siren and serpent

chapter 2

"Please, c- call me Del, sir." I barely managed to get out. Meeting new people was not my strongsuit. Especially when the person you're meeting is the headmaster of one of the best wizarding schools in the world.
"Right then, Del." He said.

"Tea?" I offered.

"Oh, that would be marvelous." He replied. I went over to the cupboard to grab a mug for each of us.
"How has your education been going in the muggle world? Your father tells me you have so called 'straight A's'. He mentioned how much you love the science, is it?" He asked genuinely curious.

"Oh yeah, uh- biology, plants and animals, how they came to be how they are and stuff like that. Chemistry is fun as well." I replied nervously.

"I do believe you will do fairly well in potions and herbology, those subjects seem to have the same properties." He said, reading my facial expression.

"Herbology? Is that... plants?" I asked, confused.

"Why yes it is Del. I can see why your father never told you about it. He was terrible at it." He chuckled. and looked at the doorway into the living room. "Oliver, would you like to join us instead of standing in the doorway?" He said, motioning for my father to come sit at the table. He was holding a box. One I've never seen before.

"Now Del, I wanted to show you sooner, but Professor Dumbledore wanted to wait for the correct time." Father said, nervously.  " I know how highly you think of your mother, and I don't want any of this to change that."

I looked over at the pair of them with a baffled look on my face. My mind went berserk.

"What would change that?" I said, while millions of different scenarios are going through my head.

"It's nothing bad dear, she didn't do anything terrible. Incase you're over thinking this." Father said. He knew me so well. "You see.." he continued "she was different."

"How, was there something wrong with her? Did she have Cancer? Am I gonna get Cancer? Am I gonna d-"

"Del! She didn't have cancer. She was a mermaid." He blurted out.

"A what?" I pretty much shouted.

"Del, she was a mermaid. Not the kind you see in lakes and rivers. She was from the ocean, they're different there." Father said trying to figure out whether or not he should be frightened of me. "This box, it contains her belongings from the sea, before she left it, for well, me." He ended. Dumbledore shifted in his chair towards me.

"So, Del. I am aware of your situation." He said out of the blue.

"My- what?" I said back, confused.

"Well what do you think? Your mother is a mermaid, which means you're one too." He said, surprised that I didn't figure it out by now.

"Whoa whoa whoa. How can I be a mermaid? I don't even know how to swim!" I said.

"Theres a reason I never taught you dear." Father chuckled. "I was always so tempted to just tell you, but Proffessor Dumbledore thought it would be best to wait. And I put all of my trust into him."

"How kind of you Oliver." Dumbledore said to my father, then turning to me. "Del, I know this comes as a shock, but I thought you would be able to handle it better at this point in your life. I hope we haven't upse-"

"UPSET ME?!" I interupted. "This is the most wonderful thing I've ever heard!"  Dumbledore and my father looked at eachother astonished.

"You're not.... angry?" Father asked.

"Well I wish you had told me sooner! Can I transform? Can I breathe underwater? Are there more at Hog-"

"Yes Del, you can transform, and yes you can breath underwater. However, you are the only one of your kind. There are merpeople who live in the Black Lake, but they are nothing like you." Dumbledore said, looking at me as if waiting for more questions.

"How... exactly... do I transform?" I asked, not expecting them to know. "Dad?"

"Del, your mother left me this box." Father said while reaching across the table for the box I merely forgot about. Opening it, he pulled out a very small, yet thick book. "I was told that only you would be able to read this. It's written in Mermish."

"But I don't know Mermish?" I retorted.

"Del, Parseltounge, the language of snakes, is only spoken by Parselmouths, who are born with the ability to speak, and comprehend it. Mermish is the same. However you can write mermish, because merpeople have hands. " Dumbledore explained. "You most likely have never talked to a mermaid before, therefore had no idea you had the ability. Does that make sense Del?"

My dumbass.

"Of course, of course. How could I be so stupid?" I said chuckling. "Dad, may I please see the book?"

"Of course darling." He said levitating it over to me. "I think whats in there is for you and you only. Why don't you take that upstairs for now, unless you have any questions for Professor Dumbledore."

"Not at the moment. I'll just head upstairs then. It was nice to meet you professor." I said said facing Dumbledore.

"I am definitely looking forward to this school year Miss Cascade. See you at the sorting ceremony." He kindly smiled. "Thank you for having me Oliver. Expect my patronus in a day or two. Have a delightful day you two." Dumbledore said and then with a loud snap, vanished into the air.