Harry Potter woke up in the middle of the night on his seventeenth birthday. It had been three months since he had defeated the Dark Lord and he still couldn't believe he hadn't died. It was kind of nice not having to look over his shoulder all of the time. Hedwig gave a hoot from her perch and he sat up to shush her. The Order had tried to tell him he needed to go back to the Dursleys but he had put his foot down. If he was old enough to murder someone, he was old enough to decide where he got to live. Sirius had been happy to have him stay at Number Twelve with him and Remus. A sudden shooting pain twisted up his back and he hunched over. It felt like someone was shoving a hot poker into his spine. He clenched his teeth shut to avoid screaming and bothering his godfathers. He would not be a burden. He curled into a ball as waves of pain racked his frame. Perhaps this was his punishment for killing someone? Voldemort was evil but it was still technically murder. It seemed like hours passed when the pain slowly started to recede. Hedwig hooted from his headboard and he snatched her up. She was wiggling in his hand and he had an odd thought. Why did Hedwig smell like food? He caught sight of his hands and let her go. His hands were webbed! He scrambled out of bed and stumbled to his bathroom. Peering into the mirror, he gripped the counter to stop his knees from giving out. He looked different. His eyes shined brightly and he realized he wasn't wearing his glasses. His face had gotten sharper and his lips were fuller. He opened his mouth and couldn't help but poke his sharp teeth with his tongue. His hair hung around his shoulders in soft waves. Looking even closer he could see red scales along his cheekbones and temple. It seemed he had become even more of a freak.
"Happy birthday to me." He muttered sarcastically and trudged back to bed. Hedwig gave him a nasty look and he slowly petted her.
"Sorry, Hedwig. I don't know what I was doing. Can you forgive me?" She looked him up and down before pulling on a chunk of his hair. A sudden wave of fatigue hit him and he snuggled deeper into his blankets. He'd deal with whatever happened in the morning.
He yawned widely as he walked into the bathroom. Catching sight of himself in the mirror, the memories of last night crashed into him. He was silently freaking out when Kreature popped into his room.
"Little master! Happy birthday! Kreacher is here to-" he gave a loud gasp as he caught sight of him.
"Little master has come into an inheritance! Kreacher is so happy for him. He must tell master at once." Harry opened his mouth to stop the old elf but he was already gone. He sighed and decided a shower would make him feel better. He yanked off his pajamas and stepped under the water. Once it hit his skin, his mind went blank. He didn't know how long he had been standing there when a knock broke him out of his trance.
"Pup? Are you okay?" He could hear the concern in Sirius's voice and pinched himself.
"Yes! I'll be out in a moment." He quickly finished and got dressed in some dark shorts and a white tank top. He couldn't help but glance at his reflection one more time. He gave himself a pleased smile. He looked very appealing. He froze at the thought. Since when did he care what he looked like? At least the scales had disappeared. He peeked out the door and saw Sirius waiting for him. He looked him up and down.
"Huh! Kreacher was right, you did go through an inheritance! I thought the little bugger had finally lost it. Shame, I was rather excited to mount his head on the wall." Harry gave a laugh that he cut off abruptly. What was that? Sirius snickered and said "that was cute, pup! It made me want to pinch your cheeks." His voice had turned into a coo towards the end and Harry beamed at him. As he should! Siri and Remy should lavish him with all of their attention. It was only right since he was their tadpole. He clapped his hands on his cheeks and shook his head.
"I really don't know what's going on." Sirius ruffled his hair and said "every witch or wizard goes through a magical inheritance at the age of fifteen. I'm guessing you were just a late bloomer. We just need to figure out what inheritance you came into." He picked him up by his armpits and said "by the way puppy, happy birthday! Let's go eat some breakfast." He trudged down the stairs and found Remus at the breakfast table.
"Happy birthday Harry! Congratulations on your inheritance." Harry smiled at his second godfather and sat at the table. Kreature had a variety of food set out.
"We weren't sure what you would like so we made a little bit of everything." Remus announced and he poked some of the dishes.
"I thought we could eat and then do some research!" Harry sighed but agreed. He took a bite of some scrambled eggs but spit it back out. It tasted disgusting! Scowling he took another bite before gagging loudly.
"Cub! If you don't like it, spit it out. Your taste is bound to change." He tried five more dishes with the same result. Sirius had moved closer to him and was rubbing his back as he rinsed his mouth. He was so hungry. He stiffened as he smelled something further down the table. Breathing deeply, he found a plate of raw fish. It was cut up in little cubes and he picked one up. Slowly chewing on it, he gave a hum as flavor exploded in his mouth. How wonderful. It was a shame it was already cut up. He would've enjoyed pulling the spine out. Ignoring his morbid thoughts, he kept eating. He saw a jar of honey and dunked his fish into it. What a fabulous combination!
"Er that's interesting, pup. I'm glad you found something you like." Sirius gave him a thumbs up. He grinned around a mouthful of fish and crunched on a bone. His teeth easily took care of it. He ate four more plates of fish and honey before sitting back.
"Thank you for preparing the food." He said warmly and Remy reached over to hug him. He was happy his godfather had such a strong mate. Remy would protect them from any enemies that tried to hurt his pod. Wait, what?
"What's a pod?" He voiced his thoughts and Sirius answered.
"Like dolphins, right? Their pod is similar to their family." Harry knew that was right.
"So I'm part dolphin?" Remus snickered and said "that's probably not it, cub." They migrated to the library and started researching. He eventually found a book bound in a pretty green color. Once he touched it, he couldn't help his laughter. That's how Remy and Siri found him.
"Pup, what's so funny?" He grinned widely at them.
"It's someone's scales! They were stupid enough to let a human have them. What an idiot!" He sneered down at the book. He wouldn't let anyone bind him into a book. Humans were meant to be- he blinked at his thought. Humans were meant to what?
"Haha that's funny, cub. Can we look at the book?" He easily handed it over to the pod leader and sat by his feet.
"Oh!" Remy said and they both looked at him.
"Harry, have you noticed any scales anywhere?" Remy asked and he nodded his head.
"Yes but they went away."
"I see." He turned the book around to face them and Harry saw a mermaid on the cover.
"So pup's a mermaid?" Sirius asked and Remy shook his head.
"No, it looks like Harry is a siren." Harry cocked his head to the side.
"Aren't they the same thing?" Remy looked awkward as he explained.
"Ah no. Mermaids are rather harmless pranksters. They might drown you in a fit of anger but as long as you leave them alone, you should be fine. Sirens lure people to them and then they eat them. Some even keep humans as pets to-" he cut himself off and started whispering to Sirius. Why would he keep a human as a pet? That sounded ridiculous. Sirius was turning red but he turned to face him.
"Some keep humans as pets to breed with them." He thought about it before it hit him. He jumped up and hid his red face.
"No thank you!" His voice was an octave higher and he refused to meet their gaze.
"So I'm going to start eating people?" He couldn't say the idea repulsed him but he didn't want to get sent to Azkaban! Maybe he could just have a little bite? That wouldn't be so bad, right? He had saved the wizarding world, it was the least they could do!
"Ah maybe in ancient times but now most Sirens just eat raw fish like you did this morning." Remy told him and he couldn't help feeling a little disappointed.
"We'll do some more research, but it's wonderful to have a siren in the family! It's a rather rare inheritance and I know your parents would be proud." He gave a loud chirp and smiled at both of them.
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Harry Is Like the Little Mermaid, If She Ate the Prince At the End
FanfictionHarry Potter defeated the Dark Lord after sixth year. He should be living his best life. Instead he comes into a creature inheritance with a taste for flesh. Draco Malfoy is a reformed Death Eater with daddy issues. He just wants to finish his seven...