The Mating Ceremony

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Thanks again to ancientgirl for reading this over and for your helpful suggestions. And a huge thanks to my wonderful beta June for everything. I couldn't do this without you!

Chapter 10 - The Mating Ceremony

Hermione rushed forward with the other mermaids in an effort to see the mermen, but hesitated along the way. She thought she heard a faint cry coming from Sarafina's room.

Hermione wasn't the only one who noticed it. Ariana heard it, too. They both stopped and went back towards the baby's room. Ariana moved swiftly to the large clamshell and opened it to find an awake and hungry Sarafina. She untied the pieces of sea grass and pulled the baby towards her. Hermione watched with amusement as Sarafina's crying seemed to get much more demanding. But Ariana seemed to know exactly what she wanted, and set to nursing her at once. Sarafina's sobs immediately stopped and she contentedly fed.

From the front room they could hear the giggles of the mermaids and the deep baritone of some of the mermen. Hermione could hear Anwar speaking with Ariana's mother, Amalthea. She and Ariana made their way back out into the hall and toward them, arriving just in time to hear Amalthea arguing with the young mermen and mermaids.

"And I am telling you no!" Amalthea yelled angrily at the mermen. "You may not see these mermaids before the mating ceremony. This is the way things have always been done – you know better than to ask. Now get out, the lot of you." She shooed them all out of the open doorway.

"And I am telling you, Mother, that I will not leave until I see that my Ariana and Sarafina are well. She is my mate for life, you know. We've already done our ceremony," said Anwar, pushing his way back in.

"Very well," she said, relenting to her son-in-law while sternly guarding the door. "But only you. The others will have to wait."

Anwar swam in and quickly made his way over to Ariana. "I heard Fina cry. All is well?" he asked her gently.

"Yes," she said, smiling up at him as she nursed their baby.

"Good," he said as he kissed the top of her head.

Sarafina stopped her suckling for just a moment to look up at her father. She gently caressed his face with her little baby hand, in a way that Hermione had seen her do to Severus's nose, then turned her head back to her mother's breast and returned to her feast.

"Off we go, then. I will be seeing you soon at the ceremony," Anwar said to Ariana. He stopped in an afterthought, bowed to the rest of the mermaids present, and added, "I will be seeing all of you at the ceremony." Then he exited out the front door.

Amalthea quickly snapped the door shut amidst the groans and protests of her daughter's friends.

"Now, now, ladies," she said to them. "There will be time enough soon for socializing at the ceremony. Gather your things and let's be going."

Hermione watched as Ariana took a cloth and strapped Sarafina to her.

"This makes it much easier," she explained. "You can swim with free hands."

Hermione understood. She had swum the whole way to the mervillage while holding Sarafina in her arms, and it had been rather difficult. The carrying-cloth must be commonplace amongst the merfolk.

Meanwhile the other mermaids gathered their purses, nets, and other items. They all went out in a group with Amalthea leading the way. All the neighbors seemed to be heading the same place as well.

Hermione could just make out Severus and the group of mermen up ahead. She wasn't the only one looking, and soon the other mermaids saw them too. They giggled excitedly and called out to them.

Admete was searching the growing crowds of merfolk. "Where is Peraethus?" she said nervously to Ariana. "I can't see him anywhere."

But no sooner had the words come out of her mouth than a shadow passed overhead. Hermione looked up to see a rather large handsome merman swimming quickly over them. He was headed to their little group of mermen up ahead.

"Peraethus!" cried out Admete.

He turned just in time to see her. "Admete, my love!" he yelled, waving to her. "Time cannot pass too quickly until we get to the ceremony."

She smiled and blew him a kiss.

His grin grew even brighter. Then he turned and fell in line with the other mermen.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Severus swam along with Anwar and his friends. He had been a bit disappointed he hadn't been able to see Hermione back at the house. He thought he had caught a glimpse of her, but Amalthea had pushed them all back before he got a good look. The other mermen were talking excitedly and making jokes here and there. Severus had been surprised when the large handsome merman Peraethus had joined them.

Anwar had quickly introduced them and explained to Severus that Peraethus was an old and dear friend, who was hoping to mate with Ariana's best friend Admete. They were very happy about this arrangement.

Severus watched Peraethus out of the corner of his eye. He seemed like a nice enough merman, and after a while Severus deemed him safe to be around Hermione and Sarafina.

It wasn't too long before Molossus began passing his merca around to share. Severus's mouth watered as he waited for his turn and he contemplated taking more than one bite, but as he had seen the other mermen only taking one bite, he decided to follow their lead and only take one too. They continued passing it around until there was nothing left but the bones.

"Well," said Molossus. "That was money well spent, I think."

All the mermen heartily agreed and thanked him for sharing.

Thebeus soon looked back at the mermaids behind them and said, "I think what we need right now is some music. What do you mermen say? Are any of you up for a bit of a song?"

Anwar and the others heartily piped in and began to sing.

Anwar stopped for a moment and clapped Severus hard on the shoulder. "These are traditional songs that we mermen sing to the mermaids on the way to the mating ceremony," he explained.

Severus listened intently, noting the song had a romantic theme. The mermen sang it merrily to the mermaids behind them. The mermaids seemed to giggle for a bit, and then soon sang an answering song back to them. The mermen laughed and smiled at one another.

"Come on, mermen, I think we need to do better than that," suggested Cranaus, and he immediately began a new song with much more suggestive lyrics.

Severus was quite surprised and turned to see what the mermaids and other merfolk's reaction would be. To his amazement the mermaids seemed to be equally amused with it and were conversing with one another in a conspiratorial way. The other merfolk swimming on their way to the ceremony simply smiled at them and went on their way. No one seemed the least bit disturbed by the suggestive lyrics.

The mermaids swam out of their group and soon began singing a rather suggestive song back to the men.

Severus shared a laugh with other mermen about this.

"Well, if they want to play," said Cranaus, "then how about we sing them this..." He and the other mermen joined in a song even more suggestive than the last.

Severus was beginning to wonder what Hermione was thinking about all of this. The mermaids had huddled together and suddenly burst forth in a song more riotous than the mermen's last. Severus felt his cheeks turn red. As he glanced back he noticed that Hermione seemed to be singing as loudly as the rest.

"Well, that's something they don't teach at Hogwarts," he muttered to himself.

The mermen were laughing and good-naturedly patting each other on their backs.

"Just listen to them, men," said Cranaus. "They can hardly wait for us. It won't be long now."

"I feel as if I can hardly wait," said Thebeus, turning to look back at them.

"Indeed," said Molossus, stopping to look too.

Anwar and Peraethus nearly swam into them, as the whole group was slowing down.

Amalthea, ever at the lead of the mermaids, quickly yelled ahead to the mermen to continue on. "Get on with ye, you rotten mermen. We're nearly there now. Just swim on a few more feet and you'll see."

And she was right. Severus was surprised at how quickly they had swum to the town square. He'd been having so much fun he hadn't noticed. There were the decorations they had seen being set up a few hours earlier. As it was getting darker, he noticed that a glowing form of lichen seemed to have been spread everywhere like garland; some of the merfolk were carrying lanterns filled with the lichen. It gave the place a beautiful and mysterious glow.

"We'll settle here," Anwar said, pointing to an outcropping of rocks up ahead. He, Severus and the others swam over to it, as the mermaids swam to another outcropping not too far away above them.

"What do we do now?" asked Severus.

"We wait, my brother," said Anwar. "We wait."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Hermione had found the trip to the town square quite fun and quick too. She had been shocked at first when the mermen began singing their suggestive songs. She was thankful that Sarafina had fallen back to sleep again and couldn't hear them. But once Ocypete had taught her some of the words, she had found them fun and infectious and sang quite boldly along with them. To her great delight, Admete, Celaeno and Nocothoe took turns telling her when Severus was looking back at her.

She followed their happy group to the rocks set up a little higher than the mermen. Ariana sat further back from the mermaids with her mother and Sarafina. Hermione leaned back, her tail curled neatly beneath her, so that she might talk to her.

"What happens next?" she asked Ariana curiously.

"Just sit back and watch, Hermione," she replied, passing her some of the food from the net they had brought along with them. "It shall begin soon and then all your questions will be answered."

Hermione smiled and looked about.

Pretty soon a trumpet fanfare heralded in the arrival of the Merchieftainess. She swooped in and settled upon her dais high above the proceedings.

"My mermaids and mermen, welcome to our wonderful mating ceremony. I am always pleased to see the many new faces who have come here to gather. I wish you all happiness and fertility. And now without further ado, let the ceremony begin."

She floated up and swung her trident in an arc high above her head. A beautiful rainbow of light lit up the lake and trumpets blared again. Merfolk cheered and then there was silence.

Hermione turned to say something to Ariana when she heard a mermaid singing. It was perhaps the most beautiful song she thought she had ever heard. Soon another voice added to this one, just as clear and strong, both echoing throughout the lake. She watched as two mermaids rose up from two different sides of the lake, singing and swimming upwards. To her surprise they were soon joined by two mermen and immediately began twisting their tails in a strange yet enchanting dance. The mermen moved closer, paired off, and began to dance with their partners. Each couple's tails twined about the other. Hermione frowned in puzzlement as she watched them, or rather tried to – they had floated up higher than she could see.

Soon, from all sides, singing mermaids were floating upwards, only to be joined by their mermen. It was a very beautiful sight.

Admete suddenly got a very bold and happy look on her face. "Wish me luck, ladies – here I go," she said and burst into a beautiful song as she swam up from their outcropping of rocks.

Hermione watched as Peraethus sprang forth from his place down below by Severus and joined Admete, their tails twisting and writhing around each other.

"Well, there's Thebeus," said Ocypete as she looked down at the outcropping of rocks. "I'm off!" She swam upwards. It didn't take long for Thebeus to join her. They too floated up doing their dance in the now crowded water above the town square.

"Keep your fingers crossed that it's Molossus who joins me, Hermione," said Nocothoe as she too swam up to the others.

Hermione crossed her fingers and watched. After a few proddings from the mermen below, she saw that Molossus soon joined Nocothoe.

"That Cranaus has been after me for quite a while," said Celaeno, looking down at him in the dwindling crowd of mermen. "I think I'll let him catch me this time," she said with a wink to Hermione. And off she went too. Cranaus, who had been waiting, took off quickly and with no prompting joined her.

Now with no one remaining in their group to be mated, Hermione tried to see just where the couples had all gone. Admete and Peraethus were high in the water above her. She was very curious to see what happened. So far she had seen them doing a very interesting dance, but didn't know what came afterwards. Being a naturally curious person, she was intrigued.

She started when she felt a hand on her shoulder. It was Ariana. Hermione's eyes fell upon Sarafina, who was still asleep and peacefully curled up in Ariana's arms. Hermione's heart swelled with love for the child. She was so happy she'd been able to see her home. She knew now that Sarafina was safe and had a loving family. The knowledge made letting go of her that much easier, and yet Hermione yearned to have a child of her own someday. She allowed her mind to wander, and an image of a black-haired merbabe with a slightly large nose came to her. She saw several more scenes before her now, as she listened to the singing around her. She and Severus living in the mervillage. She and all her new friends raising their babies together. Sarafina playing with Hermione's children. Hermione's eyes glazed over as she withdrew more into her vision, the mesmerizing singing of all the mermaids around her encouraging her with these thoughts. She and Severus with several merbabies now, and Hermione teaching them – teaching all the merchildren in the village. Yes, perhaps she could even teach them about magic and the world above on land. They would be quite happy. She could see that now.

"Hermione? Hermione?" Ariana shook her slightly.

Hermione's eyes came back into focus.

"I was just saying, if you'd like to see what's going on, you can swim closer," Ariana said.

Hermione glanced up to where Admete and Peraethus were now almost tiny specks, and then looked back at Ariana.

"Go ahead," urged Amalthea, pointing upward. "You go and see."

Hermione took a deep breath through her gills and surged upward. It seemed that everywhere there were couples swirling and dancing with one another. She swam up even higher trying to get near Admete and Peraethus. She finally reached them and watched with great interest as they swirled and danced with their tails. Peraethus stayed behind Admete, holding onto her arm and breast as they swirled, their tails coiling ever tighter. Soon their writhing became faster and faster until they pulled apart and then came together, now facing one another. Hermione could have sworn she saw a scale near Peraethus's front open. Admete seemed to have one as well, and then...

Hermione gasped out loud and her face flushed. She felt as if she was witnessing something she shouldn't. She wanted to look away but she just couldn't. There was a heavy alluring scent in the water, and her mind was growing fuzzy with all the singing. She felt herself thinking that she very much wished that it was she and Severus doing the dancing and mating right now, instead of Admete and Peraethus.

She gave her tail an experimental flick, the way she'd seen Admete and the other mermaids do it. Before she could stop she felt herself moving the same as the others. She was very quickly losing control and she didn't mind at all.

She needed a merman. She wanted a merbaby. She needed Severus. 'Yes, Severus,' she thought, and she didn't even realize that she was now singing his name.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Severus had watched with some interest as the ceremony began. He too found the mermaids' songs quite enchanting and had to clear his head several times, lest he swim off and grab the nearest mermaid he could find.

But mostly he found himself gazing up at Hermione. Someone had put the most beautiful flowers in her long flowing hair. She was simply breathtaking.

He gave a start as he heard the mermen all cheering for Peraethus. He watched as he joined his new mate, Admete, up above.

Then Thebeus, Molossus and Cranaeus swam off happily too, in what seemed like a short succession.

Severus noticed that the water seemed heavier with a rather intoxicating scent. And the mermaids' singing seemed to be putting him into an odd trance. He didn't even hear Anwar speaking to him until the merman shook Severus's arm.

"Your mermaid, Hermione," Anwar said, pointing upwards. "She seems to have decided to join."

Severus couldn't believe his ears. He quickly looked back up to find Hermione, but all he saw was her tail, her beautifully wiggly green tail pushing her higher above the town square, right into the midst of the mating couples.

"Really, Severus, you should go after her," said Anwar. "You wouldn't want old Alphaeus to finally get lucky, would you?" He pointed to an old merman who was looking lecherously towards the back of Hermione's tail.

Severus gave a start when he saw Alphaeus move as if to go after her. His tail instinctively coiled and made him spring up so quickly he didn't even know he had moved until he'd swam several yards higher in the water. He'd be damned if anyone but himself was going to mate with Hermione. A deep predatory feeling came over him. She was his, and nobody else's. He'd fight to the death to prove it.

And so it was in this frame of mind that Severus swam toward Hermione. The singing was constantly urging him on. He listened to it as he passed by the many mating couples in the water. He listened to it as he rose up higher to where she was, and he listened with surprise when he realized Hermione was singing his name.

He approached her quietly from behind. He tried to shake the fuzziness from his mind, but found that he neither cared what his brain was trying to tell him, nor did he want to stop. Hermione was ready for him. He could smell it; the mermaid was in heat and wanted him. He could have everything he always wanted here in the mervillage – he knew that now. And his mate, his mermaid wanted him too.

Very slowly Severus put a hand around hers, the other hand sliding up slowly to cup her breast. His mouth was at her ear as he whispered her name, "Hermione."

Hermione's body tensed up at the sound of his voice. She wanted him so badly. That voice of his – it was doing something to her. Without even thinking of it, she thrust her tail backwards and wrapped it around his.

Severus groaned and made one last attempt for his brain to take over. "Hermione," he said again with great difficulty. "Is this what you want?"

She moaned and moved up against him again with her tail, nearly driving him crazy.

"Yes," she said, and Snape's brain knew no more.

Instinctively, their tails began the dance. Around and around they writhed, rubbing together in a dance as ancient as time itself.

Severus groaned deeply. He never knew a tail could have so much sensory capability. 'By the gods, it's nearly better than sex,' he thought to himself.

Backwards and forwards their tails and bodies flew. They were rising upwards at an incredible rate. Severus dropped his trident at some point, watching it fall gracefully to the bottom of the lake. His brain fueled only by lust, he could have cared less. This left him two good hands for caressing his mate. Their groans and moans soon joined the others, and he was pleased to hear Hermione crying out her pleasure. He nipped and kissed her along her neck, making her cry out even more. He did not think he ever wanted sex more than this.

His fuzzy brain barely registered that they had floated very high in the water indeed. He could almost see the surface of the water where a strange light seemed to dance across it.

Soon he felt he could contain himself no more. The time had come for him and Hermione to mate. He flipped her around so that she faced him. "Now," he growled at her, "you are mine."

Hermione groaned and arched her back, happily realizing that the scale on her front mid-section seemed to move on its own. She was more than happy to give herself to Severus. She ached to be with him.

Severus surged towards her, eager to sink himself into her depths when he suddenly felt a sharp pain on his head.

Suddenly he was being pulled away from Hermione. His hair was held tight in a pincer-like grip. He felt himself being pulled out of the water and into the cold night air. He gasped fiercely and began shrieking. He flapped himself around trying to escape. Across from him in an equally tight grip was Hermione. Never had Severus been so furious.

"Alright, there you are, Professor," said Hagrid happily as he dunked Severus into a barrel-sized bucket in the boat he was in. "And here's one for you too, Hermione," he said, dropping her into a bucket across from him.

Severus could not believe his horrible luck – another chance at happiness literally plucked away from him. Gone was his chance of happiness in the lake. Gone were the first friends he'd made in years. Gone was his new life in the lake below. He angrily began screeching at Hagrid in Mermish.

"Won't do you no good there, Professor, trying to talk to me like that. The Headmaster thought you might be so eager to tell us what happened. But he said I was to borrow some earmuffs from Professor Sprout and bring you straight to him instead."

Hermione began screeching at that point too.

"Ah, I'm sure you are grateful, Hermione, but I can't hear you either."

Severus was so angry he didn't care. He shrieked the entire boat ride back to the shore, and he shrieked when Hagrid picked them up in their buckets and carried them to Hogwarts. But he eventually stopped shrieking on the walk up simply because they were being sloshed about so much by the half-giant carrying them.

He looked over at Hermione to see if she was alright. She looked frightened as she braced herself up against the side of the bucket to keep from falling out. He could see the lumbering Hagrid doing something just like that and not even realizing he'd lost one of them.

Severus screeched so loud and so long that he was actually losing his voice by the time they had reached Albus Dumbledore's office.

"Ah, Hagrid, I could tell by the sound of Severus's melodious voice that you had been successful," said Dumbledore, smiling as they entered his door.

At this point Severus began screeching even louder and angrier, shaking his fist in Dumbledore's direction.

"Now, now, Severus," said Dumbledore. "You'll hurt yourself trying to talk like that. What you two need is to be turned back to your human forms." He chanted an ancient incantation and transformed them back. "There we go," he said, smiling at them.

Severus and Hermione sullenly stepped out of their oversized buckets. Dumbledore used his wand again to cast a drying spell over the two of them.

"And where did you find them, Hagrid?" he asked the gamekeeper. He turned back to the returning couple. "We were quite worried about you when you didn't come back right away."

"Found 'em out in the lake, Headmaster," said Hagrid. "I got tired of waiting along the shore for them and thought I'd go out to take a look. And it was a good thing too. Another minute and they would have been mating. It's mating season amongst the merfolk now. I thought they might get caught up in that. There's nothing merfolk like to do so much during this time of the season as a good..."

"Thank you, Hagrid," interrupted Dumbledore. "I appreciate all your help in this matter. But as both Severus and Hermione seem to be in good condition, you can go ahead with your night. I know you were interested in some of the unicorn foals in the forest."

"Alright then. Thanks, Headmaster. As long as they're good, I'd really like to check on 'em foals. 'Night, Hermione. 'Night, Professor," he said, backing out of the office.

Dumbledore turned his eyes on the couple before him. Hermione's cheeks had turned bright red at the mention of the mating season, and she wouldn't look him in the eye. Indeed, she seemed to be boring a hole into the floor with her eyes. Severus, on the other hand, was glaring at him and looked as if he would like to kill him. Dumbledore began to wonder why the man hadn't tried this already until he realized Severus didn't have his wand. And he had never seen Severus without his wand.

"I'm very glad to see that both of you are well," Dumbledore said to them. "Come, let's sit down and we'll discuss it all over some tea."