LIONHEART ❃ george weasley

005 | camelot dreams

She paused outside a pair of tall, grand wooden doors, listening curiously as she heard voices within. Voices that sounded all too familiar.

"Merlin, you've been at this for ages. Why can't you reach her?"

Footsteps echoed against the walls of the open room behind the doors. Someone was pacing.

"I don't know! It's like there's a blockade in her mind. Last time was so much easier...."

A pause. The first voice lowered.

"And last time went horribly wrong. Maybe this is a good sign that things will be different."

Another pause.

"I really hope so. We don't have much choice."

Impatient, Albany reached for the handles of the doors and pushed them open, straining from the effort. They felt heavier than they looked, she thought.

Two young men were standing inside, and spun around to look at her with wide eyes. One had dark hair, like her, and sharp cheekbones - he was dressed very casually, with a red bandana around his neck and a brown jacket over his shirt. He seemed anxious, and she guessed that he was the one who had been pacing.

His companion was a little taller, and had broader shoulders. He seemed to carry more muscle under his red blouse, and had a rounder face and dirty blonde hair. His hands were on his hips and his mouth slightly agape; in her dream world, Albany instantly recognised him as an authority figure.

"Hello," she greeted them casually, blinking back their stares.

The blond one glanced from her to his friend and back several times, apparently in shock.

"Is that-"

"Yes," his dark-haired companion answered him quickly, still staring. "Albany?"

"Hello," she said again. She wasn't sure why she felt comfortable with them. Like they were friends.

The blond one smiled at her, and his posture relaxed. "Do you know where you are?" he asked, and looked hopefully expectant of a specific answer.

Albany glanced around the wide, open room. It reminded her of the Great Hall, with its arched ceiling, though there was only one large table behind the two men, and it was perfectly round.

"Camelot," she answered, though hadn't the slightest clue where she had conjured such a name from.

He grinned from ear to ear. "Impressive, right?"

Albany shrugged. "It's like Hogwarts, but cleaner." She found herself looking down at her own clothes again, and then at the two men's. "And older."

The dark-haired one elbowed the blond in the ribs, causing his chest to deflate as he clutched at his side, glaring.

"Nevermind him," the dark-haired one said, amusement evident in his deep blue eyes. "He's just trying to boast. I'm Merlin."

He walked over to Albany as he spoke, and held out his hand. She shook it with a smile, noting how warm it was. The contact sent pleasant tingles down her spine.

"Merlin," she repeated, and then the name clicked. She blinked at him, eyes widening as realisation hit her. "Aren't you supposed to have a beard?"

The blond snorted from behind him. Merlin's lips twitched, though he kept his expression neutral. "I prefer to go without it," he said. "The airhead behind me is Arthur."

Albany squinted at him. "Arthur Weasley?" She vaguely recalled reading an article in the Daily Prophet about the man.... Something to do with Mad-Eye Moody and scandalous dustbins. But the man before her was not a redhead, and the way his face fell at her guess suggested he most certainly was not a Weasley.