Chapter Eight
The lake was a mirror, the natural glass pane of the land, reflecting the beauty of the forest; every hue of green blended with the deep blues of the overhead sky and were painted on the smooth expanse of water. A small breeze skimmed the lake's surface, distorting the colours briefly. Merlin sighed, bringing his knees closer to his chest and wrapping his arms around them.
A beautiful lake. Not Arthur's lake, not the gateway to Avalon, but a pretty good lake regardless. Merlin didn't want to compare it to anything. He just wasn't the kind of guy to place a label on a piece of scenery and force his expectations on it like that.
His scarf flapped behind him in the wind like a cape; Merlin knew that it was certainly long enough to make a cape, but he knew how annoying the damn things were, always catching on things and getting impossibly muddy. That said, all superheroes in the modern world wore capes, so Merlin supposed it was a matter of time before the power went to his head and he did make himself one. It spoke volumes about his personality when the likely result of him finally snapping would be spandex and a mask.
Sighing again, he rested his chin on his knees and looked into the depths of the lake instead of the surface. He wasn't a shallow guy either, after all.
A flicker of movement caught his eye and he squinted, leaning forward on his toes. A flash of flowing hair, seaweed-like in texture and colour skimmed the surface of the water. Attached to it, a fearsome grey face with glittering yellow eyes peered at Merlin intently.
He blinked in response. It wasn't that he was surprised at all that the Mer had chosen to dwell deep in the murky bottom of the great black lake, more that he expected them to remain there, rather than bother venturing to the surface. The Mer were fascinating creatures of magic, independent and completely disinterested in the affairs of humans and wizards, yet at the same time, popular subjects of folklore. Frequent sightings had inspired myths and stories in men; they were unsurprisingly preferred to be known as a race of beautiful maidens with fish additions rather than sea monsters. In actuality, the Mer People had many variations in appearance depending on where they lived, those who lived in warmer waters tended to fulfill the human perception of "mermaids", whereas those who lived in colder areas such as the Black Lake were more likely to be selkies.
This particular Mer broke the surface of the lake with one grey and scaly finger, dripping water as it beckoned to Merlin insistently from a few feet away.
He frowned and looked around to double check that he was alone. Years of secrecy had made him very careful about his identity and associations, and he knew that it wasn't normal for the Mer to seek contact with anyone. He raised his eyebrows at the creature, who maintained its weird eye gaze through the water.
It was strange, the Mer were perfectly capable of breathing air for a short period of time, although he knew that they did not enjoy it.
The finger beckoned again, more frantically, the slimy skin reflecting the dim light of the sun like solid silver. Grimacing, Merlin reluctantly began taking off his boots and socks before rolling his trousers up to the knee, muttering to himself the whole time about the unfairness of the situation. He'd only come to sit by the lake for a moment of relaxation and quiet contemplation before breakfast and his first classes, but no. The universe wouldn't even grant him that. It was 6am, hardly a time for a swim. He didn't care how much the Mer insisted, he was definitely not going below knee level.
As he walked into the - god bloody freezing cold, this had better be good - lake, he faintly hoped that the creature wouldn't try and drown him. He didn't want to get too wet.
He stopped just as the water started gently lapping at the edges of his trousers, approaching the Mer without hesitation or fear, merely confusion. And a bit of annoyance. The Mer seemed to realise that this was all he was willing to compromise, and swam to meet him, eyes flashing as it raised itself above the icy cold water, green hair plastered to its pale face. Merlin could see the powerful silver tail moving beneath the surface, slightly folded in on itself as it reached shallower water. He crouched, so that he was face to face with the creature, wincing slightly as the water soaked through his clothes. He wondered if forcing the water out of his way and creating an area of dry land in Black Lake would count as an abuse of power. Probably.
A clammy hand reached for him, wrapping around his wrist in a vice-like grip. Merlin tilted his head slightly as the Mer used its hold on his arm to draw closer, until Merlin could see the jagged edges of its broken teeth quite clearly.
Emrys.
The language would sound like a screeching, blood-curdling noise to those unfamiliar with it. Luckily for Merlin, he had been to Greece for a few decades in his aimless travelling and learned the Merish tongue to pass some time. To connect different cultures and civilisations, in the same species and between them, mastering languages was crucial, so Merlin took great pains to learn as many as he could. As a servant, he had never been as academically inclined, despite being Gaius' apprentice. Now, he soaked in knowledge like a sponge. He wrinkled his nose slightly. Like an elderly man.
Emrys. The Mer tightened his hold slightly. Merlin focused on the task at hand. Right. Crouching in a freezing lake for some reason, being manhandled by a beast of the deep. He took a deep breath, racking his brains.
Hello.
His greeting came out a bit awkward, his vowels were definitely rusty, but given the nature of speaking maybe that added to the accent; judging by the way the Mer's eyes widened, it hadn't expected Merlin to be able to understand at all, so he counted it as a success.
Merlin pulled out his warmest smile, which seemed to shock the creature more. Or maybe he just looked really goofy. What can I do for you?
The Mer bared its teeth in what possibly could have been interpreted as a grin, but was actually vaguely terrifying. Emrys, we could feel your presence. We do not care for the wizards but you are as we are.Merlin's eyes widened. Although he had spent more time with creatures of magic than wizards or humans over the past centuries, he had not expected to be known among the Mer, particularly this small colony in the Hogwarts lake of Scotland. He frowned slightly. Unless he'd been really out of it in Greece, done something stupid and the word had spread.
Do you want something from me? He opted to ask, dodging the rather large question of how he'd come to be known among them.
The Merman, it was clearly male now that it had partly risen from the lake, shook its head, splashing Merlin slightly. I was called to observe and to show our goodwill. Your power is a beacon, Emrys. Both to us and to unfriendly eyes, of which there are many. Be wary.With that, the Mer released its grip on his arm, and slowly placed a smooth, black pebble in Merlin's palm, before submerging completely.
Within seconds, all trace of the Lake's inhabitant was gone and Merlin was left looking more than a bit ridiculous, squatting in the lake holding a small stone.
He stood, quickly walking back to shore; as the icy lake receded around his legs, they were left numb with cold. Merlin decided quickly that it definitely was not an abuse of power to put himself out of misery, and with a thought, his legs regained feeling and his clothes dried, unfolding to cover his bare skin again. He couldn't quite mask the smell of the lake, but decided he didn't care.
On his way back to the castle, he examined the gift. It was a chunk of beach glass, certainly beautiful, with veins of blue running through the polished black, not overly expensive, but meant as a token of respect. If the Mer could feel his presence in the depths, he clearly wasn't shielding himself properly, although his proximity to them by the lake hadn't helped matters. Perhaps the nymphs had informed the lake creatures of his arrival.
Mentally shrugging, Merlin passed through his classroom and opened the door to his office, sighing contentedly as the warmth of the fire hit him. Placing the stone carefully on his desk, he flopped into the cushy armchair next to the grate and closed his eyes.
A few seconds passed before he felt the shift in temperature to his left. Gods, it was one thing after another today, and before breakfast too. Merlin didn't bother opening his eyes as he addressed his guest. "I was wondering when you'd come and visit. Would you like to sit down?"
The cold spot moved, indicating the ghost's new position directly in front of him, but his question was greeted with silence. He cracked open an eyelid. Sir Nicholas stood nervously, openly staring at him in something approaching awe. As though just registering that he had been asked something, Nick swallowed, shaking his head, which wobbled precariously on his neck. "No... no thank you. My Lord."
Merlin laughed in surprise. "I'm not a Lord."
The ghost regarded him with shock, "You- your magic. Its- You must be- surely."
"Ah. Yes, well, I'm actually incognito at the moment, so I'd greatly appreciate it if you kept that amongst yourselves while I'm in Hogwarts. So none of that 'Lord' nonsense." Merlin smiled, showing his teeth. He knew that the ghosts would recognise his strength, they were very perceptive to that kind of thing. A few of them had probably met him the last time he was in Hogwarts. He knew that Nick had, centuries ago before he died, which probably caused a lot of confusion. Despite that, they didn't know who he was - not exactly. Which worked for him.
"I- of course." Nick stammered, before blinking bemusedly.
"So," Merlin propped his head up on a hand, "how's life - or rather death - been at Hogwarts for you?"
And so, for the next hour, Sir Nicholas enthusiastically filled Merlin in on every piece of gossip that the ghosts had managed to wrangle together over the years. Some of the information was completely out of date, applying to long dead students from an age ago, but Merlin appreciated the effort regardless, though he was less than concerned about Effie Telford's frog or an exploding cauldron which caused an accident in the 18th century.
His fourth year classes were still in the middle of learning hex deflection spells, which Merlin was rather enjoying teaching; his sense of pride had greatly escalated as the students grew stronger and more experienced. Absent-mindedly, he sipped a cup of tea and watched their practice with a careful eye; he knew that accidents always happen in practicals, and had been forced to intervene and redirect hexes which had threatened to hit students who hadn't done their homework.
After breakfast, he had moved the chairs and desks away to the edges of the classroom to create a practice arena of sorts, much to the delight of the students as they walked in for their lesson. Merlin could understand why they enjoyed the practical exercises, rather than the theory and textbooks side to learning; with spell casting, practice made perfect.
He had let them chose their own partners, knowing that if he matched the Slytherins with the Gryffindors there would very soon be blood and conflict. A collective sigh of relief had run through the students when he'd said as much. Sad really, Salazar had never really intended to completely exclude and isolate his house from the others to this extent.
He focused his attention on Draco Malfoy, who was obviously very gifted at attacking, relentlessly pelting his partner Blaise Zabini with hexes with minimal effort. His defence however, was lacking. A common mentality among arrogant or overly-confident individuals, although Merlin knew that his father had likely pushed him to learn the more attack-based spell work. In his turn to defend, he struggled to block the hexes. Merlin felt a prang of pity.
"Mr Malfoy, draw your arm back further when you bring your wand forward." He advised. Across the room, the boy scowled slightly but, surprisingly, did as he had been told. The next hex sent his way was easily blocked with the more streamlined movement.
Merlin drained his tea, setting it down on the desk. Noticing the time, he stood and clapped his hands together, "Okay, everyone."
The class lowered their wands at his signal, some looked very pleased with themselves, Harry and Ron included. The two were very naturally gifted at Defence against the Dark Arts, although Harry had good reason to be, given what the school had in store for him every year.
"Very good. You're all coming on magnificently, much more fluid with your movements, so well done. Your homework is on the board, don't panic its not a lot, only a list will be needed. Some research on the most commonly used hexes and their counter-spells. I've put an extension piece of work on the board too, in case you like this kind of thing and want to broaden your minds a bit more." Hermione seemed to brighten, scribbling down the homework with glee, but the rest of the class looked slightly disgusted. "I can tell from your enthusiastic response that this is the case. Jolly good. Okay, once you've copied that down you can go."
The class departed in a whirl of conversation and laughter. Neville was still packing away when Merlin remembered the plant he had carefully potted and placed in his window the night before. He grinned. "Mr Longbottom, hold on just a sec, I'll be right back!" He ran upstairs to his office, taking the stairs two at a time and noting with joy the confusion on the boy's face.
A few seconds later, he returned, carefully carrying the small potted plant in his hands. Neville stared in wonder at the black flower, the thorns and the sprinkling of white which dusted it. He let out a small choked noise as Merlin passed it to him with a smile.
"Its a very rare plant. Very unusual indeed and hard to come by, which I'm sure you're aware of. I thought you would like a little research project, with your love of Herbology being what it is. If you want, you can have this plant to observe for a few months, see how different types of water and light intensity affect its growth. Do a bit of research about it, see if you can find out its true name. If you want to take care of plants in the future, I think this is a really good start."
Neville's eyes widened and a large smile of delight spread across his face. "Really?!"
Merlin nodded, his expression warming further at the excitement of his student. The boy really did love Herbology, and from what Professor Sprout had told him, he had a way with plants.
"Thank you so much, Professor!" The boy cradled the flower to him protectively, as though it were a prize jewel. "I promise I'll look after it."
"I'm sure you will." Merlin smiled again as the boy left, the flower close to his chest. He wasn't worried, nothing that Neville could do to the plant would harm it in the slightest. It had grown in the forest of death, so for all intents and purposes the plant was already dead.
With a wave of his hand, his classroom rearranged itself. This worked well in both cases. The flower was giving Neville the chance to study a rare species of plant and gain knowledge, but it was also a very powerful protective measure, used by Druids of old to ward death and misfortune. Neville was sharing a room with Harry, so by extension, the protection would include him.
Harry would need that protection, now more than ever with Moody permitted to roam free in the school. At least Merlin could sleep easily knowing that the boy hadn't been murdered in his sleep.
Somewhere in the castle, he could feel a dark force stirring.
A/N: *Peeks out from behind a rock* Er, hi! Ahem. Please don't kill me. I hope that was alright, its been a while so my brain isn't really in gear. I've spent the first week of the holidays essentially going into hibernation, so that hasn't helped either. Ah well. Thank you so much again for the wonderful reviews, your support is amazing *cough* especially since I didn't expect anyone to actually read this *cough*. And thank you for the virtual food, I'm basking in the pretend piles of chocolate and cookies. You all get some too for being so nice about the last chapter *throws cookies into the air*. So yeah I'm not going to give anything away, but the fact Merlin is a Dragonlord is a big deal, I'm not just going to leave it out. As for other Merlin characters, you'll have to see. Cool. Thanks for reading all this stuff, you're obviously either very kind or very deluded. Or both. You're all awesome, is what I'm saying.
