Merlin pushed the food around his plate. Today they were heading home for the holidays but Merlin couldn't feel excited. Ever since the night with the centaurs he had nightmares. Every night he saw himself kill Morgana. Every night he saw the dead bodies of those he loved, both from this life and the last. Every night Morgana became Voldemort. He didn't fear Voldemort but he did fear what Voldemort was capable of.
Merlin was exhausted. Weeks of minimal sleep was starting to get to him. He considered going to Madam Pomfrey for a dreamless sleep potion but he didn't want to explain the nightmares.
"Merlin, you need to eat," Arthur whispered.
He spent the last twenty minutes watching Merlin push food around his plate. "Not hungry," Merlin mumbled. Arthur glanced at the head table and saw Professor Flitwick was also watching Merlin.
"Is it the nightmares?" Arthur asked concerned.
The first couple nights the he, along with Ron and the other boys in the dorm, were woken up by Merlin's screaming. Only Arthur and Ron understood what Merlin was screaming about. The other two were just confused, and concerned. But after that third night there was no more screaming. Merlin had silenced his bed so no one was woken up. That didn't mean Arthur didn't know his best friend was suffering.
"I'm fine," Merlin said ignoring the question.
Arthur rolled his eyes. "You're not fine. You need to get it together. Gran is going to notice something is off and we don't need her going to Dumbledore."
Merlin sighed. As much as he didn't want to admit it Arthur was right. "I'll be okay," Merlin promised. "When we get off the train, I need to go to Gringotts."
Arthur nodded. "I'll tell Gran its last minute Christmas shopping. We'll hang out in Diagon Alley while we wait."
"Thanks," Merlin said. "I actually do need to do some last minute shopping," he admitted.
"Of course you do," Arthur sighed.
"Heads up, Flitwick is heading this way," Ron warned.
"Mr. Potter, I need to see you in my office before you leave," Professor Flitwick said. "It's about your last essay."
"Yes Professor," Merlin said respectfully.
"What did you do now?" Arthur asked exasperated.
"I don't know," Merlin said honestly. He hadn't spent much time with Professor Flitwick in the last couple weeks. He hadn't even told him about the nightmares, not wanting to worry the professor. He felt guilty for bringing Flitwick into this mess.
Merlin waited until an hour before they had to leave to go see Flitwick. He knocked on the door this time, unsure if he was in trouble or not. He didn't think so. He hadn't done anything wrong. He was a model student the last couple of weeks.
The door opened and Merlin stepped inside. "Come sit Merlin," Professor Flitwick said. He was at his desk, waiting for him.
"Am I in trouble Professor?" Merlin asked though he was certain he wasn't.
"Not at all Merlin," Professor Flitwick assured him. "You've been avoiding me."
"No," Merlin said automatically. He sighed. "Not intentionally. I've been having nightmares, nightmares about Morgana, about everyone dying because of me and about Voldemort. I've turned your life upside down Professor and I'm sorry about that."
"Merlin, you don't need to apologize," Professor Flitwick said. "Yes, finding out about you and Arthur has been a great shock but it's worth it. I wouldn't trade this experience for anything."
After a few minutes of silence Merlin stood. "Goodbye Professor. I'll see you after the holidays," Merlin said.
Merlin made it to the Entrance Hall with plenty of time to spare. His belongings were shrunk in his pocket for easy transportation. He even shrunk Arthur and Ron's things.
"What did Professor Flitwick want?" Arthur asked walking up to Merlin.
"He wanted to check on me," Merlin answered. "He noticed I was acting withdrawn and wanted to make sure I was okay."
"Are you okay?" Arthur asked.
"Yeah. I think I am," Merlin answered.
They piled onto the Hogwarts Express. Ron, Merlin and Arthur were sharing a compartment toward the end of the train. Merlin spelled the compartment shut to keep unwanted people out.
"Gran can't wait to meet you," Arthur told Merlin. "I think she's surprised I managed to make friends. I was a lonely child. They thought I was a Squib for a while."
Ron shook his head. "Imagine if they found you who you are," he said.
"They'll probably be even more surprised I'm not a Squib." Arthur laughed. "Although they would be even more impressed by Merlin."
"Do you want to tell her?" Merlin asked.
Arthur shook his head. "As much as I would love to, it's not safe," Arthur said. "I don't even know if they would believe me." He frowned. "I'm sure they'll wonder about you being a druid."
Merlin shrugged. "The Potter's are all dead. It'll be easy enough to claim there's been a few druids in the family. The goblins are more than willing to go along with it."
The train ride was mostly silent. Ron, Arthur and Merlin took turns playing chess. Arthur was surprisingly good while Merlin was dreadful. Merlin was content to read a book while Arthur and Ron played.
"Anything off the trolley dears?" the nice witch asked.
Merlin jumped up. He bought treats for the three of them. Merlin handed over the gold coins and took his snacks back to the other two. "Thanks Merlin," Ron said grabbing a chocolate frog. He bit the head off and turned over the card. He laughed. "Here, you'll like it."
The card turned out to be his own. The picture looked nothing like him. He read the back of the card.
Merlin shook his head. It was extremely vague and showed nothing of his accomplishments. He handed the card to Arthur.
Arthur laughed. "Well at least I'm mentioned." Arthur didn't collect chocolate frog cards but he knew he wasn't on one. King Arthur wasn't a wizard after all.
"Morgana has a card too," Ron added. "I'll show you when you come over. It's not much more descriptive than yours."
Merlin frowned. She was an accomplished witch despite the evil she had done. Still he didn't like that she was on a chocolate frog. It felt like they were celebrating what she had done. He shook away the thoughts. There was nothing he could do about it now.
"What are you think about Merlin?" Arthur asked.
"Nothing," Merlin lied. Arthur and Ron knew he was lying but didn't comment.
Ron looked out the window. "I think we're almost to the station," Ron said.
The three friends changed out of their school clothes. Merlin's clothes were a bit tight. He would need to go shopping again before the start of term. "Do you want me to unshrink your trunk?" Merlin asked Ron.
Ron shook his head. "Nah, Mum will unshrink it when we get home," he said. "No need to lug it around. You two going to Diagon Alley right away?" Ron asked. The question was mainly toward Arthur.
"Yeah," Arthur answered. "You want to join us? Your parents and siblings are welcome to join too. We could do dinner or a late lunch."
Ron blushed. "We…uh… we don't have the money for that," he admitted.
Merlin frowned. "Don't worry about money. Between the Potter vault and my personal vault, I can pay for dinner no problem."
"My parents won't go for it," Ron said. He really wanted to go but knew his parents wouldn't take the money.
"Find a way to convince them," Merlin said. "Tell them whatever you need to so they'll go."
Ron looked thoughtful. There might be a way to convince his mother… "I'll talk to them. Hey, is there any chance I could meet the dragon?"
Merlin tapped his chin. "We could make that work. Perhaps you can do some shopping with Arthur and I. Kilgharrah would love to meet you. Maybe he knows something about you being a seer?"
Ron looked down. He still wasn't sure how to react to being a seer. He knew Merlin was worried about screwing up. Morgana had been a seer and Merlin hadn't helped her with her gift. He blamed himself for what she had become. Ron didn't blame Merlin. He did what he thought was the best way to protect himself and to protect Morgana. But he had failed.
The train started to slow down. The three quickly cleaned up their compartment. "Where do you want the frogs?" Ron asked.
"Keep them," Merlin said. He would buy more later while in Diagon Alley. "Share them with the twins if you want."
Ron tucked the chocolate frogs into his bookbag. He had learned long ago not to argue with Merlin. "Thanks Merlin."
The train stopped and the three made their way into the hall so they could leave the train. "Over there Merlin," Arthur said pointing to a woman in a vulture hat talking to a man and woman with red hair. That had to be the Weasley's.
Merlin, Arthur and Ron approached the adults with Ron and Arthur in front. "Gran," Arthur called getting his grandmother's attention.
Mr. and Mrs. Weasley also looked up. "Ron," Mrs. Weasley exclaimed.
She threw her arms around her youngest son. "Get off Mum," Ron wheezed.
Mrs. Weasley released Ron and turned to the others. "You must be Neville and Harry." Her eyes flickered to Harry's forehead where she could see the faint outline of the scar.
"Mrs. Weasley, a pleasure to meet you," Merlin said. He offered his hand to Mr. Weasley and Augusta Longbottom and repeated his greeting.
"Where are your brothers?" Molly asked looking around for her other three sons.
Ron shrugged. "I'm sure they're around here somewhere." Merlin glanced at Ron and nodded toward his mother. "Er, Mum… Harry and Neville invited us to lunch with them. Um, assuming that's okay with Mrs. Longbottom. Harry even offered to pay for it. The three of us were going to finish some Christmas shopping."
Molly glanced at Harry and Neville and then at her husband. "Ron, that may not be the best…" Arthur started.
"Please Mr. and Mrs. Weasley," Merlin interjected. "I really want Ron, and all of you, to come. The Potter's have a lot of gold, more than I could ever use, and I know my parents would approve. Consider it a Christmas present for your family. Please?"
Arthur and Molly exchanged looks. Finally, Arthur sighed. "Alright, if Augusta approves then we will go."
"That's fine with me Arthur," Augusta inputted. "I planned on having a drink at the Leaky Cauldron while I waited. Your family is welcome to join me. Perhaps your older boys have some shopping to finish too?"
Molly nodded. "I want you three to stick together, do you understand?"
"Yes Mum," Ron said as Arthur and Merlin said, "Yes Mrs. Weasley."
"Mother," Percy called walking over to the group. Fred and George were pushing their trunks behind him. "Is there any way we can stop at Diagon Alley on the way home?"
"There's been a change of plans," Mr. Weasley announced. "We will be going to Diagon Alley and having lunch with Harry, Neville and his grandmother. If you three need to finish shopping you can do that. Fred and George you two need to stick together. And stay out of trouble," he said firmly.
"Yes Dad," the twins said.
"Alright, Ron you go ahead with Augusta, Neville and Harry," Mr. Weasley instructed. "We'll be along shortly."
Augusta led the boys to the Leaky Cauldron. "So Mr. Potter, Neville tells me you're a druid," Augusta stated.
Merlin glanced at Arthur and his best friend shrugged. "She would have found out sooner or later," Arthur whispered.
"Er, yes I am," Merlin said.
"I wasn't aware there were druids in the Potter family," Augusta commented. "I thought I knew all about the Potter's. The Longbottom's and Potter's have a long history after all."
"I talked to the goblins. They said there has been the occasional druid throughout the family tree. Nothing recent however," Merlin lied.
"Interesting," Augusta said. Lucky for Merlin she bought his explanation. They made their way inside of the Leaky Cauldron. Augusta found a table off to the side. "You three go on ahead." She handed Arthur the key to the Longbottom vault. "Stick together."
"Yes Gran," Arthur said.
The three first years headed to Gringotts. The bank once again sang when Merlin stepped inside. "What…" Ron exclaimed.
"It's the bank, welcoming me back," Merlin explained. "It tends to do that. It recognizes my magic."
Merlin walked up to Griphook. "Emrys," the goblin greeted. "Welcome back."
"Thank you," Merlin said with a bow. "Is Ragnok available?"
"He's in a meeting. Should I get him?" Griphook questioned.
"No, no. Don't interrupt. We'll visit Kilgharrah while we wait," Merlin said. "When he's done will you let him know we're here?"
"Yes Emrys. What should I say about your companions?"
"For now, nothing," Merlin said. "It will be a nice little surprise for him."
"Yes Emrys," Griphook said again.
Ron and Arthur followed Merlin past the gate separating the crowd and the tellers. "You're allowed to come back here?"
"Ragnok has given me free rein of Gringotts. To visit the Potter vault, I would need a goblins assistance but my personal vault is easy enough to get to."
Merlin led them to the staircase that would take them to his personal vault. His vault was separate from the rest of the vaults. It was also the most protected. The staircase seemed to go on forever.
They arrived in the large, open cavern. The door to Merlin's vault was just as big as any other vault. There was no number but anyone that came there could tell the vault was important. There was also no key hole. Only a druid of his blood could open the door.
There was no sign of Kilgharrah. It wasn't surprising seeing as how he didn't get visitors, other than goblins bringing him food. Merlin drew in a huge breath, ready to summon the dragon, when he heard movement.
The great dragon flew in and landed in front of the three boys. "Young warlock," Kilgharrah greeted. He eyed the other two. "You brought guests."
"This is Ron Weasley," Merlin introduced. "He is a friend I made at school. And this is…"
"Arthur Pendragon," Kilgharrah finished.
"You recognize me?" Arthur asked surprised. They had never officially met before his death.
"Your body may have changed but your soul has not. I recognize the part of your soul that is connected to Merlin," Kilgharrah explained. "Two sides of the same coin."
"You mean like a soul bond?" Ron questioned.
"Yes and no," Kilgharrah said. "Not all soul bonds are romantic, young Ronald. Fate has brought Arthur and Merlin together again and they will continue to do great things together." He paused for a moment. "I expect we'll be seeing great things from you as well."
Ron blushed. "Arthur has returned," Merlin said.
"Arthur has returned," Kilgharrah repeated.
"You told me he wouldn't be magical," Merlin accused.
"I assumed he wouldn't be. I am not all-knowing Merlin," Kilgharrah reminded him. "There is a reason Arthur was reborn as a wizard."
"Voldemort?"
"Perhaps," Kilgharrah said. "However, Voldemort is your battle Merlin. But I sense Arthur will be needed to rebuild the wizarding world."
Footsteps were heard. Arthur and Ron pulled out their wands. Kilgharrah chuckled. "Only the goblins can get down here."
Arthur and Ron lowered their wands just as Ragnok walked into the room. "Ragnok," Merlin greeted.
"Griphook told me you here along with two friends," Ragnok explained. "I have to say I'm surprised. I expected Arthur if you found him but not the Longbottom heir and what looks to be one of the Weasley children."
"Ron Weasley, the youngest male," Merlin elaborated. "The Longbottom heir is Arthur."
Ragnok chuckled. "I've heard stories about the Potter's and Longbottom's. Always standing together in times of war. It seems fitting that you two are born to these families." Ragnok stepped toward Arthur and held out his hand. "It is an honour to meet you King Arthur."
Arthur blushed. "It's an honour to meet you as well."
"You are always welcome at Gringotts," Ragnok promised.
"I need to go in my vault," Merlin muttered to Arthur and Ron. "I'll be right back."
Merlin's eyes flashed gold and the vault door opened. Merlin slipped inside. He knew exactly what he needed. He opened his bottomless bag and carefully slipped the items inside. He also grabbed some gold as he didn't want to make a trip to the Potter vault. When he was done, he left the vault and let it reseal.
"What did you get?" Arthur asked. "Just some Christmas presents," Merlin answered. Arthur raised an eyebrow at him but Merlin refused to elaborate. He wanted the presents to be a surprise.
Arthur knew better than to push Merlin. His best friend was an expert at keeping secrets. "We should get going," Arthur said. "Gran will start to worry."
"There's one more thing I want to talk to Kilgharrah about," Merlin said.
Kilgharrah looked up at the mention of his name. "What is it young warlock?"
"Voldemort. He was drinking unicorn blood," Merlin told the dragon. Kilgharrah's eyes darkened. "Do you know how he survived Halloween night?"
"No," Kilgharrah admitted. "Voldemort has dabbled into some of the darkest arts. Not even in her darkest moments would Morgana had attempted to use this sort of magic."
"The Old Religion?" Ron wondered.
Kilgharrah shook his large head. "No. The Old Religion wouldn't stand for such evil. No, this is wizarding magic at its worst." He studied Ron. "Come back and see me. I can help you with your gift young seer."
"You know?" Ron asked surprised.
"Yes, I sense your connection to the Old Religion. It is weak but it is there," Kilgharrah said. "I also sense your fear."
"Morgana was a seer," Ron said softly. Merlin's eyes snapped to Ron. It seemed his own fears were projected onto Ron.
"Yes, she was," Kilgharrah said. "You are no Morgana. She was Merlin's opposite in every way and Merlin's darkest foe. You, on the other hand, are very similar to Merlin. You have darkness just like everyone but it's how you overcome it."
"You think I'll be okay?"
"You have the potential to do a lot of good," Kilgharrah said. "But don't take it for granted."
The three followed Ragnok out of the cavern. "Should I have told him about my dreams?" Ron wondered.
"No, there's no reason to right now," Merlin answered. He glanced at Ron. "Have you been writing down your dreams?"
Ron removed a piece of parchment from his pocket. "I did. I was going to tell you sooner but…" He handed the parchment to Merlin. Merlin quickly scanned it. Most of it was nonsense, random dreams that meant nothing.
"What's this?" Merlin asked, pointing to the word's diary, sword and boy.
Ron rubbed the back of his neck as they walked through the hallway leading to the bank. "I kept seeing these flashes. There's a diary and a sword. Then there's this boy. He looks similar to you but dark. He's older and in Slytherin robes."
Merlin glanced at Arthur. "Do you recognize anyone by that description?"
"No," he said. "We could ask Flitwick when we get back. But what about a diary and a sword? You don't think it's Excalibur?"
"No idea," Merlin said. "It's certainly possible. The only other sword I can think of is Godric's and he hid that before his death."
When they got out of Gringott's Merlin withdrew his money pouch. He handed a handful, about twenty galleons by Merlin's estimate, to Ron. "What is this?" Ron protested, trying to hand it back. He was embarrassed to not have money but he tried not to let it get to him.
Arthur didn't understand. He was prince in his first life and a wealthy heir in this life. But Merlin understand, having been a servant in Camelot. It's why he tried to help Ron out. "Take it," Merlin said pushing it back toward Ron. "Use it for Christmas presents if you desire."
Ron sighed. "Thanks Merlin," he said stuffing the gold in his pockets.
Merlin frowned. "I'll have to talk to Ragnok about getting a few more bags."
They made their way to Flourish and Blotts. The three separated once inside. Merlin went straight to the books on the Dark Arts. He had to be careful. Harry Potter looking at books on the Dark Arts would raise a lot of questions. But he needed to know what Voldemort had done to survive.
Merlin flipping through book after book looking for some clue but found nothing. Whatever Voldemort was into was far darker than Merlin imagined. It was likely Merlin would never figure it out.
"Any luck?" Arthur asked walking over to Merlin.
Merlin put the book, Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts, back. "No, nothing. Whatever he did is not magic known to the general public and I have no idea where to go to find the information I need."
"What about that room in the castle?" Arthur asked. "You said it would give you whatever you wanted."
"The room has limits," Merlin informed him. "If the book I need is not in the castle then it won't come to me. Plus, I think to know what book I need. Without a name the room can't help."
Arthur swore under his breath. "So, we've learned nothing."
"We've learned nothing," Merlin agreed sadly. "Where's Ron?"
"Last I saw he was looking through prank books for the twins," Arthur answered. Merlin groaned. The twins were notorious for their pranks. Luck for Merlin he had been able to avoid being on the receiving end of their pranks. "I know Merlin. You should have seen Ron's face when you left though. He's excited to be able to buy real Christmas presents for his family. He wants to get something for his parents too. I told him I would loan him money if he didn't have enough."
"Loan? I could…"
"He doesn't want it," Arthur said cutting him off. Merlin frowned. "Think about it, Merlin. If I started giving you money, what would you have said?"
Merlin sighed. "You're right. Alright, I'll try not to keep giving him money."
Arthur laughed. "Don't worry about it. He does appreciate the money. Just be careful."
They found Ron paying for the last of his books. Merlin and Arthur patiently waited for him to finish. The shopkeeper was nice enough to shrink the books for him. The three left the book shop.
"Did you get what you need?" Ron asked.
"No," Merlin answered. "This bookstore doesn't haven't what I need."
"Have you gone to Knockturn Alley?" Ron asked. "Mum won't let us go cause its too dangerous. Fred and George have snuck over there a few times but they always got caught."
"Knockturn Alley," Merlin repeated. He turned to Arthur. "Have you heard of it?"
"Heard of it yeah but I've never been. It's a popular place for dark witches and wizards," Arthur answered. "Gran would kill me if she found out I was there." Merlin grinned. "Oh no Merlin. Someone has to be the voice of reason."
"Since when has that ever been you sire?" Merlin asked with a grin.
Arthur slapped the back of his head. "Shut up Merlin." He grinned at Merlin.
"Just like old times," Merlin said. The grin faded away. "I need to try to go to Knockturn Alley at some point."
"Ask Flitwick," Arthur requested. "If he can't, or won't, then we'll go over the summer."
Merlin sighed. "Alright. I'll give it until summer. If we don't find what we need I will go with or without you."
"Can we stop here?" Ron requested, pointing to a small jewelry store. It was a cheaper store that most purebloods wouldn't be caught dead in.
Merlin and Arthur followed Ron inside the jewelry store. Ron scanned the many shelves looking for something to give his mother for Christmas. His father was much easier to shop for me. He was going to go to the junk store and pick up some muggle items, with Merlin's help. His dad would love the chance to tinker with some muggle things.
After wandering through the many aisles three times Ron finally spotted the perfect gift. It was a set of earrings with small diamonds in them. Ron had no idea if they were real diamonds and Ron really didn't want to know. He grabbed the earrings and groaned at the price. Fifteen galleons. All he had left was ten after buying the rest of his presents.
Arthur dug through his money bag. He pulled out ten galleons. It would be enough to buy the earrings and something for his father. "Just a loan," Arthur promised handing over the gold.
"A loan," Ron repeated taking the money. He paid for the earrings and they left the shop.
Their last stop for the day was he junk shop. With Merlin's help Ron was able to pick out some electronic devices, like a cellphone, for his father as a present. Ron knew his father would love to tinker with some electronics.
With the last of their shopping done they headed to the Leaky Cauldron.