[17]

The Letter From Silas

Merlin half expected to run into Filtch the caretaker or his cat Mrs. Norris every time he turned the corner, but the castle was empty. The blanket of silence pressed on his ears, and his light footsteps seemed so loud that he was certain to attract attention. It had been a very long time since he'd snuck around a castle at night, and the absence of guards made him uneasy. He wanted to turn down a hallway and see a knight clad in blood red patrolling the perimeter. Was Hogwarts so vacant? The enormity of the castle had never been so apparent as when there was no living soul within sight.

The sight of Aithusa had brought back a rush of memories, both fond and bitter. Merlin hurried his pace down the corridor and slid into the dungeons, feeling like he was back in Camelot sneaking off behind Arthur's back. Merlin shook his head. He wasn't in Camelot, no matter how similar the situation felt. He had different duties, different obligations, and different concerns.

Merlin stopped for a moment against the cool dungeon wall. Had hatching Korrizahar been a good idea? Such a young dragon would be of little help and teaching him would only further worry him. But then he remembered those large golden eyes staring right into his heart, and he knew he craved the kinship that only another creature of magic could bestow.

Merlin sighed and made his way quickly over to the entrance of the Slytherin common room. "Boomslang," he whispered to the snake at the bottom of the wall and with a soft hissed, "Welcome, young snake," Merlin walked inside. For a moment, he thought the room was deserted, and then he noticed the dark figure sitting by the dying fire.

He was so dead.

"Tell me Evans, do you have some difficulty with grasping the concept of a curfew, or do you consider yourself above such rules?"

Professor Snape rose from the chair and crossed the room, silent fury rolling down his black cloak in waves. He stopped a few feet before Merlin, towering over the boy with flashing eyes. "All students are to be in their dorms by ten," Snape roared and Merlin cringed, taking a quick step back from him. Even in the gloom he could see the anger in Snape's face. "So what exactly were you doing at this hour?!"

"I—I was just clearing my head."

"And did you achieve some clarity in the four hours you've been missing?" And his words echoed in the empty room.

Merlin spluttered. He hadn't realized he'd been gone so long, and after he'd barged into Snape's office he was sure the man had been waiting for his return. "I didn't realize—I went for a walk outside and—" The Potions Master fixed him with such an expression that Merlin was sure Snape intended to expel him right there.

"There is a reason students are not allowed on the ground after dark, Evans!" Snape bellowed. "You are as stupid as you are insolent! More than one student has been attacked during their reckless nighttime wandering."

Merlin had never seen Snape so angry. His voice was bound to carry up the stairs but he didn't seem to care. And Merlin had no idea how to respond, the assault of angry words were disarming. He had never been yelled at like this. Sure, Arthur had always told him how stupid and incapable he was, but he'd never gotten really angry about it. And Gaius had never shouted, preferring the stare of blatant disapproval.

Merlin didn't say anything after the professor finished shouting. What could he say after all? Sorry I made you worry, but I was hatching a dragon in the middle of the forbidden forest? As if the professor would even believe him. Snape heaved a profound sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. The furious tone in Snape's voice melted away, exhaustion and frustration taking over instead.

"What is bothering you, Evans?"

Merlin blinked, taken aback. "Nothing is—"

"Don't insult my intelligence," Snape cut across. "I am perfectly aware that you meant to talk to me about something earlier this evening and then abruptly changed your mind." Snape folded his arms.

A lot of things were bothering him. Where was Lord Voldemort now? Would Korrizahar be all right so close to humanity? Why did he get bad vibes from Quirrell? Could he trust Dumbledore? Could he trust Snape? And then there was trying to make Draco cast aside his bias against muggleborns and—

"I haven't heard from Silas since term started," Merlin blurted out. It was the only matter he could talk about. And when he finally said it out loud, he realized that it really did bother him – a lot. And though it wasn't what he'd wanted to talk to Snape about initially, he knew that it would have brought him to the professor's office sooner or later. "I've send him a few letters, but he's never replied."

Snape was silent for a moment. "Your foster brother?" When Merlin nodded he continued with an eye roll, "And you thought wandering around at night would help, did you?"

"Look," Merlin said his jaw clenching. "I know it wasn't very smart to go out alone—" and I'm going to be doing it a lot more because of Korrizahar "—and I'm sorry if I made you worry, but Slytherin doesn't really understand when it comes to muggles." He shook his head. "And I'm not the best when it comes to asking for help."

"Clearly."

When Snape didn't say anything more than that Merlin frowned. "Yes, clearly I have trust issues and feel more comfortable shouting my problems at the sky than talking to people. Now can you just give me detention already so that I can go to bed?"

Snape's lip curled. "Strictly speaking, you already have detention with me every Friday Evans and I don't see the need to add another one." He paused a moment. "But if I catch you out of bed again you will spend an entire Saturday degutting toads, do I make myself clear?"

Merlin stared at him. He wasn't going to be punished? Was that even possible? After a moment Snape swept past him. "I'll find out what's going on with your foster brother. This wouldn't be the first time the ministry blocked letters to a non-magical sibling. Now, get up to bed before I change my mind."

Snape didn't wait to see if Merlin had listened to him before exiting the common room. Merlin stared after him for several more minutes, completely thunderstruck. That was not how he had pictured that conversation going at all. And not even a point lost? But as he stood there the surprise slowly faded into understanding. Snape had been worried about him. He could just imagine the professor going from mildly curious by the barging into his office, to panicked as the night wore on without a sight or sound of Merlin. He was willing to bet Draco had come to ask Snape where he was too.

He was going to have to be a little smarter about how he snuck out from now on.

Merlin headed up the stairs to his dorm room, unsurprised to see everyone sitting up in bed and staring at him.

"Oh, did you make Daddy mad?" Blaise asked with a smirk.

Merlin ignored him. He thought he heard Draco mutter his name, but he didn't reply. He didn't want to think about how much they heard or what the fallout would be in the morning. He just wanted to go to bed.

Only A boy

"Merlin!"

Merlin cracked open an eye. The long black couch was so comfortable, had it always been this comfortable? Draco was standing over him with folded arms with Blaise next to him. Where were the bodyguards that never left Draco's side? "What?" he mumbled and he stretched in a very catlike manner.

He'd been out with Korrizahar the previous night. Again. The dragon was incredibly smart and understood the meaning of words quickly, but he had a lot of trouble saying anything. It had only been a week but the constant lack of sleep was starting to take its toll.

"Come on, it's lunch! And then we have Charms and Transfiguration," Blaise said rolling his eyes. Merlin groaned and sat up, his hair sticking up in all directions. Well, lunch explained where the bodyguards were. Blaise waited another minute before grabbing Merlin's arm and dragged him off the couch. "Let's go, Hufflepuff."

Stifling a yawn, Merlin followed him out the stone door, Draco falling into step beside him. Other than a few jeers about disappointing daddy, they hadn't mentioned Snape scolding him. Draco had tried to get him to explain a little more, but there had just been nothing to explain. Merlin had a feeling that Draco would be next to no help regarding the Silas situation and he didn't feel like listening to his anti-muggle bigotry when he was so sleep deprived.

"Didn't get enough sleep?" Draco asked him. Merlin looked at him. There was something weird about the way he said that, as though he was daring him to lie to him. And when Merlin shrugged, Draco glared at him.

"What?" Merlin finally asked as they walked into the Great Hall.

"I heard you sneaking out last night!" Draco whispered to him, glancing toward the others and falling back slightly. "What have been up to these last few nights?"

"Nothing, I—"

"Right, you went to the bathroom!" Draco shook his head. "You know, you're a much better liar than you pretend to be. When you feel like telling your friend what's really going on, let me know." He shoved ahead, knocking Merlin's shoulder with his own.

"Draco—Draco!" Merlin tried to say, but the blond boy didn't pay him any attention, sitting instead beside Pansy Parkinson. Merlin groaned and plopped down next to Theodore, and began poking a plate of hash browns with disinterest. There were just some things he could not talk to Draco about – talk to anyone about really.

"Are you okay?" Theodore asked him, looking down at the sausage he was chopping up.

"Just peachy, Theo," Merlin responded without looking at him.

"Is Snape still angry with you?"

"Everyone's angry with me." The sausage was starting to turn into pile of mush.

Theodore shrugged. "I'm not. Neither is Blaise." Merlin sighed and glanced at him, a small smile gracing his tired face.

"Thanks Theo." He was being melodramatic he knew that. He was just sleep deprived and two people turned into everyone in the whole world. Merlin shook his head and drained his glass of pumpkin juice.

As the week dragged on, Merlin started sleeping in class. His grades, so poor already, slipped even further and Blaise started teasing him that he was going to fail his first year. Merlin didn't really care though. The grades were decided by the exams and he had no doubt that he'd pass those – not with his knowledge. But he couldn't sleep all day – Snape would kill him if he started sleeping in his magic control lessons.

"Focus, Evans!" Snape barked at him as chaotic emotion threatened to burst out of Merlin in one violent spiral of destruction. Over a month of these lessons had improved his ability to control his magic in tense situations – more than he'd thought possible – but that didn't make him like them any more.

"I am," Merlin snapped back. He was so tired that it was difficult to focus. Korrizahar was so close to saying his first word, and he'd ended up staying out until dawn working with him. If only Aithusa was more useful! Frustration built in his chest and wind kicked up his hair, magic tasting the air. Merlin took a deep calming a breath and the magic receded, waiting for his command.

"I think that's enough," Snape said approvingly and with a wave of his wand, Merlin's emotions returned to normal. Snape walked back to his desk and took a seat, stowing his wand in his robes. Merlin yawned widely and sat down on the floor.

"Great. So next week?" he said as he stretched.

"I think not."

Merlin looked up at him. "What? You mean we're done?"

Snape leaned back in his chair, surveying Merlin with a calculating expression. "You tell me. Judging from this lesson, how well did you keep your magic in control?" Snape cast his eyes around the room and Merlin followed him. For once, not a single book had been thrown off the shelf and nor were there any papers scattered about.

Merlin looked back at Snape and grinned. "Then I will not see you next week." He got to his feet, feeling oddly sluggish. It'd been such a long time since he'd gone on a few hours of sleep that his body had forgotten how to cope – and not just that, but now it was a child's body, which wasn't accustomed to this at all. He paused as he scooped his bag off the floor. "Outside of class, I mean," he quickly amended at seeing the professor raise an eyebrow.

"If only I really believed that," Snape said shaking his head.

Merlin grinned cheekily at him. "You'd start to miss me if I didn't intrude upon your life on a regular basis."

"I'd rather think of it as a blessing." Snape sneered at him. "Now come here, I have a letter for you from Silas," he continued as he pulled an envelope out of a drawer from his desk. "It arrived earlier this afternoon."

Merlin crossed the room so fast that he when he stopped at Snape's desk he was slightly light headed. Without a word, he snatched the away the letter and tore it open.

"It seems that the Haddocks called animal control in order to take care of a pair of troublesome owls that found themselves in Silas' room," Snape said as he watched Merlin attack the envelope. "A contact of mine stopped by and checked in on the situation. Your foster brother did get all your letters, but had some difficulty in sending any back – what with the owls forcibly removed and released in a bird sanctuary. She managed to pick up a reply letter from him while the Haddocks were out on business."

Merlin couldn't think of what business would draw Granny Audrey and Popeye to leave Silas home alone, but he didn't say that out loud.

Merlin,

I'm doing all right. It's really good to hear from you. Sorry I couldn't send a reply. Popeye saw the owls and panicked. How is school? I bet you've made loads of friends. I'm—all right. Don't like school much. There's— Can't wait to see you again.

Silas

As he held the letter in his hands, it was clear to him that his foster brother wasn't as "all right" as he claimed to be. He didn't talk about himself at all leaving Merlin to fret about why he wasn't answering any of his questions about school, and living with the Haddocks. He didn't really ask about Merlin either. The energetic boy of a thousand words and endless questions had gone. What was wrong with his school? He'd started to say something about it before changing his mind.

"Are you incapable to displaying proper manners, Evans?" Snape glowered at him, starting to drum his fingers on his desk.

Merlin looked up at him, but his mind wasn't with him. It was still somewhere back with the letter and his tumultuous thoughts. "Oh—what? Sorry, thank you sir." Merlin dropped his eyes back to the letter, any semblance of a smile or relief gone from his face.

"Is everything all right?" Snape asked after a tense moment, and Merlin looked up to see that he was surveying him with an unfathomable expression. Those black eyes dropped for a moment to the letter and Merlin quickly stuffed away in his bag.

"Yeah." He backed up and headed toward the door. "Everything's fine." His foot caught the door as he opened it and he tripped on his way out. "Yeah—fine. Just great. Thanks again!"

Worried that Snape would call him back, Merlin headed down to the common room. After dinner the place was packed, some students doing homework while others preferred to play games and have fun on a Friday night. Blaise looked up from a corner chair and waved him over, Draco next to him.

"Snape let you out of detention tonight early," Blaise remarked leaning back in his chair. He and Draco were engaged in a game of wizard chess, but Merlin was so unfamiliar with the game that he had no idea who was winning or losing.

"Yeah, looks like it was the last one too. Apparently, he couldn't stand to see much more of me," Merlin said with a shrug.

Draco glanced up at him and rolled his eyes. "Or he was tired of giving up his Friday nights to set you straight," he said as he directed one of his pieces to move forward.

Merlin watched him before, "Can we talk, just for a moment?" He glanced at Blaise who shrugged.

"I'm not moving, you guys come back when you're done bickering." He sneered at them both.

Merlin turned back to Draco before heading up the stairs to their dorm room, and after a moment, he heard footsteps following him. "What is it?' Draco drawled once they were standing in the hallway outside their room.

"I need to sneak out again tonight." Merlin knew he was taking a huge risk in telling Draco about it. But he also understood why Draco was feeling upset. He'd just told him a few weeks ago that he'd stop keeping secrets and treat him like a real friend. They were friends, and yet here he was with another secret. Yet here he was again telling more lies.

Draco stared at him. Then he folded his arms. "And you want me to cover for you, is that it?" He gave Merlin a searching look and shook his head. "Where do you keep going? What are you doing?"

Merlin swallowed. "I can't tell you that, Draco."

"Well if you want me to cover for you, you better."

"Look, I'm the worst friend in the world." Merlin gritted his teeth but kept going. "I keep secrets and I lie, because I can't tell others what I'm up to. I'm not very good at trusting people."

"Yeah, I overheard," Draco grumbled and Merlin could tell that he was thinking it over. After a moment he sighed and shook his head. "I don't even know why I bother anymore. Okay, fine. But one of these days I'm going to get an explanation."

"And on that day you will deserve it." Merlin smiled and Draco rolled his eyes.

"But if you get caught, don't you dare mention me. I'll hex you into next week if you get me in trouble." Draco snapped and Merlin laughed.

"Trust me, lips are sealed." And with that Merlin walked back downstairs. He whispered a simple charm that would make him unnoticed as he crept around the edge of the common room and out the door, and once in the hallway he raced toward the grounds.

"There has got to be a shortcut," he muttered when he finally reached the forbidden forest half an hour later. He'd had to wait for ten minutes until Mrs. Norris went inside the library. But the dark trees around him calmed his nerves; the dark sky and the bright moon above sent him back to a simpler time.

Merlin raced through the undergrowth toward the clearing that had become their place. Aithusa had knocked over several trees, breaking the thick canopy of leaves above so that moonlight could touch the heart of the forest. He rose his voice to his sky, "O drakon, e male so ftengometta tesd'hup'anankes!"

Within minutes he heard the beating of Aithusa's powerful wings and she landed before him, chirping with joy. Every time she saw him it was like the first time, and Merlin had a feeling that she'd been alone for a very long time. Nestled between her shoulder spines was Korrizahar, and he crawled along his mother's neck until he was sitting on her head, right before him.

"Hello, Kor," Merlin said smiling at him as he rubbed Aithusa's cheek scales. Kor was only the size of a housecat, but Merlin knew that before long the dragon would dwarf his mother. "Ready for today?"

The black and red dragon bobbed his head, as though nodding. And then he fixed those large golden eyes on him and opened his mouth, "Mer—" Kor paused.

"—lin," Merlin finished for him. With his jaw structure, Merlin had no idea how Kor would ever speak normally. Sure, Kilgharrah had somehow managed it, but he'd had a millennia to practice and Merlin certainly couldn't wait that long.

Korrizahar made a loud guttural cry, and ruffled his wings, sitting up on his mother's head. Aithusa chirped something to him and sank to the ground, wrapping her tail around her. Smoke rose from Kor's nostrils.

"It's just going to take longer than we thought," Merlin told the dragon as he took a seat on a tree trunk. "You'll get it eventually." At least Korrizahar understood Merlin well enough. That was something. "Let's work on the sounds again, okay?"

Only A Boy

Merlin woke with a start, having fallen asleep on the log about three am. Kor was sitting on his chest, the dragon's body emanating enough heat to be a small heating blanket. When he saw that Merlin was awake he chirped and his wings stretched wide, catching the light of dawn and glowing an incredible vibrant red.

"Oh no, you guys have to leave," Merlin groaned, wiping the sleep from his eyes. "You need to be hiding by daylight."

Aithusa chirped and Kor glanced at her, clicking in reply. He turned back to Merlin. His face was so close that Merlin could see himself reflected in his gold eyes. The dragon took a deep breath and then he spoke. It wasn't the harsh broken sound of previous attempts, or the croak that Aithusa spoke with. It was a different sound all together, as though the dragon had found a second voice box to speak with, one that possessed the sound of a high alto, accented with a husk that brought forth images of fire crackling.

"Merlin."

Only A boy

After Korrizahar spoke his first word, the rest fell behind with a mad rush. Within another mere week, the dragon was using full sentences and Merlin finally had someone to talk to. Not that Kor was any help when it came to things. He didn't understand why Silas' letter was off or what it could possibly mean, and he didn't know why it was a problem that he kept things from Draco, but at least he listened.

And speaking of Draco, it seemed that at least telling the blond that he was keeping secrets from his was good enough. Merlin personally thought it was a little unfair – who knew how many secrets of Malfoy Manner Draco had – but at least he wasn't bothering him about it. Sure he shot him questioning looks every morning but Merlin just told him, "I'll tell you when I'm ready."

He just neglected to say that he might never be ready.

And as the days wore on, Silas' letter came back to haunt his mind during those brief moments when he wasn't falling asleep. It made him more snappish than usual when someone interrupted his worried musings. Which usually occurred as he walked from one class to another.

"Hey, Merlin?"

"I've got History of Magic to sleep through," Merlin snapped back as he turned around, "this better be—" He stopped short. Standing in front of him was Hermione Granger, looking uncharacteristically nervous. "Hermione," he choked out and then glanced behind him to where the rest of his Slytherin classmates stood. "Uh, I'll catch up guys."

He'd hardly seen her since the broomstick incident. Except for class, Merlin just hadn't had the time or the energy to go to the library. For a moment, Blaise looked like he was about to say something before Draco turned and started leading the group away. Merlin was grateful – Draco knew there was no point persuading him otherwise.

"How do you expect to pass the class if you sleep through it!" Hermione said after an awkward moment, folding her arms.

"Osmosis. I'm sleeping on my book." He gave a cheeky smile.

"Really, Merlin?" She shook her head and after a moment her face fell. "Are you all right? You have bags under your eyes."

Merlin scoffed. "Course I am," but for some reason his voice sounded hollow. Were Silas' teachers giving him a hard time? Were the students? "Just not sleeping so well."

"Oh, is there—"

"So, how are you?" Merlin smoothly interrupted. He didn't want to talk about his worries, not when she couldn't really do anything to help.

Hermione watched him for a moment. "I'm good," she said and Merlin smiled in response. She reached into her bag and pulled out a few loose leafs of paper. "Here," she said. "History notes, we just had the class."

"Oh, Hermione I can't!" Merlin said staring at her. "Your notes—"

"I've got copies." Hermione shrugged. "It's no trouble, really. Half of Gryffindor tower are at my feet begging for notes." Merlin scratched his head, embarrassed, but he took the notes.

"Uh, thanks."

"You're welcome." Hermione smiled. "You're always welcome to join me for a study session in the library, you know." Her cheeks tinged with a light pink. "I don't ever see you in there anymore."

"I've been really busy," Merlin told her and Hermione raised an eyebrow.

"Sleeping?" she said lightly and Merlin laughed.

"That and other stuff."

"Well, the offer still stands." She said with a nod and she turned back down the hallway. Merlin watched her walk away for a moment before an idea struck his tired brain. "Wait! Could I bring a friend?"

Only A boy

Hermione had no doubt as to whom Merlin intended to bring with him – she didn't think that there were any other options than the one entertaining her current thoughts. But the question was, why did he want to bring him? Hermione knew that Merlin was trying to change the boy's prejudice toward her and her kind, but wasn't this a little extensive? To ask Draco Malfoy to study with her was surely a bit much, and even laughable. In light of the prospect – even though Merlin didn't mention it – she chose the most secluded table in the far back of the library, right next to the restricted section. Hardly anyone ever came back here, and she knew for a fact that Draco Malfoy would not want to be seen in her company.

Okay, she knew that Merlin was trying to show Malfoy that she was a good person. Or at least, that she was just another witch trying to make her way in the world. She only hoped that she managed to give Malfoy the impression Merlin was looking for. She'd even borrowed some of Lavender's makeup – which was awkward, because she kept badgering her about what boy she wanted to look good for.

Hermione shook herself and straightened her stack of course books again, even though they were perfectly straight. When she heard their voices behind the bookshelf it took every ounce of willpower not to leap to her feet and hide. She had suggested the study group, she couldn't ditch it! Granted, Malfoy was a variable she hadn't anticipated but she really did want to help Merlin in his agenda to show the blond boy that muggleborns were good people worthy of his time.

They rounded the corner and Malfoy came to a dead stop. Very slowly he turned to look at Merlin, a glare in his grey eyes. "I don't seem to recall," he drawled with a rather dirty look in her direction, "you telling me we had a third member in our study session."

Merlin feinted looking shocked. "Really? I thought I must have mentioned it. It's not a problem, is it?" And the look he shot Draco dared him to say otherwise. Hermione swallowed and gave Draco a small awkward wave, hoping she appeared as unthreatening as possible.

Draco rolled his eyes and took the seat at the table that was furthest from Hermione. "You asking me join you in studying, I knew something was up," he grumbled, placing his book bag between him and her as though to build a barricade.

Merlin heaved a sigh and took the seat next to her, giving a friendly smile. "Sorry we're late Hermione, been waiting long?"

She glanced toward Malfoy briefly who was keeping his gaze fixed on a textbook in front him before answering. "Not at all," she said. She took a deep breath. "So, what do you want to study first?"

"How about muggle studies," Malfoy shot with a sneer. "Oh wait, but that's not a class option until third year. No matter, you can give us a head start, right?"

Hermione sat up straighter in her chair. "I think that class is a bit beyond you, Malfoy," she replied coolly. "After all, understanding people isn't one of your strong suits."

"Guys," Merlin cut across, massaging his temples. "Can we try to be civil with each other, please?" He shot Malfoy another one of his silent meaningful expressions and Hermione averted her eyes down to her lap.

"My apologies, I was rude."

She saw Malfoy glance up sharply at her, but she didn't remark on it. "Why don't we tackle transfiguration first? It's arguably one of the hardest subjects."

"Merlin blew up his match, much less transfigured anything else since then," Draco jeered, giving Merlin a smirk.

Hermione blinked. "You blew up your match?" she asked him. It was such a simple spell. How exactly had he managed to mess it up in such a way that he caused an explosion?! She couldn't even fathom it.

"I can get it now," Merlin muttered with an annoyed glance toward Malfoy.

Nevertheless Hermione started reading her notes to them on the subject, giving advice and little tidbits she'd picked up from other books. To her utmost surprise, Draco actually started writing down some of her advice. And also to her surprise, Merlin didn't touch his parchment at all. As she spoke, his eyes grew glassy and far away, a troublesome thought furrowing his brow. After they'd been studying for about half an hour, Hermione abruptly came to a stop and Malfoy looked up.

"What, did you sleep through the next lecture or something?" he asked seeming a little frustrated that he was indirectly asking for her help.

Hermione knew it was rude to ignore him, but the mere fact that Merlin didn't seem to notice anything was more pressing. She touched his arm and Merlin started, turning toward her. "What?" he asked blinking.

Malfoy turned to him too, and Hermione caught his eyes glance toward her. "Merlin, stop daydreaming, I'm not going to let you copy my notes," Malfoy said with a smirk.

"What? Why would I want to copy your pathetic attempt at note taking?" Both Hermione and Malfoy stiffened, and a second later Merlin seemed to realize just how callous he'd sounded. "No—I didn't mean that—" he sputtered.

"Merlin," Hermione interrupted. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," he tried to say but she caught the frown on Malfoy's face. So even his friend didn't think he was being truthful. And just like before, his words sounded hollow to her ears.

"You know, you can talk to us," Hermione said. "Maybe we can help."

"I doubt it," Merlin shot back, that same sour edge in his tone again. After a long silence Malfoy seemed to think of something because he shut his book with a loud snap.

"Is this about your floss brother, or something?" He asked rolling his eyes. When Merlin turned sharply to him, he continued, "Hey, you and Snape were talking loud enough for the whole castle to hear."

"Wait, you have a foster brother?" Hermione asked realizing what Malfoy had been trying to say. From the look on Merlin's face, it was true and it bothered him a lot. "Why didn't you say anything?"

For the first time, Merlin actually looked uncomfortable. "Well," and for a brief moment he glanced toward Malfoy. "He's sort of a Muggle."

Hermione folded her arms. "That's nothing to be ashamed of!"

Malfoy stared at her. "He's a Slytherin, of course it's something to be ashamed of," he shot. Hermione saw Merlin cringe from out the corner of her eye.

"That's exactly why I never brought it up," Merlin muttered and Malfoy fell silent.

Hermione wasn't about to let the subject drop though. "Well, what's wrong? Is he doing all right?" Merlin glanced up at her, opened his mouth and then closed it again with a sigh. He's probably worried Malfoy will make fun of him, Hermione realized glancing toward the blond boy who, by the look of it, had come to the same thought.

"Look, he's your brother," Malfoy said in an offhand way. "I won't say anything about it."

Merlin stared at him, but nodded all the same. He didn't speak right away though. After another long moment he pulled out a crumpled piece of parchment from his bag and put it on the table. "I haven't heard from him all term, and then I get this letter from him."

Hermione quickly read through it – the letter was very short after all. She could see why Merlin was worried, the crossed out note about school would concern her too. But she wasn't going to reinforce his apprehension. "He's probably fine," she said with a small smile. "He's younger than you right?" And when Merlin nodded she continued, "He probably just doesn't know what to put in a letter."

Malfoy who had been leaning over to read it as well, nodded. "Yeah, he's probably just a bit lonely without you and that's why he sounds off." He blinked and looked up at Hermione. He seemed horrified that he had actually agreed with her and for a moment Hermione was insulted. If Merlin was so worried that he didn't notice, she might have said something about it.

"It just doesn't sound like him," Merlin mumbled, taking the letter and holding it in his hands. "You don't think—you don't think he's in trouble, do you?"

"Oh no," Malfoy said shaking his head. "No, I'm sure he'd tell you if that were the case.

Merlin shook his head. "He's more of the silent type when it comes to his own discomforts," he said with a small smile.

"Merlin, I'm sure he's perfectly all right. Why don't you write him another letter, put your mind at ease?" Hermione suggested. And she caught Malfoy nodding out of the corner of her eye. Maybe his being around her more often would be good for him. It would take the mystery out of her; show him that muggleborns were nothing above or below him.

Merlin gave a hollow laugh. "Last time I sent him a letter, the foster parents called animal control on the owl."

Hermione snorted with laughter, but quickly smothered it when Malfoy glanced at her confused. "Well, then why don't you send it the muggle way?" she asked casually.

Both Malfoy and Merlin stared at her. "How?"

"Uh," she paused a moment. She hadn't seen any letter bins around Hogwarts. "You could probably ask Professor Snape," she suggested. "I'm sure he could get it sent to Silas by the muggle post."

Malfoy seemed ready to rebuke this idea but he paused, and cocked his head to the side nodding. "Yeah, I think Ol' Snape would know how."

Merlin looked from one to the other before abruptly getting to his feet. "Yeah, Snape would know." He said nodding. "I'll be back later. Keep going, I'm going to send Silas a letter," and before either of them could protest he left the Library.

Hermione was left sitting across from Draco Malfoy, and she had no idea what to say or do about it. She almost wanted to suggest they keep studying, but she wasn't going to lose in this game of who spoke first. She always was the one who broke the silence, and she wasn't going to this time. So she opened a book and started reading, waiting for the blond boy to say something.

"He planned that." Hermione looked up. Malfoy wasn't really talking to her. He'd folded his arms and was rolling his eyes. "He definitely planned that."

"I don't know," Hermione said lightly, glancing back down at her book. "He seemed genuinely worried about Silas."

"Yeah, his foster brother." Malfoy was silent again for a moment. Hermione felt his eyes on her before he got to his feet. "I actually think I'm done for today," he said avoiding eye contact. When she didn't say anything he shot, "I only came here because Merlin asked me, I didn't know you would be here."

Hermione put down her book and looked up at him. "And why do you think he didn't tell you, exactly? Just like he didn't tell you he was worried about Silas? Don't you think that it's because he knows what you think of muggles and muggleborns?" She knew that Merlin would never say this, so she would have to say it for him. "You're so prejudiced that he can't talk to you."

Malfoy slammed his fists down on the table. "What do you know about me, you Mudblood?" he growled his eyes cold. Hermione silently put her hand on her wand, holding it just in case. What had Merlin been thinking, leaving her alone with this maniac?

"I know that you care about your friendship," Hermione said, swallowing her fear. "And I know that you do think about what he says and stands for. But if you want to really be Merlin's friend, I think you also need to accept the people he chooses to associate with."

Malfoy didn't reply. He stared coldly down at her for a long moment before grabbing his bag and turning heel. Hermione let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding and released her grip on her wand. In all honesty, she expected Malfoy to hex her. She' heard about how Slytherins did that sometimes. She leaned back in her chair and took a deep breath. She wouldn't have believed it, but Malfoy actually looked like he was making progress – not just that, he'd actually talked to her. But she wasn't sure he wanted to do this again anytime soon.

Merlin was going to get an earful the next time she saw him.