Chapter Text
“Harry, look! They’re feeding the penguins, isn’t that precious?” Hermione said, eagerly leaning over to get a better view as the two wetsuit-clad workers slipped into the shallow water. One of the workers, an auburn-haired female, was carrying two big plastic buckets of fish, while the other, a male with strikingly blonde hair, carried an official-looking whiteboard and an Expo marker.
“Oh my god, they’re adorable, Mione,” Ginny squealed, clutching her girlfriend’s hand tightly. “The feels, the feels! Must cuddle!”
“Which, the penguins or the boys?” Hermione raised an eyebrow, Ginny smacked Hermione playfully, and Harry laughed--everyone knew Hermione swung both ways.
“But Harry, what can you tell us about the penguins?” Ginny asked. “Surely that scholarship at Scripps must be paying off.”
Harry ran his fingers through his tangled black locks. “Well, for starters, those are little blue penguins, found off the coast of Australia and Madagascar. They’re the smallest species of penguins, and one of the loudest vocalizers. And did you know that penguins in general all live south of the Equator? They also all have knees,” he said breathlessly.
Hermione smiled benevolently and kissed Ginny’s cheek. “That certainly was very informative. Harry, you should write a paper!”
“I’ve written too many to count. Grad school does that to you,” he responded wryly. Harry Potter, Savior Extraordinaire of the Wizarding World, had shocked everyone by leaving the wizarding community for the Muggle world to pursue a career in Marine Biology, and surprised himself by getting a full scholarship to Scripps. Rita Skeeter had had a brief field day in the Prophet, writing about Harry’s “ocean fetish,” but she couldn’t follow him into the Muggle world, armed with her Quick-Quotes Quill, without disobeying Wizarding laws.
Harry’s eye was drawn back to the aquarium staff, who were now feeding the penguins, offering them small silvery fish--he recognized them as herring, capelin, and anchovy. The white-blonde man tapped his ear, turning on a mic, and spoke.
“Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome to the Scripps Aquarium! My name is Draco, and I am a Senior Educator. This is my friend Minerva; she volunteers here at the aquarium.”
Draco, Harry thought. Draco. He didn’t really have time to react before Ginny whipped around, out of Hermione’s arms, to look at Harry, eyes wide. “What is Draco Bloody Malfoy doing at the Scripps Aquarium?”