Chapter 11: A Celebration Turned Sour

In the morning, rather than heading directly to the Great Hall as he normally did, Merlin sat in the shadows of a large statue with a good view of the grand staircase. It looked perfect somehow, moving constantly, a dance of sorts. This opinion was not shared by the other students though. A few just stopped in the archways and stared at the staircases before turning to find an alternate way to the Great Hall. Some of the more tired ones didn't notice anything different until the staircase they stepped onto started moving. Then they woke up. One student nearly walked off into thin air, but thankfully Merlin was observant and threw up a quick air barrier to keep him on the landing. He realized that since the change was still new, a few safety measures should be in place. He wove together a barrier of air at each level so that if someone were to fall, the student would only fall to the next level down and then roll to the sides where they could climb back onto a stationary set of stairs and try again.

With this in place, he relaxed again and continued watching. Many of the more nimble students hardly paid it any notice, more daring kids were already trying to jump over the gap as the stairs left the landing just before they made it to the bottom. Laughter won out over the frightened looks and people began chasing each other, up and down, getting the hang of the moving staircases as they did so. He saw Flora come up from the basement and smile as she took off running for the stairs. She was one of the risky jumpers who could not be patient enough to wait until the staircase stopped moving to jump on the the landing. Figuring this was his cue to follow her to breakfast, he lept onto the staircases as well and followed close behind her. He jogged to catch up with her in the hallways. She turned at the sound of his footfalls.

"Drugen? Did I actually wake up before you this morning?" she teased. "I'm surprised you aren't already in the Great Hall."

"How could I be sitting there alone eating when I could be watching people on the staircase?" he said with a goofy grin.

"I know! It's great. I hope it stays like this."

"Oh I think it will."

"You don't know who did this, do you?" She eyed him as they sat down to eat.

"No, but I would imagine the more advanced the magic, the harder it is to undo. And making the staircases move perpetually back and forth seems pretty difficult to me."

"Whoever did it, I think it's brilliant," Lisa added as she sat down on the other side of Merlin. "Some of the movements actually will make it faster to get to class."

"And with enough practice, you could jump down flights of stairs by timing your jump to land on a crossing stair a few floors below." Stephen cut in excitedly as they slid onto the bench.

"I don't know. You might want to wait a little before you start trying that," Merlin cautioned. He knew his barriers would get in the way of that plan right now.

"Drugen, I didn't know you could be such a worry-wart," Flora said.

"I'm not, it's just what if the patterns of the movements change?" He was relying on his skill at making up stuff again. "I mean you have only seen them in motion for an hour at most. What if they change daily? Or every few hours? You wouldn't want to jump when they suddenly change patterns. It would be wiser to observe them for a while before trying anything too risky." The others were silent. Merlin gave them the same look he gave the knights when they had decided on a quest that would clearly get them into trouble.

"Sometimes I forget you are one of the older first-years Drugen. Then you say something like that." Lisa just shook her head. "How old are you?"

"Fourteen."

"Oh that's right, you are the same age as Stephen," Anna exclaimed and then looked at Stephen. "Now why couldn't you be that smart? It's a good thing Drugen has a good head on his shoulders unlike some others at this table." Out of the corner of his eye, Merlin noticed the professors arriving for breakfast. He knew that they would know it was him.

"Thanks Anna. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go get my stuff together for class. I'll see you at lunch." Walking at an even pace, he left the hall, blending in with the other students. But upon leaving he broke into a run to get out of the range of Salazar's mind speaking capabilities. He would have to think of a good excuse soon so they wouldn't try to undo his spell, but first he had a Runes test to cram for.

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After Herbs and Healing, Professor Hufflepuff called for him to stay back. Merlin told Flora not to wait for him and hung back, trying to look innocent.

"You can drop the act, we know it was you who did this," she began without any preamble. Merlin widened his eyes and put a finger to his lips.

"I don't know what you mean Professor," he replied evenly as he mumbled a few words to throw up a quick sound barrier. He lowered his finger and glared at her. "You know the greenhouses aren't really the best place for secretive conversations, Helga."

"What did you just do?" she asked.

"I enclosed our conversation in a bubble of silence. Those outside it won't be able to hear anything we say now." She looked impressed.

"But it was you who started the stairs moving." She persisted in her original accusation.

"Who else do you know who could've done it? None of the other students. Maybe one of the druids if they were angry or frightened enough but they would be more likely to destroy the staircases in that outpouring of power than set them into perpetual motion."

"So they won't return to normal by midnight like all the other pranks, will they?" He shook his head, a neutral expression on his face. "Is this another part of your protection plan for the school?" Merlin paused before answering. He had come up with a number of possible excuses but that hadn't been one of them. However, the opportunity presented itself so he ran with it.

"Yea. I didn't want to tell you in case I couldn't get it to work."

"But I'm not sure I understand how it works."

"People always say it is best to fight an enemy on your own terms. In a place you pick, on a field you know best. It gives you an advantage because you know the land. You know all the nooks and crannies, which tunnels are a dead end, where every little rabbit hole in the ground is. But the opposing force does not. You can trap them in the tunnels, lose them in a forest, the very earth they run upon with be their enemy. This is the same concept. The staircases move. It's strange at first, but anyone who lives in the castle will become used to them. They will become used to the pattern, it will become second nature to know which ones move when and to where. Some of the older students are already noticing easier ways to get around or planning on trying to jump down a few levels on to the lower stairs as they move across. Now if an enemy force storms the school, they won't have this knowledge ingrained in them. There are some safety nets in place now while the stairs are still new, but when those are gone, someone who does not know the pattern will run right off a landing and plummet to their death." He looked up with a wry smile and saw horror on her face. "Sure it sounds horrible now, but if the students are in danger you will be thinking much differently." She blinked a couple times.

"I suppose you are right. I'll tell the other professors. But what do we tell the students?"

"A condensed version of what I told you. You are testing a new form of defense in the castle. The stairs will stay like this and you hope it makes Hogwarts a more fun environment as well as a safer one.

"You are a genius, Merlin."

"Glad someone thinks so," he muttered.

"One last thing. What do we tell Aria and Geoffrey? They will wonder why we didn't tell them. And I wouldn't blame them if they questioned how we did it."

"Just tell them an old friend helped you out." Merlin winked and waved his hand to dismiss the bubble of silence as he walked out.

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The feast was dying down when Godric Gryffindor stood up at the head table and waited for the chatter to die down. When he had the attention of everyone in the room he began to speak.

"Before most of you leave for Samhain, there are some closing remarks I would like to deliver on behalf of myself and the rest of the teaching staff. Firstly, you have all undoubtedly noticed the change to the staircases; it would take considerable skill not to notice." This got some laughter from the students. "This is part of a new protection plan we have been working on. We don't want to worry you unnecessarily, after all your primary focus is learning, but we strive to be as prepared as possible. The staircases will remain this way and we hope that you enjoy the added benefits but urge you to not try anything too risky, too soon. This has never been done before so even we are not sure if it will stay exactly the same forever. Probably, but sometimes it is best to exercise a little caution." He looked pointedly at his own table and many of the Gryffindors looked down at their empty plate. "There is a difference between being brave and charging needlessly into danger." He returned his attention to the whole room. "Furthermore, we will once again warn you to be cautious with your magic during this holiday. Many of you are aware that there is still some fear of magic in the rest of England. There is no need for you to use magic if it is not necessary. Especially since this is Samhain and magic will be at its strongest. Remember to keep a check on it lest the magic of the world takes over you. We don't want any of our students turning into trees. And on that note, enjoy your break!"

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Around thirty students were still left to celebrate Samhain at Hogwarts. Godric and Salazar had also gone back to their family estates to spend the weekend before returning for the actual holiday. This of course meant that the decorating fell to the ladies. Not that they minded. They put up an announcement welcoming all students to help since there was not much else to do. Most of the students came and it was very busy. There were flowers to arrange, garlands to hang, new candles to replace. It was all a busy chaos. Rowena called Merlin over. He hurried over with an armful of old candles to remove from the hall.

"Yes?"

"I wanted to speak with you. In private," she hinted, tapping her head. He nodded.

"I'll go put these in storage," he said with a wink. What is it?

Helga and I were worried that the members of the Old Religion might try again. Very soon. We know Samhain would increase their powers but also if they had spies then they would know that Godric and Salazar have left. We are weaker now than we will be on Monday.

You will not have to worry, he reassured her as he set the candles in a box one of the servants was carrying. The protections will hold. I will tell you the activation charm of one additional level of defense though. I will write it down for you later though. Even words exchanged through mind have power this close to Samhain. Furthermore, you still have me to protect you. They looked directly at each other. I promise. You will be safe.

I know. She returned her attention to levitating the strings of flowers. But if we were to be attacked, whether now or later, I wish the students had a better chance of fighting for themselves. I know we teach Counterspells, but sometimes I worry that it is not enough.

You want me to teach a class on battle magics. I have to admit I had been also thinking of that. It will be difficult to work out all the details, but I'd like to talk with you all over winter break about it.

Thank you again Merlin. I don't know what we would do without you.

You did well without me before and you will do brilliantly when I leave. As long as Hogwarts has the four of you, the school will prosper.

The Great Hall, nay, the entire castle looked spectacular by the time Monday came along. No one wanted to do schoolwork and decorating was a tried and true method of procrastination. The more artsy students had even made their own decorations and Merlin enchanted all the torches to burn with a soft blue light to give Hogwarts an especially eerie feel. The plan for Monday was an optional offering service to the Triple Goddess on the shores of the lake at noon. A brief meeting with the first years to warn them of the dangers of Samhain. Then no plans until a great feast and continued celebrations all through the night. It would be spectacular fun. All the first years were brimming over with excitement while the other students said nothing safe that it would be the most amazing celebration they had ever been a part of.

The feast was lovely as usual. Due to the smaller number of students, they had actually pushed two of the tables together to create a more inclusive feel. The professors even joined them at the table and mingled with the rest of them. Since school wasn't officially in session, most students had left their typical uniform behind in favor of more colorful clothing and many of the girls wore flowers in their hair. No one sat according to houses and there was lots of laughter. Godric was entertaining a group of students with stories of his and Salazar's adventures when they were younger while the latter looked embarrassed. Helga was talking with Flora and a couple others about possible cures to different ills using plants. Merlin occasionally chipped in with a bit of knowledge he had picked up from Gaius and eventually got sucked into their conversation on the healing arts. Rowena and Geoffrey were debating the practical uses for runes, namely, were they actually useful at all. Professor Hemlock had elected to stay home for the entire weekend so she wasn't in attendance, but that just allowed for some students to complain to each other about how useless History of Magic was.

An hour before midnight, the tables were pushed to the side of the hall and were stocked with light snacks and more drinks. The charmed instruments at the front of the hall levitated and began playing music while the socializing continued. The servants were also invited to join in the festivities without worrying about refilling the drinks or clearing away the plates. Merlin could understand their looks of disbelief but Rowena told them after the celebration they would receive plenty of help. So they too relaxed and grabbed a glass of wine.

At quarter till, dancing had broken out and everyone was chatting amicably. The music continued and the feeling of magic in the air, nearly imperceptible to all but Merlin, continued to grow as midnight grew nearer.

At one minute till, they began a countdown. The music died out, the dancing ceased. With glasses in their hands, they watched the clock on the mantle tick the seconds by as they counted.

When the clock hand reached twelve and the soft bells inside chimed, everyone cheered and held up their glasses in a great toast.

When the clock hand reached twelve and the soft bells inside chimed, a visitor appeared in the hall.

All eyes fell on the mysterious girl who stood tall near the entrance to the hall. The servants couldn't see anything, but they had served in Hogwarts long enough to know the feeling of magic and understand that something was going on that caused everyone else to look this way.

"Who are you?" Godric asked, his free hand falling to where his sword would've rested out of deep ingrained habit. The students stepped back as he stepped forward.

"I mean you no harm." She briefly shut her eyes and nodded the tiniest of bows towards the founders who had clumped together. "I have come only to deliver a message, a warning."

"Very well. We shall hear it."

"Our future's hope is born in you, but only if the day proves true. Five must stand and be as one, only then can the battle be won. When Perseus finishes his trek across the sky, that is how you you will know your time is nigh. Camelot's lost knight is no mere lore, and now I will trouble you all no more." Shock sweeps through the hall. The girl turns and meets Merlin's eyes, glistening in the crowd. I love you and I miss you, Merlin. I promise I will find my way to your lake. But before Merlin could respond she vanished. From the looks of relief, the servants could tell that whatever the magic was, it had passed now. They moved on much faster than those who had heard the lady's warning. The students began moving again as well, murmuring to each other, wondering if that was a prophecy and who on earth was that girl anyways.

A/N: I am spoiling you guys again since I am in the observatory tonight and just waiting on images so there is a lot of sitting around. Extra long chapter for you. Enjoy.