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[Professor Geovanna Adler-Cade]

It had only taken the Hufflepuff 18 months to give this a go, but as the sun was shining high in the sky that afternoon, she'd taken herself down to the lakefront in the hopes of finally gaining success. She'd barely used her powers since joining the school, and back at the orphanage Geo found it even harder to experiment for fear that she'd be caught, especially by any muggles.

She was dressed in her swimsuit, but had a fitted shirt and pair of shorts over the top for comfort. Placing her belongings on the edge beside the water, Geo slowly proceeded to walk into lake, the freezing liquid almost paralysing her as she walked further and further in. It may have been sunny, but it was no where near warm enough for the lake to be a pleasant temperature. It took the second year a few minutes before her whole body was finally submerged, and she found herself threading in one space. Glancing down, she couldn't see much below her waist, but she hoped to change that. Preparing herself for her dive, she splashed water across her face, wetting her hair, before finally bobbing below the surface to swim underwater. Geo loved to swim, it felt so isolated and quiet, peaceful even. and she kicked out her legs to propel herself further. She really wasn't that deep. After the incident with another student she didn't dare go out very far, but she was happy to just be submerged. Concentrating hard, her legs began to form and fuse together, and in a short amount of time she now had what appeared to be the end of mermaids tail in place of her feet. It was a surreal experience, but she swam quickly through the water, admiring the atmosphere in the cool lake.

After a moment, she came back up for air, wiping the water from her eyes and face. It was so refreshing, and she was glad she'd decided to do this before the seasons changed once more.

 

[Gabriella Tillington]

Every time Gabriella had a moment alone where she didn't feel compelled to work on her homework or studies, she found herself drawn to the lake. The closest thing to a pool the school had, and Gabriella still hadn't quite dared to swim in it. Partly because she wasn't sure if it was allowed, and partly in fear of whatever creatures may reside in its depths. She had taken a book, perhaps she could read a little bit by the waterside. But as she approached the beautiful lake and the spot she liked to sit at, she saw movement in the water. Was a student swimming? Gabriella curiously watched as she came closer, though she stayed at a safe distance. She squinted at the water, and gasped when she saw a mermaid's tail break the surface. Merpeople! She had always hoped to catch a glimpse of them, if they truly lived here, and she quickly approached now. Her apprehension forgotten. But just as she neared enough to clearly see the creature under the lake, it broke through the surface, and Gabriella was shocked to see a familiar face. It was Geo, an older girl. But how? Gabriella stared at her for a moment with wide eyes, then cleared her throat. "Is that a spell you learn here at Hogwarts?" She asked after a moment, slightly breathless. Oh, she hoped so. What Geo had been doing looked absolutely wonderful, and she wanted to experience it for herself.

 

[Matt Rosemary]

Matt had hardly been socialising the past semester or two. The person he'd only really spoken to was Phoebe but even she had her own circle of friends and probably wanted to spend as much time with them as possible when she wasn't buried in her books. So as Matt ventured around the grounds trying to look for either people to befriend or a place where he could spend some time, he saw a couple of students but he got too lazy to approach them and introduce himself. It wasn't really like Matt not to walk up to someone and be chilled about approaching a complete stranger but something in him made him not want to have to pretend like he really cared who they were. Unless they were friendly and actually didn't mind talking to him - people Matt was already familiar with, either by face or by name like his fellow classmates. The lake wasn't far and Matt's gaze hovered over something that broke the stillness of the water. Was that a...tail? Awesome! It would be the first time he ever spotted a creature at Hogwarts! Matt got closer and squinted, once he realised who it was he pursed his lips to prevent himself from bursting out in laughter. Although, it was pretty cool that she could do that. He decided to make his presence known. "Hey guys," he said as he noticed there was another girl who maybe knew Geo too. "You can do that?" he asked his Hufflepuff classmate, before thinking it over, that could've sounded rude. "I mean, it's awesome. You're awesome."

 

[Professor Geovanna Adler-Cade]

Geo continued to tread water, looking out across the lake towards the mountains with the sun shining down on the blue water, lighting it up for as far as she could see. She barely even heard the voice when it called out to her, even though she couldn't have been more than 10 feet away. It took her a few moments for her mind to register that someone was there, and eventually she turned out of curiosity. "Gabby!" She smiled at the younger student whom she'd met on the train almost 6 months prior. With her concentration lost, the tail disappeared immediately, replaced by her usual legs underneath the water. She was tall enough to reach the bottom of the lake bed at this point, and she balanced herself as her feet touched the ground. Had she asked something about a spell? "Maybe" she said, unsure. She didn't want to assume she'd heard correctly, but if she had, she also didn't want to assume that there wasn't a spell similar to her metamorphosis.

It was like a crowd was beginning to gather, as she noticed a second student appearing beside the first. She smiled as he spoke, hearing him properly this time. "Thank you" She hadn't been aware anyone was watching her, and the idea that she had an audience when she was practising made her slightly nervous, and it wasn't as though she could hide in the bathroom for this one. She was beginning to feel the cool wind against her wet shoulders, that were now lifted out of the water as she stood to talk to the others. "I was just.. practising" She said uneasily, not confident after last years mishap as to the knowledge of her condition.

 

[Gabriella Tillington]

Gabriella wanted to know the answer so badly, that she felt a little bit annoyed at the approach of a boy despite not knowing him at all. She hoped his arrival wouldn't distract the older Hufflepuff from answering her question and possibly teaching her the spell she used to get a mermaid tail. The guy called the girl awesome, and Gabriella thought they probably knew each other.

She grimaced when Geo called her Gabby, and shook her head immediately. "Gabriella. Not Gabby." She said automatically. How she hated that nickname, or any variation. Her frown deepened when the girl said 'maybe' to her question. "How can you not know, you either did a spell you learn at Hogwarts or you did not. And since you're not that much older than me, how can you know magic that wasn't taught here?" She put her hands on her hips. "I'm not going to ask you to teach me, if that's why you're reluctant. I can figure it out myself, if you give me a name." In truth, she had hoped the girl would teach her, but took her response to be evasive so she wouldn't have to. This conversation had turned sour quickly for the young girl, and she wondered if Geo wanted her to leave so she could be alone with this boy.