The Rising of Merlin

The One With the Awkward Looks

Chapter 33 The One With the Awkward Looks

Merlin was in the middle of walking around the castle, checking for signs of intrusion or other weird abnormalities, when he came across Harry on the third floor. It was quite late in the evening and Merlin hadn't had a chance to talk to the boy yet after his release from the hospital wing the same morning.

"Harry!" He called after him and Harry stopped and walked over to him with a smile. "What are you doing up so late?"

"I could ask you the same thing." Harry was quick to reply.

"I've just had a divination class with Firenze and thought I should go up to the astronomy tower to see if I can spot everything I've learned." He said quickly with a grin. He couldn't tell Harry about the real reason. Harry didn't know the full extent of his and Dumbledore's agreement of keeping watch over the castle. "What's your excuse?"

"I had a lesson with Dumbledore." Harry said and Merlin grin faltered quickly.

"Did you learn anything important?" He said quietly and motioned for Harry to walk with him to a more secluded spot.

"He showed me that Voldemort went after certain artefacts belonging to the founders, but I don't know why. He then also showed me how he wanted a teaching position here at Hogwarts, as a DADA teacher. Apparently he wasn't happy with the rejection and ever since then, no teacher has held that position for more than a year." Harry told him.

"Hmm, things are heating up." Merlin mumbled.

"What do you mean?" Harry gave him a sceptical look.

"Maybe you're about to get the real reason for all of this soon." Merlin explained quickly, cursing his slip up inwardly.

"Hopefully..." Harry said but kept glancing at him with a suspicious look.

"How are things going with the memory? Any luck?" Merlin tried to distract Harry with another subject, plus, he was a little worried that Harry wasn't taking things seriously enough regarding the memory.

"Every attempt so far has failed, but I have no choice but to keep trying." Harry said with a sullen expression.

"I think you will find a way soon." Merlin patted him on the shoulder. "Have you discovered anything fishy about the Malfoy boy?" Merlin was eager to see what he knew. He was certain that whatever the boy was up to, it had something to do with Dumbledore's secret plan.

"Nothing yet," Harry grimaced. "But I have enlisted the help from Dobby and Kreacher."

"Dobby and Kreacher?" Merlin raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"House elves..." Harry said.

"Ah..." Merlin nodded approvingly, remembering that Morgana had mentioned something about it earlier. Leave it to Harry to come up with way to use house elves to spy on his arch nemesis, but fail to come up with a plan to get the memory. "Well, I wish you all the luck." He said and patted him again on the shoulder. "See you tomorrow, Harry." He said with a huge smile and walked away before he could see Harry's very confused look and head shake.

He hadn't come far before he encountered Peeves, in the middle of dumping stink bombs behind a tapestry, no doubt a booby trap for the next day.

"What are you up to, Peeves?" He said calmly and leaned on the wall a few steps away; his legs crossed at the ankles.

"Oh, look who it is." Peeves sneered. "Come to enchant me again?"

"For the last time, I had nothing to do with you being madly in love with Romilda Vane." Merlin sighed. Peeves had somehow gotten it into his head that it was his fault. He wondered if Morgana had done that on purpose, as a joke, or if it was just a coincidence.