Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin or Harry Potter.

A/N: Here's the next chapter. It's a little late, but not by too much. I'll try to keep updating on Thursdays, but next week is really busy, so if I'm not able to update then. I will try to do so during the weekend. Hope you enjoy! Thank you for all your wonderful reviews. I really do appreciate them. I also thank everyone who has favorited or followed this story.

Chapter 6

Merlin had been trying to distract her ever since she had her melt down. He was teaching her how to brew some of the simpler potions. He'd given her an herb book and kept drilling her on each and every herb in it. She had to admit that it really was a good distraction. That and she absolutely loved books and learning. Merlin admitted to her several times that he found potion making relaxing, and she realized that it really was therapeutic. It also helped that she was a quick learner and was progressing rapidly. It made her feel accomplished when she was actually able to do something useful.

She also was able to perform many of the simpler spells in the ancient looking spell book Merlin had given her. It took a lot of concentration for many of them, so she didn't feel as accomplished as she did when brewing and gathering herbs. Merlin showed her a number of meditation techniques that the druids used to help gather magic in order to help her with her spell work, as he believed it wasn't so much her concentration on the spell as on using and molding her magic. She hoped he was right and that it'd get easier.

Right now, she was in the kitchen making a weak poultice for runny noses. He told her that she never had to worry about making something they wouldn't use as he could just sell whatever excess they had. She was very curious about where and how he would sell everything, but he had been very cryptic, and she decided that she'd leave him alone after she had extracted a promise that he'd have to tell her all about it later, of course.

As much as Merlin tried to distract her from everything, she still wasn't alright. She couldn't stop thinking about dark lords and evil followers. They had briefly talked about it further, but she knew that he was leaving details out of their conversations. He did explain about how nothing was ever black and white or good and evil in that conversation. Funny thing about that is, for some reason, she understood. She thought that her understanding could have something to do with her time learning with the druids. They were all about balance and tradition. Everything had a bit of magic and this magic balanced the world and everything in it. She didn't profess to comprehend the exact belief, but she still was able to work out quite a bit of how it worked. She hoped to work out the rest as she grew older.

She smiled. Her poultice was finished. She glanced over to Merlin giving him a beaming smile. "It's done. How did I do?"

Merlin turned from his own work to assess her finished product. He made a show of checking it very carefully, and she rolled her eyes at his antics. "Just tell me if I did alright or not…this doesn't have to be a big production."

"Fine, fine." He waved his hand in the air in a dismissing fashion. "You're no fun." He pouted slightly. "This one is even better than the last one and you know that one was near perfect."

She glowed under the praise. "So it's perfect then?" She questioned.

"As close to perfect as you can get."

She squealed in delight. She loved doing something well. "What's next?" She asked eagerly.

He sighed and shook his head. "Only you would want another project to work on."

She wrinkled her nose at him. "Come on, Merlin…I want to learn more and I've already gone through both the books you gave me. What else is there to do?"

He imparted an amused look and responded, "How about you collect some Chamomile and Anise from the forest? The herbal stores are running a little thin. Once you collect enough I'll show you how to prepare them. You know what they look like, right?"

She snorted. "Of course, I do. I've memorized that herb book you gave me from front to back. The chamomile plant has a white pedaled flower with a yellow center, while the anise herb has small star shaped flowers and flat, feathery leaves. Anise also tastes like licorice..."

"Ok, I believe you know what you're talking about. Go on and find them then." He started to shoo her toward the door. "If you have a chance, you might want to practice some of you meditations, while you're out. It's a good opportunity to do it, while your herb hunting."

She exited swiftly grabbing a basket by the door and resolved that while she was out she would work on her meditation too.

It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining and it was warm. The end of summer was approaching quickly. It'd been about three months since her parents died, and it was now the middle of August. Her birthday was about a month away. She blinked back tears. She always spent the day with her parents. As an only child, they tended to spoil her rotten when it was a birthday or holiday. She sighed and sat down in a small clearing. She closed her eyes and tried to keep the sadness away. It never seemed to get any better.

She took a deep breath and gently tugged at her magic, letting it course through her. She allowed her senses to slowly expand, drawing magic from the air and the natural world. This was earth magic in its purest form. She gathered the magic around her and practiced letting it go and drawing it in. The air felt heavy with pulsing magic. She kept her breath steady, knowing that it was easier controlling and molding it if she was relaxed. Her senses were slowly overtaken by the shear amount of magical pressure surrounding the area and she worked on easing it.

Her eyes opened carefully remembering that the first time she had tried this she had been nearly blinded by the light the magic emitted. Her eyes were finally opened and if anyone were to pass by, they might wonder why or how a little girl could have glowing gold eyes. Her eyes flashed and pulsed gold as she tried to control the magic around her, but still allow it freedom to move through her in a natural way. She hummed and chanted a few simple druidic exercises before singing a song about the wind and allowing the breeze to whip around her. The breeze soon grew into a strong wind, but instead of causing her discomfort, it drew around her and the magic in it danced. She sang again and again allowing the words to rise out from somewhere in side of her.

'Eil thu èisteachd 'ille
'Eil thu èisteachd a thasgaidh?
'Eil thu èisteachd' ille
Do'n fhuaim a tha nad chridh?
Eil thu èisteachd' ille
Gu fuaim a tha mar chaoidh?
O èist, èist, èist
Do ghuthan air a ghaoith.

Tighinn air a' mhuir
O, tighinn thar a' chuain
A seòladh thar nam beanntan
Air sgiath cho geal, cho glan
Tha e tighinn thugainn,
Mar ospag air a ghaoith
O seinn! Seinn! Seinn!
An ceòl ur againn fhìn

[Are you listening lad/boy
Are you listening, darling?
Are you listening lad
To the sound that's in your heart?
Are you listening lad
To the sound that is like keening?
O listen listen listen
To voices on the wind

Coming on the sea
Coming on the ocean
Sailing over the mountains
On wings, so white, so fresh
It is coming to us
Like a whisper on the wind
O sing sing sing
Our own new music] (1)

She knew somehow that it was in Gaelic, but she didn't know how or why. Soon it was over and the wind danced around her one last time before fading into a breeze. She let go of the magic and her eyes became their natural hazel brown again.

Hermione felt calm and comfortable for the remainder of her time herb hunting. She easily found both the chamomile and the anise, and had started walking back towards home, when she felt a presence. It didn't feel like a bad presence exactly, but she wasn't about to take any chances, so she ran. As she ran, she heard something behind her.

Her heart was racing, and she was gulping down air. Her feet pounded into the dirt. She was so close, but it was then when she stumbled. Her basket fell and she collided with the ground. She heard a twig snap and then a voice.

"Hey, I think this might be her!"

She winced. The man had yelled it out very loudly. A faint call was returned, but it was too hard to hear over the pounding of her heart.

"You alright?" She studied the beefy man before her. He was overweight and balding. She noticed that he was wearing a uniform that had "park security" or something to that extent labeled on his shirt. She blinked stupidly. Another man lumbered behind this one, tripping over a twig.

"Frank, is it her?"

"Yeah, I think so…looks like the picture. And anyway, how many little girls would be wandering around the forest without an adult?"

"That's true I 'spose." The man rubbed his nose and sneezed.

"Hello, Hermione, I'm Frank Pike and this is Gerald Swinson. We're here to take you back home. You have some very worried relatives. I'm sure you know your Aunt Susan and Uncle Barry, right?"

Hermione remembered them. She had only met them once or twice. Susan was her mother's cousin. She didn't like either of them very much. Susan was pudgy and smelled of fish. She always complained, and when she wasn't complaining, she was bragging. Uncle Barry wasn't much better. She remembered the tall thin man talking about money and how prudent they were with it. She did not want to see them. She highly doubted that they wanted to see her either, but how to get out of this situation…

She widened her eyes and gave her best innocent and frightened look (which wasn't too hard as she had already looked scared out of her wits). "I don't know them. My name is Sarah."

Both men stiffened and did not look too happy with her. "Now, no lies," the one called Frank said. "You are the spitting image of this picture. See?" He held up a photo of Hermione aged six in her school uniform.

"That's not me, though I do admit that it's an incredible likeness."

Frank gave her a glare. "If it's not you, then what are you doing here without your parents?" My parents are close by. I can lead you to them if you like."

Gerald huffed a bit. "Let's just follow her. If it's the wrong child then we might get in trouble, and there's no harm in having a look."

"Fine. Let's get this over with." Frank gestured that she should stand up. "Go on. We're following you."

Hermione nodded and started to lead them towards home, desperately trying to get in touch with her magic in order to mind speak. "Merlin" she called in her head over and over again like a mantra. In what felt like ages, she felt a prickling sensation in the back of her mind that became clearer and clearer, until she heard a whisper of her name. She concentrated on her magic and strengthened the link.

"Hermione? What's wrong?"

"Merlin, there are two men here that want to take me and put me with my relatives. I need help. I don't know how to get rid of them. I'm heading home now."

"Are you sure you don't want to stay with your family?"

"They are not my family. At the moment, you and the druids are more like my family than they are."

There was an overbearingly long pause after her statement, and she worried that the connection between their minds slipped. Just as she was on the verge of panicking, she heard him say, "I'll be there in a moment. I won't let them take you."

Her heart leapt. His words echoed in her head. He wouldn't let them take her. A small smile formed on her lips. She had a home with him, and she wasn't going to let anyone take away her family again.

(1) This song is called Guthan Air A' Ghaoith. I do not own.

Review if you have a chance!