The Life Aquatic with Lupin, Maturin, and Nemo

[conriocht.livejournal.com]

It was early morning, and Lupin was shivering on the shores of Hogwarts Lake. Somewhere out there in the murky water, the grindylow were going through their spring hatching. There were important observations to be made: did the grindylow raise their young like mammals, or abandon them like some reptiles? What did baby grindylow eat? Which parent (if any) took care of them? Were grindylow prone to cannibalism of their young like many species? He was going to find out.

He was wearing a pair of very old swimming trunks, unused since his previous grindylow study fifteen years ago, and a threadbare, oversized T-shirt that had once belonged to Sirius - both a disguise for his scars and a sort of good luck talisman. He had with him his wand, two pads of paper charmed to stay dry underwater, and a camera and a stopwatch which were similarly charmed. He felt like the Muggle explorer Jacques Cousteau, and kept half-expecting a French voiceover to start describing his mission.

He wrapped his arms around himself to stay warm, and waited for Maturin to arrive. He wasn't sure if Nemo had been turned back into a fish yet or not, but hopefully he had been restored to his natural form and would be along as well. This was going to be an interesting adventure.

Comments

[conriocht.livejournal.com]

They look ready, Lupin wrote back. He dug out the camera and took a photo, although in the dim light it probably wouldn't turn out very well. He didn't dare use a flash in case the grindylow parents were around. Oh well, it might look "artistic," at any rate.

[estebanmd.livejournal.com]

Cameras were a development rather after Stephen's time -- the kind used for photography, at any rate; a camera obscura did not quite count when it came to this kind of thing. Curious, he watched Lupin fiddle with the small box, completely unaware that any light was required for it to work well. The water did not quite lend itself to the sketching of grindylow eggs in the notebook, and Stephen gave up an abortive attempt. Will draw them later from memory, he wrote.

[conriocht.livejournal.com]

Noticing Stephen's puzzlement, he wrote, This is a device that records images. Might not work though.

The first egg was beginning to hatch and he nearly dropped the notebook in his haste to take notes on what was happening. The translucent shell peeled back and the tiny green creature popped out, its body also slightly translucent. Its horns were mere buds, but its fingers were as long and savagely clawed as an adult's.

More of the little beasts were hatching, and now the two scientists had a melancholy glimpse of what newborn grindylow ate: each other. Lupin made a face as the babies fell on each other until there were only three left. The biggest of the three took it upon itself to eat the remaining unhatched eggs, as well.

Survival of the fittest, he wrote to Stephen, no doubt introducing him to the concept for the first time.

[estebanmd.livejournal.com]

Stephen nodded at Lupin's explanation of the camera; he would want a better look at it later, but for now, the grindylow hatching was beginning!

Lupin's quotation was of course unfamiliar to him; it was appropriate enough for what Stephen saw of the creatures' behavior. In answer, he wrote: Grindylow life: nasty, brutish, and short, paraphrasing (fittingly enough) Hobbes's Leviathan.

[conriocht.livejournal.com]

Indeed, Lupin wrote. I don't see the parents anywhere, and we're running out of time. Let's head back and pay a return visit later and see how they're doing.

[estebanmd.livejournal.com]

Fair enough. Sufficient gillyweed to return now if needed. Parents poss. near? scribbled Stephen.

[conriocht.livejournal.com]

Could be. Hypothesis - grindylow abandon their young like amphibians or fish. Lupin took out the stopwatch again. There were about fifteen minutes left. He showed it to Stephen and pointed towards the surface.

[estebanmd.livejournal.com]

Makes sense. See you on shore. And Stephen was off.