How Harry Became Merlin

The Dragon and the Chalice

For most of the wizards and witches at Hogwarts, it had been a normal day.

Snape took fifty points from Gryffindor.

McGonagall gave it back.

Myrtle annoyed anyone who entered the girls' toilets.

Draco called Hermione a mudblood.

Hermione nearly hexed him into oblivion.

But for Harry, it had been a day of unease. The school always flowed with a natural magic that was both exciting and protective, but today Harry felt something different. There was an extra layer of magic, not simply enchantments, but something pure and powerful, old and patient, and he was sure it was watching him.

Harry let out a sigh. He had spent the day distracted and looking over his shoulder, but he knew he wasn't going to get any more answers by wandering the halls. It was dinner time, and he made his way toward the Great Hall, plopping himself down next to Hermione and Ron.

"Harry, where have you been?" Hermione wondered.

"Around," he muttered.

"Cheer up, Harry. Food's here!" Ron said with a grin.

Hermione gave him an incredulous look, less worried about the food than about Harry.

"What happened?" she prodded.

Harry frowned. "It's nothing, really. I just- does the school feel weird to you today?"

"Weird, how?" Hermione asked with a smile.

"I don't know. I guess, it's like there's this...something just sitting in the air, waiting."

"Something like magic?" Ron teased.

Hermione glared at Ron, who shrunk back a little in his seat, before turning toward Harry.

"Something other than what's normally there, Ron," Harry explained dryly.

"Could it be dark magic?" Hermione wondered.

Harry shook his head. "I don't think so. It feels different from the magic Tom Riddle and Quirrell used."

They sat back a moment to let that sink in. Hermione was the first to break the silence.

"You said it's waiting. What do you think it's waiting for?"

"I don't know, exactly, but, well, this is going to sound a bit silly..."

Hermione glanced at him expectantly. "Go on then."

Harry blushed. "It feels like it's waiting for me."

There was a moment of silence as Hermione processed that. It wasn't unbelieveable that a strange magic could be hovering in wait to attack Harry, especially given his record for the past three years. Being Harry Potter seemed to be a dangerous thing.

"I don't know what to say," Hermione admitted. "Why do you think it's waiting for you?"

"It seems like it's been following me all day. I can't explain it, but I just know."

A worried look came over his friends' faces.

"I wonder if it has anything to do with those visions you've been having," Hermione thought aloud.

Harry winced as he remembered his dream of the old shack and the three dark wizards from the summer. "I don't think so," he admitted.

"I don't know, Harry, but I think you're right. The school has felt different today," she agreed.

Ron sighed. "I think you're both barking mad," he said with finality, and began to dig into his dinner.

Dinner finished and the trio decided to wander back to the common room and play some wizard's chess. They turned down the corridor with the trophy case the same way they did every night, but this time as they passed it, Harry froze.