginnings of a scowl on his face.

"Sorry, I thought you would enjoy it. You did before." Remus shrugged, not sounding the least bit remorseful. There were no more traces of the seductive sweetness in his voice now.

"What were you doing to me?"

"Just...a little keema trick. I can...uh what's the word? Better? Better your feelings." Finished Remus, sitting down on the ground in front of Sirius. Sirius was reminded that according to Harry the merman was from around Greece and assumed that was what that tinge in his accent was. Though there seemed more to it than that. Some of his words had been pronounced with a rather Welsh lilt.

"I'm not sure I follow."

"I make you feel more. Make the feelings stronger."

"Heighten my emotions?'

"Yes! Heighten emotions." The merman seemed pleased to finally know the correct words and appeared to store it away for later use.

"Why would you do that?" Sirius asked, a little more settled now that the fog wasn't completely controlling him. He sank further to the ground.

"You enjoy it. So do I." Remus simply answered, suddenly taking interest in the discarded piece of toast near him. He picked it up to examine it, giving Sirius another chance to study his face. Even with a clear mind, it was obvious that Remus was one of the more handsome men he had ever seen (or even shagged) so far. In the light of day, Remus' eyes were amber, rather than gold. They matched the opal in the necklace that had been left out on the dock and sat on his lightly defined chest. His body still seemed as lean and firm as it had felt in the dark. He was also wearing a pair of boxers that Sirius knew had been taken from his drawers.

Before Sirius brought up the stolen property, Remus sniffed the toast and took a bite only to scrunch his nose up in disgust and tossing the toast back on the rug.

"Oi, watch the crumbs."

"Crumbs?"

"Yeah, crumbs. You know, the tiny little pieces that come off toast."

"Toast? Oh this must be toast."

"Where've you been living? Under a...oh," suddenly, Sirius remembered that this was supposed to be a merman and thus, probably didn't know what crumbs and toast were- what with his living in an ocean.

"So...you've always had fins? Till now?" Sirius asked in what he had hoped was a casual voice. If he thought about it, the whole situation was rather hilarious. Of course, of all the wizards and witches it would have to be Sirius who would shag a merman that sprouted legs. Maybe he could write a sort of Penthouse letter, wizards edition. Back at Hogwarts, one of the muggle borns in their room had got a hold of one of those magazines and it had been a blast going through it.

"Yes. I know it is not normal to hear of someone like me growing legs. I didn't think it would happen but my yia-yia..." Remus trailed off, there was pain swelling in his eyes but after a few moments he swallowed and continued. "There is legend among the keemanth-"

"Keena-what?" Interrupted Sirius.

"Keemanth. It is what we call ourselves. I believe humans call us mermaids but we do not like that term. Now, what was I saying?" Remus said, obviously annoyed at the interruption. "Ah yes, a kiss from a human will allow the keemanth to walk on land. I doubted it at first but obviously the legends are true." Getting a little tired of the conversation, Remus stood up and started to run a hand over the spines of the books that lined the walls. He stopped at a rather decorative spine and pulled it out to flip through it. When he saw it was only text, he put it back. Sirius was still trying to process what Remus had said to notice his reaction to the books.

"Wait a moment. So you're saying because I snogged you, you sprouted legs? So you're human now?"

"In a way yes. We're human for only a day but true love's kiss will make it last," said Remus casually; attention caught more by an etching he had found in a herbology book.

"True love? I am not you're true love. We just had a rather fun night is all." This was starting to lose the entertainment value. A horrible feeling started to grow in the pit of Sirius' stomach as Remus looked down at him with a raised eyebrow and cocked head.

"We are...what is the word in this language?" Remus frowned, trying to find the right term.

"Strangers? Different species?" Sirius offered.

"No," Remus said in annoyance before snapping his fingers when he found the best word. "We're bonded."

"Bonded?"

"Yes, when two become one. For life." Remus finished with a small smile.

"Bonded for life? You mean like marriage?" asked Sirius, raising an eyebrow. He was pretty sure no vows had been exchanged the night before. At least he'd hope not.

"Yes! Marriage! I heard the men by the docks say that word. You are my wife now, yes?"

"No! We didn't get married! No one exchanged vows. There was no ceremony."

"Yes. We are bonded. You accepted my gifts and I accepted yours." Remus pointed to the necklace, still around his neck to emphasis the point. Never again would Sirius listen to Lily and Harry.

"Look that doesn't mean-"

"Then we...danced," a far off look appeared in Remus' eyes as he thought back to the night before.

"Danced?" echoed Sirius, still utterly lost.

"I don't know what you call it. When the keemanth mate we exchange gifts and then we dance. In the water of course. Then we are bonded or married as you call it. But, humans dance...differently. It, it felt so much nicer than it would have with another keemanth." Remus had made his way over and rested his hands on Sirius' chest. They leisurely slipped down towards his waist.

"You mean...oh," suddenly, Sirius understood what Remus was referring to. "You mean the sex. Uh, I- it was nice. I agree. But that doesn't mean we're married."

"But we are. You're my wife now."

"I'm not. Look, I don't know how you do things down in Atlantis or where ever you're from, but we're not married. Up here on land, a shag does not mean I'm bound to you for life," insisted Sirius, getting a little angry and panicky.

"Didn't you feel it? The ocean. The wind. We're bound by nature and that is acceptable anywhere on this earth. In the water or on land." Remus said with finality. His jaw was set and his eyes were stubborn. Thinking back to the night before, Sirius did have to admit there was something a little strange about it. How things around them felt like it stopped and then suddenly picked up pace what with the wind. But, that didn't mean he was married to some fish.

"Then I want a divorce. You know, end the marriage."

"Only death can separate us." Remus stated, a little bit of a threat in his words that worried Sirius even more. What the hell had Sirius gotten himself into now?

"Well...I still don't believe you but if we are married then I'm the husband and you're the wife." Sirius claimed, not wanting to think on the matter any more for right now. The more he thought about it, the more he was convinced he had accidently married a possibly murderous keema-whatever fish hybrid because he hadn't had a good shag in a while. He would never hear the end of it from James. Looking back at the stubborn expression on Remus' face, Sirius knew that there was no way he was getting this man out of his house. Suddenly, there was a growl from Remus' stomach that surprised both men.

"Since you're not leaving, might as well get us a proper breakfast," concluded Sirius, standing up and waiting until Remus did the same.

Sirius had decided he was rather done with conversation for now. A bit of time would be needed to figure things out. One of the things he was definitely going to do is read through that merpeople book Lily had left for any bit of information. For one, can a human marry a merman intentionally and what was all this about 'nature knowing' about the marriage. The first name that came to Sirius' mind in terms of finding more information was Dumbledore. He was bound to know something. One year when Sirius and James had played a prank involving the lake, they happened to anger the merpeople inhabiting it. Dumbledore had to do some damage control and Sirus remembered he had spoken the screechy language. If anyone would know something, it could be Dumbledore. Besides, there was no way he was going to ask Lily or James for help right now because that would involve explaining too much- a lot of which he didn't understand quite yet.

Really, Sirius was feeling rather well with how he was handling the situation thus far. He was rather good at keeping a level head in stressful situations and finding out you had married and apparently was the true love of a merman certainly counted as a stressful situation.

The two men walked into the kitchen and Sirius threw his apple and old toast on the counter, deciding later he would feed some of it to his owl. After rummaging through the fridge, Sirius pulled out some eggs and sausages. Putting the items on the counter to take out some pans had garnered more of Remus' attention.

"What is this white box?" Remus asked, opening it up and peering inside. "It is cold. Is it because of your magic?"

"Uh, sort of. This one runs on electricity but I used a spell to keep it efficient. But it's a fridge to answer your question. I put food in it to keep it fresh. Whoa wait, I have breakfast-" just as Sirius finished explaining the wonders of the fridge, Remus had pulled out a raw fish that was going to be Sirius' dinner and was examining it. Sirius wasn't sure what Remus was up to until Remus took a large bite out of the fish.

"What, uh...no thanks," Sirius declined to take his own bite when Remus offered him the fish.

"Are you not hungry?" Remus asked, reminding Sirius once again that he was a merman and therefore his diet probably consisted mostly of fish. Raw fish apparently.

"No, just we humans don't normally eat raw fish."

"What do you do with it?"

"Cook it. Warm it up with fire."

"Does it taste better?"

"I think it does. Humans cook a lot of things. We have a hard time digesting raw meat. Here. See this? This is a vegetable. It's a plant." Sirius had pulled out a head of lettuce from the fridge and showed it to Remus.

"Yes I know what a plant is. I eat plants sometimes."

"All right don't get testy. This is a plant and this," Sirius pointed at the fish in Remus' hand. "This is meat. An animal. Humans can eat plants raw though we cook them too mostly. We can't eat meat raw. Well I suppose some humans like raw fish but you have to prepare it properly. And if you're really a human now, you may have trouble in an hour or so when your body tries to process that day old fish," warned Sirius but Remus only looked at him skeptically before taking another bite out of the fish.

"It tastes better than plants." Remus simply said as he continued to eat the whole fish, making Sirius a little ill. Sushi was one thing but eating a raw fish that was just from a local market, skin and all, was a little questionable.

"Well I'll show you where the loo is next so you can run to it when you upchuck all of that." Sirius went to rinse his apple in some water before showing Remus the rest of the house. It wasn't likely that someone who just devoured a raw fish was going to judge the cleanliness of what Sirius ate. When Sirius turned on the tap, Remus' eyes lit up in amazement. Amused and he decided to explain it later. Walked out of the kitchen to start the tour, Sirus waited until Remus followed him. At each description of various rooms and the jobs that the objects they held were, it was obvious that Remus was storing the information away with seriousness. The more that Sirius talked, the more he felt Remus was soaking it up. There was a dedicated interest in Remus' face that Sirius had only really seen in Lily's or Harry's when they were determined to learn more. He knew it stemmed from a love of learning and whether it was Harry learning his ABCs or Lily trying to discover more about merpeople, it was something that Sirius knew not many truly had. Remus didn't just want to learn these things to understand the human world; he had thirst to learn.

The tour of the first floor eventually became a tour of the grounds. There was the still developing garden, Sirius' working shed, which was a place Remus was not allowed and the paths to the beach and dock. When they came back into the house, Sirius took Remus upstairs. Although Sirius was still upset about housing a stranger, he had to admit the explanation of the shower in the guest bathroom was entertaining to say the least.

"So you mean, water comes out of here and says in this…tub? And humans stay in it and rub soap on them to be clean?"

"Yeah, you see when you don't live in the water, you tend to develop B.O."

"B…"

"Body odour. Not really pleasant most of the time. You'll find out soon."

"But, the water just comes of out here. Like it did in the kitchen?" Remus asked once more, running a hand over the spout.

"Yeah, uh, we use these things called pipes and…well I don't know all the details but there's pressure and it makes stored water come out. Not salt water mind. Just turn that knob there." Sirius reached out and twisted the hot water faucet, causing Remus to snap up in surprise. "If you wait a bit, it'll turn warm. And this is the cold water faucet and controls cold water. You mix them up to what temperature you want."

"Humans choose the temperature?" gasped Remus, delighted as he placed his hand under the running water.

"Yeah, merpeople like cold water yeah? It's what you're used to I guess."

"I love the warmth. I would stay on the rocks during sunny days as long as I could whenever I wasn't needed. The way the sun shines on Mykonos is heavenly." Remus started to say, distance growing in his voice as his memories floated through his head. Shaking it off, Remus blocked the drain and played with the faucets. He watched as the water quickly filled until an adequate level and stopped the faucets, taking time to run a hand through the water. It amused Sirius and he didn't think to ask Remus what he was doing until the merman was taking off the boxers he wore and climbed into the tub.

"Should I ask?" Sirius hoped he wasn't blushing right now. It was hard not to look at Remus' ample groin. He was certainly well endowed and Sirius was having more flashbacks from last night.

"I want to try." Remus said simply, sitting in the tub and sinking down with a sigh of content. Sprawling out as much as he could, the merman let the water wash over him. It was obvious to Sirius that he wasn't going to come out any time soon so went and got him a towel.

"Right, well, you use this to wipe the water off when you're done. I'll, I'll be in my room. The last door down the hall." Sirius said, leaving the happy merman to his water. When he was in his room, Sirius finally noticed the mess that had been left the night before and decided to quickly tidy up. It seemed that he wasn't going to get as much work as he would like done that day. Just as Sirius started to wonder if Remus had somehow drowned himself, the merman walked through the door with nothing on. His skin was pink from the hot bath and satisfaction emitted from his every pore.

"Is this where I will sleep?" Remus asked with a small yawn. He started to walk towards the bed where Siruis was sitting, making the dark haired man gulp.

"Uh, no. This is where I sleep. I was going to let you sleep in one of the guest rooms." Sirius explained but Remus had already lain down comfortably on his bed.

"I don't know why I am so tired. Are humans always this tired?"

"Did you sleep last night?"

"No," another yawn, bigger this time, left Remus' mouth. He stretched his back and Sirius desperately wished the man had put the boxers back on.

"Well that's why. How much do merpeople have to sleep?" Sirius asked but then realised that Remus had already fallen asleep. Covering Remus with a blanket, Sirius decided to go out into his shed and get as much work done as possible. He wasn't sure what he would have to do when Remus woke up. It was a bit like taking care of Harry but there was a possibility Remus could get into more trouble than the younger boy ever could. Sirius just hoped now that the both of them could keep their hands to themselves.

It had been a little over a week since Sirius had dragged Remus up to bed that fateful night and the merman had yet to sprout fins again. Within that short time, Remus started to get a hang of what it meant to live with a pair of legs and Sirius almost believed what had happened. Watching Remus eat sugar soaked wheaties, Sirius started to muse about the past week. In terms of food, Remus was a lot easier to please than Sirius had anticipated. He had taken to cooked fish well and with other things, he simply liked it or hated it. Among the 'like' list was blackberries, milk, steak, celery, Parmesan cheese, pumpernickel bread and chocolate. Smiling to himself, Sirius thought about Remus' first taste of chocolate and the look of utter amazement that sprung to his face.

Much to his delight, Sirius had been able to get a lot more work done than he had expected. While he was worried about having to keep a constant eye on Remus, it turned out to be much the opposite. Sirius found he could leave Remus alone for quite a while and the merman would find various harmless ways to occupy himself. It had recently become working in the garden and that suited Sirius rather well. Gardening seemed something that Remus was naturally good at and it just meant that Sirius had to worry less about that part of the house. Remus was even an excellent fisherman and so most meals had a side dish of fish. Also, it seemed Sirius owl, Basil, had taken quite well to Remus. Though that might be related to the fact that Remus would always feed him fish during dinner.

As Sirius thought about all this, he realised that he didn't really know much about Remus. Yes, he knew that he was originally a merman but other than a love of chocolate and a green thumb, there wasn't much Sirius had learned about the Remus' past.

"What kind of mermaid name is Remus anyway? Shouldn't you be named something like Calypso or Aquada?" Sirius asked before he really thought about it. It was one way to start the conversation if not the most tactful.

"It is a little strange but my yia yia picked it. She had been telling the story of Romulus and Remus the night I was born," answered Remus, a sad look in his eyes.

"You're ya ya?"

"My yia yia. My…mother's mother?" Remus searched for the right words.

"You mean grandmother?" provided Sirius.

"Yes, grandmother."

"Oh, um, does she miss you? Now you're with me." Sirius asked innocently. He was pretty sure he had remembered Remus mentioned the term a number of times this week.

"She's dead," Remus said rather bluntly, embarrassing Sirius.

"I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," Remus shrugged, going back to his breakfast.

"What about the rest of your family? Wouldn't they want to know where you are?"

"My village is dead. I am the last of my race." Remus answered again, his voice a little on edge.

"Oh," Sirius said, cheeks turning a little red. Normally, he was rather good at this sort of thing. That is, getting information from people without them really realising it. It was something he had become excellent at during the war but apparently he had lost his touch. He really did feel bad though for bringing up a sore topic so bluntly. Clearing his throat, Sirius searched for another topic.

"So, I've been thinking Remus. I know I was a little weary about letting you stay here in the beginning but I think I'm content with you living here for a while. Until you get settled more in human life," announced Sirius. He felt this was a break through in terms of decisions but Remus just looked at him like Sirius was an idiot.

"Of course I am staying. You're my wife."

"I'm not a wo- okay, well since you're so intent on staying, you need to earn your keep."

"Earn my keep?" Remus questioned, brow furrowing in that ever so delightful way that Sirius thought was rather adorable but would never in fact admit aloud.

"Yeah, you can't live here for free. You need to do something that will pay your way. Like paying rent. I mean, you've been working in the garden, which is nice and you're a rather decent cook I have to admit. Well, when it comes to fish. But you need to do other things. It's like bargaining. You can't have something from me without giving me something back," Sirius explained.

"You mean, I need to…give you something so I can stay here? Make you happy?"

"I suppose that's one way of saying it. I mean, I don't know if there's a job you can take in town and to be honest, I wouldn't want you going out there right now when you're still getting the hang of things on land. You could continue to cook I suppose. Maybe tidy up the house," Sirius had started to brainstorm ideas and hadn't noticed the mischievous gleam in Remus' eye as he made his ways towards Sirius and cut him off with a kiss. Taken off guard, Sirius leaned into the kiss at first and enjoyed the hands roaming across his body. When they finally broke apart, Remus had a determined lustful look on his face and Sirius was sure he looked like a guppy with his dazed look.

"Ah, yes," Sirius managed to say. If anything, Remus had a talented tongue and even though he had been dropping little hints here and there, this was the first time he had actually made a proper move.

"You said I need to give you something, so I can stay here. We can have sex. As much as you want."

Obviously from the stirring in Sirius' groin, the idea of Remus earning his keep via sexual favours was not something his body would ever reject. But he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he even considered such an arrangement. As desirable as it may sound.

"What? No! I'm not keeping you as my personal sex slave." Sirius said, pushing Remus at arm's length when he leaned in for another kiss. The look of disappointment on Remus' face at the fact his seductions had yet to work again made Sirius blush slightly.

"In my village, I would often help built our homes and make tools. I can help with your home," Remus offered.

"Okay, thanks, I'll think about it. Ahem, now I need to uh, go out and do some work. In my shed." Sirius explained, before running off to the backyard, deciding that he needed to owl a letter or two.

Dear Albus,

I hope you are in good health and that all is well at Hogwarts. It has been quite some time since we were able to have a good chat and unfortunately, this letter mostly asks you a few questions for my own use. As you may have heard, I've left my position at the Ministry and am pursuing a career as a freelance magical inventor. One of my clients, as it happens, wants me to create a few products in regards to merpeople. I remember that you happen to speak the same language as the merpeople in the Hogwarts Lake and thought you would have more knowledge on this subject than others. The questions I have in particular deal with the Greek merpeople and their customs. Are there certain customs they have that are known such as marriage ceremonies? Also, has there been any record of merpeople walking on land?

These questions might seem strange but it's also a rather strange job request for me. Thank you for all your help.

Sincerely,

Sirius Black

Dear Sirius,

You'll be glad to know that I am indeed in good health and that Hogwarts is still standing. It seems seven years of James Potter and yourself has proven the school to be nearly indestructible. The other night I attended a rather lovely chamber music concert performed at an acquaintance's home. Very enjoyable and thus your letter finds me in good spirits. I wish you all the luck in your new endeavor. While the Ministry of Magic is important, the jobs they offer are not for all. I for one empathize with you on that.

Now in regards to your questions of the merfolk, I suggest perhaps you start with books on the older water gods and water nymphs. When I was a younger man, I spent some time exploring Greece and on my travels to the islands, I stumbled across stories of the Keemanth mertribe. Not much is known about them in terms of modern tales but there are small pieces of information regarding them throughout Greek mythology. An interesting fact about the Grecian merfolk is about their nature. Unlike many other merfolk found throughout the world, the Keemanth were quite peaceful and playful. They were a particular nuisance to the ancient Greeks as they would often persuade them to dance and sing rather than work. There are some parallels to sirens but the Keemanth never intended to harm.

Of course, as centuries passed and belief in gods and magic waned among muggles, the Keemanth hid and started to fade into obscurity. There hasn't been a spotting of one for perhaps two hundred years. Many believed them to have died out years ago. That would be quite a shame. They were said to be some of the most beautiful and kind creatures with quite an appreciation for culture and language. In fact, legend claims they were descendants of Triton and helped Greek traders translate foreign dialects.

Again, not much is really known about these fascinating creatures, including marriage and mating ceremonies. Marriage is a rather human notion that some humanoid magical creatures picked up. The merfolk in the lake I believe have a sort of marriage ceremony. In a chat with Merchieftainess Murcus, he mentioned something about public exchanges of gifts then asking the elements permission for the union. On further questioning he simply stated that a union between two is only true if the elements approve and I assumed this may have something to do with the magical abilities they possess that have yet to be understood or even their religious inclinations.

For your final question, there are said to be some races of merfolk who can transform into human forms or more of a humanoid form. The most popular are Selkies, who are said to be able to shed their 'seal skin' in order to become humans for a period of time. In regards to the Keemanth, I believe there was a myth that if one was able to secure the love of a human, they would be able to live among humans. Like many old stories and myths this is based on the oldest magic, love. Of course, the details of what incident may have caused this myth to sprout is lost and transfiguration is extremely difficult to accomplish with larger, living creatures. But with legend and myth there is often a grain of truth, is there not Sirius? And perhaps a combination of love and desperation can cause a number of interesting magical occurrences.

I hope this letter was helpful to you and I was able to answer your questions. If you still have more, feel free to ask but I do highly suggest you look into the origins of any merfolk myth and legend as those were often from times they were more open of their existence to humans, magical or muggle.

Sincerely,

Albus Dumbledore

He was running. Running and running until his legs were burning so much that they were almost numb and his lungs were going to give out. But it didn't matter. All that mattered was that he get to the house. He had to find James, Lily and Harry. Had to make sure they were all safe. Had to make sure that Voldemort hadn't gotten to them. That Peter hadn't betrayed them. That everything was going to be all right. That Peter still didn't hate him for that stupid, stupid prank.

And suddenly he was at the house and he knew it was too late. Sirius broke down in sobs as he looked at the destroyed pile of rubble of what was once the Potter's residence. He didn't know what to do. He had nothing left. Letting the sobs completely rack his body, Sirius didn't notice everything around him fade to black.

With a gasp, Sirius woke up. There were the traces of tears on his face and at first, he wasn't sure whether or not it had all been a dream or real. As his heartbeat slowed and his breathing evened, Sirius kept on telling himself that it had all been a horrible nightmare. It was one he had during and after the war. How Sirius had almost lost the Potters. Over the years, he hardly ever had it again but sometimes, memories from the war would creep up on him.

Sitting up, Sirius was about to reach for a glass of water on his nightstand when he noticed Remus was lying down next to him. The blonde man was lying on his side and from the looks of it had been watching Sirius intently before he woke.

"Do you always watch me sleep?" Sirius asked, jumping a little when he noticed Remus.

"No. I heard you groaning. I came to see if you were all right."

"Oh, well I'm fine. I just had a bad dream," explained Sirius, hoping that Remus would go back to his room. Ever since Remus had propositioned Sirius a few days ago, he hadn't been able to get the thought out of his head. During the most inconvenient times, images of Remus in various salacious positions would sneak up on Sirius. Having the merman lying next to him and smelling as heavenly as he did right now wasn't going to help. Especially after a dream that had increased Sirius' adrenaline. Not that dreams about death normally made Sirius randy, but they did sometimes make him want to remind himself that he was alive and everything was okay.

"I'm sorry."

"Well it wasn't your fault I had it."

"No, I was humming and maybe you heard."

"Your humming doesn't mean I'm going to have a nightmare."

"Yes, it may. I was thinking of my village and was humming a song about how much I miss it," Remus tried to explain and Sirius thought back to the nights that he had heard a song floating though his window. How that first night Sirius went to the shore in search of the voice, he had started to have flashbacks to the war and Peter. He remembered that Remus seemed to be able to turn Sirius into mush at will. Perhaps there was more to these merman powers than Sirius gave credit to.

"What's done is done." Sirius said simply, before laying back down. He was a little annoyed when Remus didn't leave.

"What was the dream about? What made you so upset?" asked Remus.

"Nothing."

"It was more than nothing."

"It was…fine it was about the war. A few years back, the wizards were all in a war and I almost lost some people who were the only family I had because I had put my trust in someone who couldn't be trusted," Sirius explained, annoyed that he was even saying anything. It was the past and Sirius wanted it forgotten. There was a long pause before Remus said anything in reply.

"I know about war. It's how I lost my village."

"Ah, sorry." Sirius said sincerely. That had surprised him a little. Sirius felt a little ashamed at his ego for assuming that he was the only one who had felt loss and pain from war. There was also a part of him though that didn't care and said he was allowed to feel what he wanted to feel. He looked at Remus but couldn't make out too much in the dark. He did notice the other man shrugging before lying down on his back; the shift in movement caused the necklace around his neck to glint slightly from the small amount of moonlight that fell through the curtains.

"We were not warriors but our leader insisted on it anyway. In the end, everyone was killed but I escaped. I swam as far away as I could. I knew if they found me they would torture and kill me. I didn't know what to do. I didn't know of any other mertribe that would even care enough to help me before they drove me off. I knew that much. So I swam so far until the water was ice cold. Until I found the light that your house gave off."

Sirius wasn't sure what to say at the story. It was his turn to shift until he was on his own side, staring at Remus. There was much more to the merman than Sirius had imagined. At first, Sirius assumed he was just living a silly fairy tale, where a merman had accidently fallen in love with him and it was all just rather inconvenient. He hadn't ever thought that there was actual reason for Remus being so far from his home. He would have never thought Remus would understand the loss that Sirius had gone through. In fact, Sirius wanted to say that he might not be able to understand the loss that Remus had endured. The idea that it was Sirius' own home that had somehow led Remus to safety almost baffled him. Sirius idly wondered if this was the war refugee he was meant to save all along.

"Remus?" Sirius asked, wondering if Remus wanted to talk anymore. The merman looked at Sirius mournfully.

"Sirius," Remus answered back, seduction starting to soak into the name.

"Is that why you gave me all those presents? You were hoping that I would kiss you so you could maybe stay on land?"

"I was so scared and thought it was the only way I could make sure I was safe. I had started to see signs that some other water spirits noticed my presence. I was scared they would kill me. I didn't think it was going to work but I do care for you. I do," promised Remus, leaning towards Sirius. "If I didn't, it wouldn't have worked anyway. You believe me?"

They were looking into each other's eyes best they could in the lack of light. Sirius could feel his heart pounding heavily but it wasn't out of fear now. Sirius could feel what he bloody well wanted to feel. Want what or whomever he wanted. Heat and need for acceptance radiated off of Remus and engulfed Sirius' senses. It was almost as intoxicating as Remus' voice. All Sirius wanted was to remind the both of them that they were lucky enough to still be alive after all they had been through.

Before Remus could say anything else, Sirius let impulse take over and pulled the merman in for a kiss. A little unsure at first, Remus gradually let himself be taken over by the sensations. There was something desperate yet tender as their tongues wrestled, not for dominance but for adoration. Hands suddenly started to roam under clothes, caressing skin and eventually, tongues started to follow. Sirius delighted in the moan that glided out of Remus' throat when Sirius rubbed a warm hand on Remus' groin. The notes in Remus' moan made Sirius forget any stupid promise of keeping his hands off of Remus. He just let himself feel as they tangled their limbs around each other's bodies.