Under the Surface

[Phoebe Holland]

Now that Phoebe Holland was back at Hogwarts, she knew she wanted to try more experiments in order to learn more. Hogwarts was a never ending source of interesting information, you only needed to know where to find it. Over the holidays she had brainstormed a little with her dad, and had gotten some great new ideas. One she'd had to buy a muggle item for, and she was eager to try out immediately. The first free moment she had in the second semester, Phoebe made her way to the lake with her plastic swimming goggles in hand. She had promised her dad she wouldn't go swimming with them, just looking. Even though a part of her wanted to disobey, knowing he would never find out even if she did go swimming, she decided to stick to her promise for now. Phoebe knelt at the edge of the water and put the goggles on, adjusting the plastic strap over her hair. Then, she changed her position so she was leaning over the water. She took one last deep breath before plunging her head into the water. Her eyes flew open and she tried to take everything in, her cheeks puffed out with her held breath. The view was very pretty, blue-green with weeds and even a few moving creatures in the distance. Probably fish? But the longer she looked, the more disappointed she felt. There were no mermaids or other magical creatures in sight as far as she could tell, not even a grindylow. She submerged again, inhaling deeply as she wrestled her wet hair out of her face. Maybe tying it back would have been smarter. Of course, Phoebe wasn't going to give up now. She would just have to try again, maybe try a few different spots. If she saw nothing interesting today, maybe another day would work better. Perhaps she could figure out a way to make some sort of boat? Phoebe was sure the lake was full of secrets, and she had four and a half more years to figure them all out.

 

[Kira Wolf]

Kira had found herself reading more and more about the aquatic life out in the lake, and she couldn't help but be more curious with every page. After what seemed like days of research, she decided that the only thing for it was to go and look herself. She had managed to slip out of her school uniform and into a more comfortable pair of denim shorts, matched with a black tank top and black sneakers. Her socks were knee-length and mismatched, one covered in red hearts and the other in yellow flowers.

She left her books by her bed for once, remembering the advice she'd gotten from that Slytherin girl. There were some things you just had to do yourself. She wondered out to the lake, her ocean eyes full of determination.

That determination almost faltered when she saw the other girl sitting on the lake shore, her hair soaked. Kira took a deep breath. That just meant that someone had a curious and open mind like hers. Or, someone really wanted to swim.

It would probably be best to find out which before she got too excited. Kira took another deep breath, calming her nerves, and approached the girl with more confidence than she felt. "Hi there! What are you doing out here today?"

Kira almost winced at how formal she sounded. She tried to relax as she waited for the other girls response.

 

[Phoebe Holland]

Phoebe wished she had taken something to take notes on, even if she hadn't actually seen anything noteworthy under the surface yet. What if she did? But at the same time, they would probably get soaked in no time just like her clothes. Her hair was dripping water down her back, making her shiver even in the summer air. Still, she wasn't going to give up after one try. But before she could re-try her experiment, she heard a voice nearby. Phoebe looked up and pulled her goggles up on her wet hair so she could look at the girl with ease. "Hi, I'm doing research." She said with a small shrug. "Trying to see what is under the surface. I bet there's a ton of creatures." She paused. "I just haven't found them yet," she admitted with a shrug.

 

[Kira Wolf]

Kira smiled a little shyly at the other girl. She had an inquisitive mind, and that was always good. Kira sat next to the other girl. "Well, this close to the shore, you won't find many creatures. But..." Kira pointed to a small rock outcropping twenty feet away. "There should probably be a few smaller animals hiding under there. Once you factor in student activity the life in the lake will have learned not to be too close so they don't get kicked or stepped on."

Kira extended her hand to the other girl. "I'm Kira Wolf."

 

[Phoebe Holland]

Phoebe didn't mind talking to the younger girl, always happy to share her ideas and inspiration. But she shook her head when the girl suggested going somewhere else. "I mean, there are probably some creatures over there." She said, glancing at the outcropping. "But I doubt it'll be much more interesting than here. Honestly, I heard Grindylows sometimes like to grab ankles of people near the shore. That's what I was hoping for." She turned her gaze to the middle of the lake and sighed. "I really need a boat or something. The bubble-head charm would also be helpful." She turned her head to look at the younger girl before shaking her hand. "Phoebe Holland, nice to meet you."

 

[Kira Wolf]

Kira smiled shyly at Phoebe. "The book I was reading didn't mention Grindylows... I could probably find something about it in the library." She brushed her hair behind her ear again. "The bubble head charm is a bit advanced... What year are you? I'm only a first year so I haven't learned much besides theory." She glanced back to the big rock. "Maybe you could use transfiguration? I'm not sure when they start teaching it on a larger scale though..."

 

[Phoebe Holland]

Phoebe nodded and sighed. "I'm honestly not positive there are Grindylows here, I know they are in the Hogwarts one. I read about that. So I wondered if they maybe were in this lake too, since it is so similar in so many ways. From what I've heard, at least." Obviously, Phoebe had never been at Hogwarts in Scotland, but she had heard the stories from her parents who had met at that school. Sometimes she daydreamed about getting to see and experience other wizarding schools, though she loved Hogwarts here. She just wanted to learn as many different things as possible. "I'm in third year, I think the bubble head charm is a fourth year spell. My sister mentioned it." She sighed, shaking her head. "I feel like they should offer advanced classes, I bet I could do that charm if I really tried." She grinned, then sighed. "But I won't get to try until next year." She took the goggles off her head. "Maybe I should just be more patient, but it's hard. There's so much to explore and discover here, and you only get seven years to do it." She glanced up at the castle, brushing some of her wet hair away from her face. "You're in Ravenclaw too, aren't you?"