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 – all seasons. I have now watched Season 4, so it's fair game as well. You have been warned.

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. Some of the text is directly from, very close to, or inspired by what J.K. Rowling originally wrote. This is simply because this fic closely follows OotP and I see no reason to pretend that I'm better than J.K. Rowling and try to rewrite it. I will try to leave an AN at the bottom when I use large amounts of the text.

Summary: The moment Voldemort regained his body, the Old Religion cried out. For the first time in more than a thousand years, Merlin is called from the forward to right the balance once more. Disguised as a fifth year student, he must fight to stop Voldemort when it is not his destiny to do so

Author's Note: I have no excuse for how long this took. All I can do is shake my head in shame and offer this chapter up as a peace offering.

Chapter 14


"Do you think I'm acting too much like I'm back in Camelot?"

Completely nonplussed, Arthur looked up from his inspection of his armor, which was still in perfect condition, despite the passage of the years. Merlin was standing in the middle of the hallway looking completely frazzled. His hair was sticking up in a half a dozen different directions, clearly evidence of the number of times he'd run his hand through it in agitation. At the moment, his fingers were occupied with worrying the hem of his un-tucked school shirt.

"What on earth would give you that idea?" Arthur demanded. It wasn't often that he saw Merlin so completely freaked out.

"It was something Kilgharrah said—"

"That explains it," Arthur muttered. Merlin ignored him.

"—and he's got a point. I'm right back to keeping secrets, even if they're slightly different now than they were then. I'm back to influencing events from the shadows, playing god with people's lives. I'm lying to people I'd like to call my friends and it's not doing a damn bit of good, not really—"

"Stop right there!" hissed Arthur. "That's more than enough. Do you even hear yourself? Of course you're doing some good! Didn't you tell me that because of your interference Harry wasn't left in the dark over the summer, which made him much less mad at the world in general? And what about Sirius? Hadn't you done something to help him out just days before you woke me up?"

Merlin shrugged it off. "So maybe I am making a bit of difference. What about the rest of it? I haven't told them my real name! I told them I was a druid and I'm not! I don't even practice the Old Religion!"

"Really, Merlin? I didn't know the difference between a druid and the average practitioner of the Old Religion, or that not everyone with magic followed the Old Religion until you explained it to me and I'd been ruling Camelot for nearly a decade! How can you expect people who are living more than a thousand years in the future to understand subtleties that people of the past didn't understand? For god's sake, think! I doubt any one would blame you for the little white lie of claiming yourself to be a druid when they don't know what actually makes someone a druid and when history labels you as one!

"And as for playing God. What else are you supposed to do? For all my complaining about your lack of action, I do understand that your hands are well and truly tied. The past and the present are black and white. They aren't meant to touch. But you, you're a grey area that hasn't truly come to be yet. You are the past living in the present, somehow not to be there, but still not meant to affect it until something else happens. You've said that to me a million times. You're bloody lucky that you can do as much as you can, even if it is done primarily by pulling strings from the shadows."

Merlin fell back against the far wall and slid to the ground, burying his head in his hands. "I know that, I do. But things aren't the same now. I'm actually here to make a difference."

"You still have to be cognizant of the fact that you're a person from the past," Arthur growled. He hated it when Merlin began to second-guess himself like this. It happened only rarely, but when it did Merlin lost all sense of logic he had until someone managed to talk sense into him. He questioned every decision he'd made, even the ones that had little to do with whatever was actually bothering him. It was something Arthur had had to do far many times.

"Even I know that nothing would be accomplished if the great and powerful Merlin swooped in and saved the day. For one, you can't do it because of the magic that is keeping Voldemort alive, and for another, it really does accomplish nothing. That state of things would remain the same, despite your deus ex machine rescue!"

"Desu ex machina?" repeated Merlin in bemusement. "Wherever did you hear that?"

"Never you mind. Do you actually hear what I'm trying to tell you?"

"I do. I'm rather sure I've said it all to you at some point."

"Which is part of what makes this whole conversation incredibly pointless. You and I both know it wasn't necessary for me to repeat any of that to you, so why don't you tell me what's actually bothering you."

"That was part of it," said Merlin, dropping his head back against the wall with a dull thud and looking up at Arthur for the first time in several minutes. "So much rests on them trusting me. They barely trust Myrddin right now. What are they going to do when they find out that I'm Merlin? That I've been watching this happen ever since Riddle opened the Chamber of Secrets? That even now I have knowledge that would give them an edge, but that I can't give to them because of magical laws of nature that I barely understand, let alone am able to explain? What are they going to think when they find out that I could have made a difference?"

Arthur honestly wasn't sure what to say to that at first. To the outsider that would all seem true when they found out who Merlin really was. It wasn't true, but they would have no way to know that. It certainly seemed as if Merlin had spent the better part of the last twelve centuries twiddling his thumbs while the world crumbled.

"I didn't even realize how much it was worrying me until recently," Merlin continued softly. "Dumbledore sent me a note. Sirius is desperate to get in touch with Harry, in part because of my interference. Modern methods are unsafe because of Madam Toad's presence at the school, so Dumbledore turned to me. The only halfway decent plan I can come up with runs the great risk of putting them well on the trail to figuring out who I am. It means furthering a lie I foolishly began and risking my secret and I can't help but hesitate, because if they cease to trust me, then any chance I have of doing some good is lost."

"Would that have stopped you before?" Arthur asked. He leaned as close to the edge of his portrait as he could. He thought he finally understood something of what was bothering Merlin and that he finally knew how to address it.

Merlin cocked his head. "What do you mean?"

"When did the risk of someone finding out about your magic ever stop you in Camelot?" the king specified. "That was your secret then and it never stopped you once. If it had to be done to protect us, you did it. You tried to be discreet, but when push came to shove, you stood right out in the open as a sorcerer to save us all. I think Kilgharrah's wrong. I don't think you're treating this enough like Camelot. You're being too cautious. I'm not saying that you should proclaim that you're Merlin to the Great Hall during dinner, but take the risk just like you took the risk every time you did magic to save me."

He could see the moment his words really sank in for Merlin. The lines of his shoulders slumped a little bit and the tension leaked from his body.

"I can't believe I didn't realize that."

"Well, you're an idiot. We established that centuries ago."

Arthur's attempt to lighten the mood was successful. Merlin laughed. It was a relief to hear. Merlin had been uncommonly serious since he'd brought Arthur back to himself. The only explanation the king could find was that the centuries had been far harder on him than he was letting on. It would certainly explain the bout of insecurity Arthur had just witnessed. Merlin was terrified of screwing up.

"Just out of curiosity, what part of your plan to get Harry and Sirius to speak to one another brought all this on?" he asked.

"I think I'm going to take them to one of the places where Avalon still touches the mortal world." Merlin heaved himself back to his feet as he spoke. "You have to have Old Magic to enter, so I'm the only one who can without aid. The only problem is I approached Sirius under a guise as a druid. Since Harry, Ron, and Hermione think me to be one, that means I either make up some story that connects the nameless Druid with Myrddin, or I have to admit to meddling, or I simply pretend that the druid never existed and act as if I know nothing about him. None of them seem like good options."

"Basically, you've created yourself another Dragoon," Arthur observed.

Merlin snorted. "I suppose I have. Except I never had to create a believable story that connected Merlin to Dragoon and later Emrys until I was telling that I had magic and that made me Emrys. This time round I've laid the groundwork for two different stories without really thinking about the repercussions."

"What are you planning to do?"

"I thought you were supposed to be giving me advice, not making me figure it out for myself," Merlin groused.

Even all these centuries later, the irony of their friendship sometimes struck Arthur. There had been a time when both of them would have damn near died before asking the other for advice, for letting some kind of vulnerability be visible. Now they turned to each other for everything, even though Arthur was little more than living pigment.

"If you want my opinion, I'd continue to play both rolls until you haven't much other choice. It does give you some flexibility, so I wouldn't the discard the disguise. You just need a good reason for why Myrddin knows a druid, so you might have to let more than the trio know you're a druid." Arthur shrugged. "Still, I'm not the one doing it and I have far less understanding than you do of how events are playing out."

Merlin looked thoughtful, which Arthur took to mean that the idea had already crossed the warlock's mind and that he'd just been hesitant to settle on that course of action.

"You're right," said Merlin after a long moment. "That druid could come in a lot of handy, just like Dragoon. I suppose it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to explain that Myrddin isn't the only Druid interested in helping the wizarding world but that most are far more wary of being on the front line. It'll be one more thing to explain when I tell them I'm Merlin, but I'd have to explain him away no matter what.

"But you're right, that wouldn't have stopped me in Camelot. I'd have hated it, but it wouldn't have stopped me. I won't let it now."

"Stop wasting time then," Arthur barked, hiding a grin. "Get to it! Honestly, you always were laziest manservant in the castle."

"Only because I was saving your sorry arse," Merlin bandied back. "I'll check in with you once it's done. This promises to be an interesting encounter."

The last was muttered to himself as he was clearly already becoming preoccupied with the logistics of what he had to do. Arthur just shook his head fondly. Now that Merlin wasn't second guessing himself, he was perfectly content to sit back and enjoy the show. The grin he'd bit back before came out in full force when the warlock, muttering to himself incoherently under his breath, walked away without bothering to say good bye. Minor crisis averted, Arthur strolled out of his portrait to continue reacquainting himself with the school.

The moment he'd disappeared from sight, two red headed boys, identical to the last freckle, came tumbling out of the alcove down the hall where they had been hiding. They took one look at the empty portrait before turning to each other and saying in stunned voices, "What the hell?"


Not for the first time, Merlin really wished that he'd taken the time to think before acting.

Fresh from his conversation with Arthur and feeling more clear-headed than he had in weeks, Merlin had gone straight to the Room of Requirement. Time was of the essence and he had wasted far too much dithering about. He'd wanted to give Sirius and Harry as much time together as possible. Time passed more slowly in the places where Avalon still touched the mortal world, but pass it did. The more time they had on this side of Avalon, the more time they would have beyond it. He couldn't risk running into someone from the Order. It had been pure luck that Sirius had been alone the last time Merlin had decided to show up. Grimmuald was still headquarters, no matter that the kids and the elder Weasleys weren't there. The others came and went with regularity and Merlin knew for a fact that Remus practically lived there when he wasn't off trying to infiltrate the packs. Merlin did not have time to waste answering the questions of any suspicious wizards he might come across if he just burst into headquarters.

Somewhere between Arthur's portrait and the Room of Requirement Merlin had gotten the bright idea to magic himself into Mrs. Black's old chambers. He didn't know the house as well as he'd like and it was one of the few rooms he was confident would be empty and that he would be able to visualize well enough to reach without mishap.

He had, unfortunately, managed to forget Buckbeak.

Merlin just managed to dodge the charging hippogriff. He backpedaled quickly, putting as much distance as possible between them. Bowing would be of little good now, but he did so anyway, saying in as calm a voice as he could muster, "Fréod! Éadnes. Ic mænan nan bealue."

Buckbeak settled at the sound of his quiet words of the Old Tongue. Merlin bowed more deeply and waited. Animals, especially magical creatures, had some ability to understand the Old Tongue. For a long moment the hippogriff stared at Merlin with one large unblinking orange eye. Merlin reluctantly gathered his power. The last thing he wanted to do was fight with Buckbeak. That would just make things complicated.

Then the great beast inclined his head in a bow almost as deep as Merlin's. Relief flooded Merlin. He straightened up and approached Buckbeak carefully, in case the hippogriff was still uneasy. There was no need to worry. Buckbeak pushed his beak into Merlin's outstretched hand. Merlin smiled.

"My thanks," he said gratefully. "I did not intend to startle you."

At least he'd had the foresight not to use his preferred method of magical transport. The accompanying wind would surely have alerted any wizards in the house so he'd settled for something similar to apparition. He didn't even want to think about Buckbeak's reaction if he'd been caught in the magical gale.

His sharp ears caught the sound of raised voices from downstairs. He thought one might be Mrs. Weasley. She was probably arguing with Sirius about Harry again, which was yet another reason why Merlin was so keen to help mend and strengthen the relationship between godfather and godson.

"Well, walking downstairs is no longer an option," he muttered. "Any ideas, Beaky?"

The hippogriff clicked his beak.

Nodding as though he'd understood, Merlin said, "Of course. I'll have Kreacher send a message. Cume, Kreacher."

He'd no sooner spoken than a loud crack echoed through the room. Buckbeak started a bit at the noise, but calmed quickly under Merlin's hand. Kreacher practically face planted in his hurry to bow.

"Master warlock, yous is calling Kreacher."

"Indeed," said Merlin lightly, trying not to let on that the show of subservience embarrassed him a bit. He never could get used to having people kowtow to him, even when he'd been court sorcerer. "I need to speak to Sirius. Discreetly inform him of my presence and get him up here as quickly as possible without attracting attention. This meeting must remain a secret. Wait if you must."

"Right away, master warlock."

"Master warlock," Merlin repeated when the crack from Kreacher's disapparation stopped ringing through the room. "That's a new one."

He sighed and leaned against the wall to wait.

It didn't take long. Thundering footsteps sounded on the stairs. Merlin frowned. He perhaps should have specified to Kreacher not to frighten Sirius in the process of telling him that Merlin was waiting to speak to him.

"Sirius, what is the matter with you?" Remus shouted. "Have you lost your mind?"

Yeah, he definitely should have been more specific.

"Not now, Moony!"

Sirius came bursting into the room, looking to be on the verge of panic. Merlin suppressed a wince. The goal of this trip hadn't been to worry either of the Marauders any more than he already had on his first visit. He really should have asked the elf to a least attempt to alarm Sirius and, by extension, Remus.

"Why are you here?" Sirius demanded. "What did I do wrong now?"

"Noth—"

"What in Merlin's name has gotten into you—" Remus pulled up short just inside the door when caught sight of Merlin. His face went from concerned to smooth in an instant and Merlin caught a furtive movement that could only be him reaching for his wand. "Who are you?" he asked.

"A friend," said Merlin as Sirius supplied, "The druid."

So Sirius has mentioned me. Maybe that means Remus won't try to curse me.

"Ah." Remus eyed Merlin carefully, taking in the markings on his staff and cloak, before turning to Sirius. "I take that this is what Kreacher told you that sent you hurtling out of the drawing room like Padfoot after a cat."

"I am sorry for that," interjected Merlin. "I am in something of a rush but I did not intend for my presence here to startle you. Nothing is wrong, as you are clearly imagining. It has simply come to my attention that you wish to speak to Harry. I can help."

A look of barely restrained hope appeared in Sirius' eyes. "You can? How?"

"As a Druid, I have access to magic that the wizarding world does not. I can take you somewhere the Ministry does not even know exists by means they have never heard of," Merlin hedged. He knew that he had no hope of satisfactorily explaining what he was about to do without taking simply taking them to the site. By no fault of their own, it was magic that was simply beyond the understanding of the modern wizard.

Merlin knew the moment that he'd spoken that his explanation wasn't going to be good enough. Remus and Sirius exchanged a loaded glance. Sirius was clearly torn between not really trusting Merlin and wanting to speak to Harry, while Remus was just completely unconvinced. Merlin didn't need to be a seer to know that they were going want a better explanation, one that he couldn't really give while still standing in Grimmuald.

That made things fairly simple, if not easy. After his conversation with Arthur, Merlin wasn't going to let that stop him.

He pulled his wand out of his pocket, transforming it back into his staff as he did. At the sound of the ancient wood striking the floor, Remus and Sirius looked over at him. Their eyes widened. Merlin gave them no other warning. Using the innate magic of the crystal to anchor himself, he allowed his soul and his magic to reach into the ether. He felt for Sirius' and Remus' magic. Their energy was easily recognizable: two bright spots in writing shadow. He could see the taint Azkaban had left on Sirius and the pain of bearing the werewolf's curse on Remus. Merlin reached for them. He bound their magic in his own, granting them, for the moment, the blessing of Old Magic and thus access to their destination.

Their magic firmly wrapped in his, Merlin whisked them away.

The site they arrived at wasn't too far from Hogwarts. It was just a place where, for some reason, Old Magic naturally still lingered. As far as Merlin could remember, there was nothing special about it, but even he didn't know everything. It might well be a place of some importance that had merely been forgotten.

It looked incredibly similar to the grotto that the Room of Requirement had conjured up for him. The usual carven stones were positioned in a circle around a larger stone nearly covered in runes. Just a glance told Merlin that they were just the basic markings. Torches were spaced intermittently through the meadow the stones stood in. The only particularly strange thing was the mist the surround the entire area. The meadow just melted into fog about ten yards from the center stone. The mist even obscured the sky.

"Where the hell are we?"

While Merlin had been examining the site, Sirius and Remus had managed to catch their breath and clamber to their feet. They were now both pointing wands at Merlin.

"A site of Old Magic," said Merlin calmly. "It is a place where, for reasons that are unknown, the magic of Old is still strong. We are as safe here as we can be anywhere. Only those who possess Old Magic can cross the boundary. The Ministry can't track us here."

"How can we even trust you?" growled Sirius. "You practically kidnapped us."

Merlin winced. "I do apologize for that, but would have you believed me if I told you about this place? I don't understand how it can be here, and I practice Old Magic. I knew of no other way to convince you, especially when we had so little time."

"What exactly is that supposed to mean?" asked Remus. His grip on his wand was white-knuckled.

"Simply that tonight may be my only chance to help you speak to Harry in some time," Merlin explained hurriedly. He really needed to start thinking about the implications of what he was saying if he wanted to refrain from giving the other two wizards a stress-related heart attack. "I can't be sure when I will be able to return and time passes differently here. It should give you more than enough time to talk, but I would like as much leeway as possible to do this."

Their wands still did not waver. They were justifiable wary. The wizarding world was in the middle of a war and they had no real idea who Merlin was. It was one of the cons to being unable to tell everyone who he was and capitalizing on his influence as Merlin.

An idea struck him with force that rivaled the time an enthusiastic Aithusa had clipped him round the head with a wing. Merlin drew himself up to his full height and clasped the hand that still grasped his staff over his heart. "I swear by this staff and by my magic that I mean you no harm. In Emrys' name, so mote it be."

The wording felt a bit strange on his tongue. As Emrys, he should have said it a little bit different. But the intent was the same and no less potent. A wave of magic rippled across the meadow. The Marauders' robes almost rippled when it hit them and they gasped when they felt it. Merlin knew that his eyes were blazing with magic.

The magic faded quickly. Merlin allowed himself to slump a little bit, to be more Merlin the manservant, than Emrys. "Will that suffice?" he asked.

Sirius and Remus nodded dumbly.

"In that case, I shall fetch Harry. Do not attempt to cross into the mist," he warned. "Only one who possesses the Old Religion can do so safely. What I did to allow you to enter this place is only temporary. It's already faded. I don't even want to think about the possible consequences."

Feeling like being a little dramatic after his oath, Merlin spun on his heel and vanished in a flash of golden light. He paused in the Room of Requirement long enough to reign in his magic and change his clothes back into the school uniform.

"So far, so good. Now to get Harry."

He hadn't risked bring up Sirius in front of Harry since he'd made his first visit to Grimmuald. The few times one of the others had – outside Potions earlier that day was a good example – Harry had not reacted well. Harry had done a god job of pretending to be all right, but it was fairly obvious that it was bothering, no matter how he had managed to rationalize it. He'd spent the last week dwelling on what Sirius had said and worrying about how being in Grimmuald was affecting his godfather. So, Merlin had made a point of not mentioning it.

It was also why he had no intention of actually telling Harry what was going on.


Harry felt like banging his head against the table. Fred and George had commandeered the center of the common room for a demonstration of one of their products. They took turns popping a candy into their mouths only to vomit spectacularly seconds later into large buckets placed strategically at their feet. The students gathered around them applauded every time they did while Hermione sniffed loudly in displeasure.

It was driving Harry mad.

"Just go and stop them," he said irritably, crossing out a line on his parchment with enough force to suggest it wasn't the first time he'd done so.

"I can't, they're not technically doing anything wrong," Hermione grit out. "They're quite within their rights to eat the foul things themselves, and I can't find a rule that says the other idiots aren't entitled to buy them, not unless they're proven to be dangerous in some way, and it doesn't look as though they are."

Harry was saved trying to find anything to say to that when Myrddin appeared out of nowhere next to him and hissed into his ear, "I need to speak to you. Alone."

Curious despite himself, Harry looked at him suspiciously. He hadn't questioned it when Myrddin had mentioned that he was leaving dinner early to work on his assignments. But then the common room had been empty when the rest of them returned. According to the Marauder's Map, Myrddin hadn't been in the Library or any of the classrooms, or anywhere else on campus for that matter.

"What's going on?" asked Ron, looking up from his homework.

"Nothing," said Harry quickly. "Myrddin just needs to talk to me about something."

"Is the dormitory empty?" Myrddin asked.

Harry glanced around the room. Dean, Seamus, and Neville were all sitting in the common room, watching Fred and George's show. "Looks like," he said, getting to his feet.

"Good. Come on. It's important."

Ignoring the worried glance Hermione and Ron shared Harry hurried to follow him up the stairs.

He found Myrddin standing in the center of the room. He had a staff in his hand with strange symbols carved into it. The blue stone at the top was glowing slightly, as were Myrddin's eyes.

Before Harry could do so much as move, he felt a wave of magic crash down on him and wrap him gently in its power. It felt like electricity was being passed over his skin. Every nerve in his body stood on end. A gust of wind sprang up out of nowhere and lifted Harry off his feet, spinning him around more thoroughly than a portkey. He felt like he was falling, just tumbling through space. The magic continued to thrum around him, just as gently as before, while the wind tugged and pushed him in first one direction, then the next.

Harry didn't know how long he'd been falling when he just stopped. There was suddenly ground beneath his feet. The wind was gone and the magic that had surrounded him as well. His knees buckled, sending him face first onto the grass.

"Sorry about that," said Myrddin from somewhere above Harry. "I find travelling like that is better without warning if you haven't done it before."

The dizziness clearing, Harry sprang to his feet and pulled his wand out of his pocket. Myrddin held his hands up apologetically.

"There's a very good explanation for this. Look around, please, and hear me out."

Reflexively, Harry glanced around. He nearly dropped his wand. It looked like they'd fallen through time. The stones that surrounded them exuded age. They were weathered and moss covered, but still strong and whole. The air buzzed with magic so old it was almost alive.

"Where in Merlin's name are we?"

Myrddin gave an almost imperceptible eye roll before gesturing expansively. "This is place of Old Magic. There are a couple spread across the country and a handful across the world. They're just places where magic is different. Stronger. They're not quite of this realm anymore."

"And why are we here?" Harry nearly growled.

"Well, see, that's a bit complicated."

He shoved his hand in his pocket and pulled out a wrinkled piece of parchment covered in familiar, loopy handwriting. Warily, Harry took it. His eyebrows rose with each word.

"Dumbledore asked you to do this?"

Myrddin nodded. "I don't know the details. That note is all I have, but between the way you've been acting every time someone mentions Sirius, even in vaguest passing, and the fact that Dumbledore went so far as to involve me, I'd think it's safe to say that the situation is approaching desperate." He sighed and ran the hand not gripping his staff through his hair. "I'm not going to tell you what to do. Sirius is already here, and Remus as well. You've got at least a couple of hours before we have to get back. Do whatever you see fit with the time you have. I'll return when time is up. Don't try crossing into the mist. Only someone of Old magic can enter or leave this place without some sort of aid."

Without another word, Myrddin turned on his heel, and disappeared into the mist.

Harry sighed and plodded toward the circle of stones.


Author's Note: Hopefully this chapter was worth the wait and did a good job of explaining why Merlin has been hesitating a little bit. I'm not going to make any promises about when I'll have the next chapter done, but I will get to work on it.

Anonymous Review Responses:

Riley: Hermione might have actually considered it, but I also don't think she'd really give it much credence because it should be impossible for Myrddin to actually be Merlin since Merlin lived so long ago. As for your first review, that's not a bad idea. I might have to play with that a little.

Nikira: Lol, thanks. I honestly thought I'd have this chapter done, but then it was just one thing after another. Thanks for all of the encouragement. It means so much!

Beth: No I did not. For that I am truly sorry. I haven't abandoned anything, as I have updated. I just honestly didn't have any time whatsoever. I don't think I'm ever going to try to knit four scarves in a month again.

Guest: I'm horrible at catching my own errors and I freely admit that grammar isn't my strongest. I really do promise that I'm not going to abandon this. I honestly just didn't have the time to write. Thank you so much for the encouragement!

More: I have written more, lol. What you mentioned might happen, but probably not immediately. I'm still not completely decided on how that will happen.

Yamamoto Yoko: Thank you! Here's the next chapter, lol.

Leslie: I updated, lmao.

Aiedail: Thank you!

Reader of storie: Thanks for the constructive review. I will try to work on being a little more descriptive. I really do appreciate everything you've said. I don't have all that much experience with writing, so I'm still very much a work in progress as a writer, lol.

Bottle Sunshined: Thank you! For once Kilgharrh was actually helpful, lol.