Part 2

In that moment, Merlin couldn't tell what emotions he was feeling, but if someone asked him about his first meeting with Harry Potter, he'd say it was interesting. Feeling his heart jump just a little each time the boy's eyes landed on Merlin, he found he couldn't take his from the other boy. The woman was still shuffling around the room, in-and-out of the cupboard. One of the many occasions she was vacant from the room, the blond boy turned to the subject of Merlin's fascination and began speaking. His tone hushed but holding the same arrogance he simply exuded with each breath. The black haired boy looked slightly vacant and confused, as though, like Merlin, he wished someone was with him to tell him what to do. Merlin knew nothing about this world; less than nothing and so when he said that he felt a familiarity towards the unnameable boy with emerald eyes, he meant it fully.
"Here you are dear," came a voice and Merlin jumped, so utterly absorbed in the boy beyond that'd he'd not noticed the woman appear beside him, holding his robe for him. Once again he shucked it onto his shoulders, the body wrapping snug around his middle. "Lovely." She muttered, sliding it from him and walking it to the, as of yet, untouched counter where she began folding it.
"That'll be three galleons for the six." She said politely to Merlin.
"Erm…" he mumbled, pulling the (small) pile of discoloured coins from his pockets and placing them on the desk.
"It's the big gold ones sweetie." She continued, smiling kindly but obviously wanting her money. Feeling the blood rush to his cheeks from the now obvious stares of the boys behind him, Merlin noticed that even with his pockets now empty but for his tube-ticket, he only had two big gold ones and the rest were copper and silver. "Hmmm…" the woman breathed. "You'll need another three sickles I'm afraid." She said, the smile barely wavering from her lips, only shrinking a little and becoming more sympathetic.
"Oh erm…my Ma must have the rest," he began, feeling the pink in his cheeks intensify as he stared numbly at the coins on the bench, shifting them with his finger tips for something to break the impenetrable awkwardness that envelopes a room when someone has no way to pay for something.
"Umm…which ones are sickles?" asked a voice over Merlin's shoulder. Turning, he saw the black haired boy standing over his shoulder, fiddling with coins in his pockets and pulling some silver, bronze and golden coins onto his open palm. He barely came up to Merlin's shoulder and staring down at his hand made him appear smaller, but Merlin couldn't look away.
"The silver ones dear."
"Oh OK." He said with a small smile, plucking three silver pieces from his palm and placing them on the table. Looking away from the boy, Merlin felt his cheeks go even hotter (if that was possible) as the woman accepted the money and he hurled himself from the room into the busy street. An ache began climbing through his ribs as he tried (unsuccessfully) to steady his heart and ease the guilt within.

"Merlin!" He heard over the bustle of people milling about. "Over here dear." His mother called again over the din, leading him to a sparse coffee shop (and by coffee, Merlin is experiencing the initial pangs of culture shock, coming face to face with a large metal tin with a tiny – what looks like a dragon! – at its base blowing fire to boil the water.)
"All done?" she asked, standing and placing her teacup – with a moving handle! – back to the table. "Wonderful here isn't it?" she continued as they forced their way through the crowd.
"Mmmhmmm…" Merlin replied, as non-committal as he could be; the events of the past ten minutes circling through his mind: the boy entering, the boy paying for his robes! Merlin had guessed, by the attitude of the woman, that three sickles wasn't much but the boy, seemingly as naïve as he, didn't know that and maybe the boy was flaunting the fact that he had money – and by the look of the coins in his hand a lot of it. Or maybe he was simply a good person, but, aside from his immediate family and a friend or two, Merlin hadn't experienced many nice people in his eleven years so this was a difficult thought to hang onto.
"OK, so honey, you're potions and quills and ink and things cost more than I expected, what with your wand still on the menu, which means that, yes we can check out the book shop, but if you want to be able to get to this school it can only be a small look. I'm really sorry Merlin. I know how much you wanted to-"
"Hey, don't worry Ma! Checking them out will be just as good." Merlin cut her off with a smile.

Reaching the shop, Merlin's heart did this weird flutter thing where it sort of stopped before dropping and skittering away behind a shelf. The boy was there. Feeling the blood rush to his cheeks, a wave of engrossing, encompassing and awful embarrassment engulfed him as he was suddenly bombarded with images of how he fled the shop, not even saying thank you to the boy who'd helped him out.
"Oh no." Merlin breathed as the boy turned and walked in his direction, not having seen him yet.
"What is it sweetie? I thought you wanted to see-"
"Yes! Yes I do!" Merlin fisted his now sweaty hands by his side, "could I meet you inside please, Ma?"
"Oh ummm…yes. Sure thing darling." And with that Hunith hustled through the door and around the hoard of people. The boy was still getting closer, trailing his fingers over book spines set on trolleys against the shop windows.
"Thank you." Merlin began, not quite remember closing the gap between the two boys.
"What?" The other asked, dumbfounded and obviously pulled from a day dream.
"Thank you. For spotting me the rest for my robes. I'll pay you back. I promise."
"Oh…don't worry about it." The boy said kindly, sending Merlin a shocking smile; all teeth and happy.
"I'm Merlin by the way. Is this your first year too?" Merlin began, not quite content with letting the conversation hang there.
"Yeah it is. How did you guess?"
"You looked about as scared as I felt back there." Merlin smiled sweetly, holding his hands together shyly.
"Oh." Harry began.
"There's nothing wrong with that! I just thought- Oh never mind." Merlin ranted uncomfortably before turning and shuffling briskly to the door.
"Merlin?!" he heard from behind him. Turning back to face the boy he smiled awkwardly, "thanks, for the…erm…thanks…I'm Harry by the way. Nice meeting you." And with that Merlin was swept inside the shop, grinning wildly. Harry. Nice to meet you too, Harry.