My dear dedicated readers I owe you all a sincere apology. I haven't updated in I don't even know how long and I'm sorry. Unfortunately university rather bent me over a barrel this last few weeks and I haven't had time to even open this story, let alone edit a chapter or write a new one.

Still I finally made it though the busiest of my subjects and am now out the other side.

Chapter 12: Fifth Year- Detentions

Harry stared at the door to Umbridge's office and tried to set it on fire with only the power of his mind.

It didn't work.

Eventually finding the strength Harry raised his hand to knock, wondering what detention Umbridge had in store for him. Based on her personality Harry couldn't imagine it was going to be a pleasant evening. "Come in." Umbridge's light girly voice called through the door.

Harry gave a reluctant sigh and stepped into her office. The room was pink. The carpet, the curtains and the little doilies on the tables were all pink. The walls were covered with plates painted with horrifically cute kittens. Harry resisted the urge to stagger backwards out of the room and instead focused on his Professor, sitting at her desk also dressed entirely in pink. Harry didn't understand how one person could stand that much of one colour.

Umbridge gave him one of her wide, fake smiles. "Mr. Potter please sit. You will be writing some lines for me tonight."

For just one moment, Harry's heart filled with hope. Lines were bad, but only because they were boring and by the end of the night your hand hurt. He had had far worse detentions. He dropped into the pink cushioned seat beside a small table which had obviously been arranged for his use and bent down to pull one of his quills out of his bag. "Oh no, you won't need a quill Mr. Potter. You'll be using a very special one of mine." The smile still eerily fixed on her pasty skinned face Umbridge produced a thin black quill and set it carefully on the desk in front of him.

Straightening and picking the quill up warily Harry examined it. It looked like most quills, though it seemed almost unnecessarily sharp at the tip. "What lines am I writing?" Harry asked with teeth grinding politeness. He may be been furious at Merlin, but given that the man...boy...whatever was as old as time once Harry had cooled down he figured that maybe he should try being polite to the old hag.

"I must not tell lies." Umbridge replied with a cool smile. "That seems the most appropriate to your situation, don't you think?"

"How many times?" Harry asked. Still trying to keep his tone light and uncaring while mentally putting Umbridge through a meat grinder.

"Oh just until it sinks in." Umbridge settled herself at her desk and began to read though a parchment. Harry gritted his teeth that meant he was going to be here all night and he still had all those essays to write.

Gripping the quill in his hand Harry looked about for an inkwell, there wasn't one. With a carefully repressed sigh Harry looked up. "Professor you haven't given me any ink." Harry tried to put as much disgust into that simple sentence as he could but Umbridge didn't seem to notice.

"You won't need any ink Mr. Potter, please continue." another wide smile.

Harry frowned and examined the quill. He set the tip against the parchment in front of him and waited. Nothing happened so Harry began to write. He spelled out the demanded phrase in a bright red ink and frowned, his hand was itching something shocking.

Pausing between lines to scratch at the back of his hand Harry continued writing. As he wrote, line after line the itching became worse, until it became sharp and painful and something warm ran down the side of his hand. Harry hissed, stopped and looked at his hand in horror. Carved into the back of his hand in Harry's own slightly lopsided handwriting were the very words he had been crafting onto the parchment. 'I must not tell lies.'

He threw a horrified look at Umbridge who had raised her head at his exclamation. "Yes Mr. Potter?" She asked with sugar-sweet politeness.

Staring in disbelief Harry swallowed and shook his head. "Nothing Professor." He muttered ducking his head to look at the parchment. The carving on his hand had healed over as quickly as it had appeared, but now that he was looking Harry could see that the ink he had been using was in fact his own blood. Bile rose in his throat as Umbridge replied. "Yes Mr. Potter, perhaps it will be possible to teach you something after all." there was a note of smug self-satisfaction in her voice that made Harry grit his teeth.

Harry took a shaking breath and began to write again, clenching his jaw against the pain which now lanced afresh through his hand. He sat in silence for the rest of his detention, writing as slowly as he could get away with. He didn't understand how one person could be this disgustingly cruel for no reason. Whatever happened to freedom of speech?

His hand was cramping badly by the time Umbrdige told him he could go. Harry didn't know how long he had been inside that nasty pink room, but it had felt like forever. Judging by the black sky visible through the occasional window had been hours. Rubbing his throbbing hand Harry approached the Fat Lady who was dozing in her frame.

"Wake up!" He snapped. Thankfully the aching in his hand was dying down and on close examination there wasn't so much as a red mark on his hand where the letters had been. Harry breathed a sigh of relief as he muttered the password and entered into the pleasant warmth of the Gryffindor common room. There were still people up, though it was mostly seventh years bent over their desks writing furiously.

He wanted to go to bed, but Harry knew that there was a large pile of homework waiting for him and if every night for the next week was going to be like this then he had better knuckle down and get some work done tonight. "Harry are you listening to me?" Hermione's voice shattered Harry's thoughts.

Turning towards the fire Harry noticed for the first time that Hermione and Ron were seated by the fire. Hermione was knitting and Ron appeared to be dozing over one of his own essays. The red head straightened in his seat. "Hey mate, you've been gone for ages, what did the old toad have you doing?"

Unwilling to share the unmitigated disaster that his detentions were going to be Harry shrugged and dropped into the free armchair next to Hermione. "Just lines." He muttered, melting backwards into the warm cushy chair and trying to dredge up some enthusiasm for getting to work on Snape's essay.

"Just lines?" Hermione looked up from her knitting. "I don't believe that 'just lines' are anything like what Umbridge would have in mind for a detention." She levelled the patented Hermione glare at him. Harry avoided her gaze. "I'm serious Hermione; all I did all evening was write I must not tell lies over and over and over again. I think she's trying to bore me into submission." Harry gave wan smile, hoping to dissuade Hermione.

It might have worked as well, except at that moment Ron leant forward, tipped his parchment on the floor and said. "Is that blood on your sleeve?"

Harry tried to hide his hands under his robes. "It's nothing." He muttered, searching furiously for an excuse.

Hermione snapped. "Harry don't be ridiculous, you have to tell us what's going on or we can't help. Now what did she do to you?"

With a deep sigh, Harry gave in. He was too tired to fight with his friends. "Alright. I wasn't lying I was writing lines, but she made me use this quill which...I don't know carved the words into the back of my hand while I'm writing."

Hermione clapped a hand to her mouth. "Harry that's horrible you have to tell someone."

"Hermione's right mate, she's torturing you. There's got to be some kind of law against that." Ron glanced at Hermione who nodded seriously.

"I'm not going to give her the pleasure of knowing she got to me." As his friends opened their mouths to argue again Harry cut them off. "Forget it, I'm not going crying to McGonagall or Dumbledore. They've got enough to worry about with this prophecy thing." Harry only remembered at the last moment to drop his voice. He had enough on his plate without the general public becoming aware that there was a prophecy which named him the Chosen One. "I'll just put up with it, it's only another four nights. Besides Dumbledore can't fire her, she lives in Fudge's pocket."

Frowning in concentration Hermione began to knit again. Ron's face, however, brightened. "What about Mer...Emrys." He exclaimed, earning himself a few sharp glares from the furiously studying seventh years. "Why don't you tell him, he likes you maybe he can do something?"

"That's a good idea Ron." Hermione said with a note of surprise in her voice. Ron gave her a grumpy look which made her blush, but she pressed on.

Harry gritted his teeth, it felt like cheating going to Merlin for help. Still the ancient sorcerer had said that he was here to help Harry and as much as Harry didn't want to talk to his teachers about his detention the thought of going through another one made him feel sick to the stomach. "Alright, I'll talk to him tomorrow."

Hermione and Ron both looked relieved. Harry groaned and picked up his bag to fish through it for Snape's essay. He really needed to get started on his homework now.


Despite Harry, Ron and Hermione's best efforts the following day they were unable to track Merlin down. They had even resorted to asking Grubby-Plank where he was only to be informed that the 'boy' was off in the forest working and that they should probably be focusing less on the location of staff and more on completing their homework.

Unfortunately that meant that Harry was subjected to another night of lancing pain and uncomfortable silence with Umbridge. By the end of the night as Harry made his weary way back to the common room his hand was glowing red and he could almost read the oft repeated and very much hated phrase 'I must not tell lies' on the back of his hand.

Hermione was waiting in the common room. "I think you should head to bed." She said finally when she had satisfied herself that Harry's hand wasn't going to fall off. "That way we can get up early and catch Emrys before he heads off." They were getting better at referring to the sorcerer by his Nome de plume.

Harry was more than willing to agree, though he still was reluctant to tattle about his detentions he did want to ask Merlin if he had any magical fix-all for Umbridge or his hand, or both.

As the next morning dawned Harry lay examining the scarlet hangings around his bed. Thankfully the night's sleep had sapped the pain from his hand; unfortunately he still had three more nights of detention with Umbridge.

Despite being strongly opposed to talking to anyone, even Ron and Hermione, about his detentions after last night Harry was now eagerly looking forward to talking to Merlin. Hopefully their newest friend would be happy to wreak a little old style revenge on Umbridge. Rolling out of bed and struggling into his robes Harry considered some of the spells the legend had suggested that Merlin had used on some of King Arthur's enemies.

Kicking Ron out of his bed before he started to gather up the random bits of parchment, quills and books he would need for the day Harry hoped that Merlin would be able to do something.

Ron was slow to rise so the two of them were force to bolt down to the Great Hall in the hope of catching Merlin before he left to complete his list of chores. They had learnt from Parvati, though Hermione, that Merlin was an early riser and was normally through and gone from the Great Hall well before anyone else had been down to eat.

Fortune was with them today because as Harry hurried through the doors into the Great Hall, followed by a yawning Ron he caught sight of Merlin sitting up at the teachers table focused on his breakfast. He looked surprisingly relaxed given that for the last few days he had been working non-stop.

The dark haired sorcerer seemed to sense Harry's approach because before he had even stepped onto the dais Merlin was looking up. "Hello Harry." Merlin said giving his usual lop-sided grin. "You look hassled, homework getting to you?"

"Er... sort of." Harry noticed that Umbridge had just entered the Hall. That would make it difficult to talk freely here. Thinking quickly Harry leant closer. "Look I need to talk to you, it's really important. Can you meet us after Care of Magical Creatures?"

Merlin's eyebrows went up. "Sure?" Harry flicked his eyes to Umbridge. The Professor was looking down the table suspiciously at the two of them. "Right, no worries Harry." Merlin grinned at him encouragingly so Harry leant back and went back to sit with Ron.

"Bloody Umbridge, now what?" Ron asked around a mouthful of Harry didn't want to know what.

"He's going to find us after Care of Magical Creatures." Harry explained, suddenly looking forward to the lesson more than he had in a long while.

The day passed almost unbearably slowly. Lunch was barely over before Harry, Ron and Hermione were hurrying down towards Hagrid's hut where a large table that seemed to be covered in sticks was set up.

Grubby-Plank was discussing something with Merlin who had a bucket in one hand and a large net in the other. "Good work, not easy to catch these fellows. Now you did mark where you found them didn't you. We don't want to upset them any more than we have to." Grubby-Plank asked as she examined the pile of sticks.

Harry noticed that Merlin bore what looked suspiciously like bite marks on his hands. "Yes Professor." He said evenly. Harry thought it sounded like a frequently repeated phrase, at a guess they had been at this for a while.

Grubby-Plank noticed their approach and turned away from Merlin and the table. "Good to see you here nice and early." She said cheerily. Harry grimaced; his eyes were on Merlin who was leaning against the table, having stored his equipment under it. A wink was sent Harry's way before Merlin was distracted by suddenly being grabbed by one of the sticks, which appeared to have come to life and now more closely resembled a little man.

As the rest of their class arrived Merlin wandered off. The lesson seemed to go slower than all the other put together. Finally Grubby-Plank told them to put their books away, to finish their drawings of the Bowtruckles before their next lesson and sent them on their way.

While everyone else wandered back towards the castle Harry, Ron and Hermione went in search of Merlin who was around the back of Hagrid's cabin digging in the small vegetable patch.

As soon as they were around the corner Merlin stopped digging and examined them all seriously. "You looked worried this morning, is something wrong?" he noted making his way over to them.

Harry frowned and wondered how to begin. Hermione leapt in before him. "You know that Harry has been doing detentions for the last two days with Umbridge?"

"Yes."

"Harry." Hermione prompted.

Harry grimaced, now that he was here it felt like tale telling again. He didn't want people to pity him. He hated to be pitied even more than he hated to be called a liar. However with Merlin's unwavering blue eyes fixed on him Harry had no choice but to continue. "She has me writing lines, only she makes me use this weird quill which, I don't know, carves the words into the back of my hand while I'm writing them. It writes in blood." Harry explained all the while watching Merlin's face.

Merlin frowned and slowly his eyes narrowed. "So basically she's torturing you." He asked flatly.

Harry winced. "Yeah, look I didn't want to tell anyone, I don't want her to think she's gotten to me but..."

"We were hoping you could do something about her. You know now that we know she's evil." Ron pointed out.

Merlin rubbed the back of his neck. "Well there are a few things I could do, but the problem is going to be getting her without getting you in trouble."

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked.

"Back in Camelot I could get away with using magic to prank people or stop people because people didn't know it was me and magic wasn't really commonly in use. Around here using magic to stop Umbridge is going to be hard because everyone can use magic. If I do something to stop these quills from working, really if I do anything, she's going to blame you Harry or some of the other students." Merlin sighed and rubbed his eyes. "Let me think about it."

"I have another detention tonight." Harry reminded their friend. He really didn't want to go to another detention.

Merlin nodded. "Yeah, hold on." He drove the spade firmly into the ground, walked over to the edge of the vegetable patch and picked up a bag that Harry had seen him carrying everywhere. He pulled out a little vial. "Put a couple of drops of this into a bowl of warm water and put your hand in it for half an hour or so after your detention. It'll help."

Hermione took the bottle and examined it. "What is it?" She asked.

"Essence of Murtlap." Merlin said, hooking the bag over his shoulder. "Harry I know this is hard, and I'll try and think of something to help you, but promise me you'll hold your temper in control after this. She can't keep it up forever, eventually Voldemort is going to make a mistake and then everyone will know you were telling the truth."

"Couldn't you turn her into a frog or something?" Ron asked hopefully.

Merlin laughed and started to walk towards the castle, they followed him knowing that their next lesson was going to start soon. Not that Binns would notice if they were missing. "Probably, it wouldn't help much though."

"It'd be an improvement." Harry muttered. "You said you helped heaps in the last couple of years, what changed?"

"Harry I wouldn't have helped you with this. I told you what I did before they were more nudges in the right direction than actually helping you." Merlin stopped at the doors. "Just try to keep a lid on that temper of yours." Normally something like this would make Harry cross, but the broad grin Merlin sent his way before heading off around the corner was hard to be angry at.

Reluctantly heading inside Harry wished there really was a magic cure for everything.


Merlin stopped and leant against the stone wall to think. He had known that Umbridge was going to be a problem, however torturing students and Harry in particular was going way beyond what he considered a problem. This was heading into the dangerous category.

Pulling the scrying crystal out of his bag Merlin rolled it around in his fingers. Had this been any of the years before Merlin would have made his way to the Crystal Cave to see if the magical core had any hopeful glimpses of the future for him. This year he had to go back to working with what he had.

Pushing away from the wall Merlin ducked into the Entrance Hall. It was time to talk to Dumbledore.

With all the students and teachers in class the corridors leading to Dumbledore's office were completely deserted and the phrase 'lemon drops' was all he needed to send the protective griffon statue leaping aside to reveal a staircase.

Since his arrival at Hogwarts Merlin hadn't seen Dumbledore except at the dinner table. The Headmaster thankfully was keeping to his promise to treat Merlin as nothing more than a junior staff member.

This issue with Harry was forcing Merlin's hand somewhat. As he trudged his way up the stairs Merlin considered how much easier it would have been to deal with Umbridge had this been Camelot in its prime. Not that the old witch would have gotten away with putting Arthur in detention.

Knocking on the impressive wooden door Merlin was admitted into Dumbledore's inner sanctum. The Headmaster was seated behind his desk with a cup of what was probably tea in his hand. Merlin cast a curious look around the large room. The walls were lined with portraits of sleeping old witches and wizards while the centre of the room contained several tables on which were balanced a collection or delicate silver tools. Some of which Merlin recognised from their old druid forms.

"Merlin how can I help you?" Dumbledore asked politely, setting his tea cup down on his desk. Stepping forward and casting a curious glance at the unoccupied bird perch behind the other man Merlin replied. "It's about Harry, there's a problem."

"Unfortunately that doesn't surprise me. Harry is remarkably good at getting himself into trouble." Dumbledore admitted and motioned for Merlin to sit. Sinking awkwardly into a luxurious armchair Merlin rubbed his hand through his hair. "It's Dolores Umbridge. She's torturing him during his detentions with her."

Dumbledore examined him over the top of his half moon glasses. "I was afraid of something like this." He admitted. "Though I'm not sure what you want me to do, unless Harry comes to me directly with some level of proof it will be his word against hers and Dolores has a great deal of influence with Cornelius."

"I could do something, but I'm worried that she will think it's Harry and then..."

"She will take her anger out on him. Yes I was concerned about the same thing. Even if she did find out it was you she would inevitably make your life here at Hogwarts difficult." Dumbledore finished for him. "I have been attempting to think of a way to deal with her also, however the only plan I can concoct is to wait until Voldemort make a move which can be revealed obviously to the public. That will restore their faith in me and Dolores will be removed from the school." Dumbledore paused. "This would not have been a problem if you had been willing to teach in her place."

Merlin glared at the Headmaster and raised his hand. "Let life blood fill your veins." he muttered. A beautifully carved statue of an owl which Dumbledore was using for a paperweight burst into living flight. Dumbledore had pulled back from his desk in surprise and Merlin knew without a doubt that the man had seen the flash of raw golden magic in his eyes. "I don't use magic like you do; I don't think I could have taught here." Merlin had had just about enough of people asking him to teach magic, he hoped that this would be the very last time Dumbledore asked.

Dumbledore cleared his throat and took a moment to recover his composure. "Quite." Dumbledore and Merlin eyed each other uncertainly for a moment. Dumbledore aware that he had just witnessed a spark of what magic could in the right hands and Merlin wondering if he should have done that.

There was no doubt in Merlin's mind that should it come to it he could easily deal with Umbridge, and probably the rest of the Ministry wizards as well, only a deeply ingrained habit of secrecy and a desire to protect Harry kept him from acting. He had no doubt that had this been Arthur he wouldn't have hesitated, however he had been better able to act to protect Arthur. Society got in the way nowadays.

"In considering all of these I have a request for you." Dumbledore finally began.

Merlin looked up from petting his new owl. "Yes?"

"If Harry can stand it, do nothing against Dolores. For the moment it will serve us best if she believes that she has all the power." Dumbledore pressed his fingers to his lips and sighed. "However in the end I would choose Harry's safety and security over anything else. If you must act please do so. You are the wildcard in all of these political manoeuvrers, but I ask that if someone must be implicated in any wrongdoings or actions against the Ministry ensure that it is me."

Merlin blinked. "I'm not going to get anyone in trouble." He insisted. He'd managed to bumble his way through messes and out the other side for years without getting anyone else in trouble. Most of the time. He did not intend to start to cause problems for other people now.

Dumbledore shook his head and got to his feet. "Please, I am asking you. Do not spare me should a scapegoat be needed. I have plans in place for the Ministry attempting to remove me from the school, all it will mean is that they will be initiated earlier than I expect. That is no trouble."

Merlin got up as well, his owl transferring to his shoulder with an irritated hoot. "I don't like it, but alright."

"Harry comes first." Dumbledore said firmly. "The entire wizarding world needs him. You know that as well as I do."

Merlin knew exactly how much the world needed a hero, but he also knew how far those heroes could fall.


I don't like this chapter. It had to happen, but that doesn't mean I have to like it.

I apologise again for the long wait between chapters, but I will do everything in my power to have the next chapter written and updated by the end of next week at the latest.