Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. If I did I would build a water park in my backyard.
A/N – My apologies, I did not mean for it to take so long for me to post. Darn real life getting in the way of fiction… Anywho, as always, questions, comments, or concerns are welcome, so please review.
Harry reappeared as suddenly as he had disappeared, his senses assaulted by his surroundings as his body slowly caught up to the fact that it was not standing in the smallest bedroom of Number 4, Privet Drive anymore. He jerked his hand free from the one holding it and fell to his knees before promptly throwing up. After a few moments he had emptied his stomach of the meager dinner that the Dursley's had allowed him and after a few more dry heaves, he turned his head to the obvious sadist who had just brought him here...wherever here was.
"What in the hell was that?" he asked, clearly angry.
Merlin scratched at his beard, "Hmm, well that was what you would call apparition."
"Apparition!" he asked incredulously. "Are you serious? Wizards actually do that every day? It felt like someone squeezed my organs into a ball and then used them as a bludger."
"Well the squeezing sensation is normal yes; it's just something that you get used to. I was in a hurry, so I might have used a bit more power than necessary. Sorry about that."
Harry ignored the apology as he slowly regained his feet, placing his hand on a nearby rock to steady himself. He gave another glance at the rock he was now leaning on and realized that rock probably wasn't the most accurate word; stone sounded far more appropriate. It was huge, far taller than he himself and wider as well. Looking around he could see that there were many such stones, all arrayed in a circular pattern.
"Where are we?" he asked.
"This, my boy, is Stonehenge," Merlin replied, smiling proudly, "An ancient place of great magic. I should know, I built it." He looked around with a boyish grin on his face, his tone nostalgic. "Lords boy, the magic we discovered here, the power! Together my friends and I pushed the boundaries of magic further than anyone before or since. Those were the days…"
"What are we doing here though?"
"It's quite simple my boy," Merlin answered, his attention returning to the present. "This place is a focal point of magical energy. Here, my plan will have the best chance of succeeding."
"What exactly is your plan," Harry pressed him. "So far you've been pretty vague about all of this. You want to help me kill Voldemort, because for some reason you can't-"
"Don't take that tone with me boy!" Harry stepped back involuntarily at the man's shout. "You think that I don't want to? You think that I don't wish that I could tear that bastard limb from limb? I would give anything for that chance. Anything." He was hanging his head now, sorrow etched into his features. Harry was dumbfounded.
"Well why can't you?"
Merlin shook his head sadly. "She won't let me."
"Who?"
"Fate." Harry was mute, unsure of how to respond to that. "Destiny, the universe, whatever the hell you want to call the bitch. She is my jailer."
"Your – your jailer," Harry said, shocked. Merlin shrugged.
"What would you call her? I died an old man Harry, many years ago, happy with the life I had led. I awoke as you see me now, stronger than I could have ever imagined. And somehow, I don't know how so don't ask, I awoke with the knowledge that I was here for a purpose, and what that purpose was. I am a guardian of sorts, returned to this world to be its protector."
"What's so wrong with that," Harry asked softly.
"It's not what you are thinking Harry. I am a protector of the balance. I am to ensure that no outside forces interfere with the natural order of events. In other words," he raised his head, "I am the guardian of fate." Harry shook his head.
"I still don't understand."
"Boy you should understand better than most how cruel the universe can be. Look at yourself. You parents murdered, raised by monsters who sell you out to your enemies, hunted by dark forces for reasons you cannot control. Your life has been filled with hardship, and now you find yourself destined to stop a madman. Did you not feel it when Dumbledore told you Harry? Did you not feel the helplessness, the rage? All of that is because of her, because your destiny was decided long ago by some higher power. Fate is a very cruel mistress Harry. She isn't evil, not by any means. She is uncaring. According to her, the universe relies on balance. There cannot be good without evil, both must exist. By ensuring that nothing interferes with destiny, I am supposedly keeping the balance between good and evil maintained." Harry was mute.
"Don't you see," Merlin shouted desperately, his eyes pleading with Harry to understand. "I have to watch the world go by and follow the path laid before it, even if that path is filled with ruin. For nearly a millennium I have watched as this world has seen one tragedy after another, and all I could do was watch it happen. More power than I could ever have dreamt of when I was truly alive, and I couldn't do a single damn thing to stop it. All I was permitted to do was watch and wait. And do you want to know the truly ironic part of the whole situation? In all of this time, I have not once had to fulfill my role. Not once has anyone or anything managed to fight against fate, and change the course of events. And even if they had," he choked out, tears in his eyes, "I was supposed to stop them. Nothing could be allowed to interfere with the way things were meant to be! Bullshit," he spit out, eyes ablaze. Then he was calm again.
"How do you know all this," Harry asked. "About me, Dumbledore, Voldemort, the prophecy, all of it?"
"Because my boy, it is all tied into your destiny, your meeting with Voldemort. For most people destiny is not written, it is all about choice; the choices they make will shape their lives from the moment they are born until the moment they die."
"Then why do I have to fight," Harry asked. "I mean it's not like I want to fight him. If destiny is about choice then why can't I choose to ignore the prophecy and live my own life?"
"Because, I said most people, not everyone. Some people are different. Their lives are marked, often from birth, to be ones of significance. Some events are written, set in stone, unavoidable. This fight to the death with Voldemort is one such event." Harry kicked at the dirt in disappointment. "But the choices you make do matter boy. Just because the destination has already been chosen does not mean that the path has been laid before you. By helping you to escape tonight, I have already altered the course of history. And I intend to do even more."
"Can you see the future then? How else could you know that those Death Eaters were coming? And all those things you said about what would happen after…"
Merlin nodded. "In a way. It is not quite so simple. The future is not a book one can sit down and read. It is in constant motion, echoing with the choices made in every moment. What I do is look forward and sort of…sense the most likely future. In recent weeks I have been seeing the same thing every time I look, and that is how I knew of the danger you faced tonight." He sighed, "And I could not let that come to pass. I saw what would happen if I did nothing, I could see your war, and it was…bad. I suppose that after so long watching good people die senselessly I finally just snapped." After his erratic behavior tonight, Harry certainly wasn't going to argue that point.
"What happened," Harry asked, curious, "in the war I mean?" Merlin shook his head.
"No, I won't tell you that. That future is gone now; it vanished the moment that I took you from that house. From this moment on, the future will be what you make of it." He moved to one of the smaller boulders nearby and hopped up to take a seat, wincing slightly at the feel of the cold stone through his thin robe. Shivering, he tapped his staff into the moist earth and then sighed loudly as clouds of steam rolled off of him in waves that quickly evaporated into the night air. Harry finally blurted out the question that had been burning in his mind since their conversation began.
"How can you help me if you aren't supposed to interfere? For that matter how did you manage to help me earlier, weren't you breaking the rules?"
"Yes," Merlin squealed like a child at Christmas. "For the first time in nearly one-thousand years, I broke the one rule that bound me, and Gods did it feel good. Better than sex! Well maybe not." He frowned and furrowed his brow in confusion, clearly thinking hard. "Actually," he continued as his eyes widened in shock and horror, "I can't remember if it is or not."
Harry blushed and looked at down at his trainers. He was certainly not discussing that with Merlin of all people. The old man waved the stray thought away and returned his attention to Harry.
"To answer your question again, yes I did break the rules. I never said that it wasn't possible to interfere, only that I wasn't permitted." Harry blinked rapidly.
"But if -"
"Because," Merlin interrupted, "I had no idea what would happen. There were no specifics, but along with the knowledge of what the rules were came the knowledge that were I to break them, the consequences would be dire. I've been looking over my shoulder for weeks half expecting to be struck down for even thinking about this." Harry shrugged, not sure why that was such a big deal. Death Eaters and Dark Lords were threatening him with dire consequences all the time. "Don't misunderstand me boy. Fate is not some voice that whispers in my ear or appears to me in dreams, it is a universal force. This was knowledge. I knew, deep down in my soul, that were I to cross this line, that something terrible could happen. No matter how many times I was tempted, and believe me, there were many, I was always held in check by that knowledge."
"And now," Harry asked.
"Now," Merlin answered grinning madly, "I simply don't care anymore; a thousand years will do that to a man. But I've tried to be careful with it. After all I could have walked straight into Voldemort's headquarters and challenged him to a duel, but I didn't. So far I have only directly interfered with anything by helping you escape. A very minor feat, and one which I am hoping will let me avoid any of those dire consequences, whatever they might be."
Harry sunk slowly to the earth, his back sliding against the smooth stone pillar behind him. It was quite a lot to take in. Fate, alternate futures, Merlin himself! He didn't know what to make of it all. He turned his head slightly to eye the strange old man who appeared to be happily staring into the night sky. It all seemed so improbable! How could this man possibly be the Merlin of legend? But somewhere deep inside of him a voice was whispering 'you know it's true'.
And Harry knew, despite his doubts, that he would accept this man's help. There was always a chance that he was just some crazy old man who had happened to save his life. But Harry wouldn't take that chance. Not when the lives of his friends were on the line. The future that Merlin had described to him back in his bedroom was horrifying. So many people dead because of his inability to defeat Voldemort.
He thought of the Weasleys, who had treated him like their own son, and of Hermione, who despite her bossiness was one of the best friends he had ever had. No matter what, he could not let that future come to pass, not if there was anything that he could do to prevent it. He gathered his feet beneath him and stood, walking purposefully towards where Merlin sat. The old man came to his feet, his features blank as he stared into Harry's hard, determined features.
"Alright, I'll do it." Merlin nodded his head solemnly, understanding the gravity of the trust Harry was placing in him. "So what do we do now? I mean you said that you didn't want to directly act anymore to try and avoid problems, so how are you going to help? Personal training or something?"
"Or something," Merlin replied mysteriously, turning his back on Harry and tilting his head to again peer at the night sky. "Have you ever felt tired my boy? All these years, you didn't know about the prophecy, but you knew something big was happening didn't you? You knew that Voldemort wasn't finding you by chance. Ever since you first encounter with him you have carried this burden, deep down inside of you, this little nugget of truth that you have never wanted to face. And it has begun to wear you down, even more so now that you know the truth. And you feel doubt. You don't know if you have the strength to do what needs to be done."
With every word Harry shrank, his determined features melting and his head sinking down to his chest. "Have your shoulders begun to bow in defeat?" Harry remained silent. "I am going to give you the power that you need child. I am going to give you the strength to shoulder this burden; the strength to change the world. What you do with it is up to you." Harry's head turned upward again, eyes filled with hope.
"How?"
"The same way that I got it my boy," Merlin replied sadly. He whipped around, faster than Harry could blink, his robes whirling out behind him. His staff was gripped tightly in his hand as he brought it around, the hard, knob like end striking Harry in his temple. There was a sickening Crack, and Harry was on the ground. Merlin stood motionless above the boy, barely able to look at the growing puddle of blood that was pooling around his head. "You're going to have to die."
He tossed the dripping staff aside. As it left his hand and soared through the night air, it twisted and warped, shrinking in size as it flew. When it landed, it was down to the size of the average wand, no more than a foot in length. Merlin hoped that Harry discovered it when he awoke. He certainly had no more use for it, and it might serve the boy well as he grew into his new strength.
Kneeling down, he placed a hand on the bloody wound. "I'm so sorry my dear boy, I wish there was another way." But he knew even as he said it that it was a lie. He was glad things had to be this way. Now he might finally know peace. He had lied to the boy about one thing; he had not been planning this only a few weeks. It was a long time in coming. He did not feel too guilty; he was after all giving the boy a fighting chance, which was more than he could say for fate.
Closing his eyes he began to concentrate, his body practically humming with energy. Blue lines began to radiate outward from his chest to his extremities, like bright azure lightning bolts arcing out. More spread, until there were several lines on each arm and leg, as well as up across his face and into his hairline. His eyes, those glowing azure orbs that had so shocked Harry earlier, now glowed like torches, illuminating Harry's bloody face. He closed his eyes, concentrating harder, and even then there was a glow behind his eyelids. A small smile overtook his face. "Good luck…Harry," he whispered softly. And then he was gone, drifting away into sweet oblivion.
