AN: Hey guys! I just wanted to clarify that Xeno (II) Lovegood's face claim is Cody Fern. but you can imagine whoever you want :)
The library was cold and crowded. The class had been assigned to do a project comparing Sirens and Mermaids. Although Draco wasn't very fond of doing any homework- especially a subject as pathetic as Care of Magical Creatures. He was somehow drawn to the subject. He had his monster book of monsters on one side, another book on the history of sirens and mermaids, a quill, and parchment
"He's at perfect liberty to kiss whomever he likes. I really couldn't care less." He heard a chippy voice express. When he lifted his head to shut whoever that was, he saw bushy hair bouncing up and down past the bookshelves
"Oh for Salazar's sake," Draco whispered to himself
"Was I under the impression that he and I would be attending Slughorn's-" Before he could hear the rest of her tangent, he picked up his items and sprinted to the library door
Draco thought it would be fitting to go study near the black lake. Besides, the astronomy tower was giving him too many ideas
-
"Look, a human" Cordelia heard one of the sirens whisper as she was hiding behind a big rock. a satchel she had found was on her shoulder, heavy with pretty stones and stolen shells.
"Wasn't he the one who made fun of us on the boat?" one hissed
"Yes, I remember, he had a sneering look on his face as if he was the king of the sea- Too bad Lady Kali wouldn't let us do anything- She said not to waste our time on such a pathetic thing" Cordelia froze when she heard the name. Kali, the only siren that had a name- was the leader of their tribe- and oh would it be minimalizing to say she was just ruthless
She was the epitome of cynicism
Greedy, heinous, destructive. Eyes glaring red like the devil, lips stretched so tightly over her teeth that they seem to disappear, and a twisted scowl of pride. Cordelia only had two interactions with Lord Kali- both she couldn't remember the reasoning from how long ago it had been- but maybe not remembering was for the better
The sirens themselves were terrified of her, but they masked their fear of Lord Kali with pride. a pattern Cordelia noticed often
"Pfft... Would our Lord even realize if we did something like that? Would anyone realize it? The boy is pathetic, apparently, he's serving that pitiful lord those humans worship- what do they call him? lodervormt? olvermort?"
"Does it matter- he's nowhere near as powerful as Lord Kali... Now, I'm sure no one will find this boy if he were at the bottom of the lake" One siren suggested, with a mischievous look crossing her face.
"What are you implying? That we...kill the boy?"
"Oh don't be such a baby! We won't kill him- he'll just.. accidentally trip in the lake and never come back up." Cordelia gasped at just the thought of that- How could someone be so- so absurd? Apparently, her gasp was loud enough for the two sirens to snap their heads. She managed to quickly hide before she could actually get caught, a talent she's learned to handle over the years of living in fear
"I promise to you, no one will know. The rest are asleep.. and that Cornelia or whatever her name is... Well, she's probably drowning in a pool of her own sorry and misery!" Her heart ached a little hearing that.. not that she hadn't heard worse.
"Well...Alright. But, how will we make it look like an 'accident'" She couldn't let this happen- watch two mermaids practically kill an innocent boy
'We aren't lying when we say the ropes will be made of fire the next time you mess up'
The words spun around her head in scattered circles. If Cordelia was going to save this boy, she needed to be careful
"Here's our plan" The mermaids swam to the top of the lake, and Cordelia slowly followed them up. The two sirens were right below the dock where the mysterious boy was sitting. Whilst Cordelia was behind a large pile of seaweed she was told specifically not to touch it. She knew it was some kind of cynical torture method to get her begging for more food.
"I'll take-" the siren paused as she picked up a large stone "-this rock, and throw it far. That'll distract the boy. Then, you and I will take his legs and push him down the water until he stops moving. Got it?" Her eyes were ruby red, glowing with passion. The other nodded vigorously
Cordelia didn't really have a plan- but, she knew whatever had to come next, she was ready to help
She watched as one grabbed a heavy-looking rock, heavy enough to echo a noise at least, and slowly threw it out into the outside world. It clearly caught the boy's attention. As he was about to move his dangling feet from the dock to stand up, 4 hands grabbed his legs roughly- the rest of his body moving with it.
Cordelia internally panicked when she saw the white blonde boy struggle in fear as the mermaids gripped him- no- suffocated him as tightly as possible with all their strength.
The boy had his eyes squeezed shut in struggle, his body moving left and right. His moving got slower and he was slowly losing consciousness. Slowly opening his eyes, He widened them as he saw the sight of his own death.
-
Cordelia's heart was pumping strongly. Finally getting the courage, she quickly swam toward them. A large stone in her hand- much larger than the one they threw- as she came from behind them, she took her arm and wrapped it around one siren's neck and
Bang
Both sirens' grip loosened as their consciousness slowly drifted away. They fell to the hard ground, their eyes shut and sound asleep.
The boy- whom she had recognized from the boat trip- was now fully unconscious. not moving. at all. Goosebumps of terror freckled her skin as she scooped him up and with struggle was able to bring him up to the surface near the freshly green grass.
She managed to get on the grass as well, her body still wet from the water. 'So this is what it feels like to be on land fully' she whispered to herself
She leaned over to his chest, trying to find a working heartbeat. Long seconds went by until she finally heard it
Bump
She sighed in relief and relaxation knowing the boy was alive
Bump
He was shivering like crazy. His face was almost blue from the icy cold water. Cordelia saw he had left some sort of robe on the dock. She jumped back into the water feeling warm again, and swam to the front of the dock, sliding his robe to the grass.
She covered his body in the robe like a blanket. His shivering seemed to calm down with the warmth of the robe on his damp skin.
Cordelia took a closer look at his robes, and couldn't help but look through his pockets.
Nothing was in the first pocket, but in the second front pocket was a picture of a woman
She was beautiful. She had beautiful black locks with strands of white highlights. She wore a dress that fit her flawlessly. It was crimson red that perfectly matched her bright red lipstick. As Cordelia took a closer look at the photograph. She noticed a daffodil necklace- the same one she found when she was 9 years old at the bottom of the black lake- which must be a coincidence. She placed the picture back in his pocket where it belonged- and put back all her attention on him.
As he was beginning to relax. She couldn't help but admire his features. His hair was as white as the December snow. His eyelashes fluttered perfectly with every breath he took. His pink lips seemed swollen because of how hard he was gnawing on them while struggling in the water. He was even more angelic up close. He looked like a carefully made sculpture. Created only by the finest artists.
She brought her finger to his face and began tracing each feature slowly. His jaw, His nose, His forehead. everything.
After a while of studying his face, Cordelia had noticed he had terrible eye bags- it was almost like he'd never heard of such things as sleep. He also had scratches covering his face from the sirens. As she leaned in to take a closer look. A terrible feeling began to run through her body, up and down. She felt her stomach tighten in pain and her veins pop out of her skin. She began to freak out and jumped back into the water. Surprisingly, the pain glistened away with a snap as soon as her body hit the water. She must've gotten cold and didn't notice. How could she when someone as dazzling as him was right in front of her?
That night- Cordelia watched the boy from a distance who was wrapped around his robe- making sure his chest was rising up and down. As for the Sirens- no doubt about that- that was tomorrow's problem