The Prophecy

A comfortable room in Hogsmeade lay relatively quiet, the Hogwarts party not having begun yet. Among a couple of others, a girl- Liselle- was there and she grabbed a bottle of butterbeer and some Chocolate Frogs and settled in a fire-side armchair. It wasn't long before others joined her.

Merlin strode in and bent down to hand his robes to Winky, whilst handing her an Elf Liberation Front badge, charmed to gently chorus the E.L.F anthem in a soft squeaky voice:

I'm a person, not just an elf,

You can't just put me on a shelf,

To chore and work,

Drives me berserk,

With no respect at that.

I want paying and I want lunch,

Not just stale bread that I can munch,

I want clothes, and warmth and like,

You'd fall apart if I were to strike......

And so on. Winky gently clutched the badge but threw it on the floor as soon as she got to the kitchen.

Merlin was believed to be a distant descendent of the great wizard himself, hence the nickname.

The Weird Sisters followed Merlin in, one of them carrying a small suitcase. They moved into a corner and placed the suitcase on the floor, from which drums and other various instruments popped out as if there was a little room beneath the suitcase from which they were emerging, along with a band composed of strange looking creatures resembling house elves, but neatly clothed and refined. They began to play an odd but sort of relaxing tune.

Merlin cast a quick alohomora on the large oak door (to keep the Muggles out) and then walked up to Liselle, greeted her, and handed her a bag of Honeydukes sweets. He moved just next to a coffee table, under the warming glow of some floating candles next to the fire hearth, conjured a very large Gryffindor-red cushion, sat on it, and relaxed listening to the Weird sisters as the cushion lazily began to float a few foot above the ground. He took out his own bag of Honeydukes sweets and began to calmly chew on a little troll-shaped toffee that clumsily struggled to get away as a couple of others climbed out of the bag and began to run away over the carpet.

Merlin briefly noted (picking a bit of toffee troll, that was stuck in his teeth, out, still wiggling a bit), that he'd invited Ron and Dean along. He pointed out to the others, however, that Ron had said he was busy with divination homework and probably couldn't make it, but he said he'd ask Fred and George if they'd like to come. Merlin didn't want to be rude so he didn't say anything about his incident with ton-tongue toffee, and an embarrassing moment with one of their trick wands while practising a robe summoning spell, and why he didn't really want Fred and George to come, so they might turn up at some point.

Liselle waved a greeting to Merlin and took one of the sweets gladly. She took out a pack of Exploding Snap cards and challenged him to a game whilst tapping and humming to the strains of the Weird Sisters.

"So," she said. "Do you think that you can beat me at exploding snap?"

A salamander lazed in then heat of the fire and without warning someone set off some Dr Filibusters fire works.

Merlin accepted the challenge with a little grin (exploding snap 1st year champion 2000). He picked up his cards, his cushion gently lowering slightly to table level, and began to play. Everything went fine until his first chance: Jack of clubs, nine of diamonds, ace of hearts, king of spades, king of spades. SLAM. He shouted SNAP loud enough to make Dobby (who was replenishing the food supply on a large mahogany table near the door) flinch and shudder. He had just enough time to hear the little king of spades cower and give a little, "Ouch! Watch it!" (in a very regal voice). There was a huge BANG! An explosion of bright blue and green flames and a mushroom tower of smoke and Merlin was knocked off his cushion, bounced off a large armchair and landed on the comfy carpet (which had luckily moulded itself into a toadstool shape just in time to catch him). Dobby came running over with a little wet towel as the carpet gently deflated itself with a rude noise. Merlin sat up, looking flustered, his hair all spiked up, still buzzing and topped with warm blue/green fire, his face covered in blue and green and an orange hue of smoke still hanging in the air.

Dobby came right up and began to wipe Merlin's face. "Is sir alright? Does his back hurt? Let Dobby put out those flames."

Merlin thanked Dobby and began to right himself, but Dobby caught fire, and due to his hairiness, it spread quickly. Merlin knew that it was only snap fire, that doesn't burn or do any damage, but Dobby didn't. He ran into the kitchen panicking, the entire top half of him on fire in blue and green, where the hiss as he dipped his head in a sink was clearly audible. Obviously this didn't work (snap fire couldn't to be extinguished by water) and Dobby continued to scream and panic, knocking things over in the kitchen.

Merlin and Liselle assumed it had been put out when they heard a popping noise (another house elf using magic) and Dobby shut up. Merlin continued to wipe his face clean and muttered something about Fred and George and stupid tricks.

"I think I forfeit," he said to Liselle.

In the meantime, Merlin re-mounted his cushion, still shaking blue and green dust out of his shirt and jumper. He took a look at his watch (20.00) and remembered the Wimbourne Wasps vs The Appleby Arrows match would be starting soon, should be a good match. He floated over to the fire, got out his wand, cast a spell (televisio receptious connecto), and a large Quidditch pitch appeared in the fire, with little black and yellow clad players, and blue ones with little silver arrows on their backs buzzing around the pitch, cheers from the crowd could be heard under the crackling of the fire.

Merlin muttered, "Commentatio", and a pleasant voice excitedly started uttering an analysis of action on the pitch. The salamander didn't seem to like this, and so rummaged out of the fire and began chasing a gnome in the far corner of the room, under a picture of a very frustrated cat, trying to catch it, but unable to leave the confines of the frame. Merlin settled down to watch the match, and turned round to offer Liselle a game of chess after the game.

Liselle raised one eyebrow and agreed to Merlin's challenge. With a wave of her wand arm she summoned the chessboard (Accio Chess). She deftly arranged the pieces and watched in amusement as the knaves squared up to each other across the board. Putting it aside, she pointed out to Merlin that the tips of his eyebrows were still burning and offered him a quencher to put them out!

The Wimbourne Wasps vs. The Appleby Arrows match looked like it would be on for a while. Liselle took out the latest Daily Prophet edition. Nothing of note happening, a few Muggles needing their memories modified as usual. Rita Skeeter exaggerating some minor mishap in 'Flourish and Blots' and Martin Miggs the mad Muggle's latest mishaps.

Realising that the exploding snap cards had been scattered, she got up to tidy them (trying to do her bit for S.P.E.W!). Dobby appeared when they were finally all tidy and seemed rather disappointed.

"Dobby are you ok?" she asked.

"Miss is too kind," he squeaked. "Dobby is fine, thanking you." With that he left as quickly as he appeared in a haze of bad socks (one horrendous lurid pink spandex sock and one mouldy brown one that looks suspiciously like Vernon Dursley's, but very unwashed.)

Meanwhile Liselle handed Merlin a goblet of Pumpkin Juice. He'd been getting a little frustrated with the match and had been shaking his fist at the Wimbourne chaser Jerome Hibberworth for the last ten minutes and threatened to unleash all sorts of curses on him.

The smell of burning hair had finally gone, the salamander had given up plaguing the gnome and instead settled close to the fire to feel its heat but far enough avoid stray bludgers, seeming quite content. Nearly Headless Nick floated in looking for the Weird Sisters' ghost Melville but he was off with the Headless Hunt. Unimpressed, Nick hurled himself through the wall and could be heard cursing the Headless Hunt half way down the corridor.

Liselle sat back with a crossword from the Daily Prophet and waited until the match finished for the game of chess.

The Quidditch match continued at a fast and furious speed. It didn't seem as though Merlin would be doing anything for quite a while. Liselle moved from the heat of the fire and relaxed in the window seat. It was a clear, crisp night. The stars twinkled in the deep velvet of the sky. Apart from the occasional muttering from the commentary, all was quiet.

Liselle took out a magazine and began to browse casually, occasionally glancing up as people came and went from the room. The twins arrived and left but promised to return later, more than likely with a barrel full of Canary Creams or some Ton Tongue Toffees.

Merlin turned round on his cushion and gently floated over to Liselle, and gave her a brief analysis of the comparatively short match.

"The Appleby Arrows won of course, but they did their traditional celebration, firing arrows from their wands at the end, and the match was forfeited to the Wasps. Can't see what the referee's problem was myself, they never impaled many people when they used to do it, and most who got hit normally left hospital within a few weeks. Anyway, it doesn't matter, the Arrows are still in the league, but imagine the glory if they'd beaten their old rivals."

Merlin and Liselle continued to discuss the match until eventually, Merlin jumped off his cushion and sat down in a chair opposite Liselle and started to line up his chess pieces. He'd forgotten to dissolve the transmission of the match, the pitch was still clearly visible in the fire, about eighty wizards were rushing all over the pitch below picking up the injured and confiscating the (somewhat annoyed) Arrows wands. There were also people rushing through the crowd seeing to the odd few who had taken a knock from a stray arrow. The Arrows' captain was still floating on his broom a few feet above the ground, talking to the slightly bruised referee, trying to assure him that the arrows would dissolve after a few minutes. What truth there was in this was debatable, as a few dozen warden wizards were still circling the pitch on broomsticks, scouting for and chasing after the elusive silver arrows that seemed to have a mind of their own. Every now and then, one would sweep past the viewpoint, close-up, and only a few minutes later, be seen dodging the aim of a frustrated pursuer. The Salamander seemed to be enjoying this, and lay, lazily in front of the fire, gazing mischievously, with what was an unmistakable grin on its face, at the commotion below on the pitch.

Merlin finished lining up his pieces (he'd just had to chase a particularly rebellious pawn all round the board before it decided to take its place), and said, quite clearly, "Pawn 4 to D4."

The pawn obeyed, and slid across the board.

Liselle sent her first pawn to meet it. The two little pawns battled ferociously, to the amusement of the kings and queens, but eventually, after about two minutes of slashing and bashing, Merlin's pawn won (although it had lost one of its swords and most of its little helmet). The pawn had, however, been the rebellious one who refused to take its place, and Liselle was quick to assure Merlin he wouldn't be so lucky next time. Merlin chortled confidently and play resumed. The remains of Liselle's pawn magically rolled off the board and the pawn reassembled itself on the table, looking rather annoyed and flustered, and firing nasty faces and expressions at the victorious pawn.

Liselle had been right though, and soon the playing field was more even. Merlin had checked Liselle once, but he had only just managed to get out of two very tricky checks imposed by Liselle, but at a loss of a bishop, a knight, and several unwilling pawns. Looking around, at a pause while Liselle considered a move, Merlin saw that the gnome had now been joined by a friend, both of whom were gleefully swinging on an old chandelier, much to the annoyance of a nearby portrait of a an old maid, who was desperately trying to urge them down. Dobby was busy dusting an old leather chair, and Winky could be heard busy at work in the kitchen preparing some more food.

Mid play (probably trying to distract Liselle from another awkward move Merlin had imposed upon her, the obvious escape to which he could see easily from his perspective), he asked Liselle if she had heard about the new Nimbus 2500, that he thought he was getting for his birthday in a few months time. Liselle mumbled distantly, still heavily focussed on the chessboard. Feeling hungry, Merlin took a whizzing whisbee out of his Honeydukes bag, which he had to snatch in the air for several minutes before he could shut it in his mouth.

Deeply engrossed in the game of chess Liselle stared at the board, squinting down at the remaining pieces that are standing boldly to attention.

"Knight to B6," she barked. Merlin squirmed uncomfortably in his seat, he didn't see that one coming! "So tell me about the Nimbus 2500, that's what the Appleby Arrows are using now isn't it? I'm thinking of getting a new racing broom myself, although I may wait until the new Firebolt comes out," she continued.

Merlin, in a desperate attempt to shore up his increasingly nervous king, went for the jugular, "Queen to E3...check," he grinned, as his queen decapitated Liselle's knight with ease and then re-arranged her hair. Liselle scowled but managed to save the king from a checkmate position for the moment.

In the fire, a few Stingers could be seen circling the pitch in replica robes taunting the dejected Appleby fans. On quick calculation Liselle realised that now the Wasps were at the League summit, and muttered, "Just wait until the Kenmare Kestrels game."

"Have you ever played Quodpot?" Liselle asked, attempting to disrupt Merlin's concentration. "It's great fun, at least until you find yourself on the ground seeing stars and a burnt patch on your robes! I have a few Quods and some potion if you want to try it."

The gnomes on the chandelier were getting dizzy and dropped to the carpet with a thud, and lay there giggling, sprawled out on their backs. The old maid clutched her smelling salts and dabbed delicately at her forehead with a lace handkerchief. Dobby and Winky appeared and each began to drag a gnome out by their feet. The gnomes hadn't noticed that they were been removed from the warmth of the common room yet and waved their bony arms at each other. The salamander turned his interest from the silver arrows to this scene and stretched luxuriously by the fire as if to say, "Haha, I'm still here!"

As quickly as the house elves appeared, they vanished. The old maid seemed to have recovered sufficiently as she now had company in the shape of Sir Cadogan who was trying to woo her with his 'skills', but ended up falling over his lance. Unfathomably, the old maid swooned but her fall was however broken by Sir Cadogan who remained prone on the ground. They eventually untangled themselves and Sir Cadogan offered her a ride on his fat pony and the two of them were later seen riding through all the pictures in the room much to the disgust of several residents.

Matters became somewhat interesting when the pair rode through a hunting scene, the highly trained hunting dogs began their chase of Sir Cadogan and his fair maid. They were stopped just before they reached the oil painting of the cat (who earlier was attempting to catch the salamander and the first gnome).

Undeterred, Sir Cadogan and the old maid continued their merry way around the room, passing through seascapes, picnics and private residences as they do so.

Feeling thirsty Liselle waved her wand- "Accio pumpkin juice". Merlin stared in rapt concentration at the board; Liselle's three remaining pawns did a quick jig trying to goad Merlin's rebellious pawn into moving off his square. Merlin sighed and eventually made his move...

Merlin, still concentrating hard on Liselle's vicious retaliation, and still concentrating hard on the board said, "Yep, I've played Quodpot, I went with my parents to see some American relatives in Arizona, they moved from Boston because of all the Muggles a couple of years ago. Their ancestors used to play Quodpot, but they had to begin using invisibility charms on the brooms when the skyscrapers began to pop up, so passing was a bit difficult. Anyway, it was great on the open fields, I nearly won in one game, but I got passed an active Quod and it exploded in my face, awful that was. Anyway, like I said it was excellent, but not as good as Quidditch I don't think. Aha! Gotcha! Check mate!"

Merlin grinned broadly and promptly looked up at Liselle, who looked a bit surprised. It was king versus king, Merlin had managed to manoeuvre his king in order to escape from a brutal previous move by Liselle, now, the two kings were face to face, readying for battle.

The little kings (though surprisingly regal and impressive for their size), bowed (although each keeping one suspicious eye on the other). After the bow, they both drew their swords swiftly, and a massive battle of mini-titanic proportions took place. Merlin's black king swung a powerful sideways blow at Liselle's, but the white king blocked it defiantly, sweeping it away, taking the opportunity to fire a swipe at Merlin's king, chipping his shoulder and swiping through the engraved marble armour. Liselle's king quickly employed another, more powerful blow at the black king's head. The black king resisted strongly, although bending under the power of the attack. Merlin's king was gradually pushed down to the ground, bending backwards. With the black king's head nearly touching the ground, the two kings face-to-tiny-face with each other, a victorious glint in the white king's eye, but with a massive push, the black king, his face showing the might he was mustering, pushed fiercely against Liselle's king. The white king was thrown backwards, but not over- he stumbled, his sword flailing at his side. The black king righted himself, and threw a massive strike upwards against the toppling white king, completely severing his little marble arm, which flew into the sky, through the two engrossed spectators, hitting Merlin on the nose. Merlin crinkled up his nose, leant back a little and released a little ouch, rubbing the point where the arm had hit. Liselle diverted her attention from the battle a moment to give a little giggle. The dust settling from the blow, the white king, gallantly showing no regard for his wound apart from a brief glance at his shoulder, repressing an unmistakable expression of pain bravely, he landed another strike with both hands straight across, but the black king responded quick enough to deflect it, his sword hand pushed backwards and off balance however, by the strength of the attack. The white king, with newly found resolve, swept his sword heavily, but with only one hand, against the black king, swiping a diagonal slash against his lower chest. Before Merlin's king could respond, the white king struck again, this time from left to right, slashing a diagonal chunk out of the black king. Merlin's king looked down at the missing chunk, bracing its hands round the wound, bending its head down in pain.

The white king swung again, with a sense of finality to the attack, but the black king quickly regained his composure, and brought his sword to bear, blocking the swing, furious, the black king began to swing violently, the white king blocking and following suit, slashing back with glancing blows where he could. The battle continued for a few minutes, generally with the Merlin's king winning. Most chess battles didn't continue this long, but this was a war of the warriors, and a particularly violent and sturdily built set of pieces.

A few, seemingly brief minutes of very fast pace battling, almost unbelievable from such small people, the damage was massive. The black king swung relentlessly, but the white king responded with another strike that monetarily immobilised the black king's stance. The white king was quick to take the opportunity, he punched the black king hard on the nose (his sword was swung backwards from the strength of the previous assault), swung round and karate-kicked the opposition in the abdomen. The black king, however, quickly regained his posture, slightly winded, he continued his attacks . The white king was heavily chipped and his curly marble beard had been completely removed, and of course, his left arm was missing. The black king was better off to look at, but he was obviously tired, and his attacks were getting less powerful. Suddenly, the white king saw his chance. He had been beaten back and was open to attack, but, the black king was clearly exhausted, and was using his time to regain his breath. The white king righted with tremendous speed and brushed his battered sword up towards Merlin's king, chipping off his nose. Shocked, Merlin's king stumbled backwards. Liselle's king grasped the chance and stabbed forwards powerfully, right through the black king's chest. The white king swiftly removed his sword, holstered it, and stood proudly as Merlin's king dropped to his knees and then onto the ground, his sword falling into Liselle's kings hand, the white king, strongly swishing it up and pointing it into the air, still his little chest heaving rapidly as he breathed.

The remains of Merlin's king rolled off the board and reassembled themselves perfectly, as if brand new, even the floating candles light shimmering on its polished crown. Liselle's king, however, remained battered and confidently walked to the centre of the board, Merlin's king's sword still raised high in the air in its hands.

"Barbaric, totally barbaric," Merlin muttered. Liselle quickly responded that he only thought that because he lost.

"Good game. I'll beat you next time," said Merlin smiling.

Liselle chuckled back a "Whatever," and picked up a copy of Witch Weekly and began reading a fascinating article about a new method a Parisian dressmaker had found for making fabrics from Parasolla silk (a kind of spider).

A gnome was secretively popping its head around an open window, beckoning to its friends it was safe to come in, giggling cheekily. Sir Cadogan has seemed to surrender to the maids eventual pleas to stop, and was now sitting with her in a nice sunny meadow enjoying a picnic, not noticing some little blue pixies flutter up behind them, trying to steal their desserts (one in particular having trouble with a large rosy red apple).

Quite a few people were in the party room now, including a growing crowd of about eight surrounding another fire and table, in front of the hearth of which, Fred and George had returned to demonstrate a new product, including (as Liselle predicted), their highly successful Canary Creams, which were being demonstrated to full effect by Dean Thomas who had been turned into a bright yellow bird, and was only beginning to moult. A group of Ravenclaw and Gryffindor girls were giggling surrounding another table, flanked by two large red sofas.

Merlin had just finished watching the entire white side of the chess pieces come up and excitedly congratulate their king by means of bows from the bishops, ankle hugs from the pawns, a wifely kiss from the queen, and being carried around the board by the knights. The black pieces, however, were gathered around the black king less actively trying to console him, and telling him he was best really, and the white king won using illegal moves, cowardice, or some other comforting excuse.

Then, suddenly, the relative peace was broken by Lily running, screaming and panicking into the room towards Merlin.

"He's going to kill me! Somebody help!"