Chapter 8: More than an Illusion

The next morning Merlin walked over to the Hufflepuff table to tell Libæna of Gaius's death. She wrapped him in her arms and held him in silence. The others at the table left them space and Flora joined the silent meal when she awoke. Before class they each reminded him that they would be there for him if they needed someone to talk to or a shoulder to cry on. He expressed his gratitude. It was almost as good as having Gwen by his side. Arthur was never good at feelings.

So he robotically survived classes that day and the next. Helga pulled him aside after Herbology and asked if everything was alright. He numbly told her that Gaius had died and walked away.

After classes finished on Friday, he told his friends he needed some space and walked outside. It was the first week of October so not many people were in the mood to leave the warmth of the castle interior. Merlin walked down to the edge of the lake and sat, legs crossed, on the rocks. He idly drew designs in the water with the tip of his finger as he let his mind wander. He did not notice when the water began to sparkle and a face appeared in the water.

"Emrys," the face said and caught his attention.

"Freya?" He asked, hesitant but hoping. She would've been a great comfort to him.

"I'm sorry I am not she, but I was sent by her to comfort you. She does not yet have the power to travel at will."

"Oh." Merlin looked back down at his boots.

"But you are troubled in mind, let us ease your pain." Merlin looked at her in confusion. "Sleep and we shall sooth your mind. You will still be sad, that we cannot control, but we can untangle your thoughts and allow you to continue onward with your long life."

"I would like that," he admitted. "Shall I lay here?"

"Walk but a short distance until the rocks give way to softer grass and there we shall heal you." Merlin walked until he found the place and laid thankfully upon the grass, the fingertips of his hand resting just below the surface of the water. "Sleep well Emrys. You have great deeds yet ahead of you."

The bright morning sun woke Merlin at dawn with a smile. True to their word, the water spirits had given him one of the best nights of sleep he could remember and he was far less consumed by sorrow. The sadness was still there but his mind was free to dwell on other things. Like pranking. That would make him feel better. Though at the time it wasn't funny, he had quite enjoyed the Goblin's practical jokes. Arthur with donkey ears and hearing him bray was one of the best memories he had of Camelot. And it would be a good use of his magic. He rose and walked back toward the castle to start planning. Some pranks he would need to enlist the help of some fellow Slytherins in, but equally as fun would be the ones where no one but he knew. But first things first, he was starving. He skipped dinner in favor of sitting by the lake and now his stomach was protesting loudly. It was always better to plan on a happy stomach anyways. And he also still needed to complete his enchantment of the suits of armour. He should definitely work on that. Especially if he was going to head back to Camelot for Samhain. Although he hadn't made up his mind about that yet; he would have to ask Flora and Libæna if they were staying.

.

.

.

It was a boring day in Runes that started his pranks. He had initially thought runes would be a great class. Not fun per se, but useful. There were numerous times when he needed to ask Gaius to translate the runes on various magical objects or in letters. A couple times when the problem could've been avoided altogether if he had known the meaning. And for the most part it was a good class. He was fueled by motivation and the parts he struggled with were easily remedied with the help of upperclass Slytherins in the common room. Futhark was hard but the Druidic ruins seemed to just click. It was as if he could see the full meaning behind each rune; not immediately, but once he was told the basic meaning, all the others sprang to mind. He assumed it was once again due to the rebirth of his magic in the crystal caves. Ever since then it was like he had unlocked his full potential and the magic came much more easily. He had always felt connected to his magic, but now he was connected with his magic, the Old Religion, and the very earth itself. It had taken a while to get used to and he was still stumbling across new side effects.

One being boredom when Professor Goodfellow was reviewing the Druidic Runes once again before their test on Friday. He meant well, honestly he did, but there are only so many times a student can put up with monotonously repeating back the names of runes and their basic meaning. He wasn't the only one who was bored. And an idle mind is a mischievous mind. So, hands clasped under the desk, Merlin whispered something a little different when the rest of the class recited the meaning of the next rune. When the professor turned his back to write the next character, Merlin opened his hands to release a small blue butterfly. It flew to the front of the room and landed on top of the blackboard without Goodfellow noticing. But the class noticed. As they recited the next rune their attention wasn't quite on the board. Figuring he might as well be helpful while he had fun, he caused a flower to drift lazily down from the ceiling in honor of the rune meaning flower.

"Kenoz. Fire." The class recited the next rune and when the professor turned around, the flame of the candle on his desk grew momentarily before returning to normal size. "Ewaz. Horse." Now a miniature horse silently galloped through the air before poofing back into smoke and disappearing. "Laguz. Lake." The students jumped as they felt their ankles get wet and looked down with a smile to see a small lake had replaced the floor. But once again, as the professor turned around the image was gone. If Professor Goodfellow noticed a sudden interest in the runes as they awaited the next illusion, he didn't show any sign that he had.

For their part, the students were transfixed in wonder, watching the meanings of each rune come to life in unique ways. Merlin was having trouble hiding his grin as much as the rest of them. He had forgotten how fun creating simple illusions could be. It didn't take much energy or skill, just an ample amount of imagination. Plus this was a challenge, a game for him. Come up with an illusion based on the rune the teacher just finished writing on the board. Not a lot of time.

He had cheated and slowed down time once or twice. An image for degaz, day, was not one of those that just sprung to mind. But only once or twice. Class was soon done anyways. The students filled out, chatting excitedly, and the butterfly followed them out. Merlin was glad to see it fly free.

"Who do you think could've been creating those?" Libæna asked.

"I have no clue," Flora sayed, still awed by the flower that had landed on her desk. She tucked it behind her ear. "Drugen? Any theories?"

"It could've been anyone." They looked at him strangely. "I mean they were just illusions. I heard that those aren't too hard. I don't think we learn them until the end of the year but still. Anyone could've read ahead."

"But they weren't all illusions. I can tell you this flower is real," Flora countered.

"And the butterfly. And making the flame on the candle grow was no illusion."

"Two different people?" he suggested.

"That just doesn't make sense." Merlin laughed and held up his hands in surrender.

"Fine. I'm just going to appreciate the beauty. And I know I won't forget the runes before the test."

"Neither will I. I needed the help," Libæna agreed. "I'll see you two at lunch. Have fun with your plants." She turned left as they continued outside with a wave.

"Hey are you and Libæna staying for Samhain?" Merlin asked to keep the conversation away from his previous fun. "I think we are given the choice to take a long weekend and go home before the long winter holidays break."

"Yea, we were thinking about staying. I mean it would be nice to see our families but being at a magical school during a holiday that originated with the Old Religion would be incredible!" She had been successfully distracted. "The decorations alone would be worth it. Are you staying?"

"I think so. I was just home and I wanted to spend the holiday with both of you. It's much more fun without the stuffy old men." Merlin didn't want to know how some of the more traditional lords of Camelot were taking the increasing influence on the magical side of Samhain. He knew for a fact that a few were still fighting to reinstate the ban on magic. Gwen wouldn't back down, he knew that, but if he thought about it too long he sometimes worried.

"That would be so much fun!" She interrupted his thoughts. "We could spend the free time exploring the castle and maybe we could explore the forest."

"I'm not too sure that's a good idea," Merlin cautioned. "Gryffindor did warn us against the dangers of the forest at the start of term."

"What could be more dangerous in there than these deadly plants right here in the greenhouse?" Merlin could think of loads of things, but he was unable to answer as Professor Hufflepuff called out for attention and began class. Flora looked at him smugly and he rolled his eyes. Now he would just have to write Gwen back and hope nothing actually dangerous crossed their path in the forest.

A/N: I wanted to thank all of you for following this story and leaving your lovely reviews. It really does motivate me to keep going. Special thanks goes to JXeleven and Auua Ytjoml for being a sounding board on the ending of the story. Thanks to their help, I have a very clear idea on how I would like to bring this to a close. What does that mean for you? Well it means that you will get more chapters. I am eight chapters ahead but I will be posting more now that I know what the end will be. So be on the lookout for more frequent updates and as always, any and all reviews are welcome with open arms.