Merlin took off the hat and walked towards the Gryffindor table with a mixture of conflicting emotions. He decided to ignore most of them for now and just live in the moment. He let the cheers wash over him as he found an empty seat opposite the ghost in the ruff.
"Hello, Sir Nicholas," Merlin greeted him, his words almost lost in the applause of another student being sorted. The ghost gave a warm smile and nod before turning his attention back to the sorting.
Merlin could see the High Table properly now. At the end nearest him sat Hagrid, who caught his eye and gave him a thumbs up. Merlin grinned back and was surprised that he didn't have to force it. Maybe it was because of the cheerful atmosphere, but he was actually feeling happy right now.
In the center of the High Table, in a large gold chair, sat Albus Dumbledore. Dumbledore's silver hair was the only thing in the whole hall that shone as brightly as the ghosts. Merlin then spotted Snape. He looked decidedly unhappy, sitting next to a man looking very peculiar in a large purple turban.
When the last of the first years were sorted, McGonagall rolled up her scroll and took the Sorting Hat away. Dumbledore had gotten up to his feet. He was beaming at the students, his arms opened wide, as if nothing could have pleased him more than to see them all there.
"Welcome!" he said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!
"Thank you!"
He sat back down. Everyone clapped and cheered. Merlin just sat there confused. He had known the Headmaster for a little while now, and from what he had seen that man was a bit mad, but there was a brilliance like he had never seen beneath that. The words that Dumbledore spoke meant nothing to Merlin, but if he knew the man as well as he thought he did, there was a very good underlying meaning to the nonsense, and Merlin tended to be a pretty good judge of character.
"Aren't you going to eat?" a voice said, bringing Merlin's mind back to the table he was sitting at.
Merlin mouth almost fell open. The gold dishes in front of him that were once empty were now piled with food. There was more food on this one table alone than he had ever seen at one time, even during the Camelot feasts. Merlin piled his plate with a bit of everything and began to eat. Even though he had been eating Hogwarts food for a few days now, it was all unbelievable delicious. There were so many flavors that he had never experienced before.
"That does look good," Nicholas said sadly, watching Merlin cut into his steak. "I haven't eaten for nearly five hundred years. I don't need to, of course, but one does miss it. I don't think I've introduced myself to the rest of you? Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington at your service. Resident ghost of Gryffindor Tower."
"I know who you are!" said the redheaded first year — Ron Weasley according to the Sorting Ceremony — suddenly. "My brothers told me about you — you're Nearly Headless Nick!"
"I would prefer you to call me Sir Nicholas de Mimsy —" the ghost began stiffly, but a sandy-haired first year — Seamus Finnigan — interrupted.
"Nearly headless? How can you be nearly headless?"
Sir Nicholas looked extremely miffed, as if their little chat wasn't going at all the way he wanted. Merlin felt a bit of sympathy for Sir Nicholas, who was one of the nicest ghosts that he had come across thus far. He was curious, though. He hadn't heard anything about the nearly headlessness of Sir Nicholas before now.
"Like this," he said irritably. He seized his left ear and pulled. His whole head swung off his neck and fell onto his shoulder as if it was on a hinge. Someone had obviously tried to behead him, but not done it properly. Looking pleased at the stunned looks on their faces, Sir Nicholas flipped his head back onto his neck, coughed, and said, "So — new Gryffindors? I hope you're going to help us win the House Championship this year? Gryffindors have never gone so long without winning. Slytherins have gotten the Cup six years in a row! The Bloody Baron's becoming almost unbearable — he's the Slytherin ghost."
Merlin looked over at the Slytherin table and saw one of the ghosts that he had been avoiding a run in with sitting there, with blank staring eyes, a gaunt face, and robes stained with silvery blood. He was right next to a blond-headed kid he'd met in Diagon Alley — Draco Malfoy, if Merlin remembered correctly from the Sorting. The boy didn't look too pleased with the seating arrangements.
"How did he get covered in blood?" asked Seamus with great interest.
"I've never asked," said Sir Nicholas delicately.
When everyone had eaten as much as they could, the remains of the food faded from the plates, leaving them sparkling clean as before. A moment later the desserts appeared. Merlin didn't recognize most of them, but they all looked delicious nevertheless, and he helped himself to a few different options.
As he was putting them on his plate, the talk turned to their families, one thing that Merlin was really hoping that it wouldn't get to.
"I'm half-and-half," said Seamus. "Me dad's a Muggle. Mum didn't tell him she was a witch 'til after they were married. Bit of a nasty shock for him."
The others laughed. Merlin couldn't help but think that a nasty shock such as that would have led to an execution back in Camelot.
"What about you Neville?" said Ron.
Neville went to talking about how he lives with Gran and how his Great Uncle kept trying to get Neville to showing some magic. When he finally did, his Gran was crying with tears of joy. When Merlin first started going magic, his mother was scared for his life.
Merlin shifted his attention to the conversation going on between Hermione and another redhead in hopes that he wouldn't have to say anything about his own family. Unluckily, that didn't work out for him.
"What about your family, Morgan," Ron asked, making Merlin cringe internally.
He turned to see the expecting faces of the three boys.
"Didn't you say something about being related to one of the Professors here?" asked Seamus.
"No, I didn't, and I'm not," Merlin said. "But I guess I'm like you. My father had magic and mother did not."
"So why weren't you on the train? Why were you already here?" Ron asked.
Merlin hesitated before answering truthfully. He saw no harm in doing so. "I fell ill a while ago and stayed in the hospital wing here. When I was better, I just stayed since it was so close to the start of the term, and I had nowhere else to go really."
"What do you mean you had nowhere else to go? Didn't you live with someone?" Seamus asked.
"No, I've been by myself for some time," Merlin said, turning away, effectively ending the conversation there.
At last, the desserts disappeared, and Dumbledore got to his feet again. The hall fell silent.
"Ahem — just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you.
"First years should note that the forest on the ground is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would also do well to remember that as well."
Dumbledore's twinkling eyes flashed in the direction of a pair of redheaded twins, who grinned at one another.
"I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors.
"Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of term. Anyone who is interested in playing for their House teams should contact Madam Hooch.
"And finally, I must tell you all that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a painful death."
Merlin looked around. Only a handful of students laughed for a second while everyone else took the news seriously, making him wonder.
"He's not serious?" Merlin heard someone mutter.
"Must be," another person answered. "It's odd, because he usually gives us a reason why we're not allowed to go somewhere — the forest's full of dangerous beasts, everyone knows that. I do think he might have told us prefects, at least."
Now this really made Merlin curious about the off-limits corridor. He stored the information in the back of his head, thinking he might check it out.
"And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!" cried Dumbledore. Merlin noticed that the other teachers' smiles had become rather fixed. Snape didn't even attempt to appear happy about the prospect of a song.
Dumbledore gave his wand a little flick, as if trying to get a fly off the end, and a long golden ribbon flew out of it, with rose above the tables and twisted itself, snakelike, into words.
"Everyone pick their favorite tune," said Dumbledore, "and off we go!"
The school began to bellow. Merlin didn't bother paying attention to the golden lyrics. He had no intention of singing. Instead, he looked around at the students. Some opted to not sing at all like him — mostly the older Slytherin students. Most of the first years looked to be quietly singing along, but too nervous to really do well at it. Others begrudgingly did it. A few looked to be really into the singing. The final product, though, was a cacophony of mismatched words and tunes.
Everybody finished the song at different times. At last, only the redhead twins were left singing along to a very slow funeral march. Dumbledore conducted their last few lines with his wand and when they had finished, he was one of those who clapped loudest.
"Ah, music," he said, whipping his eyes. Merlin was having a difficult time deciding if he actually meant it. "A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!"
The Gryffindor first years followed the prefect, who Merlin learned was named Percy, through the chattering crowds, out of the Great Hall, and up the marble staircase. Twice Percy led them through doorways hidden behind sliding panels and hanging tapestries. Merlin already had a good layout of the castle, but he was now learning of new shortcuts. They climbed staircases. Many of the others were yawning and dragging their feet. Merlin chuckled at them. They would never have made it as Arthur's manservant if they go tired so easily.
Suddenly, they came to a halt. A bundle of walking sticks was floating in midair ahead of them, and as Percy took a step towards them they started throwing themselves at him.
"Peeves," Percy whispered to the first years. "A poltergeist." He raised his voice, "Peeves — show yourself."
A loud, rude sound answered.
"Do you want me to go to the Bloody Baron?"
There was a pop, and a little man with wicked, dark eyes and a wide mouth appeared, floating cross-legged in the air, clutching the walking sticks. Merlin hadn't meet Peeves before, but he was warned about him after his meltdown with meeting the ghosts. From how Peeves was described, it sounded something similar to what Uther was when he came back after he died.
"Ooooooooh!" he said, with an evil cackle. "Ickle Firsties! What fun!"
He swooped suddenly at them. They all ducked.
"Go away, Peeves, or the Baron'll hear about this, I mean it!" barked Percy.
Peeves stuck out his tongue and vanished, dropping the walking sticks on Neville's head. They heard him zooming away, rattling coats of armor as he passed.
"You want to watch out for Peeves," said Percy, as they set off again. "The Bloody Baron's the only one who can control him, he won't even listen to us prefects. Here we are."
At the very end of the corridor hung a portrait of a very fat woman in a pink silk dress.
"Password?" she said.
"Caput Draconis," said Percy, and the portrait swing forward to reveal a round hole in the wall. They all scrambled through it and found themselves in the Gryffindor common room, a cozy, round room full of squashy armchairs.
Percy directed the girls through one door to their dormitory and the boys through another. At the top of a spiral staircase — they were obviously in one of the towers — they found their beds at last: five four-posters hung with deep red, velvet curtains. Merlin gaped at the bed. He had never been allowed to sleep on something so nice. It even looked more comfortable than Arthur's did.
Merlin noticed that everyone was putting their pajamas on and began to do so himself before he drew too much attention. Everyone fell into bed, Merlin climbing into his own a little while after.
When Merlin finally fell asleep, he was greeted with the sight of his dying best friend. He woke sweating and shaking just as the sky was beginning to lighten. Not wanting to fall back asleep — back to his nightmares — Merlin decided to go ahead and get ready for the day. He tried to reason that being up a few hours early wasn't all that bad.
Snape and Dumbledore made their way back to the headmaster's office after the feast was over and all the students were sent off to their dorms. Dumbledore filled the trip there with meaningless talk about the food and different conversations that he had during the feast, while Snape just silently walked beside him, only half listening.
Once they arrived in the office and the door was closed, the real conversation began.
"Any luck on finding Morgan Emrys' parents?" Snape asked.
"No, but I did find something of interest," Dumbledore replied, walking to stand behind his desk.
Snape lifted his eyebrow intrigued. He followed the old wizard over to the desk.
"I checked all the Ministries around the world. There is no record of an Emrys anywhere. I couldn't even find an Emrys in the Muggle world just in case he took his mother's last name or lied about his father being a wizard. Then name sounded familiar, though, like I've seen it somewhere, but just couldn't place my finger on it." Dumbledore opened a book that was lying on him desk. "I've found where I've seen the name before."
The Headmaster pushed over the book over to Snape, who began to read aloud.
"Many know the greatest wizard to ever live as the Warlock Merlin. However, in the Camelot era, many referred to the Warlock by his Druid name, Emrys — so, his name is a fake?"
"It would appear so," said Dumbledore gravely. "As to why he is hiding his true identity, I haven't the faintest. I hate to even consider it, but is it possible that he could be working with the Death Eaters?"
"The Death Eaters disbanded after his supposed death at the hands of Lily and James. I haven't heard of any of them planning something, let alone any word about a boy. What would his purpose even be? Do you think he is after the stone?"
"I don't think so. We found out about the boy before Gringotts was broken into. Unless he was a fallback plan, which I highly doubt, then I don't think so. There is a possibility that there is an entirely different reason as to why he lied about his name."
Snape mind went back to what happened that morning — the haunted look in the boy's eyes.
"He can see thestrals, you know?" said Snape.
Dumbledore looked up at Snape, sadness in his usually twinkling eyes.
"Did he say who —"
"Somebody by the name of Thomas Collins," Snape said, cutting him off. "He said that he didn't really know him, but he was the first."
"The first?" Dumbledore asked. It was exactly what Snape was hoping that he would catch. "Did he say how many others?"
"No, but I gather that it is quite a bit."
They stayed silent for a while, both thinking. After a few minutes, Dumbledore was the first to break the silence.
"That could support both the theories that he is either hiding from someone or somehow involved with the Death Eaters."
Snape knew that the Headmaster was right. The boy spoke of no living family. That could easily be attributed to being victims of the war or some other tragedy. If the boy felt like someone was still after him, he wouldn't want to give away his identity in fear of what would happen. He could also be somehow involved with some Death Eaters that are still active. Many, reluctantly including Snape, believe that the Dark Lord is not actually dead. That he would come back somehow. He didn't know why or how, but the boy could play a role in it. Being around active Death Eaters would surely cause the boy to see death.
"What do you suggest we do?" Snape asked.
"Just do what we originally were planning to do: watch the boy closely and try to figure out what his intentions are. Since he is in the Gryffindor house, I will get Minerva to aid as well."
Please leave a review.