[24]

Long Way Down

Every time Merlin turned a corner, he expected to see Anhora standing there like some white-robed Grim Reaper. The guardian of the unicorns. Maybe he wanted to see him, wanted Quirrell to be punished for the death of the unicorn but he never saw him. Was it because he had not been involved in the unicorn's death? With Arthur, he had accompanied the hunt and had felt partly responsible for it. But how was Quirrell being punished by his abominable deed?

Hermione had referenced a textbook, telling him that unicorn blood would keep someone alive even if they were an inch from death – but that their life would be cursed. Was Quirrell cursed? Merlin had watched the professor from the corner of his eye and nothing seemed to be different, although he was sure Quirrell would hide such differences.

Hermione had taken the incident especially hard. Instead of meeting up with them at the library during breaks, she would run down to the Care of Magical Creatures paddock and ask Professor Kettleburn how the unicorn was doing. Much to their relief, the unicorn was recovering quickly, although Merlin feared that if it were released back into the forest Quirrell would finish the job.

Merlin found himself in the forbidden forest the very next night; running through the brush toward what he had started calling the dragon clearing. The night sky was beautifully clear and the warm breeze of summer ruffled his hair.

"Kor?" he called and he slowed to a walk. The clearing had expanded some since he'd last been there, more trees knocked down and some portions of the ground burned charcoal black.

"Merlin!" Korrizahar flew down from one of the trees on the edge of the glade. He had grown a few inches in height, and Merlin was sure his wingspan was double his body length. The red and black dragon landed on his shoulders, now needing to wrap his body around Merlin's neck in order to fit.

"Hey," Merlin said with a smile and he ran his finger gently under the base of Kor's throat. "Where are Norberta and Aithusa?"

"Hunting," the dragon replied. "Berta's twice my size already, I'm a little jealous of her growth speed to be honest."

"Yeah, well, you'll live longer," Merlin said with a laugh that died out too quickly. Kor fixed his golden eyes on Merlin, surveying him for several moments before pressing his head against Merlin's cheek.

"What's happened?" he asked, the smoky aspect of his voice seeming to intensify as he whispered.

Merlin took a seat on his stump – now slightly charred – and told him everything that had transpired the night before. As he spoke about the dead unicorn, his tone grew hard. He was furious. He hoped now that Hagrid was keeping an eye out, Quirrell would be forced to stop drinking unicorn blood but he couldn't be certain.

"The other unicorn will be fine," Merlin said. "Hermione says Kettleburn fixed her right up." He shook his head, frustrated. "The sooner Quirrell is discovered, the better. But, how has Norberta been settling in?"

Kor gave him a stern look, a silent reprimand for avoiding the issue that was clearly bothering him. Merlin just wanted to distract himself for one moment. The death of that majestic creature filled him with frustration and anxiety. He wanted to do something but there was nothing to do. He couldn't just walk into Quirrell's office and attack, and he couldn't just tell Snape because what proof did he have?

"She's fine, likes to sleep in ash as I'm sure you've noticed," Kor said and he nodded toward the patches of scorched earth. He was silent for a moment, watching Merlin. "You'll get Quirrell, you know that right?"

"Yeah, I know," Merlin said and he put his face in his hands. "I'd just—I'd rather it was sooner than later."

"It'll happen when it's supposed to."

Merlin looked up and smirked, "You're starting to sound like your father."

Kor gave a toothy grin. "Has to happen every now and then."

Above them, there was the sound of wings and Merlin looked up to see Aithusa streak across the sky like a ghost. Close behind her was the dark silhouette of Norberta, the muddy color of her scales melting unseen into the night sky. They circled the clearing once before landing heavily, Aithusa dropping what looked like an elk onto the ground behind her. Norberta had indeed grown, looking as though she was fast nearing the size of a small bear.

"She says hello," Kor said as Norberta chirped. The dragon stared at Norberta for a second before a giving another wide toothy grin. "I think I have an idea on how to protect the unicorns," Korrizahar said and he moved smoothly from Merlin's shoulders to a young sapling tree next to him.

"Yeah?"

"I'll start patrolling the forbidden forest with Norberta," he said and Merlin frowned.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea," Merlin said glancing toward Norberta. If they were going through the forbidden forest, it would be so easy for someone to catch a glimpse of them. Hagrid or even Quirrell might see them and tell someone.

"Really?" Kor said and a curl of black smoke rose from his snout. "If we're lucky, Norberta will just eat Quirrell and solve all your problems."

And Merlin laughed.

Only A Boy

There is no better cure for a troubled mind than time. Because, inevitably, a different and more pressing problem will displace the worry currently plaguing you until it becomes nothing more than an unpleasant memory.

After a while, it was as though the unicorn had never died. Life continued just as it always did, and maybe it was the fact that no one else in the entire school seemed to have noticed the absence of the unicorn's life that Draco and Hermione slowly stopped talking about it. There was nothing they could do, so why should they let the horrible memory of that bloody corpse in the clearing drag them down? Professor Kettleburn released the now healed unicorn back into the forbidden forest, and Hermione stopped fretting about whether or not something would attack it. Even Merlin felt his anger ebb away as his friends began to talk more and more of the approaching exams. The entire school seemed to buzz, and the library became packed with individuals feverishly studying. Which meant that the trio needed to find a different location to meet together, as Draco emphasized how important it was his father didn't hear how his son was consorting with a muggleborn.

And they both wouldn't stop pestering Merlin to study.

It didn't seem to matter that Merlin had already promised to ace his exams. The fact that he didn't do any of his homework or study at all made Hermione sure he was going to fail. And, now that there was a little over two weeks before the exams were to take place, Draco had joined her in urging him to study.

And Merlin couldn't take it anymore.

They were supposed to meet in one of the unused classrooms on the second floor during break but Merlin had already made the decision to ditch the study session. Maybe Draco had realized Merlin couldn't take another moment of Hermione shoving papers under his nose, because he didn't question it when Merlin told him to go without him. Not to say that Draco approved. He frowned, an exhausted sigh on his lips as he shook his head and headed out of the dungeons. He probably thought Merlin was wasting his talents. At least the rest of the Slytherins had given up persuading Merlin to do his coursework – he could only imagine how frustrating that would be otherwise.

But at least even professor Quirrell thought he was a lost cause, and barely paid attention to him anymore. It made it easier to keep an eye on him, wait for him to slip up.

Merlin waited a few more minutes, until Draco had reached the next floor so he wouldn't have to tell him again that he wasn't coming to study with Hermione, and then he left the common room. To be honest, he wasn't really sure what he was going to do. Most of the school had left for the last Hogsmeade trip of the year, and everyone else was studying either in their common rooms or the library. Thinking of perhaps walking around the lake, trying to catch a glimpse of the giant squid, Merlin walked along the entrance hall until someone called him.

"Merlin! Long time no see!"

He turned to see the Weasley twins walking down the staircase, their faces split into identical grins. Merlin mimicked them and walked over. "Been busy I guess, why aren't you two at Hogsmeade?"

"Oh, we're going in a moment," George said and his smile broadened.

"We just thought we might extend the invitation to you," Fred continued and he inclined his head in a sort of mock bow. "How could we not, after all?"

Merlin blinked. "You know only third years and up are allowed to go," he said raising his eyebrow. "I'd never get past the gate."

"Past the gate, yes," and Fred glanced toward his brother. "But do you honestly think that's the only way out of this castle?"

"Unless you'd rather be off studying, of course," George added but from the look on his face, Merlin knew the twin already knew the answer to that question.

"What do you think?" Merlin said and the twins high-fived each other.

"Come on then," and they turned and raced back up the stairs. Utterly puzzled, Merlin tore after them, his chest feeling lighter than it had in weeks. Worrying about Quirrell, about the dragons, then the unicorn incident, and final exams he hadn't had a moment to really enjoy himself. Right, with all those things happening what was there to enjoy? And burying himself in all those problems stopped him from remembering and missing Camelot with all its simplicity. At least there he'd had people who'd truly known him.

But even in Camelot he had needed a moment of fun. Like turning all the knight's capes green for a day.

The twins took him toward the Defense Against the Dark Arts tower, and came to a pause on the third floor next to a statue of a one-eyed witch with hump. Merlin came to a stop next them, growing steadily more confused. "What are we doing here?" he asked them, catching his breath.

"We'll talk inside – it's too easy to be overheard," George explained quickly as he looked up and down the corridor. "It's clear, Fred."

The other twin nodded and took out his wand. He tapped the hump on the witch statue and whispered, "Dissendium." At once, the hump sunk from sight to reveal a small passageway. Merlin stared.

"Well, get in!" George said with a chuckle and he gave Merlin a small push. Tripping over his robes, Merlin crawled inside, closely followed by the twins and the passage closed behind them. Fred lit the tip of his wand, illuminating the small tunnel they stood in.

"Leads straight to Honeydukes cellar," Fred explained with a flourish.

"This is amazing," Merlin said. "How did you know this was here?"

The twins exchanged the smallest of looks, as though communicating something important to each other. Then, Fred nodded and George ran a nervous hand through his hair. "We've talked about whether or not we should tell you, but we both decided that you ought to know."

Merlin felt a sense of foreboding. "Okay," he said slowly.

George reached into his pocket and withdrew a very old piece of blank parchment but from the way he held it reverently in his hands, Merlin had a feeling that it was anything but blank. "This," he explained, "is a map of Hogwarts."

"What?" Merlin gasped.

Fred beamed. "Oh yes. Nicked it from Filtch's office our first year and it's the secret to our success."

"Watch," George said and cleared his throat. "I solemnly swear that I am up to know good," and tapped the parchment. Ink began to spread across the parchment, giant words across the top reading, "Misters Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs present the Maurders Map."

"Absolute genius," Fred said. "One generation of rule breakers paving the way for the next."

Merlin stared at the map, looking at the outline of all the corridors he knew and all the ones he didn't. He was watching the map when he saw a pair of footprints with a name beneath them, reading Ron Weasley disappear into Gryffindor tower.

"Wait a minute—" Merlin said and George's grin widened.

"Yup, it shows everyone in the castle. Where they are every minute of the day."

"But Ron just disappeared."

Fred waved his hand. "The map doesn't show inside of classrooms and common rooms."

"Shows teacher's offices though," George corrected.

"Well, yeah. A rule breaker must always know where authority is. But I think that there are just too many people inside the common rooms and classrooms to put all the names in. I mean, look at the library," Fred continued and he flipped on of the pages to point at the library. There were so many people inside it that all of the names were jumbled and you couldn't really tell whose footprints belonged to which name.

"Good thing it isn't always that crowded in the library."

"So, what do you think, Merlin," Fred asked, something glinting in his eyes that Merlin didn't really understand.

"It's—" and then Merlin fell silent because he had finally understood the glint in Fred's eyes every time he said his name. He had finally understood why the twins so often emphasized his name the way they did.

There, in the passageway underneath the statue of the one-eyed witch were three pairs of footprints. George Weasley, Fred Weasley, and beside them was Merlin Ambrosius.

And all he could do was stare.

George smiled and slung his arm over Merlin's shoulder, leaning over to read the map too. "Imagine our surprise when we looked at the map the first day of term and saw that name written on it," he said looking up, as though he were recalling a fond memory.

"Absolutely shocking," Fred agreed.

"And then," George continued looking down at Merlin, "we followed the map toward the name and found you."

"Merlin? Right, Merlin!"

Merlin stopped in his tracks as someone came up behind him. Two identical red-haired and freckled someone's. They didn't seem to be expecting him, to be honest. George was stuffing a piece of paper into his cloak while Fred blinked before giving a hesitant grin.

But that was the very first day of term! The. First. Day. Merlin hadn't even been friends with Draco yet. He hadn't had a real conversation with Hermione. Korrizahar hadn't even been hatched! And somehow, without even knowing it, someone had discovered his most closely guarded secret.

Merlin felt rather lightheaded, still staring at the map, at his name so clearly written on the parchment.

"So, Merlin," Fred said and he exchanged a look with his twin. "Why aren't you looking like Dumbledore's brother?"

Finally, Merlin tore his gaze from the map and looked at the twins. He gaped for a moment before, "Is that really the thing you're going to focus on?"

Fred shrugged. "What can I say? Any and all depictions of you are as an old geezer with an impressive beard."

"And what, you don't have aging potions in this time period?"

"Yeah, but why would you permanently de-age yourself?" George asked and he scratched his head. "Going through puberty, again?"

Merlin grimaced. "Don't remind me." He paused a moment, surveying the identical redheaded twins in front of him. "But, you've known all this time. Why didn't you say anything? Why didn't you tell anyone?" he asked, furrowing his brows in confusion.

Why had they just sat on the knowledge? And not just that, they had still reached out and befriended him. They hadn't treated him any different. And not just that, if they had this map, Merlin was willing to bet that they had caught sight of him wandering into the forbidden forest, perhaps even seen him on the second floor during Halloween. It made Merlin swing between gratitude and sheer panic.

"Well yeah," George said rolling his eyes. "You'd have to be really thick to blow the whistle on Merlin, the founder of modern wizarding society."

"I'm shocked you would think we'd do that," Fred added, pretending to be insulted. He touched his chest as though Merlin had poked him. "We consider ourselves sworn to your service, you know."

"Especially since we discovered that you are the original prankster," George said with a grin. He glanced up the tunnel and nodded. "Come on, let's walk and talk."

"Wait, we're still going to Hogsmeade?" Merlin asked, confused. For some reason, he'd gotten it into his head that they had lured him down into this tunnel just for the sake of questioning. George looked back at him and laughed.

"Of course! What, you think because we told you that we know we're going to treat you differently?"

"Just because you know that we know who you are you think everything's changed," Fred said rolling his eyes and he gave Merlin a little nudge to get him walking. "What do you take us for, really?"

"But I'm—"

"The most powerful wizard to ever live, yes but we're still going to sneak you out of school to eat candy. No getting out of that one." And then George made a funny little hop. "This'll be something to tell the kids—I convinced the great Merlin to break school rules!"

Merlin raised his eyebrow. "I didn't exactly need much convincing, I mean I am failing all my classes."

"About that," George glanced back at him. "Why?"

"You could be famous. Never mind if they know who you are, you're magical prowess is enough for sure," Fred added. "And all the teachers would leave you alone, too."

"It's better right now if I'm underestimated," Merlin said shortly. He wasn't sure he wanted to tell the twins everything that was going on at the moment. Then again—why not? They obviously already knew the worst of it.

"Same reason why you're identity is kept secret, I assume?" Fred said thoughtfully.

Merlin nodded and he glanced down at the ground, silent for a few moments as he followed George through the tunnel. George cleared his throat.

"Look, Merlin. Don't ever feel like you have to tell us what you're doing or whatever. I'm pretty sure it'll be over our heads anyway," and George nodded to Fred. "How you got here and why is your business and we understand that. We found out who you are, but you're still this awesome sassy kid that has somehow managed to tame the vindictive professor Snape."

"And," Fred added with a soft smile, "We'll be here if you ever need to talk to us about something. Also if you need a random diversion for any reason at any time of day."

Merlin burst out laughing. It felt as though something had been lifted from his heart, something that he hadn't even realized was there until it was gone. The fear of what would happen if he were discovered? Perhaps. It was such a relief that they didn't ask any important questions. No—how did you get here, where are you going, what are you doing? Hermione and Draco weren't like that. They wanted to be filled in every step of the way, and understand him.

But right now, it felt like the twins understood him better than they ever could.

And what about Snape? Well, sure he wouldn't deny he had thought about telling the professor his secrets. But he didn't want to just project Gaius onto the man. Snape wasn't Gaius. They didn't think the same way and they didn't react the same way. Merlin knew that the instant he told Snape who he was their relationship would change, and he actually liked the way things were now. He certainly didn't want to end up as some sort of leader for the wizarding world. He wasn't cut out for that, Arthur was the leader and he—well, he was his court advisor.

Sometimes he really missed home.

Merlin sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Okay." He laughed again, and he could actually feel Fred and George relax. "Okay, guys." He smiled. "Thank you."

"Oh, geeze, don't thank us," George said scratching his neck and giving a nervous chuckle. "We haven't done anything."

But Merlin didn't agree. Because they knew, because they had taken the knowledge in stride, they had done a lot. They had given him that little bit of recognition that he needed.

"So," Fred said smacking his hands together. "Ready for the best experience of your life?"

It was only a few minutes after Fred started talking about all the different kinds of sweets in Honey Dukes – with George jumping in every few lines – that they reached the trap door in the cellar. George led the way into the main shop, greeting the owners with a familiarity that made Merlin think they were extended family. They somehow managed to get Merlin free samples of everything, and then purchased a whole bag of sweets. Merlin had the feeling the owners gave the twins some sort of discount, and then they held the candy for them for when they returned.

"They're good like that," Fred whispered to him with a wink.

Then it was outside. They took Merlin around the sights, the post office, the shrieking shack, a rather long visit in Zonko's, culminating with a mug of butter beer at The Three Broomsticks. Merlin couldn't remember the last time he'd been inside a tavern, and it felt nice. He could remember, most clearly, Helga dancing on top of a table with a tankard of mead. He could remember he and Arthur aiding Gwaine in a bar fight. He could remember all the times Arthur had accused him of getting drunk off his ass in the tavern, when instead he had been saving the day.

Merlin smiled into the beer foam, and listened while Fred and George talked about the upcoming Quidditch game and their hopes for finally getting the Quidditch Cup for Gryffindor. It was entertaining, and he finally explained to them why his broomstick had exploded. They laughed together and when they finally started making their way back to Honey Dukes, Merlin thought it was too soon.

Only A Boy

"Why doesn't he care about exams?" Hermione muttered under her breath, her brow furrowed in confusion. She was walking up to Gryffindor Tower to drop off her bag before dinner.

She and Draco had gotten a lot done today. She had really felt rather flattered that he had put aside his pride in order to ask her for help studying History of Magic. She would never admit it, but sometimes she caught herself staring at him in wonder. Draco Malfoy, renown for his anti-muggle ideals and general antagonism toward Gryffindor was studying with her. If someone had told her at the beginning of the year she would become friends with him, she would have sent them to St. Mungo's psychiatric ward. And yet, he had been right in front of her. Asking questions about major players in the Goblin Rebellions.

And Merlin had ditched.

She was a little angry with him, to be honest. He thought he could just pass all his exams without putting in any effort, when she was working so hard for her perfect scores? If he actually managed to pass—did he even deserve it? She knew it was awful to want him to fail but it wasn't fair. And then, all his comments about how grades don't matter and mean nothing in the real world really ticked her off.

Not that she would ever tell him.

Hermione sighed as she reached the portrait hole, gave the password without really listening to what the Fat Lady said, and clambered inside. The first thing she noticed was that it was rather empty. Oh right, every third year and above were at Hogsmeade still. Dean and Seamus were playing with Gobbstones in a corner, Lavender and Parvati were sitting in the usually taken armchairs and had textbooks propped on their laps, and sitting at one of the tables with parchment strewn over the surface was Ron Weasley.

He looked up with she entered. For a moment, he stared at her and then he bit his lip and got slowly to his feet. Hermione paused, wondering whether or not she should dodge around him and head up to the girl's dormitory when he asked, "Would—would you mind helping me with something?"

He swallowed thickly. "I'm—I'm stuck on my Astronomy charts. I—well, you don't—" he stammered, and his ears went pink. He turned jerkily away from her and sat back down at his table. "Just thought I'd ask, forget it."

"I haven't even said anything," Hermione said and she chuckled. Ron looked up at her, his eyes narrowing.

"Don't make fun of me."

"I'm not!" Hermione said, still smiling.

"It was stupid ask," Ron grumbled, more to himself than to her.

She shook her head. "It's never stupid to ask for help." But she folded her arms, not taking a seat opposite him just yet. "Although, you have been rather mean to me this year. Why should I help you?"

Ron didn't reply immediately. He seemed to cringe at her words and then give a nervous smile. "Uh, because I'm really sorry and I'm worried I'm going to flunk?"

Hermione raised her eyebrow.

"Okay. I am really sorry for all that stuff I said. Now will you come? I seriously don't understand this gibberish at all."

"Fine," Hermione said as she took her seat, "But only for a few minutes. Dinner is in a bit."

"It is!?" Ron said and his eyes widened. "Okay then, here," and he handed her his chart. "Obviously, I don't know what I'm doing."

Hermione wasn't going to do it for him. She quickly read through his chart and handed it back to him. She told him where he was wrong, and then had him ask exactly what points were confusing him. It was difficult to get a clear question from him, "all this," was his answer until she started pointing out specific things on his chart. They'd been at it for nearly fifteen minutes when the portrait hole opened again and the Weasley Twins burst inside, roaring with laughter.

"The look on his face."

"For a minute there I thought we were in serious trouble."

"I think he got a little drunk too, how many butter beers was that?"

"I lost count," and George wiped his eyes. "Oh, Ron, Hermione," he said catching sight of them and stumbling toward them still grinning. "This ought to help you with your studies," and he dropped two enormous handfuls of Honey Dukes sweets on top of Ron's homework.

"You enjoy that," Fred said pointing at Ron. "And you," he said turning to Hermione. For a moment, Hermione seriously thought that he was going to yell at her until he ruffled her hair. "You've got some good friends, you know that?"

She didn't reply. She and Ron stared at the twins as they climbed up the stairs to the boy's dormitory.

"What on earth?" she asked, turning to look at all the different kinds of candy.

"What?" Ron said, already grabbing a chocolate frog, "Oh, this is from Honey Dukes in Hogsmeade. Best wizarding candy in all of Britain!"

"Oh, well that's nice of them," Hermione said taking a piece too.

"Yeah, it is," Ron said smiling. "Wish they'd brought some butter beer too – then again they might have but it sounds like they drank it all."

"Butter beer?" Hermione repeated frowning.

"Yeah. It's not strong mind, so they must have had a lot."

"A sugar high too, I expect," Hermione added. For a moment they both picked through the candy, splitting it down the middle. She put her pieces into her bag, while Ron either ate them on the spot of stuffed them into his pockets.

"I think dinner's ready," Hermione finally said, getting to her feet and stretching.

"Yeah," Ron said and he got to his feet too. "Should probably go, and Hermione?" he asked as she began to walk toward the girls' dormitory. She paused and glanced back at him curiously. "Thanks."

She smiled, "You're welcome."

Only A Boy

"No, come on, Merlin you're not skipping class."

Merlin had come back from Honey Dukes with more than candy and a little buzz; he'd come back with a determination to not study at all. Sure, he joined Draco and Hermione in the library or whatever classroom they found empty but he didn't bother opening up his books. His bag lay ignored under his chair, as he read random books on the history of Druids, and more notably his Christmas present on Arthurian Legend from his foster brother Silas.

It drove Hermione crazy.

It was a little amusing to be honest. She would glance up at him from her books and tut disapprovingly, but at least she had stopped pestering him to join them. And the Weasley twins were always willing to give him a break from studying, all he had to do was say the word and they would be on the roof of the Astronomy Tower that night firing Fred' wet-start Filibuster Fireworks until the Marauders Map told them Filtch was coming to investigate. The only thing that could make things better was if Snape finally found a way to fire professor Quirrell.

Merlin had just been considering ditching Defense Against the Dark Arts when Draco dragged him inside.

"He's not even going to be talking about anything," Merlin told him in an undertone as they took their seats. "He's just going to be talking about the exams next week. Everyone is."

"Well then, that's something you should listen too," Draco drawled back.

"Hey, Hufflepuff," Blaise whispered and Merlin turned around to look at him. Theodore was next to him looking tired. "So much for hardworking."

"Obviously there's a reason I'm not actually in Hufflepuff," Merlin quipped back and Blaise chuckled.

"Maybe they should make a house just for you. House Evans, home of the slackers."

Merlin glared at Blaise. He didn't have time to respond because Quirrell had started speaking. He sighed and faced forward, shoving his book bag underneath his chair and slouching in his seat. This was their last class of the day. Next would be dinner, and all he could think about was what he was going to eat.

"As y-you a-a-all k-know," Quirrell was saying as he paced, "E-exams are n-n-next week. N-now I-I-I t-trust you've a-all b-b-been s-studying hard—"

And Merlin stopped listening.

It seemed that because exams would be next week, every single teacher felt like they needed to remind them. What, like they would forget or something? Exams were the only thing anyone talked about anymore.

Merlin yawned. He hadn't gotten much sleep last night. He'd eaten too much candy—which had been completely worth it, by the way. His eyes began to droop, and within minutes he had drifted off to sleep.

Arthur was shouting at him. That wasn't anything new. Merlin smiled and ignored him, dodging a flying cup as it went his way. Morgana. She was still good. She smiled at him as he passed her in the hallway. His heart ached in his chest—why had things gotten so messed up?

The dream shifted. Salazar and he were laughing. They'd enchanted a fake snake to slither into Rowena's room. It was totally worth it to hear the usually stern Ravenclaw swear like a sailor. Then the image went black, a flicker of film too damaged to play. Merlin furrowed his brow, trying to remember but it was like trying to see through smoke. He saw the signing ceremony for the Deed of Hogwarts—was that the construction in the distance?

He didn't know.

His head had started to ache again. It hadn't hurt like this in a long time—since summer. There was strange rushing in his ears, then—

"Merlin, wake up!"

His eyes shot open. Draco had elbowed him in the shoulder and he rubbed the spot, turning to look at him.

"Class is over," the blond continued, rolling his eyes. Still caught up in the memories of his past, Merlin didn't reply. He nodded, and stumbled jerkily out of his chair and into the hallway, following the crowd of Slytherins.

"Did you hear anything Quirrell said?" Draco asked with a frown.

"Should I have?" Merlin replied raising his eyebrow.

"Well, I'm not telling you," Draco said folding his arms. "You'll find out the day of the final."

Merlin shrugged, following Blaise into the common room. It wasn't until he was walking up the stairs to their dormitory in order to drop off his bag did he realize.

"Oh man," he said and Draco turned to look at him. "I forgot my book bag under my chair."

Draco groaned. "Well, I'm not going back with you to get it."

Merlin sighed. "I'll just get it after dinner," he said shaking his head. "It's not like he has another class."

"I'm still not going with you."

And so it was Merlin headed back up to the Defense Against the Dark Arts tower alone after dinner, mentally kicking himself the entire way. Even though the summer sun was still illuminating the landscape outside, the castle corridors felt unnaturally dark and eerie. Everyone had gone to their common rooms, and Merlin was hoping against hope that Quirrell wouldn't even be there when he slipped inside and grabbed his bag.

But even though it was tedious to head back up and grab his bag, the dream had felt so nice. Sometimes he let himself forget about Camelot. It was less painful that way. He would be lying if he said he didn't miss it but he also knew that he had more important things to focus on. After all, he'd come to this era for a reason and though piecing it all together had been difficult, he knew what that reason was.

Stopping Lord Voldemort.

Merlin grimaced. The name was utterly ridiculous. Lord of what, precisely? But the monster had once been a man. Tom Riddle. That name was better, it was innocent and yet something about it screamed a nature darker than pitch.

He'd reached the classroom. Merlin carefully pushed open the door and peered inside. It was dark and empty. Good. He smiled and walked inside, strolling casually over to his desk and grabbing his bag. He slung it over his shoulder and was just about to leave when he heard voices. Confused, Merlin glanced toward Quirrell's office door. It was ajar, and he could hear someone mumbling when another voice cut sharply across.

"We cannot wait much longer!"

Merlin froze. The high, cold voice did not belong to the professor. It sent chills down his spine, made his stomach writhe with disgust. It felt cloyed with decay and malice, a pathetic creature that was just barely hanging onto life.

Not daring to breathe, Merlin slowly climbed the steps to Quirrell's office listening all the while.

"Master, we cannot act while Dumbledore is watching our every move! He would stop us before we even started playing the music for that oafs dog!"

"Then get him out of the castle," the other voice cut like an ice shard. "We only require a few hours. One urgent message from the Ministry of Magic should be enough to distract him."

"And what of Severus, he know something—"

"He is of no consequence."

Merlin's throat had gone very dry. He had reached the landing, and on his hands and knees he looked through the crack of the open door. He clamped a hand over his mouth so that he wouldn't scream. Quirrell was sitting at his desk holding a mirror in his hand, while sitting in front of another. His purple turban lay discarded on the floor, and it was for this reason that Merlin kept his hand firmly over his mouth. Reflected in the mirror was, not the back of Quirrell's head but a face. The most awful face Merlin had ever seen.

He had no nose. Instead, there were crude slits cutting into the pallid and peeling skin. And his eyes, red gleaming eyes that shone in the darkness of the office. There was no mistaking who that was even if Merlin had never seen him before. He felt sick, and yet there was also triumph.

He had proof. Tom was visible beneath Quirrell's turban.

Without waiting there a second longer, he tiptoed back down the stairs. Back into the main classroom, and he made a mad dash for the door but halfway there he heard a clatter and froze. His bag had caught one of the chairs, knocking it over.

He heard some movement from Quirrell's office, and the next minute the professor had emerged, tugging his turban on straight.

"Evans?" He said softly, looking down at Merlin.

"S-sorry, professor," Merlin said quickly, putting the chair back by the desk. "I-I just forgot my bag this afternoon. Thought I'd come pick it up after dinner." He took a step back, resisting the urge to bolt. "I didn't mean to disturb you. I'll just be going."

Quirrell didn't say anything for a long moment. Merlin hovered next to the door, wanting to leave but worried that it would make him look guilty.

"Yes," Quirrell finally said nodding. "Be sure to study for exams."

He had no stutter. Merlin nodded nervously and slipped out the door but once he was in the hallway, he ran as fast as he could for the dungeons. His heart was hammering in his chest, sweat on his brow. The professor hadn't stuttered. What did that mean? Merlin wasn't sure he wanted to find out. The panic made him fly down the corridor. But when he reached the head of the stairs, he found out why professor Quirrell hadn't bothered to keep up his charade of the poor stuttering professor. And like he had thought, he hadn't wanted to know.

He didn't time to turn around when he heard a mumble behind him. The curse hit him hard, like a kick in the back and he fell from the top of the stairs. One flight, and then a second. Merlin had a fleeting glimpse of the ground rushing up to meet him before he collided with it and with a flash of horrible pain the world dissolved into darkness.