Morning came and Kathy was the first to wake up. As a result, it was her responsibility to wake the others when they arrived in Sète. Thankfully Dipper woke up with no problem, but the same could not be said about Gideon and Pacifica. They moaned and groaned about how they didn't want to get up.
"Don't make us." Gideon groaned, rolling to the other side. "It's too early."
"No, it's not." Kathy sighed. "It's 9. We went to bed at 12. Meaning that we have slept over 9 hours."
"We just fell asleep five minutes ago." Pacifica protested. "How can it already be 12?"
Kathy rolled her eyes. "It just feels like it wasn't that long. Now quit your whining and let's go. We have a train to catch."
The two sleepy friends continued to complain but they got up and sluggishly made their way off the boat. Dipper and Kathy practically had to carry them and their luggage to the train station. When they got there they set their friends down with their luggage and went to go buy tickets. However, they did not just leave their half-conscious friends unprotected. They made sure one of them was keeping an eye on their friends while the other bought the tickets.
Kathy was tasked with watching their friends while Dipper paid for the tickets. She gave him regular updates on what was going on with Gideon and Pacifica. Even though nothing interesting or noteworthy was happening.
"Gideon's drooling again." She told them. "Pacifica still looks cute though, she's not snoring or anything."
Just as she said that someone let out the biggest snore in the history of snores. Everyone in the station couldn't help but turn around to see who it was, including Dipper. What they found was the sound came from Pacifica, who still looked cute even though she hadn't had time to fix herself up. Dipper didn't care. Pacifica was one of those people who could make a potato sack look good.
"Ok, you caught me. I lied." Kathy said without turning to look at him. "But you did sleepover at her hotel room. I assume you already knew she snored."
"Yeah, I did," Dipper admitted. "I found it kind of comforting, having someone sleeping next to me. And noise always helps me sleep, so the snoring was nice."
Kathy laughed. "I can't relate. I need to have it to be quiet before I sleep."
"Was Gideon quiet when you slept over at his place?"
Kathy shrugged. "I don't know. I think he was. I couldn't tell you. He fell asleep on the couch and I fell asleep on his bed."
"You fell asleep on separate pieces of furniture?" Dipper asked in surprise. "Why?"
"Because he didn't want me to feel uncomfortable or make me feel pressured to do anything." Kathy reasoned. "Why didn't you sleep in separate beds?" She asked accusingly.
Dipper was surprised by the question and didn't know how to answer it at first. Finally, he said, "I mean, we both passed out and we didn't even have time to talk about things like that."
Kathy nodded. "That's fair." She said, "Just try not to do that again. Respect each other's boundaries and don't make each other uncomfortable."
Dipper nodded. "I'll try."
"That's all I can ask," Kathy said gratefully. "Now let's get going. The train leaves soon. And we are going to have our hands full with those two sleepyheads."
So they went back to their friends with their tickets and began to make their way to the train. Then they boarded the train and found their seats, not needing to help their friends into the seats as much as they did before.
Once they got settled, all they had to do was wait for the train to get going. In the meantime, Kathy and Dipper made some small talk.
"Are you excited to see your Grunkle again?" She asked him. "It's been a long time since you last saw him."
"Ten years." He said. "I haven't seen him since I was six. Mostly we've been communicating through the post."
Kathy nodded. "I figured as much. He told me that he wanted to see you again but he couldn't risk it. Something about your family being unstable."
Dipper let out a chuckle. "An understatement. And I know he wanted to see me. He invited me to live with him many times."
"Why didn't you?" Kathy asked. "From what I gather Gleeful Manor isn't exactly the best place to grow up. Why did you stay?"
Dipper paused as if contemplating how best to phrase his answer. Finally, he spoke. "Mabel. I stayed because of Mabel."
At Kathy's shocked and confused look, he began to explain. "I know Mabel seems terrible and she is, but she wasn't always like that. She was a pretty nice kid once upon a time."
"What changed?"
"Everything." He told her. "When her first signs of having magic came in, my parents were thrilled. They were so proud to know they hadn't gotten any squib children. When her magic showed up they were delighted and told her to embrace it to the fullest. And she did. Whenever she got angry she'd take it out on the servants or Will. Or she'd destroy pieces of the house. My parents didn't even get mad. They encouraged it. Even said it gave them a reason to renovate the house."
Kathy couldn't believe it. "You mean to tell me, your sister is insane because she never found a good outlet for her anger?"
"And our parents were terrible at raising us." He added. "They put all this pressure on us to be better than everyone else. If we did do something perfectly or if someone else beat us they'd verbally abuse us. Mabel took it the hardest as she was the one they expected the most from. And since she only knew one way to let out her anger, she only got worse."
"Okay," Kathy said slowly. "I think I'm starting to understand. But I still don't know why you couldn't have just taken her away and gone to your Grunkle."
Dipper scoffed. "Mabel wouldn't allow it. My parents might be awful but she loves them a lot. She thinks they're the best parents ever. And I couldn't just leave her there. She needed me." He sighed. "But now she thinks I'm her enemy."
Kathy felt a pang of sadness towards Dipper. She didn't know what she'd do if her parents saw her as an enemy.
"I'm sorry." She said, " I can't imagine how horrible it must be."
Dipper shrugged. "These things happen."
"Just because they happen doesn't mean that they should," Kathy replied.
Dipper said nothing. There was nothing else to say. What happened, happened and nothing could be done to stop it. Kathy knew that better than anyone.
Thankfully, Gideon and Pacifica woke up not too long after they finished their conversation. They both rubbed their eyes and yawned. Then they took a look around and their eyes widened in surprise.
"How did we get here?" Gideon asked them.
Kathy raised an eyebrow. "We carried you."
"You carried us?" Pacifica cried. "That's insane! Did you at least use magic?"
At the mention of the word, Kathy threw her a dirty look and then looked around. Pacifica had forgotten that they were surrounded by muggles. Pacifica flinched and leaned in close.
"Sorry!" She apologized.
Dipper was the one to answer her. "Don't worry about it. And we didn't use magic. Too many muggles."
Pacifica groaned. "I'm so sorry. I don't know why we were so sleepy this morning."
"Yeah, it's concerning. You guys slept nine hours and were still tired. That's more than the recommended amount of sleep. Maybe that was too much. You guys need to find your sweet spot." Kathy told them.
"Our sweet spot?" Pacifica raised her eyebrows.
"You know, your sleeping sweet spot," Kathy explained. "The amount of sleep that doesn't make you feel sleepy or drowsy. We all have one."
"Oh, yeah?" Gideon said challengingly. "What's yours?"
"Nine hours." She said simply. "Sleeping any more or less didn't make me feel good."
Gideon wasn't expecting that so he sat there with his mouth agape.
Pacifica decided to change the subject. "So how long have we been asleep?"
"Not too long. Maybe thirty minutes at most." Dipper answered. "Thank goodness for that. The conversation was just drying up. Now we have two more people to join in."
Pacifica nodded. "Not a lot to talk about?"
Kathy laughed. "Not exactly."
Gideon and Pacifica looked confused, but before they could ask any more questions, Dipper spoke up.
"So pineapple on pizza, yes or no?"
Immediately all other questions were forgotten.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The conversation ran long and it hardly ever stopped. Every time the conversation started to dwindle someone found something new to talk about. They talked the entire ride. They didn't even realize the train had stopped until someone came up to them.
"I hate to interrupt your conversation, but you need to get off." A lady spoke up. "The train is going to leave soon and I assume this is your stop."
The group looked at the women, surprised, and then apologized for their inattentiveness. Then they got off the train and started looking for a way to get to Grunkle Stan's place.
Soon they finally got a cab and made their way to Grunkle Stan's house. Meanwhile, Gideon and Pacifica still had that uneasy feeling in their stomach as if something bad was going to happen. They tried their best to ignore it and plan for the interaction ahead.
"So we're just going to get the information and go right?" Gideon asked.
Kathy nodded. "Yeah. Should be pretty cut and dry."
"You guys can go when he tells you. I want to catch up with him for a little while." Dipper added.
"You do that," Kathy said. "Just don't take so long. I don't like staying in one place more than we have to."
Dipper looked at her funny. "Didn't you guys stay in Athens even when you thought Mabel was onto you?"
"That's different." She explained. "We were tired of running and Mabel wasn't trying to kill us at the time. Now she is."
Pacifica nodded. "It's more dangerous than ever to stay in one place for too long. We can't risk getting caught again."
Kathy smiled. "Exactly." She looked out the window. "We're here."
The house they stopped in front of was small and made of bright red bricks. It was two stories and it had four windows and a white door right in the middle of it. It was simple but immediately the group felt that there was something different about the house. Something powerful, something... magical.
They got out of the cab, paid and thanked the driver, and made their way to the door. Since Dipper was the closest to the door, he was the one who knocked.
A few seconds later the door opened to show a middle-aged man with glasses and a serious expression holding his wand in front of him.
"Who are you?" He barked out.
Everyone put their hands up. "Stan, it's us," Kathy responded. "It's Katherine. And your great-nephew Mason. You invited us here. You had something to tell us."
His eyes lit up with recognition but he still held his wand up. "Were you followed?"
Kathy shook her head. "No. But Mabel is tracking us."
"Then we don't have much time." He said. "Get in."
Quickly they entered the house and when they were all inside, Stan looked outside and once he was satisfied, he closed the door behind him. He ushered them into the dining room. They each took a seat and waited for him to start.
For a while he didn't talk, he just walked around pacing back and forth. He never let go of his wand once.
When he spoke his voice was quiet and deep. "It took me so long to figure out where he was." He began. "I've been looking for him long before you have. It took everything I had to find him. All my money and strength and sanity. It took years and years. I nearly gave up. Until you come along with your riddle."
He left the room and the group looked at each other concerned. This was not the Grunkle Stan they were expecting. When he came back into the room, he held a book and he seemed to be calmer than before.
"With your riddle, I was able to narrow the search down. I began to think of places where Merlin got his start. His birthplace, Camelot. Then I realized I was forgetting one important place in his life." He paused. "His school."
The group's eyes widened.
"It made sense. His school would be where he got his start and it would be his home away from home. And since Merlin was a wizard it had to be a magic school. A place where magic grows best. Especially when it's one of the finest magical institutions out there." Stan explained.
"Of course!" Kathy exclaimed. "Hogwarts! Merlin is at Hogwarts! He was once a student there!"
"I remember!" Dipper joined in. "He was sorted into Slytherin. It's one of the things that the Prefects used to brag about."
Gideon shook his head. "Wait a minute." He held his hands up. "I thought you said Merlin was sealed in an oak tree. Now you're saying he's at Hogwarts? Which is it?"
"Both!" She cried. "Have you already forgotten about the forbidden forest near the school? A forest that has trees for miles?"
"Of course not!" Pacifica came up to his defense. "But there are tons of trees there. How are we going to find the right one?"
"That's not going to be a problem," Stan said. "The tree should have a sign or something. Maybe a marking that sets it apart from the rest of the trees."
Kathy's eyes widened. "Like a symbol or something?"
"Exactly."
She pulled out a Journal of Merlin. "Like this one?"
When Stan saw the journal, he froze. His eyes went wide and his mouth fell open.
"Is that...?" He began.
Kathy nodded. "A journal of Merlin."
For a moment he just stared at it. Then he took a step forward and went to put a hand on the cover. When he was a few inches away from touching it, he flinched and retracted his hand.
"You have to keep this safe." He told her. "This could hold the key to freeing Merlin. If Mabel gets it, it's game over."
"I know."
Stan nodded satisfied and walked away. "So all you guys need to find is this tree with the symbol of Merlin on it."
"Should be easy," Gideon said sarcastically. "There's only a hundred other trees in the forest."
"Can you not right now?" Pacifica asked.
"I'm sorry but I'm just being realistic. How are we going to find a tree like that in a forest? I don't think summoning it is going to work."
"We'll figure it out," Kathy reassured them.
Stan nodded. "You'll have to. You're going to be in the forbidden forest soon."
Pacifica wasn't sure she heard him right. "What do you mean?"
"I'm going to send you to the forbidden forest. And soon. Mabel is closer than you think."
Dipper shook his head in disbelief. "How do you know?"
"Because she sent me a Patronus," Stan answered. "She knew that you would come here. She told me that she was coming to kill you and not to tell you or she'd destroy me. But I couldn't do that. You guys are the only ones who can stop her. No one else knows what she's planning and by the time you tell someone it might be too late."
"But how did she know where you were? I thought she didn't even know you were alive?" Kathy asked.
"Her parents must have told her," Gideon said. "They had to have known you were alive. They might have known that you would try to help us. Maybe they've been keeping tabs on you."
Stan nodded. "That's most likely it. Leave it to a Gleeful to surprise you in the end. But that's not important anymore. The important thing is getting you out of here."
He looked around, for what, the group didn't know. But soon his eyes landed on a candle holder.
"This will have to do." He said and he moved the candle holder closer to him and pointed his wand at it. "Portus."
He then turned to Dipper. "You know what to do."
Dipper nodded and turned to his friends. "We need to grab on. Hurry!"
Everyone was a little reluctant.
"What did you just do to it?" Gideon asked.
Kathy rolled her eyes. "He turned it into a Portkey. When we touch it, we're going to be transported somewhere else." Kathy turned to Stan. "The thing I want to know is where."
Stan looked about ready to strangle her. "Does it matter?"
"Yes, it does."
Stan let out a groan. "It'll take you to the forbidden forest. Once there I recommend you start looking for Merlin at once."
"You're not going to come with us?" Pacifica asked.
"No. It's too risky. Besides, even if I run, they'll just find me again. They always do."
Dipper saw his friends were hesitant to leave his Grunkle, so he stepped up. "I know this isn't what we want to do but we have no choice. He's right. We have to leave."
They started to protest but they saw from the look in Stan's eyes that nothing was going to convince him. So they nodded.
"Thank you so much," Pacifica told him.
"We can't thank you enough for this," Gideon added.
"Stay alive old man." Kathy smiled.
Stan returned the smile. Then he turned to Dipper, face serious.
"You owe me." He said pointing his finger at him playfully. "A good bottle of Firewhisky, you hear?"
Dipper smiled. "You survive my sister and I promise you I'll get you whatever you want."
They nodded and turned back to the portkey. They each put a hand on it and waited. Soon after they were spinning around and Stan's dining room faded away.