[Lake] From beneath you !

[Lilliah Kane]

For September it was a fairly warm day. Even so, she'd brought her coat and scarf with her just in case it chilled off later on. She discarded her robes for jeans and a t-shirt. Nothing fancy, she was only going to relax by the lake for a couple of hours. She wanted to miss the usual rush of people around this time, and the lake, for some reason unknown to her, was usually empty these days.

The wind blew gently through the tree tops and blew her hair gently around her face. It was rather peaceful if she was to be completely honest with you. She'd spent the better part of the week trying to figure out if Ricky knew of his relation with her, but it was clear to her he had no idea. It didnt bother her to be honest, she understood his side of the family and she knew the way he was brought up was entirely different to how she was. It was something she'd just have to get used to, besides hearing things about him from others kind of dimmed her want of getting to know him. To be perfectly honest with you, he sounded like an arse.

"What's that?" She asked aloud, standing up and wandering close to the edge of the lake. She'd been sure she'd seen something in there, something had come to the surface and ducked back down as soon as it saw her. It was obvious something was there, the ripples were still on the surface, but whatever it was had gone now. Or so she thought.

From the left of her she heard a mini splash, as though something was surfacing. Then, before she could get a look at whatever it was she was covered in water. The cheeky thing had decided to splash her! "Oh Great! Yeah thanks very much! I only had a shower this morning!" She complained as she turned on her heels to sit back down, but spotting someone standing not to far away she jumped.

And fell backwards into the lake with one hell of a splash! Still, she couldnt get any wetter right?

Breaking the surface of the murky lake, she spluttered and splashed the top of the water. Glaring at the person in front of her. Her hair was stuck to her face now, her clothes clung awkwardly to her and she had mud on her hands, which she smeared accidentally onto her face when she moved a strand of hair from her eyes. "Didnt anyone tell you not to creep up on people!?" She half yelled as she stroked the water trying to get to the end, for Lily had chosen a spot which was deep at the end of the muddy path.

She felt something brush past her leg. Letting out a startled scream, she pulled herself out fiercly and ran away from the edge, turning back to look at the lake. "Alright now I know something in that lake has it out for me!!"

[Anthony Evans]

Anthony looked stricken, his cheery mood washed away with the ripples of the lake. He had only meant to relax in the enjoyment of finishing his last exam of the week, and the lake was the best spot for that... everyone knew!

"I didn't creep up on you!" He cried, having just appeared over one of the hills as soon as soon as she had turned around. Glancing at her wet and shivering appearance, Anthony frowned. "Didn't anyone tell you not to go for a swim in your school robes?"

She didn't hear him, that much was obvious. Instead she was preoccupied with bulging eyes as she scurried with a new record speed to the edge of the lake. Out in merely seconds, the girl counter productively leaned over it once again. Her scream was still echoing in Anthony's disgruntled ears.

"Yeah?" He replied dryly, walking up to her and examining the surface. "Did you falsely accuse it of something also?"

[Lilliah Kane]

Lily was busy trying to ring out her hair and her clothes. It didnt even enter her mind that the boy hadnt snuck up on her. That he may have only just appeared there with no intention of startling Lily into falling into the lake. That was just the way Lily's mind worked, it jumped from A to D without ever considering B or C. She sighed and slapped her hands back to her sides, she was fighting a losing battle trying to dry herself off.

"Yeah, course not." Lily groaned, running her hands over her robes. She was shivering slightly in the cold air so she wrapped her arms around herself to try and keep her body heat in one place. "Yeah well sorry... I guess I kinda freaked out when I saw you standing there." Though she couldnt help but let a slightly hysterical laugh out when he told her swimming with robes wasnt the best idea. "No, I must have missed that memo. But thanks for telling me, even though it is a bit late."

"What? No!" She spoke, her voice rising. She hadnt accused anyone of anything. So she might not have gotten her facts completely straight but she didnt go around pointing the finger at anyone for her mishaps, and she had apologized! "I saw something... on the water then it was gone so I went to look... but it wasnt there I couldnt see anything... Then whatever it was splashed me, then I turned around and you were stood there... giving me the shock of my life by the way, thankyou... and then splash. Hit water, got drenched. Felt something brush against my leg... and well you know the rest."

Sort of something of a rant but Lily didnt care much as she pushed her hand in her sodden pocket to withdraw her wand... but her pocket was empty. "I do not believe this!" She half yelled. "That cheeky underwater freak has stolen my wand!" So much for the drying spell. Now what was she going to do? What do underwater creatures want with wands anyway?

[Anthony Evans]

Anthony listened to her explanation with wide eyes. Then, quite anticlimactically, his expression fell back into nonchalance and he shrugged. "It was probably a fish," he replied knowingly, as if he was a library and had all the answers.

He waited patiently as she dug in her pockets, though patiently for him was leaning forward, twiddling his thumbs and trying to catch a glance inside her pocket, too. Smirking suddenly, a wide and foolish curl of lips, Anthony gleefully pulled out his wand. "I could help you out," he teased, waving it around rather indifferently, unaware that sparks were emanating from its tip. "But I rather like seeing you this way--"

He was cut off by an explosion. His wand lay listlessly between their ash-blackened faces, Anthony looking particularly stricken and confused. "What was that?" He asked dumbly, as if purposefully avoiding his smoking wand as the culprit. "And look!"

It seemed because Anthony hadn't uttered any enchantment, his waving had completed only half a spell. The result? Half the lake being dried up, revealing a muddy floor. "Er... and there's your underwater freak..." He muttered reluctantly, looking characteristically befuddled.

In the middle of the dried up lake, looking completely grumpy though with a hint of mischief, was a merperson. Only, it was small, much smaller than the ones they had studied in Care of Magical Creatures. Anthony guessed it would only reach his hip if they were standing next to each other. Which he was definitely not going to do.

"It must be a young one," he said again, walking to the edge of the 'lake', though not to close.