The Gathering: The New Order of Merlin Book 1

The Gathering

Merlin's heart pounded as he waited in the Transfiguration classroom. Oh, he should've done this earlier. It had been so long since he'd been able to teach Old Religion to someone, he forgot the rush it came with.

But this time it was so much more because of multiple emotions clashing in his heart. There was hope, frustration, fear, excitement and it all blended into one massive nervous blob which seemed to have situated itself somewhere in his throat.

The reason for his frustration sat in the corner of the classroom. He was very irritated at the idea of McGonagall - frustration number one - supervising this meeting. She was one of those witches who were set in her ways and he expected that she viewed his methods and views as outdated. Moreover, he would have to watch what he said so she wouldn't catch on that his understanding of magic was too advanced for a child. He was tired of pretending.

But as one frustration wasn't enough, Dumbledore came with her.

"I hope you don't mind I've invited myself in."

Merlin gently inclined his head. "No problem."

What was he doing there? Was this because of the whole Snape thing? Was Dumbledore going to check that he wasn't teaching these children how to curse their Potion Master on Merlin's behalf?

He decided to ignore the white beard for now. This was too important to waste his focus.

Elsa, Jack and Luna walked in, excited to learn from him but they had no idea how much it meant to him, how much he wanted them to be able to learn. It had been decades since he had taken on a pupil and centuries since he had multiple students. He was beyond excited about the prospect of all three of them succeeding.

He wanted this meeting to feel more like a gathering of friends and not a lesson so he did some rearranging. He moved tables to the side, exposing the center of the room, and arranged seven chairs in a circle.

Elsa and Luna sat on Jack's sides while Merlin remained standing.

The final three guests walked in and Merlin rubbed his hands together. Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked around the room with uncertainty. And this was the reason for his fear. He was about to bare his soul to these kids. A lot was riding on his ability to convey sincerity. He wanted to let them in on who he was but there was a very delicate line between accepting the new and fearing it.

"Thanks for coming. Please, sit."

Everyone present was surprised to see them, he hadn't told anyone, having decided to invite them at the last minute. But from the surprised faces, Jack was the most affected, clenching his fists and staring intently at the floor. Merlin didn't know why he disliked Harry so much. Maybe this meeting would help resolve that. Maybe.

The trio sat down and ended up in an arrangement that Merlin's back was to the blackboard, the first-years were on his right and the second-years on his left. They all studied each other with varying levels of curiosity.

Merlin fiddled with the ends of his scarf and broke the silence.

"I'm glad you're all here. I invited Hermione, Harry and Ron because they're my friends too, and as Luna pointed out to me, one shouldn't keep something this important from his friends." He cleared his throat and pointed at the first-years. "Just so we all know each other, these are Luna, Jack and Elsa. We're joined by Professor McGonagall and Professor Dumbledore who will... uh... monitor that we're not doing anything inappropriate here."

Merlin shot Dumbledore a scrutinizing look and the old wizard gently smiled. No. He wasn't supposed to think about his chaperones.

While the first-years knew the purpose of the meeting, Harry's trio didn't. He figured that letting them in on this part of his life was a big step, a step he needed to make if he ever expected Harry to trust him.