Written for The Summer 2013 Wizarding Modly Forum-Wide Comp of Awesomeness competition.

Task: You enter your History of Magic class and sit down, already dreading Professor Scrunchy's dull teaching. It's too cold to fall asleep in class today, so you...

c. Actually pay attention to the material? Wow, okay. Write about a moment - its build up, as it happened, its effects, anything to do with the moment - that could have or did go down in history. Anything from Dumbledore and Grindelwald's final duel to "And that was the day that James and the Giant Squid went to the Ball together" is welcome. Stipulation: write from at least two perspectives. Historical accounts must be corroborated to be seen as credible. Extra stipulation: as paying attention is so difficult, you'll also need to include at least four of the ten following prompts: sent, century, grand, war, facts, pain, save, end of an era, dry, "Kill me now."

I am a witch of Ravenclaw House, wand unknown at this time. I would like my full score, please.

Words: 1110

Tala glared at the sign on the closed classroom door, the bright, happy lettering making her feel extra peeved. How was it that the most boring class in the school got the most creative welcome picture? And why was she even wondering that? For goodness sake, she'd be thinking sanely if the teacher would just decide to come. She pulled her pocket watch out from under her cloak and looked at the time and date. 8:00 a.m., 13th August, 2013. Seven minutes to class and she was still the only one waiting outside the classroom door.

"Ah, of course. Miss Everit. Must you insist on coming to class this early?" The History teacher walked up to the girl, looking at her in slight despair. She unlocked the door, then let Tala slip inside before her. "Haven't you got all those hobbies to contend with? Not to mention all those friends?"

"Yes, Professor Scrunchy, I do indeed. But being late for class is just something that I simply cannot live with! Therefore I shall come early, no matter what anyone says." The rest of the class was filtering in as Tala sat down, letting the Professor shake her head in amusement at the girl's typical show of Ravenclawness.

"Welcome class! Settle down, please!" Professor Scrunchy announced, casting the Sonorus Charm on herself. "Today we will be studying Magic in the Medieval Times, specifically Merlin. You may all open your books to Page 37, and read the three pages on the subject. Afterwards we shall discuss these questions. One: Why do Muggles think that Arthur and his Knights did not exist? Two: What was Merlin's downfall, and how do you think he could have prevented it? Three: Did Merlin secretly know that his pupil, Morgan le Faye, would eventually be the undoing of Arthur?"

Tala, who'd already had her book opened to that precise page, smiled as she saw their teacher collapse onto her chair, sigh, then begin to correct what she could only guess were papers from a younger class. Realizing that most of the other Ravenclaws had already begun reading, she hurriedly looked down and began.

Merlin. A name every child knows. The wizard who fought with King Arthur, who counseled the boy, raised him. The wizard who started the Order of Merlin. One of the only Muggle-loving Wizards to be sorted into the Slytherin House.

The legends make it very confusing to understand when in particular Merlin was born. In the Muggle world, where these "myths" have been recorded, he existed around the time of King Arthur, which is historically somewhere around the 6th century. But Hogwarts was first founded in the 9th or 10th centuries. According to Wizarding History, Merlin attended Hogwarts. The only thing we can suspect is that he must have found it prudent to put facts of his existence in the past. This could have been done using a time-turner.

Now, Merlin was taught by Salazar Slytherin himself, being one of the first students to study at Hogwarts. This is probably where he learned all the dark magic he chose to never use, but taught his future student, Morgan le Faye. After graduating Hogwarts, it is speculated that he traveled the world, gathering information of magic from every place he visited. He soon became renowned as being very powerful. But with power comes secrets, many of which we wizards have never found. Many of the magical discoveries we have made in this age could have been first accomplished by Merlin.

Tala skimmed through the rest of the page, and most of the next two. None of it seemed absolutely essential to the questions that they'd discuss later. And it wasn't as though she'd need the information now. She always reread everything later, to make sure she'd do as good as possible on a test. Nevertheless, the last few paragraphs caught her eye.

Muggles have many versions of Merlin's death, but this is the one that rings true. A lady by the name of Vivien once came to Arthur's court. Her beauty was immeasurable, captivating, hypnotic. She caught Merlin in her web of deceit, using her splendor to lure him in. She soon controlled him like a siren, but instead of with singing her manipulation worked its magic with her exquisiteness. After making him do smaller things for her, convincing him that it was all just making her love him more, she moved on to bigger things, watching as her plan unfolded slowly but surely. Shortly, she asked him for what she'd really wanted all along. Him to teach her magic.

So, his love blinding him, Merlin taught her all he knew. Every spell, charm, hex, jinx, curse and potion. He told her all his magical secrets, showed her the doorway to the magic of the universe. In return, she pretended to love him, promising him that her love was true. But as soon as he'd taught her all he could, she killed him. She told him that a grand power of untold measure was hidden in a cave underneath a rock, somewhere in a haunted forest. Believing in her with all his heart, he went to the cave, removed the rock with his magic and went inside. The last thing he heard was Vivien's cackling laugh as she sent the rock crashing back over the hole, sealing it with the magic that Merlin had taught her. He tried to get out, but his love had blinded him from one simple fact – with his tutelage, Vivien had become stronger than even he.

Some say that Merlin didn't die in that cave because he couldn't breathe and suffocated. No. Some say that he was killed by the horrid betrayal. That he died from the pain of a broken heart.

"The reading of the material took longer than expected." Tala was jolted from her reading of the fascinating book by the tolling of the bell and Professor Scrunchy's call. "The discussions shall take place next week instead. Make sure you're prepared. I want many different opinions on all of these things. Off with you now!"

Tala slowly packed up her bag, shaking her head as she thought of Merlin. The poor old man. The only thing she saw she could learn from history in this case was to never love, for love makes one stupid, blind and ignorant.

Swearing to herself silently that she'd never love, a decision she'd be most likely to keep as a Ravenclaw, she threw her bag over her shoulder and glided out of the classroom.