Lough Corrib, Ireland
Late Morning


Heliotrope was stretched out on a little island off the southern bank of Lough Corrib to get sun. 'Little' in perspective, it was about 1000 feet long from point to point. Her black lycra swimsuit showed the signs from her lengthy journeys. The faded salt stains, from the ocean but washed away in fresh lough water. Dirt and stone dust were more apparent against the black. There were other marks of her travels. A few nicks and scrapes on arms and legs from sharp rocks or attacking grindylows. The calluses on her hands and feet had become more pronounced. Heliotrope's feet in particular, from all the transcontinental swimming were giant wedge shaped things, tapering to spread out toes with gossamer webbing stretched in-between each. Almost like little fish tails adhered to the ends of legs. These powerful swimming feet would mock any attempt to fit into her school shoes when it came time to fit back into her Hogwarts uniform in the fall. Her webbed toes dug into the gravel beach.

There was a Merrow colony in Lough Corrib but not in Lough Mask to the north, although the Merrows here knew how to travel north or south. From the most southern portion of the lake, a short overland walk lead to a channel that meet the sea at Galway. From there were oceanic currents that Heliotrope could use to circle the continent and cross the Irish sea again towards home. She did not know when she would leave but that was the route she would take. Any other directions could be called with a Siren's Song towards the oceanic merpeople.

Heliotrope sat up. A few feet away her large canvas sack was beached in the shallows, one fifth underwater. On the underwater end was the Lobalug. She crawled over to detach it from the bag. The slimy creature squirmed, spastic yet calm. It had adapted well to fresh water although as creatures from the ocean's floor they liked salt water the best. Most magical aquatic creatures could shift from freshwater to saltwater easily, provided they didn't do it often. Heliotrope found her wand, snug under the swimsuit against her spine, pulled it out to look at, then poked it under her swimsuit again to scratch at an itch. Heliotrope knew an ocean swim would cause salt to crust along her skin and from her gills, an itchiness when the salt dried out of the water.

There was a pinch along her arm, the lobalug had clamped its suction teeth to her flesh. Heliotrope pinched it in the spot to make it release. Lobalugs could survive out of water for a few hours but no longer than two. As the Sirens had taught her, the venom sac in a lobalug was almost always near bursting if there was a creature to leech off parasitically or many nutrients in the water it could filter through it's skin. Lobalug venom was harsh stuff although the water diluted it safely. An aim and a pinch and a cloud of venom was sprayed towards a predator. Diluted, it caused irritation and some confusion, although concentrated fresh venom was highly acidic, a corrosive ink that could be deadly if the entirety of a few lobalug venom sacs were sprayed on one target.

Heliotrope had practiced squirting the lobalug venom about several times. If you stayed up the current, the cloud of venom would loose it's effectiveness in about five minutes as if drifted away from you, diluted into a haze. That would be an unexpected surprise for the Kelpies of Loch Lomond should they act up in the future. Heliotrope had yet to try it above the water though. Gripping the lobalug with proper fingerings, she gave a squeeze. Only a glob of venom came out, like toothpaste, before falling to the gravel with a sizzle. She tried again, changed the positioning, and another squirt of venom managed to arc in a foot before splattering the beach again.

 Lawrence Anson had only recently been given the news that he had been successful in his application to become Hogwarts next Care of Magical Creatures Professor. Not soon after he had been given the news another owl arrived at his door. The letter explained that the owl that had been ordered to take the grades of a half Mer student had returned with the letter. No one was too worried as it was expected that she would travel during the summer months but the faculty wanted to make sure she was safe none the less. Lawrence Anson, being skilled at finding creatures and being able to speak Mermish, had been asked to make sure she was ok, to deliver her grades and to find out if she intended to return to school.

It had not been an easy job. He had travelled to Loch Lomond where he met her mother, a female Witch, who told her Heliotrope had left to travel around the British Isles. Lawrence didn't take this as good news. He had only expected the job to take a week or so. However he wanted to make sure the young girl was ok so he sent a letter to his sister, telling her he would be gone longer than he expected, and started heading down the western coast of Britain. Eventually he found out the young Hufflepuff had headed to Ireland. He knew of only one memish colony there so off he went.

Overlooking Loch Corrib, Lawrence didn't know the Irish and Scottish used a different word to describe a lake, was a large hill. It was covered by beautiful flowers and a large island was clearly visible. There was a slight breeze that rustled the purple and yellow flowers. Apart from that the scene was peaceful. Then, out of nowhere, there was a rush of wind and a popping sound. And  Lawrence was standing on a hill overlooking the is lake island. ''Ahhh, for the love Merlin's hairy knees,'' Lawrence looked down and saw that he was standing in a large pile of poo. Horse or cow likely. It smelt terrible, evident by Lawrence's wrinkled face.

''I could of appeared anywhere on the banks. But no, I had to land here.'' Lawrence raised his shoe, his very expensive Italian shoes,  and waved his wand. The source of the smell vanished. He walked forward, he placed his hand over his forehead and scanned the lake, his eyes squinted.  He saw some movement in the water that he thought could be Heliotrope, but it turned out to be some sort of large fish. He placed his wand into his suit pocket and apparated to the large island. When he arrived his eyes were shut. He slowly opened his left eye and looked down. He was fine. He smiled and began to walk forward. What a beautiful place to spend a few hours. He thought.

It didn't take long before he spotted a young girl. He could see she had blonde hair, but it seemed  to have a greenish tint to it. He approached slowly, as if he was sneaking up on a dangerous animal,  he didn't want to frighten the girl. She could easily evade him by jumping in the water and swimming away at any moment she wanted. He cleared his throat to get her attention. ''Excuse me Miss LeJean. Please don't be afraid, I am Mr. Lawrence Anson. I am a new Professor at Hogwarts. I was sent to ask you a few questions. Also I have this for you.''

Lawrence placed his hand inside his breast pocket and pulled out a letter. It had the Hogwarts crest on the back, sealed with red wax. ''We tried to send you your grades, but the owl had a bit of trouble finding you Miss.'' He chuckled. Lawrence walked towards her and offered the letter to her. He noticed the animal she was holding. ''A Lobalug,'' he smiledd, ''not the most stunning of aquatic creatures but a very interesting one.''

A third squeeze and the lobalug would be empty. As Heliotrope tried again there was a cough behind her. She twisted from her torso, the lobalug venom drizzling out like frosting onto the sands. "Excuse me Miss LeJean. Please don't be afraid, I am Mr. Lawrence Anson. I am a new Professor at Hogwarts. I was sent to ask you a few questions. Also I have this for you."

A stranger, someone she had never met before. His coppery hair and mustache a shade lighter than his brown suit. From inside the suit came a letter with sheets of parchment inside, handed to her. "We tried to send you your grades, but the owl had a bit of trouble finding you Miss." Heliotrope opened it and scanned the first page:

A         Astronomy   
P         Charms
A         Defense Against the Dark Arts
P         Herbology
D         History of Magic
P         Potions
A         Transfiguration

The next page had another list but this one of books and things. Mr. Lawrence Anson made comment on the lobalug.

"I got it from the Sirens migrating to the Celtic Sea," Heliotrope said. "They squirt the venom out of them at predators." She contemplated the letter for her again. "They do not have the letters matching with the words. A fits with 'Astronomy,' P fits with 'Potions.' D should go with 'Defense Against the Dark Arts.' Charms does not start with a P."

"I got it from the Sirens migrating to the Celtic Sea," Heliotrope said. "They squirt the venom out of them at predators."

''Indeed,'' Lawrence picked up a small stone, about twice the length of his thumb, it was a speckled blue colour. He pulled back and threw it into the air, it hit the blue water and skipped across the surface, it did this four times before it went till it fell to the bottom, ''do you come here often Miss LeJean? It is truly beautiful.'' It was a rather hot morning and Lawrence felt himself wishing he had something to wave at his face to cool it down. But he didn't so he did the next best thing and took off his brown suit and swung it over his shoulder.

"They do not have the letters matching with the words. A fits with 'Astronomy,' P fits with 'Potions.' D should go with 'Defense Against the Dark Arts.' Charms does not start with a P."

He squinted for a second before he wondered what she was talking about. When he realised what she meant he was rather bemused that she had not been explained the grading marks, or she hadn't paid attention, if it was the latter he decided he would make sure his own students would understand the grades within their first lesson. ''I think you have misunderstood. The letters don't correspond alphabetically to the subjects, they are grades.'' He sat down on the floor, careful not to dirty his pants, so he would be more on her level.

''Can I  have a look?'' he asked extending bis hand.

Lawrence hadn't opened the letter before he had delivered it. Such a thing would be a breach of protocol and would be plainly wrong. From the 4 marks she had given him she wasn't exactly the top student in her year.

"Do you come here often Miss LeJean? It is truly beautiful."

Heliotrope followed the skipping stone with her eyes. She looked across the water, to the hills and sky. 'Beauty' was the word under analysis. Heliotrope, like her colony, sought the uses of the landscape and respected what it could provide. A large body of water with diverse ecosystem, that was habitual. To tack on a concept of aesthetic 'beauty' was incomprehensible. "I have not been here before. It is much like Loch Lomond, only surrounded by lower hills. The water is warmer." Fractional differences, to be sure.

At the request, Heliotrope returned the sheet of letters that did not match words. She looked again to the second sheet, most of it titles of books.