The Gathering: The New Order of Merlin Book 1

It's a basilisk

Merlin jumped up from Dumbledore's couch and immediately went to the door, expecting to be followed. Dumbledore, Snape, and Madam Pomfrey walked behind him (Snape had to make a quick break to take off his shoes), and Merlin started explaining.

"Keep your eyes down. The creature will kill you if you look at it."

"Where are you leading us?" Dumbledore asked, surprisingly springy for his old age.

"The library. I want to see whatever you have on this creature. We need a way to kill it. As I found, a plain, old confrontation does not work."

They quickly passed the dark corridors, keeping their eyes down, and Merlin opened the large double door of the library.

It was empty at this hour so it would make the task easier. He approached the closest table, said his long incantation and waited.

"What was that?" Snape asked, his eyes narrow as slits.

"I called all books containing a mention of Basilisk. It's a giant serpent, a creature of Old Magic. I thought they were all extinct already but it appears that Salazar saved one for his special mission. Oh, Salazar," he sighed, "what a deadly pet you had."

Would he have done differently? Didn't his Dragonlord heritage urge him to do everything in his power to save dragons from extinction? Could he blame a Snakelord for feeling the same? If only Salazar's snakes were not so... evil, it would be very relatable.

Books started floating over to the table, stacking themselves neatly and Merlin used his mind's eye to scan each one for mentions of Basilisk.

"Can we help?" Dumbledore asked.

"You'll be too slow."

He was aware that Snape and Madam Pomfrey were staring at him while he was using magic they had never seen, but he didn't care. They saw him rise from the dead. There was no need to hide anything else from them.

He stopped on a book called Most Macabre Monstrosities.

"Crow of a rooster is fatal to it? This sounds like a silly Muggle superstition. I suppose we could try it out, but that's a big chance. I'd like to have a backup plan in case if this is false."

He continued looking through other books and only found a mention of smell of a weasel which sounded even more unlikely to be true.

Merlin ran out of books to search and scratched his head.

"I might have something about the Great Serpents in my collection. I'll look there next."

He sent the books flying back to their spots and leaned on the table, thinking. He touched the Sidhe crystal on his neck. Would the staff work? Maybe, but in any case, he would have to leave the school. Several issues needed his attention and he couldn't put them off anymore.

Snape was glaring at him and Merlin realized that the Greasy Git still had not figured out who he was.

"You might as well tell them, Albus," he said with a shrug. He wasn't in the mood to deal with this drama.

Snape's lip twitched. "I know who you are."

Merlin waited for the onslaught of questions. People had various reactions to learning his identity - some would be in awe, some were scared, yet some were disappointed, expecting the Great Merlin to be more impressive than him.

Instead, Greasy Git pointed a finger at him and spat, "I was right. You're the Three-Headed Moon Frog!"

Merlin barked out a laugh, a welcome change of mood from the somber seriousness. He loved it that he chose that name as his pseudonym.