That's right everyone; I gave you two chapters in a day! Yep, I couldn't stand keeping you guys waiting for Harry any longer! He really wanted to be heard - even though he's fully aware that this fan fiction will mostly take place in Merlin and Arthur's point of view. My reasoning is not because I hate Harry; I love the guy! It's just that we already have Harry's POV from the original work - ignore that I'm using creative rights to change the plot in many ways... anyway, the point is we now have reached the moment when Harry enters the tale. Yay!

Thanks to the many people who are following this little project of mine. Please leave a review when you're done with chapters; they really give me a boost in wanting to continue with this fic! Thanks again, everyone.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Merlin or any of the actual words I may write in from the show or the books into this story.


09 Little Whinging and the Burrow

Harry Potter was in his room. He'd just said goodbye to his relatives, the Dursleys, and was frankly still in a rather surprised mood. He hadn't expected his cousin Dudley to wish him well before they parted. After so many years of abuse from him, his kind words were the last thing Harry had expected before Hestia Jones and Dedalus Diggle had carted them away. Both members of the Order assured Harry that an escort would be arriving to take him to a safe house in just a few minutes. He wondered who would be coming to fetch him. At first he thought of Hagrid and then possibly Ron and Hermione. Though the latter two had both sent letters exclaiming that the Order refused to let them come and remove him from Privet Drive, he wouldn't have been surprised if they'd defied those orders and come anyway.

Hedwig, Harry's snowy white owl, screeched at him from her cage. Harry smiled at her, wandering over to stroke her feathers through the bars. "Don't worry, Hedwig," he said, "we're soon going to leave this place forever. Feels kind of strange, doesn't it?"

There was a sudden knock on the door and Harry jumped at the forceful sound. Taking one last look at his owl, he rushed down the stairs two at a time before throwing the door open. His growing smile faltered a little because he didn't recognize any of the men who were standing on the front doorstep.

There were six of them, five dressed in gray tee shirts with red jackets, the sleeves decorated in a rather impressive yellow dragon insignia. The man nearest to the door was dressed differently, wearing a brown jacket and red scarf around his thin neck. All of them were tall – taller than Harry at least – and the soon to be seventeen year old deduced that each was probably in their late twenties.

"Um… can I help you?" Harry asked hesitantly.

The man with the red scarf smiled kindly at him, his grin stretching across his well defined cheekbones. "May we come in, Harry? It isn't wise to linger on the doorstep these days."

Baffled, Harry found himself opening the door wider and stepping aside. The six men wandered into the house, the last five staring around curiously at the most basic things like the light switch down the hall.

"This establishment is much better than the one in which you live, Lancelot," commented the blonde nearest to the man in the scarf. "Obviously the people who live here are rich."

"This is an average home, Arthur," Lancelot replied. "And I don't live at the Shrieking Shack; it was a temporary base of operations."

"Sure it was," Arthur said with a sneer.

Harry was beyond confused. Who were these men and what had possessed him to let them into the house? And what was this about the man called Lancelot living in the Shrieking Shack? Why would he be staying there? Could these guys be Death Eaters? Had he lost his mind? Harry reached into his jacket where his wand was stowed, cautiously following the strangers into the living room.

"Right," Lancelot said turning around while clapping his hands. "We apologize for our rudeness, Harry. My name is Lancelot. This is Arthur, Leon, Gwaine, Percival, and Elyan."

Harry stared. It may have been a while since he'd been in history class but even he recognized the legendary names of men from the golden age of Camelot. He assessed the men before him, wracking his brains to try to remember how each one was described. Lancelot was famed for betraying King Arthur but he also had the reputation of once being the most honorable knight the king had ever had. Leon he hadn't heard of but he may have just been a random knight in King Arthur's court. Gwaine had been known for being formidable, courteous, and fiercely loyal to the king. He was a compassionate warrior who also, if Harry remembered correctly, was a womanizer. Harry couldn't remember anything about Elyan but he'd heard plenty about Percival being the one to find the Holy Grail. Then there was King Arthur himself, who was known for his profound skills as a leader in battle, his kindness as a ruler, his passion for justice and equality, and his limitless courage in the face of adversity. But those men lived hundreds of years ago so who were these strangers?

"Those aren't our real names though," the one labeled Lancelot added as an afterthought.

Harry's bewilderment showed plainly on his face. "Then why did you introduce yourselves that way?"

"They're code names," Arthur replied, sneering slightly as if he found something humorous.

"We're a group called the Dragon Guild. Dumbledore organized it in order to protect you should something happen to him," Lancelot explained. "We're different from the Order of the Phoenix. Our whole purpose is to protect you while the Order's is to protect whoever they can from Voldemort and his followers."

Harry's eyes widened. Lancelot had said Voldemort's name. And he hadn't even flinched! Given the current circumstances, especially with Dumbledore's recent death, Harry was sure that the fear of Voldemort was stronger now than it had ever been. But Lancelot had said his name without a hint of fear. That, in and of itself, spoke volumes. Then his brain finally caught up with the rest of what Lancelot had just said.

"Dumbledore assigned bodyguards for me?" he asked, dumbfounded.

Lancelot smiled, glad to see Harry had understood him. "Yes."

"But… why?" Harry demanded.

"I thought you said this boy was smart, Lancelot," Arthur said, smirking.

Harry's face reddened. "He never mentioned this to me before! I thought we were done with the secrets!"

Lancelot sent Arthur a glare before trying to sooth Harry's growing anger. "Our group was only created in the worst case scenario, Harry. You can't tell me that you would have enjoyed Albus talking to you about possibly dying and leaving someone else to watch over you."

Harry tried to ignore his agreement with Lancelot as he angrily kicked the leg of Uncle Vernon's favorite chair. "That still doesn't change the fact that he lied to me again!"

These men didn't know him. They wouldn't understand how it felt to have someone that you dearly respected lie to your face every single day! Dumbledore had always known about the prophecy concerning him and Voldemort yet he refused to confide in him. Then he'd kept information from him concerning the horcruxes. And now, with everything he'd read in the paper concerning the man's past, Harry felt he really hadn't known him. And that knowledge burned more than anything else.

"We can empathize with you on being lied to," Arthur said, causing Harry's musings to come to a halt. "Lancelot lied to all of us for years about having magic. When we found out, we felt we didn't really know him. But the truth was that he was still the same man we'd known all along. His magic was just another part, the deeper part, of who he really was."

"Each of us was angry," Gwaine agreed while the other men nodded minus Lancelot who was blushing a little under their scrutiny.

"There were many times I wanted to tell you," he muttered.

"Wait," Harry interrupted, "Are you telling me that you're muggles?"

"Squibs, actually," Lancelot clarified. "I'm the only one with magic. Arthur, Gwaine, Elyan, Leon, and Percival have one muggle and one magical parent. Apparently the magic didn't pass down to them. But we grew up together and I didn't want to tell them I had magic because I didn't want to upset them. I thought they would treat me differently if they knew."

Arthur smacked Lancelot upside the head. "And you were a complete idiot for thinking that way!"

"You did treat me differently at first, you prat!" Lancelot grumbled, rubbing his head.

"Before you and the princess start to bicker like an old married couple, shouldn't we focus on getting Harry out of here?" Gwaine asked with a sneer.

"WE ARE NOT A MARRIED COUPLE, GWAINE!" Arthur roared angrily while Lancelot's mouth dropped open. "And if you dare jest of such a thing again, so help me, I'll have Lancelot curse you so that every cup of ale you attempt to consume will change into water!"

The cheerful man with shoulder length black hair looked absolutely horrified, his dark eyes widening in disbelief. "You wouldn't dare!" he gasped.

Percival, the tallest of them all, placed one of his large hands on Gwaine's shoulder. "I'm afraid he would, Gwaine. It's wise to believe Arthur when he's this upset."

Gwaine looked up at Percival's reserved expression before heavily frowning and folding his arms across his chest. If Harry didn't know any better, he'd say the man was pouting. "Fine, princess, I'll strike wedding jests from my list."

Arthur glowered at him before taking a deep, calming breath and turning back to Harry. "Though he can be an insufferable git at times, Gwaine does have a point. Harry, we'll answer your questions later. Right now we need to focus on getting you out of here before the Death Eaters show up. Where are your possessions?"

"Upstairs," Harry answered. Even though he hardly knew them, he couldn't help but feel like he could trust these men. Granted, they were kind of odd, but he could sense just by their body language that they cared deeply for each other. People who showed such emotion couldn't possibly be evil. Even so he found it strange that Dumbledore would choose five squibs and one wizard to be his bodyguards. Voldemort would kill them with little to no effort; surely Dumbledore knew this too. So then why would he have picked them?

"I'll take care of your things, Harry," Lancelot offered, heading out to the hallway.

"Er…" Harry wasn't sure if he should follow him or not.

Lancelot paused in the doorway. "Which room do you stay in?" he asked, realizing he didn't know exactly where to go.

"The smallest bedroom upstairs," Harry replied. "The door should be open. Do you want me to…?"

"No, you can stay with the others. I'll be back in a moment."


Merlin knew he didn't have a lot time to move all of Harry's things. Their ten minute window was almost up and he had a very distinct feeling that if they didn't hurry, this private neighborhood was about to experience a rather rude wakeup call to the reality of magic. Rushing up the stairs – and nearly tripping in the process – Merlin reached the top floor and found Harry's room, his snowy owl being a dead giveaway that it was his. Her bright amber colored eyes surveyed him with an intelligence that most of her kind did not possess.

"Hello there," Merlin greeted, smiling kindly towards her.

Hedwig chirped softly and if Merlin didn't know better, he thought he heard affection in the sound. Walking over to her, he dared stick his finger in her cage to rub her beak. Hedwig must have liked him for she nuzzled it immediately.

Merlin smiled. "I promise to take good care of Harry. I'm going to send you and his things to the Burrow. We'll join you soon, alright?"

Hedwig hooted softly, ruffling her feathers in a friendly way. Merlin removed his finger and waved his hand over her and Harry's packed possessions. His eyes glowed gold and a second later, Hedwig and Harry's trunk were gone. Satisfied with his work, Merlin felt an urgency descend upon him. Hurry, the Old Religion seemed to say. Merlin quickly made his way back down the stairs to find Harry, Arthur, and the knights already gathered there.

"We need to leave immediately," he said, pushing past them and rushing to the door. With a flash of his eyes, he alerted Moody that they were coming out.

The second he pushed the door open, Merlin's insides filled with dread. The sky had darkened, the brilliant sunshine that had once bathed Privet Drive in a happy glow now obscured from view. Lightning crackled from up above.

"Bene læg gesweorc,*" Merlin whispered under his breath, his eyes flashing gold. Immediately fog appeared, spreading thick and fast over the area. "Let's go," he muttered, motioning for the others to follow him.

"Did you do this?" Arthur asked, gesturing to the fog that was now so thick it was impossible to see five feet ahead.

"Yes," Merlin muttered, pulling out his wand so Harry would believe he'd used it.

"Impressive magic, Merlin," Gwaine commented.

Before Merlin could reply, a jet of green light came flying out of nowhere to their left. Merlin waved his wand, the shield coming from it deflecting the spell immediately.

"How did you do that?" Harry demanded, looking at Merlin in disbelief. "That was a killing curse!"

"Can we ask questions later?" Merlin snapped over his shoulder, trying to concentrate on spreading his magic outward.

Another spell slammed into his shield, sliding around the protective dome like strange imprints of a spider's web. The red remains faded into nothing at the same time someone shouted, "Impedimenta!" A Death Eater went flying past them, their body blown backward from the force of the spell. Then pandemonium took place as spells from both Order members and Death Eaters alike filled the air, the colors streaking through the fog like some bizarre lightshow.

Remus Lupin appeared on Merlin's left, he being the one to cast the jinx that sent their earlier attacker sailing past them. "Get Harry out of here! We'll hold them off!"

Merlin nodded as the man ran back into the fog to battle another Death Eater who was attempting to tackle Tonks from behind. "Everyone, grab on to my arm."

"Do we have to?" Gwaine groaned.

"Do it, Gwaine!" Arthur snapped, latching on to Merlin's bicep.

Harry hesitated. "Shouldn't we help them?" he asked.

"No," Merlin firmly replied. "They have their job and we have ours. Now grab my arm, Harry."

After a moment's indecision the boy did as requested. Merlin closed his eyes so Harry wouldn't see them flash gold. The wind picked up around them immediately, the mere force blasting several Death Eaters and Order members off their feet. Merlin allowed his magic to twist around them. Unlike apparation that made one feel like they were being forced into a tiny tube, transporting felt like one was becoming part of the wind itself, the body temporarily losing its solid feel as the spell moved you from one location to the next. Merlin loved transporting due to his unique genetic makeup; being one with the earth made temporarily joining the wind pleasurable – but his friends didn't share this view.

A moment later they landed just inside the Burrow's protective magical barriers and the second their feet were on dry ground, Harry was doubled over, losing the contents of his stomach. Arthur and the knights didn't join him but all of them looked incredibly green.

"Sorry about that," Merlin apologized as Harry wiped his mouth.

"That wasn't apparation," he mumbled shakily. "What was that?"

"Um, transporting," Merlin replied hesitantly. "It's my preferred way of travel."

"I think I'll stick to forcing my body through a tiny tube from now on," Harry replied, rubbing his arms.

"Believe me, we don't fancy it either," Gwaine stated.

The door to the Burrow was thrust open and Mrs. Weasley came rushing up the beaten path, wiping her hands on her flower apron. "Harry, dear!" she cried, smothering him immediately. "Thank goodness you're alright!"

"Hi Mrs. Weasley," Harry replied, smiling despite his embarrassment at being mothered so. "It's good to see you."

Mrs. Weasley pulled away, looking him over. "You're just like Ron; gangly and in need of a few well cooked meals. There's some fresh stew in the kitchen. Go on, then!" and she shooed him away despite his protests.

Harry left more willingly when a redheaded boy Merlin knew to be his best friend Ron, emerged from the house. "Harry!" he cried happily, rushing forward.

"Ron!" Harry exclaimed with similar feeling, hugging his friend. "It's good to see you."

"You too, mate," Ron grinned. Then he noticed Merlin and the knights. "Who are they?"

"I'll explain later," Harry muttered. "Is Hermione here? I'd rather not have to tell the story twice."

"She's upstairs with Ginny," Ron answered. "Come on." And with one last curious look at the strangers, the two of them went inside.

Mrs. Weasley immediately turned to them. "I expected you to arrive five minutes ago. What happened?"

"Harry needed a little reassurance," Merlin replied.

"Apparently he didn't fancy Dumbledore lying to him about a group of bodyguards," Elyan muttered.

Mrs. Weasley frowned. "Well, we did warn you that he doesn't take well to secrets."

"You weren't lying," Leon replied.

"Did you run into any trouble?"

"A little," Merlin answered reluctantly, knowing that she'd learn the full details later. "The Death Eaters were there but I don't think there were many of them. We left before Voldemort could arrive."

"How do you know that?" Mrs. Weasley wondered.

"I would have sensed his presence," Merlin replied. "He may have New magic but it is quite powerful. Mine would have felt it a mile away. He wasn't there though I don't doubt he was on his way. I'm sure the second Harry emerged from that house the Death Eaters alerted their master of what was about to happen."

Mrs. Weasley didn't look pleased. "We should have moved him another night!"

"The Old Religion was explicit that we needed to proceed with the original plan," Merlin countered.

Before she could say more, faint popping noises occurred throughout the yard as several people appeared. Merlin's hand reached up instinctively but he soon realized that it was only the members of the Order. Most of them appeared to be fine but a few were nursing injuries, including–

"George!" Mrs. Weasley shouted in distress, rushing over to her son who was being held up by Remus. "What happened?" she demanded.

"He's alright, Molly," Remus supplied.

"How can he be alright?!" Mrs. Weasley shouted hysterically, her eyes cast to the blood flowing from the right side of George's skull.

"I'm fine, mum," George muttered. "Snape only nicked me. It's just a flesh wound."

"Snape?! If I ever see that man I'll…" took a deep breath to calm herself. "Get him inside!" she ordered and Remus obeyed with due haste.

Kingsley approached Merlin's group with a forlorn expression on his face. "Mad Eye is dead," he announced, causing everyone to stop and stare in disbelief. "Voldemort appeared shortly after you left. Moody tried to face him but…" the dark skinned wizard shook his head sadly.

Arthur stepped forward and clasped a comforting hand on Kingsley's shoulder. "He died a warrior's death and his sacrifice was not for nothing." Kingsley nodded, schooling his features. Arthur turned to Merlin. "Go check on George. He looks like he could use a physician."

Merlin nodded before heading towards the house.

"Merlin is a doctor?" Bill asked curious as well as anxious, the latter due to his brother.

"One of the best," Arthur replied, smiling. "He trained under Gaius for years and he's one of the most renowned physicians in all of Albion."

Merlin smiled a little sadly as he thought of his mentor. Sighing, he schooled his features and made his way into the Weasleys living room. The house was cozy, reminding Merlin a little of the simple ways of Ealdor, his hometown. A sofa and several armchairs took up the living room's small space. A fireplace, already filled with a roaring fire, stood off to the side, a wooden wireless sitting on its mantle. A rather curious looking clock rested against the wall, containing nine hands that were all pointing towards the words "mortal peril". Other words such as "home", "school", "work", and "traveling" rested where the numbers of a normal clock would have been.

Merlin found George sitting on the sofa, Remus already pulling out several medical supplies from a box next to his side.

"Allow me," Merlin offered, removing the gauze from Remus's hands. He looked up at him nervously. "Don't worry," he assured, "I've been practicing as a physician for over eleven years."

"You're a healer?" Harry asked.

For the first time Merlin noticed Harry, Ron, and two girls standing in the corner of the room. One of the girls had flaming red hair, leading Merlin to the conclusion that she was Ginny, the youngest Weasley in the family. The other girl, sporting a mop of unruly long brown curls, was Hermione Granger. Merlin recognized her immediately though he had to pretend that he didn't.

"I am," he replied, turning back to George and immediately assessing the situation. "You've been hit with a rather nasty curse, haven't you," he muttered, dabbing at the blood.

George shrugged. "It wasn't that bad."

Merlin smiled, sensing the boy was only trying not to show how disturbed he was. He was a rather brave soul, a true Gryffindor.

"Is he going to be alright?" Ginny asked, tears in her eyes.

Merlin looked over at her and gave a reassuring smile. "He'll be fine. The curse didn't cause any inner damage although," he turned back to George, "you're going to have to face the fact that you and your twin won't be completely identical anymore."

"Nuts," George muttered, folding his arms. "There goes half our fun!"

"What do you mean, George?" his twin asked, rushing inside with the rest of the Order.

"I have something horrible to tell you, Fred," George replied, suddenly giving the appearance of one in complete and utter suffering. Merlin tried really hard not to snort, instead focusing on clearing all the blood away from George's neck.

"What?" Fred asked, suddenly fearful.

"I'm afraid I'm holier than you now," his twin grimaced. Fred's brow furrowed. George pointed to the side of his head. "I'm holey, Fred, get it?"

His twin let out a weak, relieved laugh. "Of all the jokes you could have come up with, that's the lamest one I've ever heard, George. I'll blame your loss of blood on that one. Clearly you aren't thinking at your best."

Several subdued chuckles sounded around the room. Merlin worked remarkably fast, surprising everyone (except for those who knew him) as he not only cleared away the blood but cleaned the wound, gently rubbing ointments into it before bandaging the whole thing in record time. Wiping his hands on a cloth, he stepped back, satisfied with his work. "You should be fine in a few weeks, George. I'll have to change the bandages in two days time -and probably several times after that- before you can allow it to continue to heal in the open air. It looks like your hearing wasn't damaged in anyway – a remarkable thing, seeing as the cartilage was so visibly destroyed. You were lucky, my friend."

Mr. Weasley was the first to clasp Merlin's hand. "Thank you," he said, tears in his eyes.

Merlin smiled. "It was my pleasure, Mr. Weasley."

The other Weasleys made sure to express their thanks, each one who knew who he truly was staring at him with renewed awe. Merlin wished they wouldn't. He was terrified that Harry and the others would notice the revered looks. Trying to think of a way to change the atmosphere, he cleared his throat. "Is there any others who need medical attention?"

"I don't believe so," Kingsley replied, taking immediate command of the situation. "We're all shaken but that will pass."

"What exactly happened?" Hermione asked fearfully.

"Voldemort showed up shortly after Me – er – Lancelot and the others brought Harry here," Mr. Weasley replied, glancing at Merlin apologetically.

Merlin noticed Harry's eyes narrow in his direction, clearly catching Mr. Weasley's near slip up. Merlin sent up a silent prayer that the Order wouldn't give him away.

"Voldemort was there?" Ron gasped.

Remus nodded. "When he realized that Harry wasn't, he killed Mad Eye before disappearing with the Death Eaters. We're not sure why he didn't stick around."

"His plans had obviously been foiled," Gwaine commented, "it was pointless for him to linger. I bet he retreated so he could come up with another plan. He obviously knows that Harry's been taken to a safe house. He'll probably pick out a few options and begin searching for him from there."

"Are the enchantments over the Burrow strong?" Merlin asked, looking to the Weasleys.

"The protective spells placed over this house are the best minus the Fidelius charm. We're safe," Mr. Weasley assured.

Merlin reached out with his magic and felt the powerful wards lining the perimeter. Mr. Weasley was right; they were very well protected. Even if Voldemort managed to find the Burrow's location, he'd spend several minutes trying to break through each spell – and if that were to happen, Merlin would be able to relocate everyone before he even made it through the first three.

"I can't believe Mad Eye is gone," Ron muttered from the corner. "First Dumbledore, now him…"

"We should toast to his memory," Kingsley suggested in a subdued voice.

Everyone nodded. Bill pulled a bottle of firewhiskey out of a cabinet and waved his wand. Several glasses shot around the room, Arthur and the knights barely managing to catch theirs from surprise. The firewhiskey filled their glasses by itself, unnerving the knights further.

"Mad-Eye," Kingsley said, raising his glass.

Everyone copied him before downing the liquid.

"I can't stay here," Harry muttered, after a moment's silence. Merlin noticed he was rubbing his forehead. "It's too dangerous. I don't want –"

"Don't be ridiculous, Harry," Remus replied, folding his arms. "This place is well protected and Voldemort doesn't have a clue where you could possibly be."

"But –"

"Harry, the whole point of moving you was to get you to safety and now you are," Mrs. Weasley stated. Besides, you have to stay! Fleur agreed to get married here rather than in France. Everything has been arranged so that we can all stay here and keep you safe."

"I'm not worried about myself!" said Harry.

"We know," Remus replied, "but it would make our efforts tonight seem rather pointless if you just decided to up and leave."

"I would have lost an ear for nothing," George pointed out.

"Mad Eye wouldn't want you to leave–"

"I KNOW!" Harry shouted, surprising Arthur and the knights.

Merlin, however, wasn't. He'd watched over Harry enough to know that he was simply trying to protect those who had protected him. Mad Eye was dead and Merlin was sure Harry must be feeling as if he were the one to blame. The poor boy's vision was clouded but now didn't seem to be the right time to console him; he needed some space. After a moment of awkward silence, Harry set down his glass and left.

"Should we follow him?" Percival asked, staring after Harry in concern. He may not have known him well but Percival had always been the caring type.

Merlin shook his head. "He just needs some time alone."

"Are you sure he won't run off though?" Elyan persisted.

"He'll be fine," Arthur replied before Merlin could. "He feels like this entire situation is his fault. He's sure to be blaming himself for Mad Eye's death."

"But that's stupid," George began.

"No, that's Harry," Ginny sighed. "He's always been the type to take the world on his shoulders."

"One man can't handle that amount of responsibility and remain in a healthy state," Leon muttered.

Ron shared a look with Hermione. "We'll talk to him."

Nobody stopped them as the two left the house. Merlin had no doubt that they'd be able to get Harry to come around. If anyone could do it, it was those two. Sighing, he sat back in his chair and finished his firewhiskey, wondering just how long they would really be staying here.


It had been several days since the attack on Privet Drive and life at the Burrow had turned somewhat dull for Merlin, Arthur and the knights. Mrs. Weasley had tasked everyone staying in the house to cleaning it up for the coming wedding but she hadn't asked Merlin or the others to take part in the chores. Even so, Merlin had insisted that she not treat them any different, for sake of appearances if anything else. Arthur wasn't happy when Merlin brought forth a list of chores for all of them to do but he reluctantly agreed to do the work in order to protect their secret. The six of them were currently degnoming the garden – following Ron's earlier example before he left to go back inside to help Harry and Hermione clean up several bedrooms upstairs.

"At least this is grunt work," Gwaine huffed after tossing one of the potato-like creatures over the garden wall as Ron had instructed.

"This is the oddest thing I've ever done," Elyan admitted before tackling a gnome in the dirt. The little beast fought a futile fight before the knight got back on his feet, spun around several times on his heels, and launched the thing over the wall where it sailed through the air, cackling with glee.

"I think they're actually enjoying themselves," Leon said as his own gnome laughed happily over being tossed.

"Do these creatures exist in our time Merlin?" Arthur grumbled, wiping his hands on his pants. He'd lost count of how many gnomes he'd thrown over the wall; in his opinion, the first was more than enough work.

Merlin flicked his wand at a rather fat gnome which spun on his heel before being tossed through the air still spinning like a tiny tornado. "I've never seen them but that doesn't mean they don't exist."

"I kind of like them," Percival opined throwing four gnomes at once, his bulging muscles flexing in the early afternoon light. "They seem pretty harmless to me."

"Tell that to the four fingers one of them gnawed upon!" Arthur snapped, holding out his left hand.

"What's the matter, princess? Can't handle a little bite?" Gwaine teased, nudging Arthur in the shoulder.

Arthur shoved him. "It's you I can't handle, Gwaine. One more night of your snoring and I'm going to go deaf! How do you stand to room with him Percival?"

"I guess I'm just used to it," Percival shrugged.

"Arthur just isn't used to having to share a room with three other men," Merlin grinned. "It was bad enough when he had to share with Gwen. I can't tell you how many times he compla–"

"SHUT UP, MERLIN!" Arthur snapped, throwing a gnome at him.

Merlin fell to the ground, he and the gnome trying to disentangle themselves while Arthur smirked and the knights roared with laughter.


"I don't know, Harry, they don't exactly look all that suspicious to me," Hermione opined.

The three sleuths were watching the scene in the garden unfold out of Ron's bedroom window.

"But why would Dumbledore ask five squibs and one wizard to be his bodyguards?" Ron asked, sharing the confusion Harry felt. "I mean, no offense to them but what can they do against the Death Eaters?"

Hermione shrugged. "I don't know, Ron. But Dumbledore hasn't steered us wrong in the past. Shouldn't we trust him with this too?"

"Dumbledore spent most of the time keeping secrets, Hermione," Harry grumbled, casting a look at the morning's edition of the Daily Prophet holding yet another article about the headmaster's private life.

"Everyone is entitled to their secrets, Harry," Hermione replied, "even Dumbledore. He may not have felt to indulge you with his personal life but he did eventually tell you everything you needed to know about how to beat You Know Who."

"Yeah, about that," Ron said, "When are we actually going to go off and hunt for the horcruxes?"

"We can't very well sneak off before the wedding," Harry sighed. "Your mum would have our heads."

"Yeah she would," Ron agreed, shuddering. "I guess we'll just have to wait until after then. Do you know where we're going to head first?"

Harry pretended to become rather occupied with the windowsill he had been scrubbing for the last five minutes while watching the Dragon Guild down below. "Um…" he was saved from having to answer when Hermione gasped.

"Oh, I hope he's alright!" she cried, her hands pressed to the window glass.

"Who?" Ron wondered, peering back out the window.

"Lancelot," Hermione muttered. "Arthur just tossed a gnome at him and it looked like it was done on purpose!"

"Relax, Hermione," Ron said dismissively. "Even if we barely know them we at least know that Lancelot and Arthur seem to like to banter quite a bit. Lancelot probably just insulted Arthur and he retaliated. Fred and George have thrown gnomes at me before; it doesn't really hurt it's just awkward trying to get the fat lumps off of you. Lancelot will be fine."

And to prove his point, the man indeed tossed the gnome off his chest and rose to his feet, brushing dirt off his pants.

"Don't you find their names weird?" Harry asked for the umpteenth time.

Hermione sighed. "We already told you we do, Harry, but they explained that the names are titles. Clearly they have other names."

"I don't know," Harry muttered. "Maybe there's more to it than that."

"I think you're reading into it too much," Ron opined, moving a stack of books into an already growing pile. "It doesn't surprise me that they have code names. Obviously they have families to protect or else they wouldn't bother."

Harry frowned. He didn't believe this was the case but he knew that Ron wasn't going to continue on in the subject without getting cranky. Still, he couldn't ignore that something about the Dragon Guild was off. Lancelot's ability to block a killing curse was testimony enough to that! Ron and Hermione had scoffed when he'd told them what happened back at Privet Drive, both saying that he probably misheard the curse that Lancelot blocked. But Harry knew what the killing curse looked like and that certainly was it! Clearly there was more to Lancelot than he was letting on. And why had Mrs. Weasley refused to let him and his friends help in the chores? Harry's eyes narrowed. There was more to this and he was going to figure out what it was. But, seeing that neither Ron nor Hermione wanted to discuss it further, he decided to drop it for now. Turning away from the window, he went back to helping Ron with the chores Mrs. Weasley had assigned.


"You didn't actually have to throw the gnome at me, Arthur!" Merlin complained, rubbing his chest which he was sure would have a bruise come morning. That gnome had been heavy!

"I thought it might be the only way to prove a point, Merlin," Arthur replied, standing over him with a haughty expression.

Merlin quirked an eyebrow. "And what point would that be?"

"That you still need to work on keeping that big mouth of yours shut!" Arthur replied.

"What on earth are you doing lying around in the dirt, Merlin?"

Merlin started, his head snapping around. His heart relaxed. "Archimedes," he sighed, relieved, "it took you long enough to get here."

"Do you know how long it takes to fly all the way here from that infernal castle?" the bird complained, flying from the tree branch he was resting on to sit on the garden wall.

Before he could complain further a gnome smacked into him, sending several feathers into the air as the bird toppled out of sight.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't see you there," Arthur said not sounding sorry at all.

"Arthur!" Merlin complained before rushing to the wall. "Archimedes, are you alright?"

The bird fluttered into view, his yellow eyes alight with fury. "Are you blind you blithering blockhead?" he bellowed at Arthur.

"It's not my fault you decided to land on the wall the moment I tossed that creature," Arthur replied with a shrug.

"Arthur, that was entirely uncalled for!" Merlin berated. "And Archimedes, you shouldn't shout too loudly."

Both bird and king looked disgruntled over being reprimanded.

"He deserved it," Arthur muttered while Archimedes voiced, "What? I can't defend myself?"

"Enough! Both of you!" Merlin commanded. Turning to the bird, he held out his arm. "Come here, Archimedes, we need to have a little chat."

"You can't just leave us to do this on our own!" Arthur complained, gesturing around at the gnome-infested garden.

"Watch me," Merlin snapped, stalking off with his bird on his arm. Archimedes made sure to send Arthur the smuggest expression he could manage as they walked away.

"If he wasn't so dear to Merlin, I'd run that bird through without a moment's hesitation!" Arthur snarled, hurt that Merlin had snapped at him and walked off with Archimedes without him. "What could he possibly want to talk to the owl about?"

"Careful, princess, if I didn't know any better I'd say you were jealous," Gwaine teased.

Arthur pointed his finger right in Gwaine's face. "Gwaine, I'm not in the mood right now."

Gwaine held up his hands and stepped back a pace. "Fair enough, sire," he muttered, walking back over to the nearest gnome and proceeding in his earlier task.

Arthur stared after Merlin a moment more, the warlock standing on the farthest side of the property talking animatedly with his owl, a slightly reprimanding expression on his face. I wonder what they're talking about… he thought.

The moment Merlin was sure he was far enough away from the knights and Arthur but still within the protective enchantments of the Burrow, he stopped and moved his arm until he and Archimedes were at the same eyelevel.

"Archimedes," he began reproachfully, "I thought we talked about this."

The owl fluffed his feathers angrily. "I can't help that the man is an incessant little –"

"Archimedes," Merlin warned.

The bird sighed. "I don't think we'll ever be able to get along, Merlin. It's obvious that he hates me."

"He doesn't hate you," Merlin said.

Archimedes frowned. "Yes he does! Ever since I met him he has had only one desire: to treat me like I'm nothing but dirt on the bottom of his royal boots. Well, I won't have it!"

"Archimedes, Arthur doesn't hate you," Merlin assured. "He's just jealous and frankly I think you are as well."

"What? Jealous? That's preposterous!" The owl scoffed. "Why would I be jealous of an insufferable no-it-all like him?"

"Because he's my best friend," Merlin pointed out. Archimedes stiffened and looked away, trying to hide the hurt in his eyes. Merlin sighed. "Archimedes, you know that I consider you to be a dear companion. You helped me through many dark times and made my loneliness so much less than it used to be. But you have to understand the bond that Arthur and I share will never be the same as the one you want to have with me. He and I are tied together by destiny in such a way that our souls simply compliment the other."

"Maybe I should go away then," Archimedes mumbled.

"What? No!" Merlin protested. "I like having you around, Archimedes. The last thing I want is for you to go away."

"But I don't have a place with you anymore," the owl hooted sadly.

Merlin rolled his eyes. "You and Arthur are more alike than you'd like to admit. Not have a place? Archimedes, you insult me just as much as he does! You're both witty, you both always have something to complain about concerning me, and you both have a loyal devotion to those you care about. I'm surprised that the two of you haven't joined up to tag-team ragging on my ineptitudes; you both have a profound skill of doing so after all."

Archimedes shook his head back and forth, venom in his tone, "I could never pair up with that arrogant blockhead, Merlin!"

"Archimedes, your place is on my shoulder. Whether you like it or not I'm keeping you around and that means that you're going to have to get used to being around Arthur too. It'll be a lot easier if you learn to like him. Instead of seeing all his prattish faults you should look for what makes him such an incredible person."

Archimedes looked over at Arthur with a petulant glare. "I won't make any promises."

Merlin rolled his eyes. "Just try to look for something good? Please, for my sake."

"I hate it when you beg, Merlin," Archimedes grumbled. "It doesn't suit you."

Merlin grinned; Arthur didn't like it when he did that either. "So then you'll give him a change."

"I'll consider it," Archimedes replied evasively.

Merlin reached up and stroked the bird's head. "Good. It's a start, at least. Now, on another subject, I can't ban you from speaking – you're hard enough to shut up as it is," – Archimedes gave him an offended look – "but I do need to cast a similar spell on you that I did with the knights."

"And what spell might that be?" Archimedes asked, suddenly nervous.

"To have it be so every time you say my name, everyone else will think you're calling me Lancelot," Merlin replied. "We can't have Harry figuring out who we truly are. It would be disastrous if Voldemort found out."

Archimedes frowned. "I see your point. Alright, Merlin, go ahead and do your little spell. But this better not be one of those tricks like the last one you pulled!"

Merlin smirked. "I won't change you into a duck again, Archimedes, I promise. Besides, that was all in good fun! It was April Fool's Day after all."

"It was unforgivable is what it was!" the owl huffed.

Merlin chuckled. "Alright, it might have been. Now hold still." Archimedes did as requested though he was still wary. "Miht dagena, bepecce me!*" Merlin's eyes glowed gold and the owl shuddered a bit, feeling the magic tingle over his tongue.

"Did it work?" he asked.

"Of course it did," Merlin replied haughtily. "I performed the spell."

"You've been known to cast shoddy spells before, Merlin," Archimedes retorted.

Merlin rolled his eyes. "That was a long time ago, Archimedes, before you were even born! You only know that because I told you."

"Believe what you want," the bird snapped. "I think I'm going to stretch my wings again. This looks like a good area to go hunting."

"Maybe you'll run in to Hedwig and Pigwidgeon," Merlin grinned, wondering what his owl would think of the elegant snowy female and the chipper, overeager tiny male.

"Who?" Archimedes prompted.

"Harry and Ron's owls," Merlin answered. "They're flying around here somewhere. You might find Errol, too, if he hasn't keeled over and died yet. That owl is the oldest creature besides Kilgarrah and Aithusa that I have ever seen."

"There are other owls here?" Archimedes asked, trying to hide his interest.

Merlin grinned, easily seeing through his façade. "Yes. They like to hide over in those trees. Ron said there are plenty of mice to keep them busy. Why don't you run along and try to make friends?"

Archimedes ruffled his feathers. "Don't tell me what to do, Merlin!" And with a wave of his tail feathers, he was gone, flying off towards the big tree Merlin had pointed towards.

Merlin only laughed, shaking his head as he made his way back over to Arthur and the knights. Just as he joined them, Mrs. Weasley poked her head out the door.

"Why don't you all take a break and come have some lunch?" she called.

The knights gladly took her up on her offer, their stomachs growling mercilessly at the mention of food. Arthur stayed behind and Merlin, sensing that he wanted to talk, did so as well.

"Arthur?" Leon questioned, the others pausing to look back at them too.

"Go ahead," Arthur invited. "We'll join you in a moment."

Leon nodded before ushering the other three inside. Arthur walked over to the garden wall and leaned against it, enjoying the shade the tree above it brought. Merlin followed him, rubbing his hands together, slightly agitated.

Merlin could tell that Arthur was troubled. "What's bothering you, Arthur?" he asked, deciding to prompt him into voicing his thoughts.

Arthur frowned, folding his arms and scowling at the grass. "It's nothing…"

Merlin snorted. "Not likely."

Arthur glared at him. "Alright!" he snapped, throwing his hands in the air, "I'm just upset that you wandered off with the bloody bird!"

Merlin wasn't surprised. "Arthur, there's no need for you to be jealous."

"I. Am. Not. Jealous!" Arthur snarled through his teeth.

Merlin rolled his eyes. "Arthur, I was just telling Archimedes that you and he are more alike than you think and that the two of you should honestly stop trying to fight each other and try to get along. I also felt it necessary to cast that same spell on him that I did you that keeps my name being heard as Lancelot. Oh, and I more or less told him that you're my best friend and that he has to deal with that. Honestly, why don't the two of you just put aside your jealousy and talk things out? I'm sick of being the middleman here!"

"If you hadn't enchanted him, there'd be no reason for you to be!" Arthur snapped back.

"Arthur, you admitted that if you were in my position you would have done the same thing!"

"Well maybe you should try to imagine yourself in my position then!" Arthur suggested in a biting tone. "That way you'd have an inkling what it's like having a bird as your estranged twin!"

Merlin let out a sigh. "Arthur, you and Archimedes haven't done anything to reconcile since we last spoke. If I were in your situation, I'd talk with my bird counterpart to try to figure out a way to get along with him because your friendship is more important to me than watching it be strained over the two of us fighting. I already told you before that if it came down to it, I'd choose you over Archimedes. Think of how that makes him feel. That would be like me telling you that I considered Gwaine to be a greater friend than you."

Arthur reeled at the very thought. "Who would even consider that?"

Merlin rolled his eyes. "Gwaine is my friend but he isn't the other half of my coin, Arthur. You are. We share a destiny. Archimedes sees that and it hurts him to know that he doesn't. I was his first friend too, just like I was yours. Show a little compassion, would you?"

Arthur scowled. "You're sounding a lot like Guinevere, Merlin. Are you sure you're not a girl with all this talk of feelings and such?"

"Are you sure you're not?" Merlin jibbed back.

"Shut up, Merlin."

"Whenever you say that, it's because what I'm saying is true."

"Merlin?"

"Shut up?"

"You guessed it."

Merlin rolled his eyes again, smiling at his friend cheekily. "Arthur, can you promise me that you'll at least try talking things out with Archimedes?"

Arthur looked as if he'd rather tempt his fate with poking a sleeping dragon in the eye. "You can't suggest what I should do, Merlin. I'm the king."

"I suggest and demand things from you whether you like it or not," Merlin retorted playfully.

Arthur sighed. "Alright, I'll try to talk to him. But I don't think any good will come from it."

"You may be surprised," Merlin opined, displaying a wide grin. Persuading Arthur and Archimedes to sit down together and try to talk things out was considered quite the achievement; he mentally patted himself on the back for coaxing them both into making it happen.

"Time will tell," Arthur grumbled. "Now, come on, I'm starving and if we don't get in there, Gwaine will have eaten our share and then I'll really be in a foul mood."

"We wouldn't want that," Merlin muttered, concerned now. "You in a foul mood is almost as bad as the state you're in when I have to wake you in the morning – the only difference is you're conscious of what you're doing."

"Shut up, Merlin," Arthur said, kicking Merlin in the backside.

Merlin retaliated by shoving him in the shoulder. Arthur sent him a warning look before chasing him across the yard and back into the house, Merlin laughing the whole way.


Tell me what you thought in that little box below - or Archimedes threatens to steal my computer and not let me type until next week! Please don't let him do that!

Meaning of spell Merlin used:

1:*Power of the days, conceal me!