Echo awoke with a throbbing headache, the cold stone floor of the Potions classroom pressing uncomfortably against his cheek. A metallic tang filled his mouth, and his body ached as if a herd of Blast-Ended Skrewts had trampled him. Groggy and disoriented, he tried to push himself up, but his limbs felt like lead.
A sharp, almost violent tug on his arm hoisted him unceremoniously into a nearby chair. He blinked, trying to clear the blurry vision, and found himself staring into the unamused, dark eyes of Severus Snape. Severus's black hair was as smooth and unruffled as ever, a stark contrast to Echo's own disheveled state.
"What… what happened?" Echo croaked, his voice hoarse. His black hair, usually so expressive, was a dull, confused blue.
Severus let out a long, suffering sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. "What happened, you imbecile," he drawled, his voice laced with his usual disdain, "is that you, in your infinite wisdom, decided to link up with so many of your spy magical creatures' minds at such rapid intervals that it caused a massive magical mental backlash. You almost gave yourself a stroke, had I not been here to hit you with a stunning charm and break the connections."
Echo's eyes widened, and he slowly looked around the dimly lit classroom. Scattered amongst the bubbling cauldrons and dusty shelves were his spy creatures: a nervous-looking kneazle clinging to a potion bottle rake, a small flock of Jobberknowls perched on a stack of books, and a tiny, almost invisible Bowtruckle peeking out from behind a forgotten scroll, among other creatures. All of them looked extremely concerned, their eyes fixed on him.
A painful and fragmented jolt of memory pierced Echo's headache. He remembered dragging Severus down here, his urgency fueled by a desperate need for information. He remembered the pensive, swirling silver threads of extracted memories, his relentless pursuit of any available information on Lucius Malfoy and his dark doings.
"Did… did we get anything comprehensive?" Echo asked, a flicker of desperate hope in his blue hair.
Severus scoffed, a bitter twist to his lips. "No. Lucius has been much more careful recently. Your recklessness yielded precisely nothing." He then moved to a hidden compartment in the wall, opened it with a silent charm, and placed the pensive back inside, the silver light winking out of sight.
Echo groaned, burying his face in his hands. His blue hair flared a frustrated, defeated red. "So, nothing? I have no way to fight back?"
Severus's voice, though still cold, held a hint of something else – a grudging, almost paternal, exasperation. "You need to think clearly before acting, Echo. Stop acting like a Gryffindor and think more like the Slytherin you are. Now, go back to the Slytherin common room and rest. You are a danger to yourself in this state."
Echo, still aching and defeated, begrudgingly agreed. He waved a weary hand, and with a series of soft pops and rustles, his spy magical creatures dispersed, returning to their various hiding spots and duties. He pushed himself out of the chair, his legs still a little wobbly, and trudged out of the Potions lab, his mind a jumble of pain and frustration. He walked through the deserted corridors of Hogwarts, oblivious to his surroundings, his feet carrying him towards the familiar, comforting darkness of the Slytherin common room. The failure gnawed at him, a bitter taste in his mouth, but Severus's words echoed in his mind: think like a Slytherin. He had to find another way, or at least get Luicis to stop.
Echo, his head still pounding, trudged through the deserted corridors of Hogwarts. His mind was a muddled mess of frustration and lingering pain, and he found himself drifting, his feet carrying him without conscious direction. He was supposed to be heading to the Slytherin common room, deep in the dungeons, like the potions classroom, but somehow, he ended up at the entrance to the Great Hall.
A low murmur, surprisingly loud for this time of day, emanated from within. Curiosity, a dangerous trait even when he was at his best, tugged at him. Despite being mentally and emotionally spent, he pushed open the heavy oak doors to peer inside and see what all the commotion was about. The Great Hall was a sea of students, a chaotic throng of bodies, but no teachers were in sight. Amidst the swirling robes and animated conversations, a glint of platinum blonde hair caught his eye. Lucius Malfoy. Echo's stomach clenched. This was precisely the last person he wanted to encounter. He immediately decided to turn tail, hoping to slip away unnoticed.
But it was too late. From across the crowded hall, above the heads of taller, denser students, Lucius's sharp eyes found him. "Echo!" Lucius's voice, a silken sneer, cut through the din.
As if on cue, the crowd around Lucius dispersed as if Echo were some sort of contagious disease, leaving a wide berth between them. Lucius, smug as ever, sauntered towards him, a triumphant glint in his cold, grey eyes. "Just the man I was looking for," he purred, his voice dripping with malice, clearly enjoying Echo's discomfort.
Echo's red hair flared with indignation, but he kept his voice low, venom lacing each word. "What do you want, Paris Hilton?"
Lucius merely smirked, tightening his grip on the arm of the woman beside him. "I merely wanted to introduce you to my new bride-to-be. Originally, I was going to only show her off to everyone in house Slytherin, but I decided to make it a school-wide affair," he announced, his voice carrying just enough to be heard by all around. "We shall wed once we both graduate from Hogwarts this year." He gestured to the woman. "This is Narcissa Black, a member of the esteemed Black family, and I'm sure you're very well acquainted with her cousin Sirius."
Echo's eyes darted around the crowd, somehow looking for an escape from whatever Lucius was trying to trap him in. He spotted James, Sirius, and Peter, their faces a mixture of confusion and concern. Remus, however, was cut off from them, trapped by the shifting mass of students. The other three were clearly trying to get back to him. Echo's mind, despite its recent trauma, began to whirl. This was a ploy, a calculated move by Lucius to humiliate him publicly. But it also presented an opportunity – a chance to strike back, cause a little chaos, and perhaps even help Remus out of this pickle.
A wicked grin spread across Echo's face, his red hair flickering with mischievous yellow. He looked at Narcissa, then back at Lucius, his eyes gleaming. "I didn't know you were a lesbian, Malfoy? Congratulations for finally coming out," he said, his voice loud and clear, echoing in the sudden, stunned silence that fell over the hall.
A collective gasp rippled through the students. Narcissa, her pale face flushing, quickly assured Echo, "Lucius is indeed a man!"
Echo tilted his head, feigning genuine confusion. "Are you sure?" he asked, his voice dripping with mock sincerity. "Because if Lucius is a man, and not a woman in a wig, then I'm secretly a Niffler."
A few snickers, then outright laughter, erupted from the crowd. The tension, which had been thick and suffocating, began to loosen. The students, amused and distracted, started to shift, creating a path. James, Sirius, and Peter, seizing the opportunity, quickly made their way to Remus, pulling him back into their protective circle. Lucius's smug expression had vanished, replaced by a furious, crimson flush. His carefully constructed moment of triumph had been utterly, spectacularly derailed. Lucius, his face a mask of aristocratic fury, twitched. His eyes, usually cold and calculating, blazed with a raw, unbridled rage. He opened his mouth, no doubt to unleash a torrent of insults and threats, but before he could, a sharp, imperious voice cut through the lingering laughter.
"You have a lot of gall, boy, insulting not one, but two of the most powerful pure-blood wizarding families in the world!"
Echo turned, his yellow hair flickering with annoyance, to see a tall, striking woman with wild, dark curls and eyes that gleamed with a dangerous madness. She stood between him and Lucius, a predatory smile playing on her lips. Beside her stood two other women, one with a severe, elegant beauty, and the other with a softer, almost wistful expression.
"And who, pray tell, are you?" Echo asked, a dismissive tone in his voice.
The wild-haired woman's smile widened, revealing a flash of teeth. "I am Bellatrix Black. And these are my sisters, Andromeda. And of course, you already met my little sister, Narcissa." She gestured to each in turn, her gaze never leaving Echo.
Echo looked between the three sisters, his deep violet eyes sweeping over them with a deliberate, almost insulting slowness. His yellow hair flared a violent, indignant red. "Well," he drawled, his voice dripping with contempt, "you are three of the ugliest bitches I have ever had the misfortune of meeting." He paused, a chilling glint entering his eyes. "And I cannot wait to see you die, or better yet, be the one that does you in."
A collective gasp, followed by a chorus of shocked "ooohs," rippled through the Great Hall. Faces, which had been amused moments before, now stared in horrified disbelief. The air crackled with a sudden, suffocating tension, far more potent than anything Lucius had managed to conjure. Bellatrix's dangerous smile faltered, her eyes narrowing to slits of pure, murderous intent. Narcissa's face went even paler, and Andromeda looked utterly stunned. The silence that followed was deafening, punctuated only by the faint, nervous shuffling of feet.
Bellatrix, her eyes blazing with a dangerous light, stepped even closer to Echo, her face mere inches from his. "Do you have a death wish, boy?" she hissed, her voice a low, venomous snarl. "Because I would be more than happy to—"
Before she could finish, a subtle ripple ran through Echo's robes. With a soft pop, a massive, serpentine head, covered in shimmering, serrated scales, burst forth from his collar, snapping its jaws inches from Bellatrix's face. She stumbled backward, a surprised gasp escaping her lips, her eyes wide with shock.
The creature, a magnificent Runespoor, slithered further out of Echo's robes, revealing its full, impressive length. Thirty feet of muscular, scaly body coiled around Echo, its three heads rising majestically above him, hissing in unison. The middle head, its eyes fixed on Echo, nudged its cheek affectionately. Echo, his red hair now a calm, almost playful blue, gently stroked its scales. The other two heads, seeing the middle head receiving attention, let out indignant hisses, nudging Echo's other side, vying for his affection. Echo chuckled, patting each head in turn.
He then looked at a stunned Bellatrix, a picture of feigned innocence. "I'm terribly sorry," he said, his voice smooth and unconcerned, as if a twenty-foot, three-headed snake appearing from his robes was an everyday occurrence. "Were you saying something?" As he said this, he connected to the Runespore and gave himself the aspect of the snake, giving himself a snake's tongue and flickering it at them.
Bellatrix, still wide-eyed and speechless, stared at the Runespoor, which now coiled protectively around Echo. Her sisters, Andromeda and Narcissa, looked equally stunned, their expressions a mixture of fear and disbelief. Lucius, though pale with fury, had also taken a step back, his usual composure shattered by the sudden appearance of the massive serpent.
Echo, his blue hair flickering with a smug satisfaction, looked at them all, a mocking smile playing on his lips. "Why are you all so scared?" he asked, his voice laced with feigned innocence. "Weren't you all in Slytherin? Shouldn't you be a friend to serpents? All serpents? Because I certainly am. In fact," he added, patting the Runespoor's middle head, which let out a contented rumble, "I'm a friend to all magical beasts."
Lucius finally found his voice, though it was strained and trembling with suppressed rage, and managed to stammer, "Do… Do you know who you're threatening, boy? Or should I remind you again?"
Echo's smile widened, a cold, predatory glint entering his hollow eyes. His blue hair blazed with a confident, almost dangerous yellow. "Oh, I know exactly who I'm threatening, Malfoy," he drawled, each word a deliberate, calculated insult.
"You, a man whose entire existence is built on the dusty, crumbling foundations of his predecessors' far greater achievements. You, who lavishes himself with old money, money you did nothing actually to earn, while clinging to a reputation you inherited, not forged. You, who didn't even choose your so-called bride-to-be, and instead had your parents choose all for the purpose of 'keeping the bloodline pure,'" He paused, letting his words sink in, then gestured to himself with a flourish.
"And then there's me. Who comes from nothing, less than nothing actually, who can't brew a tonic without making a poison or casting a spell to create a bomb. And yet, here I stand as someone who continues to strive to do better and find true love. Now I am betrothed to Skate, the mermaid princess of the Black Lake, even blessed by the queen of the mermaids herself, who is chomping at the bit for me to marry her daughter already. I will actually become true royalty, part of a family that has been around since before the founding of Hogwarts itself, and all while I'm still in the process of going through puberty. So, yes, Malfoy. I know exactly who I'm threatening. And I assure you, it's not me who should be scared."
Fresh wave of laughter, louder and more boisterous than before, erupted through the Great Hall. Chuckles turned into outright guffaws as students pointed and whispered, thoroughly enjoying the unfolding drama. A few stray bits of ooze, likely from some ill-advised prank earlier in the day, even flew through the air, adding to the chaotic merriment.
James Potter, his face red with mirth, slapped his knee, practically vibrating with delight at Echo's sharp words. Peter Pettigrew and Remus Lupin, though trying to be more discreet, were shaking with silent laughter. But it was Sirius Black who truly reveled in the moment, letting out a booming cheer that echoed through the hall. "Atta boy, Echo, reap them to filth!" he bellowed, thoroughly enjoying the spectacle.
Bellatrix, Andromeda, and Narcissa Black, their faces contorted with fury, turned their harsh glares from Echo to their boisterous cousin, their eyes promising a reckoning later.
Echo, his blue hair blazing with triumphant yellow, ignored the Black sisters and turned his attention back to a stunned Lucius Malfoy, who still stood rigid with outrage. The Runespoor, sensing the shift in the atmosphere, gave a low, rumbling hiss, its three heads swaying gently.
"Just a little friendly advice, Malfoy," Echo drawled, his voice laced with a sweet, mocking tone. "You and your… bride-to-be, there," he gestured vaguely at Narcissa, who looked as though she wished the floor would swallow her whole, "might want to avoid swimming in the Black Lake for the rest of your lives."
Lucius stared, his mouth agape, utterly speechless.
Echo leaned in conspiratorially, his voice dropping to a stage whisper that was still perfectly audible in the now hushed hall. "See, I've told Skate all about the things you've done to me. And let's just say, she's not thrilled. Not thrilled at all." He paused, a dangerous glint in his hollow eyes. "There might be laws against me doing anything to you, Malfoy. But there are no laws about a mermaid drowning a couple of nobodies."
Another wave of gasps and nervous titters swept through the students, who now looked from Echo to the terrified Lucius and then to the dark, mysterious surface of Black Lake. The implication hung heavy in the air, a chilling promise delivered with a charming yet utterly menacing smile.
Echo, his blue hair flickering with a mischievous glint, then turned to Lucius, a disarmingly polite smile on his face. "Regardless of all that's been said between us, Malfoy," he began, his voice surprisingly calm, "congratulations on marrying your cousin."
Lucius's eyes, which had just begun to regain a sliver of their cold composure, widened in disbelief. "She is not my cousin, you insolent brat!" he hissed, his face once again flushing crimson.
Echo blinked, feigning genuine surprise. "Oh, my apologies," he said, a hand flying to his chest in mock contrition. "I was being a little too kind and not thinking clearly. My mistake." He paused, then, with a slow, deliberate smile, corrected himself. "Congratulations on marrying your sister, then."
A collective gasp ripped through the Great Hall, followed by a stunned silence. Even the Runespoor, coiled around Echo, seemed to pause its gentle swaying. Several students clapped their hands over their mouths, their eyes wide with shock.
Then, a booming laugh erupted. Sirius Black, who had been leaning against a pillar, doubled over, clutching his stomach. He laughed so hard he ended up throwing himself to the ground, tears streaming down his face. "Echo!" he gasped between fits of uncontrollable mirth, "Stop! I'm going to hurt myself if you keep going on like this!"
Narcissa, her face a ghastly shade of white, finally found her voice. "How dare you, you filthy half-blood!" she shrieked, her eyes blazing with fury. "How dare you think such a thing!"
Echo merely rolled his eyes, his blue hair settling into a dismissive black. "Oh, please, Narcissa," he drawled, his voice dripping with boredom. "All you pure-blood Puritans are all the same. Just a bunch of inbred chuckle-fucks who, at this point in your family tree—or should I say family wreath—should be scientifically reclassified as sandwiches from how inbred you are."
The Great Hall exploded. More laughter, louder and more unrestrained than ever before, filled the air. The Marauders, including a now practically crying Sirius, were howling with delight, their faces red and contorted with mirth. Even some of the more stoic Slytherins couldn't help but crack a smile, a few even snickering openly. Lucius and Narcissa stood frozen, their faces a mixture of utter humiliation and incandescent rage, as the entire school dissolved into a cacophony of mirth at Echo's brutal honesty.
Bellatrix, her face a mask of pure, unadulterated fury, let out a guttural snarl. Her hand, trembling with rage, shot to her side, snatching her wand from her robes. "You little half-blood scum!" she shrieked, her voice echoing through the stunned Great Hall. "I'll teach you to disrespect the House of Black—!"
Before she could finish the threat, a blur of silver fur launched itself from Echo's shoulder. Shimmer, now fully visible, a mischievous glint in its intelligent eyes, pounced on Bellatrix. It landed on her head, its tiny hands grabbing handfuls of her wild, dark hair and pulling with surprising force.
Bellatrix shrieked, a sound of pure agony and outrage, dropping her wand as she instinctively tried to grab at the Demiguise. But Shimmer was too quick. As her hand reached for the creature, Shimmer clamped its teeth down on her finger, biting with such force that a sickening CRACK echoed through the hall. Bellatrix screamed again, a high-pitched wail of pain, her wand clattering to the stone floor. Shimmer, with a triumphant chitter, snatched up the fallen wand and, with a graceful leap, landed back on Echo's shoulder, holding the wand like a prized trophy.
At the same instant, a tiny, furry projectile launched itself from Echo's robes. Sniffles, ever the opportunist, darted towards Andromeda Black. With astonishing speed, the Niffler managed to steal all the buttons off Andromeda's shoes, causing her to lose her footing and tumble ungracefully to the floor with a surprised yelp.
From the folds of Echo's robes, the Runespoor, sensing the chaos and the downed witch, slithered out even faster. It's magnificent, thirty-foot body uncoiled, its serrated scales glinting in the light. It reared up, its three heads hissing menacingly, preparing to strike at the fallen Andromeda.
"Andromeda!" Narcissa shrieked, her face pale with terror. Without a moment's hesitation, she threw herself between her sister and the enormous serpent, her own wand now pointed directly at the Runespoor. The three-headed snake hissed back, its eyes narrowed, a low, dangerous rumble emanating from its throats.
Lucius, seeing Narcissa in danger, tried to help his bride-to-be, but Echo, with a sudden, swift movement, swept his legs out from under him. Lucius tumbled to the ground with an undignified grunt. Before he could react, Echo grabbed a handful of Lucius's platinum blonde hair, pulling his head down and holding it firmly under his chin, bringing their faces mere inches apart.
As Bellatrix nursed her broken finger, whimpering in pain, Andromeda scrambled up to her feet, her eyes wide with fear. Narcissa, her wand still pointed at the Runespoor, stood defensively between her sister and the massive serpent. The Runespoor, however, seemed to have a change of heart. Instead of striking, it slithered gracefully around the downed Lucius and Echo, its enormous body coiling around them, holding Lucius in place.
Face to face, Echo's eyes, usually so expressive, became cold and hard. He spoke in a voice so small, so silent, that no one around them could possibly hear. "I know what you're doing, Lucius," he whispered, his words a chilling promise. "And you won't get away with it. I may not have the evidence needed right now, but as it stands, you're really pushing your luck. And unlike you, I'm not afraid to go all in or nothing."
Echo's grip on Lucius's hair tightened. "If you pull what you did to ruin my reputation, or anything more, to my friends, the next time you fall asleep, you will never wake up again. And just like how you've been able to get away with all you have, I will definitely get away with this."
Lucius's eyes, wide with a mixture of terror and disbelief, stared back at Echo. For a moment, Echo couldn't tell if Lucius was sweating out of fear or crying out of fear.
To sell the point further, Echo leaned in, his voice dropping to an even colder whisper. "This is your final warning."
Then, with a sudden, brutal movement, Echo grabbed Lucius's nose and, with a sickening *CRUNCH, broke it. Lucius let out a strangled cry of pain as Echo released his hair, dropping him to the floor, where he lay writhing, clutching his now mangled nose, tears streaming down his face.
Narcissa, her face a mask of horror, shrieked and rushed to Lucius's side, helping him to his feet. He clutched his broken, bleeding nose, his eyes wide with pain and a terror that had finally eclipsed his rage. With a flash of his robes, Echo whirled around and began to walk out of the Great Hall. The thirty-foot Runespoor slithered in front of him, a magnificent, scaly sentinel, its three heads hissing menacingly at anyone who dared to get too close. Perched on Echo's back, Shimmer, with a mischievous glint in its eyes, used Bellatrix's own wand to scratch Echo's butt, in full view of a stunned and furious Bellatrix. Echo then left the Great Hall, leaving an utterly stunned crowd behind him, the silence broken only by Lucius's whimpers and Bellatrix's furious, pain-filled curses.
Echo, the Runespoor slithering ahead like a silent guardian and Shimmer still perched on his shoulder, scratching his butt with Bellatrix's wand, made his way back towards the dungeons. The adrenaline from the confrontation with Lucius and the Black sisters was slowly receding, leaving him feeling the lingering ache from his earlier magical backlash, but also a profound sense of satisfaction.
As he rounded a corner, he nearly collided with a boisterous group heading in the opposite direction. It was James, Remus, Peter, and a still-giggling Sirius. Their laughter died down as they saw Echo, their faces quickly replaced with wide grins of admiration.
"Echo, you absolute legend!" James exclaimed, clapping him on the back with enough force to make him stumble. "That was brilliant! The lesbian comment, the inbred sandwich crack—pure genius!"
Remus, a rare, genuine smile on his face, nodded in agreement. "I've never seen Lucius Malfoy so utterly speechless. And Bellatrix… Well, that was quite a sight."
Peter, still a little wide-eyed from the Runespoor, managed a nervous chuckle. "And the snake… and the butt scratch with her own wand!"
Sirius, however, was practically vibrating with excitement. He launched himself at Echo, pulling him into a tight, bone-crushing hug that lifted him off his feet. "My hero!" Sirius declared, setting him down. Then, with a dramatic flourish, he dropped to one knee, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Echo, my brave, brilliant, utterly chaotic friend… will you marry me?"
Echo, his blue hair flickering with amusement, looked down at Sirius, then at the Runespoor, which let out a low, questioning rumble. "You'll have to fight Skate first," Echo said, a smirk playing on his lips.
Sirius immediately scrambled to his feet, a look of genuine horror replacing his playful grin. "Oh, no, thank you!" he exclaimed, shuddering. "Knowing how dangerous mermaids can be, especially your mermaid, I think I'll pass on that particular duel. I'm quite fond of my limbs, thank you very much." He gave Echo another, slightly less enthusiastic, pat on the back. "But seriously, Echo, that was incredible. You really showed them."
Echo, his blue hair now a calm, thoughtful black, nodded. "Somebody had to put those pure-blood rats back in their place," he said, a hint of weariness in his voice. "Besides, Lucius deserved it after the rumors he's been spreading about me."
James, his grin fading slightly, exchanged a look with the others. "We heard those rumors, Echo," he said, his voice more serious. "About… well, about you being a quiet self-boasting brat, and worse."
Remus stepped forward, his expression earnest. "But we know you, Echo. We've seen you. You're not anything like those rumors say. You're… you're a lot of things, but not that."
Echo looked at them, a flicker of something unreadable in his hollow eyes. His black hair softened to a resigned blue. "Even though I still don't particularly like all of you, mostly James Sirius and Peter," he admitted, a small, almost imperceptible smile touching his lips, "I'm glad to know that you at least know my character."
Slytherin Common Room, Later That Evening
The opulent, yet dimly lit, Slytherin common room was a stark contrast to the boisterous chaos of the Great Hall. The green light filtering through the underwater windows cast an eerie glow on the faces of Lucius Malfoy and Bellatrix Black, both of whom were in a foul mood. Lucius, his nose swollen and bandaged, dabbed at a trickle of blood with a silk handkerchief, his face a mask of humiliated fury. Bellatrix, her broken finger crudely splinted by a reluctant Andromeda, paced like a caged Niffler, her wild hair even more disheveled than usual.
"The insolence!" Bellatrix shrieked, her voice raspy with pain and rage. "That little half-blood brat dared to do that to me! To us! He will pay for this, Lucius, he will pay dearly!"
Lucius, wincing as he touched his nose, snarled, "He will, Bellatrix. Oh, he most certainly will. But we need to be smart about this. Public humiliation is one thing, but what he threatened… that goes beyond mere schoolyard squabbles." His eyes, though still burning with anger, held a flicker of genuine fear.
Andromeda, who had been quietly tending to Bellatrix's hand, spoke softly. "He has a point, Bella. That Runespoor… and the way he spoke about his betrothed. Mermaids are not to be trifled with."
"Silence, Andromeda!" Bellatrix snapped, but even her voice lacked its usual conviction. She knew, as did Lucius, that Echo's threat, delivered with such cold, quiet conviction, was not an idle one.
"He thinks he's so clever, doesn't he?" Lucius muttered, his voice low and venomous. "Comparing me to a woman time after time again, calling us inbred… the sheer audacity!" He slammed his fist, carefully, on the arm of his chair. "We need a plan. Something that will truly break him. Something that will make him regret ever crossing a Malfoy, or a Black."
Bellatrix's eyes gleamed with a renewed, albeit more calculated, malice. "Oh, I have a few ideas, Lucius. A few very unpleasant ideas." She began to pace again, a dangerous smile spreading across her lips. "Perhaps a little 'accident' in the dungeons? Or a carefully placed curse that makes him… less appealing to his precious mermaid princess?"
Lucius nodded, a dark smirk forming despite the pain in his nose. "Excellent, Bellatrix. Think big. Think painful. And make sure there's no trace back to us."
As they continued to plot, their voices, a low, sinister murmur, a faint, rhythmic tapping sound began to echo through the common room. Lucius, distracted, paused, his head cocked to one side. The tapping grew slightly louder, coming from the large, underwater glass window that offered a view of the Black Lake. He turned his head, his eyes narrowing, and peered through the murky green water.
Outside, in the dark, swirling depths of the lake, a figure materialized. It was Skate, her moonlight hair fanning out around her, her eyes fixed directly on Lucius. Slowly, deliberately, she raised a slender, webbed hand, her clawed finger making a slow, cutting motion across her own throat.
Lucius Malfoy's eyes widened, his face draining of all color. The plotting, the anger, the pain – all vanished, replaced by a look of absolute, unadulterated terror.
Bellatrix, seeing Lucius's ashen face and the terror in his eyes, scoffed. "Lucius, you can't possibly be scared of that… that fish!" she sneered, her voice laced with disdain, though a flicker of unease crossed her own features.
"I am, Bellatrix," Lucius choked out, his voice barely a whisper, his gaze fixed on Skate. "And so should you be!"
As if in response, Skate's mouth slowly, unnaturally, opened to a full 180-degree angle, revealing rows of serrated, needle-sharp teeth. She pressed her gruesome maw against the thick glass, her eyes, cold and unwavering, still locked on Lucius.
Narcissa, her own face pale, tugged at Bellatrix's arm. "Bella, please be cautious!" she whispered, a genuine fear in her voice.
But Bellatrix, ever defiant, merely snarled. Her eyes blazed with a hateful fire as she glared at Skate, refusing to show any sign of weakness. Skate held the terrifying pose for a long moment, her sharp teeth glinting in the dim green light, before, with a final, dismissive flick of her tail, she turned and swam away into the murky depths of the Black Lake, leaving a truly terrified Lucius and a seething Bellatrix behind.