Chapter Text
Merlin’s been keeping a close eye on the Riddle boy. He’s been playing with Life and Death, and not even for good reason. It makes Merlin sick to watch. But there have always been sick people. One more hardly registers. It’s the flirting with the Balance that sets Riddle apart, makes him Merlin’s business. Still, people have tried that before too. Merlin’s never gone out of his way to involve himself. Both he and the world are far too used to cruelty.
When Riddle drags a baby boy into his mess, though, it’s too far. It’s a little too close to that life-for-a-life business. A little too close to Queen Ygraine’s death. Arthur agrees.
They’re not the only ones watching. Albus Dumbledore has inserted himself and is already deconstructing the situation, putting measures into place and making plans. The boy is taken care of. Merlin and Arthur make some plans of their own.
On July 31st of 1991 Merlin drags Arthur off to Diagon Alley. He complains the entire way.
“Do you know how many books are in our library? It would qualify as a state in America, there’s no way we don’t have these books.”
“If we spend our whole lives in the library we’ll never find anything new and exciting, will we? Besides, it’s an experience. We are young, excited eleven year olds off to school for the very first time in our very short lives.”
“I haven’t been eleven since the dark ages.”
Merlin rolls his eyes hard. “Look, people don’t just get their books here. They meet other students, discover new things, buy supplies and gifts and a thousand other things. And for first time students, it’s very exciting. It’s an opportunity.”
“You didn’t drag me here the last few times we went to Hogwarts.”
“No, well, this time’s different.”
Arthur argues because that’s not a reason, but at this point he’s just being difficult for the hell of it. He’s not unhappy to be here and Merlin knows it. He always liked going to school, and everything that came with it. The orders and regiment, while chafing to a king (ex-king? He’s still Merlin’s king, always will be) are familiar, and Arthur likes to have a mission. He likes making friends and screwing with people, guiding kids who are a little lost and acting like the toddler he is. He’s not a fan of being talked down to or detentions, but you can’t have it all.
Merlin looks over the new list of supplies.
- Uniform
- Three Sets of Plain work robes (Black).
- One Plain Pointed Hat (Black) for day wear.
- One Pair of Protective Gloves (dragon hide or similar).
- One Winter Cloak (Black, silver fastenings).
- Please note that all student's clothes should carry name-tags at all times.
- Books
- The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1 by Miranda Goshawk
- A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot
- Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling
- A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch
- One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore
- Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger
- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander
- The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble
- Other Equipment
- 1 Wand
- 1 Cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)
- 1 set of glass or crystal phials
- 1 telescope
- 1 set of brass scales
- Students may also bring an Owl OR a Cat OR a Toad.
- PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS.
Well, they have most of that. Merlin’s had more glass and crystal phials than he’s known what to do with since Gaius died, he keeps amassing more and he has no idea how. They have their own scales, about a dozen pairs lying around somewhere, but for the purposes of portable school supplies they’ll want to get some standard student ones. The books, Merlin notes, are mostly familiar. He’s delighted to see Newt’s book in there. He was one of a kind, that kid.
Merlin’s quite proud of their wands. It took him quite a lot of research, experimenting, and splinters to fashion ones that would suit them. He studied the art of wands long and hard, and eventually managed to build something for each of them. He needed one that would withstand his magic and be a little more lenient with him should he slip into the Old ways. With a blend of the oldest woods he could find (mostly blessed or sacred to the old religion in some way), scale shavings from both Kilgarrah and Aithusa at the core, unicorn hair and a Phoenix feather, he finally managed it. It even has part of the Sidhe staff in there. He needed a bit of everything, and then he had to learn to work with it and get to know the wand and all that. It’s actually been quite the exercise, learning to function within the parameters of his very special stick. It’s quite like learning a new (and much more primitive) language.
Arthur’s is almost tame in comparison- it was certainly much easier to make. There was no Old Magic to factor into Arthur’s abilities, so he could just have a regular wand. Merlin may have went a little overboard with the carving, but Arthur never complained. It’s got a dragon heartstring core. It’s an almost marble twist of gold and white delicately carved into a mini excalibur.
It took Merlin longer to figure out how to get it to turn into the sword itself than it did to make it. A tall order, what with the wand and the sword already existing as two separate objects. Merlin realized this, helpfully, after he made the wand. It all paid off though, and Arthur can keep his stupid sword and his stupid stick in his pocket, and there’s only half the chance he’ll lose either of them because they’re the same thing. Or… would that double the chance of him losing both? Would it double the chances of him losing both, but half the chances of him losing either? No, that’s not right, if he loses both he’s still losing either.
Either way, Arthur likes his stick, and Merlin likes his stick, so it’s fine. They have their sticks.
As for the familiar, they’ve got that covered. Pandora, while not an owl, is perfectly capable of carrying mail and more well-mannered to boot. If anyone has any arguments about them having a Merlin with a princess complex rather than a flea-bitten old owl then the boy-who-lived will just have to fend for himself, because they’re not going without her. He doubts anyone will object, though. Who could say no to that face?
(Merlin would ask Kilgarrah to come, but he wouldn’t find it funny. Aithusa probably would, but they haven’t seen her in a few decades. She’s going through her rebellious teen phase.)
In the end they have a grand time at Diagon Alley. It’s been a while since they went out together with the sole intention of going out together. Arthur has to drag Merlin away from Flourish & Blotts because he’s right about their completely ridiculous library back home. The last thing they need is more bloody books.
They get ice cream from Florian Fortescue’s, easily one of Arthur’s favourite inventions. Merlin gets earl grey & lavender flavour. Arthur makes fun of him for his tea obsession between bites of his salted caramel blondie monstrosity. Joke’s on him though, it’s delicious.
While they’re there they stock up on some ingredients from the Apothecary. Both of them note the students milling about, wondering whether they’ll get to know them. They play a game in which they guess their houses just by looking, and then one of them will go up and ask who’s right. All in good fun of course.
Really the only new things they need to actually get here are the robes. Funnily enough, with all the hoarding one can accomplish in upwards of 1400 years, they don’t have size eleven kid’s robes lying around from this century. Madame Malkin is a helpful, plump young witch that Merlin immediately gets on with. Arthur is used to the fussing from servants, but Merlin never did do well with attention.
Halfway through, though, any thoughts of Merlin’s go out the window when an absent looking girl with wispy platinum blonde hair walks in and says:
“Oh, Emrys! Hello.”
Merlin freezes. Arthur chokes.
“…Hello,” he tries, when he can bring himself to breathe again.
The girl skips happily up to her post, taking over for a stunned Arthur where Madame Malkin’s finished with him. She stares openly at Merlin, but not in a way he’s been stared at before. It’s altogether different. Merlin suspects he’s as fascinated with her as she is with him.
“How did you… that, is…”
“Do you two know each other?”, Arthur asks more bluntly, knowing full well they don’t. The girl turns to look at him before returning her gaze to Merlin.
“I’m Luna. There, now we do.”
“Nice to meet you,” Merlin says automatically. Arthur shoots him a look and he shakes himself a little. “Um, where did you hear about my name?”
“My father. I know all about the druids. We’re descendants, I think. It doesn’t really matter. But I recognized your earring. I saw another man with a triskellion necklace once and asked if he was Emrys. He looked at me strangely and said he was John. But I know it’s you, you feel different,” she says mildly.
Merlin’s hand goes up to his earring unconsciously. No one’s recognized it in a long time. Muggles seem to think it’s Celtic. The druids gave him a lot of gifts, jewellery especially, but Merlin took particularly to this one. It‘s a reminder and a comfort.
“Luna, would you do me a favour and not tell anybody?”, he asks, returning her friendly tone with a hopeful grin.
“Of course. Are you getting fitted for your robes?”
Arthur clears his throat. “Yes.”
“Right, um, sorry, Luna, this is Arthur.”
Where the girl’s abstractness put Merlin quite at ease, it makes Arthur downright uneasy. She turns her whole body to address him, eyes far away.
“Pleasure,” she sing-songs. He nods politely.
Madame Malkin chooses that moment to bustle out of the backroom with Merlin’s finished robes.
“There you are, deary, should do you nicely, you wear them well. The elves know how to dry clean them, so don’t worry about that. Shake a leg!”
Merlin gives Luna a friendly wave on his way out. For some reason he rather likes her.
“See?”, he huffs triumphantly, elbowing Arthur on their way out. “We’re already making friends.”
“Is that what that was?”
Merlin hits him.