The Legacy of Salazar

The Aftermath

The week that followed was the worst he'd had at Hogwarts.

Students who had once admired him, now hissed as he walked past. Merlin tried not to listen to what they said but he couldn't block it out when it was shouted, screeched in his ears.

"Who're you going to attack next?"

"Liar!"

"I always knew you were bad news."

"I don't know how you got out of this one, but we've got our eye on you now."

"Slytherins are all the same."

The days leading up to the first Quidditch match of the season always resulted in mounting tension between Gryffindor and Slytherin, but things had taken a turn for the extreme. Most Gryffindor's seemed convinced that Merlin was the Heir of Slytherin, and had come to the odd conclusion that he'd lied his way out of punishment and that the entire house was culpable. Which meant they were personally obligated to prove otherwise.

There were fights in the corridors, with and without wands, accompanied with impassioned orders, to tell the truth, and to turn themselves in. The bulk of these, of course, fell on Merlin. He suspected he might have received the end of a wand too if it weren't for the reminder that he had defeated a professor and allegedly petrified Mrs Norris that kept self-righteous Gryffindor's at bay. And as Draco went everywhere with him, the Gryffindors seemed particularly motivated to see Draco fail in the upcoming match on Saturday.

But, Merlin would rather have people snap at him than run away. It was disorienting to see a group of Ravenclaw girls stop dead in the hallway and turn right back around at the sight of him. Even Neville Longbottom—who he had defended against bullying last year— fled at the sight of him.

Of course, Fred and George Weasley didn't run. They were the only people in the world who knew who Merlin was. He didn't even need to explain himself to them, a welcome reprieve. Instead, the twins took it upon themselves to walk in front of him in between classes, announcing his presence.

"Make way! Make way for the Heir of Slytherin!"

"Budge up there Dean, the new Dark Lord is headed to History of Magic!"

At first, Merlin had been exasperated. He already had the Slytherin's escorting him everywhere. But he quickly realized that when the twins were there, the Gryffindors took a step back. The first time they'd done this, George had told him that Ron and a lot of the other Gryffindor's planned to curse him the instant they saw him or Draco anywhere near Hermione.

"But she'll be in the library Friday like usual," Fred promised with a smile. "We'll distract ickle-Ronnie-kins."

"That twat," Draco said as the twins left them to their charms class. "It's as if the fact you stopped Quirrell doesn't even matter anymore."

"Oh, but didn't you hear? I can talk to snakes. So evil."

But perhaps worst of all was Gilderoy Lockhart, who had held him back after class in a misguided attempt to cheer him up. "Not to worry, Merlin," he's said, clapping his shoulder. "Once I've caught the real culprit, everything will go back to normal. So for now, just hold your head high and look on the bright side. They could be ignoring you."

With the near-constant ache at his temples, Merlin wanted to just stay in bed until Christmas. He almost wishes he had taken more of Draco's advice and enjoyed his earlier positive fame. Being known for defeating a professor was so much better than everyone thinking he was the next super-villain. When class ended on Friday, he and Draco almost ran to the library.