Merlin has always been the greatest wizard in history. However, he never taught his magic to anyone else; he buried his power along with his name. But what if he found the perfect student to teach? And what it was little Harry Potter?
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The Student of Merlin By SeraphZero
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Chapter 1: Requiem for a Dream
"History is the sum total of things that might have been avoided"
-Konrad Adenaur
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Many wizards believe that Merlin himself was not actually a wizard, but a being of magic altogether. To this day, magic folk believe that he is alive, somewhere. Maybe in a different plane, a different reality, a different means of existence. The reason why is evident in his history.
Ancient texts speak of Merlin as a higher order. He lived in an era of magic that was beyond the present; one where elemental magic, mind manipulation, summoning and necromancy were easily accessible to the wizards of yore. However, as the people multiplied, the powers grew dimmer; they became tame for the sake of the entire magical community. After all, no good parent in the world would want their child summoning dragons or incinerating rugs with a mere thought.
Merlin, however, could do all these things. His very existence was placed backwards; his mind operated on the other side of the stream of time. He knew of the future before the past; he was ageless and wise on so many levels. He bypassed the concept of 'wizard' and existed as a 'demigod'.
However, the legendary wizard never had an heir, or a pupil, or even a son. When the time came, he buried himself in an ageless cave with his wife, Nimue. Although he was content with his near-isolation, the old wounds in his heart flared as he thought of his surrogate son.
A man whom all of England knew as Arthur Pendragon, the once and future king.
The old wizard sighed before performing an age-reversing spell on himself and his love. No matter how powerful magic became, it would never be enough to bring back the deceased. The pain of raising, caring, and loving a child so much that his death would force you into hermithood was too much to bear for the legendary master of the magical arts. It was the sole reason why he refused to have a child with his beloved wife; the pain, he felt, would be to much to bear. Nimue looked at the wizard in confusion.
"Why don't you just use the age-reverse spell on the child, as you have used on us so many times?" she once asked him.
Merlin would have laughed if he weren't so depressed. "A regular wizard would not even be able to cast it on himself. With all my power, I am only capable of performing it on myself and one other person besides myself. Please, don't make me choose between you and our child."
Nimue nodded in understanding. "But why not teach it to him, then?"
Again, the ageless wizard sighed. "Just because he is my son does not mean he will be as powerful as I. Only a child of extraordinary magical skill could use the ancient magic...and magical strength does not necessarily hinge on bloodline."
The ageless woman nodded once again, accepting his answers. Somber, she let him wallow in his self-pity, preparing to cook the nightly dinner.
A single solitary tear slid down the wizard's face as the thoughts of never having an heir re-entered his thoughts. That is, until he heard something explode in his mind.
FLASH!
"Lily! Take Harry and run!"
The ancient magician did not complain about the sudden, loud shouting that he heard in his mind. As a matter of fact, he was quite interested in the scenes that were unfolding in his mind. Closing his eyes, Merlin let the images roll through his head.
What he saw was horrifying enough to make him shudder, even after living for hundreds of years.
He saw a brave young man with glasses being struck down by a curse that he, Merlin, was very familiar with. The killing curse, Avada Kedavra. Although what surprised the timeless mage the most was why the man didn't try to block it. Still, the now-young Merlin watched onward.
He witnessed the horrible, unspeakable evil of some wizard named Voldemort, whose soul was bound by a chasis spell that gave him near-immortality. Although Merlin was not terribly impressed with his power, he had to admit that this 'Voldemort' fellow was still a formidable foe.
The master of magic felt pity for the poor woman with red hair, who ran through the night in a vain attempt to protect a small bundle in her arms. The wizard sensed that the woman was carrying a baby.
Knowing this made the following scene even more tragic for Merlin. He watched as the young woman died protecting her son, her love surrounding the bundled-up child. He saw the evil wizard approach the little boy, whom Merlin deduced as Haarry. And before it happened, he realized why he was seeing these visions.
Quickly, he moved toward the entrance of the cave. His wife was still busy, he remembered. He still had plenty of time to do what he was about to do.
And for the first time in hundreds of years, the legendary Merlin teleported himself out of his self-imposed prison.
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Little Harry Potter cried all through the night. The terrible lightning-shaped scar was still smoldering on his head. The child was alone, cold, and hurt. However, he was also blinded by the brilliant light that flashed in his eyes.
To this, he continued to cry.
Merlin appeared from the light, his long blue robes billowing in the night air. His features were content; the now-young wizard smiled as he realized what the scar on the baby's face meant. He picked up the bundled-up child and said a few words under his breath. The baby immediately stopped crying, asleep in the arms of the legendary wizard.
Before Merlin could leave, however, a half-giant came running after him.
"Get back 'ere, ya baby-snatchin' weasel!"
The wizard turned to face the large, burly man. Although he was unarmed, his beetle-black eyes conveyed a look of malice and contempt that would have scared an ordinary person.
Merlin, however, was not ordinary. He turned away from the half-giant, his voice and demeanor steady as he spoke.
"If you care for this child's well-being at all, you will let me take him."
The burly man was preparing to lunge after the wizard, intent on taking back the Boy Who Lived. "Oh yeah? An' who 'er you!"
"I am Merlin." With that, he disappeared in a blazing flash of light, leaving behind a very shocked Rubeus Hagrid.
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"Merlin! You finally left the cave!"
Nimue rushed to meet her husband as he teleported back into the cave that he called home. In his hands was the bundle, which drew Nimue's attention the most. "What did you bring back with you?"
Merlin quickly drew his wife into a quick kiss. "You know how we've always wanted a child?"
His wife nodded her head slowly. "Of course I do...well, did..."
The ageless wizard smiled, unwrapping the bundle and presenting her the little baby he held in his hands. "Congratulations. His name is Harry Potter."
Needless to say, Nimue fainted.
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NEXT TIME: Variations of a Theme
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Author's Notes:
REVISED EDITION
Ok, so the whole Harry-Merlin thing has been done before. Big deal! I plan to make this ten, no, a hundred times better! Why? Because I say so! Meh-heh-heh!
Seriously, I was just disappointed with how most of the Harry-Merlin fics were written. I mean, it may be my taste, but I just felt like writing a story that had a super-powerful Harry whose personality contrasted the one in my "Harry, Son of Hagrid" fic. I wanted a super-powerful Harry that would have an easier time at Hogwarts but still have reason to fear Voldemort. I wanted a story with substance and character instead of another "Perfect Harry Potter" story (I love the kid too much to make him a Mary-Sue). Most importantly, a story where Merlin is actually Merlin, not some preconceived notion that he's the wizard of all wizards. He may have the power, but the legends and stories about him don't make him out to be perfect. Even Dumbledore has his faults (however rare they are).
As for Merlin, I combined numerous Merlin resources I had to form him. A bunch of films and TV-related media, a few books, and several other sources contributed to his creation. Kudos to Geoffrey of Monmouth for creating him in the first place.
As always, the more you review, the more I write.
E-Mail: AIM: SeraphZero00
Peace. - SeraphZero