Chapter 35: Luck of Friday the Thirteenth

"You do not belong here!" said a fully armed centaur while towering over Jack who sobbed on the ground, completely unaware of the danger he was in.

'Oh, dear goddess,' Merlin thought to himself. How did this day go so terribly wrong?

From the day after Colin was petrified when he started to suspect Jack of involvement with the Chamber of Secrets, he'd been trying to uncover the boy's mysteries. As much as he hated himself for trying, Merlin attempted to break into his mind, only to get nothing. It appeared that Jack wasn't even aware that his mind's walls were up. Merlin had never encountered Occlumens like him. There was no resistance to overcome. The boy was a blank slate.

Merlin tried the same on his sister, only to encounter the same problem. Were these twins trained in this ability or was it innate?

So he decided that the only way to get the truth out of the boy was to have him volunteer it. He noticed in the past that Jack would let unspoken words slip up whenever he was upset, he had no filter on his mouth, so today, Merlin tried to get the boy to reveal his stance on blood-purity to gauge whether it resembled someone who would want to open the Chamber of Secrets. He even offered a little trivia about himself to appease the boy's curiosity, and it worked. He thought his plan was infallible.

But the boy didn't fall for his suggestion that all pure-blooded families were a bunch of inbred losers. He disregarded as if it didn't concern him at all, and instead got passionate about the topic of education of magical creatures. The conversation upset him so much, he ran away.

Merlin followed him stealthily all the way into the Forbidden Forest. He was most intrigued if Jack was about to meet an accomplice or maybe even the Chamber monster itself, but instead, the boy wandered into the forest aimlessly and collapsed in sobs so genuine, they pulled on Merlin's heartstrings.

There was no grand plan in the forest. The boy simply wanted to get away so no one would see him cry—including Merlin.

He pushed him too hard. It was difficult to be tough on someone this young. And yet Merlin wasn't done. He still had not found out enough and would have to be the bad guy again. But not today. Today, he admitted defeat.

While the boy cried, frost spread under his hands and marked his presence in the forest, and the forest reacted. Within a minute, a centaur galloped right up to the unsuspecting boy who was too lost in his lament to notice. Merlin quickly masked his presence with glamour and remained invisible.

The centaur watched the frost creep up a tree trunk, and his lips curled up in anger, revealing large sharp teeth. "Stop this magic!" He drew his bow and aimed at the boy.

Merlin was ready to stop the arrow, should it be fired, though he doubted that he needed to interfere. Most centaurs were honorable creatures and wouldn't harm a child. Most.

Jack came to his senses and noticed the threat. His breath was still hitched after his crying fit, but the clear danger sobered him up.

"I said, stop this magic!" the centaur warned.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I lost control. I didn't do it on purpose."

"Your kind is not welcome here."

New tears dropped down the boy's cheeks. "I'll leave. I'm sorry. I didn't look where I was going."

The centaur hoofed the ground impatiently, kicking bits of snow mixed with dirt. "Look at this! You and your kin have meddled with the balance. You have no right! This is your warning. We will interfere to protect nature's order if we have to."

Jack looked at the ground with a pout, "I won't do it again. I promise."

The balance? What did the centaurs know about this boy? Were they talking about the Chamber of Secrets? How did that affect the Forbidden Forest?

The centaur made a move forward, his arrow was still fixed on Jack who put his hands up.

"I'm leaving. I'm leaving." Jack started walking in a random direction—the wrong direction if he wanted to return to the castle—and tripped over a root, falling into a brambly bush. "Ow. Ow. Thorns."

It seemed that today's bad luck wasn't limited to Merlin's increase in clumsiness. The centaur lowered his bow but didn't put it away yet. His tail flicked back and forth.

"I'm leaving." Jack scrambled out of the brambles and hobbled on one foot. "Don't shoot. I just…"

He tried to walk but collapsed with a cry of pain. Merlin instinctively wanted to help but remained in his spot. Of course, Jack didn't wear shoes. The centaur put away his bow and arrow and approached the boy.

"I'll leave," Jack said with desperation in his voice and new tears in his eyes. "You don't have to hurt me. I got your message."

"I do not wish to hurt you, foal," the centaur said in a much calmer tone. He picked up a long stick off the ground and offered it. Jack eyed it cautiously, but seeing that it wasn't a threat, he took the stick and used it to support his weight so that he could walk.

"Thank you."

"This way," the centaur pointed in the correct direction.

Jack slowly hobbled away, and the creature hung close by. Maybe to ensure the intruder left, maybe to ensure no more harm came to the foal, who knew?

Merlin followed, and the centaur turned around to look right at him. Merlin held his breath and focused on his glamour. Centaurs were very perceptive creatures, but he should have been undetectable in these surroundings. Seeing no one there, the centaur continued following the boy on his slow journey.

"Why did you release your magic so soon?" the centaur asked while they walked.

"I'm sorry," Jack apologized again and Merlin tried to keep closer to ensure he could hear the conversation. "We just wanted to have some fun, and it's so pretty, isn't it? And we just… you have no idea how long we've been waiting. This is our first winter outside."

"It is not winter yet. You need to be patient and wait your turn."

"I know. We'll be patient," Jack said with a resigned sigh. Merlin could hear the pout in his voice.

He was glad that Jack wasn't crying anymore but was increasingly getting frustrated. He was missing a major part of the puzzle in order to understand their conversation.

"Was it you?" Jack asked a little more lightly. "When we arrived at Hogwarts, I could feel someone watching. Was it your herd?"

"Yes. We felt magic approach, but it wasn't only yours."

Merlin gulped. They wouldn't be talking about him now, were they? He checked his glamour one more time. No one would be able to see him or sense his magic, but it was tiring to hold it for this long.

"We have been observing since then. Many events are foretold to come, some of which you will be a part of. Darkness hangs over Hogwarts."

Jack sighed. "Yeah, that darkness took my friend. Did your foretellings tell you who did it or how it can be stopped?"

"Divination does not work this way."

Merlin snorted. Wasn't that the truth? Knowing the future was never useful. He didn't know why the centaurs even bothered looking for it.

The centaur looked in his direction again. His senses were extreme. Merlin froze in place and waited for him to look away.

By the time Jack made it to the tree line, night had fallen, and the grounds were quiet.

"Thank you for walking me here." Jack hesitated, watching the lights of the castle in the distance. "Do you think it's foolish to walk among them?"

"Fate brought you here, young one. You have a role to play in the events that are come to pass."

"Could you be less cryptic?"

"Farewell," the centaur said and galloped away, leaving Jack alone at the edge of the dark forest. He slowly made his way towards the castle with Merlin following him.

Jack discarded his stick, limped in through the main entrance, and found a bench to sit on. The evening feast was over and the castle halls were submerged in semi-darkness. Merlin figured it was so dark, he could drop the glamour and hide in the shadows instead. He contemplated leaving but was curious why the boy just sat there instead of trying to make his way to the dorm, or maybe better the Hospital Wing, looking at the state of his bloodied foot. The healer in him lamented at the severity of the infection that was going to develop if that wound wasn't cleaned soon. Several minutes passed when a quiet shuffle of footsteps brought a promise of some answers.

"What are you doing here?" Elsa's angry whisper carried in the silent corridor.

What was she doing there?

"Sorry, I know it's late, but I could use your help. Please?"

"What did you do?" she asked and lit her wand tip with Lumos. Before he could say anything, she unexpectedly hugged him.

He returned her hug but seemed surprised. "What?"

"You can't hide it," she said in a gentle tone. "Your eyes are puffy."

Jack seemed to shrink in on himself.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked.

"No," he answered quickly. "I'm fine. I just lost my cool for a moment." He chuckled. "Get it? Lost my cool?"

She released the hug and sighed. "You and your puns. So what do you need from me?"

He grimaced and pointed at his foot.

She brought the wand light to it and gasped, seeing the lacerations covered in mud and leaves. "What did you do?"

"I tripped," he said with a shrug.

The wound looked even worse when illuminated. Merlin felt like strangling the boy for not even trying to cover it before traipsing through the forest.

She put her wand on the floor, where it remained lit, and took his foot in her hands. Merlin got excited. It was worth it to stay if he could see Elsa's healing skills again. He expected a glow of magic or an incantation, but instead, she coated his foot in something that resembled a layer of ice, which his skin was absorbing.

Jack moaned in relief. "That feels so good."

"Will you finally get in the habit of wearing shoes?" she asked impatiently while hovering her hand over the wounds.

"I didn't plan to go there. I would have otherwise."

She scoffed and rubbed the dirt off her hands. "Done."

"Thanks, sis."

His foot was still dirty with blood and mud but it appeared to be completely healed. Merlin couldn't tell what type of healing magic she used, but it was very effective. Did she know more nonverbal spells?

"Let's get out of here before we're caught. Filch is patrolling this area," she said sharply.

"You don't have to worry about Filch. He's a Squib. They're just like Muggles," he said and got up to test his foot. Satisfied with how it felt, he took her hand and they ran off.

Merlin came out of his hiding spot and walked up to where Jack's foot rested before. Specks of mud and blood remained on the floor. She was indeed a gifted Healer, and he wondered if she would tell him what incantation she used. He was always open to learning new healing spells.

"Look what we have here," a voice sounded in the dark.

Merlin turned around and recognized the Slytherin prefect he had encountered in the library a few days ago. How did the boy sneak up on him? Bad luck wasn't done dealing with him yet.

"Now, you'll get what's coming for you," the boy hissed and grabbed his arm so hard, it would surely leave bruises. He dragged him to the dungeons and knocked on a black-stained door.

"Enter," Snape drawled from inside.

The boy shoved Merlin towards the center of a gloomy room that smelled like mold. Shelves lined the walls stacked with revolting jars and multicolored vials. There was a desk at the back of the room but no chairs. Merlin tried to keep his smirk to a minimum. He bet the wizard hated all chairs by now.

Snape stood with his back to them and was perusing his inventory.

"Good Evening, Professor," the Prefect said. "I caught this one on the ground floor, right by the front entrance."

"Marvelous, Cassius," Snape said, barely audibly, and picked one of the jars.

"Professor, it's the same one that framed me at the library."

Snape froze and slowly turned around. His eyebrow twitched when he recognized Merlin.

"Ealdor," he surveyed him from head to foot, and a triumphant look crossed his face, "there's mud on your shoes. What were you doing outside at this hour?"

Merlin looked at his shoes. They were filthy, and so were his robes. It was too late to vanish the evidence. Oh, well. He was caught already—might as well make this interesting.

"I was jogging," he said with a shrug.

Snape's lip twitched. "Jogging?"

"I like to keep my body in shape."

"Surely, even a dimwit like you knows what time it is."

"It gets dark early now, but I wouldn't want to miss my workout." He patted his flat belly. "Don't want to get pudgy."

This was ridiculous, he was skinny like a twig, and he fought to keep the smirking to himself.

"Your own roommate was a victim of the danger the school is facing, and you're taking the curfew this lightly. Typical Gryffindor arrogance!"

Merlin's desire to smirk disappeared at the mention of Colin.

"Where did you get the enchanted pot?"

"Pardon?"

"Are you deaf as well as slow? Where did you get the enchanted pot that you released in the library?"

"I had nothing to do with it." The lie glided from his tongue with ease.

"It was him!" Cassius shouted. "He did it and framed me for it."

Merlin plastered a look of surprise on his face. "I truly thought you left the pot there. Maybe I was mistaken. Maybe it was another Slytherin Prefect."

Snape's lips lifted slightly in a snarl. "You should know that I do not tolerate liars, especially those who blame others for their own deeds."

Cassius wasn't done in his prosecution. "He was in the Restricted Section. I caught him. I caught him!"

Merlin rolled his eyes. "I wasn't in the Restricted Section. I simply tripped and fell into the rope. That rope is a hazard."

Cassius looked like he was going to pop a vein. He pointed a finger at him and shouted, spitting, "That's not what he said before! He said he had a permission slip!"

"I thought you asked me if I had permission to be in the library. I apologize, I misunderstood."

"Do you take me for a fool?" Snape hissed, and Merlin decided to not answer that question. "Cassius, you may go. I will deal with him."

Cassius looked like he wanted to say something more, but then Snape gave him a tiny nod to confirm that justice would be dealt. A vile grin framed the boy's face, making him look like an evil clown, and he walked out, leaving Merlin alone with the presiding judge, the Honorable Greasy Git. Snape walked up to his desk and got ready to sit down out of habit, but then remembered that there was no chair and turned around.

'Don't smirk. Don't smirk,' Merlin repeated to himself.

"Typical Gryffindor troublemaker. How unfortunate that you must embody such a sad stereotype." Merlin sauntered across the room. "What did you steal from the Restricted Section?"

Was Snape a Legilimens? His black eyes were so piercing that Merlin put up barriers around his mind just in case if this wizard tried to break in. For now, he pictured himself singing in the shower, so the git would get out of his head.

"I did not go in there, Professor," he answered calmly.

"I've had enough of your lies for one evening. Fifty points from Gryffindor and a week of detentions with me. Show up in my office at six sharp every evening, starting tomorrow. And Ealdor," he paused for effect and finished with a quiet threat, "don't be late."

"Yes, Professor," Merlin said with a slight incline of his head.

He was grinning when he walked out of there. Getting detention somehow made him feel like he really was fitting in with his student persona. He would definitely have something to bond over with Harry now. Harry hated Snape with utmost devotion.

As soon as he arrived at the Gryffindor common room, he was attacked in the form of a tight hug.

"I was so worried." Jack released him and looked him over. "I didn't know if I should tell anyone that you were missing or not. I didn't want to get you in trouble, but you were gone so long! I'm so glad you're okay."

Merlin narrowed his eyes at the boy. He played the worried look very well. "I was out looking for you actually, and I got caught."

"What? Me?" Jack's eyebrows knitted in worry. "I'm sorry. I had to clear my head earlier, that's why I ran out. You got caught?"

Merlin sighed. "Yes. Now, I have detention with Snape to look forward to."

Jack winced. "Maybe it won't be so bad. He can be reasonable, you know? We managed to convince him to let me change the recipes."

"Really?" Merlin didn't bother assisting Jack with the task because he thought it was futile. He had a hard time believing that Snape would ever agree to something like that. Besides, he didn't feel like helping someone who he suspected of a brutal attack on their friend.

"It wasn't easy though." Jack's expression darkened. "It was scary actually. He had Elsa drink poison to test if my antidote worked."

Merlin stopped in his tracks and exploded, "He did what?"

"Aconite. He could've chosen something less lethal if you asked me."

Merlin's hands trembled. Snape tested deadly poison on students. Tortured them and made them feel grateful for it. That man was a monster. "Judging from how casually you talk about it, I take it, she survived?"

"Well, yeah. It worked quickly." Jack kicked the rug under his feet.

They went to bed and Merlin pondered on how badly the bad luck of Friday the Thirteenth always seemed to affect him. It was like the universe was against him in so many ways. The whole day was a failure.

"Merlin," Jack asked in the dark, "do you think that more people will be attacked like Colin was?"

Merlin didn't answer anything out loud.

'You tell me, kid,' he thought to himself. 'You tell me.'

》《

Chapter (46): Hermione's hair

(Sat Nov 14, 1st night of detention, 1.5k)

The common room was fairly empty this Saturday morning. Some Gryffindors were sleeping in late, the Quidditch team was out training, others got started on homework. Jack was too awake to remain in bed and wasn't ever in the mood for homework. He considered watching the team practice but that only reminded him of Colin again. It felt wrong to enjoy things Colin loved without him there.

Merlin had yet another tutoring session scheduled with Hermione, though Jack thought he'd seen him perform the spell in class already. As Merlin sat too close to a flaming fireplace, Jack sat next to Hermione Granger, who was violently brushing her hair. It looked like she was in full-on combat with it. He worried who would come out victorious and what it would mean to the loser.

"I can untangle it for you if you'd like," he offered.

She stared up at him with an open mouth, and he wondered if he had said anything wrong.

"If you think you can do anything about this mop, why not. I give up."

He happily sat down with one leg folded beneath him and took her brush. She sat with her back to him as he tried to untangle her brown wavy mess. Her hair was very different from his sister's. It was dry and frizzy where his sister's was smooth and silky. The brush kept getting stuck in it. Simple combing was not going to work but he had an idea. He ran his fingers through her hair, releasing a faint amount of frost on them. He combed the worst tangles out with his fingers and resumed brushing. As expected, the hair became slightly damp and he was able to run the brush through it easily now. Hermione sat patiently as he did this and occasionally gave tips to Merlin who looked utterly bored.

"You untangled it," she said when Jack finished. "Wow. You have magic fingers."

He chuckled. "You have no idea. Do you want me to braid it for you?"

"You know how?"

"I've always done it for my sister."

She beamed. "Yes. Let me get a hair tie."

As soon as she ran to her dorm, Merlin dropped his wand and slumped in his armchair.

"Why do you need tutoring?" Jack asked.

Merlin groaned. "To get good grades or something. I forget."

Hermione ran back down, holding a hair tie and two mirrors. "Merlin, get back to work. That pebble doesn't look anything like a button. Ensure you're pronouncing it right."

"Sure thing, Hermione," Merlin replied with a forced grin and picked up his wand.

Hermione sat down with her back to Jack again. "I really like how you combed my hair. It didn't hurt at all."

"Combing shouldn't hurt. Wet your brush next time or ask me. I'll gladly do it for you. So, how do you want it braided?"

"I don't know. You choose," she said cheerfully.

Jack assessed the situation. She had a lot of hair. It would make sense to start in more than one spot at a time and then join it all together. "I'll think of something. If you don't like it, we can always do it over again differently."

He got started and easily fell into the routine he'd done with his sister for years. He missed it. He missed her.

"Since when do boys braid hair?" a voice sounded above him. Ron Weasley.

Jack didn't like his tone. "You've got a sister, don't you? You never helped her brush it?"

Ron scoffed. "Ginny wouldn't want me to do her hair any more than I would've wanted to do it."

"But have you offered?"

Ron frowned and his ears turned tomato-red.

Jack got back to his task. "Poor Ginny."

Hermione quietly chuckled, and Ron walked away, but not before giving Jack the stink-eye. It was to get under that redhead's skin. Fun.

He continued working on Hermione. It was taking a long time, but he didn't mind. The familiar feeling of hair between his fingers felt soothing, even if the hair wasn't the same.

"How is your sister?" she asked.

Jack barely saw her nowadays though he hoped that the whole Old Religion business would change that. "She's always in the library obsessing over her research. I think it's unhealthy, but she won't listen to me."

"Maybe I can help her find what she's looking for? I know Hogwarts library very well."

"Probably not."

"Try me."

"Fine. Do you know where we can find Mirror of Erised?"

Hermione half-turned, and he barely held on to the braid. "It's at Hogwarts."

Jack blinked. Did he hear that right? "What?"

"At least it was a few months ago. It was stored in the underground chambers. I bet it's still in the castle. What do you need with the mirror?"

"So it's real? You saw it?"

"I didn't, but Harry and Ron did. Harry said that he could see his whole family in it—including his dead parents and grandparents. How does your sister plan to use it?"

"To find someone. Thank you, Hermione. I can finally get her nose out of those books."

All of those weeks Elsa spent researching and the mirror was right under their feet. All they had to do was talk to the right people. Good things came out of braiding hair. He returned to his task with a much lighter heart.

Hermione sighed and asked quietly, "Why is Merlin struggling so much with that spell? I'm the worst tutor ever."

"I don't think so. I have a theory on what he's doing."

She tried to look back at him, and he had to stop her before she ruined his work.

"What do you mean?"

"I bet he can do that spell already. Merlin is pretty good at every single class. I don't believe that he's struggling at all."

"Then, how would you explain this?" She pointed at the pebble Merlin was working on, which simply changed color but not shape.

Jack leaned in and whispered in her ear. "I think he fancies you."

"What?" Hermione exclaimed loudly.

Startled, Merlin looked in their direction. His eyes lingered on Jack. Jealous?

Hermione asked quietly, "Why do you think that? Did he say anything about me?"

Jack leaned in and whispered, "No, but why else would he put up with tutoring for something that he can do perfectly well on his own? He wants to spend time with you."

"Awww," Hermione cried softly, "that's really sweet. What should I do? What would you do, knowing something like that?"

"I'd give him the worst possible task just to see how dedicated he is, how much he's willing to put up with. I think it would be hilarious."

"You want me to prank him? That's so childish."

Jack released a long sigh. No one appreciated how genius his ideas were. "You two have something in common then—toogrownupness."

"Actually, that's not a real word."

"And you just proved my point." He tied her braid at the end and looked at the result of his work. "You're done. How does it feel? Not too tight?"

Hermione reached back to inspect her braid, then she stuffed one of the mirrors in his hand and used the other one to check herself out.

"This is brilliant, Jack. Thank you!"

She turned around and spontaneously hugged him. He wasn't expecting that, but he didn't mind, it was nice to be hugged. He wondered if it made Merlin even more jealous.

"I'm glad you like it."

Hermione sat up straight and played with the end of her thick braid. She took a long breath and spoke up, "Merlin, I think you're done for today."

He sagged back in his armchair and nodded at her. "I like the hair. Suits you."

Hermione blushed profusely, ripped the mirrors from Jack's hands, and ran out of there without another word.

"What did I say?" Merlin asked, looking after her, confused.

Jack grinned. He was sure he did Merlin a favor by telling Hermione. She seemed happy, knowing that Merlin liked her. Maybe she felt the same? This could be the start of a cute young romance. Jack relaxed on the couch and crossed his arms behind his head. These two were perfect for each other. He was a great matchmaker.

A/N: NaNoWriMo 2021 update: reached 50k on Nov 29th, but most importantly, CURSED IS FINISHED! (that's the sequel to this book)

I have a ton of editing ahead of me before I can start sharing it. If you can help yourself, don't read what's published. Edits are coming along with the new chapters. This is exciting!

Did you take part in this year's nano? How did it go?