Summary: Nimueh is out for revenge, just like she always is. This time, she has come up with a plan that is out of her world. Literally. Merlin and Arthur fall into her carefully laid trap, and they are transported to Hogwarts! Too bad for Nimueh, they were sent to Hogwarts instead of to a secret camp, where she wanted them to be. Harry and Draco must work out their differences and, alongside Arthur and Merlin, they must defeat Voldemort, who has gained more powers from a secret ally.
This crossover ignores Harry Potter 5-7. Maybe some spoilers from Merlin, so be careful!
Pairings: Arthur/Merlin, Harry/Draco, Ron/Hermione, Seamus/Dean, Ginny/Neville
(my pairings never seem to change)
Warnings:, spoilers, slash, mild violence.
Rating: M
Disclaimer: No, I do not own Harry Potter OR Merlin.
Chapter 4: The Meeting
"Do you have any idea who you're talking to?" The blonde man asked.
Harry stared at him. No, he did not know who he was talking to. "Well, who are you?" He asked, curious.
"Who are you?"The man retaliated.
Harry could barely keep his surprise in check. There was someone who didn't know who he was? Thank god. He thought to himself. I have enough obsessed fans.He looked the stranger in the eye. "I'm Harry. Harry Potter."
Both of the men gave him blank stares. Harry could hear Malfoy snickering next to him.
The blonde one spoke up. "Well, I don't what kind of name Potter is. That's ridiculous," he scoffed.
Harry flushed. Malfoy gave another snicker.
"I like this guy already," he whispered into Harry's ear.
Harry jumped in surprise, not realizing that Malfoy had gotten so close to him. "Shut up, prat." He whispered back, moving away from him.
"I told you my name," Harry said. "Now tell me yours."
The blonde gave him a level look. "I am Arthur Pendragon; Prince Arthur. Of Camelot." He said, pushing his chest out to make himself look more regal.
Malfoy looked at him with an incredulous look. Was this guy under a curse or something? Did he honestly think he was Prince Arthur of Camelot? He was startled out of his thoughts when he saw Harry suddenly fall to the ground.
He reached out instinctively to catch him, before realizing what he was doing. He took his hands back hastily and gave Harry and blank look. The said person was on the ground, laughing so hard that Malfoy was sure he would choke.
"And, uh, I'm Merlin."
"Pr-Pri-Prince Ar-Arth-thu…" Harry said, barely able to talk. Unfortunately for him, he did not see the outraged glance that Arthur gave him. "Do you really think we would believe that? That you would be King Arthur, the great ruler of Camelot? Even if you were, you would be like five thousand years old! King Arthur is long dead."
Arthur looked at him, blind rage obvious on his face. He was also hurt, and slightly miffed that this boy didn't believe him. And what? Why would he be dead? He wasn't even King yet for heaven's sake!
His hand automatically went for his sword, but Merlin grabbed his wrist in a firm grip. "Don't," he mouthed. Arthur relaxed at his touch, though he wasn't quite sure why. He cleared his throat, turning to face the so called Harry Potter.
"I do not know what you are talking about. For one, I am not even king yet. My father, Uther, rules over Camelot right now. He is King. Also, I am not five thousand years old." He said, wrinkling his nose. "That would be preposterous! Anyways, I don't have time to deal with peasants like you."
Merlin gave a groan, when he saw the blonde boy beside, er, Harry grit his teeth. Here it comes…he thought. Arthur always managed to run into trouble with every person he met. Except for the girls he bedded.
"Peasants?" Malfoy hissed, his voice going low and dangerous. Harry could barely keep a shiver from going through his body. Malfoy looked so sexy like that, dark and menacing-
"I'll have you know that I am in no way close to being a peasant. I am a Malfoy!" He shouted.
Arthur gave him yet another blank look.
"A Malfoy!" He repeated. Still getting no reaction, Malfoy continued on, pretending not to notice. "Our family has always been one hundred percent pure-blooded, never tainted in one bit! And we also happen to be among the top five richest Wizarding fami.."
Harry rolled his eyes. Malfoy and his pure-blood speeches. He thought, as Malfoy went on ranting. It was obvious that his words had no effect on these two strangers whatsoever, as they kept on giving him a blank look. Harry narrowed his gaze on the brown-haired one. Why did he seem so familiar?
He would have thought upon it more, but he was interrupted when the so called Prince Arthur came forward.
"I honestly have no idea what nonsense you are going on about. Pure-blooded? Wizarding? Are you wizards? You deal with magic? This should be reported to my father." Arthur drew out his sword. He had to deal with these warlocks. He was surrounded by magic! It was outrageous.
This time, he ignored Merlin's words of protest, and shook his hand off every time it came in contact with his arm. He advanced towards the two wizards, sword held high.
"Put those…sticks down." He commanded.
Harry blinked. Sticks? Oh, he meant his wand.
"They're called wands. And why should I?" He asked innocently.
"Because I said so," Arthur replied.
"Well, that isn't saying very much, is it?" Malfoy said with a sneer.
Arthur let out a snarl, all patience lost. He ran towards Malfoy, sword swinging. Before he could get within hitting distance of Malfoy, Harry shot a spell at him.
"Stupefy!" He cried out on instinct. He didn't know why he even bothered saving Malfoy. He knew he would gladly pay to watch him suffer. Well, at least he did; until that morning.
Harry was shaken out of his thoughts, when he saw the dark-haired man beside Arthur lunge forward, hand outstretched. Harry watched as his lips moved, a spell he had never heard before coming out.
"Veneficus obex," Merlin whispered. A silver light shot out of his hand stopping right in front of Arthur. The light expanded into a transparent shield, quivering and shining in the light. It seemed to hum slightly, as it absorbed the spell that Harry had shot at Arthur. It disappeared as Merlin slowly lowered his hand, his face pale.
Everyone seemed to have frozen mid-action, gaping at him. Merlin felt terribly uncomfortable; he never had liked attention. Especially, not attention directed at his magic. Why had he been so foolish? He had conducted magic right in front of Arthur's eyes. There was no denying it anymore. Merlin slowly turned towards Arthur, heart thudding painfully as he saw the look of betrayal on Arthur's face.
"Merlin?" Arthur whispered with a look of disbelief on his face. His sword was held limply at his side as he stared at Merlin. "Did you just use magic?"
Merlin clenched and unclenched his fists nervously. He had been preparing for this moment, but it wasn't supposed to happen the way it was. He was supposed to catch Arthur by himself; he was supposed to just tell him, and explain how not all magic was bad. He imagined that Arthur would take it all in stride, and would be happy for him. Yeah right.Obviously, his plan had not worked out.
"I'm sorry, Arthur," he finally said, turning his head away.
Arthur opened and closed his mouth, words failing him. He couldn't believe it. The man that had stayed by his side for so long; the one that had saved his life- he practiced magic?He didn't know what to say. He felt like Merlin had suddenly become and total stranger.
"Why would you be sorry?" Harry suddenly blurted out, not being able to hold in the questions any longer. "You just did wandless magic! That's incredible! No one can do that without effort!"
Malfoy rolled his eyes. Leave it up to Potter to ruin the moment,he said to himself. Still, he had to admit that he was also quite intrigued. Here was this man, appearing out of nowhere, knowing how to do wandless magic.
"What did you say your name was, again?" Malfoy asked, stepping up to the dark-haired man.
"Merlin," he said, almost uncertainly.
Malfoy's eyes went huge. "Merlin?" He whispered to no one in particular, "but…but that's impossible! You can't be him..."
But it all did make sense. How many Merlins were there in the world that could do wandless magic and traveled with a man named Arthur who claimed to be the Prince of Camelot? None. So were they truly from Camelot? But then how would they have gotten here-
Malfoy froze when he heard the sound of footsteps approaching. He swiveled around at the same time as Harry, wand out.
Then he lowered it, when he realized he was about to attack the Headmaster of Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore.
"Dumbledore," he said, his cold demeanor back up, "And to what do we owe this meeting?"
Dumbledore raised his eyebrows. "You have missed two classes, Malfoy. And you too, Harry," he said, giving them both a stern glance.
Harry flushed; he had completely forgotten about his classes. He was most likely going to lose Gryffindor all their points. He was about to apologize to Dumbledore, when Malfoy spoke up.
"I'm sorry, Headmaster. We had more pressingissues to deal with," he said smoothly, his gaze traveling over to Arthur and Merlin, who stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to do.
Harry opened his mouth, and then shut it. Had Malfoy just defended him? That was new. Maybe Malfoy wasn't as bad as he seemed.
As soon as those treacherous thoughts entered his head, Harry let out a mental scream. Malfoy will never be a good guy! He will never be nice! He is the git that has tormented you since your first year at Hogwarts!His conscience said.
But what about that dream, hm? Another voice in his head said, he looked at you with those trusting eyes, and he kissed you on the lips and you- Harry shoved those thoughts out of his head, and turned his head to Dumbledore. This was not the time to be thinking about Malfoy.
Dumbledore had patiently waited for Harry, as if he knew what was going through his head. Once he had Harry's attention, he looked over at Arthur and Merlin, a twinkle in his eyes."Well," he said brightly, "It seems our guests have arrived sooner than I expected."
Arthur stared at the man that had just appeared. He had a beard down to his belly button, pure white and scruffy. What authority did this old man think he had over him? He scoffed.
"Excuse me, sir," he said, "Can you just direct us to Camelot?"
Dumbledore let out a chuckle. "Well, I am afraid that request is harder to fulfill than it seems." He said.
Arthur opened his mouth-most likely to complain- but the old man's stern gaze stopped him.
"Follow me, lads." Dumbledore said, heading up to the castle, "You too, Harry and Draco. You two have a major part in this battle."
He left the four standing there, all looking at each other with the same confused looks. Malfoy was the first one to snap out of it.
"Well, let's go then." He said to no one in particular, spinning around to follow Dumbledore to the castle. Harry followed after him, but not before making sure that Arthur and Merlin were behind him.
Arthur and Merlin followed almost reluctantly, not knowing where they were. As they came closer and closer to the castle, their eyes grew wider and wider. The castle was beautiful and breathtaking. It was much bigger than Camelot, which came as a surprise to both of the strangers, Arthur in particular.
"I wonder who rules this place," he mused, eyeing the tall masts of the Owlery, "It is surely the most magnificent castle I have set my eyes upon. And I say that reluctantly- I always thought that Camelot was the biggest of all. Seems I am wrong," he said.
"So, you really are from Camelot then?" Harry asked hesitantly. Arthur seemed so serious about what he said, and it was easy to hear the passion behind his voice as he spoke about Camelot.
"Yes, I am." Arthur said with a quizzical look, "I am the prince, and this is my manservant Merlin. My father Uther is the ruler of Camelot."
"Yes, you've told us that already," Malfoy drawled.
Seeing Arthur about to make a retort, Merlin cut in. "So," he said as they entered the castle. "Where exactly is it that we are? This castle is quite magnificent."
"This," Harry said with a faint smile on his face, "is Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."
Arthur stopped. "Witchcraft and Wizardry? A school for magic? Are you insane?" He bellowed.
Merlin jumped at the sound, as did Harry and Malfoy. Only Dumbledore remained calm, smiling serenely at the four boys before him.
"Well," he said, "We have arrived."
Harry turned around, seeing that they had stopped at Dumbledore's office. He gulped. Why did he and Malfoy have to be there? It was obvious that Dumbledore only wanted to see Arthur and Merlin. Of course, as always, Dumbledore left no room for comments. He turned to the stone gargoyles guarding his office, speaking softly.
"Well, good evening," he said cheerfully to the gargoyles.
Arthur stared at him with wide eyes. This was just more proof that this old man was mad! He was talking to statues! Arthur grabbed Merlin's wrist, ready to run. Merlin's mind barely registered what had happened, but his body was way ahead. He felt like his arm where Arthur was holding him was on fire, and he could feel a flush creeping up to his cheeks.
Dumbledore had noticed this movement, and chuckled. "Don't worry," he said. "I am far from going mad."
Malfoy snorted. Yeah right, he thought. You've been off your rocker your whole life.
Dumbledore turned back to the gargoyles. "Squeaking sugar mice!" He said brightly.
Now Merlin was also looking weary. Arthur may be right; this old man must be going mad-
But then the most incredible thing happened. The gargoyles seemed to nod their heads, as if they understood what the old man had said. They slowly began to move apart, revealing an empty, circular room.
Dumbledore walked in, quickly followed by Harry and Malfoy. Arthur and Merlin just stood there, mouths open wide. Arthur shut his quickly, an incredulous look upon his face.
"Do you really expect us to step in there?" He asked. Arthur did not trust any of the people in there. They could all kill him in one shot, and it wasn't a risk he was willing to take.
"Well, if you want answers, and if you want to go back to Camelot, then yes, I do expect you do come in here. I won't hurt you," Dumbledore said, as if reading Arthur's thoughts, "and neither will Harry or Draco."
Merlin had already made up his mind. "Come on, Arthur," he said gently, using his arm to tug on the hand still around it.
Arthur dropped his hand, a frown upon his face. "Why should I trust you, Merlin?" He asked. "I watched you perform magic right in front of me!" The look of betrayal crept back onto his face. It was a look that Merlin could not stand to see.
"Please, Arthur," he said desperately, "Just trust me on this once. Please." Merlin bit his lip, waiting for a response.
After what felt like an eternity, Arthur let out a breath. "Fine," he grumbled. "Don't make me regret this." He walked into the room hesitantly, gritting his teeth when the gargoyles slowly sealed them in.
"Well, that took you long enough," Malfoy commented, looking at his nails, "I mean, don't mind us. We'll just sit in here and-"
He came to a stop when Dumbledore gave him a stern look. Before Arthur could say enough, the room suddenly shifted, slowly moving in a circle. Arthur gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, knuckles going white. After a few seconds, another room started to appear, and the room came to a halt.
Merlin had a firm hand on his stomach, his face pale. He groaned slightly, willing the dizziness to go away. He had always been prone to wooziness, , even from someone walking a circle around him. He gingerly stepped into the room, taking deep breaths.
"Merlin, are you okay?" Arthur asked, forehead creased in worry.
"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine, Arthur." He panted. "Just a little lightheaded."
Draco snorted. "You're dizzy from that?"
Merlin ignored him, falling down into the first chair that he saw. After everyone had settled down, Dumbledore appeared out of nowhere, lemon drop in hand.
"Care for a lemon drop?" He asked kindly, handing it to Merlin.
Merlin glanced at it suspiciously for a second. He decided that nothing else could make him feel any worse, and took it with a polite, "Thank you." He popped it in his mouth, wincing for a second at the sour taste. Suddenly, a warm tingling went through his body, and he gave a gasp. He stopped Arthur with a wave of his hand, when he came over to help.
Once the tingling went away, Merlin felt much better. "Thank you," he said to Dumbledore.
"Yes, yes, no problem, young Merlin," Dumbledore said, a twinkle still in his eye.
Damn twinkle,Draco muttered to himself. The twinkle always made people feel calm and happy, and without a care in the world.
As Draco brooded, Harry scratched his head, Dumbledore whistled, and Merlin and Arthur started to observe their surroundings. They found very, many interesting things.
What had intrigued Merlin the most was the paintings that lined up on one wall. They were all of very distinguished looking people, who looked at him with a critical eye. Merlin jumped when one of them yawned, putting his hand over his mouth.
"D-D-Did you see that?" Merlin said, pointing a shaking finger at the portrait. The name beneath it said Phineas Nigellus Black. Whoever that was. "The painting just moved!"
Arthur frowned. He had noticed it to. The portrait was now staring at him, a disgusted look on his face.
"Why is there a Muggle here, Dumbledore?" The portrait sneered.
Arthur jumped at the voice, though he had no idea what the portrait was talking about. He chose to ignore it. "This place stinks of sorcery," he muttered, "I don't know how you convinced me to come in, Merlin."
Merlin shot him a puppy dog look. "Sorry, Arthur."
The portrait's eyes suddenly widened. "Merlin? Arthur?" He looked back and forth between them, eyes as wide as plates. "King Arthur and Merlin the legendary wizard?" He began to sputter, pointing randomly from Dumbledore, to Arthur, to Merlin. "Are these the guests you were talking about, Dumbledore?"
Dumbledore nodded his head, a smile visible through his beard.
"Oh, here we go again." Arthur groaned, throwing his hand –and sword- into the air, "Why does everyone keep calling me King Arthur? And call Merlin a legendary wizard?" He said the last sentence with a faint look of disgust on his face. "Where are we? What do you want with us? Why can't you just bring us ba-"
Dumbledore held up a hand, asking Arthur to stop with his questions. "Yes, I understand you have many questions, but please sit down first, Arthur."
Arthur opened his mouth in protest, but something suddenly nudged him in his legs, and he fell back into a comfy armchair. He huffed, in attempt to save a shred of dignity, adjusting his shirt. "Well, now what, Dumbledore?" He asked with false politeness. "Why can't you bring Merlin and me back to Camelot?"
Dumbledore lifted his glasses, rubbing his eyes. "There are many things that must be explained first," he said after a slight pause. "I assume that you have both heard of a woman named Nimueh?"
Arthur growled at the name. "That sorceress." He said, "Yes, I know her. Is this another one of her tricks? I knew it! You're in league with her, aren't you? That's why you're keeping us here! Are you going to kill us?" Arthur's voice rose higher, and grew louder.
Dumbledore cut in, almost angrily, "No, I am not in league with her, but yes, this is another one of her 'tricks' as you call them. I received notice from the Ministry of Magic a few weeks ago, stating that there had been a magical rift in our world. It appears that Nimueh had managed her own form of time travel, and traveled over thousands of years to our time. She stole a Time Turner from the Ministry, killing fifteen Aurors to do so."
Dumbledore clenched his hands, anger on his face. "Nimueh shows no mercy for anyone, and she shows no regret for what she has done. Her attack has put a huge strain on the Ministry and the entire Wizarding world."
Dumbledore now turned to Harry, his look grave. "Nimueh has teamed up with Voldemort," he said, his voice low. Harry looked grim, but Malfoy still looked nonplussed.
"So what if she teamed up with him," he said, "How powerful can she be?"
"Nimueh is one of the most powerful sorcerers in history," Dumbledore continued, "She was a part of the Old Religion, which was only practiced by the most highly trained and adept wizards. She is old and wise; someone very powerful on your side, and deadly if your enemy."
"So, basically, we're screwed." Malfoy stated.
"No, we are not 'screwed' entirely," Dumbledore said, a twinkle reappearing in his eye. He turned back to Arthur and Merlin. "This is where you two come in. Tell me, how did you two get here?"
Arthur and Merlin looked at each other, not sure who was to speak. After a few seconds, Merlin began to talk.
"Well, I don't know exactly what it was," he said, "but it looked like a miniature hourglass. It had a golden chain wrapped around it. Do you know what it was?" Merlin asked, hope shining in his eyes.
"Yes, I do. It is called a Time Turner; it allows a person who wears it to go forwards or backwards in time." Dumbledore replied. "Do you still have it?"
Merlin's smile fell. "No…No, I don't…" he mumbled. It was gone when got here."
Dumbledore's face was grave again, "Well, that puts a damper in our plans," he said.
Arthur sighed, "I honestly don't know why we are still here. Why can't you just bring us back to Camelot?"
"You two have come from a place that has long been gone. No one knows what year Camelot was built, or when you lived there, Arthur. If you still had the original Time Turner, we would be able to just turn it back how many times it was turned forward, but it is impossible now. Nimueh must have put a spell on it to make it disappear like that."
"Oh, great," Arthur said in a sarcastic tone. "So we're stuck here then?"
"For the time being, you are."Dumbledore replied, "Until I can find a way to send you back to Camelot, you will be staying here. But," Dumbledore leaned forward, "you are also needed for a much bigger reason. You two are the only ones who can help Harry defeat Voldemort, now that Nimueh has joined his side."
"But Nimueh is back in Camelot- well, at least in our time period," Merlin said.
"Yes, that is true," Dumbledore replied, "But she gave Voldemort gifts of power and knowledge that he could never refuse."
"But why would she give it to him in the first place?"
"That," Dumbledore said, leaning back in his chair, "is something that we all want to know. What I do know is that Nimueh made a mistake when she sent you here. I am positive she meant to send you to Voldemort's lair to have you killed, but she sent you here to Hogwarts instead. You two are very lucky. But for now, we must get you settled in here at Hogwarts."
"And how will you do that?" Arthur asked, arms crossed.
"With the help of Harry and Draco, of course," Dumbledore said, waving at the two boys, who groaned in response.
Dumbledore stood up, walking over to where an old hat laid on a stool. "And, with the help of the wonderful Sorting Hat."