"Merlin," said Gaius, as he watched him reading through his potions book. He had come to value Merlin, he was so out of place in his year level, yet he was second in the class only to Guinevere. It seemed as though the boy had an ability to absorb knowledge, take it all in, process it and remember it. He had no clue how he was doing in his other classes but he suspected that the grades would slowly be climbing. He had a natural talent beyond anything Gaius had seen, and he had been at Hogwarts almost all his life. There was something that Gaius owed the boy, to nurture him, and he would fulfil that.
"Yes Professor?" he asked and Gaius smiled. He pulled out a cauldron stand.
"Can you light this for me?" he said, sliding it across to Merlin, who nodded and reached for matches. Gaius put out his hand to stop him. "Try to do it without," he whispered.
"This could be a bad idea," Merlin whispered back. "I don't really know how to control it, how to manage it," he added, rubbing his hands together.
"How do you ever expect to learn control, if you do not first lose it. Merlin, magic is not something to be afraid of, it is something for you to embrace. I have seen many witches and wizards come through this school, and those who have let fear win, well they have been the ones whose names we try to forget. I do not want you to turn into one of them, not when you have such a power inside you," said Gaius seeming to speak with a wisdom that no one should possess.
"Professor, can I ask you something?" muttered Merlin, and Gaius nodded. "What is the history of Hogwarts? I've tried to find it, but there are no books I can access in the library, and there is something about it I need to know, I just don't know what yet," mumbled Merlin. He had begun to do that quite a bit.
"Anything to help an enquiring mind," said Gaius, as he passed Merlin some jars to clean out. "Well the castle was around long before the school, and ironically its high day was when magic was outlawed. During the reign of a tyrannical king named King Uther Pendragon. Anyone possessing magic was executed. His son Arthur was the visionary. He brought about a golden age for the land of Camelot, of which the jewel was this castle. However the only reason he survived was because of his best friend and protector Merlin. One of the strongest wizards to ever live, he fought and risked his life to protect Arthur and the future he promised. Sadly though, Arthur had been raised to believe that magic was evil, responsible for claiming the life of his mother. Merlin had to hide his talents from him, and from almost everyone else," said Gaius, taking a seat.
"Like we do from non-magical?" asked Merlin, and Gaius nodded. They had progressed since Camelot time, but secrecy was still key.
"Anyway, where was I? Oh yes. When Uther died, and Arthur was made king, Camelot entered a transitional period and magic slowly re-emerged. However Arthur had an enemy who wanted the crown, his half-sister Morgana. Along with a boy named Mordred, they marched towards Camelot, and Mordred stabbed Arthur, leaving him dying. Though there is no debate in our minds that is was Morgana who truly was behind the blade. She had poisoned him, and abused Mordred as a weapon. Arthur died soon after," whispered Gaius, seeming almost slightly sad at the story ending.
"And my mother, who was trying to hide me from the world of magic, named me after Merlin?" he asked, and Gaius gave a small laugh.
"Maybe not the wisest decision ever made," Gaius added with a chuckle.
"Wait but why is the original Merlin not celebrated? Why is the history not recorded in books and taught?" asked Merlin, concern on his face.
"Because something happened. We are not sure exactly what, and something happened to Merlin, he did something. After that magic became a complete myth to the muggles. We can only presume Merlin did something so bad that he could never let anyone know of magic again. Most people who still believe the tale, think he died not long after. Sadly a lack of written history, and eye witnesses still alive mean the tale has become a myth. The tale of Merlin is told to wizardlings as they grow up, to warn them not to expose magic, or to not use their powers. The name does not have positive connotations in the wizard community, which is why the decision of your mother to name you that is even more befuddling," added Gaius as he stood from his stool. "Anyway Merlin, I do believe we have both missed dinner. I shall keep you no longer, I am sure you have your studies to attend to. Same time next week?" he asked and Merlin nodded, grabbing his bag and running out. When Gaius was sure that Merlin was long gone, he walked across to his desk and pulled out a piece of parchment, quill and ink.
You should know, your son struggles to hide who he is and is becoming more powerful. I will try to protect him, as I did you, but be careful, he may begin to stir old ghosts that are better left to rest. Let us hope that he learns to protect himself for when we cannot be there.
Your old friend
Gaius rolled the parchment, sealed it tight and put it in his pocket. He would send it in the morning, and hope it would find its owner. And he knew the only owl he could send it with who would even stand a chance.
Merlin had begun to realise how the school system worked, and it had only taken three months. Finally he had mastered staying under the radar, spending his days with his nose firmly in books. Any kind of book, though the advice of Kilgarrah always weighed highly in the choice. Merlin just wished he could find a way to practice the spells. There was nowhere private, nowhere where it would not be considered strange for an eleven year old to be doing fourth year spells. He was smart enough not to check those books out from the library, and instead would only read them when he knew no one was watching, except Gwen and Gwaine, who were both great scouts. He could not risk anyone finding out, he had barely managed to shrink out of the limelight. Sure, Arthur and Uther still hated his guts, but there was new targets to humiliate and belittle. Merlin enjoyed flying as his one release from the stress he had placed on himself. Working for Gaius, dealing with schoolwork and his extra study had meant he had little sleep. Somehow his body had adjusted, Merlin found himself needing around six hours per night, but could get away with less for a couple of days in a row.
Today Merlin strode around the grounds outside, eager to get away from his books for a while. Gwen and Gwaine offered to come, but Merlin needed some time to himself. They were fantastic and brilliant friends, but there was moments where he longed for solitude. And wanted to talk to his mother. But ever since that first day when he had summoned her image in the water, he had not heard a word.
"Alright there?" he heard in a gruff voice. He turned to see the giant from the first day, Hagrid, standing behind him. Gwaine and Gwen both agreed that Hagrid was a very kind soul, and always nice to students even when they treated him with complete disrespect. Which seemed to come from the Slytherin house and Arthur's gang. Merlin knew the hat had made a mistake, putting Arthur in Gryffindor. He would have suited Slytherin so much better, with his spiteful nature and rudeness, not to mention his arrogance.
"Yes thank you," said Merlin, quite meekly. The giant intimidated him. Hagrid laughed a deep belly laugh and slapped Merlin on the back, almost knocking him to the ground.
"I thought a boy like you would have a bit of a backbone. Come with me," he said, walking towards his hut. Merlin followed, intrigued as to why the giant was being so nice to him. After all, Merlin seemed to be disliked by almost all the teachers except for Gaius. "I know how you feel," said Hagrid as he opened the door to his hut. Merlin stepped in, and felt more at home than he had his entire time at Hogwarts. The hut was small, yes, but it was a home. Not a big castle that always seemed empty and scary.
"Sorry?" asked Merlin. The giant had him a bit confused.
"I've come to Hogwarts as a student and felt out of place. Being half giant, I was naturally bigger than everyone else. The elitist purebloods hated me, and I ended up being expelled, blamed for something I did not do. I know how you feel Merlin, like an outcast. But you are lucky, you have your friends, value them. Biscuit?" he asked, offering Merlin what looked like a biscuit well past its use by date.
"Why are you being so nice to me?" asked Merlin. It was a valid question after all.
"Because Merlin I can't shake the feeling that I know you," said Hagrid. "Besides, Gwen and Gwaine are nice kids and you clearly have good enough taste to choose them over some of the less nice students," added Hagrid as he took a big sip from one of the largest tea mugs Merlin had seen in his life. "If you need anything, I'm happy to help," said Hagrid and Merlin smiled back at him.
"Thank you," he whispered.
"No problem kiddo," said Hagrid as Merlin headed for the door. So that made two teachers who Merlin trusted, but only two. And Hagrid didn't even really count as a teacher. Slowly Merlin made his way back up to the castle, avoiding the crowds of people as he went. Sure he may not be the hot topic, but that did not stop the stream of stares. So he used back passages and shadows. It may be a bit creepy, but what worked, worked.
"Dumbledore, it was a mistake to bring it here. I should just destroy the thing, it is hardly worth the risk it places," whispered an elderly voice and Merlin froze. Just around the corner he could see Dumbledore speaking to an old man.
"Nicholas, this is the safest place for us to store it. The Philosopher's Stone will be safe here. None of the students are aware, and most people still think it to be locked in Gringotts. It is safe," said Dumbledore. Merlin, almost ran away knowing he should not have heard that. What on earth was the Philosopher's Stone?
Sorry for the long wait, I struggled with this chapter. Now though the story should move faster, and more Arthur and Morgana will start to appear a lot more, as well as the first year for Merlin nearing an end. Apologies once more.
