This starts in Darkest Hour Part 1 if you've watched Merlin, but Uther will already be dead because hashtag Uther freaking sucks and the plot works out better that way.
"Hermione," Arthur approached her, beautiful and a blue glow all around him. "Hermione, are you? Here, come with me."
She reached out for him as his hand came towards her. As Hermione went to touch him her hand, transparent, went right through his. She started to get scared and kept grasping air. Arthur began to fade away. "No! Arthur come back!"
Hermione thrashed and opened her eyes. She sat up with a startled heart and saw they had landed somewhere rocky, with mountains in the distance and a road a few feet away. Harry was in Hermione's peripheral vision watching her. She sat up slowly and rubbed her thumping temple.
"Are you okay?" Harry asked quickly, helping her up.
"I don't know, let me see," Hermione said, pretending to examine herself. She then swiftly slapped Harry. His face turned away from the force and his mouth was agape. Hermione had never, ever slapped him.
"I told you not to bring me here, Harry! Why can't you just listen? Don't you realize why? All the people think I'm a rogue evil sorceress and Arthur... I just can't be here." Then Hermione burst into tears. Harry's features contorted in guilt.
"I'm sorry, Hermione, this wasn't supposed to make you worse. I'll- I'll make a potion to take us back," Harry promised with wide eyes. Hermione did her best to calm herself, wiping away her tears and sniffling.
"There's only one place you can get ingredients for the potion," Hermione sighed, still sniffing. "You'll need Gaius."
"Gaius is who exactly?" Harry questioned.
"Merlin is his apprentice, he's the Court Physician," Hermione replied quietly, the thought of her next statement already making her quiver in nervousness. "We'll have to sneak into the castle."
"We can do it, I promise," Harry said encouragingly. He moved his reddened jaw around. "You pack a mean slap."
That got a bleary-eyed smile out of Hermione.
"Sorry, I was just... incredibly vexed."
The two turned to find a way out of their current location when they noticed up the road a cloak covered figure pulled a large wagon, their hood on and the dark fabric swaying in the wind.
"Maybe they can help us get to the castle from here," Harry said thoughtfully. He was about to walk to the road when Hermione pulled him back, watching the figure suspiciously.
"I don't think we should go to them," Hermione shook her head as she spoke quietly. Suddenly from the right a group of Camelot knights on horseback appeared in the not so far distance. Hermione tugged Harry behind a rock mound, putting a finger to her lips. They peered out to watch what would unfold. As the horses came closer, Hermione recognized one of the knights, Leon, who had been Arthur's closest fighting partner during battles. Three other knights she could not identify followed in suit.
"Halt!" Leon called out as they approached the wagon. The men hopped off their horses and the figure set down the cart, though refusing to face them.
"Where are you headed?" Leon asked loudly.
"The Seas of Meredor," the person replied, just barely audible.
"What's in the cart?" Leon questioned suspiciously, a hand on the hilt at his hip under the cloak. The stranger remained silent. Leon motioned for the other knights to go search the wagon. But in a moment the person was facing the knights, determined. Hermione covered the gasp that came out of her mouth with her hand.
"Lady Morgana," Leon realized all too late.
Morgana's arms shot out and she knocked out each knight with accomplished mental magic, her teeth clenched and her dark eyebrows furrowed.
"No!" Hermione exclaimed, louder at first but softer as she remembered their hidden status.
Morgana's head flicked in their direction, her eyes ablaze and her face frozen as she listened. Hermione and Harry quickly pulled their heads behind the mound and stayed silent. Morgana faced the cart again, her focus elsewhere again, and reached in to pull back a blanket that covered something inside. Morgause's half-distorted face gazed at Morgana weakly, though Hermione could not see from where she was.
"Are you all right?" Morgana asked softly.
"Yes, thank you, sister. But we must hurry. Night is nearly upon us," the once pretty blonde spoke in a frail voice. "And we still have far to go."
Harry and Hermione remained still until Morgana had pulled her cart far away and disappeared down the long road. Hermione had heard the faint voice in the wagon, but could not distinguish the person.
"Who were they?" Harry asked Hermione, green eyes full of shock.
"That was Morgana," Hermione whispered, staring into space. "What happened to her? She has magic?" Hermione shook her head and headed quickly over to the knights.
"I'll help them, but they can't see me once they wake up," Hermione said quietly, checking all their pulses. She looked grim after checking them all. "Two are dead."
Leon and the black knight were the only ones alive. Hermione hid once more and from the spot, said, "Rennervate." The two knights awoke and held their aching heads, hardly able to look around for a moment.
"They're dead," Elyan informed Leon gloomily after forcing himself up and checking the other knights.
Leon looked grim as the two managed to put the bodies back on their horses and then lead the horses whose riders were no longer alive away. Once they were a good distance off Hermione jumped out, practically dragging Harry behind her. "We can follow them... carefully."
And so, for a good hour or so, the two discreetly trailed the knights. The journey was tiring and Hermione's nerves were on fire anytime she and Harry made a sound that might alert the knights of their presence. But Hermione was soon able to recognize the forest that bordered Camelot and eventually heard the familiar sounds of the people bustling around the town, smelled the scents of fresh food being cooked in giant cauldrons, spied the colours and shimmering objects that filled the tents of merchants and peasants.
Hermione felt like she was at home again.
"Gaius' and Merlin's quarters aren't far from here," Hermione told the wizard trailing beside her in distraction, trying to keep her voice nonchalant despite the jumping pulse in her limbs.
"Lead the way," Harry responded, though his eyes were roaming every inch of the marketplace as they walked on. And, of course, the pair were starting to get a few stares sent their way as well.
"Give me your robes," Hermione instructed in a hiss, quickly throwing on Harry's Auror robes in a secluded area and pulling the hood over her head.
Hermione had obviously not been wearing robes over her Muggle clothes, so it was very eery for those who first saw them enter the lower town to see a woman wearing trousers (especially jeans that weren't supposed to exist yet), a cardigan and scarf. Hermione just hoped the hood was shadowy enough to hide her face from most. Harry seemed to realize why she was so keen to hide her face, though felt a little awkward in his own out-of-period clothing underneath. But he tried not to think too hard on it, instead taking in the setting of the great Merlin and King Arthur. He had certainly never been a history buff like Hermione, but there was still something so magical about it all that made Harry feel like a wondrous eleven-year old all over again.
"It's amazing to be here," he told her over the noise as she guided them through the town. "I'd probably know more if I hadn't slept through the whole Merlin section in History of Magic, though."
"It's amazing if you're not a wanted sorceress," Hermione muttered darkly.
"Fair enough."
They made their way to the town square, slipping stealthily along the white brick walls of the citadel. They walked briskly as Hermione took the path she knew by rote. A few knights stood guard nearby, but thankfully the pair made their way discreetly enough to avoid being noticed. Hermione darted inside and found the passageway that would lead down the spiral staircase to the physician's chambers. Harry tread behind her cautiously, making sure no one was alerted of their presence.
"I'm going to wait here to make sure no one we don't want to run into finds us down here," Harry said from near the top of the spiraling steps. Hermione nodded before continuing down. Once at the bottom of the staircase, Hermione threw open the door with more excitement than intended.
"Gaius? Merlin?" she asked, glancing around the familiar room before she stepped inside. Nobody appeared to be inside. Surely she and Harry could simply wait in the room for Gaius to return, but she didn't know how long he'd be gone and she wanted to leave as soon as possible. Panic began to rise like sickness in her chest.
"Harry, there's no one-"
"LET ME GO!"
Hermione turned, hearing scuffling from further up the stairs, and scurried up to see what the commotion was. She found herself face to face with some guards from outside, who had a struggling Harry in their hold.
Hermione whipped out her wand but a knight swung forward and Hermione was on the floor, the wand a foot away from her unfurled hand and her cheek stinging.
"How dare you hit her?" Harry yelled in rage, fighting. But a rough punch to the gut knocked the ferocity out of him, and he slumped over in their hold, groaning. The volatile knight pulled Hermione up, hid her wand, and they were roughly led away.
"Hermione, I'm so sorry," Harry groaned. The brunette remained silent, her temple throbbing again and her eyes watery from the hit. Her nightmare was just getting worse. And soon, she would be forced to confront the root of all of her misery.
"Sire, guards have informed me two intruders were caught sneaking into Gaius's chambers," Lancelot annnounced as he entered Arthur's chambers.
Arthur jumped up and called for Merlin, bowing his head in acknowledgement towards the other knight. The raven-haired manservant hurried over to dress Arthur in his armor and belt. Merlin followed as Lancelot led Arthur to the Council Chambers. Guinevere was leaving a room down the corridor when she spotted Arthur through her whiskey coloured eyes.
"Arthur, what's happened?" Gwen asked in confusion, concern etched into her prominent features.
"Some intruders were caught, it's probably nothing to worry about, though," Arthur reassured, smiling warmly at her. Gwen nodded and smiled back, though there was doubt in her eyes as she watched him continue down the corridor.
The knights held Harry and Hermione in the Council Chambers, and some knights and the Council had gathered until the king could arrive. The doors behind the pair opened and they were forced to their knees.
Arthur strode in calmly, importantly, and a pale, older man with jet black hair that went past his chin followed. Hermione watched this new man as he stared harshly at her, unable to find a single thing that might be trustworthy in his features.
"The intruders, Sire," the man told Arthur as his eyes were torn from the witch. Arthur stared at his hands, as if he could not bring himself to look elsewhere- and then his gaze shifted. His jaw slackened and his lips parted, unable to emit the words racing around in his brain as he saw her again. His eyes were fixed on Hermione and he couldn't utter a word. Hermione, however, refused to meet Arthur's eyes. The older man frowned and moved toward Arthur.
"Sire, are you alright?" he asked in concern. Hermione had managed to pay enough attention to see the man didn't look as concerned in his eyes as he acted.
"I need everyone to leave," Arthur said quietly.
"Sire?"
"You too, Uncle. The girl will stay."
His uncle reluctantly turned and beckoned for everyone to clear out.
"Hermione!" Harry struggled as they dragged him out. The doors shut and then it was just Arthur and Hermione.