The Gathering: The New Order of Merlin Book 1

Circular crochet hooks

"Merlin, yes, sit," Dumbledore invited him curtly and continued scribbling on parchment.

Merlin sat across from him and watched the Headmaster as he worked on some paperwork, his face drawn in worry lines.

His host remained quiet so Merlin looked around the office and noticed that Fawkes was now a baby bird - reborn after having burned of old age. Maybe when he was this young, Merlin could get on his good side? It bothered him that the Phoenix resisted him so far and was determined to befriend him. He had to look up what these birds ate. Food usually worked best with all animals.

Dumbledore was now observing him from under his spectacles so Merlin decided to fill him on what he knew regarding the latest attack.

"I believe Harry completely. You don't suspect him, I hope?"

"I don't."

"Good. He's getting ready for a little stunt as part of his own investigation. Don't worry, I'm keeping an eye on the trio to ensure they stay safe during their escapades. I've been unable to remove the curse from Colin. The Dark Magic will not waver and it worries me what type of ancient creature we might be dealing with. What else... I've been trying to follow Dobby but so far no luck. Every time I find him, he's out running errands. I think I'm going to have to do it at night."

"Any clues as to who opened the Chamber?"

Merlin shook his head. "None. I've already started breaching kids' minds hoping to find clues and I'm not proud of it." He fiddled with his scarf absentmindedly, remembering just how much he crossed the moral line. "I don't know, Albus. Should I resort to checking every single person in this castle? It feels awful to even consider that but I'm running low on options."

"If you can do it without anyone sensing it, I'll say, do it. Is your legilimency subtle enough to avoid detection?"

Merlin decided that the best answer would be to demonstrate. "You're thinking of strangling me with your circular crochet hooks. Are you angry at me, Albus?"

In response, Dumbledore threw his glasses on the table and Merlin felt the walls in his mind close down.

"Don't worry, I'm out." Merlin raised his hands. "I have no interest in poking in your or anybody's head."

Dumbledore stared him down and Merlin wasn't sure if he should laugh or be serious. What did he do to anger the calmest Headmaster this school has ever had? Was his thieving detected? He did it for Harry and thought it was a valid excuse.

The old wizard exhaled a puff of air. "You need to stop acting so childish, Merlin."

"You wanted to know if people can sense my legilimency so I tried to let you answer that for yourself. Did you feel it?"

"No, I did not, but that's not what I'm trying to say. Stop picking on Severus Snape!"

"Oh, that." Merlin leaned back in his chair. "Greasy Git deserved it."

"Especially at a time like this, I need my teachers to be able to do their jobs. How is Severus supposed to do his if he can never sit down and if he can't even climb stairs? Do you realize how many staircases this castle has? One hundred and forty-two!"

"He can sit down," Merlin corrected, "just not on chairs. And he can climb stairs, just not with shoes on."

"Reverse both curses," Dumbledore said quietly but with a clear threat behind it.

Merlin fiddled with his scarf. "I will deliver a note to him, instructing him what he needs to do to lift the curses."

Dumbledore looked like he really wanted to pull out his crochet hooks out of the drawer so Merlin continued, "He needs to be taught a lesson, Albus. Do you know how he treats his students? That monster should never be allowed near children. They rely on adults to stop abuse when it happens but he bullies them and turns a blind eye for his precious Slytherins no matter what they say or do. Why in the world did you hire him? Next to him, Lockhart looks like the teacher of the year!"

"I have my reasons for keeping Severus close."

"Please, do enlighten me on your reasons. Maybe you'll change my mind about him."

Albus stroked his beard, trying to calm himself. "He will protect Harry Potter. He has a personal reason to."

"He hates Harry and Harry hates him. I think your plan has a lot of holes in it."

"You do not get to preach to me like I'm one of your pupils, Merlin."

"You couldn't be my pupil even if you wanted to be."

Albus picked up his spectacles and pointed a finger at him. "You're making me regret inviting you here. You cause more trouble than you solve."

The words cut Merlin deep into his core. True, he hadn't been much help so far, but he was doing all he could. He was stretching himself thin and wide and fighting the odds in his attempt to solve this riddle. He didn't want to leave. He couldn't just walk away now when he was already personally invested in helping Harry and protecting the children.

"I'm trying to help, Albus. I..."

Dumbledore put his hands on his desk and leaned toward him. "You are a guest here, you keep forgetting that. Hogwarts is not your little project. I gave you a lot of freedom. You wanted to start your religious club here, I won't stop you as long as it doesn't keep students from their regular education. But the teachers are off-limits. Reverse the curses."

"You have to bring my beliefs into this? It really bothers you, huh?"

"You could believe in three-headed Moon Frogs for all I care. Your personal vendetta against Severus severely impacts his ability to teach and protect the students. I can't believe I have to tell this to someone as old as you, but Merlin, you need to grow up."

"You really don't care, do you? All that matters to you is that you've got a Death Eater as a pet and it's of no consequence what he does within these walls. For the greater good again, Albus?"

Dumbledore inhaled sharply and his eyes widened in shock. "Don't you dare!"

"You never changed for all those years... Well, neither have I. I will always protect the innocent. You stick to your plan, I will stick to mine." He got up and walked away. "I'll see you later, Albus."

Merlin walked down the hall with his head hung. He wasn't proud of what he said. It was a low blow.

For the greater good was the slogan Albus developed with Gellert Grindelwald at the beginning of the twentieth century during their campaign to overthrow the Statue of Secrecy and rule over Muggles.

Merlin met him while they were still together. They were obsessed with their convoluted ideals, flaunted their power, wanted to make themselves royalty. Later, Albus came to his senses while Gellert continued their vision on his own. Albus redeemed himself in the end by defeating him and Merlin developed a friendship with him over time, but he never forgot the first impression Albus made on him in his youth - he had no problem sacrificing others for the cause he believed in.

Did Merlin's words have any impact on the old wizard beside the obvious pain of dragging the mistakes of his youth out in the open? Probably not. If he hadn't changed in a hundred years, there was little hope for it now.

And so, they were back to square one. Snape was given free rein to abuse his station and more children would suffer. Then, Merlin's stance on the issue did not change either. He would not remove the curses. He would not rest until Greasy Git learned his lesson. These children were under his protection.

Merlin got back to the dorm where Jack still slept soundly and sat down to write his letter. He rolled up the parchment, and with a quick spell, delivered it to Snape's desk. He hoped that Potions Master was there right now and saw it appear out of nowhere.

He did not expect for his instructions to be followed, on the contrary, he was sure that Snape would give him a reason for a new curse within days and already had an idea for what it would be.

~~~

A/N: Don't worry, you will get to read Merlin's letter to Snape later. It's precious.