A/N
hitomi1993: Thank you so much, and I'm glad you caught the reference =D
ILikeHotDogs: I know, but it just felt right ;) I'm not really a Star Trek fan, I've only watched the last two reboots, and only because of Ben C, and I prefer Star Wars. Thank you and I hope it will go smoothly =)
staininspace: Thank you =D
Female whovian: Yeah, you should be be forced to re-watch all six movies a s punishment, haha. Thank you so much =D
Assassin of Syria: I've already PMed you about the first part, so I hope you got that =) Thank you and I hope this chapter won't disappoint you, action wise. Thank you =D
Lady Flurryous: No, because he gave it back to Draco, so he's still the master, sorry =D Merlin, of course ;) No matter how may have battled for the wand, it will always chose its creator first, haha. Just like in the book =) I hadn't actually thought about the other dragons, but your remark made me add it in the epilogue and I have actually already written it =) Yes, Arthur does need to realise that he to was at fault many times, and hopefully he will grow more after this. Thank you =D
Aquacoral14: Haha =D Thank you =)
Kirazalea: I don't want it to be over as well, but all good thing have to come to an end =( Thank you =D
whatswiththemustache: I understand =) What is the name of the story, I would love to check it out? Thank you =D I hope you'll like this ending, it's not to heart-wrenching, that won't happen until the epilogue ;) So I guess that maybe this isn't the ending, since a lot more will happen in the epilogue since it will take place over several years, but oh well =)
So... The last chapter before the epilogue =) I hope you'll like it and if you have any questions or if you find some things confusing, don't hesitate to Pm or review and I will do my best to answer. Also, I you have any suggestions for things you want explained in the epilogue, tell me =)
Now, enjoy the chapter =D
No beta
Chapter 53 The One With the Battle
"How will we get there?" Ron asked. "They will have put up wards all over Hogsmead and I bet Tom has warned them."
"I don't know yet." Merlin rubbed a hand over his face in agitation, having removed the spell so his face was clean shaven again. "We need to come up with a way to get Arthur in as well without taking down the muggle repelling wards." He said and looked out towards the lake where Arthur, Hermione and Harry sat down, the broken cup between them. "But it shouldn't be too hard."
"Can't you transport us directly into Hogwarts?" Ron suggested, also staring at Harry and the others.
"I could," Merlin nodded. "But we only have three cloaks and just changing mine and Hermione's appearances won't help us, we will still be two people who don't belong there." He sighed. "Unless I go alone and scout the area before going back and get you."
"No!" Ron exclaimed so high that the other three heard him. "You can't go in alone, it's too dangerous."
"It might be the only way, Ron." Merlin argued.
"What are you two talking about?" Arthur came up to them with a frown.
"Merlin wants to go to Hogwarts alone." Ron said, not taking his eyes of off Merlin.
"That's stupid," Arthur looked at him like he was an idiot. "You're gonna get yourself killed or captured."
"No," Merlin shook his head and walked up to Arthur. "Taking you four with me will get one of us killed!" He glared at Arthur. "If I go alone, I have a better chance of going undetected and I can find a secure place before getting you."
"Stop being a martyr, Merlin," Arthur was up in his face now, his eyes matching Merlin's glare. "I'm sick and tired of you sacrificing yourself all the time."
"I can't die remember!" Merlin shouted. "So why not put it into use?!"
"No!" Arthur growled. "I forbid it."
"You forbid it?" Merlin took a step back while laughing. "You're not my king any more, Arthur. You can't tell me what to do."
"Oh, I can try." Arthur snarled and closed the distant between them again.
"Oi, stop it you two!" Ron exclaimed and walked in between them to push them apart. "Fighting doesn't help."
"If he wasn't such a clotpole, it wouldn't be a problem." Merlin muttered and sent Arthur a glare.
"Can't you transport into the 'Room of Requirement' or something?" Harry suggested. "You said you were the one who created it, so if anyone can do it, you can."
"Maybe," Merlin said while still looking at Arthur. "It's worth a try."
"Good," Hermione cut in. "So why don't you two apologise to each other so we can have a calm and sensible discussion." Merlin didn't say anything at first, but then he walked up to Arthur again.
"I'm sorry," He said and offered him his arm in a peace gesture. "I promise I will be less of a martyr if you promise not to be a clotpole all the time." He smirked.
"I'm sorry to," Arthur grabbed his arm; he was also sporting a smirk. "I promise I will be less of a prat if you promise not to be an idiot."
"Agreed," Merlin grinned and the trio visibly relaxed afterwards.
In the end, they decided that Merlin would try and transport all of them into the 'Room of Requirement'. They would then split up with the trio going after the Horcrux under the disguise of the cloaks while Merlin and Arthur would go and round up the teachers and prepare for a fight.
With the help of Hermione, Merlin transported them successfully into the 'Room of Requirement' but neither was prepared for what greeted them. Surrounding them were some very familiar faces, all of them raising their wands at them and all of them with varying degrees of injuries.
"Calm down," Harry stepped up, his hands raised in surrender. "It's me, Harry."
"HARRY!" Ginny Exclaimed.
"It's Potter, it's POTTER!" Seamus called out for no one in particular.
"Ron!" Luna smiled.
"Hermione!" Neville beamed.
"Marcus!" Ginny smiled at him and he gave her a nod and a smile before taking a few steps back to give more room for the trio. He ended up by a wall beside Arthur, just watching.
"I knew you'd come!" Neville exclaimed. "I knew it, Harry!" He laughed and walked up to give Harry a bone crushing hug.
"Neville," Harry sounded surprised. "What the... How...?" He tried to ask but Neville let go of him so he could give Hermione and Ron a hug as well, leaving room for the others to come forward and hug him.
"I knew you'd come!" Neville said again. "Kept telling Seamus it was a matter of time!"
Merlin took a good look at the boy in front of him as he and the trio exchanged some words that he didn't feel right to listen in on. He had gouge marks on his face, suggesting he had been kept under physical abuse, something he noticed on the other four as well.
Merlin hadn't had any contact with Snape since he had retrieved the sword, so he had no idea how Tom had changed Hogwarts, but it wasn't too hard to guess it wasn't for the better.
He was shaken from his thoughts when he heard Neville talk louder, including him in the conversation.
"What's the plan?" He looked at the four of them in turn, an expectant look on his face, while casting a few curious glances at Arthur.
"We need to retrieve an artefact." Merlin stepped up when it became clear Harry wasn't going to answer directly.
"What kind of artefact?" Ginny asked. "And who's that guy?" She cast Arthur a suspicious look.
"Rowena Ravenclaw's diadem," He said and noticed how they all got confused expressions on their faces. "At least, something that will look like it." He said sheepishly, not wanting them to know about the Horcruxes. "So if one of you could show Harry, Hermione and Ron to the Ravenclaw tower, it would be highly appreciated."
"I can do it." Luna said in her dreamy voice and Merlin sent her a grateful smile.
"Great," He beamed. "Then I will need someone to take me to see McGonagall and..."
"You never told us who he is." Seamus interrupted him and pointed at Arthur.
"Well," Merlin shrugged and gestured for Arthur to walk forward. "This is Arthur, a friend of ours. He's here to help us fight You-know-who."
"With a sword?" Ginny raised an eyebrow.
"Believe me," Arthur pulled the sword halfway out with a smirk, showing of the sharp edges. "I can do more damage with this than any of you can do with your sticks."
"Sticks?!" Seamus exclaimed with a half-laugh but then he seemed to realise something and he turned serious, looking at Arthur with narrowed eyes. "He's a muggle?"
"No," Ron shook his head and raised his hands in emphasise. "He's a squib." He said with a 'duh' expression. "How else do you think he's able to get in here?"
"Squib?" Arthur mouthed at Merlin, who just shrugged and mouthed back 'later'.
"Is You-know-who coming here?" Neville asked, breaking the tense atmosphere.
"We believe he is," Merlin nodded. "So we need to gather up all the teachers and students in the great hall as fast as possible."
"We can help you with that," Neville said, only seriousness in his voice and expression.
"Good," Merlin nodded and rubbed his hands together. "Harry," He turned to the raven haired boy. "You better go now; we don't know how much time we have left."
"Of course," Harry nodded and gestured for Ron and Hermione to follow him but Ron stayed back.
"Don't do anything stupid, okay." Ron looked him in the eyes, a grave expression on his face.
"I'll do my best." Merlin smiled cheekily at him, but instead of smiling back, Ron walked up to him and gave him a hug.
"Take care," He said before letting go and following Harry, Hermione and Luna out of the door without a backwards glance.
With the help of Neville, Seamus and Ginny; Merlin and Arthur found Professor McGonagall and Professor Sprout, who helped them take out the Carrow siblings before gathering everyone in the Great Hall.
"Everyone student is gathered and the Order are on their way." Professor McGonagall said to Merlin and Arthur, where they stood in front of the teacher's table and behind the podium. "Care to inform me the reason behind why we had to wake up the students in the middle of the night?" She sent them a stern look and Merlin could hear the whispers coming from the students sitting at the four tables as well as the teachers; who were gathered at the very front of the tables behind him, leaving the teacher's table empty; and the ghosts who were floating around in the room.
"Well," Merlin bit his lower lip, sharing a look with Arthur before turning serious. "You-Know-Who is on his way and we need to hold him off while Harry finishes his mission."
"Harry is here as well?" McGonagall raised her eyebrows before shaking her head. "How about you explain everything from the beginning? To all of us." She said and looked out over the restless students and teachers.
"Of course," Merlin nodded and stepped up to the podium while McGonagall gave him a sharp nod before taking a seat at the Gryffindor table. "Erhm," He cleared his throat and immediately the entire hall grew quiet. "For those of you who don't know me, I'm Marcus Embrose. I worked here last year together with Mr. Filch and Professor Hagrid, and this is a friend of mine, Arthur Penn."
He saw some of the students bend their heads together but no one said anything out loud so he was about to continue when the door opened and several members of the Order came through, including Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Remus and Tonks, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Fred and George , Percy, Bill and Fleur. They all sat down on the tables without a word towards him or Arthur, but they all looked curious at them.
"Right," Merlin said when they had sat down. "So, the last few months, I have been working with Harry Potter to find a way to bring down Tom, or I guess you call him You-Know-Who," He muttered. "Anyway," He shook his head. "We are close to succeeding but Harry needs to find one last thing and it's hidden here in the castle. He, together with Ron and Hermione, are searching for it as we speak."
"What is it?" One of the students called out from the Ravenclaw table, but he couldn't identify him.
"I'm afraid I can't tell you that," Merlin answered. "For all of yours safety."
"Is it true that You-Know-Who is on his way here now?" A Hufflepuff girl asked.
"He is," Merlin said and immediately all hell broke loose. "This is why we have gathered you all here!" Merlin raised his voice, getting their attention again, but the chatter didn't completely die down. "We have discovered that Tom is using an ancient Cup, whose magic has the capability to turn people immortal." He paused to let his words sink in. "He has used it on his Death Eaters, but not his closest circle."
"What does that mean?" Kingsley's deep voice resounded.
"It means that no matter what spell you use, or what kind of weapon you strike them with, they won't die." Arthur stepped forwards, getting in his King mode. "The only way to kill them is with this sword." He took out Excalibur and held it aloft for everyone to see.
"What's so special about that sword?" Remus asked with a frown.
"It's forged in a dragon's breath." Merlin answered and he could see the confusion growing on everyone's faces and bits and pieces of their conversations reached him.
"Never heard anything like it..."
"Must be some kind of lie..."
"Who is the blond guy anyway...?"
"I know this seems like an elaborate joke," Merlin began. "But it's the truth." He tried to make eye contact with as many as possible before continuing. "It's a very old sword that belonged to King Arthur himself." He took a deep breath. "You may know it better as Excalibur."
"You're lying!"
"Blasphemy!"
"Silence!" Arthur bellowed, looking at the students with hard eyes. "I don't know much of the magical community since I was raised by my father, a muggle. My mother died giving birth to me so I never learned the customs and history of places like this. All I know, I've learnt from Marcus and his friends." He paused, still looking the students dead in the eyes. "What I do know, however, is the history of King Arthur and Merlin... My father was obsessed with the legends and he spent most of his time collecting artefacts from Camelot and that age period." He looked down quickly at Excalibur before continuing. "This sword was one of the hardest pieces to get a hold of, but I can assure you, it's the real deal." He took a quick look at Merlin who decided to take over from there.
"My family is an old one," Merlin began. "But I doubt any of you have ever heard of us before since very few of us have the gift of New Magic, most of us only have Old Magic... I'm being one of the exceptions since I have both." He paused to gather himself for what he was about to say next. "As my father before me and his father before him, I have been blessed with the gift of the Dragonlords." He heard sharp intakes of breath amongst the gathered, most of them caused by surprise.
"Wicked!" He heard the Weasley twins' chorus.
"The first time Arthur showed me the sword, I felt the familiar magic of the Great Dragon mixed with the magic of my own family." He handed the sword back to Arthur, who sheathed it. "One of my great ancestors was the one who created this sword... I believe you know him by the name of Merlin."
"Merlin was a Dragonlord?"
"You are related to the great Merlin?"
The students shouted out questions from all directions but Merlin ignored them. He looked at Arthur who gave him an encouragingly nod. They had agreed to tell everyone this twist of the truth in order to convince them, but it still hit close to home for Merlin. Now everyone knew he was a Dragonlord and that he had Merlin's magic in his veins.
"If what you're telling us is the truth," Kingsley stood up. "How do you suggest we utilise the sword to our best advantage?"
"How about you take over, Arthur," Merlin said quietly so only he would hear. "You're better at these things than I am."
"You're sure?" Arthur sent him a questioningly look.
"Positive," Merlin smiled quickly. "You know more about these kinds of battle strategies than I ever could hope to learn."
"You're the one who has participated in god knows how many wars in your life." Arthur raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, but those were a lot different than this will be." Merlin stated. "I was also never more than a foot soldier."
"Fine," Arthur sighed, clearly wanting to know more about the different battles he had participated in, but knowing that this was not the time to dwell in that. "The first thing we need to do..."
"Excuse me, Mr. Penn." McGonagall was standing up as well. "I think perhaps it is best if we evacuate the children first."
"Of course," Arthur immediately agreed. "Do you have a way to escort them away from the school?"
Merlin waited until everyone's attention was on Arthur, McGonagall and the students being escorted out, before sneaking of to the antechamber where he had seen a familiar figure lurking.
Professor McGonagall quickly took charge in evacuating the younger students and during the commotion that formed, the people who had arrived later, came up to him together with the remaining teachers.
Arthur noticed how Merlin had sneaked of, but he ignored it for the time being. He knew he would be back soon.
"So," The dark-skinned man who had talked before began. "What is the plan?"
"I have heard that you are capable of animating object to do your bidding?" Arthur said and then threw himself fully into explaining the different battle strategies he had come up with, as well as listening to the suggestions from the others.
"Severus," Merlin called out quietly after closing the door behind him.
"Merlin," Snape said while stepping out behind a statue. "I hear a battle is commencing."
"Soon," Merlin nodded and took a few steps forward. "I had hoped to solve this in a different way, but fate has other plans."
"So it seems," Snape drawled and cast a quick glance at the door leading out to the Great Hall. "Who's your friend with the sword?"
"Arthur," Merlin said and saw recognition flicker in the man's eyes, a ghost of Merlin's memories awakened by the name.
"And where is Morgana?" Snape asked casually.
"Gone." Merlin said in a hard tone.
"I apologise," Snape inclined his head a little.
"Don't," Merlin shook his head. "You didn't know."
"Still," Snape said but didn't continue. "Did the sword come to good use?"
"Yes," Merlin nodded a little absent mindedly. "More than you can imagine." He smiled quickly.
"But you're not going to tell me what for?" Snape quirked an eyebrow.
"When Tom is dead, I will." Merlin said. He was truly sick of keeping secrets from the people he loved and Snape had somehow wormed his way into Merlin's heart.
"I know that you are preparing to fight." A loud booming voice said which Merlin recognised belonged to Tom, interrupting any response Snape was about to make. "Your efforts are futile. You cannot fight me. I do not want to kill you. I have great respect for the teachers at Hogwarts. I do not want to spill magical blood."
"You should go," Merlin said to the man. "Tom will need you by his side."
"Give me Harry Potter, and none shall be harmed. Give me Harry Potter, and I shall leave the school untouched. Give me Harry Potter, and you will be rewarded. You have until midnight."
"Very well," Snape said when the voice had gone silent and walked over to a hidden door behind a statue. "Make sure not to do anything that might get your killed," He said with his back to Merlin. "For some reason I have grown used to our little meetings and it would be a shame it they stopped."
"Likewise," Merlin said and with one last nod, Snape was gone.
Merlin walked back out to see the room had become almost deserted, with most of the students having been evacuated and the remaining ones were gathered around Kingsley Shacklebolt and Arthur; the other Order members and teachers standing nearby.
Merlin had no intention of interrupting them, but Arthur noticed him almost immediately, and after saying something to Kingsley, who looked up at Merlin before giving Arthur a sharp nod, he walked over to where he stood by the wall.
"How did it go?" Merlin asked when Arthur had reached him.
"Surprisingly good," Arthur answered, looking back at the group of people.
"So, what's the plan?" He asked, curious to find out what they had come up with.
"We are going to divide into groups, defending the different weak points of the castle." Arthur explained. "I will take a group of the strongest fighters with me to defend the battlements and the front of the castle... We will enchant some armour and statues to fight with me and five others who claims they are good with a sword, while the others stay up at the battlements and protects us with their magic."
"Sounds dangerous," Merlin bit his lower lip in worry, recognising the high possibility of Arthur getting injured.
"I did it plenty of times back at Camelot. The only difference is that they will fire spells instead of arrows." Arthur said, looking stoic but Merlin knew he was worried. These people were far from the experienced warriors Arthur's knights had been and they were fewer in number.
"What were you doing back there?" Arthur asked, clearly wanting to change the subject.
"Saying goodbye to an old friend." Merlin sighed and Arthur just nodded, having learnt when he wasn't in the mood to discuss something.
"You two!" The booming voice caught their attention and they looked up to see Kingsley walk up to them in long strides. "We need to keep moving, it's only twenty minutes left till midnight."
"Of course," Arthur nodded, drawing himself up to his full length. "See you at the battlefield." He clasped Merlin on his shoulder.
"You better," Merlin smiled at him and then Arthur headed over to Remus and Tonks who stood waiting for him, leaving him alone with Kingsley.
"So you are a Dragonlord," Kingsley said, eyeing him with an indecipherable look. "What exactly does that entail?"
"We are kin, the dragons and me, their magic flow through me in a way that allows me to control and talk to them, as long as I don't abuse the power." Merlin stated simply.
"I see," Kingsley nodded a contemplating look on his face. "Are there any chance you could use your influence on them in this battle?"
"I know of a dragon that might interest you," Merlin nodded. "But I would need to get up high and with lots of space in order to call her."
"I know just the place," Kingsley nodded and then walked ahead of him out of the hall.
"I know you don't trust me completely yet," Merlin said when they had walked in silence for a few minutes. "But I promise you that I will tell you everything you want to know about me and Arthur once this war is over."
Kingsley didn't stop walking but his steps faltered and he looked at Merlin for a few seconds, a baffled expression on his face, before he drew in a deep breath and turned his head forward again.
"I holding you to that," Kingsley said without looking at him and after a few more minutes, they had reached one of the high towers that also had a large balcony attached to it.
Like with every battle, Arthur didn't remember exactly how it started. All he remembered were the jets of light flying over his head, hitting the wards and shaking the castle all the way to the foundation.
He had changed into his chainmail and shoulder plates which they had luckily decided to bring with them that morning, and with Excalibur drawn, he felt ready for the oncoming battle.
"Charge!" Arthur cried out and the enchanted statues and armours positioned themselves into battle position underneath the battlements, just outside of the wards, while the twenty or so wizards and witches up on the battlements fired spells after spells at the first wave of Death Eaters and magical creatures, the wards only blocking the spells coming from the outside.
Arthur and his group of five swordsmen stood back behind the statues, inside the wards, holding back as long as they could.
As predicted, the Death Eaters fought on no matter how many wounds they sustained, the only spell that seemed to work was the stunning spell because that at least made them immobile for a while.
The magical creatures on the other hand, were affected by the full strength of the spells, and even though some of them were more resilient than others, they eventually died from their wounds.
Arthur thought he was imagining things when he all of a sudden saw a great white dragon flying over them, but it disappeared over the castle so he chalked it up to his imagination.
Soon after, it started snowing, around the same time the wards finally broke down, no longer able to withstand the onslaught of spells. The white flakes took down the visibility several notches and made the ground wet and slippery.
Seeing no other choice, Arthur decided to engage in the battle head on. He raised Excalibur high into the air before taking off with a battle cry, the other five following after him.
The snow slowed Arthur down considerably, but it felt so nice to fight with a sword again. He might not have experience time in the same way while in Avalon, but it had still felt long enough and he had missed using a sword and pushing his body to the breaking point.
The satisfaction of slicing Excalibur through the masked Death Eaters and watch as they exploded into millions of pieces was more thrilling than Arthur had expected, but the other five barely managed to halt them no matter how many strikes they got in.
It wasn't until one of them accidentally beheaded one of them and the body crumbled down on the ground, unable to move even though the head still twitched in an unpleasant way, that Arthur realised that that was the only way to stop them.
"Aim for the neck!" He called out the order to the five fighters as well as the animated statues and armours, and with one swift movement, one of the armours had beheaded its first Death Eater.
Shortly after that, the dragon came back. It circled above them and Arthur was prepared to shield himself from the coming fire, but instead of attacking him and the others, it shot its fire at the oncoming Death Eaters, burning them effectively to nothing more than ash, just as a giant piece of the castle came flying through the air and crushing a dozen more.
The dragon lowered itself so it was level with the battlements and to Arthur; it looked like it was communicating with someone. He looked up just as someone jumped down from the battlements and landed just behind him. It took him a moment to realise it was Merlin, but when he did, he gave him one sharp nod and Merlin fell in line beside him while the dragon rose up again and continued its onslaught of fire.
"Nice of you to join us," Arthur said while dodging a spell.
"Sorry," Merlin said and knocked out a Death Eater who was about to fire a spell at one of their own. "But you try running through a castle in the middle of a battle." He exploded an oncoming boulder. "There were more than a few Death Eaters on the inside."
"Nothing you couldn't take care of I hope." Arthur sliced through another Death Eater, creating a small explosion.
"Not really," Merlin grinned and shot a fire ball at the giant ogre in front of them. Arthur shook his head and laughed silently while watching Merlin take down the ogre on his own.
It was a thrilling experience, seeing Merlin use his magic to save the life of the students and teachers fighting behind them as well as raising shields to prevent the spells from hitting him and the five fighting beside him.
He had never seen Merlin use his magic like that before, and it was an experience he wished he had witnessed back at Camelot.
They fought well together, Arthur had to admit. Their minds worked like one and he didn't have to think about what he was doing, because he knew Merlin was handling himself beside him, taking on those that slipped passed him.
He and Merlin fought side by side for what felt like hours, until the voice came back, the same cold and hissing voice that had resounded earlier. Shouting out meaningless words about mercy and bravery, promising seized fire if Harry came to him in a place called 'The Forbidden Forest'.
Arthur had no idea where that was but looking over at Merlin, he realised it was bad, because he looked at Arthur in horror before shifting to look out over the people nearby.
Merlin and Kingsley had just reached the top of the tower when the first enemy spell hit the wards, shaking the castle down to its foundations.
He took one look at Kingsley and with a nod; he ran out on the balcony and called out for Aithusa. "O drakon, e male so ftengometta tesd'hup'anankes!" His loud and rural voice resounded in the air and when he looked back, he saw Kingsley standing by the archway, his mouth open in shock or maybe awe.
"It might take a while before she comes," Merlin said to him, breaking him out of his frozen state. "She's flying from London."
"I will go and join the others then." Kingsley said and with one last nod, he strode away, leaving Merlin alone on the balcony.
Aithusa arrived almost half an hour later when Merlin had almost given up on waiting for her, a light snowfall had begun and his vision over the grounds were quickly diminishing.
"What took you so long?" He frowned at her while she hovered by the railing on the balcony.
"I was a cat, remember." She snarled inside his head and he could have face-palmed himself for forgetting that fact.
"I'm sorry," He walked up to her and patted her snout. "How did you break the spell?" He tilted his head and looked at her curiously.
"A lot of willpower," She said, her eyes twinkling with amusement.
Just then a loud crack was heard above them and Merlin stilled in shock. Looking up, he saw how the wards were breaking and soon they disappeared completely.
"Arthur is on the front," He told Aithusa and hurriedly. "You need to fly over there and help him."
"I think I need to take care of them first." Aithusa said and looked over at the dark grounds. Merlin followed her gaze and saw three giants strolling towards the castle.
"Change of plans then," He said. "You take care of them while I make my way to Arthur."
"Trade carefully, young warlock." Aithusa said before taking off towards the three giants.
Merlin didn't waste any time before he started running down the staircase and out into the following corridor. He fired of spells after spells out through the windows on his way, taking down as many Death Eaters as he could. He was halfway to the battlements when he came across four Death Eaters that had surrounded a student Merlin recognised as Seamus Finnigan.
Merlin stopped in his track and hid in an alcove. He closed his eyes and drew in their magical aura, discovering that these four were not part of the enchantment and therefore was not immortal. With that in mind, he stepped out from the alcove with determination.
"If you value your lives, you won't take another step." Merlin warned them and three of the four Death Eaters turned around towards him.
"What are you doing?" Seamus looked at him in horror as the Death Eaters stepped closer.
"Trust me." Merlin sent him an encouraging look but it didn't seem to help and the Death eaters started to laugh at him. "Last chance." He warned.
"You don't even have a wand." One of the Death Eaters laughed.
"I don't need one." Merlin said darkly and with a flash of his eyes, the three Death Eaters flew backwards and hit the wall with a loud thud, sinking unconscious down on the floor. The fourth Death Eater took one look at his fallen comrades before deciding to run away from there, but Merlin flashed his eyes again, tripping him.
He walked up to him as he tried to scramble away, flicking his wrist so the mask came off, revealing Lucius Malfoy.
"Please," He begged. "I surrender." He whimpered.
"Coward," Merlin muttered silently and with another flash, the man fell asleep. "Help me bind them." Merlin said to Seamus who was still pressed up against the wall in fear.
Together, they bound the four Death Eaters, discarded their wands, and left them in an alcove to be retrieved later after the battle.
"Let's go." Merlin said and began walking in long strides down the corridor.
"That was amazing," Seamus said after he had caught up to him. "I have never seen magic like that before."
Merlin didn't answer, he just continued towards the staircases so he could get to Arthur as fast as possible, and Seamus seemed to take the hint, because he didn't try and start another conversation.
They reached the battlements just as one of the spells hit the castle above the battlements, breaking of a big part of the castle that would have hit all of them if Merlin hadn't raised his hand and with a flash of his eyes, stopped the stone midway. He threw the block of stone away, crushing a few Death Eaters in the process.
Unfortunately, he noticed how the wizard at the end of the line got hit with a jet of green light just as his threw the stone away, making it impossible for him to raise a shield in time.
He didn't have time to see who it was that had gotten hit and he barely registered how a woman with pink hair started screaming, because Aithusa came flying towards him, aligning herself along the battlements so she could look him in the eyes.
"Are you okay, Merlin?"
"I'm fine," Merlin answered shortly. "How did it go with the giants?"
"They're taken care of." She responded.
"Good," Merlin nodded and heaved himself over the parapet and jumped down, using magic to cushion the fall, not paying attention to Seamus and the others loud gasps as he made the ten metres high fall like it was nothing.
He landed behind Arthur and after the shock had settle on his face, Arthur gave him a nod and Merlin fell in line beside him.
He cast spell after spell, most of them instinctual, and brought down a dozen Death Eaters in less than twenty minutes, but he could feel his energy draining, and hoped the battle would be over soon.
As if Tom had listened to his thoughts, the battle stopped with the booming voice of the man in question.
Merlin knew Harry would be stupid enough to go and meet him in the forbidden forest, and immediately looked around to see if he could find the boy but to no avail.
He saw Aithusa landing in the distant and decided to talk to her.
"Have you seen Harry?" He asked her through his mind.
"I'm sorry Merlin," She turned her head and looked at him dead on, her big yellow eyes unblinking. "I have seen neither him nor his two friends since you left the house early this morning."
"It's okay," Merlin raised his hands and gave her a small smile before turning to Arthur, who looked between him and Aithusa with a frown.
"We need to go back to the hall." Merlin said after he had turned to look at him. Arthur glanced between him and the big white dragon with confusion and curiosity, but decided to ask him about it later. "I can't see Harry anywhere, but he is bound to go there before he does anything else." Merlin continued and then started to walk back towards the entrance doors.
"How are you feeling?" Arthur asked him as he followed in a fast pace back to the Great Hall. Merlin's right sleeve was almost torn off and Arthur noticed how the blood had drenched the remaining fabric until its regular blue colour had changed to a brownish tone, a mixture of blood and dirt. His temple was also bloody, but the flow seemed to have stopped and the blood had been smeared out by the sweat and dirt.
Arthur imagined that he looked similar, having felt at least one spell brush past his leg and some falling rumble hitting him in various places. His chainmail felt heavy and he could feel the sweat on his back.
"I'm peachy," Merlin answered without humour, dodging people, screaming heads and big blocks of stone on his way.
"Merlin..." Arthur said a hint of warning in his tone.
"I'm sorry," Merlin looked back at him without stopping his fast pace. "I'm just worried Harry will do something stupid."
"I get that," Arthur began. "But you need to calm down. You will only push him away if you go at him when you're riled up like that."
"You're right," He sighed. "I just... I need to make sure he's okay first." He said and pushed open the doors to the Great Hall. Arthur hurried in behind him, taking in the wounded and the dead, a familiar feeling waking in heart at the sight.
"Do you recognise someone?" Arthur asked Merlin who had stopped dead and was watching a family of red-heads in the middle of the room.
"Percy," Merlin said and Arthur looked at him with a frown. "Ron's brother." He answered Arthur's silent question and he took a closer look at the family, seeing the resemblance now.
"Did you know him?" Arthur asked Merlin, seeing that he seemed taken by the sight.
"I only met him once," Merlin answered and looked back at the door when it opened. Some of the people Arthur had been fighting with came through, carrying a body between them. "Remus..." Merlin whispered and Arthur saw a tear escaping his left eye as he followed the dead man with his eyes as he was carried and laid down beside the man Merlin had called Percy, a woman with pink hair crying silently while holding his cold hand. "He was the one who got hit..." Merlin trailed of and Arthur had no idea what he was talking about but he could tell he took it hard.
"I'm sorry," Arthur rubbed his hands up and down Merlin's arms to calm his frantic heartbeat down as well as keeping himself grounded. He glanced around him and saw Hermione and Ron walking up to different people in the hall and when he looked at the entrance again, he saw Harry slipping out. "Harry," Arthur said and Merlin immediately turned around to face him.
"Where?" He asked and looked around.
"He slipped out the door," Arthur answered and before he had a chance to stop him, Merlin was running after him.
"Harry!" Harry heard Merlin call for him and he stopped dead in his track, wishing he had put on his invisibility cloak but then remembering that Merlin could see through it anyway.
"Merlin," Harry greeted the warlock as he turned around.
"Did you find it?" Merlin looked at him serious. "Did you destroy the Horcrux?"
"We found it." Harry smiled weakly. "It was in the 'Room of Requirement' all the time."
"You're kidding," Merlin shook his head. "Well, how's that for irony." He chuckled but then became serious again. "Where are you going?" He eyed him suspiciously. "You're not going after Tom?"
"No," Harry shook his head because he wasn't going after Tom, not yet at least. "I..." He paused, knowing that the news he had would affect the warlock deeply. "Snape's dead." He forced the words out of him and saw how Merlin's face first crumpled in despair but then became serious again in a matter of second. Harry had often wondered how he managed to repress his feelings like that. "He... He gave me his memories so I was heading towards Dumbledore's office to use the pensive." He held up the small vial with the white smoke.
"I see," Merlin nodded a distant look on his face. "Where is he?"
"The shrieking shack." Harry answered and watched as several emotions flickered in Merlin's eyes in a matter of seconds. The only ones he could make out was sadness, determination and finally, cold acceptance.
"Promise me that you will take care of yourself." Merlin patted his shoulder before turning around, leaving Harry looking at his retreating back with a baffled expression.
After Merlin had gone after Harry, Arthur looked around and saw the down-fallen expressions on everyone's faces and decided to lift their spirits a little with one of his many pep-talks.
"Everyone, listen up!" He walked up to the podium so they could all see him. "I know right now seems like the perfect time to give up," He paused for dramatic effect. "But it's the opposite." He tried to look them all in the eye one by one. "What's important now is to not let the enemy tear us apart or let our grief take us down, there's plenty of time for that later... Now is the time to make sure our loved ones sacrifices were not in wane... Now is the time to stand united and show this twisted man who is in charge once and for all."
"This is your school, your home. If you want to fight to defend it, that's your choice. I'd be honoured to stand alongside you... Tom attacks in less than an hour... Tom's brutal. He fights only to kill, which is why he will never defeat us... Look around... In this room, we're all equals. You're not fighting because someone's ordering you to, you're fighting for so much more than that. You fight for your homes. You fight for your family. You fight for your friends. You fight for the right to learn magic in peace. And if you fall, you fall fighting for the noblest of causes: fighting for your very right to survive! And when you're old and grey, you'll look back on this day, and you'll know you earned the right to live every day in between! So you fight! For your family! For your friends! For Hogwarts!
He could see how their expressions changed from down-fallen to determine and he straightened his posture to match them.
"Tonight...we do battle. Tonight we end this war; we end a war as old as the land itself. War against tyranny, greed, and spite. Not all will greet the dawn, some will live, and some will die. But each and every one of you fights with honour, and with pride. For not only do we fight for our lives, we fight for the future. The future of our children. The future of Magic. The future of the magical community." He raised Excalibur high into the air for all to see. "For the love of Hogwarts!"
"For the love of Hogwarts!" Everyone chorused.
When Merlin came back to the Great Hall, Arthur was in the middle of holding one of his pep-talks that he always did during battles back at Camelot.
Not wanting to be a part of it, Merlin snuck of to the side and slide down on the floor, leaning on the wall for support while listening to Arthur; taking in the words without really listening, having heard the same kind of speech so many times before that he knew it by heart.
He knew what would happen after Harry had watched the memories, and it had taken all his willpower to turn around and not stop him, because he knew it was something that needed to be done and it was now up to him to make sure the last Horcrux, the snake, was destroyed and then it was only Tom left.
He sighed and rubbed a tired hand over his face and stood up when Arthur ended his speech with a 'For the love of Hogwarts' which the other chorused back. He would have laughed at the irony of it all if it wasn't for the seriousness of the situation.
Everyone immediately got more active after Arthur's speech and he noticed how Arthur spotted him, and jumped down from the podium and walked straight to him.
"We need to be ready for the next round," Arthur said and glanced over at the wizards and witches that had fought with him.
"I know," Merlin nodded and patted him on the shoulder. "How about you round them up and we go back to the battlements and prepare."
Without a nod, Arthur walked over to them and soon they all left for the battlements, preparing for the next onslaught in little less than forty minutes.
Arthur and Merlin had positioned themselves up on the battlements so they could see if anyone approached. The others were also up there, but further down so as not to invade on their conversation.
Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick had followed them out and were now repairing the broken armours and statues on the ground below them, so they would be ready for another fight.
Aithusa had laid down on the grounds a little ways away, her white hides almost blending with the ever growing snow, and Arthur saw how Merlin kept looking at her while scrunching and un-scrunching his face.
"Are you talking to the dragon?" Arthur asked after Merlin had made a very strange grimace and he could no longer rain in his curiosity.
"Yes," Merlin said without taking his eyes of the dragon that had know raised her head and was looking at them.
"What's his name?" Arthur stared at Merlin, feeling uneasy under the dragon's scrutiny.
"Her name is Aithusa," Merlin answered and turned to look at him, leaning his side against the parapet. "She's a Great Dragon."
"A Great Dragon?" Arthur raised his eyebrows in surprise. "I didn't know they still existed."
"She's the last one." Merlin said with a sad voice and started picking on a few loose stones on the parapet.
"Wait," Arthur suddenly realised something. "Isn't Aithusa the name of your cat?"
"Erhm," Merlin grinned sheepishly and scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"They're one and the same, aren't they?" He levelled Merlin with an incredulous look and shook his head. "I can't believe you didn't tell me. She slept in my bed for god's sake."
"I-I..." Merlin opened and closed his mouth but no sound came out.
"Forget it," He shook his head again. "I'm used to it." He muttered and they stayed silent for a few minutes until Merlin turned to him with a serious expression.
"Arthur," Merlin began hesitantly.
"What?" Arthur looked up at Merlin confused.
"When..." Merlin swallowed. "When everything is over, I want you to do me a favour." He met Arthur's eyes, uncertainty flickering in them.
"What kind of favour are you talking about?" Arthur didn't want to promise anything before he knew all the facts, having known Merlin long enough to be suspicious.
"I want to die." Merlin said, all uncertainty gone, his blue eyes bore into his with unwavering determination.
"Why?" Arthur clenched his jaw. "Is it because of my sister?"
"No," Merlin said, but Arthur could see it in his eyes that he had hit the mark dead on. "If I don't get my mortality back after all this," He waved his hand out over the grounds. "Then I don't now what will."
So you want me to kill you?" Arthur decided to humour him. "How do you suggest I do that?" He raised his eyebrows. "If you're immortal, nothing can kill you."
"There is one thing that can kill me." Merlin said and glanced at Excalibur strapped at his waist and Arthur realised what Merlin was indicating. "The only way to kill an immortal being is with a sword forged in a dragon's breath." Merlin continued and Arthur took a tighter grip on the hilt, afraid Merlin would take it from him.
"That won't be necessary," Arthur said with a hard tone. "You are getting your mortality back after we have brought the balance back."
"That's just speculations." Merlin closed his eyes and sighed, turning so he was looking out over the grounds with his hands on the parapet.
"So you want me to kill you with my own sword?" Arthur narrowed his eyes. "I won't do that."
"I'm tired, Arthur." Merlin turned his head and looked at him with sad eyes. "I'm over 1300 years old, and even if I don't look it, I feel it." He glanced back to Aithusa. "Every day I live on, hoping that this day will be my last..." Arthur found he was unable to look away when Merlin's blue eyes met his dead on. "She made me feel alive again, Arthur." Merlin's tears were running down his cheeks and Arthur could feel his own eyes water. "When everything's over, when I no longer have anything to occupy my mind with, the hole she created in my heart when she left will grow and I'm afraid of what I will do when it becomes too big." He wiped his tears away with the back of his hand. "I can't take it anymore... I don't have the energy to heal myself again and move on."
"Killing yourself isn't the answer." Arthur said.
"It's the only way for me to see her again." Merlin sniffled and turned away from him.
"You don't know that," Arthur placed a hand on his shoulder, making him turn to meet his eyes again. "You told me yourself that you don't know what happens when you cross over to the other side."
"It's better than nothing." Merlin muttered, reusing to meet his eyes.
"No, it's not." Arthur was staring to get angry now. "Think of the people you're leaving behind, Merlin. How would they feel if you decided to give up like that? What about me?" At those words, Merlin glanced at him quickly before seemingly deciding something.
"You will be fine," Merlin sniffled again and wiped at his nose. "You have Hermione and Ron to take care of you."
"But I want you!" Arthur practically yelled, earning a few curious glances from the wizards to their left. "Who else but you to teach me the customs of this new era and all the technology the muggles uses?" He said in a calmer tone. "Hermione and Ron can't teach me these things."
"Arthur..." Merlin began but Arthur stopped him.
"No, Merlin, you listen to me now." He narrowed his eyes and he could see Merlin swallowing. "When this battle is over, and if for some reason you haven't gotten your mortality back, you and I will go back to Avalon and talk to that old girlfriend of yours to turn you mortal again, or I will run Excalibur through her."
"That won't work," Merlin's lips twitched. "Technically she's neither dead nor alive so it will be like running it through air."
"I didn't mean it literally, Merlin." Arthur rolled his eyes but was glad that Merlin seemed to see some sense again. "You can be such an idiot sometimes."
"Better than being a clotpole." Merlin muttered but then cracked a cheeky grin.
"Still haven't come up with a better insult?" Arthur asked, amused by Merlin's ability to make up new words just to insult him.
"Why would I change something that works?" Merlin grinned but then turned serious again and Arthur put an arm around his shoulders.
"Just promise me that you won't do anything stupid if you don't get your mortality back." He said silently and rubbed his hand up and down Merlin's arm. "And if you get it back, promise me that you will live your life fully until you get old and grey."
Merlin didn't answer him but Arthur could see it in his eyes that he understood just how much it meant to him that he lived, and he hoped that Merlin's last act in life wouldn't be a selfish one.
"Something's happening." Merlin said and straightened up, shaking of Arthur's arm in the process. "Someone is coming out of the forest."
"Where?" Arthur asked and searched his eyes over the forest.
"There," Merlin pointed to a barely noticeable movement in the dark grounds, but with his magic, he could easily see the shapes of Voldemort's Death Eaters.
"Harry Potter is dead." Voldemort's magnified voice carried out over the grounds and towards the castle. "He was killed as he ran away, trying to save himself while you lay down your lives for him. We bring you his body as proof that your hero is gone."
"Aithusa!" Merlin quickly sent to the white dragon. "Hide."
"I'll be nearby in case I'm needed." Aithusa answered and raised herself up on her hind legs before flying away to hide somewhere close. She and Merlin had agreed to keep her hidden unless when she was needed, because she could be used as a secret weapon. The only ones of the enemy that had seen her were long dead.
"The battle is won. You have lost half of your fighters. My Death Eaters outnumber you and the Boy Who Lived is finished. There must be no more war. Anyone who continues to resist, man, woman or child, will be slaughtered, as will every member of their family. Come out of the castle, now, kneel before me, and you shall be spared. Your parents and children, your brothers and sisters will live, and be forgiven, and you will join me in the new world we shall build together."
The silence that followed was an eerie one. Merlin noticed how the doors to the Entrance Hall opened up and people started to mill out to stand side by side with the newly repaired armours and statues.
Arthur signalled for the fifteen or so wizards, up on the battlements with them, to stay down and out of sight but to be prepared to fire.
Soon the owner of the voice came out in the open together with his closest circle of Death Eaters, none of them under the influence of the cup, and the half giant Hagrid, whom carried the body of Harry Potter.
"NO!" McGonagall's scream was the loudest but it was quickly matched with Ron's, Hermione's, and Ginny's.
"SILENCE!" Voldemort bellowed and with a wave of his wand and a loud bang, everyone became silent. "It is over," He smirked. "Set him down, Hagrid, at my feet, where he belongs." Hagrid lowered Harry carefully down on the ground and Merlin could see the unease grow amongst the people watching. "You see?" Voldemort continued. "Harry Potter is dead! Do you understand now, deluded ones? He was nothing, ever, but a boy who relied on others to sacrifice themselves for him!"
Merlin closed his eyes and extended his magic out towards Harry, making sure he was really dead, and sure enough, he could feel Harry's magic pulsating with life, and for the first time since he was one year old, Harry was free from the part of Voldemort's soul that had tainted his life for so long. Merlin smiled with the knowledge that everything had worked out and when Arthur looked at him questioningly, he just shook his head and nodded towards Harry's still body.
"He beat you!" Ron yelled, breaking Voldemort's spell, and Merlin could feel the power of the Old Religion working its way through the sacrificial spell Harry had evoked. He same one his mother had used on him all those years ago.
Merlin didn't pay much attention to the arguing down below, their voices not loud enough to be heard unless he used magic. He kept his attention on Harry instead and every movement he did. He briefly considered contacting him through the mind, but decided against it, it might surprise him and make him reveal himself too early.
All of a sudden, the Neville boy broke free from the group and charged, only to quickly be taken down with a silent spell from Voldemort.
Voldemort said something more that Merlin didn't listen to, but then he suddenly summoned something brown and dirty which Merlin recognised as the sorting hat. With a loud laugh and some talk about Salazar Slytherin, he placed the hat on top of the frozen Neville and set it alight.
That's when all hell broke loose.
Arthur signalled for the wizards and witches to fire at will, while another hundred came storming from Hogsmead, lead by Charlie Weasley. The centaurs fired arrows at the Death Eaters while Grawp came stumbling out of the forest, looking for Hagrid.
Merlin lost sight of Harry in all the chaos and when he finally had a clear view of the place again, Harry was gone. What he saw instead was Neville shaking of the body binding spell and the flaming hat, while pulling out Gryffindor's sword from a sheath at his waist. How he had not seen him carrying it before, Merlin did not know. He guessed that Harry had somehow given the sword to Neville before marching out towards his death.
Neville raised the sword, and with one flowing motion, he decapitated the giant snake, the head flying through the air while the body thumbed down lifeless on the ground.
"We need to go down there!" Arthur yelled at him over the noise and with an answering nod, they jumped down over the parapet, landing softly thanks to Merlin, and quickly engaged in the battle.
All of a sudden, flying creatures appeared, partially hidden through the heavy snowfall, but Merlin could make out Aithusa, several Thestrals and a lone Hippogriff following her.
He didn't have time to reprimand her for coming without notice, because by then the battle was starting to move inside the Entrance Hall and into the Great Hall, everyone trying to avoid the charging creatures.
Arthur stayed outside, fighting the cursed Death Eaters together with his former comrades, but Merlin decided to follow Voldemort and his closest Death Eaters inside, knowing he would be of better use there.
He spotted Tom duelling McGonagall, Kingsley and Slughorn, and decided to intervene.
"Tom!" He called out. "Why not fight someone your own size." He smirked.
"Emrys!" Tom hissed and Merlin saw the confused looks on McGonagall's and Kingsley's faces, knowing that they knew the meaning behind that name. "Come to continue our duel?"
"That's right," Merlin said and started to circle Tom, who copied his movement. "I just hope that snake of yours won't intervene again, but oh, that's right," He mocked. "She's dead, so it shouldn't be a problem."
"I know who you are." Tom said ignoring Merlin's words, but Merlin could see that he was feeling the loss of his snake deeply. If it was only because she was a Horcrux, Merlin didn't know.
"Please, I'd love to hear your theory." Merlin mocked bowed without taking his eyes of Tom.
"I have seen your magic, boy," Tom looked at Merlin like he was a prize winning bull or something. "You use the magic of the Old Religion, the same kind the greatest wizard of all time used. A true Slytherin, he was, or should I say, you were." Tom looked at him with a delusional expression.
"That's right. Now say my name." Merlin met his eyes dead on.
"You're Merlin." Tom red eyes flickered with awe and lust.
"You're god damn right." Merlin smirked.
"Join me," Tom sneered. "With you as my right hand, we can rule the world."
"As I've said before, I will never join evil magic like you." Merlin narrowed his eyes.
"Then prepare to die," Tom snarled and raised his wand. Soon they were engaged in a fierce duel.
"NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH!" Mrs. Weasley's voice alerted Merlin once again to the fight around him and Tom took advantage of his distraction to fire a spell at him, but just as it was about to hit him, a shield materialised in front of him and half the room, blocking the spell.
Merlin looked around franticly for the source and saw Harry just as he threw of his cloak, making himself visible to everyone and several shouts of 'Harry' and 'He's alive' chorused around the room until they all went silent again, when Tom fired another spell at Merlin, who this time blocked it himself.
"Thank you, Harry." Merlin said loudly, his voiced carried like a trumpet call in the silent room. Now he could finally end this once and for all.
"Not so powerful after all," Tom smirked. "Needing help from Potter."
"True strength doesn't come from how much power you have," Merlin said. "But from knowing when to ask for help." Tom didn't say anything; instead he sent another stream of spells at Merlin, who easily blocked them. "Harry!" Merlin called out while sending a spell at Tom. "Do you remember what I told you about ownerships of wands?"
"Yes," Harry answered and even though he couldn't see him, Merlin could tell he was frowning.
"Good," He said through gritted teeth as he blocked a powerful spell. The impact made him slide back a few steps, making his Sidhe-staff-turned-wand shift in his pocket and poke out.
Harry didn't hesitate before sprinting forward and snatching the wand from his pocket while pushing him aside, taking his place in front of Tom.
"My, my," Tom stopped momentarily to take in the situation. "You think you can do better than Emrys?"
"There are no more Horcruxes." Harry said with determination, holding up Merlin's wand in fighting position. "It's just you and me. Neither can live while the other survives, and one of us is about to leave for good..."
"Very well," Tom said and raised the Elder wand. "Avada Kedavra!"
"Expelliarmus!" Harry counteracted.
Harry's Expelliarmus met Tom's Avada Kedavra dead on, pushing the spell backwards towards Tom until the Elder wand eventually left his grip and flew up in the air, caught easily by Harry. Tom fell down on the ground, dead, killed by his own backfired spell and now nothing more than a broken body, just like everyone else.
Seconds later, every last Death Eater put under the curse, exploded into millions of pieces. Those not under the spell, stopped dead in their tracks in surprise for a few seconds before they all disappeared in a cloud of smoke.
Merlin sighed in relief and watched as Harry looked down at the wands in his hands. As if sensing he was being watched, Harry met his eyes and smiled while raising the wands up in a gesture of thanks.
The atmosphere after the battle was a cherry one, and after giving his condolences to the people who had lost someone that night, including Nymphadora Tonks and the Weasley family, Merlin decided to sneak of and pay his respect for another fallen comrade.
He saw Arthur sitting at the Gryffindor table beside Fred and George; Excalibur lying across his lap, sheathed; and eating his own body weight in pudding.
Merlin had seen Harry and the other two sneak of about an hour earlier, and decided that Arthur wouldn't blame him if he snuck out as well. He needed some fresh air and the alone time.
He got up from his own seat on the table Hufflepuff table and made his way out of the Great hall and through the large Entrance doors. He spotted Aithusa lying beside the lake but decided to wait to talk to her; instead he headed towards the whomping willow and the shrieking shack.
Snape's body was still there, cold and lifeless, and he crouched down to close his eyes and with a flash of his eyes, he removed the dried blood from his wound and robes.
"I'm sorry I couldn't save you," Merlin said, his head bent down and his hands clasped in front of him. "If I had known that Tom suspected you to be the master of the Elder wand, I would never have let you go earlier." He blinked away angry tears. "I hope you find the peace you're looking for and that we will see each other again one day."
Merlin was about to lift Snape's body up with magic when he felt a presence of powerful magic coming from behind him. He reached out with his magic to find the source, and following the trail, he found a hidden hole in the wall.
He removed a piece of wood that covered it up and his gaze fell upon the source of the power, the Cup of Life.
He reached out his hand slowly and his fingers grasped the cup firmly. He brought it out of the hole and looked down at the content inside. The blood was thick and dark, having lost its magical ability after Tom died, so he poured it out slowly onto the floor. He then pocketed it with the mental note that he would place it in his vault the first opportunity he got.
Merlin walked back to Snape's body without a word, he lifted Snape's body up with magic and carried him out towards the castle, a single tear escaped his eye after placing him amongst the other bodies in the Entrance Hall, and the cup feeling heavy in his pocket.
Wiping the tear away, he quickly made his way out again and towards Aithusa. He placed a hand on her front leg, waking her up, and then sat down to look out over the lake.
"Are you okay, Merlin?" She asked softly and nudged him carefully on the side with her large snout.
"Snape's dead," Merlin said without looking at her. "And so many other innocents. There are at least fifty of them." He snivelled.
"That is the spoils of war." She sighed and placed her head alongside him. "How are Harry and the others?"
"Harry is traumatised, of course," Merlin answered while making shapes in the snow. "Hermione and Ron too, but they seem to hold it together. I saw them walk away earlier, so they are probably somewhere talking things out."
"And you?" She looked at him with her big yellow eye.
"Me?" Merlin grimaced. "I'm not sure yet." He said truthfully. "Ask me again tomorrow."
"Is there something you want to talk to me about, Merlin?"
"Not right now," He sighed. "But there is another thing." He turned his head to look at her. "I rescued a dragon from Gringotts yesterday, and he is almost completely blind. I sent him to Camelot and promised I would help him, but for now, could you go there and do what you can for him?"
"Of course, Merlin." Aithusa blinked and raised herself up. "Don't do anything stupid while I'm gone."
"You know me," He grinned cheekily. "Stupid and I go hand in hand."
She rolled her eyes and then lifted herself up and flew away into the morning sun. Merlin tried to follow her but the sun was to strong and he had to squint his eyes.
Left alone, Merlin moved to sit beside a tree instead, not realising that it was the same tree he and her had sat at a little more than a year before, until he had already sat down.
He was about to stand up again when his whole body spasm and he fell down on his knees.
Feeling like the whole world was suddenly turning, his head started to spin and he grasped it tight, screaming out when a searing pain ran through it. It felt like his head was splitting in two and he blacked out for a second.
When he woke up, he had fallen down on his back but the spinning sensation was still there and when he tried to sit up, a wave on nausea hit him and he retched.
Now standing on his knees and hands, he wiped his mouth and the spinning finally stopped. He felt shaky and weak, like he had just ran a marathon.
He sat up slowly; afraid the nausea would come back, but sighed in relief when he managed to sit up straight without any more complications.
He knew what had just happened. The balance had been restored. He had regained his mortality.
A/N
O drakon, e male so ftengometta tesd'hup'anankes! = O dragon, permit the appeal for an audience to speak here, fierce, wise-minded one.
Avada Kedavra = Killing curse
Expelliarmus = Disarming charm.
I figured that I might as well post this today, since I don't know if I will be able to do it tomorrow.
I will say it again, if you have any questions or if you find some things confusing, don't hesitate to Pm or review and I will do my best to answer. Also, I you have any suggestions for things you want explained in the epilogue, tell me =)
I have started on the Epilogue and I have written, if not half, then at least one third, but as I said last time, I don't know when I will have time to finish it. I've been so busy the last two weeks that I've only had time to sit down and write three times, and for me , that is not much.
Have a great week everyone =D
