Witches And Wizards - 26

(Warnings: Holiday fluff! Sweet, sweet holiday fluff!)

Note: I once read parts of a fic where the reader has magic and goes back in time, meeting Merlin. I sadly can’t find it anymore. Also Fred didn’t die in this.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was late in the evening when most of the guests had arrived and settled down at the old Grimmauld place. After Sirius’ death it passed to Bellatrix but when she died, it was passed on to Ophelia as the closest kin. She hadn’t been in that place in what felt like eternity. She could hear the celebrations going on downstairs while she stood in front of the wall, her fingers against the tapestry, gently trailing along the tree and out to the different branches with the different faces and names. She heard approaching footsteps and when she turned, she smiled a little before looking back at the tapestry “don’t want to join the celebrations downstairs? It’s only Christmas once a year” Harry spoke as he entered the otherwise empty room and Ophelia chuckled lightly “yeah… I’m alright up here, thank you” she muttered, Harry studying her “you know-... I really think you should come downstairs, you know? Get to meet people, maybe see people you don’t expect to see” he stated carefully but she didn’t seem to catch on “why? Did you guys invite a Death Eater to a Christmas party at my house?” she asked half jokingly and Harry scoffed with brief amusement, looking down as he put his hands in his pockets “no, not quite” at his words she finally looked at him, a frown on her brows and Harry smiled softly at her “just wait” he stated before leaving, Ophelia blinking with confusion before looking back at the tapestry again.

As footsteps arrived, this time, she didn’t bother turning to see who it was “I’ll come down later, Harry, alright? I’m not up for meeting and greeting people right now” she admitted quietly, her fingers lingering over the burnt face of her uncle before trailing to the one with her father’s name under it. She studied it with a small scoff, shaking her head. “Quite the poor illustration, isn’t it?... I don’t even know what he looked like” she muttered, still thinking she was talking to Harry. “Do you think that if he knew, he’d have made some kind of-... I-I don’t know… just-... something?... I’d like to think so… I mean it’s what he tried, right? With the vault? Filling an entire Gringot’s vault with every single thing of value that he owned…” she mumbled to herself, sighing softly. “It seems like he didn’t want to leave you wanting for anything” she flinched and turned at the sound of the voice that did most definitely not belong to Harry. She both relaxed and tensed up when she saw who it was, taking a tiny step back and away from the tapestry “Professor Emrys, I didn’t know you had been invited?”

“I thought this was your house?”

“It’s in my name, yes.”

“But you don’t know who your friends invited?”

“Mrs. Weasley and Harry were kind enough to offer so I wouldn’t have to decline every person they suggested” she explained quietly but with a hint of a joking tone, Merlin nodding as he walked in, looking at the massive tapestry that was covering all the walls, the entire room one big tapestry except for the floor and ceiling. “What’s this?”

“The family Black tree… there’s uh… there’s my paternal grandmother, here,” she stepped closer and pointed to a face with a banner under it with a name and some numbers, Merlin narrowing his eyes in confusion at the numbers and she smiled when she saw him frown a little. “It’s the date of birth, the day she was born” she explained, Merlin’s cheeks and ears turning red as he nodded and Ophelia smiled a little bit more at him before looking back at the tapestry “and this is my paternal grandfather.”

“They’re all from your father’s side?”

“Yeah. My mum didn’t have a tapestry like this, this is only on the Black side of my family…”

“It-... doesn’t look like your father married… they didn’t approve, or…?”

“Both. They weren’t actually married when I was born… but he wanted to marry her… he wanted to propose to her with this ring,” she held up a finger that showed a silver ring with a blue gem in it, one she didn’t know he had seen before so many centuries ago “but he knew he probably would never have gotten the chance to, so he created a vault, a bank account when he found out that my mum was pregnant. He forfeited everything to me when I was born” she admitted quietly with a small frown, her eyes returned to the illustrated head with the name and birth date under it, woven onto the small banner under the head. “Is your name somewhere else?” he asked and looked around the room at all the faces stitched into the walls, all with names and dates of birth under them. “No… no, uh, my mum wasn’t a Pureblood witch” Ophelia stated casually, forcing a smile “I’m a Halfblood. My mum was Muggleborn and my dad was, well, a Black… one of the most Pureblood families in Britain. So my birth wasn’t really anything of note. In fact, it was quite the scandal” she admitted quietly with a small smirk of amusement, as though the thought of the other Blacks in the family squirming brought her a little joy, making Merlin smile a little “it doesn’t bother you?” he asked and she shrugged as she looked around the room “not really, no… if my dad had chosen his family over my mum and just abandoned her when she was pregnant then yeah, it would bother me, but he didn’t… he abandoned his Pureblood mania for a Muggleborn and their child. He died for it as well…” she muttered quietly, a small frown forming on her face “if anything, that’s what bothers me… and the fact that no one really knew… he was a hero and no one really knew… but my uncle told me a bit of him” she added with a grin, making Merlin smile as well “you uncle? Is he in here as well?” he asked, looking around and Ophelia chuckled, limping closer and pointing to the burnt spot next to Regulus, a smirk on her lips “his brother” she clarified, Merlin frowning and she chuckled again “he ran away when he was like fifteen or something… to another Pureblood family, the Potters, but these weren’t anything like the Black or Malfoy family… they didn’t believe in Pureblood supremacy. So he was burnt out for running away. He was sorted into Gryffindor. He became the Godfather of Harry, one of my best friends… and he became my sanctuary when my mum passed away” Ophelia retold with fondness, Merlin smiling softly at her “he sounds like quite the man.”

“He was, he took care of us… he didn’t just focus on Harry or on me, but on both of us… my mum had sent him letters while he was-... away… for fourteen years, no less… she kept him up to date on everything…”

“When you say ‘away’... do you mean Azkaban?” he asked and she turned her head to stare at him, eyes a little wide as she studied him “he didn’t do it. He didn’t kill Harry’s parents-”

“N-No, I know! I know, I just-... I didn’t want you to think you had to hide it from me” he clarified softly and Ophelia’s entire posture softened, her body relaxing, muscles easing up and she nodded hesitantly “right… sorry, I just-”

“It’s alright, you don’t have to apologise or explain or anything” he stated and she smiled softly at him, giving a weak nod “thank you…”

“You were saying?”

“Uhm… yeah, my mum sent him letters about how I was doing in school, my O.W.L.s, what I was up to each summer, how my year had been… the first thing he showed me when he met me was a picture of me and my nan… I was in her lap and she was showing me one of her books… she was a muggle and taught at a muggle school for years and years. Her specialty was mythology, specifically Greek mythology. You know, with Hercules and-”

“I’m sorry, just-... isn’t it Heracles? Isn’t ‘Hercules’ the Roman name?” he asked and he would have given up his magic willingly for the way she lit up, a grin stretching wide across her lips and her eyes lit up like the stars on a clear night with no clouds to dim or cover them “it is. Not many know that…” she admitted and he smiled softly at her “I didn’t mean to interrupt, I’m sorry-”

“Don’t be, I like that kind of interrupting” she teased and they both blushed, Merlin smirking a little as he nodded to himself “why don’t we go downstairs so you can sit down? Standing for so long has to hurt your leg, doesn’t it?... I wouldn’t mind hearing more about your nan, if it’s okay” he suggested and she nodded without thinking. Merlin moved to the right side of her, taking her cane and hand and helped her downstairs. When she showed up, pretty much everyone but Harry was surprised. She had been up there for most of the evening, which meant a few hours, refusing a chair of any kind, refusing any type of food and drink, just wanting to be left alone. Then this man shows up, has 15 minutes with her and suddenly she’s downstairs, being placed on a sofa by him before leaving her to fetch something to drink, a smile on her lips. Soon he returned with a small glass of Fire Whiskey, which made Fred and George pay particular interest to the two of them. Merlin sat down next to her and she smiled, taking a sip of the glass “so, did your nan have any favourites in Greek Mythology?”

“Actually, yes. The trials of Heracles. I honestly just think it’s because people kept getting a few things wrong so she loved to know that she knew the true events” she admitted, Merlin smirking a little “the one where the Hydra wasn’t counted by the king as a labour because his nephew helped?” he asked and once again, like in the tapestry room, her eyes lit up and lips parted in a beautiful grin as she nodded “it is! And that his name wasn’t Hercules, but instead Heracles” she added with a smirk as she took a sip of the Fire Whiskey, Merlin smiling back at her as he took a sip as well.

The rest of the night went on like that; the two of them talking and chatting about everything and anything. Her smile was unlike any that the others had seen in a while, her eyes sparkling whenever he made her laugh, her posture was relaxed and natural instead of stiff and tense and Harry would bet a million Galleons that her leg didn’t hurt as much as it used to, simply because she wasn’t thinking about it when she sat there with Merlin, laughing and talking as they were both on their second glass of Fire Whiskey, the both of them clearly not needing the alcohol to get along, it came natural to the both of them. At one point Merlin had gotten up to go get them some food, returning with two plates, one for himself and one for Ophelia, filled with her favourites. Harry couldn’t help but smile at the two of them, a look of pure content in her eyes, one he could scarcely remember ever seeing. He saw it in her eyes when she found out that Sirius was her uncle, her last tie to her father. He remembered that light in her eyes as she waved goodbye to them at the end of summer to head home, since her mum apparently wasn’t there to pick her up as usual. That was the last time he saw that kind of content joy in her eyes. Yet here she sat, her eyes gleaming with utter contentment and happiness as she talked with a man she’d scarcely known a full year, as though they’d known each other for years. He also noticed how close they sat. After Jaime, she had barely let anyone touch her, not even for a hug and when she allowed it, she was as stiff as a board, not hugging anyone back, yet they sat almost thigh against thigh, talking and talking and talking endlessly as they both enjoyed each other’s company.

“Merlin’s Beard, it’s getting late” she muttered mindlessly as she looked at the clock above the doorway, a large grin breaking out over her face as she looked down when she realised the expression she’d used “sorry, force of habit” she muttered and Merlin just smiled at her lovingly “it’s more of a stubble really” he joked and she laughed, a genuine, real laugh, as she looked at him, shrugging “no, no I’d call it a beard. A short one, yes, but still a beard” she encouraged with a smirk, her cheeks turning red as she looked away “you know... if you don’t want to travel home this late, there’s quite a lot of rooms here… I could have Kreacher prepare one for you, if you want. You’re more than welcome to stay” she stated softly and shyly, Merlin’s heart soaring above with utter delight and adoration “I’d love to, thank you” he nodded and she smiled, standing up using her cane. At least she intended to. Merlin stood up immediately and supported her, making her smile, her cheeks once again growing hot as she let him help her “thank you” she muttered before leaning on her cane, clearing her throat. “Kreacher?” she called out loudly, the house-elf apparating in front of them and he scowled at Merlin before looking at Ophelia “yes, Mistress?” he asked as he bowed his head and she smiled softly “would you kindly prepare a room for my guest? He’s staying the night. Prepare the room closest to mine” she stated with confidence despite how red her cheeks had gotten and Kreacher bowed his head deeply again before nodding “of course, Mistress” he muttered before apparating out of sight once more. Ophelia turned to shyly smile at Merlin “I hope that wasn’t too forward?...”

“Most definitely not. It’s practical, having you so close, just in case I get lost” he joked lightly and she grinned and nodded as she laughed. “And don’t mind Kreacher. Ever since Mrs. Black died and I arrived and told him who my dad was; he’s practically been attached to me at the hip, and I inherited him from my uncle. Harry tells me he was devastated when I-... when I was away… and since I woke up and spent my time at Hogwarts… He’s served the Black family for years now, ever since my uncle and dad were kids, and probably before that. While I was ‘away’ this whole place, Kreacher included, was Harry’s… I have a will that lists him as sort of my heir, since I’m not married or have children” she explained as she walked with him towards the stairs, giving Harry a soft smile, mouthing ‘goodnight’. He’d have to go home soon, Ginny had left a while ago to get some rest, which she desperately needed with an eight month baby bump. “Are you alright to go up the stairs?” Merlin asked softly and Ophelia smiled at him, nodding “I’m alright. If I can go up and come down once, I can go up a second time” she half-joked, smirking at Merlin before beginning to ascend, gritting her teeth, but she made it without fuss, clearing her throat awkwardly “I’ve had Kreacher move my room and things down to this floor, so I don’t have to fight my way up all of the stairs” she admitted and Merlin smiled at her. There was a quick sound of rushing air and the sound of someone appearing, both of them turning to Kreacher who scowled at Merlin, making Ophelia frown “Kreacher” she greeted, her voice a warning in itself and he bowed his head at her “the room’s ready, Mistress” he announced and Ophelia nodded. “Thank you, Kreacher, I’ll show Merlin his room. See Harry off, will you? Then please fetch me a vial of watered down Sleeping Draught from the cabinet in the kitchen by the brewing station, just place it on the nightstand in my room” she ordered in an even yet gentle tone and Kreacher apparated out of sight, Ophelia nodding Merlin down the hallway with her. “Sorry again about him. He shouldn’t look at you that way” she muttered as she led him to the room, opening the door and walking inside to show him the large room with the double bed “it’s alright. He seems to like you quite a lot, though” Merlin pointed out as he examined the room and Ophelia laughed quietly “my father supposedly treated him with great kindness. He remembers that, I suppose” she stated with a fond smile, looking at Merlin as he turned to face her. “I’ll be down the hall if you need anything. It’s the second room on your right, past the bathroom” she informed, smiling brightly at Merlin.

“Goodnight, Professor Emrys… oh and if you hear Kreacher talking to someone, it’s just a portrait of my grandmother, try not to mind it, Professor Emrys” she stated with a smirk, Merlin bowed his head theatrically “I’ll certainly try, and a goodnight to you too, Professor Black” he said and she giggled lightly, shaking her head before leaving the room, closing the door after her and he could hear her limp her way down the hallway, the sound of a door creaking open and then shutting.

Witches And Wizards - 25

(Warnings: Mostly just fluff I think. A hint of angst and then some more fluff<3)

Note: I once read parts of a fic where the reader has magic and goes back in time, meeting Merlin. I sadly can’t find it anymore. Also Fred didn’t die in this.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ophelia couldn’t help but smile as she sat on the bench, watching the children skate on the small lake in Hogsmeade. Merlin was hesitant to approach her, the bag clutched tightly in his hand before he finally forced himself to walk over, moving to stand a little in front of her without obscuring her view of the playing children “mind if I sit?” he asked softly, gesturing to the spot next to her on the bench and she smiled up at him, so sweetly. She moved over a little and he sat down, nodding ever so slightly as a thanks. He nervously offered her the bag and she smiled at him “what is this? A Christmas present? It’s a bit early for that, isn’t it?” she teased and he smiled, gesturing to it “open” he ordered softly and she giggled, opening it and sticking her hand in, retrieving a small piece of candy, the size of a pebble, singing ‘I put a spell on Father Christmas’. Her mouth opened in a big grin, eyes wide as she turned to him before laughing “you bought these?!” she asked with utter amusement, searching through them, finding them all to sing the same christmas song and she laughed again, leaning briefly into him before eating the candy and closing the bag “‘course I did. Black’s Singing Pebble” he stated with a smirk and she blushed, chuckling quietly as she chewed the candy “I guess Fred and George really made good on their promise to sell it at HoneyDukes. I’ll without a doubt find some of the profits to be added to my vault, even though I told them not to” she muttered to herself as she opened the bag again, reaching into it and retrieving a new piece of candy, offering it to Merlin as it sang and he gladly took it and ate it as he shrugged.

“They’re selling them at Honeydukes in bundles” he admitted and she grinned, shaking her head with amusement “at least they still profit off of it, I was sure they weren’t going to be popular for long. Guess I was wrong.”

“You don’t profit either?”

“I’m a Black, my father and uncle set up vaults and accounts for me, I have more Galleons than I need, but I do profit some of it, they insist on it since I-... came back… they wouldn’t take no for an answer” she admitted with a grimace, making Merlin smile “you don’t want the money?”

“I do, I mean-... it’s just-... a lot… I don’t know what to do with it” she admitted sheepishly before sighing “Good Godric, you must think I’m some little rich girl rolling in Galleons and Knuts” she muttered sheepishly but Merlin just smiled, still gazing at her “no. No, I know you better” he admitted and she grinned at him, reaching into the bag and taking some candy for herself before offering him the bag, smiling as he reached into it and retrieved a piece of singing candy, eating it himself as the two of them watched the children play on the ice, a smile on each of their lips, though Merlin mostly looked at her, the two occasionally taking a piece of candy every now and then but otherwise they just enjoyed each other’s company in silence.

Minerva watched with some of the other teachers with a small smirk, Molly appeared after having bought something for Ophelia at HoneyDukes, halting completely at the sight of Ophelia sitting so close to someone, smiling and laughing, sharing a bag of candy. She frowned and took a small step closer to the others, her eyes taking in the way Ophelia seemed so… relaxed…

“So, what’re your plans for Christmas?” Merlin asked and Ophelia smiled softly as she turned her head to look up at him, which did not go unnoticed by the secret audience behind them. “I’m spending it with my friends, some old classmates of mine. I’m going to a ‘get-together’ thing first, though. An old classmate has been kind enough to invite me to it. I don’t really have any family, at all in fact, so it’s nice that he took pity on me” she joked, Merlin frowning at her with concern, making her smile “relax. I’m joking” she teased, nudging him with her shoulder before looking ahead at the children skating on the ice. “So… y-you don’t have any family? W-What about-... a-a husband o-or-... something?” he asked nervously, looking at her, taking in the faint look of content on her face, how peaceful she looked sitting next to him. “No husband. No boyfriend… “ she admitted, a frown forming on her face at the last word, ‘boyfriend’, looking down into her lap “I missed a lot of weddings in those three years… almost all of my best friends got married” she admitted hesitantly, Merlin frowning “and-... would you-... want to get married?”

“Yeah… I mean-... I don’t remember ever wanting to get married, but now, after I returned and woke up, I just-... I feel like I should be married by now… and not just because I want to be married, but-... like-... like someone-... died or something, before we could be married…” she admitted quietly with a frown, fiddling with her own hands as Merlin just stared at her with shock, tears forming in his eyes and he wanted nothing more than to kiss her, to ask her to marry him, to tell her everything, to tell her how long he had waited to just see her face again, to be able to look into her eyes again. It was part torture and part heaven to sit next to her right now. “I don’t know… maybe I’m just lonely or something” she stated with a forced smile, wanting to dismiss the entire thing but Merlin couldn’t help but shake his head a little “I don’t-... think so” he chose his words carefully and she looked up at him with a frown, shocked to see the tears in his eyes. “If you met this person again… would you-.... marry them?” he asked hesitantly, his voice shaking a little and she studied him, a frown still on her brows as she thought about it before giving a weak nod. “I remember a pair of eyes… golden eyes… I see them in my sleep… I see them when I close my eyes but they’re never as clear as when I sleep… I just-... dream… I dream of those eyes, they’re like pools of fire but I don’t feel scared… They bring me comfort” she admitted breathlessly, Merlin was itching to kiss her, to feel her lips on his and he flinched a little, having to stop himself from kissing her deeply. Time. Time was both his enemy and friend here. She appeared to remember more and more, and the last thing he wanted was for her to think he found her again to be with her in that way again. While he yearned for it, his skin and soul itching, aching for it, he just wanted her. In whatever way she’d allow. A friend. A colleague. A shadow. A love to share the joys of life with, a boyfriend… a husband… He’s satisfied with merely her presence.

“Do you ever have dreams like that…? Dreams you don’t want to wake up from because they seem more real than when you’re awake?...” she asked quietly, carefully, and Merlin swallowed the lump in his throat “I think-...” he had to stop himself, restraining himself, his voice tense “I think you should look through your photo album some more… Remember your life… all of your life, when you’re ready, but I don’t think it should be right now… just when you feel ready” he decided tensely and she frowned at him with confusion “what-”

“But for now, I think-... we should return to Hogwarts. Before the cold gets too much for your leg” she could hear that he was sincere, that he wasn’t just trying to get rid of her, she never had that feeling about him, that he wanted to be away from her, so she nodded and he let out a shaky breath, standing up, Merlin gently taking her hand to help her up. Every time they touched, electricity coursed through him and he hoped and prayed she felt it too, the feeling of being complete, whole. He helped her back to the castle, having her lean on him the entire way, talking about anything and everything, both of them making sure the other didn’t slip on the road, the snow covering it, it could easily also cover some icy parts, they looked out for each other.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

It was early in the morning when there was a knock on his door, a frown on his brows as he got up. He hadn’t awoken this early in centuries. Literally, the last time was when Gaius smacked him on the head for staying up too long trying to find some clue about what happened to Ophelia at the crystal cave, he missed half the day, and his duties, because of it. As he opened the door, groggy and still clinging to sleep, he woke up instantly when he saw her, a nervous look on her face yet she smiled and a part of him hopes, truly hoped, that she had gone through the photo album as he suggested, her free hand behind her back and he felt his heart soar at her apparent joy. “Since it’s almost time for the winter holidays, I wanted to give you this;” she got out a small box from behind her back, offering it to him. It was red with a small white bow on top, holding the lid and the box together. “What is it?”

“Well, the point of a present is sort of that you find out when you open it” she teased and Merlin smiled. He looked down and opened the box, his eyes widening at what was inside. “I uh… I restored it… you left it in my book, somehow” she admitted hesitantly, nervously fiddling with her hands “I-I couldn’t restore what was on the back, it was all smudged out… but I restored the picture itself… I don’t know-... I don’t know who that is, if it’s this-... Gaius person that taught you… and I don’t know why I’m there… I can’t remember anything and honestly it-... hurts to try and remember and my leg always begins to hurt when I try and-... I just-... i-it’s obvious that it’s old but well taken care of and I-” she was cut off as he hugged her, completely forgetting the last centuries. It had pained him to part with that picture but a part of him hoped it’d help restore some of her memory. Professor Slughorn had room next to Merlin, a frown on his brow as he stumbled out of his room to see what the commotion was, and why it was happening so early, still in his pyjamas, eyes a little closed from sleep until he saw them. Hugging.

Or rather, Merlin was hugging Ophelia, who was as stiff as a board. He watched in shock as her hands hesitantly lifted, weakly holding his sides, her movements stiff and awkward but the look on her face was anything but. She had tears in her eyes as she felt his embrace, her arms slowly moving to wrap around him properly, her breath shaky and uneven and Slughorn quickly, and quietly, retreated back into his room so as to not disturb the two of them and the surprising moment. It was only after a few seconds that Merlin realised that she was shaking a little, about to pull back when her arms locked him in place. Her breathing was still shaky and uneven before she finally let go and took a step back, wiping away her tears as she gripped her cane more tightly, clearing her throat “I’m happy that you like it” she spoke quietly before leaving and he just realised, she had fought her way up those stairs from the Floo network, which she had taken all the way from the Astronomy Wing and the Room, just to give him that small box with the old picture in it, the picture itself restored and he smiled. He didn’t need to restore the message on the back, he knew it by heart.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Ophelia was quiet as she walked into the mansion, looking around nervously, fiddling with her cane as she felt ridiculous in her dress. It was a navy blue, only over one shoulder, the dress fitting her waist perfectly before dropping down, stopping when it reached the floor, it was long enough to hide her casual shoes, ones that she walked better in than any fancy heels that would suit the dress. She clung to her cane nervously as she looked around, feeling suffocated by the large house, like she had been somewhere similar and it was only a bad reminder that she’d never return to that place, no matter how much she wanted to. “Ophelia” she turned at the sound of his voice, forcing a smile at Draco. “Hello, Draco.”

“You look beautiful” he complimented stiffly and she nodded awkwardly “thank you. You, uh… you look handsome” she complimented in return, both of them just awkwardly standing there. “Thank you, by the way, for uh… for inviting me” she quickly added after remembering her manners, Draco nodding “yeah, I uh… I-I wanted to catch up, you know? I-”

“Wanted to apologise in some way” she finished and he blushed a little, making her smile “you were never a bad person at heart, Draco… just suffocated by what other people wanted and what was expected of you by others” she spoke softly, Draco staring at her before nodding, clearing his throat “would you perhaps care for something to drink? Fire whiskey?” he asked and she stiffened, a warm feeling spreading in her gut at the mention of the drink and she hesitated before nodding “sure, thank you” she spoke and he nodded, leading her to a plush sofa before walking off. “Miss Black” she turned, her breath hitching briefly when she saw who it was. “Mr. Malfoy” she greeted politely, forcing herself to stand back up, her leg screaming at her to please give it a break, but her pride just told it to shut up, she wouldn’t be sitting in the presence of the snobbish Lucious Malfoy, as though she was inferior, even though he was somewhat redeemed… sort of… not really in her opinion… and it seemed he was very well aware of that. “I wasn’t aware that Draco had invited you” he stated and Ophelia tensed but forced a smile “he did. You have a lovely home.”

“Indeed… why are you here?”

“Because-... I was invited?”

“I see…” he hummed and Ophelia nodded awkwardly “so… I heard you went missing” he stated in an almost bored voice and Ophelia had a feeling that he’d known she would be invited already, that asking was just a ploy, not real, and that Draco had probably warned him to be polite. “Yes, I did. Three years” she replied curtly, she’d give this a shot. For Draco. “And now you’re back” he added and she tried not to laugh “obviously” she muttered before clearing her throat “how have you been the last four years? How is Mrs. Malfoy?”

“Quite well. Thank you” he stated stiffly and she nodded, once again, awkwardly. “Would you mind if we sat? My leg brings me quite a bit of pain” she finally asked, no longer able to bear the aching, searing pain in her leg from standing and he looked as though she’d smacked him in his face, turned his cheek blue and then sprouted wings, a look of shock on his face that she thoroughly enjoyed. Secretly, of course. “I-”

“I know you wouldn’t want a cripple in pain, of course” she stated with a fake smile and his cheeks seemed to redden a little but he sat down, without a single word, on the plush sofa, Ophelia joining him, unable to not sigh audibly at the relief she felt. “And what happened to your leg?” he finally asked, as though he was truly trying to fill the awkward void, truly trying to make his son happy, and it made Ophelia’s opinion of him soften a little. Only a little. “I-... don’t know, actually. I have no memory of the three years I was gone… I couldn’t tell you where I was or for how long” she admitted with a frown, looking away, trying to push back the feeling of loneliness she felt. How could one simply forget about three years that she knew was filled with bliss. She cleared her throat, looking back at him with a forced smile “they told me my leg had been crushed. That’s all I know” she stated stiffly before looking away, just in time for Draco to arrive with the drink in his hand, stopping when he saw his father there. “Father?” he asked with slight shock as he walked over, giving Ophelia the drink and she smiled at him, thanking him quietly. “I should greet the other guests” Lucious said and stood up, leaving without ever looking back and Ophelia chuckled lightly, shaking her head as she took a sip of the Fire Whiskey. “He didn’t-... he wasn’t-”

“No. No, he was very pleasant. I don’t know what you threatened him with but it worked” she stated with a smirk and Draco hesitantly nodded, a smile slowly forming on his lips. “Please, sit. Watching you stand there like a statue is making my leg hurt” she joked and he sat down, awkwardly looking around, making her smile again. “Thank you, for inviting me. I can’t imagine your parents were pleased, though.”

“My mother was, actually” he admitted and she frowned at him “your mother? I always thought she hated me.”

“No, she’s just-... protective…”

“She has had every reason to be…” Ophelia muttered, looking down with a frown as though she was deep in thought, Draco noticing with a frown. “You don’t-... you seem-... different” he pointed out and she blinked, snapping out of her trance of self-pity, forcing a smile at him “well, my leg is killing me every second of every day, so there’s that” she joked but he didn’t laugh, nor smile. “You don’t have to, but-... what happened?” he asked hesitantly and her forced smile fell, giving way to the hurt on her face but before he could apologise and tell her to forget it, she spoke up “I-... don’t know… I don’t remember what happened, or where I ended up… Fred and George had told me that I tried out a new device they’d made, something like a time turner but a box… they say that suddenly I just-... like I was sucked into the box. I don’t remember anything after that… I remember waking up in St. Mungo’s and that’s it… I can only remember a few things after that…”

“Such as?”

“It sounds stupid, but-... a pair of eyes… I remember a man, named Gaius… I think-... I cared about him… and then there’s the owner of those eyes, I think I cared about that person too… like they filled a void in me, holding a piece of me that I can’t get back now” she admitted quietly, only realising that she had begun to cry when a tear dropped onto her hand, making her flinch. “Merl-... God, I’m sorry” she corrected, forcing a laugh and smile as she wiped her cheeks carefully, trying not to ruin her makeup “I’m sorry-”

“No, don’t. It’s okay” she quickly said before Draco could apologise further, giving him a weak but genuine smile “thank you, for inviting me, but I can feel on my leg that I think it’s time I left” she stated softly, using her cane to get up, at first having trouble, struggling against the pain, but suddenly she had an arm under her elbow, helping pushing her up and to her feet and she smiled at Draco “it’s nothing to do what we talked about, by the way” she assured him, walking with him to the large door to the mansion. “At least let me walk you out of the grounds, then you can apparate” he offered and she smiled and nodded, thanking him as he opened the door for her before walking with her to the edge of the property, a walk made in surprisingly comfortable silence.

She apparated straight into her room, giving her wand a wave and her dress and jewellery began to remove itself from her, placing itself back into the drawers and small boxes they had come from. Her hair was let down from the fancy way she’d styled her hair in an attempt to match the extravagance of the Malfoy Manor and her dress. She’d rather have preferred a loose braid of some kind but that was that. She passed out almost as soon as she laid down on her bed after drinking her Sleeping Draught. Molly checked in on her after hearing some commotion upstairs, a smile on her lips as she watched a sleeping Ophelia under her covers, her cane near her bed but for now, she looked peaceful. Molly walked in and gathered the dress Ophelia had worn to wash it, picking up the empty vial that the Draught had been in, silently making her way out of the room, closing the door as quietly as possible, always the mothering type and she knew Ophelia appreciated the motherly touch of washing her clothes every now and then, and in truth, Molly seemed to miss it a little bit, her kids were all grown up, married and moved away, spreading their wings and flying from the nest, so to speak, so she enjoyed having Ophelia here until she was ready to return for the holidays to her real home in London.

Witches And Wizards - 24

(Warnings: Some fluff, confused fluff and some more fluff!)

Note: I once read parts of a fic where the reader has magic and goes back in time, meeting Merlin. I sadly can’t find it anymore. Also Fred didn’t die in this.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ophelia felt like weights were tied to her eyelids, as though opening them was a tough battle that she felt herself constantly on the verge of losing. She opened her eyes to look around, the pain had lessened, as she knew it would, except a small blanket was over her leg to keep her damaged leg warm, even though she was in front of a fire. On the large table stood a plate with different kinds of food and a goblet of pumpkin juice, a pillow was under her head and her skin didn’t feel as sticky as she remembered it to be before the sleeping draught helped and she passed out. She lifted her eyes as her head felt too heavy to move, looking above the fireplace, frowning at a small picture in a frame that stood on the mantle, placed with care and love, positioned so she could look at it whenever she wanted from wherever in the room. She forced her body to move and she finally managed to convince it to sit up. She groaned quietly at the ache in her body but she stood up anyway, using the fireplace to keep herself steady despite the warmth that made it feel like it was burning her when she stood so close to the flames. She picked up the picture in the frame, letting herself fall back down onto the couch as she looked at it. Her fingers gently ran over the picture in the frame, over the sweet face of her mum, holding her in her lap when she was just a toddler, her grandmother beside her and in the corner of the picture, a carpet with a mark burned into it, stomped out before it could consume the whole thing and turn it into ash. Tears began to form in her eyes and she looked around, her neck feeling stiff and she got out her wand, pointing it at her cane and it flew right at her. She caught it before using it to stand, putting the picture back on top of the fireplace mantle and she walked around the couch, towards the right staircase to the second floor where her bedroom was and she waited once she used the eagle to quickly get up there, her wand out and she used the hand holding it to push the door, which had once been dressing panels but the Room changed it to walls and a door, open ever so slightly, frowning at the figure she saw inside.

She recognised him by the ears immediately. He was watering her Niffler’s Fancy that Professor Slughorn had given her as a welcome gift when she became a teacher at the start of the year, knowing the gift would be well received with love, he remembered her skill at potions but especially how her ingredients were always of the highest quality when she’d grown them herself. She put away her wand and pushed the door more open to study him. Her room was filled with plants while her living room was filled with books, the two of them separated, her bedroom enchanted so it’s ceiling looked like it was made of glass, just like the main Room, except in here green plants were hanging around it as it looked like a greenhouse and she knew by the lack of daylight that it was night, since it cycled depending on what time it was outside, just like the glass ceiling in the main Room and the windows. She also noticed that her Alihosty had another one standing next to it. In fact, some of her plants had an identical one standing next to it, only more trimmed and not as well kept. “Are you planting your own plants in my room, Professor Emrys?” she asked calmly, a small smirk forming on her lips as he jumped at her voice, spinning around, looking like a Niffler that had been caught going through the jewelry box. “N-No, they’re-... they’re not mine” he admitted and she frowned, her smirk growing a little “so you’ll have me take care of a stranger’s plants, then?” she asked and he nervously rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand, the other still holding the bottle that held water in it for the plants. “No…”

“So they’re not yours and they’re not someone else’s?”

“Right.”

“Are you giving them to me?”

“More like returning” he admitted, much more at ease now as he put the bottle back on the small ceramic plate made for it on a small shelf. Ophelia frowned as he walked closer, a brief chuckle leaving her “returned? These aren’t my plants…”

“They are… I-I’ve tried to keep them proper, you know, like you did. You know, trimming them and such…” he admitted and Ophelia walked over to one of the ‘new’ plants, reaching for it, examining it with a frown “I don’t know what you’ve been drinking, Merlin, but these aren’t mine. These leaves should be trimmed diagonally, not like this” she offered the insight quietly and softly, making Merlin smile at her fondly “I’ll remember that next time if you disappear on me again” he mumbled to himself with a smirk, studying her as she turned around to frown at her “what in the name of Merl-... what are you talking about?” she corrected herself, Merlin smiling briefly before walking out of the bedroom, returning with a bag that made Ophelia’s eyes widen. In his hands were the bag she always had with her. It was a little damaged and looked like it was centuries old but it had been patched up and kept as intact as humanly and inhumanly possible. “That’s-... h-how-... Merlin’s Beard!!” she nearly yelled in shock as she walked towards him, her eyes on the bag and Merlin grinned. “You’ve got to stop saying that” he stated with amusement and her head snapped up to look at him. Her heart raced for some reason at that sentence. She studied him before frowning, looking away from him with a look of confusion borderlining on fear on her face. “I think I’d like to be alone, for now, Professor Emrys” she muttered hesitantly, as though no longer trusting herself… or him.

The possibility that she didn’t trust him made his heart ache and shatter, his smile and all signs of joy were gone and he put the bag down on a chair in the corner of the bedroom. “R-Right! Yeah, sorry I just-”

“No, no I didn’t mean it like that! I just-” she sighed with a frown, continuing to keep her gaze away from him and his heart mended a little at her words “I just… m-my leg, it pains me and I’d like to be alone when this happens” she lied smoothly, Merlin nodding despite the fact that he knew it was a lie. “I didn’t mean to-... I didn’t-”

“It’s alright, Merlin” she stated softly with a very faint smile, barely noticeable, like the tears in her eyes, but he noticed. He nodded and turned around, leaving the living quarters and the second the door shut she let out a shaky breath, eyes closing, a few tears running down her cheeks when she did. Her eyes returned to the bag and she carefully hobbled over, hesitantly picking it up. It was old. Far older than she remembered. Perhaps it was a copy? She opened it, sitting down in the chair Merlin had placed it in, staring into the abyss of the bag and hesitantly, very hesitantly, she stuck her arm into it, looking away when her arm began to obscure her view into the bag, fumbling her hand around as it brushed up against several things until-

She pulled out a large book that she recognised, tears once again forming in her eyes and she hesitantly let her fingers run over the old picture of her, Hermione, Harry and Ron, a faint smile on her lips as she opened the book. The picture that usually was the first to be seen was gone and she smiled, remembering it’s place on the fireplace mantle. She continued through the book, smiling sadly at each picture, having missed them more than she thought was possible. At the very end was a picture she didn’t recognise. At least she thought she didn’t. It wasn’t of anyone she’d ever met before. It was faded and not as well taken as the other pictures, but it was still obvious that one of the people waving back at her was Ophelia. With a healthy leg. She was smiling like she hadn’t done before the war, in a way that was lost to her. At least that’s what she thought.

Next to her stood an old man, her brows furrowing, her fingers grazing over the picture as it moved, smiling up at her and she felt the same sense of comfort as when Merlin talked about the person who had supposedly taught him all he knew. She thought she’d have trouble remembering the name but it was like it was carved into the deepest walls of her memories.

Gaius.

The man in the picture, smiling and waving at her, was Gaius. For some reason, it made sense. Looking at him, smiling up at her, it felt a bit like seeing someone dearly loved after years apart… she felt the same sense of comfort as her mum, her grandmother, her uncle… Molly Weasley… the same comfort they provided

Gaius’ clothes in the picture, and the surrounding furniture and bottles and books, felt familiar to her, like a home away from home. She couldn’t help but smile a little, tears nearly running down her cheeks and onto the picture and she had to put the book away to wipe away the tears so they wouldn’t ruin anything. She sniffled a little before picking the book back up, wiping her nose a little as she carefully slid out the picture. She studied it with a warm smile before instinctually, for no real reason that she knew of, flipped it around, as though she knew something was on the back of it. And she was right. A small, faded, smudged out message, wishing someone a happy birthday, the name long since smudged and faded, unreadable, but it somehow made her smile even more, faded two and a half hearts were left after the name that was smudged out, the handwriting was so old and smudged that she couldn’t see if she recognized it or not, yet she had a feeling that she did, for some strange reason that she’d forgotten about. It was obvious that the picture hadn’t always been in the book, it was a new addition from what she remembered of the book before she lost it. It’s corners were faded and bent back and forth, a tiny hole in the left lower side of the picture, some of it torn out but overall, aside from how old it looked and felt against the pads of her fingers, the paper on the back almost yellow, it was well taken care of. Treasured by whoever had placed it in the book after years and years of carrying it around. Carefully she slid the picture back into the small holding frame, a smile on her lips as she carefully closed the book, hearing it’s cracked spine creak a little as she did and she smiled, placing it on a nearby table, making sure it was safe where it was, unaware of the added pictures past the page of Ophelia and the stranger, Gaius, waving up at her and seemingly having a bit of fun with each other.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Merlin was quiet as he walked into the office near the greenhouse classrooms, looking around at the plants, big and small, harmless and poisonous, some harvested ingredients standing proudly in massive amounts, ready to be given to Professor Slughorn to be used in whatever way he deemed fit. At the end of the room was a large round table, a chair behind it and a woman sat in the chair, something in front of her, which he’d come to learn is called a ‘newspaper’. She had flipped through almost the entire thing, a pencil in her hand, the end of it against her lips, teeth biting down around the end as she held the pencil, brows furrowed as she stared at the page, her cane resting against the table, next to her. He hadn’t ever really gotten a good look at her cane. It had a silver wolf’s head for a handle, the cane itself a dark navy blue, the end of it fitted with a small flat footing of something soft that without a doubt helped keep the cane steady when weight was put on it, since the cane slipping at such a moment wouldn’t be ideal.

“Of course! ‘Butterfly’. God, I’m stupid… and blind” she half-joked to herself and scribbled something on the paper in front of her, smirking as she began to scribble some more before frowning again, muttering under her breath as she grabbed her wand and pointed it at something in the paper before picking her pencil back up again, shaking her head a little “fuck” she muttered and Merlin couldn’t help but smile a little. He remembered when they broke into Camelot after Morgana took over and took Uther as prisoner. They had just gotten into the room with the Cup of Life when that word was uttered by her upon seeing the several undead soldiers standing between them and the Cup. “Professor Black? What are you doing?” he asked softly but she still flinched, her cheeks filling with heat and she cleared her throat awkwardly “Professor Emrys! I-... uh… it’s-... nothing…”

“Is that the Daily Prophet?”

“No, actually, it’s-... a-a muggle newspaper…”

“Muggle? Interesting” he muttered and walked over, Ophelia sighing heavily, leaning back in her chair, gesturing to the newspaper with a certain aggression that Merlin found extremely cute “I have a friend who bought me this because I wanted to learn how to do anagrams… except I’m horrible at it” she admitted with burning cheeks, Merlin smiling a little at her as he stood beside her, leaning down to study it “you’ve done really well. I don’t know why you think you’re not good at it” he encouraged but she groaned “no! I’m horrible… I don’t know half of these muggle words… I didn’t grow up with muggles after I turned eleven and even then I barely went to school… I was bullied so much I skipped and missed classes so I don’t know anything…”

“I’d say you know a lot judging by this. Perhaps you know more than you think… if you’d like, I could help you? I grew up around muggles quite a lot…” he admitted sheepishly and she looked at him like he was sent from God “would you? Please” she encouraged and he smiled, pointing her wand at a chair from the side of the room, pulling the chair over next to her and with a swift wave of her wand, Ophelia made another pencil, giving it to him with a shy smile. “Do you know what an anagram is?” she asked and he hesitated before shaking his head a little, making her chuckle “it’s alright, I didn’t either. Of course Hermione knows, she knows pretty much everything” Ophelia muttered the last part to herself “alright so, it’s about taking these words and sort of making a new word out of it, but it has to be a real word. Like… it’s easy to start at the ones with only two letters. So, let’s say you see one with two letters and it spells ‘NO’, that makes it ‘ON’, see? And you continue to do that, it’s why it’s easier to start with the ones that have only two letters. The letters have to match up, you can’t write an A if the words it’ll cross with doesn’t have an A in it where you want to put it, and you can’t just make up your own words. Now, this large picture here? The sentence in it? It’s sort of the final word you have to get from it’s letters and it’s usually insanely long or something like that. Also, even though the words you have to work with have spaces in between, no spaces! It has to be one word, all of it. Did I explain it right?” she asked hesitantly and Merlin nodded with a smile “I think so” he stated softly as he looked at her and she grinned, his heart melting at the sight and she leaned over the paper once more, studying it, thinking Merlin was doing the same but he couldn’t help but just-... looking at her…

After centuries with only a fading picture, he was like an addict, finally getting his fix, his chance to admire her with the utmost devotion that she deserved. “I think… I-I think this is supposed to spell ‘bicycle’... right? See, the C would fit there and the L would fit under this, right?” she asked, looking up at him and he quickly pretended to just have lifted his head to look at her, instead of having admired her all this time and he looked at the paper, nodding, “see? You don’t need my help-”

“Hold your brooms, Merlin, I’m far from done yet” she quickly said with a laugh before looking back down at the paper “there’s still a lot of words here… imagine if the wizarding world made these. I’m not saying I’m a master of every single thing in our world but it’d be much easier to decipher…” she added in a more quiet voice, brows furrowing again and he once again admired her, the paper and anagram long forgotten in his mind, everything was blank except her… she was just as beautiful as he remembered, every small detail, the curve of her nose, her nose bridge that he knew she secretly hated for being ‘too bulky’ when it was nothing short of perfect. He was sitting on her left so he could see her blue eye, just as enchanting as he remembered it and he found that after all these years, that picture didn’t do her justice, especially since it was in black and white and grey. Nothing could do her justice. Nothing except sitting here with her, in the classroom office that was empty except for the two of them, sitting close together with Ophelia hunched over the paper, gnawing at the end of her pencil whenever a certain word vexed her. This moment right here made all the centuries of wait and worry worth it.

Witches And Wizards - 24

(Warnings: Some fluff, confused fluff and some more fluff!)

Note: I once read parts of a fic where the reader has magic and goes back in time, meeting Merlin. I sadly can’t find it anymore. Also Fred didn’t die in this.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ophelia felt like weights were tied to her eyelids, as though opening them was a tough battle that she felt herself constantly on the verge of losing. She opened her eyes to look around, the pain had lessened, as she knew it would, except a small blanket was over her leg to keep her damaged leg warm, even though she was in front of a fire. On the large table stood a plate with different kinds of food and a goblet of pumpkin juice, a pillow was under her head and her skin didn’t feel as sticky as she remembered it to be before the sleeping draught helped and she passed out. She lifted her eyes as her head felt too heavy to move, looking above the fireplace, frowning at a small picture in a frame that stood on the mantle, placed with care and love, positioned so she could look at it whenever she wanted from wherever in the room. She forced her body to move and she finally managed to convince it to sit up. She groaned quietly at the ache in her body but she stood up anyway, using the fireplace to keep herself steady despite the warmth that made it feel like it was burning her when she stood so close to the flames. She picked up the picture in the frame, letting herself fall back down onto the couch as she looked at it. Her fingers gently ran over the picture in the frame, over the sweet face of her mum, holding her in her lap when she was just a toddler, her grandmother beside her and in the corner of the picture, a carpet with a mark burned into it, stomped out before it could consume the whole thing and turn it into ash. Tears began to form in her eyes and she looked around, her neck feeling stiff and she got out her wand, pointing it at her cane and it flew right at her. She caught it before using it to stand, putting the picture back on top of the fireplace mantle and she walked around the couch, towards the right staircase to the second floor where her bedroom was and she waited once she used the eagle to quickly get up there, her wand out and she used the hand holding it to push the door, which had once been dressing panels but the Room changed it to walls and a door, open ever so slightly, frowning at the figure she saw inside.

She recognised him by the ears immediately. He was watering her Niffler’s Fancy that Professor Slughorn had given her as a welcome gift when she became a teacher at the start of the year, knowing the gift would be well received with love, he remembered her skill at potions but especially how her ingredients were always of the highest quality when she’d grown them herself. She put away her wand and pushed the door more open to study him. Her room was filled with plants while her living room was filled with books, the two of them separated, her bedroom enchanted so it’s ceiling looked like it was made of glass, just like the main Room, except in here green plants were hanging around it as it looked like a greenhouse and she knew by the lack of daylight that it was night, since it cycled depending on what time it was outside, just like the glass ceiling in the main Room and the windows. She also noticed that her Alihosty had another one standing next to it. In fact, some of her plants had an identical one standing next to it, only more trimmed and not as well kept. “Are you planting your own plants in my room, Professor Emrys?” she asked calmly, a small smirk forming on her lips as he jumped at her voice, spinning around, looking like a Niffler that had been caught going through the jewelry box. “N-No, they’re-... they’re not mine” he admitted and she frowned, her smirk growing a little “so you’ll have me take care of a stranger’s plants, then?” she asked and he nervously rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand, the other still holding the bottle that held water in it for the plants. “No…”

“So they’re not yours and they’re not someone else’s?”

“Right.”

“Are you giving them to me?”

“More like returning” he admitted, much more at ease now as he put the bottle back on the small ceramic plate made for it on a small shelf. Ophelia frowned as he walked closer, a brief chuckle leaving her “returned? These aren’t my plants…”

“They are… I-I’ve tried to keep them proper, you know, like you did. You know, trimming them and such…” he admitted and Ophelia walked over to one of the ‘new’ plants, reaching for it, examining it with a frown “I don’t know what you’ve been drinking, Merlin, but these aren’t mine. These leaves should be trimmed diagonally, not like this” she offered the insight quietly and softly, making Merlin smile at her fondly “I’ll remember that next time if you disappear on me again” he mumbled to himself with a smirk, studying her as she turned around to frown at her “what in the name of Merl-... what are you talking about?” she corrected herself, Merlin smiling briefly before walking out of the bedroom, returning with a bag that made Ophelia’s eyes widen. In his hands were the bag she always had with her. It was a little damaged and looked like it was centuries old but it had been patched up and kept as intact as humanly and inhumanly possible. “That’s-... h-how-... Merlin’s Beard!!” she nearly yelled in shock as she walked towards him, her eyes on the bag and Merlin grinned. “You’ve got to stop saying that” he stated with amusement and her head snapped up to look at him. Her heart raced for some reason at that sentence. She studied him before frowning, looking away from him with a look of confusion borderlining on fear on her face. “I think I’d like to be alone, for now, Professor Emrys” she muttered hesitantly, as though no longer trusting herself… or him.

The possibility that she didn’t trust him made his heart ache and shatter, his smile and all signs of joy were gone and he put the bag down on a chair in the corner of the bedroom. “R-Right! Yeah, sorry I just-”

“No, no I didn’t mean it like that! I just-” she sighed with a frown, continuing to keep her gaze away from him and his heart mended a little at her words “I just… m-my leg, it pains me and I’d like to be alone when this happens” she lied smoothly, Merlin nodding despite the fact that he knew it was a lie. “I didn’t mean to-... I didn’t-”

“It’s alright, Merlin” she stated softly with a very faint smile, barely noticeable, like the tears in her eyes, but he noticed. He nodded and turned around, leaving the living quarters and the second the door shut she let out a shaky breath, eyes closing, a few tears running down her cheeks when she did. Her eyes returned to the bag and she carefully hobbled over, hesitantly picking it up. It was old. Far older than she remembered. Perhaps it was a copy? She opened it, sitting down in the chair Merlin had placed it in, staring into the abyss of the bag and hesitantly, very hesitantly, she stuck her arm into it, looking away when her arm began to obscure her view into the bag, fumbling her hand around as it brushed up against several things until-

She pulled out a large book that she recognised, tears once again forming in her eyes and she hesitantly let her fingers run over the old picture of her, Hermione, Harry and Ron, a faint smile on her lips as she opened the book. The picture that usually was the first to be seen was gone and she smiled, remembering it’s place on the fireplace mantle. She continued through the book, smiling sadly at each picture, having missed them more than she thought was possible. At the very end was a picture she didn’t recognise. At least she thought she didn’t. It wasn’t of anyone she’d ever met before. It was faded and not as well taken as the other pictures, but it was still obvious that one of the people waving back at her was Ophelia. With a healthy leg. She was smiling like she hadn’t done before the war, in a way that was lost to her. At least that’s what she thought.

Next to her stood an old man, her brows furrowing, her fingers grazing over the picture as it moved, smiling up at her and she felt the same sense of comfort as when Merlin talked about the person who had supposedly taught him all he knew. She thought she’d have trouble remembering the name but it was like it was carved into the deepest walls of her memories.

Gaius.

The man in the picture, smiling and waving at her, was Gaius. For some reason, it made sense. Looking at him, smiling up at her, it felt a bit like seeing someone dearly loved after years apart… she felt the same sense of comfort as her mum, her grandmother, her uncle… Molly Weasley… the same comfort they provided

Gaius’ clothes in the picture, and the surrounding furniture and bottles and books, felt familiar to her, like a home away from home. She couldn’t help but smile a little, tears nearly running down her cheeks and onto the picture and she had to put the book away to wipe away the tears so they wouldn’t ruin anything. She sniffled a little before picking the book back up, wiping her nose a little as she carefully slid out the picture. She studied it with a warm smile before instinctually, for no real reason that she knew of, flipped it around, as though she knew something was on the back of it. And she was right. A small, faded, smudged out message, wishing someone a happy birthday, the name long since smudged and faded, unreadable, but it somehow made her smile even more, faded two and a half hearts were left after the name that was smudged out, the handwriting was so old and smudged that she couldn’t see if she recognized it or not, yet she had a feeling that she did, for some strange reason that she’d forgotten about. It was obvious that the picture hadn’t always been in the book, it was a new addition from what she remembered of the book before she lost it. It’s corners were faded and bent back and forth, a tiny hole in the left lower side of the picture, some of it torn out but overall, aside from how old it looked and felt against the pads of her fingers, the paper on the back almost yellow, it was well taken care of. Treasured by whoever had placed it in the book after years and years of carrying it around. Carefully she slid the picture back into the small holding frame, a smile on her lips as she carefully closed the book, hearing it’s cracked spine creak a little as she did and she smiled, placing it on a nearby table, making sure it was safe where it was, unaware of the added pictures past the page of Ophelia and the stranger, Gaius, waving up at her and seemingly having a bit of fun with each other.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Merlin was quiet as he walked into the office near the greenhouse classrooms, looking around at the plants, big and small, harmless and poisonous, some harvested ingredients standing proudly in massive amounts, ready to be given to Professor Slughorn to be used in whatever way he deemed fit. At the end of the room was a large round table, a chair behind it and a woman sat in the chair, something in front of her, which he’d come to learn is called a ‘newspaper’. She had flipped through almost the entire thing, a pencil in her hand, the end of it against her lips, teeth biting down around the end as she held the pencil, brows furrowed as she stared at the page, her cane resting against the table, next to her. He hadn’t ever really gotten a good look at her cane. It had a silver wolf’s head for a handle, the cane itself a dark navy blue, the end of it fitted with a small flat footing of something soft that without a doubt helped keep the cane steady when weight was put on it, since the cane slipping at such a moment wouldn’t be ideal.

“Of course! ‘Butterfly’. God, I’m stupid… and blind” she half-joked to herself and scribbled something on the paper in front of her, smirking as she began to scribble some more before frowning again, muttering under her breath as she grabbed her wand and pointed it at something in the paper before picking her pencil back up again, shaking her head a little “fuck” she muttered and Merlin couldn’t help but smile a little. He remembered when they broke into Camelot after Morgana took over and took Uther as prisoner. They had just gotten into the room with the Cup of Life when that word was uttered by her upon seeing the several undead soldiers standing between them and the Cup. “Professor Black? What are you doing?” he asked softly but she still flinched, her cheeks filling with heat and she cleared her throat awkwardly “Professor Emrys! I-... uh… it’s-... nothing…”

“Is that the Daily Prophet?”

“No, actually, it’s-... a-a muggle newspaper…”

“Muggle? Interesting” he muttered and walked over, Ophelia sighing heavily, leaning back in her chair, gesturing to the newspaper with a certain aggression that Merlin found extremely cute “I have a friend who bought me this because I wanted to learn how to do anagrams… except I’m horrible at it” she admitted with burning cheeks, Merlin smiling a little at her as he stood beside her, leaning down to study it “you’ve done really well. I don’t know why you think you’re not good at it” he encouraged but she groaned “no! I’m horrible… I don’t know half of these muggle words… I didn’t grow up with muggles after I turned eleven and even then I barely went to school… I was bullied so much I skipped and missed classes so I don’t know anything…”

“I’d say you know a lot judging by this. Perhaps you know more than you think… if you’d like, I could help you? I grew up around muggles quite a lot…” he admitted sheepishly and she looked at him like he was sent from God “would you? Please” she encouraged and he smiled, pointing her wand at a chair from the side of the room, pulling the chair over next to her and with a swift wave of her wand, Ophelia made another pencil, giving it to him with a shy smile. “Do you know what an anagram is?” she asked and he hesitated before shaking his head a little, making her chuckle “it’s alright, I didn’t either. Of course Hermione knows, she knows pretty much everything” Ophelia muttered the last part to herself “alright so, it’s about taking these words and sort of making a new word out of it, but it has to be a real word. Like… it’s easy to start at the ones with only two letters. So, let’s say you see one with two letters and it spells ‘NO’, that makes it ‘ON’, see? And you continue to do that, it’s why it’s easier to start with the ones that have only two letters. The letters have to match up, you can’t write an A if the words it’ll cross with doesn’t have an A in it where you want to put it, and you can’t just make up your own words. Now, this large picture here? The sentence in it? It’s sort of the final word you have to get from it’s letters and it’s usually insanely long or something like that. Also, even though the words you have to work with have spaces in between, no spaces! It has to be one word, all of it. Did I explain it right?” she asked hesitantly and Merlin nodded with a smile “I think so” he stated softly as he looked at her and she grinned, his heart melting at the sight and she leaned over the paper once more, studying it, thinking Merlin was doing the same but he couldn’t help but just-... looking at her…

After centuries with only a fading picture, he was like an addict, finally getting his fix, his chance to admire her with the utmost devotion that she deserved. “I think… I-I think this is supposed to spell ‘bicycle’... right? See, the C would fit there and the L would fit under this, right?” she asked, looking up at him and he quickly pretended to just have lifted his head to look at her, instead of having admired her all this time and he looked at the paper, nodding, “see? You don’t need my help-”

“Hold your brooms, Merlin, I’m far from done yet” she quickly said with a laugh before looking back down at the paper “there’s still a lot of words here… imagine if the wizarding world made these. I’m not saying I’m a master of every single thing in our world but it’d be much easier to decipher…” she added in a more quiet voice, brows furrowing again and he once again admired her, the paper and anagram long forgotten in his mind, everything was blank except her… she was just as beautiful as he remembered, every small detail, the curve of her nose, her nose bridge that he knew she secretly hated for being ‘too bulky’ when it was nothing short of perfect. He was sitting on her left so he could see her blue eye, just as enchanting as he remembered it and he found that after all these years, that picture didn’t do her justice, especially since it was in black and white and grey. Nothing could do her justice. Nothing except sitting here with her, in the classroom office that was empty except for the two of them, sitting close together with Ophelia hunched over the paper, gnawing at the end of her pencil whenever a certain word vexed her. This moment right here made all the centuries of wait and worry worth it.

Witches And Wizards - 23

(Warnings: Fluff, fluff and more fluff! A bit of angsty fluff, I think, but otherwise this is a pretty fluffy chapter too, I think)

Note: I once read parts of a fic where the reader has magic and goes back in time, meeting Merlin. I sadly can’t find it anymore. Also Fred didn’t die in this.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The one thing she now hated about Hogwarts was the stairs. The stairs that had previously filled with awe and amazement and wonder were now the bane of her existence. Or rather, her left leg’s existence, as she refused to use the Floo network for everything, determined to make it on her own, as she had when she was a student. She winced a little at the pain in her leg as she walked down the last few steps, papers in one hand and cane in the other, leaving her unable to grab the reiling when she felt her foot slip on the last step, her eyes widening and she let go of the papers in an effort to catch the railing to steady herself when someone helped her to it. She looked up to see who had caught her, helping her get steady on her feet again and she grinned “Professor Emrys! It appears that you showed up just at the right time” she stated with amusement once she got steady, beginning to lean down to pick up the papers she dropped when Merlin bent down and gathered them for her “I-I was looking for you, actually” he admitted, gathering them neatly before standing back up, yet he didn’t give the papers to her. “Really? What for?”

“I-I was wondering-... w-what-... has anyone… done anything about your leg? Is there anything that helps?” he asked with a small frown and some hesitancy but she just smiled at him “well… warmth sometimes helps, such as a blanket over my leg or something like that. Though it seems that it gets much worse the colder the year gets” she admitted, Merlin nodding, staring at her with a soft expression and she smiled again, glancing at her papers before looking back up at him, clearing her throat lightly “Professor Emrys, unless you want to take a quiz on the unknown side effects of Angel’s Trumpet and the danger of unknown plants and how to recognize them in the wild then I think you ought to return those papers to me” she joked, Merlin snapping out of his daze, blinking as he nervously nodded but he offered her his arm instead on her left side “are you going to your class?”

“I am, yes.”

“Would you mind if-”

“Not at all” she said with a warm smile, looping her arm in his, still walking while leaning on her cane and Merlin frowned at it “you can lean on me if you need to, I won’t mind, I promise” he stated and she chuckled lightly “thank you, but I couldn’t do that to you. Besides, you’re on the wrong side of me. My cane is in the opposite hand of the leg that hurts because when I lean on it, it lifts up my leg so I don’t have to walk too much on it. Many make the mistake of walking with the cane on the same side as their injured leg or foot, even though, in reality, it only puts more weight on it” she explained plainly before frowning, yet with a smile “I’m sorry, the nurses at St. Mungo’s were very-... strict” she admitted nervously, Merlin just smiling at her. He stopped walking, shifted the papers to his other hand, moved over on the right side of her, took her cane and replaced it with his arm, smiling at her in a way that made every single cell in her body flutter like a butterfly, a large grin on her lips that Merlin willingly drowned in. “Thank you, Merlin” she said softly, leaning on him as she would with her cane. “A-And nothing helps?”

“They say the tibia bone was shattered, cracked in several places. They said some splinters appeared to have made their way into my muscles. They removed them but couldn’t be certain if I would ever walk normally again. Honestly, I’d just settle for a day without pain now” she joked with amusement and Merlin forced a smile, a feeling of regret and guilt taking root in his gut. “You once agreed that it was possible to have a life before the one we’re living,” he started and Ophelia looked at him casually, nodding before looking ahead again as they continued to walk “what if-... d-do you think someone could-... have wronged someone in one life and make up for it in another?” he asked hesitantly and she frowned before shrugging lightly “that depends on the wrong they wanted to right, I suppose…”

“Hurting someone…”

“Intentionally?”

“No, but-... letting it happen, not doing enough to prevent it from happening…”

“Well, if they tried to help, I don’t think it’s a wrong… if they stood by and just-... watched… then yes, I’d say it’s a wrong, but if it wasn’t intentionally and they tried to help in some way, or wanted to and simply couldn’t for their own life’s sake or someone else’s, I’d say they were brave. Many people do nothing but stand to the side and watch. Trying to help, whether it’s successful or not, is always a brave thing” she admitted softly, smiling at Merlin in a way that made him melt inside “whatever wrong you feel you have to right, I don’t believe there’s anything to right to begin with. From what I know, you’re a good man, your parents raised you well” she complimented and he smiled shyly at her before looking down “I never knew my father… my mother raised me until she had to send me away, for my own safety…”

“I’m sorry to hear that…”

“It’s alright, she had a friend who took care of me… he taught me everything he knew. All that I know is thanks to him” he stated with a smile and Ophelia grinned “is that why I don’t remember seeing you at Hogwarts? You were taught privately?”

“Y-Yes, I suppose…”

“Who was your teacher? A former professor of some sort?”

“I-I suppose. His name was Gaius and-” he stopped talking as she suddenly stopped walking, frowning at him and he frowned right back at her, though secretly his heart raced with anticipation and hope. “What is it?”

“Nothing, I just-” she trailed off, looking off to the side and Merlin took a step closer with a hopeful look in his eyes “what? What is it?”

“I feel like I know that name, that’s all” she admitted with red cheeks and Merlin could barely contain his joy, grinning at her as she blinked, looking back up at him, frowning yet with a smile “I suppose I might’ve known him in this ‘past life’ we’re talking about, I don’t know why else I’d feel familiar with that name” she admitted nervously, Merlin grinning as he took her arm once again, continuing to lead her to the greenhouses, stopping by the large tree inside the Herbology wing, just outside the greenhouses with the plants used for teaching, and she grinned at him, taking the papers and her cane from him “thank you, for walking with me, it was a great help for my leg” she admitted, Merlin nodding with an anxious yet happy smile, the two just staring at each other with grins until some students began to snicker and whisper, making Ophelia snap out of her happy little bubble “right then, thank you for helping me with my leg, Professor Emrys. I’ll see you at lunch?”

“I look forward to it, Professor Black” he stated curtly and he could just see in her eyes how happy it made her to hear that title, he had imagined it would, of course, but actually seeing it… nothing could compare.

------------------------------------------------------------

She limped towards the table as the students gathered into the Great Hall, a frown on her brows and she winced a little at her leg, on her way to the seat Neville was already in when someone gently touched her shoulder and she turned. Her heart raced when she saw him and she smiled. He moved to the right side of her and extended his arm, making her laugh and smile, taking it and briefly leaning her head on his shoulder before walking with him, he even pulled the chair out for her, sitting next to her with Hagrid on the other side of her. “Thank you, Professor Emrys, both for helping me and for pulling out my chair” she stated with a grin, Merlin nodding with a smile of his own “it was my pleasure” he stated with a grin of his own, Hagrid watching the two of them interact with a small frown. Ophelia wasn’t one to be comfortable around just anyone, or even let them touch her, even if it was to help her walk with her leg. She’d rather throw herself down the Grand Staircase than accept help from a stranger, even if they were her coworker, and Molly had been the one to help her after she woke up and got out of St. Mungo’s, the only one Ophelia had allowed to help her. Molly had told him of how cold Ophelia had become, like a piece of her, a vital piece, was gone. How she barely let anyone touch her anymore, even to help her stand, how she barely gave a genuine smile, her eyes empty and blank. But she had accepted his touch, even leaning her head on his shoulder briefly; he hadn’t seen her do that since her boyfriend Jaime died at the Battle of Hogwarts and with what Molly told him, after waking up, she’d rather suffer the Cruciatus curse than get close to anyone new in her life. Or old. “So, Professor Black, how did the class go?”

“Quite well, actually, Sprout taught them all well, but that’s no surprise, she’s a brilliant woman and skilled with plants of all kinds. It’s a shame she retired” she admitted with a small frown, Hagrid looking between the two with a confused frown before clearing his throat, gathering their attention “she said something about not being able to see the school the same way after Dumbledore died” he announced, trying to become a part of the conversation and Ophelia frowned, nodding with a sad look in her eyes “I can imagine that, even being back here feels-... distant” she admitted with a small frown before quieting down as food appeared on the tables. She put various kinds of food on her plates, at least one of each, aside from a few things she didn’t like, and Merlin smirked. She still wanted to taste everything to figure out what she wanted to eat the most, not wanting to miss out on something new that she might like. “Merlin, could you pass me the gravy?” she asked softly, Merlin nodding, none of them noticing how Hagrid choked on his food at the first name. “Are you sure? I don’t think you’ll like it” Merlin admitted as he handed it to her and she narrowed her eyes at him with a smirk “I may surprise you yet, Professor Emrys” she teased and Merlin smirked as she poured some of the gravy on her plate, watching her with utter amusement as she tasted some of it, immediately gagging, Merlin handing her a napkin and she subtly spit the gravy out and quickly drank some water to try and wash away the taste. “Merlin’s Beard! That’s horrible” she admitted quietly with a laugh and Merlin smirked. She always hated the-

“The texture is like sand in flavored water” she whispered with a laugh, Merlin nodding with that same smirk “it is” he agreed, smiling at her with utter adoration as she subtly wiped her tongue with the napkin, cringing at the gravy that had touched some of the other food on her plate “fuck” she muttered and Merlin smirked, sneakily reaching a hand over her food and she frowned at him as his hand hovered over the food with the gravy on it, she looked back at the hand that hovered over her food, not seeing the way Merlin’s eyes glowed for a brief second but when he removed his hand, the gravy was gone. Ophelia’s eyes widened and she looked at Merlin in shock “how-... how did you do that?! You’re a non-verbal who doesn’t need a wand?!” she asked with shock, Merlin’s cheeks growing red under his black stubble beard “I-I suppose-”

“You ‘suppose’?? You’re making it very hard to catch up to” she teased, while Hagrid was still in a shocked state, unable to say a single thing as he just stared at them, mouth half open as Ophelia began to eat, looking to her side to look at him, frowning “you’re not hungry?” she asked and gestured to his plate casually, Hagrid snapping out of his daze, blinking, a frown forming on his face before slowly picking up his fork and knife, confusion still written all over his face as he began to eat. Ophelia gave Merlin a small smirk, shaking her head with a grin “a non-verbal and wandless” she muttered with amazement, smiling at him “you’re quite the man, it seems, Professor Emrys.”

“I’m only trying to live up to you” he stated and she laughed, throwing her head back briefly as she grinned “me?? I’m not a non-verbal! I can do one jinx and it’s only defensive, and I certainly can’t cast any notable spells without a wand” she stated through her laughter, Merlin remembering the blue sparks she used when they reached the cup of life in Camelot… blinding the guards for enough time for Merlin and Lancelot to get the upper hand from the start. He smiled at that memory, watching her eat, barely getting anything to eat himself, too caught up in admiring her while he could, overjoyed to find that everything about her seemed the same, the changes she went through in Camelot had stuck with her instead of when she had first arrived, back then she was barely allowing a hug or compliment to be given to her, the very idea of any conflict had her running for the hills. He wondered if she still needed Sleeping Draught, she still used it before she-... before the crystal cave.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Her eyes were closed tightly, squeezed shut as she gripped the armrest of her lounge sofa by the fire, tears running down her cheeks as she gritted her teeth while Madam Pomfrey was applying a cream to the slightly deformed knee and the area closely above and below it, both of them hoping it’d soothe the pain once it was through the skin. “Is there anything else-”

“NO! I’m sorry, I mean-... ‘no’, thank you” she managed through gritted teeth and Madam Pomfrey nodded with sad eyes “do you want company?” she asked fondly and Ophelia was silent for a few seconds before stiffly shaking her head, her breathing shaky as she clung to that damn armrest like her life depended on it “no, thank you, I-... I feel as though I’ll shout and scream and-... I-I’d like to be alone” she managed to utter, Madam Pomfrey nodding, standing up, giving her shoulder a comforting, sympathetic squeeze as she handed Ophelia a small vial with some liquid in it “here, drink this, dear, it’ll give you a few hours of sleep and peace. I’ll check on you after lunch, it should have worked by then” she stated comfortingly before leaving the room for lunch. The second the door was closed Ophelia managed to cast a silencing charm on the room before screaming in agony at her leg as it felt like it was being crushed slowly, tears running down her cheeks as she sobbed in pain, managing to chug down the liquid in the vial before dropping it on the floor, eager for it to work and put her to sleep.

-----------------------------------------------------

Minerva noticed how Merlin looked from side to side, not as subtle as he probably thought himself to be and she leaned closer “is there a problem, Professor Emrys?” she asked calmly, Merlin looking at her, cheeks burning a little red under that black stubble as he cleared his throat awkwardly “no, sorry, just-... where’s Professor Black?” he asked, Minerva hesitating while glancing at Madam Pomfrey further down the table before looking back at Merlin “she’s currently-... indisposed. Not to worry, Professor Emrys, she’s in the best of hands” Minerva comforted before going back to eating, Merlin hesitating before nodding to himself. He ate everything on his plate as though he was a starved man before filling it once more, only the food he picked was everything Ophelia would have picked if she had been there, Hagrid easily noticed that. Merlin excused himself and got up, walking through the castle and to the seventh floor in the Astronomy Tower, stopping in the hallway with the tapestry of the wizard and his ballet trolls. He wandered around for a while, back and forth, when suddenly the wall in front of him changed, a door appearing seemingly out of nowhere and he hesitated before leaning closer to it, knocking on it, waiting outside. “Professor Black? Are you alright? I’ve brought you some lunch” he called, knocking again, a frown on his brows as he reached for the handle, finding that the door was unlocked. He hesitantly peeked his head inside, frowning with worry when he saw her laying in front of a fire in her room on a couch, sweat covering her body, cheeks red with dry tears, eyes red and puffy. Her cane was leaning against the wall, close to the hallway and the door, not too far from the fireplace she was laying in front of. He hesitantly put the food down on the large table in front of him and closed the door, walking over to her. She looked absolutely exhausted, like she had been running all her life without a break and finally passed out. Like she had been in excruciating pain before her body shut down. “Ophelia?” he asked as he kneeled down in front of the fire to be by her side, ignoring the burning warmth he felt from being so close to the fire, his hand reaching up, intending to cup her cheek but when he touched it, he felt how sticky it was. “Ophelia??” he gently gripped her cheek, a constant look of worry on his face as he shook her slightly “Ophelia?! Ophelia-”

“It’s alright, Professor Emrys” he spun around to see Madam Pomfrey, a small smile on her lips as she walked in and walked over to Ophelia. “I gave her something to make her sleep through the pain, it’ll be better by the time she wakes up, but it won’t be for another few hours” she admitted, reaching down and laying a hand over Ophelia wounded knee and even through all the layers of clothes and fabric, she could feel the heat coming off of it. Madam Pomfrey nodded to herself and retracted her hand, giving a soft, caring smile at the unconscious Ophelia. “She was a Prefect of Ravenclaw, you know, always whipping her friends into shape, but I suspect she got up to much more than she let on, especially once she became head girl, and turned a blind eye to much of her friends’ pranks and mischief” she spoke softly, Merlin smiling at the words, nodding and without thinking, he responded; “I know, she told me. She beat Cho at Seeker in Quidditch, too” he mumbled, Madam Pomfrey frowning at him “how do you know that? She hasn’t talked about her school years since the battle” she asked with suspicion, Merlin’s cheeks and ears growing hot and red as he looked at her, a look of panic in his eyes “no, I just- s-she’s mentioned it, a-a while ago, that is… over breakfast, I think it was” he muttered quickly, Madam Pomfrey narrowing her eyes at him as he looked back at Ophelia “I see…” she muttered with suspicion before looking back at Ophelia “well, best let her rest for now. Come on, Professor Emrys” she began to turn to walk out of the room when Merlin didn’t follow her and she turned to see him gently shake his head “no, I’ll-... I’ll stay with her” he muttered, Madam Pomfrey studying him closely before nodding to herself “well, suit yourself, Professor Emrys, if she was comfortable enough to share her school years with you, I suppose she wouldn’t mind, though I would of course ask you to not disturb any of her things and respect her privacy” she nodded to herself again and left the room. Once she was gone, Merlin let out a heavy breath, hesitating before allowing himself a brief moment of how it used to be, gently tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear, his thumb gently brushing against her cheekbone and the sweaty, sticky skin, a small sigh leaving him. His eyes glowed briefly and a cloth appeared in his hand and with a single look, the cloth grew damp and he began to wash off the sweat and tears on her face so she’d wake up a little more comfortably. It was only then that he realized something. The room he was in, her room, was almost like the one she had in Camelot, only built upon and modified with a few things added, since it was now possible for her with magic to add different things she desired and wanted, a gramophone standing near the desk in front of the large window, resting atop a small shelf with three shelves in it, all of them filled with large, paper-thin squares, no doubt containing the music he knew she had missed so dearly in Camelot. He frowned yet with a smile, getting up and looking around. The table he put the food on, the walls were the same stone and the same color, the floors had been turned from stone into hardwood and the ceiling expanded upwards in a glass bubble, the evening sun somehow shining down into the Room as well as from the two windows in the Room itself. Outside of the window behind her desk, which was filled with only God knows what, was a training yard, the sun was setting over the grassy field but he recognised it as the training yard Arthur almost made him deaf in, with how many times he hit him on the side of his helmet, he could still hear a bit of the ringing in his ears if he tried to imagine it.

Witches And Wizards - 22

(Warnings: FLUUUUUUUUF! Fluff and some fluffy fluff!)

Note: I once read parts of a fic where the reader has magic and goes back in time, meeting Merlin. I sadly can’t find it anymore. Also Fred didn’t die in this.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sitting on the opposite side of the table this summer felt bittersweet for Ophelia. She could see the seat she used to sit in at the Ravenclaw table, and the best thing of all, she sat next to Hagrid. On one hand, this is where she had always dreamed of sitting, right?... On the other hand, she felt as though her dreams had somehow changed, but she wasn’t sure what they had changed to, or when, she just felt the bitter shift in her as she sat and talked with Hagrid, whom she adored, the half-giant as gentle as he was tall. “Settle down everyone! Settle down! Welcome back and to those of you who have just arrived, welcome to Hogwarts, the school of Witchcraft and Wizardry! The sorting ceremony will begin shortly, after that, you will get to meet two of your new teachers. Now, when I call your names, please step forward” Minerva called out into the hall, Ophelia smiling softly, leaning closer to Hagrid “she’s got the room, just like Dumbledore did” she whispered, Hagrid nodding “she does. She’s quite the headmistress, too, you know. Had a bit ‘f an incident with a Billywig… thought fer sure she’d sack me.”

“Why? Did the student float off?”

“No! Merlin’s beard, no, just got a good scare ’s all. It’s that lad over there” he whispered with amusement as he pointed to some kid at the Gryffindor table, Ophelia forcing a smile as she suddenly felt… cold… cold and alone… all her life she’d heard and used that name, so why would it feel different now? “Now,” Ophelia snapped out of her trance as Minerva turned to her, smiling and gesturing to her “as you all know, Professor Sprout has retired after many years of faithfully teaching Herbology, so, it is a privilege to present your new Herbology professor, Professor Black” she presented, Hagrid being one of the teachers who clapped the loudest, Ophelia smiling, grabbing her cane and pushing herself to stand, limping over to where Minerva stood. Minerva lifted a hand and the crowd fell silent, Ophelia giving her a smile before looking out to the crowd, unaware of the blue eyes that watched her intently. “Hello. I’m looking forward to working with all of you. It’ll be a privilege to teach all of you, and I can only hope that you’ll enjoy learning about Herbology, how to care for your plants, the use for their ingredients and what to learn from them as much as I did. Professor Sprout was a great Herbology teacher, I have a lot to live up to so I hope you’ll give me a chance to do so” Ophelia stated loudly yet with a fond tone when she spoke of the old Herbology professor she had learnt so much from, even though it was in her later years, turning to Minerva who nodded at her. Ophelia nodded, turning around to go back to her seat when stopped, turning to face everyone again “oh, and just so you don’t have to ask later and interrupt my class, I’m limping because of an unfortunate accident with a Billywig and an allergic reaction, I’m lucky I didn’t lose my leg… it’s worth remembering to always listen to your Care of Magical Creatures professor” she stated loudly, her eyes locked on the boy that had been involved in the ‘incident’ with Hagrid and a Billywig. Minerva tried to hide her smirk as Ophelia limped back to her seat, sitting back down next to Hagrid whose ears were a little bit red, not that it was all that noticeable under all of that hair “what’d ya say that for??”

“Let’s see if you have any trouble with Billywigs now” she whispered with the ghost of amusement on her face, Hagrid trying to hold back a laugh. “And now, allow me to present your new Transfigurations teacher, Professor Emrys” the hall clapped again, even Ophelia, though she had no idea who this new teacher was. Her stomach felt strange again when she heard that name, like it did when she heard the name ‘Merlin’, but she shrugged it off, watching as a tall and lean black haired man stepped forward. He had the cutest ears imaginable and she couldn’t help but smile at the back of his head for some reason. “Thank you, Headmistress, it’s an honor to teach here, I’ve waited a long time to do so, waiting for the right moment. A former student I knew spoke very highly of this place and I just knew I had to come here when the time was right. I’ll be looking forward to getting to know all of you and teaching you, and I’m looking forward to work with my new coworkers” he stated, turning and gesturing to the large table all the teachers sat at, Ophelia’s eyes widening a little when she saw his face, her heart racing when she locked eyes with him, those blue orbs staring at her, as though he knew her, a hint of relief in his eyes that she had no idea why. Barely a second or two passed but it felt like a lifetime. Like a thousand lifetimes. And then she felt cold again when he turned to look back at Minerva, saying something quietly before walking back to his seat at the other end of the table, Ophelia staring at him with a frown. “Now, let the feast begin!” Minerva commanded and food appeared on the tables, Ophelia frowning when Professor Emrys appeared to be shocked at this, his eyes wide, shining with joy and surprise.

“‘Phia, you’re not hungry?” Hagrid asked with half a mouth full of some sort of meat pie, Ophelia barely able to tear her eyes from Professor Emrys, blinking out of her trance as she looked at Hagrid “hm?”

“I asked if you weren’t hungry? And why’re you starin’ at the new professor?” he asked, Ophelia resisting the urge to look at the person in question, forcing herself to look down at her plate “I, uh… I-I’m not hungry” she lied quietly, frowning.

She tried not to. She really did. But she failed, miserably, and slowly her gaze lifted to look at him. And he looked back. Once again their eyes locked and she felt her heart race, heat filling her cheeks but not out of embarrassment for being caught staring at him like a creep… it felt… bashful… shy… like she was being deeply complimented by someone whose opinion was of the highest value to her, and she was able to study his features much better now. He had a black stubble beard that she felt was foreign to him, yet it suited him, he had the most adorable ears that made her heart race, his cheekbones were high, those blue eyes feeling so familiar and she felt like a million lifetimes wouldn’t be enough time to study every inch of him, commit it to memory… and worst of all, she wanted that. She wanted those million lifetimes just to look at him, just to feel the way she did when he looked at her… She swallowed the lump in her throat, her hand clutching her pants as she tried to look away, finally being able to tear her gaze away from him, some form of fear coursing through her veins and she felt like she couldn’t breathe. “Excuse me, please” she muttered, about to get up when Hagrid frowned at her “you alright? Yer face is flushed…”

“Yeah, yeah I’m okay, just-.. my leg” she lied, forcing a smile that seemed to comfort the gentle half-giant and she grabbed her cane, subtly getting up and limping out of the room, walking outside through the door not that far from the table she sat at, feeling the unusually hot sun on her skin, just past the clouds as it descended in the distance. She tried to lean off of her cane a little, to rest her weight on her wounded leg but she quickly leaned back on her cane again, gritting her teeth in agony and she sighed heavily.

“Are you alright?”

She spun around at the voice, grimacing, clutching her cane at the sharp pain the movement caused her, her eyes shut tightly for a brief second before she opened them to see… him. It was him. “Yes, thank you, I just needed some air… I haven’t been back here for what feels like-... a lifetime” she admitted. He was her coworker, she might as well try to be civil, despite the strange feeling she felt when she looked into his eyes, heard his voice… she hadn’t felt like that since-... since Jaime…

“Are you sure? You look like you’re uncomfortable, I can leave if-”

“No! No, it’s not you, it’s- it’s my blasted leg” she admitted nervously, adjusting her stance a little to try and alleviate some of the pain she felt. “Oh, how-... w-what happened?” he asked nervously and she narrowed her eyes at him. She could swear she knew him… there had to be a reason for the feeling she felt in her gut when he looked at her, when she heard his voice, but he wasn’t a Hogwarts student, she would have remembered him, surely… wouldn’t she?…

“I uh, I don’t know, actually. I woke up in St. Mungo’s. They couldn’t do anything” she admitted sheepishly, shrugging as she looked down briefly before forcing a smile “but it’s alright, I’ve lived with it for a few months now. Almost a year after I woke up.”

“How long? If it’s alright that I ask…”

“It’s alright. I was unconscious most of the time at St. Mungo’s… for weeks, actually. I was-... ‘gone’, for a few years, maybe three, I’m not sure, it seems no one really is… but when I got back I passed out and, well, a few weeks later I woke up…”

“W-What happened?” he asked, taking a step forward and Ophelia frowned as her heart raced when he stepped closer. She liked his presence. She liked having him near and every step towards her felt like a drug she was slowly becoming addicted to. “I uh… I don’t know” she admitted sheepishly, forcing a smile “kind of stupid, right? I don’t even know what happened to me, all I know is that I somehow ended up in one of my friends’ shop, covered in rock dust and then I passed out and woke up in St. Mungo’s” she said with a forced laugh, watching as he nodded with a look on his face that made her worry. “Professor Emrys?-”

“Merlin” he corrected and she grinned a little, unaware of how close he was to sobbing when he saw that grin, his heart melting just as it had done so, so, so long ago. The muscles in her face, around her lips and cheeks, began to ache, it felt like it had been years since she smiled a genuine smile, a genuine grin that showed a little of her teeth.  “Your parents really had ambitions for you, then” she stated with amusement, Merlin’s cheeks growing hot “no more than any other parent…”

“Are you kidding? Your name is ‘Merlin’. That has to be a lot of pressure, though…” she wondered, Merlin letting out a shaky breath as he forced a smile, nodding, trying to hide how close to breaking down he was that she was still the same, despite the rumors he’d heard of how cold she’d gotten since she ‘came back’ “it can certainly feel like it sometimes…”

“I’m sorry to hear that. If it helps, I won’t expect any more of you than you’re comfortable with” she stated with a smirk, nudging his shoulder and he actually smiled. A true smile since he woke up in the crystal cave, no sign of her except some blood and her bag. “Thank you. I’ll still expect great things of you, though” he stated with a smirk and she chuckled lightly, shaking her head “oh dear, don’t threaten me with that, I don’t want to let you down” she admitted with amusement, Merlin smirking a little “you won’t… you’re incredible with plants…” he muttered as though in a trance and Ophelia frowned at him, still smiling, although she was a bit confused now “I...” she trailed off, Merlin’s eyes widening “I mean, you have to be! To teach Herbology, that is” he quickly added and Ophelia nodded slowly, still frowning at him. “Forgive me, but-... do-... do we know each other? I-... your eyes-... they remind me of someone… they’re… almost familiar” she trailed off, Merlin’s heart racing. “I-... perhaps in another life? I-If you believe in such a thing…” he stumbled over his words, a grin forming on her lips as she laughed, making Merlin unintentionally smile at the sound. God, he’d missed that sound so much…

“I don’t know, do you?”

“I-I mean-... I-It could be-... possible, you know?”

“I agree” she admitted, looking down with a small frown “sometimes it feels like I don’t really belong… like I’ve lived another life but now have no choice but to live this one…” she muttered quietly before looking up again, a few tears in her eyes that she hid well, just not well enough, forcing a smile “sorry, I’m ranting. If you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll head to bed, it’s getting rather late” she gestured towards the western horizon, the sun gone, the only proof of it’s existence being the colored sky that was already darkening. He looked towards it, brows furrowing a little as he hadn’t noticed the passing of time and when he turned back to look at her, she was gone, making him spin around, searching for her figure but he never saw it, he never saw her blonde, almost white hair, those two unique eyes, one blue and one green. He sighed softly. He’d do anything to call upon Kilgharrah for advice right now… or Gaius… the memory still made tears form in his eyes but he blinked them away. There was always another day and this was far from a loss. He had waited centuries, time going by far too slowly, it felt like agony, having to see civilisations rise and fall, waiting for the right one, having to witness the horror people slowly became capable of, and not being able to intervene, he couldn’t. So he waited. And waited. And waited and finally… the date she told him she arrived in Camelot, breaking Gaius’ table in the process, the memory making him smile. He remembered how nervous she was, he remembered the way her eyes lit up when he first showed her his magic, the utter joy in her eyes as she looked up at him and he already knew… he had looked around like a madman, hoping and praying she had found a way out of the cave and gone ahead, at least that’s what he convinced himself, just before leaving the cave after getting his magic back.

He had returned every day to see if there was any sign of her. Then every week, then weeks turned into months, months turned into years. But he always visited, hoping and praying for a message of some kind, a proof of any kind. Civilisation had risen, buildings crushing the forests and fields he took so much joy in watching grow, but the crystal cave remained, he made sure of it, it had been years since he first visited it but now that he saw her, ‘met’ her again… he no longer felt the need to see it, to wait for a sign of life, a message, a clue. He had a chance to get to know her again now and this time, nothing would happen to her. Never again. And perhaps he could help with her leg as well… he’d have to look through all the books and spell books he’d collected over the years, most of them from Gaius. He wondered if she remembered Gaius like she remembered him? A sensation, a feeling, a faded idea of a past memory. He had a chance to work beside her, see what she would have wanted to become back when he knew her, how she would have lived her life, and nothing gave him greater pride than that opportunity.

---------------------------------------------------------

Ophelia smiled softly at Minerva as they made it at the top of the stairs, leading her down the small hallway, a door already forming in the wall across from the tapestry of a wizard trying to train trolls for ballet. “Are you quite sure about this?” Minerva asked with a frown as the door was fully formed in the wall, Ophelia nodding at her with a small sigh “the Room will provide what I need… I’m not sure I even know sometimes, to be honest, but the Room will know” she muttered and Minerva sighed softly, nodding “alright. I’ll still keep a room empty in the Faculty Wing should you want it and the floo powder network has been fully restored and is ready at your disposal” she promised and Ophelia nodded, giving her a weak smile “thank you. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight” Minerva wished her before walking down the stairs and Ophelia faced the door, letting out a shaky breath before opening the door and walking inside. The entire room shook a little and she had to place a hand on the wall to not topple over, everything changing size and color and shape until a room appeared. It looked almost-… medieval… like something you’d see in a castle. Not a magical one, that is, but a muggle castle, different from Hogwarts yet familiar. She stepped inside a little, looking around with the ghost of a genuine smile on her lips as she was filled with warmth, like coming home after a long journey and finally being surrounded by the deepest comforts of home and safety and familiarity.

The room was quite large in fact, a little bit bigger than the rooms in the Faculty Wing. But only a little bit. The floor, walls and ceiling were made of stone, a big window almost in the middle of the room in front of the door she had just passed through, a desk in front of it with a comfortable chair behind it. Along the wall, just under the window, were several small bookshelves, empty and ready to be used. There was a large table in front of the entrance, which was a small hall from the door, only a few meters long. There were chairs lining the table that stood in front of her almost in the middle of the room. As she walked out through the small hallway and into the Room itself, she noticed that on either side of the room were stairs, leading up behind her and over the small entrance hallway, a balcony resting up there, looking out over the rest of the room and she smiled when she saw a small, golden statue of an eagle at the start and end of each staircase, fixed to the wall like the Floo network around Hogwarts that had been restored after centuries of being forgotten. Speaking of, a small Floo network had appeared right by the door and she grinned. She looked around the room in awe, bookshelves appearing out of nowhere, lining the walls, a door appearing to the left side of the room by the stairs, the door opening itself a little to reveal a bathroom inside, one that she’d most definitely have to explore later. Cushions and sofas appeared around the fireplace, creating a cozy, warm, welcoming and homely atmosphere. She limped towards the right staircase, studying the golden eagle statue before reaching for it and the second she did, she was suddenly at the top of the stairs, a laugh spilling from her lips. The Room had even provided her something so she wouldn’t have to walk up those damned stairs. She grinned as she looked around the second floor, limping towards the dressing panels that stretched out and she grinned at the sight that met her. A large canopy bed with Ravenclaw blue and silver drapes, right near a window with a large wardrobe cabinet standing against the wall near the bed and she leaned closer to peer out the window, wondering what the Room would have conjured up for her and she frowned when she saw-... a training yard. Sort of. It had dummies, no doubt for training spells, though they had strange helmets on… and were made of straw… It looked almost medieval. She didn’t think too much of it before plopping herself down on the bed, grinning as it was perfect. The perfect bed for her, which didn’t surprise her, the Room stopped surprising her long ago. But she could explore more tomorrow after her lessons, for now, sleep was already tugging at her and she barely undressed before falling asleep in the bed, her wand on the small table next to the bed, her cane leaning against it.

Wolves And Hounds-6

(Warnings: Again, this is mostly just angst, sorry!<3)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“You’ve seen better days, My Lord.”

“Another visit?”

“With a guest…”

Karliah approached hurriedly, kneeling down by Ned and hugging him tightly, letting out a shaky sigh, hearing the chains rattle as he moved his arms to hug her back, as much as he could. “It pains me to see you in chains… What were you thinking?!” she asked with a hiss as she leaned back from him and he was ready to defend himself, as he had with Varys, when he saw the tears in her eyes “what’s happened?”

“‘what’s happened’-... what do you think?!... Seven Hells, Ned…” she muttered with a sigh before looking up at Varys and then back at Ned “Sansa came to court today… pleading for mercy… Ned, just admit that Joffrey is the king and this can all be over, please-”

“He’s not-”

“He’s Robert’s son!”

“He’s a bastard” Ned admitted hesitantly and Karliah frowned at him through the darkness, trying to find any hint of a lie in the small flicker of light that the torch Varys carried allowed. “What-... what are you-”

“The Queen’s children… they’re bastards… born of incest, between the Queen and her twin brother” Ned admitted and Karliah’s eyes widened a little, letting out a shaky sigh as she looked to the side, thinking things over. Finally, she looked back at him, the tears still in her eyes “you will admit that Joffrey is the true king… if not for your own life, then for your daughter’s! We can’t find Arya and I’m not allowed outside of the Keep to look for her! We have no more Stark soldiers with us, Ned… We have no one that we can trust!... No offense intended, Lord Varys…”

“Oh, none taken, My Lady, in fact I think it clever to not trust anyone” he complimented and she gave him a weak nod before looking back at her brother “swallow your pride, Ned, and live to hold your daughter one more time…” Karliah pleaded before sighing, getting up and looking at Varys “thank you, Lord Varys, I won’t forget this, I promise…”

“I serve the Realm, My Lady, and your brother was a good hand for the Realm” it was all he said and she nodded, looking back at Ned before nodding to herself and leaving the dungeons, wiping the tears from her eyes before they could spill over and stain her cheeks, she wouldn’t have Sansa seeing her cry, not now, not now of all times.

------------------------------------------------------

Karliah’s heart was in her throat as she was forced to stand away from Sansa, near the Hound and that foul leech of a Grand Maester, Pycelle. She would hang him from his guts if only she had the chance. As Ned was forced, limping and tied, up the few steps, he looked up, seeing Karliah right in front of him, her nails red from biting nervously and he… smiled… he smiled at the sight as it reminded him of how she used to bite her nails when she was but a little girl, she had only been fourteen when she had disguised herself and sneaked off to battle when Robert began his rebellion. He hadn’t seen her bite her nails since. Until now. He could see how desperate she was to step forward, how her jaw clenched, how the fire in her eyes swirled, nearly out of control had it not been for Sansa and him, he wondered if she knew about Arya. he couldn’t tell he, unlike Yoren whom he had passed by in close quarters, Karliah was simply standing too far away, and next to the new king’s personal pet dog. The people continued to call him traitor and she wanted nothing more than to shout at them how wrong they were, shout what Ned had told her in the Black Cells in the darkness, with only Varys as a witness. The thought made her look at the eunuch, his eyes finding hers and she saw… grief? Regret? Remorse? Sympathy?

She was snapped out of her trance as Ned spoke and a rock hit his face, Karliah nearly jumping forwards if it hadn’t been for the armored arm that wrapped around her waist, holding her back as Ned stumbled to stand where he had been before, Karliah’s eyes filled with tears and she hadn’t noticed that Sandor hadn’t even let go of her.

“Ser Ilyn… bring me his head!”

“NO!” Karliah once again tried to jump forward, kicking and shouting, her legs flailing in the air as Sandor just held her back. “Quiet.. Quiet! Do you really want to join your brother so badly?!” Sandor hissed and Karliah finally got free, turning around to face him with a spiteful look on her face, until she noticed her niece out of the corner of her eye. Her eyes widened as Sansa’s eyes closed and her body went limp, causing her to fall to the ground and Karliah was by her side faster than one could blink, gently picking her head up, gently patting her cheek to try and wake her up “Sansa? Sansa??...” Karliah whispered softly, leaning down, letting out a sigh of relief when she heard a heartbeat. Karliah turned her head just in time to see her brother’s headless corpse be pulled aside and that was all that was needed. The tears finally began to run down her cheeks, her heart racing and it took everything in her to not look up at the new king with spite, instead focusing on trying to wake up her niece.

------------------------------------------------------------

Karliah tried not to wince as the bard was held in place, his tongue about to be cut out by the same man who took Ned’s head and she felt her heart stop when Joffrey approached Sansa, Karliah’s hand gently placing itself on Sansa’s shoulder as Joffrey walked up the steps. “You look quite nice” he said in a cheery tone, Sansa looking over her shoulder at Karliah who clenched her jaw, hesitating before giving a subtle nod to her, Sansa looking back at Joffrey “thank you, My Lord” she muttered, Joffrey not even taking a second before correcting her “‘Your Grace’. I’m king now. Come, I want to show you something” he stated, about to walk past when his eyes turned to Karliah “I have no use of you, Lady Stark, you may remain here or wherever it won’t bother me or my Lady Sansa” he stated casually and Karliah forced a smile and curtseyed “of course, Your Grace” she said in a tight voice, Sansa looking at her with slight horror and Karliah’s heart broke all over again. She mouthed a quick ‘it’s alright’ before being forced to watch her walk off with Joffrey, Karliah’s hands were clutched at her side, not even having noticed that Sandor was still standing next to her “don’t worry-”

“I’ll worry until the day I die, Hound” she muttered with spite, watching her niece leave with the king, Sandor studying her before leaving, walking away and catching up with the boy king before he could notice that he wasn’t there.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Karliah’s heart burned with utter rage and spite as she held her niece, her jaw clenched as she gently rocked her while she cried in her arms after having told her what Joffrey had wanted to show her. Her father’s head on a spike, next to her Septa’s, promising to mount her brother’s head next to their father’s. “Shh, it’s alright now” Karliah soothed, gently rubbing her shoulder, kissing the top of her head with utter love and adoration, attempting to comfort the girl as much as possible. She wanted nothing more than to mount Joffrey’s head on a spike, have Ned and the Septa’s remains brought back to the North, where he belonged, where they both belonged. Septa Mordane might have only been a septa, but she was a wolf. She was a wolf who protected Karliah’s nieces as though they were her own cubs and for that, she deserved a burial fit of a woman with such courage. “Winter is coming, Sansa…” Karliah promised as she held Sansa a little tighter in her arms, leaning her cheek against the top of her head “and with it, a storm… a storm unlike any other… all we wolves have to do is hide in our dens, staying close together, keeping each other warm…” she added, taking a shaky breath, trying to control her utter rage that was bubbling inside of her, boiling, ready to pour it over and scald anyone who got too close to her family again. “The lions, the stags… all of them will freeze to death in the storm… but the pack… we survive, we wait until the storm is over… until it’s safe to go back outside, and when we do… we’ll hunt the lions. We’ll hunt the stags, we’ll hunt every last one of them that survived the storm” Karliah promised in a whisper, parting from Sansa to look at her, gently cupping her cheek with her hand, her eyes studying the cut on her lip and Sansa spotted the way the corners of her nose tucked up in utter disgust, a look of rage on her features. “I-It’s okay, aunt-”

“No. It’s not” she interrupted, looking up at Sansa with determination “I need you to listen to me… keep your head down, agree with him… he’s a man, he wants to be told how right he is, how mighty he is. I wish you weren’t this young, Sansa… but we have no choice… keep your head down and agree with him, always… this is not your fault… this will never be your fault, any hand he will ever have laid on you will never, ever be your fault. Any man who hits a woman, or has his servants do it for him, is weak… and they will freeze in the storm” she whispered, Sansa nodding weakly “tell no one of this conversation… I will do everything I can to be with you at all times, okay? I will do whatever I can for you” Karliah whispered, Sansa nodding with tears in her eyes. “I’m scared” Sansa admitted and Karliah’s stern look broke, giving way to a few tears in her eyes as she sighed, soothingly rubbing her cheek in a loving manner “I know, pup…” she muttered, mostly to herself, sighing again “I will be here for you, always… they’d have to kill me to tear me from your side and that’s not happening. You’re stronger than you know, Sansa… you are so much stronger than you think… and you’re clever…” Karliah muttered before sighing softly at the sight of her split lip that had begun to bleed again. “It’s bleeding again” she muttered, standing up and kissing the top of her head “wait here, I’ll be back” she whispered before leaving to get a rag, Sansa slowly lifting her hand, her fingers shakingly grazing the wound, blood coating her fingers and she stared at it, her aunt’s words swirling around in her mind… Winter was coming, the lone wolf dies… but the pack survives… who was her pack? Her mother and brother back at Winterfell? Her sister who was probably somewhere, dead in a ditch? Her aunt?... A pack of two lone wolves in the south, far from their den and the rest of their pack… but she wasn’t alone. She wasn’t a lone wolf, not with her aunt here. She wasn’t alone.

Wolves And Hounds-5

(Warnings: Angst, angst and more angst. It’s not a happy chapter, sorry<3)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Karliah was silent as she was led to the room, walking inside on unsteady feet, especially when she saw him lying there, wrapped up in bandages, sweaty and pale, covered in blood. “Kal” his voice was faint and weak, but she heard him all the same, approaching hesitantly as tears formed in her eyes “Your Grace” she muttered as she sat at his bedside, making him scoff “enough of that” he murmured before wincing at the pain he felt. “Have you had milk of the poppy? You shouldn’t be in pain, Robert-”

“Pain is what reminds us we’re alive, Kal, though it won’t be long before I won’t be” he murmured and she shook her head “don’t say that… please, don’t say tha-”

“The Targaryen girl, you were right. You were right, and I couldn’t see it. Both of you were right… you were the only ones to stand up to me… I’ve asked Ned, if it’s not too late, to let the girl and her babe live” Robert croaked out and she smiled through the tears in her eyes “Lyanna would be proud” she whispered, leaning closer and he gave her a weak smile “you remind me so much of her…” he managed to murmur and she smiled “it makes sense, since we’re family” she joked and Robert laughed that deep, genuine laugh of his until he had to stop because of the pain it caused him to feel in his gut. “I’ve arranged for everything, Ned’s written down everything… I just wanted to say goodbye to his little sister” he murmured and Karliah smiled weakly “you’ve been like a brother to me, Robert” she admitted weakly, Robert giving her a weak smile “I know, which is why I ask that you stay with Ned, help him, the Gods know you’re smarter than both of us” he joked lightly and Karliah laughed briefly, nodding as tears ran down her cheeks, letting out a shaky breath. “Robert, you’re dying…” she trailed off and he scoffed “why would you think that?” he joked but she didn’t laugh, making him frown. “If-... if I could ask a final favor from you… would you give it to me?... All I ask is that you listen as I confess…”

“A dead man can’t pass secrets” he murmured and Karliah hesitantly nodded, making him nod as well and she took a heavy breath, looking down. “There was a man… I-... I loved him, I think… nothing ever happened between us except kisses but-... I knew if anyone got word of it, they wouldn’t believe that’s where it stopped and I-... he was killed, some days ago… by Jaime Lannister… I’ve told no one of what Jory and I had, not even my brother… no one knows and I feel like I’d suffocate if I can’t tell anyone… I loved Jory… at least, I think I did… now that he’s gone, I’m not so sure… I was comforted by someone else, a hug, that’s all it was, but it made me feel less alone…” she admitted, daring to look up at Robert who nodded ever so slightly, looking away as he sighed “I’ve never been one to converse with on the matters of the heart, Karliah” he pointed out and she nodded “I know…” she whispered hesitantly. Robert studied her before sighing “I never got to have a life with Lyanna…” he admitted softly. He’d always been softer with her, more genuine and less joking, more open… he could still be coarse and rough, but when the time called for it, sentimentality came easier to him when it was her.

“I’d burn the Seven Kingdoms down to see her again… I can’t even remember her face, that’s the worst of it… just that you remind me of her” he admitted quietly with utter despair and Karliah sighed, wiping away some of her tears “she had dark brown hair, like me… her eyes were a light gray, almost like steel… she used to braid the top of her hair in a few braids, sometimes four, sometimes two, it reached past her shoulders… She was a little taller than me, her voice was a little lighter than mine… her face wasn’t as long as mine and she had cheekbones that I’ve always been envious of… she had a smile that could just-... light up the sky… she wasn’t particularly involved with the Gods, old or new… she had a scar on her thigh from a sparring match we had, it was the first match I won over her… in return she gave me a scar on the inside of my left ankle” Karliah admitted with teary eyes and a smile, looking down at a smiling Robert “she looked beautiful in blue and gray… it made her eyes stand out even more. She was pale but not in a sickly way… she was used to the cold… I’ve always imagined it was her warm heart that kept her from freezing, no matter how cold the North seemed to get. She loved the blue winter roses, she found them beautiful and enchanting, they were her favorite” Karliah added softly, Robert smiling at her with tears in his eyes “thank you” he whispered weakly, reaching for her hand, giving it a comforting squeeze and she nodded, wiping away her tears with her free hand.

“If there truly is an afterlife… promise me you’ll tell her I miss her?... Tell her I visited the Wall and it was as beautiful as we both thought it’d be… tell her that I’ll never forget the first time I fell off of a horse while trying to shoot a bow, the memory always made her laugh… tell her I love her… that I sometimes feel lost without her… promise me, Robert… promise me you’ll tell her?” Karliah begged, voice wavering, lower lip trembling as Robert squeezed her hand “I will, I promise…”

“Everyone I love appears to be dying around me… my brother Brandon, father, mother, Lyanna, Jory and now you” she whispered quietly, Robert giving her a weak but genuine smile “none of us can live forever…” he stated and she nodded, wiping away her tears before sighing, looking at him with a faint smile “at least you killed the bastard boar” she muttered jokingly and Robert chuckled with amusement, despite the pain it must have caused him “make sure everyone gets a taste of it” he ordered and she chuckled, nodding “I will” she whispered, sighing softly as she leaned down and kissed his sweaty forehead. “Go, I won’t have you watch me die” Robert ordered softly and Karliah nodded, standing up after giving his hand another squeeze, leaving the room as she wiped away her tears.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Karliah ran as fast as she could down the hallway, her footsteps echoing on the stone as she finally saw them “Sansa! Modena!” she called out, taking in the look of horror on Sansa’s face and Modena said something that urged her to run to her aunt, which she did, quickly. “Modena-”

“Go” she yelled, Karliah sighing before grabbing Sansa and running off with her “I’ll take you to your room, bar it off. I’ll go look for your sister afterwards, do not open your door for anyone you don’t know. Don’t open it for anyone but me, do you understand? Not the Hound, not the guards, not the Queen, not Joffrey, no one but me, do you understand?” she asked quickly, stopping and turning to Sansa who nodded weakly, Karliah putting her hands on Sansa’s shoulders “Sansa, do you understand?!”

“Y-Yes!”

“Good girl, come on” Karliah whispered, kissing Sansa’s head before continuing to run with her. Just as they ran around the corner, near Sansa’s room, Karliah stopped, grabbing Sansa and putting her a little behind her as they both saw the Hound at the other end of the small hallway, Karliah keeping a tight grip on her niece’s arm, shielding her with her body. “Don’t-”

“Step aside-”

“Over my dead body” Karliah hissed, Sansa on the verge of tears “no! Just, stay away from us… I-I’ll tell my father… I’ll tell the Queen!”

“Who do you think sent me?” Sandor asked through a chuckle as he advanced on them, Karliah slowly backing up with Sansa behind her. “Lay a hand on her, and I’ll cut it off.”

“Do you really think you can threaten me, girl-”

“It’s not a threat, it’s a promise, and I’m not some ‘girl’! I’m a Stark of Winterfell, not one of your common whores. Now, if you’re taking my niece, you’re taking me as well because I’d have to be long dead and buried for you to lay a hand on her” Karliah stated defiantly, staring down the Hound, Sansa looking between the two with worry but eventually the Hound merely sidestepped, Karliah releasing a shaky sigh of relief before nodding to herself, looking over her shoulder at Sansa “it’s alright” she whispered, gently leading her to follow Sandor.

As they arrived outside of a door, Karliah was stopped from entering, her eyes wide as she stared at Sandor who blocked her way “if my niece is going through that door, then so am I” she stated defiantly, trying to enter once more when Sandor grabbed her arm to stop her, causing her to back up and rip her arm out of his grip “don’t you dare lay a hand on me!” she snapped, placing Sansa behind her “do that again, and I’ll kill you” she stated calmly yet with a growl. All the fight left her when Sansa stepped out from behind her “i-it’s okay, I-I know the Queen won’t hurt me” she stated sweetly, still horrified, and Karliah sighed softly, cupping her cheek, wanting to call her naive but she didn’t, instead she sighed and nodded “It’s alright, Sansa” Karliah whispered, kissing the top of her head softly “remember our words?” she asked in a whisper and Sansa nodded, making Karliah nod as well “good girl… I’m out here…” she whispered, Sansa being led into the chambers and Karliah turned her eyes to Sandor, glaring daggers at him before looking away “is my brother dead?”

“No, he’s in the cells-”

“The Black Cells?! People have died of thirst there!! Why is he in the cells?!”

“Treason-”

“Against who?! My brother loved King Robert, as did I!”

“King Joffrey” Sandor stated in a hiss and she frowned, at first wondering why he was keeping his voice lower than hers, until she realized. She swallowed the lump in her throat before sighing, shaking her head a little “my brother would never betray Robert’s memory by betraying his son…”

“I’m not here for the politics” Sandor grunted in a bored voice and Karliah scoffed “and you think I am? I will die before I let anything happen to my brother’s children. All of them.”

“Even the bastard?”

“Even the bastard” she replied quickly, yet she looked away from him, her breath a little heavier as she tried to keep face but Sandor knew. He could see it on her. She was lying. Not about loving her nieces and nephews, that much was true, even he knew one couldn’t fake that kind of love, but she was lying about something else…

Before he could say anything further, the door opened and Karliah spun around, seeing a defeated Sansa, her head low and Karliah instantly pulled her into her arms, kissing the top of her head as Sansa hesitantly hugged her back. “The Queen wants to speak with you” Sansa stated in a wavering voice and Karliah frowned, giving Sansa’s shoulder a squeeze as she looked between her niece and the open door, she could see the Queen inside. “Please, allow me to escort my niece back to her quarters, if not, then please, allow her to stay with me…”

“She may wait outside.”

“Your Grace-” Karliah cut herself off when Sansa parted from her “it’s okay…” she muttered, glancing nervously at the Hound and Karliah sighed “wait for me here, do not go with anyone, do you understand? Scream and kick if you have to, manners be damned” she whispered so only Sansa could hear her, the young girl nodding and Karliah nodded, kissing the top of her head before entering the Queen’s quarters, approaching, flinching a little when the door was slammed shut behind her. “Your Grace” Karliah greeted, walking over and sitting down when Cersei gestured for her to do so. “Lady Stark, your brother has been arrested on the charges of treason…”

“So I hear, Your Grace” Karliah kept as flat a tone as possible, Cersei studying her before leaning a little closer “what had your brother told you of his treason?”

“Nothing, Your Grace. It’s why it surprises me to hear that he’s received these charges at all…”

“I see… you must write to your sister-in-law, Catelyn. She should hear the news of her husband’s arrest from you first.”

“Your Grace, I-”

“I’ve had your niece write a letter as well, to her eldest brother, Robb, but yours will be sent to Lady Catelyn. I urge you to tell her to keep the King’s peace. Urge her son to do his duty to the realm and the north and keep the peace.”

“May I ask, please, what happened? My brother committing treason is-... is as unbelievable to me as dragons coming back to life. Please, Your Grace… What are the specific charges?”

“He attempted to seize my son’s throne for himself.”

“While the late King Robert’s corpse was still warm!” Pycelle added with outrage, Karliah’s heart beating rapidly in her chest and she hesitated before sighing, closing her eyes briefly before opening them again. “I heard nothing of this, I swear it, Your Grace. Neither did any of my nieces, they are as innocent as your son in this-”

“Still, I cannot allow a traitor’s daughter to marry my son, she would be an unfit consort to our King” Cersei’s words internally made Karliah jump with joy. Until she realized. If Sansa were no longer to marry Joffrey… then what safety did she truly have in this horrible, dangerous place they had come to?

Karliah swallowed thickly at the thought, sighing heavily before preparing to degrade and humiliate herself, for her family’s sake “please, Your Grace, my niece is a good child, please, Your Grace… she loves your son! She only wishes to be a good queen, a queen like you, she aspires to be like you, and carry your son many children and heirs… it’s all she wants” Karliah begged softly, a frown on her face as she stared at the queen, praying to the old gods and the new that she was convincing enough. “She will hatch no treason, she will plan nothing, I will make sure of it, Your Grace… she loves your son, truly and deeply. I will be there to make sure that nothing happens, I promise, she will never ever betray him” Karliah added in a begging tone, tears forming in her eyes at the thought of her oldest niece… cold and dead in the ground because she had no further use should her engagement to the new king be broken off.

Cersei studied her before carefully placing a roll of paper in front of her, then a quill and some ink “please, write to your sister-in-law” she asked softly and Karliah nodded, picking up the quill, her hand shaking a little but she willed it to stop, moving the quill to the ink pot and dipping it before looking back up at the Queen “what do you want me to write?” she asked through gritted teeth, the question like poison in her mouth, venom on her lips, slowly sucking the life out of her as the Queen smirked subtly in victory.

Wolves And Hounds - 4

(Warnings: Angst, angst, a bit of fluff and a bit of angst)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Karliah was enjoying the evening sun from her balcony when there was a knock on the door, her eyes moving to it and she got up, approaching and opening the door, a smile gracing her lips when she saw who it was “Jory, a pleasurable surprise” she stated with joy, stepping aside to allow him inside but he shook his head “actually, My Lady, your brother sent for you” he stated, her smile dampening a little, turning into a forced one as she nodded “oh, right… did-... did he say what for?”

“No, My Lady, only that it was urgent” he admitted, taking in the disappointment in her eyes even though she smiled and nodded, walking out of her room and closing the door behind her “well, then you better lead me to him” she stated softly, Jory nodding, beginning to lead her towards her brother. “I’ll admit that I had hoped your visit would be for a more… personal reason” she admitted quietly, Jory had to restrain himself to not gaze at her “as did I” he admitted just as quietly, Karliah glancing at him out of the corner of her eyes and she looked around before stopping, grabbing Jory by his hand to stop him as well, his head nervously whipping around, scanning the corridors with worry.

“You have barely laid your eyes on me since I arrived, Jory” she stated with a small frown, Jory looking around with worry and Karliah sighed heavily, letting go of him to pinch the bridge of her nose in frustration “what is different except the location? Hm? My brother is not the only one who needs you… I find myself wishing for your presence every day and I try to ignore it, Jory, I do. But then you call me ‘My Lady’ and I’ve never wanted to punch as hard as I do when you call me that” she whispered with anger, Jory sighing heavily, looking around once more and she scoffed, stepping away “if you are so worried being seen with me, then I’ll find my brother myself” she stated harshly, already about to leave when Jory reached for her “My Lady-” he was cut off by her palm colliding with his face, tears in her eyes as he stared at her in shock. “I gave you everything! I gave you parts of myself I should have saved for my husband, whoever he might be! Now, you might not have deflowered me but what man would want me should they know that I had been involved with a man out of marriage?! I may still have my purity but that won’t matter to people! I am a woman. I have no voice. No right. It doesn’t matter if I speak the truth and say that you and I never laid together, people will draw their own conclusions - men will draw their own conclusions! And now you want to ‘My Lady’ me? As though the last three years have been, what? Nothing? Worthless? I could have found a husband but I waited for you… I waited on you! To pick up your balls and ask for my hand yourself! But you didn’t and now you want to call me ‘My Lady’ when we are alone?” Karliah whispered harshly, shaking her head at Jory “no one will ever want me now” she muttered quietly with a heartbroken voice that she tried to hide before turning around, storming off to find her brother herself. Both of them were unaware of a Hound that had heard the hushed voices from around the corner and had come to investigate.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Kal?” Ned asked with worry when he saw her there and she forced a smile as she walked closer “Jory said you sent for me?”

“I did-... where is he?”

“I asked if I could walk alone.”

“I gave him explicit orders-”

“And I counter-acted those orders. Now, why did you want me here? Jory said it was urgent?”

“It is… close the door” he muttered, Karliah hesitating before doing as told, turning to watch him sit back down behind the desk, rubbing his forehead with worry. “Ned?”

“Catelyn has taken Tyrion Lannister as her prisoner” he revealed, Karliah slowly closing her eyes as she let out a heavy breath, opening them again and walking closer, sitting down on the chair across the desk, across from Ned. “Seven Hells…” she muttered, Ned sighing “Catelyn has taken the Imp as her prisoner, Robert wants to murder the Targaryen girl and her unborn babe across the sea and I fear my daughters are not safe here, and neither are you. I’ve resigned as Hand of the King…”

“I told you, brother… We wolves do not fare well in the south” she muttered, leaning back in the chair with a heavy sigh. “His rage is because he thought that Rhaegar raped Lyanna and killed her… but-”

“No, Karliah-”

“You don’t know what I was going to say! Do you really think I’d ever, ever let him know about him now that you tell me he wishes to murder a girl and her unborn babe halfway across the sea?!” she asked in a hushed whisper, a frown on her brows as she shook her head at him “I would die for him, Eddard. I would die for him, just to see him smile and breathe for yet another day and I despise him being at the Wall because of the danger but at least he’s out of Robert’s reach there… I would never, ever use him like that to save that Targaryen girl, and I’m appalled that that thought would even enter your mind! Gods, what is with you Stark men?! What is with you men?! You never think about us women, do you?!”

“What?-”

“Of course I won’t tell him! You think I’m a fool? I love Jon with my life! I was merely going to ask Robert to change his mind! Gods!” she snapped and got up, storming out of the office and Nerd groaned loudly, his head in his hands as he let out a heavy sigh. Gods be good, the women in his life were sucking the life out of him.

------------------------------------------------------------

Karliah knocked gently on the door, waiting, and when she heard his voice, allowing her inside, she entered, spotting him by his table, a cup of wine in his hand and she sighed at the sight, walking closer after closing the door. “Karliah? To what do I-”

“I loved Lyanna, Robert… more than you could ever imagine… She was my sister, my mentor, my best friend. I looked up to her, I wanted to be her… she taught me to fight and shoot arrows and ride and-... we made such promises to each other… that we’d do so many things! That we’d see the Wall together, that we’d travel to Dorne or across the sea!...” Karliah remembered with a bright smile as she sat down across from Robert, studying him before reaching over, taking the wine glass from him and putting it down out of his reach, turning back to look at him. “You loved Lyanna in a way I can never… you loved her beauty, the way she looked in her dresses… the way she did her hair… her smile…”

“Karliah-”

“But that wasn’t just her” Karliah added, interrupting Robert with a frown on her face “Lyanna was wild. She was stubborn and feisty. She was strong in so many ways, stronger than anyone else I’ve ever known, even you, Robert… She liked to ride and fight and shoot arrows from horseback. She loved fighting and sparring… you knew Lyanna in her pretty dresses, I knew her caked in dirt, the biggest smile on her face that I’ve ever seen when I won over her the first time we sparred…” Karliah remembered with tears in her eyes, letting out a shaky breath “and her death-.... her death still pains me as though it was yesterday… but Rhaegar is dead. The Mad King is dead. The queen Rhaella is dead. They’re all dead except a spoiled brat and a girl, across the sea, so far away that it might as well be another world entirely! If you do this… if you go ahead with your plans-”

“Ned shouldn’t have told you-”

“He should’ve. And he did… if you go through with this, it will for certain bring war upon all of us. Imagine if the assassin you’ve sent out failed… if it had been Lyanna, carrying your child, and a brat and his sister in a far away country that you’ve never even considered tried to murder your wife and unborn child, the woman carrying your heir… would you not want revenge? Even if the assassin doesn’t fail, it still comes back to revenge! Leave them be, Robert… leave them to forget about Westeros. If you do this, you will certainly bring a war to Westeros but if you don’t-.... if you don’t do this… then it won’t draw their gaze to Westeros. I’m not saying that there isn’t a chance of war, but if you do this… it will certainly mean war, no matter what” Karliah finished, grabbing the wine goblet, drinking all of it before giving it to Robert, taking a jug and filling it for him before putting it down “and Ned is one of the best hands this realm has seen in a long, long time, Robert… and he’s your friend, your brother, you grew up together and you’re both fine men… but if you kill a girl and her unborn child… Lyanna would have your head herself. She was stubborn, Robert, just like you… and the two of you would have budded heads because of it, but she would never encourage what you plan to do now, even with the circumstances that led to her death, she could never accept such a thing” Karliah finished with a soft look in her eyes, it wasn’t a threat, it was a fact, and he knew it, tears showing in his eyes as he just looked at her and she bowed her head slightly “Your Grace” she greeted before leaving. She was on her way back to her chambers when Jory hurried past her with a very dirty Arya, Karliah frowning at the sight “Arya?”

“Aunt Karliah! You have to tell him! Tell him I’m not lying!”

“Tell who?”

“My father! Please! He’s about to leave with Littlefinger and-”

“It’s alright… it’s alright. Are you going to your room?” she asked, Arya nodding and Karliah nodded as well “alright, how about Jory deliver the message and I go to your room with you?” she offered, Arya nodding, already hugging her despite soiling Karliah’s dress but Karliah just smiled, lifting her head to look up at Jory with sad eyes. “You’ve gotten a red cheek, it seems, Jory” she muttered, Jory smiling a little as he nodded, looking down briefly “well earned, My Lady Karliah” he stated as he turned his eyes back up to look at her and Karliah felt her heart flutter, looking down at Arya “go on ahead, I’ll be right there” she spoke softly, Arya reluctantly doing as told and Karliah looked back up at Jory, a faint smile on her lips “sorry about the slap…”

“No worries, as I said; it was well earned… I’m sorry for the way I’ve treated you… after this is all over and we return to Winterfell, everything will go back to normal again” he whispered, Karliah’s eyes saddening a little and she looked down with a frown “and what if I don’t want everything to go back to normal?... I just-... want more, I think… and I know that you’re not prepared for that… you’re not prepared to give me that because you don’t think it’s possible, so… This is goodbye, Jory. And please, take care of my brother” she whispered before walking away before he could respond, Jory watching her leave to catch up with her niece, a sad look in his eyes but he forced himself to leave to meet up with Lord Stark, as he was ordered.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Karliah burst into the room, eyes wide with fear and worry and she sighed heavily when she saw him lying there, hurrying over as he was just waking up. She turned to the guard who had fetched her, anger in her eyes “why was I first told now?! What took you so long?! You didn’t think I needed to know that my brother-”

“Karliah, it’s alright” Ned mumbled and Karliah quickly turned to look at him, all traces of anger gone like smoke, and she leaned closer and sighed, using the sleeve of her dress to gently wipe away the sweat from his brow, not caring about being proper or soiling her dress “Gods, Ned… you look horrible. Have they given you any milk of the poppy? Someone fetch some more milk of the poppy! The man is in pain!”

“Karliah” he spoke again and she turned to look at him, sighing with worry “what happened? I heard that there was a fight in the street with Jaime Lannister? What in the name of all the Gods were you doing fighting him??”

“The girls..”

“They’re safe, it’s alright…”

“Do they-”

“No, not yet. I came the second I heard, found the first guard and demanded he take me to you…”

“That sounds like you” Ned muttered with a faint, weak smile, Karliah nodding her head with a sad smile “the girls are alright and in their rooms with their guards…”

“Go to them… they should hear of this from you and not some Lannister guard” he muttered bitterly and Karliah sighed softly, nodding “you rest, brother… sleep, promise me you’ll try?” she asked, Ned nodding, already about to fall asleep and Karliah smiled at the sight “it’s alright, Neddy…I’ll talk to the girls” she whispered softly before leaning closer, kissing his sweaty forehead before leaving the room after making sure he was safe and alright.

She entered the area that was connected to the girls’ quarters, her own, Ned’s and the Septa, finding her with Sansa, stitching. “Septa, a word?” she asked, the woman nodding, standing up and walking a distance away from Sansa. “Ned is wounded, I’m not sure if you’ve heard?”

“I have, I didn’t want to discuss it in front of the girls…” she admitted in a whisper, Karliah nodding, sighing softly as she glanced at Sansa before looking back at the Septa “well, it’s true, he’s wounded. His leg is-...” Karliah cut herself off with a small sigh, frowning “he’s resting right now, I will check on him later today but from now on I want a guard with you and the girls at all times. A Stark guard. Do you understand what I’m saying, and why?” she asked quietly, the Septa nodding “I do…”

“I’m trusting you with my nieces, Mordane, I love these girls more than life itself” Karliah whispered, the Septa smiling softly at her “I know, I do too. They’re good girls, although Arya is as stubborn as she is wild and unruly, and Sansa has taken to an attitude as of late, since the Kingsroad…” the Septa muttered slightly bitterly, Karliah sighing “I heard… I hadn’t brought it up, I didn’t want to remind the girls of it more than it already does by itself…” she admitted, sighing softly “go get Arya from her room, please” Karliah asked, the Septa nodding, leaving to fetch Arya as Karliah walked over to Sansa, sitting down next to her, leaning closer to see what she was stitching. “It’s beautiful work, Sansa, I could never stitch that well” Karliah admitted, Sansa smiling softly at her and Karliah studied her before smiling back at her, just as Arya and the Septa returned. “Arya, sit down, please” Karliah ordered and Arya frowned but did so, sitting next to Sansa, both of them facing her.

“Earlier this day there was an-... incident… your father was wounded - he is still alive! But he was wounded. He will be bedridden for-... I don’t know how long… Only time will tell. His leg was injured severely and he’s been given milk of the poppy. Your father is tired because of it, but he is alive and resting, as he should be” Karliah explained, the girls both seeming saddened and partly horrified, Karliah sighing softly “for the two of you, everything will go on as it has been. I will ask your father if you may visit him but I want both of you to understand that if he says no it is not because he doesn’t want to see you. He’s wounded, hurt and tired from milk of the poppy, he may not be at his best and he may not want you to see him this way, weakened and hurt. All the two of you need to do is go on as you have-”

“Then why tell us?”

“Because, Sansa, he is your father. He is your father and he loves the both of you more than his heart is capable of, and you don’t deserve to be kept in the dark” Karliah replied softly, studying the two girls with a soft smile “everything will be alright, I promise. I’ll look after your father while the two of you stop acting the way you do. You’re sisters, you are family whether you like it or not. What are our words?” she asked, the girls glancing at each other before replying at the same time; “Winter is coming.”

“And what does it mean?” Karliah asked, the two girls frowning a little and she smiled “when winter is coming, you prepare. You prepare for the worst, you hope for the best, you don’t know if it’ll be a kind winter or one that will leave you freezing in front of a big fire. ‘Winter is coming’ means to stand together, as one, to weather any storm that may be thrown our way. Your father is injured and weak, he cannot lord over the two of you as you squabble. You’re sisters, do you understand?” she asked softly, the two girls nodding, once again replying at the exact same time with the exact same words; “Yes, aunt Karliah.”

Karliah nodded and stood up, walking over to the two girls, leaning down to peck Sansa’s head and then Arya’s. “I love you both, dearly, as does your father. Listen to your Septa, I will let you know if anything changes with your father” she stated, kissing their heads once more before walking over to the Septa who smiled softly at her “where’s Jory? I need to speak to him, I want extra guards assigned to you and the girls-”

“You haven’t heard?” the Septa asked with a frown, watching Karliah frown as well, softly shaking her head “heard what?” she asked, the Septa sighing softly “Jory was killed at the altercation, when Lord Eddard was injured” she whispered, frowning even more at the way this seemed to shock the Lady Stark to her core, eyes widening a little, her breath a little shaky but she forced herself to nod “I’m sorry to hear that. He was a good and loyal man” she muttered before leaving, at first slowly and calmly, as she would any other day, but the second she was out of sight, she picked up the pace, hurrying around a corridor, back against the wall as tears filled her eyes and she had to cup her mouth to not sob too loudly, her heart breaking over and over again every time she thought of him and their last words. As she tried to gather herself, removing her hands from her mouth and tried to breathe normally, she placed a hand on her chest, over her heart, closing her eyes and leaning her head back as she sobbed quietly, tears running down her cheeks as she tried to keep quiet. She was so caught up in trying to control her rapid breathing, already feeling lightheaded, that when someone touched her shoulder she flinched, looking up at the scarred face of the Hound, her eyes wide and she quickly turned away, trying to wipe away her tears, cheeks burning with embarrassment and shame as she tried to gain her breathing under control. And failed. “Breathe” he stated gruffly and she scoffed through her ragged breathing, the Hound studying her before sighing, looking around before turning her around to face him, hesitating before reluctantly wrapping a single, armored arm around her, pulling her against his armor in an awkward and stiff hug, a displeased look on his face but it seemed to work, Karliah’s breathing calming down, her heart stopped racing and she felt fatigued, eyes already closing, the cool metal of his armor soothing her, cooling down her burning cheeks as she relaxed.

After a while, she realized something. He hadn’t moved away. He hadn’t let go of her and she enjoyed his presence, she enjoyed the stiff and awkward hug and when she looked up at him, he looked like he was just about done with the world and it’s shit. And then he looked down at her as she peered up at him. Something in his eyes changed when he looked down at her, the tears stuck to her cheeks, her red and puffy eyes wide as she looked up at him. His entire body softened a little as he studied her, his arm around her no longer as stiff as before, though it wasn’t entirely relaxed like she was. “Thank you” she whispered, lowering her head and resting it against his armor once more, closing her eyes. She didn’t ever want this to end. Ever. But it seemed it wasn’t meant to be, Sandor lifting his arm, leaning back a little and she understood the message, quickly taking a large step back as she wiped her wet cheeks in an attempt to wipe away the tears. “Forgive me, I-...” she trailed off. She had no idea what to say. ‘Sorry for sobbing up against you?’. ‘Forgive me, I enjoyed your hug so much that it made me forget all the horrible things happening around me and to my house and family.’

She sniffled a little, clearing her throat as she tried to make herself presentable “I-... thank you, for your comfort… it was-... nice” she admitted, finally looking up at him and saw that he was already looking at her, making her cheeks burn again “I would-... prefer it… if you didn’t mention this to anyone… I’m not overly fond of the idea of people knowing I sobbed like a child in the corridors” she admitted with an awkward chuckle, looking down before looking up at him, finding him still staring at her as he nodded ever so slightly, making her smile “thank you, Ser” she stated softly, hesitating before looking away “I suppose I’ll see you around, then” she muttered, wiping the remaining tears from her cheeks as she left, Sandor watching her leave with a small frown.

Wolves and Hounds-3

(Warnings: Some blood and a tiny tiny hint at angst before more fluff. Also sorry it's so short<3)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

His eyes would wander to her every now and then, how bored she looked, her gray eyes dull as she barely paid attention to… well… anything. The jousting had yet to begin and she already looked bored. “Karliah!” Robert called suddenly, the woman turning to look over her shoulder before getting up without question, joining the drunk king without another thought after his wife had left “what in Seven Hells are you looking so bored for? The jousting will begin soon!” he asked with a burp that she didn’t even seem to care for “you know why” she muttered bitterly, Robert laughing, slapping his big wine belly as he did “I can’t have you fight them! There’s not enough gold dragons in the world to pay all the bets I’d win on that one!” he shouted loudly with joy, Karliah briefly looking around with a big blush on her cheeks, obviously feeling embarrassed since everyone turned to look at their exchange, but Robert just continued to laugh. “You’d knock them all off their fancy horses!! They’d never be able to walk again!” Robert continued bursting with laughter, Karliah forcing a smile to stay polite “thank you, Your Grace-”

“Get her a horse and some armor!! I’m sure there’s some pitiful squire’s armor you can wear. Come on!!! Before I die of old age!! Get the lady a horse and some armor!!” he stood up and roared, Karliah’s cheeks almost beet red as she shook her head “thank you, Your Grace, it makes me proud and happy that you have such confidence in me, should I joust, but I’m afraid I can’t joust-”

“Why not?! Afraid of embarrassing everyone else?” Robert asked with utter amusement and Karliah forced a smile “it’d be a shame to knock so many knights and lords off their horses and bruise their egos. Let the realm believe I cannot joust, for their ego” she whispered, Robert staring at her before laughing loudly, nodding as he could barely get his words out of his mouth “yer just like Lyanna! As clever as they come! Alright then!” he decided and Karliah smiled. She quickly turned around and walked back to her seat behind Sansa, Arya and their septa, just as a squire hurriedly approached with a horse. “Your Grace! The armor is in-”

“What in the Seven Hells are you doing?!”

“I-... you asked-”

“And now I’m asking you to leave! Get outta here so the jousting can finally begin!” he yelled loudly, the poor boy hurrying away with the horse as the jousting games began. As a man sat down next to Sansa, Karliah frowned, listening as he talked to her, listening to his every word and she forced a smile as she jumped in “Littlefinger, was it?” she asked, the man turning around to look at her, smiling politely as he nodded “yes-”

“But your name is actually Petyr Baelish, correct?”

“Yes, Lady Stark-”

“You grew up with Catlyn. Sansa is the spitting image of her mother, isn’t she? A northern beauty” she complimented with a warm smile, Sansa smiling with red cheeks, always enjoying the compliments and praise she’d get for her beauty and femininity “she is, she looks just like her mother when she was her age” Petyr said with a fond look in his eyes when he looked at Sansa, Karliah nodding “and have you heard? She’s promised to the prince himself” Karliah added, Petyr turning to look at her, his entire demeanor changing at the look in Karliah’s eyes. The warning. Telling him that he was far too familiar with her niece for her liking. “I can only imagine the pair they’ll make” was his response and Karliah nodded, forcing a polite smile “indeed” she stated, leaning a little closer “I am giving you one warning as a courtesy, Lord Baelish; I love both of my nieces very dearly. Do you understand?” she whispered so only Petyr could hear, waiting for him to nod with understanding before leaning back in her seat, a small victorious smirk on her lips when he finally did nod. Karliah’s eyes widened a little as the tall suit of black armor rode closer, her heart racing a little as she frowned, unaware that the Hound himself watched the way her chest seemed to rise and fall a little heavier, a look of shock disguised as intriguing on her face as she studied him. He truly was as tall as a mountain. She doubted his apparent size was due to the armor; it must have fitted him like a glove, unlike the shiny little squire on his white horse next to the Mountain. He’d run him through. There was no doubt about it. No Gods, old or new, could save that poor boy from the Mountain once he’d take his lance.

The first clash. The knight survived, both of them being offered new lances and then came the second one. The second clash. Sansa screamed as the knight fell from his horse, wood impaled in his throat as he drowned on his own blood as it spurted out all over him and his shiny armor that was obviously new. Karliah flinched at the clash and put a hand on both of her nieces’ shoulders out of instinct, Arya turning to look up at her and Karliah sighed as she wrapped an arm around the youngest of her nieces with a worried frown. Her gaze turned to the septa, both of them with worry as Karliah looked back at a shocked, wide-eyed Arya. “Do you want to leave, Arry?” Karliah asked in a whisper, gaining the young girl’s attention who looked up at her, eyes still as wide as the wheels on a wagon, she shook her head a little and Karliah sighed, the two of them unaware of Petyr who spoke in a hushed voice to Sansa. “You don’t have to stay. If you’re afraid of what people will think, I will lie. I can come up with an excuse” Karliah promised but Arya shook her head again, finally finding her words “I’m okay…” she muttered, Karliah looking at the septa and she nodded. Karliah looked back at Sansa just as Petyr leaned away from her, Karliah placing a hand on Sansa’s shoulder, gaining the girl’s attention. “Sansa?”

“I’m fine, Aunt Karliah, thank you” she spoke in a meek voice and Karliah sighed softly, reaching forward and gently cupping her cheek before nodding, leaning back in her seat, sighing heavily. As she felt someone’s gaze linger, she turned her head, finding the Hound staring at her but instead of looking away, as her oldest niece often did, she gave him a smile. A rare, one-sided smile, her eyes locked with his until he looked away first, Karliah smirking a little, her stomach fluttering with an unfamiliar feeling in her gut.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Karliah was silent as she sat in the gardens, eyes closed, face turned to the sky as she had a small frown on her face. So much was happening, yet nothing was happening at the same time. She’d already been to the Godswood, twice, praying. She wasn’t entirely sure if the Gods existed, old or new, but there had to be something. Something more out in the world, there had to be. So she prayed, though her prayers were really more a front, allowing her to spend some time to herself without a Stark or Lannister guard breathing down her neck, without her brother’s worry rubbing off on her, and, as selfish as that may have been, without the banter of her nieces and by the Gods, those two could fight for hours if they’d be allowed to, each trying to get the last word, the two girls worlds apart and different, yet she adored them all the same. They were her life. All of her nieces and nephews were. She’d already accepted that marriage and children were not in her cards, so she doted on her brother’s children, each and every one of them… and her sister’s… her only sister’s only child.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“I’m telling you, it’s awful! There’s all the laces and they’re all on your back and then there’s the shoes!! I have no idea how Cat does it! Or Sansa for that matter!”

“What ‘bout Arya?”

“Her? In heels? You must’ve eaten something that wasn’t quite right, Your Grace” Karliah joked before sipping her wine, amusement clear in her voice as Robert laughed. Robert had always been… different towards her. She was Lyanna’s baby sister, and he loved her as such, furthermore, unlike her brother, she could be chatty, after a few drinks, especially around her family and Robert was part of that family. And she had no filter with him. She’d even met his daughter in the Vale, once, and briefly while visiting Ned while he was fostered by Jon Arryn with Robert. Robert had talked about women, sex, battle, killing, shit, piss, blood and all manner of other things that a highborn lady shouldn’t be discussing, and he was overjoyed when she laughed, when she was showing him her wit with a clever comment or joke, proving the sturdy, unmovable, unfazed North blood in her veins, chilling her, making her unfazed by just about everything he’d brought up. Though he did joke a little too much about that time that a squire made her blush… and in front of the poor boy, making her furious and she’d dumped an entire flagon of wine over his head before storming off. He never apologized but the next day she seemed to have gotten past it faster than him, and the poor squire. “Seven Hells, where have all the years gone by, Kal?” he asked suddenly with a much dimmer tone compared to the cheerful one only a few moments ago. “Down your gullet, by the looks of it” she joked and he cracked a wheezing laugh at her joke, his cheeks red and flushed from wine and laughter before he settled back down again “you’re a soothing balm for the company of your brother” he admitted as he drank his wine, Karliah chuckling lightly “he’s not called the Quiet Wolf for nothing” she stated with a shrug, finishing off the last of her wine, which Robert of course noticed. “Boy!! Make yourself useful and fill Lady Stark’s cup already!”

“No, thank you, Your Grace, I’ve had quite enough” she quickly admitted, placing a hand over the top of her glass to prevent anything from going in as she stood up, putting the glass back down on the table. “Ah, ya prude!” Robert called as his own glass was filled, Karliah chuckling instead of taking it as an insult “and by the sound of it, you’ve had enough as well, but I know better than to stand between you and wine” she teased, curtseying before leaving, faintly hearing Robert shout at the poor boy when he realized the wine jug was empty.

Wolves and Hounds-2

(Warnings: Again, mostly just fluff)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Karliah couldn’t help but laugh as she rode alongside Tyrion Lannister, as far as Lannisters go, he wasn’t half bad actually, which was a pleasant surprise to her. “And down the hill he went! Right into the muddy pond” Tyrion exclaimed and she threw her head back with laughter, shaking her head as she tried to contain it, unaware of the small glare that Ned was giving the little Lord. “Poor squire! Right into the mud!” Karliah managed to get out through her laughter, shaking her head as she looked back at the Lord. “As far as Lannisters go, you’re not half bad” she said with a smirk, seeing him roll his eyes “another dwarf joke?” he asked amused, watching her as she nodded her head with excitement “yes, Lord Lannister, another dwarf joke, but at least mine aren’t as terrible as as my brother’s ward” she said with a smirk, chuckling as Tyrion laughed “no they’re not, and please, I’ve been making you laugh for the past hour, I think you can call me Tyrion” he said with a smirk, seeing her giggle quietly “my my, Tyrion, you couldn’t possibly be flirting with me, could you?” she asked with a teasing smirk, grinning as he laughed at her small remark “no, I wouldn’t dishonour you like that, My Lady” he said through his laughter, making her roll her eyes “you’ve been making me laugh for the past hour, Tyrion, I think you can call me Karliah” she said with a wink, throwing his own words back at him, laughing with him until she stopped her horse to say goodbye, for now, to Ned, who was saying farewell to Jon.

Once that was done with, she rode up beside Ned, a smile on her lips as she watched Jon join Benjen. “Your mind is made up, isn’t it?” he asked quietly, his eyes locked on her as she nodded “yes, you know I’ve always wanted to see the Wall… Lyanna and I made a deal… that we’d both visit it someday…” she admitted, looking down with a sad look on her face, a frown on her brows as she softly shook her head “I’ll see you in King’s Landing, though… the Gods know you wouldn’t survive the girls without me or Catelyn” she added with a forced smile, looking back up at her big brother who forced a smile as well. “Take care, you’re my only sister” Ned reminded her, making her smile a tad more genuine as she nodded “and you, take care, brother… you know how we wolves fare in the south” she muttered, giving him one last smile before joining Benjen, Jon and Tyrion, smiling softly at the three when she reached them. “My Lady, you’re joining us to the Wall?” Tyrion asked with a tiny hint of shock, a chuckle leaving Karliah’s lips as she nodded “yes, My Lord, you’re not the only one who wants to stand on top of the Wall, though I can’t piss off of it” she added with a smirk, hearing Benjen and Tyrion laugh while Jon smiled softly, the poor boy had no idea how important he truly was.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Karliah’s jaw nearly hit the neck of her horse as she rode closer and closer to the wall, Benjen smirking at the sight of her so awestruck. “Pick up your jaw, sister, or it’ll freeze in place” Benjen joked and she closed her mouth with a light blush on her cheeks, though she still admired the Wall. As the gates to Castle Black opened, her attention was brought from the giant wall of ice to the men eyeing her with interest, a small scoff leaving her lips as Benjen glared lightly at the young boys, which she already knew he was doing without even having to look at him. “I’m quite capable of handling a few young boys, Benjen, Lyanna taught me how to fight after all” she half joked and saddled off once everyone was inside, a smile on her lips as she saw a face she vaguely recognised. She’d seen his face when she was but a little girl at a feast, before he joined the Night’s Watch. “Lord Commander” she smiled softly and bowed her head at the Old Bear as he approached with a chuckle. “Lady Stark! Come to see your brother off?” he asked and gestured to Benjen but she merely chuckled and softly shook her head “and my nephew” she said and gestured to Jon who stood behind her “and also because I wanted to see the Wall. A promise that’s been long overdue” she admitted softly as she glanced at Benjen who gave her a sad smile, he knew of the promise she and Lyanna had made, it had been while they were both just barely girls, coated in mud from playing in the Godswood, pretending to fight off White Walkers and giants beyond a wall neither of them had ever seen, only heard of. “You are most welcome here at Castle Black” the Lord Commander said and Karliah nodded and smiled before turning to Benjen, walking over to him as the Lord Commander greeted Tyrion. “Well, what are the sights to see here in your little castle?” she asked jokingly and Benjen scoffed quietly “while Jon gets settled, I’ll show you the Wall” he suggested, gesturing to the wooden structure that’d take them both to the top and Karliah paled, smile dropping as she studied it. “Uh… Benjen-”

“It’s alright, it’s sturdier than it looks” Benjen said with a hint of amusement, making her scoff “I’ll use you to cushion my fall if it isn’t” she muttered and Benjen laughed, letting her walk ahead of him into the structure, glaring at a few young lads who’s eyes lingered on her for a second too long for his liking. “You don’t have to fight every living creature off” she noted once they were both well on their way to the top, her Stark grey eyes locked on the landscape in front of her as Benjen sighed “these aren’t just boys, Kal. They’re rapists, murderers-”

“And thieves, I know… but I made a promise, Ben. I made a promise to stand at the edge of the Wall and watch the sun set or rise, hear the weeping of the ice as I stood upon it, at the top of the world, at it’s end… Lyanna isn’t here to see it for herself so I have to see for the both of us” Karliah admitted softly and Benjen nodded, ever as quiet as Ned. “It’s worth a few uncomfortable stares” she admitted softly, looking at Benjen with a soft smile “for Lyanna, it’s worth it” she added, turning once the structure stood still, opening the small gate and stepping out onto the wall, a grin on her lips as she felt the bitter cold bite her bones and freeze her blood in her veins but it was worth it. It was worth it to hear the wind howling, the Wall itself weeping below her feet as though it knew of the bittersweet feeling it brought her to stand upon it. Karliah closed her eyes and took a deep breath, taking in the clean air that almost burnt her lungs with how biting cold it was, but it was a good pain, the grin on her lips broadening as she sighed heavily, opening her eyes and looking at Benjen “she would have loved this…” she muttered, her grin fading into a bittersweet smile as she looked over the edge at the landscape below. Everything was so small from up here, Castle Black looked like a drop of ink that was fading on a piece of paper, the other castles lining the wall as far as the eye could see. Lyanna would have loved this.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“My Lady, are you not staying with us?” Tyrion asked as she rode past the inn they stopped at, a chuckle leaving her lips as she shook her head, looking over her shoulder at him “no, My Lord… I must admit that I’m eager to see my nieces and my brother again” she called out, watching Tyrion as he rode alone closer to her, smirking “and perhaps you’re eager to see a certain kind of dog again?” he asked teasingly and Karliah blushed but scoffed and looked away from him “yes, Lord Tyrion, I do miss the wolves that keep my nieces’ company” she stated with a smirk, knowing full well it wasn’t the wolves whom he was referring to. “I’ll see you perhaps at the next inn, I feel like riding until dusk” she admitted, Tyrion nodding softly and looking over his shoulder at his soldiers. “One of my soldiers will accompany you, wouldn’t want a Lady on the road all alone” Tyrion waved over one of the guards and Karliah chuckled lightly, shaking her head as she looked back at Tyrion “that’s very kind of you, thank you” she bowed her head and waited as Tyrion gave the guard strict orders to protect her at all cost, all the way to King’s Landing, even if it should cost him his life. “Thank you, Lord Tyrion, I hope to see you in King’s Landing soon” she admitted, Tyrion raising a teasing eyebrow “is that so, My Lady?” he asked with a smirk and she chuckled “yes, I wouldn’t need to wear heels when I’m walking with you, my feet would greatly thank me for it” she jested and Tyrion chuckled as he shook his head at her “safe travels, My Lady” he said and bowed his head, making Karliah grin “you too, My Lord” she bowed her head and turned to the guard, giving him a soft smile before spurring her horse into action once more, the guard following as they both rode towards King’s Landing.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“We cannot afford another tournament, we’re too far in debt with the Lannisters and I will not bankrupt the Realm further” Ned snapped as Robert groaned and downed his goblet of wine “I’m the King, I do as I please and you do what I say, and I say we have the damn tournament!” Robert roared back at his old friend, the two of them about to go into it further when her voice interrupted them “perhaps you could somehow divorce your wives and marry each other, you seem so happy together” she joked as she walked towards the two of them, a wave of her hand and the guard who had been escorting her bowed and left quickly. Robert grinned big and got out of his chair, approaching her and hugging her so tightly that her feet left the ground, as they always did when he gave her one of his signature hugs. “Karliah!! Knock some sense into your brother will ya?” Robert asked as he put her down, gesturing to Ned with an annoyed expression and she chuckled lightly “I’m afraid that is beyond my abilities, I’m no god” she jested and Robert laughed as he patted her shoulder “would you fancy some wine? Bring Lady Stark a goblet of wine!!” Robert roared over his shoulder at his squire, the poor boy flinching at the tone as he hurried to give her a goblet, filling it to the brim with wine before she could stop him, but she just politely thanked him and sipped the wine before it would spill over, Robert moving back to his desk and sitting down, pointing at Ned “we’re having the damn tournament!” he snapped and Ned sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance as he glanced at Karliah, seeing her shrug subtly, what the hell was she supposed to do? Convince Robert? Good luck with that to anyone. “Your Grace-”

“We’re alone, Ned, you don’t have to ‘Your Grace’ me every time I take a shit” Robert grumbled, he had never really been one to censor himself, especially not in front of Lyanna’s younger sister. Robert loved the Lyanna in dresses with braided hair and a soft smile on her lips, but he also knew of the feisty side she had, the side that put on men’s armour and picked up a sword, she would have driven him mad with her stubbornness, the thought bringing a soft smile to Karliah’s lips. “Well, if the tournament is inevitable, then-”

“You’re not participating” Robert and Ned snapped at the same time, a scoff leaving Karliah’s lips as she pouted and downed her wine in annoyance “where’s my nieces?” she asked with an annoyed pout, Ned sighing heavily in frustration. “Arya’s with her dancing master-”

“Her what?” she asked with shock, Ned sighing and looking down, the poor man had aged five years already just by being here. “Her dancing master. Sansa’s with her Septa, stitching” Ned informed and Karliah raised a questioning brow before slowly nodding, eyes narrowed at him before putting the empty wine goblet on Robert’s desk and nodding to herself “dancing master… right” she mumbled with confusion before walking out of the room, walking over to a Stark guard who bowed his head upon seeing her “take me to Arya” she ordered with a soft voice, the guard bowing his head before turning and leading her to her youngest niece, knocking once on the door before opening it for her, bowing his head as he let her inside and closed the door behind her. Karliah couldn’t help but laugh as she saw the wooden swords, of course, of course it wasn’t real dancing. “Aunt Karliah!!” Arya dropped her wooden sword and rushed over to Karliah, hugging her tightly as she hugged her back with a big grin “I thought you’d gone mad when I heard you had a dancing master! Now I understand better” Karliah said with a chuckle as she parted from Arya, looking at her supposed teacher, smiling at him as he bowed theatrically “Syrio Forel, the First Sword of Braavos” he introduced and Karliah smirked lightly as she walked down the steps towards him. “First Sword? I’ve heard of those… I know my brother wouldn’t have hired you if you were a slouch with a weapon” Karliah stated with a soft smirk before curtseying, bowing her head. “Karliah Stark” she introduced and he hummed with a grin “ah, the Lady Wolf, the… ‘Wild Wolf’. Little Arya has told me a lot about you, about your skill with a sword” he noted and Karliah looked at Arya with a light glare “well, she wasn’t supposed to know about that” Karliah muttered as Arya blushed and looked down shyly. “I saw you training with Jon and Robb…” Arya admitted and Karliah nodded and hummed, looking back at Syrio “well it’s been a while” she admitted, taking a step back to turn to Arya who picked up her wooden sword and rushed over to Karliah, giving it to her.

“You have to see her fight, Syrio! She’s really good!” Arya exclaimed and Karliah blushed wildly, eyes wide as she chuckled nervously “Arya, there’s a big difference between Westeros and Braavos, the fighting styles are very different” Karliah informed, looking at Syrio as he spoke up “ahh, so you know as well? Not many from Westeros know of the water dancing” Syrio said with a light shrug and Karliah smirked slightly “my sister and I were quite the feisty ones, we loved to train and learn new styles to fight” she admitted and Syrio smirked before getting ready to fight, getting in the proper stance and Karliah chuckled lightly, gently ushering Arya out of the way, chuckling as she practically jumped half a mile back, eager to see everything unfold.

“I’m afraid I’ve never danced a water dance, Master Syrio” Karliah admitted and Syrio nodded “you will learn” he stated before walking around her, prompting her to turn her feet to walk around with him, eyes locked on his instead of his wooden sword. “See how her eyes are watching mine, Arya? That is where the true intent of your opponent will show” Syrio commented with a smirk and Karliah just knew that Arya was watching with wide eyes, completely focused on the scene in front of her. As Syrio charged elegantly, Karliah jumped aside, moving a long step back and away from him as she didn’t have a clear cut with her wooden sword, a smirk on her lips as she chuckled lightly. “See? Elegant as a cat, smooth for a wolf, no?” he half asked and Karliah chuckled lightly again, dodging another attack only this time her ‘sword’ touched his sword arm, a stunned look on his face as she grinned at him, gesturing to his ‘wounded’ arm with her own wooden sword “are you really a First Sword of Braavos?” she asked teasingly, Syrio smirking as he chuckled and switched the sword over to his other arm, gesturing to her with the wooden sword as they both walked around each other, his ‘wounded’ arm behind his back. “Elegance is key, Arya, see the way her feet move? Quiet as the night, swift as a cat, you can barely hear her move at all. Except for her mouth, that is certainly not quiet” Syrio teased and Karliah chuckled lightly, shaking her head softly at him as she continued to watch him with caution, nothing really happening except the two of them circling each other, but it was more to teach Arya as well. “See her grip? Delicate yet strong. Who trained you, Lady Stark?” Syrio asked just before charging at her, barely missing her with his sword as she ducked out of the way, stumbling a bit before regaining her footing and blocking another one of his attacks with her sword, stepping back as she did. “My brothers and my sister. My brothers taught my sister and I, despite our father’s worry, when they realised we’d just learn it ourselves if they wouldn’t teach us” she stated with a light tone before charging at him, their wooden swords clashing as she advanced while he stepped back, only to swiftly move around her, forcing her to quickly turn so she wouldn’t have her back to him. 

“Ah ah ah, see? She lost her focus” Syrio noted and Karliah shrugged lightly “yes, talking about my sister is… a lot” she admitted before bringing her head back into the fight. “I understand. Arya, you see her feet again? Watch them as I advance” he ordered and did as he said, advancing, and Karliah let him push her back as their swords clashed, the sound of wood beating against wood filling the room as Arya eagerly absorbed everything she could. As the door to the room opened both Syrio and Arya turned to see who had entered, a smirk tugging at Karliah’s lips as she bent down, kicked Syrio’s legs out from under him and pointed her sword at his throat with a smirk “dead” she stated softly before lowered her sword and helping him up, finally turning to see who had entered, seeing Ned look at her with a small smirk, Karliah’s cheeks flushed as she panted lightly, clearing her throat as she gave the wooden sword back to Arya. “Been a while” she admitted and Ned chuckled lightly, shaking his head softly as she cleared her throat again and smiled at Arya “he’s a good teacher” Karliah noted and gestured to Syrio with a smirk “though he could use another arm” she jested about the ‘cut’ she had given him earlier on his best sword arm, a chuckle leaving his lips as he looked down with a small smile “it is good for the First Sword of Braavos to be humbled, every now and then” Syrio stated with a light shrug and Karliah chuckled “just let me know and I’ll be there” she joked as she walked out of the room, patting Ned’s shoulder as she turned to the Stark guard who had led her to Arya. “Take me to Sansa” she ordered and just as before he bowed his head, turned on his heel and led her towards her oldest niece.

Wolves And Hounds-1

(Warnings: Some fluff, more fluff, a bit of angst about suspicions about why Bran would fall while climbing but overall this is very soft and fluffy:3)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Karliah stood by Ned’s side as the King arrived with his entire entourage, watching the King climb off his horse as she kneeled down next to her brother. She smiled as Robert subtly told Ned to get up, eyeing him up and down before telling him how fat he had gotten, prompting Ned to glance at Robert with a suggestive eyebrow and the two broke out in laughter, embracing tightly. Karliah grinned as Robert turned to her, his hands on her shoulders “my! Look at you, Karliah, as beautiful as ever! You haven’t aged a day unlike us old fools” he laughed and Karliah laughed with him, initiating the hug, which shocked most in Winterfell but Robert just laughed and hugged her back, even lifting her slightly off her feet before putting her down “and you still haven’t married, have you?” he asked and she rolled your eyes, causing him to chuckle “that’s my girl” he praised and gave her a wink before greeting her nieces and nephews and then greeting Catelyn. She watched as Robert and Ned walked towards the crypt, a sad smile on her lips, still to this day she felt tears sting her eyes at the thought of Lyanna, so she looked down and tried to think of something else, only lifting her gaze when she was certain she had no more tears in her eyes. Her eyes landed on a tall, iron clad man, she knew instantly by his helmet who he was. The Hound. The Prince’s obedient dog. She wondered how he would be in a fight, if he was actually as skilled as they said, or if he was just ruthless and that’s how he gained his reputation, perhaps like this brother? The mountain. Though she found the Hound much more interesting, she would admit that.

Karliah changed as the festivities were beginning to be prepared, the final touches put on as she laced up her high leather boots, a habit from the war with the Mad King, always being ready to fight which she couldn’t do well in small heels. She was only thirteen, Lyanna had been sixteen, almost seventeen, but that was sixteen years ago now… she was older, no one bothered to try and court her anymore despite her being still very much young and in her prime. So she didn’t care how she dressed, not that she ever had, but no one tried anymore, so why should she? She laced up her dress with some difficulty, but she had sent her handmaidens away, being fond of doing things herself instead of having people do everything for her. Perhaps it wasn’t how the last Lady Wolf to be born a Stark should act, but growing up with Lyanna had it’s perks, she taught Karliah everything their father was uncomfortable with his two girls learning, especially his youngest. Riding, fighting, archery… archery and fighting while riding, she was Karliah’s teacher, mentor and best friend… she even disguised herself and joined Robert’s rebellion to save Lyanna but she was too late… that was her biggest regret, though, not going with Ned to Dorne…

“Seven Hells” she mumbled as the loud bustling of people met her ears, the festivities had already started and she was late, damn dresses and their complicated lacing! It left no room for any kind of independence. She subtly snuck into the hall and sat next to a tired Ned, giving him a sheepish smile that screamed ‘I’M SORRY I’M SORRY I’M SORRY’. Karliah quietly began to eat, enjoying the wine and talking with Ned here and there. Her brother was never one for socialization but he talked when he needed to and wanted to. “When are you going to tell him?” she asked in a quiet voice, making sure no one else heard and Ned sighing heavily, eyes sad and tired, just as yours were whenever the thought of Lyanna would come across your minds. “I know what you’re going to say, with Robert, but remember, there is also Lyanna’s blood in him, no silver hair and lilac eyes, no madness, just pure hearted goodness and a sense of not belonging anywhere. He has her hair, her eyes… he’s more Lyanna than Rhaegar” Karliah whispered and got up, wine goblet in hand as she was about to walk out of the hall, Ned grabbing her free hand and looked up at her, making her scoff “no, I won’t tell him, that should be you, the boy sees you as his father” she whispered and Ned let her go with a curtly nod, her words had stung a little but he knew she disapproved of his choice to leave his wife in the dark, to Karliah, Catelyn was a good woman who wouldn’t betray the trust of her husband, at any cost, and she was right, of course. Catelyn would never betray him… except if the knowledge of Jon’s birth could save their children…

Karliah left the hall and noticed Lord Tyrion out in the cold instead of inside in the warmth and she approached, smiling at him “Lord Tyrion, not enjoying the festivities inside? What would you rather do out here, in the cold? You Southerners can’t handle it” she teased and he chuckled “be careful, Lady Stark, we might still surprise you” he fired back and Karliah chuckled “I’m sure you will, Lord Tyrion, enjoy yourself” she said and he bowed his head “you as well, My Lady” he left and she walked towards the sounds of hacking and beating. She raised a brow at the training dummy “think it’s dead yet?” she asked and Jon smirked at her, panting “almost” he said and Karliah laughed, walking over and handing him her goblet “here, it’ll warm you up” she said and he took a sip, handing it back to her “thank you, Lady Aunt” he said and Karliah rolled your eyes “oh stop it, sixteen years and you’re still calling me that wretched name, I feel old!” she said and cringed, making Jon laugh “sorry, Aunt Karliah” he said and she waved her hand “it’s alright, I’ll just have to beat it into you at our next training” she said casually and he smirked at her “what makes you so certain you will win?” he asked cockily and she chuckled lightly, taking another sip of wine “because I’m smaller and quicker than you” she pointed out.

“True, and wiser” a voice said and she turned to see Benjen, a big grin forming on her face as she put her goblet down and ran to him, hugging him tightly, his arms wrapping around her as he chuckled “Seven Hells, I can still feel the cold on you” Karliah laughed as she parted from him, walking back and taking her goblet, Benjen sighing with a smile and reaching for it but stopped as she took a sip of it herself, smirking at him “what? You’re used to freezing your balls off up there, I’m not” she teased and Benjen scoffed at her “you will never marry if you talk like that” he pointed out and Karliah cringed, downing the rest of the wine in the goblet “I’m going to need more wine if we’re having this talk again” she said with a chuckle and left the two to hug and greet each other again. She couldn’t help but smile amused as she heard the two greet each other, even as their voices faded when she walked back inside, heading straight for a jug with wine that a servant was carrying, no words needed as she held out her goblet, seeing it filled instantly. Being a Stark had it’s perks sometimes. “Aunt, you’re going to be stumbling if you keep up drinking” she heard a voice say, and seeing as it wasn’t everyone in Winterfell who called her ‘Aunt’, she knew exactly who it was to begin with. “You’re just jealous because you’ll tumble over after three goblets” she teased without having to look over her shoulder, hearing a brief chuckle “exactly, so please, make me look good” Robb stated with a smirk, his eyes glancing at a young woman who giggled and blushed, smiling sweetly at him, a scoff leaving her lips. “Is Arya put to bed? It’s late” she noted, hearing him chuckle lightly, she always cared for him and his siblings like they were her own children, even Jon couldn’t escape the love she held for her nieces and nephews. “She is, she started throwing food at Sansa” Robb muttered, hearing her chuckle briefly as she tried to muffle it with her hand “Seven Hells, that girl, as wild as Lyanna” she muttered with a fond smile, Robb turning to look at her with a soft expression. 

“Father never talks about her…” he admitted, looking down as Karliah looked at him with a soft frown. “Your father just misses her… he had been the one to find her body… give him time, Robb, sixteen years are sometimes not enough for grief to fade into a fond memory… now, don’t let this bring down your mood” she said and gestured to the woman who had been eyeing him shyly with that sweet smile of hers, a smirk tugging at Karliah’s lips “be careful, Lord Stark, don’t have too much fun and don’t get her pregnant, I’m not old enough yet for that, I wouldn’t be able to handle a tiny version of you running around just yet” she teased before walking outside again, taking a deep breath of the cold air she was born in. She took a sip of her wine before continuing to walk, rounding a corner where she almost bumped into someone, her eyes wide as she managed to step aside at the last minute. She looked up and was met with the scarred face of Sandor Clegane, the Hound himself, Joffrey’s obedient dog. “Not a fan of feasts and parties?” she joked softly, seeing him scoff quietly and poorly bow his head “M’Lady” he muttered in an annoyed voice, about to walk away when her chuckle stopped him. “My, you’re not one for conversation, are you? Normally, a proper man would have answered my question” she teased, seeing him raise his unburnt eyebrow at her with a bored expression. “No, I’m not” he stated in a monotone voice, a flash of confusion running across his face as he saw the corners of her lips tug up in amusement. “Forgive me if I have offended you or disrupted your evening, it was never my intention. Have a nice evening, Ser Clegane” she said and bowed her head slightly before walking off, leaving a confused and shocked Sandor in his place, Tyrion watching, albeit a bit drunk, from the shadows, scoffing quietly before stumbling his way to somewhere else.

----------------------------------------------------

Karliah was silent as she sat next to Bran, Catelyn on the other side of the bed, cheeks stained from her tears as she watched her little boy. Karliah sighed softly and reached for Bran’s hand, holding the limp hand in hers, it was so much smaller… Karliah glanced at Catelyn before getting up, letting go of Bran’s hand to walk around his bed and sit down next to Catelyn, wrapping her arms around her and the tired mother sobbed into her arms, the dam breaking for the hundredth time and Karliah gently rubbed her back “he’ll wake, Catelyn… he will. He’s a Stark and a Tully. He has his father’s strength and your stubbornness. He’ll wake any day now and he’ll look at you and ask why you’ve been weeping, he’ll ask with that sweet voice of his” Karliah whispered and Catelyn moaned in agony and grief, Karliah continuing to hold her. “He’ll wake, Cat… he’ll wake” she promised before leaning away from Catelyn, the mother looking at her, wet cheeks and red puffy eyes and Kalriah smiled “how can he not, with a mother such as you?”

“I should have-”

“There is nothing you could have done. You and I both know that Bran would climb on the ceiling of this room if he were to be confined in it, the boy is half-squirrel sometimes, I swear” Karliah stated with amusement, looking back towards the sleeping child. “He will wake. I know he will, in my heart, I know” she whispered, gently rubbing Catelyn’s shoulder. “You needn’t be by his side every waking hour… you should get some sleep, Cat… get some rest-”

“No... no, I can’t leave him… I won’t-”

“Something to eat, then? You can eat it here… We can have something brought in for you to sleep on and I will sit and watch over him while you rest. You need rest, Cat… or you’ll be delirious and then what use will you be of?” Karliah warned and Catelyn looked at her, eyes still full of tears and Kalriah sighed, standing up. “I will have some food and drink brought in. I’ll figure something out, a bedding of any kind, for you to sleep on, you need rest just as much as the rest of us” Karliah spoke softly, giving her shoulder a comforting squeeze before leaving the room, heading immediately for the kitchens as her first stop.

------------------------------------------------------------------

When it came time to leave, Karliah walked into the room, intending to say her goodbyes when she saw Catelyn with her head on Bran’s bedside, asleep, a smile forming on her lips and she sneaked inside. She leaned over Bran and gently kissed his forehead, stroking back his hair from his forehead, smiling down at him “Bran, if you can hear me, you must wake soon. Please. Your mother is beside herself, she needs to see that smile of yours, she needs to hear you laugh” Karliah whispered before walking over to the side Catelyn was on, smiling at her, leaning down and gently kissing the top of her head, being careful not to wake her “thank you, for taking some rest” she whispered before leaving the room as quietly as possible, sneaking out, being met with Robb who had gone to see his mother and brother, Karliah stopping him with a hand “your mother is finally resting” she whispered, Robb seeming to almost faint with relief as he nodded “good… is she-...?”

“No, no she’s still by his bedside, I doubt she has even looked at the cot that’s been brought in for her, but she’s asleep. Your brother is well, too. He has no fever that I could tell” she added in a whisper and Robb nodded “thank you, Aunt Karliah” he whispered back and she smiled, cupping his face in her hands and tilting his head down as she stood up on her toes, giving his forehead a peck before patting his chest “give her a few more hours before visiting her again, make sure everyone knows, the Gods know that woman deserves some rest” she whispered with a smirk and Robb nodded, Karliah patting his shoulder in silent praise as she walked past him.

As she walked outside, she felt the dread fill her, the reality of everything finally hitting her. Her nephew was laying in his bed, unconscious, unmoving… he was just a boy… just a little boy, a sweet boy who adored climbing… which made all of this even weirder. Bran never fell. Never. Not once since he could stand upright and grab onto things did he ever fall. So why now? She hadn’t brought this to anyone, her family was going through enough at the moment… she’d keep her thoughts about this to herself… Perhaps she was just overthinking everything.

------------------------------------------------------------

She didn’t even seem to notice his gaze on her as she talked with Rickon, the youngest of the Stark children, the boy up in her arms as she smiled at him, making him grin and smile, bouncing him a little, the three year old grinning and laughing with her before she had to put him down, smiling at Arya as she approached, ruffling the young girl’s hair as she passed by before turning to a horse, a horse she’d apparently be riding, instead of riding in a carriage with her nieces. Tyrion walked up to the large man who had kept his eyes on the unmarried Stark, the North having named her just as they had named her brother. The ‘Wild Wolf’. Tyrion smirked a little at the name. Had the Hound taken an interest in the Wolf? “I believe she remains unmarried” Tyrion suddenly spoke, Sandor whipping his head around and looking down at him before scoffing and grumbling, much to Tyrion’s amusement. “Well, if you won’t pursue her, I suppose you wouldn’t mind if I gave it a go. She’s a beautiful woman, still in her prime and youth” Tyrion commented casually. In reality, he had no intention of pursuing her, but he had an interest in the Hound’s interest in the Wild Wolf of the North. It was said she rode more than she sewed, that she hunted more than she practiced dance and singing, that she could often be seen riding and visiting smaller towns and villages, her hair braided and wild from riding through harsh winds.

Sandor glared lightly at the Lannister at his words, though he tried not to, and Tyrion smirked victoriously before looking back at Karliah. “Relax, Hound. A hound is better suited for a wolf than a lion” he stated casually before walking off, Sandor giving Karliah a spiteful look, though he wasn’t quite sure why, it just felt like he had to do that, that he had to hate her for some reason.

Happy holidays everyone!! Here’s a little unwanted present from me! A drawing I made last year for Christmas, I thought I’d try and post one of my drawings to see what people thought and well, yeah lol. Please refrain from being too mean, my confidence is low enough already. I’m open to ideas and criticism tho. Happy holidays my lovelies!!

Witches and WIzards - 21

(Warnings: Sad fluff, some angst but that’s about it, I think, it’s just sort of angsty, sorry!<3)

Note: I once read parts of a fic where the reader has magic and goes back in time, meeting Merlin. I sadly can’t find it anymore. Also Fred didn’t die in this.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ophelia was silent as she stared out the window, heart racing despite the calm look on her face. She didn’t even look away when someone knocked on her door, or opened it after a few seconds of silence. She stayed silent until her name was spoken, tears forming in her eyes when she recognised the voice.

“Ophelia?” she turned, her eyes meeting Harry’s and she frowned, tilting her head a little at him. It was him. Obviously. But he looked… different… older… he even had the hint of a growing stubble “the nurses said you woke up” he added quietly as he closed the door gently, walking into the room, towards the chair she sat in by the window. “Do you-... remember anything?” he asked hesitantly, pulling up a chair to sit next to her, watching her closely as she frowned and looked out the window. More tears formed in her eyes as she slowly, very slowly, began to shake her head. “Alright… you-... you sort of just… showed up… at the twin’s shop, out of a closet… your leg was wounded and you passed out. They said you looked like you’d been trapped under rocks or something, your leg-” he stopped himself, looking down at her left leg as she just sat there, his eyes shifting to a cane nearby, within her reach should she need it, before looking back at her face as she just continued to stare out the window. “You were out for a long time…”

“How long?”

“A few weeks…”

“I meant-... how long-... before-”

“A few years…” he admitted, a tear running down Ophelia’s cheek yet her face was without expression, her eyes a stormy cloud of emotions but her face was empty, blank and void of anything. “Fred and George came by every day I hear, ever since you showed back up, they’ve been bringing you flowers…” Harry stated in an attempt to elicit some sort of emotion from her, but he got nothing, making him sigh quietly. “What-... what happened? Are you sure you don’t remember anything? Not the smallest detail-?”

“How old am I?” she asked blankly and Harry’s entire expression softened, a mix of pure horror and remorse in his eyes. She was strong. Stronger than anyone he’d ever met. She had to be with all that she had endured. But this woman wasn’t the one who disappeared three years ago. This woman was broken, the last three years barely a foggy feeling for her, her memory of said time completely gone and it seemed like a piece of her had faded, like a part of her had been chipped off, the most important parts of her had been torn off the sides of her and thrown away somewhere, never to be found again. “Twenty-three… almost twenty-four” he admitted hesitantly, a part of him hoping it’d elicit some sort of emotion but she just stayed silent, she didn’t even nod, she barely blinked, as though she was catatonic. This was worse than after Jaime died… after Jaime, at least she cried, she was angry, hot tempered and refused to even say his name or hear of it because every time it was uttered, she broke down in tears and her two favourite spells became Confringo and Bombarda with an occasional Diffindo, but at least she felt. She didn’t appear to feel anything right now…

“Eyes…” she muttered blankly, a frown forming on her face as she stared ahead at nothing in particular, zoned out as her mind raced. “You asked if I remembered anything… I remember a pair of eyes and I think-... I think they belonged to someone who-... made me feel… happy” she muttered quietly, still staring straight ahead, head a little tilted as she continued to frown, as though the thought of happiness and good things were some unfathomable thing, foreign and alien and completely unheard of. Harry nodded “that’s good. You remember something. It’s good news, Ophelia” he stated, a small smile on his lips, desperate to see her smile as well but she just continued to stare ahead. “Mr. Potter? I think perhaps Miss Black would like some rest now” a nurse said after walking in, Harry looking at her with desperation before looking back at Ophelia, studying her blank face, devoid of any emotions, before nodding, getting up “I’ll visit you again soon, alright? ‘Mione and Ron will too…” he muttered, standing up, about to leave the room when Ophelia turned to look at him, tears in her eyes “Harry” her voice stopped him and he turned to look at her, frowning at the utter hopelessness in her eyes “they were golden, like burning orbs of fire…” she muttered with the first real sign of emotion in her eyes, Harry frowning even more “the eyes” she explained quietly “it’s it’s like a dream I can’t wake up from… or-... I woke up from a dream that I didn’t want to wake up from… it’s-... cloudy…” she admitted, Harry glancing at the nurse before walking over “give it time, alright? You don’t have to remember everything, certainly not all at once. It’ll take it’s time, and we’re here for you, all of us, through every step of it” Harry encouraged, smiling at her, only leaving when he got a smile in return, although they both knew it was forced. After he left, the nurse walked over, giving Ophelia a sympathetic smile that made her want to hex her “why don’t you rest for a bit?-”

“I am resting. This is me resting” she muttered bitterly, turning her head to glare up at the nurse “I’ve done nothing but rest and write and draw since I woke up… it was weeks ago! Why am I still here?! You obviously can’t fix my leg and writing and drawing to get my memory back has done nothing for me!” she spat bitterly, more tears forming in her eyes and she shook her head with determination “no, no I’m leaving. I’m not going to sit around and wait for me to remember while I draw shit drawings of nothing and write about how much I hate this damn place! I’m leaving, I’m done waiting” she muttered, struggling to pull herself out of the chair, gritting her teeth as the nurse hurriedly gave her the cane she’d been given, Ophelia reluctantly taking it. “I understand that this is all too much to handle-”

“‘Too much to handle’??... I don’t feel… I don’t feel anything except angry and the pain in my leg! It’s been weeks… nothing is getting better! I-... I might as well just-... move on” she muttered bitterly, the nurse sighing with a frown “is there anyone you’d like us to get for you? A relative? A friend? A husb-”

“No… no, he wasn’t my husband” she muttered with a dazed expression, as though barely aware that she said it, the nurse frowning at her before gently placing a hand on her back, guiding her back to the hospital bed “it’s alright, now… perhaps one of your friends who have visited you?”

“Molly… Molly Weasley… she’s-... always been like a mum for me” she admitted, the nurse nodding with a small smile before leaving, Ophelia sighing heavily, looking at the cane with spite before throwing it across the room in anger, closing her eyes in an attempt to see them again, those eyes that brought her so much comfort when she was asleep. She tried. Hard. Eyebrows pinching together as she struggled until they were there. Not as clear as when she slept, but she could see them behind her closed eyelids, those golden eyes. An almost blissful smile formed on her lips, a few tears running down her cheeks as she enjoyed the feeling of joy they brought her. Until she opened her eyes. She knew she had to. She didn’t have a choice… and it only made seeing them even more bitter-sweet.

------------------------------------------------------------------

“She’s in room 4-”

“I know which room” the woman waved the nurse off, hurrying inside of the hospital room, a grin forming on her face when she saw Ophelia sitting on a chair in the corner and she instantly opened her arms as she hurried over “oh my goodness!!” she exclaimed with joy, hurrying over and hugging Ophelia, managing to pull a small smile to Ophelia’s lips, though Molly didn’t see it, that’s how brief it was. “Hello, Mrs. Weasley-”

“Oh, please, ‘Molly’” she corrected as she parted from Ophelia, sitting down on the chair next to Ophelia’s “you’re not a child anymore” she added, Ophelia smiling hesitantly at her before looking down “I was-... I was wondering if-... I heard Professor McGonagall is the head mistress now… do you think-... do you think there could be an opening? Potions, Herbology, perhaps?” she asked hesitantly, Molly smiling at her with utter warmth “I am sure she would be delighted to have you as a professor there. You aced all of your O.W.L.s after all, and your N.E.W.T.s” she stated with pride and Ophelia smiled forcefully at her, the smile not genuine, empty, like the rest of her, “and-.. I was wondering, if it wouldn’t be too much trouble-”

“I already prepared Fred and George’s old room for you when I got the letter yesterday, I know you haven’t stayed in Grimmauld’s place since-... well, since” she interrupted and Ophelia nodded blankly “thank you… it really does mean a lot to me… and I won’t be any trouble, I promise, and-”

“Oh, if I remember you correctly, you were always trouble” Molly teased and Ophelia actually smiled a little, a genuine smile, for the first time in weeks “I will take that as a compliment” she joked lightly despite her emotionless expression, the smile no longer there, but the ghost of it remained on her lips, Molly nodding with glee. “So, all we need to do is pack your things and-”

“I-I don’t-... have anything” Ophelia admitted quietly, Molly’s smile never faltering “Well, then we certainly need to get you things! The old apartment you have is still there if you-”

“No… no nothing was in it anyway, I had everything in my bag… which I don’t have” she admitted, Molly nodding “then we’re off to Diagon Alley at some point. But for now, why don’t we get you settled back at the house, hm?”

“I would love that, thank you” Ophelia muttered, Molly nodding as she got up, walking over to help Ophelia up, having heard about her leg when Ophelia raised a hand to stop her “I got it” she muttered, gritting her teeth as she pulled herself to stand, grabbing the cane and leaning heavily on it, sweating a little from the pain she felt. “Oh, dear…”

“It’s alright, I need to be able to do it on my own” she muttered, grimacing at the pain in her leg before sighing, nodding to herself before looking at Molly, sighing at her worried expression “it’s just a bad day, that’s all” she assured, Molly nodding with a sad smile before walking out of the room with her to check her out.

------------------------------------------------------------

Ophelia was sitting in front of the fireplace, a blanket covering her legs, the warmth of the blanket helping with the pain she felt, distant voices caught her attention as they came closer and closer. She looked over her shoulder and grinned at who she saw, moving the blanket and her legs to stand up, already grabbing her cane when Minerva hurried over “no need for that-”

“It’s okay, it’s a good day today and it’s good for me to do it even though it hurts” she stated, Minerva nodding with a sigh, taking a small step back and allowed Ophelia to stand up straight, Molly grinning when she saw that Ophelia didn’t grit her teeth as much this time. “Thank you for coming. I’m sorry I couldn’t come to Hogwarts myself-”

“No need to worry at all. Molly has told me a little about your ambitions…”

“You knew it was always my goal to be a professor at Hogwarts” Ophelia said quietly, a hint of genuine emotion in her voice but it still worried Minerva, though she didn’t, she just nodded with a small smirk “I thought as much… which is why I have prepared a class I know you will be fond of teaching. Herbology” she revealed, Ophelia’s lips nearly pulling into a genuine smile, her eyes lighting up a little “thank you. I’m excited to go back in a few years” she stated softly but Minerva just smirked again “in a few years?”

“Yes, I-... I have to be older, don’t I?”

“I have made special arrangements for you” was all she said and Ophelia grinned. It was a small, faint grin that was easy to miss, but it was there and both Minerva and Molly noticed. “I have spoken with Molly and when you are ready, this summer, she will take you to get whatever you need before you join the rest of us at Hogwarts to begin the new school year. You will of course stay in the faculty wing, all and any furniture you might require will of course be there, waiting for you, unless you require something specific or personal, then I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to buy it yourself. I look forward to seeing you at Hogwarts, Professor Black” Minerva stated with a small smirk, Ophelia giving her a faint smile, nodding “I can’t wait to start my first year. Thank you, for looking past my age…”

“You are incredibly gifted in Herbology and show a real passion for it, Ophelia, I’d even go as far and say you have the right mental age. It’s why I am certain you will prosper at Hogwarts as a teacher” Minerva praised, Ophelia’s cheeks turning red and she looked down shyly, clearing her throat awkwardly “thank you, professor…”

“I’m no longer your professor, you may call me Minerva if you want.”

“Thank you, Minerva” she tried the first name, looking nervously at Molly who grinned and chuckled lightly “it’s quite alright, dear” she stated with that heart warming grin she always had. Ophelia smiled and gave her a nod before turning to Minerva “I’ll see you in a few months time, then” she stated, Minerva nodding with a proud smirk on her lips “indeed we will” she agreed, smiling at Molly before turning around to leave but she stopped when Ophelia spoke up “there is one thing, if it’s not too much…” Ophelia trialled off and Minerva nodded “i-it can wait until I start my job, though” she added and Minerva nodded, giving her a warm smile before leaving, Molly turning to beam at you with joy. “Well, congratulations on the job, Professor Black” she said and Ophelia smiled faintly, ignoring the pain in her leg from standing for too long, nodding “thank you very much, Mrs. Weasley” she retorted, Molly laughing briefly “I’ll get you something to eat, you still look far too thin for my liking” she muttered the last part and Ophelia gave a brief nod, awkwardly sitting back down, wincing a little now that Molly couldn’t see it. She let out a heavy sigh as she sat down, putting the cane aside to glare at her leg. She knew that under all the loose clothing she wore, the spot just below her knee was-... not like the other… it always seemed crooked… she sighed heavily at the thought, opting to stare into the fireplace as she had done before Minerva arrived, even though no flames were lit.

Witches and Wizards - 20

(Warnings: Angst, a bit more angst with some comfort, a bit of fluff, sad angst, more sad angst and angsty sadness, sorry y’all)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“I am here for a purpose, Morgana. I did not break stride to find you. I bring you the news you have longed for…”

“Arthur’s death?...”

“The key to it… I was wrong to ever question your wisdom, My Lady, and I wish to make amends…”

“Tell me…”

“There is someone you have been searching for… someone who has always eluded you…”

“Emrys…”

“I know where he is…”

“Where?”

“Camelot. And I have his true name… It is Merlin…”

“And what of Agatha? The woman?? The old woman?? The one who is destined to help Emrys??” Morgana asked with urgency and desperation, Mordred lowering his head, heart beating rapidly in his chest, against the book he had tucked away under his chainmail, his head aching with the weight of the two choices before him. Finally, he lifted his head, looking Morgana straight in her eyes, the same look of rage on his face.

“I know not of a woman by that name… she resides not in Camelot” he decided, swallowing thickly before lowering his head again.

---------------------

Ophelia sat up straight in her bed when the doors burst open, heart in her throat until she recognised the voice calling out her name in the darkness. “Merlin?! What the bloody hell are you doing here?!” she snapped, standing up from her bed, wearing the nightgown she had been gifted by Gwen not too long ago. She watched as Merlin began to tear her room apart with Gaius, making her look at them with confusion before sighing heavily “WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!” she screamed, her window cracking due to a brief loss of control in her magic when she screamed, both Merlin and Gaius stopped to look at her, Merlin quickly getting up from the floor after looking under her bed, his hands firmly on her shoulders. “Where’s your wand? Ophelia-”

“Get your hands off of me!” Ophelia snapped, getting out of his grasp as she stared at him. “How did you get in?!”

“Broke the lock-”

“YOU BROKE THE LOCK?!”

“You took my key!”

“I broke up with you!” There was a long silence that filled the room, Merlin swallowing thickly, the start of tears in his eyes when he sighed, blinking them away before she could notice “Ophelia, please… where’s your wand?” he asked quietly and she sighed heavily, walking over to her bed, unscrewing one of the pillars on the headboard, reaching in and taking out her wand. She showed him the wand with an angry look in her eyes, Merlin sighing softly before nodding to himself. She looked like she was going to murder him within the next few seconds. “Could you-... cast a spell?” he asked nervously, Ophelia frowning at him with utter confusion, shaking her head in disbelief before giving it a wave at the nearby fireplace. All she had to do was give it a wave and the fireplace instantly lit up as a ball of fire flew from her wand and attached itself to the firewood inside as she turned to face Merlin and Gaius, crossing her arms over her chest as she glared at Merlin in particular as they both sighed in relief. “Would you mind telling me why you barged into my room to ask me to do something you know I can do?!”

“Because-” Merlin began but stopped himself, tears forming in his eyes and he swallowed thickly, Gaius glancing between the two before leaving, closing the door behind him. Ophelia frowned at him with more concern than anger, taking a step closer to him. “Merlin, you’re scaring me” she muttered, Merlin nodding before finally finding his voice “I don’t have magic” he admitted, Ophelia narrowing her eyes at him “what are you-”

“I DON’T HAVE MAGIC, OPHELIA! Morgana took it from me! Mordred told her who I am and she took it!” Merlin shouted, something he’d never done before, not with her. He could barely see through his tears, but what he could see was anger. Pure, unfiltered rage. For a second he thought it was still aimed at him but all that vanished when she sighed and pulled him into a tight hug, shaking her head and closing her eyes in regret. It was the first time she showed any affection towards him after Mordred left and Kara was hanged. She shook her head as she held him, sighing heavily as she felt him hesitantly hug her back, his head in the crook of her neck as it used to, and she felt the tears fall from her eyes and onto her skin.

“I knew Morgana was cruel, but…” she trailed off, sighing heavily before parting from Merlin, taking his hands in her own “you listen to me right now, Merlin. This isn’t it. We’re going to go back to the physician’s chambers and meet up with Gaius, I’m going to bring every book I have and my potions kit. I don’t care if I have to empty this entire room, I’m bringing all of it. Do you understand? She won’t get away with this, and this isn’t it. Your magic is not gone, Merlin, it can NEVER be taken from you, not truly, we just have to figure out a way to bring it back to life, that’s all this is, alright? It’s dormant, asleep, but we’re going to wake it, and then we’re going to rain hellfire down on that cunt of a bitch” Ophelia was seething, releasing his hands and cupping his face in her hands, making him look at her “do you understand me? I’m going to bring her to her knees for this” she muttered, Merlin frowning at her “you don’t kn-”

“I do, Merlin. Magic can never truly be taken. It’s in here,” she pressed her hand against his chest, right over his heart “it’s in here and it can never, EVER, be taken from you, it will never leave you, not ever” she promised, sighing softly before nodding towards the door “I’m right behind you, go. I’ll bring everything” she whispered, hesitating before leaning up and hugging him tightly, closer than a normal hug. The hug she used to give him, before everything… before he had sided with Arthur against Kara before she died. Merlin parted from her with a nod and without a second thought she waved her wand, every book, every potion, everything vanished into her bag as she threw on her Ravenclaw robe before pulling on her shoes, grabbing her bag, hiding her wand in the hidden pocket in her robe before running out of the room, hesitating, glancing to the room where a spear stood in the corner, the norseman spear tip stretching further down than a normal spear, curving on one side, like a sharp knife, one side sharper than the other yet both could cut through flesh like it was a gentle stream of water, the tip slightly curved and twisted. She hesitated, glancing down the hallway before hurrying over and taking it, twirling it effortlessly in her hand before nodding to herself, not even bothering to close the door as she ran out, the room almost completely bare except for the plants and an unmade bed.

--------------------------------

Ophelia followed Merlin through the caves, choosing to not use her wand for light, her eyes lingering on Merlin at the thought of using her magic but she banished it, instead sticking close to his side. As they walked further into the cave, the torch was suddenly blown out, Ophelia flinching at the sudden act, shaking her head with a scoff before looking at Merlin who frowned at her “I’m alright. It just-... scared the crap out of me” she admitted quietly, Merlin daring a smile before nodding.

“~Emrys~” Morgana’s voice was taunting, Ophelia immediately pulled the spear from her back, holding it like she had been taught as she looked around, her hand not in the middle but closer to the end of her spear, her eyes narrowed as she studied the dark cave.

“~Over here, Emrys~”

Merlin and Ophelia exchanged brief glances as Ophelia gave him a small nod, the two parting to look around the small room in the cave. “I see you, Morgana…” his words made her look over her shoulder at him, opting to move over to his side again, carefully, treading lightly so as to not make too much noise.

“~How well you’ve kept your secret. How well you’ve protected my brother… but it seems you don’t want to protect the little Lady Black at your side… does your little love know about you? About why you’ve dragged her to this cave in a bandit filled territory? Or did she not ask? Did you fool her like you fooled everyone else? Lied to her like you lied to everyone? Who’d have thought it? A worthless servant with all that power~”

“He was never worthless, Morgana!” Ophelia snapped, looking around the cave, trying to see her, preferably so her spear could pierce her gut.

“~So, she knows. Tell me, did you trust her with it, or did she have to figure it out on her own? Did she have to see through all the lies you told her? But you cannot help your king now, can you? You cannot even help yourself! How will you ever protect the love of your life? The one who risked everything for you, the only woman who will ever truly see you. Is that what you told her? Did you tell her everything she wanted to hear so she’d look past all the lies?~”

“He never, and he never fooled me. I know he loves me, and-... he knows I love him, I always have and always will” Ophelia hissed, heart racing in her chest and she wasn’t sure if it was the slight fear she felt or anger “now why don’t you come out and face us? Are you still scared?” Ophelia taunted, a silence filling the room. “I fear no one, least of all that powerless servant you love so dearl-” she was cut off as Merlin turned around swiftly, cutting across her side with one stroke and Morgana recoiled a little, holding her side where Merlin had cut her, grinning and laughing as he held the sword to her throat from afar as she slowly backed up, Merlin following despite Ophelia trying to subtly stop him. “You have defied me for the last time, Emrys… my only regret is that you’ll have company in this tomb of yours” Morgana taunted before uttering a spell, aimed at the rocks above the small cave entrance. Luckily, she didn’t have time to finish it when Ophelia had her wand out “Morgana! Stop this! Stop this, I don’t want to kill you! Don’t make me” Ophelia nearly begged, Morgana just smirked at her, once again looking at the ceiling, intending to bring the rocks down over the small path she had come from, trapping the two of them inside. Just as the incantation left her lips, Merlin heard two words he’d never heard before in his entire life, a green flash enveloping the entire cavern as the cave rattled and shook from Morgana’s spell, Morgana’s eyes were wide and blank, her eyes briefly shining green before fading as the green light enveloped her, her body stiff before falling to the ground, dead. She prayed that it would stop the spell, but she was wrong. Ophelia’s eyes were wide in shock as she watched a rock fall towards her head, the rock dust floating down over her head, coating her hair as other rocks headed towards her and then everything turned hazy before she could do anything. She felt a surge of pain run through her leg, barely able to lift her hand to feel where the pain came from, glimpsing a small boulder laid over her right leg, right atop her knee, something warm dripping down her head like water and then everything turned to black.

--------------------------------------------------------- Ophelia was woken up by the sharp pain in her left leg, her eyes opening only to close again, jaw clenching as she couldn’t help but let out a scream of agony, sweat forming on her forehead as tears streamed down her cheeks, her eyes opening to see the her leg crudely bandaged with ripped cloth, she lifted herself up on shaky hands to look around, gritting her teeth as every small movement made the pain in her leg worse. Her eyes closed tightly as she raised a hand to her head, retracting it when she felt something wet, looking at her fingertips that were covered in blood. Her eyes widened as she felt sick, leaning to the side as she threw up whatever was left in her stomach, her hand weakly trying to keep her hair out of the way and she cringed at the ache in her head. She felt weak, she felt like she could barely hold herself up, everything almost as though it was spinning. She forced herself to dragged her limp body backwards and against the cave wall, cringing and whimpering in pain at her leg, eyes shut tightly until she forced them open, looking through her pockets for her wand, hoping and praying that it would be intact and she let out a sigh of relief when she felt it. Her hand was shaking as she pointed it at her knee, “Brackium Emendo” she screamed loudly as her broken leg and kneecap put itself back together in the blink of an eye, tears rolling down her cheeks as she sobbed, biting her lower lip to hard that she started to taste iron on her tongue, the spell had worked yet it still felt… crooked… uneven and misshapen. She took several deep breaths before trying to stand up, whimpering as the rock walls cut into her palms and shoulders. She barely made it halfway up before her legs gave out under her and she scraped herself even worse trying to grip the wall when she fell. She took a heavy breath, looked down at her leg and pointed her wand at it again. “Ferula” bandages flew from the tip of her wand and wrapped around her leg. She looked around the cave with a frown, shutting her eyes tightly as she reached for her wounded leg, blood dripping down her face and into her eyes and she forced herself to open her eyes, cringing at the pain she felt when blood dripped into them, tainting half of her sight red and she looked around once more and then she saw something. A black square, glittering like small stars and her heart raced. It looked as though someone had thrown it in a rage… or dropped it… She crawled her way over, as though it was instinct, she couldn’t remember it but she still felt drawn to it, her shaky hands managing to grab it, wincing at the pain in her leg as she tucked her wand away and hesitantly lifting up the box. Hesitantly she opened the box lid, holding the box in her hands as she stared into the darkness, taking a heavy breath to steady herself, closing her eyes, shutting them tightly. She had no idea where she was. All she wanted was to go home. She wanted to go home. She almost thought of opening her eyes when she heard it, people talking, laughter. She heard the sounds of toys that she recognized, jokes. She heard something singing and she recognised it. She took a second to calm her racing heart before opening her eyes again, finding herself in a small storage closet she recognised, her eyes trailing down to her hands as they felt empty, finding the box long gone. She forced herself to stand anyway, taking a moment to compose herself as her shaky hand reached for the doorknob, opening it, being greeted by people talking, the sounds of a cash register that she recognised, people walking up and down the stairs in the shop. Tears filled her eyes as she looked around, her legs feeling weak and she had to lean against the wall to stay upright. A small whimper left her lips and it caught the attention of someone near her, the person turning around and she nearly fell to the ground, caught by the person, passing out before she could see who it was.

Witches and Wizards - 19

(Warnings: fluff, hints at a GoT character, angst and more angst)

Note: I once read parts of a fic where the reader has magic and goes back in time, meeting Merlin. I sadly can’t find it anymore. Also Fred didn’t die in this.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ophelia let out a grunt as she was knocked down once more, laying down on the grass instead of getting up, her eyes closing as she winced at the ache in her body. “I told you, Ophelia, I-” he was cut off as she swiftly rolled back and kneeled, smirking up at him before running at him, sliding under his legs and knocking them out under him, making the king fall face down onto the ground, Ophelia panting from hours of training, standing up and wiping the sweat from her brow as she approached a stunned Arthur, giving him her hand. “You were saying?”

“How on earth-”

“My mum took me to gymnastics when I was younger, turns out I’m quite flexible” she stated with a shrug, Arthur frowning but with a smile, about to open his mouth to reply when Merlin walked over “yes, you are” he agreed mindlessly, Ophelia smirking at him as he realised where he was, and how it sounded. “I mean-... I’ve-... I’ve seen her do something she calls ‘splits’ and it’s not what you think-”

“Merlin…”

“Shut up?”

“You got it” Arthur muttered with a cringe, making Ophelia chuckle as she smirked at Merlin before watching him hurry out of the training field once more. “So, what is ‘gymnastics’?” Arthur asked as he poured himself a cup of water, handing one to Ophelia first who gladly took it. “It’s sort of like training, I guess. Though it’s not to fight. It’s for flexibility. For example, I can do this,” she put the goblet down and swung back, leaning backwards and supporting herself on one hand as her legs followed in the air like a wheel, doing that three times before ending swiftly on her feet a few feet away from a shocked Arthur, the knights around all clapping and Ophelia felt her cheeks turn beet red as she walked back over. “That was… elegant. Almost as well as your skill with a bow, which is surprisingly good” he agreed, making her chuckle lightly “I can do loads more. Which is why brawn over brains might not be my fighting style…” Ophelia admitted with a frown “I’m sorry Arthur, I know I took time out of your day to train me for the last few months, especially since you got the real Gwen back and I know you have a picnic planned later today with her, but I just-”

“You don’t feel like fighting like a knight is the best option for you” Arthur ended, Ophelia nodding with an apologetic look on her face “I’m so sorry. I-I just wanted to learn so badly and I feel useless and-”

“Which is why I’ve sent for someone… lighter” Arthur admitted, gesturing to behind her and when Ophelia turned, she spotted a man walking towards them. Hands behind his back, even his walk seemed… light… like a feather barely flying above the grass, so close to getting caught in between the blades of grass yet remaining just above them. He wasn’t tall like the others, yet only a little taller than her. He had dark, curly hair and a beard, both dark yet his beard had hints of grey to it, showing his age. His skin was a warm olive colour, his eyes brown and deep and he had a flamboyant air about him. “Lady Black, this is Syrio Forel. He’s going to be your new teacher” Arthur introduced, Ophelia’s mouth wide open in shock as she turned to Arthur. “You-... you went out of your way to find someone who-... Bloody hell, Arthur!” Ophelia nearly screamed, grinning from ear to ear as she hugged him tightly, Arthur chuckling, a little surprised but he still hugged her back “now, if you’ll excuse me, as you said, I have a picnic with my wife” he stated, Ophelia nodding with a grin before turning back to Syrio, stretching out her hand which he shook gently “Syrio Forel, thank you, for agreeing to teach me” Ophelia admitted, Syrio smirking at her, walking around her as he studied her, looking her up and down, taking in every detail from head to toe “yes. You are small, slim but yet strong, this is good” his accent was like water off a goose’s back, smooth and easy-going with no hardness to it, exotic yet easy to understand. “I will train you” he agreed, picking up a training sword from nearby, examining it, noticing how you grimaced a little at the idea of fighting with it.

“The sword… it is a heavy thing, no?”

“It is…”

“It is as heavy as it needs to be. For the knights.”

“Not a woman?”

“Not you” he corrected, Ophelia’s lips tugging up in a smile as she studied him putting the sword back, instead picking up a long stick, making her frown. “I will teach you another dance.”

“A dance?”

“Yes. The water dance. These knights and their heavy swords, they hack and slash. It is useful, but not what you need and want” he stated knowingly, picking up another stick of the same length, just an inch or two taller than Ophelia. He threw it at her and she caught it, although rather clumsily, caught off guard by the flying stick coming towards her. “Tomorrow you will catch it better” he stated casually, effortlessly twirling the stick between his fingers before approaching, the stick parallel with his arm behind his shoulder, hand grasping it firmly yet not tightly. “Your legs should not be so far apart. Your shoulders, pull them back- yes, like that. You are learning quickly” he praised, Ophelia grinning like a little girl. Her heart raced as Syrio walked away from her to face her, effortlessly twirling the stick so it was in front of him, held with both hands “now, attack. Go right, right, then left and then right” he ordered, Ophelia doing as he told, slowly at first as the sticks met each other, her confidence growing with each nod he gave her.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Today, the first lesson is about Star Grass, then Angel’s Trumpet” Ophelia stated as she winced, holding her bruised side before waving Mordred over. “Are you alright?”

“Well, I got my arse handed to me” Ophelia muttered, smirking at a genuinely concerned Mordred “the foreigner?”

“Syrio Forel. A man of mystery but he’s bloody good with that stick of his… I think I actually feel more comfortable with what he calls the ‘water dance’” Ophelia admitted as she gestured to the pot in front of her with what seemed like a patch of tall grass, Mordred frowning at the sight. “This is Star Grass. You can figure out the name for yourself. It’s a magical healing herb, used in Star Grass Salve, which soothes sores, bruises and wounds. It has other names such as; Unicorn Root and Ague Grass. It’s a simple plant, really, it’s for pain and aches. You can eat it or grind it in a mortar and use the paste to put on your wounds but it really is most effective if you just eat some of it or use the salve it’s in. I always trim from the top but I’ve cast a spell on it so it won’t grow more than this length, even if I don’t cut it. Next up is Angel’s Trumpet” Ophelia moved over to a white bell-formed like flower, it’s stem green, as well as the leaves. “Tell me what you see” Ophelia ordered softly, tilting her head at Mordred who narrowed his eyes at it, studying it thoroughly “it’s… beautiful” he admitted, Ophelia giving a brief nod in confirmation “it is. And highly poisonous if ingested. Fatal, even” she admitted, Mordred turning to look at her with a frown. “Most beautiful plants are. It’s a trick, a lure. They look innocent when in truth they’re the most dangerous of all… I’d like to give you something” Ophelia stated, walking over to her bag, sticking her entire arm into it, which Mordred was used to by now, pulling out a small book that could be concealed in a fair sized pocket or bag, though not so small that it couldn’t be read.

Ophelia walked over and handed it to him, Mordred cautiously opening it, flipping through the pages, studying the drawings of flowers, the notes beside them as well as crucial information. “It was mine, back at Hogwarts… It was before I memorised it all and got other books” Ophelia admitted, sitting down at a nearby table, studying Mordred for his reaction, waiting nervously “you-... you don’t like it?”

“No! I-... thank you” Mordred mumbled, tears forming in his eyes as he shifted through the small book, only a little bigger than his hand, Ophelia smiling softly at him. “You have what I’d call a ‘green thumb’. A knack for plants in general, how to care for them, identify them…”

“I can’t-”

“You can. See it as-... a thank you…” Ophelia admitted, Mordred frowning at her and Ophelia sighed heavily, gesturing to the chair across from her and Mordred sat down. “A thank you?”

“I-... growing up, do you know what I always wished for, every birthday?” he shook his head and Ophelia smiled “a brother… one who would protect me against the kids that bullied me… I remember saying that he didn’t even need to have magic like me, he could be a muggle and I’d love him all the same… I’ve… enjoyed teaching you about these plants, about what I learnt at Hogwarts…” Ophelia admitted, looking down at her hands in her lap with a frown, waiting, yet when she heard nothing, she looked up at a teary-eyed Mordred as he stared at her, mouth half open in shock, eyes wide and even a tear rolled down his cheek. Without thinking Mordred flung himself at her, hugging her tightly and at first she was shocked, frozen, but soon her arms wrapped around him, despite the awkward angle of him standing up and her sitting down. “You can’t show anyone, but I hope you’ll learn from it… and it doesn’t mean I’ll stop teaching you if you still want it” Ophelia muttered, Mordred parting from her as he nodded, wiping his eyes to try and remain knightly, but Ophelia just stood up and chuckled, wrapping her arms around him again, a grin on her lips.

“Now, you be careful out on patrol tomorrow, alright?” Ophelia asked as she parted, wiping away her own tears before smiling at Mordred who nodded, lingering before grinning and walking out, the book in his hands, firmly holding his attention.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ophelia watched with a frown as Arthur circled the young woman, her eyes drifting to Mordred who seemed to especially loathe the situation, a frown forming on her brows and he caught her gaze, blinking away his tears as he looked away from her and she had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep as neutral a face as possible.

“Were you part of a cohort of saxons who attacked an armed shipment bound for Camelot?”

“Yes” her affirmation made Ophelia take in a subtle breath, glancing at Mordred who was trying to contain his anger, doing his best to not openly glare at his king, her eyes returning to Arthur as he continued to question her.

“Were you acting under the orders of Morgana Pendragon?”

“What I did, I did for myself. For my people. And for our right to be free.”

“I have no quarrel with the druids.”

“I’ve spent my life on the run because of my beliefs… and seen those I have loved, killed.”

“Once, maybe… but I’m not my father.”

“You don’t kill those with magic?” Her question made Ophelia shift her weight a little, heart ramming against her ribs, so loud that she was sure the entire court could hear it.

“It is not I, Arthur Pendragon, who needs to answer for my crimes. It is you. You and your father have brutally and mercilessly heaped misery on my kind. It is you who has turned a peaceful people to war. And it is you, and Camelot, that shall pay the price.”

“In your words I hear the voice of Morgana… it is she and others like her who have abused the powers of magic. It is they who have brought the rift between our people. It is their deeds that have terrorised Camelot and forced us to outlaw such practices… but you stand before the court not because of an act of sorcery or sedition, but because of an act of murder… your actions have brought about the deaths of many good men… threatened the lives of many more.”

“They were casualties of war… and I would do the same again. For I will not rest until you are dead and your kingdom is no more” her reply made Ophelia close her eyes in regret, lowering her head briefly before sighing quietly.

“Yet you have friends here… somehow you got treatment for your leg. From someone in Camelot… who?” Ophelia subtly turned her head to Mordred, seeing a horrified look on his face, her eyes returning to the girl. “I treated myself” her reply was calm and smooth, yet the lingering hesitation before her answer was enough for Arthur to determine she was lying. “You are lying. Whoever it was, left a trail of footprints in the mud. Footprints that resulted in your capture.”

“A stranger came across me and he helped me. I have no idea who he was.”

“You show no remorse for your actions… I have no choice but to declare you an enemy of Camelot… at dawn tomorrow, pursuant to the laws of this land, you will be taken from your cell… and hanged” Arthur declared, nodding to the guards and they came forth, grabbing her and leading her out. “You can do as you wish! It will not stop Morgana’s uprising. Your doom is near! My only sadness is that I won’t be there to see it” she called, Ophelia shrinking back into the crowd, moving towards Mordred, catching him by his arm, glaring at him when he looked at her “you. Me. Talk. Now” she hissed quietly before moving out of the room with the others, Mordred swallowing thickly. He followed her out, almost losing her in the crowd when she grabbed him and shoved him behind a pillar, glaring at him before making sure no one paid them any mind. “You’re just about the most idiotic, mindless, careless idiot of a person I’ve ever met!” Ophelia hissed quietly, Mordred staring at her with tears in his eyes, making her sigh, shaking her head at him “Mordred… you’re a bloody idiot” she muttered in a much softer tone. “My Star Grass Salve wasn’t where it used to be… did you take it?” she asked quietly, Mordred giving a shameful nod, making her nod and sigh. “You’re just about the biggest idiot I’ve ever met in my twenty-three years on this earth!... But you love her…” Ophelia whispered softly, Mordred staring at her with confusion, making her give him a soft smile “you’re more obvious than you think, you’re just lucky they’re all just as stupid as you” she muttered before nodding to herself “I’ll talk with Arthur… I won’t promise anything!” she stated harshly when she saw his eyes light up at her words, “I’ll talk to him… but she hasn’t made it easy on herself, admitting everything, showing no remorse! Trying to kill Arthur, I mean- I’m shocked he didn’t charge her with that as well!...” Ophelia hissed before leaving, turning in the opposite direction to walk back to where Arthur was.

------------------------------------------------

“‘There’s nothing I can do’?! YOU’RE THE KING!!”

“And the king must uphold the law and protect his people!!”

“AND A KING MUST SHOW MERCY!!”

“Ophelia-”

“SHE’S JUST A GIRL!! SHE’S BEING USED BY MORGANA, MANIPULATED LIKE GWEN WAS, YET YOU DIDN’T HANG HER!” Ophelia screamed, Arthur glaring at her, a deadly silence falling over the two of them, one that should have warned that she had gone too far, and she knew it, yet she took a step closer to Arthur. “You are my king, Arthur, my friend. I love you and I always will, as I love Gwen and Gaius… if you value me, not as an advisor, but as a friend, a person who cares for you, deeply… then you won’t do this… let her spend the rest of her life in that cell! It IS possible! She will NEVER breathe another day of freedom but she’ll live! If not for me, Camelot or yourself, then do it for Mordred! Show the people, and the other knights, that the king sees his knights as more than glorified bodyguards, that they’re a family!! Under his protection and love!!”

“And what will the people think when I let an enemy of Camelot live in the palace?!”

“She’ll be a prisoner!! Put her in chains for the rest of her life if you must!! Make her life miserable! But if you do this, Arthur… I will never, ever forgive you, nor will Mordred…” Ophelia hissed before storming out, slamming the door behind her so hard that it bounced back, Arthur flinching at the sound before sighing heavily.

----------------------------------------

Ophelia sat in the cell with Mordred, holding his hand as he cried, anger pooling in her eyes as she just sat there, back against the stone wall. As everything began to shake, she frowned, looking around, at the table that was shaking, the hinges on the cell door, and her gaze turned to Mordred, seeing the look of rage on his face and she felt her heart quicken. She squeezed his hand in hopes of bringing him out of it, moving her other hand to his shoulder when it didn’t work. “Mordred… Mordred” she gently shook his shoulder, trying to get his attention until eventually he snapped, screaming, and the last thing she remembered was flying back, something colliding with her head and then. Darkness.

Witches and Wizards - 18

(Warnings: a bit of angst, fluff, fluff and some more fluff)

Note: I once read parts of a fic where the reader has magic and goes back in time, meeting Merlin. I sadly can’t find it anymore. Also Fred didn’t die in this.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Tyr Seward, by the power vested in me, I hereby sentence you to death.”

Arthur’s words left Ophelia stunned, her eyes wide as she stared at him, mouth slightly open as Tyr was being dragged out, her heart beating against her chest with rage. The second the doors were closed and they were left alone, Ophelia approached Arthur “death? Arthur!”

“The evidence speak for themselves-”

“His testimony is evidence as well! Why would he do this? He’s harmless, Arthur! He’s always taken care of the horses, especially yours! And he’s been kind enough to take care of Lovegood even though she’s not a part of the royal stables or one of the horses the knights use! He loves what he does, why would he risk that?” Ophelia asked with desperation, Arthur sighing heavily as he turned to face Ophelia “I don’t know. But what I think doesn’t matter, the law is the law-”

“You’re the king, Arthur! You are the law and the law are you!” Ophelia snapped before storming out, heading directly for the cells, glaring at the guards that stood guard outside. “Leave me with him” she ordered, the guards bowing their heads and doing as told, Ophelia dropping the cold facade, sighing heavily. “Hey…” she mumbled, Tyr looking up at her, the tears on his cheeks not even dry. He quickly tried to wipe them away and stand up to look presentable but Ophelia gently shook her head “it’s okay… I’m so sorry about this, Tyr…”

“M’Lady… I-I know I’ve got no right to ask b-but… c-could you-... look after my mother?” he asked, whimpering, Ophelia’s heart breaking as she nodded “of course… but you’re going to be alright. I know you didn’t do this. The king will realise it too…” Ophelia stated softly with a warm smile, Tyr nodding as fresh tears almost ran down his cheeks, Ophelia sighing softly at the sight, frowning at him. “Don’t think about this right now… how’s Lovegood? I haven’t had a chance to ride her in a while” Ophelia asked softly, managing to pull a smile from Tyr’s lips as he wiped his nose, sniffling as he looked down “she’s good. Never worked with a kinder horse, she truly lives up to her name” he admitted in a giddy tone, Ophelia grinning “that’s good. It’s been so long since I’ve taken her out for a ride… but I’m glad that you’ve kept her company” Ophelia stated softly, gesturing to the bed in the cell and Tyr nodded, sitting down on it, clearly overjoyed to be speaking about his work and the horses. Ophelia pulled up a chair and sat down as well, giving him a kind smile that encouraged him to continue speaking about the horses that he loved and worked with.

She sat with him for hours, in the end it was just silence, silence and company, until the guards approached with Merlin in tow behind them, Ophelia’s eyes meeting his and she gave him a soft smile, standing up and gently placing her hand on his arm, a silent gesture of affection. “How is he?” Merlin asked quietly, Ophelia sighing as she looked over her shoulder at Tyr as he stared at the stone floor of the cell he was in, sitting on his bed. “I’ve distracted him by having him talk about horses but-... we’ve run out of things to talk about that distracts him, and I haven’t-… I haven’t asked, I thought it best to leave that to you…” Ophelia admitted in a whisper, Merlin nodding with a sigh, about to approach when Ophelia moved her hand down to hold his. “See me afterwards…? Tonight?” she asked quietly, Merlin giving a brief nod and a faint smile before entering the cell as Ophelia went the other way to her room.

It was hours later when Merlin entered the room with the key Ophelia had given him, raising her head from her book with a soft smile as he walked over, yet her smile faded when she noticed the look in Merlin’s eyes. “Merlin?”

“He’s been threatened, Ophelia… he’s horrified… Did he say anything to you? Anything at all?” Merlin asked urgently and Ophelia felt her heart beat rapidly against her chest as she thought over her conversation with Tyr. “He asked me to look out for his mother, but other than that, not much” Ophelia admitted, Merlin nodding with a sigh “they threatened his mother… said they’d cut her throat if he told anyone…”

“Have you told Arthur?”

“Of course, but-...”

“But what?”

“Have you noticed…. A change in Gwen?...” Merlin asked hesitantly, Ophelia narrowing her eyes at Merlin, closing the book and standing up, walking towards him with a shrug and a frown. “She just lost her brother a few months ago, Merlin-”

“You know that’s not what I mean-”

“But yes” Ophelia finished, Merlin staring at her with a little bit of shock, Ophelia sighing as she nodded. “She-... people grieve in different ways, Merlin, and grief can change people… she’s been through a lot, she’s dealing with it in her own way and-... although I don’t like it, if it’s what she has to do to get through it, then it’s what she has to do…” Ophelia admitted with a frown, sighing at Merlin as he seemed unsatisfied with the answer “Merlin-”

“There’s just something-...”

“She’s grieving. Let her grieve” Ophelia asked softly, Merlin sighing, nodding reluctantly and Ophelia gave him a warm smile. “Good. We can figure all of this out tomorrow and we’ll get Tyr out of this mess and hopefully the next few months will be without someone trying to kill Arthur or kidnap Gwen or torture Gaius” Ophelia hummed, Merlin nodding with a sigh as he wrapped his arms around her, resting his head on her shoulder as her fingers gently played with the hair at the back of his neck, soothing him.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

“Get your grubby hands off of him!” Ophelia screamed as she pulled and tugged at the guards, her fist colliding with the one that shoved Merlin into the cell, causing her to be shoved in as well, the door closed just as she had gotten up and ran for it, colliding with the bars and wrapped her hands around them “cunts!” Ophelia screamed as she watched them walk away, heart racing in her chest as her hand ached, making her eventually let go of the bars and turn around, wincing at her sore and red knuckles, shaking her hand lightly as though it’d shake off the pain. “Did you really just punch a guard?” Merlin asked with a smirk despite the situation, approaching and gently taking her bruised hand in his own, gently running his thumb across the reddened knuckles, Ophelia hissing lightly at the sore sting she felt. “He deserved it…”

“And called every guard in here a ‘cunt’?”

“They are!” Ophelia shouted at the bars in hopes that the guards heard her, sighing heavily as she sat down on the bed “besides, you didn’t actually think I was going to let you be here all alone?” she asked jokingly with a small smile, Merlin sitting down next to her, taking her hand in his own “I still wish you hadn’t punched that guard…”

“It was better than hexing him into the next century” Ophelia muttered with a shrug, Merlin chuckling lightly “it is… you shouldn’t be here, Ophelia…”

“Merlin-”

“I’m serious!”

“So am I, Merlin. I love you, more than anything in the world! Where you go, I go… besides… I’ve faced worse…”

“Worse than the charges of treason and possibly a painful death?”

“What? I meant being in a cell” Ophelia stated with a smirk and amusement, managing to pull a smile from Merlin. “You can’t do this, Ophelia… You have to look out for Arthur… he has to make it, Ophelia-”

“Gaius knows where the antidotes are, he’ll no doubt have used both as well as whatever else he had, and besides, a little private time never hurt any couple” she stated with a shrug and a smirk, once again being able to make Merlin smile for just a brief moment, despite the situation. It wasn’t long until Gaius arrived, finding them in the cell together, Ophelia’s head on Merlin’s shoulder, their hands interlocked until they heard him approach. “Ophelia?”

“I may have punched a guard…”

“Ophelia!”

“He shoved Merlin! You know he’s too good of a person to fight back!”

“I’m right here…” Merlin mumbled, Ophelia looking over her shoulder with a sigh as she gave him an apologetic smile. She listened as they both talked, her eyes lingering on the floor of the cell, the idea that Gwen did this… What she must have endured at that tower…

Without realising it, tears had started to run down her cheeks, and she wasn’t even the one who noticed it first, it was Merlin, turning to gently cup her face in his hands, making her look up at him, her tears smearing across her cheeks and his palms, making her quickly recoil in an attempt to wipe away the tears but Merlin held onto her, his thumbs stroking away the tears before he held her against his chest. “It’ll be alright… Gaius said he tried both of your potions… it’s too strong… but my magic will work, I know it will…” Merlin whispered comfortingly, Ophelia biting her lower lip as the image of Neville’s parents popped up into her mind. “Are you sure? Are you sure that it’s Gwen?” Ophelia asked quietly, still coddled into his chest and Merlin hesitated before nodding “it’s Morgana’s work… she’s taken control over her, somehow… she’s using her…”

“It’s like one of the forbidden curses…” Ophelia muttered in a breathless, meak voice, Merlin frowning at the sound. He’d never heard that sound. The breathless whisper of fear. At least not when it came from Ophelia. “Forbidden curses?” Merlin asked quietly, feeling her tighten her grip around him as she nodded into his chest “Imperious… Crucio… if Morgana somehow cast either one… Merlin, either she’s not herself, Morgana is literally in her head, her body and mind, or she’s-.... Or when she was in that tower, she-... the pain she must have-” Merlin cut her off by holding her tighter, sighing heavily as he briefly closed his eyes, shaking his head softly before kissing the top of her hair “we’ll get her back… I promise” he whispered, continuing to kiss the top of her head lovingly as he held her tightly. “When Gaius gets me out of here… I need you to stay here-”

“What?” Ophelia lifted her head from his chest, looking up at him with red and puffy eyes, already shaking her head “Merlin-”

“Listen. I need you to stay here. Gaius can get you that potion you’ve mentioned before and you can get some of my hair…” Merlin revealed quietly, Ophelia hesitating before nodding, sniffling before continuing to nod “okay… okay I’ll try b-but I don’t know what’ll happen, I’ve never tried it with-... Hermione tried to become Pansy Parkinson and I became Tracey Davis but I don’t know what’ll happen if I drink it and it’s not hair from a woman…” Ophelia admitted, Merlin about to reject the idea when she quickly shook her head “but I’ll do it! I’ll do it!... For Arthur and for Gwen and for you. I’ll do it for you” Ophelia admitted, Merlin cupping her face in his hands, his forehead resting against hers as he nodded in agreement.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Merlin hesitantly handed the vial to Ophelia before placing the spare clothes on the bed, watching her take it with distaste, cringing at the thought of how it’d be, not only the taste but the turning as well, a feeling she wish she wasn’t so familiar with but she nodded to herself, turning to Merlin and hesitantly reaching up a hand, giving him an apologetic smile before tugging off a few hairs, putting them into the potion that began to bubble sizzle as Merlin winced when the hairs was tugged out. Ophelia sighed heavily, awkwardly clearing her throat “I’ll uh,” she cleared her throat awkwardly and Merlin nodded with red cheeks, making sure no one could see as Ophelia quickly undid her dress, shivering at the cold as she couldn’t even keep a thin gown on, having to quickly pull on Merlin’s spare clothes, Merlin keeping a watchful eye out, casting the ageing spell as Ophelia drank the potion with a frown and cringing at the taste, gagging. As they both turned around to face one another, both of them couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle.

“You look like… me” Merlin whispered, Ophelia chuckling “and you look…. Old” she teased before looking past him to the corridors “you have to hurry” she whispered, leaning up to kiss him when both of them recoiled, grinning at each other “later” she muttered, Merlin nodding, about to leave when something struck him “you don’t sound like me” he warned, Ophelia clearing her throat and nodding “it’ll come” she whispered, her voice already darkening and with that, Merlin left and Ophelia hid her dress, at first trying to sit as she always did before forcing her body to sit as he would instead, heart racing like a mad horse in a gallop.

She tried to hide her grin as she could hear Merlin- or, well, the elderly totally-not-Merlin Merlin, as he reprimanded the guards, commenting on one of them with a broken nose, taunting him about walking into a wall when they both perfectly well knew why, Ophelia trying to remain as quiet as possible and to keep face, acting like Merlin would in the situation.

Ophelia felt her heart race as the bells began to ring, wanting to just crawl away into the darkest hole of the cell but instead she got up, clearing her throat quietly before speaking, hoping and praying that it’d sound at least a little bit like Merlin “what’s going on??”

“Mind your own business!” One of the guards shouted with only a glance over his shoulder at the cell, Ophelia unable to not grin as she watched them run off, wanting to excitedly jump around but she sat back down instead. Even though no one was there to watch, she’d at least try and preserve Merlin’s dignity by not jumping around like an excited school girl. It took a while but finally Merlin returned, just as Ophelia felt the familiar tingle and slight burn under her skin, looking down and seeing her hands grow smaller until they were her own again, just as Merlin opened the cage door with magic before closing it again, turning around to look at Ophelia, the real Ophelia. She grinned at him and without another word, pressed her lips to his lovingly, Merlin eagerly kissing her back. “I’m guessing it worked?” she asked with a smirk, Merlin nodding with a breathless laugh “it worked” he confirmed before attaching his lips to hers again. “Why are you sweating?” Ophelia asked breathless after the kiss, Merlin smirking “I just climbed from the courtyard and up to Arthur’s room, and then back again” he bragged quietly, Ophelia smirking, fiddling with the collar of his tunic as she gave him a seductive look, knowingly biting her lower lip “really? Kind of sexy” she admitted with a slight shrug and grin, her lower lip again caught between her teeth, Merlin grinning from ear to ear as he picked her up and laid her down on the bed, hearing her giggle and chuckle, the two of them shushing each other.

Once morning came, Ophelia was back in her dress, laying on top of Merlin on the bed, some of the laces undone on the back of her dress but it was obvious it was only for comfort, her hair messy as she laid still, even when the cage door was opened by Gwaine and Gaius. “Morning, you two” Gaius greeted sternly, both Ophelia and Merlin raising their heads at the same time, her cheeks turning beet red as she quickly got up, smoothing down her dress and nodding to herself “morning… how’s-... how’s the guard’s nose?”

“Broken, no thanks to you” Gaius scolded lightly, Ophelia unable to not smirk, giving an unapologetic smile and Gwaine actually laughed “with that strength of yours, you should be training with the knights” he stated teasingly, Ophelia shrugging casually “maybe I will. I’ll kick your arse” she stated casually, Gwaine frowning at her “what does that mean?” he asked with genuine confusion, Ophelia smirking even more at him as she walked past him “it means you stand no chance” she added before walking past them and to her room as though she hadn’t just spent a night in the cells for punching a guard.