The Siren's Call (A Draco Malfoy Fanfiction)

P1. The Marlow Name

Dioleh drew in a deep breath, her eyes closed as she lay, holding onto a rock as her purple-blue hair swirled in front of her. When she opened her eyes, they flashed a stark blue. Crossing her arms over the rock, she lay her chin on her arms, a sad, drawn expression on her face.

"Dioleh," her father said. She didn't look up. His chest was bare and starting from the waist, the bronze skin stopped, being replaced with blue-green scales and a large tail. With a sigh, he swam so he was at eye level with her and repeated, "Dioleh."

"What, Father?" she replied, turning her head away from him and laying her head on her arm.

"I know you don't want this, but it is the only way to protect yourself." When she didn't respond, he said, "Dioleh."

"What if this isn't what I want?" she said sadly.

"This is so you can survive," he said, attempting to comfort her.

"But I've never spent so much time away from here," she said sadly. "I don't want to leave the sea, Father. It is my home, it always has been!"

"But what about when we lived in America?" he countered. "You lived on land then."

"But the sea was right there," Dioleh countered. "I could go swim whenever I wanted. But there I can't! There's only that stupid lake! Have you ever tried to swim in a lake? It's all murky and there are no currents! It's so dull, Father!"

"But at least it is something," he countered. "Just make sure you go swimming at least once a week. You know what will happen otherwise."

With a sigh, she said, "Very well, Father."

"Think of all you can learn there," he offered. "Don't you miss school and learning to control your powers?"

"Yes," she sighed.

"It will be much the same there. Now, go and grab your things," he replied, moving a strand of her colourful hair out of the way. "We must go and live in the small apartment above my shop so they can register you having magic and send you the letter." Dejected, she sighed, moving her powerful tail slowly as she moved into the cave the two slept in.

Coming to a stop, she allowed her eyes to adjust to the darkness, clutching at the cord around her neck on which hung a blue pearl, just below her collarbone. Moving to the low ledge on the far side of the cave, Dioleh took out an old metal box she had found at the bottom of the ocean floor years ago. Inside, she kept her most precious treasures.

Pearls, gemstones, shells, sea glass, and jewellery she had found over the years. Picking up the box, she turned to see her father was waiting at the entrance. As she came more into the light, he reached forward, cupping her cheek and remarking, "You look so like her."

"Who?" Dioleh asked, frowning.

"Your mother," he replied. She drew in a sharp breath. Dioleh had not heard Arran Marlow speak of his former mate and love of his life, Alurina Marlow, since she had passed away six years prior when Dioleh was four. "You have her eyes and her smile."

"Father, why won't you tell me how she died?" she asked softly.

He sighed before finally admitting, "It is difficult, but I suppose now that you are older...you deserve the truth." Dioleh sat down, laying the box in her lap as she readied to listen. "Our people have long been feared by those on land. We were myths to all but the magical world. Our voices were said to put people under spells and cause them to lose their minds and jump off their boats."

He paused, staring at a crevice in the rock before resuming, "It was all tall tales, of course. Our voices were simply designed to be the most beautiful in the world. They do not cast enchantments at all, but the beauty of female sirens with the voices often caused them to try and get to us. None other than sirens know of this. We allowed the rumours to persist so that we might be left alone. When they believe we are too powerful to be taken over, they will not bother to try."

"Even the magical world still believes these rumours," he added. "Hence why we have been labelled as dangerous by every magical organization since the beginning of time. But our voices are who we are and your mother loved to sing more than any siren I have ever known. One night, she went up on a rock by the shore to sing."

"We sang to the moon once, before coming to the surface became such a risk. She wanted to do so again, but she was discovered. The MACUSA, or the American Ministery of Magic, thought she was drawing men to sea to kill them." Arran broke off, tears in his blue eyes. His voice heavy, he explained, "We found her body the next morning on the shore."

"They murdered-" Dioleh began, chills running through her blood. "Father, why didn't you tell me?" But Arran couldn't answer, consumed as he was in his grief. Alurina and Arran had known one another from birth. They had grown up as best friends before they fell in love. Despite being arranged to marry other people, they appealed their case to the council and were allowed to wed.

Less than a year later, Dioleh was born to them. The small family of three were as happy as could be, but as Dioleh grew, so did the tension between the tribe and the MACUSA. A group of merpeople, not sirens, were killing wizards and witches by drawing them out to sea in order to harbour their magic, framing the sirens as the perpetrators.

By the time she was two, they were arresting and taking in sirens who went to the surface. By three, they were diving down to find them. By the time she was four, they were killing on sight, hence her mother's death. Arran appealed to the council to send their children to magic schools so they might defend themselves, but they all refused.

When he began making plans to do so anyway, they cast out Arran and Dioleh, leaving them to fend for themselves as they began making plans to migrate in an attempt to preserve their dwindling numbers. However, before they could carry out those plans and before Arran and Dioleh had left, there was a vicious attack in the middle of the night.

Less than a dozen of the once hundred-siren tribe survived. Dioleh remembered that night. It was one of two memories she had before moving to live on land in America when she was four. At age six, they moved from land to live back in the sea off the coast of France.

"Father," Dioleh said softly. "Are they who you're trying to protect me from?"

"Them and people like them," he replied. "I can't lose you too, Dioleh." She sighed before nodding.

"Then I won't complain anymore, Father," she said finally. "I didn't realize-"

"How could you have done?" he asked. "It is my job to protect you. I should have told you before."

"I just miss her," Dioleh said finally, beginning to cry. Arran's expression contorted into one of concern as he embraced his daughter.