36 The Emerald Trio?

As Oz woke up the day after all that drama, he knew deep down that the day ahead was also going to be a long one.

Last night he exposed his lineage to the Slytherins in the dungeons and knowing them the knowledge has now spread to most of the castle. The students, the teachers and probably even the house elves in the kitchens now know who he really is.

'I swear soon I'm gonna get sick of hearing Merlin's name... maybe I should nickname him Big M or something...'.

Oz got up and did his quick morning exercises. While exercising though, his mind was filled with a myriad of different thoughts.

'I wonder how this year will go? I wonder how I should go about it? That old snake just had to up and disappear too... I hope he isn't out doing anything shady'.

After seeing Salazar missing Oz had a dangerous thought that the man had come into contact or was trying to get into contact with Quirrellmort. After all Voldemort is his direct heir, to him that heir is a lot more valuable than the descendant of a wizard he once trained, even if that wizard was Merlin.

'My identity has probably already spread rapidly now... but Quirrellmort may also learn that I've learnt under Salazar for a year. That information could set his sights on me. It may be prudent to prepare for any unexpected assaults....'.

Oz had a couple of plans that he could work from, however, they weren't exactly good. If he directly went to attack Quirrell there's the risk of Quirrell escaping and that would be an entire ordeal in and of itself. The safest bet was just to play it by ear for now, let fate play out for a while and be vigilant.

'For now at least I should just focus on what I can do. Improving my skills in all areas to prepare for anything along the ways is the smartest I can be for now. To start I will improve my potion making skills...'.

.

As Oz predicted the day was incredibly stifling for him. All the students gave him weird looks whenever they saw him. The looks were varied, most looked at him in awe while others looked at him warily. The majority of the Slytherins now though had discarded their animosity after knowing Oz's lineage, as a matter of fact a few had tried to connect with Oz already.

Oz however didn't want to connect with such kids who switch sides just because someone's ancestor was great so to all these people he gave the cold shoulder. Eventually throughout all this he finally met up with Craig and Cho in the library at their usual spot.

"Ozzy I knew you were special but being Merlin's descendant?... Even thats something I can't accept off the bat...".

Craig was still trying to wrap his head around the reveal. He felt as if Oz's lineage indeed did make sense but having it suddenly shoved in his face was shocking to say the least.

"So thats why you were put in Slytherin as well Oz, besides your cunning and cold nature it was also your lineage that put you in that house! After all Merlin was famously in Slytherin but was also one of those that came out of Slytherin a good person".

Cho since last year didn't fully understand why Oz was put into Slytherin considering his intelligence. As a matter of fact, many times she thought he would be a better fit for Ravenclaw, however now the details of his lineage were out she could accept it.

"Who are you calling cold and cunning Cho? I'm a honest to good wizard!"

Both Craig and Cho laughed at Oz's comment. They knew Oz meant well but sometimes he had a look in his eyes like he was plotting something. That cunningness was something they had grown used to last year.

While Craig and Cho were studying Oz instead went and took all the books in the library related to Merlin. One of his tasks for the year was to learn as much about the person as possible so that in the future he could pursue his legacy properly.

'There's no way such a legendary wizard disappeared so randomly. There must be some sort of reason. When I got the inheritance from Gringotts none of those goblins ever mentioned a manor or household under the Ambrosius name, something which seems extremely weird. But seeing what Merlin left in that vault he is certainly a meticulous guy... There must be a base of some sorts he has that he hid from all prying eyes while around...'.

Oz read books and books on the subject but he couldn't find anything that pointed him a proper direction. He sighed deeply as he finished the last book in the pile.

'The only thing I've learnt is that Merlin once had a book that he took everywhere... The book I got from the vault is definitely not the tome described in these passages as the tome was allegedly just filled with magical runes... That tome could be the key to locating his true base and maybe even his true inheritance... but where the hell would I even start to look for that?'.

The stuff found in the vault at Gringotts was indeed very important to Oz and it was some form of inheritance, after all The ring and heart alone would allow him in the future to improve leaps and bounds. But, the book tipped him off to Merlin's true motives. He didn't want his descendants growing strong rapidly, he wanted them to slowly cultivate themselves over time. Thats why he left such a ritual, it was a way for his descendants to improve themselves while working towards a goal.

'Seriously... what a strange guy...'

Just as Oz finished that thought he saw three people enter the library. The three people in question were a very interesting trio.

'Harry, Hermione and Daphne Greengrass?!'

Oz looked on in shock at this 'boy who lived'

'The lad gets put in Slytherin and decides to go the 'harem route'?!... fair play young potter fair play...'

Initially Oz thought that the golden trio of Ron, Hermione and Harry would still form due to fate or something, but it seems as though Ron cant get rid of his prejudice for Slytherins. This in turn produced a result where Daphne has replaced him in the trio.

'An interesting trio indeed... I wonder how that Daphne got caught up with them? and Hermione is still there... Well she is a bright witch so no harm done there..., It seems that Harry is fitting in rather quickly in comparison to his life in the canon. I guess to some extent I've helped there as well?'

Oz's reveal of being a descendant of Merlin actually masked Harry's entrance into the school. Masking his entrance allowed the boy to not feel burdened by his achievements, allowing him to join the school with calm and relative ease.

In more ways than one Oz had helped the famous 'boy who lived' settle into the wizarding world.