Sorry it took a little while, I changed my plans for part of this and had to do a LOT more thinking to figure out what to do.

Also, side comment: I was watching part of a Dr. Who episode and happened to see Colin Morgan (Merlin) playing a goth kid therein. Go figure.

Chapter Fourteen: The Enemy of my Enemy...

Merlin didn't know many spells off the top of his head, even when he wasn't in such an urgent and stressful situation. Had he had more than a few seconds to spare, he might have been able to just make something up on the spot― though Harry and Draco's very presence was a display of how that had gone wrong the last time he'd done that, so that also wasn't the greatest option. But there was one use of magic that he had always been able to call upon. And so, having run in with only a split second to decide, Merlin did the first thing that came to him almost instinctually; Cepheus toppled backwards as the ornamental carpet beneath his feet was magically yanked forward.

Thus, Merlin had saved Arthur's life. Again. He wished the prince would at least thank him every once in a while… not that he was always aware of Merlin's help. But it was the principle of the thing.

Merlin had assumed Arthur to be unconscious, given his state of being on the floor, but he was, in truth, very much not unconscious. He was, however, quite confused again. One moment, Cepheus was standing with his staff pointed towards Arthur with the clear intent to harm him, and then the next moment he was falling over, out of Arthur's line of vision. The he heard Merlin's voice.

"Are you okay?" he called and Arthur found that he couldn't respond to say No, Merlin, you bloody idiot, I am most certainly NOT OKAY. Instead, he saw Draco and his servant nod.

Meanwhile, Cepheus was getting back to his feet. Merlin hadn't really thought any of this out beyond tripping the man. Luckily, he didn't have to.

At precisely the correct moment, there was one of those miracle-like coincidences that only comes around every once in a great while. In the grand scheme of things, some would say that there is no such occurrence as a coincidence; rather, there is only very powerful magic that manifests in strange ways. Regardless of definition, Harry and Draco both knew exactly what to do, as though their brains had linked up for a split second through a kind of bond that tied them together.

Simultaneously, they both raised their wands to point at Cepheus as he began to straighten out and yelled out "STUPEFY!" The double attack on the off-guard sorcerer, combined with the one-in-a-million timing that caused him to be hit by the two stunning spells at exactly the same time, sent him to the floor again, assuredly unconscious.

For a few moments, nobody spoke or moved. Harry and Draco then looked at each other, surprised, as Merlin made sure Cepheus was really knocked out, taking possession of his staff just in case he wasn't.

"That was… almost anticlimactic," Harry stated thoughtfully, "Are you sure he's not faking?"

"He's not," Merlin replied, lifting one of the man's hands and letting it fall back to his body in a way no conscious brain would allow. "What about Arthur?"

"Oh, right," Draco said as though it were a chore to point his wand at the frozen prince, "Finite."

Arthur, who by now had some very serious questions that he needed answered, felt the strength return to his previously petrified limbs. He immediately used that strength to shake off the help Merlin was offering and stand up on his own, looking around the room accusingly.

"Tell me what is going on, I want answers, now!"

Draco smirked. "Maybe we should bind him again. It might shut him up."

"You…" Arthur turned to growl at Draco, "You could have released me that entire time! But you're sorcerers, I shouldn't expect any different." Merlin looked at Arthur in confusion and fear; the prince didn't take his eyes off Draco and Harry. Suddenly Merlin understood― Arthur still did not know of his magical abilities. He really could be thick sometimes.

"Would you at least think before say such stupid things?" Draco countered.

"We saved you," Harry agreed, "And your father."

"Only after you attacked me!" Arthur wished his sword wasn't somewhere on the other side of the room, just in case he needed it.

"But I was under his control!" Harry exclaimed, gesturing towards Cepheus. Arthur was silent for moment.

"My father," he said after a while, "You can cure him?" Draco and Harry both nodded, and Arthur looked relieved. He glanced at Cepheus. "Somebody should really tie him up," he said, much of the arrogant good humor back in his voice.

"Already on it," Merlin chirped, pulling some spare bedclothes from a cupboard and moving to wrap them securely around the still-unconscious Black patriarch.

"Honestly, Merlin, could you have been any slower?" Arthur sneered as his manservant checked his knots, "You arrived just as the fight was ending and, as usual, were utterly useless."

Merlin didn't reply to the prince's taunting, instead turning to share a knowing glance with the two other young wizards in the room. Yes, Arthur really could be thick sometimes, but Merlin wouldn't prefer it any other way.

It's short, I know, and I don't like certain parts, but I wanted to finish it as soon as possible because I'm going to be moving into my college dorm in just a few days and I'm not sure if I'll have time to write for a while. But, hey, at least I didn't end it on a cliffhanger this time.

Don't worry; I know exactly how I want this to end now (in one or two more chapters). And just because Cepheus has been taken down, doesn't mean the story is over just yet!

And please review and keep me motivated to write in whatever bit of time I'll have!