"You are insane," said Gwen, at the loudest a hushed whisper would allow.

"Insane doesn't cover it…" muttered Gwaine.

"Listen, I know you guys find it weird, and trust me I do too, but I need to do this," whispered Merlin. The three of them were hiding down a corridor, Merlin having spent an hour dragging them round trying to find somewhere quiet to talk.

"Merlin, you want to break into a room that is meant to be safer then Gringotts,"reminded Gwen, trying to make him see reason. "In a room no doubt protected by not only Dumbledore but half the other professors as well. And who knows what else Flammel may have added in. My point is Merlin, even if we had any idea what we were going into, what could we do? You haven't even made it through one year of education here, Gwaine barely scrapes through. And I may be good, but that doesn't mean I know enough to get us through this. Merlin, unless you have a miracle up your sleeve, there is no way we can do this," pleaded Gwen, trying to get through to Merlin. Why could he not understand that it was a death trap?

"I have to," he replied. He couldn't tell them why, it would mean having to explain the voices in his head. And he knew that wasn't a good thing. He was crazy enough as it was, he didn't need it to be worse. "Look, we need to talk later. Right now I need to do something," he said, rambling on. Gwaine and Gwen looked at each other. Neither really wanted to leave Merlin alone, there being such a risk that he might do something crazy. But they could see the look in Merlin's eyes, he had something he needed to work out.

"Before dinner, we will meet you here. Please don't do anything rash without us, we are here for you," whispered Gwen, pulling Merlin into a tight hug. Merlin embraced her back. He had never thought he would have friends like Gwen and Gwaine.

"Thank you," he whispered back. Gwaine hesitated before wrapping his arms around Merlin as well. They had become a tight group. Merlin had moved around a lot as a kid, and this was the first chance he had really had to make friends. They parted ways as Merlin headed out to the grounds. There was a class he was meant to be in, but right now he needed to think. So much had happened so far, he had made friends, joined the Quidditch team, performed magic that no one else could, revived a dragon. But he wished that he had just made friends and joined the Quidditch team, he didn't want the power that he held.

"Kilgarrah," he whispered, sitting hidden within a row of trees. "I need your help. I understand what I have to do, I understand what you wish me to get. But please, I need to understand. Why can I do what I can? Why can I perform magic that shocks everyone?" he continued. He was done not understanding.

"Oh young warlock," he heard Kilgarrah say. "I cannot give you the answers you seek, there is too much at stake. I cannot tell you your destiny Merlin, just as you cannot escape it. The stone will give you some of your answers, that I can promise. Be brave young warlock, you have everything you need to complete your mission," he continued.

"Why do I get the feeling you will always be talking to me in riddles?" Merlin said. He got no reply.

"You wand Merlin!" he heard the younger Aithusa yell in his head.

"What?" he screamed.

"Your wand Merlin, ask them what they think of it!" he yelled before the voice went completely silent, presumably Kilgarrah had stepped in. Merlin rushed to his feet and raced across to the Gryffindor common room, darting round back corridors to make sure he was not heard. In a flurry he was in the common room, up to his bed. He froze.

On the bed there was a package and a card.

Your father left this in my possession. It is time it was returned to you. Use it well.

Merlin debated over opening it.

It was a strange parcel for him to receive. It wasn't Christmas, or his birthday, not Halloween. And after everything that had happened around him, he struggled to trust things like this. He used his wand to gently pull apart the string. Inside the brown package, was a piece of fabric, which looked kind of like a cloak. It shimmered in a way that only a magical object could. Merlin picked it up, running the fabric between his hands, it was silky, light weight, soft to touch. He pulled it out and saw that it was indeed a cloak. Slipping it around his shoulders, it felt so familiar to him, as though he had seen it before. Then he caught himself in the mirror.

"What?" he muttered, looking at his reflection. Half of his body had vanished, there was nothing to see in the mirror other than his head.

"How the hell did you get one of those?" he heard a voice yell, and Merlin jumped. Thankfully Gwaine's voice was rather easy to identify. Otherwise Merlin might have attacked him. "Merlin, do you have any idea how rare one of those is?" he asked, rushing over to him, reaching out for Merlin. Merlin slowly pulled the cloak off. "Seriously," said Gwaine, as Merlin passed it into his hands. "I never thought I would see an invisibility cloak in person," he muttered, tossing it around his shoulders.

"An invisibility cloak?" asked Merlin.

"It must be weird having not grown up with all this," Gwaine replied, his attention fully captured by the cloak. "Who gave it to you?" he asked, pulling it off and passing it back.

"I don't know," muttered Merlin, passing the note over to Gwaine.

"Your dad must have had magic. That's the only way to explain him having this cloak," said Gwaine. "Gwen is going to freak out at this. She has a fascination with magical objects, always has. She wants to know how they work," he continued, rambling on. Merlin pulled out his trunk and buried the cloak underneath a pile of clothes. It needed to be hidden, kept safe.

"I need to talk to Gwen, now," said Merlin, looking at Gwaine. They raced out the door, if either of them knew Gwen she would be in the library. A day off didn't exist to her, it was a chance to study. It took them ten minutes between shelves and tables to find her. She took one look at their faces and packed up her books. Looks like their plan to meet before dinner had gone out the window. Maybe they should have made it lunch. They rushed Gwen back up the dormitory, making sure no one was near and no one else was hiding in the room.

"Is that?" asked Gwen, when she saw it. Merlin passed it to her, she ran it through her fingers, almost in disbelief at what she was seeing.

"Gwen, how much do you know about wands?" Merlin asked. She looked at him.

"You are asking me about a wand, when I am holding an invisibility cloak?" asked Gwen. "The wand chooses the wizard," she said, taking a seat on Merlin's bed. "When you went to get your wand, you tried out different wands right? Until one worked for you? That's how it works, the wand chooses the person," she finished. "Didn't the wand maker tell you all this?" he asked.

"I never went to a wand maker," said Merlin. He pulled out his wand. "My mom, she arranged everything for Hogwarts. Including my wand. I never went to a wand maker," he said, rolling the wand in his hands. He held it up to Gwen and Gwaine. "What does this wand look like to you?" he asked, following Aithusa's instructions.

"Normal?" replied Gwaine.

"Describe it to me," continued Merlin.

"A bit like my wand," said Gwen, pulling out hers. It was a straight wand, no grooves, no nothing.

"But it isn't!" said Merlin, realising what Aithusa had meant. "Someone, or at least I think someone, has charmed my wand. It looks nothing like yours, hang on," said Merlin, reaching for a piece of parchment and a pen he had stashed. He was no artist, but even a faint outline would work for this. Gwen took the paper from him. Gwen held her hand out, and Merlin felt reluctant to hand over his wand. It had nothing to do with trusting her, he did, more than he probably should. There was just something about the wand, it didn't want anyone else touching it, and it was warning Merlin that something bad would happen if someone else did take it. "I get a feeling that is a bad idea," he muttered, and Gwen quickly pulled her hand back.

"Your wand, it's sparking," said Gwaine, stepping back. Merlin looked down, it looked like how his hands did when he was using magic without meaning to.

"My wand, it appears to have trust issues," muttered Merlin. "Look I don't know why my wand is like this," he said holding it up, the sparking finally stopping. "I don't know why I got given the invisibility cloak. I don't know how I can do magic that no one can. I don't know what is happening to me," continued Merlin, spinning in a circle, clearly getting to a point. "But I do know what I need to do now. I am going to the third floor, I am going to get past the traps, the challenges, whatever they have put in the way. I am going to get that stone. What then, I don't know. But I need your help," said Merlin. Gwen and Gwaine took one look at each other.

"We go tonight. After everyone goes to bed. The cloak should cover us, and together we fight our way through. Together, we do this," said Gwen.

"Besides, it isn't like my future is that bright. If I get expelled. My family will be the worst to deal with," muttered Gwaine. What had Merlin done to deserve such friends? All three of them jumped as a tap sounded at the window. It was Hedwig, tapping away with her beak. Merlin opened the window to let her in. Gwaine knew owls well enough to grab an owl treat from his bag and hand it over to her. On her leg was a piece of rolled up parchment, Merlin carefully removed it.

"Well go on, what does it say?" asked Gwen.

"You will need to work together to pass what awaits you," started Merlin, reading off the parchment slowly. "Merlin, you and you alone must touch the stone," he continued. Gwen and Gwaine waited, as Merlin read the rest in his head.

"You don't need to tell us," said Gwen, and Merlin looked up at them. "That letter, it was meant for you, and I am guessing those words left are for you. We trust you, you don't need to tell us what it says," finished Gwen.

"Ditto!" piped up Gwaine. Merlin smiled. He looked at the letter once more.

"Tonight, together, we go to the third corridor. We pass the traps and we get the Philosopher's Stone. Then, then we can worry about what is on here," said Merlin, folding it up into his pocket.

"Well, I am going to eat my fill at dinner," muttered Gwaine.

"I am going to study up. Who knows what we might face?" said Gwen. They both nodded to Merlin, and moved out the dormitory together.

A part of Merlin hoped they would fail, that the stone would remain there. Because he didn't want to follow through with what the letter said he had to do. He wasn't exactly sure what it would entail, but he didn't want to do it.

He didn't want to absorb the stone.