Chapter 24
I think this is the fastest update I've ever had on this story. I just got absorbed into this chapter and suddenly I had written the whole thing. Just think of this as an apology on taking so long to upload the last one.
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"Is this right Merlin?" Arthur said adjusting the buttons on his shirt and pulling at the sleeves on his coat.
"Yes dear you look wonderful" Merlin replied, rolling his eyes.
"I want to make a good impression" Arthur sighed with a frown as he ran a hand through his freshly washed locks, "I must admit though, I love...showers, right?"
"They're quite wonderful aren't they?" Merlin laughed as he pulled on his over coat and shoes.
"Much better than the tin tub filled with scalding water" Arthur replied smugly.
"Hey, I put my heart and soul into those baths!" Merlin said indignantly.
Arthur simply laughed before turning to face his best friend, "Do I look modern?"
Merlin simply laughed. Arthur wore a more faded pair of Merlin's larger jeans which fit him better than Merlin assumed they would, a crisp white button up and a tweed blazer.
"You look quite fit, mate" Merlin finally replied.
"I have no idea what you just said."
"We should get going before we're late" Merlin said, opening the door to Arthur's room.
"You look like one of those...detectives...in those books you gave me" Arthur commented as they left the room. Merlin simply wore a pressed pair of black slacks, a white button up with a light blue sweater vest over top and his standard overcoat for warmth. Standard English prep fashion in his mind.
"Sure Arthur" Merlin rolled his eyes.
Arthur looked around nervously at the deserted corridors, "are you sure this is okay?"
"I mean this is technically still your castle Arthur, why can't you come out of that room?" Merlin said with a shrug.
"I know but I just feel as if...something bad will happen if the wrong person sees me here" Arthur muttered.
"You'll be fine" Merlin comforted, but he knew his friend was right. If they were to stumble across Umbridge he knew their lives would become much more complicated than they already were.
"So this is your room?" Arthur asked quietly when they finally reached the heavy oak door.
Merlin nodded and pushed the door open, glancing at Arthur as the room's interior was revealed. He couldn't help but smile softly as he saw Arthur's eye's pause on the Pendragon family crest proudly hung on the wall.
"Even after all these years?" he asked quietly.
"Of course" Merlin answered simply. He walked across the room to the fire place and grabbed a pouch off the mantle while Arthur continued to scan the room.
"Ready to go?" Merlin asked.
"As I'll ever be" Arthur said with a deep breath.
"Put your hand on my shoulder and step into the fire when I do" Merlin instructed.
"Step into the fire!" Arthur exclaimed, giving Merlin a slightly horrified look.
"Yes Arthur step into the fire, you'll be fine you pansy."
"I'm not a pansy!" Arthur said, crossing his arms.
Merlin reached into the pouch and pulled out a small hand full of green powder. He stepped forward with Arthur in tow.
"Number 12 Grimmauld Place."
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"They're late" McGonagall muttered with a displeased expression, exaggerated by the dim firelight filling the room.
"I'm sure everything's fine" Remus said with a calming expression directed toward his former teacher and coworker.
"Yes, yes I know" she muttered, frown deepening.
Suddenly the light in the room shown green as two figures stepped out, shrouded in shadow by the fireplace.
"Hullo...Merlin" said Sirius with a smile, as he saw his friend again for the first time in a fortnight. The fact that Ben was now Merlin didn't change much about the man himself in Sirius's mind. He was a good person and that was what really mattered to him, all powerful warlock or not.
"Good to see you Sirius" Merlin smiled.
"I assume this is...Arthur...or would you prefer we use your title?" asked Remus, standing and extending his hand to the king.
"Just Arthur is fine" Arthur replied with a nervous laugh and shook Remus's hand awkwardly.
"Well it's nice to finally meet you mate" said Sirius giving Arthur his signature smile.
"Thank you...Sirius, I take?" Arthur said with his most kingly smile, making Merlin snicker slightly.
"That's me" replied Sirius, extending his hand.
"Pleasure" Arthur smiled.
"I assume Merlin explained all of this to you?" McGonagall asked, folding her hands on the round table before her.
"Yes, secret wizarding society made to make up for the wizarding government's lack of action when it comes to a certain dark wizard's actions as of late?" Arthur asked, fighting back a smile. "My apologies, that is a sentence I never thought I would say in my entire life."
"I understand" McGonagall answered with a small smile.
"So you're a..." Arthur Weasley began before trailing off.
"Yes, Arthur has no innate magical ability" Merlin answered for him, receiving a thankful look from his friend. All eyes turned back to Arthur as he shifted uncomfortably.
"If you don't mind me asking, how did you...return to this world?" asked McGonagall, "we were all under the impression you were killed."
"I was..." Arthur began wringing his hands under the table, "the last thing I remembered was looking up at Merlin and Gwynevere's face, uh, she was my wife." Some of the wizards present gave the king sad looks as he explained. None of them had realized how difficult it must be for the man to suddenly have lost every single person he ever knew. He had almost no connection to his previous life aside from Merlin himself.
"I remember saying something to Merlin, I'm not quite sure what exactly, I had just learned he had magic after having spent nearly a decade together and I had felt betrayed, I believe I forgave him?" Arthur glanced over at his best friend for confirmation and Merlin nodded.
"The next thing I knew I was underwater and then I was breathing the air with excalibur in my hand in a forest I had never seen before" Arthur concluded.
"That must have been quite disorienting dear" Molly Weasley said, giving the king a sympathetic look.
"It...was actually. Still I found my way back to Came...um, Hogwarts and that was when I entered the thro...great hall" Arthur stuttered. Merlin gave him a surprised look, he had never seen the great king act in this manner before.
"Arthur is still adjusting to the changes, but he is trying his best to learn about the modern world" Merlin said in his best attempt to cover for his friend.
"Yes, and none of us expect you to be ready to return to a somewhat normal life, but the question still remains: what are we going to do when this secret is revealed?" asked McGonagall.
"I know there is no way to keep our true identities hidden forever, I'm surprised the illusion has lasted this long but we will make a plan when the time comes. There is no way to know how the world will react to this, but knowing the initial reaction will make it much easier to formulate an idea" Merlin said, folding his hands on the table. The other order members nodded as they looked at their friend. Half of his elfish features were shrouded in shadow from the crackling fireplace and his trademark smile was nowhere to be found, yet his striking blue eyes never had lost their shine. Although things may have changed their friend had not.
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"I think that went rather well" Merlin said with a yawn.
"I think I sounded like a bumbling idiot" Arthur grumbled, hands shoved in the pockets of his jacket.
"No one is expecting you to suddenly be comfortable around magic Arthur" Merlin said, bumping his shoulder into his friend's.
"I'm supposed to be a king Merlin, I was raised to be unwavering, strong, but in that room I felt completely lost."
"That's what made you a better king than your father Arthur" Merlin said softly. Arthur continued on forward as Merlin's comment had gone completely unheard.
"Emrys!" a voice suddenly yelled from behind the two. Merlin glanced at the sunrise out the window, who would be up at this hour?
As he turned he came face to face with the last person he wished to see. Dolores Umbridge stood smugly only feet away with the Minister of Magic in tow.
"I never thought you would go this far Emrys" Fudge said in a low snarl, "lying to the entire student body in order to gain credibility? To overthrow me? You're a mad man."
"I talked to a few students, your secret was easily revealed" Umbridge said although Merlin did not miss the twitch of her right eye as she spoke the word easily. Merlin felt a pang of fear for the students she had chosen as her victims.
"And you!" Fudge yelled suddenly at Arthur, "you're part of this scheme too!"
"I'm sorry?" asked Arthur, straightening his shoulders in a way that he towered over the cowardly Minister.
"Y-you will a-all be arrested!" Fudge stuttered as he glanced up at the suddenly very powerful looking king.
"Professor?" asked a voice suddenly from behind the warlock's back. As he turned he saw none other than Harry Potter standing in the doorway to the Gryffindor dormitory. Merlin had been so distracted he had't even realized where they were.
"Go back inside Mr. Potter" Merlin said comfortingly, although more and more of the Gryffindor's began to appear behind the boy who lived, making avoiding a scene nearly impossible.
"Mr. Potter this is none of your concern" Fudge said matter of factly, crossing his arms.
"Well if you're trying to destroy my teacher's name just as you attempted to mine, I do believe this is my business" Harry said coldly, crossing his arms.
Arthur glanced at the child with respect, he was rather small and judging from the bags under his eyes, rather sleep deprived. Yet he stood his ground.
"This is none of your bloody concern!" Fudge yelled, face turning red. Some of the younger students gasped at this and looked to the older students for explanation.
"Minister, I pray you please try to keep your...temper...at bay when talking in front of the students" Merlin said and those present could have sworn the air around them dropped ten degrees.
"I know you're all part of his plot" Fudge snarled, although the panic was beginning to set in at his current situation.
"You're bloody insane!" Harry laughed coldly.
Umbridge, who had watched the situation rather silently suddenly spoke, "One hundred Points from Gryffindor Mr. Potter, and detention for the rest of the year. The Minister of Magic will not be spoken to in that manner." Some of the younger students gasped at this while older students yelled in outrage.
"Bitch I will..." began Fred Weasley before Merlin held up a hand.
"That is not necessary Mr. Weasley" Merlin said, taking a deep breath and the surrounding air suddenly began to smell of ozone.
"We're not going to just stand here and do nothing Professor!" Hermione yelled indignantly as Ron secretly high fived his brother.
"It would do you well to shut your mouth mudblood" Umbridge snarled.
Each and every person present fell silent in shock. Even the Minister himself gave his confidant a surprised look.
Arthur watched as rage filled Merlin's face.
"You dare..."
"I'll handle this Merlin" Arthur said, giving the two adults facing them a look he reserved for enemies on the battlefield, right before he ran them through with his sword.
"Get out of this castle" he said, in a voice Merlin had never heard him use before, "you and anyone else who holds any malice towards these students are no longer welcome here."
With that Umbridge and Fudge disappeared with a quiet pop and Arthur's shoulders twitched in surprise.
"How...?" asked Merlin, looking at his friend. Arthur returned his look, with just as much shock.
"Look!" yelled George, pointing out the window at a spot just outside the gates of Hogwarts.
There stood the minister and his lacky. The minister began to pound on an invisible wall that now seemed to separate them from the rest of the school.
Merlin laughed as he watched the two adults pound on the gates like children throwing a tantrum, almost missing the small cracks in the window he looked out of. Taking another look, it seemed that every piece of glass in sight had small cracks running through it. He looked at the students in front of him and found a look of great surprise on Harry Potter's face.
"The lot of you should probably get back to bed, or at least freshen up before breakfast" Merlin said with a smile, which quickly faded into worry as he spared another look at the window and turned to escort the king back to his room.
"Harry what was that?" Hermione whispered as the two walked back into their common room.
"What was what?" he replied, acting as nonchalant as he could manage.
"That was the same thing that happened when Snape called me a...you know. All the bottles broke. Now when Umbridge did it, all the glass cracked. I know it wasn't me or I would have felt it and I saw the look on your face" Hermione said softly, worry written all over her features, "have you been doing accidental magic?"
"Everything's fine Hermione" Harry said with the most reassuring smile he could muster.
"If you've been doing accidental magic, everything is most certainly not fine!" she scolded.
"It's okay, I guess I just have to control my emotions better. It's fine." Harry said before walking up the stairs up to the boy's dormitory.
Hermione stared after him, wringing her hands.
Everything was most certainly not fine.
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And the plot thickens! We're really starting to get into the actual story now, and to the commenter who voiced concern on Merlin's power being watered down in the final fight cause he's so OP, don't worry I have a plan.