A Couple of Merlin Short Stories

Merlin and Harry Potter 5: Why Were You Here?

Emrys was surprised at his own patience with the obvious prejudice the Malfoy's showed. He became very good at biting his tongue. Of course, his tongue was sore afterward, but that just helped him remain silent, speaking only when spoken to. This seemed to please the elder Malfoy, Lucius. His grey eyes just a little less cold when he decided to glare at either Emrys or Draco.

Still, the days could've been much worse. It seemed Emrys' luck was up over the holiday as when Christmas came he wasn't forgotten. Several gifts made their way to the foot of his bed in one of the guest rooms the Malfoys mansion offered.

Harry and Ron sent him candy of all sorts - he smirked at that, the two Gryffindors had an infamous reputation for their sweet tooths - Hermione sent him a small book that was all about the legends of the Druids. That would be an interesting read. 

He was surprised to find a small firework painted to look like a dragon with a large W on the label. From the twins. Despite his shock, Emrys was extremely touched that they had remembered him. Finally, there was an extremely nice watch engraved with a cursive E. The face showed a spiraling galaxy with stars shooting across it every now and again. The hands were made of a white metal that swirled like a unicorn horn, on the tips of the minute and hour hands, a tiny green gem had embedded itself seamlessly. It seemed to Emrys that the whole contraption shone with an unknown light despite its dark casing. 

   "I hope you like it. Mother allowed me to put in a special order with a Muggle shop, and then bewitched it to work anywhere." Emrys looked up to see his friend standing in the doorway. He grinned and before Draco knew what was happening Emrys was squeezing his chest in a tight hug. Draco huffed a bit before placing his hand on the boy's shoulder. Finally, Emrys drew away.

   "Thank you. It's perfect, it's more than perfect. I love it!"

   "I'm glad." Emrys quickly shoved his own sloppily wrapped present into Draco's hands. He hadn't known what to get the boy until the last minute and now he regretted the poor presentation slightly. Then again it's the thought that counts. Draco sat down and slowly tore the paper from the small parcel. Opening the wooden box the blond found a small, ornately engraved, and gorgeous, twig. He picked it up out of the box and studied it more closely. On one end was a tiny blue jewel and the piece of wood seemed to hum. Draco looked at Emrys in obvious confusion.

   "Imagine it's a walking stick," Emrys said, a large grin on his face. Draco raised an eyebrow but humored the boy. Almost immediately the twig grew until it was the perfect size for a proper walking stick, its beauty was immortally grand. The archaic symbols carved into it felt warm to his touch and Draco's mouth fell open slightly.

   "H-how did you do that?" He asked wonder in his gaze as he looked at Emrys. The dark haired boy smiled slightly.

   "I'm . . . not really sure. But I do know that that stick is more than just a pretty trinket. There's powerful magic within its wood. It will always return to you, it will only recognize yours and my touch, and it will focus your magical energy far better than any wand could possibly hope to. Plus I put a shield charm on it so in emergencies you can hold it up and it'll give you some protection. Is it not good enough?" Emrys asked concerned as he saw Draco's face go slack. The boy stared owlishly at him,

   "Not good enough? Mate this is beyond perfect. Thank you." Though he said it quietly, Draco's voice was filled with sincerity and his eyes alit with awe. Emrys grinned slightly at the reaction. 

Starting from his inspection of the staff Draco focused for a second and the staff shrunk back into a twig, before turning to Emrys, 

   "By the way, we should probably hurry down to breakfast mother and father will be expecting us." Emrys nodded as he quickly packed his gifts away and slipped on more appropriate attire.