The rest of the week dragged by slowly since Umbridge's evaluation and subsequent argument. The toad had been avoiding him and Merlin could not tell whether to be relieved or worried about whatever she was planning in retaliation. Perhaps Merlin could have been more cautious in telling her off. He felt almost like he was the villain in a movie, monologuing his evil plan before actually enacting it. It never did end well for them and Merlin winced wondering if his actions had brought about trouble for himself later.
He had noticed her glaring all through breakfast but to be honest, Merlin was far too busy thinking about his plans for today to pay it any mind. He just wanted one good day away from the castle and all the drama this place seemed to induce because while Merlin loved his one true home, it attracted trouble almost as much as Arthur and he used to, combined.
Speaking of trouble, Merlin glanced at the Gryffindor table and watched as Neville attempted to practice a charm spell he had no doubt learned yesterday with little success. The most he managed to do was spill pumpkin juice on the girl sitting across from him. Hermione had been watching the scene unfold too, as the fifth year started yelling at poor Neville who looked about to die from fright, and intervened. She quickly spelled the girl's robe clean and obviously said some rather unkind things as the other girl glared and stomped out of the great hall.
Merlin sighed, today would be the perfect day to take Neville to get his new wand. Not to mention having to go to Diagon Alley to find his potion ingredients for his prank on Umbridge. It would kill two birds with one stone and Merlin was always a fan of getting more done than he had hoped for. Now, he only needed to gather permission for Neville to join him on his outing. With him sitting right beside Dumbledore he had very easy access to such a thing.
"Headmaster," Merlin said, gaining the wizard's attention before he continued. "I would like to request the day to go to Diagon Alley and would like to bring Neville Longbottom along as I have an idea to hopefully better his grades."
Dumbledore looked thoughtful only answering him back after he had finished the bite of food he had taken, "If I may inquire as to the idea then I see no harm in allowing a student off the grounds for a few hours," he said and Merlin grinned, eagerly explaining his "theory" that since Neville's wand was technically his father's it would never truly belong to him and therefore it was resisting Neville by having most of his spells backfire on him. A new wand could be the simple solution.
"And who would pay for such a thing?" Dumbledore asked, eyes twinkling as he leaned in, having agreed that the wand most likely was the problem.
"I will, of course. It is no trouble and if it helps one of my students I would gladly pay for it," Merlin said unequivocally.
Dumbledore nodded but still had one last thing to say, "A very charitable thing to do Myriddian, but I insist you use some of Hogwarts treasury as it deals with a student at this school."
Merlin smiled and thanked the headmaster, laughing internally since any money Hogwarts had acquired since its opening had been a small quarter of Merlin's hard-earned coin back in the twelfth century that Dumbledore had very graciously allowed Merlin to use. The irony was not lost on Merlin.
~
Merlin grinned as he made his way to the Gryffindor tower to collect Neville. He was happy to finally get away without worry over the many secrets or expectations others had for him. Even now, he had not been able to get rid of the weight that had rested squarely on his shoulders since he learned about the prophecy or his being Emrys. The responsibility that the name and title held added to the heavy burden as he protected the druids and magical creatures from mankind's prejudices.
Sadly, not all of Uther's bigotry had faded into nothing and as new religions sprung up, the more his people and kind had to hide. He was only grateful some version of Arthur still existed in a positive light and vowed to hold onto his friend's last words. It was hard because Merlin had changed, time did it to any man, immortal or not. He would not regret all that he had done and become, finally growing into himself in a way he was not able to while living under Uther and Arthur's shadow.
While he was grateful for all the friendships he had made in his first lifetime, especially Arthur's, he could not help but wonder what his life would have been like without a prophecy hanging over his head. If he would be alive now or perhaps he would have met Freya sooner or later and she might have lived. Perhaps Morgana had not needed to be Camelot's enemy and Gwen would not have been widowed without a secure heir to a throne so young.
Merlin stopped his despairing thoughts in their tracks. No. He would never regret challenging the prat that day, nor saving his life and becoming one of his very best friends. It did not make it hurt any less but Merlin would wait a thousand more years for his friends to come back so Merlin can finally rest in Avalon. Gods, Merlin was tired.
~
"Where are you off to in such a hurry?" The Fat Lady greeted him. Merlin huffed, not used to the seemingly endless moving staircases that led the way to the Gryffindor Tower. Holding his ribs as he breathed deeply Merlin answered, "I'm here for Neville Longbottom."
"Good gracious, what has that boy done now? If it's not Seamus causing explosions with every wave of his wand then Neville isn't far behind to cause his own misfortune!" The Fat Lady bemoaned, waving her fan frantically as she fell on a sofa she must have stolen to put in her own portrait. Merlin laughed quietly, coughing to cover his mistake as she narrowed her eyes at him.
"Well, hopefully, your troubles regarding Neville will soon be over. I just need to pop in and grab him," Merlin hinted.
"You wizards have no respect for passwords anymore, expecting me to open without even a guess! Dumbeldore should hear about this-"
"-That won't be necessary, My Lady. I promise I shall talk with him on your behalf but for now, I do need to see Mr. Longbottom. It is of the utmost importance," Merlin said, layering it on thick in the hopes her vanity would cloud her sense of righteousness for long enough for him to enter unscathed. He missed when portraits did not have their own thoughts. Things were much simpler and caused fewer headaches.
"Oh, alright...but only this once," The Fat Lady finally conceded. Merlin sighed in relief and walked through the portrait hole when it opened enough for him to squeeze through.
Everything was still the same as the last time he had set foot in the tower Godic had claimed as his own when he was a child. Though the furniture had been upgraded, it was still a cozy atmosphere with the fire roaring in the corner of the common room and students studying or playing games. The noise was loud enough that no one noticed his entrance. Quietly, he made his way over to Neville who was reading by himself not far from the infamous trio. They were discussing something that had Hermione huffing and crossing her arms but she settled back down quickly enough. Harry looked uncomfortable and had shrunk in on himself. While Ron simply looked disgruntled.
Turning back to Neville, Merlin cleared his throat and watched as Longbottom startled from his book on how to avoid injuries from the many dangerous plants he spent so much time around.
"P-professor," Neville squeaked loudly, drawing attention to not only himself but to Merlin as well. Ignoring the stares of the suddenly silent students, Merlin gestured for him to follow him to a more private location. Neville nodded gratefully and let Merlin lead the way back out of the portrait hole.
"I didn't think you would want an audience when I asked if you were free today to get your new wand. It's a bit short notice but I was only just able to request to take you off of Hogwart's grounds for the day," Merlin explained. Watched as Neville's mouth opened like a fish and struggled to form a sentence.
"Of course Professor," he eventually managed to stutter out.
"Gather whatever you need and meet me at the entrance hall," Merlin said, giving Neville a few minutes to compose himself and lose the nervous energy that suddenly surrounded him. Giving him a reassuring smile, Merlin turned around and walked away.
~
Neville stumbled unsteadily on his feet through the portrait hole, his expression no doubt bewildered. He had no chance to find his equilibrium when Hermione flooded his vision, Harry, and Ron not far behind.
"Well? What did the Professor want?" Hermione demanded. Her arms crossed when no answer came, Harry, bumped his shoulder.
"He...he asked if I was free to go and get a new wand," Neville stuttered out, his knees failing him and his body hitting the sofa. He wasn't quite so sure why he was shocked, they had talked about it only the week before. He guessed, he was simply used to people not keeping their word. He understood he was a little funny sometimes and it made them shy away. He wasn't the cleverest or the sports type and didn't even feel like a Gryffindor half of the time. It made him wary concerning promises and it made his stomach clench in anticipation that finally, he could get a new wand.
Though his current wand was one of the only things he had left from his father, he could not help but feel glad to part with it. Maybe he could be good at something for once. Magic always seemed to come easy to his peers and yet the simplest of spells, some so idiot-proof he was sure even a squib could manage it, was a struggle.
"When are you to leave?" Harry asked, cutting off his train of thought. Hermione looked expectant and Neville struggled to meet her eyes.
Wrapping his arms around himself, he shrugged, "He told me to get whatever I needed and to meet him at the entrance hall."
"Do you want one of us to come with you?" Hermione asked, her voice softer than earlier and Neville couldn't help but instinctually relax.
He shook his head, "Professor Emrys said he only got permission for me to leave the grounds, it would do no good."
"Nonsense, we can at least see you off. Right, Ron, Harry?" Hermione reassured, backing up her statement when her foot subtly connected with Ron's.
"Yeah, 'course," Ron hurriedly agreed. Neville couldn't help but grin, nodding vigorously before composing himself as best he could.
He hurried upstairs to his dormitory, finding better clothes to wear outside in the colder weather. He pulled on a jumper that was still a little large on him but he was growing into his father's clothes more and more, as his Gran said so. It was soft and worn with age and no doubt his favorite article of clothing he owned. When he was younger he would curl up on the couch with his Gran, the jumper more of a dress or small blanket, and listen as she read him stories of great witches and wizards of times long passed.
Rushing back down the stairs, he saw Hermione, Ron, and Harry huddled together near the entrance still.
"Ready?" Neville asked, butterflies returning to make him nauseous. The others nodded and quickly made their way down the halls and to the giant oak doors that lead to Hogsmeade and beyond. They found the Professor in no time, standing out in bright purple robes with drooped sleeves ornate in gold spirals and leaves. He seemed to be interested in the plaque that stated the school's motto. Neville had looked up the Latin words and discovered the utter nonsense of it. To 'Never Tickle a Sleeping Dragon'. What was that even supposed to mean? The professor though seemed to find great amusement in it.
"I'm here, Professor," Neville announced as confidently as he could muster. Emrys turned quickly, his body almost connecting with Ron had Hermione not foreseen their clumsy Professor's coordination skills, pulling Ron by his sweater at the last second. It made Ron trip over his feet and the Professor righting himself with an apology on the tip of his tongue, but at least both were still standing.
"You brought a send-off party I see," Emrys acknowledged, tipping his head in the direction of a grumbling Ron, a sheepish Harry, and a pleased Hermione. Neville nodded, not sure what else to add to the conversation before Emrys decided for him by beckoning them forward and just as abruptly as his earlier turnabout faced for the doors, his long strides quickly propelling him outdoors.
"Come on," Hermione encouraged, rushing to keep up with their Professor and leaving the remaining teens to catch up. Spurred to action, Harry, Ron, and Neville kept pace more easily than Hermione, the shortest of the bunch, and found the Professor stopped where they knew the carriages that brought every year of students but for the first years to the castle from the train station.
"Apparating will be quickest but the ward that prevents such a thing within Hogwarts' grounds is much too far a walk," the professor explained, unlatching the gate and entering the stable-like structure. Inside, a place Neville had an overpassing curiosity as to the interior, but held not much more interest in than wizards chess wished now he had looked.
From the outside, the dull, unadorned building was nothing to look at, but the inside was another story entirely. Though the stone was the same as the exterior, intricate wood carvings created a mural on the walls, horses with wings and dark shadow for skin, they stood out starkly against the light colors of oak and unpolished granite that finished the materials used in the tapestry-like art. As with most magic, the mural moved, the history of the creature displayed. Transfixed, Neville smiled as the nearest horse beat its bat-like wings and took off, hurriedly so as not to lose it, Neville followed. It flew around the British Isles and Ireland, it weaved around the humans who cast spells and shot arrows, each aiming with deadly intent. Finally, finding sanctuary in Scotland, one man in the middle of a herd of animals. The Hogwarts castle shadowed behind them in an imposing light. Neville glanced back at the Professor, finding himself alone with the man, his friends had left without him realizing.
"An intriguing story to be sure," Emrys called, having felt eyes upon him once more. He moved to stand next to Neville, his sleeve brushing the back of his elbow as he came to a stop.
"What are they?" he could not help but ask, the answer floating in his head, he was sure, but could not pull the memory of its name to the forefront of his mind.
"They are Thestrals," he answered. Neville gulped, he had heard about them. Omens of death and bad fortune...yet the tale the mural told spoke in a different light about them. Hunted and misunderstood.
"Hogwarts boasts the only domesticated, and I use the term loosely, herd of thestrals in the British Isles."
"Then what are we doing here?" Neville could not help but ask, turning and glancing at the empty stables, finding no living creature among the hay, nevertheless a whole thestral.
"They are the fastest way, besides a broom, unreliable things brooms-" the Professor mumbled the second bit, obviously not meaning for Neville to hear. The rest of his thoughts on flying brooms are unintelligible to Neville."-anyhow, up you get."
Neville turned towards the Professor's pointed finger, one of the stalls opposite where they were standing. At first, he didn't understand. There was nothing there, only hay on the floor and water in the trough. The longer he stared, the more he noticed, between the iron-wrought bars of the stable doors, lay indents in the hay. The faint hint of a breeze where there should be none, Neville had no doubt that were they outside in the cold he would see the fog of breath. He allowed himself to listen in the quiet for something that could belong to neither boy nor Professor.
"They are invisible to those who have not seen death and have not understood all that death consumes," Emrys finally spoke up again, startling Neville. He watched as his Professor stepped up and started to pet, in his eyes, open air. "Would you like to try?"
Silently, Neville nodded, hesitantly reaching his hand out to where his professors were. Pleasantly surprised, it felt smooth, like rock worn by years from weathering by water. He could feel its breathing, its body moving up and down in a calming rhythm.
"Ready to ride him?" Neville nodded, nervous now to have to be riding on something which he could not see but reminded himself he was put in Gryffindor for a reason. "They do not care for saddles, just hold on to his neck and he will follow his mate."
Only then did the Professor help him settle atop his horse and open the stall next to him. He guided both horses until they were outside and swiftly climbed his own steed. Neville was sure anyone witness to such a spectacle, two people seemingly floating in midair, would find it a wondrous prank. Neville though was focused on not falling off his veiled ride to the border ward, his hands gripping their neck as they started to trot and then canter before finally galloping and pushing off to start its climb into the sky.
For most of the short journey, Neville kept his eyes closed and his head in what he felt was the neck of the creature, only looking up as he felt it dip lower, seeing himself quickly meeting the ground.
~
After climbing off the winged horse it was easy to get to Diagon Alley, a side-along apparation meaning traveling from Scotland to the middle of London, England took no more than a few seconds. Though Neville would rather have flown all the way on the thestral if it meant he did not have to experience the gut-churning sensation of being compressed through time and space to achieve instant teleportation. Taking a glance around, now able to open his eyes for longer than a second from vertigo, he found they had apparated in the side alley behind The Leaky Cauldron, the entrance to Diagon Alley.
He watched as the familiar sequence was tapped onto the bricks by Emrys' wand, the wall collapsing back into itself and the bright and colorful street took its place. Despite it being the middle of the day the alley was packed with witches and wizards shopping, dining, and simply going about errands they could not go elsewhere for. Neville never much liked crowds and stepped close enough to the professor that it would be impossible for him to get lost unless he tried. Seemingly sensing his turmoil Emrys placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and started to steer them in the direction Neville knew to be Ollivander's wand shop. Neville focused more on the street, the cobblestone road that never failed to make Neville trip over his own feet, only glancing up from under his hair to avoid a person or make sure Emrys was still the one in possession of his shoulder and leading them in the correct direction.
Finally, a door opened with a chime to signal their arrival to those behind the counter, and Neville and his Professor entered the old shop. The door closed softly and with it, the general noise from the street lessened significantly, enough that Neville felt himself relax and take in his surroundings once more. He had never had the opportunity to enter Ollivander's; the price of a new wand was something his Gran was unable to afford during her retirement, never having thought to be taking care of her grandson as well as herself.
The whole of the space was done in dark-stained oak, from the floor to the ceiling. Great looming bookcases covered every inch of the walls but for the windows, whose shorter cases took up residence. Instead of boasting books as in Flourish and Blotts, Ollivander had thin parcels of different colors with labels on the front without a needle's worth of space remaining on a single bookcase that Neville could see. The counter was cluttered with still more wand cases, a single record-keeping book and quill, and a table lamp.
"Just a moment," Neville heard the shopkeeper call out, appearing from behind a second row of bookshelves, higher up than a normal human could be with their feet planted on the floor. Ollivander practically grinned as he took note of just who his customers were. He almost jumped off of what Neville was now realizing was a ladder, having thought better of such a thing he simply hurried down the steps and shook the professor's hand vigorously.
"Why I never, It has been much too long, my friend," Ollivander said, finally releasing Emrys' hand.
The Professor dipped his head in greeting and returned the enthusiastic declaration, "I know, I would have come sooner but while I was out of the country there was a lot to catch up on and I simply ran out of time to do it all before the school year started," Emrys explained, appearing apologetic.
"Nonsense," Ollivander waved his hand dismissively. "You are here now and that is all that matters."
"Sadly, I am not here on a social call, perhaps next time," This time Ollivander glanced around the room and Neville met the grey irises that had been too wrapped up in the Professor that he had failed to notice Neville at all.
"Ah,"
"Yes, I need a new wand for my student, Neville Longbottom," Emrys nodded, his hand coming up to give a reassuring pat on Neville's shoulder. In an attempt to be polite Neville gave an awkward smile and a quiet "Hello".
"I have just the thing," Ollivander promised after having taken strange measurements with his tape, instead of the normal places one would thing to take them for clothes fittings, he took from shoulder to finger, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit and around his head. Flabbergasted, Neville turned to look at his Professor who seemed to be struggling not to smile as he watched the measuring tape complete its task.
Ollivander returned in moments with a wand in hand, "English oak, dragon heartstring, 11inches, whippy," he announced. "Give it a wave," he said when Neville simply stared at the wand he had been handed. He gripped it like he would a snake having heard of harry's many attempts at finding his own wand. Gently he swished the wood about and winced as the book Ollivander had on the counter went up in flames. Ollivander paid it no mind as he went searching through his shelves again. The Professor took up the job of putting out the flames that threatened to catch onto the quill and tabletop.
"Black walnut, Phoenix feather, 13 inches, stiff," Ollivander spoke expectantly. Reluctantly, Neville held out the wand, but before he could so much as think of waving it around it whipped out of his hand, and notched itself into the bookcases as if hiding itself from being used.
"Perhaps not," Ollivander muttered to himself, this time Ollivander took longer to find the wand he was looking for.
"Don't worry Neville, the first time I had come in here we had gone through almost every wand in the store before my friend found one," he tried to reassure but instead Neville found dread seep into his stomach, he couldn't take up that much of his Professor's time, nor Ollivander's there were bound to be other customers who showed up soon. Neville thought about just asking the Professor to leave, but he had taken the time out of his day to take Neville to get one. Not to mention the teasing that would accompany coming back with no new wand in hand.
"I think this might do it," he rounded the corner again holding out the wand for Neville to take. Taking in a deep breath, Neville gripped it, trying to believe this could be his new wand. That Emrys was not wrong to take a chance on him. As confidently as he could muster, Neville swished the wand and waited with bated breath as flowers sprung up from the long dead wood that made up Ollivander's ladder. Laughing, Neville grinned, he had done it.
"Congratulations, Neville," Professor Emrys exclaimed. Neville could hardly contain his excitement and, before he could change his mind hugged both Emrys and Ollivander in quick succession.
"Thank you, Professor. Thank you, Mr.Ollivander, thank you," Neville praised, grinning all the while.
"If only all wizards were so thankful anymore," Ollivander shook his head, smiling. "That will be Cherry, unicorn hair, 13 inches, and slightly springy."
He watched, still clutching his new wand, as Emrys handed over the required coins and exchanged their lasting goodbyes with promises to see each other soon.
As soon as they were out the door and back onto the slightly thinning streets of Diagon Alley Neville expressed his appreciation once again.
"I have done only what Hogwarts should have done in the first place. They know how dangerous using a wand that is not suited to a person is," Emrys challenged, seeming to tense before letting himself relax. "You don't mind if I make one more stop before we head back to Hogwarts?"
Neville shook his head and started walking with the Professor. They wound their way through until they reached the apothecary. The colorless stone was an eyesore compared to its neighboring shops painted in greens and reds and every other bright, attractive color they could get their hands on. Once inside, Emrys left Neville to browse around the shop while he collected his necessary supplies. Covering his nose against the smell of mingling ingredients, from flobberworm mucus to fairy wings to mythical creature's blood, Neville did his best to be as unobtrusive to the other customers that littered the store intermittently. Luckily, Neville did not have to wait long before the Professor returned to gather him up to leave.
"I figured I might treat you to Fortescue's before we leave. It will be our little secret," Emrys winked, walking on as Neville eagerly nodded, he had been only once for his birthday, and Gran had saved up enough that they had been able to enjoy a double scoop each. It was much like he remembered it to be too, the smell much a more pleasant one than the apothecary could boast of. Smelling of sweet cream and fresh cones to hold the ice cream. The inside hosted a rainbow of flavors along the walls and livened up the space considerably from the plain eggshell paint. Professor Emrys gave him plenty of time to peruse the line before deciding on a salty caramel cashew surprise, one of the more mellow colors and profile choices. Happy with his choice he met back up with his Professor who had a peculiar green and purple combination in his hand. They paid and sat in a set of chairs outside as they ate in silence. Neville was not sure how to break the quiet and the Professor was seemingly content without any chatter for once.
All too soon, Neville finished the last of his ice cream and they were off, the sweet he had just eaten making his nausea worse as they apparated; he wished he had declined Professor Ermys' offer of ice cream. Not only did they have to apparate but they had to ride again on the thestrals that had apparently not strayed very far since their departure. Needless to say, despite the new wand and sweet treat, Neville was glad to be back at Hogwarts.
________________________________________________________________________________
Notes:
Neville's first wand was inherited but is unknown what kind. Used a description for his second wand.