"Don't touch her!" commanded Salazar Slytherin holding out his hand, a deadly warning emitting from his ever pale eyes. If Godric dared to interfere, Salazar would kill him, former friend or not. Godric stopped a few feet away his eyes staring at the scene before him.
Salazar lowered his long, bony hand and carefully, ever so gently placed his hands on the still almost peaceful form of his love. He never expected a person to win his heart quite like she did but she had and now she was gone. No one could make up for this loss, though Salazar wasn't ready to accept the truth of the matter. She was so sweet and full of life it couldn't haven been taken from her, not yet.
As his hand touched her nearly cold arm, emotion gripped him like it had not done before. She was supposed to react to his touch but there wasn't a movement. His grip tightened a bit around her arm as he choked back a sob.
There was motion from across the way and Salazar knew what it was.
"One more step Godric..." he warned not taking his eyes from the form that lay as if in sleep. She had given herself for a student who was in the path of a muggle riot. She had put forth such a spectacular bit of protective magic that none had seen before. It was magic that came at a steep price, and that price was her life. It was something that had only been theorized about, he had not expected to see it come to pass. It required a great deal of love to perform, and her love was just so great that she did the unachievable. It was the very same love that melted his heart, and it took her life.
His hand brushed her cheek. She had brought such joy with that smile of hers, not only to his life but everyone's lives. When Helga smiled she seemed to light up an entire room. No one need worry about having candles to light the room, her smile was enough. He remembered back to when that grin was bright and merry with the idea of what seemed to be the impossible.
"I think we can do it!" exclaimed Helga her blue eyes dancing with delight. Just looking at her in that moment; Salazar was convinced that the idea she and Rowena were proposing could just be managed. In spite of the rampaging wars and general sense of chaos in the world around them, they could create a place of peace - a school for wizards.
Never would he see those lips turned up with her eyes dancing with delight. One of the greatest things about Helga was her love for those around her. Without meaning to she created much heartache. It always hurt her to know that she was hurting someone else, particularly when he and Godric both found themselves in love with her.
"Salazar, do you think you and Godric can make up?" asked Helga imploringly looking up at him with a small sadness in her eyes. "I don't know if we can," he answered solemnly, gently placing his hands on her arms; looking down on her with gentleness that none but Helga herself had ever known. "I just feel I'm the cause for all this strife," explained Helga, "I don't want to be the cause of you two fighting." There was a faint pout that sat on her lips. "If it were not you it would have been something else," Salazar assured, "Godric and I have rarely agreed on things, and when we do, we still find issue with one another. So please don't worry about our friendship, you did nothing to cause us to fight."
Salazar's hand traveled from the cold still cheek of Helga Hufflepuff to her neck. There adorning it was the locket that he gave her so that he would always be close to her heart, a physical token to serve as a reminder of his love for her. He had fashioned it himself for her to wear.
"Oh, Salazar! I love it!" cried Helga as he presented the locket to her. She practically jumped with joy over the small silver trinket with an 'S' engraved on it. Her smile was so bright and beaming that it caused Slazar to practically mirror her with one of his own. "I'm glad you do," he answered almost dumbly lost in the joy and beauty of Helga. "I will never take it off so long as I live!" she proclaimed with joy, starting to slip the locket on. Salazar beamed with pride every time he saw it adorning her neck.
Now, Helga's heart no longer beat, there was little point for her to adorn the necklace anymore. Careful as he always was, he reached his nimble fingers to the clasp releasing it from her neck. He hated seeing the necklace parting from her, but there was no use for it to be around her neck. He held and examined the trinket on the chain before allowing it to drop into his hand and pocketing it.
"Salazar," spoke Godric practically admonishing him for taking the necklace from Helga.
"I gave it to her - it's my right to do with it what I want!" he snapped sending his cold steely gaze to the red headed man. He dared the man to approach him with his eyes. He would kill him; he would. All he wanted to do was make a person pay for his great loss - guilty or not - and he would be more than willing to oblige with killing Godric. He may have been an expert dueler, but that was of little consequence now.
Godric closed his mouth, frustration clear on his face, as he watched the man that won the love of Helga over him. He by no means understood what it was that Helga saw in the snake of a man, but that was a question that could never be addressed ever again, and it bothered Godric as he watched Salazar loom over the still form of Helga.
Salazar leaned down and gently kissed the now cold cheek of Helga and whispered, "You will be avenged."
He drew back, stood, and looked down at Helga once more before he looked up and began to speak an incantation in parsaltongue; setting into motion his revenge. He was finished before Godric could stop him.
"What have you done?" demanded Godric savagely his body itching to pull out his sword and attack Salazar, knowing his words could not have meant anything good. When did that snake tongue produce any good?
"That is of my concern," spat back Salazar, "I've seen too it that one day the death of Helga will be avenged."
"Avenged? Against who?" demanded Godric. Before he could act Salazar vanished taking Helga with him.
When the reality of Salazar's action sunk in, Godric roared in anger and pain. He did not receive the chance to bid the love of his life goodbye, and Salazar was gone, to who knew where.
Of course, the logical place that Salazar had taken Helga was Kenfig, where she had harkened from; it was there that she was to be buried. He placed a sand serpent to guard over her body, and to this day there are rumors of disappearances in those great sand dunes that have now taken over the once fair city of Kenfig.
As to the revenge Salazar set forth before leaving the Hogwarts castle for good, it would take several centuries before one of his heirs would step forward to bring it to tuition. The same heir who would also use the locket that had reminded Salazar so of his dear beloved for intents it was never designed for.