Under the Sea

Chapter Six

To say Harry was unhappy with the news was an understatement. The fact that not only would he be separated from Ariel but that he would also be going back to the Dursleys seemed to terrify him. His green eyes widened in fear and he backed to the other end of his container, trying to keep the distance between himself and Dumbledore.

"Really Albus?" Minerva asked as they backed away from the terrified tot, who was causing small waves to form in his container from his trembling. Harry had not said a word since the news dropped—he only sat there in his container, eyes wide and trembling from fear. "Did you have to tell him that he'd be going back to the Dursleys?"

"I did not know that he would react this way Minerva," Dumbledore told her, looking back at the boy with a concerned glance before turning back to her. "To be honest, I would think the boy would be a little more excited to see his family again after such an ordeal."

"Yes Albus," Minerva rolled her eyes. "That's just what one would think after finding a boy who got turned into a mermaid! Clearly the Dursleys didn't try hard enough to find the boy so why should he go back there? Why not look up a family with a muggleborn child? You have enough clout with the Ministry that they'd let you! Or put Potter with a light family in our world? I'm sure the Weasleys would be more than happy to look after him and if not them then the Diggorys or the Lovegoods-any number of families really."

"It's the safest place for him," Dumbledore told her and his tone showed no room for arguments. Sighing, Dumbledore looked back at Harry before turning back to Minerva. "The real question is how are we going to turn him back to a human?"

This stumped all three of them. No one had ever heard of a human being turned into a mermaid before, let alone someone reversing the process.

"Well don't look at me," Minerva said, with a sigh. "Even if I thought this was a good idea, which I don't, I don't think Transfiguration would be the way to go. It stands the chance of wearing off and then we'd be back at square one. Also, I'm sure Mr. Potter would rather not have a wand pointed in a certain area of his body—fins or no."

The two males winced at that thought and crossed Transfiguration off the mental list.

"Herbology and Charms are out as well," Severus sighed, recovering from the thought of a wand to the groin. "Since Pomona and Fillius are on sabbatical and their substitutes are ill replacements."

"I don't think Poppy would be able to help with this either," Minerva stated. "She can heal almost anything but this might just stump her."

"Which just leaves Potions," Dumbledore said, looking at Severus. The man looked confused before coming to the same conclusion.

"No! Albus you can't be serious! I have far too much to do to take on a side project. Especially for a boy who is so spoiled and self centered like Potter!"

"It might be the only way he can come to Hogwarts when he gets his letter," Dumbledore argued back. "It will be the only way he will be able to join our world. If not, who knows what might happen?"

"Why not ask the wolf?"

"Remus would gladly volunteer however if I told him it was for Harry, he might be a little more reluctant," Dumbledore told him. There were no laws, after all, for werewolves to adopt merpeople. Then again, there had never been a need before so there was no telling what the precedent might be.

"Albus, why would that necessarily be a bad thing?" Minerva asked. "Remus would keep Harry safe from any harm that came to him while at the same time prevent him from getting spoiled due to his fame."

"There is still the matter of making sure young Harry returns to his human form," Dumbledore told them. The discussion, though, was halted by the arrival of a house elf who seemed to be in a rather panicked state.

"Professor Headmaster! The Black Lake is overflowing, it is!" the elf screamed in terror.

"Calm down Binky," Dumbledore soothed the panicked creature. "I'm sure it's nothing too bad. Maybe the Giant Squid is just having a bit of fun. Why don't you run down to Hagrid's and ask him to check on it?"

The elf brightened after Dumbledore said that and nodded rapidly. "Binky will do that Professor Headmaster! Binky will do that right now!"

With a crack, the elf was gone leaving the group no less closer to an answer than they were before.

"Albus, what did Binky mean by that?" Minerva asked, her eyes narrowing. She knew that the daredevils of Hogwarts would be tempted to go near the lake if it was acting up and she also knew that most of those daredevils were in her House.

"Exactly that Minerva," Severus responded. "Albus, maybe that is worth checking up on. After all, the Slytherin dorms are right under the Black Lake. If something is wrong with the lake, it could flood the dorms!"

"I'm sure it's nothing to be concerned over." Dumbledore stated. "If anything is wrong, Hagrid will let me know."

Severus and Minerva sighed but left the room—Severus to do research in order to get Harry back into his human state and Minerva to warn all troublemakers to stay as far away from the lake as possible. Dumbledore sat at his desk with a contented smile. He was sure that it would only take a few days before all of this was behind him. What could possibly go wrong?

000

A lot. That was what could possibly go wrong. For one thing, it took Severus three weeks to find a possible solution to their Potter problem. For another, the lake was still overflowing. Hagrid had ruled out the Giant Squid as a possible culprit and leaks were starting to form in the ceiling of the Slytherin Common Room.

"Could it be the merpeople?" Minerva suggested one day after Severus came into the office, completely drenched and exhausted. "After all, they are known for their tempers and if a merperson had considered Harry to be theirs..."

They gulped, knowing how dangerous the merpeople could be in the best of times. Dumbledore decided right then and there that it might not be a good thing to tell his staff that Harry had been taken in by the king of the merpeople and that it was more than likely that it had been the king's daughter who had her memories removed by Severus. Dumbledore had been informed of that incident when Minerva and Severus returned to Hogwarts with Harry.

"It might not have anything to do with the boy," Severus stated. "Even if it had something to do with Potter, how would they even know? It's not like the King is in the Black Lake."

"Do you know how merpeople communicate?" Minerva asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Nevertheless Severus, we need to find a way to change Harry back to his human self," Dumbledore told Severus, cutting off the other man's remark to Minerva.

"You're in luck Albus," Severus stated, pulling out an odd looking medallion. "In my research, I came across a rare potion where, if combined with this, will turn Potter back into a human. Surprisingly, it's rather simple to make and can be completed in a few weeks."

"What's the downside?" Minerva asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Potter can never enter the Black Lake or any other body of water or he will be turned back into a merman until he can get more of the potion."

Silence filled the room. Did they want to take that risk?

"What about showers?" Minerva asked after a few minutes. "Or baths should he become a prefect?"

"It'll take some work but I might be able to tweak it as to allow the boy to take a shower," Severus nodded. He may hate Potter but he didn't want to ruin the lives of his future housemates.

"Excellent!" Dumbledore grinned. Despite the unexpected turn of events, it would seem like everything was going as it should. Now he just had to figure out how to return Harry to the Dursleys and have them take the boy back in. It would be hard, but Harry's safety depended on it! Without the blood wards, the boy could be attacked by the remaining death eaters or other dark forces.

Yes, he was definitely safer with his Aunt and Uncle. Dumbledore never noticed the disapproving glance Fawkes was giving him from his perch.