Summery – well, we all know of animagi…but what if Merlin was the first to discover that particular brand of wand-less magic? Not that he realised it of course.

Disclaimer – I don't own Merlin or Harry Potter. It is very unfortunate.

A/N. just as a short warning, there are no Harry Potter characters in this, only the idea of animagi…but I hope you like it anyways.

oxo…oxo

Closing his eyes Merlin sat, concentrating on the silence that was his room at midnight as he sat cross legged and upright on his bed. He could hear the wind whistling outside, whipping its way around the castle, and the faint sounds of heavy footfalls of armoured guards from the floors above. But the majority of the room was silent, save for Merlin's own steady breathing as he focused his attentions inwards for what he hoped would be the last time.

The spell he was trying to perform was a tricky one, but one that would be of the upmost use to him if he were to continue to sneak around the castle at night…dependant on its effects of course. It was a spell he had created himself and one that he wasn't completely sure of the outcome.

Not that he had told Gaius that. He hadn't told Gaius anything about his little experiment in fact, though it had been going on for months. Every night, around midnight, Merlin would go into a kind of trance, seeking inside himself for some kind of switch or button. It was his theory that, once he found that switch or button, he would be able to perform the spell properly and without difficulty.

He was close too. Tonight would be the night; he was sure of it.

And really, he needed it to be. With loosing sleep every night to perform the spell that might keep him safer and more observant in the castle the young warlock was becoming less vigilant, once almost performing a spell to clean Arthur's room before the prince had left it and another time leaving his spell book open and on Gaius's desk for all to see and read. The old physician had not easily forgiven the boy for that particular mishap.

This along with the newly recovered king's new rampage on magic was causing Merlin a lot more stress and worry than he deemed truly necessary. This spell would make it easier, he knew it.

Well, maybe.

Taking a deep breath he sunk further into himself, searching for the biting point, the metaphorical button he needed to press in his soul. He could feel it beneath his mental fingers, just refusing to be pushed.

Gritting his teeth he drew back up again before plunging back down in renewed vigour. The button shifted slightly, and Merlin felt a small shiver run thorough his body at the raw power he could feel from the 'button'.

He hesitated. Did he really want to do this? He knew, even more so know, that once he did this there would be no going back. If it went right then amazing but if it went wrong then it could be disastrous. He imagined his mentors raised eyebrow and thought about what he would have said had the young warlock told the man.

You shouldn't be so irresponsible Merlin! Remember the last time you invented your own spell? You ended up turning all the jars in my room into frogs! I was moping up slime for weeks!

The imaginary voice of Gaius – Merlin's voice of reason – had a point. But then, when had past failures ever stopped him before? Merlin found he couldn't think of a single time…but he could think of many that had ended in disaster for the second time.

But he was so close; and the prospects of success were so great and thrilling he found he had to do it. Then he grinned, realising there really hadn't been any other decision to start with.

So he dived in again, scuttling around his subconscious for a long moment before he felt something click and a large wave of…something poured through him, completely obliterating his concentration as he felt his limbs shift and move; his bones cracking as they realigned themselves into a form that Merlin didn't immediately recognise.

At first that confused him, but then he realised it was probably because he was the form that he didn't realise what he was. So he shifted, the first thing he discovered being that he had four legs, feeling like he was crawling on his hands and knees as he took a few tentative steps forwards.

Then he looked down, using the light of the candle above him – much further above him than it had been before – to study the dark black, hairy paws that kept him standing. The fur was shaggy and long, but glossy and Merlin got the feeling he was probably some kind of dog; an effective animal for the tasks he had had in mind for this spell.

It was also possible, however, that he was some other animal, like a wolf or something. So he cautiously turned around on his bed before jumping off it; mentally cursing as he managed to trip over his own feet in mid air, land the small jump wrong and fall flat on his k9 face. Pulling himself back to his feet he slowly made his way to his bedroom door, opened it with his nose and walking, with much caution and awkwardness, down the small steps into Gaius' chambers.

The old man was snoring softly and Merlin, not wishing to wake him, ignored the bucket of water on the side in fear of knocking it over if he tried to take a look, and walked out of the door, using his nose to open it again – this door being slightly harder as it was quite a bit heavier – before walking out of the chamber.

Merlin then found, with great happiness, that it was a lot easier to climb stairs then it was to descend them in his current form. Storing the information away for later use, he began to trot along the corridor towards Arthur's room, feeling more at ease in his current state now that he had managed to complete a proper task in it. He found the more he used the body he was currently in, the more comfortable he felt in it; something he was sure would come in useful.

The claws on his padded paws clicked lightly on the stone floor as he trotted down the corridor, climbing another set of stairs before taking a right turn and climbing another. It was a few more turns after that that Merlin came across the well lit hallway of Arthur's chambers. Seeing the guards posted outside the large wooden door, Merlin frowned.

Then his frown turned to a smirk as he spotted a candle stand just before the corner several meters down the hall. Wordlessly, he allowed his magic to fill him, pleased to see it still worked in his animal form, and sent the stand toppling over, crashing to the floor noisily and effectively grabbing the attentions of the guards who both rushed over to the candle holder with their swords drawn.

Merlin couldn't help but snigger softly as he pushed his way through the prince's doors. It was too easy.

Then he froze, cold panic sweeping through him at the sight of the prince's muscular form draped across one of the chairs at his table, facing into the fire. It was only after a long moment of panic that Merlin realised the man was more slumped in his chair than just sitting…as if he had fallen asleep there.

So, quietly and nervously, he walked towards Arthur sniffing the air tentatively. With his enhanced senses, Merlin found he could detect not only smells but emotions as well. It had been a discovery he had made when walking through the corridors, past guards. He knew it would come in handy, and it did now, telling Merlin the man was defiantly asleep; his scent was peaceful.

Seeing his face was further proof of that, the prince's eyes closed and his expression slack. It occurred to Merlin how carefree his friend looked at that moment, and therefore how stressed he looked otherwise. Moving over to the table, and careful not to wake the man up, Merlin put all his weight onto his back legs and reached up, his large body easily tall enough to see onto the table as he rested his front paws on them.

Papers scattered the table, a bottle of ink and a quill resting gently next to them. He didn't know what the papers were exactly but he had no doubts that they were what had kept Arthur from his bed. No doubt it was something Uther had given him to do.

Letting go of the side of the table, Merlin put all his weight and balance into his powerful back legs before attempting to take a couple of steps backwards in order to lower himself back down onto four paws. He misjudged the balance needed however, and ended up toppling over backwards, sprawled across the floor. Huffing slightly, he got back to his feet again, glad he hadn't made much noise when he fell.

Then he walked over to the corner of the room, only just lit by the fire, where a rarely used full length mirror was situated. Trotting over towards it, Merlin paused; gaping at his reflection. He was a dog, a raven black one, but he also had some wolfish qualities. It wasn't a dog he had ever seen before, but he was huge and, Merlin wagged his tail as he thought it, not a bad looking dog either. His fur was glossy, silky, his ears stood up in a triangular shape, slightly bigger than perhaps was necessary. His eyes were their normal blue colour, unusual in a dog, and, though he looked big and bulky, he was really quite skinny with long legs. The long, fluffy fur made him look bigger than he really was.

Looking closer Merlin could see that the fur around his neck was a reddish brown, rather than the jet black of the rest of it. The small anomaly reminded him of his neck scarf, causing him to give a vulpine grin; his tail wagging quicker.

Then he froze again, his ears twitching backwards as Arthur groaned from behind him. A yawn followed it and Merlin cured mentally as he realised the prince had just woken up. It figures really, Merlin thought as he slowly turned his head to eye his master, that my luck would turn like this.

He hadn't looked over to where he was yet, but Merlin knew there was no way to get past the prince without being seen. He was unsure how he would react to seeing a dog in his rooms, but Merlin knew it would be a better reaction then if he found Merlin in his rooms at this time of night.

The manservant's heart sped up as Arthur turned around, having felt eyes on the back of his neck and started slightly at the sight of the huge wolf like dog next to his bed. They stared at each other for a long moment before Arthur seemed to relax slightly.

"So who are you then?" he asked with a small grin, leaning back in the chair as he studied the dog before him. Merlin cocked his head slightly before letting his tongue lol out of his mouth in a friendly, playful way. Arthur's grin widened as he leaned forwards slightly, his hand held out in invitation.

Merlin hesitated. Should he trust that hand? For all he knew it was the way that Arthur was planning to catch him and put him in a cage or something. But his expression didn't fit with that; his eyes – his most expressive features – were friendly, and Merlin couldn't help but trust them. Besides, if he wanted to keep an eye on Arthur as a dog the best way to do it was to make friends with him, and quickly.

So he took a tentative step forwards before taking another one, and another; encouraged further by the clicks and soft murmurs of the prince. Reaching the hand, he licked it gingerly, smiling a doggy smile when Arthur chuckled slightly and moved the hand in order to scratch behind his ears. He wagged his tail happily at this, loving the sensation of fingers scratching behind his ears. He now understood why dogs liked it so much – it was heaven.

Merlin had to admit, as he raised his blue eyes back up to Arthur's tired but friendly face, that this was a side of Arthur he rarely saw these days. This was the Arthur he could see would make a great king…though if he were ever to make it that far, he knew the prince would actually need to sleep.

This thought in mind he moved his head to lick the prince's hand again playfully, before taking the bottom of his sleeve gently between his teeth and pulling, forcing a startled Arthur to his feet. Merlin then began to move him over to his bed, letting go of the sleeve when they were standing next to it before using his newly acquired skills as a dog to jump up onto the soft mattress and thick blankets.

Watching the dog before him, Arthur began to chuckle. It was obvious what the animal was trying to say – get to bed before I make you – and its eyes were fierce as it glared at him, daring him to argue. They were vaguely familiar but, unable to think of why, he pushed the thought away.

"Okay, okay; I get it." He muttered, taking off his jacket before sitting down on the bed and swinging his feet round so that he was settled in a sitting position under is covers; effectively shoving the dog over at the same time. He sniggered as it staggered before glaring at him and jumping back down off the other side of the bed; almost falling over its own feet clumsily.

The dog reminded Arthur vaguely of Merlin and, had he not been so tired, he might have found the strength to be suspicious at how human it was acting. As it was he struggled to keep his eyes open as the black, wolf like dog slunk towards the doors. He frowned slightly.

"Hey, hey, hey…where are you going?" he asked with a raised eyebrow before grabbing one of the large pillows on his bed and getting back up; placing it next to the fire as the dog watched him in confusion. "You might as well have your own nice bed for the night. Think of it as a thank you for sending me to my own bed. I haven't been sleeping as much as I should have lately."

The admission surprised Merlin slightly. It was a fact he had known true but hearing it from the prince's own mouth was startling. He wasn't usually one to open up to anyone – even a dog. It caused him to wave his tail again and padding over, licking the prince's hand again, this time in thanks, before settling down on the very comfortable pillow, head in paws.

Arthur gave him a strange look, as if pondering on how the strange dog in front of him could possibly understand what he had just said, before running a hand across his furry back. Then the prince rose and walked back over to his bed.

Merlin gave a happy sigh, curled up against the fire. Should he not be able to turn back, at least he knew he wouldn't be a stray and would probably lead a very nice life. He even contemplated just staying like it for the rest of his days, whether he was able to turn back or not. But he dismissed the idea. His master still needed him, as much as he wouldn't admit it and, although Merlin would still be there in a sense, it was human company that the prince really needed.

But it wouldn't hurt to take advantage of his hospitality tonight – the fire was very comfortable – and, as he listened to Arthur's breathing becoming heavier, he too fell asleep.

The morning came, and Merlin woke, blinking his weary eyes as a slither of sun made its way through the curtains to warm his face. Opening his still doggy mouth wide he let out a large yawn before stretching out across the pillow and getting to his feet. Shaking himself, he concentrated on finding the button inside him again. This time it was much easier and before he knew it he was human again.

Looking down he grinned, very glad to see that his clothes transfigured with him. Looking over at Arthur, his grin widened at seeing the prince sprawled across the bed, his covers only half covering him and his mouth hanging open. Sniggering slightly and wishing he had a way of capturing the moment and showing it to everyone, he proceeded to the window and dragging the curtains open.

"Wakey wakey!" he chirped, causing his master to groan and turn over, stuffing his head into his pillow. "Oh, come on sire! It's the morning and I'm on time! You should be congratulating me for being able to wake you up as early as I'm supposed to!"

A growl was issued from the prince as he turned a glare on Merlin, his eyes narrowing when he noticed his servants grin.

"Shut up Merlin," he hissed, throwing the other pillow at him, causing the warlock to duck, the grin never leaving his face.

"Of course sire,"

An empty goblet sailed past him as he ducked again, hitting the wall behind with a loud crash. Feeling this was a good time to make his leave, Merlin made himself scarce, scurrying out of the door with his grin still in place.

Arthur sighed slightly, settling back down into his covers before sitting up quickly and looking over at the fire. The dog was gone, but the pillow was still there; the only indication his little encounter hadn't been just a dream. It was enough for him…though he wished the dog had stayed around for longer. He had liked it.

He shrugged it off quickly. There was no point worrying about it now. Besides, maybe he would see it again.

oxo…oxo

Dear readers,

Crap ending, I know, but I couldn't think of any other way of doing so…I hope you like this. It was running amuck in my head for some time so I thought I'd give it a go. Please review and tell me what you think. Hopefully they are all in character, this is the first Merlin story I have done so they may be a little off but…hey. Review for me please ^_^

Animeloveramy

Ok... rather sad but I can't actually think of anything to write here after over an hour of thinking. The holiday has obviously melted what was left of the lone brain cell I had in my possession so I shall just leave it with a 'Happy Summer Holidays!' and hope it looks like more because I said that in the most roundabout way possible :ninja:

AnimeAiedail