House: Slytherin
Year: 5
Category: Drabble
Prompt: Horse
Word Count: 328
While growing up, Salazar Slytherin had always liked horses. If you treated them right, they would become your family. They were as temperamental than humans, but they could not hurt you with their words. They could kick you if you annoyed them enough, but they would not do it just because you were slightly different than them.
No, those traits were for muggles, magicless and talentless beings plagued by envy and fear of the unknown.
If only Godric could see it that way… but no. The naive, optimistic fool saw something in them in his long travels cross the Isles, and argued that their magical children deserved a chance. How are we going to survive if we do not marry into their lines, Salazar? was his favorite argument.
It would be better for the magic to die out than to pollute our blood and destroy our traditions! was Salazar's counter.
The tail-end of those fights always included Godric storming off into the Room of Requirement to destroy dummies with his sword and Salazar taking out Aeneas, his horse, and going for a long hike through the forest and around the lake next to the castle to calm down.
Aeneas was the only part of his family that survived the burning of his family home, and Salazar clung to him in a way that even Helga found slightly disturbing.
What if something happened to Aeneas?
Salazar never even tried to think about it - it was too painful of a thought.
Family never dies, Sal. He remembered his mother's soft words as they mourned his youngest sibling's far too sudden death - a death that not even magic could save him from. We'll stay with you, forever.
That doesn't change the fact they're dead, Salazar thought viciously as he poked Aeneas to switch from light walk to a trot. And it was because I wasn't able to protect them. That's why I guard Aeneas.
He's the only family I have left.