Tails Required

Hermione Granger burst into the small cafe she frequented most afternoons. She glanced around until she spotted a familiar shock of pale blonde hair. Rushing over to him, she hastily pulled out the chair across from him. "Draco, you have to help me."

Silver eyes glanced up, and the corner of his mouth twitched, "I don't have to do anything, Granger."

She shoved a paper at him and then picked up his tea. He rolled his eyes at the familiar gesture. "Honestly, Granger. Get your own."

"Please, you don't even like this blend. You order it for me. Besides, you have another cup and the pot right there, now read."

"That is entirely beside the point,” he sniffed, turning the other cup up so he could pour his tea in it. “Remind me why we're friends again?"

"Your best friend married my best friend, and we got stuck together as sad replacements."

"I am not a sad replacement for Potter," scoffed Draco. 

"And I'm not nearly as annoying as Theo," replied Hermione with a wink.  "Now read."

Draco scoffed again as she took a sip of his tea. Bloody Gryffindors. First, Pansy succumbed to Longbottom, and then Theo had to go get his wand in a knot over Potter. At least Mills had the decency to only annoy him with Blaise.

His eyes finally drifted down to the odd paper in his hands, and his eyes widened with shock. "Merlin's balls! You did it."

Hermione grinned at him across the table, "I did it."

"Granger an invitation to the Royal Mer Coronation. That's fantastic.” he lifted his eyes from the page to meet hers, allowing his genuine feelings to shine through, “Congratulations."

She smiled into her cup, a blush tinging her richly tanned skin. Hermione set the cup down and met Draco’s eyes, "Yes, but I need your help-"

"No."

Hermione’s shoulders stiffened at his automatic rejection, and she tried not to pout, "You don't even know what I want-"

"Granger, I am the foremost expert on aquatic plants and their uses and a master Potioneer. You come in here demanding my help, drinking all my tea, with an invitation to the Royal Mer Coronation located half a league under the bloody ocean. I say again, No."

"Seventeen leagues," corrected Hermione absentmindedly, fiddling with the cuff of her sweater.

"What?" spluttered Draco, nearly choking on his tea.

"The coronation,” clarified Hermione, not meeting his gaze. “It's 17 leagues under the sea, and I'm required to attend with someone and stay for the entire coronation ceremony."

Draco waited for her gaze to lift to meet his. "And how long is that?" he asked when she finally dared to meet his eyes again.

Hermione's eyes dropped as she mumbled a response. 

“What was that?” asked Draco leaning forward in his chair slightly.

Sighing, she straightened her shoulders and met his eyes straight on,  "One lunar cycle."

"A lunar cycle!” His mind reeled at the implications of what she said. “Hermione,” he hissed, “you're talking about being under the ocean at a gathering of Mer for an entire month? Are you out of your mind?"

"I didn't know it was a full month when I started discussing the opportunity with Ambassador Tove,” she said almost petulantly. Her gaze dropped back to the invitation, and she reached across the table to lay her hand upon his. “Oh, but don't you see Draco. The opportunity this presents? No human has ever been to the Delphi circle! This is unprecedented access to the Mer way of life. To interact with them for a month! To learn more of their customs, be with them as they gather their crystal ward stones. Ambassador Tove said there would be a dinner with the Ancient Ones. I'd get to meet the current Queen, Mer Majesty Harmony formally, and then witness her transition as the Ancient Ones call forth the new magics to select their new Royal One." She sighed in breathless anticipation as she leaned back in her seat. "It's the break I've been waiting for to finish my book on Merlife and get them reclassified as sentient beings and not creatures."

Draco sighed as she withdrew her hand from his with another blush and picked up her tea. He hated when she got like this, all excited and breathless. She was like a crup puppy, and telling her no was akin to kicking the damn thing. It didn't help that she was positively radiant at the opportunity and looked every inch the fabled golden girl as the afternoon sunlight highlighted the flecks of gold in her riotous curls and richly tanned skin. It was unfair that she was so damn beautiful and that he'd somehow grown close to her over the past several years. He had a soft spot for her, and literally everyone but her seemed to know it. 

"Dammit all, fine. Yes, alright. I'll accompany you. Underwater." He huffed.

Hermione beamed at him, and he felt his stomach flip. Bloody Gryffindors. He tried to ignore her as she clapped excitedly in her seat, her full breasts bouncing slightly with the motion. If only she knew how beautiful she was he thought, not for the first time, as he refilled his tea. He paused as he brought the cup to his lips, "Wait, and how are we supposed to stay underwater for a full lunar cycle?"

Hermione grinned at him as she slid another paper across the table towards him. "Ambassador Tove sent this for you from Ambassador Coradion. It's a potion."

"It's a potion recipe," clarified Draco, picking it up. He read over some fairly standard potion ingredients in conjunction with several rare ones, his brows lifting at each new and unique component.  "What's it do?" 

He met Hermione's eyes across the table and instantly knew the Gryffindor princess had played him. "It makes us into Merpeople, of course."

…

Draco scowled at the potions recipe for the third time that day. He'd had to give in and reached out to his own contact in the Merworld, and Ambassador Coradion's response about how to ink an octopus without ending up covered in the dye was less than helpful. 

"Marine biologists," he scoffed. How that one simple question had led to the Merman sharing about how the ocean was so salty due to whale sperm he'd never know. Though it left him contemplating never returning to the sea again because, honestly, that was disgusting. 

Tossing aside the missive, he gathered the ingredients Coradion had thankfully sent - including the rare mimic octopus dye he needed and the East Atlantic Gillyweed that only grew near the Americas. He set them in an orderly pattern next to Ambassador Tove and Mer Majesty Harmony’s unique gifts, including four of her iridescent tail scales, five of her hairs, which Draco had noted were bright purple, and a small shell containing her tears. 

The tears had been the most fascinating ingredient he'd ever seen. They were not clear like most tears, but the reflection of a rainbow. When he asked Hermione about it, she babbled on about the magic of the ceremony and the rainbow-like oil slick that was the physical manifestation of water magic that would surround that season's chosen Royal.

 "It's not like here, Draco," she prattled on, "where you are elected or ascend a throne by birthright. There, the Royal One only reigns for seven years - what the Mer call a Season. The next Royal One is chosen based on what the Mers need at the time. It might be someone that's a strong leader or farmer. Maybe a healer or warrior. Their Magic knows if plague or danger is coming or if its a time for healing and rebuilding and chooses accordingly! How crazy is that? 

"Mer Majesty Harmony is said to be one of the most joyous and creative leaders the Mers have ever had. Her decision to include me - it's far past anything any previous leader has done! 

"Of course, she is a Halfling herself, so I think that's what's made her so accepting of humans in general. I mean going as far as meeting the parents of Halflings, which no Royal One has ever done before! There hasn’t been a Halfling leader in two centuries, though, so perhaps that’s why she was chosen for this season." 

"How are they chosen?" he asked, confused.

"By the collective Magic of the Sea! That's what makes it so exciting. Any Mer could be selected. It isn't about who you know or how popular you are. It's about protecting and nurturing the collective to be the best they can be." 

Draco had merely nodded, not nearly as interested in the political dynamics and aspects as he probably should've been. He got it, after all, he'd had to face and address the bigotry of his own life and beliefs.  He had noticed his potion dealings with Ambassador Coradion had changed for the better since Mer Majesty Harmony's ascension, and he did like Ambassador Coradion, he supposed. Like all Mer Ambassadors, Coradion was technically a Halfling- half-human, half Mer and was one of the few able to speak English.  They'd met years before while searching for water fringes, and while Draco had initially thought he was a fellow magical, he'd been surprised when he noted the medallion around the other's neck. Coradion had tried to embarrass Draco with his nudity and sudden transformation as he removed his necklace, smirking cheekily as his lega transformed into a tail. 

However, Draco had come a long way in his beliefs by that point and merely shrugged at the Merman suddenly by his side. Draco asked him if he could bring back a sample with the roots still intact if he was going under the water, and Coradion, surprised by the easy acceptance of the Wizard, shrugged his shoulders before diving down to collect a pristine example of the plant for them both. 

Of course, Draco mused, as he dropped six drops of the octopus dye and a half vial of ocean water into the potion and stirred counterclockwise 14 times. He never thought it would someday lead to him having to become a Merman himself. 

"The things I do for that witch," he grumbled absently to himself.

"You do it cause you love her."

Draco yelped, and his stirring hitched half a second before the spell he'd enchanted the stirring rod with took over - narrowly preventing the ruination of their potion. 

"Dammit, Theo, do you want to ruin this potion?"

"Touchy touchy," replied Theo stepping back with his arms up. "We brought you those ingredients you asked for," He indicated himself and Longbottom, who had stayed in the doorway watching the interaction with amusement. 

Draco acknowledged the other man with a dip of his head before accepting the parcels. "Thank you. This was the last thing I needed."

Both men nodded, and Longbottom stepped forward to look at the assembled ingredients. The Master Herbologist had been helpful in sourcing more of the rare ingredients from the Americas, with Theo negotiating new contracts for their Potions shop along the way. This underwater endeavor was actually proving quite lucrative, it would bring in profitable business connections for their shop, The Fifth Element. That made Draco feel a little less guilty about the time he would spend both brewing the potion and underwater with Granger. 

"I know you heard me," Theo said, nudging Draco when the potion had settled, and the blonde had finally stepped back. 

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me when I said you do it because you love her."

"I've never hidden that I'm fond of her." Draco protested, wiping his brow.

Theo smirked, "No, if you are fond of someone, you bring them a cup of tea or a box of chocolates. If you are in love with them, you agree to go underwater for a month to be their escort into previously uncharted waters... literally ." Neville snickered at Theo’s words but quickly schooled his face at Draco’s glare. 

"Even if you were right," Draco snapped, "-which you aren't - what the hell would I even do about it?" 

Neville looked at Draco, a crease wrinkling his forehead, "You could ask her on a date?"  

Draco stared at him, blinking as if he hadn’t heard him correctly, "A date?"

"Uh, yeah. I mean, if you like her."

"Didn't you know," Theo quipped, "Draco prefers to stalk around pining. Asking someone on a date is just so PLEBEIAN and PROSAIC." 

"Out," Draco commanded, "Now."

Theo swept an exaggerated bow and strutted out of the room, his laughter echoing around the room in his wake. Neville paused at the door. It was true he had formed a friendship of sorts with the blonde wizard behind him due to the years that they had been thrown together professionally and socially, but their conversations usually remained quite surface.   "I know it's...ordinary,” he began, standing straighter as he met Draco’s eye, “but I think if you asked, she'd say yes."

Draco nodded. "Thanks, Longbottom," he mumbled, turning back to stare at his cauldron. As the Herbologist left, Draco muttered to the brew bubbling away, "When has anything between Granger and I been ordinary ?"

***

It had been weeks since Draco had begun brewing the potion for his and Hermione’s transformation, and finally, it was ready to test. Draco took the vial out of his pocket. The wind whipping his coat around him as he stood on the beach below his house. He hadn't told Hermione that he'd finished the potion. In fact, no one knew he was testing it tonight. Grimly he realized that if something went wrong, it would be....bad.  If he had botched it, Draco shuddered. He’d barely have time to correct it if he had gotten it wrong somewhere. Not that he thought he had. His skills were excellent, and the ingredients had been the best.

Shrugging out of his coat, he stood naked on the beach, wading ankle-deep into the water in a warded inlet. Carefully tipping a drop of the viscous potion onto his finger. The opalescent color had been a surprise. At first blush, it had seemed black until you shifted it, and it rippled in the light, at which point it practically glowed with rainbow colors. 

Blowing out a breath, Draco brought the solitary drop to his mouth and touched it to his tongue.

He hadn't realized that he had squeezed his eyes tightly closed, but he gasped and blinked them open as the water lapped at his chest. He had...a tail.  

"In for a knut in for a galleon," he thought grimly as he stared at his newly formed appendage. He had expected his tail to be bright green but was surprised to find his tail was a mercurial grey. 

Swallowing, he tentatively flipped his tail. It shimmered iridescent as it moved through the water, and he couldn’t help but grin as he had the sudden urge to dive under the water. 

Ten minutes later, he pushed himself back onto the beach, gasping but exhilarated. It was like being on a broom but....better. it felt like moving something heavy, like lifting weights, as he propelled himself through the water with ease, powered by his tail and fin. Sitting on the shore, he watched the tail vanish, and his own legs reappear. He stretched them tentatively, noting he was pleasantly sore, but nothing else.

Shakily pushing himself to his feet, Draco made his way up the beach and back to his house. He had fucking done it.

****

Hermione peered at the vials Draco was carefully securing in front of her. They appeared more like tar or perhaps an oil slick than any potion she had ever seen. 

"You are SURE it will work." Hermione's nose wrinkled as she tentatively swirled the liquid in the nearest vial.

"Granger, are you doubting me?"

She raised an eyebrow at Draco. 

"Give me that," he grumbled, motioning for the vial in her hand, "and come on."

He stalked into the bathroom off the hall of his private lab and ran some water in the tub. He flopped back into the tub, clothes and all, and Hermione started giggling.

"Sure, sure," Draco said. "Laugh it up. We'll see who's laughing in a moment." He carefully tipped a drop onto his finger and touched it to his tongue.

Hermione's eyes went wide as the tail formed, elegantly draping over the side of the tub. Seeing Draco trying his best to be dignified and aloof while reclining in a tub...with a tail...didn't help stem her giggles.

“Well... satisfied?” He glared. 

Hermione overcame her giggles with difficulty, “Yes. How long till it wears off?”

“Well, I only took a drop. So hopefully, if my calculations are correct—which they always are—ten minutes.”

"We’ll see," murmured Hermione casting a tempus charm and settling in on the floor of his bathroom.

"What are you doing?"

"Waiting,” she replied, glancing over her shoulder. He noted her eyes dropped momentarily to his bare chest before she hurriedly faced forward once again. He smirked at her back as he attempted to get more comfortable in the tub.

Exactly ten minutes later, Draco's fin transformed into legs - but before he could gloat, Draco turned bright red as he realized that while he transformed with clothes on, he somehow transformed back without them.

Hermione's giggles echoed through the bathroom as he floundered in the tub, desperately trying to cover himself before she finally departed the room.

***

Less than a week before they were required to attend a waterside meeting with Ambassador Tove, Draco found himself once again preparing to try the potion he’d made. He and Hermione stood in his lab, carefully going over her list of what they’d need for their trip. It would be Hermione's first time turning fully into a Mermaid and would be her final test to see whether she would be able to attend the coronation. 

They would have to stay underwater with Ambassador Tove for 72 hours for training and testing before they'd be cleared to travel to the final gathering. And then, as the Meraki moon crested the sky several days later, they would once again transform and follow Ambassadors Tove and Coradion down to the Delphi circle and the gatherings of the chosen Merfolk of the Seven Seas kingdom.

Though he'd given her a fair amount of grief over it, Draco was incredibly proud of Hermione for cultivating the relationship that had allowed her to be given an invitation. He dismissed the voice that questioned why she had asked him to join her, opting to focus solely on the opportunity it gave her as a Sentient Beings Researcher.

Draco had carefully bottled the last of the potion into two waterproof vials just that morning. By his calculations, they'd need to take one vial, transform and then take the second vial to ensure the potion lasted the full 30 days. He'd discussed bringing an additional potion for each of them with Ambassador Tove - in case something went wrong, and the Merman had agreed it was a good idea. After all, they would be the first full-blooded humans to ever transform and spend that long under the sea with them. 

No one knew what could happen.

And that was only the first half. Even after they got back, they’d need another round of potions and at least a week off while they readjusted to being on land again. Draco shuddered as he considered how much poking and prodding they'd likely undergo by the Department of Mysteries and St. Mungo's afterwards.

“Draco?” 

He hummed a response absently as he waved his hand over his station, clearing it and setting his implements to clean. 

Beside him, Hermione sighed as she closed her notebook. She fidgeted slightly before speaking, "Will it hurt?"

Draco was surprised by the timidness in Hermione's voice. "No," he replied, shaking his head. "It sort of tingles."

"Tingles?"

He rubbed the back of his neck absently, thinking back to the tests he had done on himself. "Do you know the feeling of seeing someone? Making eye contact with them across the room, and you feel this moment. This tingly feeling that reaches right down to the center of you?"

Hermione's lips parted, and she nodded as her breath hitched.

"It feels like that," he likced his lips as he thought. " It feels like the cold brush of wind on an autumn day, but you're not actually cold because you're surrounded by warmth."

"You make it sound amazing," she breathed.

He met her eyes for a moment, "It is amazing. It's freeing, and everything looks and feels different once you have your tail and you are in the water."

"Draco?" His eyes snapped to hers.

"Will you.” She fidgeted again. “Can we try it? Somewhere...private. I know they will make me take etiquette lessons and practice and all that, but I've never had a tail before. I always used a bubblehead charm or Gillyweed when I'dmeet with Ambassador Tove, and for my first time, I want it to be...more special than that." She flushed as her words left her and ducked her head. 

Draco paused, considering her words. He’d tried the potion on himself many times but had never considered what she might feel or that she’d want to try it. "Come with me," he said suddenly, grabbing her hand and led her to a hidden apparition point in the corner of his lab. "Do you trust me?"

She nodded. Her eyes sparkling with anticipation. "Yes."

He gave her a quick grin as he pulled her close, apparating them away with a soft pop. 

Hermione opened her eyes and turned her face towards the sunshine. She could smell salt water and hear the call of seagulls in the distance. It was a far cry from the dreary lab in London they'd just been in. 

"Where are we?" she asked as she spun in a circle.

"Cornwall," Draco replied. "My house is just that way."

"You live here?" she asked dumbfounded. 

"I have the flat in London for work.'' Hermione nodded. She knew that. She'd been there countless times when Harry and Theo had begun dating. Draco and Theo had been roommates at the time. 

"This is my summer house - for when I just need to get away," he added with a sigh.

Hermione nodded. Even after all these years, things weren't always cut and dry in the Wizarding World. Things would happen. Be said. Old news would surface, and as if someone had picked a scab, old wounds would bleed again. It had happened to her more than once and despite having a oerfextly good flat in London, Hermione immediately retreated to her parents' old house in Surrey. 

It felt safer there somehow.

She cast her eyes around again and asked where the house was.

"It's just on the other side of those bluffs. There's a cove that I've warded off down this steetch of beach," he informed her. "It's part of my land, but it's a little inlet where I keep some of my more precious plants. It's the perfect place for your first time. The water is a little warmer here because of the needs of the plants, and you won't have to worry about the waves being too strong."

Hermione followed his lead, quickly shucking off her shoes and walking behind him towards the inlet he had pointed out when she thought of a flaw in her plan, "I don't have a suit with me." 

He smirked casually over his shoulder at her, "Are you a witch or not?"

Hermione blushed and muttered as he pulled a small changing tent from the dimensional store he wore on his wrist and enlarged it.

 "You have your focus ring?" He asked, glancing at her. 

She lifted her hand for him to see it as she nodded. The focus ring on her finger had been a gift from Mer Majesty Harmony, crafted out of an abalone shell and imbued with her own magic. She'd sent one for each of them when Hermione had accepted the invitation. The rings would allow Hermione and Draco to use magic underwater without the need for their wands. 

"Excellent. We'll make this double practice. Change your clothes into a suit using your focus ring. Once you've transfigured your clothes. I'll give you a few drops of the potion. Enough say for 30 minutes? It'll help you get used to the transition, and then we can try swimming a bit. Sound good?"

Hermione nodded and went into the changing room. She was sure she could’ve done stripped in front of Draco, but she appreciated his consideration for her comfort by providing it. Remembering how Draco had transitioned back naked before, Hermione opted to strip down to her bra and knickers so if nothing else, she'd have something to change back to afterward. She pushed aside the complex emotions being naked in front of him brought to mind as she closed her eyes. 

It felt strange not to use her wand, but she'd been practicing tapping into her magic directly with the ring for months now in anticipation of this historic event. Glancing down, she smiled, noting the red bikini she'd successfully created out of her underwear.  It was certainly flashier than she'd normally wear, but it felt fitting. 

She stepped out of the changing room and smiled tentatively at Draco. She flushed slightly at the way his eyes trailed across her body and tried not to fidget under the weight of his gaze. She was sure her cheeks were as red as her suit, and she hoped he wouldn’t connect that she’d been wearing red underwear under her clothes. 

Draco cleared his throat and beckoned her forward. She noted that he had changed into a pair of green swim trunks. Cause of course he did, she thought as she watched him fold his legs and sit on the sand, the water lapping gently around him. He patted the sand next to him. His abalone shell glinting in the sunlight. Hermione sat down close to him, fidgeting with her hands and the string of her bathing suit as she did so. Suddenly, she reached out and grasped his hand. He looked startled at her fingers curled in his and then up to her face.

"I'm afraid," she said quietly, her eyes trained on the horizon, and he could hear a slight tremor in her voice.

He didn't question it, didn't try to talk her out of how she was feeling. He knew she had been afraid of being too deep in the water ever since she’d been rescued from the bottom of the Black Lake fourth year. It was one of the reasons he admired the way she had pursued a relationship with the Mers. He covered her hand with his. "I'll be right there," he said. "Right by your side.” He squeezed her hand. “We'll do this together. I won't let anything happen to you." 

Hermione smiled then and nodded, extending a finger for the drops that he carefully measured out. 

"Ready?" he asked, watching her closely. 

"Not even close," she said with a shaky laugh before licking the drops off the tip of her fingers. 

Draco swallowed hard at the delicate move of her tongue and distracted himself by taking his own potion. The familiar tingle ran through him, and he heard Hermione gasp.

She was staring at where her legs had been, mouth slightly parted as she twisted and flipped her tail. 

"I'm a Mermaid," she breathed, and when she looked at Draco, she was starry-eyed. She flicked her tail again, the iridescent hue from the potion somehow coloring the red in her fin, making it shimmer in pinks and golds. She giggled as she flicked it. Her eyes were wide with pure joy. “I’m a Mermaid,” she said again. 

"It's a good look on you," Draco said sincerely. His eyes drifted to their tails, and he noted how they looked side by side. 

Hermione beamed. "This is amazing!" She gazed down along her body and scrunched her nose. A moment later, she waved her hand in front of her chest. Her focus ring glowed slightly as it transformed her top into shells. "OK, now I'm really ready."

“Nice touch,” smirked Draco, eyeing the shells appreciatively before remembering himself. He blushed as red as her tail, and Hermione couldn’t help but flick her tail at him. 

"I have something for you." Hermione watched him as he pulled something out of his dimensional store once again. “Here,” he offered her a beautiful shell, inlaid with delicate pearls. "Harry and Theo helped me enchant it," he told her softly.

“Are these the pearls from the invitation?” she gasped, scrutinizing the shell. She noted that the seashell perfectly matched her tail, and the scalloped edge was lined with the tiny pearls.

He smirked, “I knew you’d notice. Coradion said they were a gift from Mer Majesty Harmony. From her personal collection.”

“Ambassador Coradion.”

“What?”

Hermione took her eyes off her gift. “ Ambassador Caridon, Draco.”

Draco rolled his eyes. “ Ambassador Caridon said they were a special gift from Mer Majesty Harmony to you. I thought they would be a nice touch. He said wearing them would mark you as a distinguished Royal guest.” Hermione’s eyes widened at the honor.

“And the enchantments?” 

"Protections mostly,” he paused as her eyes met his. “Nothing bad will happen to you while you wear it. Nothing bad will happen to you, at all, if I have anything to do about it," he vowed. 

Hermione touched the shell gently and blinked back tears. She had yet to tell him what his assistance had meant to her. How much he meant to her. “Draco, I-”

“Here,” he said, taking the shell from her, “It’s a hair clip. I thought it might be silly because of the water and your curls, but Ambassador Caridon swore it would be the best place for it.” 

She nodded as she turned her head for him to place it within her curls. “Ambassador Tove assured me that the potion would protect my hair underwater and that I wouldn’t need anything else for it. i forsee a lot kf deep conditioning treatments when we get back.” 

Draco laughed next to her before glancing towards the water. “Shall we?”

“Yes, please!” 

Hermione followed his lead as he moved deeper into the water. They moved cautiously together, and she felt her body adjust to the weight and power of the tail that now made up her lower body. Draco was right. Being in the water with a fin felt incredible! Hermione flipped and moved in the water, smoothly moving above and below the surface. She felt like herself, but only...more. 

It was a high that reminded her of entering the Great Hall during the Yule Ball. Or entering a banquet wearing her favorite red lipstick and heels. Or when she had earned the highest marks in a century on her N.E.W.T.S. 

Only...more. 

So much more. 

She felt free and ecstatic and connected to herself in a way she had never known. It was almost orgasmic. 

Closing in on Draco, she threw her arms around his neck. “Granger? What?” he spluttered.

"This is amazing,” she breathed. She met his eyes, “And the clip is wonderful but, you made the potion, and you'll be with me." She said with a smile, and he nodded. "It's all the assurance I need. Thank you for coming with me."

Draco swallowed past the lump that had suddenly formed in his throat, having her trust...it was not something he took for granted. And feeling her in his arms, her tail brushing against his under the water as they both kept themselves above the water's surface, was a feeling he could grow used to. "Well," he said brusquely,  "I am perfect. But extra insurance never hurt."

Hermione threw her head back and laughed. The sound rich and clear in the cove. “Maybe we should celebrate your perfection with dinner," she mused as she gazed around. “We may have to get used to sushi.”

Draco paused, his eyes widening suddenly, "What will we eat while we're there? How will we go to the toilet? Where will we sleep? Merlin, what have you gotten us into?!" 

Hermione laughed, “You’re just now considering all this?”

“I’ve been a little busy,” huffed Draco. 

Brushing a hair from his face, she grinned at him. “We’ll figure it out together,” she said confidently. Draco tightened his grip upon her, and she felt herself shiver as his tail pulled her closer.  "Did you know Merman have claspers?" she blurted.

Draco pulled back from her with a horrified look.”What on earth are claspers?"

Hermione smirked. "You’ll see. Who knows, maybe we'll discover how that works while we're there too," she mused with a wink.

 Draco eyed her skeptically, then sputtered as she splashed him with her tail, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes as she dove backward out of his arms. 

"By your always perfect calculations,” she asked, looking around, “we have about 20 minutes left, correct?" Draco nodded. "Then, I'll race you to the rock! Loser buys dinner!" She took off with a flash, splashing Draco with a copious amount of water as she turned. 

Draco rubbed the water from his face and smiled. He had a date with Hermione Granger at last, who knew all it would take was a simple invitation? Black Tie, optional. Tails required. 

Fin. (Literally)