A/N: Welcome to what is potentially a very, very lengthy AU Merlin story. Ultimately, this is a Merlin/Arthur romance, but there is a lot more going on, so this isn't a story for someone looking for a quick Merthur fix. But hopefully you'll enjoy following Merlin and his friends as they journey from 1st to 7th year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as much as I am!

The story begins in 1965, a year which allows our Merlin characters to slot into the Harry Potter universe without any major HP story overlaps. I have done a lot of research to weave our characters into the universe Jo Rowling has created without making any canon alterations, and all the major wizarding world events referenced story actually happened in Jo Rowling's timeline. The Harry Potter characters that do appear have, for the most part, very minor parts to play, and theoretically, everything that happens in this story could have happened, at this time, in the world that Jo Rowling has created. To cut a long and wordy explanation short: this is Merlin and his friends' own story, not Harry's (nor his parents'), set at Hogwarts. Simple as that (in theory).

We've got a long and complicated tale ahead, about dragons and friendships and magic, and I hope you'll find it as fun to read as I'm finding it to write.

-TheAvalonian

Eleven-year-old Merlin Emrys of 6, Avalon Lane, had always known that he was different.

It wasn't something anyone talked about. They were only small things after all, these abnormalities. Little incidents. Inexplicable things, best left alone. At least that's what his mother told him.

And yet, Merlin knew. Had always known. Something about him just… wasn't quite right.

And exactly seventeen days after his eleventh birthday, Merlin found out what that something was.

In retrospect, Merlin thought he should have realised it the moment they got home, when he and his mum both saw the large, tawny owl perched on their postbox. His mother took one look at it and grabbed Merlin's hand, almost dragging him past the bird - which didn't move a muscle as they passed, merely stared at them in a way that seemed almost bored (if birds had the capability of possessing such a feeling at all, that was. Which they did not, that would be preposterous).

Five minutes after they'd entered the house, Merlin looked out the kitchen window to find the owl now sitting on the windowsill, big eyes staring unblinkingly into his own.

He blinked. So did the owl.

Then his mum came into the kitchen, brushed past Merlin with a cry of outrage, and slammed the window shut in the owl's face; it hooted indignantly and took flight.

Merlin watched it go, feeling oddly sad.

But the very same evening, Merlin went out the back door to empty the compost bin, and there the owl was again, sitting on the bin as though it knew he would be there.

Only then did Merlin notice the letter tied to its leg.

'No way,' Merlin breathed, dropping the bag in his hand, not even noticing as potato skins and eggshells scattered at his feet. 'It has a letter!'

He wanted to call for his mum, tell her to come see - and if he had, maybe the story would have turned out quite different. Maybe his mum would have taken the letter, hidden it away, deemed Merlin safer hidden away from a world full of dangers he did not yet understand.

But Merlin was a curious child, and so rather than call for his mother, he took a tentative step forward, eager to discover the mystery of the sealed envelope tied to the leg of a bird.

'I thought this only happened with pigeons,' Merlin murmured curiously as he reached out a hand towards the bird - it hooted in an offended sort of way, but to Merlin's amazement it stayed completely still as he carefully untied the rolled-up letter from its leg.

The moment the owl was free of its burden, it ruffled its wings and took flight. But Merlin was no longer looking at the bird. He was staring at the emerald green letters on the faded yellow paper, which read:

MR MERLIN EMRYS
THE COMPOST BIN
6 AVALON LANE
BA6 9JJ EALDOR
ENGLAND

Merlin read it again. Then he looked up. Turned his head slowly. Looked down and read the second line one more time.

The compost bin?

'But... I don't live in a compost bin,' Merlin frowned.

A sigh behind him made him start; Merlin whipped around to find his mother standing in the doorway, a troubled expression on her face.

'Of all the things you could be wondering about right now...' she shook her head, and although she still looked worried, her voice was fond. 'Well, I suppose I best make us some tea. We have a lot to talk about.'

And that was how Merlin Emrys learned that he was a wizard.

ooooooo

'But I don't understand,' Merlin shook his head, looking up at the sign of the dingy London pub, 'why can't you come with us?'

He was still holding onto his mother's hand, almost pulling her forwards, but she would go no further. In front of the door leading into the Leaky Cauldron stood his Uncle Gaius, waiting for him.

His mother touched the top of his head gently, running her hand through his hair - hair that was as black and messy as her own - in a soothing motion.

'You know why, darling,' she smiled sadly, as behind her automobiles drove by slowly and dressed-up Londoners walked along the road leisurely, all of them seemingly oblivious to the fact that the dingy little pub was there at all. 'I don't belong in there.'

'Because you're not a wizard?' Merlin asked. He understood how it worked now: there were people with magic, and they had to go to a special school where they would be taught how to use it, and then there were people like his mum. They didn't get to go. He thought it was all awfully unfair.

His mum was silent for a while, and when he looked up, she was not looking at him, but rather up at the Leaky Cauldron sign, which was swaying gently in the breeze.

'Something like that,' she whispered. He wasn't sure he was even meant to hear it. But a moment later her smile was back, and she was letting go of his hand, stepping back. 'Now have fun, Merlin, alright? Stick to your list, and do what Uncle Gaius tells you. I'll see you at home!'

Merlin wanted to say something, try to call her back. His mother had always been there for big moments like these - his choir recitals, his first day at school, and that time Mike Copper beat him up in the second grade and then somehow ended up covered in bird droppings, an incident which for some reason he'd blamed Merlin for - and he couldn't imagine embarking on this new and completely overwhelming adventure without her.

Yes, Merlin tried to remind himself, that's what this is. An adventure.

His mother smiled at him, her eyes brimming with tears he knew that she would not shed before he had gone.

He smiled back. At first it was a small, hesitant little motion, but soon he found that it was growing. Completely without meaning to, he soon found himself grinning from ear to ear, and then he couldn't wait a moment longer. He turned and sprinted towards uncle Gaius, who merely raised an eyebrow at him, but Merlin didn't care - he was a wizard! Magic was real! He would be buying spell books and potions and a wand!

'Ready?' Gaius asked him as he skittered to a stop in front of his uncle, still smiling widely.

And oh, he was.

ooooooo

Diagon Alley. Nothing could have prepared Merlin for this sight. Not that he had been told a lot - his mother had never been, and Gaius had not been back here since his own time at Hogwarts.

It still amazed him that Gaius had gone to Hogwarts. He knew his Uncle as nothing more than the kindly old man who lived at the end of the road and watched Merlin on weekends. He was nice, and treated Merlin like he was family, but Gaius was also strict - and he never talked about his past. Now, Merlin supposed he understood that a little bit better, although he couldn't imagine why anyone would want to keep something like this a secret!

There was an entire magical world out there, and Merlin had never even known it existed. Merlin was a part of this world, and his mother had known this, or at least suspected. That was what she had told him, when he had received his letter.

'You have magic, Merlin,' she had told him. 'I knew you would have, of course. How could you not? Still I prayed every day that this letter would never come, but here we are...'

She had trailed off, and Merlin had had to bite his tongue to keep himself from asking all the questions he was dying to know the answers to. How could magic exist without anyone knowing about it? Why had she never told him? Why did she not want him to go - and if she really didn't want him to go, why had she given in so easily when the letter had come?

In the end, the only question he had asked was: 'How did you know?'

She had said nothing for a long time, and when she finally spoke, it was only two words. 'Your father.'

So, Balinor Emrys had been a wizard. Merlin had never known his father, who had died before he was born. But now he knew that his father had been magical, had been a part of a whole other world. And then he had fallen in love with Merlin's mum, and here we are.

In Diagon Alley.

Merlin felt like the wind had been knocked out of him. He had never seen anything like this before; it was like stepping into a dream. Everywhere around them, there were people milling around, shopping and talking and laughing like on any other street in the world... and yet nothing was the same, once you really started to look.

Most people were wearing cloaks, odd hats, and the oddest assortments of clothes Merlin had ever seen. And the shops! Outside there were barrels of slimy green and black globs, globes that spun in the air as if by magic (No, Merlin reminded himself, it is magic! He still couldn't believe it), and the shop windows were lined with incredible, unbelievable things.

As Merlin and Gaius walked down the street, he slowly really began to take in what he was seeing: broomsticks. Owls. Cauldrons. Wheelbarrows moving without anyone pushing them, objects zooming around and flying through the air without strings or motors.

This was not a dream. This was really happening.

'Come along, Merlin, we haven't got all day!' Gaius called gruffly; Merlin started, he had completely forgotten about Gaius! He shook his head, snapping out of his daze, and hurried down the street to catch up to his uncle.

'Sorry, Uncle Gaius,' he wheezed when he'd finally managed to weave his way through the masses of people that had somehow come between them, 'it's just... this is all a lot to take in!'

To his surprise, Gaius actually chuckled. 'At least you didn't faint in the middle of the street. I'd say that means you're doing better than I did my first time in Diagon Alley.'

Merlin looked up at him in surprise. 'You didn't!'

Gaius smiled kindly. 'You'll get used to it. Now come on, there's a lot of items on your school list and I'm not getting any younger. Ollivanders is just over there; let's go meet an old friend.'

And then he turned and walked on, before Merlin had a chance to ask what that even meant, heading for the white marble structure in the distance.

ooooooo

Merlin and Gaius walked into the dark, dusty shop, only to find it empty - well, perhaps empty was not entirely accurate. The shop was full, alright; small oblong boxes seemed to cover every available surface, and were crammed onto shelves and stacked high on the floor.

A little shiver went through Merlin as he realised that all of these boxes probably contained wands. One of them will be mine.

'Now where has he got to?' Gaius grumbled from behind Merlin, clearly not as impressed by the sight as Merlin was. 'He's always running off. Garrick!'

Merlin heard a crash and a string of cursing from the back room (which he hadn't even noticed was there for all the boxes). A moment later an elderly man appeared, grumbling to himself, weaving around the stacks with the unexpected grace of someone much younger than he was.

The man looked to be about the same age as Gaius. His hair was white and his eyes were pale as they set first on Gaius and then on Merlin, glimmering for a moment with something like recognition.

Merlin gulped; he wasn't sure what it was about the old man, but something about him seemed... familiar, somehow.

'Gaius!' the man - Garrick, Merlin reckoned - exclaimed, clapping his hands together and moving towards them. 'Goodness, but I never thought I'd see you again!'

Garrick took Gaius' hand with both of his, shaking it vigorously.

'And who is this?' He added, eyes once more settling on Merlin. 'Don't tell me he's yours!'

Gaius laughed. Goodness, no. Merlin, this is Garrick Ollivander, Britain's finest wand maker - oh don't pull that face, Garrick, you know it's true - and Garrick, this is my nephew Merlin. Merlin Emrys.'

Merlin's immediate thought was that Garrick Ollivander would make a very good poker player. There was almost nothing to suggest that Merlin's name should mean anything at all to the older man - nothing, except for the slight widening of those pale grey eyes, which Merlin would have missed completely if he hadn't been watching them so intently, feeling like he was staring into a fogged-up mirror, knowing there was a reflection on the other side but unable to make it out.

'Ah,' Ollivander said, and the moment passed. 'Starting Hogwarts, I presume? Yes. You look the right age. You're after a wand, of course.'

The last was directed at Gaius with a raised eyebrow, and Gaius nodded his assent.

Merlin felt like the butterflies were about to burst out of his stomach, and completely forgot about Ollivander's creepy eyes.

'Yes, please,' he said excitedly, and to his surprise, Ollivander actually laughed; a strange, hoarse sound.

'Well then,' Ollivander said, moving towards one of the shelves. 'I think we shall try... yes, here we are.'

He pulled a box out, and produced a long, thin piece of wood. 'Dragon heartstring, ebony, 12 inches. Completely unyielding, this one. Try it out.'

He held it out to Merlin, who gingerly reached out and took hold of the wand.

'Er,' he said, turning it over in his hand, but before he could even as much as give it a swing, Ollivander had snatched it from his hand again.

'Never mind,' he said cheerfully, turning to a pile of wand boxes stacked on the floor. 'Here we are: dragon heartstring, willow, 11 1/2 inches, and very supple.'

Merlin took hold of the wand, and looked expectantly at Ollivander.

The wand was snatched away again and Ollivander ambled away, whistling to himself; Merlin looked to Gaius in confusion but the older man just nodded at him reassuringly.

'Don't worry, hardly anyone is chosen by the first wand they try,' Gaius assured him.

'Chosen?' Merlin asked.

'Ah yes,' Ollivander called from behind his desk, where he was crawling around. 'The wand chooses you, Mr Emrys, not the other way around! Now, where... aha!'

Ollivander emerged, a new wand in hand. 'Here we are. Dragon heartstring, holly, 9 1/2 inches, reasonably springy.'

When that didn't work either and Ollivander snatched it back, Gaius put a hand on the other man's arm, pulling him a short distance away.

'Garrick,' he began in an undertone, 'don't you think maybe you should try another—'

Ollivander shook his head. 'You know just as well as I that that would just be wasting everyone's time, Gaius.'

Merlin frowned, looking back and forth between the two men. But Gaius seemed to have no further argument; he removed his hand from Ollivander's sleeve, and the other man moved back towards the stacks.

'Ah,' he said after a moment, hand hovering over one particularly faded box which was tucked in between much shinier, newer ones - easy to miss, and Merlin would certainly never have selected it off the shelf. 'But of course,' Ollivander chuckled to himself. 'We have to try this one with you, don't we?'

He pulled out the box and blew a thick layer of dust off of it.

'One of our oldest,' Ollivander proclaimed, 'and one of the few which has been owned before, a long time ago. I sometimes like to bring it out to see if it might choose someone new... and why not? Here you are; dragon heartstring, oak, 10 1/2 inches, and surprisingly springy for its type.'

Merlin reached for the wand, fully expecting another anticlimax - but the moment his fingers touched the wood he gasped; he felt like something soft and warm was wrapping around his hand, his arm, his whole body; his fingers seemed to close around the wand on their own accord as though it belonged there, and fiery sparks burst from its tip, almost singing the startled Ollivander's hair.

'By all that is – I don't believe it!' Ollivander said, shaking his head. 'Of course I might have… but no, this is most unexpected indeed.'

'What's unexpected?' Merlin asked, gripping the wand tighter – frightened, suddenly, that Ollivander would take it away.

Ollivander's eyes met Gaius', and Merlin thought some silent communication must have passed between them before Ollivander turned back to Merlin with a smile. 'Nothing at all, boy. It is just a relief to finally have found a new owner for this old thing.'

Somehow, Merlin thought there was probably a lot more to this story.

Little did he know that this was just the first mystery of many to come on his strange and fantastical journey into the magical world.