A/N: Sorry about the wait for the update! Uni got crazy.
One of you left a review bringing up points I'd like to address and questions I'd like to answer, but since it was a guest review I suppose I'll have to do it here. The rest of you can ignore :)
I don't really feel that it's OOC of character for Merlin or Rowena. Merlin was willing to run away with Freya (thereby abandoning Arthur) after only a few days, and he's now reached a point of his life where he's willing to seize on any chance of happiness he can get. As for Rowena, I had hoped that I'd managed to portray that underneath it all, she's actually quite wild with a playful side and with a love of mischief all concealed under her 'proper' exterior and that Merlin is the only one that she can share that side of herself with. Sorry if that didn't come across well. I know that Merlin is still in love with Freya in Ancient Relics, but I don't believe that can't fit in with this story as well. He still loves Freya, regardless of his feelings for Rowena now. I fully believe that people are fully capable of loving lost partners and go on to have relationships with others, but still love the first woman. As for your other point, yes, in Ancient Relics I did state that Merlin taught Ancient Runes, but in the years 1041-1061 which is after this story is set; at the moment Ancient Runes isn't a subject at Hogwarts. In this story, which I think I might have mentioned earlier, Merlin is teaching only Rowena Ancient Runes so that she will be able to teach it in the future at Hogwarts. He isn't an official teacher, and teaching Helena is only on the side, since he's fond of her, needs something to do when the others are working and because of his relationship with her mother. He's still teaching them Old Magic, and that's why he's still at the school, as well as to continue to generally help the Founders in all aspects of the school and helping them in their personal struggles and them helping him deal with his, since that is what the Old Religion deems to be just as important as teaching them Old Magic.
"Godric, you cannot challenge students to duels!"
"Why not?"
"Because it is immoral!"
"I heard him! He was muttering to his friend. He said my hat was stupid."
"Your hat is stupid."
Godric frowned. "It is not!"
Helga sighed, laying down her cutlery and pushing aside her breakfast plate. "Godric, you must see how ridiculous this is. We are trying to maintain discipline amongst the students. How can we do that when one of their teachers challenges a fifteen year old to a duel in a corridor?"
"I fought in duels when I was fifteen."
"You had training Godric, and it wasn't right then either. What if you had hurt him?"
"Well, he would have learned not to insult me again!"
Helga rolled her eyes. "You are impossible. Godric, there are to be no more duels. Is that understood?"
"But-"
"Is that understood?"
"Yes, Helga,' said Godric, sulking.
Helga nodded, satisfied, and went back to her food. Salazar winked at Merlin. "A wise choice, don't you think? Helga would have annihilated him. She is more powerful than she lets on."
"And not to mention the fact Godric would never hurt her,' said Merlin, smiling back.
"Of course, he wouldn't want to ruin his … future chances," Salazar smirked, making Merlin laugh.
"What are you talking about?" Helga asked, turning to the two of them, and they both shrugged. "Nothing!"
As soon as she turned back, they smiled again. Godric was deeply in love with Helga, it was apparent to everyone in the school; the new caretaker appointed by the Founders was having to scrub graffiti off the walls about it almost every day. But Helga seemed to be oblivious, unless she was only pretending. It was funny; Godric was brave enough to take on dragons and rampaging hippogriffs without fear, but approaching Helga as something more than a mere friend? He was far too cowardly, or far too stubborn. As was she.
Salazar looked to Merlin again. "From what I hear," he said, his voice low, "you had better take this advice also. Rowena is furious that you're still refusing to let her try out her new theory of Apparition. You might want to reconsider before you … do irreparable damage."
Merlin felt himself blushing. "What do you mean?"
Salazar raised an eyebrow. "You know very well what I mean, Emrys. The house-elves talk. And from what I hear, the one who cleans your quarters and changes your sheets has had very little work to do lately. It seems you are spending your nights in other places."
Merlin flushed deeper, and Salazar sat back, a satisfied smile on his face. Merlin looked at him, defeated.
"You can keep this to yourself?"
"Naturally," he said. "I am very good at keeping secrets. And I'm not sure how Godric would take to this news; he's very protective, you know. You are no use to me hexed into oblivion. But I warn you, be more subtle. Others may be blind at present, but that may change soon."
Merlin nodded, still feeling embarrassed. He glanced down the table where Rowena was sitting side-by-side with Helena. True, he had been spending a lot of time with her lately. Perhaps too much.
"What do you intend to do today?" Salazar asked him. "It is now a month and a half since the school opened. Are you not yet bored?"
"I watch your lessons," he answered. "And I have Helena to teach in the afternoons and you four at weekends. I am run off my feet."
But the truth was, he was not. But neither was be bored. He enjoyed his life here. It was settled, and comfortable, more than he had known in a long time. It was almost like he'd imagined retirement would be like. It was almost perfect, except for the uneasiness in the village, and the constant reminders of the fact that Merlin would have to leave the castle one day; every lesson seemed to contain a mention of Camelot, and it only reminded Merlin of his inevitable destiny.
He wandered through the castle that morning looking in on several classes, never staying long. The Founders and the teachers seemed to be settling in extremely well to their new lives, as were the children. Even the ones who had only recently come to the school were enjoying themselves and working hard.
Come the afternoon he found himself sitting outside by the lake, watching the dark shape of the Giant Squid in the shallows. It was mid-October now, and the weather was beginning to grow chilly. Helena had a cold, and was up in her bed in Ravenclaw Tower under Scáthach's watchful eye, annoyed that she could not continue her lessons. Strange, he thought, he could cure her of a multitude of lethal plagues, yet the common cold was something that still eluded him.
"What are you thinking about?"
Merlin smiled as he heard the voice behind him. "Your daughter actually. She's very annoyed that she's missing her lessons with me."
Rowena came and stood beside him, looking out over the lake herself. "She is like me at that age," she said. "I too was eager to learn."
"Yes, but you wanted to escape from the loneliness of your life," Merlin said. "Helena wants to make you proud by becoming as smart as you. She wants people to respect her as they do you. Like you, she seems to think the only way to do this is by becoming intelligent."
Merlin stood up and tuned to face her. "You want a lesson as well?'
Rowena smiled. "How did you know?"
"I'm beginning to recognise that glint in your eye you get when you want to learn something. It is almost frightening."
She smiled even wider. "And there was I thinking you had very little intelligence."
She motioned to him to walk with her, and they were soon heading down to the village.
"You want to try out your new Apparition theory?" Merlin guessed. "Don't you have lessons?"
She shook her head. "There was … an accident. Most of the students are in the Hospital Wing getting bruises seen to and the house-elves are cleaning up the mess."
"And you didn't want to stay and help?"
"I'd much rather do this," she said, stiffly. "I have been itching to try out this new theory for weeks now."
"It could be dangerous."
"I have sufficiently calculated the risks and determined that my spell should counteract them," she said confidently. "Do not worry, I am not Godric who rushes unto dangerous situations. I have more sense than that."
"Really?" Merlin asked, amused. "We shall see."
He offered her his arm, and unusually, she took it, and they walked down to the village and outside of the school's protective wards. They found a spot outside of the village's wall and Merlin stopped and faced Rowena.
"Well, you think your theory is ready? Apparate to that log over there."
She raised her eyebrows and smiled. Then, she twisted on the spot and with a loud crack, she was standing by the log, smiling smugly.
"Other side of the village," Merlin said. With another crack, she disappeared. A few seconds later, he followed, summoning the whirlwinds that he used to move around and he too found himself on the other side of the village walls, looking at Rowena who was still smiling smugly.
"You see?" she said. "I knew my new theory would work."
He smiled. "This is not the real test. You were always able to do simple Apparition like this. What troubled you was distance. Can you Apparate hundreds of miles away?"
She smiled challengingly. "Name the spot."
"London," Merlin said, noting her momentary look of panic. "Apparate to London, and I shall know you have succeeded. To the hill that overlooks the entrance to the city gates."
She nodded. "So be it."
She stood standing there for a moment, concentrating fiercely. Then, she turned on the spot, and she disappeared. Merlin again, waited a moment before following.
Buffeting winds engulfed him, and when they subsided he found himself standing on the hill before the city of London. He looked at it for a moment, and turned to find Rowena. She was sitting on the ground, looking a little tired, but unharmed. She smiled triumphantly back up at him.
"I have succeeded," she said. She ignored the hand he offered her and lifted herself to her feet looking extremely pleased with herself. "I have invented a whole new method of Apparition."
"You, myself and the other Founders," he reminded her.
"I tested it," she said.
"True," he said. "Now let's go back."
"Immediately?"
"Yes," he said, trying not to smile. "After all, if the method is perfected, you should feel no fatigue whatsoever. Let us go."
She hesitated, but then nodded. "Very well."
She hesitated again, and then disappeared. Merlin followed. When he appeared back outside the walls of the village, a cry of pain met his ears. Rowena was lying on the ground, her arm bloody, clutching it in agony.
He bent down to tend to her, laying his hand over the wound, despite her protestations.
"You knew that would happen didn't you?" she asked him furiously.
"I suspected," he admitted. "I wasn't sure."
"Then why did you not warn me?"
"Because this was one lesson I felt you had to learn on your own," he said, his eyes burning as he cast his spell. "You rushed into this Rowena. Take your time. Learn to walk before you learn to run."
"Are you saying that I am arrogant?"
"Sometimes," he said, winking. "You are so determined to show how clever you are. Taking the time to learn something properly is no shame."
She scowled at him. "And you thought having a huge chunk of flesh torn out of my arm to be sufficient reason to teach me a lesson? I am mutilated!"
"Are you?" Merlin asked.
She looked down at her arm, and true enough, there was no trace of the wound there, save her bloodied clothes. She gazed at it in amazement, and looked back up at Merlin.
He smiled, and leaned forwards and kissed her on the forehead. "Come on," he said, helping her to her feet. "You're shaky on your feet. Perhaps we should go and see if some of Nessa's Hog's Mead cannot aid you."
"I do not drink mead," she said, though she stumbled and had to be caught by Merlin.
"Then it is time that you started," he said, guiding her through the gates and nodding to the guards. "The villagers swear it has therapeutic qualities."
"The villagers are hardly qualified to-"
"Because they're illiterate and uneducated they are unable to have intelligent conversations?" Merlin asked. "Sometimes common sense and knowledge of the world count for far more."
They went to the inn, now with a small sign outside it saying 'Hog's Mead'. Nessa had apparently given up trying to find a better name for her inn; the villagers were insistent.
The room was as warm and cosy as ever, and he led Rowena to a table where Nessa came over with two flagons of mead, Rowena drank some sparingly, coughing at the strength of it. Merlin laughed, and she scowled at him. They sat there for several minutes in silence.
"Lady Rowena! Master Emrys!"
The Druid, Ceran, had entered the inn, and came straight towards their table. He bowed briefly to Rowena and took a seat, despite Merlin's less than warm welcome.
He looked around. "Not a bad little place," he observed. "But hardly of your caibre, my Lady."
"It serves us." Merlin said, not liking his tone.
Ceran shrugged. "Simplicity is often good, do not get me wrong. I believe in it fiercely. That is why, as you know, I reject modern magical methods."
"Yet still you teach at Hogwarts," said Merlin. "If you are so against modern magic, why do wish to teach here?"
"Divination is something that has not changed," he said, "and I wish to help as many children as possible. Perhaps some I can convince to follow the Old Ways."
"And do you know what the Old Ways even are?" Merlin asked. He shouldn't be getting so riled up, but this man, along with all modern 'Druids' really tried his patience.
"Of course I do!" the Druid said. "They have been passed down by my ancestors for generations. We and we alone have the power of the Old Religion."
Rowena shot Merlin a curious look here but said nothing. Merlin smiled at the Druid, even though he felt like doing anything but.
"The Old Religion?" Merlin asked. "I thought it had faded from the world, leaving only the barest remnants left, so weak that no modern sorcerer can use them to any great effectiveness."
"That is what many believe," said Ceran, smiling indulgently at Merlin. "But it is not so. We Druids alone have remained true to the spirit of the Old Ways."
"Really?" Merlin said, getting more and more annoyed at the way the man was treating him; almost like a child. "Then why is Druidic magic so much weaker, and the Druids now so insignificant in the wider picture of modern society?"
He had ruffled Ceran's feathers here, he could see. It seemed to be taking him a great deal of effort to remain polite.
"Power is not everything," the Druid said. "We will not betray the Old Ways because they are now more difficult. Merlin himself used this magic, and we follow in his footsteps. One day he shall return and restore the Old Religion to its rightful place in the world. We will be patient, and hold faith until that day. Merlin would approve."
"Would he?" Merlin asked.
"Yes," Ceran said. He caught sight of a man waving to him across the room. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some business to attend to. My Lady."
He stood up and crossed the room, leaving Merlin feeling unsatisfied.
Rowena was watching him with an annoying perceptive look in her eye.
"What?" he asked.
"Why do you berate him for holding onto the past?" she asked. "It is the exact same thing that you do."
"I do not," Merlin said, though it was somewhat of a lie, finding himself preparing himself to repeat all the old lies once again. "I look forwards to a better future. I do not wish to return to the past, or restore the old city of Camelot. Those days were flawed. We are creating a better future now."
"But you hold onto your own past," she said. "You practice the Old Religion even though you say that the days of Camelot and of Merlin should not be emulated, but improved upon. Why are you any different from the Druids?"
How was he? Well, he had the Old Religion proper, not like them, who used a shadowy imitation of it. He was destined the bring it back to the world, and the Druids … well, they were pretending to themselves.
"The Old Religion will be restored to the world one day," he said. "But … the Druids refuse to integrate with modern society. That is foolish."
"Why? Perhaps the Old Religion will be restored one day soon?"
He shook his head sadly. "No, it will not. "
"Then why should they not hold on to their ancient beliefs?" she asked.
"Because they are wrong," he said, exasperatedly. "What they practice is not even close to what the original Druids did!"
"And how do you know that?" she asked. "Why are the beliefs about the Old Religion you hold any greater than theirs?"
Because mine are the only true ones.
The truth was, he hated the Druids because they clung onto Camelot. They clung to the Old Ways. Merlin could not think of Camelot without great pain, he tried to distance himself from it. He was trying to create a better world in the future, combining Camelot's glory with a new world. He wasn't trying to bring Camelot back. The Druids only reminded him of what he was trying to escape from.
They didn't stay much longer than that. They stood up to leave as soon as Merlin noticed some of the colour returning to Rowena's cheeks. As they left, Merlin felt another chill down his spine. Outside the inn, skulking in a nearby doorway were the same men from a few weeks before, shady, and with solemn features, emanating discomfort.
Merlin tried to ignore them, but all the way back up the main street, all he felt was their eyes on his back. He really did not like those men. Something about them foreboded bad things to come.
He shook it off however, and escorted Rowena back to the castle. They walked past the stables and past the stocks, where some second year boy was locked up. He looked absolutely miserable.
"Ronan!" Rowena cried. "Whatever did you so to earn such punishment?"
"I didn't do anything, my Lady!" the boy protested. "It was Hyperion Bellum! He shoved me in here and left me. Just because I would not help him with his Arithmancy homework!"
Rowena narrowed her eyes. "Are you telling me the truth, Ronan? Or did a teacher place you here and you are seeking to end your punishment?"
"Honest, my Lady!" Ronan said eagerly. "I swear!"
Rowena looked him over for a moment before removing her wand from her pocket. The clasps holding the block sprang loose and the boy wriggled free. He bowed quickly to Rowena, rubbing his aching neck and wrists. Merlin winced in sympathy; he had been there himself far too often.
"Thank you, my Lady!"
"You are a good boy, Ronan," she said. "I have not observed any questionable behaviour from you so far, so I am inclined to take your word as truth. If however I find out you lied to me …"
"I wasn't," Ronan shook his head. "Thank you!"
"Classes are almost over for today so I recommend you go straight into dinner."
And with that he hurried back to the castle.
Merlin shook his head as he resumed his walk with Rowena. "I told Godric those stocks were a bad idea. Students will use them to play pranks on each other. And not every teacher will believe the student when they say they are not supposed to be there."
Rowena nodded. "I am inclined to believe you. Godric however believes that the stocks will prevent misbehavior and teach students how to defend themselves against being placed there unlawfully."
Merlin sighed. "Stubborn."
They entered the Entrance Hall, where the first smells of the almost ready dinner were already wafting up from the kitchens. He was about to head inside with Rowena, when he noticed a figure come down the marble staircase and into the Great Hall. It was Augustus, the boy from Tomin's class, and if Merlin remembered correctly, he should have been in Muggle Studies.
"Excuse me," he said to Rowena, and headed up the stairs to the Muggle Studies class, leaving Rowena standing bewildered in the Entrance Hall. As he made his way to the classroom, the great bell started to ring and classrooms throughout the castle opened and crowds of students poured out. Merlin squeezed past them all to get to the right class.
He entered as soon as he found it, and it was empty of all but two people. Olwyn Briar, the teacher who was always so upbeat and enthusiastic was sitting at her desk, her eyes red-rimmed and watery. Tomin was standing before her.
"Don't listen to him, Miss," Tomin was saying. "You're the best teacher here! I really like this class."
Olwyn sniffed miserably. "Thank you Tomin, but I-"
Now she had spotted Merlin standing in the doorway.
She immediately stood up and tried to regain her composer. "Thank you Tomin, you can go down to diner now."
Tomin looked worried, but left. Merlin gave him a small smile as he left, and then went back to Olwyn, who seemed on the verge of tears.
"I saw Augustus in the Entrance Hall," Merlin said. "He left the class early. Why?"
Olwyn seemed to crumple at his words. "Oh, it was awful, Emrys! He just stormed out! He said he would not listen to my classes anymore. I did not know what to do!"
Some more tears fell from her eyes, and Merlin moved closer and offered her a handkerchief.
"What did he say?"
She dabbed at her eyes. "The most horrid things … I could not believe that a child was saying these things! He has had no personal experience with Muggles in his life, and he would not listen to me when I told him his perceptions were flawed."
She cried a little more. "I know I am being silly. I am silly. The students laugh at me."
"That is not true," Merlin said, placing a hand on her arm. "Many of the students enjoy your classes. Tomin-"
"Tomin is just one boy," she said. "Many of them, particularly the Pure-Blooded ones, hate me."
Merlin was silent for a moment. "It does not matter," he said to her firmly. "You are not here to be popular. As long as one student listens, as long as one student believes, then that is enough. Do not care what others think."
She shook her head, more tears spilling from her eyes. "That is not enough!" she said. "I am here to change the way these children think! I am supposed to teach them how to get along with Muggles peacefully, but they treat me as a joke! This is something vitally important, yet I blabber away like a silly child!"
Merlin sighed. "True, Olwyn, you are very enthusiastic. But that is no bad thing. It is who you are. Students will listen. It may not be right away, but the message will never get out if we give up at the first trial."
She sniffed. She began playing with a small pendent around her neck. "This is so important to me," she said. "My … my grandparents did not approve of my parent's marriage. They thought my mother was unnatural. When she died, my father died soon after, and they looked after me. They were … harsh, when it came to trying to get me to renounce my magic. I eventually had to run away. I know what these students may one day have to suffer. I want to prepare them, and I want to give them hope … but it seems that I am preaching to a solid wall. None of them can conceive of Muggles as anything more than animals. Yet … my father was the gentlest soul known to man. I want to show them Muggles are not evil, yet in this world, it is becoming harder and harder. Sometimes I wonder if I am correct in doing this. Sometimes I wonder if my father was not just an anomaly, it does seems there is more evil in the world than not."
"Don't believe that," Merlin said. "There is good among Muggles. It may be hard to see, but we should not give up. This is a long road, Olwyn, the hatred may not disappear with this generation, or the next, or even a hundred years from now. But someone has to start the process. The Muggles may not thank us, but we must begin this path of peace. One day in the future, they will want peace, and we will be ready for them. Do not give up, Olwyn."
She smiled weakly at him, blinking away a few more tears. "You are a Half-Blood also, are you not? Do you honestly believe that in years to come, we will not be as rare as we are now?"
"I have every faith," he said to her.
She nodded, after looking into his eyes for several moments. She wiped away the last of the tears, and straightened up. "Then I will believe you,' she said courageously. "I will not give up. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a young boy to find and reprimand."
She left the classroom, leaving Merlin leaning against the desk and thinking hard. Had he just believed anything he had just said?
He felt like a hypocrite. So often he himself wondered if there was any good left amongst Muggles since Camelot's downfall, and despairing as he contemplated how there could ever be peace between the two peoples. Why was he so certain when he was saying it to her?
Maybe it was because, here he saw real effort to change. Olwyn Briar may not become famous, or renowned or particularly influential, but she was proof of the fact that not all decency and goodwill had been lost along with the Old Religion. As long as there were people like her, there was still a chance.
He smiled to himself as he sat there, alone in the classroom. This school, this subject, this teacher, all proof of a new way of thinking. The message would be given out from this building, and the people themselves could choose whether or not to listen. But at least it was there.
And as long as Hogwarts was here to preach these ideas, Merlin saw a genuine hope for the future.
A/N: Sorry for the wait (those of you nagging me to to update in reviews, I apologise!) and the fact it's a bit shorter than usual. I'll update the next chapter tomorrow, which I think is a bit of a longer one. I promise! :)
