With the exception of Mirabella Plunkett in the 1800s, the idea of merfolk and wizarding kind mingling together was unheard of, and otherwise, considered to be taboo. Born to a mermaid and wizard, Nixie Dover is believed to be the first of her kind...
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Every morning, where the water met land, Henry Dover stood at what felt like the edge of the world, with every hope she would one day come back to him. Over a decade had come and go, and there was no sign of her, but still, he waited. Waves crashed against the shores, sometimes softly, other times with such force as if the waters were angry. Sometimes, Henry liked to pretend they carried the whispers of his lost lover, and he hoped they would travel his words back to her.
If it were true, the sea knew the entire story of the star-crossed lovers and their forbidden affair that resulted in a child.
"I'll be taking her to work with me today," Henry said that very morning, braving the rather chilly winds, "it'll be a battle to get her out of bed, but I think she'll have a good time. There should be other children there, so maybe she'll make a friend or two before she goes off to Hogwarts. I suppose if she goes to Hogwarts, I haven't the slightest clue whether she'll be permitted to go and I'm afraid to ask. Every day, it seems a new question presents itself and I don't have the answers."
Of course, he received no worded advice in return, leaving him to let out a heavy sigh with a nod of his head.
"Right, I suppose I should send a letter or something along the lines to the Headmaster, he would know. I guess I've just been fearful of the answer myself. Nixie's been asking so many questions lately and I don't even know where to begin with this conversation, Meri. She hasn't sprouted her tail in years, long enough that she doesn't remember it, but I know she's curious. She wonders why I make her swim in the waters when it seems too cold for anyone in their right mind to enter. She asks me where you are and truthfully, I answer saying I don't know. I don't even know if you're alive, but I refuse to believe that you're dead."
Once again, Henry was greeted with silence with the exception of the natural noises of his surroundings. He tilted his head back, feeling the overwhelming sensation of tears burning at his eyes, and a lump developing in his throat. It seemed time could not heal all wounds because whenever he thought about Meri or her absence in their lives, he found himself nearly collapsing.
"If she does get into Hogwarts, I know we'll have to discuss things sooner rather than later because there will have to be some sort of accommodations made. But acceptance letter or not, she has the right to know. I've waited this long, thinking you would make your way back to us sooner. That was foolish of me though. Perhaps tonight after Bring Your Child to Work day, I'll have her sit with me, and we'll discuss things. I'll let you know how it goes."
He lingered a few seconds longer praying with all his might before glancing over his shoulder in the direction of his home.
"Well, wish me luck, it's never an easy task to get Nixie out of bed. I have an easier time arm-wrestling a giant."
As anticipated when approaching Nixie's bedroom door that morning, there was a light sound of snoring as she had managed to burrow her way beneath her covers and slept soundly. By no definition would Henry ever consider his child to be a morning, quite the opposite as she usually tried to sleep her way into the early afternoon and stayed up unreasonable late. Henry often blamed himself, mainly because he allowed her to have such a poor sleeping schedule.
