Chapter Text
Dumbledore was one of the few people who knew Merlin was still alive. They had become good friends during the time of the big war against Voldemort. Merlin had known he hadn’t been able to hide in the shadows while someone had been slaughtering his people, so he had joined the resistance in disguise but unlike others, he hadn’t been able to fool Albus Dumbledore.
Despite all of this he was still quite surprised to receive such an odd letter from his old friend.
He was sitting on the porch of his shack scanning the misty lake of Avalon when a grey barn owl gracefully landed on the handrail with a letter in his beak and broke him out of his contemplation. He carefully took the envelope from the owl alongside a gentle stroke on the animal's head.
He cracked the familiar seal open and started to read.
My dear old friend,
I am writing to you as my last option. Harry Potter has once again faced death, namely, Voldemort has returned with greater power than ever. But people are denying the truth, and I am afraid Harry became more connected to Voldemort than ever before. I cannot be close to him anymore, it would be too dangerous for the child and the Order as well. But without me and with the wizarding world rejecting him, Harry has a painful year ahead of him. I need you to be there for him when I cannot.
Ps. I think Harry would welcome more someone his age, my friend.
Best regards,
Albus
For a whole minute, Merlin just stared at the piece of paper, trying to process all the information it contained. He usually didn't get involved in the problems of the wizarding world, but he never got such a disturbing letter from Albus, so the danger must have been real.
Then his eyes wandered on the lake again. What about Arthur? He never left him for longer than a few days. Never. He had always come back for him, even if he never actually found him. He knew he had to think more about this before deciding.
Merlin's eyes sprang back to Albus' last sentence: I think Harry would welcome more someone his age, my friend.
The old sorcerer stroke his long, white beard as he read the sentence again and again. In the end, he just sighed and accompanied by a yellow flash of his eyes the wrinkles on his face slowly faded away, his hair turned black and his beard disappeared.
He stood up to stretch his "old" limbs and let out a pleasant sigh. It was a few decades ago when he had been in his young body last time. It was easier not to get unwanted attention as an old man.
Suddenly, a huge explosion broke the silence of the late summer morning, and a second later people's screams filled the air. Merlin didn't hesitate, he started running toward the village he lived next to.
The shrieks were spine-chilling and Merlin couldn't help but notice as the sky darkened as well as everything around him.
As he got closer to the main square of the village he spotted around ten black hooded men with wands in their hands, villagers running away from them; Death Eaters. He quickly hid behind a wall to estimate his odds. The Death Eaters cast reducto at the near houses causing them to explode with the people in them. He couldn't watch this anymore.
"That's enough for today idiots" he said and before any of the death eaters could have finished spelling a curse, Merlin's eyes glowed up in a shade of gold and he shoved them meters away from himself. However, the Death Eaters reacted quickly, some of them got on their feet and sent various curses toward Merlin. The experienced sorcerer blocked their spells with a magic wall and struck back. The combat went on until suddenly one of the Death Eaters lifted his wand in the air and shouted „Morsmordre” and an emerald skull appeared on the dark sky that Merlin hadn’t seen for like 15 years.
Merlin directed his attention back to his opponents, ready for another round when the dark of the sky cracked as the sun broke through the clouds and the Dark Mark itself. He looked around, searching for the source of this miracle alongside the Death Eaters before he caught an eye of something he thought would be impossible.
By the wall he had been hiding not long before, he saw a man with golden hair and fierce eyes with a crimson cloak around his shoulders and sword in his hand, vibrating of power; Arthur Pendragon.
„Avada Kedavra” echoed by the same Death Eater who cast the Dark Mark earlier and a beam of green light left his wand targeting Arthur. Merlin froze in his place from the shock as the killing curse was dangerously approaching the Once and Future King.
In the next moment, Arthur swished his sword in the air and the spell ricocheted as if an invisible shield had been around the mighty king. The green ray hit the Death Eater and his lifeless body rigidly hit the cobblestone road.
The rest of the Death Eaters exchanged some frightened glances at each other, before disapparating one by one.
For a few seconds Merlin just stood there with an opened mouth before he could actually process what had just happened. After that, he looked at Arthur, and his eyes immediately filled with tears and his face lit up. The warlock ran toward his friend and hugged the man tightly to his chest.
„What-how, I don't understand!” he exclaimed and burst out in tears. Arthur on the other hand remained still, but Merlin didn’t seem to be aware of that. He kept talking about how much he missed his friend between sobs until the blond man cut him off.
„We should go somewhere inside, we are not safe here” he said in a distant voice, looking around as if he was waiting for someone to attack them.
„All right,” Merlin stepped back „my house is this way” and with a worried expression on his face, he motioned Arthur to follow him.
Merlin’s cottage was at the end of a narrow path that led out of the village. During the walk Merlin completely immersed in his thoughts, puzzling over the recent events. So many things had happened that day and it was just morning. His thoughts were twirling around Albus’ letter and how Arthur scared the Death Eaters away, it was almost sorcerous.
When they arrived Arthur stopped to survey the small house. It was built of grey and brown bricks that were screened by a runner with rosy flowers. On the porch Arthur spot a rocking chair that was facing the lake. Inside the house, he found himself inside a spacious and warm room lit by a wood fireplace. In the room, there were countless old books lined up on bookcases along the walls. In the middle of the room was a short, round table surrounded by two cozy armchairs. On the shelves, there were countless herbs, vials, and various old artifacts which purpose Arthur actually had no idea about. But the room looked quite magical.
„You live here?” the king asked, astonished.
„Yeah” Merlin giggled, happy that he finally saw some emotions on Arthur’s face „Take a seat!” he gestured on one of the armchairs.
Arthur settled down in the comfy furniture and looked around again. Eventually, his eyes stopped on a bundle of paper that lay on the table in front of him. He never saw anything like this before, especially because the paintings on the papers were incredibly lifelike and moving.
„What is that Merlin?” Arthur asked not taking his eyes off the papers.
„Oh that’s…that’s a newspaper Arthur” he answered pondering whether Arthur was satisfied with his short explanation „You know, a long time has passed since-” he continued but he couldn’t bring himself to finish the sentence.
„How long?”
„Too long,” the warlock said with tears in his eyes „around 1500 years”
The words hit Arthur like Mordred’s last stab. This meant everything he knew was gone, everyone, he knew was gone. Except for Merlin.
„Why are you still alive?” he asked sharply as if it was Merlin’s fault.
„Because of you” he struck back and paused for a second feeling a little guilty for talking like that „What’s your excuse?” he asked quietly.
Arthur didn’t speak up for a second.
„I saw something. Before I came out of the lake I saw something, as if I were dreaming. I was a young boy. I was in a graveyard at night surrounded by people like those today, but one of them was different. He had blood-red eyes and the face of a snake-”
„-Voldemort” his friend muttered.
„Who?”
„Voldemort,” Merlin repeated „he is a dark wizard who some suppose came back from the dead.”
„Of course he is” Arthur said sarcastically. He was still not completely reconciled with the thought of magic.
„I think what you saw wasn’t a dream Arthur, rather a vision.”
The two sat in silence after this for a few minutes, both absorbed in their own thoughts. Eventually, Merlin spoke up.
„We have to go to Hogwarts” he declared.
„To where?” Arthur asked with a confused look on his face.