All he could feel was cold. Cold and darkness pressing down. So heavy, so heavy. He knew he should open his eyes, but he couldn't. He knew he should think of faces and voices of friends, of times of laughter and warmth but he could not. There was no such thing as warmth here. Trying to think, all he remembered was pain. There was no such thing as happiness. Soon he even forgot the pain, his mind blank and new.
However he felt something. He was filled with a purpose he knew not. Suddenly he breathed. The dark was gone, replaced with light. The cold was gone, replaced with warmth. He knew happiness was real, again. Even so he still could not open his eyes, nor remember, but one word was in his mind and refused to be forgotten. A word that was more a name. Arthur.
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Harry was still angry that he'd been left in the dark all summer as to the movements of Voldemort, but he could not blame his friends. Instead he tried to cheer up and have fun with them before the summer was out. Ron and Hermione had informed him that twelve Grimmauld Place, the place they were staying till school started, was headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix. Despite the grungy and dark overtone of the house, he was quite happy as he would indeed be returning to Hogwarts for his fifth year of schooling. Plus he would have plenty of time to talk to his godfather, Sirius Black, the closest thing he had to real family.
So it was that when they were called down to dinner the evening of his ministerial hearing, he felt a true smile grace his features to be surrounded by those he loved. The smell of Mrs. Weasley's cooking was enticing and his mouth watered at the prospect of downing whatever delicious concoction she'd made this time. Though he was wary to sit near the twins, having seen their mischievous faces grinning like mad. He didn't want to be on the receiving end of one of their pranks, or worse a new invention of theirs. Instead he sat between Sirius and Ron, two of the best people in the world. Hermione sat across from him next to Ginny, and both girls were laughing at Tonks as she made pig noses at them, literally. He felt at home once more after the grueling weeks he'd spent with the Dursley's.
Finally as the food was set and everyone had taken their seats about to eat, conversations stopped and everyone stared wide eyed as a golden light filled the room. Harry felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up. He was pretty sure everyone else felt powerful magic just as he was. The light dulled and they were able to see, what looked to be three cloaked and hooded old ladies. Only their mouths could be seen from the cloaks covering their heads. Before Harry could blink almost every adult in the room had drawn their wands. If he focused hard enough, Harry would swear the old ladies were smiling. Without a mouth moving a woman's voice filled the air,
"We are the Disir, and we do not come to harm, but to help. The rising of the one who refuses death, even though she wishes to claim him, has upset the balance of this world. Magic is in danger, she is angry and will not be appeased till the balance is restored. We come to you now to offer help" The voice stopped, and another blinding light formed in front of them. When it faded however a boy hovered in the air, golden smoke surrounding him. He looked to be no more than fifteen, Harry's age, but the young wizard could not see breath stir the boy's body. He thought for a moment that perhaps he was dead.
"Destiny has already decided who in this room will defeat the one that is evil, but to get there you will need help." one of the ladies gestured to the boy who still floated in the air. Harry felt like they'd been looking at him while talking of destiny and evil. He felt a shiver in his spine.
"This is Emrys, he is here to protect and serve. He is our gift to you in these dark times. Good luck." With that the ladies disappeared as quick as they'd come and the boy was gently laid on the floor. Harry blinked and looked at Hermione and Ron. They looked just as confused and shocked. They looked back to where the boy lay as his chest rose and fell, finally breathing. Slowly his eyes opened to reveal their bright blue color. He seemed to struggle to sit up, and he looked about himself with a terrified face.
"What is this place? Who are you?" He asked, clearly panicking. His breathing became rapid and shallow, and he looked sick.
"What's going on?" He asked, his voice shaking. Mrs. Weasley, took pity on the poor boy and quickly rushed to his side, her motherly instincts taking over.
"You're in London, dear. London, England. My name is Mrs. Weasley and this is . . . the house that we're staying in. Can you tell me your name?" The boy looked at her with big eyes and stuttered a reply,
"The-They told me m-my name is E-Emrys." Mrs. Weasley looked confused.
"They? Who's they?" she asked. The boy blinked and looked like he was trying to focus. His eyebrows furrowed and he shook his head, as if to clear it.
"I don't, I don't remember." He breathed shakily and continued on saying in barely a whisper,
"I don't remember a thing." Mrs. Weasley looked at her husband worriedly. She turned back to the bo- no, Emrys, Harry corrected himself.
"That's alright dear. I'm sure it'll come back in time, but for now you look as tired as death, and as starved as a dead rat." It was true, Emrys had dark rings around sunken eyes, and his facial bones stuck out sharply against skin too pale to be healthy. She helped him slowly to his feet, his ragged clothes hanging off his frame. Sirius, and Mr. Weasley stepped forward to help her as she began to make her way out of the kitchen.
"Put him in whatever room that's closest for now, and we'll figure it out later." She said to the two men as they helped Emrys up the stairs. Harry didn't feel all that hungry now.
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Mrs. Weasley had forced them all up to bed after trying to eat for another hour, claiming that there were some things the adults needed to talk about. Ron and the others weren't that stupid, and they knew that this, Emrys, would be the topic of their discussion. The last thing they heard before the door was shut was Mr. Weasley stating they needed to contact Dumbledore. Ron and Harry went to their room, leaving the door open for Hermione to follow. Once she joined them the door was closed and they talked in barely a whisper.
"What do you think Hermione? Do you think he's genuine, or is it an act?" She frowned for a moment at Harry's question.
"I don't know. He seemed genuinely scared and confused, but a good actor can pull off those kinds of emotions convincingly." She sighed, annoyed at being unable to solve the mystery right away.
"What about those ladies then? That was freaky the way they could talk without moving a muscle!" Ron exclaimed. Harry nodded in agreement, and turned to Hermione. She internally rolled her eyes at them. Just because she was clever didn't mean she always knew the answer.
"I don't know." she said again, obviously frustrated that she didn't. "But, I think that what those old ladies said can be trusted. I really do think they were trying to help." she amended. Harry sighed and looked away. They were all three disappointed at not being able to figure things out. A squeak of floorboards from outside the room, however made them cautious and Hermione, not willing to risk getting in trouble, sneaked back to the safety of her and Ginny's room. Ron and Harry quickly turned out their light, not wanting to face the wrath of Mrs. Weasley.
They fell asleep soon enough, even though it was a troubled sleep.
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Emrys awoke to muffled voices and the smell of food. He felt unusually calm and happy. He didn't want to ruin this feeling by trying to remember, but he couldn't help it. When he turned his mind to the past all he felt was cold and dark, but there was something and it gave him hope. He remembered a name, a name that made him feel safe, sad, and worried all at once. Arthur. He didn't know what it meant, or who this Arthur was, but he knew he was important. He sat up quickly when he heard a sharp rap on the door. Not really knowing what to do, he just waited and soon the door opened slowly. A kind face peeked in and a man with dark hair said,
"Breakfast. C'mon." He waved Emrys over, and in the boy's rush to stand he clumsily fell to the floor. The man chuckled slightly as Emrys stood and walked to the door. Emrys only stumbled over a few stairs on the way down, but Sirius, as the man was called, caught him and helped him each time. Emrys felt extremely foolish having to rely on someone else just to walk down some stairs. His mood improved drastically, however, as he entered the kitchen to see food piled high. Other people seemed to be filling their plates, and somehow things were moving on their own. He watched wide eyed as some of the adult wizards used magic to do simple tasks. He turned to Sirius,
"Is, is that magic?" he asked excited. Sirius looked at the boy next to him and nodded. Emrys grinned widely watching the scene before him feeling happy that these people could use magic so freely. Sirius nudged him and started to walk towards the table. Emrys followed close behind suddenly feeling out of place. He sat down next to Sirius and suddenly found a plate with food in front of him. Though it smelled and looked delicious, Emrys' stomach clenched and he felt slightly sick to his stomach. He was pretty sure he'd not eaten in a long time. Instead of digging in to the food, he cautiously took a glass of what looked like milk and sipped it.
As soon as the liquid hit his stomach he barely kept it down. He was even more sure now that he had not eaten in a while due to his stomach cringing at the mild liquid. He set the glass down and didn't touch anything more. The kind woman, Mrs. Weasley, noticed he wasn't eating and quickly started making a fuss.
"Don't let your food get cold, Emrys." She looked confused as his only reply was a shake of the head.
"You don't need to worry about the amount. There's plenty to go around." She tried again probing around to see what was the matter. Again he just shook his head, but this time he muttered something as well.
"What? You're going to have to speak up dear." He looked her in the eyes, his face writ with shame.
"I-I can't stomach food right now." he admitted. Mrs. Weasley frowned wondering why the boy couldn't handle food. She didn't have to ask however as Sirius beat her to it.
"Why?" Emrys looked guilty all of a sudden and looked down.
"Wherever I was, I wasn't fed. I guess I didn't need to eat to survive, or something . . ." He widened his eyes, "but I don't really remember, I just know I haven't eaten anything in a long a time." He returned his gaze to the floor, a slight blush creeping up his neck as all eyes now focused on him, everyone having heard his confession. Mrs. Weasley looked downright furious at the thought that anybody would allow any child to starve. Upon seeing Emrys' bowed head however, she softened.
"Well, that's alright. We'll take it slow, yes?" The black haired boy nodded his bowed head, not wanting to look up. Despite suspicions, everyone in the room felt pity for the boy before them bowing his head in shame for something he had no control over.
"Emrys, later today a man will be coming. His name is Albus Dumbledore, he wants to talk to you. Is that all right?" Mr. Weasley asked. Again Emrys only nodded, but this time he looked up, his blue eyes still bright.
"Children why don't you help Emrys around the house, I'm sure he wants to know where he's at." They nodded and with Emrys in tow, headed back upstairs. Upon entering and shutting the door to Ron and Harry's shared room everyone sat down and stared at the boy that had almost literally fallen into their lives. He didn't seem to notice their gaze as he glanced around the room. He pointed to a dark stain on the floor and looked directly at Ron,
"What's that?"
"Oh, just some water damage, Sirius said. It's fine." He waved the question off. Emrys frowned and focused on the water spot. A flash of gold lit his eyes and the spot was gone as if it'd never existed. Emrys grinned slightly proud that he'd helped these nice people in some way. It soon melted from his face however as he looked back at their faces. Most of them in shock.
"What? I thought you used magic here." He was utterly confused. He had sworn that Sirius had said that magic was used downstairs.
"Uh, yeah, the adults do mate, not us. Plus we use wands, and our eyes don't freakishly turn gold." Ron said.
"Real subtle there, Ronnie-Poo" Fred said,
"Yeah, way to make him feel welcome." George stated his agreement. Emrys watched the whole confrontation not saying a word. He shrugged.
"Sorry."
"You've nothing to be sorry about, Emrys." Hermione said, with a pointed look in Ron's direction.
"Anyway, I was hoping you'd be able to answer some questions." She looked at Emrys with pleading eyes. He blinked, and nodded as though unsure whether he'd be of any use.
"Right, what can you tell me about those three old ladies? The ones that brought you to us?" She asked studying him.
"Umm" He scratched his head, "I think they're called the Disir, but you probably know that. They, um, they're the mouthpieces for the triple goddess. That's about all I know." Hermione frowned,
"The triple goddess? Who's that?" Emrys hesitated in his reply for a moment.
"She's the protector of all magic kind. She's the one who decides whether someone gets magic or not." He said, the facts just appearing in his mind as he needed them for use. He honestly had no idea where all this was coming from, it just felt . . . right.
"How do you know all this Emrys? I thought you said you had no idea about where you've been?" Ginny asked, narrowing her eyes. Emrys stared at her for a moment, his face blank. Right when they were expecting him to give some deep thought out answer that would appease them all he just shrugged.
"No idea, sorry." He had the decency to look sorry at least. Hermione sighed, perturbed that the boy either would not or could not give her the answers she needed.
"That's alright, for now you can help us out." Fred said with a grin. The redhead produced a small pill like invention, bright purple in color.
"Go on try it. Then tell us how it tastes." George said, "we're pretty sure it works perfectly now." Emrys looked at them, but still took what was offered. He sniffed it, and eyed it, before barely licking it. He immediately gagged and wretched. His eyes glowed gold and the pill disappeared from his hand, nothing more than a pile of ashes. Fred and George looked at the pile of dust in woe,
"That was our last prototype." George moaned. Emrys frowned,
"Then perhaps you should make a new recipe. Whatever that thing was it tasted like a bird left to die on the side of a road."
"Did you just compare our invention to roadkill?" Fred exclaimed. Emrys nodded, and grinned cheekily. That was the first time any of them had seen the boy smile, and for some reason it cheered them up. The peaceful moment was interrupted as Mrs. Weasley called them down to help clean. Moaning under their breath they all stood and started to make their way downstairs. Harry turned to Emrys who hadn't moved an inch.
"That includes you too, Emrys." He said, gesturing to the boy to follow. Emrys stood and as quickly as he could made his way to the door. He didn't grumble or complain but instead plastered a smile on his face and went happily to work. He didn't know why, but cleaning rooms felt strangely familiar to him and he didn't mind doing it. For some reason he felt that cleaning rooms and helping out was what connected him to Arthur. Emrys was sure that at some point he'd been doing the cleaning and chores for the man, and he knew that he was happy to, till the day he died.
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Albus Dumbledore arrived to the grungy house in London shortly after lunch. After politely declining Molly's offer of food, he instead sat in the dining room waiting for this, Emrys, to come. He did not have to wait long as after a few moments Sirius came in with the boy trailing behind him. His first impression of Emrys was a child covered in dirt and dust, definitely underfed, and with haunted eyes, but he still seemed happy. Dumbledore smiled to the boy trying to make him feel welcome. Emrys grinned right back, the smile on his face lifting the mood of the entire house.
"Hello Emrys, my name is Albus Dumbledore." He extended his hand to Emrys who took it gladly, and nodded his hello.
"I am, if you did not already know, the headmaster to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I take it you know about magic?" Emrys nodded eagerly.
"Yes sir, I know magic. Though I was slightly surprised that you are able to use it so freely."
"We use it freely only around our kind, the muggles, those without magic, have no idea of our existence. We keep it like this so that they can live their lives in peace and so can we." Emrys frowned at his statement, and seemed to deflate. In his mind he knew that magic wasn't supposed to be hidden, and again he felt the strange sensation that Arthur had something to do with uniting magic with non-magic. He still did not know why, and it frustrated him.
"Emrys." He looked up as his name was mentioned. Dumbledore was looking at him with great interest. "Is something wrong?" The headmaster asked. Not having a reliable answer, Emrys shook his head, and forced a small smile on his face.
"Nothing, I just thought people who had magic would be more free." He shrugged. Dumbledore smiled at him sadly, understanding the plight that the boy had shared.
"Maybe one day, Emrys. For now I'd like to know, do you yourself have magic?" Emrys smiled a true smile this time and nodded. He focused on a chipped edge of the table where they sat and concentrated. In a flash of gold the edge of the table was fixed, and what was more seemed as polished as it had been when it was brand new. Albus was shocked slightly that the power of the boys magic would change his eye color, but he hid it well and instead studied the table. It was completely fixed. Albus didn't really know what to make of Emrys, but he knew that the boy was powerful and seemed to have a good head on his shoulders. He wasn't really suspicious of Emrys, but he didn't want him too far away that he could be touched by the evil of Voldemort. He made up his mind.
"In a few weeks the first semester of Hogwarts will begin. Would you like to attend?" The boy looked up excitedly at the headmaster, his eyes shone with happinness.
"Really? Yo-You'd allow me to attend school?" Albus nodded his head, glad that the boy took such excitement at the prospect of education.
"Yes, yes, of course I want to come!" Albus nodded.
"Then expect a letter of all the things you will need, and to board the train on September the first." The boy nodded eagerly before rushing away, wanting to tell his new found friends. Albus turned to the adults in the room.
"Teach him what he needs to know to be in fifth year with the rest Harry, Ronald, and Hermione. He looks to be their age and I don't want him to feel left out." Then he added in a quieter voice,
"Also keep an eye on him, I don't want him influenced by the dark areas of magic." They nodded their understanding to the headmaster, and he took off with a twinkle in his eye.
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So, how do you think? Worth a continuation? Psshh, even if you said no, I'd still continue it because I want to.
I hope it was different than any other HP and Merlin crossover, I wanted it to be unique.
God bless,
~ Sereh
Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, a.k.a the queen, and Merlin belongs to the BBC. I don't know who owns the idea of magic, but it sure isn't me!