merlin learns about the existence of valentine’s day
*
February 14, 1576
“Merlin, is that a snake?”, Gwen asks from her seat opposite the Slytherin at the Ravenclaw table.
“Mm-hmm” is all Merlin responds, absorbed in chatting to the snake in Parseltongue. It had been too long since he’d spoken the snake language, and he’d missed it.
Gwen, amused, asks,
“And where, might I ask, did you get this snake, Merlin?”
Merlin hisses to the snake that he’s got to chat to the human for a sec but he’ll get back to their conversation in a moment. Luckily the Ravenclaws around them are all too absorbed in books or evening homework to notice either the parseltongue or the snake.
Merlin looks up at Gwen, who is giving him a questioning look. He tells her,
“Oh, the snake? She arrived this morning in a cage, with a fancy bow and everything. No idea why, as it’s not my birthday or anything. Whoever sent her didn’t leave their name, but don’t worry, I checked for hexes and such and it was all clear. Ah, and she’s called Marlene, by the way. She says she likes your curly hair.”
Gwen responds,
“Why, thank you Marlene- tell her I say thanks will you Merlin?”
Seeming to remember herself, she adds on, with a raised eyebrow,
“Actually hang on. Merlin Peverell. Are you saying you don’t know any reason for why you might be sent a gift today? None at all?”
Merlin shakes his head, confused, as Gwen sighs and, with a fond smile, tells him,
“Merlin, it’s Valentine’s Day. You know, St. Valentine?” Merlin looks blankly at her and she continues in her professor voice,
“It’s basically a day for sending gifts to someone you like or .. love. So someone who likes you must’ve sent the snake. I wonder who it was…. Probably a Slytherin, as most people wouldn’t think to send a snake, of all things…”
Merlin is horrified. So that’s why Morgana had laughed that morning when Merlin wondered out loud why he was being sent something.
He turns to Marlene the snake and politely asks her who sent her to him. She answers with a hiss, shaking her head,
“I’m not ssssure, there was a cover that ssstopped me from ssseeing them.”
Gwen shoots Merlin a look and he tells her,
“Just asking her if she knows who sent her to me. She doesn’t.”
Gwen, ever the romantic, squeals,
“Ooh what a mystery! I’m so jealous Merlin! All I got today was a horrible Valentines poem about how my hair is as big and voluminous as my intellect- I’m sure it was meant well, but honestly…”
Merlin wants to sink deep into the floor and never return. He has no idea how to even begin to deal with anything romantic- he’s only a first year for goodness sake.
He decides then and there to wipe this whole incident from his mind, and pretend he got Marlene from Diagon Alley himself. Yes. Good riddance to romance.
*
February 15, 1576
The day after Valentine’s day, Merlin is in the library researching invisibility cloaks with Marlene curled round his arm, when he hears a familiar and aggravating voice calling his name. He dog-ears his page (a filthy habit, Gwen tells him), before looking up to see, of course, prince Arthur. The blond looks even more of a Gryffindor mess than usual, with mud all over his robes and his hair spiked up everywhere.
When Athur unceremoniously plops down in the seat opposite him, Merlin asks the other boy,
“Afternoon Arthur, may I ask which sty you’ve been hanging out in today, or do you just wake up like this?”
Arthur laughs, although looks angry at the same time (he is in fact quite vain, despite always looking like he doesn’t care about his appearance). Instead of answering Merlin’s question, Arthur points a muddy finger at Marlene the snake, asking Merlin in a joking tone,
“Who’s this then? Newest firstie to be sorted into old Slytherin?”
“You could put it like that. She’s called Marlene and she doesn’t like you, in fact, she doesn’t like anyone but me so far which I judge to be in very good character”
Arthur raises an eyebrow and bravely puts his hand closer towards Marlene, asking Merlin,
“I’m pretty sure she does like me, look. Hello Marlene it’s very nice to meet you”
Merlin watches in apprehension and then surprise as Marlene first slithers towards Arthur, looks at him, and then curls contentedly into a spiral in his hand. Every other student whose tried to befriend Marlene so far has gotten away, at best, with a hiss, and at worse, with a rather poisonous bite. He’s befuddled at why his pet snake seems to like Arthur, but instead of questioning it, he tells the prince,
“Okay, well done you. Perhaps you have a bit of Salazar’s charm in you after all.” Arthur wrinkles his nose at the thought of him being even slightly Slytherin, and Merlin continues,
“So?”
Arthur glances up at him, responding with a confused expression,
“So?”
“So, why are you all muddy and peasant-like, as you would say?”
Arthur smirks,
“Wouldn’t you like to know.”
“Yeah, I would, actually. But if it’s a big secret then I’ll just go remind Morgana about that one time you stole her broom... I’m sure she will be really understanding about why it was returned mysteriously scratched...”
Arthur loses his teasing demeanour almost instantly and responds with,
“No, no, no need for that. I’m not really supposed to tell you, rival team and all, but basically, Ciaran- Gryffindor’s quidditch captain, you know- saw me flying around the other evening.. errr.. the one where I sto-borrowed Morgana’s broom. And he thought I had ‘talent’ so him and one of the team’s beaters are training me a bit in preparation for joining the team as chaser next year.”
Merlin is slightly confused- Arthur has only been flying for about a month and half, but it is true that the boy’s really very good. Possibly better than Merlin would like to admit. Instead of acting like the jealous quidditch superfan he is, he instead responds to Arthur with a grin,
“Ooh la la, that’s very impressive of you princeling! You can be sure I’ll be the loudest person booing you next year- but good luck, seriously.”
“Thanks mate, I can see through your Merlin-y digs and I know you’re for real.” Arthur glances at the clock on the library wall and his eyes go wide. He jumps up from his chair and starts to sprint off, telling Merlin,
“Shit shit shit, I had to be in Charms five minutes ago! Bye Merlin! Enjoy that super thick book on invisibility cloaks!”
Merlin laughs at Arthur’s lack of organisation, but realises with annoyance once Arthur’s gone that the Gryffindor had left with Marlen still wrapped around his hand. He would certainly be a sight once he got to charms (if he ever did!)