made a mess of things. Merlin's back and it's all my fault.'
Harry darted his eyes meaningfully at the chairs in the center of the space. 'Don't be too hard on yourself, my boy. We'll have loads of time to discuss this later. For now, I think we have other matters to attend to.'
James turned back toward the Headmistress and Merlin. He'd nearly forgotten about them in the excitement and relief of seeing his dad. 'Sure. Sorry.' The three boys remained standing along the top terrace, next to Harry, Neville, and Franklyn. James noticed for the first time that the opposite side of the terrace was occupied by a surprising number of birds and creatures, all of which were staring hard at Merlin. There were owls and pigeons, ravens and even a few falcons, all arranged on the ledge of the railing, on the four carven seats, and on the floor of the top two terraces. Sitting incongruously among them, also staring at the bearded man, were a variety of creatures James recognized as house animals. Frogs and rats jostled slightly among the birds. Even Zane's cat, Thumbs, was there, sitting near the front, his black and white nose twitching slightly.
'You were saying, Professor Longbottom?' McGonagall said, her gaze still locked on the huge, unmoving form of Merlin.
Neville stirred and stood. 'I simply wish to register my objection to your speaking to this… this intruder, who has violently entered this school with who knows what nefarious purpose in mind, in a language that we, your long time associates and friends, cannot understand or follow. Between that and your, I must admit, surprising attire… well, surely you must know how this looks to us.'
'I apologize, Mr. Longbottom, and the rest of you,' McGonagall said, finally looking away from Merlin and meeting the eyes of those gathered to her left. 'I had forgotten myself. This gentleman comes from a time of formality and ritual. I am meeting him as he expects to be met, in the ceremonial robe of my station. I am afraid that when he first found us, he assumed that all of us, including myself and the faculty, were peasants who had somehow managed to overrun the castle. It was extremely unbecoming in his time for the Pendragon to appear in the sort of colorless sacks that he mistook our robes for. As for the language…'
'I can speak in the language of your servants, if you wish it, Madam Pendragon,' Merlin interrupted in his low, carrying voice. 'Although why you deign to speak to them as equals when they should be stropped for such impertinence, I cannot guess.'
McGonagall sighed and closed her eyes. James had the sense that these sorts of misunderstandings had been going on for some time. 'These are my associates, not my underlings, sir. This is a different time, as I fear I must keep reminding you. I am not the Pendragon of a kingdom. I am Pendragon only of a tiny portion of land, all of which is within sight of this tower. But yes, please do speak so that all of us may understand.'
'As you wish, Madam,' Merlin answered. 'I assume your council is fully present, then?'
'It is. James Potter, Ralph Deedle, Zane Walker,' the Headmistress said, looking at each boy in turn. 'This man claims to be Merlinus Ambrosius, returned to the world of men from an age of nothingness, by the combined arrangement of his ghostly apprentice and five other individuals. What can you tell us of this tale?'
James answered, explaining, as well and honestly as he could how the three Merlin relics came to be combined in the island of the Grotto Keep. He was careful to proclaim, to his own shame, how Professor Jackson had meant to protect the robe and keep it from the grotto, foiling Madame Delacroix's plan, but that James had inadvertently ruined his intentions.
'It was my fault,' he explained miserably. 'Ralph and Zane only helped because I talked them into it. I wanted to…,' he paused and swallowed, 'I wanted to save the day, I guess. But I ruined everything. I'm sorry.'
McGonagall's face was calm but unreadable as James finished. He hung his head, but a moment later, he felt his dad's hand on his shoulder, warm and heavy. He sighed.
Merlin let his gaze sweep over the gathering on and near the benches, then he slowly filled his chest. 'Austramaddux's plan abused the intentions of many, I see, some good and some bad. I assume, however, that after this boy's testimony, there is no doubt about my identity. Allow me to repeat, then: I have been, it seems, the subject of a very dire campaign of lies and slander. It has apparently become accepted lore that I was, in my own time, a capricious and dishonorable creature, a man of selfish alliances and endless guile. This is no truer than the litany of virtues embroidered into the history of this Voldemort villain you have described to me. I was no more evil than a storm is evil. I killed only when there was no hope of repentance or slavery. I collected dues only from those who deserved to pay, and even then, a third of my purse went to the poor and the church. I am no horror to be sought after by the pathetic creatures whom you gratuitously call 'evil', whose own wickedness is hardly a candle to the torches of iniquity I have observed in my own time.'
'I've no doubt you believe that,' McGonagall stated, 'but surely you know that the legends of the dark heart of the world's most powerful wizard began even before you stepped outside of your own time, while you still walked the earth. Many lived in fear of you.'
'Only those whose wickedness or ignorance lent them to that error,' Merlin rumbled. 'And even in their case, I would more likely have approached them with the rod instead of the sword.'
'That may be so, Merlinus, but you yourself know that you dabbled in arts that, while technically allowed in your time, were not very allowed. You exposed yourself to currents of magic that separated you from the rest of humanity, currents that were, in fact, more than most human beings could touch and remain sane. You were changed by that dabbling. Perhaps even warped by it. Even you must have doubted your own judgment at times. The ambiguous morality of Merlinus Ambrosius was well-known, as was his cavalier attitude towards the lives of the non-magicked. It was legitimately suspected that you might side with those who wished the destruction and subjugation of the Muggle realm. I cannot speak for your own time, but in ours, those who wish war upon the Muggle world are our sworn enemies. Your allegiance must be decided before we can allow you to leave these halls.'
'You dare to challenge the nobility of such as me?' Merlin asked, his voice smooth and calm. 'And to suggest that I could not merely wipe you all from the earth with a sweep of my arm if I so wished?'
'I dare to do both, and for good reason,' McGonagall said firmly. 'You were of questionable motive in your own time, as even the best historians agree. You remain so in this time. And in regard to your powers, they may be formidable, but even in your time, the current from which you drew your power was waning as the earth was tamed. Don't pretend that that wasn't your greatest reason for stepping out of time. You hoped to return to an age when the current of the earth was restored, when your power would once again be uninterrupted and complete. But this is not that time. The current is more parsed than ever. Your power may still be great, and you might indeed defeat those gathered here, but you are by no means unstoppable. Choose carefully with whom you ally in this age, Merlinus.'
Merlin's face remained as impassive as stone as he stared at the Headmistress. 'I have truly returned to a time of darkness if the Pendragon believes that a mere threat of doom might sway the convictions of an honorable wizard. But I see that you are honest in your motive, even if your methods are mean. I have never foresworn allegiance to any whose hearts were turned hard against the non-magicked. I worked to maintain the balance between the magical and Muggle worlds, to keep the scales from tipping one toward the other, though none would have guessed my true aims. I serviced all, but always with that goal in my heart. Fairness is a myth among a fallen humankind, but equality of struggle can be maintained, even if it is only a pale ghost of true fairness.'
'You speak well, Merlinus,' the Headmistress said, 'but you have not stated your purpose plainly. Are you
