A Riddle Full of Trouble.

Chapter 2: The Project.

Written by anneloesj12 & dustyrules.

Aerwyn's POV

I woke up to a large craving to swim. My skin felt much too dry, it had gone pasty and chapped in places. My mind had been so preoccupied by the incident the day before that I had forgotten to hydrate myself. Cursing my forgetfulness, I stumbled out of bed, a surge of disoriented pain rushed through my head and I groaned, swaying on my feet.

If I had been full mermaid, I would have been dead by now, that was one of the first things my mother drilled into me. Being a half blood was dangerous, especially when you had more than one magical creature in you. Twice the weaknesses, twice the chance of getting caught.

Stay dry enough to hide your tail, but not too dry, because then my life would be in serious danger. That was the reason I always had a bottle of water with me, no matter where I would go. Just one drop could save my life, or ruin it.

I sighed and took a breath, desperate to get to the clear pool.

I sat carefully down before it and placed my feet in the water, feeling a rush or clear mindedness as my body was nourished.

My tail emerged from the water and I was free to swim. Sliding smoothly in, I relished the beautiful feeling. It was so refreshing, and I loved to watch my smooth scales that rippled with colour under the water, revealing my true self. It sounds narcissistic, I know, but the beauty of well kept scales went almost unrivaled, sometimes I wished that I could be a full merperson, and not have to worry about such matters as dry land, a magic castle or whether my robes match my shoes. Ugh, magical society was exhausting, and after two months of watery bliss, I was definitely reluctant to board that train and return to the repetitive life that consists of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

But it gave me a thrill, to swim in here, so close to people who had no idea of my secret. To glide over their heads in my natural form was something special, and it gave me an elated feeling of being more powerful than the average witches and wizards sat several floors below. Which was quite humorous, as one aguamenti charm could give them complete and utter control over me.

After a time gliding around and admiring the shifting light permeate the water, I realised that breakfast must almost be ready, and I had to cut my swim short. I reluctantly dried myself with a flick of my wand, pulled on my robes and looked at myself in the full length mirror that was placed next to the sink

My silvery blonde hair was braided intricately, one of the only beauty regimes that I took up, it reminded me fondly of my mother. Of how she used to spend hours combing my locks, so different from her and our families' trademark seaweed green mess of hair. Bringing my gaze towards my face, I turquoise eyes glint with silver speckles. My skin was a pale white, I never had been able to tan, and often hated my complexion, wishing I were a more interesting girl, with freckles and scars and not just this boringly pretty face which greeted me every morning. Though some have said that I have elegant, beautiful features, I still felt out of place.

You could certainly see that I had my father's looks, unfortunately, I hated the attention. The stares, the comments, I found in third year that I would rather seem cold and distant than sexualised and taken advantage of by my classmates. My father was a half-blood, just like me. He was half veela, half wizard, though, looks and magic, an excellent combination, though his wand-work certainly needed perfecting, he went to a small, less educated wizarding summer school in France, where they did not mind accommodating half breeds, for a price, of course.

My mother was a full mermaid who lived a mere five minutes away from my father's school, their childhood romance was sweet, and though it was slightly dysfunctional, their marriage was long and happy and full of love, for many reasons.