"You don't hate me?" Mabel asked. There was no way George didn't look at her differently. Not when everyone else would.
George shook his head. "I don't. Even if I tried, I can't. I mean, the whole time I've known you, you've taught me how to love b...
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*~~~~~~~~~~*
Detention with Moody was horrid. Mabel would rather peel her skin off, starting with her fingertips, pulling it back like a hangnail until she was nothing but the organs below than be in Moody's detentions. It was long and exhausting. He made her scrub the floors until her knees were raw. And restore ancient books, which Mabel had never done before this. He also made her watch as he used the Unforgivable Curses repeatedly on creatures to get her numb to them. Mabel had yet to feel that way as she would cry herself to sleep afterwards.
Mabel had been worried about her parent's punishment—which was the removal of her monthly care packages and the howler—when she should've been concerned about Moody's instead. Still, she was thankful she bargained for two weeks instead of a month.
When Sunday came around, Mabel was free. (Saturday, she caught up on all the homework she couldn't do because of her detentions). She sat at the Black Lake. The sun was high in the sky, burning her scalp. Her shoes were off, and her trousers were rolled to her knees. She sat with her feet in the water. Mabel looked over the bullet points in her notebook, ensuring she wasn't missing anything.
After going over the list, confidence swelled in Mabel. She placed her notebook down and stood up. Grabbing the bottom of her shirt, she pulled it over her head and unbuttoned her trousers. She slipped them off to reveal a swimsuit. It was an old suit Mabel hadn't worn in years, but she thought today would be a good use for it.
She strode into the cold summer water. The temperature tensed Mabel's body, but she kept forward, knowing it would warm the longer she was submerged. Once the water was to Mabel's shoulders, she pulled out her wand from a holder that hugged her right thigh.
"Sanuspirantes," She said. Immediately a bubble of air covered her mouth and nose—Mabel dove headfirst into the dark water. She swam at an steep angle, diving deeper and deeper. The water was murky, but she didn't let that stop her. She kicked her legs and sliced the water with her arms, keeping a steady pace. It was an odd feeling, swimming but able to breathe air normally. Mabel wasn't used to that.
There weren't really any rules when it came to swimming in the Black Lake. However, there was a line you were never to pass as you would travel into merpeople territory if you did. That was forbidden. When Mabel came upon this line, she stopped. She didn't care about the rule, but she did care that merpeople were territorial, and she wasn't going to trespass because of it. However, Mabel did want to get a closer look. So, she swam straight down.
A soothing sound echoed in the water. The deeper she went, the clearer it got. It went from a high-pitched tone to an enchanting song. Before she knew what she was doing, Mabel crossed the line. She swam through the tall water plants, trying to find the source of the music. Mabel's mind and soul was trapped in the song. She was completely oblivious to her surroundings except for the occasional tickling of plants against her thighs.
