Chapter Text
When Ron had invited him to the carnival, he had been expecting clowns, cotton candy, screaming children, maybe even elephants and tigers, as well as all manner of trickery, what he hadn't been expecting were magical creatures.
There were magnificent dragons, confined to tiny cages with a protective spell around them, both to prevent the public from reaching in and to keep fire from leaking out. There were hippogriffs, dressed up in gawdy, glittery outfits, displaying their mighty wings and dancing around like show ponies. Hinkypunks swayed side to side in their cages, glowing faintly, while they clung to their lanterns, completely given up on luring people away.
Feeling slightly sick, he wasn't sure he wanted to continue looking, but there were large tanks in the distance and his curiosity got the better of him. The first display was the smallest, it had a sandy bottom and long, thick reeds that reached towards the surface. At first, he didn't see anything, until a grindylow shot out of the darkness, slamming into the glass. It went limp, floating back into the weeds. He quickly kept walking, hoping it hadn't killed itself, because he'd decided to look. The next tank was the largest. It was wide and open, with a clump of rocks in the center of the clearing. They weren't quite large enough to hide the hippocampus trying to cower behind them, its tangled mane drifting into view and revealing itself. The final tank was set in the far corner. It was circular and tall, with a set of stairs that wrapped around it, leading to the top. He could see all manner of trash and rotten food littered along the sand.
There were no reeds or rocks to hide behind, as the tank was almost entirely bare. He thought it rather looked like an afterthought. The water was so murky, he was about to turn and leave, thinking it was empty, when a webbed hand pressed against the glass. He nearly fell over, his heart thudding. A pale, gaunt face appeared out of the gloom. His cheeks were hollow, and his eyes were dull. Taking a step closer, the merman seemed to spot him and tapped on the glass, his expression frantic and desperate. He climbed the stairs, reaching the platform that stretched above the water. There was a small machine along the back, which had a slot for coins. He could see through the glass, it was full of dead fish. They looked awful, as they were set in some sort of sludge.
Behind him, something breached the surface with a splash, sending water all over his shoes. Seeing him up close, he could see now how thin he really was, as all of his ribs were showing. There were two fins that stuck out of his cheeks, only they looked as if they were made of plastic and had been glued on. The skin around that area was red and inflamed. That wasn't to say that the rest of his skin looked healthy, as it was slightly pink in multiple areas and had a yellow pallor to it.
His hand rose, pointing to the box full of fish in the corner. "Please. Please."
He glanced back towards it, realizing that it was probably the only thing he had to eat. Digging his hand into his pocket, he pulled out a sickle and popped it into the machine. There was a small cup dispenser beside it, which he used to catch the fish, as well as all of the slime. Hearing it splat against the bottom of the cup nearly made him gag.
"Can do trick. See?" He dove beneath the water, before he launched out of it, attempting to spin in the air. Only he wasn't able to and flopped back into his tank, reappearing a moment later, his face panicked. "No. No. Can do better trick. Can do better."
"You don't... You don't need to do that." He handed the vile cup over to him, watching as his eyes lit up.
"Thank you. Thank you." His hands shook, as he reached his fingers into the slime, pulling out a sardine, which he dipped into the water to wash off, before he swallowed it whole.
Feeling ill, he looked away, suddenly realizing why the water was so filthy. "Is that all you have to eat?"
There was a sharp swallow. "Yes. Do trick. Get food."
He looked back over at him, realizing that the cup was already empty.
"Do you want more?"
"Please. Can do another trick. A better trick."
"You don't need to." He slipped another sickle into the machine, filling another cup with off sardines and slime as thick as jam. "Here."
Enthusiastic hands received it, pulling the fish out and washing them. "Thank you. Very kind. Can do trick. Lot of trick. Make sure... Make sure happy."
"No. That's really not necessary." He watched, as he slurped down all of the sardines. "How long have you been here?"
"I... been with master for as long as remember." The empty cup was sat beside the other one. "Been in tank few year."
He frowned. "Right."
"Do trick. Keep happy."
"No. No tricks." Moving closer, he kneeled along the edge of the platform. "You're... You're quite stuck here, aren't you?"
His lips curled into a pout. "Can't say."
"Alright. Can you come onto the platform?"
"Not... Not allowed."
"What if... What if we say it's a trick? Can you do it then?"
He went silent for a long moment, thinking. "Trick. Yes."
"Alright, Come here... What's your name?"
"Draco." His hands curled around the edge, pulling himself up, until he was partially on the platform. "Trick. Happy?"
"Yes, that's very good. Can you come a little more?"
Reluctantly, Draco dragged himself further, until his entire tail was out of the water. "Trick. Happy?"
"Yes. Very happy. Thank you." Draco was looking at him expectantly, but he ignored him for the moment. "I'm going to take you out of here. Okay?"
"Oh. No. Master wouldn't-"
"Master won't be able to get to you anymore. I'm going to take you somewhere safe. You can have all of the fish you want. Real fish, not... that."
"Safe?"
"Yes. Safe." He looked around, very aware that he could be spotted at any moment. "I'm going to take you now. It's going to be dark, and it's going to be tight at first, but it'll be alright. I'll explain everything once you're out of here."
He grabbed onto Draco's arm, pulling his wand out. He knew he would need to tell Ron what had happened, but he needed to get him somewhere safe first. He would deal with the repercussions of stealing a merman later. Whatever sort of jam that would put him in.
Everything started to spin, before the world went dark, and he felt as if he were being squeezed through a tight tube.