Title: Good Intentions but Strange Situations
Author: Emeric Switch
Summery: AU Post OotP. What would you do if you wanted to make sure the world was kept protected in times of extreme need? What would you do if you were stranded far from home with no way back? Would you seize the opportunity, or panic? That is the choice Harry must make if he is to save the world from a disastrous fate. Join Harry and Ginny as they face the weirdest challenge they have ever faced. The question is, will they survive long enough to get around to banishing Voldemort, or will the insanity that is life finish them first?
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters, settings and situations created by JK Rowling, and anything you recognise is owned by JKR, various publishers and Warner Bros. Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Author's Note: I love having free time! Please review
~Chapter 8 ~
News from the Outside World
"Parry!" yelled Merlin as he strode around Harry and Ginny. The pair held swords; thin, double bladed and sharp at the tip. After their near-death experience with the Werewolf and the previous worry about being left wandless as a magical incentive, the teens had asked Merlin to teach them how to fight. The next morning he had approached the cave carrying two deadly looking weapons and proceeded to instruct Harry originally and then Ginny how to hold them and some basic moves. Ginny had managed to convince the man that she should not be left out of certain things just because she was female. That had been a month ago and the pair was proving to be rather adept at the basics. Merlin had admitted that his knowledge was lacking in this area of life; he knew enough to get by but if they wanted to become more proficient then they would have to seek out guidance elsewhere.
In the beginning, they had hacked at each other as though they were chopping down a tree.
"You are dropping your shoulder, Ginevra," Merlin cautioned. "If the sword is too heavy for you we can always stop." Ginny growled and heaved the blade higher.
Merlin had done some reconsidering after the Werewolf incident. He had gone into the woods to survey the damage whilst the two were at Knighton and was surprised at what he had seen. The event had convinced him that whilst learning how to do magic wandlessly was all well and good, the ability to fight was going to be necessary for the teens that seemed to attract trouble. So a schedule was created that incorporated Wandless casting, swordsmanship and an endurance regime that pages and squires used in the process of becoming a Knight. Harry and Ginny had thrown themselves into the learning with an abandon that quite astounded the elder Wizard.
The results were starting to show in more ways than simply skill with a sword. Their reflexes, whilst already good and honed from Quidditch practices, were becoming razor sharp as the deadly blades raked through the air towards them. There were no charms on the swords to dull their edges. When Ginny asked why they had not started out hitting each other with wooden sticks, Merlin scoffed. "But how will you learn the danger?" he asked. "Wood will ache, metal will kill." Their physique was also altering. Harry was developing from the scrawny teenager into a lithe young adult. His knees, once knobbly, were sinking into the background of his growing legs. His shoulders were gaining some definition and his arms had sinuous muscles showing. Though this was all lost upon Harry himself, as he pushed himself to near exhaustion daily with all the exercises.
Ginny, as well, was in a stage of development. As a petite female, she was never unhappy with her body's shape. With all the exertion though, she was also becoming more toned and defined. What was more important, in her own eyes, was that the baby fat that had lingered through her early teen years was finally starting to strip away. Ginny supposed that it was more to do with her diet than anything else. In their own time period, she had eaten as much as she wanted of her mother's cooking (or as much as she could get her hands on when competing with her brothers) and she had spent four years in the hands of the Hogwarts house elves who could lay on a spread. Granted, at Hogwarts there was also the multitude of staircases and Quidditch to keep her in shape but Ginny had never been eating so healthily. Harry was a good cook but he was also conservative with the amounts of food he used in anything. There were also lots of vegetables and no sweets or chocolate or cake.
If Ginny was being entirely truthful with herself, there were times when she missed these snacks more than her brothers.
At night, after they had completed their strenuous daytime activities, the teens would dedicate their time to their knowledge (as well as a few games of chess or exploding snap). They discussed spells and used their reference books to continue learning. They had realised that they were really meant to be in school at this time and put forward a token effort to stay in line with their studies. Ginny had taken Ancient Runes as an elective instead of Divination and she was teaching Harry the basics whilst he would tell her stories of things in the Muggle world that she had never known existed.
"I have finished cutting the plants, sir," came a timid voice. It belonged to Richard, who had taken shelter in the cave along with Harry and Ginny. He had followed them back from the town and hid outside the cave. For a week, he had lived in the undergrowth nearby unbeknownst to the young people within. It was Merlin who had discovered him as he was showing the pair the various exercises they were to complete. He dragged the lad out of the bushes and sprawled him on the grass in front of them. "Who sent you, boy?" he demanded, as Harry and Ginny looked on in bemusement.
"No one, sir," Richard squeaked. "I came of my accord."
Merlin drew one of the swords and pointed it at the boy's chest. "Tell me the truth," he commanded, "Or your blood will be spilt this day."
Ginny ran towards the lad whilst Harry barrelled into Merlin. The man easily overcame his apprentice and towered over them all.
"Leave him alone!" Ginny stood in front of Richard and faced off against Merlin. Harry scrambled back to his feet, in his hands the other sword. He raised it against the elder Wizard. The young lad looked amazed at the human shield the duo had created in front of him.
"Please, sir," he begged Merlin. "I am indebted to them. I followed them to become their helper." This made the rest of the group pause and turn to look at him.
"But why?" Ginny asked. "We have only met you once."
"And that was when I got you thrown in jail," added Harry.
"When the stable master was chasing me, he was going to kill me that time," Richard explained fearfully. "One of the horses was frightfully ill, dying, and I gave it some poison so it would not suffer. The master did not like that, he says he gives the orders, and he said he was tired of me lying and stealing." He trembled when explaining how the brute had found the money Harry had given him in the jail and how his mother had died a few days before his escape from an illness he could not afford to cure. He finished his tale by imploring Merlin to let him stay. "Ginevra and Harold have shown me kindness. I would do anything to be away from there, sir, anything!"
Ginny was adamant that the boy would stay with them, much to the displeasure of Merlin, and their activities for the day were halted whilst he was taken to the cave and fed.
In the few weeks that Richard had been with them, the dynamic had reverted back to what it had been previously. Merlin was annoyed with the boy and his lack of authority in the matter and tended to be very gruff with him. With his apprentices, however, he was jovial and keen to see what they could do.
"Excellent, excellent!" Merlin beamed at Harry and Ginny as they lowered their swords. Their faces shone with sweat and were red from the exertion but they grinned back at their master all the same. "I think it is time we focused our attention on other things. Keep practicing, but I think for the present I can teach you no more."
The months faded into winter. There was a bite around the cave, the stone was chill to touch and the occupants soon got well acquainted with warming charms. Richard had been told about magic and it was found that he possessed the ability to do it. The pair from the future was rather annoyed with him when he produced magic wandlessly with ease whilst they were still struggling. They had not produced anything more than sparks to fly from their hands. Richard was also being taught how to read and he found their books fascinating.
The three children were sat around the fire eating their breakfast one morn when Merlin appeared, his appearance dishevelled as though he had run to get there.
"King Uther is dead, may the Gods bless his soul!" he proclaimed with nary a word of greeting. "Without an heir to the realm, there is much confusion abound. I must away to Londinium, post haste, to put the rightful King in place!"
"So we aren't coming with you?" said Ginny.
"Not at this time, Ginevra," Merlin replied. "You focus on your studies, better yourselves. I must assay the condition of the world before it is known that you are my apprentices. I would not wish for you to become targeted as I myself have."
With Merlin gone, Harry and Ginny were left to practice only what they had been taught. They made random excursions into the wilderness to gather more ingredients. Richard had taken to reading One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi and was bold enough to make suggestions as he knew the surrounding area a lot better than the pair. He was getting more confident with it being only Harry and Ginny about. He had asked about their shortened names and after the having the concept of nicknames explained to him, he was delighted to be dubbed 'Rick.'
The days drew into months.
Merlin appeared every few months to keep them informed and busy with things to do. On the first visit, he told how he had taken control and amidst the confusion of who would be appointed King, he had sent word to all the Barons and Knights of Britain that there would be a tournament to decide the ruler. He had started teaching them how to shape-shift, which involved tapping into their magical core. They had managed to complete the first step in their Wandless magic regime which was, indeed, to find their magic. But knowing where it was made it no easier to access. The shape-shifting was as arduous a task as casting magic.
By Merlin's second visit, they could successfully grow their hair and lengthen their limbs. Harry had the easier task of it as he had done some rudimentary biology lessons at primary school and knew the basic structure of the body. Ginny, being home schooled, only knew what her mother had taught her and those lessons were based around the magical world. She had a knowledge of Latin and domestic spells that Harry had never come across but he used his Muggle teachings to change his body's shape. Merlin brought news of King Arthur, who had pulled the sword form the stone Merlin had rigged.
"It was a rather simple bit of foolery," he admitted. "The good people of this land lack a mental aptitude. They listened when I said 'whoever pulls this sword from the stone is the rightful king of Britain' and think their brawn is a match for it. If they used their brains, they would probably realise that there was wizardry afoot but their greed got the better of them." Merlin laughed. "I placed an affinity towards Arthur on the sword so that only he could remove it."
The stories grew into Arthur's success on the throne at uniting the British people. Saxon tribes were bracing the Eastern borders but the young man had rallied and placed the best Knights in the country on the lookout. He had also shown a great kinship towards Merlin and freed the restrictions upon magical people. By summertime, he had met Guinevere and they were scheduled to be wed.
"As my apprentices, it is my honour to invite you to this auspicious occasion," Merlin told Harry and Ginny.
"Really?" asked Ginny in excitement. "That would be amazing!"
"And we'd get to meet King Arthur?" queried Harry.
"Indeed you would," Merlin said with a grin. "Is he also well known in your time?"
The three set about detailing their plans. They would need horses and bags to pack their belongings in.
"What about our potion?" asked Ginny. "We can't just wander around the country with it unattended to!"
"The potion, if you might remember, needs to rest for one hundred days," said Merlin. "It has been, hmm, how many to this point Harold?"
"Five, sir," Harry told him.
"Then we shall be there and back in the ninety five we have remaining," said Merlin with finality. "It must be protected though, further than the wards the cave has."
"How will you do that?"
"Not I, Harold. You."
Merlin went on to explain about warding stones. "They need to be imbibed with your Magics and inscribed with the relevant runes."
It was decided that Richard would travel with Merlin to acquire the horses needed for travelling. While they were doing that, Harry and Ginny would decide on the runes to use and create the ward for the cauldron. The runes they decided on were Algiz (the shield or guardian rune), Eihwaz (meaning defence or protection) and Perthro (a secret matter or mystery). They found the flattest rock they could from the floor of their cave and set about inscribing it. The runes were set out in a triangle, with Algiz as the main rune bold and centralised, and the other two on a smaller scale below and to the side. With that done the duo simultaneously created a pure magic glow from their wands and directed it into the stone. There was a flash and a shiver of magic ran through each of the runes before all was still.
"Has it worked?" Ginny asked.
"I don't know." Harry picked up a pebble and lightly threw it over the tablet. There was a flash as a dome shimmered into place, knocking the stone from its flight, and then the light faded away.
"Wicked," breathed Ginny. She picked it up and slid it under the cauldron.
With their task complete, the pair set about gathering all that they would need on their journey.
After a bumpy start, Harry and Ginny successfully managed to mount and stay on their horses. As the days wore on, they got more used to the motion as they cantered across the fields of Britain. At night, they lit a fire and practiced their swordplay whilst Richard groomed their mares before settling down to sleep.
Before long, the flags of London could be seen on the horizon. The July sun beamed down on the city. Even at their distance, Harry and Ginny could see the bustling crowds in the streets; light glinted of the Knight's armour, townsfolk were constantly moving being there so much to do. Outside the walls, processions of horses and men made their way towards the city, each possessing their own banner to be ridden under. Merlin pointed out a few of them.
"Some that come are well known Knights," he said. "King Arthur has been on the throne for less than a year and already he has commanded the respect of many about. Look, there is Sir Pellinore. He is a fearsome fighter; the King was almost slain by him until I stopped him with a spell. They have been great friends ever since. Arthur respects his talent and so should we all."
They passed through the city wall with ease and rode towards the centre. There, they dismounted before the entrance of a large keep. It was adorned with as many flags as there were men guarding the uppermost crenellations. Richard took the reigns of all the horses and led them away towards the stables. With little fanfare, Merlin walked straight into the building with Harry and Ginny nervously following behind him. They looked around in awe at the decorative shields and other ornamentation garnishing the halls. There were many people milling around. Before long, Merlin walked up to two guards standing in front of a large wooden door and talked in a hushed voice to them. The left one nodded in ascent to whatever Merlin had told him. The wizard came back towards the teens.
"Behind this door is King Arthur and his future bride," he said in a whisper. "When you go in you will remember your station and act in accordance with what I have taught you. You, and I am mainly speaking to you Ginevra, will not speak your mind freely. Try not to entangle your words, abbreviate if you will, as that shows laziness and a lower class than what you should be. Am I clear?" Harry and Ginny nodded fervently, their eyes wide. "Good. Then you should have no problems. Be polite and do not forget to bow!" Merlin smiled at them reassuringly.
It seemed to Harry no time at all had passed before the door opened and a young man stuck his head through to talk to the guards. The people in the hall all shifted in anticipation. One beckoned to Merlin, leading the others to sigh in disappointment, and he along with Harry and Ginny strode forward. They walked through the door into a massive chamber. It was primarily empty; tables were stacked along each wall ready to be brought forward for a later feast. There were servants stood inconspicuously at the back of the hall behind two large chairs, carved from wood but decorated with golden designs. Sat in them was a young, but regal, man and a beautiful woman. The woman's long, red hair was piled atop her head. Her high cheekbones gave her a haughty look but when she smiled, it added genuine warmth to her features. The man had wavy brown hair that fell about the shoulder. His face was ruggedly handsome, made even more so by a shapely goatee. On his head was perched a crown, a simple gold circlet that looked on the man as though it had been there for years.
King Arthur and his lady Guinevere.
"Presenting, the great Merlin Ambrosius and his two apprentices," boomed the man who had escorted the trio in. Harry jumped slightly, forgetting himself as he had been too enraptured by the sights before him. As a group they walked to the front of the hall until they reached the chairs and knelt in front of the king of Britain. There they stayed until Arthur rose and approached Merlin.
"Ah, arise you old fool!" he said with a humoured lilt to his voice. "Introduce me to your companions."
With the introductions complete and seats brought for them all, King Arthur clapped his hands together and proclaimed, "Welcome to the heart of my realm!"