Chapter 3: And So, It Begins

Disclaimer: Harry Potter, Merlin and their characters do not belong to me, sadly.

Merlin had always been told that the first day of teaching was the worst. Mostly due to not being used to the previous style of learning, and the students.

As such, Merlin had prepared a simple quiz for the older years, to see where they were at, and if anything needed revisiting. The first-years, however, would be starting at the beginning. Such a good place to start, or so the song went.

By lunchtime, Merlin was horrified. His first class had been fourth-year Slytherins and Ravenclaws. No-one had managed to get more than 40% correct! While not a disaster, it did raise the question of just what the previous teacher had been doing? His second class, however, had been seventh-years. And, even they couldn't answer more than 50%! This obviously called for a change of plans.

Merlin then proceeded to spend his entire lunch in his office, working up new teaching plans. The tests he'd created were set aside for later. Unsurprisingly, Arthur wasn't best pleased by his missing another meal, and threatened to tie him down and force-feed if he forgot dinner.

Finally, the bell rang for afternoon classes, allowing his escape. It was fun, watching the first-years troop in. The Camelot banner hanging behind his desk practically demanding their attention.

"Sir? What emblem is that?" a bushy-haired Gryffindor called, her hand shoved as high as she could reach.

Merlin smiled at her eagerness.

"That is the Banner of Camelot, Miss...?"

"Granger, Sir. And, no, it can't be Camelot, surely!" she huffed.

Merlin raised an eyebrow.

"And why is that, Miss Granger?"

Granger actually rolled her eyes.

"Because, Sir, everyone knows that the Camelot coat of arms are three golden crowns on a blue background, not a golden dragon on red."

No sooner had she finished, than about half the class burst into laughter. Merlin sighed.

"What you have just described, Miss Granger, is King Arthur's, personal, coat of arms, which was created after he became King. Camelot was around long before King Arthur, I can assure you."

Granger blinked in surprise, before nodding slowly.

"Now then, let's begin, shall we?" Merlin smiled, before taking roll. "I'm afraid that compared to the rest of your classes, this will be a bit boring. But, then again, this is History, so..." he shrugged. "I am Professor Ambrosius, however, my actual job is as a columnist for The New York Ghost."

There were a couple of startled exclamations. Merlin smiled and waited for the students to calm back down.

"So, before we begin properly, would anyone like to guess where Magic came from?"

No one moved, although Granger seemed to be thinking.

"No? That's fine, it isn't exactly covered in the textbook, I was just curious to see if you had any ideas. To understand the answer to this, we first need to ask another question: what is Magic?" Merlin paused as the class scrambled to take notes, bemused. "All set? Then let's continue." he turned to the blackboard, before writing his two questions.

"Magic is described as a supernatural force, which changes aspects of the world at fundamental levels. It is thought that the ability to use Magic is hereditary – that is, passed down to the children from the parents. Due to this, it is reasonable to assume all magic-users may have a shared ancestor. This is wrong, and also correct at the same time. Lady Magic can, and does, choose her wielders. Anger her, and you lose the ability, as seen with oath-breakers. In the beginning, there was Magic. Just Magic. The sort that I should think most of you would have performed, at least once. Nowadays, this is called Accidental Magic. You see, over time, things are lost, forgotten, and renamed. Can anyone tell me the original name for Accidental Magic?"

A few hands were raised, this time. Merlin nodded to a Hufflepuff.

"Yes, Miss Abbott?"

"Um, was it Wish Magic, Sir?" she asked, biting her lip nervously.

"Well done. Take five points." Merlin smiled, perching on his desk, before his eyes narrowed at Granger's glare. "As you can imagine, over time, different people started focusing on different aspects, which eventually led to the various specialisations we have today, such as potions, and transfiguration. Some of these areas can overlap, and some are completely separate from each other. For the rest of today's lesson, I'd like you all to choose a particular area of Magic, and write an essay, at least 10 inches, on it's supposed origins. This will also double as homework, due in on Thursday, so no rush!" Merlin smiled.

He then spent the rest of the lesson answering questions. At one point, he found an apple Arthur'd slipped into his pocket.

That evening, Merlin decided it was easiest to simply let Arthur load his plate. The Hall was just as noisy as last night, surprisingly. He had thought that with less sugar, the students would be calmer. No such luck.

"So, how are you finding teaching?" Dumbledore asked between bites.

Merlin frowned.

"The teaching itself isn't bad. The issue is the previous teacher. None of the older students are at the level I'd expect. Really, it's a wonder you've had any students pass their exams."

"Oh? I assure you, the students normally do fairly well on their exams." Dumbledore frowned.

Merlin blinked.

"Seriously? I gave the older years tests, barely anyone managed to get 40% correct! As it it, I've completely redone my lesson plans – you should find them on your desk – and will be taking everyone back to basics!"

"Is that wise, especially with the 5th and 7th year's exams? Surely it's more important to get them past?"

Merlin snorted.

"Headmaster, there are several lessons which can be learned from history. Besides, aren't you paying me to teach History to the students?"

"Ah, yes, of course. I was simply concerned about the students." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled.

"Well, there wouldn't be an issue if the previous teacher had done their job." Merlin huffed, before nodding to the headmaster and leaving, not giving him a chance to reply.

Merlin spent the evening in his office, working on his latest article. Getting lost in his work, it was likely he'd keep going until finished. That is, until a pair of hands landed on his shoulders.

"Would you look who I've found?" Arthur hummed, resting his chin on Merlin's head. "What are you doing here, at this time of night, hmm?"

"What time is it?" Merlin barely managed to stifle a yawn.

"Late." Arthur smiled down at him fondly. "Come to bed, Cariad."

"Mmkay." Merlin nodded sleepily, as Arthur started tidying his desk, before taking his arm and leading him off through the Castle.