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In the door stood a boy with brown hair and a wide smile.
"Luna! Where have you been? Harry and Ron and I have been searching all over for you. Hermione is saving us a compartment further up the train." The boy seemed enthusiastic to have found Luna. Merlin started to wonder if there was more going on there.
"Oh hello Neville. I was just making a new friend. The Ringle-Snappers told me he would be here." She smiled at the bo- Neville before turning to Merlin and continuing. "Neville, this is Mer-"
Merlin cut her off. "Marvin, my name is Marvin. You must have misheard me earlier." He said quickly out of panick giving Luna pleading look. She gave a look of understanding and smiled at him.
"Yes I must have misheard you. The Nargles are always loudest this time of year." She turned back to Neville who was still standing in the doorway. "Neville this is my new friend Marvin. New friend Marvin, this is Neville." She smiled as they shook hands and Merlin smiled at her calling him a friend.
"Hey Neville! Did you find her?" A loud voice broke down the hall of the train as a boy with outragously orange hair headed towards them.
"Yeah she's in here with a new guy named Marvin. How about you find Harry before he is tackled by his fans and I will take them up to our compartment." Neville replied. Orange boy nodded.
"Okay mate, see you there." He then took off back down the hallway in a hurry to rescue his friend.
"Who was that?" Merlin asked. He had guessed that it was the 'Ron' boy from the earlier conversation but he wasn't entirely sure.
"That was Ron. Hey, do you want to come sit with us? Any friend of Luna's is a friend of ours." Neville gave an encouraging smile as he helped Luna take her bags down.
"Sure!" Merlin replied happily and gave his brightest grin.
As they made their way down the train, Neville turned to Merlin. "Hey Marvin. What year are you?"
"Seventh." Merlin replied.
"Great! I'm in seventh too and so are Harry, Ron and Hermione. Luna is in sixth." Neville seemed pleased until he thought over the information presented to him. "I don't think I've seen you around though. What house are you?"
Merlin froze for a millisecond before answering casually. "I'm a transfer student, so I don't suppose you would have seen me before. As for houses, I think I will be in Slytherin." The last time he was sorted he had been in Slytherin, albeit only an honerary one. This would be his first time attending Hogwarts as a student. When he had been sorted before, he had asked the hat about his placement. Its answer was first of his ambition, how he had fought and strived for his destiny and the return of magic in Camelot. It then spoke of his cunning and of his adeptness of hiding his magic for so long. It said he would have easily fit the other houses, but Slytherin wa the place for him. Godric had lost ten galleon on that bet. He smiled as he remembered the founders in all of their glory.
Unbeknownst to Merlin, following his declaration had come a awfully awkward silence- for Neville atleast.
"That's great mate. Good for you. I was really nervous when I was sorted." Neville said. "Oh look we're here!" HIs voice became instantly louder as he saw the blurred shapes of his friends through the glass doors. They opened quickly.
"Neville you found her! And who is this?" Said a girl with wavy brown hair that was bordering on curly. "Anyway, come on in." They shuffled past her and as Merlin passed the girl smiled kindly at him and said "By the way, my name is Hermione."
"I'm Marvin." He smiled back and dragged his over-large suitcase into the room. After he had placed it on the rack he took a seat next to Luna. Hermione sat on the opposite bench across from Neville who was on the other side of Luna.
"Those two should be here any second." Hermione said smiling widely.
She had barely finished her sentence when a black and orange hurricane burst into the room
Hermoine stood up. "What do you two think you are-"
"No time Hermione! Lock the door and throw away the key! The fangirls are coming!" Ron managed to wheeze out as he attempted to yell and breath at the same time. Hermione only rolled her eyes before locking the door.
"Thank Merlin!" Merlin gave a small start as the black haired boy said his name before collapsing onto the bench, Ron next to him. Hermione sat back in her original seat next to Ron. Merlin knew as soon as Ron put his arm around her waist they were a couple.
Merlin took the chance to ask about the boy's earlier comment. "What about Merlin?" He questioned the group. They just looked back at him confused, so he tried again, "He just said 'Thank Merlin'. What about Merlin."
Ron looked at him oddly before saying "It's just a saying mate."
Merlin nodded, still not understanding why anyone would use his name in a saying, but let it go. If that was what they said nowadays, who is he to stop it? He didn't want the fame of being what was apperantly a figurehead in their community.
"Candy from the trolley." A nice looking elderly woman asked from outside the door. Hermione released the charm and Merlin opened it.
"I will take one of everything." Merlin said peering at the treats curiously. He hoped that their candy making hadn't gone downhill with their use of non-wand magic.
"Me too!" Said the other black haired boy excitedly. They both reached into their pockets when the woman stopped the other.
"No, no Mr. Potter. After all you have done I believe you should be able to enjoy candy without having to pay!" The woman said smiling.
"No it is fine, really, I insist on paying." Potter's speaking was strained, as if this behavior was somehow bothering him.
Merlin's brain connected two and two together. "Wait, are you Harry Potter?" He said. Harry replied with a quick "Yeah." Merlin smiled at him before saying "I read about you in the papers, something about a dark lord, Veldenord I think."
Harry's expression changed from strained acceptance to curiousity. "His name was Voldemort."
"Ah, Voldemort, right." Merlin may be good with remembering long complicated words (you should see some of the spells he had to learn) but it was difficult finding the name of a dark wizard known only as You-Know-Who. No he did not bloody know who. "Sorry, I'm from out of town."
Harry just nodded before grabbing their candy and plunking a handful of money onto the cart. The candy lady just nodded and smiled at him before closing the door. Merlin began fishing around in his pockets before bringing out a handful of the golden coins.
"How much was that for my candy then?" Merlin asked cheerfully.
"No you can just have it." Harry said handing him the sweets.
"Sorry but if you must insist on paying then so will I." Merlin chuckled and handed him a few of the coins. His attention then turned to the candies. "Chocolate frogs." He read out loud. "I'm assuming these don't contain actual frog?"
"No." Harry said "But they sure do hop like real frogs. The first one I ever opened jumped out the window of this train."
"I guess I will just have to be extra careful then." Merlin said cheerfully as he opened the box. As foretold, the frog proceeded to jump on his face and run through his hair.
"You might want to get that out before it melts in there." Hermione said knowleadgebly as she stared.
"Yeah probably a good idea." Merlin ran his hand through his hair and by the time he had caught the frog it was covered in hair he had yanked out in the chase. "That doesn't look too good." He frowned at the frog before vanishing it.
"Did you just do wandless magic! Do you know how rare that is? Can you teach me?" Hermoine said excitedly. She was practically bouncing in her seat.
Merlin just smiled at her sadly before saying "Sorry, but that wasn't wandless. I had my wand up my sleeve." He then conjured a convincing looking stick and pulled it out of his sleeve.
"Oh" She looked downtrodden. Ron looked between the two before saying in an overly cheerful voice "Hey Marvin all of the chocolate frogs come with a collectable card that has a famous witch or wizard. Who'd you get?"
Merlin grabbed his card and looked at it. Bright and clear read the name 'Merlin'.
Yay things are beginning to get interesting. Luna knows Merlin's secret. *Gasp* Also, did anyone catch the AVPM reference in Chapter One? Now you have to go look! Bwahahaha! Next Chapter might take longer because I am going to attempt my own sorting hat song, so stick around for that! This is also the longest chapter I have written for anything ever, so hugs all around!