Whoa! This is a long chapter! Well, I Hope you're still reading and commenting. This is where I really start to add my twists to the story. Yes, it will follow that same story line, but I'm going to change it up a bit. Just because I said so! Anywho, ENJOY!

"Italics are sign language"

"Bold italics are parseltongue" (clue?)

Disclaimer: Nope...still don't own Harry Potter or Merlin

Chapter 8

Merlin had been Arthur's manservant for about a month and he absolutely despised it. While Merlin hated it, Hermione loved it. She watched him make a fool of himself day after day and she refused to get a job, just so she could be close to her brother. She and Merlin had also been practicing spells from the book Gaius had given Merlin. Hermione had a tough time because they all needed to be spoken. Merlin, however, was excelling and Hermione was proud. He was shaping up to be the great wizard history for told. He had a long journey ahead of him, but he was doing good. That day, Merlin was called to help Arthur train. Hermione couldn't keep the smile from her face. She had been trying to get Merlin to practice sword fighting with her since he was eight, but he never took to it. Hermione, however, loved it. The clanking of metal and the danger of getting impaled, she loved it. Merlin was carrying the armor out to the grounds and she followed him. The two were training outside the castle walls on the green by the castle. It was early and there was no one up. She followed Merlin, carrying the swords and they walked up to a waiting Arthur.

Arthur wasn't surprised to see Hermione with Merlin. She seemed to be with Merlin whenever he was doing a chore that had the potential to turn embarrassing. If that was how siblings acted, he wanted no part of it. She would even correct Merlin on the right way to make a bed or how to polish armor. It was odd, but he was used to her presence. Something about her made him weary though. The way she looked at him was as if she already knew him. Like she was expecting something from him. It was almost like how his father looked at him.

The two reached Arthur and he smiled. "Ah, Merlin! Throw on some armor and let's practice." Hermione looked like Christmas has come early. Merlin looked more like he wanted to die right then and there. Hermione grabbed the armor and began to dress Merlin for practice. Arthur was amazed at her knowledge on armor and anything to do with fighting at all. She was a girl after all and girls didn't sword fight. Merlin was ready and the curly haired girl passed him a sword. She patted him on the shoulder and did another one of those hand movements. Merlin groaned and Hermione laughed. Arthur still hadn't heard the girl talk and was starting to think she couldn't. Plus, she always did those hand motions which Merlin somehow understood. Arthur felt a little out of the loop when they did that.

Merlin stood in front of him with a shield and sword. His stance was all wrong, so Arthur instructed him on how to fix it. He followed the instructions and was ready. "Alright, protect yourself the best you can." Merlin nodded and replied, "yes, sire." Arthur dealt the first blow and Merlin blocked expertly. Arthur expected he had spent a while dodging and blocking blows from Hermione. The woman was frightening. Arthur came out of his thoughts and began to train. "Come on Merlin! Shield. Sword. Shield. Shield. Sword! Head!" Merlin was trying his best, but Arthur was an expert. "Head?" And then Merlin was promptly clanked in the head, and fell to the ground. Hermione was on the ground laughing. Well, silently laughing.

Merlin took the helmet off and sighed. "Laugh it up, Devil! How about you try and beat him." Hermione stopped laughed and looked to Arthur, asking permission. First, Arthur looked down to Merlin and said, "good job. Most servants fall on the first blow." Merlin smiled and Arthur helped him up. Arthur whispered in Merlin's ear, "can your sister really fight?" Merlin gave him a weird look and answered, "well, yeah. Just ask, sire, and she'll take you on." Arthur thought about it and then finally decided to try. Anyone would be better practice than Merlin. He motioned to Hermione and called, "if you really want to fight me, then come on." He had never seen her smile brighter. She grabbed a shield and a sword and didn't even bother with armor. "Hermione, you'll need armor."

Merlin laughed and said, "no she won't." Hermione looked smug and took her stance. Arthur decided to make it fair and remove his armor. They were both evenly matched and Hermione couldn't stop dancing on her feet. They stood and waited for someone to make the first move. Arthur finally decided to just swing and Hermione expertly ducked. She swiftly grabbed his arm and knocked the sword from his hand while pushing him to the ground. Her sword was held to his neck and he blinked. That was smart. She let him back up with a smirk and they stood in stances again. "Good. Uh, that was just lucky." Hermione rolled her eyes and mouthed something that looked suspiciously like "men." She took the first swing that time and the clanking of swords continued. She took him down that time by stomping on his foot and kicking the back of his knee. He fell to the ground and she held a sword to him. Arthur could tell Merlin was enjoying his humbling. Hermione let him up and Arthur was going to win this round. They got in stances and began. Hermione swung the sword expertly and had fast feet. Arthur had strength on his side. Arthur ended up getting her shield away from her and he swore he saw her eyes flicker an angry red before going back to normal. He ignored it as a trick of the light. They continued on and both were getting worn out.

Hermione decided to end the fight and threw her sword to the ground. While Arthur was distracted wondering what she was doing, she pounced on him and tackled him to the ground. She held his wrists down and sat on him. Merlin clapped and shouted, "Hermione darling! Let him up. He's been humiliated enough." Hermione let Arthur up and smiled largely at him. He groaned and whispered to himself, "if she weren't a girl I would Knight her on the spot." Hermione seemed to have heard because if it were possible, her smile grew. She skipped away and that's when Arthur noticed something. She wasn't wearing any shoes. Arthur's jaw dropped and Merlin walked up behind him. He patted him on the shoulder and said, "don't feel too bad. You should have seen what she did to a couple of bandits. Poor blokes never saw it coming." Arthur turned to Merlin and asked, "where did she learn it?" Merlin shrugged and replied, "some man named Severus Snape. The way she talks about him, I'd suspect he was an all knowing godly being."

Arthur got a confused look and asked, "how wouldn't you know this Severus Snape if you were living together? She is your sister." Merlin shook his head and responded, "no. We found her in the forest on the brink of death. It took her about three or four years just for her neck to heal. Even on the first day she was with us, we had a certain bond. She's my sister in everyway. If you tell her otherwise, you'll be lucky to get away with your life." Arthur looked at Merlin with realization and said, "that's why she can't talk? And the scarf?" Merlin nodded and said to Arthur in a proud tone, "even when she can't speak, she manages to be good at everything. She taught me sign language, a way for her to speak to me and I translate what she wants to say." Arthur felt a light go on in his head and he finally understood what the weird hand motions were. Arthur finally understood more about Hermione, but was determined to win a sword fight against her. Arthur grunted and said, "we'll have to have all of our knights tested by her. Woman or not, her fighting is on spot." Merlin beamed and Arthur threw a helmet at his manservant. "We're going another round. Prepare." Merlin groaned and the two continued training.

Meanwhile, Hermione was walking down the halls of the castle. She was trying to snoop out any magical signatures. Maybe the castle had some secret rooms or something. That lead her to sit with her back to the wall with her eyes closed and a completely relaxed expression. She focused and felt the thrum of ancient magic. It was pulling at her and she frowned. It was very unhappy magic. She focused on it, but couldn't follow a particular strand. The magic was like chaos. It all settled in certain people though. Morgana, Merlin, and herself. Hermione notices something else too. Some strands were leading to...Gaius! Her eyes popped open and she just stared at the wall. Huh. It was pretty obvious the man had magic, but why give it up?

Magic could really help make potions more potent and effective. Well, he did pretty well without it, but it can always help. She heard loud footsteps down the hall so she turned her head and checked. It was Merlin, clumping through the halls. Cringing with every step. Hermione snorted and Merlin turned narrow eyes to her. "You know, he's set on beating you now. He wanted extra practice! Thanks a lot Devil." Hermione just smiled and pointed in the direction of Gaius's chambers. Merlin sighed and they walked to the chambers together. Merlin said to her, "did you know there's a tournament going on? Something about sword fighting for a thousand gold pieces." Hermione shook her head. That tournament sounded fun. Oh, how she wished she could join. Merlin shook his head and said, "you're probably the only girl I know to like this sport more than the men."

Hermione slapped his shoulder and signed, "you only know four girls. Mother, me, the maidservant and the King's ward. You only know the King's ward due to your mishap in her thinking you were her maidservant." Merlin blushed and Hermione smirked. The two walked to Gaius and Hermione sat Merlin down in front of a bowl of breakfast. "So, Merlin. How has your first day of training with Arthur gone?" Merlin groaned and said, "awful! He wanted to keep training to be sure he was ready for the tournament and I still have a whole list of chores to do!" Gaius chuckled and began to get the kinks out of Merlin's shoulders. "I have to learn tournament etiquette and armor placement by this afternoon!" Gaius smiled and said, "you should go to Guinevere for help with that. She is an expert on all things armor." Merlin hissed in pain as Gaius cracked another kink. "Yeah, well so is Hermione."

Hermione shook her head and signed, "you need some other friends. If you just ask me for everything you'll never be social." Merlin groaned again and the last kink was removed from his shoulder. "You're still watching the tournament though?" Hermione nodded and went to a table she had potions set up. Merlin continued to eat his meal and the morning went on. When he was done, Hermione insisted on walking him down to Gwen's. She and Gwen had a nice friendship. Gwen found it a bit hard because Hermione couldn't speak, but she always found another way to communicate. Sometimes Merlin was present to translate and that was when Gwen got to really know Hermione.

They reached Gwen's house and she opened the door with a smile. "Hello! Come on in." Hermione and Merlin obliged and Gwen asked, "what can I help you with." Merlin cleared his throat and said, "I need help with armor. Arthur has a tournament today and I don't know what goes where." Gwen nodded and took the armor Merlin had brought. Gwen watched as Hermione signed to Merlin and he nodded. "Hermione's going to skip this visit, Gwen. She has a potion to get back to." Gwen nodded and replied, "well, I'll see you at the tournament?" Hermione smiled and nodded excitedly. She waved goodbye and left. "Merlin?" He looked up to her and Gwen continued, "does your sister ever wear shoes?" Merlin snorted and said, "she believes she can move quicker without them. She just never liked shoes." Gwen nodded and got to work showing Merlin where everything went.

Meanwhile, Hermione was roaming the streets back to the castle. She noticed the sign up place for the tournament and wandered over to it. A few of the Knights waiting in line gave her a double take because of her strange appearance, but no one called her out. She went behind the desk and peered at the register. The man behind the table took no notice to her. A man with a snake crest came up and introduced himself as Knight Valiant. Hermione's eyes widened at the amount of magic coming from him. It wasn't coming from the man though. Her eyes slid to the shield and she narrowed her eyes. He tugged the shield back and her eyes caught his. She made hers flash red and he took a small step back. The man at the register welcomed him with a smile, "welcome to Camelot."

Knight Valiant nodded and took his leave. Hermione would have to watch him. The shield could just be enchanted not to break, but when was it ever? She sat and sized up the competition. They all looked to be good, but she could already spot weaknesses. One was too large, he would try to overpower his opponents with strength and ignore speed. The one with double swords would lose a lot of shielding. There were more, but she was getting bored. The tournament was starting soon and Hermione needed to put on some shoes. She hated them, but everyone was wearing clunky boots and she did not feel like having her feet stomped on.

Hermione reached the castle and walked along the crowded halls and finally reached Gaius's chambers and breathed a sigh of relief. She walked in and Gaius greeted her. "Back so soon?" Hermione nodded and snatched up her shoes and held them up to Gaius. "Ah, well. You should really wear your shoes all the time." Hermione shook her head and sat on a stool to slip on her shoes. They really were uncomfortable, more so since she became a Demon Dog, which reminded her! She needed to go on a run soon. She was getting antsy being stuck inside all day. Living in a city where magic was illegal, really was a downer. She couldn't just go to the forest next door and go for a run without being worried of being skewered by a Knight. Although, she probably was scary enough to make them wet their pants and run. These weren't the famous Knights of the round table, so she had to wait and see.

Hermione hopped up from the stool and went over to the potion she had been working on for a while. She wanted to find a way to sooth her throat so she could talk easier. She would talk the same amount, but it would just be less painful. This was her second test. The first one made her start crying and made her throat feel like it was on fire. She absolutely hated the strange effects. So, she reavaluated and this batch would be done in a week. She had an inkling it wouldn't work because of the strongly cursed dagger, but she was trying anyways.

Gaius paid her a small amount to help him on busy days. She didn't really need the money, but it was always good to have. Hermione added some Fluxweed to her potion and let it simmer. She walked away and looked to what Gaius was working on. Looked to be pain relief, that would be helpful for the tournament. The tournament would be starting soon, she needed to get out and help Merlin not make a fool of himself. Oh yes, Merlin was very competent. He was magnificent at whatever he put his mind to, but stress was his weakness. He couldn't function when people were judging him. She was trying to fix that because he would go through many trials where he would be working under a lot of stress.

Hermione looked to the door and back at Gaius. They had to leave. Gaius was emergency medical and she was there to help. She tapped the Court Physician on the shoulder and pointed to the door. He got a surprised look and said, "ah, right. Let's go!" Hermione smiled and passed him his medicine bag, which he loaded with fresh potions. Off they went to the tournament. She found Merlin and Arthur by the tents, Merlin looking a bit frazzled and Arthur annoyed. She gave a wave to Gaius and headed over to the two. Merlin was tying Arthur's cape and it was amusing to her. She could see Arthur was getting frustrated and Merlin's nervous chatter wasn't making it any better. Merlin caught her eye and she made a motion like zipping her lips shut, locking them and throwing away the key. He shut his mouth and smiled gratefully. Arthur looked less annoyed and her mission was accomplished. Merlin handed the Prince his sword and Arthur stomped off. She chuckled silently and she walked over to Merlin. She signed, "you did good for your first try. Just remember, the prat doesn't enjoy your humor as much as I do." Merlin smiled and nodded. They walked over to Gaius and watched the Knights walk out.

The tournament began after Uther's speech and to say Hermione was enjoying it would be a complete understatement. She couldn't remove her eyes from the fighters. Arthur came out and she noticed his expert fighting style. Yes, it was good, but all their fighting styles were too structured. They all resemble the form in which they had been taught, no personal spins. Hermione prided herself on being unpredictable during her fights. Arthur won every round he was in though. The other fighter that caught her eye was Knight Valiant. His style of fighting was aggressive with quick moves and fatal blows. That was also his weakness though. His fighting style was so wild that if his opponent were to use logic against him, he would fall. Call her ego large, but she was positive she could beat everyone. There were a few that would pose a challenge, but she was an analysts and a strategist. She charted their style and picked out their weaknesses. That is, unless one of them had an unpredictable fighting style like hers. She sounded way too full of herself, but she was once told that she'd only be as good as she believed she was. So, if she believed she was great, then she was. It's pure logic.

The tournament ended and Merlin went off to go help Arthur with his Armor while her and Gaius went around offering any medical help. No one seemed to want any medicine, except this burly fellow who had a nasty slice on his arm. It wasn't deep, but could get infected. They reached Arthur and Merlin where Knight Valiant was walking up to them. Hermione hurried and smoothly slid beside them. The Knight reached the three and said to the Prince, "may I congratulate you on your victories, sire." Arthur looked like he had to force the words out, "you as well." Valiant replied, "I will see you at the reception?" Arthur nodded and Valiant's eyes met hers. She flashed them red and he stepped back and walked off. She smiled ferally and Merlin snorted. "Creep."

Arthur let out a short laugh and seemed to realize that he had just laughed at a joke made by Merlin. "Right. You need to wash my tunic, sharpen my sword, scrub my boots, polish my chainmail, and mend my shield" Arthur stated while walking away. Merlin sighed and hung his head. She patted his back comfortingly and he looked at her hopefully, almost begging her to help him. She just shook her head and walked away. She needed to go and stretch her legs...her animal legs that is. She was just scratching for a run. She would have to go closer to the evening though, it was easier for her to blend in.

She did end up helping Merlin carry the armor and other things to his room to be cleaned. Then, she sat down beside him on the bed while the magic did its work. It was only late afternoon and Merlin was interrupted by Arthur's summon. He hadn't even gotten half the list of his chores done. Hermione believed that mucking out the stables was one of those chores. She snorted at the thought and decided for another wander around the castle. The reception was going on, maybe she could get a peek at that. Before anything though, she slipped off her shoes and sighed in relief. Her toes were finally free! She didn't understand why she hated to wear shoes all the time, but it maybe had something to do with padded feet when she was her Animagus. It was just one of those mysteries.

Hermione headed out on her walk and decided to visit the upper levels of the castle that day. It was nice out and perfect for a stroll. She knew the large castle and how to get around, but she just enjoyed the sights. Sometimes, she would wander into dreamland where she was still in the future. If they had won the war, maybe she would be an Auror or have some pish-posh paper pushing job. She would be working alongside the two boys and maybe be happy. She would have gotten married to Ron and deny her feelings for anyone else out of duty. She would have cried her nights away maybe. It was all a guessing game. She was happy to be in this era. She was happy to have the best little brother ever. She was even happy to have a lost voice if that was even possible. No one expected her to explain herself and she was just...happy!

Hermione was so distracted that she didn't see the person she was heading for. She took one step around the corner and WHAM! She kept her balance, but the other person wasn't so lucky. She heard a feminine "Hmph!" and opened her eyes. Her eyes widened at seeing the Lady Morgana shaking her head. Hermione instantly helped the King's ward from the ground and tried to convey her apologies as much as possible. Morgana just smiled softly and said, "it's alright. Just a fall, nothing hurt." Hermione smiled gratefully and Morgana returned the smile. "You're Hermione, correct?" Hermione nodded and held out her hand for the woman to shake. Morgana did so and greeted, "I'm Morgana." Hermione smiled and released her hand. She felt powerful magic underneath the porcelain skin and greenish-blue eyes. Hermione did a small tilt of her head and waved goodbye.

Morgana was left a bit stunned. She had heard of Hermione, to be honest, almost everyone had. She helped around the kitchens from time to time and just wandered around greeting everyone with a smile. Even her scarred face didn't scare folks away. The one thing that interested Morgana the most, was her inability to speak. Even without her voice, she seemed to have the ability to communicate her feelings through facial expressions or even just looking into her eyes. From what she had heard from Gwen, Hermione was the older sibling to Merlin and they had only been in the castle a month. Merlin had been appointed Arthur's manservant and Hermione was said to be apprenticing under Gaius. Morgana twisted her long black hair in contemplation and walked on her way to the reception.

Hermione had wandered away and thought about how the Lady Morgana could ever become so evil. From what she had heard, Morgana was sweet, stood up for poorer folks and even spoke against the king in some executions of magicals. It was bizarre. Then again, she'd heard of Tom Riddle's perfect, upstanding attitude when he was younger. Yes, he always had the madness simmering beneath the surface, but it has the same concept. Evil hides behind many eyes, it was just more obvious in some.

Hermione walked for a long time. She eventually reached Gaius's chambers once more and grabbed her black cloak. She could hear Gaius berating Merlin on using magic and she rolled her eyes. Yes, magic was to be held with high respect and cherished, but what was the point in having it if you could never practice it? Magic is to be used for noble purposes andthe user's own. It was their magic, let them use it how they see fit. Merlin was disrespecting no one and he wouldn't get caught using it in his room, but she could see Gaius's point of view on things. She would just stay out of it for now.

She silently slid on her cloak and opted again for no shoes. Even if the ground was cold, it helped her move quicker. She would need to be fast and stealthy, not loud with clicking heels. She swept out of the room and crept down the corridors. She slipped her hood on and thanked the heavens that Black Shucks could see amazingly in the dark. She snuck around every guard and late night walkers. She was silent like a shadow and blended with the night. She loved the feel of sneaking around, it felt great. She reached the castle exit and took a small breath. Time to move swift. She saw no guards as she sped through the courtyard. She did however, feel eyes watching her. She quickly peered behind her shoulder to see the window to Lady Morgana's room opened a crack, but it wasn't the King's ward peering out. It was Guinevere. So, she did the obvious thing that no suspicious person would ever do and waved to Gwen. She saw Gwen wave back and Hermione sped back off. That, was probably the most logical thing any suspicious person could do. Act normal!

She reached the Darkling Woods after a while and breathed a sigh of relief. The air was crisp and light. The stars shown over and the moon offered enchanting light through the trees. It all looked to beautiful, so she slipped into the woods and started in a sprint. She made a jump and transformed midair. She landed on the ground with a thud and howled, loud and clear. Stating, stay away and you'll live. She wanted to be uninterrupted as she enjoyed her night time run.

Her run was finished at dawn and she was completely knackered. She shifted back and put on the discarded cloak she had hung on a branch close to the forest entrance. She didn't wear her scarf either. She didn't want it getting ruined. She was covered in dirt and had a large tired grin on her face. She was an odd sight. She needed to get into the castle, bathe, and meet Merlin at the tournament that was to start late morning. Merlin was probably training with Arthur at that moment. She snorted, what fun that would be.

Hermione made sure to have her hood up as she walked to the castle. She didn't have her scarf and she was filthy, she didn't need anyone staring. She swiftly moved through the halls and went straight to Gaius's chambers. She took off her cloak and slowly twisted around to see Gaius looking at her in disapproval. "Where have you been?" She shuffled her feet and croaked, "out." He rolled his eyes and replied, "well, you better get cleaned up. The tournament starts soon." Hermione nodded and disappeared through the Floo. She had installed her favorite feature in the Cave of Dreams...indoor plumbing. She didn't make anything fancy, just a shower with hot water and a toilet. She missed those luxuries and decided that she wanted them bad enough to create them. She made sure it was hidden in a secret wall so no one could ever find it.

She had finished her shower and felt absolutely fresh and clean. She pulled on a midnight blue shirt, black jacket, and black trousers. Never forgetting her scarf or dagger. She also put on her socks and boots and was ready to go. She did a tempus charm and saw she was late for the tournament. It couldn't have taken her that long to wash up! She quickly ran to the floo and accidentally stepped on Crookshanks tail on her way out. The cat screeched and she stopped and placed a numbing charm on his tail to reduce the pain as an apology. Hermione flashed out of the Cave of Dreams and appeared in Gaius's chambers in a flash of green flames. She then continued to run to the grounds where the tournament was taking place. It took her a solid five minutes to get to the tournament and scope out Merlin and Gaius. They greeted her with a smile and a smirk and she just rolled her eyes and huffed. She looked to the arena of sorts and saw Arthur battling this bear of a Knight. This man was huge! Arthur was moving swift though. Out running the guy was smart and she looked on. Forming complicated tactics in her head to bring down that beast of a man. Arthur did accomplish it though. The man fell and she and the others clapped for his victory.

Others went and then Knight Valiant came out. She paid close attention to what he was doing. She felt the magic around him stirring. It was preparing, but for what. He began to fight a skilled Knight called Ewan. Ewan was good. Maybe even better than Valiant. She could tell he was getting tired and Ewan was winning. She saw Valiant knock his opponent to the ground and block him from getting up. She growled savagely as she felt the magic flare up and snap. Her eyes flashed and Merlin held her back from killing the Knight. She sensed what he did. The shield wasn't enchanted not to break, it was enchanted to strike down an opponent! Valiant stood to get his victory and Hermione rushed over to Ewan.

She could hear Gaius coming up behind her as she checked the man. He had labored breathing, what felt like a fever and was shaking. Poison? Poison from the shield. She looked at the shield and back to Ewan. She stood up and let Gaius handle the rest. She went towards Merlin who was standing near Arthur. How long had Arthur been there? He was looking at her a bit strangely and she understood why. She had just growled like a feral dog. She wasn't supposed to be able to do that. She avoided eye intact and grabbed Merlin and dragged him away. They reached an empty space between two tents and she turned to her confused brother. She signed to him angrily, "He has the symptoms of poison. How though? It's a sword fight!"Merlin thought and whispered, "couldn't he have been poisoned before the match?" She shook her head and replied, "and be affected at the exact moment Valiant's ENCHANTED shield was over him? No."

"The shield was enchanted?"

"That's what I just said!"

"Enchanted to do what exactly?"

"I felt the magic snap. Which is a clear indicator for enhancements to strike down opponents swiftly."

"He did seem awfully protective of it."

"What?"

"I was in the weapons and armory and I heard a noise, like a snake's hiss. It lead to Valiant's shield and when I reached to touch it, he held a sword to my neck."

That piece of information made her want tear off the guys head. Her and Merlin took on contemplative looks and both stood in silence. She could hear Arthur calling Merlin in the distance, so she bid Merlin goodbye and went to the fountain in the courtyard. She decided to just sit and think. A problem was difficult to solve, especially when variables are absent. His shield was meant to attack, but how? She saw nothing happen, but she felt it! And hissing coming from the shield? Could have been a snake under the shield. She could understand the protective part. I wouldn't want anyone touching my shield if it was enchanted. She clutched her hair and sighed angrily. She could hear Severus in her mind yelling at her to stop being stupid and look at the obvious.

Her mind was filling and different voices wouldn't stop putting in their input. She finally just whispered frustratingly, "shut up!" Everything stopped and she put all her facts in line. Hissing, snake shield, fast strikes, and poisoning. She struggled to get the light to flicker and then it finally lit. Her eyes popped open and she noticed about six passing people giving her odd looks. She paid them no attention as she sprinted to Gaius's chambers and saw that the old man had been examining Ewan. Merlin was there and she walked up beside him. It seemed that evening was falling upon them and she couldn't explain how the day went by so fast. How long had she been thinking?

She wandered over to them and signed to Merlin, "what is the diagnosis?" Merlin shook his head and answered silently, "hasn't said." She saw Gaius look to Ewan's neck and she saw the same thing he did. A snake bite. The puzzle pieces fell into place and it looked as if Merlin made estimations of his own. They looked at eachother and said simultaneously, "Valiant." The two rushed off and Gaius barely had time to understand what was going on.

Hermione and Merlin both came to the same conclusions. The snakes on Valiant's shield had something to do with all this. They ran through the empty halls and had to stop and hide, due to the fact that Valiant was carrying his shield and walking in front of them. Well that was close! They were sure that the shield would be in Valiant's room, but he had it! They silently followed him and he finally reached his room. Hermione held Merlin from moving further. They needed to wait and see if he would come back out. Hermione felt that shift of magic and motioned for Merlin to follow. The two looked through the crack in the door and watched in amazement and horror as three green snakes, rose from the shield and ate the mouse that Valiant was holding for it. The mouse went straight down the snake's throat! Merlin took a step to the side and the vase on the table beside them crashed to the floor. Valiant looked up and Hermione grabbed Merlin and lead him away. They sprinted and didn't stop until they reached Gaius's chambers.

That door was slammed shut and they hoped against everything that Valiant did not follow them. Hermione was the first to exhale deeply and step away from the door. Merlin followed and Gaius asked them what happened. "The snakes" Merlin started, "on Valiant's shield. They came alive!" Gaius looked unconvinced so Hermione nodded said croakily, "it's true." Gaius sighed and sat down heavily. "We need to warn Arthur," Merlin said. That started the argument between the two. Gaius believed that telling Arthur would be pointless because he wouldn't listen to a servant.

Merlin believed that it wouldn't matter who gave him the information, as long as he didn't end up dying while fighting Valiant. Hermione just let them work it out themselves. She thought both of them had fairly good points. Uther would completely shrug off the word of a servant and Arthur did need to know. Merlin would need proof. Sir Ewan needed anti-venom, so they would need the snake's venom. If they could get the head of the snake...well. They would need to do it the next day when all the Knights were at the banquet. They would get the head, make the anti-venom, Arthur would call a court meeting and Sir Ewan could be witness because Uther wouldbelieve the word of a Knight.

Hermione came out of her thoughts to see that Merlin had stormed off to his room and Gaius was standing there like the world was weighing on his shoulders. She just sighed. Those two would never be on the same page and Hermione was always stuck between the two's views on things. Gaius shuffled over to her and said, "you go home. I'll watch Ewan." Hermione nodded and got up. She went over to the floo and disappeared in the green flames. She tiredly dragged herself to bed and only found sleep once Crookshanks snuggled up besides her.

The next morning found her caring for Ewan while the tournament went on. Gaius needed to be there for emergency reasons and she had enough experience to care for the poisoned Knight. She handled his fever and even tried some spells to help him rest. She stayed there for a few hours and happened to doze off.

Merlin and Gaius came back to see a dozing Hermione and a still sleeping Ewan. Gaius was going to wake her up, but Merlin stopped him. "Hermione doesn't sleep much, Gaius. A nap would be good for her" Merlin whispered. Yes, she did go to sleep every night, but she always had nightmares. Even if she didn't tell him about them, he could see the dark circles under her eyes. A clear indicator of her sleepless nights. Gaius nodded and checked over Sir Ewan. He looked less feverish and more comfortable, but he wasn't any better. Hermione must have done some magic. They spent a while there and soon, the banquet was in place. Hermione was still happily snoozing and Merlin decided to get the snake's venom for an antidote himself. He just didn't know how he would do it yet.

Merlin snuck out to Valiant's room and saw that it was empty and that the shield was sitting on a chair. He snuck in the room and closed the door behind him. He looked into the red eyes of the snake on the shield and felt as if it were taunting him. He looked around and grabbed a sword from the rack in the room and held it out to the shield. Merlin traced the snakes with the tip of the blade and was discouraged to find that it was completely dormant. A loud noise could be heard from the hall and he turned to the door. He could not be caught! There was no way he could explain his way out of this one.

Merlin caught something moving in the corner of his eye and heard a hiss. The snake. He swiftly turned around to see one of the snakes had been raised from the shield and was about to strike! He instinctively brought up the sword and swung it down to sever the head of the snake. He heard a thud and looked to see the snake's head on the ground and the other two raising from the shield for vengeance. Quickly dropping the sword, he grabbed the snake head and ran out. Merlin ran and ran until he reached Gaius.

Hermione was jolted awake by the slamming of a door and she instinctively got in a fighting stance with her blade out. Once the sleep was cleared from her eyes, she saw just who her blade was pointing to. She gasped and instantly dropped it. Blue eyes met red and they had a moment of silent staring. In all her life, Hermione had never pulled a blade on Merlin. Hermione called back her blade and put it back in her belt. She held out her hand and Merlin put the snake head in it. She examined it closely. It was large and covered with green scales. The lower jaw and down was yellowish orange and the fangs were almost two inches! The most disturbing part was the red eyes. If the beast was alive, those eyes could frighten a man into shock.

She handed it to Gaius to extract the venom and Hermione sighed. Merlin asked Gaius, "when will he wake up." Gaius stuck the fangs in a cloth covering a jar and began extraction. "With the anti-venom, he'll wake up early morning." Merlin nodded and replied, "I'll go tell Arthur." Before he left, Gaius stopped him and said in a tone of pride, "you were very brave Merlin." Merlin smiled and left. Hermione knew Arthur would believe him. Even if the two didn't know it yet, they trusted each other.

Merlin came back an hour later with a large smile. "There is a court meeting tomorrow morning and Ewan is to be witness. Valiant is as good as gone." Hermione smiled and signed, "I'll stay by Sir Ewan and bring him to the meeting. Just to make sure nothing gets to him. Who knows what Valiant will try." Merlin blinked and said, "that is an excellent idea. You can help Gaius with the antidote." They all agreed on that perfect plan and rested for tomorrow. Hermione stayed with Ewan all night and gave Gaius a rest.

When the meeting came time, Merlin left and Hermione wished him luck. Gaius finished the anti-venom after a while and dabbed it on Ewan's lips. Ewan opened his eyes and took a deep breath. He said groggily, "there was a snake. The shield. It came alive." Gaius pushed him back down and said, "yes, we know. You need to rest." Ewan shook his head and said, "no, I must warn Arthur." Gaius pushed him down once more and assured him, "Arthur already knows. Now, they'll want to talk to you, so you need to rest. Stay here while I fetch some herbs." Ewan nodded and laid back down. Hermione moved to his side and checked his fever and the bite. Everything looked good. She turned around and Ewan closed his eyes. It was a few moments later when she heard it. The sound of hissing. She stood up quickly and looked around. She couldn't see it. She heard Ewan's breath changed and she looked to see the serpent about to strike him. She did the only thing she could think of and block the snake from biting him.

She grabbed the snake's neck and felt his fangs dig into her flesh. She screamed and Ewan shot up from his bed. She was on the floor, wrestling to get ahold of the serpent. She finally got a good hold on it and her eyes connected with Ewan. She motioned towards the door and got up with the snake. Ewan was still a bit off, but he would do his best to help. The two of them headed for the court and Ewan shoved the doors open. Hermione was starting to feel dizzy from the venom, but she trudged on. Everyone in the room gasped and Merlin looked frightened. He could see the snake and blood coming from Hermione's hand. Ewan took a breath and pointed a shaky finger at Valiant and said, "Valiant's shield is enchanted. The snakes came alive and bit me. This one" and then pointed to the struggling serpent in Hermione's arms, "came to kill me so I couldn't speak the truth." Valiant didn't know what to say.

Everyone was taking so long to do anything. Hermione made her will push into the snake's. She freed him of his ties to Valiant and felt the snakes want for revenge. So, she gave the snake it's free will and felt it's thanks to her. She got up enough of her voice and said loudly, "Karma's a bitch Valiant." Then, she dropped the snake and it quickly went through the screaming and panicking people. Valiant took out his sword and swung a bit too high. The snake bit Valiant on the leg and the Knight screamed in pain. He fell to the ground unconscious and the King tried to calm everyone down. The snake hid away to get away from the noise and in all the commotion, Hermione's vision had darkened and she fell to the ground.

Merlin saw her fall and shouted, "Hermione!" He ran towards her and everyone stopped talking and saw Merlin kneel by his sister that was struggling to breath. Gaius rushed in at that moment and gasped. Merlin said quickly, "that bite was meant to kill! We need to get her the anti-venom now!" Hermione was too stubborn to die. She would hold on. Arthur went into action and quickly picked up Hermione. Merlin and Arthur sprinted to Gaius's chambers as fast as possible with Gaius following behind them. They entered the room and Hermione was set down on Ewan's original bed while Gaius grabbed the anti-venom. Hermione's hand was clutched to Arthur's and he grunted in pain. Wow, she was strong! She was trying to breath. Everything was getting slower and she could almost feel death, but she refused to leave Merlin. She felt something being dabbed on her lips and she went blank.

The three sat in bated breath, but were completely horrified when her breathing stopped and her hand fell away from Arthur's arm. Arthur didn't think it was possible, but he could almost hear Merlin's heart shatter. Merlin dropped to his knees beside Hermione and said desperately, "wake up Hermione. Come on! You said you wouldn't ever leave me!" He grabbed her hand and whispered with a tear streaked face, "come on Hermione! Please!" She didn't move though. Merlin's face dropped and he couldn't believe it. Hermione of all people couldn't die! No! He felt a hand on his shoulder and he turned to see a tearful Gaius. He broke down. He sobbed there and then. Arthur didn't know what to do. So, he left to let Merlin have his moment. Arthur couldn't believe it. Hermione seemed so strong, so invincible. It was just impossible.

While Merlin was shedding his tears, the two didn't see a green snake sneak up and slither up to Hermione. The snake hissed sadly. The snake didn't know why he felt attached to the human, but he felt a sense of loss in him. He slithered up to her and licked her cheek with his forked tongue. He was actually feeling. He remembered years of being under people's control, but hers was different. When she influenced him, he still had his own thoughts. He was free to do as he wished. He was influenced to be free. Merlin had stopped sobbing and looked up to see the snake on Hermione. He didn't try and stop it though. He could feel something happening. He could feel the snake's consciousness at what he'd done and...sorrow. What had Hermione done to the snake? He watched as the creature licked Hermione's lips and set his head on her's. He watched in amazement as Hermione's mouth began to twitch. She moved even more and her voice came out in whispers. Hisses and whispers and the snake moved down to her hand, to where the bite was and sunk his fangs into Hermione. Her eyes flashed open and they were blazing gold. The snakes eyes did a similar flash and it released her hand. Her eyes dimmed back to their red.

The snake released her hand and she coughed and said hoarsely, "damn. S-snake, red e-eyes, demon do-og and mag-gic. I-I'm a fucking witch." Merlin laughed and she smiled shakily. She held out her arms and Merlin launched himself at her. They hugged and completely ignored the world outside of their happiness. "Why did the snake heal you?" Merlin was curious as ever about that. He removed himself from her and he saw the snake just staring at them from the end of the bed. She signed to him, "when I influenced him with magic, I influenced him with free will instead of controlling him. I learned a while ago, that every creature deserves a choice." Merlin laughed. "That's just so...Hermione." She smiled and called the snake over. He hesitantly shifted over to her and she stroked his head. She focused and said to the snake, "you can leave and live free or you can stay and bind yourself to me."

Merlin looked at her with wide eyes and she gave him a questioning look. He answered, "all I heard were hisses." Hermione's eyes widened and she said normally, "I'm a parselmouth!" She sighed. She was turning out to be your everyday evil looking witch. She turned back to the snake and she could hear it in perfect English,"I would like to bind myself to you. You saved me from a life of endless killing and it would be my honor to be yours." She smiled and laughed. He sounded like an honorable Knight. So, she smiled and responded, "then I would be honored to have you as mine. I will allow you to hunt for your food freely and be free of me whenever you wish." The snake nodded, an oddly human thing to do. So, she pulled up her sleeve with the blood ritual tattoo and the snake somehow knew what to do. It coiled around her arm so it's head rested on the underside of her wrist and it's long body cooled up her arm. She took a breath and chanted in parseltongue, "bind this life to mine. Let his will be free, but bind his loyalty. Out of trust and honor, I give my consent to bind the serpents life to me." In a flash of gold, and searing pain, the snake began to sink into her skin and she couldn't help, but scream. The light dimmed and Hermione caught her breath. Merlin and Gaius gasped and she looked down to see why. From the underside of her wrist to shoulder was the black tattoo of the snake. She took a deep breath to keep from panicking. It was scaled in detail and extremely good looking for that matter, but holy shit! Two tattoos? She was relieved though. She could still see her blood bonding tattoo as clear as day. It all looked good to her, but she just couldn't believe it. It didn't hurt or anything, just surprising. She flexed her arm and found that she felt nothing. Just ink. She held out her hand and Merlin helped her up while Gaius went to fetch her water.

Hermione sat and looked at the snake's head. She needed to try something. She focused on the snake and felt this weird feeling on her arm. Like goo was being peeled from her skin. The snake was raising from her skin and slithered out in front of her. She looked back and the tattoo was gone. She sighed in relief. The tattoo was only there if the snake was as well. She reached out her hand and said in English, "you need a na-ame?" The snake looked at her oddly. He probably had never had a name. She thought back to the fight in the courtroom and smiled. "Karma." Merlin snorted and Hermione smiled at him. She held out her hand to the snake and he slithered up her arm and re-entered tattoo form. Merlin stopped smiling and she looked at him. He bowed his head and said quietly, "I thought you had left me." Hermione shook her head and hugged her brother close. He clutched onto her and whispered, "I never want you to leave me." Hermione sniffed and said croakily, "then I won't." Merlin sighed and hugged her tighter.

Gaius had been there a while and watched the whole scene play out. He didn't know what to say. It was all so...special. So, he left them to have their moment. Merlin let go of Hermione and said, "what are we going to tell Arthur? You were dead!" Hermione didn't think of that. She thought for a moment and signed to him, "tell him the antidote had a delayed reactions and my body just slowed down so much that I appeared dead." It was times like those when he really saw her cunning. He smiled and went off to tell Arthur the good news.

Hermione was relieved. What she didn't tell Merlin, was that she really did die. He knew, but didn't know the extent. She actually went to the afterlife and met nothing, but blank space. That is, until she saw the best thing of her life. Severus Snape came out of the blankness and greeted her in the afterlife. He hugged her and she cried and it was all a dream come true for her. He ended up telling her that she wasn't ready to die. She had cried again, out of sadness. She wanted to be with Severus. He then reminded her of a boy back in life that she promised to never leave. Her heart was torn. She loved both of them. She wanted to stay with both of them, but she knew she would need to go back to Merlin. She told him goodbye and disappeared from the world of the dead and it was all because of a loving touch laid upon her skin.

She missed Severus and seeing him made everything worth it. The look in his eyes told her he was proud of her, which was the only thing she had ever wanted from him. She would be there for Merlin, Forever and Always. Hermione got up from the floor and sat down on the cot. She just sat and thought about her life. Then, a thought came to her and she groaned. What would Crookshanks say about her house guest?