The Siren Song: Tom Riddle x Male Reader

3. Cauldron and potions

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Once I finished my breakfast, I got up and walked through the hall but hearing my grandpa's voice echo behind me I stopped and looked back. "You should be home while the sun is still illuminating our waters. My friend Dumbledore will meet us at the surface of the round rock. He has something for you."

"Okay, just meet me at the surface. I'll go collect some sea herbs for a potion I've been making for Lady Nautila. Her scales started falling from her mermaid tail, she looked very ill" I said.

"Isn't she like 400 years old?" I heard my sisters gossip. I didn't pay attention to what their silly conversation as much as I'd like to join them but I have work to get done. Don't be surprised—we sirens tend to live about 300 years and sometimes more but when we die, our bodies turn to sea foam unlike humans with immortal souls and proper burrials. It's tragic... our death... 

I swam swiftly through the shimmering waters, my friend Coral the dolphin playfully darting alongside me. He was born in my 10th birthday and we've been bestfriends since then. The city of Atlantica loomed ahead, a magnificent sight with its coral towers and luminous streets. Today we weren't just visiting for fun magic tricks we had a cauldron to stir.

"Come on, Coral, let's hurry," I urged, excitement tingling in my voice.

As we approached the garden, we noticed a young mermaid sitting by herself. Her skin was covered in unusual buttons, and she looked distressed.

"Are you trying to steal my mother's flowers?" she said, suspicion evident in her tone.

"Uh, yeah, I mean no, we just..." I stuttered attempting to find a plausible lie. "I need these flowers to help Lady Tremaine, the old mermaid who lives on the other side of the seaweed gardens next to yours."

"That's my grandmother!" she exclaimed. "She said she consulted Prince Adrian to help her with her illness, no elder could've healed. In that case, are you the prince who possesses magic abilities, right? Is it real that you can do magic?"

I nodded, caught off guard by her sudden recognition. "Pardon me your highness, I didn't recognise you. My sight became blurry the day I had these... these buttons that appeared on my skin and I don't know what to do to make them go away."

"I can help you. Let's go to my grotto. Come on don't be shy" I reassured her, gesturing towards Coral who chirped happily in agreement. Maybe she would accept to give me the flowers later.

We swam together to a secluded part of the sea, where my hidden grotto lay concealed behind a curtain of seaweed. Once inside, the space that once belonged to my aunt Ariel (the little mermaid) from a collection of human artifacts into became my magical workshop, filled with potions, sea plants, mixtures, crystals and strange little sea creatures bottled in glasses.

"Welcome to my magic room," I said, guiding her to a seat. "Let's take a closer look at your skin."

I examined her carefully, noting the texture and the distribution of the buttons. I followed my intuitive instincts and turned to my shelves, I began collecting ingredients: a pinch of Atlantic ocean salt, a vial of luminescent algae, a sharp shark's tooth, and three crystals of moonstone that I found on a shipwreck. 

I've thrown all the ingredients into a large flower cauldron that my grandpa gave me for my birthday. This gigantic sea flower, with petals as delicate as coral, has the ability to transform all the ingredients into a fine liquid and smoke, releasing their potent magic into the recipient.

As she watched mesmerized, the cauldron bubbled and frothed, the salty aroma of the sea mingling with the sweet scent of the algae. The moonstones glowed softly, casting ethereal shadows across the room, while the shark's tooth added a hint of danger to the brew, I twirled my hands over the cauldron speaking a magic incantattion. With each spell I've spoken, the potion grew more potent, its colors shifting and swirling like the ocean itself. Finally when it took a coral pink shade, I levitated the smoky mixture from the cauldron directing to the mermaid's skin.

"Hold still" I instructed as the pink smoke wrapped her body. "This might feel a bit strange but it should help."

I applied the mixture to her skin then the ugly dark purple buttons began to dissolve, leaving smooth clear skin behind. The young mermaid gasped in tears of relief welling in her eyes.

"Thank you, your highness. I'm in loss of words, I'm grateful you came by our garden." she whispered, her voice filled with gratitude.

I smiled, feeling a sense of fulfillment. "You're welcome. Just remember to stay away from those toxic jelly fish. They can cause all sorts of problems. Now I should make that potion for your grandma, can you send me the flowers with coral?"

She nodded and my dolphin bestfriend followed her as they raced in the currents. Alone in my grotto, I wondered what this Dumbledore wants? and Grandpa said he has something for me, I wonder what's that. Is it a magical artifact? Diving in my deep thoughts, I was surprised to see Coral with a bag around him, filled with those rare flowers enough for me to make dozens of spells and potions. As I added the last ingredient to Lady Nautila's crystal bottle, three petals from the rare flowers and the oily mixture glowed as if it were a river under the shining moon. The potion was now ready and with a final glance and a smile on my face, I left my grotto, accompanied by Coral. He's my little delivery guy, so he took the potion to my client, as I had to return to the palace and get ready to meet Dumbledore.