Professor Merlin Emrys

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Merlin was not there when Umbridge had sacked Trelawney and regretted having to miss it, though Ron and Harry had filled him in after he returned from his home. He had looked through as many books as he could over the weekend to find any way to rid Harry of the horcrux that resided in him unwillingly. He had yet to speak to Harry about it, not wanting to add to the boy's worries until he was sure to have found a way to be rid of it. He had no such luck with any of his books and planned to visit an old friend the weekend after next.

Harry looked excited that Dumbledore had stood up for Trelawney. Even though Harry obviously didn't care for the woman's teaching, Merlin knew Harry didn't want her sacked over it. Dumbledore still hadn't taken Merlin's advice regarding spending time with Harry, but had at least acknowledged Harry's existence somewhat from the nod he had given The teen before he left. The boys ended up talking over each other too often and Merlin had to have only one of them explain that the Headmaster had hired a centaur to teach Divination. Merlin had a good laugh imagining Delores' face as she was humiliated in front of the whole school, her decree thrown back in her face.

He had dismissed them both to finish their homework that they left for the last-minute once the story was over. Heading out in the opposite direction for classroom eleven, the new Professor's class being moved to the ground floor of the castle for easy access. He had met Firenze twice before when he visited the lake near the Forbidden Forest. The white-haired centaur had been one of the more rational of his kind, just as vague and unhelpful, but kind and didn't have the air that he thought he knew everything like the others of his herd.

"Firenze?" Merlin called, the musty room filled with cobwebs and layers of dust that the centaur looked to be trying to clean. Firenze turned, giving a tiny upturn of his lips.

"Emrys, the stars foretold our meeting once again," coming closer to grab his forearm in greeting.

"What else do the stars tell?" Merlin had always been rubbish at reading the stars, instead leaving it to the creatures who could do so naturally.

"That danger shall make itself known in a dream," Merlin grimaced, not liking the vague reading but knowing that the Centaur's don't share everything, letting man make its own choices.

"You never can be helpful, you seers can you?" Merlin asked, in the rhetorical sense though Firenze shrugged. "There's always danger, Firenze. Sometimes I think you do it just to mess with people," shaking his head, wondering who's dream it would manifest in. Merlin has received visions from the Old Religion occasionally, enough that Merlin had experience to control what he sees when it wills him to see. But Harry has also had dreams that he should know nothing about, yet does. Though it is most likely that the piece of Riddle that was attached to Harry was sharing the wizard's thoughts and memories with the teenager. It was a dangerous thing, if Tom Riddle learned about it. He could take advantage of it; implant false images to scare Harry or worse.

"And yet, you believe that what I say is truth," Firenze counters as Merlin comes out of his mind.

"Well, Centaurs aren't known for lying. Can you even lie, I never thought to ask?" Merlin wondered aloud. Firenze gives a laugh but does not answer. It makes Merlin study the being more to find a deep bruise of another hoofprint on his chest.

"Firenze, what happened?" fingers tracing the outline of the bruise once he's close enough.

"My herd has banished me, Emrys. They did not want me to help Dumbledore. They do not care what he has done for us. I cannot go back to the forest," his eyes darken, shaking his head as he gently removes Merlin's fingers from him. He turns his back to him, picking up the duster again.

"Do you want some help?" Merlin offers, feeling bad for prying into the subject that is obviously a sore spot for the centaur.

"Please,"