42 Abashed Albus

My words were brash and I knew that. After all I was reprimanding and going against one of the greatest wizards of this era. Then again, as the words flowed from my mouth I felt as though I couldn't stop them. As if a deep-seated pride etched into my bones refused to let the man in front of me be seen as anything higher than me. I still kept my wits though, if Hagrid wasn't here the words would have been condensed down but I felt the need to be more cutting since I had the opportunity.

Dumbledore is an unpredictable man with his manipulative behaviour at points, but if there's even an inkling of 'usefulness' to me, he won't want to act against me pushing me into the arms of the 'other side'. With the words spoken thus far he will deem me far higher than others in terms of 'usefulness'. Especially considering the anecdotes showcasing that I have some grasp of the undercurrents in the wizarding world. That sort of attention, whether it be poisonous or useful is up to me to warp in the right direction. Drawing a distance between us, making me and this headmaster play on a level playing field and owe favours works better down the line compared to me running under his coattails.

Alongside all of this Dumbledore knew the weight of my title. 'Descendant of Merlin' was a far heavier title than 'second coming of Merlin'. Throughout this year I had constantly been considering how much Gringotts and the Ministry must value me, considering they have hidden my identity not just by my request but also because it would become 'big' news. This made me realise that Merlin must be rated far higher in the ministry and the upper echelons of the wizarding world than normal witches and wizards knew of. What I had seen thus far from Merlin drove home that fact, all the things that have happened up to this point showcased he wasn't simple. The upper echelons of the wizarding world knew this fact as well, although I'm unsure to what extent, else they wouldn't have egged on Gringotts to try and access his vault despite no descendant showing. Knowing all this, I knew that even if I did 'act out' against Dumbledore like this, he wouldn't do anything brash as my title truly is highly regarded.

It took some time for Dumbledore to recover from my barrage of words. His colourful expression reduced to one of extreme contemplation. Hagrid on the other hand look angry with my beration of the headmaster as he tried to cut in;

"Oz, While I don' think it wa' right of Dumbledore to treat you the way' he did, he still has good intentions underneath it all- "

"It's fine Hagrid"

Dumbledore spoke out as Hagrid started to try and vouch for him. Dumbledore probably realised that anything Hagrid said would just be easily turned back onto him from me. Dumbledores gaze tried to pierce into me as his originally calm face rose into a smile.

"I do truly mean to keep a good relationship with you Oz… And I am sincere in my apology in regards to recent events. So, how about I reimburse you for your troubles that I caused…"

Dumbledore raised his hand, showing to me three fingers lifted up.

"Three things, I will allow you three requests and I will endeavour to fulfil those requests if its within my power to do so"

I took a deep look at Dumbledore for a moment, really wondering what was going through his mind. I was hoping canon shift would have activated in this moment but there was no sign of it meaning he was still curious towards me rather than antagonistic or anything else. If that notification came up, showcasing that dumbledores opinion had changed to a 'dangerous' one then I would have started to play the events coming differently. However, it seems he still holds curiosity and even a desire still to keep my on his side. Truly fitting for someone who looks at the 'greater good'.

"Can I ask to be headmaster of the school or something?"

"Don' you think that's too much!? You're an 11-year-old boy in his first year!"

Hagrid immediately replied to my loose comment and I laughed in response. Dumbledore face also dropped for a moment hearing my first request.

"I'm only joking. I don't want to be restricted to this place in the future… let's see…"

This was a huge opportunity. I needed to ask for enough to take advantage but not too much that it would cause conflict. I wasn't afraid of conflict but even after all my recent buffs, Dumbledore was a person I still needed to be increasingly cautious of. I may have berated him, but considering Dumbledore's nature and recent events, I gambled he wouldn't do anything to me despite that and also hoped secretly that his mind deep down would start to change due to my words even if it was only slight.

Three things… let's first off start with…

"Your phoenix headmaster… the name of the phoenix is Fawkes, right?"

"If you're thinking of asking for my phoenix Oz I would have to decline- "

"Nonono, I've already got a high maintenance pet as it is… What I'd like to ask of your phoenix is to give me one of its feathers and also a tear"

Dumbledore's heavy gaze on me only grew heavier, as if he wanted to pick my mind apart piece by piece, to see what I was planning. I was pushing the boundaries a bit, but I wanted to see where Dumbledore drew the line when it came to his 'greater good' and also how highly he places me in his eyes now…

"That… can be done. Fawkes"

Fawkes flew over in front of Dumbledore. He gave the phoenix a stroke before gently taking out one of the looser feathers. He then took a vial from his desk and rested it next to Fawkes' eye, ushering Fawkes to let out a tear. Fawkes eventually let a couple tears out, falling into the vial safely. Dumbledore thanked Fawkes as it flew off to rest. Placing both the feather and tear on the desk in front he smiled;

"That's two, you have one more request"

Stingy old man. I had a feeling he'd do this although I couldn't fault him as I was asking for two things. The feather was important in the future for that 'ritual' and the tear… it was good to have in case of an emergency.

"Next…"

I took some more time to think about the next request. There's a lot I could ask for after all from someone like Dumbledore. But, what did I truly need at this point in time? Training in magic? No, that was a road I would journey through myself. How about some sort of privileges in the school? Whilst that could be useful, I could get more from this situation…

It then hit me. Dumbledore was referred to as 'The second coming of Merlin' and he was high in the ministry as well. It was a long shot but maybe he has knowledge on Merlin that others don't know about. If I could get some sort of clue as to where the key I have can be used, I can seek out Merlin's knowledge and start understanding all the changes I've been going through recently.

"Dumbledore, you are heralded as my ancestors 'second coming'. I would like to know though… do you have any knowledge on Merlin himself? Maybe even any items?"

Dumbledore's eyes jumped a moment before letting out an exasperated smile, as if he had remembered something. He silently got up and headed towards a certain part of his office. It looked like a cupboard that was locked tight. Pointing his wand at it, he chanted a few words under his breath before the cupboard seemed to unlock. Within was a few items, all of which seemed important and powerful. Rested within the collection was a single thick book. The book was completely black with gold accents on it. Dumbledore picked the book up and brought it over to the desk, placing it next to the tear and feather.

"This here Oz is something the Ministry gave me many years back to research. Others have tried to make heads or tails of it but it's been impossible. As far as I can tell, it's been locked by its creator only allowing certain people to read its contents. For me, when I flick through the pages, no words show. As for you though I'd imagine it could be a bit different…"

Dumbledore showed me the cover of the black book. Pointing at the bottom right corner, I saw a name written in weathered gold text;

'Myrddin Emrys'

"Merlin… so this is Merlin's diary?"

"I would call it more of a 'tome' than a 'diary'. The amount of magic placed on it is immense and the complex runes embedded even make my head spin. He's placed a lot of restrictions on this book… It's half the reason why the ministry is so infatuated with him. The tome has rested in the Ministry ever since Merlin made the 'Order of Merlin'. When the tome found its way to a minister long after Merlin's disappearance, they realised that Merlin had more secrets to him than ever thought before although they could never decipher how deep those secrets were… I was given the tome when I received started to be titled 'Second coming of Merlin' and was told by the ministry to discover its secret but I could never get it to work…"

Order of Merlin… Merlin was said to have created that wasn't he? It seems strange though, a character like him creating such a thing within the ministry. Taking a long look at the book the gears in my head started to turn as I realised another fact.

"So, my identity must be incredibly important to a Ministry that is so obsessive over Merlin's knowledge. I wondered why they even bothered to keep my identity hidden at purely my own request yet it seems it wasn't solely because it was my request… This same ministry probably also egged Gringotts on to try and get into Merlin's vault…"

Hagrid at this point was like an NPC in the room as he just watched on incredulously at the situation. After all, in his eyes I was just a young student who got into a fight and then told the headmaster off for letting it happen. Dumbledore who heard me mumble those words seemed surprised as he spoke;

"The ministry has been trying to get into Merlin's vault? That's not something I've ever heard of…"

"Well, they were before I appeared. The head goblin at Gringotts accidently let slip knowledge of how Merlin's vault worked. They would only know such things if they had tried to access it despite no descendant being around… My only question next is why the ministry haven't reached out to me considering how highly they regard Merlin"

"If I had to make a guess Oz, it's similar to my stance on you. They want to be amicable with you and not aggravate you in any way. Although if they knew what you were truly like I believe they would probably change their plans…"

I scoffed a bit hearing Dumbledore's response;

"And what about you Dumbledore. What's your views on me at this point?"

Dumbledore's eyes glinted as he looked up at me.

"A dangerously intelligent boy with talent and high lineage to boot"

"Dangerously Intelligent… I'll take that as a compliment"

Walking over to Dumbledore's desk I picked up the three items I had received from him. The feather, tear and the tome. I held them in my arms, neglecting to put them in my extension pouch as I didn't want Dumbledore to know about that if he didn't already.

"With this Dumbledore, I'll call it even. I just hope you won't bother me anymore. I also won't get in the way of anything you have planned in the future. Just remember to keep your own words this morning in mind…"

"Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus"

I smiled at Hagrid before taking my leave. Heading directly out of the door to Dumbledore's office not looking back. Dumbledore didn't try to stop me as both him and Hagrid stood in silence as I departed.

With the loot I had gotten, I felt as though I had done well in my talk today-

[Canon Shift – (Dumbledore) has placed immense 'caution' alongside 'value' on (Oz). (Hagrid) is also cautious towards (Oz) after recent events]

Ah, took you long enough.

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BG - Sorry for the long delay on this chapters release. Work has been swarming me recently and I've been training a lot. Hopefully it calms down soon. When it does I can hopefully get back to a chapter every other day. For now though, it may be slow for a bit.