AN: Next chapter...

I got asked one Question a lot XD and Yes Arthur will be in this story.

Merlin lay awake listening to the sounds of the other boys snoring; Ron was particularly loud he observed. He sighed: it had been so long since he had been in this castle, the last time had been before 'his' death. Merlin cringed slightly he had been in so much pain, and felt so much guilt that he couldn't bare going back, and so he had left Camelot to its fate and in the end it had fallen. His friends had all died and Merlin had been left alone. Now being back it brought all those thoughts back into focus, all the regrets he'd had. And this was just from the castle… being near the lake was almost unbearable and he would not be making any voluntary trips to its shores.

~~~~~fast forward 2 weeks~~~~~~~~~

Merlin found himself liking Hogwarts. The people who had rebuilt it had added on so many wondrous features and the magic made him feel welcomed it was something he wasn't used to in Camelot. He had spent most of his time in the castle hiding his gifts and now here he was showing them to the world and getting praised for them along with other magical students. Uther was probably turning in his grave and that thought alone delighted merlin to no end.

Merlin had no trouble fitting in among the students and he enjoyed the classes immensely; though he still found wands silly and some of the incantations made merlin giggle but overall he had adjusted nicely. He hung out with Harry, Ron, and Hermionie and played the part of a clueless teenager, after all he wasn't supposed to know every detail of Harry's past four years. The three students were always in the thick of things at this school and he was glad to have met them first as it was easier to stay in the loop of things going on with Voldemort.

Merlin as well as most students loathed Umbridge; the toady woman was a horrendous teacher, but he unlike Harry had managed to stay out of her way and tried his best to go unnoticed. Which was incredibly hard especially after he had found out exactly what she did to those in detention (Harry had begged him to remain silent and Merlin had conceded).

Night was a difficult time for merlin being back in the castle had brought many nightmares and dreams long forgotten back to his mind and the whispers of Morgana did nothing to help settle his mind. So he had taken to wondering through the halls at night. He knew almost every nook and cranny of the castle from all his sneaking about and was never caught.

Still as he always does Merlin managed to stumble onto things he wasn't supposed to. And this time unlike so many in the past he really wished he hadn't

Merlin had been restless and decided that a walk through the halls was in order and so he had quietly made his way out of the common room. He was meandering mindlessly through old familiar corridors when he heard the taunting laugh of peeves and ducked into an old unused classroom to avoid the unwanted annoyance.

Inside that classroom was a very old and dusty mirror. He had never seen anything like it and could feel the magic coming off of it in waves. It couldn't have been used often for this room was so far out of the way f any classrooms that were being used it was unlikely any student would ever come across it. The mirror didn't seem as though it was dangerous either. The magic surrounding it was untouched it was neither good nor bad.

He looked at the incantation written across the top of the old mirror but he couldn't make heads or tails of what it might mean. "Hmm" Merlin wondered what in the world it could mean as it wasn't in any language he recognized and he knew quite a few.

As he had been thinking all of this merlin had come to stand right in front of the mirror so when he looked down… Merlin stumbled back and away from the mirror a gasp escaping his lips he looked at the mirror to see only himself near the edge. his reflection was pale and frightened looking. He knew he hadn't been seeing things, but perhaps you could only see it if you were standing right in front of it? Merlin eased his way back in front of the mirror and yes! There he was standing right next to Merlin's shaking form. His blonde hair was ruffled and he was wearing a red tunic and black trousers like he used to. "Arthur" merlin breathed out. It was the first time he had said his name since in 300 years. Arthur looked at merlin a small smile gracing his lips eyes filled with a slight sadness as though he knew what merlin had been through all these years without him. Merlin knew that was silly; this Arthur wasn't real just an image in the mirror and yet he couldn't keep his eyes away.

He had forgotten what Arthur had looked like over the years the image had faded and gone fuzzy. It had been so long he had forgotten how blue his eyes were and how he used to hold himself in that cocky 'I'm the king' way of his. Merlin had forgotten all of that and more. He felt something wet on his cheeks and he looked at his own reflection next to Arthur's and he realized he was crying. Tears flowed freely from his eyes; he lifted his fingers and wiped them away but it was no use the tears would not stop and for the first time in a long time Merlin sobbed. He cried for all of his friends; Lancelot, Gwaine, Percival, Elyan, Leon, and Gwen. He cried for Gaius, his mother, and Freya and for all of Camelo.

But mostly he cried for Arthur the man that meant more to him then his own life. The man merlin had spent years with laughing and arguing and adventuring. Always together and always in some sort of trouble. Merlin, looking at Arthur smiling at him his arm around his reflection as he sobbed, could finally admit it to himself that he was in love with the man, his best friend.

"Lance what a surprise" a soft voice rang out behind him and Merlin stiffened he turned swiftly magic swirling. His eyes fell on Dumbledore, the man looked genuinely surprised and Merlin let the magic fall away.

"Sir" he nodded to Dumbledore tears still falling from his face, voice croaky.

"I must warn you this mirror shows neither truth nor knowledge and that looking into its reflection will bring you nothing but pain" the old wizard explained "men have gone mad staring into it"

"I can see why" Merlin answered looking back at the reflection

"So then you know what it does?"

Merlin nodded "It shows you the deepest desires of your heart"

"ah" Dumbledore smiled and Merlin suddenly realized he was still crying and furiously brushed his tears away "Tis alright my dear boy for some the mirror can show things that tug on our very hearts" the headmaster then tilted his head slightly "If I may ask what does it show you?"

"That's a rather rude question headmaster" Merlin snapped

"Forgive me you are right, I have let my curiosity get the best of my mind"

"No I'm sorry" Merlin's eyes softened "I see my best friend" he said softly then he turned giving the man in the mirror one last look. "Can I ask you to move this mirror to a different spot" Dumbledore looked shocked "It's just that if I know where it is I won't be able to stop, but if it's gone there will be less temptation."

"That is very wise" Dumbledore nodded "I will see that it is moved"

"Thank you... goodnight sir" Merlin turned back once more drinking in the sight. 'Goodbye Arthur' he told the mirror silently before he walked quickly from the room every fiber in his body screaming at him to turn back to never let Arthur go again not when he was so close.

Dumbledore watched the boy leave and he was struck with an intense curiosity, he had detected no lie from the teen and yet it was not the entire truth that much he was sure of. Lance Du Lac was definitely a puzzle. When Dumbledore had first met the boy after the start of term feast he had tried to see into the boy's mind; a mere precaution after all it was dangerous times. And yet he could not get in Lance's occlumensy had been superb. It made him wonder what the boy worked so hard to hide. The headmaster sighed, and then there was Harry. The boy was getting in more trouble than he ever had before and the year had only just begun.

Somehow Dumbledore couldn't shake the feeling that things were about to get interesting and he had a notion that Lance was going to be somewhere at its center.

~~~~~~~~Morgana and Voldemort~~~~~~~~~~

They stood a ways away from the castle Morgana's eyes narrowed at it "Camelot" she stated her voice bitter "and this is the school you were talking about"

"Yes it's a disgusting establishment under that old man's leadership. He lets muggle children learn magic"

Morgana scowled "I don't care about that, I care for only what it used to be, Camelot. It is owed to me by right of my birth and I will have it"

"You shall, together we can take the school" Voldemort smiled evilly. Morgana ignored the snake faced man she needed to get into the castle first to see it then she would pose an ultimatum submit to her leadership or die. From there with this idiot's forces (weak as they are) she would have no trouble following through on the threat. Morgana smiled this time there would be no Arthur and no Merlin to get in her way.

AN: Please review!