Title: The Ghost Queen

Author: Angela Ravenclaw

Rated: T (I have no idea how this whole rating thing works, so not to be taken too seriously)

Warnings: Spoilers for… everything; violence & mild cussing

Disclaimer: I don't own anything recognizable

Prologue

Merlin Ambrosius had been waiting for fifteen hundred years. But for what? Not even he knew.

Currently, he was standing on the edge of the Lake Avalon, his jacket and jeans ripped and torn from the long hike through wild bushes. There wasn't anything for miles around, as muggles, modern wizards and even demigods tended to avoid this place, and he couldn't use any magical ways of transporting around here. The smooth, slightly blue surface of the lake was without a ripple, reflecting the snowy-white-tipped mountain in the distance. It was really a beautiful place. But Merlin just stood there, looking straight ahead, not really seeing anything. All his best friends had been dead for a long, long time. He had sent some of them away right on this very spot…

He shook his head. Dwelling on the past would do him no good. He knew from experience that would only bring him closer to insanity. So why had he come here, the place where more bitter memories registered than anywhere else (apart from maybe the ruins of what used to be Camelot), when he could be doing something productive like… That was a good question, what could he do that was the least bit productive? Maybe he just went to the lake for the sake of giving his feet something to do. He sighed. He felt like a mystery even to himself. He turned around and started to walk away.

That was when he heard it. A slight buzzing. It made him pause and listen. He couldn't tell where it was coming from, but it was definitely there. It grew stronger and stronger until he could no longer pass it off as his imagination, until he knew something was definitely up. The lake was one of the last places where the magic of the Old Religion still thrives. His heart was pounding hard against his ribs. This was the first time since Arthur's death the Old Religion had spoken to him? Could the Old Religion have finally brought back Arthur? It seemed too good to be true.

Turned out, it was. As he turned back to the lake, he could feel a prodding at the back of his mind. It was as if someone, or something, was trying to break into his mind. Knowing it was the Old Religion, trying to send him a message of some kind, he let down his defenses and opened his mind willingly. A boy with a lightning-bolt scar on his forehead appeared in his mind. He knew him to be Harry Potter, The Boy Who Lived. So, no Arthur then.

More images flooded his brain. He saw Harry Potter's battles with Voldemort, including the final one where he had managed to defeat that vile creature of a man. That was nothing new; he had even been there personally a few times, helping Harry out of the shadows. Then Harry's wedding with Ginny. The scene skipped ahead a few more years, and he saw Ginny hugging a small red-headed child, obviously she and Harry's daughter. He vaguely remembered reading something in the Daily Prophet a few decades ago (Man, has it really been that long?) about them having a third child named Lily Luna Potter, so that must have been her. He watched as the little girl grew up into a young woman, and moved to Los Angeles, California. He could tell as he saw the Hollywood sign on the hill. There, she met a man. He couldn't make out the man's form, only that he was dressed entirely in black, but Merlin knew the guy must be important somehow. Lily soon became pregnant. Then, there was a scene, where she was crying and begging on the floor in front of the man, but he just shook his head and slashed his hand across the air, seemingly melting into the shadows.

Realization dawned on Merlin. Out of habit, he clenched his teeth to prevent himself from crying out, even though there was no one around to witness his show of emotion. Of course, only Hades and his descendents could have the ability to Shadowtravel. Since there were no children of Hades in L.A., this could only be the lord of the Underworld himself. That would mean… The child…

Images continued to flit across his brain. He saw Lily living in a cottage in some woods, the baby right beside her. The scene zoomed out to show the whole cottage, shaking and rattling in what seemed to be a storm. Suddenly, a streak of lightning came out of nowhere, hitting the little shack squarely on the roof.

This time, he did gasp out loud. Not only because of seeing the horrifying image of the charred and smoking cottage, but knowing exactly who had done that to it. Only his father, Zeus, had that much power with lightning. This wasn't the first time he had seen his father doing something drastic to eliminate possible danger, but that didn't make it feel any better. If anything, it made him madder every time.

He saw Lily's shield flicker out, revealing the baby perfectly safe, but Lily herself was lying a few feet away, either already dead or on her way there. The vision went out, leaving Merlin kneeling on the wet grass, gasping and panting. Then, he smiled grimly to himself and got to his feet again.

After millennia and a half, he finally had work to do.

*Nervously bites nails* So, what do you guys think? This is my first fanfic, so I have absolutely no idea how I did. Feel free to point out any mistakes or things you don't like. Keep in mind that I didn't grow up speaking English, so please cut me some slack!