Godfatherhood
"Professor Emrys Ambrosius!"
"Please, sign these autographs for my children and my wife!"
"Did you hear? He's as great as Albus Dumbledore! He beat down You-Know-Who and saved Hogwarts from the Chamber of Secrets!"
"Rumor has it he fought not only a Basilisk but also the spectre of Salazar Slytherin!"
Merlin kept a tight smile on his face as he left the premises of the Ministry of Magic, having just finished receiving the Order of Merlin, First Class from the Ministry, as Cornelius Fudge had promised him before, 2 months after the end of the Chamber of Secrets.
The Order of Merlin. How it had fallen from the once noble organization meant to provide magical aid and protection towards the Muggles to being an award handed by the governments to anyone they deem worthy, not few of which tended to be undeserving. Merlin HAD actually founded it himself before he pretended to have passed away. He had hoped with the organization, the wizarding world could continue to watch over the non-wizarding world.
Alas, Merlin's hopes were not entirely fulfilled. While the rules and methods employed by the organization DID persist as they were replicated by all Ministries of Magic, the organization itself had been disbanded, much to Merlin's sadness. Without the power and leadership of someone like him, the Order had eventually agreed to disband after having made sure their views would survive.
While that was at least tolerable, no matter how much Merlin regretted not being able to do anything more, the usage of the name of the organization he founded with noble intentions as awards were significantly less so.
Cornelius Fudge was almost certainly undeserving of his Order of Merlin, from how he had noticed the way he favored blood supremacy and sucked up to strong allies, and easily the most undeserving in history was without a doubt Gilderoy Lockhart AKA the fraud, who was now spending the rest of his life in the St Mungo, his magic and memory stripped so completely from him he would never get it back. Albus and Newt Scamander were among the few who Merlin fully acknowledged to have deserved their Order of Merlin.
He passed through Lucius Malfoy casually, smirking at the look of impotent rage of the Head of the Malfoy Family. As he had promised, Merlin had taken place into the court, where he asserted himself with the charisma and cunning of a leader, something he had grew to master over years of having to take up identities required to make grand decisions. Needless to say, it was quite the fun to witness Cornelius Fudge looking at him in awe while Lucius was staring at him with fear as he stood before the court and presented his view.
Within a matter of moments, all the Wizengamot, including even allies of Lucius Malfoy, not excluding the Minister himself, agreed to let Merlin give his terms in exchange for pardoning Lucius Malfoy. It was a shame he couldn't send Lucius to Azkaban, but not even with all of Lucius's defenses that he never knew of it was it possible for him to avoid it.
As such, Merlin decreed Lucius must pay a total of 5.000.000 Galleons to the Weasleys and 3.000.000 Galleons to the Granger, Creevey, and Finch-Fletchley Family, the latter three having the Galleons converted into muggle money, and he was also required to write a supervised apology to the four families.
The look on Lucius's face was nigh-apoplectic, but when Merlin "kindly" reminded him that the other alternative was for him to resign from his position in the Ministry, Lucius had bowed down to his terms.
Fudge seemed to surprisingly take this in stride, despite his favor of Lucius, something that didn't make him any better in Merlin's eyes. He did still give Lucius some extra pay for his duty to the Ministry, but otherwise, he congratulated Merlin without showing any scorn at his persecution of Lucius and even asked for several pictures with him. Merlin had agreed for formality's sake, but he had only taken the pictures when it was given to him by the Minister, which he did as quickly as possible, an obvious attempt to gain his favor.
As Merlin returned to his castle, he gave a deep breath, finally able to let his true melancholic face show.
The first floor of his castle contained a dining room and the equivalent of a guest room, with a tv so Merlin could keep in touch with Muggle news. He wasn't about to eat just yet, though. He wanted to change his clothes and take a bath.
The second floor was a room for physical exercises, a practice Merlin had long since came to appreciate and applied regularly, exercising three times a day, with all the muggles exercise equipments up to date, and an arena-like room where Merlin would keep his skills in muggle combat sharp, full with training dummies he enchanted to hold skills comparable to that of a Knight of the Round Table, with a special dummy containing ARTHUR's level of skill being a test he would use on himself per month.
By this point, although Merlin didn't use physical combat too often, he was definitely more skilled with a sword, a spear, or unarmed combat than almost, if not all, Muggles alive. In his travels, very few demonstrated martial ability close to that of Arthur. Only Godric could rival Arthur's swordsmanship, and it was MERLIN who trained him how to fight like a Muggle. He had also fought and eventually won and kept winning against the dummy of Arthur again and again. It wasn't exactly easy, but nothing too worth mentioning.
The third floor was a room for magical skills, a practice Merlin indulged in just as often as his physical training. The most powerful and greatest wizard of all time he may be, but Merlin didn't want to let his skills grow rusty when he needed them most.
It had six rooms. The first one was a room that could be triggered to have him practice Charms, Transfiguration, and all kinds of spells from the modern magic, while the second one was designed specifically to practice Old Religion magics, both able to spawn challenges where he needed to think fast and cast those spells reliably. The third room was a room for dueling practice, containing several challenges Merlin had made himself to test his skills to the max. The fourth room was meant to practice Merlin's flying skills, including Quidditch.
The fifth room was meant for him to practice his Potion and Healing skills, abilities that he had both perfected in honor of Gaius and used freely to save those who needed saving. And the final sixth room? It was a room meant for his personal magical research, the same room where he often made the breakthroughs of magic that he introduced to wizardkind.
The fourth floor was covered by seals in all it's room, as Merlin contained the most personal and dangerous crafts inside it that were too dangerous to go to his vault in Gringotts.
The fifth floor was his quarters. It had two rooms to it. The first room was a place where he placed his fondest memories in, with another room inside it to contain memorabilia he wasn't exactly fond of, which was where his pictures with Fudge had been placed.
The letters of gratitude from the Weasleys, the Grangers, the Creeveys, and Finch-Fletchleys were additions that made Merlin smile at the reminder of how he had saved his school, lightening his mood even as he casually deposited his "Order of Merlin" inside the spare room, sparing not even a brief glance at the picture he shared with Fudge.
"Ah! Hello, Professor Emrys!" Albus declared cheerily as Merlin arrived at his office.
"Hello to you too, Albus. Now, shall we discuss about the newest class to add? The Repository of Usefulness, was it?" Merlin said with a smile.
The "Repository of Usefulness" was meant to be in the saturdays, as the Magical Skills were in the sundays. It was a project Albus had came up with in one of their many discussions, a class where Merlin would teach all the electives available to third-years. Of course, it was optional, but allowed to ALL who wanted it, including first-years. It also happened to allow those who have failed in their OWL and NEWT to have a second chance.
Merlin was, admittedly, feeling quite excited about it. He had not taught in Hogwarts for so long, so having 3 subjects, 2 of which allowed him to educate students on ALL matters, and another being a subject he was the foremost expert of, wasn't burdening at all. He welcomed the responsibility and challenge.
They discussed a few more details about it, until Albus then adopted a serious face. "Now that the pleasantries are taken care of, let us shift to more dangerous topics."
Merlin narrowed his eyes, but nodded.
"A Prisoner of Azkaban named Sirius Black has escaped from his prison. Are you aware of his history?"
"No. Not particularly."
And so Albus told Merlin everything, leaving Merlin with mixed feelings of suspicion and anger.
Apparently, Sirius Black was the Potters Secret Keeper as Albus used the Fidelius Charm. Sirius had been good friends with James in school, but he somehow fell to the dark side and betrayed the Potters, allowing Voldemort to kill them. He had then killed a man named Peter Pettigrew, another friend who allegedly sought to avenge James and Lily and was killed with ease, obliterated with no trace but a finger. It had taken allegedly 20 members of the Magical Law Enforcement Squad to capture him.
But what would be even more outrageous was how Sirius was actually Harry's Godfather.
That said, Merlin was suspicious. He had to admit he did not know much, but the Old Religion had a tendency to provide him with visions and truths that constantly proved to be correct. Right now, it was whispering "Things are not what they appear. The true traitor is not..."
It was quite possible that it was Pettigrew who betrayed the Potters instead, but how, that he would have to find out. He would need to research more.
For now, though, Merlin had other concerns.
"So you're saying that Dementors would be guarding Hogwarts?" Merlin asked Albus curtly.
"Unfortunately, yes. I would advice you to do your best and ensure no student receives the wrath of a Dementor. We can do nothing." Merlin sighed deeply. Actually, he could if he revealed himself.
The Patronus Charm was personally created by Merlin when the Dementors and Lethifolds first appeared. It was a few years after Arthur's death, long before "Modern Magic" came into existence. His Old Religion version was able to straight-up kill a Dementor, but he had to develop it for Modern Magic too. Modern Magic could only banish and not eradicate Dementors, unless one were to master both the Ancient and Modern Magics. Even so, without the proper knowledge, it was impossible. Albus did have the power, but he did not know the spell.
As for Merlin, his Patronus came in the form of a dragon, breathing not fire but light, banishing the Dementors darkness back into oblivion.
"Also! Professor? Since you and Harry have been on such good terms, I wonder if you would like to officially take Harry as your Godson? Replace his traitorous Godfather?"
Merlin stared at Albus, conflicted. On one hand, he would not have minded being a father to Harry. He knew that while the boy was Arthur's reincarnation, he and Arthur were different. The relationship between them would not be that of brothers, but that of a father-and-son. In time, Merlin would confide fully to Harry, but not know.
On the other hand, he was uncertain yet if Sirius Black really deserved to have his title taken away like that. If Sirius Black were to be innocent, then he would have taken from a man who had suffered for years the only remaining honor he had left to remind him of James and Lily's friendship.
But in the end, Merlin saw no other choice but to agree.
"So be it. What do I need to do?"
"You should discuss this with Harry, my friend. Speaking of which, as Harry would be your Godson, would you like to take him to live with you within the remaining 2 weeks?" Albus asked with a wink.
"Why not? I've been living alone in that castle for decades. I suppose I could arrange another room for him, and it would be good to have company." Merlin said with a small smile. Indeed, after centuries of living alone in a 5-floor castle for a house, practicing alone, Merlin found he would very much enjoy the company of Harry. Not to mention, the practice rooms could be used to further Harry's training, and there was no need to worry about outside interferences.
"One last thing. Remus Lupin, yet another one of James and Lily's friends, would be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts. A TRUE veteran in taking on Dark Forces, I can assure you, unlike our dearest Lockhart." Merlin snorted at the snide comment about Lockhart.
"You should say "far unlike" rather than just "unlike", Albus. But what is the matter with him?"
"He is a Werewolf." Albus had said solemnly as Merlin simply quirked one of his eyebrows.
"And? Neither of us predjuices against Werewolves. Is this about you asking for my input in developing werewolf comfort magics-"
"I need you to brew the Wolfsbane Potion for him."
Merlin stopped at those words.
The Wolfsbane Potion. One of Merlin's proudest contributions to the wizarding world. He had long been irked by the predjuice held towards Werewolves yet unable to do much except for the few who he knew personally, until he was given the godsent of one Damocles Belby. Merlin had been disguising himself as a traveling potioneer when Damocles Belby came to him, intrigued by his reputation for providing all kinds of potions to those who needed them, and asked him to help in the development of the Wolfsbane Potion.
Merlin practically jumped at the chance to do so and he provided his insights on having Aconite as the main ingredient, as Aconite was the main ingredient in many of the early potions Merlin designed for werewolves, ranging from preventing them from transforming albeit causing them extreme pain during full moon, putting them to a harmless sleep for 3 days when full moon came, and mixing them with silver and dittany to heal fully wounds caused by an untransformed werewolf.
That wasn't to say that it was all him, though. Belby was a true master of Potion, and he kept up fairly well with Merlin until they finally finished the Wolfsbane Potion. His second greatest achievement apart from the ritual to cure Lycanthropy when it came to Werewolves, a true pride of Merlin's.
Merlin had asked Belby to not mention him at all, and Belby had honored his request, and he was content with what he had done.
"He has insisted that he would only accept the offer if there were to be a supply of Wolfsbane Potions to ensure he would not harm the students. I assume I can give this task to you?"
Merlin nodded with a smile. "Why not? If anything, I helped make it."
"Oh? Can you tell me this tale?" Albus said with a roll of his eyes.
"Very well."
When Merlin arrived at 4 Privet Drive, it was to find Petunia surprisingly asking Harry if he would want her to bake a birthday cake for him. Harry had looked shocked, but softly accepted, as Merlin allowed Petunia to nod simply before entering the house again.
"Nice to see she has started to show you genuine care and compassion, Harry." Merlin said with a smile as Harry's already small smile brightened considerably.
"Professor Emrys!"
"Now, shall we go to your room? I've got pleasant news for you, my boy."
But when they entered the house, surprisingly Petunia meekly offered to make tea for him, even deliver it straight to Harry's room. Merlin had accepted graciously.
"Where is Vernon and Dudley?" Merlin asked as he and Harry comfortably settled down on his room.
"Uncle Vernon is off doing his job and Dudley is learning boxing and exercises at Aunt Petunia's behest. Ever since last year, my aunt seemed to have gotten sincerely nicer and more responsible, you know-"
The door opened to reveal Petunia with teacups, which she delicately gave to the both of them. Merlin courteously thanked her, but it was at that moment that Petunia finally showed hints of genuine redemption.
"I would like... I would like to apologize to the both of you." Petunia said softly as Harry and Merlin looked at her.
"You were right, Mister Emrys. I... I thought I was protecting the boy, no matter how harshly it was, from the same world that took my sister away from me. It wasn't just because I disliked them, you know." Petunia stuttered as Merlin finally allowed himself to feel empathy towards her.
"But that's not an excuse. Over the course of 2 years, I have worked the same way you had, Harry, and I realized that nothing could have excused what I had done. If it wasn't for you, then I would have never realized this. I was a fool... I... I was jealous. Can I still continue or do you not care to listen to my plight?"
Merlin simply stared at her and conjured a seat for her to sit on.
"Back when I was a child, my parents were proud of Lily's magic. They favored her, and I was not as appreciated as she was. However, while I was frightened of Lily's magic, I was also... Envious. Why was it only her? Why couldn't I follow her into the world of magic?" Petunia began to sob as Harry moved to comfort her while Merlin conjured a handkerchief for her to cry on.
"And I tried to beg Albus Dumbledore to take me into the world of magic as well, to take me in as a student of Hogwarts. He didn't accept me, and that was when I began to be distanced from my own sister. She had gone on into another realm, while I was stuck there, unable to do anything to help her, unable to find anything to relate to her." With that, Petunia allowed a miserable chuckle to come across her.
"That is the first piece of truth, Harry, Mister Emrys. I was a woman still stuck in my past, a woman who was unable to accept magic even in my own family. Go ahead. Laugh." Merlin said nothing, simply watching her.
Stuck in your past, eh? I suppose that's an understandable excuse.
"And then... My sister died. I never even... Got to reconcile with her. I had even talked to her about how she shouldn't participate in whatever war happened that lead to her death. I never wanted her to die, and it broke my heart as I buried her." Petunia no longer sobbed, but was actually crying, and Merlin could feel little animosty towards her now.
Harry was staring at his aunt with nothing but utmost empathy and understanding, something that made Merlin proud.
"But my heart hardened as it broke. And so I refused to acknowledge you. I did it partially because I hated magic, but I supposed the real truth was that I wanted to protect you from magic. I didn't want you to follow your mother into the same path that lead to her death. I didn't care if you hated me. As long as you could get a normal live when you grew up, that was enough. You may have suffered, but once you were big enough, you would have been free, free to live without the burden of being a wizard. I thought I was protecting you, until you came."
Merlin simply stared at Petunia, now conveying his visible empathy and sadness. "You made me realize that I was a fool. I could have done better. I could have raised you to hate your magic because it took your parents from you. If anything, what I did actually only made you embrace magic. And here is the result. This is the justice I have been given: I have to live with the fact that all my efforts were for nothing and instead did what I never wanted you to do."
A bitter chuckle came from her mouth. "Cruel, yet well-deserved, right?"
"No." Merlin replied simply as Petunia stared at him in surprise.
"Your intentions weren't exactly wrong, and your reaction was natural, if not too extreme. I've seen parents with that kind of mindset, and I've helped them accept their children for what they are. The fact that you achieved it within 3 years, earlier than most, is proof that no matter what, you possess a capability for familial love. And so I have come to a new judgment."
Merlin stood up and placed his hand on Petunia's shoulder. After a moment of focus, he sat back. "For being willing to accept your wrongs and confess, the first amongst your family, I give you this reprieve. You will only have to work for 5 more years, and I shall commute your sentence to that of any kind of social service. You are still required to work daily, but you no longer have to be a servant."
Petunia stared at him numbly. "I don't deserve this mercy, and we both know that."
"I beg to differ. You have shown courage and wisdom, even if it was earned from punishment, and that is something I acknowledge and respect. I would also like to speak to you about another thing in private. Do you mind? Should we go to your room? Harry, wait here for us."
Harry nodded softly, looking overwhelmed by the confession of his aunt, a confession that could not have been falsified, a confession that Merlin respected.
And so Merlin gave his advice to the suffering, pitiable woman before him.
"Your views of magic are not exactly wrong. Magic can be used to do great harm just as much as it could be used to do great good. I understand your feelings of helplessness and inferiority, and to suffer over the distance with your sister and her death, caused by magic, and lash out is something that is perfectly understandable. I know fully well of the distance magic can cause amongst family and friends, of the burden of wielding magic."
"If there are any words with which I can console you, it would be that I assure you that Harry would be safe. He would grow up and be a great protector of both the wizarding and non-wizarding worlds. He would survive and thrive, and I promise you that your family would be protected from magic. You have failed your sister, but that doesn't mean you can't be better. I'm going to take the role of Harry's godfather and let him live in my home at certain points, but that doesn't mean you have to stop seeing him. Be better, Petunia Evans."
He left the sobbing, crying woman solemnly, and he had to admit he was sincere in admitting his anger towards her had dimmed almost into non-existence.
In the end, she was yet another victim of his failure to unite his people with non-magicals.
"Would Aunt Petunia be alright, Profesor?" Harry said awkwardly as they arrived on his house via a portal.
"I knew she wasn't the best, but after hearing what she had to say, I just pity her. She- She really just got on the wrong end of magic. It doesn't justify what she had done, but she deserves a second chance, one I am willing to give to her."
Merlin gave a sigh as he turned at Harry. "And you will. You may be my Godson, now, and a son of the Potter Family, but you will always be related to the Evans, and the only surviving Evans are you and your aunt. But she has just taken the first big step. She needs time. We will visit her twice a week, hopefully when she was working still."
Harry was solemn as he nodded. "Okay, Professor."
With that, Harry regained a smile on his face. "Your home seems really taken care of. I wonder if it's enchanted." Merlin snorted.
The understatement of the year, when it was built by the PRINCE OF ENCHANTERS.
"Indeed, my boy. Now, I think I should first introduce you to the layouts of the house."
With that, Merlin took Harry into the guest room first. "This is the guest room, as you can see. It contains a sofa where you can sit, and a Muggle TV, used so I could keep an eye on muggle affairs, BUT! I also added in wizarding features too."
With that, Merlin summoned the remote to the tv. "You just have to say "I Wish to See Both Worlds"..."
Upon saying those words, the remote lit up as it displayed holograms, Harry staring at it excitedly. "There are many wizarding news and entertainment you could access. You just have to click on a name..."
For example, Merlin clicked on the Witching Hour hologram, and he watched with a smile as the tv lit up, displaying Celestina Warbeck's songs, before he then clicked at it again to turn off the tv.
"Just like that. Now, the next would be the dining room."
Merlin showed Harry his dining room, surprisingly modest most of the time unlike some rumors of how he would have grand feasts held, which did happen, but only when celebrations were in order. "You could have your breakfast, your lunch, and your dinner beside me. You are free to cook by your own if you wish, but you are also free to enjoy my cooking-"
"Obviously, Professor? I think I'll DELIGHT in your cooking." Smirking impishly, Merlin nodded as he lead Harry inside the kitchen.
It was full of all the culinary tools necessary, along with electronical devices Merlin had improved with magic to produce much-higher quality food.
One of Merlin's more simple, yet rather proud, contributions was the application of some of the Muggles electronic devices into the wizarding world, such as cameras and radios. Back on 1828 and 1892, Merlin had produced magical versions of a camera and a radio 2 years after they were developed by the Muggles, under the name of "Electra Pendragon". He had been fascinated with the sudden development of Muggle technology, and worked hard to overcome the flaws of magic and electronics, eventually succeeding and opening up businesses that would still be held to this day that sold those "magical electronics".
It was sad that the British Wizarding Broadcast Corporation didn't work out, though.
And as the technology improved, Merlin was happy to buy and include Muggle devices into his home. He created many modifications for electronic devices, starting from the tv, to developing cooking devices that could automatically wrap up delicious dishes.
It reminded Merlin of how there was hope still that one day wizardkind and Muggles could co-exist, a hope made stronger by how Harry here was Arthur's reincarnation.
And so he finished telling Harry how to activate those devices, before moving on to the second floor.
"As you are quite aware of, I emphasize particularly on the importance of developing physical ability, which is important to be in shape for dueling. Since you are now my Godson and can access my home whenever I wish to allow you to, we will begin to perform exercises more regularly as part of your training, if you wish to continue." Harry had beamed at him and nodded.
"Who knows. Maybe you want to learn swordsmanship? To learn martial arts?"
Harry turned at him in surprise as Merlin sighed.
Can you blame him? He isn't Arthur, even though his soul is reborn. He's spend 11 years miserably living and has only just started learning for 2 years.
"Harry, believe me when I say that mastering muggle combat can be just as useful as magical combat. You could have dexterity and versatility should you be deprived of your wand, and as a wizard, you could use your magic to enhance your physical abilities. I myself take pride on how I regularly could knock out opposing wizards with a single elbow to the head, take out several Imps with nothing more but my fists, and slaughter a pack of overly volatile Acromantula with a sword."
Harry's eyes immediately gained wonder and curiousity as he nodded. "When can I start?"
"Not today. For now, you should rest up."
They went into the third floor, where Harry was QUITE mesmerized by the possibilities of practice he could have in these rooms. Merlin allowed Harry to practice for some time in the dueling and flying rooms, before he then calmly broke in news that had Harry somewhat pouting.
"I would like to also remind you that you are expected to also learn Potions and healing skills under my care. If this pleases you, it would only be for 2 times a week... BUT it would be for a whole day."
Merlin also forbade Harry from entering the second and sixth room no matter what. "Those rooms contain private knowledge and skills beyond almost any other. You could say that they are only able to be handled by... Wizards of nigh-omnipotence, as Dobby called it."
And he also made sure to remind Harry to under no circumstances even so much as open any doors on the fourth floor.
But when they arrived on the fifth floor, Harry was back to being happy and content.
Merlin had created two more rooms for Harry's comfort. The first was naturally a bedroom for Harry, and the second was a special space where he could deliver and receive Owl messages. Normally, Owls would not be able to reach the castle, so they were deposited on an Owl post disillusioned to all but Owls, but for his new son's comfort, Merlin moved the Owl Post inside the house.
"Take a bath, Harry, and come and meet me for dinner."
It was 30 minutes later that Harry and Merlin were now enjoying a comfortable dinner, the food being that of Fusili carbonara for Merlin and Fusili bolognaise for Harry.
"Professor? I heard about the Weasleys winning the annual Daily Prophet Grand Prize Galleon Draw. That's great! They're in Egypt now? Can we go and see them?" Merlin smiled at Harry.
"Why not? I don't see any reason not to. Speaking of which, your birthday is about 5 days over, so I would like to host the first birthday party with you as my godson with them invited."
Harry's smile of joy matched Merlin's own.