To Want

The Chimera

It was the last week before the holidays began and school was all abuzz with excitement. Students share their family plans, make arrangements for parties, and trade owl post addresses for presents. The Great Hall was flush with dozens of evergreen trees and miles of garland. All dusted with glittering snow that never melted and thousands of golden ornaments. Hagrid and Flitwick had outdone themselves this year, going as far as to find a central Christmas tree so tall that it was starting to disappear into the sky illusion of the Great Hall's ceiling. All of it gave a warmth to the generally frigid atmosphere of Scotland in December.

Even the silent cold aisle of the library felt a little warmer with all the excited students milling about. Harry and Ron were coming in from Gryffindor Tower, having spent their free period playing a few rounds of wizard's chess in the beautiful warm common room rather than the frigid library. Hermione, bundled up in multiple winter robes, was packing up her books when they found her in her favorite reading corner.

"There is our favorite bookworm!" Ron said far too loud. He ignored the enraged shushing that Madame Pince gave him.

Harry couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy as he watched Ron, all excited smiles, swoop in to kiss her. Like an instant warming charm, her face flared red and she returned the smile. Gives him a good-natured slap on the chest to chide him, quickly turning to leave the library. Ron didn't seem ashamed at all as he followed after her.

He wanted that. Harry wanted what they had. Someone to kiss him warmer, to pull smiles out of him when he didn't want to smile, and to tease with goofy names.

"Here, I compiled a list of potential uses. It was a bit hard because while it is rare to use any part of a mermaid there is still a use for some part of it in every branch of magical practice." Hermione was digging in her bag, searching for her notes while they walked to their next class, Defense Against the Dark Arts. "I mean, even their scales could be used as the core of wands so I wasn't able to narrow much down." Harry looked down at the long parchment full of Hermione's tiny neat cursive. There were three columns with nearly 50 titles in each one, "Those are all the potions that need blood." Merlin, this was going to be a nightmare to figure out.

With just a quick scan he could parse that a person could make a potion for almost anything with Mermaid blood. There were countless healing potions, poisonous potions, even a recipe for hydrating skin potions. He wasn't back at square one, it was almost worse. There were so many options none of them felt like the right answer.

"Thank you, Hermione. This really does help." He mildly lied. The skeptical look she gave him said she wasn't buying it.

"Are you sure though it wasn't just another creature?" She asked him.

Harry shook his head no, "The cuts were far too clean."

"What about the mermaids themselves," Ron offered, throwing his arm around Hermione, pride on his face at how smart she is, "those tridents can do some damage."

"True," Harry had to admit, Ron made a good point "I am not ruling it out but, the way they attacked us. The way they reacted, it felt like they thought we were the ones who killed it."

"I am sure it's nothing. I just want to be cautious." Harry admitted, trying to ease their concerns.

"Of course, Harry. We will always be there to support you."

"Thanks, Hermione."

As they turned the corner, Harry saw the few Slytherins coming in from outside. Malfoy was trudging in, a thick coating f fresh snow coating his winder cloak. His face was red from the harsh cold but it did little to hide his nearly constant sickly pallor. Harry's chest tightened in a funny little way that he couldn't quite explain.