As Lavender Brown's body lay amongst the ruins of what was once her home, she watched a family grieve the loss of one of their own, wondering why fate had so cruelly dealt them such cards. From a young age, all she wanted was to love and be loved in...
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»»» THE air around Merlin hummed with electricity, as if magic emanated from every cell in his body, vibrating all surrounding molecules. It clung to him, but at the same time a vacuum-like bubble shimmered around him. Nothing about his thin frame and average stature suggested that he could cause such a reaction, yet as his golden eyes fixated on the girl that sat in the center table, Lavender knew she was dealing with a formidable wizard.
Lavender forced herself to press her hands firmly against the table to prevent them from tapping or moving and her gaze narrowed. She watched as he lifted a finger and ran it along the top of a nearby table, inspected it before shrugging and walking towards her. Each step he took, she could feel her heart rate increase.
His whole demeanour was completely different from the previous occasions she had met him. Gone was the insane smile and bellowing voice. Instead, he remained quiet as he approached her table. In his true form, Lavender could appreciate the sheer intensity behind his golden eyes, and the wrinkles that cocooned them. His dark hair was choppy as it rested on his forehead. But it was his face that truly caused her to hold her breath. He was pale. Gaunt. There was something almost inhumane about it. As if someone had taken the skin from a dead person and stretched it to use as a mask.
Lavender clamped her teeth against the inside of her cheek and kept her gaze steady.
"So," he started, his voice a soft melodious tune. "You have learnt more about your ancestry," he said, his hands wrapping around the back of the chair. With one fluid movement, he pulled it out and sat down, mimicking her posture as he too pressed his fingers against the table.
"How do you know that?" Lavender asked, pride swelling in her chest at how strong her voice sounded. Inwardly, she was barely managing to keep her breath steady, each inhale feeling as if sharp pins were scraping down her throat.
"I know everything you do. I have been watching you for a very long time my child," he replied, his voice dropping to a deadly whisper at the end. Lavender resisted the urge to shudder.
"How are you able to do this? How can you be here in my dream?"
Merlin leant forward and hung his head low. "I'll let you into a secret. This dream of yours," he said in a low voice as he waved around the restaurant. "This is my domain. That world you keep time hopping around in, that is also my domain. Whatever you see as your reality, is mine also," he said as he straightened up, a smirk playing on his lips when Lavender inhaled sharply.
"But not the real world," she quipped back.
"Not yet," Merlin corrected, waving a finger at her. "You see, I think we got off on the wrong foot my dear. You have been fed one side of the story and whilst it is morbidly dramatic, it does leave out crucial pieces of information that I think would be of interest to you," he said, his smirk widening into a charming smile. He flashed his teeth as two crease lines appeared on her forehead.
