Chapter 152: Arc 4: Chapter 39: Farewell and Gift

In the end, Fury didn't treat them to dinner.

Because he had no time to have a relaxing dinner with his subordinates.

After dealing with the hostage situation in Hell's Kitchen, this busybody then returned to Washington on a plane, where Mister President was waiting for him to report on this 'well-known' fire dragon incident.

Although the horntail did not cause much destruction to New York City, the disclosure of this incident that was meant to be kept a secret was SHIELD's error, even though this had nothing to do with Fury in the first place.

But as a leader, he has to take the blame, he couldn't let Harry and Merlin take it now, could he?

Natasha and agent Barton also couldn't come for dinner, because they had to escort the horntail's corpse to the research base in Nevada; this was the first meaningful sample collection of a supernatural creature since the reconstruction of SHIELD, and since this was a 0 to 1 breakthrough, it had an extremely high confidentiality level.

Eventually, not even Essinus and Crow could attend the dinner, because there had been casualties in the Auror teams led by the two senior Aurors, they had to return to the Magical Congress to be questioned and report on the incident to their superior.

Everyone was busy, and since Merlin was the free one, he eventually took the children for dinner.

They went to a well-known restaurant in Queens called Mick's Restaurant, the pizza there was excellent, and the children had a good time.

Their luggage was placed in a temporary house of the Magical Congress, so after finishing dinner, Merlin drove the children back to where they were going to stay for the night; this should be truly farewell, as the children would return to London following Professor McGonagall tomorrow morning.

"When you return, it's almost certain that you will be dragged into the war between the wizarding world and Voldemort."

The streets at 10-pm were still bustling. Merlin fiddles with the steering wheel and tells the children in the car:

"I've talked with the Aurors of the American Ministry of Magic, they suspect that the British Ministry of Magic has been infiltrated by Voldemort's followers, which means you won't be having an easy time when you get back."

"I know you're all good kids, but I hope that you'll be able to protect yourselves."

Merlin says softly:

"Hold onto your wands at all times, and don't be scared when you have to stand out and fight, just like Harry did. When facing any situation, fear is but a choice, and from my experience, more fear equals to worse outcome."

The green light lights up and Merlin steps onto the gas, he opens the window and glances at the bustling streets on both sides, he then turns his head and tells the children:

"If you need help, give me or my friends a call, alright?"

"But we can't drag normal people into the war between wizards."

Ron says with a frown:

"My parents and the others would not agree to us doing so."

"No, Ron."

Merlin smiles, he explains to the children from a different perspective:

"You see, if Voldemort succeeds and wizarding extremists like him take the upper hand, then the lives of all muggles in England would be endangered; from your point of view, this is just a conflict between wizards, but from how we look at it, this is a crisis that could endanger tens of millions of lives."

"Under this situation, the agents of the European division have the right to intervene; because this is our duty, as well as the mission that was given to us by the World Security Council."

The green light ahead lights up again, Merlin turns the steering wheel and drives into the road to the city, saying:

"This isn't just your war, it's our war too. We have the authority to join the battlefield. Of course, this will be after SHIELD builds a relationship with the wizarding world, but trust me, if that Professor Dumbledore is as wise as you say, then he will agree and do his best to carry it forward."

Merlin lets out a laugh and says:

"Well, that's not a problem you kids should be worried about, after all, you're just a group of young wizards."

A dozen minutes later, the black Ford stops in the parking area below a white skyscraper, Merlin opens the door and watches as the children exit the car; he waves at them, gives Harry and Hermione a hug, and after patting their heads, he says:

"I won't be sending you in then, children, we'll meet again."

"Merlin, don't forget to write to me!"

Hermione pulls Merlin's hand and says pitifully:

"There's no signal in Hogwarts, you won't get through to me by phone."

"Alright, I will."

Merlin reaches out and strokes her hair, saying:

"I'll write when I have the time, you saw how busy I can get after all."

"Thank you for your care over the past few days, Merlin."

Harry in a casual suit looked like an adult, he holds Merlin's hand and looks at him while saying:

"Thank you for fighting along my side, and thank you for showing me a different life."

As he finishes, the child and his friends turn towards the Magical Congress building, they walk to the other side of the street and wave at Merlin.

In his second sight, Merlin could see the surface of the white yet slightly worn-out building begin to move under some sort of magic, and eventually, the bricks move about and eventually form a path for the children.

After seeing the children off, Merlin lowers his head and looks at what was in his hand.

It was something Harry had given to him in secret when they were holding hands.

It was a restaurant napkin, on it was the emblem of Mick's Restaurant, and on the napkin was a complex spell and a few words which Harry had written down.

"Merlin, this is the chant to Expecto Patronum, I learned it by accident 2 years ago."

"It's a high-class magic spell that is excellent against any dark force, Dumbledore told me that it can even protect the soul from the corruption of darkness."

"I think that you need it, so it'll be my parting gift to you. Please don't tell anyone else about it."

"Also, when casting Expecto Patronum, the chant isn't the key, the key is you have to remember your happiest memories. The deeper the positive emotions are, the more powerful Expecto Patronum gets."

"Lastly, I wish you a happy and complete life, Merlin, thank you again for showing me what it is to be a hero."

Merlin looks at the paper in his hand, he knows the value of this spell.

There was no record of Expecto Patronum in the magic textbooks that Mr. Arthur had given him, this proves that this spell was only available to official wizards, and in the wizarding world, such knowledge is precious and cannot be measured by money.

"Harry, you gave me quite a stunning gift."

Merlin lifts his head and looks at the building that had returned to normal, he clenches his fingers and black fog dissipates to disintegrate the paper slip.

Expecto Patronum may be high-tier magic, but its chant was far simpler than those of other high-class spells, Merlin had memorized it with a glance.

He lets out a breath, opens the car door, starts the engine, and leaves.

On the way back to Hell's Kitchen, Merlin turned on the station radio and listened to a soothing song, he looks at the night scenery passing by as his heart becomes calm.

It was then, a gentle voice suddenly resounds behind Merlin, it was the voice of an elderly man.

"Can you drive slower? Mr. Merlin, I'm not used to riding on a muggle's car, and the bumpiness is rather unpleasant."

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"Swish"

Merlin instinctively takes out his wand and points it behind him.

On the supposedly-empty seat was an elderly man with white hair and a large white beard.

He wore an odd gray robe, a soft hat with gemstones embedded in it; he wore a pair of golden-framed glasses and a few magical rings on his fingers.

The elderly man had gentle eyes, but under that gentle gaze was a hint of examination and curiosity.

"Oh, look at the road, Mr. Merlin, you are now driving so please be more responsible to yourself and others, alright?"

"You are..."

Merlin looks at the elderly man, he hears his mediation, so he retracts his wand and turns his focus back onto the steering wheel. he looks at the rearview mirror and says:

"Dumbledore?"

"Yes."

The elderly man leans against his seat and says softly:

"I am Dumbledore, Albus Dumbledore. Of course, I am still in England, and this is but a mirage. I've just had a talk about you with Professor McGonagall, I believe that I have to come for a look myself."

"Do all well-known wizards have such shocking entrances?"

Merlin complains so, he drives into a quiet alleyway while saying:

"Well then, Mr. Dumbledore, you are here to ensure Harry's safety, correct?"

"Of course, this is one of the very important nodes."

Dumbledore's mirage replied in a pure and concise British accent:

In the war against Voldemort, Harry is a very important node, of course, so too are his friends. They exist in every prophecy."

"But I'm not here just for them, I'm also here for you."

Dumbledore lowers his voice and says:

"You threw Umbridge into the Magical Congress' prison, you unveiled that woman's vile intentions and did us a big favor."

"Her actions were dangerous and crazy, and the Ministry of Magic has suffered major public pressure after the Magical Congress revealed it; as hostile as Fudge is towards me, he can no longer suppress us through official means, this is very important to us in the upcoming war."

"You can say that you've won us a head start, and that deserves our gratitude."

"You even helped us deal with Harry's knot, Harry has been enshrouded in self-blame and powerlessness after the death of that young boy Cedrick; you helped him understand the meaning of saving people and helped him regain his courage and confidence, and while I do not approve of the process, it's good as long as the results were good too."

The elderly wizard shrugs:

"Perhaps, it's not a bad idea to let them experience the cruelty of the modern world every now and then."

Merlin smiles upon hearing the elderly wizard's words, he lights a cigar in his car and says:

"You see, I've done so much, can't I get some rewards? Mr. Dumbledore, I've heard that you are quite generous."

"Reward?"

Dumbledore glances at Merlin and says:

"Isn't the spell that Harry gave you enough of a reward? Surely you know how much money and effort must be spent to acquire a high-tier spell like Expecto Patronum?"

"Harry gave me this."

Merlin turns back and looks at Dumbledore, a kind smile appears on his face as he says:

"What I mean is, your reward?"

"Uhh, I came out in a hurry."

The elderly wizard shrugs:

"Plus, mirages cannot carry physical items. So, I'll trade it with some information."

He glances at Merlin with his wise eyes and says in a deeper tone:

"Some information that you desperately need."

"Alright."

Merlin's expression becomes serious, Dumbledore's mirage stays quiet, seemingly organizing his words; moments later, he says:

"The dark mana on you originates from Trigon, who is a supreme demon; in the current wizarding world, not even Voldemort, who's most experienced in dark magic can help you, for that is power from another dimension."

"If you wish to purify your dark mana, then you must head elsewhere."

Dumbledore says:

"A place which only exists in legends."

"Trust me, Merlin, you may think that you've truly entered the world of magic, but in my eyes, you are but a toddling beginner, and you are far from the truths of the world; for example, are you not curious as to who founded the current order of the magic world?"

"TO be honest, I'm interested, Professor."

Curiosity flashes in Merlin's eyes as he says:

"Tell me more."

"No."

Dumbledore shakes his head and says:

"I can only tell you some basic information because you need to find out more about it yourself."

"The ruler of the magic world resides in the East. She is the guardian of order, the observer of dimensions, the wisest and most powerful being born in this space. She is benevolent, as she is the adjudicator. She is the savior, as she is the destroyer. If there are gods in his world, then she most definitely is the noblest one of them all."

"The incident caused by Voldemort won't even make her bat an eye to England, you and I are not so different in her eyes. Like Trigon, she is the manifestation of order belonging to a different dimension."

"We cannot speak of her name, so we can only call her..."

"The Supreme Sorcerer."

 

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