Merlin and the Whispers of the Past

Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at http://archiveofourown.org/works/47549239.

Rating: General Audiences

Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Category: F/M, M/M
Fandom: Merlin (TV), Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Fantastic Beasts and Where
to Find Them (Movies), Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery (Video Game),
Hogwarts Legacy (Video Game)
Relationship: Merlin (Merlin) & Newt Scamander, Albus Dumbledore & Merlin
(Merlin), Hogwarts Founders & Merlin (Merlin), Queenie
Goldstein/Jacob Kowalski, Tina Goldstein/Newt Scamander
Character: Hogwarts - Character, Merlin (Merlin), Albus Dumbledore, Newt
Scamander, Queenie Goldstein, Jacob Kowalski, Tina Goldstein, Leta
Lestrange, Player Character (Hogwarts Mystery), Eleazar Fig,
Sebastian Sallow, Isidora Morganach, Percival Rakham, San Bakar,
Niamh Fitzgerald, Charles Rookwood
Additional Tags: Powerful Merlin (Merlin), Wise Merlin (Merlin), Sad Albus Dumbledore,
Hurt/Comfort, Sad Merlin (Merlin), Angst with a Happy Ending
Language: English
Series: Part 1 of Merlin and the Rise of the Once and Future King
Stats: Published: 2023-05-31 Updated: 2023-09-10 Words: 38,839 Chapters:
5/?

Merlin and the Whispers of the Past

by mysticxy

Summary

Certain important occasions in Merlin's life before the final chapter to his destiny arrives.
 The Grindelwald Problem: First Encounter with the Magizoologist Author
Chapter Notes

Hello, everyone! Since I'm having trouble with the Unexpected Grimness, I decided to
start working on this side-project. I do hope you like it!

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Merlin walked through the streets of New York with a calm face, despite his apprehension to this
whole matter.

Regarding MACUSA's recent problems with their particularly extreme case of magical security,
Merlin was certain that it was an Obscurial who was responsible for the attacks, and not just a mere
Obscurial, but the most powerful in history. He could feel the presence of the magic of the
Obscurial, powerful unlike any other Obscurials he had ever seen.

Obscurials were among the few things Merlin did not hesitate to act to help with, and that was due
to the source of the Obscurus haunting their bodies until their deaths, yet another reminder of what
had happened due to his mistakes.

The absence of love caused by the "abnormality" of magic, and the rejection... It all brought back
painful feelings of regret and sadness that would always haunt his immortal life. This was not only
just one of the many results of his failure in Camelot, but one of the most personal failures Merlin
had towards his people.

It was the least Merlin could do. He had the ability to remove the Obscurus through Ancient Magic
safely and then erase their memories and give them better lives. He had wizarding contacts who
could be trusted to take care of those poor souls, and they ended up flourishing.

However, Merlin could also detect the presence of one Gellert Grindelwald here. His aura stood
out even amongst the countless wizards and witches in this country as one of the two most
powerful modern wizard ever born. Of course, he would want an Obscurial on his side. Merlin
wasn't surprised that Grindelwald was here.

Gellert Grindelwald... He had been aware of his past with Albus to a certain degree, but he had to
admit he didn't have much personal opinion of the man yet. He was a Dark Lord, but Merlin knew
he was more than that. He had faith in Albus that he wouldn't have fallen in love with someone
completely evil just because he was desperate to exercise his brilliance.

Merlin stopped at a nearby wizarding notice, his eyes widening as he read the wanted notice before
him.

Newt Scamander?

Merlin still remembered that boy, how he performed well in his exams, and how Albus spoke
highly of him when Merlin was disguised as an examiner. He had seen a good heart in the boy, so
he knew something was wrong.

It just so happened that Merlin had seen him, a Muggle, and two witches preparing to enter the
infamous Blind Pig.

Naturally, Merlin knew exactly what would happen to him.

It happened that this form wasn't exactly known to Newt personally, so Merlin did not to
transfigure himself whereas he would have if he interacted with Albus.

He entered the Blind Pig in his original form, and just as Gnarlak was about to dismiss Newt,
Merlin appeared before him beside Newt.

The look of horror and the realization of who was before him had caused Gnarlak to stumble back
in shock, and Newt himself fell back in surprise at his sudden appearance, so silent in his
movements that none of them even saw him.

"I'm afraid Mister Scamander here is under my supervision, Mister Gnarlak. You will tell him
everything you know without charge, or I can just burn all of your business to the ground. You're
not popular amongst the Goblins, so I think there would be no backlash from it, Mister Gnarlak.
Do you understand?" Merlin said coldly.

Gnarlak glared at him, before finally giving up. "Well, looks like you got yourself someone
seriously powerful on your side, eh, Mister Scamander? Fine. Somethin invisibles been wreakin
havoc around Fifth Avenue. You may wanna check out Macys department store. Might help with
what you're looking for."

"A Demiguise, I assume?" Merlin asked Newt as he nodded.

"Dougal. One last thing, there's a Mr. Graves who works at MACUSA. I was wondering what you
know of him." Newt asked as Merlin frowned.

Percival Graves? Of course, it would be Grindelwald. He would have snuck into MACUSA as the
President's right-hand woman to find the Obscurial.

However, he didn't have much time to think when Aurors arrived on the Blind Pig.

"I thought I warned you what was going to happen." Merlin said cooly as he proceeded to place his
hand on Gnarlak's head and burn him to death using Ancient Magic, causing him to scream, before
he then telekinetically lifted and threw every single object in the bar against the Aurors, stunning
them as they were forced to put up shields against the assault.

By the time the Aurors found it safe enough to remove their shields, there was no one else in the
bar except for the customers, and the bar had every secret door with evidence of Gnarlak's deeds
revealed.

"Who are you?" Merlin turned to Newt and his companions as they arrived at the destination
before them, the Macy Store in New York.

"Ah! Mister Scamander! I have not introduced myself yet, have I? My name is Arthur Ambrosius."
Merlin said with a warm smile. "I heard about MACUSA's problems with a certain Obscurial, so
I'm here to track down that Obscurial and save him/her before they get in trouble and keep the
damage from spreading any further."

"Emrys Ambrosius? But... You look a lot like a man named Percival Lionheart." Merlin's eyes
widened as he realized that Albus had told Newt about him. He didn't see this coming, admittedly.

"Well, let's just say I am a man dedicated to the protection and preservation of our world, both the
wizarding and non-wizarding worlds." Merlin said calmly, thanking the Old Religion for him
having always been naturally talented in these kinds of things.

Newt stared at him curiously but he nodded. "Alright. I can trust you, right?"

Merlin nodded reassuringly. "Yes. Now, we're going to capture a Demiguise, right? It's invisible,
but I know ways to circumvent that, along with a spell to negate it's power to see the future. Spells
of Ancient Magic. My family has a particular grasp of such arts. Are you ready?"

"Excuse me, mister, but Ancient Magic? What's that?" A girl with a quite stunning look and a
blonde hair noted.

"You mean you can harness the magic of the Old Religion?" Merlin's eyes widened at the mention
of what was perhaps the most unknown secret to most wizardkind.

"I have a particularly excellent teacher named Albus Dumbledore, who researched the old magics
and discovered the term of the Old Religion. It's powers are unlike anything normal magic can do.
You can harness that magic?"

Merlin gave Newt a small smile as he nodded. "Yes."

With that, Merlin conjured golden runes and waved them to enchant Newt and his companions
bodies.

"I've heard that Runes are particularly compatible with Ancient Magic, but such magics are rare.
Are you sure you've mastered it?" Newt asked cautiously as he turned to Queenie.

"I... I can't read his mind." Queenie Goldstein stated and Merlin sighed as he gave them all his best
reassuring smile.

"Yes. I'm afraid I know my ways with Occlumency that can block out any Legilimens influence.
On the other hand, I too have the ability to use Legilimency, so I can tell your names. Tina
Goldstein. Queenie Goldstein. Jacob Kowalski. Now, I understand we have just met, but believe
me when I say this. I have no evil intentions. I promise I will clear your names by the end of the
week, and save MACUSA."

Newt eyed him for a while, before nodding. "Alright. It seems we can trust you."

Porpentina Goldstein said nothing even as her sister sported a smile on her face and proceeded to
shake his hand.

"Guess I'm the only one who's finding things a bit awkward here?" Jacob Kowalski asked as
Merlin simply smiled.

"Regardless of your lack of magical abilities, Mister Kowalski, you are still a good man. Have
faith. Things will be alright."

With that, Merlin went inside along with his new partners, and found the Demiguise easily.

"How do you contain your beasts, Mister Scamander?" Merlin asked calmly as the Demiguise fled
as soon as it saw them.
"In my case, Mister Ambrosius." Newt said as he unfolded his case. Merlin hummed, but said
nothing.

"Now, do open your case up a little bit, Mister Scamander. I'm going to pull the Demiguise here,
and then we can put him inside the case." Merlin said as he opened the door the Demiguise went
into and recited an incantation to control all manners of peaceful creature.

"Trûwung ðâgýt, smolt forðgesceaft! wadan into êower lôgian nêalic êower êðel m êðles!
beclypping duguð brôðorlufu un−l¯æd êower h¯æsere!" At those words of command, the
Demiguise slowly bowed it's head as it began to return to Newt's case, compelled to obey Merlin's
request.

"That was Old English, wasn't it?" Jacob asked curiously as Merlin nodded.

"Yes. Old English is the tongue used to cast Ancient Magic spells. It is more uncommonly referred
to as the tongue of the Old Religion. The Latin and other language spells used by modern wizards
and witches produce Modern Magic. It is said that Old English is just the name it was given as the
predecessor of the English language, and that it has a true name, but not even my teacher knew of
it." Merlin allowed himself to feel pride at Albus's degree of research into the old ways as Newt
indulged Jacob's questions.

He was also pleased to hear Newt had been told about him in truth. It showed him that Albus had
been able to put his trust on yet another person, that he had been able to achieve a degree of healing
from his past, and beside his magical successes, Albus was also now able to find happiness by
teaching to where he could find sufficient comfort to be willing to tell secrets of the past.

But as the Demiguise entered the case, there was the case of an Occamy still around.

"This is my fault. I thought I had them all, but I must have miscounted." Newt said with a frown.

"A Demiguise was peaceful and able to radiate an aura of friendliness, especially around other
creatures. Of course it was tending to that." Merlin declared as Newt nodded.

"Occamies are choranaptyxic, so they grow to fill available space-"

Before Newt could finish his words, the Occamy had growled and attacked them. Merlin
reinforced his body when the wing struck him, managing to catch the wing before it hit him,
though being knocked back a few steps.

"Wow! Are you super-strong or something!?" Jacob asked excitedly, but Merlin had no time. He
drew his wand, and cast a motion-freezing spell on the serpentine magical beast, keeping it at bay.

"Find a teapot and an insect! Any kind can do! I'm holding it at place for now. Go!"

In truth, Merlin could probably just conjure all the things needed up, but then again, he had to
make sure no one knew he was Merlin. He had to avoid suspicion, so he delegated the tasks to his
companions of the day.

Newt, fortunately, was quite capable of handling this situation, and Merlin allowed himself to be
proud of Albus and his methods of teaching as he proceeded to conjure insects on his own right
while Tina summoned a teapot.

"Alright!" Merlin focused less on restraining this gigantic beast, and more on using the insect to
feed the Occamy, levitating them near it's mouth.
As the Occamy fed on the insects given, Merlin waved his wand at the teapot and cast a containing
spell to bind the Occamy until it could be released into Newt's case.

As soon as the spell was activated, the teapot let out a glow of light as the Occamy was sucked
inside it before the teapot closed on it's own.

"Please tell me that was the last one?" Miss Goldstein the elder stated while breathing deeply.

"Yes. That's everything." Newt said with no small amount of relief.

"Thank you, Mister Ambrosius."

Merlin gave a small smile. "Just... Call me Arthur."

"I must say your suitcase is quite the magical marvel, Newt." Merlin said with no small amount of
respect in his tone as Newt gently settled down the Bowtruckle he would have sold that he had
affectionately nicknamed Pickett.

"Well, Albus Dumbledore surely is an exceptional teacher. I owe him a lot. He is a good man, and
Percival Lionheart is, apparently, even better." Newt said as Merlin's smile became bittersweet at
those words.

"By the way, may I know ask you if you are in fact that man?" Newt said as he turned around to
face him with sincere curiosity. "The way with which you act are quite similar to the same person
Albus showed me so many memories of. It might be brief, but you carry that same aura around
you."

Merlin stared at Newt for a few moments, before finally he decided to tip to the Magizoologist his
hypothetical hat. "Yes. I am."

"You look as young as you were back when you taught Albus." Newt said simply, looking unfazed
by the fact that he obviously had many secrets.

Merlin smiled a bit melancholically. "Would you believe me if I say I am an immortal man who's
been around for centuries, and can't die by any means, not even the so-called Killing Curse?"

Newt's eyes widened a bit before they regained composure. "That's why you change names? How
long have you been doing this?"

"I have an original name, but I won't tell you what it is. Those who know I am immortal tend to
only know that without knowing my true name. I've been alive for so many years. I've experienced
many things, and despite all the horror and darkness I've seen, in the end, I always see it, the light
of hope, the potential for good, the capacity for nobility, both in Muggles and our people." Merlin
stated softly. A part of him wondered why he was telling Newt all this, despite having known him
only for a few moments, but perhaps this was fate.

"I never lost faith in the world. I may have once sought release, but now I see my immortality as a
burden that comes with responsibilities that I have accepted. I am powerful in ways that go beyond
the imagination of the wizarding world, and I use that power to the best of my ability. I am not
perfect, and I am not overestimating that some (all) of the major problems of the wizarding world
can be attributed to my mistake, but while I at first saw my eternal life as a bitter penance, now I
have seen that it simply has to be this way."
"And here I thought Albus had it heavy, but even so, you seem to have accepted it all." Newt said
slowly and tenderly as Merlin chuckled.

"Well, I have had years to come to terms with it. Albus is one of the students I am most proud of,
and I whole-heartedly approve he chose you to confide in. This is not the first time we've met,
Newt. Do you remember Alexander Pendragon?"

Newt's eyes widened. "You were my O.W.L and N.E.W.T examiner. You held the Badge of
Qualification that allowed you to administer exams anytime. You were even the only reason why I
could complete my N.E.W.T."

Merlin chuckled. "Indeed. You gained my eye when I first saw you perform. You were an
outstanding student, but that was not your greatest quality. I'll get to it eventually, but for now, let
us discuss Leta."

Newt's eyes hardened from it's previous awe and gratitude as Merlin brought up his former best
friend. "Your case with her reminded me of the time where I too had a girl as my friend. She was
good, Newt. She was kind, and she was compassionate. One of my greatest failures was that I
failed to be a proper friend to her. She had her reasons for doing what she had when I turned my
back on her, but I should have tried harder. I didn't. I ended up having to kill her myself."

Newt's eyes went from softening to widening as he stared at Merlin with shock and pity. Merlin
gave a pitiful laugh. "In time, I realized my greatest fault was that I didn't try to be better. I'm not
asking you to immediately try to reconcile with Leta, but I'm asking you to try and at least retain
cordial terms with her. Be there for her if she needs you."

Merlin patted Newt in the shoulder. "To hold a grudge or to abandon all notions of friendship for
just a few acts of antagonism is folly. Try. Be better than I am. It's far too late for me, and I will
carry that sin with me for the rest of my immortal life and regret it, with none of the tears, the
nightmares I suffer from, ever able to grant forgiveness that I do not deserve. Perhaps it is even too
late for Albus. He and Gellert Grindelwald used to be best friends, but look where they are now.
You should be better than me and Albus, your predecessors, Newt."

With that, Merlin turned back and saw Queenie Goldstein, looking at him with tears of sympathy,
while Jacob was looking seriously sad at him. Tina simply looked at him solemnly.

"I'll leave you to talk on it.

"Gellert Grindelwald!" Merlin shouted at the street he apparated into as soon as he located the
Obscurial.

The man turned at him in surprise as the Obscurial fled. With an impatient flick of his wand,
Merlin undid the transfiguration he had performed to an astonishing degree to become Percival
Graves, causing him to revert back to the same physical form he was known for.

"Hey, Mister Ambrosius! What-" Merlin raised his hand to stop his four partners of the day from
approaching him.

"The Obscurial went that way. Contain him. I'll fight him." Merlin said confidently as he raised his
wand and adopted a confident formal dueling stance.

"He's Gellert Grindelwald! You can't expect us to just leave him here-"

"I'm more than capable, Newt. Have you forgotten who taught your teacher?" Merlin said
cryptically as Newt stared at him before reluctantly nodding.

As the four vanished, Merlin turned towards the current Dark Lord, who stared at him with a mask
of cautious neutrality, despite the fact Merlin could feel the frustration at the setback.

"Ambrosius... You are a member of the highly esteemed yet secretive Ambrosius Family? My
research and knowledge of magical history is deep. I know your family had many ways of helping
out, but you always seem to stick in the shadows. Why have you come here today?"

Merlin grimaced at Grindelwald's words. Who would have thought that he knew about the facades
Merlin had taken over the years, but then again Grindelwald's knowledge of magic was by no
means lesser than Albus's. He and Albus had strength that could rival and surpass even that of the
Founders.

"Have you come to rescue Credence? Ah yes, the poor boy, who was abused by his abhorrent
adopted mother until he became an Obscurial. Unbelievable, to think one could survive for more
than 10 years."

Merlin's eyebrows rose at those words, but then it narrowed. He recalled certain parts of
Aberforth's statements and Albus's letters.

"You seek to use him for his power. I seek to cure him."

Grindelwald's eyes narrowed at Merlin's words. "Cure an Obscurial? Did Mister Scamander not tell
you removing an Obscurus could lead to death?"

"You have no idea who I am, Gellert Grindelwald. I know magics of the old, but we have talked
enough."

Without any other word, Merlin fired spells rapidly at Grindelwald, who easily deflected them all
to the side, only to be forced to dodge when Merlin manipulated a nearby fire hydrant, causing
Merlin to take note of Grindelwald's exceptional reflexes and awareness as he could avoid a
surprise attack even with Merlin only using his power subtly.

Merlin noticed piano notes being scattered by fleeing people, and without hesitation, he interpreted
the music sheets as runes, forming glowing golden blasts of magical energy that he threw at
Grindelwald.

Grindelwald's eyes widened, but not for long as he noticed a flute falling and proceeded to lift it up
and magically play the song, forming purple shields made of tune-like runes that blocked his
attack. Another tune of the flute, and a wave of purple magical energy in the form of a few scores
of music was launched at him. Merlin conjured up all the music sheets as runes and threw them as
a shield, absorbing the attack.

Merlin used the shield to absorb the wave, but Grindelwald threw his hand out, causing the shield
to be destroyed and Merlin's runes to struggle with Grindelwald's own, golden and purple energy
trails lashing out from the coalition of their attacks.

"Interesting... Usage of the ancient ways. Remarkable. I would have liked to see more of your
capabilities, but unfortunately I do not have time!"

With that, Grindelwald made what Merlin recognized as telepathic messages before dispelling the
power struggle and throwing a car at him.

Merlin batted it aside without effort, but several followers appeared as Grindelwald disapparated
away.

They threw a magical device that was one of Grindelwald's wicked inventions, causing a powerful
barrier to be manifested. Before the barrier was fully activated, the followers also threw a
spellbook into the air and impaled it with an obsidian dagger, causing it to explode and manifest
several hordes of Inferi and Dementors.

Merlin shook his head as he activated his version of the Patronus Charm.

"Yfel bannan twihynde mundbyrdnes stellandêopnes healh un−l¯æd mîn hreðer, mîn hycgan,
mîn mynd, hûru mîn môdsefa!"

With that incantation of Old English, a massive dragon just as huge as a Giant appeared and
proceeded to breathe the purest of light into all the dark creatures, destroying them all with ease.

The dragon also tore away at the dark barrier easily, and Merlin immediately disapparated to reach
those four before Grindelwald could kill them.

He found them in time to blast Grindelwald away just as he was mere moments from dealing a
potentially lethal blow on Newt, having restrained Tina and Queenie with runic binds and petrified
Jacob.

"Sorry it took so long. Grindelwald's followers swarmed up on me." Merlin said apologetically as
he waved his wand again and again on Tina, Queenie, and Jakob, removing the spells Grindelwald
had used on them.

"Well, better late than never." Jacob said with a wary grin as Merlin nodded, just as the Obscurus
began to manifest again.

"Get near me!" With that, Merlin formed a protective shield around himself and his four
companions, repelling Credence's attacks, and watched grimly as Grindelwald did the same.

The Obscurus continued to lash out, launching attacks of all kinds at the shield, until Merlin had
had enough.

"Listen to me, Credence!" With that, Merlin released a bolt of light into the sky, illuminating the
night to where it felt as though the sun itself had returned abnormally early.

"Now, I have experienced many children like you. I know that you have experienced great
suffering. It's not too late to let it go, Credence. I have saved children like yourself, and I can do it if
you give me the chance to." Merlin said appealingly as the Obscurus began to receede.

"Arthur is right. I had seen what that woman did to you. I know that you suffered, but you can
choose to be better, Credence. We will protect you. This man... He is using you." Tina said softly.

"Don't listen to them, Credence. I want you to be free. Together, we can create a new order, my
boy. We could-"

Before Grindelwald was able to finish his words, however, numerous spells were fired on the
Obscurial as Merlin watched in horror.

The spells came from the Aurors of MACUSA and Merlin could only watch as the poor boy was
almost destroyed, with only a few shreds of his Obscurus surviving, which would allow him to
revive later, but that meant the boy would now be even more embittered.
"You fools! Do you have any understanding as to what you have done!?" Grindelwald shouted at
the Aurors and President Picquery.

"What have you done with the real Percival Graves, Mister Grindelwald?" The President asked
coldly as Merlin stared at the remnants of the Obscurus with lament. It had been one of his greatest
failures that lead to their rise, and there were times he failed to save them. It never stopped
burdening him, screams of the children's abuse and their loneliness haunting him in his mind,
condemning him for what he had failed to do.

However, Merlin was forced to suppress those feelings, which he had bitterly gotten good at over
the centuries, when Grindelwald unleashed a massive stream of electricity upon the MACUSA
officers with a scream, the lightning spell bringing every Auror to their knees while Grindelwald
lifted Picquery with his wandless magic and threw her into the air with such force that Merlin had
to cast a Softening Charm or else it would have killed her.

Merlin charged at Grindelwald, flying him out of the train station and throwing him down to the
ground with his right hand, but Grindelwald stopped his fall and landed on the ground skillfully as
Merlin landed down as well.

"They must be in cahoots with the same people who killed my son. Kill them!" A voice shouted as
several muggle officers fired their guns at him.

Snarling, Grindelwald turned the bullets fired back on their owners and lifted and crushed all the
guns before screaming at them as Merlin made to disapparate, only to realize his folly as he stared
in horror at what that wandless scream had done.

All the No-Majs were knocked to the ground, moaning in pain and terror at the telepathic
onslaught.

Grindelwald levitated half of a torn building and threw it at him, which Merlin sliced in half with a
sharp whip of golden energy. Gritting his teeth, Merlin slammed his hand to the ground,
unleashing a powerful avalanche-like spell that forced Grindelwald back but did no damage as he
raised a shield strong enough to protect him even from Merlin's spell.

"Is this what the so-called noble family of the Ambrosius do? You allow our people to be
persecuted, and a broken soul to be slaughtered!?" Grindelwald sneered as he gathered electricity
from various sources of light to empower his spell before blasting a sufficiently strong stream of
lightning that Merlin was forced to defend seriously, raising a shield made of runes that summoned
water and wind to block the onslaught, vapors of such heat as to sear metal just by exploding near
it, in the case of exploding straight at it destroying some cars violently.

Grindelwald was extremely powerful, indeed. If it was in a death match, Merlin would win without
a doubt, but while he didn't have to be afraid of dying, with how they were fighting in an open
space with many Muggles around, if he used too much power, he could kill the whole city.

The power needed to revive all of them would be such that he would have to go into a deep sleep
for months, and he would need Kilgharrah's assistance on top of that. Merlin knew just a few
resurrection spells, as it was nearly impossible without the right price even for the Old Religion,
and he had almost never used them unless the deceased truly had their lives stripped away from
them unfairly.

Fortunately, just as Grindelwald launched a massive stream of purple fire, with Merlin launching
an equally large stream of golden fire to dissipate it, Newt had arrived and discreetly fired a
binding spell, catching Grindelwald off-guard and restraining him.
Merlin wasted no time and imbued the bindings with runes just as the few surviving Aurors came
out, clearly still weak, along with Picquery.

"Take him to the cells now! Those runes won't hold him forever." Merlin said with gritted teeth as
the Aurors nodded, but before they dragged him out of his presence, Grindelwald stared at him and
Newt.

"Would we die, just a little?"

While Newt only narrowed his eyes, Merlin shook his head at the meaning as Grindelwald was
carried away.

"Now, Newt, I recall you have a Thunderbird?" Merlin asked grimly.

Newt's eyes widened. "Of course! We can use it and a vial of Swooping Evil's venom to erase the
memories of Muggles all over about the use of magic."

Merlin cast an umbrella charm around himself. "While you do so, I'll repair the city."

A couple of minutes later, and Merlin was back on the tunnel along with the others as Tina,
Queenie, and Jacob eyed them in relief.

"You're back! Thank god!" Jacob said in relief as Merlin nodded with a small smile.

"Unfortunately, I cannot make any exception for him, Mister Ambrosius. He too must not
remember this. I'll let you say goodbye." With those words, the President left as Merlin sighed out
loud.

And so Jacob accepted his fate and softly went to face the removal of his memories. Merlin did
know that the Swooping Evil would only erase bad memories, but even the good ones would be
temporarily tempered, considering how strong the rain was, with Merlin also adding in
enchantments to ensure every single Muggle would forget about magic. He had made an exception
for Jacob, fortunately, anticipating what he would be dealt with, but considering how much magic
Merlin infused, it would take some time for him to regain it and he could only do so if a wizard or
witch were to rekindle his memories.

"This is for the best. Yeah, I was, I was never even supposed to be here. I was never supposed to
know any of this." Jacob said in an effort to comfort them as they all stared at him sadly.

"Everybody knows Newt only kept me around because... Newt, why did you keep me around?"

"Because I like you. Because youre my friend, and I'll never forget how you helped me, Jacob."
Newt said softly as Merlin nodded.

"It was brief, but you proved yourself worthy. If this was another country, Mister Kowalski, then
perhaps-"

"I'll come with you. Well go somewhere, well go anywhere!" Queenie said desperately and Merlin
looked away, unable to watch as the fire of romance was snuffed out before it could even begin.

"See, I aint never gonna find anyone like-"

"Theres loads like me."

"No. No. There's only one like you-"

Jacob stared at Queenie sadly before he affirmed himself.

"I gotta go."

"Jacob!" Newt called out softly, but Jacob shook his head.

"It's okay. Its okay. Its okay. Its just like waking up, right?"

With those last words, Jacob Kowalski went into the rain, and Queenie turned at him.

"Can you... Let me-?"

Merlin nodded in understanding as he waved his wand, causing time to stop.

"You have a minute, Queenie. Go to him."

And so he watched as Queenie gave one last gentle kiss and when she finally returned to them,
Merlin had warped them all to the place where Newt had told him was the home of the Goldsteins.

When Queenie broke down, Merlin watched the scene with a somber heart.

"So this is where we part ways, Newt." Merlin said with a small smile as they went to the harbor.

"Yes. It's only a while, but it's been nice knowing you. Thank you for your wisdom. I'll try and put
it to use later." Newt said with a sad smile as Merlin nodded.

"Don't expect it to be easy, but don't give up either. I made a mistake by giving up far too soon.
Don't repeat that, Newt."

Newt nodded as he turned towards Tina.

"Well, it's been-"

Tina gave a small laugh. "It has, hasn't it?"

Merlin chuckled.

"Listen, Newt, Arthur. I want to thank you. It was thanks to all the good word you put about me
that President Picquery put me back on the investigative team." Tina said gratefully, although
while she smiled at Merlin, she smiled more at Newt.

"Well, I can't think of anyone that I would rather have investigating me." Merlin shook his head
fondly at Newt's awkward attempt to romance a girl as Tina giggled awkwardly as well.

It almost reminded him of how Rowena had attempted to flirt with her husband at first.

"Try not to need investigating for a bit."

"I will. Quiet life for me from now on. Back to the Ministry. Deliver my manuscript."

Newt turned towards Merlin. "Would you like a free copy?"

Merlin laughed as he nodded. "It would be an honor."

 "I'll look out for it. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, right?" Tina said excitedly as Newt
nodded.

"Does Leta Lestrange like to read?" Tina asked suddenly.

"Who?"

"The girl whose picture you carry." Tina said softly.

"I don't really know what Leta likes these days because people change." Newt said solemnly as
Merlin shook his head.

"Yes. I've changed. I think. Maybe a little." And so Merlin watched with a smile as Newt softly
caressed Tina in the cheek.

"I'm so sorry. How would you feel if I gave you your copy in person, Tina?" Newt said suddenly as
Merlin chuckled outloud.

"I would like that. Very much." Tina said with a smile and Newt nodded with a smile on his own
as he left, waving back at Merlin and Tina, as he went into his ship.

Merlin gave a fond sigh as he patted Tina in the shoulder.

"You can have that life with him eventually, as long as you work hard for it." Merlin said
reassuringly before he left the harbor too.

Not on ship, but instead through space distortion.

Before that, though, he stopped to check in on Jacob's bakery, founded with help from Newt and
Merlin. Merlin had left him with a few particular recipes as well, which had quickly became the
most favored. Jacob was incredibly talented in baking, indeed. His passion was caused by his
strong desire to make people happy, which only further earned him Merlin's respect.

You may not be a wizard or a magician, but you can still live a happy life, Jacob. Live while
helping as many people as you can, as that is your dream.

Merlin's thoughts were interrupted when Queenie entered the bakery.

When Jacob touched the spot he was bitten by a Murtlap, Merlin let out a smile.

Chapter End Notes

I understand that Fantastic Beasts is not well-liked these days, but I do want to show
Newt and the others the respect they deserve, so here it is! This particular fic will have
a more sporadic update rate, and an uncertain order of chapters, ranging from Fantastic
Beasts, Albus's time, Hogwarts Mystery, and maybe even Hogwarts Legacy.
Do hope you enjoyed this surprise and had a good time reading! Any comments will
be appreciated and questions will be answered as much as I could!
 The Grindelwald Problem: The Start of a Global War
Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

"It's been a while, Kilgharrah." Merlin said as he arrived on the Isle of the Blessed, specifically
Kilgharrah's Dragon Sanctuary.

"It has been indeed, Merlin." Kilgharrah acknowledged with a small smile.

"How goes your travel of the world? Did you return to Hogwarts?" Merlin asked the Great Dragon
calmly.

"After all these years, I think I have explored more than enough of the world. You too have gone
through the same adventure. These days, I usually spend time near the wizarding schools. Seeing
the people of magic flourish, even if in secret, is a good way to spend my time." Kilgharrah said as
Merlin chuckled.

"And what about Hogwarts?"

"It remains strong. Your student, Albus Dumbledore, continues to teach Defense Against the Dark
Arts and do so well as the Head of the brave House of Gryffindor." Kilgharrah said with a hum.

"However, I have summoned you here to tell you something that will soon be the front of the news
of the world. Gellert Grindelwald has just recently escaped, Merlin." Kilgharrah said calmly, while
Merlin's eyes widened.

"Damn it! I knew I should have placed a few more wards, but I was too cautious and it ended up
making that man successful in his escape. Has he gotten far yet? Can I still capture him?" Merlin
asked with gritted teeth.

"No. It's too late. He has escaped back to his Fortress Nurmengard, where you cannot attack him
without exposing your true capabilities. That said, I fear that a war will soon begin, Merlin. A
Global Wizarding War, on a scale larger than any other. Even greater, perhaps, than his own
remarkably outstanding magical capabilities, would be his extraordinary cunning and mastery of
strategy and manipulation."

Merlin clenched his fists. He had fought in many wars even if discreetly, helping out anyone who
needed it and even lending a few crucial aids for the good side to win while limiting casualties.
However, Grindelwald was simply on another level compared to warmongers. He needed to be
taken care of carefully.

"If so, then what choice do I have? I have to contain it before it leads to war. If it means getting a
bit of the spotlight, then so be it. I'm the only one who could single-handedly topple down
Grindelwald and his army, and aside from Albus, the only one who could definitively handle him
in a duel-"

"Don't." Kilgharrah had interjected to Merlin's grim resolve calmly as Merlin narrowed his eyes.

"What?" Merlin said with forceful calm.

"Like you said it, Gellert Grindelwald is Albus Dumbledore's matter."

Merlin shook his head exasperatedly. "Albus has gone through enough. I couldn't save him from
the burden of possibly killing his own sister, and I can't possibly ask him to bear this burden of
having to fight the man he still loved. He's one of my students, and the last time I failed to be there-
You know."

Kilgharrah shook his head sympathetically. "I know that you still suffer for the fate of Salazar
Slytherin. I too lament his loss. He was a complicated man, with a dark past, but he ultimately had
the potential to be good, Merlin. It was not all your fault, though. You tried, Merlin, and while it
might not have been enough, we both know we are not perfect. We are not the gods history
believes us to be. We have our flaws and limitations, and we can only overcome it with one
another's help."

Merlin stared at Kilgharrah resignedly. "How? How can Albus move against Grindelwald? He's
bound by a Blood Pact, and that's the greatest binding magical contract there is, beyond even an
Unforgivable Vow. If it's not me, then who could-?"

"There is no need to destroy the Blood Pact. Remember, Merlin, that you must give Albus
Dumbledore a choice. You must trust in your students ability to overcome his demons when the
time is right. We both know that a Blood Pact can be undone besides Ancient Magic."

Merlin's eyes narrowed into slits. "Are you suggesting that I do nothing as Grindelwald is about to
kill Aberforth and have Albus risk his life for it?" Merlin asked furiously, but Kilgharrah was not
even fazed.

He simply shook his head. "No, Merlin. I cannot tell you all that will happen, but I can tell you this.
There is another Dumbledore."

3 Months Later...

Merlin watched as Albus left Newt with those cryptic words and an address to the house of Nicolas
Flamel with a smile torn between resignation and fondness.

He had just discovered Credence's whereabouts, and wanted to ask Newt for help, but it would
seem that Albus had beat him to it. Merlin kept his presence firmly hidden using his own method
of magical concealment, and he had to admit it was ingenious for Albus to tell Newt about that
Thunderbird, so he would intercept Grindelwald.

Merlin was also pleased to hear that Newt had kept his word. He had a good time reading the
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them when Newt had delivered the copy through owl,
although he sadly could not return to New York due to the travel ban imposed on him, and had also
tasked Newt to not tell Albus about him in return for a few notes on some of the creatures lost to
time.

He followed Newt as he returned to his home, and was admittedly impressed to find yet another
well-enchanted basement, expanded to levels of a highly skilled master of the Undetectable
Expansion Charm, with several habitats for beasts.

However, before he could greet Newt, Merlin sensed the presence of two others near the city, in
particular one carrying the strong magic of love enchantment. Narrowing his eyes, Merlin went
upstairs, and was greeted by Queenie and Jacob.

"Ah! ARTHUR! Nice to see you! Get over here, you brilliant handsome man!" Jacob said excitedly
as he hugged him, causing Merlin to smile.
"You're here to see Newt, too!?" Queenie said excitedly as Merlin nodded.

"Hey!" The three turned to find Newt there, looking pleasantly surprised.

"NEWT! Get over here, you maniac." Jacob said as he hugged Newt friendly.

"We hope you don't mind, Newt? We let ourselves in. It's raining out there-cats and dogs! London's
cold!" Queenie said with a bit of exaggerated chill.

"But you were supposed to have been Obliviated!"

"I know! It didn't work, pal. I mean, you said it, the potion only erases bad memories. I didn't have
any." Jacob said as Merlin began to take in his unusually ecstatic behavior.

Something was wrong with him, but-

"I mean, don't get me wrong, I had some weird ones, but this angel- this angel over here, she filled
me in on all the bad parts. And here we are, I guess, huh?"

"This is wonderful!" Newt said with joy as Merlin forced a smile.

"Is... Tina? Tina?" Newt asked curiously before Merlin gently patted him in the shoulder and shook
his head.

"Oh, it's just us, honey. Me and Jacob. Why don't I make us some dinner, huh?" Queenie clarified
as she offered to make food for them.

"Yes!"

"Tina and I aren't talking." Queenie said with a bit of exasperation as Newt and Merlin sat at the
dining table.

"Why?" Newt asked in confusion.

"Oh well, you know, she found out about Jacob and I seeing each other and she didn't like it, cause
of the law. Not allowed to date No-Majs, not allowed to marry them blah, blah, blah." Queenie said
with shakes of her head, but Merlin was slowly coming to a quite appealing idea of why the sisters
were at odds with one another.

"Well, she was all in a tizzy anyway, 'cause of you." Queenie said as Merlin gave Newt a
sympathetic glance.

"Me?"

"Yeah, you, Newt. It was in Spellbound. Here-I brought it for you-" Merlin watched with
bemusement as Queenie unveiled the Spellbound revealing the false rumors of Newt and Leta
being engaged rather than Theseus and Leta.

"Newt Scamander with fiancee, Leta Lestrange, brother Theseus, and unknown woman."

"No. Theseus is marrying Leta, not me." Newt said quickly as he gave a somewhat of a glare at
Merlin, who glanced at him apologetically.

"Oh! Oh, oh dear. Wah. So Tina read that, and she started dating someone else." The sheer
disappointed look on Newt's face almost made Merlin feel bad.

After his advice, Newt had in fact made efforts to reconcile with Leta, attending more dinners with
her and Theseus and managing to just remain friendly, despite how hurt he must be that his brother
was engaged with Leta.

"He's an Auror. His name's Achilles Tolliver."

"Tolliver?"

The shrills of Jacob reminded Merlin to the current situation as he sighed. He had figured it out a
few minutes ago that Queenie had enchanted Jacob. It was surprisingly simple.

Jacob wouldn't have wanted to risk marrying Queenie due to the Rappaport Law, while Queenie
would have been willing to brave the risk anyway.

"Anyway, we're real excited to be here, Newt. This is a, oh it's a special trip for us You see, Jacob
and I, we're getting married." Queenie said joyfully, almost making Merlin hesitate despite how
wrong it was, knowing he would have to stop her from following this path, regardless of what she
would feel about it.

"I'm marrying Jacob!"

Merlin allowed Queenie to entertain Jacob by conjuring confetti, before he stood up abruptly. One
look at Newt, and he knew Newt had came to the same conclusion.

"Queenie... I know you have enchanted Jacob. I can sense the magic in him." Merlin said, getting
straight-to-the-point.

"What? I have not-"

"Queenie, you've brought him here against his will." Newt said as well, looking quite upset by
what she had done too.

"Oh, that is an outrageous accusation. Look at him. He's just happy. So happy-"

Merlin raised his hand at Newt to stop him from standing up as he made his way to Jacob.

"If that is so, then I suppose you won't mind if I-"

Queenie had got up almost immediately. "Please don't!"

Merlin sighed out loud, but Newt had gotten up at those words. "Queenie, you've got nothing to
fear if he wants to get married. We can just lift the enchantment, and he can tell us himself."

"Yes, Queenie. I know ways to get you out of the Rapaport Law, so you don't have to worry."
Merlin said reassuringly.

As Queenie backed down, Merlin walked towards Jacob.

"What you got there? Whatchu gonna do? Whatchu gonna do with that, Mr. Scamander? Mr.
Ambrosius-"

"Giving your mind the clarity it needs." Merlin said seriously as he placed his palm on Jacob's
head and another on his heart, channeling Ancient Magic through his mind and heart.
Jacob spasmed as Merlin began to delicately remove the Entrancing Enchantment on him, allowing
him to retain the memories of what he had done while enchanted by Queenie, his hands glowing
purple as it removed all the traces of Queenie's pitiful but misguided attempts to enchant Jacob.

Once it was done, Merlin removed his hands from Jacob.

"Congratulations on your engagement, Jacob." Newt said in an attempt to maintain humor, but
Merlin had no such thing.

Entrancing Enchantments were one of the things Merlin had absolutely no role in developing, and
for a good reason. The idea of forcing love on someone, of selfishly separating couples truly in
love for your own happiness, was one of Merlin's greatest displeasures.

He glared at Queenie straight up as Jacob's eyes widened in horror.

As Queenie ran away soon after and Jacob followed, Merlin turned towards Newt.

"Well, Newt, I'm here to ask for your help again. Grindelwald is heading for Paris, he has plans to
showcase something that could potentially gather so many more supporters, and he also has a plan
to get Credence in Paris too. I have means that I can use to allow you to get out of your travel ban,
even lift it, and I'm sorry I didn't keep in much contact." Merlin said as Newt sighed and nodded.

"Tina is in Paris. If she were to get involved with Grindelwald, she'll need help."

Merlin gave Newt a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry for what happened between you and Tina. I'll do
my best to help patch things up with the two of you."

Newt said nothing as he nodded.

"How's Leta-"

"She's currently engaged to Theseus, and being in dinners with them just make me look awkward."
Newt said coldly as Merlin sighed but said nothing.

"I know it's hard, but you have to let go, Newt. Let go of your love for Leta as a partner while still
loving her as a friend. Trust me. I too once had some feelings for the girl that I mentioned to you,
and it just made it hurt even more when I failed her and had to kill her with my own hands."

"So magic can open portals, huh?" Jacob asked excitedly as he, Merlin, and Newt excited through a
distortion of space, arriving at the Place Cachée.

"No, it's a spell usable only by those who are masters of Ancient Magic. Those who can only
harness Modern Magic would be able to only apparate, a far less practical method."

"It's essentially the Ancient Magic's form of Apparition, then?" Newt asked as they walked the
streets of this magical district.

"Yes, Newt. How much of Ancient Magic do you know? Does Dumbledore teach you any spells?"
Merlin asked curiously as Newt shook his head.

"No. He told me about it's existence, but I never asked him to teach me." Newt said simply.

"Well, would you be interested to learn? I could teach you a few spells that would be useful to deal
with beasts and break dark spells. You learned from Albus, so you could learn from me too."
Merlin suggested casually.
"Uh... Perhaps, but after this whole situation is settled."

Merlin shrugged. "Suit yourself."

With that, Merlin turned towards Newt. "That said, you are going to have to learn one spell if you
want to find Tina quickly. I can do the spell, but I lack the more passionate emotions towards her to
make it at maximum strength."

Newt blushed a little, but nodded slowly.

"Okay. This shouldn't take long. Now, I assume you are competent at controlling your magical
energies?" Merlin asked Newt as he nodded, looking anxious but determined.

"Well, the first thing you should know is that Ancient Magic can be harnessed through runes. I'll
teach you the spell using a particular branch of magic, and you'll cast it. Simple as that. Ready?"

As Newt nodded, Merlin allowed the greatest power of a Dragon Lord, the power to access
abilities similar to that of Dragons, a major part in the full extent of his magic being
comparable/slightly superior to Kilgharrah as it is now, and proceeded to teach Newt the ways of
harnessing the magic of the Old Religion through telepathy. He also imbued Newt with some of
the energies of the Old Religion to make it easier for him.

Newt clutched his head by the time he was finished, but he seemed fine.

"Before we begin, give Forbearne a try. You know why."

Newt nodded anxiously and focused for a while before his eyes lit up and he cast the spell,
directing glowing fire through the sky and changing the color and shape of it, with astonishing
ease.

"How does it feel?" Merlin asked with a smile.

"It feels more natural than Modern Magic." Newt said softly.

"That is because it's the true magic in a sense. Modern Magic came from Ancient Magic, and the
one who devised it's system was reputed to be Merlin himself. Now, give those tracking spells a
try."

Merlin watched as Newt composed himself, giving a few deep breaths to focus the Old Religion
inside him, before he then recited "For−spildan togu of duguð ofer licgan wæfersýn!"

Merlin looked on with a smile as several hologram-like magical projections occured, revealing that
Circus Arcanus recently had a show, with Credence escaping and Tina failing to get to him, before
she was approached by a person Merlin identified as Yusuf Kama.

"Of course." Merlin said with understanding and pity in his voice as Newt turned towards him.

"So Circus Arcanus had a show here, a Zouwu escaped, Credence escaped along with a
Maledictus, and Tina was there trying to retrieve him, but then she met this french man-"

"He's not a mere french man. He's a tragic survivor of a prominent wizarding family, and happens
to have a connection with Leta." Merlin said grimly, as Newt turned to Merlin in confusion.

"Let's go. You know the spell. Focus on the image of the person. The name is Yusuf Kama." Newt
nodded and began to gather the residual magical energy from the ground while also focusing his
wand on the sky, levitating the feather he discovered up.

"Wægn gumrîce bûtan heofon, mægenian ðone as settan un−l¯æd "Yusuf Kama"!"

Dust emerged from the ground and flowed through the feather as the sky also released wind,
enchanting the feather to guide them to where Yusuf Kama currently is.

It turned out to be Café Abringer, and there he was, Yusuf Kama. Merlin still recalled the day
where he stumbled upon Yusuf as a child and Mustafa Kama swearing him to an Unbreakable Vow
to kill the one Corvus Lestrange loved the most, driven insane with grief over the death of Laurena
Kama as she gave birth to Leta. It was a quite somber sight, to be honest.

"Bonjeur, sir. Yusuf Kama, I assume?" Merlin greeted cordially as Yusuf narrowed his eyes but
nodded.

"Now, I would like to ask if you had came across one Tina Goldstein? I promise I'll make it worth
your time if you tell us what you know. I know the truth of that which you seek, and what you
should know about it." Merlin stated calmly but firmly.

Yusuf eyed him for a while, before asking "And what is it that I wish to know, Mister-?"

"Ambrosius. Arthur Ambrosius. I know that you seek to know about Corvus Lestrange. I know his
fate, and I promise you I will show you proof of what happened to him, if you lead us to Tina
Goldstein."

Yusuf's eyes widened, but he composed himself remarkably quickly. "Very well. Follow me."

Needless to say, Tina had clearly been locked up by Yusuf, as their destination turned out to be the
undergrounds of Parisian sewers.

"Ah! Tina! It's been a while, my friend. Don't worry, we'll get you out of here soon-" Merlin's
words were interrupted when Yusuf suddenly clutched his eyes in pain.

"Yusuf?" Merlin asked in alarm, but Yusuf had collapsed.

As Merlin tended to him, Tina went up and retrieved her wand from Yusuf's pocket as she eyed
him in concern.

"A water dragon parasite. Being in the sewers mean you can contract magical parasites. This won't
take long-"

Merlin shook his head as he noticed the presence of the Zouwu that escaped from Circus Arcanus.

"Newt, do kindly take care of that beast in the best ways you do. I will cure him, which won't take
long."

Newt nodded and went upstairs.

And so Merlin got it done. It took just 3 minutes, as he proceeded to not only remove the parasite,
but also cure his body of the residuals of the venom of the parasite, using an Ancient Magic
healing spell, and Newt returned with his case and a toy in hand just as he finished.

"So you got it done? Good. Now, I'll do some recon, and then I'll meet you and Mister Kama at the
entrance of the French Ministry of Magic. Tell him that I know how to fulfill his Unbreakable
Vow. He'll listen."

Newt nodded and Merlin proceeded to open a portal using the coordinates given by the address to
Albus's safehouse.

And so Merlin travelled to the 18 Rue Philippe Lorand, where he uncovered the corpse of the half-
elf of the Lestrange Family. Through a Divination spell of the Old Religion, he was able to see it
was none other but Gunnar Grimmson, the infamous bounty hunter, who killed Irma Dugard.

"You have quite a command of Ancient Magic, indeed, Arthur Ambrosius." Merlin turned back
and narrowed his eyes as Grindelwald stood facing him confidently.

"Why are you here, Mister Grindelwald?"

Grindelwald did not respond, simply projecting a few images that had Merlin's eyes narrow,
especially as he recognized the Elder Wand easily. Those images contained historical
developments he had a hand in.

"You see, I wonder why Albus has not figured it out yet. Perhaps you avoided him constantly?"
Grindelwald mused as Merlin eyed him cooly.

"Yes, I am well aware you are "Percival Lionheart", Albus's personal teacher. He told me many
things about you, spoke of you in the highest of regards. You were more of a father to him than his
own biological father. He was always going about how excited he would be once he could finally
leave Godric's Hollow and find you and ask you to join the cause."

"He spoke of you as well in your letters, Grindelwald, if this pleases you." Merlin said
unimpressed, even more so as Grindelwald grinned.

"But that's not just it, right? You have been around for centuries without aging, so I assume you
must be immortal?'

"I do not have the ability to replicate my immortality, as I was born with the magical power for it,
without any need of a spell, if that is what you want to know. The Deathly Hallows that you seek
won't grant you immortality either. Their powers are extraordinary, but while you would live for so
many years as to seem to be immortal, you can still die, you still have limitations, and you would
still be human." Merlin said coldly, the sight of the Elder Wand only further paining him at the
realization of how two of the three artifacts he had created ended up causing so many misery and
pain.

"Tell me, Mister Ambrosius, why are you against me?" Grindelwald said curiously, not seeming to
mind his words of the Deathly Hallows in the least.

"Why? Because I've fought against ideals like yours. Be it wizarding supremacy, pureblood
supremacy, I fight against all forms of discrimination for both the people of magic and the people
without magic." Merlin said as though it was simple. "But first, I have to admit how was it that
Albus loved you? Albus was among the greatest of my students, and had both extraordinary talents
and a noble heart. What have you done to him so he would be willing to go along with your
crusade?"

Grindelwald scowled at the implications. "I simply gave him what he needed when you couldn't. A
company of someone with equal brilliance and desire to change the world. He should have stood
by me, if only Aberforth had not ended up causing Ariana's death, and for all that he claims to be a
familial man, where was he when his own son languished and suffered?"
Merlin's eyes widened as Grindelwald grinned. "Ah yes! I left behind a particular hint as to
Credence's identity in the French Ministry of Magic. See for yourself, and realize just how much of
an irresponsible, pathetic man Aberforth Dumbledore is."

With that, Grindelwald disapparated as Merlin thought about the indications and what Kilgharrah
told him.

No... How could Aberforth have possibly done that?

The next day...

"You ready?" Merlin asked Newt, Tina, and Yusuf calmly as they stood at the entrance of the
French Ministry of Magic.

"So you tell me that Credence is not Corvus Lestrange because you have personally seen that
Corvus drowned? How am I to take your word for it?" Yusuf asked cautiously as Merlin shook his
head.

"That is why we're going to go to the Records Room, Yusuf. If it doesn't show, then I'll display my
memories to you of that day." Merlin said confidently, although he had other reasons to be worried
about.

Aberforth had a child? He abandoned that child? No. Merlin couldn't believe it. Aberforth had his
faults, but he was still a good man. Was it possible, though, that while grieving for Ariana, he had
spend a night with a woman out of a desire for solace, sired a child, and didn't even know of it?

Merlin sighed warily at that possibility.

Yet another failure, yet another unnecessary suffering...

Merlin composed himself before returning to the matter at hand. "Alright, you three ready?"

With that, Merlin turned to Newt. "Time to test if you could put what you've learned to the test,
then!"

Newt nodded anxiously and proceeded to cast the spell on Yusuf, Tina, and himself. "Yfel bannan
ofer sê cyneðrymm un−l¯æd dwimorlic, belêosan me mid mîn frîend nirewett oð ðone as dierne,
lêohte ymbe scua!"

Merlin smirked as he too cast the same spell on himself, distortions of reality and illusions
covering their presence to all but their own eyes. "Come on."

They walked through the sections of the French Ministry of Magic undetected. Of course, since it
was Ancient Magic, and one of Merlin's own inventions.

"Fascinating. Is this a new form of magic?" Yusuf asked in wonder after they managed to make it
halfway to the Records Room.

"No. It's Old Magic."

Yusuf's eyes widened. "Oh. Such magics are exceptionally rare. I wonder how Mister Scamander
knew of it."

"He's the real expert, Mister Kama. He taught me that spell, and happens to be a stuff of myth,
Dragonlord." Merlin's eyes widened at Newt's unexpected mention of part of his powers.

Let's just say I'm more astute than you might think, Arthur.

"Astonishing. Dragonlords were known to be possibly extinct. So one survived. Rumor has it that
they can command Dragons to do whatever they wishes and possesses unknown abilities." Yusuf
commented in awe. "You must be a descendant of one of the Druids, said to be the precursor of
wizardkind. Although I wish it was under better circumstances, I do have to admit it's quite an
honor."

They reached the Records Room without accident. Tina had been unusually quiet, but when they
entered the room undetected, she finally spoke up.

"Tina, about that fiancée business-"

"Sorry, yeah. I should have congratulated you." Tina said softly, although her tone made it clear
how hurt she was.

"Complicated lives, are we?" Yusuf asked calmly as Merlin nodded.

"Well, yes." Merlin snapped his fingers, causing a glowing light to appear.

"It'll guide you to the Lestrange Records. If you find nothing, take whatever is there and give it to
me. I gave you a promise, and I will keep my word."

Yusuf nodded and gave Newt and Tina a brief sympathetic look before heading away.

"Tina, about Leta-"

"Yes. I've just said, I am happy for you."

Newt gave a small bitter chuckle.

"Yeah, well, I don't. Leta isn't engaged to me, Tina. Theseus is engaged to her." Tina's eyes
widened as Newt chuckled almost breathlessly.

"I was supposed to be the best man, despite all the troubles I have with Leta." Merlin gave a gentle
pat on his shoulder as Newt's tone broke slightly at those words.

Tina's eyes softened as guilt started to show at those words.

"At first, I wanted to move on with you. I thought if I could be with you, then I could stomach it. I
never encountered anyone like you, you know? My experiences with Aurors are admittedly
negative, and that was why I might have spoken them like career-driven hypocrites. It wasn't about
my brother, but I had a friend who was an Auror. I had to kill him."

Tina's eyes widened as Merlin looked away.

"He used to be a good person, you know, but he ended up becoming just like the darkness that he
fought. His name was Matthias. When the girl he loved died, he became driven with revenge and
sought to ruthlessly hunt down dark wizards, even killing their families. He resigned as an Auror
and became a brutal vigilante. 2 years after the World War I ended, I killed him with my own
hands. And do you want to know how he died?"
Newt choked as a few tears fell from his eyes. "We fought intensely, but in the end, I won. There's
a reason why the Ministry still want me to be an Auror, Tina. As I held him in my arms, he
lamented that in the end, life as an Auror meant endangering the ones the Auror loved, unable to be
with them for a long time, and regretting it all and dying alone."

Tina stared at him, tears falling from her eyes as well. "In the end, because I wanted to support my
friend, he died on my arms. He died because the job of an Auror is only meant for the ones with
the best heart and mind, and even then, if it's too long, it corrupts someone-"

Tina hugged him before he could say a word. "I'm sorry. I didn't know."

Newt laughed out a bit. "Of course, you don't. Not even Leta knew. Only Theseus did, and he
helped secure a proper burial for Matthias."

With that, Newt withdrew from her. "So if you want to still date that Auror, Toliver, then go ahead.
I'll wish you to be happy, but I can't follow you on that path. I can't bear to see it. Your eyes, so
alike that of a salamander, becoming-"

"You won't lose me. I promise." Tina said softly and hugged Newt again.

Merlin watched those two reconcile with a smile on his face.

As Tina decided to give him and Merlin space and went to help Kama, Newt turned towards
Merlin. "Look, I'm sorry for acting the way I did toward you before. You were right. I still care for
Leta, and I wouldn't want her to be hurt because of me."

Merlin simply shook his head. "No need, my boy. I understand. Totally."

The good mood lasted until they found that the records had been moved to the Mausoleum of the
Lestrange Family.

"Grindelwald. Well, you would have to stick around us a little bit more, Mister Kama. I promise
you it will be worth it, or do I have to swear an Unforgivable Vow?" Merlin said calmly as Yusuf
sighed but shook his head.

"No need, Mister Ambrosius. I think I can trust you-"

Before Yusuf could say anything, Merlin felt a cough and turned around to see Leta Lestrange
there, looking nonplussed to see them all there.

"Hello, Newt. Miss Goldstein, I assume?" Leta asked politely as Newt and Tina nodded.

"Mister Ambrosius, one of the two heroes of New York, I assume? You went off trail so quickly
none of the authorities could deliver any thanks-"

"None needed, Miss Lestrange." Merlin stated with a smile as Leta nodded.

However, the mood soured when Merlin noticed Melusine with a pair of Matagots.

"I'll make this quick." Merlin said simply and waved his hand, causing Melusine to fall asleep and
have her memories forgotten, before casting a compulsion spell on the Matagots, making them
docile and non-aggressive.

"Next stop, the Cimetière du Père-Lachaise." Merlin said as he opened a portal there.

They entered the Mausoleum to find Jacob there.

"Hey, Newt! Tina! Ambrosius! Your pal, Nicholas Flamel, had a vision about Grindelwald doing
something here-"

Merlin raised his hand to stop Jacob's words softly but firmly, before he turned towards Credence
and Nagini, with Credence staring at him anxiously.

"Well, now that everyone is here, we can discuss what I promised you, Mister Kama."

With that, Merlin summoned the Lestrange Family Tree, wincing in disgust at the sight of the
sexism and bigotry of the Lestrange Family.

"One of the most abhorrent families in the wizarding world, recording only the men in the family,
while the women were recorded as flowers, mockingly beautiful, yet never truly acknowledged."
Merlin said coldly, allowing some of his anger to show, although he controlled it as to not make it
clear it was Merlin himself that was the target of his rage.

If he had been better, perhaps not all, but at least the majority of this could be avoided.

"Let us begin by reciting your tale, Yusuf, Leta. May I? I understand this is a very painful story, so
I can make sure you don't hear-"

"Don't. Say it. Say everything about it, but let me be the one to finish the true story." Leta said
softly, making even Yusuf stare at her with pity.

Merlin clenched his fists. Yet another person who suffered because of his failures...

"The parents of Yusuf Kama was Mustafa and Laurena Kama, good, accomplished, and decent
people, compared to most purebloods. No offense, Mister Kama-"

"None taken. Thank you for the praise towards my parents." Yusuf said gently.

"Deeply in love, their marriage was to end in tragedy when a man from a famous French pure-
blood family, one of the most cruelest men to ever live, Corvus Lestrange, came to desire her. With
the Imperius Curse, Laurena was abducted and then seduced. I knew the tale because I reviewed
one of the echoes of magic around your house, Yusuf, using Ancient Magic. I was there when she
died, giving birth to the little girl that was you, and I secured for her a funeral beside your father, a
good way to atone for not being able to save her."

"You were the mysterious "Grave Master"." Yusuf said in wonder as Merlin nodded.

"The news of her death drove Mustafa Kama insane, and with his dying breath, he charged Yusuf
to seek revenge. Kill the person Lestrange loves best in the world. But that was impossible, at first.
I'm sorry to say this, Leta, but he never loved you."

Leta just stared at him stoically, and it hurt Merlin even more.

Had he been able to bring about the age of equality and coexistence properly, could Leta have
grown up better? Have been raised by good parents?

"He remarried not three months after her death. He loved her no more than he had loved you. But
then, his son, Corvus, was born at last. And that man who had never known love was filled with it.
Corvus saw the boy as the means to continue his lineage directly, and I am most disgusted to say he
might not have truly loved his son, but sought him as just an heir."

"So, this is the truth? I am Corvus Lestrange-"

"No. You're not. You come from another magical family, Credence, one that I am quite associated
with, but allow me to finish this tale." Merlin wondered exactly how he could possibly tell
Credence about it all.

"Realizing that Mustafa Kama's son had sworn revenge, he sent both Leta and Corvus to America
with his servant Irma Dugard, a half-elf. Credence was in the ship that had one of the two infants
there died, but-"

With a sigh, Merlin conjured images of the baby who drowned, along with the woman who was
related to Credence somehow. "The one who died was Corvus Lestrange, while you were the one
who survived, Credence."

Merlin turned towards Yusuf. "You are free of your responsibilities, Yusuf. You do not need to kill
anyone now."

"Yes, because I killed Corvus."

Merlin turned towards Leta with resignation.

"My father sent me to America, along Corvus. Irma was to pose as a grandmother with two
grandchildren, but Corvus never stopped crying. I never wanted to hurt him. I only wanted to be
free of him just for a moment. Just a single moment. So I..."

By the time Leta had finished her tale, Merlin had given her soft pats in the shoulder.

"Failure is not the end. We must be better."

Merlin watched with narrowed eyes as Grindelwald came out to face the large group of followers
that had assembled in this mausoleum. This was the trap, as Merlin now realized.

He could feel the Aurors arriving in hordes nearby, and he knew Grindelwald would want to frame
them in a way that would make them the villains of the conflict, and he also wanted to use this in
any way he could to get Credence.

"My brothers, my sisters, my friends: the great gift of your applause is not for me. No. It is for
yourselves." Grindelwald began as Merlin stared at him cooly from afar. Newt and Tina eyed him
in concern, but Merlin gave them assuring nods.

"You came today because of a craving and a knowledge that the old ways serve us no longer. You
come today because you crave something new. Something different." Grindelwald said with the
charisma that surprisingly reminded him of how Arthur carried himself in his serious and
motivational mood. Twisted, it might be, but Gellert Grindelwald had strong command over his
visions, mind, and leadership.

"Before we begin, let us welcome the man who had once imprisoned me. Arthur Ambrosius."
Grindelwald said with a smirk as he turned his eyes towards Merlin, causing everyone there to
glare at him as though he was the bane of their existence.

"If you wish to start a duel, at least send your men to safety. I will not be responsible for killing all
the people here when they have been misled by you." Merlin said curtly as he apparated down.

Grindelwald chuckled, the attenders of the rally letting out negative responses by booing and
shouting at him. "But I am not here to start a duel with you, Mister Ambrosius. It is said that I hate
Les Non-Magiques, The Muggle, the No-Maj, the Can't-Spells!"
"They may not have magic, but they're not animals or lesser. They're just like us, human beings."
Merlin interjected coldly, Grindelwald silencing the audience before they could respond negatively
by raising out his hand.

"I do not hate them. I do not. For I do not fight out of hatred. I say the Muggles are not lesser, but
other. Not worthless, but of other value. Not disposable, but of a different disposition-"

"Yes, Mister Grindelwald. They are different, but they have just the same rights as the rest of us."

Grindelwald did not seem to be angered, simply chuckling. "Indeed. However, the undeniable truth
is that there is one unnegotiable difference between us and muggles. Magic."

With that, Grindelwald proceeded to project surges of lightning and balls of fire through the sky,
Merlin recognizing the spells as that of Ancient Magic. He stared at Grindelwald coldly
unimpressed, even if he did have to admit the level of ease with which Grindelwald harnessed
Ancient Magic reminded him of that of Godric's. He had yet to see Albus using Ancient Magic, but
he knew Grindelwald's Ancient Magic was only further amplified by the Ancient Magic of the
Elder Wand.

He still recalled the day where he met the Three Brothers, where he had made the fatal mistake that
lead two of those brothers to their doom. In his melancholy over the day that just happened to be
Arthur's death, he gave birth to three of the world's greatest artifacts, and out of those three, two
would become the most sinister "modern" magical objects, superior in power to an astonishing
amount of the artifacts of the Old Religion due to Merlin's creation. A shame and regret that was,
while not nearly as much compared to Camelot and Hogwarts, nothing to scoff at when it came to
how much it still haunted him to this day.

There was a reason why those artifacts were powerful beyond measure, but they did not know the
full extent of the power of the Hallows. Grindelwald, however, had Ancient Magic, which meant
he was far more powerful than the Brothers, and even without it, he would still be above Rowena
and Helga, on par with Salazar with no Elder Wand.

As his followers shouted at the effortless and complete control with which Grindelwald
manipulated the elements, changing the colors and shapes, from blue to red, red to yellow, and
yellow to purple, and from surges to bolts and balls of the elements, cheering at their leader's
display of power, Grindelwald turned towards him.

"Magic blooms only in rare souls. You cannot deny that."

"I do not." Merlin said calmly.

"Oh, and what a world we could make, for all of humanity. We who live for freedom, for truth.
And for love-"

"Using war and force to dominate the Muggles is not the answer. Many have tried, and many
failed, because there have and there will always be those willing to fight for equality and peace.
You may be among the greatest, but don't think you're not opposed by others." Merlin said simply
as Grindelwald responded by laughing.

"Ah, but unfortunately for you, I fight for equality! Muggles will serve their purpose just as
wizards will serve theirs."

"With great power comes great responsibility. Our powers are not to be used for self-serving or for
domination, but instead should be used to protect the world from any threats to it. Both our own kin
and muggles deserve that protection without exception, just as much as muggles with an inherent
evil deserve to be punished as much as wizards." Merlin said curtly, causing several protests and
shouts to occur, some even firing spells that Merlin effortlessly deflected. He noticed, though, that
some of the people here looked to be considering his view.

"In that, I agree." Merlin narrowed his eyes at Grindelwald's confidence as he smirked at Merlin.

"The moment has come to share my vision of the future that awaits if we do not rise up and take
our rightful place in the world."

With that, Grindelwald unveiled what seemed to be an enchanted Divination artifact in the form of
a skull-hookah. Merlin noticed the inscriptions of "For the Greater Good" in German and the year
of 1898, and took in those two clues.

Over the years, Merlin had mastered the skill of both noticing patterns and suspicious notes that
few would see, as well as the skill of being patient and composed, rather than just being a "short-
sighted genius" who acted on a prophecy and lost everything in process.

1898... Grindelwald and Albus developed their relationship a year later. Was it possible that
Grindelwald had just experienced something that wholly traumatized him regarding muggles and
that influenced his beliefs and allowed him to connect with Albus? Albus, after all, did have
traumatic experiences with Muggles. That must be why Grindelwald was able to influence Albus
into-

However, Merlin's thoughts were cut short when Grindelwald proceeded to project his vision. With
how impeccable his eidetic memory was, it didn't take long to figure out what Grindelwald was
trying to show.

He had been on such grounds, had fought in countless conflicts like that after all, so it wasn't as
much as surprising that Grindelwald would eventually begin his war with the entire wizarding
world as much as anger and a determination to do what must be done to stop Grindelwald from
achieving his goals.

However, his retort was cut short when Merlin suddenly realized the weapons used by the visions
were that of Muggle origin. There were plenty of wizards and witches, but it was also Muggles
who were fighting one another. And then there was that explosion which rivaled one of Merlin's
weaker spells. His eyes widened as he realized what Grindelwald had foresaw.

It was the very same thing that Merlin had foresaw in his dream a month after Grindelwald was
captured. He had of course been already planning on how to best interfere, but to think
Grindelwald too had the ability to foresee such a thing.

Why so shocked, Mister Ambrosius? You're not the only man who has mastered the greatest of
magics, after all. Grindelwald commented telepathically. Your thoughts are exceptionally
protected, but it would seem you have not shut off telepathic communication.

"THAT! Is what we are fighting! Their arrogance, their power lust, and their capacity to be
barbaric! How long will it take until they turn their weapons against us!?" Grindelwald shouted as
Merlin glared at him, the attendants all looking mostly swayed to his side.

"Are you suggesting the entire world of Muggles deserve to suffer just because a select few were
evil? You are no god, Grindelwald. Not even the great Merlin himself is a god. You, Albus
Dumbledore, and I may be the greatest wizards of this age, but while our magics are powerful
enough to be mistaken as divine, we are still human."
"But you would know about Merlin than most, do you? You, whose bloodline comes directly from
Merlin. In fact, TWO MERLINS!" Grindelwald said with a smug grin as Merlin's eyes narrowed.

"Ah yes! I am quite the scholar in history. (That is something I've always been better at Albus in,
knowing history, after all) I knew there was Merlin Emrys, the Merlin of Camelot, and then from
his bloodline came another Merlin, Merlin Ambrosius, the same family line from which you came
from. Your family has produced many of the greatest wizards and witches in the world, despite
how elusive your family is."

"Yes. Merlin may have had the "powers of a god", but in the end, he was flawed. He admitted it,
and he died lamenting his flaws. What makes you think you have the right to subjugate and
condemn Muggles, Gellert Grindelwald?" Merlin said coldly as he stared upwards, noticing the
arrival of Theseus Scamander and dozens of Aurors.

"Do nothing when I speak of this. You must remain calm and contain your emotions. There are
Aurors here among us." Grindelwald said in turn as he noticed them. Merlin turned his attention
towards Newt, who nodded.

Remember our plan. As soon as he shows any signs of vulnerability, be ready.

"Come closer, brother wizards! Join us." Grindelwald called out as Merlin frowned, preparing
himself for whatever was going to come next.

At least, Theseus was wise enough to avoid the usage of any force.

"They have killed many of my followers. It is true. They confined me and tortured me in New
York after this remarkable man here arrested me with misdirections from Newton Scamander."
Grindelwald began, a bit of a challenging smirk at Merlin, who scowled.

If I wanted to end you, you wouldn't have gotten as far as you did. I could still do that, but I won't
because I won't fall that low.

"They had struck down their fellow witches and wizards for the simple crime of seeking the truth.
For wanting freedom-"

"Freedom? Tell me, if what you seek is freedom, then how is that freedom worth the loss of many
others, both wizards and muggles? You believe in the superiority of wizards, and I wonder if you
would soon discriminate others based on their blood status?" Merlin said with cool contempt and
disgust.

Grindelwald allowed a righteous scowl. "Do not mistake me for those fools who believe in blood
supremacy. Anyone with magic is welcomed into the field, even if they are born of muggles.
Besides, aren't some of those aurors also believers of such outdated ideals. Your anger, your desire
for revenge is natural."

Merlin reacted thankfully fast enough to stop an Auror from making his Killing Curse lethal,
casting a shield to lessen the damage and only causing the red-haired witch to fall to a coma.

"No!" Grindelwald shouted as the mass shouted in fury and outrage.

Merlin turned towards Newt, who nodded and began to prepare his Nifler.

He watched as Grindelwald went towards the girl and began to cast a spell to "resurrect" her. Since
she was just in the middle of life and death, it wasn't a true resurrection, something which was
nigh-impossible even to Merlin, but still complicated.
Once Grindelwald was finished, green and purple runes flowing through her body, causing her to
cough up, alive.

"Take this young warrior back to her family. She will be alright." Grindelwald said calmly as
Merlin prepared himself for what was to come, disapparating near Newt, who nodded as Teddy
returned to him.

Merlin vanished the blood pact vial as Grindelwald issued orders to his followers, telling them to
leave and spread the word.

"Tell your brother to get every single Auror out there. They might not be able to prevent
Grindelwald from using the pathways he had created for his followers, but they might be able to
take at least some of them into custody. I'll deal with Grindelwald." Merlin said to Newt as he
climbed down to face the dark wizard.

As soon as Theseus gave the order to attack, Grindelwald had conjured what Merlin recognized as
Protego Diabolica, the Ancient Dark Magic coursing through the ring of blue fire conjured by the
spell. Morgana had used this spell before. It was HER creation, after all, although considering how
his followers were able to enter without being harmed, he supposed Grindelwald modified it.

Merlin responded by surrounding himself, Newt, and Tina in a golden barrier, before he addressed
Theseus Scamander.

"All of you, leave now! Leave him to me! Lockdown the whole city! Try to find as many of
Grindelwald's followers as you can, but don't kill them! Try to negotiate. Go!"

"So this is the guy you spoke about?" Theseus Scamander asked as Newt nodded. "We'll be
discussing this later, especially as to how it was that you're here, little brother, but for now, do as
he said!"

With that, most of the Aurors departed as Theseus eyed his brother. "I'm staying with him."

Theseus looked at Merlin, who nodded. "I can assure you your brother would be safe, Mister
Theseus."

But Theseus eyed him curiously. "You look familiar. Never mind."

Before Merlin could ask anything, Theseus had disapparated, leaving Merlin, Newt, and Tina
behind.

"You sure you want to stay? This isn't gonna be easy." Merlin asked Newt, who nodded.

"I'm not one to leave behind a friend."

Merlin gave Newt a small smile. Friend... How easily had Newt came to see him as a true friend?

"CREDENCE!" Suddenly, Newt shouted and Merlin watched with wide eyes as Credence went
over to Grindelwald.

With a triumphant smirk, Grindelwald sent Credence away as Merlin gritted his teeth.

"Didn't tell him the truth? That he was the bastard son of your failure of a student?" Grindelwald
mocked as he shaped the blue fire into tendrils.

Merlin's wand glowed with light along with his eyes as he slammed his wand to the ground,
repelling all the tendrils and causing the ring of blue fire to somewhat dim from the forceful burst
of energy.

Grindelwald summoned blue runic circles that spawned several lightning blades with the Elder
Wand, while his wandless magic controlled the blue fires of the protection circle, shaping it into a
huge ball of energy.

With a wave of Grindelwald's hand and a flick of the Elder Wand, the blades were launched
simultaneously along with the ball of fire.

Merlin kept a calm cold face as his right hand conjured a huge circle of golden fiery runes, firing a
huge beam of golden fire that collided with and slowly began to burn the blue ball, while his wand
slashed at the direction where the blades of lightning were coming from, a crescent slash of wind
destroying all the blades of lightning easily.

However, their duel was interrupted when suddenly Merlin and Grindelwald heard Queenie scream
"COME WITH ME!"

"You're crazy..." Jacob said in tears as Merlin realized what was about to happen.

"Queenie! Don't do this!" Merlin shouted, but Queenie fired spells viciously at him, which he
easily repelled by wandlessly forming shields, although the subsequent attack from Grindelwald, a
massive beam of energy from purple runic circles, pushed Merlin back due to temporarily letting
his guard down.

"This is all your fault! If only you had kept Jacob enchanted, if only you had just let me-!"
Queenie's furious rant was overcome by sobs, before she went inside the fire, causing Merlin's
heart to fall.

As Queenie went inside a portal Grindelwald conjured, Merlin narrowly prevented Jacob from
being attacked by a wild tentacle of blue fire by distorting space around him and teleporting him
near Merlin.

Merlin felt his heart clench as Grindelwald smirked at him even more triumphantly. "For all your
"immortal" wisdom, you do not seem to know the best way to treat those with desperation, do you,
Mister Ambrosius? Perhaps Albus held you in TOO high of a regard."

Merlin looked at Grindelwald murderously, as he prepared the spell that had once overcome this
creation of Morgana, his eyes glowing gold and the magic crackling through the air, the danger
even being recognized by Grindelwald as golden fiery energy emerged from both Merlin's wand
and his empty hand, the Dark Lord's expression turning serious as he began to create runes upon
runes, realizing the duel was going to be decided in this clash of spells.

"Mister Scamander! Do you think Dumbledore will mourn for you? Perhaps he may mourn for his
teacher here, but I wonder... Do you think you're significant enough to warrant Albus Dumbledore's
grief?" Grindelwald asked tauntingly.

"Oh, I won't die, Mister Grindelwald. Arthur will stop you." Newt declared confidently but with
clear anger in his voice. "You couldn't kill him before, even without me, and you wouldn't be
killing him now."

Grindelwald scowled as the woman beside Grindelwald looked murderous. "How dare you insult-
?"

Suddenly, a spell had came out of nowhere and attacked the french woman. Merlin turned around
to see Leta there, having cast the spell.

However, that spell didn't just knock the woman down. It also destroyed the skull-hookah she had
been carrying.

Grindelwald clenched his fists and snarled. "Well, Mister Scamander, let's see if your "Arthur" can
save Paris from this!"

With that, Grindelwald slammed his wand into the ground and Merlin's eyes widened as
Grindelwald's spell traversed wildly through the earth, causing maleficent dragons and beasts of
dark fire to emerge.

With a sinister grin, Grindelwald disapparated alongside his right-hand as Merlin wasted no time in
slamming his hands into the ground, flowing the magic of the Old Religion fully into the earth to
fight off the destructive power summoned by Grindelwald.

Golden purifying fire emerged from the ground and spread to take on the shape of phoenixes and
dragons, intercepting all the blue fiery beasts and turning into a fiery trap of sparks as soon as they
made contact, and Merlin proceeded to gather all of the dark magic channeled with his left hand,
trapping both the beasts and the magic yet to take shape, while his right hand manipulated the
golden purifying fire and shot it into the air, causing the fires to cancel each other out in a dazzling
burst of embers falling all over the mausoleum.

Merlin gave a deep breath as he turned around towards his allies.

The fight of the day was over. Last time, Merlin won, but now, he had undeniably failed. His
salvation of Paris was simply him undoing what could have been worse, but Grindelwald had
spread the news of the war that would soon happen, meaning more and more of his people would
join Grindelwald, and even worse, he now had Credence. Credence may not be an overwhelming
threat to Merlin, but he definitely was to most other wizards and witches. Even Albus would not be
able to underestimate him.

Merlin's heart fell over painfully as he stared at Jacob, who was still sobbing and looking utterly
broken. Tina looked close to breaking down, as well, with Newt comforting her. Leta gave a small
melancholic smile at the sight of Newt and Tina, but said nothing.

"Newt! Leta!" Merlin turned around to see Theseus, who appeared to be fine besides a few scrapes.
"We captured 10% of the whole gathered mass there, but most of them got away. You were right.
They got access to networks and magical devices beyond what we ever expected. We can only
hope those people we got would spill the beans. You okay, Newt?"

Leta stopped Theseus by softly grabbing his arm. "He just lost one of his friends." Leta said softly
as Theseus's eyes softened and understanding showed.

"May I have some private time with my friend here?" Newt said as he gently let go of Tina and
went towards Merlin.

"Alright. This must be the "Arthur Ambrosius" you told me about? Pleasure to meet you sir. Thank
you for looking out for my brother." Theseus said with a small friendly smile as Merlin nodded,
shaking hands kindly.

"And it's nice to see you, Mister Scamander the elder. Your abilities were reputed to be quite
formidable on the field of war." Merlin said amicably as Theseus just nodded.

"Look, take care of my brother, okay? He can be a bit, but he's a good person, and above all else,
he's my family."

And so it was that Merlin and Newt stood over the now desolated grounds of Cimetière du Père-
Lachaise.

"Things are going to get much worse, I assume?" Newt asked grimly as Merlin nodded.

"I have to join this war now. Grindelwald has gone too far. I'm worried about Jacob, though-"

"Give him time, Newt. I will contact you again once I have finished my preparations. Like you, I
too will join this war, although I will be doing things my own way. Perhaps you would like to learn
some Ancient Magic? I don't think you'll be able to get to the level where you could beat
Grindelwald, but-"

"I know, but Albus can." Newt said as faith and confidence began to return to him. He held out the
blood pact. "Can you destroy it?"

Merlin strongly wanted to say "Yes" and blast that thing to oblivion. He had seen how conflicted
Albus was, and he wanted nothing more at this moment but to allow his student the momentum he
needed to finally join the war.

However, as if noticing his thoughts, Kilgharrah spoke out.

Merlin. Remember what I've told you. Albus Dumbledore must resolve this himself, or else he will
never reach his greatest heights. You cannot protect him forever.

Merlin clenched his fists as he reluctantly shook his head. "I'm sorry, Newt, but I think it's best if
Albus tries himself."

Newt didn't seem to be disappointed, just resigned. "Where do I sign for your classes?"

Merlin gave an almost pathetic chuckle. "I'll come to you when I can."

"You've got some nerve, Professor Percival, to show up here. I'll give you that." Aberforth said
coldly as Merlin sat down on one of the seats of the Hog's Head.

"This is the day, you know, where Ariana died. Of all the times you chose to have this reunion, this
day is your choice?"

Merlin simply stared at Aberforth solemnly. Time had apparently only somewhat reduced his
grudge towards Merlin, just enough to tolerate his presence where he previously shouted that he
hated him.

"If you want to stay, 20 Galleons for every single service you want." Aberforth said challengingly
as he held his wand tight, looking ready to fight Merlin over what he probably believed as the least
of what Merlin deserved.

"I'll give you 100, Aberforth, and even let you punch me in the face again if that is what it takes
for you to listen to me."

Aberforth stared at him for a while, before settling down in the chair facing his own.

"Is it true? That summer, did you fell in love with a girl and get her pregnant?" Merlin asked,
 firmness settling over in his voice, as Aberforth's eyes widened.

"I recently had an encounter with Grindelwald, and he now has you boy. The only next generation
of the Dumbledore Family, the Obscurial named Credence Barebone. Tell me, is it true?"

After a while, Aberforth drank a few bottles of Butterbeer before finally nodding.

"Look, I'm not asking you to forgive me, but I'm pleading with you to think about your family. I
failed Ariana, yes, but I do want to save your son. I know how to do so. I can cure him of his
Obscurus, but I need your help. Please, Aberforth. You can resent me, but do not allow your
feelings to let you leave your son to die."

Aberforth stared not at him, but at Ariana's portrait for a while. Merlin considered revealing the
true portrait of Ariana, but decided against it. He would gift it to Aberforth not for forgiveness, but
as a genuine desire to help him.

Eventually, Aberforth nodded. "Pay 10 Galleons per each service if you want to, and I assume you
don't want Albus to know about this?"

Merlin shook his head. "Yes. Please-"

"Who would have thought you would choose me, the lesser brother, the unfavorite, as your
partner-"

"You are neither of those things, Aberforth. Albus exceeds you in terms of talent, but you have
proven yourself to be better than your brother as a person. I never discriminated you. If you HAD
asked for personal time like Albus had, I would have dedicated myself to you just as hard as I
worked on Albus." Merlin said earnestly as Aberforth scoffed.

"Don't expect me to be nice."

Merlin simply gave a melancholic smile.

"I know, my boy. I know."

Chapter End Notes

Wow... The chapter was definitely WAY longer than I thought, but I do hope you
enjoyed it. Crimes of Grindelwald is admittedly not a favorite, but I do respect it as I
respect the Secrets of Dumbledore. I do hope that you would enjoy reading this.
I don't know if you've read the Tale of Albus Dumbledore, but if you have, I think you
know that I had always imagined that Newt had personal negative experience with
Aurors.
Speaking of Newt, he is NOT going to be nearly as powerful as Harry will be at the
end of the main series, but he WILL be much more powerful than his canon self.
I do hope I portrayed Merlin's interaction with the other characters well, though I
admittedly lament that I couldn't show more about Merlin, Jacob, and Queenie. There
WILL be more focus on them in my take of SOD, but I'll just say that here, Merlin is
not quite as wise, discipline, and accepting as he is on the main series, where he is
noticeably more tolerant. He was totally in the right to be angry at Queenie, but he was
a bit too harsh on her.
And as for Aberforth being much colder to Merlin here than he is in the main series,
well it's only been a few years since Ariana's died, and I think that he would need to
work with Merlin again, seeing that Merlin is genuinely trying to be better, before he
can get to that level of cordiality towards his former teacher. He DOES still care for
and respect him, no matter how bitter he is, and I think in the next chapter, we'll see
Aberforth musing about how Albus was closer to Merlin and Merlin... I think you can
imagine.
I originally wanted for Merlin to visit the grave of the Dumbledore, but then I realized
since there would definitely be that scene too in SOD, it would be repetitive, and
besides, things were already angsty and bittersweet enough without Merlin showing
regret and melancholy over the fates of the Dumbledores.
 The Grindelwald Problem: Getting Into the Field
Chapter Notes

Originally, I was going to finish the whole SOD in a single chapter, but it proved
WAY too long. So I'm going to have to divide it into two parts. Do hope you enjoy this
first part!

See the end of the chapter for more notes

A Scildan shield appeared to block a Curse from Vinda Rosier as Merlin descended upon them.

"You came in time." Newt said as Merlin landed down from the air.

Giving a small smile, Merlin waved his hand, causing the mother Qilin to be transported to one of
his dimensions. "A precautionary measure. Go. I'll deal with them."

Nodding, Newt grabbed his suitcase and made a run for it with the Qilin baby on hand.

"I'll leave him to you." Vinda said towards Aurelius, who nodded curtly as she and Carrow went
ahead, leaving Merlin and Aurelius alone.

"You don't have to do this, Credence. What Grindelwald told you is not entirely true." Merlin said
appealingly as Aurelius glared at him.

"He told me about you. You're immortal, have been using dozens of fake names, and one of that
put you in the position to save me, to save my sister." Aurelius stated coldly, causing Merlin to
shake his head.

"You are a Dumbledore, but you're not-"

"Silence!" With that, Credence threw several spells at Merlin, who blocked them all with ease.

Credence harnessed the power of his Obscurus, conjuring a dark whirlwind of energy, which
Merlin casually dispersed, but Credence had not been idle and threw in another barrage of spells as
soon as Merlin dispelled the whirlwind. Making a mental note of how Credence seemed well-
trained despite having only had 5 years, Merlin cast a peculiar defensive spell he had made for
himself.

"Beswâpan fordwînan!" With a flick of Merlin's hand, the spells completely dispersed into
nothing. Growling, Credence fired a beam of the dark energies of his Obscurus that Merlin blocked
with a single hand, absorbing the energy with his left hand before redirecting it through his right
hand, converting the darkness into light and blasting Credence back.

Merlin jumped down and went to aid Newt, who was taking on several more of Grindelwald's
followers. He had to admit his teacherly instincts were proud of how well Newt was holding his
own. He made a surprisingly liberal use of Ancient Magic as he formed shields of the Old Religion
that none of Grindelwald's followers could overcome while firing spells of remarkable power,
having taken down 3 out of 10 of Grindelwald's followers.

Merlin did not waste any more time and cast binding spells on the lot of them. Newt had improved
reasonably in ability over the past five years, although part of that was owed due to Merlin using
the "Dragon" side of his Dragonlord Magic to enchant his body to be more capable of using
Ancient Magic all those years ago, in addition to passing on some of the knowledge needed, a gift
that Newt deserved.

"Nice job, my boy. You're coming along nicely." Merlin complimented as he walked towards
Newt.

"Well, it's all thanks to you. Albus was right. You really are one hell of a good teacher. I'll say
you're even better than Albus, and no less nicer." Newt said casually as Merlin nodded with a
smirk.

However, suddenly the Qilin was wrapped in dark ropes and pulled towards Credence.

"Credence!" Merlin shouted, but before he could do anything, Credence had grabbed Vinda and
Carrow, two of the "Acolytes", Grindelwald's Inner Circle, and disapparated away.

"No!" Newt shouted as Merlin gritted his teeth. He had thought that blast would have incapacitated
Credence, but it would seem he underestimated just how much strength Credence's magic and his
Obscurus had. It was also the fact that Merlin had held back on the boy that probably allowed all
the magic in him to make as swift of a recovery as it is.

Merlin pulled out the Mother Qilin from his pocket dimension and gave her a look of regret, but it
would seem that fate was still shining on him and Newt, as the Qilin mother proceeded to
delicately reveal that she was carrying another child on her hands.

"Twins... Well, this does give us a possibility to plan for in the worst case scenario." Merlin said as
he cast restorative spells on the Mother Qilin and softly petted her head, causing the Qilin to relax.

"I'll be taking the baby Qilin with me, Newt. Go and see Albus. Develop the plans. I'll prepare for
the worst case scenario, my boy. As soon as you are ready, call me. Don't hesitate." Merlin said as
Newt nodded firmly.

"Thank you."

With that, Merlin opened a portal for Newt to return to his house before sighing.

His next destination would be to Kilgharrah.

Ever the nigh-omniscient, Kilgharrah was waiting for him already.

"Haven't slept at all?" Merlin asked casually as Kilgharrah shook his head.

"There are other matters to attend to, Merlin." Kilgharrah said as Merlin unfolded both the Mother
Qilin and the baby.

"Grindelwald got away with the other twin, I assume?" The Great Dragon asked as Merlin nodded
grimly.

"Then your friends will need protection from the increase in power his Seer abilities will acquire.
You are mostly immune to Divination, due to your unique existence, but your friends will need my
magic to protect themselves." Kilgharrah said as he presented a cauldron full of his blood.

"You know the incantation. Finish the potion and have all your allies drink it, so they would gain
resistance against Gellert Grindelwald's foresight."
Merlin nodded solemnly as he proceeded to cast the enchantment needed to finish the potion by
focusing on his Dragonlord Magic.

"Things are getting close, young warlock. Soon, Albus Dumbledore will finally be able to move
against Grindelwald. Have faith in him, but also support him the best way you can."

"How long does he have, in your "omniscient" view of things?" Aberforth asked curtly as Merlin
settled down on the Hog's Head. Newt had apparently just been given a mission alongside Theseus
and was left to gather the group together. Albus had long since left, so it was safe for him to
appear.

After all, Albus might not be aware of him yet, but considering how brilliant of a man Albus was,
he would most likely deduce the truth as soon as they met. Right now, Albus knew of him as only
"Arthur Ambrosius", according to Newt, someone who kept a low profile and was more of a
vigilante.

"Approximately 5 years left. That said, his growing powers are also something that mean he has to
be saved as soon as possible. An Obscurial is still capable of expressing their magic, but such
phenomena, in my "adequate" experience, come at the cost of their bodies being crippled in one
way or another. At this stage, I can still undo any damage that would have been permanent, but if
his magic continues to be tainted and forcefully cultivated along with his Obscurus, then I fear he
would be permanent in ways even I cannot fix." Merlin said grimly.

"There's also the fact that Grindelwald seems to have deceived him into thinking that he is your
brother, rather than your son. He talked about Ariana as though she was his "sister", and blamed
me for her death."

Aberforth merely let out a small bitter chuckle. "Well, he's not wrong about that. I still wonder why
you care-"

"Why wouldn't I, when you're my student?"

"Isn't Albus the model student, the student you doted on?" Aberforth said cynically as Merlin
shook his head.

"Yes. Albus is the model student, but that doesn't mean I care about you any less, Aberforth. I'm
not a perfect man, yes, but I do know that both of you required different approaches. You're both
very different." Merlin said solemnly. It was true. Albus's diligent attitude required Merlin to show
him more affection and casual wisdom so as to not allow his student to lose sight of what is
important beyond the field of improvement and duty, but Aberforth's more sour and less interest in
academics meant Merlin needed to be more strict on him while still tempering his personality.

"At least you admit it. I was never really interested in academics, as much as you frequently
dragged me to learn, even if it was alongside "brilliant" Albus, although I do wonder if I only
graduated from Hogwarts because of your ways. Makes me wonder if I earned the Hog's Head due
to your influence?" Aberforth asked sarcastically as Merlin chuckled.

"No, Aberforth. You earned this bar purely under your own merits. Like I said, you are brilliant in
your own way. Don't downgrade your abilities. You are you, my boy. You are not Albus, but that
doesn't mean you aren't a great person."

Suddenly, the door opened to reveal Newt there.

"I suppose we could talk in private alone?" Newt asked politely as Aberforth grunted but nodded.

"Yes, we can."

With that, Newt and Merlin went to the dungeons of the bar.

"Here." Newt presented Merlin with a card that had been enchanted by the Old Religion. It was a
particularly complex spell that they developed and Newt kept secret so they could contact and help
each other whenever needed.

"We're going to Berlin. This will take you to the Great Wizarding Express. Albus already booked
the train for us. That said, can I ask you to talk to Jacob?"

Merlin sighed. Ever since Queenie had left, Jacob was inconsolable. He had cut off ties with Newt
and the others, stating he "wanted out". Merlin had wanted to reach out to him, but one look at
Jacob hallucinating Queenie and then bitterly ranting about him had convinced Merlin to give him
space.

"Yes. Of course."

In the burst of the distortion of space, Merlin was standing in the air above Kowalski Quality
Baked Goods.

"Merlin's beard!" Merlin turned towards the woman who was sitting on the chair outside facing
forward the Kowalski Quality Baked Goods. She was a witch and a rather decently powerful one at
that.

"So you're that "Arthur Emrys" Newt spoke about? The teacher of Albus who's hell-bent on
remaining anonymous around his student?" The woman said as she got up and marched towards
him.

"I assume you're Eulalie Hicks? The Charms Professor of IIvermony?" Merlin asked as he
recognized her. He hadn't been on IIvermony for 50 years by now, having previously occupied the
spot of Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, but he still kept constant tabs on the school.

Merlin preferred Hogwarts compared to other schools, but as Hogwarts could not possibly occupy
all other magical people, he had to also look out for the next generation in other countries.

"Yes! Oh, look at you, you're quite the handsome teacher!" Eulalie said with a winky smile,
causing Merlin to shake his head.

Unless he was disguising himself, his "handsome looks, well-built body" often tended to make
many fawn over him. He had to be careful to avoid having fanclubs in the schools he taught in. He
had stopped aging, but only after he became an adult man. It also didn't stop his body from getting
muscular, which his trainings in swordsmanship and physical exercises over the years meant he
was taller and more lean than he was.

While back in Camelot, there were people who called him good-looking, it would seem that despite
Merlin not thinking much about it, he had only grown more handsome.

"Anyway, it's time to get Jacob involved-" Merlin stopped as he sighed upon reading Jacob's mind.
He was hallucinating again.

Merlin allowed Jacob to finish the hallucination, until he finally opened the door to his bakery.
"You!" Jacob shouted as he tried to close the door, but Merlin grabbed his hand before he could.

"Let go of me." Jacob hissed as Merlin stared at the Muggle who had been his friend sadly. The
years hadn't been kind for him. Only this bakery seemed to give him any semblance of a life now.

"I said let go!" Jacob made to punch Merlin in the face, but he easily blocked the attack, years of
hand-to-hand training, even if it wasn't as prominent as swordsmanship or his magical skills, and
the enhanced reflexes unlike any other, allowing him to easily avoid Jacob's attack.

"Listen to me, Jacob." Merlin said firmly as he released Jacob's hand, only for Jacob to went for a
pan and try to hit him with it.

Sighing, Merlin blocked all the swings Jacob threw at him, although he had to admit Jacob was
well-trained, even despite being out of shape, as he had to put in noticeably more effort than he
would with a decent amount of muggles who claimed to be experts in hand-to-hand combat in
blocking the attacks.

Having had enough, Merlin allowed Jacob to hit him in the face with the pan, which hurt Merlin
more than he expected, before he then simply grabbed the pan, wrestling it out of Jacob's grip.

"Please... Old friend. Just listen to me." Merlin said pleadingly as Jacob finally relented, looking
broken and hopeless.

"What do you want? Queenie's gone, Arthur. You were too harsh on her." Jacob said, looking
almost in tears as he spoke of Queenie.

"It's not too late for the two of you to get your happy ending, Jacob. Trust me." Merlin insisted as
Jacob sat down on the counter heavily.

"But you have to come with us. We need you if we're going to get Queenie back-"

Jacob threw what seemed to be an antique pan at him, but the gesture was far from being meant to
throw it like a weapon, as Merlin easily caught it with one hand.

"You don't need me. You're the coolest guy around, right? You can do a lot better than me. I am
like that pan, I'm all dented, dime-a-dozen. I'm just a schmo. I don't know what kind of crazy ideas
you have in your head there, but I'm sure as hell you could do a lot better than me."

Merlin sighed. Of course, Jacob would think that. He had seen such feelings in some Muggles who
associated with his wizard friends. "Look, I understand that feeling. You think you can't help
because you don't have magic. You think you're not good enough because Queenie left you. Trust
me. I've seen many Muggles like this, but that doesn't mean you should give up. I have faith in you.
For starters, if this good woman here had gone through with her plan to put herself in seeming
danger, would you have looked the other way, pretended to not see her?"

Jacob stared at Merlin painfully as Merlin went ahead and patted him in the shoulder. "No, you
won't. You have bravery, you have strength, and you just need help. That's what everyone needs.
Hell, even I needed lots of help before I became the "coolest man around, like you said it."

"I'm just an average Joe-"

"I've seen my fair share of remarkable average Joes who helped save people. You can be that."

Jacob gave a deep breath, staring at Merlin deeply, before finally he nodded. "Alright. Fine. You
win."
Merlin smiled as he hugged Jacob tenderly, causing the man's body to shake.

"Wow, you're really a good motivator, Mister "Emrys"." The IIvermony's Charm Professor praised
with a warm smile as Merlin turned towards her and held out the card that Newt had enchanted.

He held it at the reflective surface of the door of the bakery and flowed Ancient Magic into it,
activating 3 rays of light that teleported the three of them straight into the Great Wizarding
Express.

"Jacob! Welcome, you brilliant man! I was sure Arthur could convince you!" Newt said as he
hugged Jacob warmly.

Merlin settled himself down on a conjured chair as he watched Newt introduce the newest member
of the Resistance against Grindelwald to their fellows, although his eyes landed on the Daily
Prophet Theseus Scamander was reading, and his face turned grim.

From what he had heard, Berlin was effectively Grindelwald's home terrain. The German Ministry
of Magic was no longer a resistance, but an ally of Grindelwald's Alliance. He had his own share of
network throughout the whole wizarding world that easily rivaled and even surpassed that of
Albus's own, which was how he often kept tabs on others, after all.

Those connections were more on the side of recon rather than war allies, though, but they still were
efficient in Merlin's capability to keep an eye on things.

"Before Newt can begin his instruction, I shall have to reveal the grim news." Merlin said as he got
up and proceeded to create holograms depicting various Germanists who opposed Grindelwald
being executed in secret or dumped into the hellhole that was the Erkstag Prison.

"There is actually no need for us to try to appeal to Vogel, as I am sure that is what Albus hoped to
do. What we must do is prepare for the inevitable battle that will occur at the election of Supreme
Mugwump. It's too late to stop Grindelwald from being absolved of all his crimes now, but this
also presents an opportunity we must approach carefully." Merlin said grimly as Newt and the
others eyed him, a bit impressed with how thorough Merlin was in displaying the evidence of that
which he spoke of.

"Deliver this to Albus, you should, Newt. You know the proper way, but before that, I would like
to present to you all a solution to deal with Grindelwald's capability to see the future, which has
been amplified by the Qilin he no doubt killed."

With that, Merlin unfolded several bottles of the potion he had made. "Drink this. It will grant you
a resistance to Grindelwald's Seer abilities. Grindelwald's power to see the future is beyond any
regular Seer. The vision he demonstrated regarding the coming war all but proves it. He can see
things that would happen more than a decade before. I fear that he's mastered the old ways of
Divination. Such ways require strict handling."

After they all had drank the potion, which tasted admittedly a bit sour, but all of them managed to
drink it without puking, Merlin addressed Newt. "Now, even so, that potion only prevents
Grindelwald from directly seeing your future, which means we still have to be careful, as he can
still see, although to a more limited degree, how our fates are connected to that of others. Our best
hope, I assume, would be to confuse him, Newt?"

Newt nodded. "Yes. Countersight. The best plan being no plan, or many overlapping plans. It will
be able to confuse him as he can't predict everyone simultaneously."
"Now, the reason why I am still suggesting we go to Berlin is so that we can gather evidence and
trick Grindelwald into believing we are still attempting to negotiate with Vogel and the German
Ministry. In reality, Newt will go and gather more evidence on the corruption of the German
Ministry of Magic, using the invisibility spells I have taught him. As he relies on Ancient Magic,
and from what I have gathered, Grindelwald is not yet aware of Newt's ability to use such magic,
along with the fact he would presume Newt could not have mastered it, as typical of a man of his
arrogance, it would be efficient."

Newt nodded firmly as Theseus looked doubtful. "You're sure? Infiltrating the Ministry and getting
records?"

"Yes. Speaking of which, how is Leta? I'm sorry, Mister Scamander, that I could not attend your
wedding. I hear she is currently pregnant?"

Theseus smiled a little. "Yes. She wanted to help out, but couldn't."

"That is understandable. Now, I think Albus has given you all your respective artifacts to be used?"

And so Newt set out to give all of those. Merlin noticed a protective pendant given to Yusuf to
protect and strengthen his resolve, a tie that seemed to be like a Portkey to Theseus, and a Book
Portkey for Lally. However, what was most interesting was the instructions given to Bunty.

Merlin nodded in approval as the instructions disintegrated as soon as Bunty stopped reading it, but
then Newt unveiled the wand Albus had given to Jacob.

It was a well-crafted wand, and Merlin knew Albus had personally crafted the wand himself. He
was quite well-versed in wandlore, and had been interested in the art even before he met
Grindelwald, asking Merlin to teach him what he knew of it. Unfortunately, while the wand was
well-made and able to convince even magical sensors that a Muggle was a wizard, it wouldn't
allow Jacob to cast actual spells.

That was something Merlin had to fix.

Merlin got up and walked towards Jacob. "This is the least that I can do for you, my noble friend."
With that, Merlin proceeded to infuse the wand with permanent magic using the ultimate secrets of
the Old Religion, causing it to glow with runes before dimming.

Merlin casually allowed some of his blood to flow into the absent holder of the core of the wand,
causing the wand to gain an orb of golden red as the core.

"It is now capable of casting spells. You don't actually have magic, but you can still cast spells with
it. I've programmed some spells. Just recite the words "Un−gewidere" "Acwillan", "Lîesan dôð tîer
âðecgan", and "Smîc of s¯ædêor" for offensive spells, "Strangath" for simply moving objects
should there be the need to, and "Hilderan þās drhytsele" for defensive spells."

Jacob grinned, the old enthusiasm and joy Merlin had saw in him repeatedly now back in his face,
as he hugged Merlin.

"This is awesome, pal! Can I try it out?"

"Why not? Newt, do the honors."

Newt gave Merlin a small smile before they proceeded to practice.

Jacob didn't take long to adjust. While the magic in the wand was obviously extremely powerful,
even if it's just a few fractions of his power, Jacob seemed enthusiastic yet also able to cast the
right spells.

"I take it that's Ancient Magic? Newt told me you taught him a few spells of those, and he seems a
lot more powerful than he was back then." Theseus said as he settled down beside Merlin along
with Lally as they watched Newt and Merlin spar in a circle of runes to prevent the spells from
getting out and destroying the train. Newt was teaching Jacob to apply the spells in the best way
possible, with how limited his skillset was regardless of the power behind the spells programmed
into the wand.

"So Ancient Magic uses Old English? Can I cast those spells if I know the incantations?" Lally
asked excitedly but Merlin shook his head.

"No. To use Ancient Magic, one must be attuned to the flow of the Old Religion, the energy that
keeps the whole universe running. You have potential, but you are not yet ready. Newt was able to
perform Ancient Magic because I had "blessed" him. It's a power unique to my family. Not to say
that he couldn't, but if he had learned it normally, it would have taken decades."

"So Ancient Magic is very rare? Can Grindelwald use Ancient Magic? Is that why he's so
powerful?" Theseus said as Merlin shook his head.

"No. He's mastered BOTH Modern and Ancient Magic. He's like the Founders of Hogwarts in that
regard, powerful in ways that might seem unimaginable to a decent amount of our people,
proficient in archaic and esoteric forms of magic. Albus too is a master of both. These days, having
Ancient Magic is a boon as it's indeed inherently stronger than Modern Magic, but to be truthful, if
one can wield the Old Religion as Modern Magic, then the magic of the present can still challenge
and even overcome the magic of the old. Besides, with how things are now, one cannot just master
Ancient Magic. One must be exceptional at Modern Magic before even grasping Ancient Magic."

"Wait, so Modern Magic too is channeled by the Old Religion?" Eulalie asked curiously.

"EVERY magic, be it the magic of men, the magic of creatures, even the magic of Dragons and
Gods, all come from the Old Religion. Modern Magic is just the Old Religion but at a weaker
form. Let's say that Modern Magic allows a sorcerer to harness the Old Religion to a certain limit,
which is determined by the body's ability to harness magic and the reserves available to the
sorcerer/sorceress at the moment. Ancient Magic, on the other hand, means a sorcerer has tapped
into the core of the Old Religion."

"While Modern Magic's reserves of energy are limited, Ancient Magic expands the reserves of the
Old Religion within a sorcerer significantly, and they can output it into every spell they cast,
resulting in significantly greater power even if they were to use Modern Magic spells. Of course,
they are still far from having limitless power (Even my powers are still limited, no matter how
close they might seem to being god-like), but if Modern Magic users are compared to that of the
force of a limited heavy tank, then Ancient Magic users are more like an ultra-high mobility heavy
tank, with fuel beyond any normal machine."

"Wow, that's one hell of an explanation." Theseus commented, sounding genuinely impressed.

"I can make it more awe-inspiring, but I think that's enough, yes." Merlin said with a wry smile.

When they finally reached Berlin, however, Merlin was surprised to see Bunty take Newt's
suitcase, before turning to Merlin.
"Can I trust you not to tell anyone about what we are going to do next? Can you make sure no one
will know until the right moment?"

"Wait, why did you take us to this place? Aren't we supposed to go to the German Ministry of
Magic?" Theseus asked with a frown as Merlin warped them all to a well-kept but empty house
with 2 floors.

"Only Newt and I will go. You, Theseus, will be contacting Tina as fellow Head Aurors regarding
the recent developments. Eulalie, on the other hand, will be tasked with getting in touch and
summoning Albus to Berlin by tomorrow. Jacob, you will remain here too. Now is not the time for
you to be in the spotlight. Good luck, gentleman." Merlin said simply as they entered the house.

"Alright, but you sure you don't need any-"

"Don't worry, Theseus, we can manage."

With that, Merlin and Newt set out to the German Ministry of Magic.

"I'm not quite at the level where I could learn Spatial Distortion yet, can't I?" Newt asked as they
stepped out of the distortion of space near the headquarters.

"Not yet, Newt. That level of magic is something even wizards of the old would struggle, and trust
me when I say that I've encountered lots of them." Merlin said reasonably as they maneuvered
through the rallies held to support Santos, Merlin unfolding a card as they approached Helmut and
his men.

"Mister Helmut, please do kindly allow us access. We have the invitation needed, if you are-"

Without speaking any other word, Helmut stepped aside, maintaining a cold facade, but he could
already read the man's allegiance to Grindelwald.

"As planned, as soon as Vogel starts to announce the news, start working on gathering the
evidence. I'll try and get support from Liu Tao and Vicencia Santos, prepare them for what's to
come." Merlin said to Newt, who nodded.

It was quite fortunate that the "ceremony" was full of important figures, so his and Newt's presence
didn't quite attract attention. Merlin walked up towards Vogel, who paused in surprise before
putting up a smile on his face.

"Merlin's beard, it's the infamous Arthur Emrys, am I correct?" Vogel said as he raised a hand
which Merlin shook stiffly but cordially. That particular swear opened up a few memories, both
unpleasant and fond ones, to be honest.

"Herr Vogel, I just have this sentence to tell you. Do what is easy, and not what is right. It's not too
late for anyone if they are willing to choose another path." Merlin said simply.

"Tell me, did you come here to announce you wish to participate in the election and potentially
become Supreme Mugwump?" Merlin paused at the unexpected words of Vogel, which looked
less condescending and more of a challenge.

"No? Then how can you say that, while you refuse to truly take charge and accept power over the
wizarding world when you are worthy? You're no better than Dumbledore, who stays in Hogwarts
while the world is burning. You fight to avoid accepting responsibility while you could lead the
world and be done with it."
With those curt words, Vogel left, which admittedly made Merlin a bit conflicted.

Become Supreme Mugwump? Become a leader? That... was something Merlin had never did. He
had associated with and advised figures with the power to make changes, but he never really
wanted the political power to make those changes. He wasn't a god, after all. He would interfere
and make sure the right developments were happening, sure, but Merlin didn't exactly have any
inclinations to lead entire continents, much less the world.

That was supposed to be Arthur's job, no matter how much Merlin had resigned himself to the fact
that the prophecy had either fell through or he would have to go through a lot before Arthur finally
came back, but even despite it all, Merlin would not fall as low as to use force and dominate the
whole world. He had to be better than that, he had to have faith in humanity.

In the end, Grindelwald was just a particularly dangerous enemy, and like with all other individuals
who tried to take over the world and the usual, there was always someone who rose up and
challenged their tyranny. Merlin had helped, but he did not take too much credit. His faith was
always affirmed, even at the initial days where Merlin once believed he always had to step in, and
that was why he still believed that the world would triumph, with or without him.

Merlin always saw himself as more of an advisor than a leader. He might take command at certain
occasions, as he did when Hogwarts was first built and during his time dealing with Ranrok and the
organization known as R, but while the Founders, Eleazar, and Iris all saw him as very good at it, it
was more of the moment. Merlin had no intention of designating himself as a commander, but he
would lead if he had to.

Besides, his departure of the Founders lead to his precious children becoming as torn apart as they
were, so how could Merlin classify himself as a great leader? He may have lead Hogwarts and laid
the foundation for what it was now, but it could have been so much better had he just kept in more
thorough contact with them.

Shaking off the thoughts, Merlin proceeded to make his way to Liu Tao.

"刘先生！很高兴, Arthur Emrys!" Merlin said in Chinese as Liu drank from his glass before
turning towards him.

"啊!两次与格林德沃一起拯救世界的英雄! How do you do, how do you do!" Liu said politely as
they shook hands.

"我们可以私下讨论吗? 我有一些你可能想知道的事情. 我必须谦虚地问一下我是否可以让桑

托斯女士参与这次谈话?"

Liu nodded with a smile. "Of course! 抛开我们之间的竞争不谈，如果是国际社会的事情，我

们还是相互尊重的盟友!"

Merlin smiled as he nodded. "很好。那么请收下这张卡片。仪式结束后一小时内，我将在持

有这张卡的特定地点见到您和桑托斯女士!"

And with that, Merlin next went to Santos.

"Os melhores dias para si, Senhora Santos! Arthur Emrys aqui, prazer em conhecê-lo!" Merlin
greeted with the language of Portugal. It was a common gesture to demonstrate respect and
friendship to others by speaking in their own native language, and something that signaled a person
as being capable of working alongside those from other origins."

Vicencia stared at Merlin in surprise before smiling warmly at him. "Oh! O melhor dos dias para
você também, senhor Emrys! Como vai?"

Merlin shook hands with the Brazilian Minister For Magic. "Um momento do seu tempo, mas
infelizmente devo pedir uma conferência, mesmo que isso exija que você e Liu Tao trabalhem
juntos. Trata-se de Gellert Grindelwald, minha senhora."

Santos's eyes widened before nodding immediately. "Claro! Gellert Grindelwald é uma ameaça
internacional, que TODOS os bruxos devem trabalhar juntos para derrotar. Deixando de lado nossa
rivalidade para nos tornarmos o Supremo Mugwump, somos antes de tudo defensores ferrenhos de
nosso mundo e estamos dispostos a ajudar uns aos outros independentemente desta competição!"

Merlin nodded gratefully. "Então devo pedir-lhe que guarde este cartão. Dentro de uma hora, este
cartão será usado para levá-lo ao local onde podemos discutir a melhor maneira de abordar a
situação atual."

Santos nodded firmly just as Vogel went up to the stage.

Merlin kept a poker face as Vogel announced that Gellert Grindelwald was absolved of his crimes,
staring at Santos and Liu glancingly, who nodded grimly, clearly realizing the threat that was to
come.

As soon as everyone else had parted, Merlin received the word from Newt.

I'm done. I never expected it to be this thorough. The whole Ministry is under Grindelwald's
command now!

I know. We have to approach things carefully. We already got everything we wanted to achieve, so
we should leave now.

With that, Merlin walked out of the Ministry, taking note of the foiled election rally of the day,
courtesy of Rosier and Carrow.

He stood at an isolated corner of the Ministry and watched as Newt came out from the runic
shortcut Merlin had created using Ancient Magic.

"Most of the shortcuts you've placed have been sabotaged. It was lucky you made sure to place
special wards on this shortcut. Grindelwald's got most of them sealed up. Guess he's more powerful
than we expected." Newt said grimly as Merlin shook his head.

"That much is expected. He's one of the most brilliant minds I've ever encountered, admittedly, on
par with Albus in terms of cunning and charisma. Nevertheless, we still have a blind spot we can
use. For now, we should leave."

They had only made it a few steps outside of the German Ministry of Magic when Credence was
there, waiting for them.

"Credence..." Newt approached cautiously but Merlin raised his hand.

"Why are you here, Credence? Are you here for Albus?" Merlin asked calmly as Credence glared
at him.

"At that time, you could have just told me who I am. Why didn't you? You knew everything from
the start. Were you involved in my "exile"?"

Merlin's eyes narrowed at the ridiculous accusation as he shook his head. "Whatever lies and half-
truths Grindelwald told you, things are not what they appear to be."

Credence clenched his fists as he launched spells after Merlin, who easily deflected them.

"Newt! Do kindly go to the rendezvous point we agreed on regarding "them". I'll deal with him."
Newt nodded and recited the words "Tôhopian onbîdan. Forbeornan cweccung onbûtan and.
ðêostornes must sý hyld in byht eft ymbe siðða and!" while drawing runes to access his special
dimension.

As Newt disappeared in a flash of light, Merlin turned towards Credence and proceeded to wave
his wand around their surroundings, creating a dimension that mirrored their surroundings as to
avoid any damage.

Within a matter of moments, they were standing in a dimension with a moon that shone golden
light upon it, the surroundings resembling that of Berlin.

"You can still turn away, Credence. Live a better life."

"My name is Aurelius!"

With that, Credence focused a sphere of dark lightning before blasting it out as a beam, which
Merlin responds by mimicking the same attack, a sphere of golden lightning that he blasted out as a
beam.

As soon as his lightning clashed with Credence's own, his lightning pierced through Credence's
within a matter of moments, with Merlin lifting his hand to stop the lightning from hitting
Credence and obliterating him.

Credence roared out and covered his hands in the energies of his Obscurus before charging at
Merlin, throwing in several vicious wild punches that Merlin blocked with effortless ease, putting
to use his naturally superhuman reflexes and centuries of training himself to master not only the
magical but also the physical arts. No matter how much power Credence put into his assault,
Merlin kept up with masterfully no strain, seeing various opportunities to deliver a finishing blow
but choosing not to take them.

He was not here to end the boy, but to help save him.

Eventually, he allowed Credence to deliver a powerful punch, fueled by all that composed his
Obscurial, sending him flying several feet and actually making him spit out a few blood.

"This is the strength available to you by harnessing the darkest of your emotions..." Merlin said
calmly as he focused into his hands the power of his hope and his undying faith in the better
aspects of humanity.

As soon as their fists clashed, however, Credence was thrown back as the sheer force of the punch,
without any spell cast on it, caused a small burst of energy.

"But this! This is the force one could muster with hope! With an undying faith in a new era and a
new world! With the will to never give up! With the ability to resist the darkness within and be
better than your DEMONS!"

With that, Merlin punched Credence in the face with his glowing fist, sending him flying far away
into the streets created by this duplication of a part of the real world, all the way to the edge of the
dimension, where the real world could be seen.
Flying all the way to Credence, Merlin watched as Credence stared at him weakly, defeated.

"One day, even without all that you've become due to the neglect of others, you too can achieve
greatness, can have a better life, Credence. Your family will accept you. Did you know they
weren't aware of you? Now that they're aware, they're doing everything they can to save you.
Accept their hand, Credence. Be better. I promise you a happy life, free of all the ills that had
begotten you now. Albus will come soon."

With that, Merlin transported Credence back to the real world, and whisked himself to the
dimension where Newt was greeting his hosts, Liu Tao and Vicencia Santos.

"Mister Arthur." Liu Tao greeted as he bowed cordially along with Vicencia.

"First, I would like to thank you all for forsaking the competition to become Supreme Mugwump
for the sake of the greater good of all. It is people like you who prove that this world, regardless of
it's flaws and darkness, is worth fighting for." Merlin said in greetings.

The two Ministers of Magic nodded seriously.

"What must we do? To defeat Gellert Grindelwald?"

And so Merlin and Newt told them all about how Grindelwald would intend to use the Qilin to
become Supreme Mugwump.

"This is truly abominable. To think Herr Vogel and the entire German Ministry of Magic is under
Grindelwald's control..." Liu Tao said with clenched fists.

"This cannot be allowed to continue. What do you require our assistance for? We will do our best
to provide aid." Vicencia declared firmly.

"I must request that you all lend your forces for the battle that will happen on Bhutan. These two
golden spheres has the power to show the true allegiance of your men. Choose only the ones you
could trust the most, and have them stationed around the village, ready to help us overcome
Grindelwald's forces. Also, as you two are fellow candidates of the election, present these evidence
when the time is right, when Grindelwald has revealed his true colors. Hopefully, this will truly
cement Gellert Grindelwald as the villain that the world must overcome. Can I trust you?"

The two Ministers did not even blink as they nodded. "You can, and we trust you as well. We will
give you the means to contact the forces we will prepare when we are finished."

Merlin. Merlin woke up at what he recognized immediately as the landscape of dreams. Kilgharrah
had his peculiar tastes after all.

"Hello, Kilgharrah. Still liking the theme of an isolated magical temple?" Merlin said casually as
he eyed the surroundings. The dreamscape was like a shrine, but with no gods to pray to, with altars
dedicated to the Founders, Arthur, Gwen, and the Knights of the Round Table, and walls covered
with various aspects of both Ancient and Modern Magic systems.

"Well, I am a particularly ancient Dragon, Merlin, so I think I like the arcane scenery of a shrine
above all others. It resembles the temple we've built together on the Isle of the Blessed, honoring
all these people, am I right?" Kilgharrah said with a chuckle.
Chapter End Notes

Well, Newt has surely gotten stronger over the years, and it's all thanks to our dearest
Professor Merlin, he he. I wanted to show from Credence snatching the Qilin under
Merlin's nose that Merlin isn't QUITE infallible. He makes mistakes at times, and he
CAN be caught off-guard. He is technically a lot better at improvising and coming up
with well-made plans quickly, though, but while he is the smartest man alive (He
taught Albus here, after all), he isn't entirely able to foresee and know everything.
Also! I think you've seen glimpses of it from when Snape tried to take on Merlin on
the third book of the main series, but Merlin has also gotten quite well-versed in hand-
to-hand, you know. I wanted to show a Merlin who's well-versed in practically every
skill around, but still has personal issues that can't be solved even with all that he knew
and mastered. His immortality here didn't stop him from growing out of his teenager
phase, so he has the body of an adult and his body is definitely more ripped yet also
extremely agile. He also keeps exercising constantly, so while he isn't exactly the
tallest or the most muscular guy, he DOES have plenty of physical prowess here.
I was a bit torn about Credence. Naturally, Merlin could absolutely have destroyed
him, but I wanted Merlin to reach out to him in his own way, so I decided to have
Merlin beat Credence with his hands rather than his magic, having Credence feel the
full brunt of his emotions rather than his power.
And Merlin speaking foreign languages, ha ha. He is quite familiar with practically all
languages around, you know, and I would say he can speak them at the level of a
native from experience.
The Battle of Bhutan is COMING! It'll be amazing, I hope.
 The Grindelwald Problem: Establishing the Right Enemy
Chapter Notes

Nice to see I could finish the whole SOD part today! I haven't decided if I would just
release the final FB based chapter, or wait some more for a possible fourth film, but I
do hope you enjoyed this one.

See the end of the chapter for more notes

"Your face... It reminds me of someone I still remember so fondly. A father to me in all but blood.
Is it you, Professor Percival?" Albus asked softly as he and Merlin regarded one another.

"It is. It's been a while, my boy." Merlin said with a small smile. He would have transfigured
himself into someone else had Kilgharrah not told him to refrain from doing so.

Albus Dumbledore needs you for him to take his last steps into ascension. Do not appear to him as
anyone else but Percival Lionheart. After this, you could modify his memory so he would see you
as an aging man still willing to do his part. He would not see you again until decades later.

And so it was that they were standing at the snow, at dawn in the streets of Berlin.

Albus's head was bowed low as he rasped out "I'm sorry. I should have understood what you truly
meant to teach me, Professor. I believed you meant that I should have brought upon a new age to
the world, but it turned out you meant I should live according to my heart and by that, I would
discover my true purpose. I'm not even half the man that you are, an idiot, a failure-"

"You're right, yet also wrong." Merlin said calmly as he approached his very troubled student.

"Everyone, no matter how great, must have their fair share of failures. Those with great talents
especially will find themselves with bigger mistakes than most. In that, you're right. You're a
failure, Albus, and you're not me. But an idiot? No... You see, everyone must have their share of
failures, but it's how they rise up from their failures, how they change themselves to be better, and
how they strive to make up for their failures, that measures a person. It doesn't matter how big the
failure is. As long as one is willing to accept their flaws and be better, then that person will
transform from being a failure to a success."

Albus stared at him with small tears in his eyes as Merlin gave him a gentle smile. "Come now. Let
us discuss plans with the rest of your brave followers."

"Do you think I'm strong enough to face him? After everything?"

Merlin simply chuckled. He supposed Kilgharrah had indeed gotten much better at making the
right decisions and giving the correct pep words over the years. He could see now why it had to be
Albus. "I know you can. I have faith in you, and no matter how you fell, how you struggled, my
faith in you has never once waned or been proven wrong."

"So this is the plan. Newt and I will go to the Erkstag Prison, and get Grindelwald's opposers out.
We will also have to find and use evidences of how Grindelwald had used such inhumane methods
to hold his prisoners to further condemn Grindelwald during the inevitable battle on Bhutan."
Merlin began calmly as he sat beside Albus and Newt, addressing Theseus, Lally, and Jacob.

"Professor Lally, Theseus, and Jacob will go to the Candidates Dinner. Albus will intercept
Credence, a personal matter. Be ready, you all, for this is but the beginning of the inevitable battle
that will soon happen on Bhutan. The one who wins will brand the other side as the villains of this
conflict, and we must approach this matter both with the mind of a politician and a warrior."

"War can no longer be avoided, and neither can battle, and this first battle will mark the start of the
global wizarding war, and we must win this fight, for the good of all of humanity. Both those with
and without magic are counting on us to stop Grindelwald. Have faith, remain true to your heart,
and we will prevail."

Merlin finished his speech by standing up and clapping the hands of all those present along with
Newt.

"Good luck, you all!"

"Take care of my brother, Mister Emrys-"

"I know, Theseus."

"Don't worry about us. We can take care of this. I'll gladly welcome the "challenge"."

And so it was that he and Newt set out towards the Erkstag Prison.

"A set of curses, used as protections for this prison. Nice try, Mister Grindelwald, but it's nothing
before me." Merlin said as he waved his wand and dispersed all the curses blocking the U-bahn
entrance disused by Muggles and the location of Erkstag.

Upon entering, Merlin wasted no time in extracting every memory of the warden that would be of
use against Grindelwald.

He clenched his fists upon finishing. Grindelwald had executed nearly half of his opposers already,
about 40 people! Truly, Grindelwald had gone too far this time. Not only that, but Merlin was
assured he had killed the Qilin and animated it with dark magic. He had gone too far and sunk too
low.

With a sneer, Merlin tied up the warden and teleported him to Liu Tao's charge, along with a folder
containing a letter and memory records.

"How many of them do we need to save?" Newt asked as Merlin gave a deep breath.

"50. There used to be 90. Grindelwald had killed nearly half of them." Merlin said with clenched
teeth.

Newt shook his head in disgust.

"Come on. Let's go in and put an end to all this."

They wasted no time in freeing all the prisoners, who thanked him gratefully and were very much
eager to testify against Grindelwald's tyranny and sabotage of the German Ministry of Magic.

However, suddenly dark runic circles emerged from the dark ceilings of the prison, huge swords
made of darkness emerging from the circles.
"Of course, he would have backup plans. No matter. Stay close to me, all of you!" Merlin shouted
as his eyes glowed with white-gold light. He pointed out both hands, without his wand, at the
ceiling as the dark swords were launched at him.

"Sê forswelan orgilde hyht, for−spildan dôð deorcnes ðone as spellian âl¯ædan ûs of pro
icortrûwian ortrûwian!"

An enormously condensed sphere of light appeared, so hot as to be able to potentially kill anyone
nearby if Merlin had not willed the heat to affect no one with his supreme mastery of magic, and
from the sphere, Merlin launched a singularly massive beam of light that obliterated all the swords
and the circles that conjured them.

"For the finishing blow, and to avenge all those who have fallen here!" Merlin shouted as he placed
his palm into the ground, raising himself, Newt, and all the prisoners up into the air, suspended by
a wide runic platform.

A singular runic circle larger and wider than the combined size and length of all the ones
Grindelwald enchanted the prison with Ancient Magic emerged, covered in light, and rained down
swords upon swords of light upon the prison, decimating this twisted prison and executing the
Manticore who had performed Grindelwald's bidding.

By the time Merlin, Newt, and all the prisoners of Erkstag were safely in one of Merlin's
safehouses, the Erkstag Prison had been cursed to kill anyone who would try to occupy the prison
once more, as the cells and the inner sanctum of the prison burned down into nothing.

All while Merlin Emrys felt nothing as his swords of light transformed into the fire that ended the
tyranny of Erkstag.

"Albus has made contact, Arthur. We're going to Hog's Head to plan our next move."

Merlin nodded with a smile. "Good. I need to speak with Aberforth as well."

"All the witnesses testimony has been recorded. We now have all the evidence we need to
persecute Grindelwald, and Theseus? You were able to find the proof that Grindelwald tried to
poison Madame Santos, right?" Merlin asked as they settled down on Hog's Head basement,
seating on chairs Merlin conjured.

"Yep. Here it is. I also found out Grindelwald cast a storm spell and faked that Jacob was the one
who did it, so it would seem we've got all the proof we need to incriminate him." Theseus said with
a victorious smile as he handed Merlin the records of the evidence needed from his memory.

"And Albus? How is Credence?" Merlin turned towards Albus, who gave a small smile.

"I've discussed things with Aberforth, and it seems that Credence had chosen the right side at long
last." Merlin smiled as he nodded.

"Well done, all of you. Get some rest, you all. Tomorrow, we go to battle, and considering how
important this is to Grindelwald, he's bound to have stationed some of his most dangerous
followers and tons of his followers. We have to be ready for what will come next, but first..."

Merlin conjured a Portkey he had long since created, one special place that connected to the Walk
of the Qilin Ceremony. He still remembered how it had been a tradition Merlin himself started,
although it faded to myth over the years.
He still recalled the day where the International Confederation of Wizards were born. It was quite a
happy moment, to see wizards from all over the world united, and he had been present as well
when the International Statute of Secrecy was signed, a solemn yet inevitable moment. Besides his
instigation of the Walk of the Qilin, Merlin's contribution to the ICW was admittedly not much. He
focused more on individual countries, especially as the ICW started to include some more corrupt
individuals. It was better to work from the shadows, giving advice to those with the "power" to
actualize it.

If Arthur should return, perhaps the world would be better, but alas such a possibility remained to
this day a wistful dream.

"This Portkey here is special. It took me a day to craft it (actually only a few minutes), but it's
ready now. the place where we'll be heading is the Mountain of Eyrie, located in the Kingdom of
Bhutan."

Merlin waved his hand into the air, projecting images of the Mountain that even Kilgharrah spoke
highly of. "High in the Eastern Himalayans, a place of indescribable beauty, the birthplace of many
of the world's most important magics. It's said to be on par with even the mythical Isle of the
Blessed in terms of importance. Where we're going would particularly benefit those like me,
Albus, and you, Newt, since the Old Religion is very strong there. The power of Ancient Magic
cast there and even Modern Magic infused with the power of the Old Religion would be twice
more powerful than what we could do on our own."

"I daresay that in a straightforward battle, I and Albus could pretty much take down all of them
single-handedly without much effort. Newt would be able to wipe the floor with half or more of
those men pretty well too, and he wouldn't have to worry about taxing his Ancient Magic, since the
Old Religion is so strong there that it'll help any user of Ancient Magic generate power with less
strain and greater power at the same time."

"So you, Albus, and Newt will be our key players there?" Theseus asked with rolled eyes as Newt
gave a shaky nod.

"It would seem so. I've mastered enough of that magic to use it in a fight for quite some time, so if
what you're saying is true, I think I'm confident I could be a "key player"."

"That said, if we just win this battle, then it would do no good. Grindelwald has kept the facade of
being a visionary with altruistic intentions for too long, and to break his hold over our people, we
must break his illusions."

Merlin turned towards Albus sympathetically. "I understand, Albus. Grindelwald was once a better
man, yes. However, that man is too far gone. If you wish it, then I'll-"

"No. This is something I'll have to do myself. Thank you for offering, but I am capable of fighting
him myself."

Merlin gave Albus a small smile as he gently patted him in the head, causing Albus's body to
shake, earning several stunned looks from the others. "I'm proud of the man you've become, my
boy. Never forget that. You are one of my greatest successes, despite your previous flaws and
failures."

"Now rest up, my brave fellows. Tomorrow, we go to war, and we will prevail!" Merlin shouted
inspiringly as everyone else there cheered.
"So Credence can be saved by this magic? You're certain of it?" Albus asked Merlin as they sat
beside Aberforth.

"Yes, Albus. It will take a few decades, but it can be done-"

"Hey, there's a message on the mirror!" Newt said as he entered the room.

"It's from Credence, Newt." Albus said as Merlin conjured a chair for Newt to sit on.

"I'll let you tell him. I need to get ready for tomorrow, after all." Aberforth said curtly as he got up
and left the room.

"The summer Gellert and I fell in love was the summer my brother fell in love too, you know. It
was with a girl from the Hollow. She was sent away. There were rumors about a child." Albus said
softly as Merlin sighed but gently patted his boy in the shoulder.

"He's a Dumbledore. If I'd been a better friend to Aberforth, if I'd been a better brother, he might
have confided in me-"

"The same goes for me, Albus. I should have been there more for him. Even now, he blames me,
you know-"

"Not as much as me. He's jealous of me for getting more attention from you, essentially gaining a
replacement for our father, while all he got from you was a normal good mentor-student
relationship."

Merlin sighed out loud. While Albus and Aberforth weren't as broken as the relationship between
Godric and Salazar were, it would seem jealousy was a common thing in his efforts to be like a
father to surrogate children. That was one of his flaws, perhaps.

"Perhaps things would have been different, and this boy could have been part of our lives, part of
our family." Albus wistfully wondered.

"He still can, Albus. I promise you."

"You know, do you still remember the few times you met Ariana? I recall mother reacting
negatively to your presence at first, only to soon warm up to you. She confided in you much, from
what I believe. Ariana also liked you too. She would calm down, and you would take her out to see
the stars and walk across the forest at times. It was one of the few times where I interacted with
her, being the "arrogant genius big brother", like Aberforth said."

Merlin gave a sad chuckle. "I know, Albus, but you also did your best. You must mourn your
sister, but do not let it crush you. You still have so much to live for, and that's what matters the
most. It's not about who you used to be. It's about what you still have left to become, what you can
still do for the world and the people who love and trust you."

"Phoenix ash. The bird comes to him because he's dying, and he can only be saved by you. I know
the signs, although not as much as you do. Ariana never learned to express her magic, as an
Obscurial, and her magic only continued to grow darker and began to poison her. Worst of all, none
of us were capable of easing her pain, until you appeared. You gave my mother hope, only for me
to ruin it all."

"Can you tell me how it came to an end for her?" Newt asked softly as Merlin looked away.

"Gellert and I had made plans to go away together. My brother didn't approve. One night, he
confronted us. Voices were raised, threats made. I confess that Aberforth had returned me to
reality, especially as he ranted out about how this was not what you would have wanted for me.
Aberforth drew his wand, which was foolish. I drew my wand, which was even more foolish.
Gellert laughed and cast the Cruciatus Curse on Aberforth, afterwards spitting on my brother while
degrading him as inferior. It was at that moment that I realized what Gellert could be." Albus's
voice potentially broke at that as Merlin looked at Ariana's painting with remorse and pain in his
heart.

"We fought, I helping Aberforth by shielding him. No one heard Ariana coming down the stairs.
Can't say for certain it was my... spell." Albus actually shed a single tear at that, and Merlin could
feel the pain and anguish at the idea. It felt like being stabbed by thousands of knives in his heart,
and was 75% of the pain he felt when he saw Salazar and Godric argue as fiercely as they did.

"Doesn't really matter. One minute she was there, and the next she was gone. By the time you
arrived, you arrived to find there was nothing left to save, because of me. I still remember how
Aberforth shouted at you, how he punched you in the face again and again, and how you allowed
him to hit you while it should have been me who suffered his wrath. I still remember Aberforth
spitting at you while his eyes looked as though his heart shattered to pieces once he realized what
he had done after he had beaten enough of me in the funeral. Do you still remember it, Professor?"

Of course, he still remembered. How could he forget?

He still remembered the look on Aberforth's eyes and the last words Aberforth spoke to him.

"The less favorite of the brother again, right? You both took everything from me. Get out of my
sight. Enjoy how you use your "brilliance" from now on."

While those words were aimed more at Albus, it hurt him no less.

"I'm so sorry, Albus. But if it's of any comfort, perhaps she was saved some pain-"

"Don't. Don't disappoint me, Newt. You of all people. Your honesty is a gift, even if at times a
painful one. You learned from the greatest men I ever knew, and you're a better man than I ever
was, so don't be like that."

With that, Albus turned towards the exit and made to rest, but Newt stopped him.

"Albus, Lally said something earlier about most of us being ultimately imperfect. But even if we
make mistakes, terrible things, we can try to make things right. And that's what matters, trying."

Merlin smiled at Newt for those wise words. Truly, how the boy reminded him of Helga, of how
perceptive she was in terms of the heart.

"We're with you, Albus."

Albus gave a sad smile at that, before leaving.

"Ready for the battle to start the war?" Merlin asked as the room was entered by Newt, Jacob,
Lally, and Theseus, Albus and Bunty having already arrived.

"Now, here is the first thing you should know. Each of you will carry a case to the Walk of the
Qilin. This was made from Newt's suitcase, duplicated into five. None of them are real. The real
one is hidden where only I can access it. Nevertheless, we aim to confuse. We will march forth,
meet our allies from the Brazilian and Chinese Ministries of Magic, and then we will fight through
anything Grindelwald has prepared. As soon as we reach the ceremony, except a battle to begin.
Our allies in Liu Tao and Vicencia have prepared thoroughly, but we must still access one more
thing. I have made contact with Queenie, and she has agreed to help us."

"Wait- What?" Jacob said in surprise as Merlin smiled.

"She's coming back, Jacob. She's realized the error of the path she chose before. I managed to
convince her, quite easily. She's already been losing faith in Grindelwald for years. We will meet
her near the entrance to the Eyrie, after taking care of every single follower of Grindelwald
stationed, and then we will use her memory of him reanimating the Qilin in his disposal and use it
to permanently discredit him."

With that, Merlin turned towards all of them. "I hope you have prepared yourself well. Today will
be the battle for all of our lives, but beyond that, this will decide the fate of both the wizarding and
non-wizarding world. I thank you all for your courage and dedication to the cause. Should you
have any hesitations or qualms, now would be the time to express them."

None of them raised a single quarry.

"I think we're all ready, Professor. United for a single cause, stopping Grindelwald once and for
all." Albus said with a smile.

"I just want to say thank you to all of you, especially you, Newt, Arthur. I- I was heartbroken. I was
ready to give up on everything, but even so, you never gave up. You showed me back the light.
You fought for me and Queenie, and I really, really, appreciate that. And I also want to thank
Mister Hicks here and your brother, Newt, for being so tolerant of me, along with you, Mister
Dumbledore. I promise I won't betray any of your trust, even though I am a Muggle. You even
gave me an actual wand. I have no words-" Jacob's initial sincere speech became choked up as he
hugged Merlin.

"Just... Thanks." Merlin smiled as he gently returned the hug.

"I know. And I am sorry for having inadvertently instigated your and Queenie's separation for
these years. I can only hope your relationship will grow stronger from this trial."

Jacob gave a small smile as he went to hug Newt too.

"Well, I'm about to become a father, and I would rather die than let my children and Leta's be
exposed to all of Grindelwald's delusions. Even if I don't make it back, at least I know Newt will
take care of her and my children, would you?" Theseus said with a small smile.

Newt shook his head firmly. "You will come back and be there for them, brother. Trust me."

"Well, I think we all here agree that we aren't afraid of what comes next, so let's get this show on
the road, shall we?" Lally said with a smile before she winked at Merlin. "Perhaps, after this, you
can give me a book about Ancient Magic. I think I'll like to try it."

Merlin laughed. "Perhaps, Lally."

With that, Merlin turned towards the Portkey, but was interrupted with Aberforth entering the
room.

"What? Got no room for another?" Aberforth said simply as Merlin gave Aberforth a surprised yet
pleasant smile.
"Well, this is my son we're talking about. Also, despite everything, I guess in the end I am still this
Professor's student AND the brother of the "perfect Albus"-"

Albus interrupted his brother's rant by hugging him, causing Merlin to shed just a single tear of joy,
seeing the two brothers finally united.

"Thank you, brother." Albus said warmly as Aberforth just nodded.

"Well, let's do this, shall we?"

With that, Merlin transformed the Portkey into a portal in a burst of golden light.

Turning towards his allies, Merlin took on a serious face as he placed the two bells connected to
the hiding places of their allies, sending out the signal for the battle to begin.

"Ready yourself." Without another word, Merlin rushed forward first.

When Merlin arrived, it was to find the Brazilian and Chinese Aurors having stood ready near the
place where they would arrive.

"Arthur Emrys? I am Xi Wang, Head of the Chinese Auror Office, and this is Confiar Santos,
Head of the Brazilian Auror Office and a most trusted family member of Vicencia." The Chinese
Auror introduced with a bow of his head along with the aformentioned Confiar Santos.

"Thank you, gentlemen for your bravery and dedication. 21 Aurors?"

"Yes, Mister Emrys. They are all highly trained and capable in their work." Confiar stated with an
assuring tone as Merlin nodded.

"Then let us proceed. We'll split this up into four groups. I will go with the Miss Confiar to the
north entrance, while Albus and Aberforth will go with Mister Xi Wang heading towards the south
path and take a shortcut. Newt and Jacob will take a squad of 7 Aurors and go northwest. Theseus,
Lally, and Bunty will take a squad of 14 Aurors and go northeast. That is all. Any objections?"

With no one responding, Merlin nodded. "Then let this conflict begin. May our hearts and our
minds, dedicated, guide us to victory!"

And so they all proceeded through their own paths, Merlin sending a subtle activation of the
device he gave Queenie to give her the alarm.

As soon as Newt and Theseus's groups had left to their respective paths, as expected dozens upon
dozens of German Aurors appeared.

"Traitors." Confiar said coldly as she drew her wand along with Merlin.

Merlin nodded curtly, and without another word, the battle began.

Merlin cast and dismissed Shield Charms as he made to take down each and every single one of
the German Aurors with methodical precision, with the Brazilian Head Auror also proving her
mettle by effectively taking down her own share of hostiles, Merlin scarcely needing to protect her.

A few bolts of lightning, balls of fire, and Stunning Spells, and within 3 minutes, up to 50 German
Aurors laid defeated. Merlin had restrained himself as he always did when fighting alongside
wizards who used Modern Magic, but even that was more than enough to defeat those numbers
alone had he intended to. As it was, with Confiar's remarkable skill, it didn't take long.

Merlin sent Confiar a nonverbal gesture to tell her to stay put, and she nodded firmly.

A few moments later, just as wands were about to be put in their backs, Merlin had turned his back
and took down 2 Aurors with a single punch and kick, throwing them into the other parts of the
village, just as Confiar engaged Helmut in a fierce duel, the two Head Aurors fighting fiercely.

Trusting in Confiar's ability, Merlin proceeded to take down the few others who tried to surprise
him and Confiar within a matter of moments using simple spells, making robes restrain them and
sending 3 of the foes into walls before killing the remaining five with a single stream of lightning.

He then turned towards Confiar and Helmut's duel. Confiar was slowly gaining an edge, but
Merlin did not have time to play fair.

He snapped his fingers and Helmut was thrown aside, allowing Confiar to cast binding spells on
him.

"Let him live. He'll be useful as a forced testification against Grindelwald." Merlin said as he
knocked him out.

Just so, dozens of Grindelwald's men were thrown through walls by the force of a telekinetic spell
of Newt. Merlin nodded in satisfaction as he and his team were more than holding his own, Newt
giving decisive orders to the men and firing spells to protect them while he took down more of the
enemies than most of his Aurors. Not a single one of them had fallen, and they seemed to be fully
on the winning side as Jacob alternated between using his wand, firing spells with the expertise of
a good marksman, and fighting with his fists, taking down more than a decent amount of the
Aurors on his team with both the magics available and his fists.

Merlin snapped his fingers at the direction where he noticed ambushes were attempted, throwing
them into the fight. Newt took one look at him and nodded before blasting a wave of fire, killing
them all.

"Go! We got this covered!"

Nodding proudly, Merlin and Confiar proceeded onward.

Halfway to the place where they would reach the Eyrie, Merlin noticed Theseus, Lally, and Bunty
fighting against dozens of Grindelwald's Aurors. They were faring as well as Newt had, which was
why Merlin assigned Theseus, Lally, and Bunty with more men. Newt with the advantage of the
strength of the Ancient Magic in this place would be more than able to hold his own against dozens
of Grindelwald's men, while Theseus and Lally required more men to make up for the lack of
Ancient Magic.

Merlin waved his hand, blasting down bolts of thunder on yet another group of ambushes, causing
Theseus to send a grateful nod before he turned his attention back to the battle that was now on
their favor.

Theseus was no longer a match for Newt after how Merlin had trained him, but he was still one of
the most capable Aurors in the world. His dueling style was focused and precise, his spells
powerful. Lally was no less efficient, her ability as a Charms Professor evident in her skillful usage
of both the environment and her own spells to take down scores of enemies. Bunty was less skilled,
but she still gave her all and fought remarkably well, supporting the Aurors of the group more than
she supported those two.
When they reached the entrance, they were met by Albus, Aberforth, and Xi Wang, having arrived
at the same time as they were.

"Enjoyed the action, Aberforth?" Merlin asked with a smile.

"Well, took down 30 Aurors. Albus took down 45. Xi Wang here took down 25. You were right in
that Grindelwald knew of the shortcut we used, so he had more men assigned there." Aberforth
said curtly as Merlin nodded.

"Anytime."

Within a matter of a minute, Newt, Jacob, and the Aurors on the field had arrived, seemingly
hardly winded.

"Wow, that was so awesome. Got to admit, last time I used that wand, it didn't work out too well,
but I think I've gotten the hang of it." Jacob said with excitement.

"Jacob did his best. I daresay he took down 35% of the enemy forces. I took down 50%. The
Aurors here fared well too." Newt said with an appreciative smile as the Aurors nodded in
gratitude.

"Hey, Newt! Arriving early on?" Merlin turned towards Theseus, Lally, and Bunty, who arrived a
few seconds later, but seemed about as fine as Newt and his group were.

"Well, Ancient Magic is a very powerful form of magic. I am fortunate to have learned it from
Arthur here." Newt said with a small smile as Merlin smiled back.

"And I am proud of how you fared using my teachings."

A few minutes later, and Yusuf arrived with Queenie on hand.

Queenie and Jacob immediately hugged, and Merlin watched with a smile on his face as Queenie
apologized to Jacob and was forgiven.

"Your heart is full, but can still be fuller." Merlin said with a smile as he turned towards Queenie.

Queenie held out a vial containing the memory of Grindelwald killing the Qilin.

"This is what you need. Come on. The sooner I get to denounce him, the better." Queenie said as
Merlin nodded.

"Well, gentlemen, shall we?"

Upon arriving at the Eyrie, they were met by none other but Henrietta Fischer.

"Ah! Miss Henrietta, Herr Vogel's trusted woman. May I ask where he is?" Merlin said with a curt
smile as Henrietta eyed him and the small squad he had brought with him in shock. Apparently,
Grindelwald had not expected such an alliance between Brazilian and Chinese Aurors.

"Please do kindly allow us to ascend, or we will make you and anyone else in league with Gellert
Grindelwald move. Most of the forces you've stationed on Bhutan are either restrained or dead, so
you can step aside, or meet the same fate." Merlin said coldly as he sent a telepathic image of the
complete victory of him and his allies over Grindelwald's men.
Henrietta glared at him, but slowly and reluctantly stepped aside, rushing to apparently inform
Grindelwald and Vogel.

"Come on." Merlin said just as Vogel's voice declared "I thank the candidates for their words. Each
represents a distinct vision of how we will not shape only our world, but the non-magical world as
well. Which brings us to the most important part of our ceremony, the walk of the Qilin. The Qilin
has seen. Seen goodness, strength, qualities essential to lead and to guide us. Who do you see?"

Merlin sneered as he and the others marched forward, not even surprised when most of the
international representatives backed away, a decent amount of them even nodding hopefully at
him.

"Gellert Grindelwald is the new leader of the magical world, by acclamation."

Ignoring the cries of victory from members of the Alliance, Merlin climbed the stairs.

With a victorious smirk, Grindelwald reached out and Merlin's eyes widened to see Jacob being
pulled by Grindelwald's wandless magic.

"This is the man who tried to take my life. This man, who has no magic, who would marry a witch
and pollute our blood knowingly, to create a forbidden union
that would make us less, make us weak, like his kind. He's not alone, my friends. There are
thousands who seek to do the same. There can only be one response
to such vermin-"

"Is that so, Mister Grindelwald?" Merlin said coldly, projecting his voice so powerfully as to
silence every single sound yet not overwhelm the ears of the others, reverberating through the
entire mountain.

"Crucio." Grindelwald said calmly, ignoring Merlin's cold announcement.

Merlin's eyes narrowed to slits as Jacob suffered.

"Our war with the Muggles begins today-"

"IT WILL NOT BEGIN! Not now, not ever!" Merlin shouted as he snapped his fingers, causing
the Elder Wand's magic to dissipate it's hold on Jacob, freeing him, and another healing spell to
cure Jacob.

The other Ministries of Magic watched Merlin and Grindelwald cautiously as Merlin rushed forth
to greet Grindelwald, who scowled at him.

"Mister Grindelwald... This is the end of all your ambitions. All your words, designed to deceive
others into accepting you as the rightful leader, all your manipulations and tactics, is now in vain."
Merlin said coldly as he snapped his fingers, causing the memory of Queenie to be projected
through the Eyrie, revealing Grindelwald's murder of the Qilin, along with also summoning the
memory Credence sent to him through Legilimency to continue and display Grindelwald's
animation of the Qilin.

"He's right!" Merlin turned backwards to see Credence walking forward. "That creature is dead.
Grindelwald forced me to get the Qilin, but the other survived. He is a liar. He lied to me about my
true origins, tricking me into believing my family abandoned me like trash, while they never
stopped looking for me."

"He promised to create a world where everyone can love freely. Look where that promise is now.
He's a liar! A man of bigotry!" Queenie supported as Merlin raised his hand with all the authority
he could command, getting everyone's attention.

"That is not true. This is the-"

Before Vogel could open his mouth, Merlin snapped his fingers, undoing the reanimation spell and
causing the dark energies of Necromancy to flow out of the body.

"Anton Vogel, along with the rest of the German Ministry of Magic, has fallen under the thrall and
sway of Gellert Grindelwald, indeed. I have heard rumors of many unrighteously imprisoned
individuals, but to think you had sunk so low-!" Liu Tao declared as he went towards Merlin and
eyed Vogel with disgust, acting like they had planned out.

"Indeed, Minister Liu Tao, here is the proof from each and every single prisoner I was able to save
from Erkstag Prison." Merlin said as he pulled out an orb and proceeded to activate the recorded
confessions of innocence and condemnation towards Grindelwald.

"This is outrageous. I hereby declare my complete opposition to Gellert Grindelwald ever holding
any spot of authority." Vicencia declared as well, pulling out the device Merlin had given her and
crushing it along with Liu Tao to reveal to everyone the corruption that had taken place in the
German Ministry of Magic.

Grindelwald's face turned even more scarlet at the complete ruin of all his plans as Merlin smirked
victoriously.

"Now, let the true Walk of the Qilin begin!" Merlin said triumphantly as he unveiled the Mother
Qilin and the twin of the Qilin Grindelwald had murdered.

The Mother Qilin let out a deep wail as she beheld her lost son, before gathering herself and
leaving her other child in the care of others as she bowed before Merlin.

Merlin's eyes widened in surprise. Him? No, he wasn't-

"Mother Qilin, I must humbly deny your offering. I have no intention to be a leader. I am content to
be a protector of our world from afar."

The Mother Qilin nodded, and turned towards Albus, who rejected it, before finally choosing
Vicencia.

In anger, Grindelwald sent out dozens upon dozens of enchanted dark magic blades upon the
mountain, causing screams and gasps to occur as Merlin turned towards Grindelwald.

Before he could parry Grindelwald's spell aimed at Credence, Albus and Aberforth's spells had beat
him to the punch, and Merlin smiled as he noticed the pact starting to crack.

"Leave him to Albus. All of you! We deal with what Grindelwald has in store."

With that, Merlin disapparated down the stairs along with the others and engaged Grindelwald's
furious gifts: Hordes of Inferius, Dementors, and Gythrashes, spawned by the Dark Ancient Magic
of the swords that were stuck at the Eyrie.

"Newt! All of you! Hold off those monsters while I gather the energy needed to destroy those
swords!" Merlin shouted as his eyes glowed bright, Excalibur manifesting with a sheath, as Merlin
gripped the sword's sheath tightly, gathering magical energy.
He gave a small smile as he noticed Newt taking the lead, casting powerful Ancient Magic fire
spells to destroy the Inferius even as more keep coming, conjuring 3 corporeal Patronuses to banish
Dementors into oblivion, and supporting the others with powerful defensive spells as they worked
to protect the innocents that had long since backed away to safety.

He also took notice of the dimensional shift that was currently being the ground for Albus and
Grindelwald's duel, and was pleased to see him fighting fiercely and hard. Both of his students
were making him proud now.

Merlin unsheathed the sword, having gathered all the energy required in the motion, and now
focused to control the energy, swinging it slowly through the air to emphasize control.

Moments later, Merlin's eyes turned sharp. "And thus is the blight of bigotry severed!"

With that yell, Merlin swung the sword, unleashing a wave of energy that left the protectors
unharmed even as it cut through every single dark being conjured by the swords and dissipated
them in a swirl of purple energy.

Without any further ado, Merlin, noticing that Grindelwald and Albus had just ended the
dimensional shift, rushed towards the Dark Wizard, tackling him down to the forest below.

"You have interfered with my plans for too long!" Grindelwald shouted with a manic rage as he
blasted a massive bolt of lightning with the power to destroy mountains.

Merlin kept his calm as he raised out his palm, absorbing the attack completely and then
redirecting it back at the Dark Wizard.

Grindelwald furiously dismissed the attack with a void, the abyss swallowing the lightning, before
throwing the dark spell at him. Merlin simply waved his hand at the void, transforming the abyss
into butterflies.

Grindelwald's eyes widened at the sight even as Merlin enchanted the butterflies with fire and
launched them at him, forming a shield of water in haste.

He formed a huge orb of light. Bliccettan hi mountain wægn rînan im and râd fordêman!

The orb rained down rays of light at Grindelwald, who gritted his teeth as he pointed the Elder
Wand at the rays.

"âbîtan forswelan, belimpan ðêostorfulnes!" The rays of light, upon hitting the purple shield that
Grindelwald conjured, turned into dark rays and were thrown at Merlin.

Unimpressed, Merlin slowly waved his wand...

And summoned dozens upon dozens of runic circles in front of him.

Grindelwald's eyes stared at the sight almost as though in awe.

"There's a reason why Albus considered me the greatest wizard he's ever met, Grindelwald, and
that's without neither him or you knowing my true secrets." Merlin declared coldly before he
unleashed from the runes a huge wave of light that tore through half of the forest.

When the cloud cleared, he saw Grindelwald had cast a runic shield of darkness, although his
hands were slightly burned from the impact.
"Codd orgilde dôð wâð comêta, yfel meldian!" Upon finishing the incantation, a huge meteor
rained down from the sky, causing Grindelwald to form a protective bubble of magical energy in
haste, spanding wide and reaching above the trees of the forest.

The bubble managed to block the meteor, although the impact shook the whole forest and
weakened the bubble enough that Merlin simply fired a bullet of light at Grindelwald to breach the
bubble with his index finger.

Grindelwald stared in shock at what happened, looking at his cut cheek, while Merlin stared at him
impassively.

"You do not seek to kill me?" Grindelwald asked slowly as Merlin shook his head.

"No, and not because I am above such brutality. I could pretty much end you right now, but I won't.
Albus would be the one to decide your fate, as he deserved to."

Grindelwald sneered as he held the Elder Wand in both hands.

His next spells were cautious and aimed to slowly earn a rise from Merlin, which Merlin did not
fall for, deflecting the spells with Shield Charms and retaliating with his own, the two moving at
speeds and reacting with reflexes that would make most wizards look human in comparison.

While on the surface, it would appear they were evenly matched, it was obvious, both to
Grindelwald and Merlin, that Merlin was slowly but surely gaining the upper hand, even as they
dueled with Modern Magic alone. He had been practicing BOTH forms of magic for centuries,
after all.

Numerous attempts of masterful subtlety and dueling techniques were made, but Merlin efficiently
countered them, vanishing conjured ropes while simultaneously raising a shield, manipulating
several rocks to block a blast of fire while his other wandless hand absorbed and redirected a bolt
of lightning.

"Interminabilis tenebrae!" Grindelwald shouted out as he unleashed an overwhelming wave of

pure purple darkness.

"Ultima!" Merlin shouted out in return, firing an equally overwhelming wave of light.

The two waves collided with each other, the wave of light slowly but surely overpowering
Grindelwald's until within a minute only the slightest of darkness remained as Merlin's light
dangerously closed over the Wand whose creation he had came to regret.

Grindelwald narrowly managed to disapparate into the sky to avoid being completely defeated.

"The world where wizards and muggles coexist is but a FANTASY! Wizards must RULE!"
Grindelwald screamed, clearly at the end of his patience.

"The only fantasy here is yours, Gellert Grindelwald, and though you may escape this day, I have
faith that Albus would one day bear witness to the end of your dreams, dreams that he chose to
reject as rightfully wrong." Merlin said calmly.

"Never!" Grindelwald shouted as he created a huge sword made of darkness.

Merlin responded by creating an equally huge sword of light.

As soon as they were thrown from their conjurer's arms, Merlin's sword cut straight through
Grindelwald's sword, and Grindelwald was struck in the heart by the sword of light, which
exploded as soon as it hit his body.

Grindelwald screamed as he just managed to wrap himself in a barrier of darkness.

"This isn't over! You have started a war! I could have united our world, but you chose to fight!"
Grindelwald shouted out one last time before he wrapped the barrier around himself and teleported
away with Spatial Distortion.

Merlin shook his head as he proceeded to calmly repair all the damage done to the forest.

Before leaving, Merlin looked at the sky. It was just about sunset.

"No. Unity cannot be created through force and deceit. It must be made through experiencing
difficulties and overcoming them together. True bonds of trust and equality can only be formed by
understanding one another through working together and seeing the true nature of those you work
with."

"Lay here, Credence." Merlin asked gently as he lead Credence inside his castle's dungeons and
pointed him to a coffin.

It was a coffin with exceptionally powerful healing magics carved into the coffin as to be able to
heal the very soul of a person. With someone of Credence's level of exposure, it would take him at
least 70 years of sleep before he could be healed of his Obscurus, but it was possible, actually, and
Merlin could prolong Aberforth's life if he wanted too. Not grant him immortality, but allow him
the time he needed to raise his son once he woke up.

"T-Thank you for still doing so much for me. I-I was wrong to blame you. You were right.
Grindelwald was using me all along. I'm not even Albus Dumbledore's brother, but his nephew.
My father never meant to abandon me. We spoke briefly, and he was gruff, but he did care for me.
My uncle also wished me the best."

Merlin smiled as he patted the boy in the shoulder. "It'll just be decades of sleep, Credence. Once
you wake, you can go and claim the name of Aurelius Dumbledore, the next generation of
Dumbledore."

Credence nodded with a small appreciative smile and laid on the coffin. "It'll be a peaceful sleep,
Credence."

With that, Merlin gently closed the coffin and recited the incantations to activate the coffin.

Within moments, a blue wave of water embraced the coffin before freezing itself, beginning
Credence's sleep of healing.

"May you dream of good things and be at peace once you return to the real world."

"Hello, Kendra. Ariana." Merlin said softly as he arrived on the Godric's Hollow graveyard. He
still remembered the day where he helped Godric rebuild his home village, giving unsheltered
wizards and witches homes and eventually having it acknowledged by the Ministry of Magic. He
would return to it at certain occasions, but the most depressing affair was when he laid Ignotus
Peverell to rest personally.
The fate of the Three Brothers was something Merlin tried not to think too often, but still would
nag and haunt him at certain occasions, but at least Ignotus proved truly worthy of his gift.

"You know, I still remember how you opened your heart to me, how you trusted and was grateful
to me for all I did for Albus and Aberforth. Your sons live on, and though slow, hope remains for a
reconciliation, and your youngest son even produced a new son to continue the bloodline of the
Dumbledores. It does not undo my failure to save you and Ariana, but I will do my best to ensure
your family lives on."

Merlin conjured flowers and laid it down on Kendra's gravestone. "Albus will go on and do many
great things in the future. I promise you. And... If you are angry for how he failed Ariana, then be
angry at me instead. I am the one responsible for the greater picture of your misfortunes, and I
confess I should have waited longer and been there for you and Albus more. Albus is a great
person, not flawless, but his failures are not his own."

Merlin turned towards Ariana's gravestone and laid down flowers there too. "Your daughter has
seen much of the world, and I can only hope she shares her experience with you, even if as a
Portrait Spirit."

As he turned to leave the graveyard, he met Aberforth.

"Here to give your regards to my mother?" Aberforth asked curtly as Merlin nodded.

"Yes. Aberforth, you may not be as great of a student and intellectual man as Albus in terms of the
magic, but you are an undeniably braver and emotionally wiser man than him. I am no less proud
of you as I am of him. I am not perfect, and it was true that I was more involved with Albus, but do
know that I care about you just as much as I care for Albus." Merlin said sincerely. "You were not
the unfavorite, just different."

Aberforth chuckled softly. "Well, I guess that's true. My big brother always thought too far ahead,
like you said. Things won't ever be the same with him, just like it probably won't with you, but I
guess I am willing to give you a chance. Want to have a few drinks?"

Merlin chuckled. "I'll be glad to."

It was a start of new hopes between him and the Dumbledore Family. Merlin didn't think it could
all be fixed, but seeing Aberforth go forward with a lighter shoulder, it reminded Merlin that he
still had hope with those two.

When he arrived at Jacob's Bakery, it was to be greeted by Queenie in full wedding dress.

"It's good to see you back, Queenie. I apologize for my previous harshness. It's just that you must
understand that I have experienced many such affairs, and believe me when I say not a single one
of them ended well." Merlin said humbly as Queenie smiled.

"It's alright, Arthur. Thank you for making this possible, for never giving up on me, for helping
Jacob rise up again. I heard you gave word for the MACUSA to allow me and Jacob to be granted
special permission to marry. Jacob also went on a full excited rant about how you let him keep his
wand."

Merlin simply chuckled. "I wish you all the happiness you and Jacob deserve, Queenie."

"Was the friend you mentioned the only person you had feelings for? Was there another?" Queenie
asked softly as Merlin gave a sad but sincere smile.

"Actually, I loved a girl once even while I was still good friends with the friend I killed with my
own hands. She died in peace, and I admittedly only realized I had feelings for that friend a few
years after contemplating what I had done to her. It hurt to think about it, even though it wasn't as
strong as the shared love I had with the other girl. Her name was Freya. I can't say who my friend
is, but her tale was a tragic one, and I have no one but myself to blame for it."

It was perfectly true. Merlin had crushed over Morgana, and a part of him did grow to love her
after Freya's death, but it never blossomed or amounted to anything due to his foolishness. Perhaps
he could have been allowed to be happy with her had he been a wiser man, but it would seem to
have the company of a lover was a dream impossible to reach by now.

"Be happy, Queenie. Don't waste the chance you've been given." With that, Merlin walked out to
talk to Newt, who was walking towards Albus.

"Memorized the speech well, my boy?" Merlin asked teasingly as Newt chuckled.

"Yeah. That was quite an elaborate speech, but compared to Ancient Magic, it might as well be
nothing in difficulty."

"A historic day, isn't it, Professor? Where once was before, there will be another." Albus said softly
as Merlin grinned.

"Yes. The thing about historical days, though, is that it can be anything. It can seem so ordinary on
the surface, yet deep meaning in the inside."

Albus chuckled before he turned serious. "How is the cleanup of the German Ministry of Magic
going on?"

Merlin turned serious as well. "It's going well. With help from Liu and Vicencia, we've been able
to retake the German Ministry of Magic. The information I forced out from Vogel and Helmut with
Legilimency was useful, and we're wiping out network after network that Grindelwald can use. It
also seemed that Vogel might have been imperiused, though, so he hasn't been punished yet. I've
lifted the curse, and he's becoming more cooperative. Helmut had a part in it, and Vogel and the
rest of the ICW voted Helmut to be sentenced to life."

"Good. What happened to Grindelwald?" Newt asked slowly.

"We fought hard across the forest until he decided he couldn't beat me and escaped." Merlin said in
half-truth. He had actually given Grindelwald a quite decisive beating, but considering how even
Albus wouldn't have mimicked that kind of victory over him, he left it out.

"Will I see you again?" Albus asked softly as Merlin smiled and gently touched his forehead with
Albus's.

"You will, but you won't for quite some time from now. I've helped you with what I could. The rest
of your journey you must take alone, and I have faith in your ability to do so." Merlin said as he
hugged Albus, one of the few times where he indulged in such gestures since Camelot.

"You will find redemption and greatness, Albus. Now, shall we get going to the wedding
ceremony, Newt? I'll meet you at the church I've arranged."

With that, Merlin got up, but not before Albus grasped his hand.
 "I'm proud to be your student, no matter what, and I hope by the end of the day, you'll be proud of
me too."

Merlin simply grinned. "I know I will, without any shred of a doubt."

And so it was that on the Kirkpatrick Chapel, at the end of 1932, that Merlin Emrys officialized
the first in centuries marriage of a New York Witch and a New York Muggle.

He recalled the day where he married Godric and Helga, but even compared to that, this was
special.

Slowly, but surely, this would change the dynamic between wizardkind and muggles in New York.
He failed to prevent the Rappaport Law, but now here he was, taking yet another small step at
fixing the rift between his people and Muggles.

In the end, as Merlin watched Jacob and Queenie embrace each other, as he stood at the center with
Newt by his side and Jacob by the other, as he held the picture of him and the friends he had
smiling, Jacob and Queenie in tears of joy, Merlin Emrys felt contentment just for a day and slept
with a smile on his face on the castle that had became his home.

Kilgharrah flew from New York City back to the Isle of the Blessed with a small smile on his face.

It was pleasant to see Merlin beginning to undo the Rapaport Law that he blamed himself for, and
it was nice to see wizards and muggles having such relationships. It reminded Kilgharrah of the
world that was to come.

A world that Merlin would bring and maintain, which would grant Merlin the acceptance of his
immortality at long last, and also redeem Kilgharrah of the failure that was Camelot's fall.

Speaking of which, Merlin had no idea how his destiny had changed, hadn't he? It was a surprise
that would be shaking to Merlin when Arthur's soul finally found reincarnation.

"Your destiny approaches slowly but surely, Merlin. You have all but shown the markings of
worthiness for it, and I have faith that although you would not accept it easily, you will and you
would thrive."

Chapter End Notes

Now, I think this justifies why Albus wasn't exactly all that surprised to see his old
professor still alive, and was only a bit curious that Merlin remained untouched by age.
Their relationship will continue to be explored in the main series, so I hope you look
forward to it.
I just couldn't let Credence die. He deserved so much better, you know? So here I have
Merlin use Ancient Magic to save him. He'll appear at the very end of the series, and I
do hope you enjoy what ending I give him.
Merlin beating down Grindelwald here is what would happen if there was ever going
to be an all-out match between him and the two greatest wizards in canon Harry Potter.
Merlin stomps even if here he still isn't trying to kill, but he does have to still be
careful and get serious. Nevertheless, while Albus and Gellert aren't entirely powerless
against him, let it be known they can't oppose him for too long even at their primes.
Kilgharrah's words at the end... Let's just say that it hints at what Merlin will become,
and I think it'll be quite the surprise.
 The Keepers of Ancient Magic
Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

Merlin approached the hamlet of Feldcroft cautiously, analyzing the situation in front of him. He
had heard about the village being struck by a drought, but he had to admit even he did not expect it
to be so harsh. It also happened that the Feldcroft Catacombs contained one of the artifacts he
sealed away personally, created by Morgana to be capable of controlling all kinds of dark magic,
and he didn't want the drought to make the relic vanish.

Well, he could fix this up easily if he were to use Ancient Magic, and the people could be
convinced to not say anything about it. He just had to-

Merlin paused his train of thoughts when he noticed the presence of 4 remarkable magical powers
closing in. They all clearly were surprisingly in tune with the Old Religion, but there was one aura
in particular that stood out, an aura that was more... natural in it's command over Ancient Magic.

Merlin looked upwards and saw 3 wizards and a witch approaching the village. He recognized one
of them as Charles Rookwood, a particularly accomplished master of Transfiguration who taught
the subject at Hogwarts as the Head of Slytherin and established the Rookwood Castle on
Feldcroft, and due to recognizing him, he also realized who the group was.

The Keepers? Here? I've seen traces of their work before, and their skills in Ancient Magic was
commendable for those who did not have the magic from birth. I knew they were dedicated to using
Ancient Magic for good and protecting it's secrets, but I never knew they had a genuine Old
Religion sorcerer, nor that they could be born in this era.

As Merlin eyed them curiously, he recognized the woman as Niamh Fitzgerald. He hadn't been
back into Hogwarts for a decade by now, but he had seen her in the newspapers as she was the
Headmistress of Hogwarts. He also happened to see her at certain occasions in events held by
Hogwarts, and she definitely portrayed the look of a compassionate and wise leader. He supposed
she was the leader of the Keepers then.

Merlin concealed himself using Ancient Magic impenetrable to even those who could sense the
Old Religion as he watched them cast a powerful water spell to revitalize the hamlet. From what he
could sense, the elderly wizard was the one giving off a naturally genuine connection to the Old
Religion, while the others had to master Ancient Magic first before they could truly tap into the
Old Religion within them.

However, there was another person who emitted the same natural connection to the Old Religion, a
small girl who appeared to be just 7 years old. Merlin could tell just by looking at them, as he had
long since trained himself to the point where his eyes were a magical sensor beyond detection and
truth spells, both magically and intellectually.

Seeing the village didn't need his help anymore, he left to secure the Feldcroft Catacomb, leaving
the Inferi alone as they served as guards due to Salazar's elaborate enchantments. Salazar might
have fallen off the deep end, but before he had used the powers of darkness for good, and Merlin
wanted to respect and preserve as much as he could of Salazar's legacy. He owed it to his lost son.

Fortunately, the Relic was still there, secure, and Merlin breathed out in relief as he left Feldcroft
soon after, but not before healing a few villagers who had fallen ill, as the Keepers clearly didn't
went far enough to cure them. He didn't use Ancient Magic, of course, simply Modern Magic, but
he had to admit he was now really interested in the Keepers. He had only observed from afar as
Rookwood met with his fellow Keepers through the use of Divination, albeit limited as the Keepers
were able to guard themselves well and Merlin had to be careful around it, and since they were
sincere, Merlin had allowed them to use their powers.

Now, though, he wondered if he should research them a little bit more...

"Welcome, Merlin. What brings you here, young warlock?" Kilgharrah asked as Merlin
approached him in his Dragon Sanctuary.

"Recently, I went to Feldcroft because it was flooded and in dire need of revitalization, along with
also having to make sure Morgana's Relic stayed where it should be, but I have to admit I saw the
Keepers. They were the ones who helped the village. Something is strange, though. One of them
possess a natural connection to the Old Religion, and that's the first time I've ever seen it before. I
even encountered a young girl who also had a natural connection to the Old Religion. Do you
know something about it?" Merlin asked the ancient Dragon as Kilgharrah hummed.

"You're talking about Percival Rakham, the late-bloomer, I assume? The Leader of the Keepers,
and one who manifested magical abilities at the age of fifteen, as the perquisite for having a
stronger connection to the Old Religion than a normal sorcerer?" Kilgharrah asked calmly as
Merlin's eyes widened.

"A late-bloomer? That doesn't explain why he can use Ancient Magic, Kilgharrah. I've seen late-
bloomers before, and they aren't connected to the Old Religion naturally-"

"It was a rare thing, but possible, for sorcerers to be born with the power of Ancient Magic to a
higher degree than most, long since the old times of the Old Religion, Merlin. Percival Rakham
was the first ever since Camelot fell, yes, but this proved that while the Old Religion had dimmed,
it's power still remains strong. It's not a matter of strong concern, Merlin." Kilgharrah said simply
as Merlin took the information in.

So the Old Religion can still manifest it's power through people naturally, rather than just
surviving artifacts and locations of the Ancient Magic?

"Okay, but I'm curious about that other girl. Is it possible for two such unique late-bloomers to
exist simultaneously?" Merlin asked as Kilgharrah nodded.

"Yes. In fact, I recall a time where there was a triplet of such late-bloomers. They were some of the
greatest sorcerers in the Old Religion, with power that could be compared to even that of
Morgana's own. But it doesn't have to be blood connection, as I've seen instances where unrelated
late bloomers coexisted. It's not like it's an anomaly, just a blessing that the Old Religion can grant
to those they saw fit to." Kilgharrah answered as Merlin took in the information.

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt to see that girl and how the Keepers will react to her. She's from
Feldcroft, which happens to be one of the main sources of Hogwarts students, so she'll attend the
school at her fifth year. I'll be there to check when she gets her examinations." Merlin spoke out
loud as Kilgharrah simply hummed.

"So be it. Do what you think you must do."

"Ah! Mister Richard! Welcome to the school!" Headmistress Niamh greeted him politely as Merlin
smiled at her.

"I'm happy to be here, Miss Niamh. The education in Hogwarts has improved much since your
takeover. In particular, I heard that Isidora Morganach, the most talented of your students, has
managed to achieve various accolades?" Merlin asked with a convincing smile as the Headmistress
merely nodded with a small smile.

"Yes. She was quite the student. She was a late bloomer, yet she was outstandingly talented. She
was eager to learn the ways of magic after the death of her brother, which made her father
particularly heartbroken, so as to be able to help her old village recover. She has a good spirit and a
strong desire to help people. Now, I think I should introduce you to the other professors?"

Merlin smiled and nodded while he took in that information. He had heard that Isidora had lost her
brother from sources he had on Feldcroft, so he decided that after a few months, which was now,
would be the right time to go along with what he wanted.

Headmistress Niamh lead him to the Headmaster's Office, and Merlin couldn't help but smile. He
still recalled the days when Godric and Salazar would compete to be allowed to seat on the chair
while Merlin just playfully gave each of them an hour's time to act as though they were the
Headmaster, which lead to them trying to order around Helga, Rowena, and most importantly, each
other.

That smile did fade, however, when he noticed a few paintings of what he easily recognized as
telling of the Deathly Hallows, causing him to shake his head briefly, which did not went unnoticed
to Niamh. "Something wrong, Mister Richard?" The Headmistress asked in concern as Merlin
shook his head.

"Ah, no. I see that you're quite a fan of the Tale of the Three Brothers, I assume?" Merlin asked as
he quickly regained himself, causing Niamh to smile simply.

"Yes. In my opinion, that tale depicts what I believe to be the truth. Just as the first and second
brother fell because they were too eager to use their new powers and ended up overusing the tools
they were granted, it proves that there is no light without shadow. One mustn't strive for a
complete victory, but instead do their best and accept the results. Only then can they truly be
happy, and by accepting the fact that evil will keep rising and must constantly be fought to keep the
world in balance, a wizard or witch can find peace."

Merlin paused at that as the current Headmistress of Hogwarts smiled at him. He had never really
thought of it that way. What happened to Cadmus and Antioch was one of his greatest regrets.
Look at what the Elder Wand had caused, and how the Resurrection Stone had tempted many to
seek out a way to defeat death. It was all his fault, and he honestly couldn't agree totally with her,
but he did have to admit he agreed with what she believed about light and darkness. It was the
reality of things, to be honest. Even had Arthur survived and lead the world to what it should be,
there would still be villains and darkness around.

"Such wise words, Miss Niamh." Merlin said with a small forced smile that made her nod
curiously at him, clearly noticing some of his emotions.

"Ah! The representative of the Wizarding Examinations Authority, Mister Richard Pendragon, I
assume?" Professor Percival said genially as he got up and shook hands with Merlin. "Welcome to
Hogwarts! We are pleased to welcome you."

"The pleasure is mine, Professor Percival. I must say your Divination capacities are quite
remarkable, especially as it's quite the esoteric branch of magic, yet it would appear that your
students are well-learned from what I am aware, learning practical spells. Impressive." Merlin
praised the teacher before him as the man merely smiled.

"Why, thank you, Mister Richard. Your family's name too is quite impressive. I've heard rumors of
how the Pendragon Family had wizarding ties, but I have never encountered one before. If I may
implore-"

"Well, that's clearly a thing. I myself do not know too much of the legacy of my Family, but what I
do know is that the Pendragon Family's wizarding ties began with Merlin, who took up the name of
the man he saw as his brother in honor for who he was. There are three families who have the
"Blood of Merlin", the Emrys, the Ambrosius, and the Pendragon. I must humbly ask that you keep
this knowledge in wraps, however, for the golden days of the old are over. I know Ancient Magic's
existence, but I do not possess the power to wield it, for example." Merlin said with a convincing
smile, although he felt like clenching his fists several times over.

He had been taking up names that more regularly was inspired from either his deceased friends of
Camelot or names he came up at the fly, but even he could not prevent rumors of "wizarding
families connected to Merlin". Emrys and Ambrosius were among the ones most well-known, and
there were many other speculations aside from those "definites". Sometimes, he wondered if he
was doing right enough to justify taking up his friends name after how his failures lead to
Camelot's ruin.

"Ah! Such a curious detail, but we do not mind if you wish to keep it a secret. From what I am
aware, Ancient Magic is full of mysteries, and only Merlin was said to have mastered Ancient
Magic completely. It was said that Ancient Magic was the roots of the magic we wield today,
created by Merlin's genius of magic that gave birth to the magics of the present to match what we
only know as "The Decay" or "The Weakening" of Ancient Magic." Percival said with an
understanding smile as Merlin chuckled and nodded.

"Thank you for sharing what you know, as well, Professor Percival." He didn't want to prolong this
discussion too much, especially as he knew it was only half right. While he did create the
fundamentalism that would lead to the birth of Modern Magic, it was not all him. Kilgharrah also
helped out.

"Hello, San, Charles!" Percival called out, causing Merlin to turn around and watch as the two
other Keepers came into the office.

"Mister Richard Pendragon! A pleasure. Charles Rookwood, Professor of Transfiguration."

"I am Professor San Bakar of Care of Magical Creatures, as well. A pleasure to make your
acquaintance."

Merlin shook hands with all of them. "The pleasure is mine. I've heard many things about your
effectiveness as professors, and your curiculums are quite well-managed."

Charles merely smiled warmly at him while Bakar nodded appreciatively. "Your praise pleases us,
Mister Richard. Now, let us discuss about the incoming O.W.L.S-"

"Before that, may I ask how would you approach the matter with one Isidora Morganach? As she
entered the school as a fifth-year, how would you wish for O.W.L.S to be held regarding her?"
Merlin asked profesionally, making sure to not appear suspicious.

"Ah! Do not worry, Sir. She will receive her O.W.Ls personally. She's quite the gifted student, and
I daresay it would only take 7 days after the O.W.L.S before she would be ready to be tested by
you. We will be there for her, of course." Niamh stated confidently as Merlin nodded with a smile.

"I'm pleased to hear that, Professors. After all, regardless of circumstances, all students deserve the
chance to thrive in their own way." Merlin said kindly as the professors before him nodded
politely.

It went well, thankfully. He watched over the O.W.L.S and N.E.W.T.S for this year, having done
this about 5 times before. If anything, he was responsible for codifying the standards used by the
Wizarding Examinations Authority, having funded it as part of his efforts to support magical
education and then spread the usage of O.W.L.S and N.E.W.T.S through the other schools
available.

Seeing the students eagerly do their exams and practice were fond memories of Merlin, not only
when he was in Hogwarts, but also while he was in the other schools. The fact that, despite
everything, children could still thrive while possessing magic served to warm Merlin's heart when
looking back. Merlin himself was always well-liked by the students for his willingness to praise
their performance, and would add in supportive comments at certain occasions.

Part of the reason why this was so easy for him, and why he had a particular liking to this kind of
thing was because he still remembered the days before O.W.L.S and N.E.W.T.S had came into
existence. When he was still Headmaster of Hogwarts, he and the Founders would watch over the
students in their tests and Merlin would be casually standing by, watching as his children carried
out their duties and stepping in whenever they ended up causing discomfort to the students with
their quirks.

Alas, the old days were long gone, never to come back...

Anyway, after two weeks of looking over the students and being well-liked by them all, he was
now ready to test Isidora Morganach.

"We must thank you, Mister Richard, for being such a respectable examiner. You carried out your
duties much more efficiently than any other we've seen before, I confess. The students warmed up
to you quite quickly, and you not only respected them, but supported them. As Headmistress, I
would like to express my thanks for it." Merlin merely smirked at Niamh's words as he casually
nodded back.

"Thank you for your kind words, Headmistress Niamh, but I simply did what I think anyone
should." Merlin said simply as the Headmistress smiled.

"Ah! Mister Richard Pendragon, I assume? My name is Isidora Morganach, and I am very
appreciative that you have agreed to take up my... unique case." Merlin smiled politely at Isidora as
she quickly got up and greeted him with a grateful smile.

"Yes. Now, let us begin, Miss Morganach. Which do you like to take on first? Practical or theory?"

Isidora merely smiled. "Practical, first, please!"

And he had to admit she truly lived up to her reputation as the brightest of her year, indeed.

Isidora was able to perform all the magic she was required to show at a level unmatched by her
fellow students, which only further strengthened Merlin's suspicions that she really had a natural
connection to the Old Religion. Even without tapping into it, the Old Religion still strengthened
her powers, giving her plenty of opportunities to refine her work from.
"You have quite an exceptional grasp over Transfiguration, Miss Morganach. Transfiguration is
quite the difficult field, yet you performed astonishingly well. You were able to vanish all the
objects required and perform switching spells at a commendable level. I have never encountered
one as talented as you are, admittedly." Merlin praised earnestly as she finished her O.W.L.S.

"Thank you for your kind words, Mister Richard, but... That's not what I truly seek to specialize in."
Isidora said with a small smile.

"Oh? Then what is it? Defense Against the Dark Arts? You were flawless in your repelling of dark
creatures and performing various counter-jinxes, so-"

"Er, no, I'm most interested in Charms, you know. Charms are the fundamentals of all types of
magic, from what I have learned about in Magical Theory. I think I would like to develop spells
that could further help others. Do you think I'm capable of that?" Isidora asked enthusiastically as
Merlin kept a smile on his face, although for some reason, he felt that something was... odd, like a
foreboding, despite how she seemed sincere.

"Of course! I think you have that skill, with how proficiently you cast the Charms required to pass.
However, I must warn you that developing a new spell is quite the complex magical practice. You
might want to take it slow and broaden your skills before you attempt such a thing." Isidora
beamed at him as she nodded.

Not only her magical skills, but her intelligence and knowledge was also quite exceptional as she
was able to answer all the theoritical questions given flawlessly.

"Mister Richard, can I ask you if you've had any experience with spell-creation?" Isidora asked
innocently at the last day of her examination, Magical Theory. "It's just that I've heard from
Professor Percival that you were descended from Merlin himself, so you must have quite a few
knowledge of magic outside the norm?"

Merlin innerly flinched, but remained calm externally as he nodded. "Well, I suppose I can tell you
a few things. First, when you create a spell, you must design the proper wand movement and
incantation. Depending on the type of magic, you'll need to choose different languages. For
example, the magic of my family, a special one for which I cannot divulge, uses Old English as it
is a particularly powerful form of magic, quite old, while the magic of Britain uses primarily Latin.
Secondly, to create a spell, you MUST properly understand what EFFECT you want your spell to
have, and from that understanding, craft your own method of manipulating magic."

"The latter step is first and foremost, Isidora. If you do not understand what effect your spell does,
then it could end up being too much or have the opposite effect. Remember that you must be a
witch of outstanding experience and power to successfully accomplish such a feat."

Isidora nodded eagerly before asking again. "What do you think, Mister Richard, about your
connection to Merlin? I imagine it must be quite the honor, to be related to-"

"Isidora... Merlin is not a perfect figure. He's a great wizard, yes, but is he a great man? Perhaps he
had a good heart and noble intentions, yet in my opinion, Merlin failed. He didn't manage to do
what he set out to do with King Arthur, and had to leave behind the prospect of uniting the
wizarding and non-wizarding worlds to the next generation. Don't look at the past, but at the
future. Be better." Merlin said softly as he gave her a small tired smile.

Isidora's eyes lost it's gleam as she stared at him sympathetically. "You seem quite distraught when
you think of that. You... remind me of my father, who hasn't recovered from losing my brother
after all these years."
"Well, people like me are quite old, Isidora, so I have had my fair share of pain and regret, but
every single one of those experiences, no matter how much they hurt, give me reason to carry on. I
do hope you remember that in mind." Merlin said simply as she patted her shoulder.

A few years later, and Merlin would stumble upon Isidora again by an accidental twist of fate. He
was just keeping an eye on the seal placed at Feldcroft's Catacombs when he sensed Isidora's
power, now much more in tune with the Old Religion than it was, along with the Keepers.

Since he wasn't meant to know about their connection to Ancient Magic, he chose to hide himself
as he observed Isidora and the Keepers, settling himself in a standing position inside Isidora's house
as he watched her interaction with her father first.

"I can't bring brother back, father, but I can bring you peace." Isidora said softly at the despondent
Mr Morganach, causing him to look away. He knew better than most the feeling of lacking a father
figure, after all.

When the door opened and the Keepers stepped in, Merlin watched as Isidora and her father
greeted the guests.

"Now, on my travels, with the hints on spell-creation Mister Richard gave me, combined with my
personal research on Ancient Magic, I was able to discover a few things. First, Ancient Magic's
connection with the normal magic used by others comes from the fact that they all rely on one
source of power, the Old Religion." Merlin's eyes widened at the term he never thought he would
hear again from a modern wizard.

"The Old Religion? You mean the "source of magic" we have all been only somewhat aware of?"
Niamh questioned Isidora curiously.

"Yes. There's surprisingly little I was able to discover, even as I traveled ancient ruins, especially
ones connected to the Kingdom of Myth, Camelot, but I was able to find that the Old Religion
appears to be the very energy that keeps the universe itself in harmony. It's like the life force of the
spectrum of the reality, space, and time continuum, and it governs all magic in existence. It's one
with the very will of the world itself, which I believe to be the reason why our magics are so
powerful compared to normal. We harness the Old Religion more acutely than normal wizards
could." Isidora gladly explained as Merlin shook his head.

He had warded the ruins of Camelot, especially ones containing knowledge of magic, but he
supposed he had never really thought an Ancient Magic user could bypass his protections, since
they were rather outdated compared to his current level of skill in magical warding. Somehow, he
felt that Isidora discovered more than that.

"I see. That's quite the discovery, Isidora."

"But that's not all. While studying the ruins, I discovered the Journal of Merlin himself, along with
a couple of books on Ancient Magic." Merlin's eyes widened even more as she casually took out a
few books and presented them to the Keepers, who took them and began to read curiously, but
what made him actually start to feel the tinges of wariness was the book Isidora kept to herself. It
was indeed his OLD journal. He had wrote on it while having started his training under Kilgharrah
as Court Sorcerer of Camelot, although he only truly began to dedicate himself to learning what the
Great Dragon had to teach him after he had came to terms that he would never die.

"Some of them are written by Ancient Runes, but Merlin's journal was written in just plain English.
This journal contained details of Merlin himself when he was still training to master his powers,
and the wisdom contained inside it was quite enlightening. It was with this that I was able to
discern one thing I always believed. At first, I thought Mister Richard had not properly
communicated what was needed for Spell Creation, but now I realize that I lacked the component
needed for the spell I've always wanted to create. Truly, he was right. Understanding what you
want to weave into the world and then reciting the incantation that resembled it."

With that, Isidora began to focus deeply as she recited incantations. "Pîn w¯ære griellan sôðlic
ætgenumen toward ðone as hyge!" The effect was instantaneous, and Merlin watched, with wide
eyes, as dark wisps of magic came out from Mister Morganach's heart as Isidora directed it into a
jar made of Goblin Silver.

"Oh Isidora... What have you done?" Merlin said softly to himself just as Percival also said the
same.

Percival was able to tell that Ancient Magic being used in such a way was very much new, even for
Merlin himself, but Merlin could already sense the power of that spell, the nature of the spell. It
was disturbingly dark, passionate in ways that could easily be harmful.

He teleported to Kilgharrah immediately. The Great Dragon smiled as he casually waved his paw
at Merlin. "Ah, Merlin. Nice to see you continue to see the Isle of Blessed as a good place to take
some time alone-"

"I have quite a few urgent news, Kilgharrah." With that, Merlin proceeded to project memories
upon Kilgharrah about the details of what he saw Isidora did, still feeling chills from experiencing
the power of the spell.

After the memory was finished, Kilgharrah looked to be in deep thought. "What do you think,
Kilgharrah? That spell is definitely dark. It actually sent chills into my body. It's power is more...
passionate than any I've seen before."

"This is quite disturbing, indeed. We should approach this with caution. I will have to think first,
Merlin. Meanwhile, be on the lookout for any possible outcomes." Kilgharrah said after a while as
Merlin nodded warily.

"Did I make the wrong choice? Telling her about Spell Creation? Like, she probably would have
come to her own conclusion, but-"

"Merlin, you are not responsible for every single thing that the people who you interact face. You
gave them free will, and that free will comes with just as much of a chance for darkness as it comes
with light." Kilgharrah said firmly. "You did your best, young warlock. Do not blame yourself."

A year later...

"So you're absolutely sure it would work?" Merlin asked Kilgharrah again testily as he prepared to
head out and undo the damage that Isidora had unwittingly caused.

It had been just 2 months since he picked up that Isidora's actions caused people to practically lose
all emotions. It was a horror for him to learn exactly how far Isidora had fallen, and since he was
partially responsible for her discovery of that overwhelming spell, he saw it fit to work to find a
way to restore the damage, and who else but Kilgharrah who could help him, who at this point was
still somewhat more powerful than him and also happened to be more experienced and
knowledgeable.

"Yes, Merlin. This could work, but do remember that this does not automatically take away the
magic Isidora now has in her disposal. We should treat her with caution." Kilgharrah said grimly as
Merlin nodded.

"I'll set off to treat the ones she had stripped emotions from, then."

Isidora had fortunately only practiced her magic on 20 individuals for now, which made it easy for
him to cast the counter-spell and restore what had been taken away from them. He just had to recite
"Hiertan, yfel onbûgan wið wægn willa ofbrytenwongas æghwilc midd su midmest onwille to
êow. Stician hit hê sârwylm, sibgeornes, welhwâ pro myne midde êow hwæðre êower
æftersona!" and all the damage could be undone after 10 minutes full of pain. It wasn't fatal, and
would allow the people to return to their normal lives... Except not all of them were grateful for
what he had done.

Most were very relieved to have their emotions returned, describing it as a very tormented
existence where they could feel nothing and giving him as much Galleons as they could, despite
Merlin insisting he had no need for Galleons.

However, 6 of them did not appreciate Merlin restoring their emotions and even lashed out, stating
that they felt better unable to feel anything since they had lost their loved ones or any drive to live.
It was quite painful, to be honest, seeing them in a manner just as bad or even worse than his brief
spiral into seeking a way out in death. He couldn't bear it, no matter how much he had affirmed
himself not to intervene. In the end, he chose to take away their painful memories to allow them a
new start in life.

"You have had a hard time, Merlin. I am aware. Isidora's motives are quite sympathetic, but she
went on it the wrong way. We both have gone through our fair share of pain and failures, but it's
only by overcoming them that we're able to become the person that we are now. Never forget that."
Kilgharrah said softly when Merlin returned to the Isle of Blessed.

Merlin gave a sad, melancholic grin. "I know, Kilgharrah. I keep myself awake at certain nights
thinking about that, after all."

Of course, there was simply no way that it would be that simple, with how dedicated Isidora was.
It had been just a week when he had undid what Isidora did when he learned that Isidora had been
wielding that magic on students.

"WHAT!?" Merlin shouted as he immediately clenched his fists, his magic boiling in his body as
explosions began to occur around him and Kilgharrah from the uncontrolled energies he was letting
out.

"Calm down, Merlin." Kilgharrah said with power as his explosions actually burst entire buildings
apart. Several golden magical sigils appeared as Kilgharrah's magic swiftly repaired all the mess he
caused by reconstructing the buildings and putting out the fires with water before making it as
though there was no trace of harm left. "Now is not the time to lose yourself to wrath, but to focus
on the situation at hand."

Merlin forced himself to calm down as he breathed deeply a couple of times. "She's gone too far. I
have to take her out. I'll go back to Hogwarts now. Where is she, Kilgharrah? Take me to her,
NOW!"
Kilgharrah looked away. "This will lead to another adventure, Merlin, eventually, but for now, she
must be stopped, yes."

With that, Merlin flew into Kilgharrah's back and allowed the Great Dragon to distort space,
reaching caverns that Merlin recognized as the very same ones he once took the Founders for
family walks and had them practice Ancient Magic.

"This caverns were the place where I would hold certain classes with the Founders, to think it
lasted all this time..." Merlin said, almost in wonder and longing for the old days, before he shook
his head and clenched his fists.

They're not coming back. Right now, the only thing I can do is make sure Hogwarts remains
standing.

"Yes. I still recall the days where Godric would challenge me to certain trials, I remember when
Rowena would exchange wisdom with me, and I remember Helga's passion for healing as well as
Salazar's uncanny sense of humor, as well." Kilgharrah said fondly as Merlin shook his head.

"Those are days long gone, Kilgharrah. They're not coming back." Merlin said bitterly as he
walked forward. "Isidora is at the edge of the cave, is she? I'll need to transfigure myself as to take
her down without causing any potential ramifications." With that, Merlin transformed into a
younger version of his "Dragoon the Great" old disguise, still old, but only at the level of a 50 years
old compared to the 75-old guy he was when he first used an Ageing Spell. His current body was
that of a 34 years old, as he stopped aging upon completing his adulthood.

"Let's do this." Merlin said, but before he could move up, he noticed students walking towards him
in a daze. He clenched his teeth at the sight of their emotionless looks.

"Focus, Merlin. You can undo the damage she has done after she's been taken care of. The first
thing you must do is support the Keepers in your own way." Kilgharrah reminded him as Merlin
nodded. He could already feel the Keepers and Isidora at the edge, confronting each other.

Merlin used the simulation form of his Spatial Distortion to cross the distances as fast as he could,
moving as trails of energy swiftly through the cave.

3 minutes later, and he noticed the fight had already began. Niamh had just been flung aside by an
explosive spell that Percival protected himself and Charles from. Percival immediately fired a spell
that unleashed bolts of lightning, but Isidora easily dispersed them with a wave of her wand that
unleashed waves of wind. Isidora retaliated by forming eagles of fire and throwing them at the two
Keepers, but Percival and Charles combined their magic to create a large serpent-like dragon that
easily devoured the eagles.

Unfazed, Isidora vanished the dragon by flicking her wand at it and manipulated the water
composing it into swords of water that Charles neutralized by forming a large transfiguration sigil
that transformed them all into butterflies, with Percival following up by creating a dazzling orb of
light that gathered all the butterflies and imbued them with light and launching them at Isidora,
who countered by firing a bolt of energy that destroyed the orb along with the butterflies inside.

Merlin was about to jump in when he noticed Niamh had recovered and immediately launched a
massive beam of fire that forced Isidora back a few steps even as she blocked it. The Keepers then
surrounded Isidora as they worked together to fight back against the superior power her dabbling
with the magic of emotions allowed her to access.

It became evident that although Isidora surpassed the Keepers easily in power, they had her beaten
in terms of experience and were able to efficiently coordinate their magics together to fight back,
allowing it to be a well-matched fight as Isidora began to struggle against all four of them, neither
sides being willing to give in as they fired spells mercilessly at one another.

Percival, as the one who had the natural connection to Ancient Magic, was apparently the one who
understood her spells the most and was able to lead the other Keepers into efficiently countering,
and Merlin could not help but admire the man's skill. He truly was one of the best Hufflepuffs
Merlin ever knew from this fight alone. He repeatedly saved the other Keepers with excellent
leadership and powerful magics and slowly but surely, the tides began to turn against Isidora as any
attempt to reach out was ignored by the other side or dismissed into a plea to relent.

After 7 minutes, it ultimately came to an end. Percival had just conjured dozens of fiery badgers
while also using runes to fire lightning while Niamh created icicles sharpened further by trails of
wind and threw them at Isidora. As Isidora focused against the combined attacks, her defenses
weakened just for a single moment, and San Bakar did not hesitate. With narrowed eyes, Merlin
watched as Isidora was killed by a Killing Curse to the back, a sudden abrupt end after all the fight
she put up.

Shaking his head, Merlin felt his anger leave him as he allowed himself to pity Isidora Morganach.
She had reminded him of Rowena, only while Rowena was able to tame her passion for knowledge,
Isidora fell into the darkness as she became corrupted by her knowledge.

Merlin discreetly warped Isidora's corpse away as he noticed Kilgharrah flying ahead and nodded
at him.

A few hours later, and Merlin had already finished burying both Isidora and her father. Despite
everything, he believed Isidora at least deserved to be laid to rest at her own home, beside her
family. Her father, who was too far gone, Merlin regretfully killed with his own hands, hoping he
would find peace with his family.

"The Keepers have been "enlightened"?" Merlin turned towards Kilgharrah, who nodded.

"Yes. I've also undid all the harm Isidora did to the students. Their memories have been modified,
and the Keepers have decided that Isidora's death will be falsified as caused by an accident in an
experiment with no bodies left to bury." Kilgharrah declared as Merlin shook his head and stared at
the unmarked gravestone mournfully. It reminded him of how he never got to bury Salazar. He was
able to bury Godric, Rowena, and Helga, but-

"You did what you could, Merlin. Do not blame yourself, and more importantly, use this as a
lesson on how important it is to hold on to your humanity. Is it painful? Yes, but pain is part of
being a human. It's better to be able to be hurt yet then find solace and happiness, rather than live a
hollow life." Kilgharrah said as he approached Merlin.

Merlin gave a small melancholic chuckle. "I know, Kilgharrah. I know. I have lived for 7 centuries
by now, and though there seems to be no end at sight, I still keep going. Not just because I have to,
but because it serves as a penance for my old failures."

With that, Merlin turned away and apparated back to his home.

For some reason, he felt that things were far from over. That one day, he would have to face an
outbreak caused by the magic he had a part in giving birth to.
 500 Years Later...

"Can it be?" Merlin smiled tiredly, nothing in the physical sense, as he eyed Percival Rakham.

Centuries had passed, yet he still remembered what had happened between the Keepers and Isidora.
As he had expected, the past had came back and he must face it now.

"It's good to see you, Professor Rakham. I am afraid we parted ways with me hiding the truth of
who I really am. You deserve to know. I am... Merlin."

Chapter End Notes

I'm sorry I haven't been active in these series recently! I got too focused with my other
fics, so I do hope you understand. Anyway, I think I'll have to continue the main series
NEXT YEAR, since I'm afraid I lost the spark recently. That said, I do think I can get
chapters out for this fic depicting Merlin's journeys in the past. I do hope you enjoy it.
I had a hard time writing this, since I wanted to show how Merlin didn't just become
the man he is in the present shortly after Arthur died. He went through a lot, which is
why he's a lot more emotional here.

Please drop by the archive and comment to let the author know if you enjoyed their work!