Work Text:
2005
Surrounded by tiny bubbles swirling all around him, transporting him to an underwater world, Harry holds his breath and pushes himself deeper. Down into the darkness. Into the mysteries hidden beneath the surface. Determined to find the place where the mermaids dwell.
Fatigued muscles fight against the pressure of the water to bring him further away from the outside world. Away from the expectations of being a human boy. Following the water and following his heart, Harry dives deeper, hoping the delicate skin on his neck might split, giving way to gills. Hoping that his pale skin might suddenly begin to glow, luminous and magical, wrapping his legs together in shimmering scales. Hoping to open his eyes and finally find a body that he belongs in.
"Nobody is coming to save you. Get up." The voice sounds muffled and distant, as the words travel through the murky depths towards Harry.
"I don't need anybody to save me. I'm saving myself," he thinks.
Once again, his body betrays him. The limitations of his human body, force him up to the surface for air. He had managed to count to one hundred and seventy-eight this time, before his mind went a bit fuzzy from the lack of oxygen and his traitorous lungs and limbs carried him up through the water again. It was the longest he'd managed to hold his breath so far. And it still wasn't enough to reach the place where he could become his true self. Tomorrow he'd try again.
2010
A thick layer of pine needles lining the forest floor softens Harry's footsteps, keeping his movements quiet as he sneaks away from the cottage. The water had awoken him just after midnight. Beckoning to him, begging him to return, calling him home. Under the cover of night, he tiptoes to the dock and quickly sheds his clothes. The glassy surface of the still lake reflects the pale light from the moon and the twinkling stars above it. He stands naked on the dock, toes curled over the edge, peering at his own reflection. Ripples form and distort his image as he dips a foot in, dragging it across the water. The feeling of the lake on his bare skin causes goosebumps to break out over his arms and legs. He pulls his foot back onto the dock, closes his eyes and takes one single deep breath.
Splash! He plunges himself into the tepid water. Diving deeper and deeper. Searching. Hoping. Counting. Willing his awkward limbs to bring him further down into the abyss. But just like in all of his previous attempts, his perfidious human form buoys him back to the surface away from the place that he longs for the most.
2015
Stronger and more determined than ever, Harry follows the familiar path from his childhood home down to the lake. Anxious to submerge himself in its depths once more, he discards layers of clothing as his walks, carelessly casting them off into the darkness. He knows he might regret the decision if he should return from the water as a boy yet again, but he's foolish and he's hopeful and he's been away for too long. He'd missed the comfort of the lake's gentle embrace and the promise of its power to transform him, spending many a night yearning for its harborage instead of studying for his exams.
A soft breeze caresses his bare back as he stares out across the vast basin in front of him. It skims the surface, picking up tiny droplets of water and depositing them onto his body like little kisses. The fine mist licks at his exposed skin, teasing him, tempting him, urging him closer. Closer. Until he's standing at the very end of the dock, eager to dive in.
He jumps. In the moment between when his toes lift off of the wooden platform and when his fingertips break through the surface of the lake, time stands still. Harry feels frozen. Caught. Suspended between two worlds. Everything stops. The night falls silent. Darkness surrounds him. A flicker of light along the shoreline on the other side of the lake catches his attention, and then suddenly, he's underwater. His legs propel him further down into the deep, dark water. The lake welcomes him home, cradling him, enveloping his body like a favorite blanket. He relishes the way it holds him close, the way it accepts him without judgment. When his lungs tire and his body springs back to the surface, he emerges without the usual frustration and disappointment that he's grown so accustomed to feeling over the years. Its been replaced by curiosity and wonder for that which is above the water instead. His eyes trace the shoreline in the distance, searching for the source of that spark of light from earlier in the evening but he finds nothing. Luckily, he has the whole summer left to keep looking.
2020
Harry rushes from the cottage through the woods and towards his refuge. The lake pulls him along the well-worn path towards its shore, calling him back again. A heavy fog has settled on top of the water tonight, hovering over the lake like a layer of frothy foam atop a steaming latte. Tendrils of the hazy air reach out across the dock, nipping at Harry's bare feet and crawling up his legs. He squints, trying to make out the shore across the lake but the thick fog obscures his view. Disappointment paints his features. He sighs before inhaling deeply and setting off on a run down the short dock. As he dives headfirst towards the water, Harry catches a bright flash of light out of the corner of his eye. The world stills for an instant before the light is extinguished and his body is immersed in the comforting embrace of the lake yet again.
The water swirling around him as he sinks, immediately puts his body at ease as he sets off on the familiar trajectory. Surging down into the lake, deeper and deeper. No longer trapped in the body of a boy, now Harry is trapped in the body of a full-grown man. Over the last decade, the lanky, cumbrous arms and legs that used to hang from his torso have been slowly replaced by sinewy limbs. However the sculpted muscles that are now wrapped around his bones feel no less awkward than the feeble form that superseded them. The only time he feels free from the burden of his body is when he's submerged in the lake. Tonight he reaches the sandy bottom for the first time. To his dismay, there are no mermaids waiting in the silt of the lake bed to welcome him.
2025
Startled out of a deep slumber by a sudden burst of the brightest light illuminating the world outside, Harry wakes with an uncontrollable urge to return to the water. Tossing his bedsheets aside, Harry rushes from the cottage towards the lake. The crisp cool air of the autumn night chills his naked body as he runs along the trail through the forest. Although it's long past midnight, the entire sky is alight. Up ahead, where the path spills out of the forest and meets the shore, Harry can see that the air is glowing all around the lake. Electric. Pulsating. Alive.
Unafraid, Harry steps into the charged air. It consumes him, covering every inch of him in a warmth that is similar to that of the lake. He stands in it, exposed and unashamed. Just like in the water, here, in the glow of a supernova, Harry feels at home.
"You came?" A soft voice whispers.
Harry spins around and finds someone standing just a few feet away from him. Their eyes meet and Harry sees the lake reflected back at him in the gaze of the other man. He feels instantly drawn towards him. Harry steps closer and reaches out a hand. The stranger takes it gently in his own. When their skin meets, sparks dance along the place where they touch.
"You called," Harry finally answers.
"Are you ready?" the other man asks.
Harry nods and they turn toward the lake. Hand and hand they wade into the water. Harry's skin begins to tingle as the ripples of the lake lap at his legs. He closes his eyes and allows himself to be led deeper into the water, to where he belongs. The hand holding his squeezes once and Harry opens his eyes. An iridescent tail and fins extend out beneath him, shimmering in the light surrounding the two men. Harry glides gracefully through the water, twirling and smiling.
"Welcome home, Harry."