Chapter 145

Surprise Lessons of Old

"Merlin? As in the ancient wizard, long dead, Merlin?" Draco asked, narrowing his eyes.

"One and the same, yes," Merlin replied, nodding as he walked over to the group. "I would say in the flesh, but sadly, that isn't possible. I'm a spirit."

"You mean a ghost?" Sirius asked. Merlin chuckled.

"No, Sirius, a spirit. A ghost is unable to touch, to have an effect on anything, and is usually colourless. A spirit is much like the same as a living person, just without their body, but they can touch and interact with people in more ways than any ghost," Merlin replied. "And I can only be here within my tomb."

"How? I've never seen such a thing," Remus said, frowning.

"There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Remus, than are dreamt of in your philosophy," Merlin said, chuckling.

"You know Shakespeare?" Hermione asked.

"Well, when you are alone in a tomb for nearly a thousand years, you have much to learn. I can learn of the world outside, even if I can't be a part of it," Merlin said. "Much has happened since I was walking the Earth."

"For the worse, in some cases," Lily agreed. "Do you know why we're here?"

"I am aware. I can help, but there is much we must discuss first," Merlin said, waving his staff, revealing a doorway. "Please, walk with me."

As Merlin walked through the door, Lily looked at Sirius. "Is this really happening? I mean, it feels like a bad fan fiction or something," Lily said.

"Or a hell of a twist," Sirius replied, as the group walked through the doorway. "I don't get how any of this is happening. I mean, it's not something I ever saw happening."

"Still, we've seen weirder. I mean, Riddle got his blood purified by Slytherin, so why not Merlin being able to have some presence," Fleur commented.

"Valid point," Lily conceded, as they found themselves in what looked like an ancient cave, with a large stone coffin in the centre, decorated with symbols of ancient times.

"Welcome to my final resting place," Merlin said. He struck the floor with the bottom of his staff, and immediately, ancient torches lit up around the room, brightening it. "I designed my own tomb, to ensure that I would be here if history was ever to be remembered. One thing I learnt at Hogwarts is that all too often, truth is rewritten by those who wish history to see them favourably, much like your Lord Voldemort right now," Merlin said. Immediately, everyone drew their wands, looking around. "You may relax; there is no connection to my tomb and the outside world. Voldemort, as he calls himself, is unable to hear his name called, and no Taboo will work here."

"How is that possible?" Draco asked, looking around as the others carefully sheathed their wands.

"It is possible because as of this moment, you are not on your world, so to speak. This tomb is a pocket realm, where only those whom I admit in can enter. The outer room can be found by anyone with magic, as Voldemort once did, but here, you are here because I wish you to be here," Merlin explained.

"Shame we can't trap Riddle in a realm like this, and let him die of old age or something," Ron muttered.

"Indeed; however, he would likely find a way out. He is powerful, but not as powerful as he could be. That is his own failure, of course, and one he will never understand," Merlin explained.

"His Horcruxes?" Lily asked. Merlin rewarded her with a smile.

"Exactly, young lady," Merlin confirmed. "You have an excellent mind, gifted to see much that others do not. I sense it within most of you. I will admit, I wish I had known more like you in my time."

Lily blushed at the compliment; she had to admit, being complimented by someone she'd heard so much about felt nice.

"When Riddle came here, he was looking for something to make into a Horcrux, right? Nagini told us that he came here a couple of years ago," Lily said.

"Indeed he did. It was near to Christmas, and he brought a witch with him, one he killed shortly after his arrival. When he came here, it was to take something of mine," Merlin said.

"Your staff?" Lily asked. Merlin nodded.

"This is merely a conjuration of my staff; I did not need my real one as a spirit. Unfortunately, he was able to perform a dark spell upon it, before killing the woman. I attempted to stop him, but he was ready for me, and so I entered this tomb, out of his reach. When I returned, I found the body of the poor woman, and my staff gone. I buried the woman here, allowing her some final moments of peace. I wish I could do more, but as a Spirit, my power is very limited," Merlin explained.

"That's why we came. We think we know where it is, but we need your help. We think he hid it in Slytherin's tomb," Lily said.

"And you don't know where it is," Merlin surmised. "Fortunately, I do know. When I was a student, I valued many of his teachings. He taught me personally, in fact. I agreed with much of how he taught; power, strength, courage, and wisdom. I thought he was always misunderstood. Yes, he felt only the pure of blood should be taught, but his reasoning was that only the pure of blood could truly hold the magic. It was only later, after my death, that I learnt how twisted he truly was, leaving a beast of great darkness within the school, to kill any who were not purebloods."

"Yeah, and Riddle somehow got the same acting skills," Lily said, sighing. "He's managed to trick a lot of people."

"Sadly, yes. When he came here, I sensed something wrong, but I couldn't understand what, because he was shielding his thoughts. By the time I realised what was going on, it was too late," Merlin replied.

"Then he got your staff, turned it into a Horcrux, and left with it," Lily surmised.

"Why wouldn't he have used it? He's always wanted power, and the staff would have been more powerful than anything else he had, right?" Ron asked.

"It is, but not for the dark hearted. Only one who is pure of heart could have used it. Now, I fear it will need to be destroyed," Merlin said sadly.

"Why haven't you revealed yourself to anyone until now though? You'd be revered as an amazing figure, and even wanted to teach or something," Lavender said. Merlin chuckled.

"I'm an old spirit, my dear. All I want is to rest, and sleep," Merlin replied. "I know everyone will want my knowledge and wisdom, my dear. But I'm not needed. The future belongs to the young, like yourself."

"I don't know, sometimes the old ways are better," Lily said, remembering how Slughorn had removed the scar on her hand that Umbridge had caused.

"That's sweet of you, but right now, we must focus on you and helping you. You have a lot to do, and not much time. You see, there is something Lord Voldemort is searching for, something that could make him more powerful than anyone, and if he becomes that powerful, then the world could all be in trouble," Merlin said.

"What could make him that powerful?" Draco asked, visibly worried.

"There is a legend that you should know. Have any of you heard the story of the Three Brothers?" Merlin asked.

"I have," Ron replied.

"So have I," Hermione added. "It was in the book that Dumbledore left me; the Tales of Beedle the Bard."

"I haven't," Lily said.

"It's a kid's story, about three brothers who met with Death, each gaining a gift from him," Hermione replied.

"Please, allow me," Merlin said, smiling. "I know of the story, of course, even though they are beyond my time. Like I said before, there isn't much to do here other than learn."

"Then by all means," Sirius said, as Hermione conjured chairs for everyone, who sat down.

"There were once three brothers who were travelling along a lonely, winding road at twilight. In time, the brothers reached a river too deep to wade through, and too dangerous to swim across. However, these brothers were learned in the magical arts, and so they simply waved their wands and made a bridge appear across the treacherous water. They were halfway across it when they found their path blocked by a hooded figure. And Death spoke to them," Merlin began.

"Death spoke to them? Is this literal or just a fairy tale?" Lily asked.

"We can discuss this later," Remus said. "You should hear the story first."

"Well, we don't need to discuss the whole story," Merlin countered. "The story says how Death congratulated them for being clever and gave each of them a gift. The oldest brother, a combative man, asked for a wand more powerful than any in existence, so he took a branch from an Elder Tree, and made it into a wand. The second wanted to humiliate Death, and so asked for the power to recall people from death, and so Death picked a stone from the riverbank, and told him the stone would have that power. The third brother, humble and wise, asked for something to enable him to go forth without being followed by Death, so Death, unwillingly, handed over his cloak of Invisibility," Merlin continued.

Hermione then continued, clearly wanting to help. "The brothers went their ways. The first brother sought out a wizard he had a quarrel with and defeated him. But he was so proud that he bragged about it, and as he slept, he was murdered. By that, Death got the first brother. The second brother brought back the girl he loved and wanted to marry," Hermione continued.

"But no spell can truly bring back the dead," Remus finished.

"Exactly, so eventually he killed himself to be with her. That meant Death got the second brother," Hermione agreed.

"But the third brother remained hidden from Death, until he was old, surrounded by his children and grandchildren, and so he removed the cloak, gave it to his child, and went willingly with Death, as an old friend would," Hermione finished.

"Sounds insane," Lily replied. "I mean, I've seen a lot of weird things since being at Hogwarts, but this…"

"Do not believe it, dear girl," Merlin said. "I know of the three brothers; Antioch, Cadmus, and Ignotus Peverell."

"Peverell? We found a grave with that name in Godric's Hollow," Lily said, frowning.

"Indeed. Ignotus Peverell died in Godric's Hollow," Merlin replied. "The brothers did not meet Death; rather, they were simply powerful wizards. They created each item and were noted for them. The first is the Elder Wand, the Second is the Resurrection Stone, and the final is the Invisibility Cloak. Together, they form something known as the Death Hallows."

"Deathly Hallows?" Pansy asked, frowning.

"According to the stories, the owner of all three would be immortal, and could never be killed," Merlin explained. "The Stone of Resurrection has been long lost, but it supposed to be able to commune with the dead, without said person having performed a spell to become a ghost or spirit."

"Why would Riddle want that?" Lily asked. "He might want to speak to his Mum, but I doubt it. The only person he'd care about is himself."

"But the Cloak? It's difficult to get one, they're expensive, but the one created by the Ignotus would be a perfect cloak. After ten years, most tend to fall apart, the best might last a few years longer. But this one… it'd be perfect," Merlin explained.

Lily's mouth felt dry as she looked at Sirius, who nodded. "Your father had it at Hogwarts, and I know he got it from his father," Sirius said softly.

"Wait, you mean…" Draco's voice trailed off. "No way!"

"This is one of the few times that I am not aware of what's happening; please do enlighten me," Merlin said.

"Lily… Lily got a gift for her 11th Christmas, which belong to her father, and it belonged to his," Ginny said, as Lily pulled her cloak out of her expanded bag.

"This is my Invisibility Cloak," Lily said. Merlin accepted it, looking at it, and smiled, nodding. "This is the Cloak that belonged to Ignotus Peverell!"