Chapter 1: 3 November 1981 \ 14-15 July 1983
Summary:
An orphan is placed, lost, found, and kidnapped. Reunions happen.
Notes:
So, I have not abandoned my other works. I'm just in the middle of a move (again), and I'm on my laptop which does not have the files for those stories, because it's a PC laptop, and the files are on an Apple application (Pages).
Also, I have not seen more than (most of) the first episode of Merlin, so take my characters with a grain of salt, m'kay? Thanks!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Merlynn Emrys watched from the deep shadows, unnoticed by even Professor McGonagall’s sharp feline eyes, as the three Hogwarts staff members just left little Rheane Lily Potter on the doorstep of her aunt. And the wards placed over the doorstep were proving difficult even for her to crack. She couldn’t disable them without waking the entire suburb with the resulting backlash. So she stood watch, blue eyes shot through with gold. Dark curls cascaded loosely across her pale skin, her thin frame not even shaking in the cold due to copious usage of warming charms. Hours later, she frowned as Petunia (always had been a spiteful child, her love for her sister not being enough to overcome her jealousy) shrieked in horror. But she never returned outside with her niece.
Merlynn kept coming back. Month after month. There was no appearance for a year and a half, of either Rheane or her cousin. Still, she kept watch. Then, in mid-July 1983, it happened. Petunia walked the two to the park. Merlynn set up at picnic table, books surrounding her as she played the part of a studious university student (she was working toward her computer engineering degree, anyway, despite already having several degrees - a side effect of keeping watch over the balance of magic for roughly fifteen hundred years meant having copious amounts of spare time, since problems usually solved themselves), and watched as the already overweight boy started waddling around, bullying every child he came across. Rheane, on the other hand, stood by Petunia, head down, not uttering a peep, despite many glances towards the children playing. She was rail thin, as bad as Merlynn had been at that age - and she had only been that way due to poverty. Her hair behaved just like her father’s, that is to say, not at all, and her naturally tanned skin had a pallor to it that did not belong to anyone of Indian descent. She knew, though she couldn’t see it, that the child’s eyes were as brilliantly green as her mother’s eyes had been. Other mothers were glancing suspiciously at the child, and Merlynn’s heart sank. Just what had she missed by only stopping by once a month?
They boy, bored of the other children, who were currently being consoled by their parental figures, approached Rheane… and started to hit her repeatedly. Rheane flinched, but still didn’t utter a sound. Merlynn growled.
“Hey, kid! That’s enough now!” She purposely didn’t look at Petunia as she approached, voice raised. She didn't even notice all the inhabitants of the park halting and watching. “Didn’t your mother ever teach you not to hit girls?” The boy gave an attempt at a sneer.
“This is a freak. A freak is not a girl. A freak deserves everything it gets.” Merlynn stopped short, and saw that the suspicion that had been directed at Rheane shifted into glares at Petunia, who was glaring harshly at her - quite oblivious - son.
“And just what makes a freak, huh? I suppose I’m also a freak, due to my genius level IQ, leading to having graduated secondary at 12. I’m working on my third degree. I suppose I deserved every beating I got from the bullies in secondary, just because I knew more than them?” She was being rhetorical when she asked those questions, but she should have realized this kid was some kind of special something, because his response was not helping his parents’ reputation.
“Yeah, you did. Freaks are stupid, dumb, retarded,” and seriously, hearing three different words for the same meaning was not helping, “and are liars!” He stopped short before he could continue due to Petunia slapping the back of his head. He stared at his mother in shock, and Merlynn finally turned to her.
“His mother, I presume?” She spoke in a manner she learned long ago, in court, from her beloved King, softly, but still projecting to command and hold the attention of everyone around. Surprisingly, no one had wandered off or interrupted. She barely gave her time to nod before pushing on. “Obviously, you have failed both children, quite miserably. My husband and I were looking to adopt anyway. Why don’t I take her off your hands since you obviously don’t care enough to feed her or care for her in any way, shape, or form. I don’t want any support - we make more than enough on our own. Let me take her, and I won’t file a police report on suspicion of abuse.” Petunia looked taken aback, before relief swept over her bony features. Merlynn nearly chuckled. She figured that the people in the park with them would take care of that for her - and she would have to modify their memories. It wouldn’t do for them to remember her taking Rheane. In fact, she’d make them remember watching her get snatched, and no one doing anything.
“Take th- take her. Her name is Rheane Lily Potter. Take her, and never darken this neighborhood again!” Petunia’s shrill voice rose exponentially in the short time she spoke, and Merlynn nodded decisively, and turned to the child who still hadn’t gotten back up. She folded her tall frame down, kneeling on the ground.
“What do you think? You want to take a chance on me?” She held out her hand, and slowly, hesitantly, Rheane reached back and grasped it, clouded green eyes wide with wonder, allowing Merlynn to slowly scoop her up. “My name is Merlynn. Merlynn Emrys. I’m not going to insist you call me mum or aunt or anything. You can call me Em, Merls, or Merlynn. Any of them will work for me, okay?” Rheane nodded slowly, and Merlynn slowly padded back to her table. “Let me just pack up my books - I’m just finishing the edits on my thesis for my degree - and we can go see about getting you some clothes that fit, yeah?” And supplies. She would need plenty of supplies. She set Rheane on the table, still rambling softly, and as she packed, she slowly modified the memories of those around her. Task completed, she looked up, only to see Rheane with glowing golden eyes. No wonder Magic insisted she find this child and take her in. Did this mean her family would be returning, like it had been foretold by the Druids so long ago? But what spell was being cast? Merlynn couldn't sense any effects, so she brushed it off, vowing to keep a close eye on any future occurrences.
~~
Several whirlwind hours later, a still silent, but much happier Rheane was settled in her new bed, sound asleep, in Merlynn’s home. Well, home was a bit of an understatement. After living forty years in Camelot, she had grown accustomed to the castle, and couldn’t bear to leave it behind. She had spent decades buying up plots of land and building the castle herself, just as she remembered it. While she was the only one who lived here full time, she had been prepared for the arrival of her family for decades… centuries, actually. And her family members would each eventually have families of their own - she hoped. She smiled sadly down at Rheane, snuggled up to her new stuffie (a dragon that looked quite like Kilgarrah, to her eternal amusement); there was a matching stuffie that reminded her of Aithusa as well, and she had been placed on the shelf over Rheane’s head, guarding the child’s sleep. With a gentle kiss to her forehead, and a soothing finger running down the faded lightning strike shaped scar marring the left side of her face, Merlynn set a monitoring charm, and walked through the servant passages to the kitchen. She stood in front of the cold cabinet, head against the open door, staring blankly as she quietly panicked. She knew nothing about caring for a young child! What was Magic thinking?!
“Oh look, Camelot’s Most Useless Servant is proving her worth once more.” She barely startled at the soft voice behind her, accustomed to imagining hearing his voice once more.
“Oh shut up, clot-pole! I just essentially kidnapped a child today. Let me…” she trailed off, spine stiffening as realization swept through her. There was no imagining the shift of air around her, a shift that should not have been there in the first place - the house elves were all asleep, and far too short, and Leon and George were headed North for a few years. Slowly, she pivoted on her heel, letting the cabinet swing shut behind her. There, all around the (her) kitchen, were fourteen familiar and one somewhat familiar face, but she only had eyes for one, currently. There, arms crossed across an impressive chest, feet planted in a strong, shoulder width stance, ice blue eyes a light with joy and yearning, golden blond hair hanging down in thick locks, attempting to obscure his vision, and a crooked grin pulling his tanned face into a crinkled visage, stood Arthur, Once and Future King, the other side of her coin, her love. She flew across the mere five feet separating them, throwing herself into his now open arms, sobbing. She felt one hand come up to card through her tangled curls, the other clutching her shirt at the base of her spine, before she stopped thinking, and just let herself collapse.
She didn’t know how long they stood there like that, but when she pulled back, everyone was seated in various perches, and food had been made. She recognized the handiwork of Windy and Poppy, her two head elves, shook her head with a smile.
“Alright, this is not the place for a long talk. There is a parlor we can go to. Windy, Poppy, move the food there, please, and I think some Whisky or Scotch is needed. Something strong, for certain. Thank you.” She dealt with the odd looks with ease, turning to lead the way, all while categorizing everyone who had appeared. Arthur and Gwenhyfer. Lancelot, Percival, Elyan, and Gwaine. Morgana and Mordred. Gaius and her parents. Uther and a woman she was beginning to suspect was Ygraine. Leon gave her a gimlet eyed stare, with George pushing him along before they could start up another fight. And everyone appeared to be getting along! That was the most mind boggling part. As everyone filed in, she made her rounds, greeting her friends and family warmly, before turning to the remaining four figures. She opted to ignore the older two, in favor of greeting the younger two first. Hesitantly, she smiled. “Morgana, Mordred. It’s been a while.” Morgana snorted harshly, and she flinched.
“You lied. Luckily for you, while we were all waiting for this moment, Gaius explained things. So. You’re forgiven.” Morgana stepped forward, just as hesitant as Merlynn’s words had been and opened her arms a little, a hopeful look on her face. Merlynn melted, remembering the friendship she had shared with Morgana and Gwenhyfer before everything turned south, and stepped forward, steps sure, and pulled Morgana into a strong embrace. She then turned to Mordred, and knew no words were needed. The Druid threw himself at her, and she could barely make out the jumble of mind speak before she soothed him, promising she didn’t blame him, and asking for forgivness in turn. That left-
“Sire.” Opting for respect, for once, Merlynn bowed, her trousers not really lending themselves for a curtsy. She held the position, nerves stilling her body as she tensed, fully prepared for flight or fight. She was therefore shocked at the gentle, self-depreciating laugh that echoed in front of her.
“No. I am no longer your king, Merlynn. I suspect I never was. Your devotion towards Arthur ran too deep for that. No. I also have learned in the interim that I was nowhere near a good king. I was blinded. And please, though I know it will be difficult to accept swiftly, know that I have changed. I now understand that Magic is not inherently evil.” Merlynn slowly rose, eyes wide as she took in the not-quite-there apology. You can take the man from the king, but you can’t take the king from the man, she thought dazedly. She nodded her acceptance of the words, and Uther continued on. “This is my wife, Ygraine.” From there, the night evolved from quiet reunions and introductions into plans. When you put two kings, a queen, two queen-material women, six knights, a mother, a man on the run, and a head physician in one room when plans are needed, plans are made. But the one they chose was not one Merlynn would’ve ordinarily entertained.
~~
“You want us to consider what?” Merlynn kept her voice soft, employing the same tactics she had in the park so many hours ago without even realizing it.
“Merlynn, dear, it will give us all a chance to right some wrongs done long ago. And it would put everyone on the same playing field. Gaius, Balinor, Uther, Ygraine, and I are merely support. That's why we came back, actually. The real fight lays with the rest of you. If Magic and Destiny are right in what Fate has planned, we have as many as fifteen or sixteen years. You can’t deny that Rheane would likely train better if she had people her age training with her. And, well…” Merlynn saw what her mother wasn’t saying. Without the bonds of royalty/nobility versus servant/peasant, they were free to try again with their friendships and relationships.
"I will not be joining you in being de-aged," George spoke up suddenly from where he was lurking by the fireplace. "I will remain as I am, keeping you and Leon from finding a way to permanently kill each other." He glared at them, and they just blinked slowly in reply. Merlynn slowly grinned, a toothy menace, as Leon turned and scowled at her.
"I am certain we'll get better about that, now that everyone is back. Plus, even though we don't lose our memories when de-aged, they'll become more distant, letting us actually learn how to get along." With that, she sat back, swirling her glass of Scotch, staring at the resulting whirl without actually seeing anything. She glanced back up, focusing solely on her mother.
“Do you really think you can handle me at three again? I know I was a right terror, and what you’re suggesting would strip away my control. We’d almost literally be children again.” Glancing around, she could see that everyone else had already talked about this possibility in-depth. They were just waiting for her to catch up. They seemed to really like the thought of this, anyway, so she decided to give just a token protest, already pulling some parchment and ink towards her. Notes were needed.
“My little falcon, I won’t be alone this time. I have your father and my brother, and Uther and Ygraine will be with us as well. We were thinking of an even split of the ten of you.” Hunith hesitated, and Merlynn rolled her eyes. Honestly, as they spoke, Merlynn was growing to like the idea. A second chance at a true childhood, and perhaps this time she could actually fill out properly, since she wouldn't be starving. Hunith smiled in relief, a small thing that relaxed her entire face, and continued. “Leon Knight, Morgana Pendragon-LeFay, Arthur Pendragon, Lance DuLac, and Percival Strong were going to be under Uther and Ygraine’s household. You, Gwaine Greene, Gwenhyfer and Elyan Smith, and Mordred Forest would be under mine and Balinor’s household. We were thinking, actually, that Rheane could be under Gaius’ household so that, in the beginning especially, she could still get that one on one attention she needs. We were thinking of finding houses next door to each other so that we could all easily visit, but we see you’ve basically given us Camelot.” Uther smirked, and Arthur dragged her close - not that she had been far from him in the first place. A glance kept the teasing comments at bay. Now was not the time. Her merlin feather quill hovered as she paused in reaching for it, mind already whirling with the details.
“One," she shot Arthur a faux-glare, "Camelot was my home for forty years. I found I could not easily leave the place behind when I realized I wasn’t aging. Two, our ages. They’re all so close together. Six of us will be three. Seven when you add Rheane. I suppose, considering the last names you gave, you’re going to say adoption or fostering?” At the five nods, she gave one in return. “Okay. Give me about a month. I want to make sure we have a paper trail, as well as proper identification and all. All in all, it should be easy, especially with the number of identities I’ve assumed in the last fourteen hundred years. We’ll also need to make sure there are enough supplies. Rheane is already mostly toilet trained, due to her deplorable aunt. I can’t guarantee the rest of us six year olds. Although… sizes." Poppy interrupted her with a harsh cough and glare, and she rolled her eyes. “Or not. I do believe I have just been told off by a house elf.” She grinned, taking the sting out of her words, and Poppy gave a defiant nod, before whisking away the empty platters and tumblers, leaving behind glasses and pitchers of water. “We are also being told to drink at least one full glass of water each. I'm also going to need time to research that potion, see how it would effect me and Leon, what with the immortality, and If it would get rid of the scars. If not, that's going to be a separate process.” The sound of shifting permeated the room as her words sunk in, and Merlynn got started on making the notes for the paperwork. That really wouldn’t take her long - the hardest part was planting the paper trail, and perhaps writing out the necessary stories, so that all the “adults” would know the correct story. She paused, Looking at the information in front of her. "Gaius, mum, are y'all planning on presenting yourselves as distant cousins to the Evans line that produced Lily, Rheane's mum?" Hunith looked over at her brother, who tilted his head, having not said much through the evening.
"We will be returning to the subject of scars later, Merlynn. But yes, I do believe that would work splendidly. Also, while Hunith, Balinor, Uther, and Ygraine are staying in proportional age to each other, I do believe I would like to go even further, give myself more years and the heightened ability to keep up with eleven young children." Merlynn snickered as the "dreaded eyebrow" came into play. By now, she knew her uncle well, and could see the amusement lurking behind his eyes. "I do believe thirty is a good age, yes?" She hummed and turned back to the parchment.
"Okay, three hundred it is. Evans. Seven year difference... Do any of you have magic, either Old or New?" She glanced back up, studiously ignoring the laughter brought on by her jab at her uncle. Uther shifted.
"First, what's the difference between Old and New?" Merlynn tilted her head in thought.
"Well, the base difference is this." She glanced at a balled up piece of parchment, and her eyes flared gold as the parchment burst into flames. She then withdrew her rarely used wand of English Oak and Powdered Great Dragon Scale bound by her blood (from both Kilgarrah and Aithusa) and pointed it at the inkwell. With a gentle swish-and-flick, it steadily lifted from the table, and she lifted her clear blue eyes to the faces around her. "Old Magic comes from the connection between you and your environment. New Magic comes directly from the wand, activated only by its connection to you. I have grown to be able to sense the Magic in people, if it is New Magic, or the ability for someone to wield Old Magic, but I cannot tell the difference yet..." she trailed off as everyone shifted. Arthur spoke up for the first time in an hour.
"We all have access to the Magic of the Old Religion. I think, honestly, that only Dad and your mum do not have the New Magic. I know that those of us who will be de-aged will have both, like you." Her mum nodded, silently confirming everything that Arthur said. Merlynn hummed once more, idly flicking an ice cube at Leon, dodging his retaliation and ignoring George's huff. Her notes were beginning to form a proper list:
Gaius Evans - 3 April 1953, 30
Balinor Emrys - 28 February 1958, 25
Uther Pendragon - 22 December 1958, 25Ygraine LeFay - 14 January 1959, 24
Hunith Evans - 28 October 1960, 23
George Evans - 25 August 1965, 18
Leon Knight - 13 February 1979, 4
Morgana Pendragon-LeFay - 21 June 1979, 4Arthur Pendragon - 21 September 1979, 3
Lance DuLac - 31 October 1979, 3
Percival Strong - 24 November 1979, 3
Merlynn Emrys - 21 December 1979, 3
Gwaine Greene - 31 January 1980, 3
Gwenhyfer Smith - 21 March 1980, 3
Rheane Potter - 31 July 1980, 3Elyan Smith - 24 May 1982, 1
Mordred Forest - 31 August 1982,1
She noticed had automatically grouped everyone by age, and the "children" according to school years and snorted.
"Hey, Mordred, you just barely hit the deadline for being in the same year as Elyan. Otherwise, you would have been four years behind Leon and Morgana." Mordred looked somewhat embarrassed, well aware of just how much she knew. But she didn't hear any response from him, however, as she found herself gripped by a jaw-cracking yawn.
“Alright, it has gotten way too late. Rooms are marked, and if you’ve any questions, ask for Windy. She takes care of the servant assignments, Poppy takes care of the kitchen. I will introduce you to everyone in the next few days. I’m certain that, by the end of the week, Windy will make sure everyone has a house elf suited to their personalities taking care of them. Please do not mistreat them. They will retaliate. They are not owned, but they are not payed in a traditional manner either. I have scrolls detailing the whole issue somewhere in the library. Ask Alexandria - she's in charge there. George, I have a favor to ask in the morning, please don't let me forget.” She cut herself off with another yawn, and stood, draining her third glass of water, before gathering her parchments and heading to her personal office. It was nearly dawn, and hopefully the light sleeping draught she had slipped into Rheane’s food last night would last long enough for her to grab a few hours before she had to try to explain everything to a real three year old. She was unaware of her silent shadow until she reached her room.
“My room, Mer-lynn? This really is Camelot. I would have thought you would take up your old room in Gauis’ quarters.” Luckily, she had managed not to shout or strike at Arthur when he spoke, likely because she had placed Rheane’s bed in here as well. She sighed in mild frustration.
“Arthur, I made it abundantly clear just how I felt for you. You were the only one who didn’t see it. You were set on Gwen, and I stepped aside for your happiness. I will move tomor-“ she was cut off as Arthur gave a gusty sigh and surged forward to steal a chaste kiss, hands gently cradling her angular face.
“No, you will not. Not while we are adults. Yes, I was blind, but so were you. I gave up and turned to Gwen when it seemed like you did not return my feelings. Gwen did not know I still loved you until after her own death, otherwise, she would have set me straight, and you would have been queen, not her. She loves both Morgana and Lancelot, anyway, and is having trouble trying to figure that out.” Arthur rested his forehead against hers and smiled gently. “Keep the room. I will go and find somewhere else to stay tonight.” His thumbs brushed over her cheekbones, swiping at the tears beginning to run from her eyes as she stared at Arthur, as if seeing him clearly for the first time. Her hands came up to hold his wrists, and she tilted her head pressing her lips against his insistently for a longer, if still chaste, kiss. When they pulled back, she gave her own gentle smile.
“Stay. It has been too long. Tonight, we sleep. Tomorrow, we introduce you lot to Rheane and explain things. We go from there. Also, I have a book to share with Gwen if that's her problem.” Arthur’s eyes lit up, and they prepared for bed, Merlynn choosing to enlarge some of her clothes for him. They lay there, Arthur on his back, arm under her shoulders, as she curled into his side and placed her ear over his heart. Her sleep was peaceful that night.
~~
True light came with the sound of terrified whimpers, and Merlynn pulled herself up with a curse. Two hours was not enough after last night’s revelations. But Rheane came first.
“Good morning Rhea,” she murmured sleepily, crouching down by the low slung bed. Immediately, she saw the problem, and reached out to run a hand over the messy hair. “Don’t you worry about a thing. Accidents happen, even when we take precautions. Come here love. There you go. Let’s go get you cleaned up. No need to be afraid.” She softly soothed the three year old as her eyes flared gold, sending the sheets to the laundry even as the mattress dried out. “Are you still sleepy, or are you hungry, Rhea?” Green eyes, still worryingly clouded, stared into crystalline blue, before they slowly closed and Rheane’s small head tucked itself into the crook of Merlynn’s neck. “Okay sweetheart. Come on, you can sleep up here with me. Arthur,” she prodded the still sleeping man, who grumbled and shifted, but still didn’t wake, “won’t mind sharing his heat with one more person.” A soft snuffling snore was her answer, and she chuckled, tucking Rheane into the space between her and Arthur, curling around her as best she could, and followed her back to sleep.
When she woke again, it was to a hushed voice and quiet giggles, and she was smiling even before she opened her eyes. There beside her sat Arthur, chest bared and sleep trousers slung low across his hips, with Rheane sitting on his lap. Arthur was telling a highly edited version of how they had met, and Rheane was enraptured. A glance at the window showed it was nearly noon, if not past that, and she pulled herself to a seated position as the story came to a close.
“Well now, I see you two are getting along nicely.” She caught Rheane as the golden eyed child launched herself at her with an elated squeal. Merlynn blinked dazedly at Arthur, who laughed.
“I woke up about an hour ago to her sitting on my chest, and fire dancing in the air. It was quite a beautiful light show. But she refused to leave you to go get food, so we’ve been sitting here, waiting for you to wake up. She likes stories of Camelot.” Arthur attempted an innocent smile, and Merlynn gazed at him dispassionately for the the attempt.
“You mean she likes the stories you tell, making me look like an idiot.”
“You are an idiot Mer-lynn. But you’re my idiot.” Merlynn rolled her eyes, before leaning in to buss a kiss over Arthur’s cheek.
“Just as you are my cabbage headed clot-pole. Put on a shirt of and grab a pair of slippers. Ready for some food Rhea?” She swung the giggling child around as she slipped into her own slippers. “You have a whole lot of people waiting to meet you. There’s Arthur’s sister, Morgana, and his parents, Uther and Ygraine. Then there’s my parents, Hunith and Balinor. And that’s not all. Our friends are also waiting…” she trailed off as Arthur attempted to walk the main passage ways, tugging her along. “Arthur, lemme show you how we servants traversed this castle. It’s much quicker, honestly!” Rhea giggled even harder as they fell on their age old habit of pointless arguments. They were almost to the kitchen when Poppy appeared down the hall.
“To the dining room with yous! Everyone is there! Go on now!” Poppy was the first house elf Merlynn had taken in, almost one thousand years ago, and somehow had expanded the dear being’s life span by nearly triple at this point. Poppy wore a deep purple sari native to her home country of India, golden bangles sitting along her arms, some tight, some loose, all clinking together in a haphazard melody. Currently, a playful scowl pulled at her face, and her hands flapped like flags in a breeze. Rheane stopped giggling, head tilted at the sight before her. Merlynn was about to say something when Rheane raised a hand and shyly waved. “Good afternoon little Miss Rhea! Yous should have come down earlier, can’t bes missing breakfast nows! Poppy made plenty of food, though. Eat as much as you can, little Miss! Poppy insists!” Rheane’s eyes lit up, and she turned a pleading face towards Merlynn, who laughed, relieved that there didn’t seem to be much permanent damage done to the child by Petunia.
Everyone was in the dining room, and Merlynn grinned at the various states of consciousness she could see. Gaius had always had to be up in an instant, and was enjoying a pot of tea as he spoke with his sister, who had worked many years on a farm, necessitating an early rise. Balinor, after spending two decades on the run, was mostly upright, but still catching some sleep, despite his open eyes. Mordred and Morgana, despite being awake, were glaring balefully out the window in a most disgruntled fashion, leading Merlynn to believe they had been awake since the sun. Gwaine wasn’t even pretending - he was passed out on the table, at the mercy of a grinning Percival, who had found the colored ink. It looked like Percival wasn’t the only one having fun, just the current one. While the large man was fond of jokes, Merlynn didn’t think he was the type to draw dicks on people’s faces… no, that was Elyan, who wiggled his fingers at a shy Rheane. Gwenhyfer was propped up on her brother’s shoulder, giving Percival new ideas for Gwaine’s face. Lancelot and Leon were facing off, a couple of cups between them, and a bowl of grapes each. As she watched, Leon took a turn to bounce a grape into the cup closest to him, despite Lancelot jarring the table with a very fake sneezing fit. Uther had found her morning papers, by the looks of it, and had already made his way through the Daily Prophet as well as several of her muggle news subscriptions. Ygraine, likewise, had found her magazines, from both worlds, and was doing the same. Their remains of their breakfast was just being cleared away, with Uther enjoying a cup of coffee, and Ygraine sipping a cup of tea.
“Uther, Ygraine, I would like those when your done, mainly the newspapers. The magazines are usually monthly, but some, particularly the Wizarding publications, can be weekly as well, Ygraine. I can set up subscriptions of the ones you like before we all de-age ourselves.” She turned without waiting for a response as Lancelot managed his own shot… into Leon’s cup. “Are the two of you playing Quarters? With grapes?” They looked at her sheepishly, and she rolled her eyes, turning to the next group. “Percival, Elyan, I hope the two of you are prepared for Gwaine’s retribution. Gwen, please quit encouraging that. Ink is not fun to wash off, though I think he’ll be glad that’s all you lot found. Mordred, Morgana, come get some coffee. It’s stronger than tea, will help perk you both right up.” She rounded the table, easily placed the golden eyed Rheane into a boosted chair, and started making a plate for her as Poppy materialized with a sippy cup with milk. “Thank you Poppy, dear. How’s your Hindu, by the way? I want Rhea to know something of her father’s culture.” Poppy gave a wide smile and reached over to tap Rheane’s nose.
“Poppy bes teaching Little Miss Rhea, Great Emrys. And Poppy knows Brynhildr would be more than happy to teach Little Miss Rhea her mother’s culture, too! Little Miss Rhea will know everything there is to know, yes!” Merlynn dropped to her knees beside the tiny elf and gathered her into a hug.
“Thank you so much, Poppy. I really think the title of Great belongs with you all.” Poppy tapped her cheek gently, and disappeared without a word. Merlynn stood back up, and ran a hand down Rhea’s back as the girl slowly ate, watching the room around her. “Rhea,” she waited until their eyes met before continuing, “I’m going to move around the room, okay? I’m not leaving. Just sit tight and eat.” Rhea nodded slowly, and Merlynn began to move away, just as slowly. Before long, she’d made it to Gwaine’s side in time to confiscate the brush and inks before the trio of currently scattering devils started to ink his hair. She sent them flying to the mantle on the other side of the room, placed under wards to keep wandering hands from just grabbing them up again, and shook Gwaine’s shoulder. He slowly sat up, and she pushed a plate of fish on rice pilaf under his nose without a word. It may be rude to paint on someone’s face as they slept, but it was funny as hell, too.
A glance at the side table Leon and Lancelot were playing at showed the game had devolved to just throwing grapes at each other, trying to snap the food out of midair with their mouths. She rolled her eyes and turned her backs on them, instead focusing on glaring Percival back to the table, one hand grabbing Gwenhyfer’s wrist while the other grabbed Elyan’s ear. The three slowly sat back down to their meals, and she gave them one final glare before moving on. Mordred and Morgana were sharing the coffee pot, and she sighed before moving a platter of fruit closer to them, as well as some cheeses and cold cut meats. Easy to eat, considering they were still fumbling around. Gaius and her mother tried to wave her off, a newly awoken Balinor joining them for a meal after pausing to wrap her in a slightly awkward, but love filled hug, but she approached anyway, crouching down beside Gaius.
"Uncle, later, could you help me determine Rhea's health? I'm beginning to think she's blind. I remember when she was born, her parents were some of my favorites, so they invited me over soon after her birth. She had vibrant green eyes, as bright as gemstones. Kinda like mine, but, well, green. Now, they're clouded when they're green. I suspect she's using magic to actively see." Gaius slowly nodded, eyes turned towards Rheane, who was watching them with her golden stare. "I do plan to ask the Goblin Nation to spare me a healer - her scar is bleeding Black Magic, and they know more about the two potions I mentioned last night - but I want to know if she's blind or not. And don't worry, they aren't the same type of Goblin like what got loose in Camelot."
"Of course, dear child. We'll talk more after the meal - and bring Leon with you. I need to know just how bad the scars are if they cannot be healed, understood?" Merlynn nodded sheepishly, tugging gently on her high, stiff collared sleep shirt, cuffs buttoned tightly on her wrists. Even the ankle cuffs of her trousers were tight, and she knew without looking that Leon was also buttoned up tight. They had been through a lot, most of it done to each other. She stood and started to make her way to Leon, who was over at the fireplace talking to George, when Arthur grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his lap where he was sitting next to Rheane.
“Stop and eat, Merls. Anything else can wait. You’re making me dizzy.” She turned sideways on his lap, tucking her shoulder under his, head on top of his shoulder, and watched as Rheane's eyes turned back to a cloudy green and she stopped accurately tracking the sounds in favor of yawning and settling in to nap. She frowned. just how much magic was she using to see with? Or was she taking advantage of the freedom to actually use magic without fear, and therefore overtaxing herself. One thing was certain, if Rheane stayed asleep long enough, it would make it easier to cast a multitude of diagnostic charms.
"Arthur, when you were telling Rhea stories this morning, what color were her eyes?" The noise level dropped to dead silent, and Arthur hummed quietly, one hand reaching out to card through Rheane's choppy curls.
"They flickered between green and gold, but I could not tell what she was casting. There were no effects, and I couldn't find a pattern to the casting. Why?" She sat up, staring at Arthur quietly.
"One more question. When they were green, were they clear, or cloudy?" Arthur frowned.
"Cloudy. Is she blind?" Merlynn shrugged, gaze returning to Rheane.
"I don't know, though I'm beginning to suspect so. I know her scar is bleeding Black Magic. And this brings me to my favor, George." She reached into her dressing gown pocket and withdrew a golden medal. On one side was the Pendragon Crest. On the other was a Merlin in flight. It was her personal medal, and she held it out to the stunned Druid. "If you are indeed serious about not joining us through child hood again, I would like you to be my spokesperson while I'm growing up. This will allow the magical races to recognize you as being sent by me, and therefore to treat you like they would me. This would be especially useful when dealing with the Goblin Nation." George moved to sit across from her, but didn't take the medal yet.
"And I take it you want me to go to Gringotts soon?" His question was simple, and rhetorical, but she answered anyway.
"Yes. Ask for Ragnok. And from Ragnok, ask for Healer Griswald, and a trustworthy Curse Breaker, preferably of their race, not ours, to accompany you back to me. I will also have a letter for him, so give me time to get that together?" George stared at her, before turning his gaze to the medal.
"But... Ragnok is the King of the United Goblin Nations. He is the very top of the proverbial food chain." Merlynn raised an eyebrow, waiting for a question or response to her request. None came.
"Yes, he is. He is also a dear friend of mine. Are you willing? Or will you and Mordred be switching places?" George glanced over to his fellow Druid, who gave him a droll look.
"Okay. Fine. I'll do it." He cautiously took the medal, slipping the ribbon over his head and tucking it beneath his shirt.
"Thank you, George. Leon," she turned to the knight now sitting on the other side of Mordred, arm slung across the back of his chair, "you're joining that conversation with Gaius and Healer Griswald. I'm also forced to be there. Wear something loose." Leon grimaced, and Balinor sat forward.
"I can sense that this is an unpleasant conversation, but what happened to the two of you?" She stared at her father, before turning to look at Leon, who lowered his gaze briefly.
"They should probably know. You said it yourself - we won't lose those memories. So it goes without saying that they would still be able to affect us. And if we can't get the scars to fully disappear, they should also know how bad they are." She sighed. As always, Leon had sound advice.
"Well, I suppose eating will have to wait for me. I don't want to do this with food in my stomach. I'm not proud of some of these memories." Leon pulled a face, visibly regretting the food he had eaten, before standing to lead the way to what Merlynn liked to call the viewing room. It was a large room, with a smooth white surface on one wall, closed cabinets containing little crystal vials of a silvery-blue substance along the other three, and a shallow bowl carved with runes in the center.
Notes:
Okay, I posted a little too soon, and there have been mistakes. I’ve just been correcting these errors, slowly, and they’ve been minor, so don’t worry about missing much, okay?
EDIT: I do believe I have cleared up the last of the edits. I hope. I think I'll stop reading it, because I keep finding things to edit or clarify...
Chapter 2: 15 July 1983 (500s, 900s, 1100s, 1943)
Summary:
Memories are viewed, and feelings are had (but not spoken of)
Notes:
I just want you to know that this chapter is why I posted the Trigger Warning (suicide, murder, torture, prisoner of war, and medieval medicine) tags on the story. If you have trouble with that skim/skip the italics. There may or may not be more chapters similar. I tend to like to cause myself mental agony, and I'm beginning to do the same to others.
If one hasn't figured it out, the chapter name is the date (or time frame) the chapter takes place.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
With a flick of her hand, Merlynn conjured enough seating for everyone, facing the blank wall, with the bowl situated behind them.
"This is a pensieve. It allows the user to review memories from a third person angle. Normally, we would have to enter the pensieve to properly view the memories, but I modified this one. It will project to play the memories on the blank wall there like a moving picture. There will be sound. I will show you how to use the pensieve in the time I have left as an adult, so that anyone can later view any of the memories in this room. I have a catalogue of which bottle contains which memory, and who's memory it is. But that is beside the point." Merlynn took a deep breath, and placed her wand on her temple, pulling strand after strand of memory, before going to a heavily locked cabinet and collecting other memories from it to add to the pensieve.
Merlynn took a deep breath, before pressing several runes and dimming the lights. She joined Leon and George huddled on a three seater, needing the support of those who lived this with her.
Merlynn stood at the edge of a lake, tears flowing down her cheeks, in the guise of an old woman. Saddened blue eyes closed as hunched shoulders dropped even further, wispy white hair pulled into a soft bun gnarled hands gripped a walking staff tightly, and a shuddered breath escaped her. “Goodbye, Queen Gwenhyfer. Goodbye Gwen. I am the last, now.” She glanced around, noting that there was no one, having sent them back with no intention to return herself. Her eyes flashed gold, and the aging spell dropped, revealing Merlynn in her mid-twenties, thick black hair popping from the confines of her bun, arthritis-free hands releasing the staff to grab a knife. “Perhaps now I can join you. Perhaps now, my destiny is done, and I may rest.” She raised the knife in both hands, and plunged it into her chest, hitting her heart, and collapsed, dead, a smile on her face.
A few minutes later, a golden glow surrounded her, the knife getting pulled out of her chest by an unseen force. The wound sealed itself, and color returned to Merlynn’s body. With a gasp, she shot up.
”No!” Her cry was sharp and devastated, startling the birds out of the nearby trees. “No! No, no, no! This was supposed to be the end. I just want to join my friends! My family!”
It is not your time. Your time has ended, and your time will come. Travel, learn, help, and you will know when you are needed again. You will see them again.
The words reverberated through the air, coming from everywhere and nowhere all at once, and Merlynn burst into tears.
”Merlynn! I hope to the Goddess you got past the suicidal part quite rapidly!” Merlynn stared, wide eyed, at her mother, before silently pointing at the screen.
The times had definitely changed. The style of Merlynn’s clothes was somewhere in the middle class, and she was in an alley, watching, heart broken, as a mob pelted stones at an old lady, shouting magic related slurs.
”I wouldn’t try to interfere with that. They’d just kill you alongside her.” Merlynn, startled, spun and lashed out with a left hook that caught her surpriser neatly across the jaw, causing him to stumble backwards, nearly falling on his arse. The startled face of Sir Leon stared at her, hand cradling his jaw. At the other end of the alley stood another familiar face - George. Merlyyn stared slack-jawed for a few precious minutes, before shaking herself off and pulling herself straight.
”I have so many questions. Come. Both of you.” Without pausing for a response, she turned and stalked off, striding away from the mob to a small house on the outside of town. A faded sign declared it an inn, and she stalked inside, thankful the parlour was empty. She led the two men up the rickety stairs, and ushered them into the small room she had rented. Her eyes flashed gold, and a bubble of silence surrounded the room. “You. You, Leon, disappeared from a routine patrol. The entire patrol was found dead, and you were gone. Please tell me you didn’t kill them to run away! Huh?!” She folded her arms over her chest, red neckerchief bunched oddly, showing mottled bruising peeking out from underneath.
“I did not kill anyone to escape. I saw an opportunity. You may not have heard any of the rumors, but Gwen and I did. I wasn’t aging. I had to leave. Gwen knew I would do so, but she didn’t know when, so that she could be properly surprised. I went to the druids, since they were the reason I’m immortal.” Leon went quiet, gazed fixed worriedly on Merlynn’s neck, but she turned and pushed on.
”And you George? I remember you returning home not ten years after Arthur’s death. Your mother, was it? So why are you here, four hundred years later? Hmm?” Everything in her stance and tone screamed defensive, and Leon physically backed up, jaw already beginning to bruise:
”I was raised a druid, though my magic is pretty weak. I was sent to Camelot to wait for you, to keep an eye on you, but was forbidden to reveal myself to you. When the druids saved Leon, they made him swear the same. We did our best to cover for you when you went to take care of the threats. I just wish we had ignored the druids’ warnings. I didn’t realize Emrys really meant, quite literally, immortal. We would have never left you alone if we had known you would suffer like this.” George scrambled to talk, hands twisting as he stared down an angry Emrys. The stand off went on for several minutes, before Merlynn turned away.
”The Cup of Life?” The question was soft, and the answers were equally soft yeses. “Leave. Both of you. Before I sink a knife into your chests. I’ve got work to do. By the end of the day, I won’t be here. Don’t try to find me.”
It was obviously the same day as the previous scene. Merlynn darted between buildings, head down, hood of her brown shawl pulled close. She had a worn pack pulled close to her chest, and as she glanced around, a child's scream rent the air. With the coast clear, she darted in the direction of the scream, and burst into a house as a young boy screamed again, knife in his leg, and a man who was clearly his father loomed over him, snarling about witches and demons. His wife lay in front of the fireplace, body broken, and Merlynn shuddered as she turned to focus on the man. She threw out her arm, and a knife went flying into his chest as she approached the child, who had passed out from the pain. Quickly, she bound his leg around the knife, unwilling to pull it out right now, and carefully lifted him into her arms. Just as swiftly as she had entered, she exited, knife returning to the hidden sheath, pack now on her back, and shawl removed to wrap the small boy in.
She walked into a camp of mercenaries, and into a large tent with red bands. Inside was a bustle of activity, cot lined up, and physicians attending to wounded people. she walked to the furthest cot, set him down, and removed her pack, pulling out a full kit, including various remedies, salves, and herbs. A small jug of alcohol, a clean rag, and a sewing kit were set on a tray, followed by various herbs and remedies. She tilted the child's head back, opening his mouth, and dripped a small measure of one such remedy down his throat, one hand on his chest measuring his breaths as they slowed and deepened. Before she could continue, a strong voice sounded out behind her.
"I see you've found another child of magic to tend and teach, Lynn. But what happened? You're late." Merlynn glanced behind her, and smiled distractedly at the tall, broad woman with wild red hair and freckles.
"Winnifred. Lovely to see you again. Ran into some... memories. This is Salazar. He's about the same age as Helga, Rowena, and your own Godric. But his father was in the process of killing him. He'd already killed his own wife, and I don't know if she even had magic. You know I focus on the children first. Now, let me concentrate. And bring me a candle, just in case. He's already lost a lot of blood." Merlynn washed her hands in the basin brought to her by one of the attending nurses, before sending her away with a glance. A quick spell had the trouser leg cut above the makeshift bandage, and she pulled a clean basin closer, before swiftly removing the bandage, knife, and trouser leg. "I want that bandage back." She bunched a rag under his leg, popped the cork off the jug of alcohol, and grabbed another rag. Carefully, she poured alcohol over the freshly (and heavily) bleeding wound, pausing only to gently wipe away the resulting mess. After a few rounds of this, she set aside the rag and jug, and dipped her hands in the steaming basin before grabbing the threaded needle. She knelt on the ground beside the cot and began to painstakingly stitch the sluggishly bleeding wound shut, eyes glowing gold as she did what she could to assist with his healing. It took several minutes, but soon enough, she was able to snip the thread, toss the needle in the basin containing the rags and bandage, and sit back. With a sigh, she washed her hands and checked his vitals, before turning back to her tray. She picked up one of the salves, opened it, and gently dabbed it onto the wound, before neatly winding fresh bandages over the stitches. A young boy, already showing signs of becoming a broad youth and strong man, appeared at her side, holding a bundle of clothes. His face was a deep tan that spoke of a life outside, and his hair was a dirty blonde that threatened red. Dark blue eyes looked at the other boy in worry.
"Is he going to be alright, Miss Lynn?" Merlynn turned from her work with a weary smile, and nodded towards the chair by the bed. The boy set down the clothes before tucking himself close to Merlynn's leg, watching her every movement. Not far away stood two girls, about the same age. One had a face that was lent towards smiles, the other had a haughty look, but both faces were pulled in frowns. The smaller girl had dark brown curls, pulled back into a tail, and a ruddy complexion. The taller of the two had straight midnight hair, and a pale complexion. Merlynn looked at the boy in the bed, with black curls so similar to her own, and a sickly pale complexion. Gently she removed the rest of his clothes.
"Helga, dear, get me a soft rag. Rowena, love, I need a basin of bath water. Godric, honey, some fresh bed sheets. I will have a better answer after I finish tending to him." As the three children rushed to do as she asked, Merlynn took stock of the various injuries she had found under his clothes, grabbing and lining up various salves and herbs to apply once she had cleaned the dirt off the thin body. With the arrival of the bath water, she did just that, turning him and wiping away grime and blood until she declared him as clean as she could manage with what she had. She lifted him, gently cradling his body, as the other three swiftly changed the sheets. Once he was set back down, she treated is other injuries, checked his ribs for breaks or cracks, and, finding none, dressed him before pulling a blanket up and tucking him in. With a sigh, she sat on the chair and repacked her kit. "If he survives the night without developing a fever, he will have gotten through the worst of it. I won't lie. He lost a loth of blood. Almost too much. If his wound won't stop bleeding, I will have to cauterize it. I don't want to unless I have to." Kit repacked, she placed her pack under the cot, and ran a hand through his curls. "This is Salazar. He's as special as you three. He doesn't have your gift of the future, 'Wena. He's not got the greenest thumb in the whole wide world like our dear Helga. He doesn't have the strongest offense nor the staunchest defense like our King of the Arena," she reached over and tugged a lock of the dirty blonde hair of the boy beside her. "But even without training, I saw him brew a strong sleeping draught. I've also heard him speaking to the snakes, learning to hide like they do. He's our little ambitious one, cunning and quiet. He'll do great things with that." The three children were eventually chivvied off to bed by a harrassed looking Winnifred, who gave her a look that was summarily ignored.
As the night went on, Merlynn sat rigidly on the chair. She had long since cleaned out her neckerchief and returned it to her neck, covering the large, handprint shaped, bruises encircling her throat. Her shawl, the boys clothes, and the excess thread had been tossed on the fire, and the knife had been sent to the travel forge to be cleaned, sharpened and returned. She tended to Salazar, frowning as he grew colder, and she changed the bandages. After the third time, she growled, lit the candle, and stalked over to one of the other physicians.
"Ella. I need a couple of free people to hold him down. The wound won't stop bleeding, and I treated for poison several times." Ella frowned and gestured at a couple of the nurses that had been going around feeding broth and gruel, before going and opening as many openings of the tent as possible. Merlynn caught sight of Leon and George sitting outside, and sighed, before rolling her eyes and turning her back on them. She had no time for this right now. At the fire, she placed a poker in the middle, before turning to watch as the nurses removed the bandages and stitches, before moving him to the edge of the bed. Merlynn took the hot poker with a sad look, and took it to press against the wound for several seconds before replacing the poker by the fire, and rushing back to tend to the burned, but sealed wound.
She pressed a hand to his chest, cheek over his nose and mouth, before sighing when she registered breathing. Salazar hadn't twitched at all during that, and she had been afraid that she had lost him.
It took three days for Salazar to wake up. In the interim, Merlynn had a screaming match with Leon, that ended in fatal bloodshed for the both of them, swords falling limply to their sides.
"What was that fight even about?" Arthur demanded. Merlynn and Leon glanced at each other, and shrugged.
"I'm actually not sure about much, just that we both had a lot of anger built up. To be honest, that's not the only time we've killed each other. In fact, the most recent was a decade ago, but that was honestly pure accident." Merlynn's head dropped back on the couch and she groaned, remembering that incident.
"We had been wrestling, playfully, too, but we happened to be on a cliff. We rolled off. George went tumbling with us. He didn't speak to either of us for eight years." Hunith and Balinor dropped their heads into their hands with resigned groans, and everyone else just glanced at them, trying to figure out when they started hating each other.
"What I don't get is how you two went from being civil when we were all alive, to this," Gwaine gestured at the screen wildly, Percival dodging nimbly, "And now to... whatever this is..." Gwaine pointed at them now, trailing off, lost. Leon sighed.
"We aren't anything right now, Gwaine. Just, a kind of friends that spends their time fighting and playing mean pranks that, if timed wrong, could be fatal, but it's all good because we come back to life. Though, we're getting better about that last bit." Merlynn rolled her eyes.
"And that," she pointed calmly at the screen, "was a build up of loneliness, pain, anger, and what is now labelled as depression. I suffer severe bouts of it."
"You also suffer severe anxiety, severe panic, and severe self confidence issues. And we both suffer severe PTSD. Though, that's getting better." Leon purposely turned back to the screen, prompting everyone else to do the same.
It was early morning, the sun just barely lighting up the sky in a predawn glow. Two men, both in just trousers and boots, were sparring in a makeshift arena with quarter staves. One figure was obviously Leon. The other was Merlynn, in a male body. Both of them were heavily scarred, and both had taken on the appearance of older men, but not so old as to be overlooked and infirm. George sat on a fence nearby, a basket at his feet, and their shirts beside him.
"Are you two serious about the Crusades?" He asked as the blows slowly came to a stop, and they circled each other, looking for an opening.
"I miss the comradery of my fellow soldiers, George. I don't necessarily think the Crusades are the right thing, though. So no, I'm not really serious about the Crusades. Em, you?" Merlynn cocked her head to the side, and surged forward without answering, causing George to sigh as he waited for the flurry of blows to stop once more.
"Not really, for me." He eventually answered. "I just don't want to be trapped. Society has regressed in the last seven or eight hundred years. Hard to track the years, isn't it? But I'm nothing more than a broodmare if I stay female, and I refuse to allow that. I hate that I have to hide who I am just to have a job!" Merlynn snapped harshly, and Leon jumped out of the way.
"Why not return to that school those four children made. Teach there. I'm sure they wouldn't look to harshly at immortality, right?" George questioned as Leon straightened back out, and squared his shoulders.
"Actually, they would. And women are still looked down on, though not as much as here. It's more subtle there. A comment here, a snub there. Selective hearing, and all that." As one, they turned and walked over to George, who leaned forward to lift the basket, and therefore, all three of them missed the approach of three men, armed with daggers, who swiftly murdered the trio.
"That was one of the more embarrassing times, I will grant you that." Beside a ruefully grinning Merlynn, Leon had sunk into the cushions, face red as a tomato, and George, on her other side, was banging his head on the arm rest. With her comment, the other knights, Gwenhwfer, and Morgana burst out laughing. Hunith, Balinor, and Gaius all face palmed, while Ygraine and Uther just shook their heads.
Machine gunfire echoed over the field, shouts lost in the fray. Mortar blasts pierced the air sharply, and screams were cut off as an explosion rocked the ground. Many different soldiers in many different uniforms fought side by side, with a common enemy. This mixed battalion of soldiers was quickly overpowered when spell fire joined the fray. The remaining soldiers were taken captive, and soon, the torture began. Floggers with barbed tips, water boarding, electroshocks, sleep deprivation, and starvation, as well as freezing cold conditions, were normal. Soon, only Merlin and Leon remained, and their captors quickly found out they didn't stay dead. Soon, the experiments started. Merlynn was dissected - while still alive. And that wasn't the worst of it. That's just what Merlynn could remember. Four months, they died and came back, enduring never ending torture side by side, gaining more and more scars, all layered up on top of each other. Four months it took for George to find them. And at that point, George just set the charges and blew up the complex, before searching the rubble for their bodies. They died several more times of infections and illnesses as they recovered. George sat with them, tending their injuries, keeping their dead bodies warm to ease the transition from dead to alive. He painstakingly fed them broth, even as they fought, thinking they were being waterboarded once more. He held them as they shook apart from the memories, as they tried to kill themselves in increasingly creative - and heartbreaking - ways, as they eventually turned on each other, lashing out at the memories and not caring if they injured or killed the other. Eventually, George placed them in separate rooms, running back and forth with the help of the free elves employed by Merlynn. They got better, unless they saw each other. Some days, they clung to each other, dependent on the other to be able to function. Other days... well, George was getting tired of nursing them back to health. Five years passed in this vein, and eventually, they healed more and more. They agreed to meet up every five years, and promised to never join a war again. Leon went to explore the continent. Merlynn stalked the Wizarding World. George went between the two of them, still trying to take care of them. They never wore anything that didn't cover the entire neck, down to their wrists, and down to their ankles.
Silence filled the room, and Merlynn reached up to stop the projection. The lights slowly brightened up, and she turned to face Gaius.
"And now you know about the worst of our scars. I only took the one stab to my chest, and it still tightens up painfully when cold or I get stressed. We both actually managed to hit each other's lungs, and breathing can be a chore. All three of us had our throats slit, so that's not really a pretty sight. And then, well, despite George's care, those wounds gained as a prisoner of war didn't heal quite right, made worse by the way they were layered.” She turned away, just to catch Arthur staring between her and the blank screen. Before she could ask, he turned back to her.
”You can change your gender?”
Notes:
This chapter, despite being so soon after the first, was hard as fuck to write, because I've been suicidal before, and suffer bouts of manic depressive states. Um... Also. I'm sorry... Kind of...
Next chapter will not contain more memories. I plan to move things along... I hope, lol
Chapter 3: 15 July 1983 - 17 August 1983
Summary:
Talk, revelations, preparations, and they did it...
Notes:
So, I needed this after the last chapter. That chapter almost did me in. Why do I do this to myself?
And I’m doing it again. Mentions of off screen pedophilia of two very minor characters. Like, hopefully they will never be mentioned again. I hope...
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Gwenhyfer reached over and slapped the back of his head. Gwaine turned towards him with an incredulous look.
”All of that, sire, and that’s your take away? The gender changing? What about the suicidal tendency, the depression, the lack of confidence, that we will be talking about,” Gwaine turned and growled the last bit at her, and she duccked sheepishly behind Leon’s shoulder. “How is it that all of that passes you by?” Arthur fumbled for words, and Merlynn took pity on him.
”Because, Gwaine, everything else was something he could make plans for. My changing genders doesn’t quite fit into any plan.” She paused, glancing around the room. “To be completely honest, even back in Camelot, I held the belief that gender is nothing more than a social construct meant to control half the population. That’s why I didn’t fight so hard when it was assumed I was male. I was wearing trousers to help protect me against bandits while traveling - they left men alone more often than they would women. Then I just didn’t like the feel of skirts while getting used to stairs. Before Camelot, I hadn’t had to worry about stairs, not in Ealdor.” She sat back, cradling a still sleeping Rheane. Poor child must have been exhausting herself with all the magic. Leon leaned over to whisper an observation to her.
”I think he’s stuck on the more… carnal… possibilities of a gender changing you. He has a glazed look on his face.” Leon gave her a sharp grin as she elbowed him. But as she glanced over towards Arthur, she could see him beginning to shake off that glazed look Leon had mentioned.
”If it helps you any, I’m usually female in body. I just don’t care if my physicality does not match my mentality. Sometimes, I’ll be in a male body, but I will have a very female mentality. Anyway, that’s all I’m willing to sit through, so I’m going to Gaius’ quarters, before Rhea wakes up. But, now you know. George, I will have that letter for you after we run diagnostic charms on Rhea to get an idea of any real damage.” With that, Merlynn swiftly removed herself from the room, grabbing the breakfast burrito that Poppy silently offered her as she passed. Gaius followed her, grabbing Leon’s wrist as he went.
“That’s really just the tip of the ice burg. I know Merlynn keeps a near daily journal, even now. She started doing so, she told me, about ten years after that first scene.” George’s soft voice stilled the remaining occupants of the room, and he smiled bitterly. “Her words were her only true companions for four hundred years. And after that, she still didn’t want to be near us for anything other than arguments. But with her wish to die, she was vicious. And she knew just which buttons to press to make Leon forget his Knight’s Oath. Not that it took much, considering Merlynn accidentally killed Leon’s lover. She didn’t intend to; her magic had lashed out in her grief after your death, Arthur. It wasn’t until these last forty or so years they began to truly get along. From just before the slitting of our throats and then, they could manage bouts of civility. We all turned to each other for physical comfort too, in all forms, with the knowledge that it meant nothing beyond our friendship.” Arthur bristled, and George stared him down, a far cry from when he had been the Crown Prince’s manservant. “We all called out the wrong names in those times. We knew it meant nothing other than being able to be ourselves. In fact, Arthur, Leon and I had to inform her just how blind and oblivious she was.” George stood, withdrawing a wand and began to bottle and label the memories from the pensieve. “I suggest we don’t mention much about what we saw just now for the rest of the day. Those two will be on edge - fighting as many wars as they have takes it’s toll.” Uther was the first to rise, holding a hand out to Ygraine.
”Well, I believe I can do that. While I digest the implications of what I have seen and heard here, Where would you suggest we start to catch up with the modern world, George?” George looked up, thinking.
”Magical World, most likely. They’re still behind the Non Magical World in terms of inventions and innovations. Will be easier to get used to. Library is where it used to be, and I would ask Alexandria for further recommendations.” George turned back to the book, finished up his self-appointed task, and placed the vials in a cabinet. When he turned around, Hunith and Balinor were leaving the room, hands clasped, heads bent, and George was left with Arthur, the Knights, Morgana, and Gwenhyfer.
~~
Gaius and Merlynn stood over a small table, a visibly upset Rheane in Merlynn’s arms. Leon sat to the side, quill flying as he took notes for the two Healers.
”Basically, we cannot do anything for her vision until we take care of the remnants of magic in her scar, and Merlynn, you cannot do this. This is not the same as Sigan and Cedrik! It is similar, yes, but not the same. And she is young. Too young.” Merlynn growled in frustration.
”Too young is right. That utter monster she had to call uncle should be castrated! Or just put out of his misery. And I am very willing to do that! But Gaius! Her scar!” Leon sighed and set down the parchment, choosing instead to pen an outline of a letter he had seen her write many times in the last millennium. Might as well make things easier for her later. He glanced up as the argument reached a new tonal pitch, before standing up and pulling Rheane into his arms. Merlynn barely paused as he stepped outside the room with the silently crying toddler.
”Hey, don’t worry,” he awkwardly patted her back, holding her stiffly as he attempted to comfort her. “No one here will hurt you. The shouting just happens because we’re a loud bunch. In fact, those two like to shout at each other for three minutes, saying al sorts of things, and then they’re just fine, all out of their system, ready to tackle to problem calmly. They just need to clear their heads, and this is how they do it. See, all quiet now.” And it was. Rheane was barely sniffling how, her golden gaze locked on him in wonder. He shifted restlessly, glancing at the open door. “Why don’t we go check on them, yeah? They’re done shouting, now they’re trying to fix things, like always.” He turned towards the door, just as a soft growl emanated from the room.
”I do not sound that bloody pretentious in my letters Leon!” The words were soft, and Leon chuckled, settling Rheane even further at ease.
”Have you looked at the laws recently, Merls? The Ministry is requiring Gringotts to use dragons in their security. Again. Yes, in this case, you would sound that pretentious. And you’re welcome. Just sign and date the damn thing and give it to George. There’s very little we can do until they get here.” Gaius sighed, waving a hand at Leon, facing his niece.
”He’s right, child. Now, will the two of you please let me see what I’m working with in terms of scars?”
~~
"Merlynn, I was reviewing one of the memories you showed us, where you saved that boy." Merlynn looked up at her uncle as he fiddled with a potions book. "Something looked wrong. With the child. I just can't identify it." She sighed, setting aside her journal. She had been writing everything down from the last several days so that she could read it later.
"Let me start this by saying that line was sick in the head. A line of only sons, made that way by choice. A man would marry, have multiple children, kill every daughter at birth, then, when the youngest son was five, make every son fight to the death. The last one standing would continue the family line. The mother would be killed right before all this." Gaius stared at her in horror, but Merlynn was staring off in the distance, anger filling her eyes. "But his father, the man I killed, was sicker than the rest. He wanted a daughter. He had fantasies, and a son just did not fit in those. But his wife bore a son. He killed her, and then... then..." Merlynn turned cold, angry eyes on her uncle. "Oh, I should have done worse than throw a knife at that man. Salazar was a eunuch. He castrated his own son at birth." Tears spilled from Gaius' eyes, and Merlynn closed hers in resignation, fully aware that she was unable to do anything now, nearly a thousand years later. "That's what was wrong. He tried to make his son into a daughter. It was with luck that his aunt, the woman in the memory, was truthful, and told Salazar that he was a male. I later found out that, because he was unable to use his own child in his fantasies, Salazar's father would... he would use random young girls from other villages in those fantasies." Merlynn stood and stalked out, heading for the gym, ready to whale on a punching bag to release some of her anger.
~~
Merlynn paced around the den, a homey room filled with comfortable chairs, loungers, and couches, walls lined with shelves containing books, games, and toys. None of this held her attention, not while Healer Griswald and Curse Breaker Stormclaw were in the nearby ritual room, removing the damned Horcrux from Rheane’s bloody scar. King Ragnok sat at one of the smaller tables, across from Balinor - across from her father (and she was still wrapping her head around that - everyone had returned, not just her Arthur), sorting out the details on repealing the law forcing Gringotts to use Dragons. Uther sat near by, books containing Magical Laws and history surrounding him. Hunith sat by the fireplace, teaching Ygraine how to crochet, Morgana and Gwenhyfer sitting nearby, trying no to seem too eager to learn by proxy. George and Leon were having a silent argument on the opposite side of the room, likely about the Horcrux. Arthur was standing nearby, waiting for her to slow down, again, so that he could draw her into an embrace, again. Elyan and Lancelot were playing chess, kind of. After they had gotten over the fact that the chess pieces were, in some manner, sentient, they had taken to befriending them and were using the chess board as a literal battlefield, taking scrap metal and creating terrains. Merlynn made a note to actually create something to that effect for them, to save her antique chess board. She knew how to enchant the men, anyway, so it should be simple enough. Gwaine and Percival were curled up on a couch, Percival reading from a book while Gwaine was writing in a journal at a frenzied pace. She placed a hand on Arthur’s chest as he stepped in her path, but she did not try to continue pacing. Instead, she placed her head in the crook of his neck and breathed. Each inhale brought in more of that natural scent - leather, steel, and sweat over the base notes of a summer time forest that made Arthur. The opening of a door brought her attention back to the room. Healer Griswald and Curse Breaker Stormclaw reentered, Rheane toddling behind them, eyes a bright gold.
”She should have been brought to us the night she was orphaned. We are lucky she is young yet - she bounced back quickly. The shard did not want to let go of its living host, but it was not entirely tangled in her core yet. Using that shard, however, we have discovered five other shards. We do not have enough to determine who it is, but given the age of that shard? We would say the man once known as Tom Riddle, now Voldemort. Other than the five remaining shards, there is the main soul left as well.” Curse Breaker Stormclaw finaly paused in his torrent of words, glancing at King Ragnok, who stood from his seat at the table.
”I do believe that we will spend the years before Heiress Potter is of an age to go to Hogwarts searching discretely. I assume the shard is in tact, just moved to a new vessel?” Healer Griswald held up a steel strong box.
”Contained in a gem in this box. Now,” she turned to Gaius, looking him straight on, healer to healer, “I was unable to fix her eyes. The damage had already been done, exacerbated by the shard. The nutrient potions Emrys has in stock are still good, and I would recommend at least once daily for a couple of months, as well as these,” she handed over a list of potions, dosages, and times as well as a dietary plan, “to help her body heal fully and grow stronger.” Healer Griswald turned and eyed Merlynn, Leon, and George. “Healer Myala expects you three every day for the next week to work on the scar removal, and daily sessions. She’ll increase or decrease as she deems necessary until the de-aging.” With that, Healer Griswald and Curse Breaker Stormclaw left through the floo, King Ragnok not far behind as he gathered up his notes and set up another meeting with Balinor and Uther. Leon’s head hit the wall.
~~
Merlynn emerged from her final potions bath a week later, and gaped in awe at her unblemished skin. She had never been truly ashamed of her scars, but the sheer number of them had limited her movement, and raised many questions she didn’t want to answer over the years. Now, the only marks that remained was the Mark of Emrys and her bonding mark with Aithusa. It was… refreshing, she decided. Now she could wear scarves because she wanted too, not because she didn’t want to answer any questions. George had only needed a single bath, since he had preferred to keep out of trouble, as he put it. Healer Myala had convinced him to de-age down to the younger adult age, so that he wasn’t mistaken as a “grandfather” (and Merlynn had laughed so hard she had given herself the hiccoughs at his face, Leon not too far behind her). She strode out of the ritual bathing chamber, still in the process of pulling on her lightweight summer robes over her shorts and tank top, sandals and a pack containing the clothes she had been wearing before floating along behind her.
"Whoa. Wha-?" Merlynn looked up, and laughed at Arthur's glazed look. She had spent the last week teasing the man, starting intense snogging sessions, straddling his body early in the morning to leave the bed, and generally working him up before wandering off. She knew it was mean, but the other side of the coin was because Rheane was still in their room. The child was calmer about leaving her side during the day, but refused to sleep anywhere else.
"Got a bit of drool there, sire." Leon grinned at Arthur as he exited the room across from her in a pair of cargo shorts and a collared polo, buttons undone. he was wearing trainers, lugging his own pack, and his robe was slung over his arm. George was sitting in a chair off to the side, shaking his head at their antics, having watched them all week as they started to act like siblings, but didn't interfere. He had been making notes as he had waited, but was currently packing up. "So, Merls, given any thought to what you wanted your room in the child's wing to look like?" Merlynn glared at Leon as Arthur shook his head, discretely wiping his mouth as Merlynn answered.
"Dragon themed. Dad's already picking everything out - he's through the roof, especially since he's technically a first time parent. I think Aunt Ygraine is also going wild. I've never seen so many toys outside of a toy store before. Mum is also making so many things. Mostly blankets, dolls, and stuffed animals, but I suspect that, once we're de-aged, we can expect crochet clothes as well. Mum always liked to make things. Once the Goblin Nation finishes the crash courses to get everyone caught up on history, pop culture, and technology of the times, Mum plans to get the supplies to start a store. I still don't know what she's going to sell, though. Mum has always had a strong creative streak." Leon nodded, remembering the few times the knights had followed her back to Ealdor, and left with a multitude of Hunith's creations - clay, cloth, yarn, and even a woven works. "Uncle Gaius is definitely set to become a healer again, in both worlds. Uncle Uther," she paused and chuckled, leaning into Arthur as he pulled her close, "and I still have a hard time believing I'm saying that, and meaning it, seems to be drawn to politics. I'm not really surprised." Arthur chuckled.
"No, dad has always had a head for politics. He just never had a clear head, thanks to the loss of mum's influence. I think mum is planning to join Aunt Hunith. She likes the process just as much. What surprised me most was Uncle Balinor's decision to join dad." After the issue of the ministry forcing Gringotts to use dragons, Balinor and Uther had joined forces, and were often found in the library, researching laws and politics. "But what were you going to do, George?" George joined them, bag slung over his shoulder, and grinned.
"Basically? Seneschal. Someone needs to keep you lot on schedule." George grinned, and Merlynn laughed. Arthur had made her in charge of the household servants, and she had immediately made George her second in command, due to his rigorous scheduling. She had implemented several new successful security measures, but George had been better in dealing with the minutia. "Best make your requests soon."
"Gymnastics, martial arts, and medieval weaponry. By the time I'm five, I want to be in the first two." Merlynn was quick to list off, having thought about it a week and a half ago when the idea had first been introduced to her. "I wouldn't object to ballet, but it could very likely be too much. It would be the first thing I'd say goodbye to." George's grin slid off his face and he stared at her in slight horror. She grinned widely. "Just ask my mum. Keeping me busy is the best thing for everyone as I relearn control over my magic."
"Martial arts and medieval weaponry, I understand, but gymnastics?" Leon and Arthur looked at her, an eyebrow raised on each face, and she turned her grin on them.
"Flexibility and core strength. Ballet would technically do the same thing. I like to be able to fold myself into a human pretzel. See?" She sat down and proceeded to practically tie her body into a series of knots. The three men all winced, though she could see interest in Arthur's eyes at various possibilities.
"Merlynn, that is some of the freakiest shit I have ever seen." Leon offered her a hand up, before swinging his robe on as they left the antechamber, meeting up with everyone else. Gaius was grinning, holding several books and folders as he spoke with Gwenhyfer and Morgana, Lance standing with them. Uther and Balinor were once again in a debate, Hunith and Ygraine not far off, looking over several lists. Percival and Gwaine were entertaining Rheane, who was clinging to Gwaine's shirt. Mordred and Elyan had several pamphlets around them, and Merlynn could see that they pertained to many different programs that could help them in the long run. "Elyan wants to continue with blacksmithing. Gwaine was interested in sharpshooting. Gana wants to find a seer to train under. I've set out a few feelers, already, but it looks like Pandora Lovegood may be our best bet. Her daughter, only two years old, is showing signs of being a seer, though I believe it's the druidic blood in her father's line. Pandora isn't exactly a seer, or a prophetess, but she knows tricks on control, astral projection, and lucid dreaming. Gana could benefit there. Gwen, well, she's torn. Blacksmith's daughter, through and through, but she says she wants to try something different. Won't say what though. All of the knights, Leon, Arthur, definitely want to continue, or rather, relearn fighting practices. I'll make sure an appropriate training field is set up, as well as a forge. And what ever else anyone wants. One thing is certain, Merlynn, between everything over the years, we're set." George clapped a hand to her shoulder, and she grinned, leaning her head against Arthur's as she glanced around. Rheane's eyes were a clouded green, slowly becoming clearer, but she knew Rheane was forever blind. The power contained within the toddler was immense, and she wondered what Dumbledore had planned for her little cousin.
~~
It was mid-August, and everyone had gathered in the family room. Rheane was already asleep, curled up in her cot that had just been moved into the room she would be sharing, for a few years at least, with Morgana, Gwenhyfer, and Merlynn. Arthur, Leon, and Lance were sharing a room, as were Percival and Gwaine, and Mordred and Elyan. They did have rooms set up for their older years, when privacy was preferred. Uther and Balinor had started a ripple, whispers of the royal line returning, and "the Coming of Merlin" (and Merlynn had been miffed to realize the Wizarding World thought she was male - she had never interacted with the magicals as a male). Hunith and Ygraine had started a shop that catered to both worlds, selling from little knick-knacks to tailored clothes. Merlynn laughed at the odd selection, but even in just under a month, everything was doing quite well. Gaius had enjoyed his little practice set up, taking on an apprentice, and hiring an associate who had no family to help out when Gaius had to drop everything for their large family. George had settled the household, working closely with the house elves to ensure everything ran smoothly (not that he had much to do, but this Camelot was a sanctuary for magical creatures and species, so he continued the work Merlynn had started, being the go between between the races and the Wizarding World to sell the product produced in Camelot, and the man was happy, but ready for the increased work load that came with twelve toddlers in one household). They're paperwork had been integrated, and the trail of life set down. All that was left was to drink their potions. Gaius, Balinor, Uther, Ygraine, Hunith, and George downed theirs first, and the change was a slow regression as time was turned back on their bodies. Once they reached their appropriate ages, they just stood there, twisting this way and that, taking in the changes. George, Hunith, and Ygraine were much the same as before, with fewer lines, more vibrant colors, and bright eyes. Balinor still had a wild look to his hair, though it had grown less so this past month with the proper care, but didn't look all too different. His steps as he strode forward to embrace Hunith, were definitely lighter. Uther, however, looked much different. His hair had lost the grey, his face was no longer lined, and his eyes sparkled with joy. Merlynn hadn't realized just how old the king had been.
One by one, the eleven remaining adults downed their potions, and Merlynn shuddered as the liquid coursed down her throat. Her skin shifted, and she fidgeted as it tightened, and her bones shrank, and her clothes became too large, and her world view changed as everything got larger. Soon, she just sat down, eyes closed as nausea rolled her stomach. Vertigo, she thought faintly. She had never had a problem before, quite enjoying flights on Aithusa's back, and even when Kilgarrah would scoop her up in a clawed foot and fly that way. She knew he would never drop her. But this? It was too much for her strong stomach. Soon, the feeling stopped, and she carefully opened an eye, glancing around. There, around her, were her friends. Mordred, just two weeks away from turning one, and Elyan, a year and five months, both had scrunched looks, but she was quickly distracted.
"Art'ur!" She launched at him, not even paying attention as she launched right out of her clothes. Her arms wrapped around him, and they began trying to talk, most of it slurring together to form wordless sounds, but they understood each other. They didn't notice as, one by one, everyone was gathered, dressed, and settled into bed. They were already curled together, asleep.
Notes:
I've been on a roll lately. Next chapter is already in the works.
Chapter 4: 1 June 1990 - 31 August 1991
Summary:
And let the games begin...
Notes:
This is the last "setup" chapter before the main storyline happens. This is going to be a whirlwind. I haven't rightly decided most of the pairings. Like, some were decided long before I "put pen to paper" (or fingers to keyboard, rather) but others are a bit of a toss up.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
The summer sun beat down on the grounds of Camelot, and eleven children were running around, shouting and laughing. Seven years had passed since everyone had been returned to childhood, and Merlynn grinned as a few memories surfaced. Gaius and Healer Griswald had not liked the fact that they had been unable to fix Rheane's eyes, so together, with the help of Severus Snape (who had been completely unaware of Rheane's identity) they had managed to create a ritual and potion combination that had managed to retore her cousin's eyesight. They had all been over the moon for weeks, but none more so that Rheane, who had spent her time doing her best to memorize everyone's faces, just in case. That had been four years ago. Two years ago, shortly before her eighth birthday, the Goblins had found one of those Horcruxes in their own bank. There had been an uproar, and another Goblin War had nearly broken out, due to the treaty being broken in some obscure manner. On the bright side, it had allowed the Gobln Nation to finally get the Ministry to stop requiring Dragon's to guard the vaults.
In a week, they would start their summer camps, starting with Weaponry. But first, Merlynn twitched as several people entered the ward line around Camelot. She could feel the Magical Races and Creatures retreat, preferring not to show themselves to the outsiders. Rheane stumbled over to her side, out of breath, vibrant green eyes sparkling with joy that was quickly dimming.
"Do I need to hide from these people, Merls?" Rheane's quiet question caused everyone else to come to a stop, and Gwaine and Percival began to hover protectively at her shoulders. Even at ten, Percival was a large child, and Gwaine had a wiry build that belied his own, fairly considerable, strength, and Merlynn shot them a grin.
"Well, why don't we sneak around and find out?" Rheane grinned at her cousin's suggestion, and soon, they were all creeping into the castle through one of the side entrances, hiding themselves strategically around the entrance. They didn't have long to wait. Merlynn had tuned the wards to alert, not only her, but her parents, Uncle Uther, Aunt Ygraine, and George as well, and soon, they were all positioned around the entrance as well, only visible. She knew the adults were aware they were there, but nothing was said, and they all grinned at each other.
George opened the door just as it appeared one of the five approaching was going to knock. Merlynn barely restrained herself from snarling as she recognized the old man with his hand raised to knock. It was Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. Uther raised an eyebrow.
"Welcome to Camelot. Might I ask who you are, and why you have seen fit to visit our home?" A man in all black, with a very swallow appearance and an unfortunately hooked nose from a former break (or perhaps several) scowled at the term home. A woman in tartan robes with a stern demeanor and square spectacles turned towards the smallest of her companions, a man that Merlynn very well suspected had goblin in his heritage with a rather jovial attitude, and they exchanged some kind of silent conversation. The final woman, a plump and kindly looking woman with dirt stained robes that Merlynn suspected was embedded in the woman's robes due to long term gardening, twined her hands once in a nervous reaction, before she stopped and took a deep breath.
"My name is Albus Dumbledore. I am the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. We were setting the letters to be sent, pulling any going to Muggleborn students, when we noticed that one such Muggleborn was in the same house as the daughter of Uther and Ygraine Pendragon. We thought it best to investigate, see why that was." Dumbledore went to walk further in, when Balinor raised his hand to stop him.
"That is you. Who are they?" While a successful politician, Balinor didn't see why he had to be anything other that straightforward in his own home, and it showed. Hunith was behind his shoulder, giving them a pointed stare. Dumbledore startled for a moment, before donning a look of joviality.
"Ah yes. My apologies. My deputy Headmistress and Head of Gryffindor House, Professor of Transfiguration, Minerva McGonagall. Master Duelist, Head of Ravenclaw House, and Professor of Charms, Filius Flitwick. Head of Hufflepuff and Professor of Herbology, Pomona Sprout. Potions Master, Head of Slytherin House, and Professor of Potions, Severus Snape. Four of the main subjects your two children will be learning at Hogwarts."
"Two, he says," Gaius muttered incredulously, acid green Healer's robes in disarray. George snorted from his position by the open door. All five of them looked taken aback, and Ygraine rolled her eyes as she turned away, calling for tea to be brought to the First Parlour.
"Why don't you five follow us. George, would you go find our hellions, please?" Hunith turned, giving the tapestry hiding Merlynn and Rheane a stern look as she lead them to the parlour. They waited for the ten adults to close the parlour door before all gathering around George, who was working with Merlynn to weave a powerful glamour on Rheane's eyes and scar. That done, George turned and led them to the parlour. Merlynn hid a grin at the looks of shock seen on the faces of the professors. Gwaine didn't fair so well, having to muffle his laughter in Percival's arm.
"Professors, meet our eleven children. Ygraine and I have Leon Knight, Morgana Pendragon-LeFay, Arthur Pendragon, Lance DuLac, and Percival Strong," the five mentioned stepped forward briefly, before sitting down with cups of tea and a small plate. "We adopted Leon, Lance, and Percival. Hunith and Balinor have Merlynn Emrys," there was a start from all five of them at this, "Gwaine Greene, Gwenhyfer and Elyan Smith, and Mordred Forest. They adopted Gwaine, Gwenhyfer, Elyan, and Mordred. Gaius here adopted Lily Evans." There were many side glances at the last name, barring Severus Snape, who had met her years before. "All eleven of them have shown strong signs of magic. We expect that all of them will receive letters. Leon and Morgana, this year. Arthur, Lance, Percival, Merlynn, Gwaine, Gwenhyfer, and Lily, next year. Elyan and Mordred, in three years." Six bland smiles were directed at the five startled professors, and Uther continued before they could find their footing. "Of course, their attendance to the school depends on the school's extra curricular activities. I will not abide them being in detentions because there is not enough activity to keep them busy. They all attend Gymnastics, Martial Arts, and Weaponry classes and camps. Morgana had to start Divination Studies early, because they were the only way to control her nightmares. Leon is already learning advanced Arithmancy. So, what are their options?"
~~
"Well, that went well." Merlynn grinned at the glares directed at her by her siblings and cousins. The four Heads of Houses had started spouting out how it was impossible to allow Leon and Morgana into elective courses as a first year. Leon had shrugged and said he would continue to self-study anyway, but Morgana had nearly cried. Three weeks ago, Pandora Lovegood had died in a Potions accident, and she had been without guidance for her gifts since. She had just barely kept it together, shaking her head slightly in her father's direction when he had gone to protest.
"All we really need, professors, is a way to continue our Gymnastics, Martial Arts, and Weaponry," she had stated. But that had opened a whole new can of worms, even after Uther had offered to find people willing to teach these subjects at Hogwarts. Professor Snape had started muttering under his breath about rich kids and special treatments, and Merlynn had lost it. It couldn't be accurately traced back to her, but the man had suddenly found his skin to be a florid pink, and his hair an eye-searing highlighter yellow. His robes had turned a dark fuchsia with orange polka dots. Sha had managed to hit Dumbledore with a time delay. This time tomorrow, and his favorite sweets would taste like dung, and his terribly patterned robes would all turn drab the moment he left his chambers. And she doubted it would wear off anytime soon.
"You subjected us to an absolutely horrid combination of colors, Merlynn. That most assuredly did not go well." Morgana was rubbing her eyes, and Gwen was rubbing her back with a worried look at Merlynn, likely wondering at her sanity. Mordred, Elyan, and Leon were all shaking their heads, while Percival, Gwaine, Lance, and Arthur were looking like they had lost something precious. Rheane looked at her curiously, not at all bothered by the color combination. It had been one they had chosen together, anyway.
"What did you hit Dumbledore with?" Before she could answer, George wandered back in, and she was distracted.
"I recognize that look. Who caught your eye, George?" Heads turned, glancing between Rheane, Merlynn, and George, and George flushed. Once Merlynn turned nine, she had begun to make proper sense of her memories. She had gone through several phases as she processed the information, once spending an entire week setting traps for both Leon and George, before turning around and crying over everyone else in turn, before Healer Myala helped her come to terms with everything. To be fair, she hadn't been the only one acting out, just worst. But it also meant she knew what certain looks meant.
"Severus Snape, if you must know. I just think he needs a friend. So... one of you lot needs to end up in Slytherin, understood?" Merlynn grinned, and George faltered, also knowing most of Merlynn's looks - and this look reminded him of a shark at feeding time.
"George, darling, I will have you know that I plan to rule that house with an iron fist - and I may not cover it with a velvet glove. It all depends on my housemates." Arthur slung an arm over her shoulders and pressed a kiss to her temple.
"We know you will, Merls. We planned this out years ago. We'll each rule our chosen houses, and unite the school. Just be careful. Don't piss off your head of house before you're even sorted. That's one thing you can't talk your way out of." Merlynn's sharp grin didn't even cause Arthur to falter, so used to it he was.
"Oh, but Arthur. It couldn't be traced. Now," she turned to Leon and Morgana, grin never faltering, "Dumbledore won't allow our extra curriculars to continue, not this year. We'll figure something out next year when most of us are together, even if they don't allow us, officially. Even with his protests, Professor Snape saw that Uncle Uther had a good idea. Dumbledore won't allow us to test out of the classes we already know. You two get to start it. Get known as knowing everything, and get known as being unable to sit still. Gana, they won't allow you to consult with their Divinations Professor, and don't try. She's a Prophetess, not a Seer, nothing will work for her, and she won't accept that. Her name is Sybill Trelawney. I did my research a few years ago." Mordred, hanging off of Leon's shoulders, started to laugh. Elyan, on the other hand, sighed and turned his head into Lance's side. Everyone else gave her varying stages of grins. Her research had unearthed the professor’s great-grandmother, Cassandra Trelawney, a well versed Seer of her time, but forever thought to be a liar until after the fact. "Don't let them silence you at night. Let them know it's by Dumbledore's creed that you can't control your nightmares, and sleep tonics don't help. We are going to destroy him." Arthur tightened his arm over her shoulders, and Rheane grinned from her place between Gwaine and Percival.
"This, Merls, is going to be fun. We are going to take back the school, bring back the vision your children had." Rheane had been informed of what they now considered their past lives, and had been very excited to realize that she could learn so much more than what schools and tutors could teach her, and it would be more accurate too. In fact, their Weapons Master loved them, because all he had to really do was help them build strength and stamina, and teach them the more modern weapons - Gwaine really liked the sniper rifles, and was trying to find a way to modify one to shoot preset spells.
~~
Mum, Dad, Uncle Balinor, Aunt Hunith, and George,
Leon and I are in Ravenclaw. We gave it two weeks to get an idea of the workload and curriculum. We are including a copy of each syllabus, and we will be keeping close track of what each assignment is. Our predictions were correct: we already knew everything. Leon and I have had three detentions each - and each time, we proved that all our homework was completed. We also have been able to prove that, quite technically, we were not doing anything wrong, though apparently, loitering outside the teacher's wing containing personal quarters of the staff (not that we were aware of where we were, since we were exploring and got lost, not that they believed us - and this was the most recent detention) is enough to warrant immediate action.
We hope everyone is doing well, and we miss everyone, and Camelot. We cannot wait for Winter Holidays.
We love you,
Morgana, Leon
Siblings and Cousins,
We're both in Ravenclaw. Gana has screamed the Tower awake every night for the last two weeks. Cinders was very helpful in making sure no one could place any silencing or muffling charm. After a week, I was escorted quite forcefully by the Prefects to Madame Pomphrey, the school nurse, who gave me increasingly strong, yet useless, sleep related potions. Finally, after Dreamless Sleep did nothing, she gave up and told the house to let the nightmares run their course. Of course, Gana is showing signs of sleep deprivation even worse than everyone else. I set off alarms the first night when I tried to rush to her side. Turns out boys can't get into the girls dorms, but girls can get into the boys dorms. When I explained that I was just trying to go to wake her up, every girl in the Tower discovered that her magic dictates who can approach when she's asleep. They were not pleased. I am. Leon is too. We have been busy trying to map out the castle, and we've made some friends in Gryffindor tower. Twins, a year ahead, Fred and George Weasley. You'd like them, Merls. They give off the same type of barely-contained insanity vibe that you have.
Speaking of other houses, things are worse than we expected. There is a serious divide here. Ravenclaws are "stuck up bookworms with no sense of anything but academics" and I'm about to blow my lid. Gryffindors are "heroes and/or reckless fools." But I don't know which has it worse: Hufflepuff, or Slytherin. Hufflepuffs are, and I cannot believe they think this, "leftovers, with no real talent, so they get lumped together, but at least they're loyal fodder." Yeah, no. I near cried. Me! But Slytherins. Oh Merlynn, you are going to have a conniption. They're "evil bastards and absolute Dark Wixen." You have a lot of work ahead of you, Merls.
We'll see you at the Winter Holidays, if we haven't been suspended or expelled since then. We love you!
Morgana, Leon
~~
Unsurprisingly, Morgana and Leon survived the year tied for first in their entire year, and known as the children who couldn't settle, but still did all their work, and Merlynn grinned as they stepped off the train. Mordred was straining for Leon, his favorite climbing post, while Gwenhyfer deftly dodged Lance's grip to tackle Morgana. Ygraine, Uther, Balinor, Hunith, and George were standing back, chuckling. Standing with the two could only be the Weasley Twins, who were actively ignoring their mother's calls for the moment. Morgana, face drawn and eyes sunken, but with a wide grin, hooked an arm through each of theirs, and started to tug them around.
"This is Arthur, Lance, our Percy, Gwaine, Gwen, Merlynn, and Lily. They'll be joining us next year, same as your younger brother, Ron. And these are Elyan, Gwen's younger brother, and Mordred. They'll join us a year after Ginny. Mum, Dad, Uncle Balinor, Aunt Hunith, George, this is Fred and George Weasley. Can they visit this summer?" The twins grinned, not even phased by Morgana's whirlwind introductions. By this point, the Twins' family had made their way over.
"That would depend entirely on their parents. You know none of us have an issue with friends coming over." Uther had enough time to answer with a relaxed grin, Ygraine and Hunith chuckling merrily. Balinor was glaring at the crowded station, while George was quickly reviewing the summer schedule.
"Fred, George, quit bothering these people. It's time to... go... home..." The shrill voice trailed off as Balinor turned his glare on her.
"Mum, this here," they turned, gesturing towards Morgana, "is the lovely Morgana Pendragon-LeFay. This is her brother, Leon Knight. Ravenclaws. Percy probably wrote to you about our budding friendship." Merlynn grinned as the two bounced back and forth verbally. Leon was right. She liked these two. Arthur and Rheane gripped her arms to keep her from bounding over to interrupt.
"Good afternoon, I'm Ygraine Pendragon-LeFay." Ever the politician's wife, Ygraine stepped forward, and it seemed like the whole station came to a stop. She held her hand out daintily, and received a flabbergasted handshake in return.
"Oh. Oh dear. Molly Weasley, Molly please. I do apologize for my sons. I don't what they were thinking, trying to say... oh..." Molly trailed off at the perfectly poised eyebrow. "What I mean to say is that I am so sorry my sons have been trying to corrupt these two. My son, Percy," she indicated a slightly older lanky redheaded boy with a pinched look on his face, "told me that it seemed my sons were dragging your children into much trouble - and many detentions - and I am so sorry." Ygraine held a hand up to stall Molly.
"Nonsense. Leon and Morgana are perfectly capable of not only telling someone to leave them alone, but of getting into their own trouble. Within the first two weeks, they had three detentions each for exploring, even though they had finished all their work. And this was before they started hanging out with your twins. So, no, there was no corrupting. It seems these two have the same problem all eleven of ours do - too much energy, not enough outlets. I know during the summer we sign ours up for many different camps to keep them from destroying the house and killing each other. We'd be more than happy to have yours along, at no cost to you we promise. We can see that our children adore their company." The oldest boy, a stocky youth about seventeen or eighteen, stepped forward, placing a hand on his mother's shoulder. Merlynn could hear what he was saying despite the whisper.
"Mum, Gred and Forge actually calmed down a lot and focused on their studies after becoming friends with Morgana and Leon. Yes, the number of detentions did not decrease, but their grades shot up, and I heard they chose some good electives - Arithmancy and Ancient Runes." He backed up, and Molly glanced around at her children.
"I... I believe I will consider it. I suppose I better actually read those reports sent by Professor McGonagall first about each detention, before I make a decision. I would also need to know what kind of camps... Do you have a floo?" Molly reached into her purse and pulled out a crumpled quill and a scrap piece of parchment. "Here is our floo address, we can talk it out over tea one day?" Ygraine plucked the offered parchment, and Hunith stepped forward after a long look at Balinor and Uther. George stepped with her, offering the planner and a quill.
"Actually, Molly, I'm Hunith, by the way, Hunith Emrys, it might be easier to invite you over. Bring all your children, there will be plenty of room. Would the sixth of July, around noon, work?" Molly hemmed a bit, before...
"Tentatively, yes. That's a Saturday, my husband, Arthur, will be home that day. I'll send a letter?" Hunith nodded, taking a pencil stub from behind her ear, and making a mark in the offered Planner.
"Okay. These little devils have their first camp starting on the eighth - Gymnastics. I'll have Leon or Morgana forward some pamphlets through Fred and George. Now, I'm sorry, we must get moving, before any of them explode for standing in one place too long. Molly chuckled weakly, having finally met her match in a force of nature, and dragged her children towards the floo. Each of the Camelot household gathered around a long piece of rope, and with a word, the portkey was activated.
~~
Merlynn sighed quietly as everyone lined up around the Floo entrance. She disliked formalities, but in the Wizarding World, even the families considered Blood Traitors stood on certain ceremonies, particularly when families of higher standing were involved, and they were, much as they didn't usually act it, of a higher standing. The Weasley family would be joining them today, and Uther and Balinor (and even after eight years, that amount of sternness from her normally laidback father was surprising) had insisted that they wear good robes over their summer clothes. Gaius was at his clinic, having slept there for a week and a half now while dealing with a pox breakout - nothing life threatening, but definitely serious, and many clinics as well as St. Mungo's was swamped, but George stood stiffly at the floo, ready to start clearing away soot as each person exited the floo.
Molly was first, with a young girl - Merlynn estimated her to be just a year younger, Ginny if Morgana and Leon had the right name - who looked completely unhappy to be there. A young man, tall and lanky with longer hair and a dragon-fang shaped earring stepped through next, followed by the stocky boy who had calmed his mother at the station. Percy followed with a sniff, stepping aside swiftly, and pulling the two before him out of the way. Fred and George tumbled through, and Merlynn started to shake with laughter, as did everyone else. An older man, as lanky as the first man and Percy, stepped through last with another thin and lanky boy, though he looked to be about their age. The last man, after startling briefly at the swift removal of soot, stepped forward, hand out. He was beginning to bald, but what hair was there was a red as everyone else's, and he had thin wire frames. His face was given to smiles, Merlynn realized, where Molly's wasn't.
"Arthur Weasley. Thank you for inviting us into your home. My wife Molly," he gestured as she leaned forward to hand over the basket she had been carrying, "and some of her homemade fudge. We hope you enjoy it. Our eldest, Bill," dragon-fang earring offered his hand, and Merlynn couldn't contain her gasp.
"Daddy, that earring contains Goblin magic!" For once, Merlynn could barely contain herself, bouncing in place as she turned back to Bill. "Has the ministry managed to keep their hands out of the security of Gringotts? Dad was telling me-" Gwaine, next to her, had reached around the back of her head and clamped a hand over her mouth. Bill chuckled.
"Why don't we wait on that conversation, yeah?" It was a laid-back warning, and Merlynn stilled with a sheepish look. Gwaine slowly released her.
"I'm sorry. I got excited. Normally, I can contain myself, I promise." She glanced at her parents, who rolled their eyes, and Arthur Weasley smiled.
"That's okay, we all get excited at times. Our next sons, Charlie," the stocky man from the station waved from where he was holding his sister, "and Percy," there was a sniff, but a perfectly polite greeting from the boy. "I believe everyone has met, even briefly, Fred and George. This is Ron and Ginny." There was a flutter of greetings, and Merlynn got the feeling that Ron and Ginny did not want to be here at all. Uther stepped forward.
"To be perfectly honest, we are three separate households. I am Uther Pendragon. This," Ygraine stepped forward, wrapping a hand around Uther's elbow, "is my lovely wife, Ygraine Pendragon-LeFay. We have five children: Leon Knight, Morgana Pendragon-LeFay, Arthur Pendragon, Lance DuLac, and Percival Strong." Merlynn shuffled to the side as five of her cousins stepped forward with short bows. Balinor stepped to the side, drawing attention.
"My name is Balinor Emrys. This is my wife, Hunith." She stepped forward, hands folded demurely in front of her, and gave a gentle smile. "Our children: Merlynn Emrys, Gwaine Greene, Gwenhyfer and Elyan Smith, and Mordred Forest." Merlynn stepped forward with her siblings, and she could sense Rheane's nervousness at being left alone. Hunith placed a hand on her shoulder and took a breath.
"My brother could not be here today; he runs a clinic, and there's a pox going around, so he has stayed there for the time being to be close at hand and to keep it from the household. But he adopted our distant cousin, Lily Evans. And beside you is our house Seneschal, another cousin of mine, George Evans. We were thinking that, since it’s such a nice day, we could have a picnic lunch, so that the kids could easily run around.” Hunith’s carefully earnest look saw an agreement from the elder Weasleys, and so George swiftly turned and led the way. A grin swept through Merlyyn’s siblings and cousins. A science experiment had gone wrong, and the wing with the dining rooms had been shut down and were in need of fumigation. But now, Merlynn supposed if they wanted to cause a… pest issue… they knew how. She figured it could come in handy one day, and honestly, they’d found the timing hilarious. The adults hadn't, over all, but still...
~~
Once away from the adults, they tried to set up a game of football, when Ron had started trying to push Morgana, Gwenhyfer, Merlynn, and Rheane away, saying they weren’t allowed to play with them because Girls are too delicate. Ginny was pouting, and Merlynn wished Bill and Charlie had joined them. The two were still socializing with the other adults, and Percy Weasley was over there as well, reading a thick tome that just looked boring, and Merlynn liked reading. Then, something Ron said caught her attention, and she scowled.
”In what universe do you think an eleven year old girl will consent to marry anyone, particularly someone she doesn’t know, huh? This isn’t olden times when girls are bartered off at her first bleed like cattle at an auction.” Merlynn was hissing her words now, causing her siblings and cousins to back away, but Ron was either brave, or stupid. She was leaning towards the latter.
”Professor Dumbledore said there was a contract in place. She’ll have no choice.” A hand fell onto Ron’s shoulder, startling them both, and the looked up into Bill’s unamused face.
”You know, when Ginny came running over to say you were being mean, I didn’t expect to hear such words come from your mouth Ronald. I know for a fact that there is no such contract in the family paperwork, seeing as I oversee the family file at Gringotts due to working there, and if the Headmaster is claiming there is, then it’s illegal. Come on, we’ll see what Mum and Dad have to say about this.” His hand shifted to grasp the back of Ron’s neck, and he turned, using that grip to physically haul Ron back to the tables. Percy had moved to a shaded tree, and Charlie was making his way over with Ginny. Merlynn waved them closer, and Arthur finally turned to pull out the football, everyone else running to set up the goal nets and paint the field. Fred and George hovered, and when joined by they’re siblings, Merlynn finally explained the rules of the game.
Gwenhyfer got the whistle, used only when she believed there to be a serious issue, and set up the score board. She turned and grinned, holding the two different colored vests. She was their regular Referee, being the fairest, despite her ruthlessness and love of chaos. She knew the rules and plays of all the sports they liked to play, and could play with them, but she didn't get so much joy out of playing the sports. Refereeing, on the other hand, gave her a lot of joy.
”All right you lot. Line up and close your eyes. You are not to open them until I say so. There will be no changing of teams. Today, we have enough people to allow for the use of goalies. Once you have your team colors, you have ten minutes to determine who is in which position. The first twenty minutes of the game, I will allow changes to be made if we find any of our greenies,” she smiled at the Weasleys, who grinned, quite obviously ready to try this new game, “would be better off in a different position. We will try to keep the chaos controlled this time,” she stressed, glaring at Merlynn and Rheane, who grinned unrepentantly at her. They’re last match had devolved into some kind of competition that they could barely remember now, but had enjoyed nonetheless. “Now, eyes closed, and I will pass out the vests.” She waited until they did, and started walking down the line, alternating who had which color - reflective yellow, or reflective orange. She grinned as Fred and Charlie were placed on one team, and George and Ginny were placed on the other. The vests had been charmed to, once donned, stop all forms of mental communication after everyone had learned the druidic trick of mind speak. “Open your eyes and don your vests. You have ten minutes.”
The afternoon had passed quickly, with three different games of football played. Apparently, the parents had no idea about the ideas Dumbledore had planted in Ron’s head. But more importantly, they had no idea where Ron had gotten the idea that it was okay to verbally bully anyone. He wasn’t allowed to leave the tables, and Molly even kept him from eating the whole time, causing an epic explosion of temper after tea. But overall, everything went well, and the Twins and Ginny, once they learned that Pandora Lovegood's daughter, Luna, visited often, were allowed to visit and join in the various summer camps. Apparently, the Weasleys and the Lovegoods were neighbors. They went home every weekend, but it was the beginning of a change.
~~
By the time the last week of July came around, Fred and George stumbled upon the second largest secret of Camelot, Rheane’s identity. It happened during breakfast, with the arrival of the Hogwarts Letters in the mail. While the owl took off with eleven replies, Fred and George having also received theirs at Camelot, they noticed that, instead of being addressed to Lily Evans, it was addressed to Rheane Potter.
”Honestly, my legal name is Rheane Lily Potter-Evans. I just drop Rheane Potter in public to avoid attention. It sucks, honestly, to be famous for being an orphan.” Rheane’s shoulders were hunched, mimicking the raising of a cat’s hackles.
Surprisingly, to Merlynn at least, they took it well, staring for ten minutes as their minds whirred, before grinning, ready to get moving for the day. On her birthday, the twins presented her with a journal containing ideas and formulas for prank products. When questioned, Rheane smiled and said that she had spent the last month helping them refine their ideas.
They went to Diagon Alley the next Saturday, finally putting plans in motion that has been set and primed eight years ago. Then, she had been unable to authorize the reading of the wills, being only a toddler. Now, being eleven years old and aware of the situation, Rheane was considered sound enough to be listened to. She came back, clinging to a quietly furious Gaius, her own expression dark. When asked, they shook their heads, indicating that they would tell the story once back in the safety of Camelot.
A quick stop at Madame Malkin's saw their previously placed order of slacks, skirts, ties, vests, jumpers, and shirts picked up, but none of them got any robes. Leon and Morgana taken a look at the rule books and supply lists last summer, and noticed that all one needed were Black Work Robes and Madame Malkin simply sold the accepted work robe for this culture. They preferred the close-cut, yet still loose, styles of various other cultures - Rheane preferred a more Nordic robe, usually, though could occasionally be found in various robes of the many Indian cultures, while Merlyyn, Morgana, and Mordred preferred a more Asiatic cut of robe that worked well with their build, while yet still, Gwenhyfer and Elyan were often drawn to a more African style, and Gwaine, Percival, Leon, Lance, and Arthur jumped between styles on a weekly basis, so long as they had plenty of movement. But they had plenty of robes that fit the decree of black work robes that they would use instead. In fact, Merlynn suspected the uniform pieces would rarely get used for most of them, but better to have them and not need them, then to need them and not have them.
It didn't take long to get supplies, simply because they already had most of the items to begin with - telescopes, cauldrons, potions kits, phials, stationary and journals, quills and ink. They just needed to top up on ink and stationary, and their quills were still in good condition. Their cauldrons did not need replacing yet, though they did get back up cauldrons to be safe, since their current ones were two years old. They were allowed to get a carrying case for their quills and ink, and an expanded storage box for their loose parchment. They each picked up a new homework planner, before they headed to the apothecary to get the ingredients they couldn't gather in Camelot.
They skipped Olivander's, due to having had to make their wands (actually, just Rheane's, since the rest of them had had Merlynn make theirs before they were de-aged, but all were done in the same process) custom to fit the magic of the Old Religion, and bound by blood. That left-
"We want the lot of you back at the counter in thirty minutes," Uther commanded. "And no more than ten non-textbook related books. We will take care of your book lists. Go." The adults smiled as they turned and scampered. It was pretty much the same process every time they visited a book store. And they easily went through their books before their next visit. And this started after the adults had realized they had read through almost the entire Library Merlynn had amassed over the years - and only almost because Alexandria kept them from certain texts based on their ages.
Leon and Mordred went straight for the Arithmancy, but Merlynn knew they would end up in the Transfiguration and Defense sections too. Lance, Morgana, and Gwenhyfer moved for the Defense section first. Gwaine, Percival, and Rheane made for the Ancient Runes section, though Percival was making noise about Creatures, and Gwaine wanted another Arithmancy book himself. Elyan, as per usual, was scouring the scant section on Magical Crafts, looking into enchanted blacksmithing. She grabbed Arthur's hand. Today, she wanted to check the Magical Religions section. They would swing by the Combat and Dueling for Arthur, before everyone congregated in the Fiction Literature section for their last few books. They got plenty of ideas, both prank and otherwise, from those books. Plus, Florish and Blotts had a section of ficiton from the Muggle World, and they were waiting for the next book in Robert Asprin's Myth Series - M.Y.T.H. Inc. In Action. It had technically come out last year, but they had been unable to find it; they were hoping for better luck this year.
~~
After dinner, they gathered in what they considered their Council Room, and Gaius sighed, pulling Rheane into his side.
"The Reading of the Wills brought a lot of things to light. Like who the Secret Keeper for the Potter's was when they died. Turns out, it was Peter Pettigrew, not Sirius Black. The Goblins also have proof that there has been activity on Peter Pettigrew's account - and seeing that they have blood security measures, they know it is actually him, not someone else. This, combined with the fact that Sirius Black never received a trial, will shake up the Ministry... and the Wizarding World. Sirius Black is her godfather. It was stated, in both Wills, that he was to receive custody of Rhea. Now, I did legally adopt her, so I shouldn't loose custody of her, but it could potentially be a legal battle, because he did the same the day after she was born. I know we don't want to lose her, but..." Gaius sighed, drawing Rheane even closer, and she in turn gripped his robes tight and climbed into his lap, curling up under his chin. Ygraine leaned forward.
"Well, why don't we offer him an alternative. He's going to be in a poor place, mentally, anyway, if he gets out of Azkaban - and he will, on the technicality of never receiving a trial in the first place - due to the dementors. We get him the help he needs, physically and mentally, likely through the Goblin Nation, and allow him in Rhea's life, but only so long as he understands that she is our family. Eight years we spent raising her and loving her as a family. He may be her godfather, but she is our daughter and niece." Nods and hums went around the room and Rheane started to relax, Gaius looking up in relief at this easy solution. "Now, that can't be everything. I know we've been unable to help her maintain the accounts since we couldn't get the Wills read. They've been sitting, unchecked, for nearly ten years." Gaius' demeanor changed, growing quite furious, and Rheane let a little growl escape.
"Oh there is quite a bit of work to do... and a couple heads rolled before we even left that office. Dumbledore set up payments, using his ill-gotten and false placement as her so-called guardian, to Ronald Weasley, though the account has gone untouched, Remus Lupin, also untouched, and himself. He was even kind enough to place memos on each payment. Ronald was being paid to ensure he'd become her friend. We had the payments stopped and the account closed, with the money returning to her accounts. To Remus Lupin, it looked like he was paying him to keep him from trying to find her, but he never knew of the payments. Since he is a werewolf who technically lost all five pack members in one night, he has been barely surviving. His wolf is killing itself, and him, trying to get to the one person who he can reach, but at the same time, due to our wards protecting against tracking, can't - Rhea." Rheane leaned forward.
"I asked dad earlier, but I was wondering if we could invite him here, eventually. I could send him a letter, introducing myself, get to know him that way, and hopefully that will help his Wolf heal enough that he can be trusted on the full moon." Balinor leaned back, head weaving back and forth as he thought about it. When it came to Magical Creatures and Races, outside of Merlynn, Balinor knew best.
"It could work. Potentially. Make sure the parchment is saturated in your scent each time. It should help. But it may take longer than a school year." Rheane nodded, sitting back, and Gaius ran a hand over her braided curls.
"We stopped those payments too, but after some debate, and some of the information gleaned from the Wills, decided to leave the account open. With the laws being what they are, I'm sure he's had a hard time finding and keeping a job, and he was a close friend of her fathers. Would have been named a guardian if it weren't for the laws. Now, the payments to Dumbledore were an immediate stop. The memos said they were for taking care of Rhea's childhood expenses. The account the payments were going to was nearly drained each month, funneling, as far as anyone could tell, into his personal accounts. He had also, and this is the reason heads rolled, managed to take Potter heirlooms from the family vaults and into his own personal vaults. So, once the heads rolled and a new manager appointed, we managed to use this knowledge to press a freeze and audit of Dumbledore's account and belongings. And an audit of hers. Who knows how long it could take, but we intend to get back every item, if not every knut, that she has not authorized, even retroactively. We managed to get her heiress rings, as well as a few pieces of enchanted jewelry, and now she's protected against mind magics, including Legilimency, Obliviation, and Compulsions, as well as poisons, mind-altering potions, and love potions. She also now has the Potter Family Grimoire. That's the barebones of it. I have a copy of both Wills, and her bank statements. She has stated that she does not mind any of you looking over any of this." Gaius placed the folders on the table, before standing to leave. "I think I should get started on a draft of the letter to Black, and perhaps Rhea should go start on the letter to Lupin." Merlynn watched as they quietly left the room, and turned to glance at the folders. She didn't need to see those. She could see that the other nine had the same thought. No, they needed to have responses ready for Lupin, and possibly Black, about how Rheane was theirs now.
~~
August passed swiftly, camps coming and going, and their training advancing. Fred and George were close to them now. Close enough to be on the family calendar of events. Ginny and Luna were finally brought in on Rheane's identity, and Ginny laughed for ages, before they made plans to visit Mordred and Elyan during the school year. Mordred's birthday heralded the end of the summer, and was a bittersweet day, but they held strong. Tomorrow, well, tomorrow was the start of their main plans, and that alone made Mordred grin.
Notes:
Well, now they are off to Hogwarts... well, at the start of the next chapter, lol
Chapter 5: First Year, 1 September 1991
Summary:
Train rides, games, sorting and first nights
Notes:
Well, from here on out, anything you recognize is not mine. I should have put this on the first chapter: I do not own Harry Potter, its characters, or its plot, nor do I own Merlin, its characters, or its plot. They belong, respectively, to JK Rowling and BBC. I am just making a mess of the sandbox.
That said, I am changing some things up slightly. Not sure how it will play out, I'm not planning anything, it's just flowing as it occurs to me.
Chapter Text
Merlynn stared into the mirror above her vanity, brush in hand. Her hair, cropped short at the beginning of the summer due to a prank gone wrong, was back to her shoulders, if pulled straight. Her tight curls were the current bane of her existence, wild and easily tangled, and that was why she was here right now. The sun hadn't even begun to kiss the sky, and here she was glaring at her reflection. From the door, her mother chuckled sleepily.
"You know, even back then, your father's hair behaved much the same." Brilliant blue eyes snapped over, and Merlynn smiled as her mother entered, bearing a few different hair products. "He never took proper care of it, but once he was on the run, he didn't even have me to help him. Put that comb down." Hunith nudged Merlynn until she was sitting straight, chin up, before organizing the vanity, lining up bottles, brushes, combs, and hair ties. "Now, since you won't likely have any of your siblings or cousins in the same house as you, Rina will be waking you every morning to do your hair, because I know you would just get frustrated and chop it all off again to save yourself the trouble." Rina was a recently freed house elf that was still trying to get used the fact that no one would punish her for anything, and was a dab hand at working with different types of hair. Merlynn had no doubt that Rina would make her rounds through all the houses - Gwenhyfer's coarse hair required a steady hand, and Rheane's hair, as coarse as Gwenhyfer's and doubly brittle, needed extra care that Rheane abhorred due to the feel of oil on her hands. It was one of the very few things that got her squirrely. Morgana's hair, though curly, was a sort of smooth that dissuaded tangles, causing a bit of hair envy, but Rina would insist on doing Morgana's hair to make things equal. "Are you all packed? I expect you lot to try and keep things light the first week. You won't get the day's rest that Morgana and Leon got. I'm sure you already know the plan, but keep an eye out. The ministry is finally consenting to give Sirius Black a trial. He has two cousins not in Azkaban - Andromeda Tonks, who has a daughter that Graduated with Charlie, and Narcissa Malfoy, who has a son in the same year as the lot of you. Keep an eye on him, and Dumbledore. Rumor has it that Malfoy's are always Slytherin, so you will have to deal with him. But don't forget to delegate." Merlynn smiled as her mother continued to talk, knowing she didn't require a response. Hunith's practiced fingers brushed a smoothing oil through her tangled curls, and a boar-bristle brush worked the tangles loose, working the oil into her scalp, and smoothing out the mess. Soon, Hunith began to pull her hair into two braided headbands, keeping her hair from her eyes, but loose behind the second band. "There you are. Get dressed, make sure you have everything. You know Windy will organize the arrival of the trunks on the train, but don't forget your bag. Poppy will have your lunches packed before we leave. Oh, and let me know if you need any specific... supplies. Okay? See you downstairs." Hunith breezed out of the room, taking the products with her, and she was certain that she was making her way to Gwenhyfer's room. She pulled off her dressing gown and was in the process of pulling on the trousers to her outfit, the robe-like tunic hanging on the door to her open wardrobe, when her door opened again, and Arthur came bouncing in, flaxen hair falling into his eyes.
"Morning Arthur. This is a role reversal. Were you hoping to drag me out of my bed by my ankles?" They grinned, and Arthur perched on her bed, unbothered by her being only half dressed. Today, he was wearing a more Nordic style outfit, and she knew that his robe was going to flair out. No matter what she did, Arthur could not give up his dramatics.
"You still wake up too early, Merls. Nice hair, by the way. I like this style." He reached over and tugged a smooth curl, before stroking a finger over a braid. She could see what he didn't - couldn't - say until they were older. He wanted to mess it up, tangle her curls again, and she knew she would let him - once they were older. Two rules had been set down for everyone. One, in a romantic sense, the youngest person had to be thirteen. two, in a physical sense, the youngest had to be sixteen. Merlynn was the younger of them, though only by a few months, but that was still just over four years for that, though when they got back from the Winter Holiday's of their second year, well, she would have to lay her claim, keep anyone from getting any ideas. This was her king. They smiled, understanding each others unsaid words, and she leaned over to press a kiss to his forehead. "No, I was just wondering if you think Rhea was okay. She's been quieter than usual." Merlynn paused in her motions of pulling on a sleeveless undershirt, turning to frown at Arthur, his eyes only a few shades lighter than hers.
"I hope she is. We can't force her to talk, Arthur. She'll talk when she's ready. Lupin- sorry, Remus has been some good, telling her stories of her parents school years. But Black..." Merlynn trailed off turning to slide her robes up over she shoulders. Arthur joined her, and she let him adjust the front flaps of the robe to line up before they started on the inner section, pushing the outer flap out of the way to reach the tiny, nearly invisible buttons. "Well, Black is a wild card at this point. All we can do is support her. With Dad and Uncle Uther in the political field, we have a better chance, but... this world is big on family and tradition both. Black not only adopted her, but has distant blood ties on her father's side. They could try to rule in her favor, but she's old enough now that they have to listen to her, to a degree. We can just hope the protections afforded her by the Heiress Ring and the necklace will help them realize that staying here with us is what she wants. On top of that, there's Dumbledore." George had tracked down Petunia Dursley, now in prison, actually, posing, as they had planned on all along, as a distant branch of the Evans line that birthed Rheane's mother, and learned that Dumbledore had forced Rheane on her and her family. Every time they had tried to leave with the intent of dumping Rheane somewhere, anywhere, they had been unable to leave the house. That day in the park had been their final hope - letting her get kidnapped. And Merlynn had basically done exactly that, according to the memories of everyone who had been there that day. "We don't know what he'll do once he realizes he does not have a malleable weapon with no training." Arthur hummed as he moved her hands out of the way and continued with the outer buttons - small pearls that glinted like stars on the black silk outer layer.
"Well, we will always support her. I've noticed that Gwaine and Perce won't leave her alone, not that she seems truly upset about that." They grinned, remembering the number of times they had caught Gwaine and Rheane using the giant boy as a pillow, with Gwaine usually trapping Rheane between the two - not that Percival really minded. Most of the time, he just pulled the two down on top of him, letting them get comfortable, before pulling out a book and beginning to read, usually out loud. "And if we're changing the subject..." Merlynn nodded emphatically at the nearly unspoken question, and Arthur leaned forward conspiratorially, "have you noticed the difference between Gana, Gwen, and Lance?" Merlynn chuckled, nudging closer.
"Lance is beginning to realize that Gwen is torn. He's also beginning to realize that, whether you want to admit it or not, your sister is HOT. Have you noticed that Lance and Gana have stopped referring to each other as siblings?" Arthur nodded, and Merlynn nearly trembled with excitement. "They're probably going to lay claim to Gwen at the same time. Let her know right off the bat that she doesn't have to chose, that they can all share. I know the rules we have set down, but we might have to find some work arounds... Slytherin, for certain, will try to nab some of us even as first years. Leon's going to be in a bit of a lurch. Gwaine might, because in this instance..." Merlynn rolled her eyes at her brother.
"He's oblivious. To his feelings and theirs. But Rhea and Perce, well that's different." Before either of them could continue, Merlynn's door creaked open.
"What are you two whispering about in here, hmm?" They rolled their eyes at each other before turning to face Rheane. Her blue-black curls were pulled into a very warrior-like mohawk braid, showcasing the right side of her head where it was shorn close, Nordic knotwork decorating her head in an even shorter cut to the rest. It was very crisp, and her robes were a more feminine cut of Arthur's. It made her look very dangerous, but for the angelic look on her face, lulling one into a false sense of safety.
"Relationship gossip. Yours, actually." Rheane grinned, dark skin flushing lightly, vibrant green eyes flashing.
"Really now? What is there to gossip about in a relationship that isn't even there, hmm?" It was a tease, but also a warning. Rheane wouldn't be taking it lightly if something were to go wrong due to a rumor.
"Actually," Merlynn stalked forward like a predator stalking prey, a sharp grin in place as her own robes flared out with her movements, "there is plenty to gossip about. Like, how it's obvious you and Perce are well aware of your feelings. And how it's obvious Gwaine is oblivious. How I can tell that you and Perce are going to end up glaring down anyone who even thinks about having their way with Gwaine - that look right there." Rheane's normally happy features had twisted into a scowl that was right hat home with her mother's Viking heritage, and Rheane's own impressive temperament and anger issues. "Perce has a similar look, you know. Saw it loud and clear when Ronald made that mistake about the non existent contract. I nearly ran from him. And though he didn't realize it..." Merlynn trailed off, and Arthur spoke up from where he was leaning against her vanity.
"Gwaine was also pretty jealous. I don't think I've ever seen him look like that." Rheane's face had steadily darkened, her hands nervously gripping her school bag. "Merlynn, come get your school bag, I bet Rhea was here to tell us breakfast was ready." Though not a question, Rheane took it as such, nodding vigorously and turning to hightail it out of there. Merlynn knew that once she had assimilated that information, it would no longer bother her, and so she let her retreat. She wasn't cruel. This was just making sure her cousin was fully aware.
Morgana, Gwenhyfer, and Lance joined them on the way down. Morgana's hair had been pulled up and braided in a ring around the crown of her head, pulled in such a way that it actually looked like a halo sitting right under her hair. She had a few tendrils escaping, curling endearingly around her face and neck. Lance's dark hair was beginning to grow out, and bounced around his ears currently, not curly, not straight, but behaved enough to not be too annoying. Gwenhyfer's hair was pulled into the style Merlynn remembered most from their servant days, a low braided bun at the base of her skull, but it was neater than it had ever been in those days, likely thanks to both hair products and Hunith's hands. All three were quiet, clutching their school bags, and yawning. It looked like Morgana had had another nightmare, because as they were walking, she was furiously scribbling and sketching in her journal. Merlynn's heart sank. If she was sketching, then whatever was bothering her would come to pass within the year. Lance was guiding her gently, Gwenhyfer walking just in front to catch her if she fell while otherwise occupied. Leon, thick wild red hair that Merlynn knew would darken to auburn curling round his eyes and ears, joined them with a scrunched yawn. Mordred was sleepily hanging off his back, his terminally straight hair swept into the latest emo look that usually had them cackling because Mordred often reminded them of a happy, hyper puppy. Elyan was waiting for them at the end of the hallway, hair already beginning to form an afro - though Elyan would vehemently deny such an existence. Gwaine and Percival were already stumbling down the stairs, and Merlynn snorted upon realizing that Percival was braiding Gwaine's long chestnut hair into much the same style Rheane wore this morning. Behind her, Arthur started to choke on his air. Percival glanced back, and grinned sharply. He knew exactly what he was doing, and had likely overheard Merlynn and Arthur talking to Rheane.
Breakfast was a quiet affair, food being passed, and plates being scraped. Coffee and tea made their way around the table, and slowly, the talk turned to communications.
"I know you were working on something Gwaine, to make it easier to communicate without sending multiple letters with the same owl. Did you manage it?" A groggy Gwaine turned towards the adults, and just blinked for several minutes, before shaking himself.
"Yeah, actually," he mumbled around a yawn. "Finished last night. Never ending pages and damage resistant like Gana's. And all linked together. They all have a specific runic sequence that has basically allowed the books to be named, which can further allow for more private messages without resorting to a new journal. And a built in spell - Leon had to help me with the Arithmancy on that - that can allow you to find the thread of a message, just by tapping it and saying "Message Thread." To send a private message, you make that little "at" symbol from the emails and write down the name of the person you want to talk to. You can send to multiple people by repeating this like so." Gwaine pulled out a quill and parchment and and began to scribble on it in his cramped hand writing.
@Merlynn, @Arthur: Hey
"This would be a private message between Merlynn, Arthur, and me. To respond on the same thread I would tap the message with my quill twice, like so," he tapped twice, once on the first letter, once on the last letter, before bringing the quill back down to parchment to write:
@Arthur, @Gwaine: Hush, sleeping.
Merlynn laughed. There was a good chance at least one of her responses could be that, on any given day.
"Now, this parchment isn't enchanted, but that's the gist of it. I put, on the front page of everyone's journals, the list of journal names." Gwaine hesitated, and Merlynn noticed two extra journals in the stack. "I hope no one minds, but I also included Fred and George. I mean, well..." Gwaine stumbled on his words, and Merlynn, reached forward, patting his hand.
"I don't think we mind at all." Her sentiment was echoed around the table, and Merlynn snatched the journals as Gwaine quietly went back to inhaling his tea - having been denied coffee. They were all plain leather bound journals in varying colors, and each one had a name hammered into the cover in pearly white. Gaius (the of blue that was the lake on a clear summer day), Balinor (the same shade of burnished gold-brown as Kilgaraah's scales), Uther (a marbled Pendragon red and gold), Ygraine (a muted version of Uther's), Hunith (a mottled brown, one of her favorite colors), and George (the same light green as his eyes) were all easy to distribute. But, well, that's when colors started to get a little odd. The colors weren't settled, and kept subtly changing, mostly. Morgana's and Leon's had fully settled into what Merlynn recognized as the Ravenclaw colors: royal blue and dark bronze. "Huh, looks like ours are going to be our house colors, if these two are anything to go by." Gwaine glanced over and hummed.
"I figured that, so long as we're at Hogwarts, it'd probably be easier to have journals in our house colors; fewer questions asked. Especially since our notes will be in black journals. After that, the original color spell will take hold, turning the journal to the color or color set that best defines who you are as a person." Mordred chuckled.
"Actually, from what I can tell, the spell mimics a person's spiritual aura." He was glancing around the adults, and Merlynn knew he wasn't actually looking at them.
After that, breakfast went swiftly, and last rearranging of items between trunks and bags occurred. Before she knew it, it was ten minutes to ten, and they were all in the Travel Parlor, standing around the rope Portkey they would be taking every year.
~~
Despite being an hour early, there was a decent crowd already forming on the platform. Hugs were passed around like candy, and Mordred and Elyan clung to whoever they managed to grab. Leon and Morgana managed to grab and close off a compartment, their trunks appearing in the overhead racks, bags tossed on the the seats before warding runes were placed and they jumped back out. They huddled around, talking and observing until fifteen minutes to eleven, when they jumped back on the train, waving and hollering their good-byes to those remaining on the platform.
Fred and George appeared, seven minutes to the hour shortly after their brother Percy (who had gotten picked to be Gryffindor Prefect), looking back at the wall, scowling. Hunith waved them over, grabbing them into a flurry of hugs, before pushing them to join the compartment. Ronald, followed by Molly and Ginny, appeared four minutes later, the first two with worried looks, Ginny with a fierce scowl that evaporated when she saw her older brothers, and, as she called them, the Camelot Family. Waves and hugs were exchanged, not willing to jump off the train, as well as promises of letters. Ronald didn't bother trying to sit with them, instead choosing to walk the train, trying to find Rheane.
"Well, that's him gone, finally." The wheels clacked along the tracks, train swaying as they picked up speed pulling out of the station. Percy had already left with a promise to stop by later to make sure they weren't having any troubles. Once the door was closed, Merlynn, Gwenhyfer, Morgana, and Rheane each scattered to a corner and quickly cast a spell, eyes glowing gold, as runes traced themselves around the top of the compartment walls. The overcrowded compartment quickly grew to fit them, without changing the outside dimensions.
"Next year, we need to see about getting multiple compartments on the same car. We can't do this all the time, it would get really suspicious. And the spells on the train don't really like it." Merlynn threw herself on Arthur's lap, who grunted but wrapped his arms around her when she went to sit beside him instead. Fred and George grinned at the interactions, before glancing at the scarlet and gold journals presented to them by Gwaine, who promptly explained.
"And," he finished, "these two were the most difficult to link because I also made them mirrors. I know you two have twin-speak, and a version of mind-speak, and therefore see each other as an extension of the other - and you're right to, don't think we haven't noticed that you are each one half of the same soul. I didn't want these to be separate when you two aren't, and might never be. So they say Fred&George like this, and what is written in one book will appear in the other." Wicked grins were given in response, and Merlynn sat up as straight as she could in Arthur's lap.
"Wait, that's a genius idea! Do mum and Aunt Ygraine have a set of books like that? Mirrored? Because they would be thrilled to have a way to keep track of ideas for their shop, as well as custom orders, without having to remember to track the other down!" Gwaine stared at her, before staring at the journals in Fred and George's hands. She knew he was lost when he climbed up on a seat by the window to dig through his trunk, muttering wildly. Percival and Rheane gave her an exasperated look as Gwaine handed them books and journals to hold while he searched for his notes.
The day passed quickly, with the modified chess armies and battlefields being brought out and alliances being formed to create a three way battlefield on the floor. Lee, Fred and George's dorm mate and friend, joined them about thirty minutes into the ride, and after a flurry of introductions followed by the game rules, joined up with Leon, Fred, and George. Morgana, Gwenhyfer, and Lance formed another alliance, while Percival, Gwaine, and Rheane formed a third. Merlynn and Arthur looked at each other, looked around the compartment, and sighed. After last month's fiasco of a tournament with this game, they had been banned from being on the same team for a year, so Arthur joined his sister, while Merlynn sulkily joined Rheane's.
They were about halfway through the game - Merlynn and Rheane were crowing their delight as Gwaine and Percival high fived over their heads, the four of them slowly overtaking the battlefield - when there was a knock at the door, and it was slowly opened to reveal a teary eyed, round faced boy, ears sticking a little too far out (not that Merlynn could say much, since her ears were doing the same) and a dark skinned, bushy haired girl.
"Has anyone - what is that?" Distracted, she was staring down at the game in morbid fascination, her companion doing the same.
"It's a modified version of chess, I suppose. We never got around to naming it. These are chess pieces, but their basic functioning spells have been modified. Instead of a chessboard, we put together a battlefield. We have even more pieces at home, allowing us to build fortresses and castles. But it's a strategy based battle scenario games, but not really a turn based game. It can go on for ages, honestly, if we play the right variation of rules. Gana here's in the process of writing them down, and all the various rule combinations for the various games. We've been testing it for our mothers." The girl stared at Gwenhyfer wide eyed as she spoke rapidly, quickly pressing the correct pattern of runes on the control pad to pause the army her alliance was controlling. Morgana and Rheane quickly did the same. "I could tell you more, but you came in to ask a question, right?" They took a moment to look at each other, slightly confused, before their expressions cleared.
"Yes! Has anyone seen a toad? Neville here's lost his." Frowns and head shakes went around the compartment, before Leon lit up.
"Have you gone to the Prefect's carriage at the front of the train? If they aren't patrolling the train, the Prefects usually gather there, making it easier to find someone when you need help. Anyway, they all know the Summoning Charm, and perhaps even a leash charm, to help keep you from losing the toad again. Come on back if you want to hear more about this game. It'll probably last another hour or so, assuming the Killer Duo over there doesn't have anymore tricks up their sleeves." Leon bared his teeth at them, and they just grinned innocently, heads tilted towards each other, in response. The door slid shut, and game play resumed. They barely noticed as the two returned, robes on, and school bags in hand, as well as a newly summoned toad perched on the boy's head. Eight heads bowed in defeat as the winners (Percival, Gwaine, Rheane, and Merlynn) crowed in delight.
"That seemed more like a magical video game than chess." Everyone startled at the girl's voice, before they chuckled sheepishly.
"Perhaps. Gwen mentioned we've been testing it for our mothers. Well, Aunt Hunith, their mother," Morgana, who had spoken up, gestured towards Merlyn, Gwaine, and Gwenhyfer, "is technically considered a muggle. She cannot use a wand. She goes into the Muggle world often, and likely used that concept, especially for the control pads. Our mother," she indicated, Leon, Arthur, Lance, Percival, and herself, "noticed we preferred to form armies with all the chess pieces in the house, and make them battle in a rush, not a turn based strategy game. So, this happened. Then we started making battlefields and fortresses. And so it evolved. Strategy is still involved, because it's all based on troop movements, and knowing when to press an advantage and when to retreat and regroup. Anyway, I think Introductions are in order." The girl sat straight up, something like horror crossing her face, likely at the lack of introductions being made earlier.
"I'm so sorry! I got distracted by the excitement of it all! I'm Hermione Granger, and this is Neville Longbottom. We're first years!" Her dark brown eyes crinkled with her smile, while Neville's hazel eyes darted nervously around the compartment. Fred and George sat forward as Lee started the introduction.
"Lee Jordan, Gryffindor third year."
"Gred and Forge Weasley, Gryffindor third years."
"Leon Knight, Ravenclaw second year."
"Morgana Pendragon-LeFay, Ravenclaw second year."
"Arthur Pendragon, first year. Everyone else is also a first year."
"Lance DuLac, nice to meet the two of you."
"Percival Strong. Leon, Lance and I were adopted by Morgana and Arthur's parents." A gusty sigh started the next introduction.
"Merlynn Emrys. Please, no jokes or swears regarding my name. I already put up with it from my family. I can punch them, but it's frowned upon for me to punch random people otherwise.
"Only because you hospitalized that one guy. Granted, he was sixteen and leering at you as he exclaimed Merlin's tits and you were seven, but still. Gwaine Green, pleasured."
"Gwenhyfer Smith, but please, call me Gwen. Gwaine and I were adopted by Merlynn's parents. I have a blood brother, but he's two years younger, and so is their last adopted sibling."
"Lily. Evans. Um... my distant cousin, who is also Merlynn's maternal uncle, adopted me when I was three... Changed my name... Hogwarts probably won't... accept that..." Rheane was turned away, tucked under Percival's arm, playing shy. Gwaine was on her other side, bracketing her in. Two faces stared at them.
"Yeah, a bit of a whirlwind, innit?" Lee piped up. "I met Leon and Morgana last year when Fred and George here befriended them. I didn't think that they had, between siblings and cousins, eleven children in one house. Can you imagine? Three households in one house." Laughter went through the compartment, and Morgana leaned forward conspiratorially.
"Did you know, that because of our names, particularly Pendragon, LeFay, and Merlynn, we ended up calling our residence Camelot? We are now, as a whole, the Camelot Family. Fred and George actually made that connection." Hermione smiled nervously, and Neville turned towards her.
"Balinor Emrys is in the political circle, and especially backs Dragon Rights. Says he's a Dragonlord, that the Great Dragons of old will be returning to Great Britain, or rather, Albion as it once stood. Uther Pendragon is in the political circle too, and everyone at least listens to what he has to say, despite technically being a muggle, unable to use a wand. But he's well versed in the Old Religion, and can wield the magic of old. One can study their entire lives, and never manage a spell of the Old Religion, even if they follow all the holidays, and the Religion on a whole." Hermione's eyes went wide.
"Wait, there really was a King Arthur? Merlin was real? I thought they were just myth!" Merlynn snorted, muffling it in Arthur's shoulder. Arthur was pulling on all his courtly training, as was Morgana and Gwenhyfer, but the former knights were also in the process of losing it. Rheane sighed; it was up to her to respond to that, and she had to drop the act enough to do this.
"Actually, because of his name, that's why Uncle Uther named Arthur, well, Arthur. Aunt Ygraine's maiden name is LeFay. Morgan and Morgana are similar. Emrys was said to be a name given to Merlin the Great by the druids of the time. The rest of them just kinda got lucky with their names. It was sometime in the five hundreds, CE, that King Arthur brought about a Golden Age of Peace and Magic." It had actually been Gwenhyfer, after Arthur's death, but they weren't going to get into that right now. "It's kinda a passion of ours, history, particularly of this era, as you can imagine." It was all said softly, her head ducked, but earnest, and Hermione huffed as the information percolated through her mind.
This set the tone for the rest of the ride. Poppy's lunches were shared around and devoured, and when the Trolley came by Chocolate Frogs were the only candies bought. Rheane was an avid chocolate fan, and card collector, not to mention the mount of sugar Merlynn enjoyed on a daily basis, and everyone's basic love of sweet treats. She especially loved to laugh at any inaccuracies on the cards of Morgan LeFay (it's Morgana, first of all and really now...), Mordred (he was not that bloody old!) and Merlin (honestly, she was not a guy, really people?) as well as a few others that Merlynn, Leon, and George had met back then. Hermione soon relaxed, talking classes and books with Morgana, Percival, and Leon. Gwenhyfer and Merlynn had drawn Neville into a discussion about how several herbs turned out differently depending on how they were grown. The sun had just begun to dip below the horizon when Hermione looked around.
"You might want to get into your school robes. We should be arriving soon." She had a worried look on her face, and Merlynn was confused. What what she talking about?
"We are in our school robes," Leon said carefully. "If you look at the supply list and school rule book, it just specified black work robe and we are in black work robes, just from different cultures. We don't like those robes, plus, we prefer the more traditional way of dressing. The robes and uniforms provided by Madame Malkin are a political statement, stating that you side with those who would rather do away with tradition completely. Tradition is the foundation of magic. Tradition is why we have magic. If you take away tradition, you take away magic." Two jaws dropped, and Neville looked down at his uniform. Leon smiled. "No, Neville, your grandmother knew what she was doing when she placed your order. You are still in a fully traditional robe that is made to work with the uniform pieces that are not specified in the rule book, so are not actually uniform. No where does it say that we must wear anything other than work robes and appropriate foot wear. It even specifies that hats are not required outside of formal occasions and feasts." Leon very determinedly did not look at Merlynn, who had ducked into Arthur's shoulder, burying her face completely. The four founders, her children, had wanted the hats all the time. She had nixed that because of Arthur, and that ridiculous outfit he had made her wear when Bayard had visited and the goblet had been poisoned. So they had compromised, and she had quickly learned why Arthur had done that. The entertainment of seeing people wear those pointed hats... oh, she had not laughed that hard in a couple centuries at least. She turned back as Hermione gave a muffled shriek. Leon quickly turned and closed all the blinds in the compartment. The former knights, Lee, Fred, George, and Neville all turned and barred the door, facing it, giving Hermione some privacy as she had automatically started to tear at her robes.
"I will not be forced into a political side without my consent!" Morgana stilled Hermione's hands as Merlynn pulled down Gwenhyfer's trunk after a glace.
"You are of African descent, right?" Gwenhyfer asked softly. A slow nod was her response, and once her trunk was down, Gwenhyfer pulled out a spare set of robes. "Strip, quickly, and I'll help you put these on. Don't be shy, they guys won't peek, and we're all girls over here." In short order, Hermione was in the new robe, and Rheane was running a hand soothingly through her hair as Hermione continued to rant under her breath. Rheane frowned at Gwenhyfer, who nodded back. They would be cornering Hermione later, as would, they knew, Morgana and Merlynn. The latter two would be addressing the political side, but Gwenhyfer and Rheane were concerned at the utter lack of care her hair was showing.
~~
The boats were an interesting touch from the last time Merlynn had visited Hogwarts, a couple of centuries ago. But that had been in the seventeen hundreds, and trains hadn't been invented. In fact, parents had still been dropping off their under age students, students had learned to Apparate by the time they were fifteen, and many of the students had dropped out after their Ordinary Wizarding Levels - the Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests hadn't been required, or even invented at the time. Anything after fifth year was considered Apprenticeship. Gwenhyfer, Lance, Arthur, and Merlynn rode in one boat. Rheane, Percival, and Gwaine, somehow, managed to get a boat to themselves; likely due to Percival's bulk. Hermione and Neville were in a boat near by with two guys, but Merlynn was distracted by the appearance of Hogwarts. It was like coming home, and in a way, she supposed it was. It felt like her children were welcoming her home, like they always had after one of her journeys.
Waiting for the ceremony was a quiet affair as they closed ranks around a very nervous Rheane. She knew she was seen as a bit of a celebrity, but she despised it, hence using Lily Evans in public. Hogwarts wouldn't allow that, though they did, grudgingly, allow the name change to Potter-Evans.
The Great Hall was as beautiful and grand as she remembered, the spell work on the ceiling still holding strong. She noted that the plates, goblets, and silverware were now gold, then remembered that Remus Lupin had attended school. They had likely switched from silver because of him. Arthur nudged her when everyone went silent, and she turned back to the front, smiling at the appearance of the hat she had made for Godric when he was just a boy. Godric had been drunk the night he had been experimenting with Charms, and Merlynn had nearly cried when the hat became sentient, with her dear friend's personality and memories. The brim (and the poor dear needed a good wash and repair) opened wide, and William began to sing.
Oh, you may not think I'm pretty, / But don't judge on what you see,
I'll eat myself if you can find / A smarter hat than me.
You can keep your bowlers black, / Your top hats sleek and tall,
For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat / And I can cap them all.
There's nothing hidden in your head / The Sorting Hat can't see,
So try me on and I will tell you / Where you ought to be.You might belong in Gryffindor, / Where dwell the brave at heart,
Their daring, nerve, and chivalry / Set Gryfindors apart;
You might belong in Hufflepuff, / Where they are just and loyal,
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true / And unafraid of toil;
Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw, / If you've a ready mind,
Where those of wit and learning, / Will always find their kind;
Or perhaps in Slytherin / You'll make your real friends,
Those cunning folk use any means / To achieve their ends.So put me on! Don't be afraid! / And don't get in a flap!
You're in safe hands (though I have none) / For I'm a Thinking Cap!
She groaned under her breath at William's poor verse. One would think after nearly a thousand years of this, he'd make better songs. Then again, it could be due to boredom.
"He's going to be he death of me. Remind me to tell you what happened there," she mumbled to Arthur, who laughed.
"Now, when I call your name, you will come up, I will place the Sorting Hat on your head, and you will be sorted into your houses." Merlynn felt Arthur settle into parade rest, a stance that she was well aware he could hold for hours, and subconsciously, they followed suit, even though Lance, Merlynn, and Gwaine were in the first half of the alphabet.
"Abbott, Hannah." Blonde pigtails did nothing to stop the hat from falling over Abbott's eyes, but it didn't take long for William to declare Hufflepuff for the girl.
"Bones, Susan," a red headed girl well on her way to becoming auburn joined the Hufflepuff, table to much applause. Merlyyn marked this girl, recognizing the last name to be the same as the Head of Magical Law Enforcement, a Madame Amelia Bones, who would be presiding over Sirius Black's much anticipated, and very late, trial next month.
Boot, Terry and Brocklehurst, Mandy joined Ravenclaw and Merlynn could see the other second years whispering in their ears, pointing at Leon and Morgana. Morgana found her and rolled her eyes.
Brown, Lavender became the first Gryffindor of the year, to cat calls and wolf whistles from Fred, George, and Lee.
Bulstrode, Millicent joined Slytherin, and Merlynn grimaced at how little applause she got. Her older cousins were right, this was going to be a fight.
Corner, Michael and Cornfoot, Stephen became the newest members of the Ravenclaw table, and this time, Leon got to them first, gaining sympathetic looks from the two first years, as the other two gained looks of surprise.
Crabbe, Vincent and Davis, Tracey became Slytherin students, and Merlynn was wondering if this was going to be a lopsided mix of students. Two, four, three, and one. She had been hoping for a mostly equal mix, as it would likely make things easier.
"DuLac, Lance." Those who knew there Arthurian legends paused, almost in a gasp. DuLac was a known name for Lancelot. Merlynn imagined something like this happened last year, especially with Morgana. When William cried Gryffindor, she was almost surprised by the uproar. Even with the great length between then and now, it was a name of a knight. The remaining six clapped for their brother and cousin.
"Emrys, Merlynn." Whispers broke out across the hall about Merlin the Great is returning; has to be him and she grimaced, pausing in front of the stool.
"I am not a male, thank you." The Hall went deadly silent at her soft words. "And any jokes about or swears to my name that I hear, and trust me, you won't ever see the retribution coming." With that, she sat primly, allowing William to be placed on her head. Hello old friend.
Merly! Ah, it has been a good while, hasn't it. You're younger than ever. Met your friend. Or are you calling yourselves cousins now?
You know exactly what we call ourselves, Will. You've already plucked all the information from Leon, Morgana, and Lance. You will get the chance at everyone else. Now, where do you think I should be, according to the ideals of my lovely children? William chuckled lowly in her ear.
Ah, that is quite obvious, Merlynn. Quite obvious considering who your favorite was. Best be "Slytherin!" The last word was shouted out loud, and Slytherin table lost it. It was the most unrefined she was certain they would ever be. With a raised eyebrow, she settled at the end of the table, staring her new house back into order, rather quickly. She ignored all attempts at small talk, choosing to focus on the sorting, or rather, her unsorted classmates. She knew she would be alone, but she planned to clap for all her siblings and cousins.
Entwhistle, Kevin joined Ravenclaw while Finch-Fletchley, Justin became a Hufflepuff. Finnigan, Seamus joined a loud Gryffindor table as Goldstein, Anthony became the sixth Ravenclaw and Goyle, Gregory joined her in Slytherin. It took nearly five minutes for Granger, Hermione to join Gryffindor, and she huffed a small laugh. Likely, William was debating between there and Ravenclaw.
"Greene, Gwaine," saw Gwaine saunter up to the stool, and Merlynn shook her head at some of the reactions of the student body. Percival and Rheane were going to have their hands full, especially once he joined the Hufflepuff table. Her housemates stared at her in askance as she clapped for her brother. She ignored this with a small smile.
Greengrass, Daphne was the first Slytherin brave enough to sit by her once sorted, and she glanced at the icy expression that was just daring her to refute her seating. Merlynn smirked and turned back to the sorting. Hopkins, Wayne was sitting, or rather, attempting to sit but was instead bouncing in place, next to Gwaine at the Hufflepuff table. Jones, Megan quickly joined him and slung an absent arm over his shoulder, stilling his movements. Li, Su demurely joined the Ravenclaw table, ducking in embarrassment at the applause. Longbottom, Neville was another near hatstall before joining Gryffindor, though it looked to Merlynn like that had been due to an argument between the two rather than a difficult decision. A quick count told her that they were just over halfway through the list - twenty-four of the forty-six students had been sorted.
MacDougal, Morag shuffled off to Ravenclaw already reading a palm sized book, while Macmillan, Ernie strutted gently (and she wasn't sure just how he managed that) into Hufflepuff. Malfoy, Draco tried to sit across from her at the Slytherin but identically icy looks from her and Greengrass, as well as a dainty sniff from Greengrass' other side, that turned out to be Davis, saw his scooting away, proverbial tail stuck between his legs. A Malone, Roger stumbled in a very shocked manner over to Hufflepuff, and she grimaced lightly. Either he was a Muggleborn expecting to be told this was a terrible mistake, or he had been hoping for a very different house. Moon, Lily became a Gryffindor, and Nott, Theodore successfully sat across from her at the Slytherin table, ignoring the glares sent his way by Malfoy. Parkinson, Pansy didn't even galnce at her, instead choosing to try to cuddle up to Malfoy almost as soon as William sorted her into Slytherin. Then came a set of twins, (Patil, Padma - Ravenclaw and Patil, Parvati - Gryffindor) followed by:
"Pendragon, Arthur." There was another bout of whispering much like with her name, and she smiled at the moment of panic he shot her way. Arthur chose to ignore it, and instead sat on the stool. Unsurprisingly, it didn't take long for a declaration of Gryffindor to sound out across the hall, and another rousing cheer went up. She clapped politely for her love, once again ignoring the looks from her housemates.
Perks, Sally-Anne Joined Hufflepuff, and Merlynn sat forward slightly, knowing just who was next.
"Potter-Evans, Rheane." She almost laughed at the third bout of frantic whispering that broke out across the hall. She saw Rheane blanch, before stumbling forward. As she sat under the William the Hat (and William, she noted, was taking his sweet time sorting her, it was already nearly five minutes, wasn't it?) she noted the looks exchanged between the four heads of houses and the headmaster with a nearly sick pleasure. After all, hadn't they told those five they had pulled Rheane from an abusive situation? Professor McGonagall was about to reach for William (ten minutes was a new record, she should know, as the castle imparted some information) when he announced Gryffindor for the Hall to hear, and explode to. She clapped, relieved that their plan was beginning to come together.
Rivers, Olivia joined Hufflepuff, while her apparent friend, Roper, Sophie joined Gryffindor. A Runcorn, Alena joined Slytherin, actively trying to avoid her, then it was:
"Smith, Gwenhyfer." Gwenhyfer marched boldly to the stool, leaving Percival alone, his bulk undiminished, and easily joined Gwaine in Hufflepuff. A Smith, Zacharias followed her with a frown, almost before she could stop clapping for her sister, and;
"Strong, Percival," elicited several mentions of No way and He's definitely a Lion, look at his size. She almost laughed at the disbelief when William sent him to Ravenclaw instead, and she clapped for her final family member this year. Thomas, Dean joined Gryffindor to much, if still diminished, applause, and she understood. There were now three students, one of whom she was dreading, and by now, lunch had been too far away.
Turpin, Lisa became a Ravenclaw, Weasley, Ronald (to her dismay) joined his brothers in Gryffindor, and Zabini, Blaise finished out the sorting when he joined the Slytherin table. While Professor McGonagall marched off with William and the stool, Professor Dumbledore stood up to say:
"Nitwit, Blubber, Oddment, and Tweak." She ignored the appearance of food long enough to catch the eyes of her family, all of them exchanging classic looks of What did I just witness?
She was just loading her plate when Zabini leaned forward.
"I heard a rumor that the Emrys line was descended from Merlin the Great. Is it true?" Chatter around them slowed down, and she raised an eyebrow, not stopping in the cutting of her grilled chicken.
"I am unsure as of now. Dad and I are still trying to learn the language of the older texts in the family library, so that we may begin to decipher the journals of the time. I will not say anything else at this time. I will also say this - I do not know about the Pendragon line, as they are attempting the same thing with their family library. Any other questions, or may I enjoy my meal in peace while I figure out how to stay connected to my eight family members here in the school, none of whom are in the same house as me?" She took a bite of food, indicating her last question had been utterly rhetorical, when Davis leaned forward to look around Greengrass.
"Just one. I figure those you clapped for were some of your family, despite the last names. Actually, possibly more than one question, but all related. Who else is there?" Davis paused, waiting for an answer, and she set down her fork to count.
"Leon and Morgana, second year Ravenclaws. Perce, first year Ravenclaw. Gwen and Gwaine, first year Hufflepuffs. Arthur, Lance, and Rhea, first year Gryffindors. Before you ask: adoption and three households, some are my siblings, the rest are my cousins." She picked up her fork again and Davis blinked.
"I hadn't even considered those questions. How did Potter, or I suppose now it's Potter-Evans, join your family?" This seemed to be the biggest question, and she narrowed her eyes at the rest of the table.
"Turns out my mother's line is a distant relation of her mother's line. The family she was with gave her up as soon as we proved the connection, my uncle adopted her, adding the name Evans, which, funnily enough, was her mother's maiden name as well. It was done through the Goblins, so there is no undoing it. Now, eat." She turned and started to do just that, observing the Hall at large.
As the feast ended, she let the headmaster's speech filter through - she would review her memories later, but for now, she was in mind-speak with her family, all choosing a tune for the School Song. They eventually, after a quickly whispered conference with Fred, George, and Lee, to use a funeral dirge for the song. Merlynn hid a wicked grin behind her goblet of cider - a new thing this year due to the removal of pumpkin juice, and anything else in the pumpkin family due to Rhea's severe anaphylaxis reaction to the gourds - as she glanced around the Head Table. She spotted the four Heads of Houses, and had to control herself as she spotted Hagrid, a lovely half-giant with a Scamander-like view of creatures that she adored, sitting next to the diminutive Professor Flitwick. Professor Trelawney was drinking deeply at the very end. She spotted the various Professors that she would have very little contact with until third year, before her gaze was drawn to her Head of House, Professor Snape. She knew George had remained in contact with the man, despite the terse replies, but what bothered her the most was the man beside him. A nervous looking fellow, with ill-fitting robes (though it wasn't as obvious) and a royal purple turban. But none of that mattered. No, there was a dark aura surrounding the man, an aura that felt familiar to her... but the recognition eluded her, and she turned her attention back in time to stand with the rest of the hall to sing the School Song.
Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts / Teach us something please
Whether we be olde and bald / Or young with scabby knees
Our heads could do with filling / With some interesting stuff
For now they're bare and full of air / Dead flies and bits of fluff
So teach us things worth knowing / Bring back what we forgot
Just do your best / We'll do the rest
And learn until our brains all rot!
The twelve of them, scattered across the hall, were the last in the truly horrendous cacophony of voices that had filled the hall, and Merlynn smiled at the looks of horror reaching across the staff. The first three in Gryffindor had been a start, then the two Ravenclaws last year had metaphorical sweat drops forming amongst the staff. Now, there were twelve students, across the four houses, that seemed like they could team up even in different houses. While it had never been part of their plans, Merlynn was aware of herself enough to know that she would welcome these next seven years of mostly controlled chaos. After all, people were likely, she had noticed, to let things slip when constant chaos was applied around them. Especially if, despite all appearances, they were meticulous people. And Dumbledore was meticulous.
She followed the fifth year prefects (Gemma Fawley and Adrian Pierce) to the Slytherin Common Room, barely keeping a sneer at bay at the state of the stones. She would have to check on the wards this weekend. She gave a small smile as she looked out the bay windows into the lake. A quick glance saw the portrait of her youngest sitting above the fireplace, and she winked, which was returned as he quickly caught her plan to come back later. She was pulled from her musings, taking in the changes to the common room, by the arrival of Professor Snape, bringing instantaneous silence to an already relatively quiet room.
"Welcome to the Pit, the House of Slytherin," his soft voice carried an undertone of harshness that could quickly come forth if aggravated, and she repressed a shudder, remembering a time when it was Uther's, before she quickly refocused. "Many believe this house to be of evil. You will," he turned his gaze to the first years, before turning to the second and third years, with the barest glimpse at the fourth years and older, "be attacked by the other students. Mostly Gryffindors, sometimes some Ravenclaws. Very few Hufflepuffs actually dare, but expect little help from that quarter as well. Be warned, little help will come from most of the staff as well. Remember, we are Slytherins. We are cunning and ambitious. We are hidden, like our symbol, and we are patient. We do not retaliate. We get even. Most importantly, do not get caught. If you get caught, I will also punish you in private." He paused in what was obviously a long practiced speech. "We must provided a united front to the rest of the school. If you have any issues with your fellow housemates, resolve them in house, and do not let anyone see any rifts. Understood?" It seemed she alone was unaffected by his glare. He continued on to announce that Fourth and Sixth year students were available for tutoring as needed, the Fifth and Seventh Years were to be left alone in terms of studying, especially as exams neared, and if the prefects were unable to resolve any conflicts, then, and only, then, was he to be called. As he turned to leave, Merlynn smirked and turned to Salazar's portrait, and spoke, in Parseltongue, bringing the room to a standstill.
"Salazar, son, you simply must catch me up on the gossip in here!" Salazar smirked at here, swift to reply.
"Mother, you are looking younger than ever. I will, but later. I must say, the looks are simply divine. I do believe that the necklaces will be available by the morning." She smirked wickedly, nodding as she stepped closer to sink gracefully across what she was sure was the most prized spot in the Common Room - a comfortable armchair right next the fire that provided cover from behind and a view of every corner of the room. "And, if 'Wena's predictions are as accurate as always, then you and your cousins will be ruling each house by Samhain."
"Oh, darling, you know she is never wrong. I do believe she will be announcing her presence tonight, to silence the rumors about 'Gana once and for all. She let it happen last year because 'Gana was able to ask her to wait." She took a deep breath, the two nodding at each other, silently promising to talk later, in absolute privacy, and Professor Snape found his voice once more.
"And what, pray tell, was that, Miss Emrys?" A haunted look had taken over his face, and she could see the upper years were frantically gesturing to one another.
"A simple question and introduction, Professor. I had noticed that there was something different about the man portrayed here, and I remembered the rumors that our esteemed House Founder had been a Parselmouth. So I decided to test my theory." She gave an elegant half shrug, eyes on the upper years who had been glaring at her since she had seated herself, silently daring them to do something.
~~
Salazar glanced around the Common Room from his perch over the fireplace, already having sent a message to his siblings through the connection he still had. The return of their mother heralded both great and grave tidings, and it would soon be time. It was best that they be warned.
~~
Morgana and Leon got to the tower before even the upper years, having explored so much last year that they hadn't had much need for that useful map that Fred and George had shared with them - not that they would deny the chance to use it, useful as it was to know where people were. They stood side by side in front of Rowena's portrait, gazing silently as they waited for the first signs of approach. Even as the rest of their house filtered in, the three remained locked in a silent contest, and it was not until the prefect arrived with the first years that anything happened. A sixth year called out.
"So, are you going to keep the Tower awake night after night again, Pendragon? We don't need your screams disrupting us anymore!" He turned to the first years and smiled. "Best not get involved with those two. Absolute troublemakers, and the girl can't sleep apparently." He was cut of by Percival's snort.
"Of course she can't when all she sees is the death and destruction of those around her. Dumbledore won't let her get any training from a Seer to control her visions. And before anyone says anything, research was done, and the Professor of Divanation is a Prophetess. Completely different, and completely unable to help." Perce stalked forward, easily parting the students, to stand beside his symbols, as Rowena chose to speak up.
"Oh! It has been nearly two-hundred years since the last True Seer walked these halls. Please, despite being a portrait, I can assist. I was known for my wealth of knowledge, yes, but less so for my predictions and visions. With your brothers here to be my hands, I can help guide you. Do you know meditation?" Rowena carefully ignored the rest of the house, well aware of the disbelief rolling through the gathered students. The Kneazle had been well placed amongst the Snidgets. The attitudes of her House - once known for being a place to share intellect and ideas, now hoarded and thought above everyone else - would change this year. She briefly glanced around. "Welcome, Ravenclaw's, to the Nest. Any and all questions may be asked at a later date and time. If she is Seeing death and destruction, it is quite best I focus on her tonight."
~~
Helga smiled gently at the students gathering in the Sett. While the attitudes in and around her house had shifted, she knew, without having to speak to anyone, that this year's crop of students, in addition to the next few years and last few years, would change it all. The two that caught her eye, that had a taste of her beloved Mother, would be instrumental. She frowned as one of the first years started going off.
"You need to change your name. The Smith name is descended from Hufflepuff, father to son, and you obviously are not of our line, and I can't have you tainting the name through association." She cried out her outrage as the boy pushed the girl with her Mother's taste, bringing the room to silence.
"I beg your pardon, young man! First, you should not lay hands upon a lady like that, and never without permission! How uncouth! Second, my line is maternal, not that it matters, seeing as I was an only child with no children of my own. Of the four of us, only Rowena had a child, and said child died childless herself. There are no heir for the founder lines. Third, Keep that up, and I will see you resorted. Understood, young man?" She glared at him, quite wishing she were alive once more to take him to task in person. As it was, she could tell it was having little effect.
"Who do you think you are, then?" The boy was quick, she noted, to shoot back, and she drew herself straight.
"I am Helga Hufflepuff, and you best remember that. I see that a lot has been lost over time. What a shame. I do believe something will have to change - I will call a meeting once I have an outline, understood?" She glared around the room, getting many startled nods, and she smiled. "In the meantime, Welcome to the Sett, children. Here, we learn to be open individuals, willing to work hard for our goals and persevere. We may not be known as leaders, or as scholars, or as strategists, but the world would crash and burn without people like us helping keep these leaders, these scholars, these strategists in line and alive. Do keep that in mind as you face the school, dears." She settled back and went back to smiling gently at the students, gaze not faltering as everyone stared at her, speechless.
~~
Godric hid his wild grin as his students (despite no longer being a professor, he still considered them his) trickled in. This year, Hogwarts had told him, saw the return of his Mother. Winnifred may have birthed him, and even loved him in her own way, but she had not been mother material, and readily admitted it. His grin got wider as he saw those Twin Terrors and their friend that set off the best pranks enter, giving him a shocked look, before grinning. Ah, looks like they had been clued in. Meeting Morgana and Leon had done them well, and he was quite happy with that. He would have to visit his siblings sometime, get an idea as to what all would be happening. Then he froze. Right there, that had to be Mother's lost love. Dirty blond, ice blue. There was no mistaking that look, despite the fact that he had never met him. That was King Arthur. Things would only get better for the world from here on out. One didn't have to be a Seer or scholar like Rowena to know that. But, as any Strategist, like Salazar, would say, things often got worse before they got better. With Helga's help, however, they should persevere. He looked further, and took note of the way a young girl, looking quite like a feminine James Potter from so long ago, sank into Arthur's side, away from a redhead that seemed to be leering at her. She was swiftly bracketed by another boy, looking something like a younger version of a knight from one of Mother's sketches. Completing this little pod were two others, one looking like a Longbottom, and an unknown who was watching with a stare he usually saw on his more cerebral siblings - a look of someone trying to figure out a difficult puzzle.
He wasn't given much more chance to observe as the five immediately went to join the three by the fire, pulling out journals and sheafs of parchment, heads bending close. They were close enough to him that he knew they were planning a harmless, if chaotic, prank to take place this coming weekend, and he grinned at the subtle shift in the Potter girl. She probably belonged in his brother's house, honestly, with that level of acting. The Snake in the Lion's Den, this should prove to be quite interesting. His attention was diverted towards the redhead that had been leering at the Potter girl, and he frowned at what he was hearing - something about teaching her her proper place as his future wife?
"There is no need for language such as that in the Den! I will not stand for it. Contract or no, I will not hear of this abuse." He was cut off as the girl in question stood up.
"There is no contract in place, something I had the Goblins check for this summer, even after your brother said the same thing. I will never be interested in you, so knock it off. This is your second strike. Third one, and you won't like the retribution, understood?" The boy stared crosseyed at the wand in front of his nose, nodding rapidly, and she smirked. "Good. I belong to no one but my family, and everyone best remember that. I owe no one anything." Godric smiled. Perhaps he had been wrong about this one. She really was a Lioness.
"Well then, young lady, I do apologize if I overstepped my bounds earlier, it is quite obvious you can defend yourself." There were a couple of snorts from the boys who had bracketed her.
"Tell that to Gwaine and Perce, sir. They still jump between her and perceived danger, despite the number of smackdowns she delivers." The Terrors took their turn to laugh.
"Percival Strong? Smacked down by Little Miss? No offense meant, Rhea, but you are quite a bit smaller than him." This came from the Terrors' friend, and Rhea smiled wickedly.
"You just have to know where to hit, and I'm not talking about playing dirty. Though, to be fair, Perce just takes a verbal lashing. It's why he's in Ravenclaw, he's smart like that. Gwaine, well... he's a little more thickheaded than that. It's quite endearing, however, and nice to know that if something were to happen, they would always do their best." With that, she turned back to the table, sharing one last knowing grin with Godric. Ten minutes. Hogwarts had told her that this child had been under William for ten minutes, and all four of them had been considered. And William was right to consider them. With just thirteen sentences, she had managed to get the entire house to think twice about crossing her. He didn't doubt it wouldn't happen, because, he even he had to admit, most of his house were the headstrong, stubborn type. He gave it a week before she had to defend her subtle takeover.
~~
Merlynn settled into a lotus position on the yoga mat she had spread out in front of the bay windows. Salazar would stop anyone from interrupting her yoga and meditation, and she sank into her mind, reaching out to connect with her siblings and cousins in the castle, to discuss how everything went.
From the positions around the chair she had claimed this evening, Greengrass, Davis, Zabini, and Nott sat quietly, each contemplating what changes Emrys would likely bring them. They each hoped for a brighter future, for Slytherin, for their families, for Tradition, for Magic, for the world. And despite everything that had been said, and more importantly, NOT said, Emrys was The Emrys, and the Olde Religion would return. They each practiced the Olde Ways, and they each knew that the political powerhouses known as Uther Pendragon and Balinor Emrys were only the tip of the iceberg that would crash their world. Greengrass turned towards the other three.
"We need to network into the other houses. She," she turned her head slightly towards the meditating figure, "is the key. as are her siblings and cousins. The fact that she calls Rheane Potter a cousin is a big deal. We want better, and Theo, you want out. This is our way." The other three gave firm nods, and Salazar above them smiled. By the end of the week, things would be in motion.
TheDarkRat on Chapter 2 Fri 31 Dec 2021 03:21PM UTC
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