Title: Harry Potter and the Return of Merlin
Fandom: Merlin/Harry Potter Crossover
Rating: T for slight violence and language
Pairings: Harry/Ginny, Ron/Hermione...or at least the precursors to the relationships
Spoilers: HP - definitely through the end of OotP, since Merlin is supposed to know more than most, there may be other spoilers as well. Merlin - through the end of season 3 because I haven't had a chance to watch season 4, so I can't spoil it, lol.
Warnings: AU. Slight Violence and language.
Beta: the wonderful animeloveramy. I don't know what I'd do without her.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Merlin. They belong to J.K. Rowling and BBC respectively. They have simply been kind enough to allow dreamers like me to indulge in fantasies involving their characters.
Summary: When Voldemort used a spell of the old religion to regain his body, he gives Merlin the reason he needed to step out of the shadows. Disguised as a fifth year student, he goes to Hogwarts to watch over Harry and do what he can in the war to come.
Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I'm so glad that this crossover's been so well received! I had a question about why Kilgarrah's small in one of my reviews. It's explained in this chapter, but I wanted to apologize for the confusion. I wrote the prologue at least half a dozen times before I got it right, and I didn't realize that I'd left out that explanation.
Chapter 1
So far, the summer had been boring. Unbearably hot, but boring. Still, Merlin would much rather be hot and bored than chasing down death eaters and dark creatures that were hell bent on killing Harry for Voldemort.
Dumbledore seemed to have taken Merlin's advice. It wasn't even mid July and Harry would be headed to the Order of the Phoenix in a matter of days. The blood wards had had plenty of time to reset for the year. They would have moved Harry sooner if there had been more Order members free. Of course, Merlin could do it on his own, but that was a last minute resort.
Harry's friends had also been in constant contact with him. From what Dumbledore had said, they'd been careful not to give anything away. Knowing that there would be enough in the letters to make Harry feel as if he was purposefully being left out, Merlin had told Dumbledore to at least send the boy a letter telling him that as soon as he left Privet Drive, everything would be explained. Again, the Headmaster had listened. Harry had been a bit frustrated and impatient, but he didn't seem like he was about to lose his mind.
Currently, Merlin was standing in the shadows watching Harry deal with his oaf of a cousin. Kilgarrah was draped across his shoulders, his eyes glinting in the darkness. If the two ancients had learned anything over the past weeks, it was that Dudley Dursley was a horrible excuse for a human being. The dragon had taken great pleasure in cloaking himself as all great dragons could and taunting the lump of lard. His diminished size helped as well, despite the fact that it was a sore subject. When the more animalistic dragon breeds had been discovered, Kilgarrah had been attacked regularly because the wizarding world had forgotten about the existence of intelligent dragons of Old Magic. He and Merlin together had created the spell that made him smaller, so that he could be safe, but that didn't mean he liked it.
They followed the two boys as they left the park to return to Privet Drive. Merlin kept close. He'd become quite adepts at recognizing the calm before the storm. He was positive that it wouldn't be much longer before things went to hell.
The two boys turned down an alley that Merlin knew to be a shortcut to their home. Merlin waited a beat before making to follow. He stopped short when a strange chill suddenly permeated the hot summer air. Kilgarrah let out a hiss as a cloaked figure descended from the sky and followed the two boys into the alley.
"Dementor," the dragon spat angrily.
Letting out an ancient, and particularly foul, curse, Merlin hurried forward. The dragon leapt into the air, knowing that the warlock would need to be able to maneuver and ready to give an assistance he could. The warlock summoned his staff and transformed it into a wand. He wouldn't be able to stay hidden after this and if he ran into the alley, using magic like he did in Camelot, it would be obvious that he was hiding something.
Merlin skidded into the alleyway, wand at the ready. What he saw caused his blood to freeze. Harry was on all fours, searching for his wand in the darkness. His cousin was collapsed not far away. The dementor Merlin and Kilgarrah had seen was advancing on Harry, while a second was bent over his cousin. Without hesitating, Merlin whispered, "Feorhhyrde ascufan deapscuan."
A silver light, not that different from a patronus, shot out of his wand and engulfed the dementor. The creature let out a scream and disintegrated. In the light of the spell, Harry found his wand. He whipped around and a silver stag appeared, charging the second dementor and driving it away.
The cold dissipated as if it had never been there. Merlin shoved his wand into his pocket before hurrying over to Dudley. He could sense easily enough that the boy's soul was intact, but he wanted to be sure that there hadn't been any other damage.
Dementors were among the foulest creature he had ever encountered in his centuries of living. Even he wasn't entirely sure how they had come to be, but they had somehow evolved from the same kinds of spirits that had spilled into Camelot when Morgana opened the rift between life and death. In response to the dementors, he'd created a spell that would destroy them as well as the current Patronus charm, since most wizards wouldn't even be able to attempt the old magic he used to destroy the creatures.
They had once been rather rare. He'd spent a lot of time tracking them down and destroying them. Once the wizarding world had become aware of them, he'd been unable to continue that mission. One of the few times he'd actually been active in society was when the ministry decided to station dementors at Azkaban. He had not been happy about that, especially because he was well aware of what the dementors could do to a person, even if they did not consume the soul.
Muttering words under his breath, Merlin made sure that Dudley hadn't been harmed, beyond the shock of having to relive his worst memories. The boy was fine, just panicking.
"Who are you?" a shaking voice demanded.
Merlin looked up to see a wand a foot from his face. It was being held by Harry, who was looking decidedly wary. Standing slowly, Merlin offered Harry his hand.
"I'm Myrddin Lyonnesse," he said. "I'm new to the area and was out exploring when I sensed the dementors. You're Harry Potter, right? Professor Dumbledore said I might run into you."
"You know Dumbledore?" Harry asked warily.
Retracting his hand seeing as Harry obviously wasn't ready to trust just yet, Merlin nodded. "I contracted a rare disease when I was young. It left me too weak to attend school and really learn magic, though my mother did tutor me. My parents passed away not long ago. Apparently they were old friends. I'm starting Hogwarts in the fall and Professor Dumbledore thought it would be a good idea for me to spend some time getting used to people again, so I'm staying with Mrs. Figg."
"Mrs. Figg knows Dumbledore?" Harry's wand lowered just slightly as he spoke.
Again, Merlin nodded. Dumbledore had given him permission to reveal certain things if he had to meet Harry. "She's a squib. She volunteered to take me in."
Harry didn't look entirely convinced, but he decided to let the matter drop in favor of another. "You look a bit old to be going to Hogwarts," he pointed out.
"I know," Merlin said in slight embarrassment. "My parents weren't exactly concerned with teaching me magic. I'm a bit behind. I'll be starting my fifth year. To be honest, I think Dumbledore actually wanted us to meet."
"That sounds like him," Harry muttered, finally lowering his wand completely. "Is Dudley all right?"
"I think he's just in shock. That was a really impressive patronus, by the way," he added.
Harry snorted. "That's nothing compared to what you did. What exactly did you do? That dementor just exploded."
"I'm not sure," Merlin lied easily. "I've never done anything like that before. We should probably get him home before we attract attention."
He pulled his wand out of his pocket and tapped Dudley lightly. "Featherweight charm," he explained in answer to Harry's enquiring glance. "I'm overage, so I can use magic outside of school without any problems. My parents made sure that I know enough to get by. Besides, I really don't fancy dragging him all the way back to your house. He looks like he weighs as much as a small hippo."
Harry let out a quiet laugh. The two of them grabbed Dudley by the arms and hauled him upright. He seemed completely unaware of the way he was being manhandled. Merlin took advantage of the fact that Harry couldn't see him through Dudley to glance up to Kilgarrah, who was circling above.
Stay out of sight, he instructed. But stay close in case there are more of those creatures and keep a look out for anyone who may have sent them.
I will scout ahead to be sure the way is clear, said Kilgarrah. Well done, young warlock.
Merlin rolled his eyes. Despite the centuries, the dragon refused to stop calling him that. Something about Merlin still being many centuries his junior. It had become a term of endearment rather than an annoyance a long time ago.
The warlock shifted his grip on Dudley as he and Harry made their way out of the alley. For a moment, neither of them spoke. Then, Harry broke the silence.
"Did Dumbledore have you following me?" he asked.
Yes, but I'm not telling you that. "All he told me was that I should consider making friends with you if we happened to meet. He seemed to think we had a lot in common."
Harry seemed to accept that answer. It probably had something to do with the fact that Merlin was just the kind of person who was believable. That had come in handy many times during his life.
They made it to Number 4 easily. No one was paying the least bit of attention to a couple of kids who were dragging their apparently drunk mate back to the house. Once they were standing on the front step, Harry ducked out from beneath Dudley's arm and opened the door. Petunia came running.
"Dudley? Is that you? Why were you out so la-" She cut short at the sight of her beloved son, who was practically catatonic.
"Dudders!" she shrieked. "Vernon! Something's wrong with Dudley!"
Harry leapt out of the way as his aunt and uncle barreled down the hallway. Merlin followed his example. The two muggles lead their son into the living room, fussing over him. When he didn't show any response, Vernon rounded on Harry.
"WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM?"
Knowing that the man wouldn't listen to Harry, Merlin stepped forward. "Harry didn't do anything. They were attacked by some very dark creatures. But Harry and I were able to drive him off before they did any damage. Your son is fine. He's just a bit shaken up."
"Who the bloody hell are you?" Vernon demanded.
Merlin fixed a friendly, almost naive smile, on his face and held out his hand. "I'm Myrddin Lyonnesse. I'm new to the area."
"And you're one of those freaks, aren't you?" Vernon sneered. "I know you two did something to Dudley. Tell me what, or I'll call the police!"
The smile fell off Merlin's face. "We didn't touch him. He was attacked. You should be thanking us for saving him. If a wizard hadn't been nearby, your son wouldn't have his soul anymore."
"His soul?" Petunia gasped. She grabbed Dudley by the shoulders and shook him, as though trying to force life back into him. "He still has it, doesn't he?"
Harry rolled his eyes. "Myrddin and I were in time to save him," he muttered. "He's completely fine." He dropped his voice to a whisper and added, "Unfortunately." Merlin had to hold back a laugh.
Growing redder by the second, Vernon advanced on Harry and Merlin. "You will get out of my house, now, boy. Your freakishness is the only reason Dudley was attacked and don't even try denying it. I want you out of here before anything else happens to my family."
Before either Harry or Merlin could object, an owl flew in through the window and dropped an envelope on Harry's head. Merlin didn't even have to read it to know that it was from the Improper Use of Magic Office. Despite his presence, the Ministry was going to pin everything on Harry and they were going to use his previous offense - courtesy of Dobby - to expel him, completely discrediting him in the process.
Harry's eyes were widening in horror as he read the letter. With shaking hands, he set it down and collapsed into the nearest chair. Merlin grabbed the letter and read through it quickly for appearances sake.
"It was self defense," he said quickly. "Even underage wizards can use magic in life or death situations. I was there and, as an overage wizard, I can vouch for that. They can't do anything to you."
"They're going to be here any minute to snap wand," Harry snapped. "I'm not going to have time to explain what happened."
Walking over to the Dursley's fireplace, Merlin conjured a fire and pulled a pouch of his pocket. He sprinkled a pinch of the floo powder into the flames and said clearly, "Hogwarts, Headmaster's Office."
The flames flared green for a moment, then returned to their usual orange color before turning green again as Albus Dumbledore's head appeared in the fire.
"Mr. Lyonnesse," the headmaster said pleasantly. "Is there a reason for this late night call?"
"There is indeed," Merlin said in a grave voice. "I stumbled across a couple of dementors in Little Whinging as they were attacking Harry. We drove them off easily enough, but Harry is being accused of breaking the statute of secrecy and of using magic as an underaged wizard. There are ministry officials on the way to snap his wand."
Dumbledore frowned deeply, looking more annoyed that Harry had ever seen him. "I'll see what I can do. Hold them off if they get there before you hear from me. If necessary, you know where to go."
Merlin nodded once, knowing that Dumbledore was referring to the fact that Merlin had access to Grimmuald Place, and the headmaster was gone.
"What the hell was that?" Harry demanded. "I thought you said you weren't watching me!"
"I wasn't," Merlin snapped, but he could tell Harry didn't believe him. He was going to have to come up with something to explain why Dumbledore had told him about a safehouse. "Look," he sighed, "my family has always done everything we could to fight dark wizards. It's what my parents were doing until I got sick and it made us targets. It's what I'd like to continue doing. Dumbledore is helping me get a little more experience and catch up on my education before I go off on my own. I swear that's only reason he told me about a safehouse."
Once more, the innate believability that Merlin seemed to possess saved the day. Harry nodded grimly.
"So we just sit here and wait?" he demanded.
"That's about all we can do," Merlin said grimly. "Hopefully, Dumbledore will be able to use his pull at the Ministry to at least give you a chance to explain. If not, we get out of here." And then I'll use a little bit of my influence to force some sense into them.
They didn't have to wait long. Another ministry owl appeared minutes later, this time bearing a note that informed Harry that he had a ministry hearing in approximately two weeks time. Another owl followed swiftly after. This one was from Dumbledore, informing Merlin that he had best bring Harry to Order Headquarters as soon as possible.
While Harry went upstairs to pack, Merlin summoned his trunk then advanced on the Dursleys.
"I hope you realize that because of him, your son is still alive," he hissed. "By living here, every summer, he has afforded you protection you can't comprehend. When he returns at the end of school, I expect you to treat him as family rather than an unwelcome piece of trash." He leaned forward and his eyes flashed golden, power beating off of him. "Am I clear?"
The Dursleys nodded frantically, even Dudley snapped out of his stupor enough to react. He muttered a quick spell under his breath to wipe the memory from their minds, but not the message, and knocked them out, just as Harry came downstairs, dragging his trunk behind him.
"How are we getting wherever we're going?" he asked.
Merlin waved his wands at the trunks, shrinking them so that they could fit in his pocket. He offered his arm to Harry. "I'll apparate us a few blocks away and then we'll walk the rest of the way."
As soon as Harry grabbed his arm, Merlin apparated them both away without any warning. He found that that usually made it worse.
He brought them to a dark corner of an alley in London. Harry shook his head, but seemed none the worse for the wear. They waited just long enough for him to catch his breath, then Merlin lead the way out of the alley.
He could sense that Harry was dying to ask questions. The members of the order would have a hell of a time explaining why they had kept him out of the loop. Merlin knew that it was mostly because they couldn't risk any communication getting intercepted. He only hoped that they actually explained things when they got there.
Harry followed the strange young man who said his name was Myrddin, despite the fact that his head was absolutely spinning. In the course of two hours, he'd been attacked by dementors, discovered that there was another wizard and a squib living in Little Whinging, been expelled from school, been suspended from school, and left the Dursleys' for an unknown safehouse. He wasn't sure what he thought of Myrddin Lyonesse, but the man seemed to know what he was doing and seemed to be trustworthy. There was just something about him.
They'd been walking for about ten minutes before Myrddin stopped outside a nondescript row of houses in one of worse neighborhoods of London. He dug in his pocket for a moment before producing a piece of parchment.
"Read this," he instructed. "Then concentrate on what it says."
Thoroughly confused, Harry did just that. He recognized Dumbledore's handwriting immediately.
The headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix maybe found at Number Twelve, Grimmuald Place, London.
Raising his eyebrow, Harry began to ask Myrddin what that meant, but the other man held his hand up, and read the note himself, before lighting the parchment on fire, only confusing Harry further.
"Focus on what it said," Myrddin said, grinning slightly at his confusion.
Harry did just that, unable to think of anything else to do. To his complete surprise, Numbers Elven and Thirteen began moving apart, another building appearing between them, just seconds after he began concentrating on what the parchment had said. The muggles living inside the other two buildings didn't even notice. Harry's mouth fell open.
Chuckling, Myrddin grabbed his arm and towed him forward quickly.
"Keep quiet," he advised. "It's for your own good."
"What?" Harry stammered.
"I'll explain in a minute," Myrddin said dismissively. "First we need to get inside."
Still dragging Harry along, Myrddin hurried up the steps, opened the door, and pulled Harry inside. They were expected. A tall man, with shoulder-length black hair was standing in the middle of the hallway, his arms crossed over his chest, and a smile playing across his lips.
"Sirius!" Harry gasped.
The smile on his godfather's face broadened, even as he motioned for Harry to keep his voice down before waving him forward. Harry eagerly followed him through a door to their left, Myrddin trailing behind him.
The trio entered a large kitchen filled with several familiar figures. Remus Lupin was seated at the table, deep in discussion with Arthur Weasley. Behind them, Molly Weasley was in the midst of cooking something with the aid of her youngest son, Ron, and Hermione Granger. Everyone looked at the door the moment Harry, Sirius, and Myrddin entered. Ron and Hermione stopped what they were doing to greet Harry.
"Harry!" Hermione shrieked, running across the room and flinging her arms around his neck. "Are you all right? Professor Dumbledore told us about the attack. I can't believe there were dementors in Little Whinging!"
"I'm fine," Harry assured her awkwardly, gently prying her arms from his neck. "Just a bit shaky."
She appraised him carefully, her eyes narrowing. "Have you even had some chocolate?"
"We were in a bit of hurry," Myrddin supplied. "I didn't have time to go through the Dursleys' cupboards looking for some."
Suddenly, all attention shifted from Harry to the stranger. It seemed that Harry wasn't the only one who had know idea who the man was. Myrddin shifted uncomfortably under the scrutiny.
"I'm sorry," Lupin said politely, rising from his chair and offering Myrddin a hand. "We haven't met. I'm Remus Lupin."
"Myrddin Lyonnesse."
Lupin's eyes widened in comprehension, as did Mr. and Mrs. Weasley's.
"You're the new student Dumbledore told us about a few weeks ago, aren't you?" Lupin asked.
Myrddin nodded.
"Would someone care to tell me what's going on?" Harry asked suddenly. The realization that he was so completely out of the loop was not a pleasant one.
Sirius wrapped an arm around his shoulders and lead him to the table. "This is my parents' old house," he explained. "We're using it as the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix, an organization Dumbledore founded during the last war to fight Voldemort. He called us all together again shortly after the Third Task. We've been working to inform everyone of Voldemort's return and we've been trying to stop him."
Before he could demand to know why he hadn't been told or allowed to help, Ron cut him off.
"I know you're probably angry that you weren't invited," he said quickly. "But it was for a good reason, mate. Dumbledore told us that there was some kind of protection that had to be renewed at Privet Drive and the only way for you to do that was to stay there for a while. We all wanted to tell you, but we couldn't show up at your Aunt and Uncle's place without drawing attention to you and it was too dangerous to tell you all of this in an owl."
"Ron and I haven't even been in the meetings," Hermione added quickly. "We're too young. It's just that this is one of the safest places for us. Dumbledore was going to send someone to get you in just a few days before this happened."
Harry sat back, frowning slightly. He was still annoyed that he'd been left out, but it made sense. The letter he'd gotten from Dumbledore a week into the holiday had been cryptic to say the least. Harry may not like it, but he could understand why they hadn't been able to risk telling him anything.
Sirius leaned forward to get Harry's attention and said softly, "If it had been up to me, you'd have been here a lot sooner. But with Voldemort more keen to kill you than anyone except maybe Dumbledore, it was too risky."
Harry nodded in understanding. "Will I be able to help now?"
The adults shared a look. This time, Lupin was the one who answered. "Unfortunately, no." He raised a hand to stay Harry's objections. "We all realize that you've fought Voldemort and are more than capable of handling yourself. However, you are still underage. What we are doing is more delicate than simply fighting Death Eaters and Voldemort himself. You need to remain in school to prepare yourself for whatever may happen. You cannot do that if you are part of the Order."
Again, Harry was left feeling unhappy, but realized that they were right.
"We'll tell you everything we can," Sirius assured him. "But there are some things that you just aren't ready to hear yet."
Molly Weasley did not look happy. "Be sure that you don't tell him too much, Sirius. He's still just a child."
Sirius stiffened and glared at her, a retort forming on his lips, but Lupin quieted him with a look that clearly stated this was an argument they had had many times.
Movement out of the corner of his eye reminded Harry of the stranger who had brought him to Grimmuald Place. He turned to glare at Myrddin. "Are you part of the Order, too?" he demanded.
Mryddin shook his head. "No. But I asked to be after my parents died. When Dumbledore realized that I'd never had any formal education and was far behind in my spell casting, he offered to allow me to go to Hogwarts. Once I graduate, I'll be able to join the Order. He gave me the location in case something happened." His eyes flickered from Harry to Sirius. "Is there some place I could stay until classes start?" he asked.
Molly Weasley flew into action and before Harry knew it, he, Ron, Hermione, and Myrddin were being shown upstairs to bedrooms. Myrddin returned his trunk, unshrinking in the process, and bid them all goodnight before disappearing into his own room.
"He's a bit weird, isn't he?" Ron asked. "How'd you meet him?"
Harry snorted. "He helped drive off the dementors. He actually destroyed one."
"That's supposed to be impossible," Hermione said skeptically.
"I just know what I saw," Harry protested. "The dementor was bathed in silver light, like a patronus, but instead of being driven off, it just exploded."
Hermione frowned. "I think we may need to keep any eye on him," she said softly.
Ron and Harry nodded in agreement.
