The trek to the site of the light was a long one. If it were only Merlin and Arthur, they would've galloped the whole way, but with three inexperienced riders that was impossible. Merlin stayed back to help them, and they stayed at either a walk or trot. Arthur was far ahead, and Malfoy hung behind talking to nobody.

Merlin switched between gazing at the back of Arthur's golden head and daydreaming about the society these wizards came from. It was clear they were smart, resourceful, powerful, and Merlin wanted to know what a free life was like. Their comments about the death eaters had been interesting too, even in the future nothing was smooth sailing. Before he could ask them about it, Arthur fell beside Merlin.

"We're close," Arthur said. "How do you think we should start looking for him?" Merlin was shocked. Arthur never asked for his opinion about these things, Merlin usually blurted them. When Arthur did ask, they were in a life or death situation with no clear escape. It was true he'd been acting differently ever since his failed engagement with Elena, but Merlin assumed it had nothing to do with him. Why would it?

"Not sure. Maybe our new friends have a spell or two to help track people," Merlin suggested. Arthur's stubbornness was expected.

"Don't be foolish Merlin! Who knows what they're capable of, we have to play it safe," Arthur whispered. Merlin bit his tongue and shrugged. He would probably use a spell anyways.

"Alright then, if you're unwilling to do the smart thing, then all we can do is look for footprints and hope he left a good trail," Merlin said, not attempting to hide the sass in his voice. Arthur furrowed his eyebrows, making Merlin smile with pride. There was nothing like pushing his numerous buttons.

"I'd choose that over trusting a sorcerer any day. At least it's honest." Merlin was torn between laughing or making a surly retort. How he continued to respect and care for such an ignorant man perplexed him. If only Arthur knew the harsh truth. Would he still say such things?

"Yes, because Camelot is nothing but honest when persecuting magic. You remember Eredin, don't you?"

"Merlin!" Arthur snapped.

"Is this it?" Ron asked, unaware of the bickering. He pointed into the forest off of the main road where they could see black trees amongst the normal ones.

"I thought we'd never get here," Arthur said before dismounting his horse. "Look everywhere for footprints, that's our best bet of finding him." He began to examine the ground closely. Merlin watched him for a while, noted the tension in his shoulders as he rested his hands on his hips, and decided that he had won their disagreement.

Merlin felt smug for the few minutes he pretended to look for footprints, but subdued his smirk when it was time to use a spell. He glanced over his shoulder and caught Arthur's eye across the black circle. Arthur quickly looked away, so Merlin did too. Certain that he wasn't being watched, Merlin raised his hand and muttered, "Neosie thu tha swath Dolohov." Out of the corner of his eye he saw a glimmer of light on the ground and he went to make sure the spell had worked. Numerous footprints revealed themselves in the dirt.

"What was that?"

Merlin's heart nearly burst out his chest. He looked over, saw blonde hair, and prepared for the world to collapse around him. But instead of Arthur's deep, midnight blue eyes, he found Malfoy's blueish-gray ones.

"It's just a spell, it shows me where the footprints are," Merlin whispered so only he could hear.

"Hm," he replied. "Pottah! Granger! Weasley! Arthur! Get over here, we've found something!" The rest of the group abandoned their search and went to where they stood. Merlin pointed to the footprints which lead northeast in the direction of Camelot.

"Nice Merlin!" Arthur exclaimed, clapping his shoulder. He appeared to have gotten over the argument. "How'd you find them?"

"With my eyes. Come on, we should follow them," Merlin said before whistling for the horses. He started walking before Arthur could inevitably make a comment along the lines of " I give the orders Merlin, not you".

"These footprints are awful!" Ron said, having to squint in order to make out their dull outline. Before Arthur could register what was happening, he withdrew the stick he'd had yesterday and cast a spell. " Appare Vestigium," He said. The imprints lit up like they had for Merlin's spell, only this time they stayed illuminated, making each one impossible to lose track of. Merlin was impressed by the magic, but Arthur was not.

"What did I say when we left the castle?!" Arthur shouted.

Hermione glared at Arthur and hooked her arm through Ron's. "He was trying to help. Let's get moving before the magic wears off," She said. So that's what they did. Arthur was quiet as they ventured through the forest, this time on foot. He was stewing on his anger and it showed on his brooding face. Merlin wanted to try and talk to him, calm him down a bit, but knowing Arthur that would have the opposite effect. So he kept his head down and ignored it every time he felt eyes burning into the back of his skull. Most of the talking was done by Ron, Hermione, and Harry who would speak in murmurs and then burst out laughing. Merlin did speak to Harry during a lull of silence, though.

"What are those sticks you carry?" He asked. He'd never seen any warlock or witch use such a tool.

"You mean my wand?" Harry replied. He took it out of his pocket and handed it to Merlin. The craftsmanship was excellent. The thick base was carved to perfection and the rest of it was smooth to the touch. Despite its beauty, it felt weird in Merlin's hand, like it was unbalanced and didn't belong.

"Wand?"

"Every wizard has one, but each wizard has a wand that's unique to them. Mine is eleven inches long, made of holly, and has a phoenix feather core. Hermione's is about ten inches, with vinewood and a dragon heartstring core. They must be rare in these times," Harry explained. Merlin was captivated, he wanted to know how they worked, how they were made: how he could get one for himself. But with Arthur only feet away he couldn't ask without sounding odd.

"Interesting," he coughed, trying to mask how excited he was.

He must've failed miserably, because Harry's lip curled and he said, "I could tell you how they work and stuff. I learned about it Fourth Year, but I still remember bits and pieces."

"I'd like that," Merlin said. Gaius was rubbing off on him.

"I promise it's not very interesting, but if you want to know…" He told Merlin all he could. Harry wasn't the best teacher in the world, and Hermione had to chime in a couple of times to correct any wrong information, but Merlin got the jist of it. Eventually Harry ran out of things to talk about, so all of them but Malfoy began to share funny wand stories.

"Hey Ron, remember when you broke your wand in the Whomping Willow?" Harry called.

"And he gave Flitwick that green bump? It didn't go down for a week!" Hermione said in between giggles. Merlin didn't have to understand a word they said, just watching her and Harry break down with laughter was amusing. Ron, on the other hand, wasn't even smiling.

"That's not funny guys, I had detention for two days," he grumbled. "Least I didn't shove mine up a troll's nose." That was all it took to get them squabbling about who had the most embarrassing wand failure. They got into it, and Merlin found himself observing Malfoy, who was far off but clearly eavesdropping on the loud conversation. His face was riddled with the pain of exclusion, and Merlin felt bad, but he didn't know what to say.

Out of nowhere, somebody rested their fingers on the small of his back. A shiver ran up his spine, and using the process of elimination, he knew it must be Arthur. He thought of lying and saying that Arthur had scared him, but he didn't.

"Merlin, does this seem strange to you?" Arthur muttered.

"What?"

"I don't know, maybe the fact that we're following these prints straight to Camelot. We've been walking for how long and they haven't strayed once," He said.

"Maybe it's just a coincidence," Merlin reasoned.

"Maybe, but we're also near the spot we found the sorcerors in the first place." He pointed to a pond hidden by shrubbery. It was certain, this was where Merlin had met Harry.

"Do you think Dolohov followed them?"

"It's possible. I think I'll ride ahead and see if these prints go anywhere else, I'd send you, but the sorcerors seem to like you for some reason." Merlin was glad to see that Arthur had cooled off.

"I can't imagine why," Merlin replied, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

"Me neither," Arthur said, but he was also grinning. Just seeing him happy like that was enough to make Merlin giddy inside. He knew Arthur had feelings for Gwen, that he didn't feel the same way when they looked at each other, but he was OK with fooling himself every now and then. Arthur moved his hand from Merlin's back and handed him his sword. "In case there are bandits," he said.

"What if there are bandits where you're going?" Merlin asked as Arthur mounted his horse.

"I'll manage. Keep them in line. I'll be sure to make haste." And with that he galloped ahead at full speed.

"Where is he going?" Ron asked.

"He's just riding ahead to see where the trail is leading us. We should keep going."

They kept walking, slipping between discussion about their separate worlds and tired silence. Somehow they got into a conversation about different types of trolls that will be discovered, and that was when Arthur came back.

"Seriously," Ron was saying, "these things are like twenty feet tall. We've seen our fair share for a lifetime." Merlin was baffled. The only troll he'd ever met was shorter then some children he'd met; to have it be twenty feet tall would be a nightmare.

"Are you sure it's a troll? Maybe it's something else."

Arthur came trotting up with confusion on his face. "Why are you talking about trolls?"

"Oh it's a long story. Don't worry, I didn't mention your mother-in-law."

"Well now you have!"

"Anyways, what did you find out?" Merlin asked. He struggled not to laugh as Arthur turned pink with embarrassment.

"Merlin-*sigh*-he's gone to Camelot, I'm certain. Get on your horses and follow me." He gave Merlin a disapproving look, and Merlin smiled in return. Merlin helped the wizards onto their saddles, and without a second to waste they trotted towards Camelot.

Dolohov had been in the castle. They followed Ron's magical trail to the gates of Camelot, through the marketplace, and to the front doors of the citadel. Once they were inside, Merlin and Arthur agreed it was the best choice to send the wizards back to Gaius where it was safe. They begged to go the rest of the way, claiming they could hold up against Dolohov, but Merlin didn't want to take a chance. They were only teenagers. They could do a tracking spell but that didn't mean they could manage a fight if one broke out.

So that's where they parted for the moment. They'd spent hours going back and forth from Camelot, so by the time they began to follow the footprints through the castle, the sun was setting. Arthur and Merlin made sure to stay close to one another, knowing that a killer could be around any corner, but they never met him. They wound up in the library where Geoffrey of Monmouth was reorganizing a bookshelf.

"Sire," he greeted when Arthur came into the room. He ignored Merlin.

"Redecorating?" Arthur asked. The room was even more disheveled than usual, and Geoffrey was more stressed than usual.

"N-No sire. I had a disruption last night is all," he stammered. His voice was raspy, his fingers were shaky, and his eyes darted everywhere.

"That's actually what we're here to talk about. Did a man come in here last night? A sorcerer, dark scraggly hair?" Arthur asked, recalling the description the wizards had given them on the way there. Geoffrey flinched so hard he dropped the book he was holding. Alarm bells went off in Merlin's head.

"I think he saw him," Merlin whispered to Arthur.

"Do you know where he went? What he wanted?" Arthur inquired, ignoring Merlin's remark.

Geoffery shook his head and said, "I'm not sure if I should say. What if he comes back, your highness?"

"Tell us what happened, and we can make sure he won't come back," Arthur said, speaking with soothing assurance. He rested a comforting hand on Geoffrey's shoulder. That seemed to coax the answer out.

"I was about to turn in for the night," Geoffrey began, his voice quivering. "When he came in I didn't think anything of it. His attire was strange, and I told him politely to come back in the morning, but he wouldn't leave. He said he was looking for something and he wasn't leaving until he had it. The closer he got, the more I could tell he was evil. I tried calling for a guard, but it was no use. He flung me against the wall without touching me and demanded I give him the genealogy on the Peverell family. I told him we had no such document, but he didn't believe me. Have you ever been stabbed, your highness?"

Arthur nodded.

"Imagine that pain, but ten times worse. Imagine being forced to feel it over every inch of your body: inside and out. That's the pain this man tortured me with. He wouldn't stop until I told him where the records were. I recalled hearing of an old sorcerer by the name of Ignotus Peverell living in Cenred's Kingdom, so I told him he might find what he wanted there. He stopped the torture and let me go, but he said that if I told anybody he'd be back to finish what he started, then he vanished into thin air. Oh my, he's going to kill me isn't he?"

"Not if I have a say in it. Thank you Geoffrey, he won't walk free, I guarantee it," Arthur promised. He was grinding his jaw, which Merlin knew meant business.

"But just in case, sire," Geoffrey said. "Don't tell your father. A big fuss will only let that man know what I told you."

"Of course not," Arthur replied. As he and Merlin left the room, Arthur murmured, "What am I not hiding from my father these days?" Merlin knew how bad he felt. He had the utmost respect for Uther; sneaking around keeping secrets was the last thing Arthur ever wanted to do. Merlin touched Arthur's elbow, making him pause and turn to look at him.

"We're doing the right thing, Arthur. Involving the King will do nothing but make things crazier than they already are," Merlin said.

"Are you sure? With the army of Camelot at our side we could catch him in no time!"

"We're not dealing with just any sorcerer here, this guy is from the future! He can disappear into thin air and torture people without even touching them! Swords and shields are useless! The only way we can fight him is with stealth, and you of all people should know that Uther is horrible at stealth. We'd be putting those kids in danger too," Merlin argued. The eye contact they shared was tense, heated, but Arthur relented.

"It's infuriating when you're right, even if it only happens once a year. And don't you dare say another word: no smirking either! You look terrible when you're cocky." Merlin knew not to test his luck, so he did as he was told and followed after him in silence. They went to Gaius's chambers to share their findings.

Hi! It's the author! I just want to give a brief warning, if you haven't figured it out already, this is a slash fiction that contains Harry/Draco and Merlin/Arthur content. I just wanted to provide a heads up in case either of these pairings are not your cup of tea, and because I know M/M is less common on this site than it is on AO3. Thank you! I hope you continue to enjoy the story!