Good Intentions but Strange Situations

~Chapter 5~

Double Double, Cauldron Bubble

The next day saw Harry and Ginny once again trying to perform Wandless Magic. They were also, once again, failing. The smugness Ginny had exuded the day before had all but vanished; she had not been able to create the meagre sparks she had previously, even when growing annoyed. They took a break before lunch time when Merlin gifted them with their wands and asked them to show him what they could do.

The pair had squared off in a mock duel. The aim of the game was to be creative with the attacks. Harry figured he would have a more extensive knowledge, being a year older than his companion and having researched spells for the Triwizard Tournament but Ginny was a surprise to Harry. Her repertoire of charm spells was exceedingly extensive, surpassing what he knew. Her attitude when doing this task had also changed dramatically. When trying to form Wandless Magic, she was grumpy and in a bad mood. With something she excelled at, Harry knew she was back to normal; Ginny was a fun-loving, easy-going person at heart.

She ended the duel by making Harry flash different colours. His whole body changed from a sky blue to a Slytherin green to a florescent pink. Bursting out laughing, he told her she should get Fred and George to put the spell into a sweet.

"You have a fair knowledge when casting your spells," Merlin had told them. "We shall extend this over the next few years. Be forewarned, there will be much hard work coming from you, my apprentices. There are many more enchantments you will end up knowing. Make no mistake, you have much to learn."

Over lunch, they discussed with Merlin what they wanted to learn.

"You said we would be learning how to shape-shift. What do you mean exactly?" Ginny asked the man. The children had talked about what Merlin could have meant by that when they had first met him; they had suggested things like Metamorphism and becoming an Animagus.

"The art of shifting shapes," Merlin shifted into a more comfortable position. "When you take the potion to halt time, your bodies shall not age the way they should. You need to be able to mask this or be accused of treachery. Your entire body can morph into whatever you wish of it. You must comprehend, though, what you are changing into otherwise the results can be unpleasant."

"Anything?" Harry wondered. "Like animals, too?"

"Indeed, Harold," Merlin said. "I have a partiality for the Hawk, myself."

"But I thought that an Animagus could only become one animal!"

"Animagus, hmmm." Merlin grew a beard and pulled it lightly. Harry and Ginny exchanged patient looks. "To be my apprentices, young ones, you must realise there are no restraints to the Natural Magics. You must let go of your preconceived ideas and embrace my word as truth."

A self-satisfied smile crossed Merlin's face.

"See me as your legend!" The teens sighed in exasperation but laughed along with the elder man at his arrogance.

"Shifting shapes involves changing your body into any comprehensible life form," he explained. "To illustrate, if you do not understand why a mare is a mare; how it moves, how it eats, how it functions, you will fail to become the beast."

He paused to let the thought sink in, as well as to resume eating.

"What else have you come up with?"

The topics the duo had come up with that morning, after collaborating their private thoughts from the night before, varied in usefulness. The two had tossed ideas back and forth before grouping them into some semblance of order. Harry had rummaged around in his trunk for a quill and parchment; in a move Hermione would have approved of, they made lists of what they wanted to learn. The categories were as thus: 'fun to know', 'needed but not pressing' and 'our lives depend on it.'

Ginny was the one to come up with the titles.

Harry put their ideas in the appropriate list; Ginny then edited heavily.

They were a good team.

'Our lives depend on it' consisted of Metamorphism/Shape-Shifting, Immortality and combat skills: Muggle and Magical amongst others. 'Needed but not pressing' had the Animagus transformation as the prominent item. It also had lots of arrows and crossings out around it. Harry had been adamant that it was necessary. Ginny had scoffed and refused to have it in the first column.

Harry did not think he would ever stop being surprised at Ginny; where was the girl who squeaked at him instead of saying 'hello?'

'Fun to know' had minor things the pair had always wanted to learn. None of them were remotely important but they figured they had time enough to learn them. In a few (hundred) years.

Merlin talked a bit around each topic before suggesting his own ideas; the power of the elements, the power to heal and calling upon the Natural Forces were the main ones.

The odd group now had a set task to complete.

The training would begin with a vengeance.

"Have you received much tutelage in the art of potion making, young ones?" Merlin casually asked after they had cleared their lunch things away. Harry privately snorted. Even after five years of learning Potions from Snape, he knew very little. He was astounded that he had managed to get an E on his OWL exam. The constant belittlement Harry received in the Dungeons was not a productive learning environment. The teacher needed to be taught how to teach, in his opinion.

Ginny obviously had similar thoughts as her derisive laugh could not be kept hidden.

"Our teacher was a git." 'That about sums it up,' Harry grinned at his friend. Seeing Merlin did not understand, the boy elaborated.

"He was horrible; biased against anyone who wasn't in his House at school."

Merlin's eyes widened. "There were many of you being taught by the man?"

It took a while before the duo realised that there were no schools in this time period. Hogwarts had not been built; evidently the Founders did not exist yet. Merlin could not grasp that the children had been taught be several different people rather than be apprenticed to one.

"I see we have a lot more to accomplish than I had realised," he told them. Harry and Ginny wondered why being taught by many was such a problem but they did not voice their thoughts. Instead, they watched as Merlin took items out of a pouch and continued to mumble derogatory comments about their time.

Finally, the old man pulled out a large cauldron. Harry paused as he saw this before realising that there must be an enlargement charm on the bag. The caldron was twice as big as what it had come out of. Harry saw that it was a different kind of cauldron than what the Hogwarts student used in Potions class. He questioned Merlin on this, wondering whether it mattered.

"There is an ingredient or two that needs to be nullified. They would react violently with others without something to stop them. Lead, which needs to be used, has been noted to do this quite efficiently."

After some questioning, it was discovered that Pewter was a material that did not react with most Potion ingredients. Harry supposed that was why it was used in Hogwarts; if the students followed the instructions properly, there would be no accidents. However, if someone had not realised a certain thing reacted with the cauldron, the effects could be bad. 'Funny,' Harry thought, 'that Snape had never mentioned anything about cauldron properties.'

"We shall be beginning your draught presently," Merlin said. "Whilst you prepare the ingredients, talk to me about their properties."

Resigned, the pair started their task. Harry amazed himself by talking at length about Knotgrass. He had no idea he knew that much about the plant. He supposed that with Merlin's probing questions he was able to remember more.

It was a fairly enjoyable experience being quizzed on Potions by a nice person. Merlin was proving to be a competent teacher even if his students could not understand him half the time. Harry was pleased at the amount they knew they had learned. Being taught by Merlin helped the duo realise that they could become adept at Potions if they wanted to.

After chopping and dicing, stirring and simmering for over an hour, the potion was relegated to the back of the cave. The mixture was a murky brown colour that reminded Harry of the Polyjuice sludge he had once drank.

"This potion is your top priority," the elder man. "It need not be said; however it bears an important point. Without this, you will not survive long enough to be of any use to the world. You will never again see your family and friends. Anything less than perfection is not an option. If any harm were to befall this mixture, you will be lost." Merlin paused to make sure the children knew he was serious.

"Of course, you could begin again. However, many of the ingredients are rare; they are very difficult to come across. Remember these things."

Harry and Ginny did see the enormity of that cauldron. Harry silently cursed Snape for leaving them woefully unprepared for such a lengthy project.

"We have enough ingredients to safely begin the potion for the moment. However, we need to plan accordingly for some. I quite imagine that they will be almost impossible to come across; beasts such as dragons are common enough but how to harvest their blood? We have ourselves quite a conundrum," Merlin sighed. "I also feel we shall have a problem garnering some of the more exotic items. Ginger is only found in India so our quest may have to extend to there."

Ginny giggled slightly. "Ginger, like the stuff we have in our potions kits?" She grinned at Merlin's astounded expression. "Trade increases in the future."

"Evidently," the wizard answered. "What else do you know of these ingredient locations?"

The three spent some time pouring over Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi and other assorted books the two children had in their possession. Harry thought it was a bit like cheating. Most of the things detailed in the books had not been researched yet. However, he did not mention his misgivings. After all, they were trying to survive not gain a prize for being knowledgeable.

Merlin seemed impressed by the wealth of information contained in the books. "Many of the academia minded keeps accounts of what they have discovered," he told the duo. "But, their exploits are mainly extolled through word of mouth. It is a marvellous idea to share your visions through the written word. I have heard tell of great libraries over seas but I have never ventured beyond our own precious land."

The elder wizard looked wistful. "Of course, if details were to be put into a book more people would have to learn the written language!"

Plans were made to search for Fluxweed at the next full moon. It needed to be harvested under the lunar glare for the properties of the plant to be properly imbibed. The problem was that they needed to find a clump of the plant before then. With only a week, Harry was unsure whether they would be able to do so. He was excited though that he and Ginny were to be included in the exploration. Merlin was truly teaching them how to do things for themselves and not coddling them like the adults of their time were wont to do.

The potion did not need the plant immediately but Merlin had decided that the sooner they could gather the relatively easy ingredients, the better. It would free up more time for the harder ones that would be found at the end of a lengthy travel or in a dangerous location. The area they were in was full of the Natural Magics, according to Merlin. This meant that the Fluxweed was able to thrive in this habitat and so had a good chance of being found close by. They would survey the area steadily branching out if they were not successful.

It was not going to be an action packed adventure but the duo were not disheartened. For this first forage, it would be a taste of what was to come, albeit in the form of a plant harvesting, Herbology lesson. The exciting stuff was sure to come later. Merlin's mention of dragons earlier had given Harry goosebumps. He did not think they were too bad, observed from a distance, but to have to get its blood was slightly panic inducing. Just flying against one was bad enough and that was when he had a number of trained Dragon Keepers watching his back. He would take a docile mission any day over something like that whilst he could.

As the day drew to a close, Merlin eased himself to his feet and looked expectantly at the duo. "Your wands, please," he asked of them. Harry and Ginny looked horrified. They had been hoping Merlin had decided to let them keep their most precious belongings.

"You have to be kidding," said Ginny, desperation etched into her tone.

"How are we supposed to feel safe with no means to protect ourselves?" Harry argued for them.

Merlin glanced at them in askance. "If you rely on your weaknesses, you will not be able to advance in your learning," he said. "In any case, you have adequate protection from the trees. We went through all of this yesterday."

"I'm not relying on a tree to keep me safe." Harry stood his ground. The rowans looked too normal; Harry could not bring himself to believe in their abilities.

"How would you like it if we took away your legs and said you could have them back when you learned to walk?!" Ginny burst out. She stood in front of Merlin, hands on hips and her face a rosy red. Despite having greater experience and knowledge, the old man still took a step backwards at the sight of her.

Harry had to admit he was rather scared of her himself when she was angry. The resemblance to her mother was uncanny when she was mad.

He reflected on what she had said. He had to admit that Merlin had put them in that kind of situation with regards to their magic. Harry grinned at the look on the elder man's face.

"Your 'adequate protection' can go screw itself!" Ginny, evidently, was not finished. "We say what we think 'adequate protection' is and we want something magical or you to teach us how to fight for ourselves."

The girl took a step forward. Merlin matched it in the opposite direction.

"Make no mistake, until we have something substantial, I will not be relinquishing my wand to an old duffer who is obviously a Snitch short of a Quidditch set!"

Harry was thoroughly enjoying the dressing down Merlin was getting. Ginny certainly had a way with words, albeit a rather unconventional one; not quite eloquent but not uneducated either. Very definitely persuasive when coupled with her stance. Harry wondered why he had never noticed this side of her before. Giving himself a proverbial slap to the forehead, he realised that Ginny was not someone he really socialised with, even in the holidays. This summer just gone had been different, a turning point where he had begun to see Ginny as herself and not as 'Ron's little sister'. He had gotten so used to her being around in that last week and a bit that he felt he had to remind himself that Ginny had not been a prominent feature in his life until now.

It gave Harry headaches sometimes, thinking about their situation.

Ginny had become one of his best friends, he realised. Wondering when that had happened, Harry thought that it was strange he had not started wishing he was with Ron or Hermione by now. He had known them properly for far longer than he had Ginny and trusted the both of them with his life. Ginny was something different. He did not have the same background with her as he did with his other two friends. Yet, he had not been lying when he told Ginny a few nights ago that he was glad she was here.

Hermione would be useful. She would be a veritable mine of information about the time period. She would be able to grasp the lessons Merlin was teaching them without any trouble.

Ron was his best mate, his first friend. He was loyal to a fault and would stick by Harry throughout any trial he would face. It would also be easier living with another male.

Harry supposed it did not really matter. Ron and Hermione were not here; Ginny was.

"Harry?" The boy looked up startled. The object of his thoughts stood close to him, a puzzled frown on her face. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, yeah... Just thinking," he muttered distractedly. Glancing around the cave, he realised that they were alone once more. "Where's Merlin?"

"You really were out of it," Ginny said with a grin. "He left. Without our wands too!"

"Oh, good."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Come on, Mr. Cook. Snap out of it. I'm feeling a mite peckish." She grabbed Harry's hand and pulled him to his feet. Shaking his head to clear the cobwebs, he shot her an amused grin.

"And why must I cater to your stomach?"

"Because any food I make tastes like charcoal."

Harry gasped dramatically. They had already been through this topic but he never tired of it. "Molly Weasley's only daughter can't cook. The shame of it!"

Receiving a whack on the shoulder, Harry smiled at the camaraderie they had built up. No, Ginny was not Ron and she was not Hermione but he could live with it.