Disclaimer: I only own the plot :D
A/N: So hello! The sequel of "A Place to Belong" is finally up! I want to thank all those who took their time to read it, favourite it, follow it, and most especially review it. The Armione pair isn't really a famous ship, don't you reckon? But I have a confession to make – after watching a couple of fanvids in youtube, I think I fell in love. Merlin/Hermione will always be first in my heart, but Arthur/Hermione is a close second. Either way, I enjoy writing stories for both ships.
Anyway, this story is only a three-shot. Longer than it's prequel, but still a little short to be made as a multi-chaptered story. So ready yourselves, my dear readers. Things will be… interesting in this story :D
Before anything else, the italicized parts of this story are flashbacks.
Read and then review, please! Enjoy :D
Title: A Place to Stay
Author: WickedlyAwesomeMe
Language: English
Form: Three-shot
Genre: Romance/Drama
Rating: T, just to be safe
Warning: Language, violence, mild sex, and heartache :(
Crossover: Harry Potter/BBC Merlin
Pairing: Arthur Pendragon/Hermione Granger
Summary: "I can't stay here," he whispered in the dead of the night, brushing a soft kiss against her forehead. Hermione closed her eyes and allowed her tears to fall. Of course she knew he couldn't stay here; he was, after all, the King of Ancient Camelot. But the way he was looking at her spoke of the undeniable secret only he and she shared – he was asking her to stay with him instead. HP/Merlin crossover. Sequel of "A Place to Belong". Armione.
Part I
When she felt a sudden strange pull to her navel, Hermione Granger knew she was in for the worst.
With her eyes tightly closed and her stomach uncomfortably churning, she thought she would die. Minister Kingsley Shacklebolt had warned her beforehand that the repercussions of the new potion that was developed by famous Healer Luna Lovegood-Weasley, the wife of George Weasley, could be drastic. Although Luna had considerably changed after the Second War, Hermione still had doubts. As the Head Auror of the Ministry, she was tasked to test it before officially releasing it to the public.
Actually, it was never the plan for Hermione to test it. But seeing that Healer Lovegood was heavily pregnant with a child and none of her other healers shockingly wanted to volunteer to test it, Minister Shacklebolt had no choice but appoint Head Auror Granger to test it herself.
The thought had unnerved her and, dare she say it, terrified her. Despite the change in her character, she is and will always be Luna Lovegood. She had made a name in the whole Wizarding World for her bizarre inventions and discoveries. In fact, she was the one who successfully formulated a cure for lycanthropy; therefore, all of her inventions and discoveries were greatly valued by the Magic Ministry.
Currently, Luna developed a new potion that was supposed to remove most of the repercussions that were developed during the Second War. Nightmares, tremors, breakdowns… all of them would most probably disappear if the potion was administered. Harry Potter, who was an important member of the Wizengamot, was the most suitable for the testing, but seeing that he was currently away in his honeymoon with his wife, he could not do the job.
Hence, Hermione had no choice but to accept the task. After all, it was for the greater good.
And in the end, she was proven right, for once the strange sensation in her navel had stopped, she slowly opened her eyes. Warily, she surveyed the whole place with keen eyes and heightened hearing. As the well-renowned Head Auror of the Ministry of Magic, she was the best among all of the aurors. Her skills and ability had developed with enough training and experience and when she was appointed as the new Head Auror, she made history as the youngest of all that were appointed.
Hermione meandered through what looked like a forest and softly mumbled under her breath. This was not supposed to be the immediate effect of the potion. She was supposed to feel some 'tingling sensation' according to Luna to know that the potion had actually worked. To be brought in a forest was not part of the instructions.
The brunette sighed and stumbled out of the bushes, noting with dismay that branches, leaves, and dirt had clung to her body. Her exposed lower leg was already slightly bleeding with scratches from the unsuspecting branches. Scowling, she bent down to examine her wounds, but she miscalculated a step. She was unable to see a protruding root from the ground. A sudden shout of surprise escaped from her lips and she fell down and landed on the grassy ground.
"I can't believe I agreed to this," she muttered in annoyance. "I'm supposed to be sleeping and not doing this goddmaned task!"
Somebody suddenly coughed and she lifted her head, cautious. Opposite her stood two, strange men. "Um…" she started, her eyes warily sweeping from the blond to the raven-haired and then back. At the same time, she stood up from the ground.
The blond dismounted from his horse and cautiously approached her. "Are you lost?" he asked. Her eyes widened a little; his voice sounded nice. "Can we help you?"
A soft sigh escaped from her lips. "Yes, you can," she slowly replied. Her eyes swept over his body and that was when she noticed the strange outfit that he wore. Truth be told, he looked like a medieval knight out of a picture book she used to love when she was still young. "Y-you're a knight?"
'A knight in the forest,' she thought, her frown deepening. 'A knight in the forest… this isn't good.'
It was obvious he was surprised with her question. Why? She did not really know. After what she perceived as a full minute, he slowly nodded his head.
Panic slammed against her chest and her eyes widened in disbelief. For a blasted knight to be in the forest was a crazy sight. "C-can you tell me where I am?" she asked, unable to mask the anxiety that she felt.
The blond curiously looked at her at first before answering, "Near the western boundaries of Camelot," he replied.
Camelot.
He answered that she was in Camelot.
In the western boundaries of Camelot.
Camelot, Merlin's beard. She was in Camelot.
"Oh," was all she managed to say in her surprised stupor. "I… err… Blast."
She ignored the surprise that appeared on the blond and the raven-haired's faces. All that was in her mind was the fact that she was in Camelot, a supposedly ancient kingdom in her history books. To know that she was in it only meant one thing – Luna Lovegood never told her she might be sent a centuries back if her potion did not properly work.
Maybe, such was her distress for the raven-haired spoke for the first time. His startlingly blue eyes sent alarming bells in her mind and she swore she had seen that face somewhere before. The problem was, she could not put a name on the strange young man.
"Perhaps it is best if you come along with us," he said. His eyes briefly swept all over her and he surprisingly flushed. "A-a lot of evil lurk in this forest and it isn't nice for a girl to roam around, unattended. Right, Arthur?"
Hermione loudly gasped. "A-Arthur?" she stammered. "King Arthur?" Hey, she was in Camelot after all, and it was common sense to conclude that the famous Arthurian figures were also in this ancient kingdom.
"Prince, actually," the handsome blond immediately corrected. He then pointed at the man beside him. "And this is Merlin, I'm sure we'd - "
"M-Merlin?" she sputtered out, her disbelief intensified. She was, without any doubt, standing in front of the two most powerful figures of the Arthurian legends and truth be told, Hermione had no bloody idea what to do.
"I… I c-can't…" Her hands suddenly snaked against her face and she released an ear-splitting scream. "KINGSLEY SHACKLEBOLT, I WILL KILL YOU!"
She knew this was a bad idea. For Kingsley to recklessly let her try the potion was not the best choice at all.
Slowly, she removed her hands against her face and flushed in embarrassment and anger. Unknown tears had also formed at the corner of her eyes. Arthur and Merlin were strangely looking at her.
"T-the help that you offered," she started. "Does it still stand?"
Prince Arthur swallowed and slowly nodded his head. That was when Hermione let her tears fall.
"Sire, we must return," Merlin claimed in exasperation, scowling slightly at the back of the king. "Today is Samhain and the council awaits their king."
Arthur glared at his manservant. "I know, Merlin, I know," he snapped offhandedly, clutching the reins of his horse tighter. "There's no need to talk to me like that." He scowled and looked back at the exasperating servant once again. "You have no right when it is you who asked me to trot in the Darkling Woods in the first place."
Merlin was about to open his mouth and retort something back, before clamping his lips tight and blushing in embarrassment. Arthur rolled his eyes at the idiot's ridiculousness before looking back straight ahead and urging his horse to gallop faster.
King Arthur dreaded what was to greet him back in his kingdom. Ever since he became king, which was almost a year ago, things had started to become too demanding and hectic for him to handle. Of course, as king, he had no right to complain. Being the Crown Prince for ages gave him a gist of how everything would be once he assumed the role as a king. But seeing that the title was bestowed upon him prematurely (the memory of his father's death still saddened him) and that things were actually different once experienced firsthand, King Arthur Pendragon could loudly proclaim that he was exhausted.
Like what Merlin had pointed a while ago, today was the Day of Samhain and as tradition, Camelot held a feast in honor of the dead and their ancestors. Today was a particularly special and solemn one, seeing that it was the first time they were to commemorate the death of the late King Uther.
Arthur expelled a soft sigh, his heart burdened with the grief of his father's death once more. A lot of things had happened for the past few years. Enemies became pronounced... people he used to love suddenly turned their backs from him. Morgana stood startlingly stark amidst all the betrayals that had happened around him and the thought of the traitor made his blood boil.
It was Morgana who caused so much grief to his kingdom… to his heart, and Arthur had sworn on the day of Uther's death ceremony that he would protect Camelot from the likes of her. Morgana made several attempts to overthrow him, but due to his resilience and perhaps even luck, he still managed to live and continue reigning over the vast kingdom of Camelot.
Being king had its own perks. His decisions were absolute and law. Anybody who dared to question him would immediately be accused of treason. There was only one person who seemed oblivious of this, though. Secretly, Arthur thanked the gods above that despite his promotion, Merlin still stayed the same and treated him as if nothing had changed between the two of them.
There was one thing the council had been bugging him for ages, though – Camelot still had no Queen.
Princesses and duchess all came and went to Camelot, but no one had the privilege to win the king's heart. Even Merlin played matchmaker at times. The fact that they were pressuring him to find a bride infuriated him so much.
"You cannot rush me," Arthur harshly claimed back then.
"But, sire," one of the members answered back. "The throne needs an heir, especially now that your life is in danger of Morgana's evil ways."
With blazing eyes and clenched jaw, he glared petulantly at his own council. They shrunk away from his gaze and Arthur secretly marvelled at the sudden fear in their eyes. "I am king," he calmly replied back. "You have no right to pressure me to do things."
And, well, his words managed to put a spell on his council members. They stopped pressuring him to find a bride now, but he knew with their knowing looks and indignant stares that they still thought it was right for him to find one.
Arthur knew they meant well, but then again, he just couldn't bring himself to find one.
He refused to believe it was because of her, but everything points down to her. He thought he had forgotten her ever since she left. Merlin had been careful not to speak of her name whenever he was in Arthur's presence, and he thanked his manservant for that. She would always be a painful memory to him, much more painful than Gwen's refusal of his love, and anything that reminded him of her brought a thousand daggers in his heart.
At night, he still dreamt of her… of her eyes, her hair, her smell, her everything and then, he would wake up, feeling empty and longing.
It had been almost three years, but Arthur Pendragon still couldn't forget Hermione of Somewhere.
"Arthur?"
The king slightly jerked, looking at Merlin questioningly. For a moment, he forgot that he was not alone. Upon seeing Merlin's worried face, Arthur smiled and shook his head. Often, his mind would wander off and he knew that Merlin had an inkling as to what, or more appropriately who, he was thinking about.
"We're almost near, Merlin," Arthur flippantly said. "Make haste."
Merlin bit his bottom lip for a while before slowly nodding his head. "Of course, sire," he replied.
Arthur looked straight ahead and surveyed the Darkling Woods. Night had already befallen and if they did not arrive the castle for a few more minutes, things would be much more dangerous. After all, it was the Day of Samhain. Things would be unpredictable tonight.
As they continued journeying, a sudden fog started to thicken. Arthur ignored it at first, thinking they'd be out of the forest before the fog became a bother, but as they galloped more, the fog started to become thicker.
"Stop," Arthur ordered, squinting his eyes. Behind him, he could make out the form of Merlin and his horse and he scowled. He couldn't see anything clearly anymore. "I think it is better if we continue on foot. It'd be more dangerous if we ride on our horses."
He heard Merlin answer in agreement, before there were shuffling noises. Soon, both the king and his manservant were walking back to Camelot.
Arthur had his arms outstretched ahead of him, his hands brushing against tree trunks and bushes. This time, he couldn't see anymore and it frustrated him so.
"Be quick," he said through gritted teeth.
He felt Merlin grabbing his arm. Normally, he would have shrugged his hand off in disgust, but things were starting to get hazy now, and Merlin's hand brought great comfort upon him (though, Merlin did not need to know that).
They walked for ages, and Arthur lost track of time. He wondered if the feast back in Camelot already started without their king. He could already predict the infuriated greeting of his council. The Day of Samhain is a sacred celebration and it shouldn't be taken lightly. For Arthur to reason that they lost track of time in the Darkling Woods was an unacceptable excuse.
Up ahead, then, he saw a blinding, white light. Thinking it was the exit from the woods, Arthur and Merlin jogged quickly towards the light, only to hear a deafening sound.
Arthur drew out his sword, ready to fight off whatever was making that sound, when a scene most peculiar greeted his eyes. In front of him and Merlin stood a vast, blue monster. Arthur menacingly glared at the monster that was producing the said light and noise. He slashed his sword against it, but to his horror, his sword merely clanged against it.
With widened eyes, he realized that this peculiar monster was made from metal.
Panicked, Arthur turned to Merlin to relay his discovery, only to notice that they were not in the Darkling Woods anymore. In fact, they were in a strange place, with towering buildings and staring people wearing an odd ensemble of clothes.
"Oh dear! Oh dear!" someone suddenly claimed.
Arthur returned his gaze back at the blue monster, only to see a person coming out of it. Out of it, dear God above.
"Are you all right?" a pretty blonde asked, peering at him and his stunned manservant. She looked above her shoulders and lightly glared. "Ernie can be annoyingly fast sometimes. I apologize on his behalf." She returned her warm gaze back at the two and smiled. "Are you both all right?"
"Um…" For the very first time in his whole life, Arthur was speechless.
Her eyes darted on his manservant, then back to him, and frowned. "I see everything had shaken you up," she murmured, tucking a stray curl behind her ear. "No worries, I'm a Healer. I think it is best if I bring you to St. Mungo's so that you'd be checked up a little." Her eyes gazed at their clothes and she smiled once again, this time of amusement. "I'm sure your costume party can wait."
Before Arthur or Merlin could even sputter a coherent sentence or two, the pretty blonde already grabbed their arms.
The next thing Arthur knew, there was a strange pulling sensation in his navel.
Hermione avoided Gaius and Merlin's scrutiny. Currently, she was in the bedchambers of the Court Physician, a kind, old man named Gaius, and reluctantly revealed to them of her true nature. Seeing that she was under the presence of the great Merlin himself (despite his young age, of course), Hermione knew they could be trusted to keep her secret.
"So… you're from the future?" Merlin slowly asked, absentmindedly frowning.
The brunette cringed, before slowly nodding her head. "Q-quite right," she stuttered out. At the corner of her eyes, she saw how Merlin shot Gaius an amused look.
"How do we know you are telling the truth?" wise Gaius asked, quirking up a greying eyebrow. "How do we know that you are not merely a spy sent from a rivalling kingdom?"
Hermione sighed and tiredly rubbed her face. Her warm, brown eyes determinedly met Merlin's surprised, blue ones and she started, "You."
Merlin blinked and pointed at himself. "Me?" he asked, confused.
"You will be the greatest wizard the whole world has ever known," she continued, ignoring how Merlin's cheeks colored with her words. "King Arthur, the Knights of the Round Table, Merlin." She shook her head and smiled. "It's because of you people in the future can freely do their magic. It's because of you magic thrived and advanced, which brings me to the next thing that I need to show you to prove myself."
Quickly, she pulled out her wand from her hidden pocket. Both Gaius and Merlin warily looked at her magical stick and she almost smiled when Merlin unknowingly stretched out his right arm in alarm. "Don't worry," she said. "I'll merely show a trick or two."
She gazed around Gaius' dishevelled bedchambers before choosing to point her wand at the messy stack of books on the floor. With a quick wave of her wand, the books lifted into the air and one-by-one returned to their original place inside the bookshelf.
Once the deed was done, she returned her gaze back at Gaius and Merlin. The former now was staring at her in surprise and probable delight. It was Merlin that made her chuckle. For lack of a better word, he was bewildered. His eyes were as wide as saucers and his mouth was agape. Weird sounds escaped from his lips, before turning his eyes at his mentor.
"D-did you… did you see that?" he gushed out, his cheeks coloring once more because of amazement this time.
"Yes, yes, I saw it, my dear boy," Gaius said, cracking a small smile.
"I… I… wow," Merlin said, looking back at Hermione. He tried to control his emotions, but it was obvious he was excited. Hermione couldn't help but laugh at his strange adorability. "In the future… magic will be practiced freely?"
Hermione nodded her head. "Yeah," she answered with a smile.
"B-but how?" he asked.
The brunette mysteriously grinned. "Spoilers," she said, shaking her head. "You have a great destiny up ahead of you, Merlin. Where's the thrill when you already know how everything will end?"
Merlin matched her grin. "I already like her, Gaius," he said good-naturedly, prompting the brunette to lightly blush.
"All right," the Court Physician said. "Now that you've proven yourself innocent, can you now tell us as to how you arrived here in Camelot?"
Hermione thoughtfully scratched her chin and frowned. "A potion gone wrong," she said with a sigh. "I had a bad idea about it already, but it was my duty to try it, so I had no choice. The next thing I know, I'm walking in this Darkling Woods you say."
"Duty?" Merlin asked.
"Um…" the brunette started, creasing her eyebrows. "You see, technically I am the Head Auror back in my world." Both Gaius and Merlin merely stared at her blankly. "Well, you can say they are future knights, sans the shiny armor, swords, and horses."
"I don't mean to offend but, well… you're a girl," Merlin pointed out.
Hermione proudly grinned. "Women gained their positions in the future," she said. "It is one thing to look forward to."
"This potion that you speak of," Gaius said, "Do you remember all the ingredients and procedure on how to make it?"
"I… I guess," she replied back, tucking a stray curl behind her ear. "Before I administered the potion, my boss tasked me to memorize everything." She strangely looked at Gaius. "Why?"
"You're looking at the best potion-maker of Camelot, Hermione," Merlin proudly said, pointing at Gaius. "I'm sure that if we are able identify what went wrong, we'd be able to help you to get back to your world."
Hermione produced the most humongous grin she could ever muster. "Thank you," she breathlessly said. "I… I don't think I can manage to get back into my own world alone."
"But, I do believe it would take weeks, perhaps months for us to find a solution," Gaius reminded, prompting her smile to falter. "So, for now, we must make up a pretend background for you, Hermione. I am sure Uther will be able to bestow upon you a vacant position here in Camelot."
Hermione, although a little nervous with Gaius' suggestion, nodded her head in agreement. "All right," she said, taking in a deep breath. "I will do my best."
"Just… just a minute," she claimed out in exasperation and all noises in her office died down.
Hermione Granger, aged twenty-five, clenched her jaw and glared darkly at the three people in her room with so much intensity she could see how they all froze right on their very spot.
The Head Auror then shifted on her seat and cleared her throat. "Thank you," she calmly replied back. "Now, let's do this one at a time, all right?" Her eyes landed on the nearest person on her desk and nodded her head.
Susan Bones weakly placed the document she had been furiously waving in the air a while ago before taking a step back. "Um…" she squeaked. Susan paused and cleared her throat before continuing, "The Aurors you sent to America gave a report just this morning of the rogue Death Eaters in hiding."
Hermione's interest was piqued, "Go on."
"Like what you've predicted, Rodolphus Lestrange is one of them."
The brunette bit her bottom lip, deeply contemplating. Rodolphus Lestrange had been on the run after the downfall of Lord Voldemort and his sick ideology and he had been on the very top list of the most wanted of the ministry ever since. Bellatrix Lestrange's death had a huge impact on him, and it wasn't really surprising that the ex-Death Eater sought revenge by wrecking havoc in the continent of America. They had been tracking him down for ages and to know that he was finally almost in their grasp, Hermione was thrilled.
"Reply that I'll send another batch of Aurors as back-up," Hermione then said. "Until then, they must not attack until they deem it to be necessary. Keep an eye on Lestrange, for Merlin's sake. We cannot afford to let him slip away from our grasps again."
Susan nodded her head. "Of course, Auror Granger." She then turned around and left.
Hermione's eyes then landed on the next person in line. "Mister Creevey," she said, raising an eyebrow. "Is there something you want?"
Colin Creevey scurried closer to her desk, his beloved camera clutched tightly against his chest. "T-the Daily Prophet asked me if they could get a picture of you, Miss Granger," he stumbled, sheepishly lifting his camera. "Just for the special edition that will be coming out next week."
A soft chuckling from the other person in the room reached her ears and Hermione glared. "Thank you, Mister Creevey, but as you can see" – she gestured at the monstrous pile on her desk – "I have a lot of work to do."
Colin deflated and looked sorely disappointed. Hermione, secretly having a soft spot for the boy ever since their Hogwarts years, finally expelled a defeated sigh and said, "Perhaps, we can talk about this over lunch tomorrow. Does that sound good to you?"
The photographer grinned widely and jovially nodded his head. "That would be good, yes," he gushed out in excitement. "Thank you, Miss Granger." He then waved his hand goodbye and left the room.
"I thought that after Hogwarts, he'd mellow down," Ron Weasley then said, striding closer to Hermione's desk. "He's still the same overly-excited chap."
Hermione gave him a withering glare and Ron merely smiled back. The brunette then shook her head and was unable to suppress a smile of her own. "What are you doing here, Ronald?" she asked, clicking her tongue. "Head Auror Granger, remember? I have so many things to do."
"Now, now, there's no need to boast your position Harry and I used to covet," he said, winking his eye. Hermione immaturely stuck out her tongue. "Anyway, I came here to personally deliver you this." He rummaged inside his pocket and pulled out a small envelope. When he placed it on top of Hermione's desk, it was then when she realized it was an invitation – a wedding invitation.
Hermione snorted in an unladylike manner. "About time, eh?" she asked, feeling the corners of her mouth lifting.
"Yeah, well, Parkinson was ready to pull my hair out if I didn't make haste," he said, scowling at the thought. "Merlin, we still have five months to go and she thinks we're running out of time." A fond smile grew on his face and he shook his head. "Women."
Ron's relationship with Pansy Parkinson came as a surprise to all. Everybody thought it would just be a meaningless fling, even Ron and Pansy themselves, and that Ron was merely moving on after his break up with Hermione. But then, lo and behold, the two fell in love, and it was plain to see that they wanted to spend their lifetime with each other. Everybody knew right there and then that the only thing missing in Ron and Pansy's life was the sacred vow.
"Well, you can't blame Pansy now, can you?" she shot back, rolling her eyes. "It's the most important event in her life and everything should be flawless."
Ron made a face. "Pansy kind of changed," he said. "Controlling everything, throwing tantrums when there are minor errors… I'm even willing to bet my whole Quidditch team she became just as scary as you." He made a show of shivering, prompting Hermione to roll her eyes. "Imagine if we didn't break up and ended up in this situation. Jesus, you might have turned into a monster."
Hermione playfully hit his arm. "Then thank the heavens above we broke up," she teased, laughing when Ron pouted.
"Well, I must get going then," Ron said, gingerly patting Hermione's head. "I cannot keep the Head Auror from her work. Besides, I have a Quidditch practice coming up."
"Be careful, Ronald!" Hermione said, lightly glaring at him. "No new tricks for now, all right? Don't give Pansy a heart attack."
Ron merely snorted. "Don't overwork yourself," he reprimanded back. "Don't give Crookshanks a heart attack."
The brunette playfully hit him again, prompting him to laugh. Ron bent down to give her a gentle kiss on top of her head. "See you next time, 'Mione," he called, turning around and leaving the Head Auror alone in her office.
Hermione took a deep breath as soon as she was alone. Wearily, she raised her hand and rubbed the bridge of her nose. Things were starting to become hectic once again and honestly, all Hermione wanted to do right now was to sleep. But then again, with the stack of documents on her table as a harsh reminder, she had a lot of things to do and any personal needs must be mercilessly neglected for now.
She grabbed the topmost document from the pile and started perusing its contents. It was what she did for the remaining hours of the day and just when she was about to finish, a soft knock from her door broke her from her concentration.
"Come in," she said, distracted.
Her door opened and she looked up, only to be surprised to see the Minister of Magic himself. Kingsley Shacklebolt smiled at her surprise, before inviting himself inside. "Hello, Head Auror Granger, I trust you have been well," he said.
Hermione unwittingly narrowed her eyes. The Minister never visited anyone's office unless it was with an important purpose. He had visited her office like this once, and the result of his visit gave her a broken heart.
"Minister Shacklebolt," she said, slowly standing up from her chair. "What brings you here?"
"Do I really have to have a reason to visit one of my best employees?" he asked, raising a perfect eyebrow.
In spite of herself, the brunette chuckled. "Nice try, Kingsley, but I think we've known each other for a long time already for me to buy that," she said.
He smiled, obviously humoured, before nodding his head. "It seems that you are rather eager for us to skip the small talk, so I will not beat around the bush," he started. When Hermione questioningly looked at him, he continued, "Healer Weasley Floo-ed a while ago and" – a small, confused frown grew on his face – "she delivered a message most peculiar."
"Go on," she said in encouragement.
"While Luna was travelling on the Knight Bus near the Leaky Cauldron, which still boggles me how someone chooses to ride that monstrosity, they came across two men… strange men, if I may add," Kingsley continued.
Hermione absentmindedly stacked the messy documents on her desk. "I don't really understand why you are telling me this, Minister Shacklebolt," she said, secretly itching to apparate back home and have a nice, long, warm bath.
"You see," he continued, "the two insisted that they are King Arthur and Merlin of Camelot."
Once the names rolled out from his mouth, everything around Hermione stopped. Arthur and Merlin. The Arthur and the Merlin.
Arthur.
She started to tremble, the memories of her stay back in Camelot suddenly flashing before her mind's eye.
"Head Auror Granger?" Kingsley worriedly asked. "Are you quite all right?"
A shaky chuckle escaped from her lips and she turned to look at the minister. Through the reflection of the window of her office, she could see how her face had paled into a terrible color.
'Can it be?' she briefly asked herself, but shook the arriving thoughts away. Everything that had happened to her three years ago was already part of a dream, a wonderful dream, and nothing more. She already accepted the fact that she returned, and she would not be able to go back, no matter how much she wanted to.
"I-I'm sure they are just a bunch of nutters," she said, cursing herself for stumbling.
Kingsley looked at her strangely for a while before sighing. "That was what we thought at first. Even Luna brought both of them in St. Mungo's to be checked," he added, his eyebrows now creasing in confusion. "But then, complete with the attire, mind you, they seemed very adamant of their identities."
Hermione swallowed and heavily leaned against her desk. She was afraid her knees would fail her soon. "W-why are you telling me this?" she asked.
The Minister gave her a pointed look. "You've been to Camelot before," he stated matter-of-factly. "I do believe there is a possibility that King Arthur and the great Merlin himself were able to bring themselves into their future… our now. I want to assume you had been acquainted with them before and you know how they should look like; thus, I ask you to go to St. Mungo's and see them for yourself. Merlin knows how the Wizarding World will become abuzz if they discover two legends found themselves lost in our world." Kingsley blinked, processing the last sentence he said. With a humoured smile, he added as an afterthought, "Scratch that. I think Merlin wouldn't know."
"I…" she mumbled, her blood freezing. "I-I… err…"
"Is everything all right?" Kingsley asked, looking at her peculiarly. "You do not look so good, Hermione."
The brunette waved a dismissive hand and tried to right herself. "I-I'm fine," she whispered, feeling strange emotions stirring in her heart. "T-tell Luna I'd go, Minister Shacklebolt."
Kingsley smiled and nodded his head. "Thank you, Hermione," he said. "Immediately report whatever conclusion you have formulated."
Hermione nodded and watched as Kingsley left her office. Once he was gone, she plopped down on her chair with a soft whimper.
Already, she had an inkling her visit in St. Mungo's would result to another heartbreak.
"Well?" Hermione asked, peering eagerly at the pensive Court Physician. Beside her stood Merlin, equally curious and excited himself.
Slowly then, Gaius placed the parchment back on his desk and smiled kindly at Hermione. "I do believe I can do it," he said, absentmindedly scratching his chin. "There are ingredients that are hard to gather, but I'm quite sure that sooner or later, we will be able to gather them all."
Hermione beamed so brightly and was unable to stop herself from throwing her arms around the kind, old man. "Oh, thank you, Gaius!" she said. Behind her, she could hear Merlin's amused chuckles. "I-I don't even know how to repay your kindness."
"I do not seek any repayment, my dear girl," Gaius said, gently patting her back. "I am already contented in helping you."
"But Gaius," Merlin said, drawing both of their attention to him, "how do you suppose you will be able to concoct the potion that will bring her back to her world?"
"Well," Gaius thoughtfully said, looking at the list of ingredients and the procedures that Hermione had penned just a while ago, "I've been a Court Physician for far too long already and I've seen different kinds of ailments in my whole existence. I hate to admit it, but it is the first time I stumbled upon a time traveller, so I'm afraid we have to stick with experiments."
Hermione thickly swallowed. "Experiments," she squeaked. "Experiments are… err… good."
Gaius chuckled at the terror on her face. "You must understand one thing, though – potions are similar in a lot of ways. Their effects might vary, but their properties are almost quite the same. Most potions, if made using the reverse procedure, that is you start from the last until the first, will cancel whatever effect the original potion has on whoever administered it." [1]
"So… you're saying we have to make Luna's potion using the reverse procedure?" Hermione asked, highly curious. She had heard of such before, but never tried herself. After all, Potion Masters always told her that using the reverse procedure could have dire results in the end.
"Quite right," Gaius said, "but, it will be harder than making the potion using the original procedure. And very dangerous, too. It can cancel the effects of the original potion, yes, but if made improperly, it can heighten the effects instead of cancelling it."
Hermione paled at Gaius' words. "Well, I'd rather not traipse around with dinosaurs," she said.
"What are 'dinosaurs'?" Merlin asked, confused.
"Never mind, that," Hermione said, waving a dismissive hand. She turned her gaze back at Gaius and determinedly nodded. "I'm willing to take the risk, Gaius. And I… trust you."
Gaius gently smiled. "I will do my best," he said.
A sudden knock from his door disturbed their conversation. Merlin, with a frown, walked towards the door and opened it. Outside stood Guinevere and Lancelot and Hermione had to bite her bottom lip so as to stop a gasp from escaping from her lips. She spotted the two of them a few days ago, but to see them in close-up still awakened the history fanatic in her.
"Gwen, Lancelot!" Merlin said. "What brings you here?"
Lancelot smiled. "I just want to remind Gaius of our trip to the village to treat the diarrhea breakout," he said.
"Oh, yes, right," Gaius said. "You can go ahead, Sir Lancelot. I will follow after a few minutes."
"Will you come, Gwen?" Merlin asked, looking at the pretty curly-haired beside the knight.
"I can aid you, Gaius, if you like," the maidservant offered, gently smiling at the Court Physician.
"That is highly appreciated, Guinevere, thank you," Gaius replied back.
Gwen nodded and looked back at Merlin. "Well, we must get going then," she said. With a wave of her hand, she bid them farewell, and together with Lancelot, she went to the village to start preparing for Gaius' arrival.
"I don't mean to pry," Hermione then suddenly said. Both Merlin and Gaius questioningly looked at her, and she could feel her cheeks warming up in embarrassment. "But are Guinevere and Lancelot in an… well, intimate relationship?"
Merlin chuckled, but Hermione could see how his smile did not reach his eyes. "Yes," he answered, his chuckles dying down. For a moment, he forlornly looked at his hands. "I cannot say we did not see it coming."
"But Arthur - !" Hermione caught herself and tightly clamped her lips.
The manservant looked at her in surprise, before narrowing his eyes in suspicion. "Where did you get that information?" he asked, already having an inkling as to what she was about to say. Merlin looked at Gaius and lightly glared. "Gaius," he admonished.
"I didn't tell her," the Court Physician said, sighing.
"I… I kind of figured it out myself," Hermione quickly said. "I mean, it's plain to see the feelings that Prince Arthur harbours for Gwen."
Merlin sighed and sadly smiled. "Broke his heart, that much I know," he said, now helping Gaius fix everything that he would need in the village. "He doesn't want to talk about it."
"But - " Once again, Hermione clamped her mouth tight and frowned. According to the Arthurian legends, Guinevere will choose Lancelot once Arthur was King and she was Queen. Seeing that she was still currently a maidservant, Lancelot was an amiable and loyal knight, and Arthur was far from being a King… it was just not right.
Perhaps she was brought into an alternate universe, she did not really know. Everything in this world was different from what she had learned back in Hogwarts. But then again, the legends about King Arthur and the Round Table had always been enigmatic. Maybe, the legends she knew were twisted and formulated to be different from what really had happened.
Before she could even dwell deeper into her thoughts, Gaius and Merlin already ushered her out of their room to the village.
She stumbled out of the fireplace and released a huge sneeze. Those nearby her looked at her weirdly and Hermione could feel herself coloring in embarrassment. Due to her haste and frazzled nerves, she Flooed a little improperly and managed to inhale some soot into her lungs. It was a wonder as to why she was still able to reach St. Mungo's despite being disoriented.
Hermione brushed off the remaining soot from her robes before journeying towards Luna's office. As the Head Healer of St. Mungo's, she owned a single office, just like Hermione.
They had been friends back in Hogwarts, but their friendship grew stronger once Hermione became the Head Auror and Luna, the Head Healer. Their jobs surprisingly required partnership at times. Hermione had gotten a lot of injuries and had been cursed a lot of times, and it was always Luna who patched her up until she was up and about.
Ever since then, Hermione completely trusted her whole life to Luna. Nothing drastic had really happened to Hermione, until, of course, the incident involving a potion and time travelling.
The moment she came back from Camelot, everybody was relieved. Luna, horrified herself, had cried guilty tears to Hermione for hours and Hermione, weary from the travel and heartache, merely comforted the Head Healer until her tears abated.
While Hermione recuperated from the accidental time travel, Luna dedicated her working hours improving the potion. She had pinpointed the cause of Hermione's time travel and had fixed the potion until she thought it was better and proper.
This time, it was Harry who administered the potion. There were no time travelling that had happened to him. In fact, there were no visible negative effects. The next day, a flustered Harry Potter came jogging inside St. Mungo's to announce that Luna's potion worked.
"I've never slept so well since last night," he proclaimed loudly, drawing Luna Lovegood-Weasley into a hug. "Thank you, Luna."
Harry continued drinking the potion. There was one minor side-effect, which was exhaustion, but nothing disturbing or life-threatening had happened to The-Boy-Who-Lived. The Relieving Potion, as what Luna coined, was soon released in the mass. Those who were haunted by memories of the Second War embraced the potion. There were a few who got addicted to it, but since then, nothing drastic had happened to those who administered the potion.
Hermione was one of those who drank it once in a while until the nightmares diminished. Until then, Lord Voldemort's red eyes had not visited her in her sleep.
"Hermione?"
Her name broke her off from her musings and she turned around. Opposite her stood Healer Weasley, who gave her a bright, wide smile.
"You came!" she said, launching herself into the arms of the brunette. "I know it is sudden, but it was only you I could think of."
Hermione absentmindedly patted Luna's back. "I-I don't really mind," she said, biting her lip afterwards. She hoped that Luna wasn't able to catch the slight shake in her voice.
Luna pulled away and ushered her to follow her. They went up a couple flight of stairs and meandered through corridors. While walking, Luna told her some information she had gathered from the two, strange men.
"They seemed indignant," the healer said with a sigh. "I've had my fair share of deliriousness before" – Hermione couldn't help but chuckle at her words – "but really, this is odd! They both claim to be King Arthur and Merlin and I don't really know what to do."
"I-I'm sure they're just merely fancying themselves with the thought," Hermione said, nervously wringing her wrist.
Luna shrugged. "Well, we managed to bring you to the past," she said matter-of-factly. "I'm quite sure it is not impossible for King Arthur and Merlin to be brought into the present, too."
Hermione made a noncommittal sound at the back of her throat. She couldn't really choose which one was worse – for the two men to really just playing an awful joke or for the two men to be actually telling the truth. Whatever was true, Hermione knew she would go home with tears at the corner of her eyes.
No one really knew what really happened to her back in Camelot, even Luna, and she was thankful nobody bothered asking her. They were all relieved that she was well and she managed to go back into this time period to mind whatever happened to her back in Ancient Camelot.
She had pushed those memories at the deepest recesses of her heart. Anything that reminded her of Camelot, of Arthur Pendragon, broke her heart all over again and it was up to her to pick up the pieces and mend it back together.
During her free times, she would read more stories about the Arthurian legend. The adventures of the great king and the great wizard always fascinated her so, and sometimes, she was still in disbelief that she actually met the two of them.
There was one time she read about King Arthur's marriage to Guinevere and that night, she cried mournful tears and even asked for Kingsley to grant her a day-off for the following day. Ever since then, she steered clear from anything related to the Arthurian legends.
She knew she should sooner or later accept that anything that had happened to her back in Camelot should be treated as a mere dream. Dwelling deeper into her memories only brought grief. Thus, she moved on, and although there were times when she remembered Camelot, it only left a hollow feeling in her heart.
But then, this. Two strange men, claiming to be the Arthur and the Merlin shook up her already stable world. If they really were the same Arthur and Merlin she came to know, Hermione did not know what she would do. She never fancied herself into thinking that she would meet them again; therefore, she never prepared herself for any kind of reunion.
"Hey," Luna said, invading her thoughts once again. She grabbed Hermione's elbow to get her attention. "Are you all right, Hermione?"
She did not trust herself to speak, so Hermione merely nodded her head and slightly smiled.
Luna peered at her strangely for a while, before finally opening a door. "They're inside," she said, pointing at the door. Healer Weasley strode inside, but Hermione found herself frozen right on the spot. Her heart thudded wildly inside her ribcage and she could already feel her panic rising. Emotions swirled at the pit of her stomach and Hermione honestly felt sick.
"Head Auror Granger?" Luna asked, this time downright worried. She opened the door completely, allowing two pairs of eyes to settle on the brunette.
"H-Hermione?"
The brunette closed her eyes, oblivious that a tear rolled down from her eyes. She recognized that voice. 'Oh god,' she thought inside her frenzied brain. 'Oh god. Oh god. Oh god.'
Slowly then, she opened her eyes. They met the surprised blue eyes of Merlin himself, who was brought onto his feet upon seeing her. Shakily, she shifted her eyes on the frozen body beside Merlin and a soft sob managed to escape from her lips.
Arthur Pendragon, the man who unknowingly stole her heart and had not returned it ever since, was staring right back at her.
[1] I just made this whole thing up, with the reverse procedure and everything XD I hope it was believable, though. The idea just came out of nowhere, if you must know.
A/N: Dun dun DUUUUUUUN! End of Part I! A little cliffie, hehe. How'd you like it so far? Tell me in your reviews!
I'm already in the process of finishing the third part. Writing this whole thing was a blast. I absolutely enjoyed conjuring scenes among the characters of this story, most especially between Arthur and Hermione :D
As for the question of a happily ever after, hmm… we'll see. Need I remind you that I'm still in the process of finishing the last part of this story? I have the whole gist of the story, but I might change my mind *wink* *wink*
I'll post the third and second part tomorrow, I think. I don't really know. I'll go to my province on Friday so I might not have any access to the internet. So yeah, treat this as a little Christmas gift to all of you. To make me happy in return, brighten my day with your reviews!
That's it for now :D
With love,
WickedlyAwesomeMe