Chapter 8: Dream on
They were sitting in the common room. Grace was busy losing to Merlin in a game of wizard chess.
"So when should we put our names in the goblet?" Albus asked eagerly.
"I'm not entering," Merlin replied flatly while cocksing one of his pawns onto a square where he would be taken. The problem was with this set was that it was really Albus's so they certainly didn't trust Merlin.
"I'm not going there! I'll get taken! Send him!" The pawn shrieked.
"Don't send me! Send him!" Was another reply.
"Just shut up and move!" Merlin ordered prodding the tiny figure with his wand. Finally the little man walked to the correct square. And as Merlin had predicted he was taken by Grace's queen.
"I said: I'm not doing it!" Merlin glared.
"Why are you so worried? Its not like we'll be chosen," Albus said laughing.
"Yeah, I mean first years, we haven't learnt nearly enough magic," Grace added.
"Come on then," Albus persisted pulling at Graces sleeve.
"What?" she enquired.
"Lets do it now. There's no point hanging around," then, "are you coming Merlin?"
"I'll come down to the entrance hall but I'm not putting my name in," he said stubbornly.
The three of them made there way over to the porthole but before they could get their someone called:
"Hey Al! What you up to?" It was James, Albus's older brother.
"We're going to put our names in the goblet," Albus clarified.
"Oh are you," James said skeptically.
"Yes," Albus said defensively.
"And do you expect to be chosen?" James asked mockingly.
"No."
James laughed at that but he decided to follow then anyway as they made their way to the entrance hall where the goblet stood in the centre.
Just as they arrived Merlin could see a line of students coming up from the grounds. They all wore floating pale blue robes but many had pulled jumpers over the top. These were the students from Beaubaton. As they came up the shallow steps lead by Madam Maxime Merlin could see how each one held something small in their hand. Then as they reached the top of the stairs Madam Maxime stepped aside and they continued to be lead by the first student. They then curved round until the first could place the thing in her hand into the goblet. It was a small piece of paper which she then drooped. This followed for each of the Beauxbatons students. Merlin saw the boy he'd sat next to drop his piece in and then he can over to stand next to Merlin.
"Hello, are you putting your name into zeh cup?" he asked looking at Merlin.
Who shook his head.
"Vy not?"
"Yeah Merlin, why not?" Albus cut in.
"Because I don't want to," Merlin replied stubbornly.
"Ah but you vill not be chosen. You could just see."
Merlin glared at him. He did not intend to give up.
"Oh come on Merlin," Grace signed, "hears a parchment with your name on it."
"We'll put it in if you like," Albus said.
"NO!" Merlin almost shouted the words.
"Vy are you zo nervous?" the boy from Beaubaton asked.
Merlin did not reply. Why was he so nervous about putting his name into the goblet? He had no idea. Really it couldn't be that bad.
Some of these thoughts must have registered on his face as Grace and Albus immediately sprang forward sensing Merlin was close to giving up. But not bothering until he did properly.
Merlin just stood at the side then as Albus placed first his own name into the goblet and the Merlin's.
Merlin sighed. Surely it couldn't be that bad.
He stood facing the fiery mouth of a great dragon. It opened and breathed. Fire exploded around him but somehow he was still alive. He heard as though from a very long way off the roar of crowds but could not make out from where they came from. Of perhaps it was from everywhere. Then the fire cleared away. He could see again and now he took in more than just the great dragon high above him but also the great stands housing people. Hundreds of people. He was too far away though and was unable to make out faces but he guessed it was the school. Then he saw a panel of judges. They were sitting behind the dragon watching.
Merlin stood and spoke.
Suddenly the crowd roared and he was spinning. Spinning away from the sine. Slowly the spinning eased off and he was able to see a different scene than before. It was the lake. He was standing right at the edge of the great lake. He looked over to the far bank. It looked endless. Endless and smooth. And somehow for some reason he felt panic rising up inside he. But before it was able to overwhelm him he was spinning again.
Spinning away from the shiny smooth surface and now he was standing in front of McGonagall. Her face was deeply lined and she seemed disappointed. He shivered. She took a deep breath.
The words she wanted to say seemed to take an age. He was standing beneath a sheer cliff. On looking up he could see the high peaks of mountains seeming an endless way away. He was tied. Out of the corner of his I he could see Grace and Albus. They both looked incredibly nervous. He wondered what was wrong. And then finally McGonagall spoke.
Merlin woke with a start. The dream was still fresh in his mind. Each image was so clear. He could have drawn them. He sighed likely no one else had woken up and he tried to get back to sleep. It was no good. The images continued to spin around his head. Finally he gave up on sleep and got up. It was 4 in the morning. No one could be awake now. Once dressed he set off out of the common room. He had no idea where he was headed only that he couldn't stay still. It was better walking. He concentrated on placing each foot in front of the other letting them take him where they wanted. This helped. He was so concentrated that the images couldn't get in. he sighed. Why couldn't he get rid of them? There wasn't anything particularly scary. But it was not just the images that he couldn't shake off but also the feeling that they meant something important but he didn't know what.
Then suddenly he was abruptly pulled out of his revelry as he bumped into someone.
"Sorry," he mumbled just as the person he'd bumped into did the same. Merlin glanced up and saw the German boy from the feast.
"Zorry," he repeated.
"No problem," Merlin said shyly.
"Vat is your name?" the boy asked abruptly.
"Merlin, Merlin Coleman," he replied "you?"
"Jonas Fehring."
They looked at each other. Then finally Jonas said:
"Do you vant to be a champion?"
"No."
"Zen vy did your friendz put your name in?" He asked.
"I didn't want them to," was all Merlin could reply.
"Ah."
"But anyway I've got homework I've got to do."
"You mind iv I goin you?" Jonas asked.
"No."
They walked together toward the library. Suddenly the silence was broken by Jonas.
"You heard about some in hogvarts who is very good?"
Merlin shook his head wondering where the question had come from.
"Zey say he can do … do not speaking magic."
Merlin shrugged. "I thought you learn to do that in 6th year?"
"I zink you do. But zis person can already do it."
"Oh," Merlin had nothing better to say. Could Jonas possible be talking about him? Did it really matter if he was? Yes. Merlin knew it would. Why did he always have to be different? Why couldn't he just be ordinary?
"Do you know anyvon like zat?"
"No. I better go. Albus and Grace will be wondering where I am. We're having our first flying lesson today."
"O.K I vill see you zen."
"Yeah."
And Merlin was gone. Disappeared around the corner.