Chapter Text
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30th August 2010
Glastonbury Tor
That blasted red scarf.
The ratty, threadbare, still-somehow-shining-bright-red rag of a scarf had managed to survive many years around Merlin’s soft, pale neck. It had, in this moment however, come loose and flown away in the blustery wind that hit him as he neared the summit of the Tor. Merlin had thought of getting a new one, but this scarf had so much… history woven within its threads. Ten years of it, in fact.
He chased it up the wide steps towards the old stone structure at the top, the sun only just creeping up to hit his eyes as it set on the other side. The scarf started to flutter down towards the grass a few metres from him as the wind calmed - Merlin pulled his hand out from his suede jacket pocket and whispered, “immobulus.” The scarf’s movement instantly decelerated in speed to a ripple, as if time had slowed only for the fabric as it touched close to the ground. Merlin scooped it up with one hand and gravity instantly took over again; the smooth red folds falling over and through his fingers.
It wasn’t until then that Merlin truly noticed the views that stood before him. He straightened back up, staring out across the sea of stunning green countryside all around him. Hills and villages that stood miles away could easily be spotted; he could see the main road into Glastonbury and tiny dots of people walking along the side of narrow old roads. The Tor was silent; Merlin almost being completely alone, save a dog walker heading downhill and a couple admiring the tower on the opposite side to Merlin’s. This was his first time atop Glastonbury Tor; he’d read so much about its history - both facts and legends. He knelt down to feel the soft grass between his fingers, still holding on tight to his scarf. Instantly, a surge of energy flowed through his body from his finger tips through to his toes, giving him goose bumps. The energy felt warm and trusting; familiar. He shut his eyes and took a deep breath, enjoying the feeling for a moment.
Even though it stood so high up, the old stone tower looked no more imposing than Merlin did. It had no windows, no doors and no roof; just two large open archways on opposite sides and a plaque inside explaining its long history. Merlin laid down on the grass just in front of the tower, silently ruminating while watching the clouds move overhead. He closed his eyes, enjoying the warm setting sun on his face and the soft sound of the wind blowing through long grass. His scarf lay still in his hand, resting on his chest, and the breeze further messed up his shaggy head of black hair. A small tear rolled down one side of his face as his mind wondered back in time, an image of the very reason he came to this sacred place appearing clear in his mind.
Looking up at the clouds, he whispered again, "nubis figura." Merlin's eyes glinted gold as a large cloud above him slowly moved and morphed into the shape of a large dragon. His lip curled into a small smile, watching the cloud slowly float away.
Another tear fell.
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10 Years Ago
A large nearby clock chimed its 12th chime just as Merlin escaped the hustle and bustle of the tube station on Tottenham Court Road, wheeling a large old fashioned suitcase behind him. People walked past as if he weren’t even there - a tall yet thin eleven year old with messy black hair and deep blue eyes didn’t exactly stick out. He slowly trudged along with his case, trying to make sure the sporadic and squeaky left wheel wouldn't stick again. The smell of meat from a nearby burger van made his stomach rumble and his mouth water. The soft sound of flute music was coming from a young woman busking on the other side of the road. Merlin whistled along as he walked, looking forward to seeing his Uncle Gaius again - it had been years. He was only a few minutes away now - the Leaky Cauldron was just past these shops.
It had been a month since a large snowy owl pecked on Merlin’s kitchen window back in the cold Irish village of Ealdor. A hand written letter from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry held in its beak. It was the morning Merlin had been waiting for for years. His mother Hunith had magic in her family; her brother being a highly skilled magical healer. Her parents were both muggles and she had remained as one too, which never really bothered her. Merlin’s father Balinor was a dragonologist, one of the best in the trade and known the world over as ‘The Dragon Lord’. His level of care and natural skill with dragons made him quite the target back when Lord Voldemort returned to power.
Balinor, who knew the Dark Lord wished to seek him out, went into hiding to protect his family. Hunith and Merlin moved to the muggle village of Ealdor, hoping Voldemort wouldn’t find them.
Merlin was only six years old when Balinor left, but still understood why his father was leaving. Balinior had knelt down in front of Merlin, looked him in the eyes and told him, "whenever you see the shape of dragon in the stars or in the clouds son, that means I am well and I am thinking of you both."
Merlin and his mother never gave up hope that Balinor would return... Every now and then, Merlin would find his mother looking out across the fields behind their home hoping to see her husband returning to her. She and Merlin would sometimes go for walks together through the countryside, stopping and laying down in the grass when the weather allowed to watch the clouds or stargaze, smiling when they saw anything remotely dragon shaped.
It never got easier, but it slowly got more bearable… Merlin found himself feeling extremely angry at times; a small, dark part of him wondering if his father simply chose not to come back. Other times the loneliness he felt was stronger than any other emotion he'd ever experienced. The love he had for his father, the bond they shared when he was little, never left Merlin. He liked to think that his father was still alive, still caring for the dragons that meant so much to him. It made him proud to think of his father so committed and passionate. However, it also made Merlin wonder why he hadn’t returned to his wife and son when Voldemort was defeated…
Hunith wasn’t able to tell Merlin much about the Wizarding World, knowing only small amounts herself. Instead, Merlin would read his father's dusty old books with the moving pictures (although almost all of them were about dragons) and look in photo albums, seeing his father taming dragons all around the world, from Welsh Greens to Ukrainian Ironbellies. Merlin’s most valued possession was his father’s old Ballycastle Bats Quidditch scarf from when he was a kid. Although Merlin had never seen a game of Quidditch, he’d dreamed of flying all his life and couldn’t wait to begin learning.
…Merlin snapped out of his daydream at once and came crashing (literally) back to reality - the dodgy wheel of his suitcase had caught in a crack in the pavement, causing him to trip and fall forwards. Time slowed around him as he tensed ready to hit the ground with force, however Merlin was stunned to find he’d fallen onto (or rather into) something rather soft...
He turned his head only to be met with a pair of young, vibrant, sky blue eyes which hid slightly under a mop of shining dark blonde hair. Merlin's mouth fell open in surprise, an overwhelming yet distant feeling of deja vu hitting him, as if those eyes had once appeared to him before.. He'd forgotten everything that was going on around him for a brief moment, as he and the person who caught him shared an uncertain, curious exchange.
“Umm, Arthur?” A female voice snapped them both back to reality, the sound of traffic and people walking past returning around them. A tall, pale girl with striking green eyes and long dark hair stood behind them. She stared at the boy as if he’d just told the world's worst dad joke. She was certainly the older of the two. The stranger - a boy who looked around Merlin’s age - wore a puzzled, wondering look on his face.
Standing back up, Merlin coughed to break the awkwardness, “err, thank you,” he said softly, pulling his suitcase upright and checking for breakages.
“You’re… welcome, are you alright?” The stranger replied slowly.
“Yes I’m fine, thank you…” Merlin shook his head slightly, blinking. It was only then that Merlin noticed a badge on the boy’s backpack, on it a Hippogriff stood tall and proud, stretching its wings out wide. He’d seen that very creature in one of his father’s old wizard books! Could these two be…?
He tested his theory immediately, “you wouldn’t happen to know where the Leaky Cauldron is, would you?” He asked, hoping hard that they were from the magical world.
The strangers looked at each other, Merlin could see suspicion in their eyes for a second. Merlin gave them a look of understanding, along with a smile - he’d never met anyone else like him! The two strangers smiled back, “well as it happens, we’re just on our way there,” replied the young woman in an Irish accent just as strong but more Southern than Merlin’s. “We’ll walk with you. Here, let me help you with your case.” She took the handle of Merlin’s case and pulled it along as they began walking.
The boy held his hand out to Merlin, “I’m Arthur - Arthur Pendragon. This is my sister Morgana.” The news that the two strangers were siblings surprised Merlin; their physical appearances seemed to be the complete opposite of each other.
“I’m Merlin. Merlin O'Callaghan. It’s a pleasure to meet you both,” Merlin shook Arthur’s hand in return, his handshake having of a much stronger grip than Merlin expected.
They walked in silence for a while. Merlin was trying his best to contain his excitement - these two could be potential friends! His first friends in the magical world… After some time, Merlin asked the new acquaintances if they went to Hogwarts.
“I’m starting this year. Morgana’s a third year now though; she’s a Ravenclaw. I hope I'm a Gryffindor,” Arthur had a slight tinge of arrogance in his voice when he spoke this time. Merlin simply wished he knew more about Hogwarts; his father told him bits before he’d left, but he was only six… from what he remembered, there are four Hogwarts houses, there's a bunch of magical classes at Hogwarts and - of course - loads of magical creatures. He knew there were ghosts, Quidditch games, even a house cup… but Merlin only remembered snippets of other things.
“I’m glad I’ll know someone in my year then,” Merlin smiled, relief running through him. “This is all new to me - I haven’t grown up in the magical world. My father is a wizard, my mother’s a muggle and raised me while he’s been… away,” Merlin tried to explain.
“Well then Merlin, it would be my pleasure to educate you on the more magical things in life…” Arthur replied, confidently. He explained that he and his sister were staying at the Leaky Cauldron before heading to Hogwarts as their father was away on business. They were looking to head to Dragon Alley to get school supplies the following day and invited Merlin to join them.
“Why not!” Merlin grinned happily. He’d need to run it by his Uncle first, of course, but if he was able to find his way from Ireland to London, he was sure he’d be allowed to venture down Diagon Alley with his new friends.
They stopped outside an old boarded up building. Merlin looked up at a blackened pub sign, which squeaked as it swung above the door. To his surprise, a picture of a large cauldron faded onto the sign, the pub’s name written on the front of it. Morgana opened the door and pulled her case through, grabbing Merlin’s after. Merlin eagerly entered, holding the door open for Arthur, who to Merlin’s surprise failed to say thank you as he passed. He was about to say something when he caught sight of the room in front of him, his eyes open wide.
The room was much bigger than what Merlin had imagined looking at the outside of the building - a large hall welcomed them, archways on either side with tables and chairs everywhere and a wooden staircase leading to what Merlin assumed was accommodation. The pub’s namesake stood in a large fireplace opposite the bar. Merlin had never seen such a large cauldron. The pub patrons nattered away to each other; smoke floating upwards from pipes, empty glasses floated above heads on their way to be cleaned or refilled at the bar, and a piano playing on its own in the corner. Merlin took it all in slowly, looking around at the many moving portraits and photographs on the walls, smelling warm food and remembering he hadn’t eaten since breakfast. He spotted an elderly man with straight white shoulder-length hair and long blue robes sat at the bar - Gaius. The old man waved him over with a smile.
Merlin turned to Arthur and Morgana and nodded for them to accompany him, eager to have his Uncle meet them.
“Merlin! It’s wonderful to see you, my boy! How was your trip?” Gaius asked, giving Merlin a hearty hug.
“It was fine thank you Uncle Gaius. It’s good to see you too. I’d like you to meet some friends of mine,” Merlin felt a surge of joy at being able to finally say those words. “This is Arthur and Morgana Pendragon.” The brother and sister shook the old man’s hand in turn. Merlin began to tell Gaius about how he’d (literally) bumped into them and had been invited to join them tomorrow in Diagon Alley, to which Gaius gave him permission. What Merlin didn’t mention was the odd exchange he’d had with Arthur upon looking at each other for the first time. Gaius suddenly clicked his fingers, a look of realisation on his face.
“You must be Uther’s children?” He asked, to which Arthur and Morgana nodded. Gaius was just explaining how he and Uther were once good friends, when the barman - Whom Gaius referred to as Tom - cut in to sort out their room keys. Once they’d all checked in, Merlin and his Uncle bid Arthur and Morgana farewell as they left to meet up with a family friend and agreed to meet tomorrow morning for breakfast.
His uncle smiled, “well it’s good to see that you’ve found some friends Merlin.” Merlin could only smile in response. His stomach suddenly grumbled again. Gaius heard this and waved for Tom to bring over a late lunch of sandwiches and drinks.
“I already can’t wait for tomorrow…” Merlin began, thirstily picking up his pumpkin juice.
“So long as you get everything you need. As soon as we’ve eaten, we need to head over to Gringotts. You’ll need money if you’re to buy your school things tomorrow.”
Merlin dug in to the food as soon as it arrived. He scoffed down ham and cheese sandwiches with a few cauldron cakes to finish.
He sat back and waited for Gaius to finish his food, looking forward to his first trip to Diagon Alley and thinking back on the day he’d had and quietly thanking the magical forces that be for his suitcase getting stuck and him taking the first (albeit accidental) step towards making a new friend.