Heavy Is The Crown (Harry Potter × Arthurian Legend)

[Third Person's PoV] 

Arthur continued his quiet stroll through the winding corridors of Hogwarts. His mind still lingered on his strange yet oddly amusing encounter with Sir Cadogan earlier in the evening.

'I wonder if I'll be dealing with more situations like that,' he thought to himself, brows slightly furrowed. 'Honestly… I don't even know how to feel about them. They're bizarre, sure, but I guess I'm not completely opposed to them either.' 

Perched comfortably on his shoulders, Cosmo, his feline companion, purred softly and nuzzled against Arthur's cheek. The familiar warmth made Arthur smile as he lifted a hand to scratch Cosmo under the chin. The cat responded with a pleased rumble.

As Arthur rounded the corner of the hallway, he suddenly stopped in his tracks, his body reacting instinctively. He backed up silently and pressed himself flat against the stone wall, careful not to make a sound. 

He had just caught a glimpse of someone.

Slowly and cautiously, he leaned his head out to peek around the corner. His eyes landed on a figure with a head of thick, slightly tousled brown hair. Much to Arthur's relief, it wasn't a professor or ghost roaming the halls, but someone his age—another student who had apparently decided that curfew was more of a suggestion than a rule.

And not just any student.

A sly grin tugged at Arthur's lips as he recognized Lance Demere, someone he was getting quite familiar with. The urge to mess with him was too strong to ignore.

Silently, Arthur crept up behind him, adjusting his posture and deepening his voice into something gruff and authoritative.

"Isn't it a little late to be wandering the castle, Mr. Demere?" he said in his best impression of a stern professor.

Lance jolted as if hit with a jinx, his whole body tensing up like a coiled spring.

"Sorry, Professor—!" he blurted, spinning around in a panic.

But instead of a teacher, he was met with Arthur's smug grin.

Lance exhaled loudly, his shoulders slumping as he clutched his chest. "Oh, it's you Arthur… I nearly keeled over."

"Yo," Arthur greeted casually with a faint chuckle. "Fancy seeing you here."

"Fancy nearly dying from fright, you mean," Lance muttered, still trying to get his heart rate back under control.

The two boys began walking side by side down the corridor, their footsteps echoing lightly in the quiet space.

Arthur glanced sideways at him.

"So, what are you doing up so late? Shouldn't you be tucked away in your bed or something?"

Lance kept his expression impassive.

"Probably for the same reason you're not," he replied calmly. "I'm mapping out the terrain."

Arthur raised an eyebrow. "Mapping out the terrain?" he repeated, amused.

Lance shot him a sideways glance.

"It's something I was taught as a kid," he explained. "If you're in an unfamiliar place, make it familiar. Know your exits, understand the layout, be aware of your surroundings. It's just... habit."

Arthur blinked, then nodded slowly, a bit impressed. "That's actually kinda cool. Were you raised in a forest or something?"

"Yes," Lance replied without missing a beat.

Arthur turned to him, eyes wide. "Wait—seriously?"

Lance didn't flinch. "No," he said with the same straight face. "I'm messing with you."

Arthur snorted with a smile. "Great. That's really helpful. Honestly, I have no idea if you're being serious or not. You're hard to read, man."

A faint, almost imperceptible smirk touched Lance's lips. "I didn't literally grow up in a forest, per se," he clarified. "But I did lived surrounded by forested land."

Arthur's eyes lit up. "Hey! That's kinda like me. I lived in the middle of a forest for a while—"

Before he could finish his sentence, a voice cut through the air like a knife.

"Shouldn't you boys be in bed at this time?"

Both Arthur and Lance froze mid-step, blood draining from their faces as they turned sharply on their heels. A familiar figure stood behind them, arms crossed and smirking with unmistakable amusement.

Merlin.

"Hey boys~" she said, drawing out the greeting with teasing flair.

Arthur let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. "Oh, Jesus Christ…" he muttered, running a hand through his hair in relief. "You scared the life out of me."

Lance crossed his arms and shot her a glare.

"What is it with you two and sneaking up behind people? Is this a hobby or something?"

Merlin tilted her head playfully.

"You did the same thing?" she asked, raising a brow in amusement.

Arthur gave her a cheeky grin and nodded.

Merlin returned the grin with one of her own. "Nice~"

The three of them—Arthur, Lance, and Merlin—continued their quiet exploration of Hogwarts, their footsteps echoing faintly through the grand, dimly lit halls. Beneath the towering archways and colossal staircases, they looked like shadows, small and insignificant compared to the timeless majesty of the ancient castle.

Lance walked with sharp, cautious movements, eyes darting from corner to corner, his brows furrowed with suspicion. Arthur and Merlin noticed the change in his posture and exchanged a look before Arthur asked, amused, "What exactly are you looking for? Are you searching for something specific"

Lance didn't respond immediately. He was still scanning the area like a soldier preparing for an ambush. "No," he said after a beat, "I'm waiting for Gwyneth to jump out and try to scare us. She's the only one left to try it."

Arthur scoffed, waving off the idea.

"Please. Gwyneth? She doesn't strike me as the type to sneak out after curfew."

Lance hummed, not entirely convinced.

"I suppose that's true…"

They rounded another corner, but Arthur suddenly threw out an arm in front of them, halting them in their tracks. 

Lance raised a brow in confusion. "What is it?"

Arthur didn't speak. He simply pressed a finger to his lips, then pointed ahead down the corridor. Cautiously, Lance and Merlin leaned their heads around the stone wall—only to see a single creature patrolling the hallway with eerie purpose.

A small, wiry cat.

"It's a cat," Lance said flatly, unimpressed.

"Shhh," Arthur whispered urgently. "That's not just any cat. That's Mrs. Norris, the caretaker Filch's cat. From what I've heard, she's practically his eyes and ears. If she spots us, she'll alert him, and we'll be caught."

Lance's expression turned more serious. "Well then, what do you suggest we do?"

Arthur looked thoughtful for a second before a grin spread across his face. He reached up and tapped Cosmo, still perched lazily on his shoulders.

"We use our secret weapon."

"What?" Lance muttered.

"Cosmo," Arthur said solemnly, turning to the cat with a dramatic air, "I need you to seduce her. Use that devastating charm of yours and lure her away. If you pull this off, I'll reward you with an all-you-can-eat buffet."

Lance blinked. Then looked at Merlin.

"He's not serious. Tell me he's not serious."

Merlin gave a helpless shrug and a wry smile. "Unfortunately for all of us… he is."

Cosmo stared at Arthur silently for a moment, as if weighing the stupidity of the plan. Then, with a long, theatrical sigh that seemed to say, 'The things I do for food…', he leapt gracefully from Arthur's shoulders to the floor.

Ahead, Mrs. Norris padded quietly along the hallway, her eyes sharp and glowing in the dark. But then—she froze. A deep, velvety meow echoed behind her.

She turned her head.

There, emerging from the shadows like something out of a dream, was Cosmo. His sleek black fur shimmered under the moonlight pouring in through a high window, and his striking purple eyes gleamed like polished amethysts. He moved with slow, deliberate elegance, each step a statement. Flowers seemed to bloom in his wake—figuratively, of course. 

It was like a scene pulled from the pages of a shōjo manga.

Cosmo circled around her once, his tail lifting her chin gently, and offered another deep, rich meow. "Meow~" ('Hello, beautiful.')

Mrs. Norris blinked, startled, her rigid demeanor suddenly awkward.

"M-Meow meow?" ('W-Who, me?')

With suave confidence, Cosmo brought his face close and rested a paw lightly on her cheek. He purred deeply. "Meow~ Meow meow." ('Of course you. Who else could such an adjective possibly apply to?')

Mrs. Norris's pupils dilated. She gave a shy little twitch of her tail, captivated.

Seizing the opportunity, the trio crept past her unnoticed, hearts pounding. Arthur gave Cosmo two enthusiastic thumbs up as they tiptoed behind the feline couple.

Lance glanced over his shoulder at the scene and mouthed in disbelief,

"What the bloody hell…?"

Merlin had to press a hand to her mouth to suppress her laughter, tears forming at the corners of her eyes as they turned the corner. As soon as they were out of sight, the three of them broke into a jog, trying not to burst into hysterics.

"Arthur…" Lance finally said between breaths, still reeling. "Just… what is up with that cat of yours?"

Arthur beamed, puffing his chest out like a proud parent, "Isn't he amazing? That's my boy."

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