Chapter 11
Harry blinked at the profanity, awkwardly fiddling with his fingers as he watched the Professor process all that he said. Having now lost the battle with himself, Professor Aurelianus stared directly at his scar without blinking. Harry himself was barely processing what he had just learnt. He didn’t think he had any disconnect with his Magic before; it came to him as easily as breathing. He may have had more practical skills than his peers but his lack of theory skills balanced it out enough that he’d never thought about it too deeply.
When he first learnt of Magic he only knew of one kind and so took pleasure in learning - in belonging - that he didn’t explore any other possibilities. Hadn’t known he needed to.
Now that he gives himself the opportunity to truly look deeper into himself, he finally notices just how much Magic is inside of him, made much more obvious by the Magic Void they were in. He thinks back, carefully going over his time at Hogwarts. How did his Magic compare to his peers?
From a young age, due to the Dursley family dynamic, he was used to dumbing himself down. Always ensuring he did not perform better in anything than Dudley. Back then it was for survival, a tactic to keep Vernon’s bad mood from spiralling into a worse one. Since coming to Hogwarts and being confronted with the sudden spikes in popularity and disdain in equal measure, it’s possible Harry instinctively tired to match the performance of others. The need to survive and blend in easily extending to life in Hogwarts.
Harry is startled to realise now that he doesn’t fully know how his Magic compares to others.
Closing his eyes he narrows his focus onto his Magic. There he finds only a small portion of it registers as familiar, the rest remaining untouched potential. Easing his conscious into it, he wonders what it would feel like to use the entirety of his Magic. The Magic deep inside him greets him familiarly, warming and filling him eagerly. Interacting with his Magic like this is different from how he normally wields it. Using his body instead of relying on his wand, he never realised just how playful his Magic could be. Here in the Magic Void, it is limited to his body, but he can feel how it desires to be unleashed. It would be so easy for him to release it.
So easy to call upon the elements and manipulate them. So easy to fell trees and blast any who dare to stand in his way. So easy for him to shake mountains and gain control over Dumbledore. So much power exists at the tip of his fingers, the muggle world woul-
“Harry. Calm yourself.” Professor Aurelianus whispered into his ear from behind him gently pressing his one palm flat on his stomach and the other against his forehead, over his scar. “Breathe in. Direct your magic away from where you feel my hand on your head and to my other hand. Breathe out.”
Breathing out Harry collapsed into Professor Aurelianus, barely able to notice he was now wearing his blindfold before clenching his eyes tightly shut against the pounding behind his eyes.
“Wh-what happened?” Harry gasped out, allowing the Professor to slowly pull away and return back to his seat.
The Professor smiled faintly at him, “well, we now also know that you are a true natural with your Magic, Harry. From what I could see, you were able to connect with your Magic and let it flow freely. That in and of itself is incredibly wonderful and displays that you have great potential. However, it appears the Horcrux was able to gain momentary control when the two interacted due to your lack of experience. I wasn’t able to draw your focus back with just words, unfortunately.”
Harry slumped, cradling his head in his hands. “What do I do now, Professor? I can’t even experience my Magic peacefully. Is there even a way to remove a Horcrux.”
“…I am truly sorry, Harry. But I do not have the answers to all your question.” Harry felt the need to scream but before he could act impulsively the Professor continued. “What I do know, is this. First, from what you said, Voldemort is not currently aware that his Horcrux is in you. This means that one - he has more Horcruxes out there, and two - he must remain oblivious to this one, therefore, Harry, until we find away to remove this Horcrux, I’m afraid you cannot yet learn the Magic of the Old Religion. Secondly, Emrys needs to be told everything. If anyone knows how to safely remove and track Horcruxes it will be him, this means that Helena can no longer stall and Emrys needs to remove the block on his Magic. Finally, Harry, what more can you tell me about what happened to the philosopher's stone?”
Harry tilted his head in thought, “nothing other than what I’ve already told you. From what I remember, the Flamel’s agreed to destroy the stone.” He shrugged.
The Professor pursed his lips and shook his head, “very well.” He sighed and then brought his arm up to the position he had it when they touched the void but now only holding air, he waited until Harry copied him. “Close your eyes and breathe in deeply, Harry. What are you holding in your hand? - it’s not air, Harry, it’s the Void. Notice how its cool to the touch. Breathe out slowly and remove your hand from the Void. Open your eyes.”
Harry opened his eyes and blinked, dropping his strangely aching arm. The Void splashes back as water into the chalice. The golden dome around them still looked just as it did while in the Void, but the candles were now significantly shorter.
Outside, the Sky was a touch darker than it was before, he noticed as the Professor systematically deactivated the runes surrounding them. Squinting his eyes he stared dumbly outside the windows.
“… Have we always been able to see the dragon, Professor? and… has it always had it’s eyes open?”
~~~~~~~
Hermione stared blankly at the dark sky, idly listening to the night critters chirping away without a care in the world. The moon and the stars are the only source of light from where she sits. Far away from the bonfire the others had started in celebration for baby Myrddin. She’d spent at least 30 minutes sat in the middle of it. Her mind blank after Mart- Merlin had confirmed her suspicions before she decided she needed space to process it all. Merlin had tried to follow her but had been stopped by the mother of the new babe who was all to happy to drop the babe in his hands.
She’d have to remember to thank the woman later.
She flinched when the sudden sound of a finger snap broke her out of her contemplation, turning around she watched as Merlin tapped a finger against his temple similar to how Vennila had so long ago. She nodded and met eyes with Merlin.
‘Hey.’ He said simply, his voice a gentle whisper in her mind.
She felt the urge to simultaneously throw up and laugh and cry, ‘Hi.’
‘How are you feeling?’ He asked, kind enough to not mention how her face said it all.
‘Good. Good, I’m good.’
Merlin’s lips twitched, ‘that’s good.’
Hermione sighed and turned back to the sky, shuffling just a little to give Merlin more space when she felt him sit beside her.
‘It’s been a while since I heard someone refer to me with the name my mother gave me, you know.’ She listened to him speak silently. ‘It was nice. Though Severus is going to be so annoyed he wasn’t first to know.’
‘Professor Snape still hasn’t figured it out?’ She questioned, genuinely surprised. Merlin, she could see from the corner of her eye, had a soft smile on his face.
‘I don’t think he gave it more than a seconds thought. He wanted me to tell him myself.’
‘Are you going to?’
He nodded, ‘Oh yes, definitely. Now, how I tell him is another thing entirely.’
Hermione huffed silently with laughter, turning from staring at the stars, wonderful and far out of reach, to Merlin, even more wonderful and so close.
‘You look like you have some questions, Hermione. You can ask, I promise you won’t offend me.’
‘How are you alive? I-I mea- Sorry, it’s just- can you die?’
Hermione is mortified at the words that tumbled out of her mouth but Merlin just grins, widely at her. Head thrown back with silent mirth. ‘I do die, I have died, I just don’t stay dead. Magic will not let me.’
‘That sounds so lonely.’
Merlin slowly moves to rest his palm on top of her head, ‘sometimes.’ He agreed, gently soothing down her curls. ‘But, other times, Hermione, it is so incredibly worth it. This world can be beautiful; and it’s people even more so.’
~~~~~~~
“…No.” Professor Aurelianus frowns at the now visible Dragon. “He should not be visible or have his eyes open. Hogwarts, is Emrys back yet?” He asks as he goes back behind the changing screen to change back into his normal robes.
Harry, too, moves to his. Hurriedly picking up his wand and wordlessly calling up a shield, sighing in relief when he confirms his Magic is back with him.
“Hmm?” He hears the Professor say, “but it’s past 3:30 - their appointment should have been over half an hour ago.”
“Do you think everything’s alright, Professor?” He asks his changing screen, stepping out as the Professor responds to find him now waiting by a door.
“I’m sure they’re fine, Mr Potter. In the meanwhile, it seems Hogwarts would like us to go through this.” He motions to the door.
Harry nods and follows as the Professor walks through the door, easily closing it shut behind him, unfazed as it vanishes with a golden shimmer. When he looks up and around the room, he is startled to find himself in Snape’s office, Ron and Snape standing side by side facing the Malfoy’s. Harry blinks, mouth gaping before he snaps it closed.
He eyes Ron who simply arches an eyebrow back at him, later then, he decides and tunes back into the adults in the room.
“-cissa Malfoy, pleasure to meet you, Professor Aurelianus. I hear you are particularly close to Lord Emrys, how do you know him?”
The Professor’s blindfold moves as if he is arching an eyebrow at the woman, a small movement in Snape’s direction after. Snape offers the Professor a small slow nod, this apparently enough for Professor Aurelianus to respond truthfully, “Lord Emrys is my father. And you, my Lady?”
Ron looked strangely proud of Professor Aurelianus, Harry thought, as the Professor gently moved him to sit on the sofa, Snape doing the same for Ron. As the adults too settled, the Professors either side of them, Harry and Ron lent into each other, shying away from Lord Malfoy’s sharp gaze.
“I hail from House Black.”
“You are privy to his name, then?”
“Yes-”
“However, as I understand it, you are not to ever speak it.”
Lady Malfoy inclined her head, “Indeed.”
Professor Aurelianus pauses, allows the silence to turn awkward. The two Malfoy’s share a glance.
“It has recently come to our attention that Lord Emrys is back, we wished to speak with him.” Lady Malfoy admitted, waiting uselessly for the Professor to respond before continuing, now a touch more desperate, looking between Harry and Ron. “We have information we can give him about the Dark Lord-”
“Voldemort.” Professor Aurelianus cuts in and the two silent men silently wince at the name. Though the Professor makes no move, Harry knows he noted the sounds.
“Yes… Voldemort.” She agrees and stays silent.
“Lord Emrys is currently away from the castle, attending a meeting with the Minister. I will be sure to let him know that you have been asking for him.”
The pair nod and express pleasantries before moving to a different door behind them, as they pass, Lord Malfoy stalls for a moment and stares at Harry.
“Mr Potter.” He nods and walks away.
~~~~~~~
‘How do you do it? People think your dead, how do you go on?’ Hermione shook her head, trying to imagine what living a life where she survives everyone she loves again and again.
It was Merlin’s turn now to look up at the sky, watching the stars as if he knew them intimately. Eyes shining with something both lost and found. When he speaks it is in an airy whisper in her mind, his voice as wonderful and out of reach as the stars that for a second Hermione forgets she is sat next to a man and not a star. ‘I need to and so I do; I must and so I will.’
‘I don’t understand.’
‘Mother above, I sound just like Kilgharrah, don’t I? What do you know of… my story, Hermione?’
‘You’re Merlin. A legendary wizard, the greatest of your time. You sorted into Slytherin and was a member of King Arthur’s court. You originally founded the Order of Merlin to support Muggle rights. You are called the Prince of Enchanters because of your expertise in charms. You’re opposed to the Dark Arts. You… You’re Merlin - so famous people use your name as a curse.’
Merlin looked at her horrified for a few seconds and shuddered. He blinked, as if desperately trying to make sense of what she said. ‘Right - umm, no. That is not entirely wrong, but… also somewhat wrong. I really need to look into your History lessons, huh.’ He says mostly to himself.
‘I was born long before Hogwarts was founded, so I was never sorted with the old system. In the current system, I’ll admit, I would most likely sort into Slytherin, but I do not wish to ever find out.’ He grinned at her, ‘I was never in Arthur’s court because I was his Manservant, I was, however, in Gwen’s court.’
‘Gwen… Queen Guinevere! She was the portrait I talked to! Wait, Manservant!’ Hermione’s eyes practically bulged out of her sockets.
Merlin shook with silent laughter, ‘that always shocks people.’ He straightened back up and let out a soft sigh, turning back to the stars. ‘Indeed I was Arthur’s Manservant because back then, Magic was banned in Camelot and that was the only was I could stay by him to protect him and fulfil my destiny.’
‘What was your destiny?’ As soon as she said it Hermione felt dread slowly start to build up inside her. At the question, Merlin’s face contorted ever so slightly into one that displayed immense sorrow and he closed his eyes against it.
‘My destiny… was to protect the Once and Future King and help him unite the lands of Albion to bring about the Golden Age of Magic.’
Hermione cursed her curious mind as it took control of her mouth, her heart aching inside her, beating rapidly against her rib cage in protest.
‘…What - What happened?’
He opened his eyes and looked at her with a soft gaze, not hiding the deep and ancient sorrow and exhaustion, ‘Never let it be said that destiny is kind to us. Arthur is the Once and Future King; he will rise again when Albion’s need is at it’s greatest. Then and only then, will we fulfil our destiny. Until then, I am needed and so I must go on.’
Hermione felt tears well up, ‘I… He will rise again! You will fulfil your destiny, Merlin. You deserve-’
‘I never want Arthur to rise.’ The tears slowly made their way down her cheeks and dropped onto her lap. She turned away from his eyes and stared at the stars that appeared blurred together, biting her lips to stop the whimper in her throat from escaping. Because even before he said it she had understood, even before he said it she agreed. ‘I used to scream at destiny, at Magic, at everything, begging for another chance. But tragedy after tragedy went by and Arthur still wouldn’t return, and I started to think, started to realise. What could possibly be Albion’s greatest need if they were not it? I never want Arthur to rise because-’
‘Because Albion will never need King Arthur so long as you are there to protect it.’ She said, ‘and so Albion’s greatest need will be when it stands against you… when you’ve lost your mind - when you’ve lost yourself.’
~~~~~~~
“Severus.” Elliot said after the two Malfoy’s left, turning to the man on the other side of the sofa.
“Elliot.” Severus said, staring at the empty sofa opposite them.
“Firstly, Emrys will surely tell you his name soon. He enjoys that you like him despite you not knowing, you know this, right?”
“Yes.” Severus smirked. “He’s more of an idiot than I thought if he thinks knowing his name will change anything between us.”
“Secondly, you had a reaction to the name of… the dark lord. If I ask, will you tell me, tell us, Severus?”
Severus cleared his throat and got up, looking at the three of them carefully through the curtain of his hair. He walked slowly to his desk and paused, hesitating. Elliot spared a glance to the grey sky outside, the sun slowly setting.
Now in front of him, Severus sniffed and held up a small vial of potion, offering it to him. “Ask.” With his other hand he pulled up his sleeve, revealing a ghastly tattoo. “Ask, and I will tell you everything.”
Elliot released a calm breath and idly accepted the vial of Veritaserum closing his fist around it as Severus waited patiently. He then opened his fist to reveal his empty hand. “So, tell me what you know about Voldemort.”
Despite his wince, Severus grinned as he walked backwards and dropped down onto the other sofa, never breaking eye contact with him. “Such a Hufflepuff.” He said. “Nice trick, your father teach you that? Let me guess it’s in my pocket.”
Elliot laughed.
Severus leaned forward, resting his forearms against his knees, “The Dark Lord… at first I truly believed in him and the things he promised. I fell for his ploy hook line and sinker, it was everything young Severus Snape wanted so desperately to hear…” He began.
Elliot listened carefully to Severus’ story, slowly beginning to piece together the full picture by aligning it with Harry’s story. As he did his heart broke for the two of them, so different and yet so similar from each other.
Back when he was still in the Library, studying Magic to his hearts content, the concepts of Dark Lords was common and expected. As Emrys, his father, had always told him, Magic demands balance. There is his Library, it was easy for him to accept that the emergence of Dark Lords was key to maintaining the balance. The words in his books, the illustrations, the statistics - neither of them managed to pierce his heart as much hearing it from the two of them did.
Hearing it and seeing first hand what it did to them sparks a flame in him that begs to be released.
Severus, Elliot knows, is occluding now to keep his eyes blank and voice monotone. It is such a far cry from the Severus he’s seen with his father, his heart aches. Beside him, Harry is unabashedly crying while listening to what Severus has to say, Mr Weasley patting his back with a complicated look on his dace.
Not for the first time that day, Elliot wishes for his father because if there’s one thing he will always be sure of, it’s that Magic demands balance and nothing can stop Magic itself from commanding it; especially when his loved ones are hurt.
~~~~~~~
Hermione sniffed, ‘so… how are we getting back?’
They had sat in silence, Hermione with tears streaming down her face and Merlin giving her space and time, until Merlin had been called back into the celebrations. Apparently, being shown where they could sleep if they wished to stay. He had politely refused and informed them they would soon be going going back to his castle before joining her once again.
Merlin now looked between her now dry but surely red eyes and smiled softly, ‘Well, normally I would have just bothered Harvey to take us back… but why don’t we try something better, in my opinion.’
‘You just don’t want to be scolded by Harvey, again.’ She said, trying to prove that she was feeling much better. ‘What did you have in mind?’
Merlin reached into his pocket and pulled out his beautiful wand, he looked at it fond eyes as he carefully held it in his palms. ‘This wand was made for me by my daughter.’ He confessed slowly, ‘It may not be perfect with my Magic but it’s the only wand that ever works with it. Unfortunately, not long after it was made I blocked my Magic and Elliot cannot use a wand, so it hasn’t been appreciated as well as it should be.’
He carefully held it out to her, handle first. ‘With the Magic in this, if you wish it so, it will provide us with a way to go home.’
With trembling hands, Hermione reached out for it. A rush of immense power filling her when her hand closed around the handle, only to spike even more when Merlin let go of it, trusting his wand, part of his Magic, to her. ‘I- I’ve read, before, that some wands don’t tend to work for other people. And with this being your - Merlin’s - wand, will it truly work?’
Merlin’s eyes sparkled, ‘It will work for those whom I trust.’
Taking a deep breath, Hermione readied the wand. Merlin hadn’t told her of any words to say or of the proper wand movement, but she could feel that the Magic in his wand was different to that of the Magic in hers. This wand will not need a spell or a specific movement but, as Merlin said, simply for her to wish it so.
She allowed her mind to first calm and settle, and then think back to Hogwarts. The wand sensed her thoughts and it’s Magic seemed to perk up, filling her with a sense of belonging and home and fondness and possession that went far above her own idea of Hogwarts. The picture of Hogwarts was clear in her mind, but the Magic was not satisfied with just that. She followed the Magic’s gentle probing and guidance as she mentally travelled through the halls of Hogwarts.
Was it asking where she wished to be exactly? She thought to herself as she stared at the mental image of the Gryffindor common room. Where did she, herself, feel the sense of belonging and home and fondness and possession? Her mind wandered to something that made her huff in amusement, as she stood in the bathroom where she was almost trampled by a troll. Her friendships were made there, that fateful, horrible day.
She thought of her boys and when she opened her eyes it was to the sight of a beautiful golden archway formed with wispy tendrils of shimmering Magic that opened up to a room she preferred to avoid. There in the room, her and Merlin’s boys looked at them in shock. Hermione’s eyes narrowed as she zoned in on Harry’s red eyes, Harry in turn focussing on hers.
She jumped to her feet and walked through the portal with determined steps, Merlin’s Magic in her crackling like lightning, her hair frizzing up because of it. From the corner of her eyes she could see Merlin, somehow ahead of her, gently cradling Professor Aurelianus and beckoning Professor Snape to him. She felt more than saw the portal close up behind them, relieved now to speak.
“Harry, are you alr-”
“Merlin’s beard, Hermione, what the hell was that?” Ron shrieked.
Silence, as Merlin and Professor Aurelianus snapped their heads to look at Ron.
“…You know” Merlin said, “When you said people cursed using my name, I was really hoping that was a joke. I don’t even have a beard!”
Professor Snape sighed and then smirked, “Hello, Merlin.”
Hermione laughed at Ron and Harry’s faces when the words finally registered.
“Mother save me, I should have known the first time you say my name would be just like that, you are such a prat!”