Title: The Houses of Pendragon, Emrys and Potter
Summary: AU OotP, set after M-S5. Merlin had always watched as the wizarding world fought for justice. He watched Harry Potter grow up as a young warlock struggling against Voldemort. At the Department of Mysteries on a Thursday evening when a deadly battle was playing out concerning Harry's destiny, Merlin decided it was time to step in. He will join the fight. This time. DISCLAIMER NOW!
Written by: Alexia Blackbriar (hoping to co-write with Holmes1216)
PLEASE REVIEW.
MULTI-CHAPTER STORY.
This will include Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Luna, Neville, Hedwig all of the members of the Order (including Sirius), the Professors, the characters from Book 5 and Book 6, Aithusa, Merlin of course and there will be mentions of Merlin S1,2,3,4,5.
DISCLAIMER: Some of this work belongs to the brilliant JK Rowling. I cannot take credit for her stuff! All the characters either belong to HER or the BBC.
"Well, really!" said Madam Malkin, snatching up the fallen robes and moving the tip of her wand over them like a vacuum cleaner, so that it removed dust.
She was distracted all through the fitting of Ron, Harry and Merlin's new robes, tried to sell Hermione wizard's dress robes, and when she finally bowed them out of the shop it was with an air of being glad to see the back of them. Throughout the whole fitting, Merlin had been silent, head bowed as he refused to say a word.
"You okay?" Hermione asked gently, gripping Merlin's hand as they strode down the street.
"I'm fine," Merlin answered in a small voice. "I just… I still can't believe, even after over five hundred years that he's… gone."
"Malfoy is a real git," Ron said loudly. "I can't believe his mum would say something like that."
"Never mind what she said, how did she even know?" Hermione asked worriedly.
"It doesn't matter now," Merlin told them, in a stronger voice. "She probably just heard something, a rumour, at the Ministry. After all, I have been hanging around there for the last week with Kingsley…"
"She's still in contact with the Ministry?" Harry asked, slightly shocked. How could the Ministry even bare to be talking to a Death Eater's wife?
"Dumbledore advised it," Merlin informed them lightly, "So we can keep an eye on the Death Eaters' families…"
"Hey, what happened to your hands?" Harry asked curiously.
"Oh, that," Merlin replied in a now flat voice. "Aithusa and I had a little… misunderstanding. Perfectly normal, between a Dragonlord and his dragon," he assured them, at Hermione's horrified expression.
"But that's horrible." Hermione whispered, terrified. "How often does this happen?"
"Meh, once or twice a month," Merlin shrugged. "It's okay though, I don't mine. She burnt my hands this time, but she apologised after immediately. It was just the matter of remembering that I needed to heal them."
"Malfoy seemed delighted," Ron said, glowering. "He's sick, being happy at the thought of you being hurt."
"I've had worse," Merlin told them, with a small smile. At Harry's troubled expression, he reassured them, "Don't worry, Harry, they wouldn't dare make any trouble in the middle of Diagon Alley, especially when they know that I'm here today."
Harry, Ron and Hermione exchanged looks, but before they could disabuse Merlin of this comfortable notion, Mr and Mrs Weasley, along with Ginny and Hagrid, appeared, all clutching heavy packages of books.
"Everyone all right?" said Mrs Weasley. "Got your robes? Right then, we can pop in at the apothecary and Eeylops on the way to Fred and George's… stick close, now…"
Neither Ron nor Harry bought any potions ingredients at the apothecary, seeing as they were no longer studying potions; they helped Merlin and Hermione pick out theirs though. It was strange, since Merlin seemed to have different names for each different ingredient, and he seemed to have a large knowledge of herbs, but that was only because, he assured them, he had lived with the Court Physician in Camelot when he'd been a young boy. Both Harry and Ron bought large boxes of owl nuts at Eeylops Owl Emporium, for Hedwig and Pigwidgeon.
As Merlin wandered around the shop, greeting every single owl individually, he sounded his thoughts out loud: "Hmm, maybe I should buy an owl…"
"Excuse me?" Aithusa snorted, offended. "And what am I for then?"
"Well, would you like to carry mail to me everyday then?" Merlin asked her, laughing slightly. "You're a great friend and companion, Aithusa, but for some reason I just can't imagine you carrying my letters into the Great Hall each morning…"
Harry, Ron and Hermione tried to help Merlin pick out an owl after he had decided he needed one. The warlock seemed quite attached to an extremely large black eagle-owl that gazed at him with massive amber eyes, ruffling his handsome feathers. Merlin paid several galleons for his owl, which he named Kilgharrah, in memory of his old dragon friend. He also bought some owl nuts and a sort of padded harness that went under or over his clothes; since Kilgharrah was half-eagle, he had large, sharp dagger-like talons, so the pads would prevent the talons from digging into Merlin's injured shoulder. It would also stop Aithusa from accidentally hurting him if she landed straight onto his shoulders from flight. Mrs Weasley helped Merlin put it on over his clothes, and when it was on, the warlock looked like a professional hawk-handler. So, with Aithusa the beautiful white dragon on his right shoulder and Kilgharrah the large black eagle-owl on his left, they exited the store.
Mrs Weasley checked her watch every few minutes as they walked down the street in search of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, the joke shop ran on Fred and George.
"We really haven't got too long," Mrs Weasley said worriedly. "So we'll just have a quick look around and then get back to the car. We must be close now… look, there's number ninety-two… ninety-four…"
"Whoa," Ron gasped, stopping in his tracks.
"Awesome," Merlin breathed, grinning widely.
Set against the dull, poster-muffled shop fronts around them, Fred and George's windows hit the eye like a firework display. Casual passers-bye were looking back over their shoulders at the windows, and a few rather stunned-looking people had actually come to a halt, transfixed. The left-hand window was dazzlingly full of an assortment of goods that revolved, popped, flashed, bounced and shrieked; Harry's eyes began to water just looking at it. The right-hand window was covered with a gigantic poster, purple like those of the Ministry, but emblazoned with flashing yellow letters:
Why Are You Worrying About You-Know-Who?
You SHOULD Be Worrying About
U-NO-POO-
The Constipation Sensation That's Gripping the Nation!
Harry and Merlin started to laugh. Even Aithusa started chuckling. They heard a sort of weak moan beside them and looked around to see Mrs Weasley gazing, dumb-founded, at the poster. Her lips moved, silently mouthing the name, 'U-No-Poo.'
"They'll be murdered in their beds!" she whispered.
"No they won't!" said Ron, who like Harry and Merlin, was laughing. "This is brilliant!"
He, Harry and Merlin led the way into the shop. It was packed with customers; Harry could not get near the shelves. He stared around, looking up at the boxed piled to the ceiling: here were the Skiving Snackboxes that the twins had perfected during their last, unfinished year at Hogwarts; Harry noticed that the Nosebleed Nougat was most popular, with only one battered box left on the shelf. There were bins full of trick wands, the cheapest merely turning into rubber chickens or pairs of pants when waved; the most expensive beating the unwary user around the head and neck; boxes of quills, which came in Self-Inking, Spell-Checking and Smart-Answer varieties. A space cleared in the crowd and Harry pushed his way towards the counter, where a gaggle of delighted ten-year-olds were watching a tiny little wooden man slowly ascending the steps to a real set of gallows, both perched on a box that read: Reusable Hangman – Spell It Or He'll Swing!
" 'Patented Daydream Charms…'"
Hermione had managed to squeeze through to a large display near the counter and was reading the information on the back of a box bearing a highly coloured picture of a handsome youth and a swooning girl who were standing on the deck of a pirate ship.
" 'One simple incantation and you will enter a top-quality, highly realistic thirty-minute daydream, easy to fit into the average school lesson and virtually undetectable (side-effects include vacant expression and minor drooling). Not for sale to under-sixteen's.' You know," said Hermione, looking up at Harry and handing the box to Merlin so he could examine it. "That really is extraordinary magic!"
"For that, Hermione," said a voice behind them, "You can have one for free."
A beaming Fred stood before them, wearing a set of magenta robes that clashed magnificently with his flaming hair. "How are you, Harry, Merlin?" He shook hands with both of them enthusiastically. He nodded to Aithusa respectively, grinning and the dragon beamed back. Fred also greeted Merlin's new owl Kilgharrah and he hooted happily. "Hey, Merlin, forgot to say, thanks for those spells…"
"You helped them?" Ron asked, turning around from where he was ogling at another display to gaze at Merlin with wide eyes.
Merlin shrugged. "It was nothing really. Just a few spells that I could pull off on Arthur when he wasn't looking."
"That one that gave the victim donkey ears was hilarious," Fred said seriously, grinning. "Are you telling me you used that one on the Once and Future King?"
Merlin allowed a smile to spread across his face. "Maybe one or twice, when he was asleep…" Aithusa cuffed his head with her wing as he began to laugh.
"Nice one," Fred laughed, "Come on, Harry, Merlin, I'll give you both tours…"
Harry and Merlin left Ron and Hermione staring at some other merchandise, following Fred towards the back of the shop, where Merlin frowned at a stand of card and rope tricks. Aithusa sniffed at them, recoiling backwards when she realised they were not magical.
"Muggle magic tricks!" said Fred happily, pointing them out. "For freaks like Dad, you know, who love Muggle stuff. It's not a big earner, but we do fairly steady business, they're great novelties… oh, here's George…"
Fred's twin shook Harry and Merlins' hands energetically.
"Giving them the tour? Come through to the back, you two, that's where we're making the real money – pocket anything and you'll pay in more than Galleons!" he added warningly to a small boy who hastily whipped his hand out of the tub labelled: Edible Dark Marks – They'll Make Anyone Sick!
George pushed back a curtain beside the Muggle tricks and the two warlocks saw a darker, less crowded room. The packaging on the products lining these shelves was more subdued.
"We've just developed this more serious line," said Fred. "Funny how it happened…"
"You wouldn't believe how many people, even people who work at the Ministry, can't do a decent Shield Charm," said George. "Course, they didn't have you teaching them, Harry."
"That's right…" well, we thought Shield Hats were a bit of a laugh. You know, challenge your mate to jinx you while wearing it and watch his face when the jinx just bounces off. But the Ministry bought five hundred for all its support staff! And we're still getting massive orders!"
"So we've expanded into a range of Shield Cloaks, Shield Gloves…"
"… I mean, they wouldn't help much against the Unforgivable Curses, but for minor to moderate hexes or jinxes…"
"Guys, that's amazing," Merlin said truthfully, as George showed him a Shield Cloak from a rack. "This is some great magic."
"Thanks, Merlin," Fred said, delighted with the praise. He and George glanced at each other, slyly before saying, "We made one especially for you, and one for Aithusa, and you, Harry."
"What?" Harry spluttered, stunned.
George grinned and vanished behind a curtain before he reappeared again. In his hand he held Harry's black school cloak (they had obviously stolen it from his trunk) and he threw it to Harry, who caught it, dazed and in shock. Harry looked down at it, and felt the magic coating it, woven into the very fibres, and could not express his thanks enough. Fred helped him put it on and Harry was surprised to find it was warm and comfortable, not heavy like he'd been expecting, with all the magic charmed onto it.
Fred then appeared with a small necklace charm. It was Merlin's druid symbol, the symbol of Emrys, made of shining silver with a strong silver chain that had been enchanted to never break. Aithusa dipped her neck as Fred slipped it over her head. It hung over her chest like an amulet and the dragon buffed her chest proudly, grinning, eyes sparkling with gratitude.
Both Fred and George then vanished together to come back holding something behind their backs. They revealed it to Merlin, and the warlock's heart stopped with a jolt. It was an old red cloak, made of the finest red velvet, with the golden Pendragon symbol embroidered in gold thread onto the front. It looked exactly like the cape Arthur had always worn on patrol and during wars. The warlock sensed some powerful New enchantments that had been placed onto it and found himself touched, with tears springing into his eyes.
"Guys – I – I don't know what to say," he said, accepting the cloak and holding it in his hands as though it was made of solid gold. "Thank you so much. This is – I can't express my emotions right now." He was sniffing and tears were trailing down his cheeks.
Fred and George helped him put it on, while Aithusa and Kilgharrah waited on Harry's shoulders. He had to completely rearrange his clothes and his padded harness, but finally, after a few minutes, he was done. The Pendragon cloak was on top of his normal clothes and his harness was over the top. Aithusa and Kilgharrah fluttered back to his shoulders and Merlin found his right hand unconsciously floating downwards to grab Excalibur's sheath and he rested it there, feeling like he was finally right.
George continued, "And then we thought we'd get into the whole area of Defence Against the Dark Arts, because it's such a money spinner." He turned around and showing them some dark clumps of black crystals; "This is cool. Look, Peruvian Instant Darkness Power, we're importing it. Handy if you want to make a quick escape." He handed them both about five pieces each.
"And our Decoy Detonators are just walking off the shelves, look," said Fred, pointing at a number of weird-looking black hooter-type objects that were indeed attempting to scurry out of sight. "You just drop one surreptitiously and it'll run off and make a nice loud noise out of sight, giving you a diversion if you need one."
"Handy," said Harry, impressed.
"Very," Merlin agreed.
"Here," said George, catching a few and throwing them to them both.
A young witch with short blonde hair poked her head round the curtain; Harry saw that she too was wearing magenta staff robes. "There's a customer out here looking for a joke cauldron, Mr Weasley and Mr Weasley," she said.
Harry found it very odd to hear Fred and George being called 'Mr Weasley', but Merlin didn't seem very bothered, as both the twins took it in their stride.
"Right you are, Verity, I'm coming," said George promptly. "Harry, Merlin, both of you can help yourselves to whatever you want, alright? No charge."
"We can't do that!" protested Harry. Both of the warlocks had already pulled out their money-bags to pay for the Shield Cloaks, Shield Amulet, Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder and the Decoy Detonators.
"You guys don't pay here," said Fred firmly, waving away Harry and Merlins' gold coins.
"But –" Merlin started.
"Harry, you gave us our start-up loan, we haven't forgotten," said George sternly. "And Merlin, you have us all those spells and you've allowed us to use your name on our brands. Take whatever you like; just remember to tell people where you got it, if they ask."
George swept off through the curtain to help with the customers and Fred let Harry and Merlin back into the main part of the shop to find Hermione and Ginny still poring over the Patented Daydream Charms. Fred led the two of them off to look at some of their WonderWitch products. Harry went off with them, with Merlin trailing behind.
Merlin and Aithusa stopped to stare at a display.
Merlin's Dragonlord Antics
Transform Into A Dragon For a Day!
Not For Sale To Under-Eighteens
"Do you think they actually work?" Aithusa asked Merlin curiously.
Merlin shook his head. "No, they wouldn't turn you into a dragon. It's impossible. It's probably some transfiguration spell that turns you into some lizard bird hybrid."
Kilgharrah hooted and shuffled over on Merlin's shoulder. Still wondering about the Dragonlord Antics, Merlin hurried towards Ron, Hermione, Harry and Ginny, who were all looking at Pygmy Puffs.
"… Mum, can I have a Pygmy Puff?" said Ginny, as Mrs Weasley appeared at her shoulder.
"A what?" Mrs Weasley said warily.
"Look, they're so sweet."
Mrs Weasley moved aside to look at the Pygmy Puffs, and Harry, Ron and Hermione momentarily had an unimpeded view out of the window. Draco Malfoy was hurrying up the street alone. As he passed Weasleys' Wizards Wheezes, he glanced over his shoulder. Seconds later, he moved beyond the scope of the window and they lost sight of him.
"Wonder where his mummy is?" said Merlin, stepping forwards to slip behind the trio, frowning.
"Given her the slip by the looks of it," said Ron, peering out the window.
"Why, though?" said Hermione.
Harry said nothing; he was thinking too hard. Narcissa Malfoy would not have let her precious son out of her sight willingly; Malfoy must have made a real effort to free himself from her clutches. Harry, knowing and loathing Malfoy, was sure the reason could not be innocent. He glanced around. Mrs Weasley and Ginny were bending over the Pygmy Puffs. Mr Weasley was delightedly examining a pack of Muggle marked playing cards. Fred and George were both helping customers. On the other side of the glass, Hagrid was standing with his back to them, looking up and down the street.
Harry caught Merlin's eye and they both grinned at each other.
"Get under here, quick," said Harry, pulling his Invisibility Cloak out of his bag.
"Oh – I don't know, Harry," said Hermione, looking uncertainly towards Mrs Weasley.
"Come on!" Merlin hissed.
"Merlin – it's dangerous – we can't –"
"Hermione, get under the Cloak!" said Ron.
She hesitated for a second longer, then ducked under the Cloak with Harry, Merlin and Ron. Nobody noticed them banish; they were all too interested in Fred and George's products. Harry, Ron, Merlin and Hermione squeezed their way out of the door as quickly as they could, but by the time they gained the street, Malfoy had disappeared just as successfully as they had.