In which Merlin finds out about Hermione, Hermione destroys a Horcrux and Rewrites History.
Hermione sat on one of the benches at Gaius's rooms while Prince Arthur and Merlin scoured the citadel looking for Cornelius Sigan disguised as Cedric. Hermione felt as if she'd been dunked in smelly tar, and the intrusive thoughts she'd thought were bad with the locket wouldn't leave her alone with this one, despite her not having been in contact with the actual Horcrux. She wondered why that was and she had a few theories.
The first theory was that everything in this time period seemed much more alive with magic than in the future. Magic didn't need to be redirected through wands and cores, but it flowed out of the earth like a never ending spring. If positive, nature magic was enhanced, dark magic must be too. At the same time, Merlin didn't seem to feel it as keenly as she did, and she had thought of two possible reasons for this: the first one was that she was the High Priestess, so her magical sensitivity was enhanced, or the second one which was more likely which was that she'd been around Horcruxes before and, therefore, could recognize the feeling.
In all her time in the past, she had never craved for a shower more than she did at this moment.
She was also trying to think how to stop someone as powerful as Cornelius Sigan. Voldemort was bad, very bad, but Hermione herself never fought him directly. That was Harry. Harry would have probably known how to deal with this better, if anything because he'd confronted and survived Voldemort multiple times and he had a mind connection with the man as well. Hermione hadn't felt this inadequate in a long time.
At last, Merlin returned followed by the prince and their grim faces revealed the lack of success. It was already mid-morning and yet it felt later. In fact, the light in the room was all wrong. Hermione turned to the window and gasped, for right in front of her eyes, the sky was changing color and going from clear blue skies to midnight dark.
"It's started," Gaius said, somberly, "I must tell the king."
When the old man was gone, Merlin and Arthur sat down in front of Hermione.
Merlin asked, "Hermione, you said you knew how to stop this."
"No, I said I knew how to destroy a Horcrux when it was still a Horcrux. I don't know how to defeat the man once his soul has been returned to him," Hermione confessed in a low voice, "Harry... my friend, he's the one who had to deal with the resuscitated corpse, not me."
"We need to do something!" Arthur exclaimed, and just then they heard the people of the citadel begin to cry out in fear and pain, "I need to go out there and protect my people. You two stay here and find a way to destroy Cornelius Sigan for good."
Merlin turned to Hermione and asked, "Tell me everything you know about these things."
"You already know most of it, but here goes. A Horcrux is a piece of soul stored in a container to prolong the life of a person. It requires an extremely dark ritual that involves murder in order to severe the soul enough and then a potion to extract the piece of soul and deposit it in a receptacle. The objects have to be destroyed beyond magical repair in order to destroy the piece of soul within for good. That's all I know," Hermione said.
"How do you know all of this?" Merlin asked.
"One day, Merlin, I might tell you. At the moment, I can't because I fear the consequences that would come about. As it is I'm getting too involved in events that I shouldn't be involved in. Now, what do you know?"
"I only know that there was a glowing blue gem in the tomb that now is not blue nor glowing anymore," Merlin said.
Hermione frowned, and asked, "Can you show me?"
Merlin produced a clear, heart-shaped crystal, that didn't feel like a Horcrux at all. She couldn't even feel the residual magic that should have been there after being corrupted by such dark magic. Hermione realized that this must have been the first ever created Horcrux, and that the first documented case that the Modern Wizarding World knew of must not have had the same finesse or technique to pull it off properly. Hermione felt safe in assuming that she could destroy this crystal and it wouldn't affect Cornelius Sigan the way the diary affected Tom Riddle. What did that mean?
"Hermione?"
"I was just thinking... there is no residual magic in this."
"What do you mean?"
"When you perform a spell, any spell, you leave your magical signature in there. This spell was dark and powerful; this crystal should reek of Cornelius Sigan's magical signature but it just... doesn't."
"Does that mean his magic is less powerful now?"
"It doesn't seem to be less powerful, but maybe... maybe his magic died with his body and this magic is borrowed. Cedric doesn't have any magic, so Cedric wouldn't have left a magical signature."
"Which means he will look for a new body to possess soon. One that has magic he can harness," Merlin said, and the look in his eyes suggested he knew exactly who Sigan was going to try and use.
Tom Riddle used Ginny's magic to try and create a new body for himself. If Ginny had been a squib, Tom Riddle wouldn't have been able to create a body even if he did manage to possess Ginny. Magic must be necessary to anchor the Horcrux to the body and the real world after death. That's the only possible explanation that Hermione could come up with.
"Because without magic there is no real anchor for the soul," Hermione said, and explained her train of thought.
"So, what does that mean?"
"It means we need to get Cornelius Sigan's soul out of Cedric's body. Then, the soul will either return to its receptacle, or dissipate in the air, though that sounds way too easy," Hermione said with a frown. There was a piece of the puzzle she was missing, but she couldn't quite figure it out.
"Do you know any spell that can do something like that?" Merlin asked.
"I don't, but I bet Cornelius Sigan did."
"Yeah, and I bet he'll tell us over a picnic, won't he?" Merlin retorted.
Hermione glared, "He won't tell us, but his work will. I'm sure he left scrolls or something recording his findings and there we might find the original spell he used. From then, we can work backwards to undo it."
Merlin's voice dripped with sarcasm when he said, "And where would these scrolls be?"
Hermione rolled her eyes and answered, "In the tomb, obviously. And if there is something I'm good at, it's research."
Morgana watched from her chambers as the sky darkened and the gargoyles on the castle's parapets came to life. She saw one of them swoop down in the courtyard and crush a woman under it. She saw a knight futilely try to fight it only to be thrown against a wall like nothing more than a rag.
Morgana also felt cold, as if she were wet to the bone in the middle of a storm. There was also the feeling that she wasn't getting enough air to breathe, and was becoming light headed.
"My lady!" Gwen burst through the door of her chambers, and ran to Morgana. Morgana and Gwen hugged, trying and failing to comfort one another.
"Gaius has set up an infirmary in the great hall," Gwen told her after a moment, "I want to go down and help them."
"I'll come with you, then. I don't want to be alone."
"Of course, my lady," Gwen replied as if the thought of leaving Morgana alone was unthinkable. Morgana was eternally grateful to have such a close friend.
They walked down the hall together just in time to receive an influx of injured guards and knights. Gwen immediately set to work while Morgana hovered uncertainly; she wanted to help, but didn't know how. Beyond that, King Uther also happened to be there, and Morgana couldn't help the fear that cursed through her at the sight.
Ever since she'd accepted she had magic, she'd avoided being alone with the king overly much. She was afraid he would be able to read into her mind, into her soul, and discover the taint of magic. She shivered where she hovered next to the wall, feeling lost and alone even though she was surrounded by people.
Just then, Gwen came running in with Arthur, and Morgana realized that she had completely spaced out. Morgana noticed that Arthur was favoring his right side and had a limp, so she rushed to his side.
Meanwhile, Arthur was looking at Gueneviere like he had never seen her before.
"That thing could've killed you," he told her.
"I'll get you something to stop the bleeding, now."
"Guinevere," Arthur stopped her, and she turned to him, looking puzzled and perhaps a bit hopeful, "I wanted to say...just, uh...you always surprise me."
"Is that it, Sire?"
"That's it," Arthur said, "oh, and uh...thank you."
Gwen beamed at him and Arthur felt a bit of a flutter in his stomach that he told himself was because of the battle and not because of Gwen. He couldn't have her, anyway. Instead of wallowing in these confusing new feelings, he went to find his father.
"Arthur," the king said and looked Arthur over for injuries, "you are injured."
"It's nothing."
"Have we driven the creatures out?"
"They have control of the lower town. The market has been all but destroyed."
"How many dead?"
"Too many to number."
"I'm sealing the citadel," the king declared and Arthur felt all the rage he'd been bottling up since finding out about his father's hypocrisy and dishonor came pouring out of him in waves.
"You can't!"
"I have no choice. I have to protect those who have a chance. If I don't, we will all fall," the king replied, and Arthur knew that he was going to do it. Well, no; the king wouldn't do it if Arthur was out there, defending the people of Camelot the way he'd been taught to do since he could understand. So, he got up despite the pain and walked towards the door trying not to show a limp.
"Where are you going?" his father demanded.
"There are people trapped on the drawbridge," Arthur said as his only explanation.
"I forbid you."
Arthur wanted to tear his hair out in frustration.
"I'm not leaving them to die," he told his father and kept walking.
The king grabbed his shoulder, and exclaimed, "It's suicide!"
"It's my duty to Camelot!" Arthur retorted, tearing himself away from his father's desperate grip, "and to myself!"
He walked out, and when he heard footsteps behind him he turned to tell his father off. Yet, he only saw Sir Leon and some of his uninjured, and one or two injured, knights.
"Where do you want us, sire?" Sir Leon asked.
Arthur felt a wave of fond affection for his head knight and led the way to the drawbridge. He hoped Merlin and Hermione could come up with a plan soon, or Camelot and everyone in it would perish.
Down in the vaults, Hermione kept sneezing until she got rid of the dust with that handy spell Molly taught her when they were cleaning Grimmauld Place in the summer before their fifth year.
"You should teach me that spell," Merlin said, offhandedly, "it would make cleaning after Arthur so much easier."
"Focus, Merlin," Hermione snapped.
"Oh, so you don't want to exchange trade secrets?"
"I'm trying to find out a way to stop Cornelius Sigan, if you haven't noticed."
Merlin huffed, and went to a pile of treasure off to the side.
"I don't see any scrolls in here," Merlin said.
Hermione, from the other side, sighed, "Me neither, but he must have left something somewhere!"
"Unless he didn't want anyone discovering his secrets."
Hermione huffed but secretly was thinking the same thing. It made sense that there was so little record of this kind of magic, as even in the middle ages it was reputably evil. Of course Cornelius Sigan wouldn't leave his writings just laying about for just anyone to find.
Merlin, a voice resonated in her heard, and she turned to look at Merlin himself, whose eyes had gone wide.
"Did you hear that?" she asked him.
"Hear what?"
Hermione rolled her eyes, "I know there is a bloody dragon under the bloody castle. Now, come on."
Hermione stormed away and Merlin scrambled to catch up.
"How do know about him?" he asked her and she wanted to strangle him for sounding so suspicious.
"How do you think I left Camelot undetected when you brought me here the first time?" she asked.
"He helped you?!"
"He wanted me out of here as much as I wanted to leave," Hermione said with a shrug, "it was a mutual arrangement."
Merlin didn't look convinced but didn't say anything more as they got to the cavern where the Great Dragon seemed to be already waiting for them.
"You said you didn't want to meddle, the last time I saw you," the dragon turned his sharp eyes on her.
Hermione stood taller, "Well, it certainly wasn't my design."
"The prophecies have changed because of you," the dragon snarled at her, "you shouldn't have been here."
"You told me I could never go back," Hermione retorted.
"And that is true. I expected you to leave Camelot and never return," the dragon said.
"I tried, okay? But then... things happened," she said, thinking of the way Magic had seemingly taken over her body and made her the High Priestess.
"Dangerous things happen to those who meddle with time," the dragon warned in a statement that reminded her of Dumbledore. She couldn't help but roll her eyes.
"I've heard that before. Now, did you call us here for a reason or can we go? We kind of have to stop Cornelius Sigan from destroying Camelot."
"I didn't call you."
"It doesn't matter. I was with Merlin when you called, so I came with him. Two minds think better than one."
Merlin, tired of being ignored, pipped in and said, "Can you help us?"
"I know of the spell you seek, young warlock. But, in return, you must give something to me."
"What do you want?" Hermione asked.
"That is none of your concern," the dragon answered.
"It is because I will have to clean up the mess afterwards," Hermione said.
"Hey!" Merlin cried, indignant.
"You need my help, witch. I don't need to do anything to destroy Camelot; I just have to let Cornelius Sigan do it for me. So, if you aren't willing to listen to my conditions, you may leave."
"So you admit you want to destroy Camelot."
"Stop it, the both of you!" Merlin yelled, "I don't know what kind of game you are playing, but people are dying! Innocent people who did nothing but go about their day. I promise to do as you ask if you will give me the spell that will stop Cornelius Sigan from destroying Camelot."
The dragon looked, if it was even possible, incredibly smug as he told Merlin to open his mind and blew hot hair in his face. Merlin's eyes glowed incandescent and when they stopped, Melrin turned and ran back up. Hermione ran after him without looking at the dragon who knew he got away with the better part of the deal.
"Merlin!" she stopped him by the arm, "Making a promise like that was incredibly foolish."
"Do you think I care about what you think?" Merlin asked, and she was surprised to hear the anger in his voice, "This is not a game, Hermione. Lives are at stake!"
"I know that!"
"Do you? Because you seem to be meddling with things powerful enough to change prophecies."
Hermione paled, and said, "Merlin, please let me explain."
"I figured it out, not that it was hard with him spelling it out," Merlin spat out, "now I understand why you wouldn't tell me where you're from, and why you ran in the cover of the night like a thief."
"Merlin, it isn't what you think..."
"Oh, it isn't? So, you aren't from a different time?"
"I am, but I didn't mean to come here!"
"But you did, and you changed everything, and I'm not sure it's for the best," Merlin retorted and climbed up the rest of the stairs.
Hermione remained behind, in the dark tunnel, considering leaving Merlin to save Camelot by himself. After all, this must have happened before in the past where she didn't meddle. And it must have gotten resolved, too, or the legend of King Arthur and Camelot wouldn't have reached her present-or-future. If she left now, and never returned, then history would play out the way she had always heard in the stories... but then... then Mordred would be alone, and that path would lead him to a Morgana that wanted Arthur dead. And in that path, Mordred would kill King Arthur.
Hermione shook her head.
She understood the risks of meddling time, while at the same time it wasn't her conscious decision to become the High Priestess. Something else was in control, here. Something that was beyond her, and even the dragon's, comprehension. Therefore, if Magic wanted her to be the High Priestesses, then Magic expected her to not sit idly by while these events transpired.
She climbed up the stairs and went to the courtyard, where Merlin was hugging Gaius and a befuddled looking Arthur watched on. The gargoyles had fallen around them, inert like the rocks they were now that the magic had returned to the receptacle, and the body of Cedric the servant lied on the ground a few feet from the men. She walked up to them.
"You did it," Hermione said, and Merlin whirled around to face her. He didn't look angry anymore, but he did look ready to attack her.
"What fo you want?" Merlin asked.
"I want what I came here for in the first place," Hermione said and pointed to the glowing gem Horcrux in Merlin's hand, "I want that destroyed."
"How do I know you will actually destroy it if I give it to you?" Merlin asked.
"Merlin!" Arthur exclaimed, "What's gotten into you?"
Merlin didn't break eye contact with Hermione, despite Arthur's exclamation, and neither did Hermione. She challenged him, in his mind, to tell Arthur her secret.
Go ahead, she told him, expose me in front of the physician and the future king Arthur. There will be enough repercussions to contend with now that you know. Who knows what will happen if they know, too?
Merlin didn't miss a beat when he replied, Is that what you came here to do? Destroy everything that Arthur will do and become to further your agenda?
And what agenda would that be? You know that I have never attempted to harm the prince, Hermione thought back.
Not directly, no. But your mere presence here puts his life, his existence and his future in danger, Merlin said.
Who's the one from the future in this situation? Who's the one with experience? You? Have you travelled back in time before?
Hermione felt smug to notice Merlin's expression falter for a second. Outloud, she said, "You can come and help me destroy it, if you want. You can even carry it. I know I don't want to have to touch one of those things ever again."
Something in Merlin's gaze changed, and she noticed the moment that he realized where her knowledge really came from. He nodded.
"And am I invited to this event or is it reserved for courting couples?" Arthur interjected, sounding irritated. Even Gaius had his eyebrow raised in an ill-disguised effort to hide his curiousity.
"I believe the king will be worried if you don't return to the castle soon," Hermione said, purposely ignoring the remark about courting. If only the prince knew what really was going on, he'd be none too happy about it.
"Merlin and I can handle this one."
Merlin turned to look at Arthur, and nodded.
"I'll deal with this, Arthur. Your father will send out a search party if you don't return soon."
Arthur rolled his eyes, "I expect a full report when you return."
"What am I, now? A knight?" Merlin asked.
"Well, you certainly behave like one even if you don't have the brawn or the ability to wield a sword," Arthur replied, "might as well make use of it."
"Of course, sire. Anything else?"
"I expect you to finish your chores when you return."
"You mean to say the chores that Cedric neglected when he was supposedly your manservant?"
"Exactly."
"Prat."
"Now go, Merlin. We've wasted enough time as it is," Arthur said and started limping back towards the castle. Gaius looked torn between following Merlin and following Arthur and in the end decided to follow the prince, but not before letting Merlin know they would have a serious talk.
When they were alone, Merlin said to Hermione, "Lead the way, then."
Hermione did.
Hermione and Merlin walked in silence to a clearing in the forest that Hermione deemed good enough. She then walked around in a wide circle drawing figures on the ground. Merlin, despite his best efforts not to be, got intrigued.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"I'm drawing a containtment perimeter using runes," Hermione said.
"What for?"
"The spell I need to use to destroy this can get out of control very fast, and if that happens, this will hopefully stop it," Hermione explained.
"Did you learn this in the future?"
Hermione visibly hesitated, before she answered, "Yes."
"Where? Who taught you?"
Hermione sighed, "You wouldn't know. And, besides, I'm not sure how telling you any of this would help or harm the already endangered timeline."
"But you wield your magic so precisely... does that mean magic is no longer persecuted?" Merlin asked and the hope in it killed a bit of Hermione's.
"We... uh... the magical community went into hiding. We learned and lived in a society hidden from those without magic. I'm afraid that no, the persecution never really stopped and it became safer to simply separate both worlds entirely," Hermione said.
Merlin deflated a bit and Hemrione continued drawing runes on the ground. When she was done, she walked up to Merlin.
"Put that in the center of the circle," she instructed him and he did so. She gestured him to move away as she took her position at the edge of the circle.
"I will use a fire spell that is very hard to control. If you see me lose control of the spell, you must pour as much magic as you can in that rune over there," she pointed to the rune placed in the North position, "it will create a shield that won't dissapear until the spell inside the dome has been contained."
Merlin nodded. Hermione nodded too, mostly to reassure herself. She'd read about this, but she'd never done it. She was terrified. There was a chance she could die today, and while she didn't want to, she wondered whether that would be for the best. She took a deep breath and did the best to will those thoughts away.
She needed to assert her will over the fire; any and all doubts in her mind would work against her. She was a Gryffindor, the epitome of strong, if foolish, willed. She could do this. She had to do this.
She stretched her hand in front of her and thought of the incantation. To her surprise, this time the incantation didn't translate itself into the langauge of the old religion. She felt the power surge through her fingers, and it felt hot like the fire she was trying to conjure. She focused on that and pictured the beasts of fire consuming the piece of cursed soul on the ground in front of her. A lion, a phoenix, and an eagle formed out of the flames and lunged at the glowing gem, and while they were obeying her command, she could feel their desire to break free and burn everything around them.
The gem on the ground pulsed and pulsed, but the way it was it couldn't do anything against the flames. The flames engulfed it and the gem shattered. A black cloud of foul smelling smoke rose in the shape of raven with an inhuman screech before the flames also consumed it.
That's when everything went wrong.
Hermione got assaulted by a sharp, throbbing pain behind her eyelids and she had to close her eyes. The spell got out of control very fast after that, and she was vaguely aware of Merlin activating the runes she'd drawn, but her vision blanked out and she hit the ground hard.
When she opened her eyes, she was in a white, vast expanse of nothing. In front of her there was a hazy vision: she recognized her parents living room, but she must have been a young child for everything looked taller and strangely out of reach. Then, there was a bang and three man rushed in. Adult Hermione recognized Sirius Black and Remus Lupin flanking a blonde man she did not recognize, but child Hermione was terrified. Her parents jumped in front of her, but the men pulled out their wands. Her parents, Richard and Helen Granger, got blank, slack expressions on their faces before the men stunned them and laid them on the couch. By now, child Hermione was screeching and crying until Remus leaned down in front of her and made colorful bubbles float in front of her. Then he scooped her up and adult Hermione heard the pop of apparition as they left her parents house.
That vision vanished and another replaced it. This next one was clearer: Hermione was playing in a very green yard when a black haired boy ran to her and asked her if she wanted to play hide-and-seek. Child Hermione haughtily replied that you couldn't play with only two players. The black haired boy whom Adult Hermione recognized now as one young Harry James Potter replied that Padfoot and Wormtail could join them, and their parents too. Child Hermione frowned and said she didn't want to play with adults.
Adult Hermione, meanwhile, was struggling to compehend what was going on. These visions felt like memories, yet they had never happened. At least, not to the version of herself that travelled back in time to ancient Camelot.
The next vision showed Hermione sitting in a wide, ornate living room and the contrast with the others was sharp. The other visions felt like looking in through a dirty glass, while this one felt like she was looking at it through a magnifying glass. In front of her, Remus Lupin and a woman she had never seen before were holding hands and a cup of tea each. They were explaining something to her; something that Adult Hermione didn't remember nor recognize.
"He who must not be named got a hold of important docments with all the names of all the muggleborn children who were born from 1980 to 1985. A group of us who found out worked very hard to keep all these families from danger. That's why that day we convinced your parents that they didn't have a daughter and their life ambition was to move to Australia, and we took you," Remus was saying.
"You aren't my mum and dad," Child Hermione said, and Adult Hermione felt an echo of the terrible heartbreak this child felt back then.
The woman leaned in, making sure to keep eye contact with Hermione and said, in a clear, if choked up voice, "Hermione, you are and always will be, our daughter."
The vision vanished and was replaced with the very busy nine and three quarters station. Hermione ran to Harry, who was standing to a Ron Weasley who looked very different than the one Adult Hermione remembered, and hugged him. Ron looked down at her with his nose upturned, and said something nasty about her clothes. Harry stepped on his foot, and Ron yelped and made an expression Adult Hermione could finally recognized.
"We can't all be posh gits, can we?" Child Hermione spat before she turned back to where her parents... eh... Remus and that woman were waiting for her.
One after the other, the visions passed in quick succession until Hermione felt her head would explode. The one that broke the metaphorical camel's back was during the height of the Chamber of Secrets debacle, when she looked into the terryfying red eyes of Lord Voldemort himself.
"Stop!" she screamed, and the visions completely disappeared. She was left in an empty, blank space that was as silent as a tomb. She could only hear her hard breathing and fell her heart throbbing in her forehead.
"What the bloody hell is going on?" she murmured.
"You are seeing the world you helped create," a female voice said to her right and Hermione jumped out of her skin.
"Who are you?" Hermione asked, weary. The woman had long, long hair that glowed bright and golden, fair skin and piercing, glowing, golden eyes. She was wearing a dress so white it reflected the glow like a mirror and made looking at her directly hurt, so Hermione averted her eyes to the ground. Hermione had a hunch on who She was.
"I am the Triple Goddess, and I am the one who brought you here."
"Here, as in this space? Or here, as in Ancient Camelot?"
"This space, as you call it, is your own mind and the visions you just saw are your own memories."
"That's not true," Hermione replied, shaking her head, "I was born to Richard and Helen Granger and stayed with them until I was eighteen and I, by myself, altered their memory to protect them."
"That was in a future that will no longer exist," the Goddess explained.
"Oh," Hermione said, dismayed, "what have I done?"
"Nothing you were not meant to do, when I brought you here."
"Why did you bring me here?"
The Goddess shrugged a careless shoulder, and answered, "Convenience, mostly. When that time turner exploded you were going to die in the subsequent explosion that destroyed the Manor. I decided you could help more here, in Camelot, before any of those events could come to pass."
"But I've altered the future!" Hermione wailed, "What if I made someone die? Or not be born? What if I disapear because I errased my own existence?"
"As of right now, you are living outside of time with my blessing. As long as you fulfill your mission in Camelot, you will always be allowed to return to your own time."
"But that future will not be the same one I left behind, will it?" Hermione retorted, upset, "And what is this mission you are talking about? What do you want me to do?"
"Nothing you haven't already started doing before you even knew of my involvment."
"You are the one who made me the High Priestess!" Hermione exclaimed.
"As I said, your existence here is only possible with my blessing. The best way for the blessing to touch you is for you to be one of my Priestesses."
"But I never asked for any of this!"
"No, but I chose you."
"Well, I don't want it. Take it back!"
"Very well. However, if I take it back, you will cease to exist," the Goddess told her.
"No, I want to go home," Hermione retorted.
"The home you speak of no longer exists. You may return to the future at the end of your mission, or you may disappear right now and it will be as if you had never existed. If you choose to say and complete the mission I have given you, you could save a lot of lives, which is more than you could accomplish if you just disappeared."
Hermione bit her bottom lip and felt the prickle of tears in her eyes. What had she ever done to deserve this?
"Hermione, this is not the punishment you think it is," the Goddess told her, and the glow softened, as if she had read Hermione's mind. Which, Hermione realized, was entirely possible.
"I've lost everything," Hermione said, "even if I do return to the future, my friends will no longer be the ones I know, and my parents won't be there either."
"It is a small price to pay for all the good you've done."
"I just irrevocably changed the future!"
"Because you destroyed the source of a great evil. Cornelius Sigan was the first person to cheat death by splitting his soul in half, and his taint echoed through time until the knowledge reached the hands of one Tom Riddle Jr., and you already know how he used it. With the first Horcrux destroyed, Tom Riddle Jr. could never create his own, and that is what changed the future you lived."
"Oh."
Hermione felt overwhelmed. Her headache hadn't receased and she just wanted everything to go away.
"You may call on me when you feel ready," the Goddess said and vanished. With her, the white space around her also started to crumble and Hermione welcomed the darkness with a sigh of relief.
Merlin noticed something was wrong when the flames first appeared. They felt wild, untamable, even to his magic. He watched in awe as Hermione dominated the flames and held them under her control long enough for the wicked soul of Cornelius Sigan to be vanquished. But then, the beasts escaped her careful control and jumped into the undergrowth which quickly caught on fire.
Quickly, he poured magic into the symbol Hermione drew into the earth, and it glowed. In quick succession, all the other symbols began to glow too until the flames were encased in an invisible dome. The beasts of fire were clearly angry and tried to break free, but the magic held them in.
Merlin, however, quickly realized that they were quite a visible problem. They weren't that far away from Camelot and soon enough there would be patrols; this was clearly a magical fire contained by a magical barrier, but they wouldn't know and could, potentially, erase the symbols on the ground and unleash the beasts in the forest.
So, he pointed his palm in the direction of the dome and said, þu you dunnest."
The fire became hazy until it disappeared from view. If Merlin move from side to side, he could kind of see it, but then again, he was the one to cast the spell. He would undo it eventually, because invisible didn't mean intangible, but he trusted that he could take care of Hermione in the time it took for the fire to burn itself off.
Speaking of, now that the urgent matter was taken care of, Merlin rushed to Hermione's side. Her face was covered in sweat and her eyebrows were pinched in the center of her forehead. Underneath her eyelids her eyes seemed to be moving very fast, and Merlin thought he saw them glow. He put a hand to her forehead and noticed that she was burning up.
He had the thought to bring her to Gaius; he could carry her if he used a lightening spell, and they were close. Pretty soon he discarded the idea, however, because if he could see her glow surely the guards would too. And it was obviously magical. Anything this obviously magical would reach the king's ears and, even if they could convince him that Hermione was enchanted rather than the enchantress, Merlin knew Hermione would do something foolish like perform magic in front of the king.
So, that left him no option but the druids. The problem was that he had no idea where they where. Hermione began to spasm at that moment, and Merlin decided he didn't have a lot of time so he just projected the thought of help as loud as he could and hoped it reached them.
Moments passed and Merlin started to despair that they'd show up when there was a rustling in the trees and three druids came out from the trees. Two of them Merlin recognized. One was Iseldir, and the other one was the man who'd come to help when Hermione collapsed all those months ago when Morgana went missing.
"What happened to her?" Iseldir asked.
"I don't know. She performed a spell of fire, and then collapsed," Merlin explained.
"Let's bring her back to camp," the second man Merlin recognized said, "we are too exposed here."
He moved to pick up Hermione, like that last time, but Merlin stood between them.
"I'll do it," Merlin said, and picked Hermione up. She was heavier than he expected, but not enough to warrant a lightening spell. Merlin nodded at them to lead the way and they did.
While they walked, Merlin kept his attention partly on Hermione. She was still frowning, and her skin still felt hot to the touch, but she had stopped spasming and her eyes had stopped glowing.
They arrived in the camp where they were greeted by an elder Druid woman and Mordred. The later's eyes widened when he saw Hermione and he clenched his hand around the old woman's. She told him something, and Mordred darted away as if he was on a mission. The old Druid woman approached them and told Merlin to follow her, then led him to a tent like all the others in the perimeter of the camp.
"Lay her down there," she said, and Merlin did. Then, the same way Gaius would examine a patient, she examined Hermione. Merlin realized then she was a healer.
"Can you tell me what happened?"
"She performed a spell of fire, but then she collapsed," Merlin said.
"She wasn't attacked?"
"No," Merlin said, quite forcefully. She looked at him, unimpressed, and he apologized.
"I didn't mean to insult you, Emrys," she said.
"I would have defended her," Merlin replied, trying to explain his reaction.
"I never doubted that."
"Then why...?"
"Because accidents can still happen, and Hermione has already been the victim of several attacks. None of which, if I recall, were your fault."
Merlin felt thoroughly chastised and remained quiet for the rest of the examination. The woman performed a healing spell that made Hermione glow for a second and made her frown relax, when Mordred walked in with a bowl of water that smelled of eucalyptus and lavender, and a cloth.
"Excellent, just in time Mordred," the woman said, "wet the cloth and place it on her forehead. When you feel it warming up, then rinse it again in the water and then again on her forehead."
"Yes, Agrona," Mordred nodded solemnly.
"Emrys," the old woman said, and Merlin understood she wanted him to follow her. With one last look at Hermione, he did.
She led him to a fallen trunk and made him sit down. Then, she took his hand and started treating a long cut he had on his forearm. When had that happened?
"My name is Agrona, and I am a healer," the Druid woman introduced herself.
Merlin was taught manners by his mother, so if she ever heard what he said next, she could box his ears.
"How can you trust her?"
The woman looked at him for a long time in silence, before she asked, "Pardon?"
She tightened the bandage in his arm a bit too tightly, but he didn't dare complain. His palm became sweaty and he knew he'd blundered it up.
"She's a stranger that came out of nowhere, behaving oddly, with odds ways to speak and to walk and to dress. And yet, you trust her with your people and your children, to live with you without betraying you... how can you trust someone you know nothing about?"
"We trust you, don't we?" Agrona replied.
"And I am still baffled by that, to be quite honest."
Agrona sighed, and sat down next to him, "Are you always this suspicious?"
"Absolutely. Every time I think I can trust someone, they turn out to want to kill Prince Arthur so of course I can't trust anyone."
"That is a very unhealthy view of life, Emrys."
"That's all I know," Merlin replied.
"We trust her because she has shown with her deeds that she's trustworthy," Agrona told him, and Merlin felt a bit of tension uncoil from his chest, "has anything she's done shown you she has bad intentions?"
Merlin thought about everything Hermione had done since they met.
"No," he answered, "in fact, she's only tried to help. I... The prince now knows about our destiny, and I was only brave enough to tell him because of her."
Agrona smiled at him, though it didn't reassure him.
"Did you know that she's...?" he started to ask, but then he realized that if Agrona didn't, she'd be sharing Hermione's secret without her knowledge or permission.
"That she's out of her time?" Agrona finished for him, and he nodded, "I am aware of it, but I don't know if Hermione knows that I know. She's very private about her past."
"Oh, she didn't tell me," Merlin replied, "in fact, I don't think I was supposed to find out. She was arguing with the dragon under the castle, and he spoke of it."
Agrona frowned, and said, "I thought all dragons to be extinct. The King killed all of the dragons and their dragonlords at the time of the purge."
"Dragonlords?" Merlin asked.
"They are human kin to the dragons. If the Great Dragon is till alive, there is a possibility that his dragonlord is, as well."
"Well, maybe; I don't really know. What I do know is the the King imprisoned the last dragon under the castle and he has been giving me advice."
Agrona turned her sharp eyes on him, and said, "Beware of his council. Dragons are known for being self-serving creatures who only help those who can help them."
A chill ran down Merlin's spine when he remembered he made a promise to the dragon to do whatever he asked in exchange for a spell. And, beyond that, when Hermione pointed it out to him, he yelled at her.
"I'll keep that in mind," he said.
"Also, keep in mind that Hermione doesn't share her past with just anyone. Be careful who you talk to and about Hermione, because a lot of people would kill to have the knowledge she possesses," Agrona warned.
Merlin felt affronted, and replied, "I won't betray her."
Agrona smiled, "Then you can be sure she won't betray you either."
Merlin felt, surprisingly, reassured by that. Some of the worries he'd been carrying around since he met Hermione had been put to rest, and he decided that he would trust her the way he decided to trust Arthur.
When Mordred came to tell them that Hermione was awake, Merlin went to see her. He walked into the tent and found Hermione crying. He stood awkwardly at the entrance of the tent, not sure whether he should walk in, when he probably made a noise because Hermione's head shot up to look at him.
"Close the flap," she snapped, and he did... while he was still inside. So, he walked towards her and sat down next to her.
"Are you... alright?" he asked, feeling foolish. Of course she wasn't. The snort she responded with told him she agreed with his assessment. She hid her face on her knees and Merlin awkwardly patted her back.
"I ruined everything," she said with a sniffle after a moment.
"You just saved a lot of people," Merlin reminded her.
"No, that was you," Hermione retorted, "I just... tagged along, I guess. And got my secrets outed. And destroyed that stupid Horcrux that caused my future to disappear."
Oh, Merlin thought.
"How did you... get here?"
"It was an accident," she said with pleading eyes at him, "please, believe that I didn't intend to come here."
"I believe you," he said,and thought, especially after looking so broken up about it.
Hermione looked at him with piercing eyes and hesitated only for a moment before she seemingly decided he was trustworthy and told him part of her story.
"I was captured by... evil people with my friends. Then... this witch tortured me for information, and when I didn't tell her what she wanted to hear, she gave me to Greyback."
"The were-wolf?" She nodded, "She... gave you to him?"
"I'm sure you can figure out why."
Merlin shuddered.
"So, I panicked and I had a time-turner, that broken necklace you picked up, and I thought I could go back just a few hours to rescue me and my friends, but the witch cursed me and it hit the time-turner and then... and then I was here..." Hermione finished, her voice breaking with a sob.
Merlin awkwardly patted her back again.
"What happened earlier, today?" Melrin asked. "When you collapsed?"
"I collapsed?" Hermione asked, then added, "of course I did. Um... I changed the future so... I got new memories of a life I've never actually lived."
"Is that why you said you ruined everything?"
She looked at him with such an exasperated look he merely raised his hands.
"I don't know what I'm doing," Hermione said after a beat of silent, "I didn't ask for this. I didn't want this. I just... I just want to go home."
Merlin felt a well of sympathy open up for Hermione in his heart, and said, "I'm sorry."
"Can you... leave?"
Merlin understood why, as they were practically strangers, but still felt a bit of a pang as he stood up and left. He could hear trough the thin fabric her sobs and sniffles, and wished he could somehow make her feel better. He knew what it was like to miss his home, but he hadn't lost it yet. To miss a home one could never return to sounded like a horrible fate that he wouldn't wish upon even his worst enemy.
He said his goodbyes to Agrona and Mordred, who were sitting by the fire having a hushed conversation, and started the trek back to Camelot.
Author's Note: Crossposted on AO3.