Chapter 8:

The Feast Begins

New Chapter. Thanks for sticking with me so far.

September 1st, 21:23.

"GRYFFINDOR."

Morgana was done in seconds, or at least that it seemed compared to Martin. She had decided that it was better if the meeting with the Hat was kept quite brief, though she did promise to speak to it several times later in the following years. She smiled as she handed the hat back to McGonagall walking then to sit next to Hermione, just partly ignoring the Gryffindor's applauses and cheers.

Draco was still glaring at her, far from Martin but not too as far as necessary for Merlin not to see him, and Martin was starting to lose his patience. "Oi! Do you have to be that much of a git?" He protested, "Leave her alone, Draco." If the boy attempted anything with Morgana, he would get burned, and there were things the Priestess could do that not even Merlin could not stop.

Malfoy turned to Merlin with a snap and glared at him. Merlin sighed. Here it comes…

"I have some advice for you, Ambrose " Malfoy drawled, scowling. Martin rolled his eyes, that boy was surely getting wrinkles early in life. "For this and the next six years your first loyalty is to your house. Learn it or deal with the consequences." Stupid boy, could he not see that Merlin was trying to protect him?

And that whole 'deal with the consequences' thing tasted bitter for Merlin. "Is that a threat, Draco?" He growled, ignoring the fact that everyone was staring at them both.

Merlin narrowed his eyes, would he get into too much trouble if he minimized that particular classmate and then threw him into his Pumpkin juice? Draco frowned even harder, until he looked like he was trying to purposely disfigure his face. "A warning."

"And not at all friendly," Merlin growled. This boy was going to be the end of him, or rather at this rate he was going to be the end of Malfoy. That boy was messing with powers beyond his ken, and Morgana was one such power with little patience to speak of, and a sadistic streak.

Recently sorted Nott, Theodore came and sat right next to Draco. Neither him nor Merlin clapped, and the rest were barely cheering his sorting, no one was too eager to interrupt the heirs fighting in the table.

"Malfoy," Theodore said softly, almost shyly. It seemed to be some matter of greeting, Malfoy didn't greet back.

He just rolled his eyes. "Not now, Nott." Theodore froze by the coldness of Draco's tone and turned away.

"Know each other, huh?" Merlin said with a sarcastic tone. Was Theodore Nott a friend? An acquaintance? Did Draco have friends for that matter? Or did he only have fans like Arthur had before Merlin? Crabbe and Goyle certainly fitted that description.

"What do you care?" Draco said.

Merlin sighed. "You know what? I don't."

Draco smiled, though it seemed more like a hybrid between a grin and a snarl than a proper smile. "That's better." He said. Merlin felt anger peak in his chest, and he almost blasted Lucius' son into the tinted windows.

"Better?" He snapped. "If you pretend to modify my behavior, desist." The immortal said. "You can't play me, Draco, I am not a pureblood, I have money and I know how this world works." Fighting with Draco Malfoy wasn't what he had in mind when he chose Slytherin.

Draco glared and turned away. Merlin sighed. Apparently, he 'won' the argument again. Though it didn't feel a victory in the slightest.

The bushy haired girl smiled softly, "You are Martin's friend?" She asked. Morgana grinned at her, she had probably seen her and Merlin talking at some point. It seemed she had more interest on Martin that she did on, for instance, Harry, which would have been the normal thing.

The Priestess hoped it didn't mean what she suspected it was.

Oh, Merlin. With his shining blue eyes and kind goofy naïveté… He may not intend it, but he broke hearts all the same. He was just too good to people even when, no scratch that – specially when they did not deserve it. Morgana had once heard that doctors could not resist when presented impossible cases… Maybe Merlin was a Doctor at heart, even when his healing spells were awful…

It explained her partner-in-crime's fixation with Malfoys, Slytherins and the lot…

Morgana smiled at Hermione. "I am so much more than just that." She said. "But yes." Morgana winced as she saw another boy join Merlin. He did not look too happy… Oh well, that's what he gets for not listening to her.

Hermione blinked, "Oh I didn't mean to pry…" She added, slowly. "Or to imply anything." Morgana could barely figure out what Hermione was thinking. For about a minute she stared at the girl, was she implying anything? Did it go over her?

"You are doing neither." Morgana finally responded. Then grinned, raising her hand as to shake Hermione's. "Ellaine Morgan."

Hermione grinned, "I'm Hermione Granger." She said. Morgana smiled and nodded, if Merlin had liked this girl then so, probably, would Morgana.

They spent a couple of minutes in silence before any of them would break it, just staring as the sorting taking place. And then…

"So, how long have you known him?" Hermione asked. Morgana turned at her slowly, it wasn't a pleasantry, Hermione was really interested in Martin's past. So it may be what Morgana suspected, the fool had really charmed the girl.

Morgana laughed softly, looking at the candles. "Sometimes it feels like I've known Martin forever." She was saying, with a small hint of nostalgia that went completely ignored to everyone on the table, but that anyone who would understand that nostalgia would have immediately detected. "We all but grew up together…"

Yes, it wasn't quite though, but for the sake of appearances they had chosen a similar story to their own. It was easy lying that way, when the deceit was almost true.

"Do tell…" Fred said.

She told them, fairly quickly how Merlin barely knew his father, that he grew with his mother in an almost humble home, when he grew older, which had been seventeen in Camelot but five or six in the story she told, her mother sold the house and moved to Myredero's.

She then told them how they were taken in by Myredero, who was her ancestor, and who unbeknown to all but her had technically replaced both Uther and Gaius in his story. Though Merlin would probably think of Gaius, not Uther, when telling the story. Morgana chose to do to, Gaius had always been kind to her even when she had not deserved it.

When they asked about her, shortly after, she told them she was his ward. Ellaine's mother died young, just as Morgana's had, and Ellaine's father had been killed in a terrible accident. How Myredero had shown up the very next day in the orphanage and taken her in.

It turned out that she was a descendant of Myredero, the great-grandchild of a squib Ambrose, and the reason why Ambrose took her in. The next she said was quite simple, both Ellaine and Martin grew together for the following five years since they met, Martin's mother died right before he started Hogwarts.

And the lie was complete.

Hermione looked directly at Merlin. "So you two are close?" Martin was staring at the sorting stoically, almost bored.

"I'd say so." Morgana sighed. Then smiled. "We had our bad moments too, though."

Lavender grinned. "He is kind of cute." Morgana raised her eyebrows and turned at the girl. "What is he like?" She stared at Merlin, he had chosen to look a bit like Arthur, so maybe he did look attractive to the girls. Merlin choosing such a classically handsome look was going to be annoying.

"I could tell you how he is like!" Hermione interjected, annoyed that Lavender was ignoring her altogether.

Morgana smiled at Hermione disarmingly. "He is kind, sweet. A bit naïve, too." Then she chuckled, shaking her head in derision "Very naïve."

"Do you know Myredero, too?" Percy Weasley interjected. Looking interested for the first time in the whole day.

"But, of Course." Morgana said, cocky tone, slightly narrowed eyes, coy smile. All the best of her snark for Percy Weasley, pompous fool. "I AM his ward. So you better be nice to a girl for once." Perhaps the whole concept of ward was alien to these children. Percy scowled and turned away looking at some girl being sorted, obviously hating Ellaine's guts.

"We thought you were kidding to mess with Percy!" Fred, or George, added. Their older brother, Prefect Percy glanced to the side, glaring at them through the sidelines of his eyes.

"Not at all." Morgana said softly, grinning at Percy. "He was getting on my nerves." Percy turned at her, and she smiled at him raising her left eyebrow until it disappeared in her beautiful, almost a bun, hair-do. He snorted and turned back again.

"Smooth." The other twin complimented her, obviously joking on her and his brother's expense.

She smiled at him and then spoke, pursing her lips. "Thank you, you too. Almost." McGonagall spoke up, and Morgana turned, finally hearing what she had wanted to hear since she had sat down almost fifteen minutes ago.

"Potter, Harry" Harry started to walk to the stool, shakenly Harry was truly Lily's son, James had nearly waltzed to sit, it had been a bit... Arrogant, and a memory that made her roll her eyes.

An older Gryffindor girl gasped. "Potter did she say?"

"THE Harry Potter?" A boy close to the girl asked, not answering her question. Whispers broke out like wildfire, and even though Morgana wasn't at all interested in paying attention to any of them, she really didn't care what the Hogwarts children thought of the Boy-Who-Lived. Though she was just slight curious what the Death Eater Juniors thought of Harry, she'd have to ask Merlin later on.

Morgana stared at Harry as her hat covered his face. She had told the hat, that Harry Potter was a Gryffindor, and that that was where he was going to be placed, and to just do it. Judging by the time it was taking to make HER decision, the hat was misbehaving, she would have a discussion with it later that day. The hat was almost like a son, and Morgana did indeed love it, but in this case it was like a rebellious one, he had gone with the same thing with Helena.

Morgana breathed turning to the Ravenclaw table staring at it with well hid sadness, sometimes thoughts of her darling girl jumped uninvited into her mind, she didn't like it, but there was little she could do about that. It was hard not to think of her, she saw Helena in the trees of her home, in the bright white flowers that predated those apples at her garden, she even saw her in Merlin, occasionally.

The hat screamed. "GRYFFINDOR!" And Morgana sighed, at least some things did go as she planned.

The cheers erupted all over her table, Percy jumped into the air. "We got Potter!" Percy screamed, repeatedly. Harry walked uncertainly and slipped through Percy looking both shocked, excited and embarrassed.

Morgana stood up, raising her voice enough for the boy to hear. "Oi! Harry. Over here!" She said, standing up. Then added as he sat. "Save that spot for Ron, will you?"

Merlin was miserable. For one, no one was even trying talking to him, they all looked at him as he were some sort of extraterrestrial being. Two, he was starving. Three, and most importantly, Morgana was right, the Slytherin kids were a mess! The sorting wasn't even over and he was already regretting his choice.

While twins, "Patil, Padma." and "Patil, Parvarati." were sorted into Ravenclaw and Gryffindor and Merlin was already mumbling a curse who would erase the memory of everyone in the castle and allow him to take the hat again. The only thing stopping him was that Morgana smirk that said 'I was right!'. He didn't want to give her the satisfaction.

A girl, Merlin did not hear her name, was sorted, and then finally, "Potter, Harry!" McGonagall proclaimed. Martin chuckled at the eruption of whispers.

"Is it really him?" Theodore asked softly.

Draco hissed behind Goyle, "Oh. It is him." He said. "He is all but a Muggle. Knows nothing of our world." Merlin rolled his eyes, it was obvious he had wanted Harry on his side. Why, he couldn't tell. Maybe he was actually hurting over Harry's refusal.

"He'll learn soon enough." Martin said.

Malfoy glared at him. Merlin glared right back. "Ready to start acting your house, Ambrose?" The pureblooded boy asked with a snarl. Merlin rolled his eyes yet again and sighed.

Merlin flinched and then glared even harder. I should have left him to vomit mice for the day, he though, ungrateful brat. "Last time I checked, Draco, it was Slytherin who defined the house and the hat chose by his standards, and that hat chose me."

Draco shrugged, eyes narrowed. "Mistakes have been made." He stated.

Martin wheezed in annoyance, "Ha!" Not that he knew of. And he knew a lot about it this was his hundredth sorting, on the very least.

Draco growled. Nott gave an amused snort, making Malfoy turn at him. "Something to say, Theo?!" He hissed. Theo flinched.

"It's amusing." He said carefully. "The two biggest heirs of Great Britain starting this year in Slytherin, and you hate each other." Merlin bit his lips. It's true that Martin Ambrose and Draco Malfoy were seemingly very alike in some ways. Rich boys who grew without a worry in their heads, always getting what they wanted. But then they were very different too, complete opposite, and that had to be confusing, or even as Theo defined it amusing, for other people.

Everyone would, at first, consider that they were so alike that they should understand each other. And maybe he did understand Draco. And he was here to make a difference...

Sorting was over. Everyone was sorted, Ron had sat next to Harry, Merlin had received a couple of new housemates. They were, to his annoyance, as talkative as the rest.

Harry was a Gryffindor and surprisingly Merlin felt slightly paranoid over it. Was it due to Harry being like his parents? Or was it all Morgana's doing? He never did know how much influence she had on her hat. Back when Rowena Ravenclaw had helped the hat with sorting it had followed her orders with no questioning.

Next time Merlin chose to become a Slytherin he'd go first again. If she tried to convince the hat to send him to another house, she might succeed. He didn't like that idea one bit. Though she probably would.

Albus stood up and waiting silence started. "Welcome," he said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!"

Merlin and Morgana both laughed. Dumbledore had always been like that, eccentric in the best of ways.

Most of the Slytherins shook their heads. Some said distasteful commentaries too. "Completely Insane." Draco snarled. Merlin rolled his eyes, he knew there was little love between the purebred conservative families like the Malfoys or the Notts, who usually ended up as Slytherins and the old headmaster.

"Is he a bit mad?" Harry asked uncertainly on the other side of the room. Morgana smiled. Harry would grow to like Dumbledore, it was both in his blood and in his house.

Merlin and Morgana replied, the first in an almost monotonous tone and the second in a cheery one, "The greatest Geniuses are always crazy!" They said. The response of the Slytherins was immediate, silence spread through most of the common table like wildfire.

Martin Ambrose flinched, thinking that once again it was his surname that protected him from direct prosecution of all but one. Draco stared with a frown. "Oh, great." He said. "A Dumbledore-fan." Merlin turned at him.

He sighed. "Allow me to ask you something, Draco." Martin said. "Is that your opinion? Or your father's?" Draco didn't even falter.

"My father has the right opinion." The boy said. Merlin rolled his eyes at the answer, carefully ingrained by early parental teachings, it could have been a young Arthur Pendragon talking about magic. "And you better start believing that too."

Martin snorted, suddenly and temporarily wanting to outdo Morgana's curse on the child. To the rest it seemed as if both Martin and Draco were displeased with each other, although probably in a entirely different way. Draco was getting sick of Martin's conflicting ideas, Martin was tired of Draco trying to change his ideology.

"I am sorry, but I'll believe Myredero instead." Merlin stated. Draco scowled. "He is 10 times older, knowledgeable and maybe even richer than your father." Blaise's eyes narrowed, looking at them continuously.

"You mean Ol' Ambrose likes Dumbledore?" The dark skinned boy asked. They all turned to Martin to gauge his reaction, Merlin wasn't feeling too much at home with his prospective roommates.

Martin rolled his eyes slightly. "Yes, yes he does." The children all blinked, some stared at Martin in surprise, some others turned at Draco. "He says 'Martin, Dumbledore like I, we have quirks, being eccentric is the mark of the wise!'." The whole thing was an invention, of course, but they would not know that. And Myredero did like Dumbledore.

Draco wrinkled his nose. "So he wasn't as smart as we always thought." He said. No one corrected him but nobody seemed to agree in the slightest with his assessment on the famous 'Sage'. Merlin smiled softly, thinking how he could use Myredero's influence to help these children. Maybe he could actually do this.

"Yes, he might be going senile." Merlin sighed, set on maintaining the strength of the Myredero legend. "But he is still smarter than all of us put together." There were fallen jaws, awed eyes and, surprisingly enough, a smile by some of the children. They believed him.

Merlin grinned again. He could do this, he definitely could do this.

Morgana sat there talking avidly with everyone, smiling, laughing, being absolutely charming. As ever.

Her partner, on the other hand, his part of the table sat in almost creepy silence, right after the last applause, very few conversed in mute tones (mostly about Myredero Ambrose and his genius), but the tension was downright palpable. Draco was angry, and Merlin was bored. This was not what he had expected as he started this year.

He had for a moment there believed he could change his predicament. But despite some children beginning to actually like him, no one wanted to displease Draco Malfoy.

He looked around the table, he was sitting next to Theo, the shy boy who had attempted to greet the moody Draco, the boy had brown hair, a slim frame and big brown eyes that almost fitted a doe, small but pouty lips and short hair.

To his other side sat Pansy Parkinson, a black haired girl with long black hair and bored features.

In front of him, Draco who sat mostly alone, Crabbe and Goyle had left to sit at the end of the table when Malfoy had snapped at them for seemingly no reason. To Draco's right sat a redhead second year boy, to his left Daphne Greengrass, a somewhat pretty blonde girl with elegant features. Next to her sat Blaise Zabini, a dark skinned boy with short hair.

"So, Martin." Blaise said hesitantly, breaking the silence. The children looked up, Pansy took her head off her hands as she looked at him. Daphne stopped staring at her plate and lifted his eyes at him. "I've been wondering… Are you an actual Ambrose? Or adopted?" Everyone seemed interested by the question.

Especially Theo, Martin could not help but think that the boy was so interested in him because he was an outsider? The boy certainly needed a push to lose his insecurity and loner tendencies. Maybe Merlin could provide that... Theo certainly felt more openhearted that Draco Malfoy ever did.

"No, I am not adopted." Merlin was shaking his head. They certainly knew Ambrose could have chosen any child and taken them as heir, so they were pushing the story, so they could discover whether he was Myredero's flesh and blood, because, somehow, that was very important for these noble pureblooded folks.

"My mother was an Ambrose, a descendant of Myredero's." He said, he smiled wistfully thinking of Hunith. Mostly for appearances, but also because he liked keeping emotion real when he spoke, as sometimes it was the only thing that was real.

"So your surname is not actually Ambrose?" Pansy asked.

Merlin snorted. "Technically, it should be Ellis. But my mother would have none of it, my father was fine with it too" It was never easy, or rather, it was too easy lying and making up a whole life he never lived, and how easy it was, was unnerving to him. "I think he had so many brothers and nephews, that he thought the surname's future was secure."

Pansy froze, "But he did not want his children to carry his surname?"

"That's strange." Blaise added. "Is it even allowed to use your mother's surname?"

"Well it was an agreement between them in the Wizarding World, though my birth certificate in the Muggle England says 'Martin Ellis Ambrose'." At first Merlin had considered using the latter as his name, but these children certainly valued his surname, so he changed it, both in McGonagall's paper, and officially early on…

Morgana would have figured it on by now. Merlin would approach her with the information later on.

"How did you become Myredero's heir?" Blaise asked. "Did he like chose you or something?" Martin looked at the children, thinking, perhaps he owed the somewhat warm welcome to being the richest kid in the table. His surname ensured he was respected, and even wanted as a Slytherin.

He seriously doubted they would be so welcoming to someone they did not know, at least by reputation… Even if that reputation was not technically his. It was all, or rather most, for prestige. The Ambrose family wasn't of the 28th sacred ones, but they were so rich that the 28th could respect.

Merlin sighed. Half-pleased, half-shocked at the way he made his voice sad. "My mom was his heir." It didn't matter if Merlin was the grand-something of Ol' Ambrose, he felt that if he were to show them a scroll on incomes they'd forgive anything...

"Wait. Was?" Daphne Greengrass questioned, wincing. Theo looked uncomfortable and bit his lip. Even Draco lifted his eyes at him for a moment before looking down again, apparently still annoyed.

Martin stared at him for a moment, was he going to say something? He looked down.

"Yeah, she died." He answered, looking at the floor. She obviously had, a thousand two hundred years ago, shortly before the Camelotian Civil War between Arthur's sons. But it had been to be expected, she wasn't like her son, she was a mortal woman. But neither of that stopped the pang of hurt Merlin felt in his chest every time he thought of Hunith.

Sometimes he felt he insulted her memory by using her for inspiration in his deceptions.

"When?" Daphne asked. Technically speaking, Martin Ambrose's mother had died very recently. And he absolutely dreaded the moment they found out... Morgana enjoyed acting her part, the harder the role, the more complicated the lie, the more she enjoyed playing it out. Merlin, however, did not enjoy the lies and the secrets, he never had, he never did.

The Immortal bit his lip and looked up, "I don't want to talk about that." There was another pang of uncomfortable silence. He really didn't, it was uncomfortable to him telling of that stern, loving woman who raised him, they would not understand, things were so different now.

Merlin turned to look at the left door, just in time to see the professor in the Turban entering the hall, shaking like a leaf. His magical senses fired up, and judging by the way Morgana flinched, so did hers. It wasn't as if they could go and scream 'I feel dark magic around him!'. Who would believe him? No one would.

But he had to ask... "What is the deal with the one in that turban?" He said uncertainly. He didn't expect much. They were children, first years, what could they possibly know? And if they did know, would they tell a boy who wasn't a child of a Death Eater? They didn't particularly trust him, did they?

Daphne stared. "Who-? Quirrel?"

"He is a whimsical one, no doubt." Blaise said, looking at the professor and then at Merlin. "My mother was in Hogwarts with him, according to her he was always a bit, what's the word? - Timid?" Martin did know that much, he was a teacher back then, he barely could remember auburn Quirrel, in fact, he wasn't completely sure he was that auburn boy he remembered him as. He was brilliant but quiet, probably knew all the answers but would not speak out.

Pansy nodded, "Not to mention I heard he was the Muggle Studies teacher before he transferred to Defense Against the Dark Arts." Martin turned at her.

"So he has two O Newts." He observed. It wasn't anything rare, really, Merlin himself could get a lot of Newts, almost all of them except, perhaps, Divination, reading the future out of clouds, the stars and tea leaves were beyond him. Morgana could do it perfectly though.

"And the turban?" Merlin asked, looking at the purple thing with eyes as if it was a being of it's own.

Pansy shrugged. "I don't know. A fashion statement?" She suggested, rolling her eyes.. "Looks ludicrous if you ask me." And Merlin found himself agreeing, it looked awful. But there was something more with that turban, something was not right about it.

"It's fine weave work." Merlin said absentmindedly. He could tell by the way the color didn't particularly change in the fabric, the purple was the same in the back as it was in the front. The weaves in the borders didn't look particularly damaged either… Was it Silk? Morgana could tell.

If it was, it was a rather sumptuous treat for a Professor… They didn't earn that much as to buy three meters of silk. Where could have Quirrel bought it? The Quirrel family he knew did not have the money to buy such a thing…

"Ha!" Draco laughed, saying with a small derogatory tone. "Fine fabric? Are you a Fashion connoisseur, Martin?" Merlin sighed. So the boy stopped the silence just to tease and gloat? He was more like Arthur than Merlin liked to admit.

"No, but Ellaine is." Martin said coldly. "No doubt I learned something from her." The simple mention of the girl seemed to annoy and anger Draco, he spurted a word that sounded like 'Mudblood' and turned away, stewing in his rage.

Merlin rolled his eyes, expecting that awful long silence to take hold again. One few awkward words were said. "Oh, look, Food is finally here." It was Blaise.

Draco served himself food and turned away again, Merlin sighed, he was ever losing hope with his future as Draco's guardian.

As soon as Quirrel entered the room, Morgana felt her magic emit a powerful warning sing, similar to sudden sting. She saw Merlin turn sharply too and realized that she had not imagined it. Who was this Professor Quirrel? She could not remember him in Hogwarts as a student, the last Quirrel she had any recollection of was a auburn youth nearly 90 years ago, or at least she thought so.

Morgana turned at the closest Weasley twin, just a couple of sits from hers. "Say…" She closed her eyes for a second. "George." She began.

He stared at her. "Heh." He said. "Good job, Ellaine, not everyone can tell us apart so soon." Morgana grinned, she had not used it in years but apparently her Legimency had lost none of it's potency. She did not use it lately, she did not open her mind in such a way often. It revealed her to Legimens all around her, a true legimens such as her was hard to find, reading people's thoughts and protecting her own was second nature to her.

Fred turned at her, "Actually nobody can. How did you do that?" She smiled, looking down, somewhat amused. If only you knew, Fred… If only you knew. She turned to the one person whose abilities were strong enough as to have felt her power.

Albus Dumbledore had not felt her, he was eating goat cheese with basil and tomato. Helga's Recipe. She turned at Quirrel, he was playing with his food with no appetite at all.

"I guessed." She said.

George chuckled, obviously impressed. "Well, you were going to say something?" He asked.

"Yes," She corrected. "I was going to ask something." She blinked, stared down and found herself in front of Helga's old recipes.

She immediately went to fill herself with her friend's tomato soup, chicken stew, potatoes, pumpkin juice… she was starving. Her classmates did the same and began piling food into their plates and right before Morgana took the first bite, "What do you want to ask?" Fred asked, sitting next to his twin. Morgana snorted softly in amusement, they didn't know how to deal with only one talking it, it seemed, they spoke and answered as one.

"What can you tell me about Professor Quirrel?" Morgana whispered, edging on her seat to be heard.

George frowned, and chuckled once. "That's an odd question…" He mused.

"Well, he is an odd man." Fred added with a shrug.

Morgana smiled, with that particular smile that once could move men into doing whatever it was she wanted.

"Tell me."

Do point out mistakes! Will be highly appreciated.