I own nothing you recognize. The italized words are from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban page 133-134.
Chapter 3: The Boggart
"Hmm I believe you are right, Sir Percival." Gaius said to the four in front of him after they had finished explaining. "This creature sounds like a creature that takes the shape of your worst fear."
"What creature is it, Gaius?" Merlin asked, his nervousness of his secret being exposed still evident in his voice.
"I'm not..." his voice trailed off as the old physician turned and started toward the door. "I'll be back shortly. I need to find a book. Stay here, all of you."
Then he was gone, the door slamming shut behind him. Their was silence for a moment as the three knights and Merlin just sat their. Then Gwaine broke the silence.
"So you're afraid of snakes?" Gwaine turned toward Lancelot and grinned.
"Bad experiance as a child." Lancelot blushed.
"Oh?" Gwaine grinned slyly. "And what would that experiance be?"
"I fell in a snake's nest." The blush deepened. "Haven't liked snakes since."
Merlin looked at Gwaine warily, hoping that he would not mention what he himself was afraid of.
"Who was that man you were afraid of?" Lancelot asked, trying to turn the conversation away from him.
"My step father." Gwaine answered gruffly. His eyes narrowed and anger shone through them as he remembered the man he had backed away from.
"Why..." Merlin started to ask, but he shook his head and muttered. "Never mind."
"He beat me and my mother and sister." Gwaine explained quietly.
"I'm sorry." Percivial muttered.
Lancelot and Merlin just stared in shock.
"So why mad dogs?" Gwaine asked Percival awkwardly.
Percival shrugged.
"One attacked my village when I was a child." he explained easily. "It was chasing me when they killed it."
The other three instantly understood how that could make someone scared of mad dogs.
"So, Merlin..." Gwaine started, but the door opening cut him off.
"I've got it!" Gaius exclaimed as he hurried in carrying a large book.
The four men gathered around the physician as he began flipping through the pages.
"The creature is a boggart." He explained when he found the right page.
"A what?" Gwaine asked.
"A boggart." Gaius repeated. "It's a shapeshifter. It can take the shape of whatever it thinks will frighten us most."
"Well it certainly succeds in that." Gwaine muttered.
"Listen." Gaius said as he began to read from the page. "Boggarts like dark, enclosed spaces. Wardrobes, the gap beneath beds, and other dark enclosed spaces. Nobody knows what a boggart looks like when he is alone, but when they are released from their space, they will take the form of whatever will frighten the person it is facing the most. To get rid of a boggart, it's always best to have company. He becomes confused and will try to frighten to people at once, only to turn into half of one fear and half of another."
"Great." Merlin groaned. "So there's a shape-shifting magical creature in Arthur's wardobe."
"How do we get rid of it?" Lancelot asked.
"I'm afraid it can only be destroyed by magic." Gaius answered, sneaking a glance at Merlin.
"Well good thing we got Merlin here." Gwaine said with a smile, throwing his arm around his friend.
"W..what?" Merlin stammered, his face pailing.
"Well that's what you're most scared of, isn't it?" Gwaine replied. "Arthur finding out your a sorcerer."
"You're insane." Merlin's voice squeaked in his nervousness as his face grew paler. "I'm not a sorcerer."
"Sure you're not." Gwaine laughed.
"I'm not!" Merlin was beginning to panic.
"We won't tell." Percival announced, placing a hand on the panicing boy's shoulder.
"'Course we won't!" Gwaine voiced. "But you got to to show us some tricks! Magic! How cool is that! You got a death wish or something, coming to Camelot and working for the princess?"
"I'm not a sorcerer!" Merlin protested again.
"Give it up, Merlin." Gaius sighed and shook his head.
"It's not all that bad, Merlin." Lancelot added. "Gwaine and Percival said they wouldn't tell."
"How long you been practicing magic?" Gwaine asked.
"I was born with it." Merlin said quietly, feeling overwhelmed that two more now knew of his magic.
"That's awesome!" Gwaine exclaimed. He started to ask another question, but Gaius cut him off.
"Not a word about this, Gwaine. If Uther was to find out, Merlin would be burned or beheaded!"
"I won't say a word!" Gwaine said seriously.
"So how do we...uh does Merlin destroy the boggart?" Lancelot asked.
"You must make what you fear the most something amusing, something that will make you laugh while saying the spell."
"What's the spell?" Merlin asked.
"There's two." Gaius held the book out to him and pointed his finger at the spells. "You must say the first one first, then the second one will finish it off."
Merlin mouthed the spells and practiced a few times before feeling he was ready.
"We better take care of it before Arthur comes back." he announced and hurried out the door.
The others followed quickly and they hurried to Arthur's chambers, hoping Arthur wasn't there or it would be tricky to explain what was wrong with his new wardrobe.