Legacy of Merlin Chapter 30

James slumped in his chair, nursing his bruised ego, and the throbbing ache in his left cheek. He could still hear Moody's voice echoing in his head, taunting him with every one of his failures.

Moody had come into his house, taken him from his bed, threatened his life, and worst of all, there was nothing he could do about it.

Moody outclassed him, both physically and magically. He was no match for the former Auror in a direct fight. He knew that. His skills leaned more towards transfiguration and charms instead of combat.

He had a difficult time explaining his bruises to Lily and Gloria. In the end, he had to tell them he fell down the stairs. The truth would only cause them to worry.

The thing he hated most was how weak he felt it that moment. How Moody treated him like a speck of dirt on his boot, and how he just took it, how he cowered in front of the man, how he didn't even try to defend himself.

Moody had exposed his weaknesses, ripped off his rose-tinted spectacles, and forced him to see the truth of himself for the first time in a very long time.

He resolved to build himself back up, better and stronger than before. He would build on his strengths and make up for his weaknesses. Moody didn't know it yet, but by letting him live, he had sealed his own fate. The next time they met, he would be ready for him.

He wouldn't shy away from getting his hands dirty anymore. He would become just as ruthless as his enemies and take back everything that was rightfully his.

He wouldn't ask for his position back on the Wizengamot, he would take it, and for that, he would need his fortune. The monthly stipend he received was a pittance, a mere fraction of what he should have. Then he would deal with Moody, and after that, the boy.

"James, are you in here?" Lily asked, poking her head into his study, interrupting his dark thoughts.

"Yes," James replied, clearing his throat as he sat up in his chair and looked at his wife.

"What are you doing in here?" She asked curiously. She had never know James to to spend this much time in his study before.

"Just thinking," James replied.

"About what?" She asked, stepping inside, hoping he wasn't planning something on his own again, especially since they made their agreement.

"I need to get control of my family fortune Lily," James explained. "It's the only way to get out of this mess."

Lily nodded in understanding. "Maybe we can find another solicitor?" She suggested.

"We've gone down that road before," James reminded her, a hint of irritation creeping into his voice. "All they do is shuffle their papers and collect their fees."

"What else can we do?" Lily asked.

"…Do you remember Mungdungus Fletcher?" James asked.

Lily furrowed her brows, remembering the name, but having trouble placing it. "…He's the thief, right? He works for the Order?"

"Amongst other things," James agreed. "He's also good at gathering information. We've tried going through the solicitors before. Maybe we'll have better luck with him."

"I don't know, James," Lily said reluctantly. "He doesn't have the best reputation. What if he does something? The last thing we need is for our names to get dragged through the mud again."

"We'll only pay him to gather information, not to do anything illegal," James assured her. "Then we'll take what he finds to a solicitor."

"…Alright," Lily agreed, somewhat hesitantly. "I suppose it couldn't hurt to see what he finds."

James went to the fireplace and threw in a pinch of floo powder, causing a burst of emerald green flames to erupt from the logs. He still remembered where the man lived. With any luck, he was still at home.

"What do ya want?" Mungdungus said, appearing in the fireplace.

"I have a business proposition for you," James replied.

"You're Potter, eh?" Mungdungus said, recognizing him. "Did Albus send ya?"

"…Not exactly," James replied. "We need your help to find something."

"And we would like you to find it discreetly," Lily added.

"Why don't you step through?" James suggested. "We can talk here."

Mung looked around the room carefully for any signs of a trap. 'It seems safe enough,' he thought as he stepped through the fireplace, looking around again, just to be on the safe side.

"We need your help to find someone," James explained. "They manage the Potter fortune. The name of the firm they work for is Dalton & Moore."

"Well, why don't ya just ask them?" Mung asked, wondering why they would want to hire him for something so simple.

"We've tried," Lily explained, "but they won't tell us."

"That's not much to go on," Mung muttered, scratching his head. "It's gonna cost ya. I need at least 5000 galleons to start."

Lily and James looked at each other, thinking the same thing. 5000 galleons was no small amount of money, especially if he didn't get them the results they needed. They also didn't know if he would just run off once he got the money.

"We've payed a lot of solicitors upfront with nothing to show for it," James explained. "We'll pay you after you find who we're looking for."

"It don't work that way," Mung said, shaking his head. "You pay me first, or I don't do the work, simple as that."

"4000, half now, and half when you find him," James offered. It was a lot of money, almost twice as much as they spent on solicitors, but it would be worth it if he found what they needed.

Lily looked at James sharply, knowing they wouldn't be able to replace that kind of money easily.

"…Alright, deal," Mung said, hiding his smile. He would have done it for the 2000.

"Alright, wait here," James said as he walked out of the study.

Lily quickly followed him out. "Are you sure about this, James?" She asked, not liking the look of the man. "Maybe it would be better to try another solicitor first?"

"We have to do this Lily," James insisted as he retrieved the money. "We aren't getting anywhere with the solicitors."

Lily nodded reluctantly, not having any other ideas.

"Alright, 2000 galleons," James said, handing Mung the pouch.

Mung dug his hands into the pouch greedily. This was the best pay he'd got in months. "I'll let you know what I find," he said, leaving through the fireplace.

"Come on James," Lily said taking his hand after Mung left. "Let's go spend some time with Glory, she's been feeling a little left out recently.

  ***

Harry sat on his bed reading the letter Ted sent him, hoping he had found something to help Tom.

Hello Harry,

It took a lot more work than expected, but I found the name of the company that rents the building to Tom. It's called Evergreen Investments.

I sent them a purchase offer, just like we discussed, 10% above market value. We should get a response from them pretty soon.

Considering how much they raised Tom's rates, they'll jump on an offer like this.

It should just take a couple more days to hammer out the details, and then you'll own the property outright.

I've also got some good news for you on the Nimbus deal too. All the contracts are ready to go. We just have to meet with the Nimbus board and sign. I'll arrange it for this weekend so it doesn't get in the way of your classes.

Ted.

Harry put the letter down, glad that at least something was going right. He wondered if it was a good idea to tell Ted about the study group.

He only learned what they were up to because of Merlin, and he wasn't quite ready to reveal that secret. What if Ted thought he was crazy, listening to voices in his head?

He would need to find out more before he involved Ted, get some kind of proof that he could act on.

He checked his watch. There were only a few more minutes before Draco and Hermione finished the study group meeting.

He went down to the common room, and with Ron, they left the tower, making their way to the abandoned classroom they used for their meetings.

It was another ten minutes before Draco and Hermione arrived. Ron looked outside the door, making sure they weren't followed before he closed and locked the door.

"How did it go?" Harry asked.

"I don't think they suspect us," Hermione said, a hint of uncertainty in her voice.

"They're certainly up to something. I'll give you that Potter," Draco added.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"They may not think we're onto them, but they're also keeping us at arm's length," Draco explained. "In the beginning, there was all this talk about some kind of big project, but all we've done so far is study. They don't trust us with what they're really doing."

"Were you able to find out anything?" Ron asked.

"Not really," Hermione said. "We didn't want to push too hard and make them suspicious."

Harry nodded. He understood the need to go slowly to avoid suspicion, but there was far too much they didn't know. "Do they call themselves anything? I can't imagine they called themselves the study group for all this time."

If they had a name, he could ask Ted to look into them, or Merlin might have even heard of them.

"No," Hermione shook her head. "We didn't want it to sound like we were interrogating them." After what happened in the forest, she wanted as little to do with them as possible.

"Draco, what about Bole? He's in your house. Can you see what you can find out about him?" Harry asked.

"Easier said that done," Draco said. "He's not going to come out and tell me what's going on. The only option would be to search his room, and I can't do that without the other third year's noticing."

"We need a to find a way to distract them then," Harry replied.

"Wait," Hermione said excitedly. "I have an idea! I read about it one of my books, polyjuice potion. We can disguise ourselves as other students and sneak in."

"How long does it take to brew?" Harry asked. It wasn't a potion he had read about yet.

That was when Hermione's smile dimmed. "A month."

"A month is too long," Harry said. "And that's if we don't make any mistakes in the brewing process." With a brewing time of a month, it was likely an advanced potion as well.

"Maybe not," Draco said, thinking about it. "There's a shop in Knockturn Alley my father visits, Shyverwretch's. They can sell you the potion."

Harry nodded, liking the idea. "Alright, I can buy enough vials for us to search their rooms."

Just as they were about to leave, they heard the door knob shake. They drew their wands, pointing them at the door, all thinking the same thing. How did the study group find them?

Harry looked around the room, but there was nowhere to hide, and they were on the third floor, so going out the window wasn't an option.

He aimed his wand at the door, mentally preparing himself for the fight that was about to happen.

"Oi! Open the door!" a familiar voice called out as the doorknob rattled again.

"Fred, George?" Harry called out as he lowered his wand. "Is that you?"

"Yes, now can you open the door?" they chorused back.

Ron unlocked the door, letting them inside.

When Hermione, Harry and Draco saw them, they also lowered their wands.

"What are you doing here?" Ron asked.

"Andre and his friends," Fred replied.

"They went into the forbidden forest," George finished.

"What are they doing there?" Harry asked.

"No idea," Fred replied. "They map doesn't extend very far into the forest, but all of them went out there, except for him," He said, pointing at Draco.

Harry didn't like the sound of that at all. It had only been a couple of days since they performed the ritual. What could they be doing now?

"How long ago did they go into the forest?" Harry asked.

"About a half hour ago," George answered.

Harry sighed. That meant they could be practically anywhere inside the forest. Finding them would be next to impossible, and if he ran into another acromantula as big as the last one, he wouldn't be able to pull off the same trick to beat it this time.

  ***

Andre trudged through the forest alongside the rest of the study group, minus Hermione and Draco. He had really hoped to avoid the forest, but after what happened, they didn't have a choice. They were on a timetable, and couldn't afford to fall behind, not when they were so close.

Someone was spying on them, and even after searching the school from top to bottom, they couldn't figure out who it was.

No one had visited Madam Pompfrey in the last few days, at least with injuries consistent with fighting Acromantula's.

That only left one option. The people they chased through the forest weren't students at all. 'Maybe it's what they wanted them to think? Send them on a wild goose chase. But if they weren't students, then who were they?' he thought.

"We're almost there," Ismelda said as she kept a watchful eye for any sign of trouble.

"Good," Talbott replied, pointing his wand at every suspicious looking shadow.

He knew they couldn't risk doing the empowerment ritual in the astronomy tower, or anywhere inside the school for that matter.

They crossed into the clearing and prepared for the ritual. It wouldn't give them the same boost the last one had, but it was a step in the right direction.

He turned to look at the Thestral Ismelda and Elspeth led into the clearing, watching as it reared up on its hind legs as it crossed the threshold, almost like it knew what its fate was going to be.

A part of him felt sorry for the creature, but he knew it was sacrificing its life for a greater cause.

They hammered a few pegs into the ground, tying down its legs securely and pulled out their ritual daggers.

As one, they descended on the Thestral, much in the same way they had done for the Acromantula.

The poor creature's screams filled the night air as its life blood seeped into the ground. With each passing moment, the Thestral's thrashing grew weaker and weaker until it finally crumpled to the ground, its body limp and lifeless.

Andre cleaned his ritual knife and put it away, feeling the creature's magic flow into him. 'This ritual was nothing short of incredible,' he thought. He could practically feel his body thrum with newfound power.

He looked around the clearing, hoping the spies would show themselves again. This time, they wouldn't escape.

  ***

Harry returned to his dorm room and pulled the curtains around his bed, then closed his eyes, dropping into his mind scape.

He could still see the jagged line in the stone wall, a vivid reminder of the battle he fought in the forest. The patch seemed to be holding, and he hoped it would be fully heal soon.

"It'll be another two or three days at least," Merlin said.

Harry nodded. "What do you think they're doing in the forest?"

"Nothing good," Merlin replied. "But if I had to guess, they realized the castle is no longer safe for them, and they wanted to avoid being discovered a second time."

"They must have done the ritual on Halloween for a reason," Harry pressed. "With all the downsides of the ritual, they must have done it for a larger purpose."

"Trust your instincts," Merlin replied. "You were right not to search for them tonight. They are far more dangerous now than they have ever been before."

"How can I stop them?" Harry asked. Even if he could pull off the same trick by channeling magic, it would put him out of the fight after the first spell.

"I don't know that you can, at least on your own," Merlin replied.

Harry thought about bringing it up with the Minister and Ted again, but wasn't even sure where to begin. Would they even believe him without any proof? It would be his word against Andre and his friends.

"You'll have to think of something," Merlin said, picking up on his thoughts. "In the meantime, I'll show you the next set of my memories."

"Merlin, not that I don't find your memories interesting, but I need something to stop Andre," Harry pointed out.

"That was my thought as well," Merlin agreed. "There's a few spell I used in this set of memories, spells that aren't in any of your text books. I think you'll find them useful."

The room slowly faded away as Harry descended into another one of Merlin's memories.

  ***

When Morgan kissed me, it was the happiest moment of my life. I didn't know how long it would last, or what her father would do if he ever found out, but at the time, I didn't care.

We pretended to have more lessons so her father wouldn't get suspicious, but he had always been a perceptive man. He knew something had changed, even if he didn't know exactly what.

As the months passed, he dropped in on our lessons more and more, watching us intently. Looking back on it, I'm sure he at least suspected what we were up to.

Then one day, without any warning, he said the words I had been dreading. I wouldn't be teaching Morgan anymore. He said that she learned everything she needed to, and it was time for me to leave.

He arranged a betrothal for Morgan. She was to marry Urien of the house Rheged, a wealthy lord living in the north.

Morgan and I were devastated, having to face the reality of our situation. As much as we wanted to be together, we knew her father would never allow it.

I went to bed that night with a broken heart, knowing that I would again have to leave the place that had become my home.

I lay awake, tossing and turning, trying in vain to think of a way to convince the Duke to let me stay a little longer, but eventually I had to accept the truth. He wanted me gone before Urien arrived, and there was noting I could think of that would convince him otherwise.

Just as I was about to fall into a restless sleep I heard a soft knock on my door. I got up, curious to see who it could be this late at night. Maybe it was one of the guards? Would the Duke force me to leave in the middle of the night, without even saying goodbye to Morgan?

"Merlin," Morgan whispered when I opened the door. She pushed me into the room, quickly shutting the door behind her.

"What's going on?" I asked, the confusion evident in my tone as I took in her appearance. She was dressed in her riding clothes, along with a dark cloak. Where was she planning to go at this time of night?

"I'm coming with you," Morgan declared. "I don't want to marry Urien," she said, kissing me. "I want to be with you."

"You can't," I said in shock. "Your father will never allow it."

"I don't care what father wants," Morgan replied, her voice firm. "I can't spend the rest of my life hiding who I am, pretending to be something I'm not," she continued. "You and me together. We can see the world, find others like us. That's what I want," she said, taking my hand.

"Are you sure?" I asked, doing my best to hide the hope I felt as I looked into her eyes. "If you come with me, you may never see your parents again. We'll be on the run for a long time. It won't be an easy life," I warned.

"I'm sure," Morgan said, holding out a pouch of gold coins. "I took this from my father's study. It'll keep us fed for at least a few months, and we can sell potions along the way to make some more."

I looked at Morgan. She was so beautiful, better than I deserved, and I couldn't imagine my life with her. I pulled her close, kissing her deeply. "Alright," I said. "Let's do it."

I went to the closet and quickly changed, taking my belongings, and packing them away in my rucksack.

We snuck out of the room, making our way down the stairs, hoping to sneak out without anyone noticing, but it seemed the Duke was one step ahead of us.

Instead of a single guard patrolling the ground floor like normal, there were at least a dozen. There was no way we could sneak past them.

I looked at Morgan, our eyes meeting as we came to the same realization. If we were going to escape the castle, we would have to find another way out.

"Are there any spells you know? Something we can use to get past them?" Morgan whispered desperately.

'Amatheon,' I thought. 'I need your help. How can we get past them?'

'Merlin, this is unwise,' Amatheon replied. 'If the Duke catches you, it will cost you your life. Stop now, before it's too late.'

'I can't,' I thought back. 'I can't leave without Morgan. You must know a way to get past the guards. Help me, please.'

'…There is something,' Amatheon relented. 'But you've never tried it before, and it's risky.'

'What is it?' I thought desperately. 'I'll try anything.'

'There's a spell. It can do what you need,' Amatheon explained. 'They'll still be able to see you, but will dismiss your presence as unimportant.'

'That's perfect,' I thought. 'How do I do it?'

'There's more to it than that,' Amatheon said. 'It's a very delicate spell. If they touch you, if you make a loud noise, anything that would draw their attention to you, and the spell will fail.'

'Show me how to do it,' I asked.

Amatheon showed me how to cast the spell. It felt for a moment like someone had dumped a bucket of ice water over my head. I turned to look at Morgan, wondering if the spell had worked.

"What is Merlin?" Morgan asked, wondering why he was looking at her strangely.

'She's already seen you,' Amatheon explained. 'It only works on people that don't know you're there.'

"I know a spell," I said to Morgan. "Do you trust me?"

"Of course," Morgan replied without hesitation.

I took Morgan's hand, casting the spell on her as well.

Morgan yelped, "what was that?"

I quickly explained how the spell worked to Morgan. We didn't have much time. The sun would come up in a few hours, and we had to be as far away from the castle as possible before anyone discovered we were gone.

We carefully made our way down the stairs again, hoping that the spell would work. When we reached the bottom step, a guard stopped, looking directly at us. Morgan and I froze, afraid to move a muscle.

My heart pounded in my chest as the seconds ticked by. I was afraid to even breathe.

After a long moment, the guard shook his head and continued his rounds. I let out a sigh of relief as the guard turned the corner. We carefully slipped past the rest of the guards, but there were still a few close calls in the narrow hallways, but eventually we made it to the front door.

I took one last look to make sure no one saw us, then opened the door, and we slipped outside.

"Let's go to the stables," Morgan whispered. "We'll be able to get further away with horses."

I nodded, following behind Morgan, hoping that her father only stationed the extra guards inside the castle, but when we arrived at the stable doors, we heard them.

'The duke must have called in all the guards, even the ones protecting the town,' I thought.

When I peaked inside, I spotted another three guards waiting for us. I knew there was no way we could get a horse, let alone two, without them noticing, and breaking the spell. I motioned for Morgan to stay by the door. This was going to be risky.

I stepped into the barn, maneuvering between the guards and let lose my magic, violently throwing them away from me. I took them by surprise, sending them sprawling to the ground, and knocking them out cold.

Morgan looked at me in awe. "You never taught me how to do that."

"I will, later," I promised. "We need to hurry," I said, quickly saddling a horse. "The guards are going to wake up soon."

Morgan nodded, saddling her own horse.

I looked outside the barn. It didn't seem like anyone noticed we were gone yet. We led the horses out of the barn and mounted them, making our way to the front gate. As we approached, I knew the spell had run its course. The guards noticed us as soon as we got within sight of them. Two riders coming to the gate in the middle of the night was too suspicious for them to ignore.

There were more soldiers this time, thankfully none of them were mounted. I raised my hand, sending out a wave of magic, and throwing them back as we galloped through.

This was the most dangerous part. There was no hiding anymore. We had to put as much distance as we could between ourselves and the castle, then hide, and hope they didn't find us.

It wasn't long before we heard horses galloping behind us. I knew they wouldn't try their bows for fear of hitting Morgan, but we wouldn't be able to escape with them following so closely behind us.

I looked over my shoulder, and it was worse than I thought. It was a total of five soldiers, lead by Morgan's father.

Even from this distance, I could tell he was furious, and if he caught us I was as good as dead.

"I have an idea!" Morgan shouted. "We need to get to the bridge!"

There was a bridge that crossed the river at the edge of town, and it was the only place to cross for miles.

I turned my horse towards the bridge, already having an idea what Morgan was planning to do.

The one advantage we had over the soldiers was our lack of armor. They were weighed down by it, slowing down their horses. It was just enough to put a little more distance between us as we approached the bridge.

The moment we crossed the bridge, we slowed our horses. Morgan aimed her hand at the bridge, sending out a wave of flames.

Morgan's father and his soldiers came to a halt in front of the bridge, their horses rearing back at the burst of fire. I could see his face through the flames. He didn't say a word to us, just looked at Morgan in shock and sadness.

There was no hiding it anymore, not from his soldiers or the people of Tintagel. Morgan had used magic publicly. She could never come home again.

The duke took one last sad look at his daughter before he turned around without a word, his soldiers in tow, as they returned to the castle.

I looked at Morgan, her eyes welled up with tear as she watched her father leave. It was be the last time she ever saw him.

"Let's go," Morgan said sadly, nudging her horse to get it moving down the road. She hadn't thought about what would happen when she used her magic, too caught up in the moment, and the adventure they were embarking on, but there was no turning back now.

I looked at Morgan, seeing the pain in her eyes, dousing the thrill and excitement I felt up until now. Morgan's father had been good to me, treated me kindly, and I had betrayed him.

I felt a lump of regret form in the pit of my stomach, wondering if I should have convinced Morgan to stay.