Professor Merlin Emrys

Merlin's Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Merlin had had a feeling today was going to be disastrous. Another night terror, this one happened to involve Arthur and those always left him in the worst of moods. He was only thankful he had not managed to cry himself awake. He moved lethargically around to his wardrobe and struggled into his shirt, not paying a lick of attention that it was a muggle band tee that didn't quite fit the dress code, along with ripped jeans and the robe he had worn at the start-of-term feast.

Why did he have such items in his closet? He could only blame it on the prank loving Aithusa. Merlin heaved up the last sleeve on his robe, half paying attention now so he would not run into the wall in his tiredness as he opened the door. He jerked back just in time for Umbridge's knuckles to avoid hitting him in the chest. Fully alert now, Merlin noticed the red that entered in the ministry employee's cheeks.

"Hem, hem. Myriddian-"

"-It's Emrys," Merlin interrupted, teeth grated together to hold his tongue back from the curses and hexes he wished to inflict on her. Still, she pressed on either oblivious to his annoyance or purposefully ignoring it in favor of saying her piece.

"Of course, I just wanted to remind you I will be inspecting the curriculum and the teachers this week. As such good friends to the ministry yours will be today," she smiled bitingly, not looking at all happy. Probably because Fudge had put in a word for her not to sack him before he had a chance to meet with Merlin in person or else risk him financially pulling his support.

"How...thoughtful, Delores," Merlin said, watching in hidden glee as she struggled to keep her smile plastered on and her eyes from twitching at his own deliberate choice of her name. "Now that your news has been delivered, breakfast is waiting and I would hate for the house elves' food to get cold and go to waste. After all, they work so much harder that most wizards and witches. Wouldn't you agree?" Merlin snipped, watching as Delores' veins threatened to pop out of her skull. He would pay galleons to actually see it happen. 

"Yes, I'm sure they do as they are told," she sidestepped the question, "hem, heming" once again as she turned on her heel and walked away.

Finally, Merlin let himself scowl. A terrible day indeed.

~

Merlin was grumpy by the time he had walked down to the great hall and managed to talk himself out of smiting the pink obsessed women in the middle of the school for everyone to see. Murder was terrible for lying low and he had promised himself he would not anymore. He sat down watching Aithusa juggle grapes and eating them one by one on their way down from the effects of gravity.

A brilliant thought came to mind as he watched Aithusa's forked tongue catch the last grape, a grin manifesting on his face as he ate his own waffle.

"I can physically see you planning something Merlin," Aithusa said in his head, eyes narrowed and mischievous as she stared at him.

"And if I am?" Merlin replied back smugly.

"Then I want in!" She shouted, making Merlin wince. "It better be a prank Merlin! A really good one," she was bouncing on the table as she talked in his mind and he belatedly realized how odd it must look from an outside perspective. "Oh, can I pick? How about that one in Barcelona in 1835! Or no...! What about when we pranked Leo, you can't go wrong with the classics, Merlin," Aithusa enthusiastically suggested ideas.

"I don't think we remember Barcelona the same way, Aithusa. Your prank caused an uprising where convents ended up burned-"

"-That man had it coming, talking about dragons the way he did, how was I supposed to know he would retaliate like that-"