Prologue



Face pressed upon the ground, the smell of the grass and fresh morning dew did nothing to calm my racing heart. Normally, I would not mind the coppery taste in my mouth; yet to taste ones' own blood was unnerving.



Is this what fear smells and taste like?



Although my vision started to blur, I could clearly see those red eyes and giant pinchers. I called for help, but knew none would come - our kind kept great distance from one another, there were no other kelpies nearby to hear my call.



And so, this is how it should end. My life flashed before me ... I could never claim to had lived a long and fruitful life; yet I did live.







Nessie



I was born in the far north in between what was known to be Drumnadochit and Inverness. This place was my mother's lake - humans who ventured here would call her Nessie. It was a crude name, one that was not even her true name. My mother had always loved to take the form of a sea serpent; this form never failed to startle and scare the humans who would venture near her lake.



My father had always disapproved of mother's playful manner in handling humans, but I shall not discuss him for now - I had never known him during the first eight years of my life. Given my parents' distaste for one another, I sometimes wonder how I came about...



Mother was a lake kelpie, whereas Father was a river kelpie. Most humans could not tell the difference, for kelpies looked the same – the same cat-like eyes, the same sharp teeth, the same capabilities, but each of our abilities were used at varying degrees. Our capabilities would depend on what our parents taught, although some of the tricks we would discover on our own. However our strength depended on the body of water that we chose to reside on. Our colouring had no bearing on our choice of residence. Female kelpies usually sport a white coat; males black ones.



A willowy white mare nudge a black colt gently, "Seidon, it's time to wake up. There's a human wandering about the shore."



The young one yawned and felt a bit cross at being disturbed for something as trivial as a human. "Mum, why does it matter?"



"Little one, you still have so much to learn," she bent towards her child and rubbed her muzzle on his head. "We kelpies, value strength and our strength is best measured by the number of humans that we scare."



My mother had taught me the art of shape shifting; during my years with her, I had become adept at taking the form of a sea serpent and that of humans.



The young colt watched an eagle soar above him on the clear blue skies above. "Mum?"



"Yes, Seidon?"



"Could you teach me how to take the shape of a bird?"



Seidon had never seen his mother look so appalled. "Why would you want to do that?"



"Flying seems interesting. I'm want to know how it would feel to soar with the wind."



The mare shook her head emphatically. "When in the air you are vulnerable. Water is our source of life and power. A sea serpent is the most acceptable form. We sometimes take the form of a human to disguise ourselves, because humans are dangerous creatures – they are less likely to harm their own kind. Though on some occasions, they do harm their own kind -"



"You mean taking the form of a bird cannot be done?" The young stallion asked.



"Of course, it could be done. But why should we bother? We, kelpies are capable of that, we are capable of almost anything that other creatures are capable of." She tossed her head proudly at the statement.



The young kelpie stared despondently upon the sky above; his mother decided to shift the youngster's attention away from those frivolous and extremely foolish notions.



"Kelpies need not fly to see things. Why would we choose to watch at such an unsafe distance and height? Especially when we could easily get a closer and more concise look from here."



This piqued the interest of the youngling. "How?"



The mare scanned the area and her eyes landed upon a shallow puddle. She approached this puddle, her son followed her closely; she tapped her hoof upon it. Young Seidon's eyes widened in surprise and interest as the bluish glow around the puddle cleared to reveal an image; the image of a fisherman who had often visit their lake, the man was with a female human and two smaller ones.



Little did his mother know that in veering her son's interest away from the dangerous idea of flying, she had awakened an interest towards more dangerous creatures, creatures known as humans.



I saw humans in a different light that day. I saw that they were not mere simpletons that we aim to scare, I wanted to know more about them; they intrigued me.



---



You see, we kelpies are solitary by nature; we do not wish to share our habitat for long periods of time. Young kelpies needed guidance before they could set forth to find their own rivers or lakes. Each parent would take their turn on rearing their young. I spent my first eight years with my mother and would be spending the next five with my father.



My mother frowned upon harming a human unnecessarily; my father believed quite differently, he saw humans as threats that ought to be neutralized. No, my father was no mass murderer of the human kind, but he prefered that they stay away from him and took any means necessary to ensure this.





Acheron



It was my first time to see something like this, the swirling blue waves seemed to have opened up and possessed a strange blue glow. I took one last look at my mother and the lake that was my home for the past eight years. She turned away, changed into her favoured form of a sea serpent and sank into the deep waters below. I wondered... Was she sad to see me go? Or was she relieved that she no longer had to share her lake with another kelpie? I would never know the answer to this, for I doubt that I would ever see her again. Into the swirling blue waves I entered to meet my father and my new home.



The River Ure at Middleham, so different from my mother's lake, yet this was a place of picturesque beauty. The clear waters flowed steady, the feel such strong currents was unfamiliar but refreshing at the same time. My eyes were drawn upon the north of the riverbank where strange stone structures stood. Up until the present, I still wondered on their purpose.



"Welcome Seidon."



The young black stallion turned to face Acheron, his father. They possessed the same countenance, yet Acheron somehow appeared colder and fiercer.



"Father, what's the purpose of those strange structures?"



His father snorted his dismissal, "Creation of those humans. They need not concern you. We kelpies, do not concern ourselves with trivial human matters," he eyed the sinking sun and cocked his head towards the shore. "Come, it's time."



"Time?" The young kelpie followed his father towards the shore and stopped by the banks.



His father nodded. "Once a cycle, I would hunt down a human, a reminder to their kind of my presence in this river; a way to sow fear into their hearts and keep them away."



The younger kelpie did not move from his place by the banks to follow his father.



Acheron impatiently tapped his hoofs on the ground. "Well? Hurry up."



"I thought we ought not venture far from our waters."



Acheron grunted his disapproval. "Your mother believes that putting a human in their place would only require for her to show up as a sea serpent once in a while. It's no wonder that humans soon forgot to fear her, some even made her an object of curiosity," he paused and studied his son carefully. "Come, I shall show you how to properly sow fear into the hearts of those humans."



"You mean it would be all right for us to venture away from the water?" The younger stallion asked hesitantly.



"We need our waters to open a portal or gather our strength, but we could venture out of it anytime. A kelpie's scope is not hindered by the waters alone."



"Portal?"



Acheron sighed. "I can see that I have plenty of work to do with you."



To watch my father tear his human victim to shreds was horrifying; the two legged creature's screams rang through my ears. The sound of the crushing bones, of the flesh being torn from the victim... it was not something I relished to hear. Yet my father seemed to enjoy this; the creature's screams echoed through the night ... the sound mingled with the caws of the birds above us.



Yet it was not enough for my father the he ripped the creature apart. He would also drag it towards the river and allow it to drown. Drowning was an awful way to die, struggle to breathe they would, yet unable to scream as my father would continue to rip them apart; the water would flow into their mouths - silencing their cries.



In all my years with my father, I had watched as he went about this task for countless of times; sometimes he would attack directly, other times he would try to charm and tempt the humans to ride on his back before he would drown them. The familiarity did nothing to quench my horror at those acts. Always, he would leave upon the bloodstained grass, a liver.



Seidon finally recovered enought to ask Acheron, "Father, why leave the liver behind?"



Acheron lifted his head arrogantly, "So, the humans would know that it was I who did this."



I could never condone myself to disregard human lives as my father does. My mother harmed them not due to the fear of retaliation. Unlike my parents, I neither fear humans, nor do I see as them as a threat. Was this foolishness in my part? Maybe it was foolishness, yet I felt that these humans were not mere creatures... There has to be more to them, I know not what, yet maybe I will in time.



My father taught me how to open portals, a kelpie's way of long distance travel. However, the more important lesson he gave - one that I would always be grateful for, was that he showed me that we are not confined in our waters. The simple knoweldge that I could move about in land, would enable me more freedom, enable me to take a more active role in my study of these humans...

---

Facts:



1. Per the HP Lexicon: the Lochness Monster is believed to be a kelpie



2. The River Ure is located in North Yorkshire, it was believed that the kelpie that resided in the place takes a victim once a year



3. I'm basing the kelpie's appearance and abilities on various Scottish lore. The lexicon said very little about them for me to work on. I took the liberty of placing some limitations on their capabilities.



4. There's two versions of a kelpie. The Scottish highlands believed that they live in lochs/lakes or the sea' whereas the low lands believed that they lived in running water like rivers and streams. However, everything about them (appearance and abilities) are the same. Thus my differentiation between the river and lake kelpies.



Next Chapter: The young kelpie’s bold attempts to help, scare, and know humans.

Wendy



The humans were gathering together for some sort of celebration, a carnival, I believe - that's what they call it. There were small humans, tall humans, fat humans, humans with painted faces - How could I resist? All it took was to take a human form and I could easily blend in.



Wendy Ropper struggled to carry her cauldrons, she saw a dark-haired boy by the bushes, he watched everything in wide-eyed wonder. She doubted that the lad would be from around here. She would recognize anyone from this small town of Middleham. Yet the fact that he could see the carnival and was not affected by the Muggle-repeling Charm meant this boy was definitely not a Muggle. “Hello there.�



The boy jumped at her voice and whirled around.



“You don’t seem to be from around here. Where are your parents?�



“My father's at the river,� was his quiet reply.



“Oh,� her brow furrowed for only ignorant and foolish tourists would dare venture to that river to fish either that or representative of the Ministry from the Department of Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. “You’re not from around here are you? That river is quite a dangerous place. What's your name?�



“Seidon, I just got here yesterday, but my father has been around that river forever - � he eyed the cauldrons curiously. “What are those for?�



“I plan to sell them,� she answered. “Why don’t you give me a hand and I’ll take care of your entrance fee to the carnival, and pay you a few knuts for your effort as well.�



The boy continued to stare at her blankly.



She stifled a sighed. “Well? These cauldrons are heavy, I could use an extra hand.�



He turned around and headed towards the direction of the river.



Wendy sighed wearily and struggled with her load. She was surprised when the boy returned and offered her an item; it was dirt covered off-white thing with brown stains, the length was about eight inches long. She blinked and after a closer look, she reeled back and screamed; dropped her cauldrons in the process, a couple of which landed on her foot.



The boy cocked his head to his right. "You said you wanted a hand, would you prefer a fresher one?"



"Where in Merlin's name did you get that?" she screamed at the boy, her heart still pounding as she stared at the bony remains of what seemed to be a human hand.



Seidon was feeling mightily proud of himself, for he had managed to scare a human without meaning to. Seidon held his head high for he was on his way to become one powerful kelpie indeed. "Near the river, there's plenty more hands there if you want some more."



She gritted her teeth for her foot throbbed from the weight of the falling cauldrons, She wouldn't be able to carry the cauldrons properly now. This boy obviously was a slow-witted one, but she now truly needed his help. “I meant that you help me carry these cauldrons to my booth.�



The boy immediately picked up the cauldrons; she was amazed at his strength. “So, how long has your father been with the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures?�



The boy looked at her blankly.



She sighed, obviously he’s not a smart one, but at least she got someone to help her with those cauldrons.



That very first time I mingled with humans, I was elated by the fact that they accepted me as one of their own. I could see why my father perceived them as weak. Even up-close and my obviously confused state; they could not even tell that I was not truly one of them. These creatures rely too much on what they see, they could not sense danger and deception - it was no wonder that my father viewed them as the ideal prey.





Elisabeth



The strong stands and the weak falls. This had always been the relationship between humans and kelpies. I had never realised that this would relate to the human relationship with their own kind as well. With kelpies, although we prefer some distance from one another, we would never hesitate to help our own kind. With humans, they will clump together to either protect themselves or prey on their weakest members. Not only were these creatures strange, they were unpredictable as well.



Her vision blurred by the fact that they took her glasses also due to her own tears. She wondered why won't they just take her money and leave? Why do they have to taunt her as well?



They suddenly stopped, for their attention was turned towards another boy who watched them from the shadows.



John and Mark were just a couple of local bullies. They would be starting in Hogwarts the next year; the boy who watched them from the shadows appeared to be eight years old. Definitely someone they could handle, "What are you looking at?" John signaled for Mark to join him as they approached the new boy.



Seidon's eyes narrowed, he could easily read the humans' intent, they wished him harm. Briefly he showed them his cat-like kelpie eyes, sharp teeth, and gave a low growl.



The two boys backed away and ran screaming about vampires.



The kelpie felt quite proud of himself, he managed to scare a couple of humans, he neither took the form of a sea serpent, nor did he had to tear these humans from limb to limb. Scaring humans was far easier that he thought it would be. He eyed the young girl on her hands and knees; he decided to try his hand at scaring her as well. He crept closer and tried the same trick -



"If you're trying to scare me with that stupid vampire act, it won't work," the girl sniffed as she struggled to find her glasses. "Please help me find my glasses and you can take my money."



The kelpie blinked, he was surprised that his tricked did not work on this frail little girl when two obviously stronger boys ran away screaming with the same trick. "Why wouldn't it work on you?"



The girl sighed. "First of all, the sun's up and shining; any idiot should know that vampires don't walk around at this time of the day. That silly trick of yours would probably work better at night." Elisabeth finally found her glasses, she put it on and discovered her money and some extra was scattered on the dirt. As she went about to gather her belongings, she noticed a dark-haired boy; the boy who probably rescued her, sat atop a rock, sulking. She suddenly felt bad, for he just rescued her from those bullies and she told him that his little trick was silly.



Elisabeth slowly approached the strange boy. "Look, I'm sorry I was rude, you only tried to help me. How about I make it up to you? My mum has an ice cream stand nearby, I'm sure I could convince her to give us some free samples."



"I'm busy," was his curt reply.



She stifled a sigh, for it looked to be like he was holding a silly grudge over this. "Doing what? Waiting for the sun to go down, so you could pull your stupid vampire act all over again?"



Seidon blinked at this, he began to wonder if humans were mind readers, "How did you know?"



Elisabeth wondered about this boy, something about him just does not seem right, yet she doesn’t think that he’s dangerous. “That’ll take hours, why don’t you just join me for some ice cream now?�



“Why?� he asked.



“Because I want to properly thank you for helping me awhile ago,� she threw her hand in exasperation and wondered if all boys were this difficult.



Curiosity got the better of the kelpie, so he followed her. As they walked he once again got a glimpse of those strange stone monuments he spotted when he first arrived. “Can you tell me what those are for?�



Elisabeth looked towards the direction he pointed and smiled enthusiastically. “They were created by Druids, a long time ago – much like Stonehenge. No one’s really sure on their purpose, but they did serve for something once.�



The kelpie shook his head at the silliness of humans. He could not imagine toiling over something that magnanimous and forgetting about the purpose of its construction on the first place. Humans are strange creatures indeed.



---



Elisabeth was the first human I came to know, knowing her made me realized that humans were nothing like our kind perceived them to be. They were neither simple prey nor were they monsters. One thing I never took into consideration was the fact that humans fear us, that humans in general were ruled by their fears. I had thought that Elisabeth did not fear me, but that was only because she did not know that I’m a kelpie.



She laughed as her new friend scared another one of those wizards dress as werewolves. She had thought the haunted house attraction to be too cheesy and silly, yet Seidon wanted to see some scaring tactics and dragged her in with him. So far her friend had startled three people. She figured that Seidon must be one of those Metamorphmagus, this would explain his ability to change his appearance at will.



Seidon was enjoying himself; given the number of humans he scared this day, he could definitely say he’s on his way to become an extremely powerful kelpie. He stopped his scare-capade as he noticed that Elisabeth has gone quiet; she eyed a group of girls, some distance away. “Something wrong?�



She shook her head. “Nothing, that’s just Mary and her friends.�



“Shall I scare them next?� His eyes brightened at this prospect.



Her eyes widened in alarm, “Don’t do that!�



“Why not?�



“Because then, they’d hate me and would never speak to me again.�



He shrugged. “So? Why would you need to speak to them?�



“They’re the coolest girls around,� she explained exasperatedly.



Seidon scratched his head in confusion. “Is this something like the social order of chimpanzees? Where the ones on the higher social standing gets their lice picked and be groomed by those on the lower order?�



Her eyes narrowed towards her so-called new friend. “I’m not a chimpanzee and I don’t have lice!� Her eyes widened as she realized that she had said it aloud.



---



The moon shone brightly above their heads. Seidon wondered as to why he was crouched behind some bushes under a window with Elisabeth standing on his back. “Why am I doing this again?�



“Because the reason that I got uninvited to this slumber party, is due to your stupid chimpanzee joke, I do want to know what’s going on in there.�



Seidon frowned. “What chimpanzee joke?�



She rolled her eyes. “Quit playing innocent…�



“May I suggest an alternative?�



---



She stared at the puddle in fascination. She did not know how he did it, but it was amazing, she doubted that even crystal balls would offer images of this clarity. She was suddenly startled by a sound that seemed to come from behind them. She turned around and gasped. It was Mark and John and they each carried a wooden bat and didn’t look happy.



“Well look who’s here. Our so-called vampire, we have a score to settle with you.�



Seidon’s eyes narrowed. “Elisabeth, you better leave.�



“I’ll go get help…� She ran towards Middleton as fast as her legs could carry her; she needed to get help quick. It had taken awhile for no one had wanted to venture near the river without some significant back up. Elisabeth had pleaded for them to hurry.



That was the last I saw of Elisabeth, to keep my father away from her, I needed to stay away.



Unfortunately, the men from the small town came too late. The villagers shook their head and mumbled about kelpies and the need for the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures to take action.



All that was found by the riverside were blood stained grass and a couple of livers.





Next Chapter: Final Chapter with a little bit of Lockhart.

A banshee's cry gave the evening a darker and bleaker atmosphere. A young girl had come calling for help, desperate were her pleas. Unfortunately most of the town folks feared to thread near the river. Few brave souls finally stepped forward to offer their assistance; these men were met with a mixture of horror and relief upon reaching the scene. Relief, on the fact that they failed to come earlier, and thus not met the same horrific end as these poor souls. The rock and grass where splattered with blood and atop a stone were two livers, they were still warm to the touch.



The creature who resides by that river had obviously gotten to the boys first; the men turned back and hurried away.



Sean McHiggins



“Mc Higgins!�



A lanky man with graying red hair jumped at hearing his name. “Good day to you too, Newt!�



“Get in here right now.�



Sean McHiggins frowned. Newt Scamander, the Head of the 'Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures' rarely called for anyone to enter his office. This had to be serious.



The office was neat and orderly as it has always been; the Ministry officer took a step back at the sight of two bloody livers on the Division Head’s desk.



Newt Scamander gestured towards the livers, “Two dead boys and another one missing; Macnair wanted to handle this, but given that you’re the kelpie expert, I had decided that you would be better equipped to take care of this problem.�



Sean McHiggins wrinkled his nose, Walden Macnair’s solution would be to execute the creature involved.



“I had thought we had the situation under control,� Newt Scamander rubbed his forehead. “On the same day each year, we would transfigure a cow to look like a human being for the kelpie to attack. He had always left the villagers be after that-�



Sean’s brow furrowed upon hearing this, “Acheron would not had attacked unless he was threatened; especially given the fact that he had already left his annual message of warning.�



His superior gave a helpless shrug. “What do we know of how those dark creatures think?" He bowed his head to searched for a document on his desk, "By the way, Minister Fudge took the liberty of inviting a civilian expert to help you out.�



“A civilian?� Sean stared at his superior in horror.



The Division Head nodded as he unrolled a parchment. “The man comes highly recommended. A best selling author with an Order of Merlin under his belt. This certain civilian has had plenty of experience in dealing with dangerous magical creatures.�



Sean’s sharp eyes took in the name of his soon-to-be partner from the parchment Newt currently held. He stifled a sigh, dreaded what was to come.



“Gilderoy Lockhart, could certainly handle himself against that kelpie.� Newt gave his employee a comforting smile.



---



I tossed my head and reared back, I could smell the fear from both boys as they stared upon my true form. They had turned around to run, but another much like myself blocked their path. Acheron, my father had come and there was malice in his eyes…



I watched as he tore those boys apart. I knew Elisabeth may face the same fate should my father have seen her. I vowed that I would stay away from her; I would not wish for a fate similar to what these boys suffered, come to her. We kelpies, value strength, but we do try to protect our weak – although who would have believed that I would try to protect a weak human? Do I perceive them to be equal thus worthy of my protection? That would be ridiculous, for humans are far inferior...



---



Sean walked out of the Scamander’s office as he headed towards his cubicle, he noticed a crowd around it – a crowd composed mostly of his female colleagues. At the center of it all was a man in turquoise robe; golden hair shining under a perfectly positioned turquoise hat with gold trimmings.



“Mr. McNohara! The Minister had called upon me to assist you with the kelpie problem,� Gilderoy Lockhart took a step towards Sean and offered his hand - the ladies who watched, started to swoon.



Sean gave a sheepish smile and shook the man’s hand. “It’s McHiggins, and I’m sure I can handle Acheron on my own.�



Lockhart continued on as if he hadn’t heard a word, “Kelpies are such treacherous and dangerous creatures, but I had handled far worse. In my travels, I had single-handedly handled trolls, yetis, vampires …�



Sean McHiggins sighed. Yes this would be a long assignment; at this very moment, he could not make up his mind on who’s harder to deal with: Acheron the Kelpie or Gilderoy Lockhart. He had a feeling that Lockhart would be the more infuriating of the two. Biting his lower lip, he turn towards the other man - given Lockhart's infuriating nature, he really ought to keep Lockhart away from Acheron – after all the kelpie was not known for his patience.



Then again, Sean had a feeling that he would be sorely tempted into to feed Lockhart to Acheron given time...



---



Sean stopped himself from rolling his eyes as the crowd converged towards Gilderoy Lockhart. This certainly puts a damper on his original plan to enter the village quietly, and sort everything quickly.



"That Gilderoy Lockhart's something, isn't he?" said the man to his right, "Awfully brave chap. Have you read his books? I would have died of fear if a werewolf had cornered me in a telephone booth, but he stayed cool and - zap - just fantastic!�



Sean merely nodded and tapped his foot impatiently.



“Yes ladies and gentlemen, I heard of the great tragedy that befell two of your local boys. Rest assure that I’m on top of this problem, I have already sent the aggrieved family my condolences as well as a sign photograph. A kelpie is minor compared to the other creatures that I had dealt with in the past. You can all read about all my explots through my books, available at the local bookshop and I would be willing to autograph them during my stay here. Just come visit me at the Ure Inn…�



Sean stifled a sigh for he would not likely get a bit of peace and quiet at the inn now. He was suddenly stuck with a thought: Whilst everyone had their eyes glued upon Lockhart, he could easily slip away and have a chat with Acheron. The kelpie would not be happy to see him, but he’d rather deal with a displeased kelpie than spend another minute more with the infuriating and cocky Gilderoy Lockhart.



---



The sound of the water flowing by was soothing, so unlike the stillness and soft waves of my mother’s lake. A river offers freshness and constant motion, each day these waters felt different and fresh. What a river lacks in familiarity and depth is made-up with this constant flow of life and energy. Should I move on to be on my own: Would I prefer the fresh free flow of a river? Or would it be the depth and familiarity of lake? Which one would I choose?



My thoughts were interrupted as I saw a man walk towards my father’s river. This man had to be mad to venture here, especially so soon after those boys' deaths. Humans are foolish creatures indeed, I believe it’s time for more us, more intelligent being to try and lead them towards the right direction.



---



Sean spotted the strange stone structures just beyond the river. Those ancient stones gave this river an even more mysterious countenance. A rustle from the bushes made him turn around and spot a black stallion, it reared back on its hind legs and gave an eerie cry, a strange high pitched wail that would have most men run in fear. Yet Sean knew better; he stayed his ground and stared straight at the creature. To show fear is a sign of weakness for a kelpie, if he was to negotiate with this creature, he should not show an iota of fear.



The kelpie bared its teeth and started toward him, warm mist formed as he exaled through his nostrils, he approached in a slow and deliberate manner.



Sean was surprised, upon closer inspection. he realised that this was not Acheron, this kelpie bore some strong resemblance to the powerful river kelpie, but this one was far too young. The water behind the young kelpie started to swell, but it failed to create a high watery wall.



Sean took note of this; the slight error in judgement would indicate that this particular kelpie was obviously inexperienced. The river’s waters was too free flowing for him to adequately control its movements. Lake kelpies are often succesful at employing this sort of trick due to the depth and stillness of their waters. The knowledge that he was currently facing a more docile lake kelpie, and not a full-fledged river kelpie, like Acheron, made Sean relax. Lake kelpies were a tricky lot - more adept with magical control and shape-shifting abilities, but they were not as physically strong and aggressive as river kelpies.



Suddenly, Sean realized that he’s currently standing in front of the River Ure, so the kelpie in front of him was no lake kelpie. The kelpie suddenly changed its form into a werewolf and jumped atop of Sean and growled. From his place on the ground, the Ministry Intelligence Officer continued to stare calmly upon the creature, “I wish to speak to Acheron. According to kelpie laws, you are obligated to bring me to the one I sought, and that he would have no choice, but to listen to my proposal.�



The kelpie took the form of a dark-haired boy. “I know of those laws, and the fact that you know his name would mean that he could not harm you - unless you attacked him first. However, you do not know my name, thus I can cause you harm. I am not obligated to bring you to him alive - just as long as you reach him ...�



Sean muttered a low curse; he had hoped that this younger kelpie was not too familiar with the ground rules to would miss that little detail. He did not want to resort to this, but the young one offered him no other choice. “Then I call upon the life-debt that Hippolitas owed me. I believe that there’s a rule among your kind that anyone who saved the life of a kelpie, would be ensured protection from all of your kind. I have not voided that contract as well, for I had neither fought nor harmed you in any way during the course of your assault.�



“McHiggins.� Another black stallion stood by the riverbanks, droplets of water glistened on his coat, “forgive my son, he does not know of your status.� Acheron walked up to the pair and he did not look pleased, “Why do you seek my audience?�



Sean smiled for it would seem that Acheron hasn’t changed a bit. He eyed the younger kelpie who remained in human form. The young one sulked by the rocks; he could have sworn he heard the lad mutter ‘Stupid werewolf trick doesn’t work either.’ Although slightly amused by the child, Sean decided to focus on the task at hand, “May I know your son’s name?�



Acheron glared at the man, “I will not be tricked into giving you his name. Hippolitas gave you my name so you could demand my audience, I will not allow you the right to speak to him and to pollute the mind of someone so young and impressionable. I have enough problems undoing his mother’s teachings as it is.�



Sean eyed the younger kelpie carefully, his mother was obviously a lake kelpie given his little failed trick earlier on. The boy’s ability to quickly change from one form to another and the fact that he chose to remain in human form - had not reverted back to the natural stallion form of a kelpie ... All these are immediate traits associated with lake kelpies. However, given the way this young one aggressively approached him earlier, this would also indicate that Acheron’s river kelpie ways was starting to grow on the boy too.



“Well?� Acheron tapped a hoof upon the ground impatiently. “Hurry up and get to the point, that way I need not waste any more time with your kind.�



“There was a report about two local boys …�



“Our agreement was that I will not attack more than one for each cycle, but that was under the condition that they will not seek to harm me,� Acheron tossed back his head indignantly, “I kept my word.�



Sean’s eyes flashed angrily towards the kelpie. “I sincerely doubt that those boys would be foolish enough to attack you. Reports stated that they followed two younger kids - just to scare them. The little girl called for help and when the men from the village arrived, there were only two bloodied liver left.�



“Those boys were about to attack my son. The child is under my care, therefore in seeking to harm him, they also sought to harm me. I am not the one to allow perpetrators to escape, although that foolish child would had allowed them to escape,� he gave the younger kelpie a disapproving look and snorted.



Sean also turned towards the younger kelpie who stared upon the ground; he then realized that the missing boy could had been the kelpie. Sean frowned, some kelpies were known to lure hapless humans in order to drown them. Was this young kelpie attempting to do that with the young girl?



Acheron started to turn away, “I would assume that we have nothing further to discuss. If those humans attempt to seek revenge for those trespassers, or if they plan on attacking either myself or my son in the near future; I will not hesitate to put them in their place.�



“Wait!� Sean called upon the kelpie. “The aggrieved family and the whole village are clamouring for action for this. I will need for you to maintain a low profile while we sort this out.�



The kelpie tossed his head arrogantly, “I do not need to do anything. Should those humans cross me, they will pay the price. I can easily call upon fellow kelpies to help me should the human numbers be overwhelming. Unlike you humans, we kelpies give full support to one another despite geographic distance. We live with autonomy from one another, yet we are one with our kind.�



---



I watched as the human tried to reason with my father. I knew that it was a futile task. I could tell that this man, Sean McHiggins also knew the futility of his task, yet he still tried. I contemplated on why humans attempt things even if they knew that it would be a wasted effort. Humans are strange, they built things and forgot the purpose for building such things; they would try though they knew the futility of the task; and finally there’s not one simple standardised way to scare them.



Sean McHiggins was a human who understood our kind better than most of those ignorant humans. He knew our ways and although we are solitary creatures, we have guidelines and rules among our kind. We, kelpies enjoy our autonomy from one another, yet we are one in a sense - for we all follow the same principles. Humans on the other hand clump together and impose their rules upon each individual, moreover these rules are different for every group – it was no wonder that they have had so many wars amongst themselves.



---



Sean returned to the village dejected, he had tried, but disaster seemed inevitable. He sat down on a nearby bench and began to muse.



“Mr. McHiggins?�



He looked up to see a nervous young girl in front of him, he gave a distracted nod as continued to stare towards the horizon.



“My name is Elisabeth, I noticed that you just came from the river,� she bit her lower lip nervously. “Was there any sign of Seidon? Any indication that he’s still alive out there?�



The Intelligence Officer suddenly perked up, “Seidon?� his mind started to churn as he figured that this particular name would had been derived from Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea. The sort of name a kelpie could have...



The girl nodded. “Yes, he’s not from around here. I just met him yesterday, he’s silly sometimes and seems to enjoy scaring people. He’s a Metamorphmagus – he scared Mark and John with a stupid vampire joke, so they got mad and jumped us by the lake. I heard there were only two livers, I’m hoping that maybe Seidon got away…�



Sean smiled brightly; he finally got the young kelpie’s name. Acheron, obviously would not go along with his plan, yet the young one probably would.



“Yes, Elisabeth. Seidon’s fine, the kelpie did not attack him.�



The young girl looked relieved. “Where is he?�



“He went home. You need not concern yourself – what happened to those boys were neither your fault nor his. Those two boys shouldn’t had tried to attack anyone near that river and provoke the kelpie’s wrath.� Sean stood up and took a step forward.



“Where are you going?�



“Thank you, Elisabeth. You’ve cleared up a few details.�



The girl stare at the Ministry Official in confusion, “What do mean?�



“Contrary to popular belief, kelpies are not savages. They are only as malicious as we humans being could be,� he explained. “Most kelpies will not attack unless provoked.�



“So are you saying that Mark and John provoked the kelpie?�



He gave her a sad smile, “In a sense, yes.�



---



The night breeze ruffled his hair, Sean wonder how he would find the young kelpie in this vast river. He suddenly felt a cold hand touch his neck, he whirled around to find a man, tall and pale, blood-shot red eyes with sharp fang-like teeth.



“Good evening to you too, Seidon.�



The vampire frowned and reverted to the form of a familiar young boy he had seen earlier. “What did I do wrong this time around? It’s night time and I made sure that my hands were cold.�



Sean chuckled at this; the young kelpie was definitely nothing like his father. “I met Elisabeth, and she mentioned a vampire trick. Anything would be a lot less scary if one expects it.�



The young kelpie grumbled about having to come up with new tricks due to talkative humans. Sean chucked at this, he definitely like this particular kelpie; Seidon has the fearlessness of river kelpies and the cunning gentle nature of lake kelpies. “Seidon. I wish for an audience...�



---



Sean’s plan was simple. There were old legends that kelpies wore golden bridles; humans would climb on our backs and we would eventually drown these humans. However, modern wizards knew that kelpies wore no golden bridle, although they also knew that kelpies are highly capable of drowning and tearing them apart. Some kelpie takes the direct method like my father, others are more subtle and likes to employ various tricks. Sean McHiggins planned on using the golden bridle myth to explain the method he was about to employ.



He would convince the people in the village that placing a golden bridle upon a kelpie would make it docile. That gold has some alchemic properties to subdue a kelpie’s will. For those old legends, where the Wizards failed in their attempts to control a kelpie - The gold used must be of poor quality, thus those ancient kelpies took advantage of the bridle to lure and drown hapless individuals.



I did not exactly like his plan, yet it would at least ensure that the humans would let my father be; thus avoid a war between the village and kelpies.



---



As Sean explained to Gilderoy Lockhart the method he planned to employ with the kelpie. All that Gilderoy was suppose to do was to assess that the kelpie was docile; he would then make a statement to the crowd and everyone could go on home.



The cocky blond smiled at the potential of this, “I believe I ought to be the one to ride on the kelpie as we lead him around the village. It would give a more convincing picture that the creature is under control.�



Sean stared at the man in disbelief, all this man seemed to care about was the photo opportunity that he could garner from this. “I would think a plain statement from you, stating that everything is in control would be enough.�



“But we need to show this. It would give a clearer message, don’t you think?�



Sean sighed. “I don’t see why not.�



---



Whilst I carried the human on my back, I was very much tempted to run towards the river and drown him. It was only due to Sean’s constant look of warning that I did not do so.



The humans cheered on noisily. I would assume it’s because they enjoyed the majestic sight of a kelpie. My father did say that humans would sometimes worship the rivers and kelpies. This human riding on top of me must the one chosen to be the sacrifice. Humans are a barbaric race indeed - they wanted to subdue me, so to sacrifice this idiot. Although I do not blame them for wanting to do this, but I’m sure they need not subdue my father for this task. Acheron would had gladly drowned this infuriating human. Then again, maybe this was the reason as to why Sean asked for me, he wanted to spare the idiot’s life.



I was relieved when we have reached the river, the man in those ostentatious lilac robes could finally get off me. I ran towards the river to wash myself and be rid that nose twitching lilac scent.



---



Sean smiled at the job well done. He turned towards Lockhart and was surprised to find the man’s wand pointed straight at him. “Lockhart, what’s the meaning of this?�



“I can’t let you take credit for this can I? I’m terribly sorry, but I'll have to put a Memory Charm on you now.�



Sean stared at the man in disbelief, “But I’m willing to share the credit for this.�



“Do use your common sense. My books wouldn't have sold half as well if people didn't think I had done all those things myself. No one wants to read about some soggy old Ministry Officer, who helped save a village from a kelpie. You'd look dreadful on the front cover; no dress sense at all." Lockhart gave the man a sinister smile. “Everything ends here, sir. We would go back to London and I would tell how the kelpie overwhelmed you and how I had to take care of this kelpie on my own.�



Sean opened his mouth to protest, but everything went blank.



---



I never heard from Sean again after that day. I would admit that I was a bit disappointed, but I ought to know better – humans are not dependable creatures, much unlike us kelpies. After my father’s training, I moved on to a place where there’s not much humans around. I knew that my curiosity towards humans would get me into trouble. My father was not pleased with my escapades, and I followed his advice to claim a territory within the forbidden forest, a place where there were no humans.



A single dying unicorn was all it took to destroy my lake. The silvery blood infected the waters; such that I could no longer draw strength upon it - without the water I was cut-offed. I ventured to find another water source, unfortunately in my weakened state I could do nothing now … hairy leg and reddish eyes came towards me. I cried for help, though I knew it to be futile, I started to realized that humans do this not because they expect their cries to change anything. It was for hope and maybe it was this tendency to constantly hope that made humans such interesting creatures… I closed my eyes and futilely hoped for life.



-The End-

---

A/N: If we follow the canon – Seidon dies in the forbidden forest thus he’s not around. The my AU entitled Black Chronicles, he lived to learn more about humans with somewhat hilarious results.