The Founders Heir

Prologue

Alexandria Slytherin watched the raindrops hit the window of the carriage as she and her brother waited for their parents to finish saying goodbye to the Montano's. They had been visiting them to arrange a marriage between Alex and their oldest son Arthur. The whole arrangement came as a surprise to Alex. Her parents had never pushed her towards marriage before, in fact they hadn't even mentioned it until a few weeks ago. The whole situation came across to her as very odd and it was beginning to worry her.

A gentle tug on her robes sleeve brought her from her thoughts. When she finally turned from the window she was met with her brother Salazar's bright green eyes. "Are you alright Alex." he asked curiously. "I've called you name at least five times but you didn't respond."

"I'm fine." Alex responded. Stretching her arms forward she turned her full attention to her younger brother. Though the were years apart in age, but Alexandria and Salazar were extremely close. After his birth Alex rarely left Salazar's side, she was so attached to the young babe that her parents decided against hiring a full time nanny for him instead only paying for one to watch him when Alex couldn't. Through out the years the two became more like mother and son than brother and sister. Though Alex's tendencies to act motherly in public had begun to embarrass Salazar as he got older.

"What was it you wanted to talk about?" Alex asked. Salazar looked away shyly his foot dragging on the floor in a pattern. He was nervous about something, it was the what that alluded her.

"I-I just wanted to ask how you felt about Sir Arthur? He is to be your betrothed.." Alex sighed as the reason for Salazar's nerves dawned on her. He had expressed concerns about the engagement before but they always were brief and confident. Meeting their soon to be family through marriage must have made her departure from their estate seem much more imamate.

Before Alex could address her brother's concern the door to the carriage opened and their parent's climbed inside and they were on their way. It seemed she would have to wait until they arrived home to discuss it. The ride home was mostly quite. Salazar had taken to watching the rain fall out the window, and her parents both had some reading material to keep them occupied. Alex was beginning to regret not bringing anything to keep her occupied.

Her boredom was short lived as the carriage stopped only an hour latter. "Dammed driver." Her father muttered as he claimed out of the carriage into the rain. Alex leaned over to Salazar's window, trying to get a better look at what it was the carriage stopped for but between the rain and the dark that had fallen over the countryside she was not able to make anything out.

"What do you think it is?" Salazar asked as he continued to try and peer through the rain and dark. Alex shrugged lightly before sitting back. She truly had little idea what could cause them to stop for so long, an animal would have ran away immediately and a fallen tree could easily be dealt with.

The carriage remained silent for a few more minutes before shouting from outside pierced through the carriage. It was father voice and he sounded absolutely livid, whoever he was shouting at had truly angered him. The second voice Alex didn't recognize but judging from the look of terror on their mother's face it was someone to be feared.

Shakingly her mother put down her book reaching for the door. "Listen closely dears." She whispered her voice quivering with fear. "I need you to promise to stay inside no matter what you hear alright." Without giving either of her children chances to answer she slid out the door shutting it behind her.

With her mother's reaction in mind Alex drew her wand from a pocket concealed inside of her robes. Salazar quickly followed her lead, worry evident in his eyes. Alex wasn't sure what the two of them could do but hopefully it wouldn't come to a fight. Pressing her ear to the door of the carriage she listened carefully. Outside the voices had hushed to the point where she was barely able to hear those outside. Mother's soft voice was the hardest to hear.

"Please Vladimir, our children are inside there is no need to shout." She pleaded barely over a whisper.

"Quiet woman this does not concern you." The unfamiliar man hissed in a thick accent Alex could not place.

Curiosity itched at Alex until she finally succumbed to the urge and cracked open the door of the carriage. In front of the door Alex could see their carriage driver's hand hanging from the drivers seat. She gasped in horror when she looked closer at the appendage. It was mangled and covered in blood, worst of all it was obviously not connected to its owner.

Behind her, Alex could feel Salazar try to nudge her aside so he could look as well. She waved her hand in dismissal at him. He did not need to see such a grisly scene. Taking her eyes off the severed hand Alex turned her attention to the strange man next to her parents.

He towered over her parents, feral and menacing, with skin as pale as the moon's light. His clothing was ragged , his hands were covered in blood and his eyes were focused on her. For a moment they simply stared at each other and eventually her parents moved to follow his gaze. Every thing that happened after they realized that he was focused on Alex was a blur to her. One moment she was peering out of the carriage and the next the man had her by the throat.

Her parents stood completely still frozen from shock. Vladimir's grip on Alex's throat tightened and she could feel herself beginning to faint. Heat built up in her throat and chest and she could feel the bones in her throat begin to bend to his grip.

"Alright, Slytherin if you don't repay what you own then I'll just have to take something." He snarled. Before her father could respond the man tore into her neck. White hot pain flared in Alex's neck and the last thing she could hear before she fainted was her mother's screams.