Chapter 156: 139: Merpeople Pt.2

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They swam on for what felt like at least another twenty minutes. The Mermaid who he found out was named Ariel lead him over a vast expanses of black mud now, which swirled murkily as he disturbed the water. Then, at long last, he heard a snatch of haunting mersong.

Harry swam faster and soon saw a large rock emerge out of the muddy water ahead. It had paintings of merpeople on it; they were carrying spears and chasing what looked like the giant squid. Harry swam on past the rock, following the mersong until finally the village opened up to him.

A cluster of crude stone dwellings stained with algae loomed suddenly out of the gloom on all sides. Here and there at the dark windows, Harry saw the numerous faces of mermaids and merman swimming around in the water, carrying on with their day.

Some of them turned to look at Harry and Ariel as they swam up to the village premise; two merman emerged from the side beating their powerful, silver fish tails to come up to them, drawing them to a halt. Harry took special notice of their spears clutched in their hands.

"Halt," one of them called out, holding a hand out for them to stop.

"What do you want, Kaerius?" Ariel asked the merman as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Who is that," the other guard pointed his spear at him.

"This is..." Ariel begin, but came to a stop. Turning around, she looked at him, "You never did tell me your name."

"Oh..." Harry said as he started to quickly think on his feet, he did not think that far ahead. He was slowly finding out, he was pretty bad at his undercover work, better to lead men from the front, because he wouldn't be talking his way into secret doors.

"My name is Harold..." Harry said, feeling foolish once again at his awful naming sense. What merman even has that kind of name.

"This is Harold from the Coral Blue Sea Village," Ariel happily pointed at him. "You guys both have similar names," she noted, looking between him and the other guard. Harry raised a single eyebrow at his unbelievable luck while looking at the guard who was actually named, Harold.

"Harold is on a mating migration," Ariel continued. "What would my father think if he found out how rude you were to our guests."

Looking between themselves, with unsure expressions on their faces, finally, they relented as the guard named Harold said, "Fine, you may enter. Our Merchief, the ruler of the Black Lake Merpeople colony, would be glad to see you and would love to hear about your travels from all the way beyond the sea."

'Shit,' Harry thought, when he heard what the guard said, they wanted him to tell them about his travels! Fuck!

Nevertheless, he put on a joyful expression, and uttered, "I thank you for welcoming me into your village!"

"Your father is waiting for you," the other guard turned to look at Ariel.

There was a look of trepidation that passed through her face, but it was quickly gone as soon as it had come. She did her best to put on her best face, but Harry wasn't too sure.

"Come on," the mermaid said as she started to swim into the village.

Harry sped on along with Ariel as they entered the village proper, he stared around taking in the sites, and soon the dwellings became more numerous; there were gardens of weed around some of them, and he even saw a pet grindylow tied to a stake outside one door. Merpeople were emerging on all sides now, watching him eagerly, pointing at him especially, talking behind their hands to one another.

He guessed they didn't get new visitors that much as he saw some mermaid girls stare up and down at him and even some older mermaids as well.

A whole crowd of merpeople was floating in front of the houses that lined what looked like a merversion of a village square. A choir of merpeople was singing in the middle and behind them rose a crude sort of statue; a gigantic merman hewn from a boulder.

Harry come to a stop as a presation came up to them.

At the front were merman in strict orderly fashion lines, carrying spears, and wearing armor. He figured that with their strict military bearing, they must be guards or elite guards for that matter since they were more organized than the two man force they meet outside the village premise.

In the center were a seven-foot-tall merman with a long white beard, blue fins lazily flicking back and forth, a choker of shark fangs around his neck, a crown made of seashells and clams, and a massive trident in hand nearly as tall as himself.

"Ariel," the man called out as the guards parted to let him swim up to them.

"Father," the mermaid bowed her head respectfully.

Looking between them, Harry could see the similarities between them if he looked closely from the same nose and lips, with similar sea blue eyes. He remained silent on the other things he connected as well, Ariel was the Merchief's daughter, it was obvious the merman had to be the chief of this village since no other held the same presence or the same respect that everyone reserved from him.

"What did I tell you about leaving the village, huh," the merman all but shouted at the top of his lung. Harry could see he was really furies as he stared down at his daughter who was trying her best to make herself look as small as possible.

"Father, I was just..." Ariel begin to speak.

"No," the merman held out a hand, "this is the last time you disobey me. You will be confined to your room until the day I find you mate. That is it. I had enough of your willfulness," the merman said, as he seemed to be set in his mind.

"But, father," the mermaid pleaded as tears begin to form at the corner of her eyes.

Shaking his head as if he did not want to hear it, the merman uttered in a deeply regretful tone. "What am I to do with you, my sweet little child. You are so willful and wild. I tell you not to leave the village, that wizards lurk above the water with evil intentions, and dark hearts,"

'Hey,' Harry shouted internally to himself as he gave sour look to the merman, what did he think they were, vile and heinous criminals. Okay, maybe he was right on the latter as wizards throughout history have oppressed all magical beings in one form or another. But still, some where good... though they did nothing to improve the lives of these repressed magical beings.

Okay, he could see his point why he was telling him to avoid the big, bad wizards. He would be telling his children that as well after what his kind had been getting up to for thousands of years.

"but still you do not listen to me. Only warriors, fully trained can leave."

"But, father," Ariel argued as his final point seem to hit some sort of nerve as she balled up her fists and looked up at the merman with a steeled resolve.

Before things could break up into something worse, Harry stepped in. Ariel was kind enough to lead him to her village even though he didn't find it to be the smartest thing as she easily fell for his ploys that anyone could see a mile off.

What if he had actually been one of those evil, dark hearted wizards that her father had been talking about, she might have just giving him access to her home and to do with as he pleased.

Nevertheless, it was kind of her to save him the trouble of swinging around the lake all day and get nowhere. Plus even though the guards acted like they were welcoming, he knew it was only because Ariel was speaking on his behalf and that she was the Merchief daughter that they allowed him in.

That is why, he decided to take a bullet for her. If her dad speared him with his triton then so be it. "Your chieftain," Harry interpreted them as they were just about to come to blows.

The merman turned around to look at him, finally for the first time taking notice of him. Speaking on, before he could say anything or his guards could shove a spear at him with the way they were looking at him for daring to interpret their leader.

"If you wish to blame anyone, please do me," Harry inclined his head. "It was my fault really, your daughter was only kind enough to bring me to your hospitable village like any chieftain's daughter would."

"Harold," Ariel called out in surprise.

However Harry continued on, not letting her surprised tone interpret him, "I was only travel weary after my times moving from one village to the next. Your daughter simply found me by the sea weed beds, not far away at all from your village. And she was kind enough to bring me here!"

"Really," the merman finally said as a long moment of silence.

Taking a seep gulp, Harry nodded his head, "Yes, it is all true!"

Breaking into loud booming laughter, the merman smacked him on the back making him oof in pain. "I like a merman who stand tall in the defense of a helpless mermaiden," at his words, Harry could have sworn he heard the grinding of teeth come from Ariel.

"You must come to my humble abode young warrior and tell me of your travels! You should be a guest of mine, and I shall hold a feast in your honor!"

Seeing he had no choice in the matter now, Harry bowed his head and answered, "It would be my honor." The only comfort he could find was at least he made it to the Merpeople village and could get answers on what the second trail would be."

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If there was one thing Harry could safely admit, then it was he never been to an underwater banquet before, so he had no idea what to expect.

The banquet tables were made of strong blue mussel which was indeed a sight to behold as they glowed an unearthly light. a Set up before them was bowl that were of limpet and everyone was seated on giant mollusks that Harry feared could shut on them any second now, crushing them to death.

In the center of the hall was Mermaids singing a haunting mersong, it was much, much better underwater than outside.

Entering where mermaids as they carried several dishes, once they were laid out Harry wasn't sure what he expected at all. Before them was fish, and even more fish, in between was some dishes made of kelp and other sea plants.

"Come dig in," the Merchief said, to whom Harry found out was named, Merchief Triton. The humor wasn't lost on him on how he and his daughter shared names with a certain mermaid and king from the big pictures.

Left with no choice, Harry picked up a piece of raw fish, you couldn't exactly make fire underwater so raw it was. He took a big gulp as he stared at the dish, at least it was processed and wasn't a whole fish he would have to munch down on.

"Go ahead," Ariel smiled at him, who was seated next to him. "You won't find any better fish than from our village."

Giving her the most reassuring of smiles, Harry decided it was better to swallow than chew, best to get over with it as soon as possible. When he took the food in, his face when through a 180 degree turn, he was surprised at how delicious and wonderful the fish was, he had no idea that you could make something like this.

His taste buds exploded with all kinds of tastes as he quickly and greedily took some more dishes.

He guessed when you were going at fish for quite a while, you come with a lot of imaginative ways in making them better.

"Eat up, eat up," the Merchief laughed out loud seeing him stuff his face full. "A warrior as young as you should have such a big appetite."

Just then the doors banged wide open and a young merman with an entourage of young merman swam in. Behind them was the carcass of a large creature that looked like a narwal but instead a chainsaw like horn, a fish scaled body, and sharp razor claw teeth.

A razorcorn, Harry quickly assessed with his eyes. They were dangerous magical creatures that prowled all sorts of bodies of water. Like piranha fish, plus the magical bit added on top as they could send out magical beans from their horns.

"Father, dear sister," the young merman leading the group shouted out loud.

"Brother," Ariel nodded her head as her look of surprise before was quickly erased with blandness.

"Son," the large merman nodded his head, "I see you came back from your hunt!"

"Yes, and with a great trophy in hand as well," he waved to the razorcorn behind him.

"Good, its indeed a worthy prize," the Merchief nodded his head. "But didn't I tell you stay out during our guests arrival?" 

"I just come to rest and resupply for a bit," the young merman stated. Looking at him, Harry had the feeling he was staring at a young viper. He didn't know why when his sister was so kind, and his father looked honorable, but still Harry knew it when he saw a treacherous snake.

And he had the feeling that there was a rift of sorts between this family.

"Fine, come meet our esteem guest for the night! He is a young warrior from afar!"

"Well meet," Harry nodded his head to the young merman who studied him and then took his seat at the high table.

"Now come, tell me of your journeys!" the Merchief spoke up.

Harry nearly choked on his food when he heard the merman speak, however he had been thinking of this for a while now. He knew he had to come up with something, and his mind drifted to a certain someone who liked embellishing himself, his godfather, Sirius.

There was countless tales the older wizard went on about of great things he had done, dark wizards he defeated, and countless babes he slept with.

So Harry used a book from the old shed and begin his tales; dark wizards were replaced with Merrows, close cousins of the Merpeople that they hated. Hot babes become Merwomen, Sirens, and Undines. By the end of his tales, he had most of the occupants entrapped with his bullshit, or should he say Sirius's. In the end it would seem all his stores proved to have some use.

"Now that is quite the journey," the Merchief smacked him on the back once he finished.

"Thank you," Harry bowed his head. The turning the subject into what he had come here for, he innocently voiced, "Your, chieftain, when I came upon this lake, I came up to the surface to bath in the sun for a while, but then I took notice of all the wizards around. I know there is a school of theirs here, but are they really that numerous."

"Ahh," the Merchief said, "No they have this Tournament of theirs between their schools. Thus they all came to Hogwarts."

"Mhm," Harry said, letting him continue.

Sighing, he added, "Sadly we will be having them over at our village so I will need to soon let the defenses down and bring the grindylow back in."

"Really," Harry said, as if this was truly a first for him.

"Yes, I know their Headmaster, and he has whittled a promise of me. I am to help with their games."

"How so," Harry pressed as he eagerly leaned in.

Shaking his head, he finally uttered, "Till now I do not understand, but we are to keep a few here, they will be rescued by those participating in the games."

"Ahhh," Harry said as he nodded his head.

"Yes, I will need to bring out my best warriors to make sure nothing happens. And I still do not know what my people would think of them wizards coming in here. It would take all I can, to make sure a panic does not start."

"Yes, yes," Harry nodded his head, he really wasn't listing anymore as he was mulling over what the merman told him. So that was what the second trial was about, risky the prisoners from the Merpeople village. But how would the Headmasters decided who that would be was what worried him. And if they did not succeed what would happen.

"I still don't understand why you would let those foul wizards in here," the young merman spoke up at long last. "They are the same people you killed Mother, and you let them trample all over..."

"Enough son," the Merchief said as he held out a hand for the boy to stop. "It was a dark wizard who murdered your mother and they promised to have dealt with him..."

"He gutted her just like a beast for her organs in their foul magics, and you trust them," the young merman interpreted. "I don't know how you could ever live with yourself when..."

"I said enough," this time it was the Merchief shouting as he smashed his massive fist down on the table creating cracks all along it. "GO to your room, and be out of here by first light!"

Watching the young merman and his little entourage leave, Harry found it best to also leave right now. He found what he needed, and didn't need to extend his stay longer than necessary. Getting up as all heads turned to face him, "Well I better be going now!"

"Already leaving," Ariel asked.

"Yes, there is still a while before I reach the Merrow Channel(English Channel), then I shall head back when I seen all along the way."

"Yes, yes," the Merchief nodded his head, "a young one must see all that each village has to offer before he could decide where to settle."

"Yes, and I admit, this is surely the one I feel might be it, but before then I must complete my journey."

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