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Chapter Text

Merlin honestly couldn’t believe it had been 15 years. To be fair when you have lived almost 1500 years 15 feels like nothing at all. Still, he wondered how everyone back home was doing.

He was apparently lost in his thoughts a bit too long. Mary wacked him over the head with the mornings paper. “You know I’ve never met someone who can be lost in their own head so much.” Merlin smirked back at her.

Mary was a bright witch with a heavy southern accent. She was an apprentice alongside Merlin at an apothecary run by a genius healer in America. Merlin had come here straight after his most recent stay at Hogwarts 15 years ago to learn from the man. Merlin loved when he was able to find more information he hadn’t yet learned in his long life.

“Sorry Mar, just thinking about how long I’ve been gone.” She smiled at this. She knew Merlin missed his friends in London terribly even if he didn’t want to admit it. “Tell me about them. You always talk about this group of friends you made at Hogwarts but never elaborate.” Their boss had scarcely left them any time for chatting about their personal lives over the years and Merlin had naturally becoming a private person, so Mary had never really learned much about the man.

Merlin thought about it for a minute deciding where to start. “Okay well let’s see. I’ve obviously told you I had a close group of friends when I was in Hogwarts,” she nodded and motioned for him to continue, “well we called ourselves the marauders. Silly name I know. There were 5 of us, me, James, Sirius, Peter, and Remus. We liked to play pranks and got into quite a bit of trouble.” Mary looked surprised at this. “You, really? I didn’t know you had a sneaky side.” She said good naturedly. Merlin smiled at this as it always worked to his advantage in school that people didn’t see him as the sneaky type.

“Anyways we were extremely close. In fact, Sirius even began to live with James after some family trouble at home. We always had each other’s backs. In 7th year after I heard about this apprenticeship, I had promised to write to them so we could stay in touch until I got back. I didn’t realize we weren’t allowed to send owls until I got here.” He looked troubled at this.

He was used to randomly dropping out of people’s lives, but it was somehow different this time. He hadn’t meant to fall off the face of the earth but hoped his friends would be understanding. He hadn’t let himself think about it for fear of feeling too guilty, but it was starting to weigh on his conscience. It must have read on his face because Mary was quick to reassure him. “Hey, you didn’t know it would be this strict, if you are even half as close as you say you were then they will understand.” “Thanks Mar.”

“You’re leaving straight from work today, right?” He appreciated she was trying to change the topic. “Yep! I leave in…” He checked his watch. “Shit now! Sorry Mar I got to go I want to get the as soon as possible!” He gave her a quick hug and ran out the door in a hurry.

Mary smiled at him before dumping the newspaper on the boss’s desk. Neither had bothered to check it but they would’ve been in for a huge shock.

On the front-page bold letters read, “Escape from Azkaban” with a picture of Sirius Black screaming.

Merlin hurried to his apartment to collect his things. Despite living here for 15 years he didn’t really have much stuff. He knew he wouldn’t be here for too long, so he made sure to keep his possessions here to a minimum. He had a few books on medical potions and spells and some clothing, but he was leaving most behind.

He picked up his bags and teleported to Lake Avalon’s bank. He had a small house just a few meters away. It was a homey place with just one floor. It had 2 bedrooms but only one was in use. He always kept the other completely clean for when Arthur returned. He had resided himself to the fact that it would still be quite a while before he saw Arthur again.

He dropped his bag off in his room. It was the smaller of the two bedrooms and was packed with items for all over the world and from many different time periods. He spelled his clothes to put themselves away and decided to unpack his books by hand. He brought them over to the living room where he had bookshelves stocked completely full. On top of the bookcases were even more books all starting to yellow with age.

He placed the medical books on a shelf near the bookcases and began to try and find space for them.

A little while later he sat down to make himself some dinner and decided to read something before turning in for the night. He decided he would go visit Lily and James first tomorrow before grabbing his copy of The Great Gatsby and sitting down with some tea so he could read.

He read until about one in the morning before deciding he should get some rest. He put the book away and turned off the lights. Before he turned in for the night he went out to the lake and sat on the bank.

“Hey clot pole. I know I’ve been gone a little longer than I normally would, but I went to go study medicine. My teacher reminded me of Gaius, a lot stricter and somehow even more paranoid perhaps, but he had the same passion for helping people. He also had the same terrifying eyebrows.” Merlin was quiet for a moment as he thought about his old teacher and friend who was like a father to him.

“I really miss you; you know. I know it’s not your time yet, but I really miss you so much. I guess I should be grateful you haven’t come back yet, whatever causes you to come back must be horrendous given all the war that has happened with no sign of you rising. I really thought one of the world wars would do it.”

Merlin had to stop to compose himself when thinking about all the loved ones he lost in the two wars. He had been a medic on the front lines many times over the years, but it never really got easier.

He took a breath before continuing. “I’m going to see James and Lily tomorrow. You would love James, he’s brilliant if a bit of a troublemaker. He was a bit of a prat like you when he was younger, but he’s become a great man. And Lily is fierce. She reminds me of Gwen, always looking out for others and protecting her friends till the end. You would find Sirius hilarious; he reminds me so much of Gwaine. I sometimes wonder if it is their similarities to everyone from home that drove me to them.”

“Anyways there’s also Remus and Peter. Remus is like Percival I think, he’s quiet but also quite smart and brave. He’s been through so much it’s amazing he’s still able to move past it all and be happy. To be honest I’m not quite sure who Peter reminds me of. He is a smart kid but frightened of everything. He has a kind heart though. I left them without a word for so long. What if they hate me? What if they want nothing to do with me after I practically abandoned them?”

Merlin couldn’t help the tears that ran down his face as his breathing picked up. He began to do a breathing exercise to help calm his nerves. He would just have to find out tomorrow if his friends still wanted him in their lives.

With a final shuddering breath Merlin picked himself up off the ground. “Goodnight dollophead. Can’t wait to see you again.”

He sighed and walked back up to the house. He poured himself some water and changed into his pajamas before laying down in bed. He started up at the ceiling for a bit worrying about what the next day would bring but eventually drifted off into nothingness.

Chapter Text

The next morning was a quiet one. Merlin wanted to head to the Potter’s as soon as he woke up but felt it would be rude to go over it so early. Instead, he decided to clean up a bit. Afterall the house had gathered quite a bit of dust over the years.

He turned on the radio and got to work. He could use his magic to speed up the process, but he preferred manual labor, it was a way to keep his mind occupied.

At around half past eleven he put on some jeans and a T-shirt of a band he enjoyed back in America. He checked to make sure the wards hiding in the house were still in place. He sent one last look at the lake. It was as still as ever. He then teleported outside the Potter’s mansion and went to knock on the door.

He wiped his hands off against his jeans nervously as he waited. After a few minutes with no one answering he decided to peak in. He noticed the furniture inside seemed to be covered with a thin layer of dust. He went to try the door and found it was unlocked. He stepped inside the house and felt the distinct lack of life in the air. Clearly no one had lived here for quite some time. He went to inspect the rest of the house to find some idea of where the family had gone.

In James room it was clear something had caused him to leave in a hurry. He wondered what would have caused his friend to leave so suddenly. He felt around the room with magic and felt a trace leading him to a small village. He quickly apparated there as it was a short enough distance and there was a higher chance of someone seeing him in a village.

When he arrived, he saw a sign saying Godric’s Hollow and followed the spell to a cottage. It looked the same as all the rest, however, when he touched the fence the glamour on the house faded and revealed a destroyed cottage.

“This can’t be where they went.” He was about to turn around and try somewhere else when he noticed a small sign. He wiped the dust off to read it more clearly.

On this spot, on the night of 31 October 1981,
Lily and James Potter lost their lives.
Their son, Harry, remains the only wizard
ever to have survived the Killing Curse.
This house, invisible to Muggles, has been left
in its ruined state as a monument to the Potters
and as a reminder of the violence
that tore apart their family.

Merlin stumbled back in shock. Once he let go of the fence the house stayed destroyed. “No, no, no, no, no...” He collapsed on the sidewalk. Thankfully there was no one around to see the broken man on the sidewalk. He couldn’t believe that his friends were gone, how could anyone want to hurt James and Lily? It didn’t make any sense, Lily and James had always been good people. Sure, James had been a bit of a prat when they were younger, but he was a kid, and he hadn’t done anything to create actual enemies.

He had to be missing something. He just couldn’t make sense of it. He’d thought they would be fine without him, after all they were simply students. They were no different to anybody else who had attended Hogwarts as far as he knew. Was it his fault somehow? Did someone find out who he was and target his friends?

He shook himself out of his thoughts. He was being ridiculous now, no one knew who he was and if they did, they wouldn’t go after Lily and James. There were much easier ways to get his attention. Somewhere in the back of his head he heard Arthur. “Don’t be stupid Merlin, not everything is about you.” Still, he couldn’t help but feel crushing guilt. If he had been here to protect them from whatever killed them, then none of this would have happened. He could have saved them. At the very least he could’ve tried. God what had the others been through. Sirius must be crushed.

Wait Sirius. Was his friend okay. He scolded himself, obviously Sirius wasn’t okay. James was like a brother to him. He would be crushed. He quickly picked himself off the ground and wiped his eyes. He apparated to Sirius’s flat. He had purchased it for him as a graduation present so he could have a place of his own. Merlin had enchanted it to protect the owner in case of an emergency, not that Sirius knew that. He arrived to find the flat abandoned. It looked as if many had tried to break into it with no luck given Merlin’s spell. However, on the door hundreds of words were written. Some had gone so far as to carve into the door. There was so much written but the word that had been written by far the most was “Traitor.”

None of this made any sense. Merlin decided to head home and try and figure out what to do next.

He arrived home and decided to write down everything he knew to try and make sense of what happened. He started listing all he saw but stopped when he realized he couldn’t bare the quite of the small house. He decided to turn on the telly for some background noise but froze when he saw the news report on the screen.
“Sirius Black confirmed murderer of 13 has escaped from prison. Authorities ask that you please call the number on the screen if you have any information that could lead to his arrest.” The report kept going but Merlin couldn’t move nor make out the rest of it.

What was happening? First, he learns two of his closest friends have died and now another is an accused murderer. He jumped up from his seat and ran to the window. Opening it a crack he let out a shrill whistle and waited. After a few tense minutes he heard the woosh of wings as his owl Archimedes flew into view.

He told the bird to bring him the latest copy of the daily prophet as soon as he could. The owl gave a sign of acknowledgement before flying off again. With nothing left to do but wait he sank to the ground and finally let himself properly grieve.

When you live to be over 1500 years old you see a lot of people come and go in your lifetime. He had never been good about keeping to himself and always seemed to make friends. He never stayed for long since people would surely notice his unageing look but it was always hard. It was especially hard when it wasn’t his choice and one of his friends passed on.

The wars had taken the greatest toll on him. Watching so many he cared about die due to senseless violence was never easy. However, in those cases he had been there and was therefore able to assure himself there was nothing he could do. He was able to resign himself the fact that eventually they all died, and he would be left alone yet again. But this time was different. He could have been here, maybe could’ve stopped it. Maybe there really was nothing he could do but now he would never know. He curled in on himself and let the helpless feeling wash over him. He had failed them, just like he had failed Arthur. He wasn’t there when they needed him, and they had died because of it.

He didn’t know how long he had laid there sobbing but it must have been a while as when he woke up he found he had fallen asleep and the sun had set. He picked himself up off the ground and headed outside to the lake. He sat down and didn’t say anything for a while, simply listening to the sound of the small waves on the water. Finally, he spoke up. “Every time I think I’ve stopped blaming myself for your death I’m proven wrong all over again. I failed them Arthur, James and Lily, I went to see them today. I thought the worst thing that could happen would be them hating me for leaving. I was so fucking wrong. They were dead, killed by I don’t even know! I could’ve saved them! I should’ve learned never to leave friends alone. I failed them just like I failed you at Camlann. I don’t understand. I have all this power, yet I keep losing everyone. I’m so bloody tired.” Realizing he was screaming at an ever-unmoving lake he got up and stormed back into the house before falling into a fitful sleep, full of nightmares of cradling the bodies of all those he had lost ending with Arthur.

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When he woke up the sun was just rising. He was exhausted but knew he’d be getting no more sleep and decided to get up. He spared a quick glance in the mirror and noted his eyes were swollen and he looked thinner than usual. He ignored it and went to the kitchen to make himself a cup of coffee. He went to sit down in the living room and go over what he had written yesterday when he heard a tapping sound at the window.

He hurried over and let Archimedes in and quickly unwrapped the paper from the bird before giving it a treat. It hooted appreciatively before flying off over the lake. He looked at the prophet and read quickly. The more he read the more confused he became. According to the article Sirius had betrayed Lily and James and sold them out to someone only listed as “He who must not be named.” Merlin scoffed, he doubted whoever was powerful enough to warrant a fear of a name. Names hadn’t been dangerous to evoke in over a century. Anyways the article stated Sirius had sold Lily and James out by telling him their where abouts. After he was caught Peter Pettigrew who he then killed along with 13 muggles who had witnessed it. No matter how many times he read it didn’t make any sense.

He refused to believe Sirius would sell out James, they were brothers in all but blood. He hoped that he was right in being wrong and that it also meant Peter would still be alive somehow. Something was seriously wrong, and he intended to find out what. Coming up with a plan he quickly went into his backroom where he has a space to make potions.

He brewed some Veritaserum so he could get the truth from Sirius himself. Sure, he could use a spell to do that but no one else knew that to be possible. He’d have to play it safe to make sure he got what he needed from Sirius. He left the potion to settle and came up with a plan for finding Sirius and getting the truth out of him. The potion would take the rest of the day, so he’d set out tomorrow at first light to get answers.

Chapter Text

Merlin couldn’t fall asleep, so he simply sat and tried to take his mind off everything by reading. He always found Gatsby to be annoying. He could understand doing anything for love but in turn disregarding others and even the one you love’s feelings were a ridiculous way to go about it. He felt bad for Nick. The poor sod was clearly in love with Jay.

He put the book down once he realized he was getting far too into it and the last thing he needed right now was to be angered by the poor decision making of fictional characters. He got up to make himself some coffee. Even if he couldn’t sleep it wouldn’t do well to nod off during his plans for the day. Not that he thought that possible but the less distractions the better. He tried to simply sit down and watch the television.

At around seven he found he couldn’t wait any longer and quickly grabbed what he needed and headed out. He headed down to the lake first as he felt the need to talk to Arthur to sort out his thoughts. He sat down on the bank and began twirling mindless circles into the water with his fingers. “I’m going to see Sirius. I just- I need- God I refuse to believe he could do that! None of this makes any sense. There must be something I’m missing. I really wish you were here. You would know what to do, or at least pretend you do long enough to figure something out. Am I making the right decision tracking down Sirius? Hell do I really want to know the truth? I don’t even know how long it’s been since I’ve gotten involved in things. I’m terrified I’m going to mess up and make it worse. What if I fuck everything up again?” He really needed to stop getting so worked up in front of a lake. Thank the gods no one could find this one or they’d think he was insane. Maybe he was, he mused, it would explain a hell of a lot. Sighing, he brushed himself off and got up.

 He cast a quick locator spell he had created ages ago and followed it to a forest. He wasn’t exactly sure where he would find Sirius, so he made sure to change quickly. He slipped on a pair of old robes and slipped into his Dragoon disguise before setting off. He began to hum a simple tune and make it appear as if he was simply a lost old man in the woods. He might’ve played up his limp a little, but he wanted to appear as harmless as possible. He heard a crunch off to the left and looked over to see a big black dog coming out of the brush. “Hello there. Out for a walk too, eh? Don’t worry I won’t hurt you.” He smiled and went to grab his “wand” from his robes. Before bringing it out he put a finger to his lips in a shushing motion before winking at the dog as if the dog was in on the joke. He pulled out the wand and conjured a bowl. 

The dog began to wag its tail as if realizing what was happening. He placed the bowl on the ground and pulled a flask from his pocket. “You’re lucky I carry this. Don’t worry it’s just water, though I wish it were stronger.” The flask had water laced with truth serum. He poured it into the bowl and waited for the dog to drink it all. “I’m sorry about this next bit.” He quickly aimed the wand at the dog and cast a restraint spell so it couldn’t get away before casting the charm to force Sirius out of his Animagus form. Suddenly a very startled Sirius Black was sitting in front of him looking extremely worse for wear.

“Who are you?” Sirius seemed to struggle for a moment before clearly realizing what had happened. “Sirius Black.” Merlin nodded his head before speaking. “Did you betray Lily and James Potter on the night of October 31^st, 1981?” His answer was immediate. “No.” “Why did you escape Azkaban?” Sirius seemed confused at this question. Was it not obvious? “To get revenge on the person who actually betrayed them so I can be free.” At this Merlin smiled which seemed to only throw Sirius more. “I knew it!” He laughed and must’ve looked insane to the other man. Why would an old man care so much about whether he was innocent? Merlin noticed his confusion and was concerned for a moment before realizing he still had the aging spell in place. He made a small noise of realization before pulling back out his wand and dissolving the spell.

Sirius stared in complete shock to see his friend. Merlin removed the bindings holding Sirius in place, but he made no move to get up. “Merlin?” Merlin smiled widely. “Sorry about that but I had to be sure.” However, Sirius still didn’t seem to react. Merlin grew worried and realized Sirius must hate him for leaving them all. “I’m so sorry, I had no idea things were this bad back home or I would’ve come back sooner. I didn’t realize I was unable to write to anyone until I got there but it was such a good opportunity, I decided it was worth it. I know you must hate me. How could I disappear like that? I understand if you never want to see me again, but I had to make sure you were okay. I-”. He was cut off by a crushing hug from Sirius. “Merlin! Thank God! We thought you were dead!” Merlin jumped at this. It didn’t even cross his mind that given the war that had clearly happened here people would assume him to be dead. “Oh gods, I didn’t- Lily and James must’ve died thinking I had.” Merlin couldn’t take it, his knees buckled under the realization that his friends had been grieving him all this time. He felt even more guilty than before and without realizing it had begun to silently cry along with Sirius.

The two men sat there for a long time simply relived the other was okay. Finally, Merlin pulled back to look Sirius in the eye. “What happened. I’ve heard about this He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named fellow but why would he target Lily and James?!” Sirius got a haunted look in his eye before clearing his throat. “There was a prophecy,” Sirius noticed Merlin gained a hard look in his eyes which made no sense. It seemed as if Merlin had a history with bad prophecies but that couldn’t be true as Merlin hadn’t had the chance to experience any given how rare they were. He filed the information to ask Merlin about later before continuing, “It stated that a boy would be the one to take down the dark lord and the dark lord decided to target Lily and James believing their soon Harry was the boy.” Merlin jumped up at this and swore. In his grief he had completely forgotten about the boy listed on the memorial. “I have to go and find him to make sure he’s alright!” However, before he could do anything Sirius grabbed his arm. “He’s safe don’t worry. I’ve checked in on him and he is doing just fine. He is going to be in his third year at Hogwarts soon. You can’t simply break into his home and kidnap him.” As much as Merlin hated to admit it Sirius was right. It would only end up causing more problems down the road. He nodded and sat back down.

“Right, you’re right.” He took a deep breath and buried his head in his hands. He thought for a moment before speaking up. “How about we go to my place? It is extremely secluded and has old wards placed on it by my grandfather so no one can get in without my permission. You can catch me up on the rest of what’s happened there, and we can figure out what to do next.” Sirius began to protest. “I can’t just barge into your house!” Merlin smiled softly at his friend, “Don’t worry I have a spare guest room you can take I just have to clean it up a bit.” It was true the room he had been using for storage would work as he had to leave the already made-up spare bedroom for Arthur just in case. Sirius agreed and Merlin held out and arm for Sirius to grab onto. Sirius did and he quickly apparated them to his house.

Sirius stared around in amazement at the lake. “Where the bloody hell are we?” Merlin smiled. It had been a long time since anyone but him had seen this place. Even so he had taken great care to make sure it would maintain its beauty over the years. He planted flowers on the bank and named them Delphinium King Arthur’s. They had taken off as time went by after a druid girl had brought some home and they managed to grow in her yard. He left the rest of it much the same, however. It made him happy to see someone enjoy the view after so long. “Just a small lake that’s been in my family for a few generations. Come on I’ll take you inside, it’ll take me a few moments to get your room set up I’m afraid.” Sirius seemed to realize just how tired he was and nodded before following him inside.

Merlin took of the out robes he was still wearing so he was back in his regular clothes. “There’s coffee in the cabinet along with tea. Help yourself to some while I get your room fixed up. He left Sirius to his own devices and went to the spare bedroom and grabbed his suitcase with an undetectable extension charm and spelled the items in the room to fly in. He had faith they would organize himself, so he closed the case once everything had filed in and brought it to his room. He went back out and found Sirius asleep in his old armchair. He had gotten it from a lovely family who he met while in France during the revolution. He silently placed a blanket over the tired man and decided to go for a walk to the lake.

He walked out and sat in his usual spot and began to speak quietly. “Hey Dollop head. I was right about Sirius. He has clearly gone through shit over the past 12 years. He wasn’t even angry at me for never writing. They had assumed I died, and he was merely relived to see me alive. I don’t get why he just accepted it was over something so stupid as a job! I mean for gods sake they went through a war and our friends died and I was off at a fucking apprenticeship.” He felt the angry tears spill over onto his cheeks. He couldn’t help but feel guilty for the way he had just left his friends. James and Lily were dead, Sirius was in an escaped convict who was innocent, and Remus and peter are who knows where. “I just don’t know what to do Arthur. How am I supposed to fix this? I wish you were here. I know I say that all the time but maybe you could listen to me just this once when I say please come back. I won’t tell anyone you listened to me I swear.” The lake was silent in return. He didn’t have the energy to feel disappointed. It’s not like that had ever worked before.

He didn’t feel like going inside so he simply sat and looked out on the lake. At the very least it was a quiet night. It gave him the space to think about what to do next.

Chapter Text

Sirius woke up feeling well rested for once. He felt something soft and realized he now had a blanket over him. He must have fallen asleep in the chair last night and Merlin placed a blanket over him. He wasn’t sore despite sleeping in such an awkward position due to it still being the comfiest place he’d slept in years. He stretched before standing up and going over to the kitchen to check the time.

He saw it was still early as the sun had barely risen. He stopped short as he passed the window when he saw someone sitting out by the lake. He knew realistically it was just Merlin, but he couldn’t help but feel his anxiety spike at the unknow presence. He saw their head turn and breathed out a sigh of relief upon confirming it was Merlin. He wondered how long the man had been up. He could tell from here it had been a long time if not all night. He was still in his clothes from the previous day.

He couldn’t imagine how his friend must feel now. To come home expecting people to be surprised and maybe upset he was gone, only to find out so many, including his best friends are dead. He couldn’t believe it when Merlin found him yesterday. He had accepted that everyone believed he betrayed Lily and James, after all the evidence was stacked against him and the only person who knew the truth was in hiding and was not going to clear his name. He shook himself out of his thoughts and headed outside to where Merlin was sitting.

“Hey” Merlin startled at the noise. He clearly hadn’t expected Sirius to be up yet. It was probably more likely he didn’t realize what time it was. He had tear tracks staining his face and his eyes were bloodshot. Sirius felt another pang of sorrow for his friend. He had had 12 years to come to terms with what had happened, and he still struggled to deal with it, he couldn’t imagine the pain Merlin was feeling. He didn’t know exactly how long Merlin had been back or when he found out about the Potters, but it couldn’t have been more than a few days. Merlin looked like he wanted to say something but couldn’t find the words. Sirius simply sat down next to him and looked out at the lake.

It had been so long since he could simply take in his surroundings. He had been in fight or flight mode since he saw the newspaper with Peter. He closed his eyes and tried to just breathe. The breeze was soft but still cooling as it brushed his face. The sun peaked out from the clouds and began to warm him for a fe seconds before falling back behind the clouds. He allowed himself this moment. It had been so cold in Azkaban. He’d seen many inmates succumb to frostbite and hypothermia leading to their deaths in the cold halls. The island was naturally cold and the Dementors only made it ten times worse. He still felt their grip on him months later. He didn’t know what kind of lasting effect his time around the dementors would have. No one had ever escaped so there was no one to tell him what the healing process would look like. He shook himself out of his thoughts when he felt Merlin clear his through and begin speaking next to him.

“I forgot to ask, if you didn’t betray their location, who did?” Sirius knew his face had darkened before the glare slipped off his face entirely and was replaced with guilt when he realized Merlin didn’t know about Peter. He took a deep breath before continuing, “I was supposed to be their secret keeper. Everyone believed it to be me, but we changed at the last minute. I thought it would be too obvious for me to be the secret keeper. I didn’t care if they came after me, I’d never willingly tell them, but if I was slipped something or a strong enough legimens got ahold of me it would be no use. I preposed that we use someone they would never expect, Peter.” He heard Merlin sharply inhale at this. “I figured they would never think to go after Peter. Turns out I was right. They didn’t need to go after him because he went straight to them. He was already working for them. I guess in a way it still is my fault they are dead.” Sirius let out a broken laugh at the thought. Merlin stopped him from sinking further into his despair by pulling him into a hug. He hesitated for only a moment before hugging back. The two men hugged for a long time before quietly separating and staring off at the lake.

Sirius could tell Merlin was thinking hard about something and stayed quiet so his friend could think. He saw tears reappear on Merlin’s face and wished he could do something to help his friend. He knew they both felt immense guilt over what had happened for different reasons. He closed his eyes and triend to clear his head as he leaned back.

Chapter Text

Hi! I know I said at the end of the last chapter that it was short but the next one would be longer and sooner only to disappear but I have a few health issues that flared up and then was on vacation and didn't feel like bringing my computer with me. I ended up regretting this as i wanted to get back to writing so bad but oh well. It'll probably still be a few days but ill try to get out the next chapter by the end of the week. In other news I start college on Monday! Anyways sorry for the long wait but will get back on track soon so thank you for being patient.

Chapter Text

It didn’t make any sense.

He seemed to be saying that a lot lately, but Merlin couldn’t wrap his head around everything.

Peter.

 How could he have betrayed James? How had he even gotten tangled up with the Death Eaters in the first place? He leaned forward with his head in his hands. In all fairness the more he thought about it the more sense it made. Peter was always an easily frightened and intimated person. He originally flocked to James and Sirius because they were the strongest and most able to protect him at school. How often throughout time had Merlin seen weak people flock to someone they knew was evil or in the wrong purely because they had power. He just can’t believe he never saw any warning signs, or did he just ignore them?

He turned to Sirius whose head was facing the sky with his eyes closed. “What happened to him? I don’t believe for a second you let him go.” Sirius’s face darkened. “I followed him, I was so angry I didn’t even think of the fact it would be super incriminating for me to hurt him. I tried to kill him in that street with the muggles. I didn’t care who saw me. He blew up the street and cut off his finger before running away as a rat. I was caught by the Aurors before I could do anything. I was just so angry. How could he? James loved him! We all did! He was our brother, and we already thought we had lost you…”

Merlin turned away at this. He still felt immense guilt at leaving. No matter how hard he tried to tell himself he couldn’t have known, it might not have even made a difference in the end, but he still couldn’t help it. He shut down his current train of thought before it could get any worse. “Do you know where he is? You said you wanted revenge so he must be alive, and you know where.” Sirius nodded and paused for a second.

“He’s going to be at Hogwarts. He apparently has been living as a pet rat to the Weasley family. I doubt the poor kids know. I was going to try and get him there, but it was a dumb plan. I assume you have a much better one?” He smiled at Merlin and Merlin smirked back. “Of course, I do.” Sirius motioned for him to continue. “I need to get into Hogwarts, and I may have a way in, I can teach. I’ll write to Dumbledore and hope they have a position open.” “And if they don’t?” “They will” Sirius barked out a laugh at Merlin. His friend had always had times where he was unmovably stubborn. He trusted Merlin to find a way even if it didn’t seem likely.

Merlin felt a bit guilty for keeping what he was about to do from Sirius but as far as he knew no one else could do it and he’d have to answer lots of unnecessary questions. “Come on I’ll make us breakfast. Then I have a few errands to run. Can I trust that the house will still be standing when I get back?” Sirius playfully pushed Merlin before swinging his arms across Merlin’s shoulder and leading them inside. The move and smile reminded Merlin of Gwaine. He let out a snort before allowing Sirius to guide him inside.

Merlin made sure Sirius knew where everything was and made him promise to stay by the house before grabbing his coat and leaving. Sighing, he closed his eyes and felt the wind for a second before it stopped. He opened his eyes to find he was in the Hogwarts corridor. He spelled himself invisible quickly and headed to the History of Magic class. He knew he would find Binns there even during summer break. Once inside the class he confirmed he was right as Binns was standing reading a history book. He took off the spell and the ghost didn’t even startle.

“Hello Emrys, what brings you here?” Merlin never understood why Binns seemed to know who he was even when he was alive. The other ghosts merely know him as Merlin or and an unageing man whose real name they don’t know. “I have come because magic needs me here and I have something to ask of you.” Binns seemed resigned as if he knew what Merlin meant. “Yes?” Merlin grimaced knowing the ghost would not like what comes next. “I’m afraid I need you to move on through the veil. I need to teach at Hogwarts in the coming year and perhaps longer and you are the only teacher who I can ask to leave. It is also the subject I am most familiar in.” Again, Binns seemed as if he knew this was coming and simply nodded. Merlin was surprised at how easily the ghost agreed and was again hit by a sense that the ghost seemed to know more than he should. The ghost put down his book and closed his eyes before dissolving. Merlin felt the shift in the veil as the ghost moved on to Avalon. He smiled happy that the ghost was now at peace even if he didn’t originally wish to leave.

Merlin noticed a letter on Binns desk made out to Dumbledore.

Dear Professor,

It may seem sudden, but I have decided

To move on finally. I am tired and I

Believe it is time for me to move on.

Times are changing and it’s time for a

New professor.

                                     Binns

Merlin realized he was right about the ghost knowing ahead of time. He smiled at the fact the ghost clearly had more time to come to terms with it and would be happy in the afterlife.  He decided to go back invisible so he could walk around the grounds for a bit.

He walked along the halls and felt the rough stone under his fingers as he trailed them against the wall. Some of the stones looked cracked in places but he knew they would hold just fine. He had created the wards on this castle after all. When he first came to the castle it reminded him so much of Camelot it knocked the breath out of him. He was thrilled when the founders asked if he had a place where they could safely teach others magic and had shown them the secluded castle. They spent years building it together and once they were done Merlin spent weeks casting wards and protective spells. To protect against threats, wizard and muggle alike.

He always felt bittersweet when he thought about the founders. They were such bright young minds who were extremely close. As they got older a divide grew between them. Salazar was terrified of allowing those who were new to the wizarding world to the school. He had seen the witch hunts up close and was affected by them far more than the others. His own mother had been burnt for merely trying to heal people. Godric and him fought more and more as the years went on while Rowena and Helga tried to stay out of it. It ended in an explosive fight between the two which caused Salazar to leave a mere year after the school opened. Merlin and the girls tried to get him to return to no avail. Finally, Merlin left after the pain of seeing those he thought of as his students if not his own kids fall apart. He didn’t return until hundreds of years later to find the school doing well but with Salazar’s reputation tarnished forever. He never stayed away for long after that.

He shook himself out of his thoughts as he found himself on the grounds outside. He smiled at Hogwarts hut and walked further into the forest. He walked around the outskirts hoping not to run into the centaurs. They were friendly enough to him but tended to spout random riddles that reminded him too much of Kilgharrah. He decided to sit by the black lake for a bit and struck up a conversation with the great squid. He made sure the creature was still happy in its home since Merlin relocated it there many years ago. It was funny to think of just how many parts of Hogwarts Merlin was behind yet everyone just assumed had happened naturally.

After a bit he got up and apparated to a small muggle street just outside London. He made sure no one was looking then made himself visible again and headed into the grocery store. He hadn’t had the chance since getting back to England, so it took him a bit longer as he also had to get things like toiletries and cleaning supplies. He didn’t necessarily need cleaning supplies, but he felt better having them in the house. Once he was done, he stopped by the florist, a lovely lady he hadn’t seen in years, and thanked her before going back to Godric’s Hollow. He went to where James and Lily were buried and laid down the flowers before leaving. He would make sure to make time for a longer visit later but he couldn’t bring himself to stay by the grave for any longer just yet. He finally apparated home and walked inside with the shopping.

“Sirius?”

There was a loud band as Sirius came out of the bedroom. Merlin raised an eyebrow at his sheepish expression.

“Sorry, tripped over the bed frame, might’ve left a scratch.” Merlin smiled. “Don’t worry about it. Just help me put these away.” Sirius hurried over and took a few bags from Merlin. They started putting everything away with the only sound being Sirius asking where things went. Merlin began to hum a tune he heard in a tavern he went to with Gwaine once. He had to drag the man home after he’d gotten into a fight over whether the bard was singing the song correctly. Merlin had teased him by singing the wrong version according to Gwaine for months and had eventually realized he never kicked the habit. “Where’d you learn that song? You used to sing it all the time when we were in school.” Merlin jumped at Sirius’s question; he had drifted off into his own world. “I heard someone signing it once and I guess I never got it out of my head.” Sirius seemed to take his word for it and they continued to finish in silence.

“I’ll get started on dinner. I’m just going to make some pasta. Do you want sauce or no?” Merlin started grabbing ingredients and turned to look over at Sirius. “Hmm? Oh yeah, sounds good. I’ll go clean up a bit.” Merlin nodded as Sirius went to his room. He started on the pasta and set the radio to play soft music as he worked.

About 30 minutes later he set the table and he and Sirius sat down to eat. They talked about school and other things. They carefully avoided talking about anything after the war, but Sirius told Merlin a bit about Harry. Merlin wondered suddenly what had happened to his friend Remus but found he couldn’t bring himself to ask. The fates of all the rest had been hard enough. If he didn’t ask, he wouldn’t have to find out the truth and could live on believing Remus was alive and happy. It wasn’t a healthy coping mechanism, but it was one he had learned to rely on over the years. Any time he had to leave the friends he made before they figured it out, he wasn’t aging correctly, he liked to imagine they lived out the rest of their lives carefree and happy. He knew it was impossible for that to be true for everyone, especially in the early days before good medicine, but it helped somewhat.

He and Sirius cleaned up before heading to their respective rooms. He took a quick shower, thinking over the events of the day. He would write to Dumbledore tomorrow about the job. He got changed and headed to his room. He felt exhausted and feel asleep almost immediately. He had hoped to have a dreamless sleep, but his wishes were ignored.

“There you are, I thought you had snuck out in the middle of the night.” Merlin smiled at Lucy; they had been married for about 4 years. They met in the Great War as army nurses. “Just looking at the stars.” Lucy smiled as she came up and hugged him from behind. They sat in peace for a moment before the scene changed to 17 years later. Merlin was tending to the wounded from the most recent battle against Germany. An officer ran into the tent. “Emrys, General wants to see you in his tent.” Merlin nodded and hurried across the camp. He got in to see the general looking guilty as he was simply handed a letter he quickly began to scan.

To whoever it may concern,

We regret to inform you that Second

 Lieutenant Lucy Emrys has been reported

dead after the battle of The Hague.

A strangled sound left Merlin. No. He had finally let himself settle down, but the world couldn’t even let him have that. Suddenly everyone in the tent disappeared and the image of a blonde woman bleeding out on the floor was all Merlin could see. He let out a blood curdling scream.

 The scene shifted again and suddenly Merlin was at Hogsmeade station. “Merlin! Over here!” Sirius ran up and slug his arm around Merlin, Merlin shook off the weird feeling of paranoia at the memory of his late wife. He followed the others into the compartment. Peter and Remus were already in the compartment talking about the summer homework they had been given. James and lily were talking quietly with lily resting her head on James’s shoulder as he rubbed circles into her arm. James perked up when he saw Merlin and Sirius. “There you two are! Was worried the train would leave without you!” Sirius laughed, “Like that would ever happen mate.” They sat down and Merlin rested his head against the window as the train began to head out of the station. As the hills started rolling by Merlin found himself falling asleep.

He returned to consciousness to notice the compartment was silent. He opened his eyes and let them adjust noticing it was dark in the compartment. The first thing he saw was Sirius looking withered and despondent as he had been when Merlin found him, Peter was sitting smiling with some symbol on his forearm that Merlin didn’t recognize. Remus was nowhere to be found and as Merlin shifted in alarm a body fell of his shoulder. He looked over to see the unseeing eyes of Lily and James. “What? No!”

It shifted and suddenly he was watching Lancelot walk into the veil, then Elyan dying in Gwen’s arms, Gwaine standing up to Morganna only to be killed, Morganna herself dying at Merlin hand. The rest of those he knew in Camelot dying of old age as he stayed the same. It all hurtled past him till suddenly it stopped, and Merlin found himself in a clearing next to a familiar lake.

“Merlin?” He whipped around to stare at the man who had startled him. “Arthur? What?” Arthur simply smiled and came up to Merlin to hug him. Merlin hugged back as tight as he could. He clutched at the man like a lifeline. He didn’t know why he was here, but he wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. The other man was hugging back tightly as Merlin began to sob. However, Arthur’s grip went lax as he slumped against Merlin. “No, no, no, not again. Please.” Merlin lowered Arthur to the ground as blood began to seep from a wound in Arthurs side. Arthur stared up unseeing at the sky and Merlin sobbed harder. “Please Arthur, you have to stay this time.” Arthur didn’t move but began to wither and decay in Merlin’s arms. “I’m sorry! PLEASE NO!” Arhtur turned to dust in Merlin’s arms. Merlin felt another pair of arms grab him and he shot up suddenly to find he was sitting in his bed. Sirius was looking at him scared for his friend.

A dream.

That’s all it was. He urged his heart to stop beating so fast before realizing Sirius was trying to talk to him. “Merlin! Are you alright mate?” Sirius seemed to realize Merlin was finally listening to him. “I heard you screaming so I came to see what was wrong. You were practically convulsing in your sleep. He looked at Merlin the same way Gwaine used to when he was worried for the man. This was what finally broke Merlin’s composure as he simply began to sob.

Sirius hugged Merlin. His heart ached for the man. Merlin didn’t deserve to have to suddenly find out his friends were brutally murdered with the help of his other friend. He had only heard a few of the thing’s merlin was saying but he thought he caught the name Arthur in their somewhere. Had something happened in America while Merlin was there?

Merlin finally calmed down and Sirius went to go get him some tea. Merlin knew there was no point in trying to fall back asleep, so he got up and walked over to his desk and searched for some parchment. Sirius came back in with the tea as Merlin found some and sat down to write.

“What are you doing?” Sirius set down the cup and nodded to the paper. “Writing to Dumbledore, might as well get it done now that I’m up.” Sirius nodded before sitting on the bed, figuring Merlin needed quiet but still another person in the room. Merlin began to write. The soft scritch of the quill on paper was the only noise in the room.

Professor Dumbledore,

I’m writing to see if you have any positions

open as I’ve recently returned from

America and am looking for work. I

had planned to work as a healer but upon

returning I have learned about the war

and what happened to my friends and

no longer wish to follow this path.

Please get back to me as soon as possible.

Thanks,

     Merlin Emrys

Merlin rolled up the parchment and looked over to see Sirius had fallen asleep. He smiled and opened the window letting out a quiet but shrill whistle. He looked over to confirm Sirius hadn’t woken back up and the man simply turned over in his sleep. Suddenly Archimedes nipped at Merlin’s finger to let him know he was there. Merlin shook his head at the bird’s antics before carefully tying the letter to the owl’s foot. “Get this to Albus Dumbledore please. Oh, and don’t be a bother and wake anyone up, wait till tomorrow morning.” He gave the bird a treat before getting out his copy of The Great Gatsby and picking up where he left off the other day.

All that was left to do now was wait.

Chapter Text

Merlin woke up to a pecking feeling on his head. He shot up still at his desk and rubbed the sore spot at the base of his skull. “Oi! How many times have I told you not to do that!” Archimedes simply blinked at him. He swore the bird looked somehow smug about waking Merlin so abruptly. He sighed and stretched, felling a few joints pop in the processes. He must have fallen asleep at his desk after all.

He was about to get up to brew himself some tea when he noticed the letter tied to the owl’s foot. He quickly untied the letter and began to read while absentmindedly giving the bird one of the treats he kept on his desk.

Mister Emyrs,

I am so happy to hear from you.

When there was no word from you

I feared the worst. Fortunately, we

do in fact have a position open.

It seems Professor Binns has recently

moved on to the afterlife and as

such the position for History of Magic

professor is currently vacant. I

would love if you could meet me at

the Three Broomsticks for an interview on

August 10.

                Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore

Merlin shot up from his position and hurried to go tell Sirius. “Sirius! It worked! They have a position open!” Sirius came racing into the kitchen at Merlin’s yell. He hurriedly grabbed the letter when Merlin offered it and skimmed it. “Bloody hell, I assumed Binns would never retire.” Sirius shot Merlin a grin he hadn’t seen in years. It reminded him of Gwaine like it always did when Merlin was suddenly struck with the knowledge Sirius was now older than Gwaine ever was. He felt a lump form in his throat at the thought and cleared it and put on a smile so the other man wouldn’t let on.

Sirius seemed to realize how strange it was that Binns, who everyone assumed would never leave his post, did just that right when Merlin needed the job. He shook off the thought quickly though, how could Merlin have any control over the ghost? “Well then, we have a few days till your interview. Let’s celebrate!” Sirius went over to the cabinet where the wine Merlin had picked up at the store the other day was stored and began to look for some glasses. Merlin smiled at the man’s antics before going over to grab the glass for Sirius.

They ended up staying up late into the night once again sharing stories from school. They finally retired to their separate rooms and for the first time in a while Merlin went to sleep without dreaming.

Merlin woke up the next morning feeling well rested. He got dressed for the day and realized he didn’t have any appropriate clothes for his interview with Dumbledore. He made a mental note to get that taken care of later today. He went out to the kitchen and noted Sirius must still be asleep. Given the man hadn’t drunk in quite a few years let alone the amount they had last night Merlin made the man a hangover potion. He had learnt the recipe from Gaius and even though he rarely got drunk anymore it was still handy to have when he was drinking with others. He then started on breakfast.

A little while later Sirius emerged from his room, roused by the smell of scrambled eggs and the sizzling of the bacon Merlin was finishing up. His head was pounding, and he regretted drinking so much last night. It was only wine and growing up drinking it at all the pureblood parties he had forgotten it was still perfectly capable of getting someone drunk. Merlin motioned to the glass on the counter. “I figured you’d be hungover today, so I brewed you a quick hangover potion. Don’t smell it just chug it.” Sirius stared at the potion. It didn’t look the most appetizing, especially considering the slight nausea he was already dealing with, but he knew it would be worth it. He plugged his nose and quickly downed the drink. Merlin seemed to realize how disgusting the man would find it and handed the man a glass of cold water.

“It should take effect over the next few minutes. I’m almost done with breakfast; can you get the plates out?” Sirius nodded, already feeling better. He got the plates as Merlin fished and they sat down to have a quiet breakfast. Merlin spoke up to tell Sirius of his plans for the day. “I must go buy some clothes today, I haven’t needed anything nice in years. Unfortunately, you’ll have to stay here. I’m sorry.” Sirius merely shrugged. “I’ll be staying here myself during the school year anyways.” Merlin winced at the reminder he’d have to leave his friend alone again so soon.

They finished their breakfast and Sirius decided to clean the plates as Merlin got ready to leave. He said a quick goodbye to Sirius before pointing out where he kept his books if Sirius got bored. He had put away any books that would be strange for a man in his 30’s to own, such as some exceedingly rare first editions. He then headed to Diagon Alley.

He apparated to the Leaky Caldron and walked into Diagon Alley. It wasn’t busy yet as school still had another month before it started so he was able to quickly make his way to the bank. The bank smelt clean but with the hint of something earthy. He had a vault nearly as old as the bank itself and when he entered the goblins perked up. He sent them a warning glare to keep them from dragging attention to him. He made his way to the front desk and handed over his key. The goblin silently got up and Merlin knew to follow him.

About 15 minutes later he exited the bank, thanking the goblins on his way out. He went straight to Madame Malkin’s and got fitted for some work robes which would be done in an hour so he decided to get a few things he would need if he got the job. Finally, he got the robes and headed back home. It was around noon when he got back so he decided to make some sandwiches for him, and Sirius, and they ate by the lake.

The next few days passed quickly and suddenly Merlin found himself getting ready for his interview with Dumbledore. He said a quick goodbye to Sirius before apparating to Diagon Alley and heading into the three broomsticks. He sat down at a table off to the side and fidgeted anxiously.

A few minutes later Albus Dumbledore walked in and seemed to notice Merlin immediately as he made his way straight to the table. Merlin hastily stood up top greet the man. “Ah mister Emrys, wonderful to see you.” Dumbledore grasped Merlin’s hand firmly. Merlin smiled; the man had always reminded him of a more polished version of his Dragoon disguise. “It’s wonderful to see you as well professor.” Merlin waited for Dumbledore to sit before sitting himself.

He found himself toying with the wand in his pocket, an annoying habit he had picked up anytime he had one on him. “Well as I’ve told you Professor Binns has recently left us which leads us to have a vacancy. I would of course need to check you on your knowledge of history first.” Merlin smiled as Dumbledore began to ask him questions about the Giant Wars and other important events in wizarding history. Merlin answered them as best he could while accidentally showing he didn’t agree with the written history. “You know your history well. You’ll be perfect in the position.” Merlin smiled but could tell there was more to what the other man had to say. “Though it is interesting that the day after a professor who never showed any interest in leaving his post, even in death, has moved on I get someone wanting to work at the school, even stranger the man who went off to study healing and only recently changed his mind has an extensive knowledge of history, yet also doesn’t agree with these accounts.”

Merlin winced at Dumbledore’s calculating and sharp gaze. He showed known the old man was far to smart to think it was all a coincidence. He gave a sheepish look to the professor. “I don’t suppose you’d believe me if I say it is all a coincidence?” The professor shook his head fondly but still with a wary look in his eye. Merlin understood the man’s distrust, he had seen a lot in his life that would lead him to be distrustful of Merlin. Merlin took a spilt second to debate whether to reveal himself to the man before making up his mind. “Do you mind if we take this somewhere a bit more private professor?” Dumbledore agreed and stood with his arm extended towards Merlin. Merlin grabbed his arm, and they were transported to Hogsmeade. They silently made their way up to the castle. Dumbledore clearly studying Merlin while Merlin just used the time to take in the familiar scenery. Sure, he had been here days ago, but it was only briefly and before that it had been years.

They made their way up to Dumbledore’s office and as the headmaster sat down Merlin began pacing. “I’m sure you’ve guessed that I know much more than someone my age should. Or at least someone you think is my age. I mean I think you assume my age is 33 but you could already know that that was a lie. To be honest I’m not exactly sure why I’m about to tell you this but you’re the first person I’ve told in almost 200 years, and I think I can trust you.” Merlin cut himself off from his ramblings, his nerves getting the best of him. He had meant what he said about it being almost 200 years since he had shared this with someone. “What I’m trying to say is my name is a lot more spot on than you thought. Except I wasn’t named after some wizard I was named after a bird, my mother’s favorite, and for the record I am not pureblood. I still have no idea where that bloody rumor came from.” Merlin could see the wheels turning in Albus’s head and could see the exact moment the professor reaches the conclusion. His eyes widened almost comically. Clearly while he had expected Merlin not to be who he said he was he hadn’t quite expected this.

“You mean to tell me you’re Merlin? Forgive me for my disbelief but that would make you over a thousand years old.” Merlin smiled at the fact the man had put it together so quickly yet had also enough sense not to immediately take him at his word, so he decided to prove it to the man. He showed the man his hands before cuffing them and letting his glamour slip so the man could see his eyes flash gold. He opened them to reveal a dazzling blue butterfly which fluttered over to Dumbledore and landed on the man’s hands. “Astonishing, you created life, not just an illusion. Not to mention wandless and wordless and your eyes. But why now?” Albus looked up at Merlin who sighed, a heavy grief laden thing. Merlin came to sit in the chair opposite Albus.

“I wish I could have been there. I really did care for them all, for this place. If I had known…” Merlin let his face fall into his hands as tears filled his eyes at the painful reminder of his recent failings. He took a few calming breaths before speaking again. “I meant what I said in the letter. I truly had no contact with the outside world let alone the British wizarding world. I only found out about what had happened when I returned, and it was too late to save anyone.” Dumbledore seemed to notice that Merlin’s thoughts were trailing to a darker place and spoke up. “The was nothing you could do to change what has happened my boy, if I may still call you that?” Merlin smiled and nodded before continuing to answer Albus’s earlier question. “As for why now, not only have I just returned but I’ve heard about the boy Lily and James left behind. Harry. If I’m correct he should be in his third year here by now and I would like to keep an eye on him. Especially if Sirius has escaped for some reason.” Merlin trusted Albus but he wasn’t quite ready to share this tidbit of information with anyone just yet. H could not risk putting Sirius in danger. Sure, Sirius was safe at the house but if people found out he was hiding the supposed killer he wouldn’t be able to keep an eye out for Harry and his safety.

Albus nodded at this. “Well, I can think of no better person to teach our history than someone who has lived it. I expect we will be seeing you on the first of September, Mr. Emrys.” Albus stood up as did Merlin and the men shook hands. “Thank you, professor. Now you must excuse me, but I have some lesson plans to draft.” With that Merlin simply apparated out of Hogwarts leaving the professor standing shocked in the wake of the conversation he had had.

Merlin returned to his house to find Sirius waiting impatiently in the kitchen. “So, how’d it go?” Merlin put on a mock sad face, “Bad news…” Sirius looked crestfallen before Merlin continued. “I got the job.” Sirius broke into a huge grin after that and came to hug his friend. Merlin smiled, remembering the time Lancelot had done the same to Arthur after the dorcha attack. Sirius cracked open a bottle of wine and they celebrated Merlin’s success late into the night. After midnight Sirius retired to his room for the night. Merlin decided to go sit by the lake.

“Hey cabbagehead, it’s me. I got the job, I guess it means I would be able to have these chats with you for a little bit. I’m going to meet Harry. I hope he’s doing okay. Who do you reckon he’ll take after? I hope it’s Lily, I love James, but the boy could use the modesty of Lily.” Merlin smiled as he took a sip out of the wine bottle he had decided to finish off after Sirius went to bed. “I guess I’ll have to start figuring out what I want to teach these kids. Gods, I haven’t taught someone something since I took on that apprentice in the Netherlands years ago. Who knows whether I’ll be any good anymore. Hopefully it’s not like riding a bike, I never could get the hang of those bloody things.” Merlin went quiet after this, simply enjoying the sounds of the flies and other insects and animals that inhabited the lake. He fell asleep to the sounds of the frogs humming.

Chapter Text

On the 31^st day of August Merlin found himself saying his goodbyes to Sirius. “I swear to go Sirius do not leave this lake. The wards extend 100 yards from the lake in every direction which should be plenty. Just don’t be stupid.” Sirius placed his hand on his chest pretending to be offended. “You wound me, Merls. How could I, Sirius Black, possibly do something stupid?” Merlin merely smiled at his friend’s antics before remembering something. “Oh, I almost forgot, wait here one moment.” He rushes back into the house before Sirius can say anything. As he left, he became distracted and let his glamor fall. For the slightest moment Sirius was convinced he saw the hint of many scars running across Merlin’s exposed skin. However, in the next second it was gone, replaced but unmarred skin once again and Sirius waved it off as merely a trick of the light.

Merlin comes back out a few minutes later with two identical mirrors. “Are those...” Merlin didn’t look up before answering. “The mirrors you and James used to use? No, I made a copy a few years back, the goal was to give you all a way to contact me whenever I had to go abroad after becoming a healer. I thought of it one day when I wished I had one to talk to you all during my apprenticeship and decided to make a set for future use. Of course, at the time I expected it to be used by all four of you but well.” Merlin trailed off before giving Sirius one of the mirrors and slipping one into his case. “I’ve added some extra enchantments to make sure no one can figure out who I’m talking to on it. To get my attention simply say ‘Albion’ and I’ll try and find a place to talk with you. Same goes for me. You’ll fell it warm when I’m trying to contact you so try and always keep it on your person.” Merlin finishes and checks his watch realizing he’s running late. “Typical, can never seem to be on time.”

“Merlin gives Sirius one last hug before reminding him to take care of himself. “Oh, and don’t worry about food, the kitchen is spelled to replenish itself when empty.” He takes one last look at the house and his friend before apparating to Hogsmeade and beginning the trek up to the castle. He wished he had gotten there a bit earlier so he could take his time but seeing as he was already running late, he hurried up the trail at a brisk pace. He still made sure to take in the crisp August air and the smell of the sap and pine. He felt his nerves slowly melt away the longer he walked. Nature had always had this effect on him but had only gotten stronger after Camelot as he began to grow his power. He supposed it made sense given his connection to the druids. He let a little bit of his magic loose into the ground and felt out some plants that were dying or even dead and gave them a little perk and felt as the forest grew just a bit livelier. Finally, he reached the gates of the castle where Filch was standing waiting. “Ah Emrys I heard you would be coming back. Just what we need another trouble make coming back this year.” Filch grimaced and let Merlin in. Merlin merely smiled politely before heading onto the grounds, filch had hated him ever since he had joined up with the rest of the marauders in 2^nd year. Merlin wondered for a second what Filch meant by another troublemaker but shook it off assuming he was referring to students.

 Merlin continued his hike up until he came to the large doors leading into the castle. He entered the doors to find it quiet. He assumed the other teachers were probably already in their classrooms unpacking. He heard a small pop and looked down to find a house elf staring nervously at him. He smiled trying to make the creature feel more comfortable. “Hello, I assume you’re here to show me to my room?” The house elf seemed to calm considerably at Merlin’s nice greeting, he frowned realizing the poor thing wasn’t used to being addressed so nicely. It must be new to Hogwarts as Merlin knew Dumbledore made sure the elves were treated kindly here. The house elf turned and started walking which Merlin took as a sign to follow the elf. They walked in silence before ending up in Binns’s old classroom. In retrospect Merlin realized he should have guessed he would be in this room but merely thanked the elf and walked into the classroom.

He spent the rest of the afternoon unpacking his items he wanted in the class. He smiled as he put up some of the many maps he had collected over the years. All except the map of Camelot which he would put up in his private rooms as technically no one was supposed to know what the place looked like, if they believed in it at all. He hung paintings of dragons that looked nothing like the ones alive today. He put plants all around the room. In a pot on his desk was a single clump of purple flowers. Delphinium King Arthur’s to be specific. By the time he was finishing up the room felt much livelier and calming then it had under the previous professor.

As he was placing some extra textbooks in a corner cabinet for students who had forgotten to get one, he heard someone enter the room. He paid them no mind assuming they would introduce themselves. “Merlin?” Merlin jumped and banged his head on the top of the cabinet before spinning around to face the person so quickly it took him a second to regain his balance. Standing in the doorway was Remus Lupin, the friend he hadn’t seen in 15 years. “Remus?” The two stared at each other for a moment, each having believed the other to be dead until moments ago. Merlin let out a laugh that was a mixture of relieved and startled before hurrying up to the man and embracing him tightly. “I thought you were dead; we all did.” Merlin didn’t respond merely started to break down. He had a moment of embarrassment for how many times he had broken down lately before he simply let himself grieve. “I’m so, so sorry. If I had known about the war or that you all were in danger I would’ve come back immediately. I only returned a month or so ago and I had feared you were dead as well and couldn’t bring myself to confirm.”

Remus held his friend who seemed completely different from the man he had last seen all those years ago. Merlin was like a broken piece of pottery that had been haphazardly put itself back together. He wasn’t sure how to reconcile that his friend was alive but only just so. Merlin found himself thinking along the same lines as Remus. Even though the other man was keeping himself somewhat composed Merlin could tell the man had been through hell these last few years. The man had many more scars and carried himself as if weighed down by the world. Both men sat in shocked silence before Merlin composed himself. “Forgive me it’s been a tiring two months.” Remus merely shook off Merlin’s apology clearly believing it unnecessary. Merlin brushed himself off, as if brushing off his pain and straightened. “Would you like some tea?” Merlin smiled at his friend’s clear attempt to change the subject and gratefully nodded his head tiredly. The two men walked to Remus’s classroom and into the professor’s office.

As a teapot filled two teacups Merlin sat down at a table next to Remus and took a second to look around the room. It was a small room but had an unmistakable feel of Remus. There was a full tea set and a bar of chocolate sat next to a copy of The Tales of Beetle the Bard. There were a few bookcases filled with books of all types including one bookshelf entirely dedicated to all sorts of books on magical creatures. Merlin felt the same feeling of calm and familiarity he had felt out in the trail leading up to the school and relaxed into the chair. “So, I take it you’ve heard quite enough about the war so tell me about America. It must have been wonderful. I remember how excited you were when you found out the old healer was willing to take you on.” Merlin smiled at his friend before excitedly recanting all he had learned during his stay in the other country.

Merlin had been friends with Remus longer than he had with any of the other marauders. The two had bonded quickly their first year over their shared love of learning and spent many late nights in the common room comparing books they had read. James and Sirius used to joke that the two should have been put in Ravenclaw given their affinity for learning. Merlin chuckled at the thought of James in heaven thinking it made perfect sense that the two of them had been the ones to become teachers. After Merlin finished talking about America, he asked Remus about the years after the war and how the man had kept himself busy over the years. They spent the rest of the day exchanging stories while tactfully glossing over the topic of the war and all they had lost. Sure, it was a conversation that was likely inevitable but that would have to wait for another day. For now, they simply wanted to think of good memories.

Chapter Text

That night when he got back to his chambers Merlin decided he was too drained to unpack. He wanted to go to sleep but knew he needed to tell Sirius about Remus and assure the man he had safely made it to the school. He pulled the mirror from his case and sat on the bed. “Albion.” He waited a minute before the mirror clouded over and then cleared revealing the man he wanted to speak to. “He’s alive! Remus is alive, Sirius!” Sirius froze in shock for a few minutes. Merlin let his friend think for a few minutes and digest the news that another one of them was alive and well. “Thank merlin,” Sirius finally breathed out.

 Merlin flinched at the use of his name, he had never understood or gotten used to the magic people using his name as a curse. Treating his name as if he was a god was too close to the Emrys thing the druids used to do and he found both things to be extremely uncomfortable. His friends had picked up on this quickly and used to tease him but eventually stopped using the curse as they grew older as to not make him uncomfortable. Clearly Sirius had been thrown off if he was using the curse again. Sirius seemed to realize this and gave an apologetic loom to Merlin. “Sorry mate. I just can’t believe he’s okay. When I went after Pettigrew, I didn’t think of the fact I would be leaving Remus behind. I didn’t realize what I had done until I was in Azkaban. I don’t regret trying to go after Peter, but I do regret that my actions left him alone. I was just so angry. I was angry at Peter and at myself for what happened, and I felt like I couldn’t let myself just sit back when he had killed our brother.” Sirius trailed off as angry tears trailed down his face. He didn’t let them fall. Merlin hadn’t seen the man cry once since the first day they found each other. It was remarkable how much composure the man in front of him had. Hell Merlin had probably cried more, and he had nearly 1500 more years of experience hiding his emotions.

“We can’t tell him, yet you know.” Merlin startled out of his reverie by Sirius’s comment. He sent the man a confused look, he assumed the man would want Remus to be made aware as soon as possible so they could reconnect. Sirius gave a sad smile at Merlin’s confused look. “He has lived with the thought that I was the one to betray them for 12 years. To tell him now, let alone without any proof, could lead to him believing it to be a cruel joke. He wouldn’t want to raise his hopes only to potentially have them crushed. I doubt he’d turn you in immediately, but he likely would simply believe you were grasping at straws given your grief being rawer and at the surface.” Merlin had to admit Sirius had a point, but it pained him to lie to a friend about something so important. But then again, wasn’t that what Merlin had always done? Lie to the ones he cared about. What was one more lie to weigh on his conscience. He let out a long sigh as he ran his fingers through his hair. “You’re right. We should wait till we find where Peter is so we can have proof. It wouldn’t be fair to drag him into this yet anyways.” Sirius smiled at Merlin. He knew the secret was safe with his friend, but he didn’t envy him for having to see Remus everyday and know the truth. “Get some sleep mate. The students get there tomorrow, don’t they? Tell me how Harry’s doing will you?”

Merlin perked up when he remembered he’d get to see how Lily and James’s son was doing finally. He was reminded of when he finally returned to Camelot after he took a trip to see the continent. He stayed for about a year after Arthur’s death to make sure things in the kingdom settled down and Gwen’s reign was stable. He decided to explore the continent to make sure the magical creatures of Albion where safe and do the job he had neglected while he was in Camelot. He was gone for about 7 years before returning to Camelot. He had not written much to Gwen as he was never in one place for very long. He sent letters when he could but never really got an in return. When he came back, he found out Gwen and Leon had married and had a daughter. She was named Artura after the late king. She was a tiny thing. Only 4 years old, but Merlin feel in love instantly. He watched over the princess and was like an uncle and mentor to the young girl. When he realized he wasn’t ageing like the rest he made a promise to Gwen that he would look after Artura for her. He kept his promise and looked over the girl until her death many years later. That was when he left Camelot for good. Never returning until many decades after the fall of the great kingdom. “Merlin!” Once again Merlin was brought back to the present to see Sirius smirking at him. “You haven’t changed a bit have you mate? I remember James used to see how many times he could poke you before you noticed. One time he got so impatient he nearly broke his bloody finger when his somehow missed and jabbed his finger straight onto the table.” Merlin laughed sheepishly. Over the years his habit of getting lost in his head had only gotten worse. “Oh, shove off. I’ll call you soon, okay?” Sirius merely nodded and the mirror clouded over before becoming a plain mirror again. Merlin yawned and put the mirror in his bedside draw before falling asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow, still in his work robes.

The next morning Merlin woke up and headed down to the great hall. When he entered the hall Dumbledore smiled and nodded at him causing Professor McGonagall to turn from her conversation with the man and stare openly at Merlin before hurrying around the table and brining the man in for a hug. He froze for a moment in shock at the sudden hug before returning it. “Hello Minne.” She pulled back and composed herself quickly. “Mr. Emrys, I had no idea you were alive, let alone coming to teach.” At this she gave him a stern look causing him to rub his neck sheepishly. He internally laughed at the action, he seemed to be doing it a lot as of late. “I’m sorry for not reaching out to you sooner, I just got back, and I’ve been a bit overwhelmed catching up on everything.” Minne gave him a pitying look. He was getting awfully sick of that look. He had never liked it, it always reminded him of all the times people gave him that same look. When he came back from Camlann and somehow Gwen was giving him a pitying look like it was his husband who had died, not hers. Or the look his general gave him when he was dismissed after Lucys death so he could grieve privately, and now the look he kept getting since having come back from America. He didn’t blame anyone, wasn’t angry at them for giving him the look he so despised, but he couldn’t help from build up a wall to protect himself every time he saw it.

He simply put on a smile as others came up to greet him and ask about his time in America. Madam Pomfrey excitedly asked him about what he had learned and the talked for a few minutes before they were interrupted by everyone sitting down for breakfast. Merlin sat next to Lupin noticing one seat was empty. He turned to Remus curiously. “Has Slughorn left? He would never have missed breakfast.” Remus seemed confused for a second before noticing the empty seat. “Oh, Slughorn left years ago. Severus Snape is potions master now.” Merlin chocked. Remus patted him on the back laughing quite hard at his friend’s misery. Merlin sent him a withering glare when he regained his composure unfortunately, he couldn’t ask any more questions as the man who was the subject of his confusion had strolled in and was about to sit down.

Snape stopped with a start when he saw Merlin at the table. His eyes widened for a fraction of a second before his face twisted into a sneer. “Emrys, surprised to see you hear, I had assumed you went and died in that stink hole of a country.” Merlin simply laughed off the man’s insult which only seemed to rattle him to Merlin’s delight. “Good to see you too Severus!” Merlin smiled and turned back to Remus to continue chatting.

Soon breakfast was over, and everyone was getting up to prepare for the students that would be arriving that night. Remus stood up and turned to Merlin, “I’m going to ride the train today to keep an eye on the children. Care to join me?” Merlin shook his head, “I’m afraid I put off unpacking for too long. I’ll see you at the feast tonight.” Remus shook his head at his friend and simply smiled before heading out the hall. Merlin finished up his cup of Pumpkin juice before excusing himself and heading to his room to unpack.

He could’ve done it with magic and be finished within the hour, but he wanted time to himself away from the pitying glances some of the other teachers were shooting him. Again, he understood why they did it and that they have no way of knowing but he wishes they would stop. He didn’t have the energy or the heart to tell them to stop just yet and simply hoped it would go away on its own. He spent the rest of the day unpacking his case and carefully placing everything where he felt it belonged. Despite most objects being hundreds of years old they were practically impossible to break given the amount of preservation spells Merlin had casted on them. Even so he was gentle with each one as they all were priceless to him. There was his and Lucy’s wedding rings, a vase filled with scrolls detailing different medical practices from when he apprenticed under a man in Greece who happened to remind him of Gaius, a necklace a druid gave him a few years after he left Camelot for the final time, and many others. In one corner he kept things from Camelot. He had a jewel from Gwen’s crown, a scale from both Kilgharrah and Aithusa, a piece of the capes from the knights with the pendragon crest embroidered, and Gaius’s glasses. Finally, Arthur’s mothers sigil lay on a piece of cloth. They were the artifacts he kept the most protected and in their original states. By the time he was done he had just enough time to make it back down to the feast. He hurriedly sat down next to Remus just as students started filling into the great hall.

Chapter Text

Harry felt exhausted after leaving McGonagall’s office but was starving and decides to attend the feast. He entered the hall just as the sorting finished and Dumbledore was about to start his speech. He sat down next to Ron and simply said he was fine and just tired.

Dumbledore motioned for all the students to quiet down. “Welcome students! Another year at Hogwarts is about to begin. First, I would like to note some changes to our staff this year. Professor Remus Lupin will take the place of Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor. Good luck to him!” Harry clapped loudly. “That must be how he knew to give you the chocolate!” Ron shouted at him excitedly. Harry nodded before looking at the professor and smiling. He then noticed another man right next to Professor Lupin. The man was clapping excitedly while smiling broadly at Lupin. It seemed they were good friends as the also appeared close in age. Still Harry was confused at what post the Professor would be taking.

He didn’t have to wait long before he got an answer because next Dumbledore announced, “Unfortunately Professor Binns has finally decided to move on to the afterlife. He will be dearly missed but we know he will be happy finally being at peace.” Harry looked shocked at Hermione and Ron. “I can’t believe it; I thought the ancient geezer would go on until the school collapsed.” Hermione smacked Ron on the arm. “What? Don’t tell me you weren’t thinking the exact same thing!” Professor calmed the shocked students. It seemed they weren’t the only ones shocked. “Taking his place will be Professor Merlin Emrys. He has come all the way from America so wish him well.” Harry Raised his eyebrows at the mention of America. Professor Lupin was definitely British, but they seemed to be close friends. He didn’t think on it too long assuming he’d find out in class this week.

Dumbledor finally announced that Hagrid would be taking over care of magical creatures to the delight of the golden trio. Finally, the food appeared, and everyone dug in. Harry forgot completely about the changes in favor of stuffing his face with as much food as he could. It was going to be an interesting year.

Chapter Text

Merlin had woken up before the sun had even started to rise. He meant to get a bit more sleep as last night’s feast had gone on longer than he remembered them being. He was unfortunately just too nervous. He decided to get up early and look over his class plans for the day. He was grateful he didn’t have any second-year classes today as he wasn’t quite ready for the laughter he was bound to get teaching about Merlin. Since no one knew it was actually him and not his namesake the students were sure to find it hilarious and he also hated talking about himself, especially given he could only make so many deviations without people questioning why he seemed to disagree with history.

He paused when he realized he had Gryffindor and Slytherin 3rd years today. It seemed he would finally get to meet Harry. He noticed the boy staring at him yesterday. He had tried not to stare back but it was shocking how much he looked like James. He had heard from Remus about Harry passing out on the train due to a dementor, but the boy seemed remarkably unbothered by the time he made it to the feast. He shared Dumbledore’s unhappiness about the creatures being allowed on school grounds. While they weren’t usually a big deal for him, his multitude of unhappy memories made they that much worse if they happened to catch him off guard. A small ringing from an old clock on his desk reminded him classes were about to start. He swiftly got up and reorganized a stack of papers in front of him while he waited for the students to file in.

He took a breath to calm his nerves, he didn’t remember the last time he had taught anyone. He turned sharply to the students putting on a wide smile. “Hello everyone, as professor Dumbledore informed you all at the opening feast my name is Professor Merlin Emrys.” He waited a breath as some students let out laughs they probably thought he wouldn’t hear. “Yes I know, I know it’s hilarious. Trust me my friends did too. On to the topic at hand. This year we will be focusing mainly on the Goblin Rebellions. What led up to them, what happened during, and the aftermath. To start today I want you to answer the questions on the blackboard behind me, you’ll find the answers hidden throughout the first to chapters of your textbook, when your done you are free to do as you like quietly. You have 30 minutes, afterwards we will discuss your answers. You may begin.”

The students began pulling out their books and quills as Merlin went to sit at his desk. He got out a notebook to make sure he had his plans for the week in order. He decided to use this time to look over the students. He didn’t recognize many but could pick out a few. He saw a boy who was very clearly Narcissa and Lucius Malfoys son. He was a fair split of the too. He kept looking before eventually finding Harry. He had seen the boy briefly at the feast but had quickly got drawn into a conversation with Remus and Hagrid. The boy was thinner than Merlin would have liked. He reminded him of himself when he was that age, maybe slightly more meat on his bones now but it was clear something had happened. He felt a pang seeing his friends son. He tried distracting himself by observing the two students next to Harry who seemed to be his friends. One was a boy with bright red hair who was glancing furiously at the paper of the girl with the two. The girl who had seemingly already finished the assignment and was ready another text book quietly. He saw the red headed boy who must have been one of Molly’s children whisper something that made Harry laugh quietly while the girl scowled. Merlin went back to his work for the rest of the time.

About 15 minutes latter Merlin got up and started a discussion about the reading. He tried to throw in intere4sting facts to go along with the answers, he remembered quite vividly how boring Binns’s lessons were and was determined to make it more interesting for the students. As someone who had lived through much of history he knew firsthand how important it was to learn from the past and it’s mistakes. To many had ignored what had come before them and it had been their downfall. Finally he checked the clock and saw they only had a few minutes left and decided to let the students out early so he could have a chat with Harry. He didn’t want to call the boy out so he decided to pass out some light homework with get to know you questions, on top of Harry’s was a small note asking him to hang by after class. He saw the boys brow furrow before telling his friends to go on without him.

Once everyone had filled out Harry came up to Merlin’s desk who had been sorting through notes for his next class. He cleared his throat causing Merlin to jump slightly before smiling widely. “Ah Harry perfect thank you for staying behind for a few minutes. Have a seat.” He noticed the boys apprehension. “Don’t worry you’re not in any trouble I just have a few things I feel you ought to know.” He sat down at his desk and motioned for Harry to sit who did seeming somewhat relived but still hesitant. “I wanted to apologize to you Harry.” This clearly caught the boy off guard as he seemed to shift from surprised to confused in a split second. “I’m not sure I understand sir.”

“Right apologies let me explain, My name is Merlin Emrys as you well know but I was also a friend of your father and mother back in school.” He could see the boy was surprised at this, he clearly hadn’t been told much of his parents life when they were in school. “The reason I’m apologizing is because I haven’t been a good friend to them by looking out for their boy. You see when we graduated I was given an opportunity to study with a healer in America and had zero contact with the wizarding world. I only arrived back about 2 months ago and that’s when I found out all that had happened. Gods I didn’t even know you existed let alone that so many I knew are gone.” Merlin felt his mask slip for a few seconds showing the weight of the past few months and the toll his grief had taken on him. He quickly hid it away again hoping the boy didn’t notice. “Never the less I should have been here and for that I apologize.” Harry took it all in for a few seconds before thinking. “I appreciate it professor but there was no way for you to know. I’m sure my parents wouldn’t hold it against you.” Merlin merely nodded before speaking again. “If I may ask who have you been living with? I’m assuming not Remus given you likely would have come with him before classes.” Harry seemed confused, “Why would I be living with Professor Remus? I live with my aunt Petunia and uncle Vernon.” Merlin’s blood ran cold at this. Why in the world was Harry living with the Dursleys? A thought crossed Merlin’s mind that he was loath to confirm. “Harry first of all I’m assuming somehow no one thought to inform you that Remus was on of your parents closest friends, I understand why they wouldn’t mention me given they seemed to assume I was dead but why Remus? And why in the world would you be living with those horrid people?” Merlin felt himself getting angry, he now had a good idea why Harry appeared to be skinny for his age. Harry meanwhile simply seemed shocked at all the new information.

In fact, Harry seemed unsure how to respond in the slightest. He also seemed to notice Merlin’s anger and pulled away slightly, Merlin winced and calmed himself before speaking. “Apologies Harry I should not have raised my voice I just don’t understand why the choice was made to send you to your aunt and uncles and not inform you about the people in your parents lives who would be best prepared to help you. In any case thank you for letting me know, I have kept you for longer than I should have and I have some people I must go talk to. Thank you for your time your free to go.” The boy seemed to pick up on the clear dismissal and picked up his belongings and headed to the door before turning around. “Thank you for telling me this sir, and for being worried about me.” “Any time Harry, have a wonderful day.” Merlin watched Harry leave in a hurry before preparing for his next class. Clearly a visit to Dumbledore would be in order as soon as he was done for the day. For now he put on a slightly forced smile as the next class filled in.

Chapter Text

Merlin sighed loudly and slumped into his chair. The last class of the day had just left and he took a moment to compose himself before remembering what Harry had told him. He shot up and started to speed walk to the headmaster’s office as fast as he could.

As he walked, he kept trying to rationalize why Harry would’ve been sent to live with the Dursleys. It was no secret how awful Petunia had been to Lily and the prejudice she had against anyone with magic. Not to mention Vernon. Merlin had only met the man once when he went to visit Lily’s family over the summer one year and had quickly picked up on the horrid attitude the man had. He couldn’t be entirely sure they had hurt Harry and was almost too afraid to ask and find out the truth. He would eventually have to ask Harry or someone else. He was so lost in his musings he barely noticed when he ended up in front of the gargoyle leading to Dumbledore’s office.

“Lemon drop.” The staircase revealed itself and Merlin quickly headed up the stairs. He used his magic to confirm if anyone besides the headmaster was in the office before barging in. “Why in the hells has Harry been living at the Dursley’s?”

Dumbledore grimaced; he must have seen this fight coming but clearly had not realized just how angry Merlin would be. “I figured this would come up sooner or later. You may want to have a seat; this will require a bit to explain. Merlin huffed but he had been in enough arguments in his life to know when to listen, so he sat in the chair but did not let the anger leave his eyes just yet. “I did not think it was the time yet to explain the fight we are dealing with when it comes to Voldemort, or You-know-who as you know him. The truth is the war that happened isn’t as over as most believe it to be.” Merlin merely raised an eyebrow at this not understanding how sending Harry to live with muggles was a good idea if there supposedly was still a madman’s war happening. “Voldemort was a student of Hogwarts but began to covet darker more powerful magic, most specifically he wanted to become immortal and became obsessed with Horcrux’s.” Merlin’s breath hitched at this, remembering Sigan and his jeweled Horcrux. “You seem to have firsthand experience with them based on your reaction.”

Merlin nodded, “I met a sorcerer once when I was very young who had created one. I didn’t know what it was at the time but was able to recognize the evil of them even then. If this Voldemort has one, it is very likely he is not as dead as everyone believes.” Dumbledore nodded before his gaze darkened. “Unfortunately, I believe there is a very strong possibility he has more than one, I believe 6 times.” Merlin went impossibly still. “What?” He said deafly silent. “He made six I believe. The night he died being the reason I have had to leave Harry at the Dursleys.”

“When Voldemort came to kill Harry, Lily had taken Harry upstairs while James fought him. When James fell, she was all that was left to protect Harry. So, she made the ultimate sacrifice, herself.” Merlin could feel himself tearing up at the mention of how his friends died. He was not surprised Lily had sacrificed herself as much as it hurt. “When she gave herself up in an act of pure love a spell was put in place with ended up saving Harry and making Voldemort unable to kill him that night or even touch him. The reason he must stay at the Dursley’s is because of the blood Petunia shares with him, it is what keeps him safe and hidden from those that would hurt him in the dark lords name. It was unfortunate but necessary.”

Merlin thought it over for a few minutes. “I understand why he must be there but why has no one checked on him all those years? Hells he was practically as skinny as me at that age and I was a poor peasant who barely had enough food to survive, so why is this kid who lives in modern times with magic to help him so poorly cared for? Did you never check on him? Did you not think to give them a warning not to treat Harry badly? Why did the boy have to choose between dying and suffering needlessly?! Merlin’s voice began to rise as he felt himself get more and more angry. “Listen to me, I will be taking Harry with me at the end of the year back to my house. No one will be able to harm him, and he’ll get the life the poor boy deserves. There is nothing you can do to change my mind and if you try so help me, I will bring hell upon you.” Merlin promptly turned on his heel still seething and teleported himself to his own rooms straight from the office. He left Dumbledore in stunned silence at the show of bypassing the wards effortlessly. He hoped the man felt guilt at what he had allowed to happen.

He got out the mirror to talk to Sirius who was also infuriated at hearing about Harry. He realized he needed to find a way to expose Peter as soon as he could so he would be able to bring Harry home this summer without the boy fearing Sirius. He began pouring over his books as soon as his call with Sirius ended. The spent the night reading and finally collapsed shortly before dawn.