Under the Stars

|Chapter 3|

It was stuck in his head as it always was since last night like an annoying show tune someone couldn't stop humming. He had no idea what the song was or how he knew all the lyrics to it, but it was there in the back of his head, nonstop. He found himself humming the haunting tune during random times during his day. His friends never noticed, or at least they never looked like they noticed.

Draco Malfoy walked along the long, stone hallway of Hogwarts, completely alone. He started humming the song and suddenly he was singing it, his voice a whisper, "My heart is pierced by Cupid," he turned to the right, coming up along the hallway bordering the open courtyard, "I disdain all glittering gold," the sun was setting and soon it would be getting dark, he would need to get back to his house before curfew, though that never stopped him before, "There is nothing that can console me," when he was younger, he was notorious for sneaking around the grounds for no apparent reason, "But my jolly sailor bold," he now had a reason for sneaking around. He needed to go down to the lake and see if that tail was all just a dream or if it was real.

Suddenly another voice joined in causing Draco to stop in his tracks. He turned to the courtyard where the voice was coming from, "Come all ye pretty fair maids," Draco recognized it as the voice he had heard in the back of his mind and the voice that accompanied the fish tail as it disappeared beneath the surface, "Whoever ye may be," Draco moved to the entrance to the courtyard, his silver eyes roaming the dark green grass for anyone, "Who love a jolly sailor bold," Draco continued to move toward the voice, but it moved away from him, "That plows the raging sea," it suddenly stopped and Draco froze, his ears perked up zooming in on any noise that the courtyard made. It never did though and so Draco, his heart racing in his chest, hid his bag behind one of the statues nearby and ran off toward the lake. The song continued to play in his head and, yet, he knew he wasn't crazy.

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The lake was calm and black, reflecting the night sky above, and Hermione smiled at it, a warm smile given toward a friend. She walked toward the bush she hid her things at, piling dirt and brush on top of her bag, causing a mound. She then turned back to the water and with a sigh, she ran off into it.

The water lapped at her ankles and then at her shins and then finally at her knees. Suddenly she could feel her legs start to tingle and then she dropped into the water, her legs giving out beneath her. She crawled across the lake bottom, her aquamarine tail following behind her, and when it started to get deep, she swam off into the water. The liquid surrounded her like air and she smiled, she was home.

She moved her arms through the water and her tail pumped behind her propelling her forward. She needed to get to the other side of the lake to spy on Ginny and Harry. It wasn't right to spy on her friends, but Hermione wanted to know what happened. Ginny would lie to her about the whole thing tomorrow when Hermione would ask and Hermione knew Ginny only did it because she didn't want anyone to know she was hurt. Hermione trusted that Harry wouldn't hurt Ginny, but she had this doubt inside her skull that she couldn't help but scratch. Hermione moved up to the surface, her head peeking out slightly on top of the water. Anyone who saw her head would think it was some bird or a mass of something unknown.

Hermione's brown eyes scanned the shore, her tail keeping her afloat. She began to worry until she saw a red head female and dark haired male come down to the lake, their hands linked together. Ginny Weasley sat down on the ground; her plaid skirt fanned out around her, and pulled down Harry Potter, who seemed slightly confused as to what the purpose of all of this was. Hermione couldn't hear what they were saying, even with her sensitive ears, but she could read their lips pretty well.

"Harry," Ginny talked first. Hermione watched as Ginny's shoulders slumped.

"Ginny, please don't," Harry said, taking her hand in his, "Don't say anything."

Ginny looked up startled. Uh oh, Hermione thought, "No, Harry. That's not what I'm saying," Harry froze at her words now, "I wanted us to go out for a walk because I wanted to tell you my answer to your proposal."

Harry paused and Ginny looked into his eyes, searching for something, "And?"

Ginny's lips broke out into a smile, "Yes, yes, bloody hell yes!"

Hermione smiled too just as brightly and watched in joy as Harry smiled and cupped Ginny's cheek. He leaned down and their lips touched, moving in sync roughly. Hermione bowed her head to the water, giving the privacy, but also to give them a gift. She raised her hand out of the water, pointed toward the couple, water streaming down her fingers, "Aqua, amice, si direxisti viam fortunae bona amoris et vitae id orci. Fortunae bona amoris, bona vita bona, bonum amoris, bene (Water, my friend, please give good fortune, good love, and good life to this couple. Good fortune, good love, good life, good fortune, good love, good life)," she then lowered her hand back into the water and looked back up at the couple.

Her brown eyes widened. Now instead of just Ginny and Harry on the beach now, there was another person. Draco Malfoy stood between the two of them, a scowl on his face.