The scorching sun shone brightly over Hogwarts, bathing the fortress in a majestic radiance. Time had a way of slipping by unnoticed when one became too wrapped up in something, and before long, the hours had vanished without anyone realizing it.
The meeting had started late into the night, but in what seemed like a single breath, morning slipped away and midday had already arrived. There was far too much to discuss and nowhere near enough time. After all, the legends did not arrive as a timely visit, they had simply dropped by in response to a summon.
In any case, Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Flitwick made full use of that golden opportunity, allowing their curiosities to run completely wild.
Much of the conversation revolved around magic, naturally. Even though they were educators themselves, their modest reservoir of knowledge could not compare to living, breathing libraries who had walked the world for millennia.
Eventually, the talks then drifted toward history, speaking about the magical world of that ancient era, the early days of Hogwarts during its founding, and, more importantly, the reason the four founders had suddenly vanished from recorded history.
Maverick, too, was curious about the matter, and during the talks he did not simply sit and listen. He would occasionally chime in as well, however, when he finally heard the reason for the four legends' abrupt disappearance straight from their own mouths, it struck him as rather anticlimactic.
It turned out that they had simply grown too powerful for the average world. In other words, after crossing the threshold from archmage to warlock, they had left behind the constraints of mortality, essentially reaching the next level, which was a demigod or at least something close to such a being.
Naturally, that would mean the supreme rank, which followed the warlock realm, reached the domain of gods, and Merlin himself admitted as much, well, sort of, in a roundabout way. Without elaborating, he casually remarked that a supreme-rank mage possessed enough power to quite literally reshape an entire planet, whether through creation or annihilation. If that did not count as cosmic level, then what would?
Merlin also simplified how the universe classified extraordinary beings into different tiers, similar to how mages had their own ranks. Basically, archmagi were the pinnacle of mortal capabilities, warlock was a demigod, and the supreme rank aligned with beings who were revered as gods.
There were also higher levels, quite a bit according to him, but for no other reason than the fact that such knowledge was unnecessary for the four people at this point, he did not elaborate any further.
But with all that revelation, a single shared thought rose in everyone's mind except Maverick's. Why, with all that power, did Merlin and the four founders allow the magical world to grow so decadent over the centuries?
Couldn't they have ended the discrimination or the conflict, call it whatever, between the small magical population and the vast muggle masses, if not through negotiation then through firm coercion, so magicals did not have to hide like cornered rats?
Of course, they also understood there would be resistance, and rightly so, but what of it? What could opposition, no matter how massive the numbers, amount to in the face of absolute power? Time was the best healer, and even if the early years had been turbulent, wouldn't the world have grown accustomed to magicals by now if action had been taken a millennium ago?
It was a logical question, and neither the ancient wizard nor his students took offense at it. Yet the answer Merlin gave once again left the three mages baffled about the world they thought they knew. It turned out that the Earth hid far, far more than they had ever been led to believe.
In Merlin's narration, he was not the only supreme-level being on this planet, and certainly not the most powerful. The Sorcerer Supreme was one, and the ancient wizard gave a few more examples—beings who were quite literally immortal and wielded god-level powers.
It intrigued Maverick as well, and he recognized a few familiar names from the ancient wizard, like the Yoruba gods of Wakanda and the Eternals—yes, apparently Merlin knew about them too. There were also some he was not familiar with, such as beings named Chernobog and Gaea, and gods who did not exactly reside on Earth but had avatars here, like the deities of Celestial Heliopolis—in other words, the Egyptian gods, the Ennead.
Maverick wasn't surprised, nonetheless. After all, he had knowledge from beyond the fourth wall and knew that Marvel's lore ran as deep as a black hole, not to mention, this universe was a total clusterfuck of who-knows-what other universes.
So basically, the reason Merlin and his students did not intervene or try to resolve matters between muggles and magicals was simple: if they were to coerce the majority of Earth's sentient population, it would cross a major line, conflicting not with just one, but with many god-level and demigod-level beings residing on the planet.
They might not mind even if Merlin played monarch among the magical populace, but going beyond that would be inviting catastrophic-level trouble.
As for the reason behind their disappearance from history, it was essentially simple: for lack of a better word, they let the natural order play out, hoping that one day everything would resolve itself without crossing the red lines of other powerful beings. And so, they distanced themselves from the "ordinary" world, waiting quietly, becoming ghosts lost to the annals of history until that day arrived.
Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Flitwick kept nodding as if they understood, but Maverick, of course, called it nonsense internally. He still remembered Merlin mentioning some kind of prophecy and knew there was more to their disappearance than that. Still, he did not raise the matter—it was not his place to question—and nodded along as if he believed it too. Besides, the last thing he wanted to discuss was some bullshit prophecy.
On top of responding to the flood of inquiries, the four founders didn't hold back in their explanations, revealing a wealth of knowledge. One key topic they covered was the warlock rank, particularly how it stood apart from the archmage rank below it.
They explained that a warlock's lifespan, or more accurately their genetic life level, increases exponentially compared to an archmage. By this measure, they could stand alongside Asgardians—well, at least a typical Asgardian soldier—in terms of physical capability alone, and essentially surpass them, since a mage's abilities extended far beyond mere physical strength.
A warlock's control over magic, in their experience, basically became instinctual. Casting spells without wands was apparently as effortless as drinking water. However, they did point out that wands still made a noticeable difference, especially when conjuring particularly complex spells.
Naturally, their reservoir of magical energy also received an exponential boost. In other words, it would take a very long time for a mage of warlock rank to exhaust themselves of mana.
Out of the many revelations, one in particular caught the four juniors off guard, and yes, it surprised Maverick too. Apparently, when a mage reached the warlock realm, they awakened an ability that existed outside the traditional system of magic, something the founders referred to as nature affinity.
Fire, water, air, and earth. They explained that stepping into the warlock realm granted mastery over one of these elements, and they stressed that this ability worked without magic, which meant it stood as a power all on its own.
Even if a situation arose where magic could not be used, the power of nature could still be wielded. Out of the four warlocks, two awakened fire—Gryffindor and Slytherin—while Ravenclaw awakened wind and Hufflepuff awakened water. For some reason, the power of earth did not appear among them.
While the four founders continued speaking, Maverick kept his face carefully neutral. Inside, however, his mind spun with confusion. He already knew about elemental affinities, or, as his system phrased it, nature energy manipulation.
The thing was, he did not control just one element but every single one of them, which was precisely why their explanation threw him for a loop. So basically, he mused, that made him some cheap knockoff of an Avatar.
No, that's not right. If anything, he was anything but cheap. With his current arsenal of endless abilities, he could, or should, probably, solo the entire Avatar universe, right?
Anyway, from there, the conversation eased into another topic, focusing on the stories and legends surrounding the founders' names and then expanding into the lore woven throughout the world.
In the end, the one who benefited the most from the gathering was undoubtedly the headmaster. Merlin had pointed out earlier that Dumbledore stood only a single step away from ascending to warlock rank, and throughout the meeting he gained valuable insight from the four Founders, particularly their experiences when they broke through that same boundary.
Merlin added his own explanations as well, and truthfully, half the gathering felt like a lecture, with one side asking endless questions and the other patiently clearing their doubts.
Finally, the meeting drew to a close when Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Flitwick appeared to have run out of things to discuss. Or at least, that was how it seemed. Without a doubt, they still had a mountain of questions they wanted to ask, but they knew better than to push their luck and risk coming across as rude, even though the four founders and Merlin had shown no signs of impatience the entire time.
After all, the entire meeting had begun because Maverick wanted to flex his backing, and his point had been addressed shortly after the discussion started. From there, more than half a day had passed with everyone sitting and simply talking, talking, and more talking.
Making a poor first impression was the last thing they wanted. These were the four founders of Hogwarts, after all, the very architects of their school, and Merlin was, well, Merlin.
Still, the headmaster respectfully offered to have lunch prepared for them before they left, but the offer was declined with equal courtesy. Soon after, the legends departed from the school, leaving behind only a promise that they could be summoned whenever the need arose.
Of course, it went without saying that this did not apply to casual conversations, and the real meaning was clear to everyone present. They could summon the founders only during situations that had slipped beyond their control.
This, of course, did not include Maverick, and he had a feeling he would be facing the old fossils sooner rather than later. Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Flitwick might not know, but Maverick was certain that Merlin was well aware of his "side project," because for some reason, it aligned with the prophecy the old wizard had told him long ago.
Anyway, he would deal with it when the time came. For now, his focus was on the present, finishing the year and getting the exams ready.
---
"I suppose there's no need to say that what happened earlier today stays between the four of us, right?"
After the founders and Merlin himself departed, Maverick, McGonagall, and Flitwick followed Dumbledore to his office, as the old man had suggested, for a cup of afternoon tea.
Setting down his cup, McGonagall gave a sharp, brilliant smile and huffed softly through her nose. "I am very much restraining myself from calling you 'boy,' Professor Caesar. Who do you think we are?"
"You, Professor, is the head of the house where mouths outrun brains faster than owls can fly..."
"Hahaha..." Flitwick laughed out loud. Clearly, his mood was jolly at the moment, but he swallowed the rest of the laughter bubbling in his gut when he saw the stern lady glare sharply back at him.
"Thats right, professors Caesar. Shame on you to think we would go announcing we had the fortune to meet the biggest legends in the history of the magical world." He said firmly, although, his expression showed otherwise.
"All jesting aside, Professor Caesar is not entirely wrong in bringing it up," Dumbledore chimed in, a gleaming, mischievous twinkle dancing in his eyes, and a gentle smile tugging at his lips.
"We would do well to keep it to ourselves. On the brighter side, we can quietly savor the pleasure of knowing we have been party to such a remarkably fortuitous encounter, as we are doing now. Perhaps gather for tea every weekend?"
"Uh... I'd rather not," Maverick rolled his eyes. Then his expression hardened. "On a serious note, Headmaster, professors, I take it now, we're all on the same page regarding my arrangements for next year?"
Noticing his serious expression, the others also fell into a similar mood. A quiet pause hung over the Headmaster's office before Dumbledore nodded thoughtfully and, after a moment, asked, "Then, I suppose, following the plan you detailed, the next course of action is retrieving the Hufflepuff artifact from Gringotts?"
Maverick nodded and glanced at the others to gauge their reactions, only to find Flitwick giving him a curious, strange look.
"Yes, Professor?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
The half-man hummed thoughtfully before replying, "you didn't think to ask Lady Hufflepuff herself whether she could summon it? After all, it is her house's heirloom."
Maverick: …
"I..."
"No," McGonagall interjected. "Best to stick with your original plan, Professor Caesar. With your abilities, I'm sure it won't be difficult to… take a little stroll through that place."
Maverick nodded, conceding the point. Yes, best not involve the founders in this matter, and besides, it really wouldn't be difficult for him, just as McGonagall had said, to take a stroll there without anyone noticing.
Leaning back, he couldn't help but shot McGonagall a teasing glance. "Of all the things I thought I'd see in my life… never did I imagine Professor Minerva McGonagall endorsing a bank heist."
BAM!
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Author's Note:
I know that's a lot of lore dumped in there. And no, I didn't just pull all of that out of my ass, I actually put a lot of thought and pondering into it. Some of you might love it, some might not, and that's perfectly fine.
Either way, I'd really appreciate your feedback.
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