Chapter Twelve

Shadows played on the walls of the Great Hall. The dancing flames of the Goblet of Fire were the only source of light; they flickered in hues of white and glittering blue in a mesmerising display. The fire seemed almost cold, bringing no comforting warmth into the room as was generally seen as a fire's job. It just was. Impartial. Unaffected. Otherworldly.

Although the goblet itself was rather plain - Merlin had carved cups more magnificent using only a bread knife - the contents were a treasure more beautiful and unique than any vault could hold.

Indeed, Merlin thought, it was almost as if the fire had a life of its own.

However, that life would be over within the next 24 hours. As soon as the champions for the current Triwizard Tournament were chosen, the flames would be extinguished, like all life is in the end. Everything has a due date after all, unless you were really unlucky. Although Merlin didn't like to think of himself as unlucky. More...full of life.

Gazing into the Goblet, Merlin traced his fingers around the rim slowly, feeling the harsh lines of the rough wood. The tree which had given its life to the creation of the Goblet had been very, very old. It seemed to sigh against Merlin's skin.

"Professor Snape is on his way, my Lord"

Merlin huffed, finally tearing his eyes away from the Goblet to blink at Sir Nicholas. The ghost wrung his hands together nervously, head wobbling from side to side on his neck.

"I'm not a Lord, remember?"

Apologising profusely, the ghost went to scratch his head bashfully and instead succeeded in knocking it off his neck. It really was a good thing the man had only been partially beheaded, Merlin thought in amusement. He really would loose his head if it wasn't still attached.

Merlin turned back to the fire. "How far away was our dear potions master?"

"He's only just left his office for the nightly patrol, my- er... Sir?"

Snape really was thorough. Merlin sighed. He got the feeling that his presence in the castle had only served to prompt these repetitive night patrols rather than reassure the poor guy. Being caught wandering around in the Forbidden Forest at 3am hadn't really helped the paranoia either.

No matter. Merlin would just have to hurry.

Really though, if it hadn't been for the Malfoy boy, he might never have realised Moody's plot until it was far too late to do anything.

The boy had seemed shifty, as though in fight or flight mode when he finally took the offered chair in Merlin's office. He certainly didn't look like someone who wanted to be there. Merlin knew that there was something holding the Draco back initially. Maybe his dislike for Harry Potter. More likely, his father's wrath. It really was sad how the family could corrupt their children, blind them with old hatreds and grudges to the point where they can no longer see any good in the world.

Draco was the same as Arthur in that respect. Just as Lucius was the same as Uther.

Merlin snorted bitterly. King Uther Pendragon would be turning in his grave to know he was being compared to a wizard. It was funny how those who had once been persecuted were now the persecutors. At these times that Merlin didn't think a balance could ever be reached, no matter how hard he tried.

Regardless, he would still try. Starting with the children of these so called "pure-blood" families - the young wizarding elite. He wasn't one to lie. When Draco Malfoy had turned to him for help, it had given Merlin hope.

So he had done what came naturally to him - put a pot of tea on and pulled out his most dazzling smile.

"Do you want some shortbread?" Merlin had offered, pulling the box out from beneath his desk. The young Slytherin shook his head resolutely, mouth turned down at the corners as he stared at the desk.

"Some tea?"

Again, a shake of the head.

"Pumpkin juice?"

"I don't want anything." The frown was almost pained, as though Draco was regretting his decision already. His eyes darted to the door like a prisoner searches for the escape route.

"Okay then." Merlin poured himself a cup instead and elected to sit and wait. He was reminded of a time years ago, when he'd encountered a wounded lioness in the African Savanna. Understandably, his offer of aid back then was met with a lunge for his head, that sharp set of teeth had been two seconds away from clamping around his neck. Merlin knew he had nothing to fear, but at that moment he'd literally been staring into the jaws of death. After plonking himself down and waiting for the rest of the day, she'd come close enough to let him treat her, and in fact she had been very enthusiastic about him from that point onwards. The point was, Merlin was no stranger to patience, in fact he was the most patient man on Earth, and it was times like this where it was needed.

So he waited.

Time passed and Draco eventually raised his eyes, his face twisted in distaste. "I don't know why I'm here."

Merlin said nothing, merely studied the boy. It was clear at this point that the young Malfoy was trying to keep up appearances, something which he was well versed in.

At the silence, Draco returned to looking at the desk.

A few moments passed.

"I saw something."

Merlin let the words sink in as the boy fidgeted uncomfortably; he realised that this was probably the first time the Slytherin had gone to a teacher for any kind of help. Then again, Merlin was hardly a regular teacher and he was well aware of how he came across; weak, unguarded. The type of person who could be told secrets because, when it came down to it, he cared too much about humanity and the problems of other people.

He really needed to get that spandex costume and cape made.

Or perhaps he should wear a deerstalker and carry a magnifying glass around. Given the young Malfoy's connection to the Dark Arts, he probably knew something wasn't quite right with Hogwarts' new head of security. Plus the guy scared everyone, with his wooden leg, scarred face and magical eye, it was only natural to be nervous when reporting against him.

"Something involving Mad-Eye Moody?" Merlin asked carefully, watching with interest as Draco jerked upright at the mention of the old Auror. His suspicions were correct then.

"How did you-?"

"What did you see?" His tone was gentle, but probably more intense as a result. Merlin didn't want to scare the boy away when his information could help protect Harry and whoever else this nutter was after.

"He.." Draco licked his lips, glancing at the door again before turning and hurriedly whispering. "He was messing around with the Goblet of Fire. I don't know why, I don't know anything, but I was going somewhere that night and I saw him in the Hall with his wand out. Doing something. I don't know."

With that the boy stood, his eyes wide before he gained his composure, the sneer seemed forced this time.

"So now you owe me."

"Thank you, Draco."

The boy froze on his way to the door, turning slightly at the warmth in Merlin's voice.

"You know, I used to have a very dear friend." Merlin continued, noting how clenched hands were beginning to uncurl. "He was in a very difficult position. His father had a lot of expectations of him, you see. A noble man in his own way, a proud man, my friend's father believed in his own pure blood status and rigid values above all else. He caused a lot of suffering, particularly to his own son as a result of his prejudices." Merlin laced his fingers together. Draco Malfoy remained frozen, no doubt hearing his own story reflected in Merlin's tale.

"The weight of his father's demands were heavy indeed. But rather than fear the consequences, my friend always tried to do what he thought was right. He was a good man, in the end."

Merlin thought Draco would leave, but the boy made no move to continue on his path to the door.

"What happened to him? Your friend?"

The sincerity in the question threw Merlin for a moment. He looked at the little figure in front of him, a boy still in his mid-teens, and felt a prang of pity.
"He died."
Even now, over a thousand years later, the truth still hurt to hear. The words burned in Merlin's mouth like acid, forming a painful lump in his throat. It wasn't like he didn't know the dollophead was coming back, even if he was taking his sweet time about it.

Merlin resolved to give King Prat a kick up his royal backside for trouble he'd been put through. A holiday or two might suffice as well. Merlin could do with a trip to a hot spring somewhere, that would be really nice.

Draco nodded as though the answer had confirmed something, before leaving quietly. The thud of the door closing echoed through Merlin's office like a signal. He picked up the sea glass on his desk absent-mindedly, feeling the smooth surface as he pieced together the new information he had been given.

It was ingenious. Although there was an age line which prevented those students who were too young from entering, there was no stopping an adult from putting someone else's name in. Dumbledore had drawn the age line thinking that no adult in Hogwarts would be malicious enough, or corrupt enough, to enter a student. Which had been true before Mad-Eye had entered the scene.

No, Merlin shook his head, that wasn't true either. Mad-Eye Moody was an Auror who despised evil beings and devoted his life to fighting them, he would never enter an underage student into the series of dangerous and potentially life-threatening trials. The imposter, however, had no such qualms.

Merlin smiled. So that was his plan. Infiltrate the school under the effects of the Polyjuice potion, put Harry's name in the Goblet of Fire and then let the tasks finish the job.

Merlin threw the stone in the air and caught it nimbly before checking his watch.

Over his dead body. Which, considering his current state of being, meant that it just wasn't going to happen.

Or so he said. But it would be bad if Snape caught him in a compromising position, such as standing while looking very suspicious over the Goblet of Fire in the dead of night.

In fact, that would be very bad.

He asked if Sir Nick would mind keeping watch at the door. The ghost obliged with a small, and unnecessary, bow. Merlin reflected that it had been a good idea to employ the ghost's help; even with his theatrics and courtesies he could buy Merlin some time and give him a bit of warning.

Imposter Not-Moody had used a very powerful Confundus charm on the Goblet, which would serve to select the "fourth" champion, no doubt Harry Potter.

Merlin cupped both hands around the Goblet and sent a tiny slither of his magic forth, relying on instinct to find the Confundus charm in question. The sense he got when he found it could only be described as "not right". It was a element of magic which didn't fit into the powerful magic already present and it was beginning to bleed into the rest of the Goblet. He immediately latched onto the spell before unravelling it. It was delicate work. Merlin found himself acknowledging the power which had gone into the charm, it was certainly strong by today's standard of magic.

But Merlin wasn't even on the scale of today's standard of magic.

After the charm had been unpicked, Merlin knew that the Goblet wouldn't select a fourth champion. However, he had to be absolutely sure that Harry wouldn't be chosen instead of the predestined Hogwarts champion.

He felt Sir Nick's presence in front of him, so he knew that Snape must be on the way. He had to finish quickly.

Without stopping to think, Merlin dipped his hand into the flames. They resisted him, burning hot and searing the flesh from his hand at the interference. The Goblet was the impartial judge for a reason, no tempering could be achieved by mixing names around. As Dumbledore had said, once entered there was no turning back. That statement was very true. Once entering the name, it was added to the fabric of the enchantment. Merlin's will was greater than the enchantment, his magic reached even as his fingers did.

Merlin withdrew his hand, burnt fingers clasped tightly around a scrap of parchment which bore one name.

Harry Potter.

Merlin glanced up to find two pairs of disbelieving eyes on him.

The silence hung thick and heavy as Merlin lowered his hand. Snape's beetle-black eyes followed the movement, taking in the damage. His mouth hung open in shock. It moved a few times but no words came out.

While Merlin was quickly trying to think of an excuse to escape what he viewed as a bit of an awkward moment, Snape seemed to be on the verge of a full blown panic attack.

Merlin cleared his throat. "So. Thank you for your services Sir Nicholas, you may leave."

The ghost remained staring at him, eyes wide in what looked like a recreation of his death.

"Nick". Merlin repeated, a bit more forcefully. He could definitely smell burning flesh now, so he hid his hand behind his back and hoped that Snape had a cold or something. He couldn't feel any pain, which signalled to him that he'd damaged the nerve endings.

The ghost seemed to realise Merlin had been dismissing him, and silently vanished from sight. Great, Merlin thought, the tale of the idiot who stuck his hand in the Goblet of Fire would spread through the ghosts like.. well.. wildfire. At least nobody really but much stock in what the ghosts were gossiping about, and he could trust Nick not to do anything that would reveal too much about his identity. The other spectator, now that Merlin's hand was out of sight, seemed to wake from a trance.

Snape launched himself forward, grabbing Merlin by the shoulders and shaking him roughly and snarling. "What on Earth do you think you're doing!?"

Merlin grimaced at the spray of spittle, but put on his brightest smile. "Don't worry, Severus. I've sorted it out."

The potion's master could only stare in shock. "What?!"

"Remember, I did tell you to keep an eye on Mad-Eye Moody. If you had, this whole thing might have been a lot easier. In fact, I know that it definitely would have been much easier."

Snape stared at Merlin. "What? What are you talking about?" He released his hold on Merlin, who took several steps back. The feeling in his hand was returning. And wow, that was a lot of feeling. Too much feeling. Ow.

Snape's eyes darted from Merlin to the Goblet and back again, as though he was unwilling to believe what he'd seen. Merlin wasn't exactly going to convince him.

Sweat had broken out on his brow as his hand seared behind his back. This was the part of his extended life that he would never really get used to, no matter how many times he was subjected to it. His magic kept him anchored to the Earth. It refused to let him die. It was the one part of his magic that he had absolutely no control over, so at times like these it acted like an overprotective mother, every single bruise and cut was tenderly patched up. He sometimes laughed about it when he was bored. As though a bruise would kill him.

"I saw-" Snape started before stumbling to a halt.

"Are you okay?" Merlin offered, deciding that the best tactic for dealing with the whole mess was to allow Professor Snake to believe he was losing the plot. "You don't look very well."

"Me?" Snape scoffed. "Your hand."

"My.. hand?" Merlin raised his eyebrows in confusion.

"Yes, your hand Emrys." Snape spat. "The hand you had in the Goblet of Fire, which you were obviously trying to sabotage. I knew you were untrustworthy from the moment I met you, you've been skulking around the grounds-"

Merlin brought his hand from behind his back, presenting it to Snape with his best look of innocence. The man stared, his eyes wide, lapsing back into the state of shock as his eyes reported what his brain told him was impossible.

"My hand?" Merlin repeated, twisting it around and wiggling his fingers a few times.

Snape swallowed.

"I was here following a report that Mad-Eye Moody had been lingering around the Goblet. Now that I've checked that everything was as it should be, I'm going back to my room." Merlin smiled again, before frowning in concern. " Are you sure you're okay, Professor? Maybe you should go to the hospital wing, you look ill."

Merlin walked to the doors, sliding a hand in his pocket to feel the slip of parchment. He tightened his fist around it. He knew that far from being resolved, things were just about to get more complicated. Snape would no doubt tell Dumbledore about his visit to the Great Hall, but he had no evidence to back up any other parts of the story; even if Dumbledore questioned Sir Nick, he was positive that the ghost wouldn't give anything away.

The parchment was heavy in his pocket. The implications of such a plot meant that a bigger conspiracy was at play with Harry as the key ingredient. The tournament had made life difficult, who knows what other shady characters had entered the castle under the pretence of a spectator or student. The more visitors to the castle, the more danger Harry was in.

Merlin smiled softly. It just meant that he would have to be extra vigilant.


A/N: Hello! Yes, I have returned once more, over a month after the last update. Again. As a great many of you have pointed out, I'm taking an awfully long time to update. And again, I can only apologise. But right now I need to prioritise work, and I'm sorry but my future is kind of more important than this story. Marginally. I promised that I wouldn't give up on this story even if updates take forever!
But hey, if the waiting is really so horrible you can find a better fic where the author is awesome and updates like seven times a day. If you do find one let me know, haha, that would be great. If you can't stand it though, I'll consider taking a break from any updates until this horrible stuff I have going on ends? I know a few authors have done that. Like a hiatus thing. Will that be better? Idk, let me know. Because I appreciate reviews very much, and thanks for everyone who was so kind about the last update, I really love reading reviews. Aw. You're all so lovely, i'm not worthy. *throws virtual food at you all* God i'm hungry, ahah. Oh yeah and I'm very sorry if anything was written weirdly, as always feel free to point it out. I probably won't change it but i'll bang my head into the wall a few times. Until next time! (which i hope is sooner, but please don't kill me if its not because even with you screaming "UPDATE" my other work won't magically disappear, if you could do that then i would be very much grateful okay thank you very much ily all)