Ancient Help (A Harry Potter and Merlin Crossover)

Chapter Twelve: A Peaceful Day

A week had exactly passed and things had become better in Camelot. The houses were slowly rebuilt; the castles were being fortified once again. People were once again coming out of their houses and resuming where their lives had been before the Dragon's attack. Children were  playing in the streets, mothers were buying things in the village market, and fathers were readying themselves for another day of work.

Simply put, Camelot was at peace.

Hermione placed her chin on both of her hands as she watched a family strolling past down their house, huge smiles on their faces. From Gwen's window, she could see how the people were once again happy of the things happening in Camelot.

She thought it was a little humorous, knowing that she had just arrived here in Camelot exactly a month a week ago and yet, a lot of things had already happened. There was, of course, the fact that Dumbledore's magic had brought her farther from what he originally planned; thus, making her wait for the time when Arthur was already King and he possessed Excalibur already.

There was also King Alined, his Jester, and the whole love potion fiasco. That was an interesting event, though, because somehow, this had showed that even though Arthur was nobility and Guinevere was a mere servant, there was a blossoming love between the two. Hermione thought that perhaps, there was at least something true to the Arthurian legends she had researched back in her world after all.

And then, there was the Knights of Medhir and Morgana's ultimate absence. Thinking about the Lady Morgana brought a slight chill in Hermione's heart. When she arrived here, she was probably one of the kindest person in the whole Kingdom. But after what she had witnessed, most especially Merlin's poisoning and his betrayal, she had this inkling that perhaps, Morgana would finally change. Or worse, she would finally become the evil sorceress that the Arthurian legends had always been painting her as one.

Finally, there was Kilgharrah and his vendetta against Uther for the death of his kind. That time was probably the most horrible Hermione had ever been, seeing that she had once again broke down due to her nerves. The quest in search of the solution, of the Dragonlord, made her also witness a forming strong bond between the future King of Camelot and the future Legendary Warlock of the Wizarding World. And of course, Balinor's death who then passed on his ability to talk and tame dragons to Merlin, who now was the Last Dragonlord.

Although these things had occupied Hermione's mind, Hogwarts had always crossed her mind once in a while. She wondered how things were back in her world. She wondered how the Order of the Phoenix was coping with the numerous threats that Voldemort and the Death Eaters had posed to their world. She wondered about Dumbledore, and how he was handling. When she left, some of his hopelessness resurfaced, seeing that they finally resorted in a dangerous mission that Hermione had a great role to partake in. She most especially wondered about Harry and Ron, and how they were holding up without her.

Thinking about Hogwarts brought slight sadness into her heart and Hermione couldn't help but to sigh. Although Camelot was wonderful, it still was not the same like home. Here, she had to try her very best to mingle and not stand out. Here, she had to be not... her.

Hermione was happy, though, that she had found unlikely friends here in this time. Gwen proved to be a lovely person, and although she was not exactly the richest person in the whole kingdom, she was probably the kindest person she had ever met. Her love for Arthur was truly genuine and there were no ulterior motives behind her feelings. Arthur, on the other hand, seemed to be an obnoxious, arrogant prince, but underneath all those ridiculously annoying traits, there was kind heart that truly cared for Camelot. And of course, his love for Guinevere was genuine, too, despite their social differences.