A/N: Sorry it's late again, guys. I saved it to the wrong computer without emailing it to myself and couldn't get to it until today. Thanks for all of the brilliant reviews, please keep posting them. I'll also be adding a poll to my profile soon to vote on which shippings you would like to see in this fanfic.

Chapter 4

Arriving at school the next day, Merlin didn't stop as he headed inside. Something was different today, something which made him feel eerie and odd. It was the little things that announced the difference to him. The one girl standing by her locker; staring absently into space, the students whispering and gossiping amongst themselves in tones that told him that they didn't know if they should be talking about the topic of their conversation.

Thalia was standing outside of the classroom, watching as he approached. As he opened his mouth to ask what was going on, she started talking before he had uttered a single word.

"Some kid died," she told him. "Last night. He was in the year below us."

Merlin nodded and silence fell between them for a few, long moments before he finally managed to word what he wanted to ask. "How did he die?"

The girl's shoulders visibly slumped. "Nobody knows," she replied. "Not even the pathologists or coroners. They say he froze to death but it wasn't even that cold last night. Apparently he's not the only one either. There's been other deaths reported which are exactly the same as his. It's so… weird."

Merlin watched her for another moment before turning his eyes away. Was this what he had been searching for? Was magic finally beginning to show itself again?

"I have to go," the boy told her before turning and walking back down the corridor towards the door, leaving Thalia wondering where he was off to.

"Not so fast, Merlin," said a voice as he was pushed against the wall upon getting out of the door.

Merlin looked at the bully, annoyed. "I don't have time for you today, Arthur," he told him honestly and tried to manoeuvre away from him. Arthur put his hand out and shoved his shoulder against the wall, hard.

The smaller, skinnier boy growled in pain before shoving the larger one away. "You want to fight?" he asked. "Fine, we'll fight."

Arthur smirked. "Good lad. There might be some courage in that small mind of yours after all." Then he backed up a couple of steps, allowing Merlin to move away from the wall. When he thought he had gone far enough, the brawny boy threw a punch at Merlin's gut.

Merlin slowed his fist using magic, his eyes flashing gold for a moment as he dodged around him. "Just like old times," he murmured to himself.

Arthur stumbled and looked around at him, confused. The confusion made him angrier and he turned to aim another punch, this time at Merlin's face.

The skinny boy was sent staggering backwards as he failed to avoid it. Once again, eyes flashing gold, he used magic to cheat on the fight.

Well, technically it wasn't cheating because Arthur hadn't specified that he couldn't use magic; no rules had been set for this fight.

The grass below Arthur's feet elongated slightly before wrapping around the boy's foot, causing him to trip and fall flat on his face. Then, as quickly as it had grown, it shrunk back to its regular size.

"You seem to like falling on your face, hm?" Merlin laughed, before an adult voice sounded out from the school doors.

"That's enough!"

Merlin turned to see one of the teachers standing there, red-faced. "Both of you to the headmaster's office, now!"

Arthur grumbled something under his breath as he rose to his feet and both boys entered the school, the teacher escorting them to the head.

[-]

Merlin's cheek still stung from Arthur's blow and he was almost positive he'd have a bruise. Yet, he still smiled. After all, it had taken a similar situation in the past to force them together. Maybe it would happen again.

"We do not tolerate fighting in this school!" The headmaster shouted. "You boys will both be on detention tomorrow night!"

Merlin slumped in his chair. Wonderful, now he'd have to be staying late. Hadn't he just scrutinised those who got detentions? Oh, the irony.

By the time he arrived in class, he'd already missed at least three quarters of the lesson. The teacher didn't even hardly look at him as she indicated for him to take his seat and handed him a couple of sheets of paper.

"What happened?" Thalia asked as soon as he entered, her eyes on his cheek. The bruise had obviously already begun to form. Then her eyes narrowed slightly. "Arthur?" she asked, as if reading his mind.

Merlin nodded and took his seat next to her. "I have detention tomorrow night for fighting with him."

Thalia rolled her eyes. "Detention will just make it worse," she muttered. "Students are usually left unsupervised, meaning he has more of a chance to beat you up."

"I'll be f-" Merlin was cut off as Thalia suddenly raised her hand.

"Yes, Thalia?" asked the teacher.

Then the girl said something Merlin didn't even want to repeat mentally. He frowned and looked at her, shocked, as did most of the class.

"Excuse me?" The teacher asked, raising her eyebrows.

"You heard," Thalia told her.

The teacher then stepped up to the whiteboard and uncapped her marker, writing Thalia's name under the 'detention' list.

"Now Arthur won't have a chance to beat you up," she told Merlin, who finally understood.

"Thanks," he muttered, though he was a little disappointed- having wanted to spend time alone with Arthur. But Thalia was obviously just trying to be a good friend and help him out with the bully. How could she have realised that, with his magic, he could handle himself perfectly fine?