Merlin's Hideout

Oz slowly walked down the spiral staircase with Norberta on his shoulder. He remarked in his head how well kept the area was for a place that should have laid dormant for hundreds of years. Finally after what felt like hours of descending into the earth Oz saw a door with a striking design. The doors design had dragons etched into it wrapping around each other giving the door itself a very domineering aura.

Looking at the door it reminded Oz of the door in the chamber of secrets that Harry had to use parsel-tongue to open. As he got closer to the door he felt his blood boil, Norberta on his shoulder also seemed to be shaking a bit.

{Open}

Oz spoke in dragon-tongue again without realising as he approached the door, almost as if his subconscious knew that was the only way to open this door. The door itself lit up as it slowly opened revealing a space inside. Oz stepped through the door and what greeted him was a large room, looking awfully like the Slytherin dungeons common room. The room itself was incredibly tidy, as if it had been well kept in all these years. Looking around the room, Oz could see a couple exits leading to different areas.

'This is better than I could have dreamed of... I thought it'd be a cave home with a rock bed, not something this grand'.

It seemed that Merlin like to keep himself comfortable while studying seeing this place. It was more than enough for Oz to live in. Just as Oz was getting situated in his new home however, he sensed a magical signature coming from one of the doors in front of him. Norberta started to growl as she looked at the door and Oz put a hand on his wand ready for a fight.

The door in question slowly opened.

"Finally, I have a new master~".

The voice Oz was like honey. It was sweet and melodic to his ears. The voice itself actually made Oz calm and collected compared to his previous apprehension at someone being in this place. Eventually the figure revealed itself. Oz gawked at the sight in front of him.

Presented to him was an Elf. However, this wasn't a simple house elf, this elf actually looked like the elves Oz would see in fantasy novels back in his previous life. The elf in front of him held an otherworldly beauty about her. She was just a tad shorter than Oz, her eyes were green like emeralds and the hair on her head was pure snow white. She looked at Oz in adoration and expectancy. Oz sensing that this elf meant no harm put his wand away and coughed.

"May I ask who you are?".

The elf gracefully walked towards Oz and bowed in front of him.

"Yes master, my name is Alfreda. I was your ancestors servant in this place hundreds of years ago".

Oz's eyes widened hearing Alfredas claim.

'Hundreds of years ago?! She even has the lifespan of those elves from classic fantasy novels! She looks like she's still young!?'

Seeing Oz's astonishment Alfreda giggled.

"I've been waiting to serve a master for a long time after my previous master vanished from the world... You wouldn't believe how elated I was when I sensed my masters bloodline nearby when the formation activated~".

Hearing Alfreda speak felt dangerous to Oz's ears. He always liked to keep alert, however her voice almost seemed like it had a calming magic imbued within it. Oz looked around the room they were in and pieced everything together.

"So the reason why this place is so well kept... You've been cleaning it during all these years?".

Alfreda nodded at Oz's remark.

"Yes master, I've kept this place as clean as possible in expectation of someone finding it one day~".

One question boiled in Oz's heart the second he heard that this elf once served Merlin.

"Did your previous master... Did Merlin mention that a descendant would appear one day? Do you know where he vanished to?".

Alfreda shook her head as her ears drooped.

"I'm afraid not master... the previous master was an extremely secretive man. He never told me anything and only sent me on errands. I pledged myself to him and his bloodline as he saved my people all those years ago however I got the sense that he never truly trusted me. As a matter of fact, he never trusted anyone~".

Oz sighed as he heard Alfreda's response

'I guess it'd never be that easy'.

"Well let me introduce myself... I'm Oz, Oz Ambrosius. I've been chasing Merlin's legacy ever since I realised he was my ancestor... This little one on my shoulder is Norberta, she's been my companion on the journey here".

Norberta had calmed down now after seeing who the intruder was. She lifted her snout into the air as she let out a little roar. Alfreda giggled as she saw this.

"She's a lively one this one. Master in the past used to have a lot of dragons come in and out of here~".

Looking at the beautiful elf in front of him, Oz felt it hard not to be entranced at every movement and sound she made. Out of everything he had experienced thus far, this was one of the toughest tests of his willpower.

"Well Alfreda, would you mind giving me a little tour of this place? I plan on staying here every summer between times at Hogwarts".

Alfreda smiled happily.

"No problem master, this way~".

.

Alfreda guided Oz around Merlin's hideout, showing him many different areas. The more he explored the more respect he grew for Merlin. He seemed to dabble in everything here. He had a potions room with ingredient although the majority had decayed. He had an enchanting room with some artefacts still left over as well. There was also a big room that Norberta instantly loved. When they entered it, Alfreda mentioned that this room was designed to be a room for dragons to grow and be comfortable while growing to a teenager age.

Oz couldn't be anymore happy with this place, it was the perfect base for him. The final room however is what sent Oz's happiness to the moon.

"This room here is a room that I could never get into... The previous master locked it and the key required is his bloodline much like the entrance~".

Oz pricked his finger after hearing Alfreda's explanation and smeared his blood on the door activating it. The door itself responded to Oz and opened. What Oz saw inside shocked him.

'Its the formation for the Ambrosius ritual!'

In this room there was markings on the floor. In the centre of the room was a spot for Oz to sit. Looking at this rooms markings, it perfectly corresponded with what Oz saw in the notes left by Merlin in his vault. Oz walked into the room with a grin that he couldn't wipe off his face.

'I initially thought that I'd have to draw the formation which would have been another layer of difficulty however it seems Merlin has saved me here!'.

After looking around for a while, Oz spotted a box at the far end of the room. The magic wards on the box seemed to be spells that kept whatever was inside the box fresh and new. This reminded Oz of the ward he saw in Gringotts that was placed on the dragon's heart left there. Oz opened the box slowly.

'This is-!?'

Inside the box was materials from two kinds of beasts. There were Wampus cat eyes and the furs of a Nundu. Seeing this Oz was suddenly stunned. The Wampus cat eyes seemed to peer into his mind as he looked at them and the Nundu furs gave off a sharpness to them despite just being furs.

'How on earth did Merlin get Nundu barbs?!'

It was known that Nundus were by far one of the most dangerous beasts to go against. Its even stated that to stun it into submission you'd need at least one hundred wizards working together. So the fact that Merlin had these few barbs from its mane was something Oz was extremely stunned about. As he was enamoured with both the materials in the box, he noticed in-between them was a note:

[ To my Descendant,

You have done well to discover this place. Here I leave materials that will help you for the future if you plan on using the formation in this room. These two materials alone will not let you succeed so be sure to collect as much as possible... the more the better.

This hideout is something I created over many years, its riddled with wards and charms that help disguise it from any prying eyes.

I pass this place to you now... be sure to use it well

Merlin]

Oz read the letter with a grin. After finishing it he put the letter in his bag. Turning around he saw Alfreda behind him looking around the room with a slight frown on her face.

"I wish previous master let me clean this room..."

Oz laughed as he looked at the elf. Certainly compared to the rest of this place this room was the most weathered down.

"Its fine Alfreda, its not like ill be in here much anyway".

With that said, Oz left the room with the elf in tow to check out the final areas of Merlin's hideout. After seeing his own living quarters that had a bed and study, Oz felt fully satisfied. Him and Alfreda both returned to the foyer of the hideout and sat down in front of the fireplace.

"Finally master this here is actually connected to the floo network. However previous master made it so that you can only leave this place and not return via it. I imagine he did this so nobody could randomly enter~".

Oz chuckled at how meticulous his ancestor was. He really wanted to stay hidden away. It made Oz wonder what he was hiding or doing...

"Well thank you for the tour Alfreda... In the future if I need anything can I count on you to go out and fetch it for me?"

Alfreda nodded feverantly.

"You can ask me to do anything master! I'm here to serve after all~".

Oz nodded his head after hearing Alfreda's reply before adding one last note.

"Oh... if you do head out for me, you will disguise yourself wont you?".

Alfreda clicked her fingers after hearing Oz's query transforming herself into a standard looking witch. Oz was awed by her transfiguration magic noting it to be on another level to him.

"Don't worry master, I can take on any persona at will when heading out~".

With all this sorted through, Oz was ready for a long relaxed summer down in Merlin's hideout. He didn't have many main plans as his true plans would come into fruition starting next year at Hogwarts.