The Wind and the Wings of Hogwarts

"You don't seem to believe it."

As he spoke, his feet left the ground, and he floated up.

"why?"

He circled around Scott once, then asked, puzzled.

"It appeared exactly as you imagined Merlin, so why don't you believe it?"

"..."

Scott was somewhat speechless.

I don't know how to tell him the difference between two-dimensional and three-dimensional worlds.

"Maybe it's better this way..."

As he spoke, the guy who called himself Merlin floated back to his original position and turned into an old man with a white beard.

This time, he looked very old, with layers of wrinkles on his face and a beard longer than Dumbledore's, almost dragging on the ground.

He smiled kindly at Scott. "I know that people have always been more inclined to believe that I have this kind of image..."

"..."

By this time, Scott had managed to calm down.

"You..." he began with some difficulty, "Are you really Merlin?"

"What's wrong? Doesn't it look like it?"

The white-bearded old man blinked and transformed back into a handsome white-haired youth.

"Or would you rather talk to me like this?"

Scott understood the situation and managed a weak smile.

"Please do as you please."

Merlin stopped changing his appearance after hearing this.

He maintained a friendly smile and said in a relaxed tone, "Come to think of it, I've never tried such an overly fashionable look before. In your past world, did people think I looked like this?"

This sentence contains a lot of information.

But Scott held firm.

Although it was a bit of a struggle, they managed to stabilize the situation.

He said, "In the world I used to live in, Merlin's image was also varied, all stemming from people's imagination and creation."

“I see.” Merlin nodded. “However, I can accept any form, because I no longer have a physical body.”

Scott took a deep breath and calmed down completely.

He was pondering many questions, but asked aloud, "So, those legends are all true?"

"Legends, are they referring to my identity?" Merlin said with a smile. "People believe I'm not human, but a half-Nightmare, right?"

Scott nodded.

"That's not true; nightmares are not real creatures. Of course, the legends aren't entirely without basis."

Merlin continued to make startling remarks.

"I was once a real human being, but later, just before I died, I entrusted my spirit to the dreams of humankind."

Scott was genuinely surprised. "Is this even possible?"

"Why not?"

Merlin tilted his head again with a puzzled expression.

"We are wizards, we possess magic, and magic can always bring us the results we desire."

He spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world, as if magic should allow wizards to do whatever they wanted without any restrictions.

Scott didn't know how to complain.

Magic is not something everyone can master, and dreams are even more ethereal and intangible. What kind of wizard can do it like him?

But he still understood what Merlin meant.

"So, the legend of nightmares exists because you can appear in people's dreams?"

"You could say that."

Merlin nodded.

With a warm smile still on his face, he said to Scott with an overly lively tone, "I didn't originally plan to come see you so soon, son, but you seem to have a lot of questions."

"Yes."

Scott could feel his tension, but he didn't show it.

He looked Merlin straight in the eye and asked, "You mean, it all concerns you?"

"I don't actually do much. I can only exist in dreams, so I can't do many things."

Merlin waved his hand repeatedly.

Then, he held up two fingers, indicating a small distance.

"At most, it only added fuel to the fire and played a minor role."

"..."

Scott did not believe his nonsense.

"Then..." he asked again, "about my time travel..."

"I made it."

Merlin readily admitted it.

It really was you.

He also said he hadn't done much.

I don't believe you for a second; you're a wicked old man.

"Why?" Scott asked again.

"Because it's so boring."

Merlin answered in a very ordinary tone.

He crossed his arms over his chest, holding the long staff close to his chest, and once again floated off the ground.

"Because I was curious about the future, I built a magical device called the 'Thousand-Mile Eye,' but not long after, I regretted it."

When he talked about it, his tone was somewhat exaggerated, and coupled with his swaying body and expressive gestures, it looked like he was performing on stage.

"A future where you can see the end from the beginning is just too, too, too boring."

Scott frowned. "Is the future set in stone?"

"of course not."

Merlin curled his lip.

"But even with all the variations, once I've seen them all, all that's left is boredom."

At this point, he suddenly floated in front of Scott again, looking him in the eye at close range.

"So I came up with a good idea."

"Summoning magic!"

He didn't explain the so-called summoning magic in detail, but looked at Scott solemnly.

Scott was somewhat confused.

Suddenly, Merlin snapped his fingers again.

"In short, you are the variable I introduce for the future of this world."

He looked somewhat excited and put his hands on Scott's shoulders.

Even the [Eye of a Thousand Miles] cannot foresee your future!

Scott could see it clearly; his eyes were full of childlike, pure curiosity and joy.

"Indeed, I was right!"

"As you grow up, your development and experiences begin to change the predetermined fate of this world, making it less boring!"

So am I just a tool you summoned to watch the show?

Scott was a little annoyed.

"Ha ha ha ha……"

Merlin laughed heartily and patted Scott on the shoulder.

"Don't worry about it, child."

"I don't care what you do, nor do I care what changes you will bring to the world."

"Therefore, I will not interfere with you."

"You just need to follow your own ideas."

“I thought…” Scott said, “I thought you wanted to guide me to create a new world, to completely separate wizards and Muggles…”

"No, I didn't have that thought."

Merlin released his grip and shook his head repeatedly.

"I just find those secrets hidden in the past very interesting, and maybe uncovering them will bring about another change."

He seemed to have no ulterior motives whatsoever; he was simply there to watch the show.

Scott didn't know whether he should believe him or not.

At that moment, Merlin waved to him.

"Alright, the meeting is over."