Merlin's mother held his hand tight, pulling him through the crowds of people. Merlin may be eleven but that didn't stop his mother treating him like he was eight. And recently his mother had been acting weirdly, even more so than normal. One day she had disappeared completely and come back with bags full of things. Later that night Merlin had snuck a look into her room and seen her packing a cauldron into a large trunk. His mother had moved across to her bedside table, and pulled a long piece of wood out. There was something about it, something that called to Merlin.

"Hurry up, we cannot miss this train," said his mother, who had decided she should be the one who pushed the cart with his trunk on.

Merlin's mother thought he was asleep, but Merlin held his eyes closed so she would think so. He could feel as she sat down on the edge of his bed. "I don't know how they got your name, we ensured they wouldn't, we deleted it from the list. And I couldn't protect you. I'm sorry Merlin. At that school I can't protect you anymore, can't stop you from finding out the truth. I suppose you were always going to find out who you really are. But I hope you are prepared for what you will find. You have a legacy in you, and a fate to fulfill. I tried to protect you from it, to change your destiny. But I couldn't."

They reached the platform, and came to a halt between platform nine and ten.

"Mother, what are we doing?" asked Merlin. His mother turned to face him and held up a letter.

"Open this when you are alone and do exactly what it says," she said, sliding it into Merlin's jacket, hiding it from everyone else.

"You are scaring me," he said. His mother reached across and kissed his forehead. "Mom!" said Merlin quickly moving backwards and wiping his forehead. "I'm eleven! You don't do that anymore!" he said, his mother laughed slightly.

"Promise me that no matter what happens you won't change Merlin. Promise me," his mother said. Merlin knew when his mother was being serious, and this was one of those moments. He nodded.

"I promise," said Merlin, grabbing ahold of his mother's hand.

"I love you darling, remember that," she said. "Now, we need to run into that wall there," his mother continued, and Merlin couldn't hide his shock.

"We what?" yelled Merlin. His mother brought a finger to her lips.

"Quiet dear. Take my hand," she said grabbing ahold of his hand. She lifted it up to the trolley and together they pushed it. Merlin couldn't help but cringe as they met the wall. However the impact he expected never came. They passed through the wall and came out on a platform that was full to the brim with people and trolleys. Merlin looked around in a daze. "I have to go before someone sees me and recognizes me. Listen to what the letter says, be careful and do not draw attention to yourself. Promise me Merlin that you will do whatever it takes to stay calm and keep yourself composed. Because what you will go through will be life changing and I don't want to see you hurt," she said, hugging Merlin tight. She passed him a ticket, presumably for the train.

"Mum, please don't make me do whatever this is," said Merlin.

"You have no choice. We cannot afford for them to investigate you if you do not turn up for school. You will have to go. But my dear, I love you and I am so sorry," she kissed his forehead.

"I'm scared," said Merlin.

"So am I," said his mum, being fully honest. "But I believe in you," she said with a sad smile.

"When will I next see you?" he asked, fighting back tears.

"At Christmas break. You can come home then," she said, unable to show the same strength as her son.

"I'll see you then," he said as the train horn went off, sounding for everyone to get on board.

"Goodbye Merlin!" yelled his mother as Merlin lifted his trunk onto the train. Merlin waved before walking inside. "My brave boy, you will discover so much. I just hope they do not realize who you are," his mother said, before quickly running back out through the wall. Merlin stepped onto the train, and quickly found a compartment right near the end that was fully empty. He stepped in and sat by the window, and only then did he realize he was trembling. His entire body was shaking and he tried to stop that. There was no point delaying the inevitable and Merlin ripped open the letter.

My darling Merlin,

You are a wizard. You displayed the talent ever since you were young, which is why I have always kept you away from everyone else. And you will have to learn now how to control it. I had hoped that we could hide you from them, but it didn't work. So Merlin everything you see and everyone you meet will be completely different. Never take anything at face value, never. Keep under the radar and even when you want to, do not show your full power. I am sorry that I cannot tell you more. But unfortunately I must not reveal anything in this letter. When you get your first chance burn this letter.

I love you my dear.

Merlin couldn't hold back the tears. Magic? Was that really what all this was about? Merlin had magic? He was a wizard? This was too much for an eleven year old to take in, it was too much for anyone probably. Merlin looked straight out the window, and at the moment wanted nothing more than to jump out of it and run. The train started to move, and Merlin frantically searched the crowd to find his mother. But she was gone. She had abandoned him, left him to figure out what to do. He looked up at his trunk, wondering what was in there. No one else came into his compartment, except someone who told him he needed to put on his robes, which his mum had put on the top of the trunk's contents. And as darkness descended, Merlin couldn't help it.

He was scared.