The Siren's Call (A Draco Malfoy Fanfiction)

20. Trust Comes Only in Onions

"Welcome everyone," Professor Lupin said when everyone had come into class the next day. "Today we are going to be studying one of the most peculiar creatures found today. Sirens." Instantly, Dioleh paled, glancing over at Imani who looked extremely grave. Andre too looked far more serious than usual. "Can anyone tell me anything about sirens?"

"Sirens are creatures that live off the coast of land and lure witches and wizards into the water to harness their magic," a Ravenclaw girl said.

"Wrong," Professor Lupin said. "They cannot harness magic from witches and wizards. They would not need to. Sirens have their own kind of magic they can control all on their own. Sirens can control the weather and even water itself. There have also been numerous sirens known to be able to transform into human form."

"So one could be right beside us and we would never know?" Terry Boot, a Ravenclaw, asked.

"In theory, yes," Professor Lupin replied.

Unable to take it anymore, Dioleh asked, "But haven't magical organizations massacred sirens without cause?" Andre instantly glared at her from his seat next to Terry.

Growing grim, Lupin replied, "Yes. The most deadly is arguable the massacre of the American Siren Tribe. Approximately sixty sirens were murdered." Dioleh rolled her eyes. Of course, they wouldn't admit how many they had really killed.

"But aren't they dangerous?" Pansy Parkinson asked in a slightly nasally, annoying voice.

"Yes," Lupin replied. "Should you get on their bad side, anyway. They are said to draw in witches and wizards alike with their dazzling beauty and their enchanting voices. While they originated in Greece, Sirens have since formed tribes all over the world. Unlike Selkie and other merfolk, they can survive in any form of water as they take oxygen from the water molecules themselves to breathe through gills on the sides of their tails. Unlike Selkie, the merpeople in the Black Lake, sirens are very colourful, often with coloured hair that matches their tails or even their eyes."

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That afternoon, Dioleh had to stop her work early to go down to the Quidditch pitch. Inside the locker room, she spotted Marcus Flint, the team's captain. He was a burly seventh-year. Dioleh was a chaser, just like Flint and Warrington. Derrick and Bole were Slytherin's Beaters while Draco was Seeker. The keeper was Miles Bletchley. The moment they had all sat down, Flint began the same speech he gave every year about beating the other teams and then told them the practice schedule.

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After practice, Dioleh quickly slipped the quidditch robes off, leaving her in leggings and a tank top. She had learned the moment she went on the team to keep herself as covered as possible at all times. She quickly slipped into a sweatshirt and grabbed her broom to head back to the school. The moment she left the locker room, however, she suddenly felt something grab onto her sleeve. Looking down, she saw it was a large dog.

"What the-" she began as it started to drag her away from the locker rooms. Dioleh fought against it slightly, but the dog continued on until they had gotten into the woods. Letting go of her, the dog suddenly transformed into Sirius. "Oh my god," she said, looking at him with shock. "You're an animagus."

"Well spotted," he said sarcastically.

"What do you want, Sirius?" Dioleh snapped.

Tilting his head to the side, he remarked, "Come now, I thought we were friends, Dioleh."

"I agreed not to turn you in, that does not constitute as being friends," Dioleh countered. "Now, what do you want?"

"I need to get into Gryffindor Tower," he explained.

"And you think I would help you, why?" Dioleh scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "And you're really not helping your 'I don't want to kill Harry' case."

With a sigh, Sirius explained, "There is someone I want to kill, but it is not Harry."

"Who then?"

"Peter Pettigrew." Dioleh shrugged, having no recollection of ever even hearing the name before. "Look, I went to school with him. Him, Harry's father James, and Remus Lupin-"

"Professor Lupin?" Dioleh interrupted. "You two were friends?"

"Professor?" Sirius repeated.

"He's our Defense Against the Dark Arts professor," Dioleh explained.

"Well, the four of us went to school together," Sirius continued. "Later, during the wizarding war, we found out that Voldemort wanted to kill Lily and James, Harry's parents. I was supposed to be their secret keeper but at the last minute, I advised them to change their mind. So Wormtail was their secret-keeper. I never told Remus because I thought he was a spy when in reality it was Pettigrew. He sold Lily and James to Voldemort. That is the true crime I am hated for by Remus and everyone else who knew about it. I never killed anyone."

"Then why didn't you just say that during the trial?" Dioleh retorted.

"Because there wasn't one," Sirius said, desperately trying to get the siren to believe him. "I was sentenced to life without a trial."

"But why would they-"

"Oh come on, Dioleh," he interrupted. "Your people have been killed for centuries without reason. Is it that hard to believe they would also convict an innocent man without trial?"

"I wouldn't have thought they were unjust to wizards and witches too," she admitted. "Wait, so what does this have to do with getting into Gryffindor Tower?"

"Peter is an animagus just like me," Sirius said. "Only he turns into a rat. He's been acting as a pet for someone with the last name Weasley. I saw him in the paper when they went on their trip to Egypt."

"Scabbers," Dioleh breathed. "Peter Pettigrew is Ron's rat? Oh my god."

"So, will you help me get in?" Sirius asked. "Preferably when everyone is out."

"The Halloween Feast," Dioleh said after thinking a moment. "It's this Saturday. If I can get you the password, can you handle the rest?" He nodded. "Then I'll get it to you as quickly as I can."

"Thank you, Dioleh," he said.