The Siren's Call (A Draco Malfoy Fanfiction)

29. A Different Kind of Magic

"How?" Harry said finally. "You weren't in here."

"I was asleep and I saw it," Imani explained, wiping away some tears on her face, not looking up from her best friend's form. "It's a part of our powers. We can see through the eyes of those we care about while we are asleep. That's how Dioleh watched her father murdered and how she saw Sirius in your dormitory the night he broke in because of her connection to you through Hermione."

"Do you think I could have a look at that rat?" Lupin asked evenly.

"What?" Ron gasped. "What's Scabbers got to do with it?"

"Everything," Lupin said. "Could I see him, please?" Ron gave him a frightened look, but reached inside his robes and held him out.

"What's my rat got to do with anything?" Ron asked.

"That's not a rat," Sirius said sharply.

Ron opened his mouth to speak, but Sirius interrupted him, snapping, "That rat is Peter Pettigrew!"

Harry opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by a heavy cough from Dioleh. She had rolled onto her side and was coughing heavily. When she fell back again, the floor next to her was covered in blood.

"What exactly happened to her?" Imani asked in a shaking voice as she paled.

"Cursed," Sirius explained. Harry threw the charm forward. Imani shrieked, jumping as far away from it as possible as she stared at it, her eyes as wide as saucers. She was staring at the charm with as much fear as you might stare at a dragon. "Can you heal her?"

"N-No," Imani whispered fearfully, her eyes still fixed on the charm as she began to cry.

"Fudge said it would just debilitate a siren, she'll be fine," Harry interrupted, glaring at Lupin.

"You idiot," a voice snapped breathily. To Harry's surprise, it was Hermione. "He wants sirens dead. Why would he give you that to just debilitate her?! It's going to kill her!"

"But I've seen that before," Sirius said. "A siren was healed from it."

"I can't heal her on my own!" Imani shouted desperately. "To heal a siren from this kind of curse, you need at least three other sirens! There are only three at the school, including Dioleh!"

"Not even if both you and Andre tried?" Lupin asked. Imani shook her head, not bothering to ask how he knew they were all sirens.

"Imani," Dioleh groaned, letting out a cough. "Mucus." Imani paled.

"I need someone to help me," she said. "If I can get her in the lake, the Selkie can heal her."

"I'll help," Sirius said, moving forward.

"No!" Harry shouted, blocking the door.

"Sirius, you need to explain everything to Harry," Lupin said wearily.

"Dioleh is the only reason I'm alive," Sirius snapped. "She saved my life. I need to return the favour. I will explain everything to him but if we wait, it may already be too late."

"Then we're coming with you," Ron interrupted firmly.

"Fine," Sirius said, bending down to pick up the young siren. Her head fell back, her hair streaming down behind her as he carried her out of the Shrieking Shack. Her hair stood out so starkly against her now pale skin Harry couldn't believe just how colourful her hair must be. Imani and the rest followed behind. Once they got to the lake, Imani dove in, her pink tail appearing behind her. All those who had never seen a siren before, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Lupin, watched in slight awe. Even Sirius, who had seen sirens before, couldn't help but be impressed. They waited a moment, searching the surface for Imani.

When she emerged, Mucus was with her, a look of concern on her face. Sirius crouched beside the lake, lowering her in. Before she could touch the water, a voice shouted, "DIOLEH!" Everyone looked up to see Andre. He cursed, falling by her side to look at what he could see of her blackened flesh.

"Andre," Imani said. He looked over and nodded. Getting to his feet, he dove in as well, his grey tail appearing. Sirius crouched down again, lowering Dioleh into the water. The moment she touched the water, Dioleh transformed. Hermione stared in shock at the blue and green tail that appeared but now they could all see how bad the curse had gotten. It had overtaken her entire right arm and the right side of her chest. It had reached her jaw and her lower cheek and her tail, turning some of the colourful scales black. Andre and Imani took her in their arms as more Selkie appeared.

Andre and Imani carried Dioleh out a way into the lake. As many Selkie as possible places their hands on Dioleh and those that couldn't, put their hands on each other, creating a wide circle around her. Imani looked up, tears in her eyes as she began to sing. Ron covered his ears but Harry and Hermione, who knew nothing of the stories of sirens, couldn't help but listen. Imani was singing in an entirely different language, a mixture of Igbo and Mermish. Her voice was low and full of sorrow. Drawing in a deep breath, Andre joined in, mixing together Spanish and Mermish. His voice was deep and smooth. They sang different songs, but the song blended together in a harmony that shimmered as they met one another.

After a moment, much higher voices joined in. The Selkie were singing. They had remained underwater as they couldn't sing above the surface, but they could still hear their voices. Hermione pulled Ron's hands from his ears. He tried to cover them again but stopped. It was the most beautiful sound any of them had ever heard. It was eerie but they couldn't stop listening or look away. Each of them felt goosebumps form as they listened. The music swelled and Harry could hear Imani sobbing as she sang. Andre too had tears streaming down his cheeks. Suddenly in English, Imani sobbed, "They've killed so many of us before, Baba! Don't let them take another!" Harry's heart clenched. The music stopped.

Imani's sobs were the only sound. She and Andre had both felt it. Dioleh's heart had stopped beating. Desperately, Imani screamed melodically so they knew she was trying to sing until she broke off into heart-wrenching sobs full of anguish. She cried still harder until there was suddenly light, a cold, blue light that formed a ring around them. It was, Hermione realized, the outermost Selkie. The light went inward until Andre, Imani, and Dioleh were completely surrounded by a cold-blue light. "Keep going," Andre urged just before he started to sing again. Dioleh gasped, her body convulsing and writhing in their hands. The light grew brighter before rushing into her. She screamed, falling back into the water.

"Let her go!" Andre shouted. Dioleh sank into the water as Imani and Andre backed away, letting her go below the surface and completely out of sight. Below the surface, Selkie surrounded her as she fell further and further down until she eventually reached the very bottom of the deep lake.

"NO!" Hermione screamed, making to dive into the water.

"Stop!" Imani cried, raising her hand and sending Hermione back with a wave of water. Swimming over to them, she explained, "You can't disturb her."

"She'll die!" Hermione shouted back, getting back to her feet to rush in. Imani raised her hand threateningly, a pillar of water rising with it.

"Sirens breathe underwater, Hermione," Lupin said. Looking at Andre and Imani curiously, he remarked, "What kind of magic does your music have?"

Getting out of the water and changing forms, Andre explained, "Our music has no magic at all." Lupin and Ron started in shock. "We can't enchant anyone with our music." Looking out over the water, he explained, "Our music binds us together, all merpeople. All we did was bind with her and share our strength and our magic."

"And I called on my ancestors," Imani said, also getting out. Staring sadly out over the water, she said, "That's where she is now. She's with our ancestors, our people. If their spirits and those I called on can draw enough strength from everyone who participated, she will be saved."

Fearfully, Hermione asked, "How long will that take?"

"At least two hours," Andre replied. "Probably more. We have no idea where they sent her."

"Well there is nothing more we can do about it now," Lupin said. Glancing back at the school he said, "We need to get back out of sight."