As a treat, all students have been allowed to celebrate much later into the evening. The time is nearing Midnight and as of yet nothing necessarily world ending has happened. Merlin was about to take that as a relief until Lance breath caught in his throat and he began to heave. Before anyone could utter a word, he was on the ground, collapsed from his chair. Merlin was by his side in an instant, faster than even those next to him could have hoped to be. That tiny bluish tint to Lancelot's skin tone has become much darker and his skin is icy to the touch.
"Ahhhh!" Merlin's head snapped up to the source of the sound. By the rectangular table stood Nimueh clutching her head between her hands before she collapsed to her knees. It wasn't until looking around now that Merlin realized the whole room is in an uproar.
"Silence!" The amplified voice of Dumbledore resonated around the halls and everyone immediately quieted. The lights began to flicker before fading greatly. What once was a well-lit room now holds only a dimmed lighting.
"Emrys." The sound was just a whisper but it emanated at the front of the hall, loud enough for all to hear. "Emrys." The room lit up only slightly but enough too much better identify a woman positioned directly before the staff table dressed completely in a black cloak. Within her eyes alone there lays enough pain to drive even the sanest person to insanity. "Emrys," she said again, looking out over the students. Immediately her gaze lands on him, Merlin, who still remains beside a now unconscious Lancelot.
"Cailleach," he heard Arthur utter beside him. A quick glance at Arthur showed him also clutching her head but not to the extent that Nimueh had been only moments ago. He looked at some of the other knights to see them doing so as well. Gawain, Percival, and Leon all had their hands clutching their hair as though it remained on their heads as lifelines.
Merlin took a deep breath and stood up. He turned towards the Cailleach and took a few steps forward so he stood just where the Round table ends. It would be too risky to walk up directly to her in front of everyone.
"Emrys," she said once more and stared him straight in the eyes.
"Who are you? State your business here!" Umbridge screeched from her seat at the staff table. The Cailleach completely ignores the woman and continues to look at him. Murmurs begin to spring up from the outer tables but none on the inside dare utter a word. "I demand to know how you got into this school!" Still nothing. "I am Delores Umbridge, High Inquisitor of this school and unless you wish to receive worse punishments from the Ministry for your sudden appearance here then you will answer my questions." Still the Cailleach completely ignores the woman.
"Emrys," she says again only this time she continues, "a year's time is all you have left. Those who think themselves superior shall bring Albion to her knees. With so much on the line, never has your destiny carried so much weight. This time there is no set end; victory and defeat are both all too possible. The task of once again protecting the Once and Future King still rests entirely upon your shoulders. But be wary, for not all is, as it seems. Use the time you have to prepare, for a year from now even I cannot interfere in her long prophesized return. Remember I have warned you Emrys." And the Cailleach bowed her head towards the table slightly before she was gone. The candles around the room have returned to their full color. Looking down, Lancelot's skin is no longer blue but he still hasn't regained consciousness. Nimueh too it seems has fainted where she kneeled and Mordred's face has landed in what was left of the dessert on his plate from the feast. Once again the voices from the surrounding students had begun to resonate around them in their poor attempts to understand what exactly has happened. Merlin can't exactly blame them. Several of the people they know to be fellow students have fallen unconscious and also an old woman emanating immense power and shadowed so darkly that she portrays darkness herself has just been by with a warning to a long thought dead warlock. Most of these people have only just found out about the existence of Emrys who had lived during the time of the Founders.
"Help me," he told Arthur and the two of them hoisted Lancelot up between them. They turned to exit the Great Hall and take their friend to the Hospital Wing until Merlin stopped dead in his tracks. Standing in the doorway wearing a hospital gown beneath a red cloak was Hermione. She stood there barefoot watching the scene.
"The events," Dumbledore began aloud and everyone quieted to listen, "that have just taken place have certainly been unexpected. However, that does not give us the right to completely loose control and scatter chaos along the school in the presence of fear. If you will now please head to your dormitories, we will work to resolve the matter as best we can." People began to rush in their efforts to get out. "Calmly, I might add. We do not need anyone getting trampled."
Most of the students began to leave but there were a few exceptions. First were Ron and Harry who ceased once they reached Hermione still standing at the front of the hall. Next were several of the knights along with Arthur and merlin who remained behind to help all those who have fainted.
It wasn't until everyone else had left that Merlin decided to turn his attention to the headmaster now standing directly behind him. "Would the two of you mind continuing to escort Mr. Wigan to the hospital wing then? The same goes for the rest of you who remained behind."
Everyone walked there together, including a fuming Umbridge. One wouldn't even need to see a close up of her to notice the bubbles festering within her cauldron. If she continues to try and undermine this school than Merlin will do something about it. After 1400 years, if there is anything he has learned it is patience but she is severely wearing his down.
"What's happened here?" asked Madame Pomfrey who hadn't been present at the feast. With Hermione here she had decided to remain in her office with some paperwork that needed sorting. "And where have you been?" She asks Hermione. "I told you that you were to remain in bed."
Hermione shrinks a bit under the woman's gaze and returns back to her bed on the left side of the room. Nimueh is placed in the bed beside her while Lance and Mordred are put down on two of ones across from them. "Dumbledore this is getting ridiculous!" Merlin lets out a small growl at her voice. "Since I have been here, many of the things I have seen have gotten out of control. Beginning tomorrow things are really going to start changing around here. If I were you, I would consider plans for retirement. I can't imagine Fudge will allow you to remain teaching here for much longer."
"Enough!" Merlin shouted turning on her with rage in his eyes. "I am sick of the constant disregard that the Ministry has for this establishment. Upon its founding, this school was meant to remain an independent entity. There was to be absolutely no interference from outside forces, in this case fear corrupt politicians lashing out their worries on others all in an effort to hide from the underlying truth right in front of them. I swear Delores, I have been tolerant of you thus far but if you continue to strut around like you own the place you may force my hand and I don't believe you want to see me when I 'm truly angry."
"You dare speak to me in such a way! I will have you expelled…" She began.
"Oh for Avalon's sake!" With a quick snap of his fingers as he turned around and headed for the door; she collapsed to the floor unconscious like the others. Merlin spent the entire walk to the Common room in an awfully vexed mood. He knows he shouldn't have reacted the way he had but the edge he had been on all day had finally gotten to his nerves and he snapped. The Cailleach's warning is still at the forefront of his mind and everything with Umbridge just pissed him off. Now he is going to have some explaining to do. How is he going to spin it this time? If only the others would regain their memories already, then perhaps he wouldn't have to spend so much time lying. Well, there's still a year ahead of him.