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Chapter 3

In King's Cross.

1991, September the 1st, 10:15 AM

The Great Train from King Cross station was the first thing Merlin heard, the sound of the enormous whistle.

Aparating in middle of platform 9 3/4 was risky business... With one third of the British Magical Populace just right there, watching; getting caught was a possibility. True, they had never gotten caught. Not once.

Wizards would say Muggles were stupid and just did not notice… But they did not notice a lot of things too…

Well, the worst case scenario was getting banned from Hogwarts due to not needing the education. It was not like they could arrest him due to being powerful.

Getting banned, now, that was exactly the worse that could ever happen.

If it did he could always get the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts... It had a standard invitation. And though it was cursed, if anyone could break that spell… It was him.

Ol' Ambrose would be very welcome.

But then he could not infiltrate Harry's friends, and earn his trust. He needed that. "Martin?" Someone purred. Merlin grinned, he knew immediately who it was… His smile grew when he turned, scouring for the intruder.

" 'Gana?" Merlin whispered. The brunette smiled at him, her hair in a bun. Morgana and he had agreed to go separately into King's Cross, they always did anyhow… And today was no different, being alone made it easier to join with a group and make friends… Having friends was a way to blend up.

Children were just complicated, and dealing with them was tiresome some times.

She looked nicer than any common eleven year old in the place. "It is amusing." He pointed out. Looking at her eyes, they seemed to have some magical effect on people. It made her impressive, in any case. Like a girl a grandmother would point out to her grandsons and say, 'look she is pretty. Why don't you go talk to her?' Much to the boys' annoyance.

And they would turn at their relative and say: 'Gramps!' or something of the sort, they always did. And they always looked Mortified as they did.

"What is?" She laughed. And it was obvious that she liked that… A lot.

"You always manage to look real beautiful with any form you take." He smiled at her. Morgana smiled back, grinning widely. This time Merlin was sure the smile was an authentic one this time. She loved flattery, as soon as you did not go entirely overboard. But to her overboard was kind of far away…

"Merlin. I am eleven." She giggled, "Pedophile." That was actually an old joke of them, a running gag of a sort; when he checked out a girl or her, a boy, they would laugh out loud and call each other crib-assailant. Not that deep inside they wished they could have something with a woman besides the witch.

"I am eleven, too." He said…

And so they were, but that didn't stop her from using her perfume. HER Perfume.

She still made it, herself; it was subtle and delicious; it fitted her perfectly.

Whatever the perfume was made of, Merlin was sure it was complimented with magic. Or alcohol, as it made him dizzy and feeling a bit like drunk... And also it made her scent entirely addictive.

Morgana had used it for hundreds of years and it still affected him like the first time he smelled it. When a child smelled it, it was very amusing, they seemed stunned and confused. Some children actually followed her just to smell the liquid.

In Camelot, she had let him smell a cloth bathed on the liquid, and he had not been able to walk properly for the rest of the evening. It had annoyed Prince Arthur deeply... Uther more so. She had not known magic then, but she had somehow used it with her perfume.

It was the first time she met him. And the memory of it was still edged on both their minds. "Feeling denial? You know what they say..." He teased. She glared at him, Ladies and their age... "1362 is the new 40." She tried not to smile, and look menacing. Just like that time when you tease anyone, it went higher. "And besides, you don't even have wrinkles! Or look like Uther for that matter." He added. "Thank the goddess."

"Merlin!" She shrieked, drawling loudly. She still got annoyed out of almost anything, but she was not really that mad. But then he had just compared her to Uther, and it annoyed her, even in looks. "Stop it, would you?!" Making the people in the place stare at her, in surprise and mild annoyance.

She stared back, real embarrassed at her outburst. Most of them shook their heads and went back to whatever they were doing; often some searched for them among the masses.

Merlin remitted to grinning at her stupidly. Morgana was just a tad upset, if she were angry, she would have stormed off almost leaving actual lightning behind. That is how he killed his first car; he got into a heated argument with her. And it ended up with a bolt frying the object of her frustration; his 1962 Ford. He slept out, that week...

The beautiful ward had a temper when it came to speed driving. Especially when she had to drive him to pay the fine. Two hours straight of yelling... And when she got angry, really angry her voice tinted with a really deep and scary echo.

Merlin shivered, he hoped the fact that people had stared weirdly would not make her a fury... Her fits were literally explosive... And she was so vain...

She just smiled sarcastically, biting her lip. She walked towards him and threw her not - so - small handbag into his hand and pushed the bag courier towards him. The other bigger three bags lay. She was a student at Hogwarts, how much clothes could she possibly need? "You'll carry my bags." She announced, cruel revenge on her eyes.

Then Merlin understood her vengeance. This was not worth annoying her, he preferred yelling. Those bags had to be as heavy as the train, or somewhat. He had told her to use an undetectable expansion and weightless spell. But she never did.

He would have to cheat. But Morgana couldn't find out. It wouldn't be nice to know her, otherwise... Her pranks were always the worse; if he was not an immortal he would obviously not have survived. Her worst had ended with him hanging over a ledge on the Everest. And just because he had eaten the last piece of pie.

Not that HE did not prank HER… But his pranks were not as diabolic as hers. And she was a lady; Hunith had taught him to respect women.

In the end the rope had broken and he had had to magic himself out, much to Morgana's displeasure. She certainly knew how to hold a grudge, they had done it so for a fair long while.

How on Earth did he become a manservant, again? And to Morgana! Being her's was worse than being Arthur's, how did Gwen even manage?

But then Morgana felt some sort of Sadistic Pleasure by forcing him to work for her; was it by manipulation or otherwise, he always ended up doing things for her.

Can I use Magic?" He called out at her. She turned to look for him behind the frame. "How would Uther put it?" She said sarcastically. "I'll burn you on a stake!" And she was much capable of doing so…

She sniggered as she climbed in, and he saw her wink at him from behind an open door. Inside the train, some boys stared at her, Morgana had the aura of a true seductress. A third year even followed her around for a while before she noticed and turned back, prompting the Gryffindor boy to jump into the nearest stall, hitting the occupants and causing them to trip. They did not seem wanting to fight…

The third year muttered something to one of the kids in there, another third year apparently as he was just opening one of the books for that curriculum. And both Merlin and Morgana grinned when the four occupants joined in stalking the witch, who acted as she did not notice.

She always made herself so pretty that boys, who had not yet become attracted to girls, still were eager to see her.

Even children could feel it. Typical; Boys wanted to be with her, and Girls to be her.

She never dated though. They are like children, Merlin; Morgana often said. Neither did he, even if he liked somebody, she would never understand. Only the King's ward did.

Merlin laughed when Morgana thumbed up at him, and when she winked at him. But it turned into an exhausted 'ha' just as he looked at the bags.

Morgana was nice most of the time. 75% of the time, if Merlin had to number it up.

Except when she wanted something of you, and her claim was somehow 'fair'; or you made her angry, then she went into her evil- powerful-sorceress form. And sometimes she also saw fair in an extremely unorthodox way.

And it was not in any way, ever, pretty

Harry Potter, as far as Morgana was concerned, was very interesting. He had all the right to be a hateful boy; angry; to feel abandonment; resentment; but he was not like that.

The boy was pure.

And purity was something hard to come by these days. Merlin wasn't, and she most certainly was not.

When you touched the darkness, no matter how briefly, it never let go. And they both had done it, she much more than he.

Morgana had lost her mother at around his same age. Three or four years later, Gorlois had followed Vivianne.

And they had left Morgana an orphan, a ward to a violent King, and a sibling, to her unknown brother who was a rude, loud and obnoxious boy.

She had been furious with her father during the first years. How could he leave her with Uther? How could he go to battle without reinforcements? How could he die?

She had blamed the gentle man whom she had called father for a long while. For her, then, current predicament. She had felt a lot of really mixed emotions.

And guilt. She shouldn't feel that way about her sire, right?

Morgause for all of the good or evil that had brought to her life. Had brought all those emotions to front... Her sister too, had felt it all, it may have been madness.

Merlin said, that it maybe had been Morgause's fault... But he had said it like a presumption of insanity.

They had fought for that implication of his, but they always argued anyway.

Merlin... She owed him a lot. He brought her back out of the darkness. Her methods were bloody and messy, she was deeply mistaken about them. She was right about her cause, of course.

Merlin and she agreed that they both were wrong, if they were to go back. If they could. Things would have gone through a different path.

They would have worked together.

But unlike her, Harry Potter was pure, he had a heart that was untainted. He had to be guided.

This was her chance of redemption, she thought as she slid the compartment door. Just as Harry was raising his bangs to show the redhead.

"Hi, Ellaine Morgan." She introduced herself. Harry and Ron froze, Harry dropped his hair, and put his hand down as though it stung; like he did something wrong. Perhaps he did not want everyone to know who he was.

The boys stared at each other, and then at her; Whenever did she got in?

The looks she received from them both were quite amusing.

They looked at her eyes, that was the only feature that remained Morgana's. Not that they knew, anyway. She was probably going to turn some looks. She always did. Just as she liked it, her beauty brought admiration. It was a noble thing.

She often dressed to impress. Wearing beautiful dresses of expensive designs.

"Harry."

"Ron..."

She smiled, at the children. "Nice meeting you both, is that seat taken?"

Merlin cleaned his head with the back of his hand. Passive Magic or not, Morgana had an extreme love of material objects. Apparently the heaviest, the better.

Snooty Noble. "That is the funniest thing I've ever seen," A shrill voice suggested. "You are like a slave to the mudblood." The first thing Martin saw what Draco was wearing. Merlin was just wearing a blue shirt, a wool jacket and a couple of muggle jeans, instead of Draco's heavy red ones, dragon hide; Merlin noticed. Very expensive, Malfoy wanted to make an statement that Merlin always avoided doing.

He did not wear anything that gave that sort of image. Sometimes he brought something of emotional importance. His father's small statue was now connected on a chain. And now it hanged from his neck. The warlock also had his neckerchief, which covered the wooden dragon in his neck, he was rather fond of it and couldn't throw it away. But it was not the same anyway, Morgana had resowned it again, and again; several times, over. She could not stand her companion wearing ugly clothing, as it reflected on her image.

She would probably prefer he go naked than wearing serf clothing again.

He frowned. "Do not call her that." He said on defense of his companion.

"Or what?" Draco said, walking to the door. "You will ran to your guardian crying?" The silvery-blond crossed his arms, trying to look daunting, but Merlin could not see it. For him Draco looked downright annoying. But perhaps he was teeny tiny bit biased.

Go to myself crying?, Merlin chuckled softly. "Are you sure that you want to Alienate the Ambrose family? Myredero has a number of supporters everywhere."

And they send so much fan letters that his Manor had a huge hall for the owls, and a basement for the letters... And he had to learn almost six languages to read them all. Some were quite extent. Or odd. Or downright wrong?

Morgana would do it. She would take the roll of the political figurehead the next two times. She liked the idea better.

He was a just a humble serf, with a lot of time and money. So much it would make a King jealous. Another reason for Uther to hate him, but then he was already dead. But he often feel joy by believing that he had surpassed Arthur's barbaric father.

He really was not vain, he was not haughty about his fortune; people went through so much need. The world had changed, and not exactly for the best. People thought that everything was a political scheme. But it was not, he really cared for the people. More than once had he dropped all his money, given all away, started anew. Not recently though. With how close he needed to keep his cards to his chest, he could really not lose all currency.

Drew much media attention. Or attention, in General.

His kin. As it went. Even the Malfoys, as annoying as they were.

"Crabbe and Goyle can only get you so far." Merlin said knowingly.

The fact that Merlin knew Draco's associates so well seem to aggravate the blond. He went as red as the Hogwarts express on the background. Merlin sniggered.

"Have you been... Spying on me?" Malfoy said. The almost royal stance on him now gone, albeit temporarily. Draco composed quickly enough.

"You know Martin, when I told my father Ambrose had gotten another protégé, he couldn't believe it." He often did connect his family with a protégé relationship, so the money was explained. He and Morgana had long worked on a system to make their lives easier.

Merlin snorted. "Did you tell your how you treated the protégé? And heir?"

Malfoy glared. "You spilled Ice cream on me!" The scream was that of a whiny boy who was used on getting his way.

Merlin groaned at the stubbornness of the boy. "I said sorry! And I paid for the shirt!"

"That doesn't make it up!" Draco screamed. The whole of magical King Cross was now looking at them. The small crowd was full of children pointing, his future classmates.

What a way to make a name for themselves.

"It should!" Merlin frowned. "Is it an ego thing?! Are you trying to control me or something? I am not like your puppets, Draco." For him and Morgana, the Malfoy's egotistical ways were a running gag.

Once actually a Malfoy had pursued Morgana's attentions. And when she refused he had tried to take her by force… The priestess was not so keen with the idea. The Malfoy's were now cursed, actually, a slight curse of her design... A Malfoy would always be embarrassed by a woman. It brought amusing events.

And it was harmless, mostly.

"You can't speak to me like that! I am not a filthy mudblood like your friend!" The blond declared. Merlin felt annoyed anger grow hot on his chest, how dare he? He thought. And for a moment there, Draco Malfoy would be a worm on the ground. But then he had not seen a girl embarrass the idiot yet… In fact there had been no public embarrassment for his father either. Merlin just could not wait.

Perhaps he would turn Draco Malfoy into something much more original given the time…

Merlin?; Morgana asked through their bond; are you alright?

"Why on earth not?! You better stop trying to make me your political pet, or I swear to Merlin I will not me held myself accountable for my actions!" Merlin ran into the train with fury in his eyes, he vaguely congratulated himself for saying Merlin instead of the triple goddess. That would not have been very smart… He turned back at Draco. "And as far as I am concerned, Draco, the Dark Lord was never really interested in blood purity."

Draco froze, shocked. Perhaps Merlin should not have said that, and he knew it, but Malfoy was so infuriating that he may be the only person he knew who deserved being called Clotpole after Arthur.

The boy had that grin. THAT Really annoying smile that made him want to turn the Malfoy into something to incarnate his anger and annoyance at the Blood Maniacs.

Anything less than a slimy slug would fall desperately short. And perhaps he still could do better. Maybe

"Is that Myredero's ward?"; Someone whispered. "And Lucius Malfoy's son?"

A red haired man with glasses and a small bald nodded. "I am betting Lucius will not like it." Of course he would not, Malfoy may be a fool. But he was a smart one.

There was nothing more profitable than business partnering with Myredero Ambrose.

He had partnership with the best, even with Saint Mungo's.

And a man that old with a political life that long was likeable. Very much. He had done partnerships with some Wizarding Families through the ages, he had favored the Prewetts, the Potters and more recently the Longbottons… He had a nice steady friendship with Augusta. Who he often had tea with…

It would be one time that any of the shamed family tried to interest Merlin with the fate of their business. A business grown, watered by blood; Merlin had told Sangrio Malfoy. Draco's great-great grandfather. Morgana laughed so loud, she had actually exploded her cup of imported Jasmine tea… Merlin had not been amused, he loved that cup.

The Malfoy were magical leeches. They followed money as moths a flame. They knew every coin that passed from one hand to the other.

And they did almost anything to obtain it. They were unpopular, but no one showed contempt, they were as powerful and rich as unpopular. They did have their supporters though; families, purebred, as stupid as arrogant and covetous. And perhaps, the worst thing was they had a knack to try and steal power, just a little of it allying with the powerful immediately. Merlin just hoped that his show on Knockturn did not have Lucius Malfoy knocking on his door…

Merlin gave them the benefit of the doubt, but Morgana, refused to give them anything similar. As she refused to be a Slytherin. Merlin still respected Salazar in death… He often went into the house, afterall not all Slytherins were that bad. And that applied to Malfoys too.

She said that the house was full with dark magic... And she wouldn't be seduced by it ever again.

The methods she had planned for Camelot were turned around by the darkness.

Everything she did was for the sake of her cause. Every time she delved deep into the mouth of the wolf, so to speak, was for the sake of her cause.

Everything she did no matter how fell, it was justified.

For the Greater Good. That was how she defended her actions.

Such thought often hit Merlin hard. He wandered what could have been. And now, particularly, so much that he was not really looking at where he was going. He was lost in thought.

Was he that hypocritical? He often had thought exactly the same about Arthur. Perhaps he and Morgana difference lied only in sides…

And then he entered the hall and hit a girl with bushy hair, upfront. She tripped back, unable to reobtain her balance. "I am so sorry." He offered her a hand, and helped her stand. "Sorry. Are you okay?" She glared at him for a moment before realizing that he truly meant it, in which her eyes softened.

"It's alright." She said. "Hermione Granger." Hermione raised her hand slightly shyly.

He smiled, shaking her hand. Relaxing a little. "Martin Ellis Ambrose." He did not want to make an antipathy acquaintance on his first day. Draco, well, he did not count…

"Ambrose? Like..." She cleared her throat. Her eyes had widened a little, " Like Ambrose?" She whispered. "Are you? "He shook her hand slowly. And then followed her as they looked for a place to sit. "The Adoptive son of Myredero's. Yes."

"That is amazing!" Hermione exclaimed, suddenly out of shyness. "He is in every history books in the public library at Diagon! And he has a feature in History of Magic!" Of course, he did, Bathilda was a dear friend of Myredero's.

He enjoyed Hermione's company, she seemed to be nerdy. Probably loved to learn. He liked that. "Did you know that?"

It reminded him of a few people he had met, Mrs. Bagshot included. And of himself a bit, he loved learning about magic, it was an Emrys thing.

"I do." He had every book that spoke about himself. In any language. As well as the clippings of the Prophet. It was not an ego thing, he just liked to see them. Making sure he was making a difference. That he was noted. He wished he could do more sometimes, the witch hunting in Salem for a case… It reminded him a little of too much of Camelot.

It hit a nerve.

"How is he like?" Hermione asked, almost whispering. "Is he as great as they say?"

Merlin turned pink; he would like to say yes. But what he was doing right now wasn't that great, he was lying to her face. "I suppose." He answered truthfully. "He cares about people." Merlin added, feeling as real as possible. He did care about people, that was why…

Why it never got easier, lying to them all.

"He really does, I've read all that I could." She said excitedly. It wasn't every day that you met the family of the sage, as people called him. 'The Sage', 'The Wise', 'The great'. Those often went after his name, people often asked for his advice. More than once Morgana had joked he should start a advice column in The Prophet.

"Maybe one day you can meet him yourself." Hermione seemed to really appreciate the idea. Her smile widened, and she nodded, making her bushy hair skip up and down. Not that you have not met him already, he thought.

They went on slowly, all normal. Opening doors one after another talking about their lives, in Merlin's case lies, but one or two truths. He told her about Will, the state where he grew up, Ealdor.

They kept opening doors as they talked, and more than once they didn't realize there was an empty seat.

Merlin heard of her where she was born, about her Parents, 'just dentists 'she said, 'nothing magical about them'. Her father was an Odontologist and her mother a Prosthodontologist. And then she went on a rant about the difference between the two specialized dentistry. At the end, Merlin understood perfectly what her father did, but he still did not fully understand what her mom did. Too much technical words for him...

Even for the apprentice of Camelot's best physician.

There were specialized doctors in Mungos' who dealt with teeth. He was not surprised Muggles had them too, but they seemed to be really really specialized in their world.

Until she finally said. "You know Harry Potter should be here somewhere..."

He resisted the urge to smile. "Really?" He actually supposed some children to joke about it. To speak about Harry's worst day in his life as if it was a huge joke. But Hermione did not seem like that kind of person in anyway.

"According to my calculations." Hermione nodded, she was looking at the floor. "Shouldn't you go and look for him?"

Merlin lifted his eyebrow. "Why?" That was Morgana's job. She had to, erm, flirt a little with Harry; for a lack of better word, so that he liked her enough to be friendly to a girl. Not that it did not sound weird to Merlin; Harry was just eleven after all.

Hermione looked at him scrutingly, she seemed surprised and curious.

"Politics?"

He snorted. "Hermione, I am not the Malfoys. I don't always look for the first page of the Prophet." However the goddess knew that sometimes he did made it... But mostly he was on the fourth or five. He got into Radio too. Not live, but he did. "Now, where on Earth is that coming from?" Merlin asked. Was that the image he gave to her? That of a fame seeking boy? He was not Draco.

Hermione seemed even more confused. "But... The Ambrose family?"

Merlin shook his head. "Are not fame seekers, my mother certainly wasn't."

"Your mother?"

Merlin smiled. "Hunith Ambrose."

Morgana had once taken that identity for a while... They had not killed her off yet, but now it had become necessary... So they did. He was quite fond of the name, her identity. They had killed the woman's identity just one week ago… He just hoped that would not come with unwanted attention.

Merlin liked the name Ambrose, it had the same literal meaning the name Emrys did. But Emrys drew much attention so... In anyway, it was his favorite family… Building up a number of identities required a family background. But there was the Uralt family, the Vincere family, the Hemera and some many others; he had, of course, begun early.

"I've never heard of her..." Hermione whispered. More surprised than any thing else.

"Yes?" Merlin added. "That's the point." As Morgana had used that identity in Beauxbatons… They had both gone to different schools, anyhow. All around the world, he had for example gone to Walcott academy in Salem once. As Auditore Vincere, an Italian identity of his…

"So who was your father?" She asked, he put a half-realistic face. One of pain. Hermione blinked.

"I am sorry… I…" She mumbled.

Merlin shook his head. It was a long time ago. "No. It's okay. John Ellis." He answered. "A muggle. A small businessman." But as he said he thought of Balinor and Gaius, the only fatherly relations Merlin ever had. They both had taught him so much, even when he had known Balinor for so little time.

"So you ARE related to Ol'Ambrose?" Hermione asked.

Merlin nodded, "He is my great great great somewhat." He nodded.

Hermione grinned, nodding. "That must be hard." She said, he looked up at her. "Everyone expecting much of you?" She clarified. Merlin nodded at her, she was smart and insightful. A difficult combination to find the last few centuries…

"True, and I won't disappoint." Merlin answered.

"I might." She said. Feeling queasy as far as he could feel, nervous, too. He tried to avoid using his mind's eye in Hogwarts; children had a hard time with their emotions after all. They felt angry almost everything. They felt fear when they forgot to do any work for a class. And they felt great nervously when at tests.

He often tried to keep that out, but sometimes the emotions fell too strong. It was terrible when adolescents broke up or fought. The emotional turmoil often got into the Warlock. Made him grumpy, at best.

Merlin shook his head. "Muggleborns are as good as any wizards or witches, Hermione. You will do fine. Better, as you are smarter than them." She blushed.

"Thanks Martin." She seemed eager to change the topic. "Do you know about our class subjects?"

He spent a bit of time explaining about magic, and Hogwarts. She liked Transfiguration and Charms mostly. Merlin knew she would be one of the top witches of her generation. Her insight into magic was greater than those of her age. Those of adult age as well, it remind him of himself; the ability to understand magic as she did. As he always did.

Maybe this year would prove to be the best yet.

A'N. If you spot an error let me know. If you have enough time, please Review. And let me know what you think.