Thank you for your kind review! I really appreciate them. To Guest and Jules, thank you.
To Moi, since you don't have an account, this chapter is sorta dedicated to you. I was going to use the comprehensive spell until you mentioned Crouch. I just hope this doesn't disappoint you :( Oh, and I edited Chapter 1. Thanks for pointing out the error about casanova, I really didn't know. T.T
Disclaimer: The following characters belong to the one and only JK Rowling. They are a little OOC and for that, I have to apologize.
Chapter 2
Salazar couldn't understand whatever it was that the bushy-haired witch shouted. It might have been true that he appeared out of nowhere but he did not think it was necessary to have a wand pointed at him by the witch who looked as if she was ready to attack at any second. And attack she did with a word that he knew, a stunning spell. He drew the protego shield that could deflect spells without bouncing back to the caster.
He heard the witch's voice again, but just as before, he didn't know what she was talking about. It was like speaking to the other three founders when they met for the first time.
Salazar grew up speaking Parseltongue whereas the rest of them spoke English. It took him three days to learn the language, to which his mentor, Merlin commented that with only the Slytherin line who could speak Parseltongue, its descendants take picking up a new language like a duck to water. Survival instinct, Merlin said.
Seeing the witch's calculated look, Salazar knew he had to do something. Taking out his wand was a mistake though, because the moment the witch spotted it, she exclaimed, "Expelliarmus!"
The wizard gripped his wand tighter right after Hermione shouted the incantation. She knew she was facing a formidable opponent. Even though he looked like her age, his quick reflex was that of an Auror. Perhaps he was even on par with Professor Dumbledore seeing how his wand didn't even move more than an inch.
Salazar was amazed. He and Godric had casted the disarming charm at each other so often that their wands would practically stay glued to their hands whenever Rowena or Helga tried to disarm them. This girl, who looked only seventeen managed to cause his wand to slip an inch. Granted, he was caught off guard, but still.
The last thing Hermione needed was to have a highly skilled, possible death eater on the loose at Hogwarts ground. She knew that she would have to use the non-verbal spells that she learned from Nymphadora Tonks during their private sessions last summer.
As she swished and flicked her wand at him, throwing curse one after another, she couldn't help but feel annoyed when all the curses absorbed into the blue transparent shield. She needed a stronger attack. Immediately, she conjured a wave of water and shot at his shield.
Thinking that it was her best aguamenti charm she ever casted and it would at least crack the barrier, she ceased the spell and lowered her wand. She bit her lower lips when she saw the floor between her and the wizard was doused with water yet beyond his shield, it was dry.
Her inquisitive nature was tempting her to ask the wizard how he managed to erect such a strong shield but stopped herself as her eyes went back to the serpent brooch. Hermione knew she couldn't be so judgmental and automatically assume that serpent accessories are associated with Slytherin and therefore the death eaters. There were the neutral pureblood Slytherins like the Davis and Zabini family.
Salazar was excited at the witch's speed at throwing spells and he believed hers could rival that of Godric's as he only managed to maintain his shield and barely had time to counter them. He was itching to fire his own spells but the duel would have to wait for another time. Now he needed some answers.
Without lifting her wand, Hermione flicked her wrist upwards the second the blue transparent shield disappeared. A cut appeared on the wizard's cheek. Finally, she cheered in her mind. Knowing that she could at least hurt him boasted her confidence.
Hermione was prepared for a murderous look, an irritated face, a death glare, all but the grin on the wizard's face. For some unknown reason, her heart skipped a beat. The wizard actually looked handsome, even with Snape's hairstyle sans the oily look.
Salazar saw her eyes blinked and knew that she was distracted. He took this window of opportunity to non-verbally cast a freezing and silencing charm on her.
Hermione tried to lift her hand and shout at him but to no avail. The wizard got the upper hand after all.
If Voldie starts recruiting death eaters who look like him, the witches won't stand a chance. Hermione Jean Granger, the brightest witch of her age, was defeated just because of a bloody grin. She mentally slapped herself as she braced herself for any of the unforgivable curses.
Instead, she was being levitated to the wing backed chair near the fireplace and her legs were bent so that she could sit on it. He then removed her wand and dried the floor before placing the other chair directly in front of her.
"I'm sorry but you may have to remain at the state you are until after I've gotten my answers from you because I'm not taking any chances, especially after this." He pointed his wand at the cut on his cheek which healed at once. "First and foremost, I apologize for appearing in your living quarters out of nowhere. It must have been a shock for you but trust me, I had no idea how I got here either." Salazar explained.
A deep baritone voice. This is how a man is supposed to sound like. She compared it with Ron's voice not before she realized something was off.
Salazar saw the confusion in her eyes. "Great, you don't seem to understand what I just said, do you?"
Hermione stared at the wizard sitting right in front of her. A wizard who speaks a language I do not know of! He must have come from some rural villages since it did not sound like any of the languages that are spoken in most wizarding communities that she has taken upon herself to master them or at least the basics of them.
Salazar waved his hand in front of her, urging her to speak before he remembered the silencing charm that he placed. Rolling his eyes at his own stupidity, he pointed his wand at the witch.
Hermione felt her eyes blinking and knew that the wizard had released her of the spells. She cleared her throat and held out her hand. "May I have my wand back?"
The wizard looked between her hand and her face, looking as if he was thinking what he should do. Hermione continued, "Look, I will feel much safer with the wand in my hand while talking to you."
Salazar did not know why the witch offered her hand. Why is she asking me to dance? Or is she asking me to walk her to somewhere else? Also, shouldn't it be men who offer their hands to the ladies? "My lady, I have to politely decline your offer to dance."
Puzzled, Hermione asked, "Was that a no?" She added and pointed at his cheek. "Because I can assure you that I will not place another slicing hex on you."
"Oh, you mean you wanted to have a look at this?" Salazar touched at the spot where the hex hit.
Hermione nodded, "I swear!" Only the slicing hex.
"Not to worry, I've already healed it. It's just a small cut, I've had worse from Godric." Salazar gave her a reassuring smile.
Suddenly, it dawned on Hermione, "Do you even understand English? I'm sure you can reply me with a simple yes or no." The lack of response from the wizard saw Hermione wrinkle her nose in annoyance. "This is certainly a problem."
While Hermione already identified the language barrier, it never occurred to Salazar that just as how he couldn't understand her, he was speaking a language foreign to her as well. All he could see was her looking deep in thought and how much it reminded him of a Rowena engrossed in solving puzzles. He really missed his best friends.
A snap of finger brought Salazar out of his musing.
Hermione exclaimed, "Ah-ha! Body language! It's how my mom communicates with the Asian granny living down the road."
She pointed at herself using her index finger, "My," Then she used her right hand and waved around, "Wand?"
Salazar raised his eyebrows. He wondered how different is this place and his home. The language, a lady offering her hand to a man, and it seems as if people here talk with exaggerated hand gestures. He twirled his wand, contemplating if he should do the same, waving his hands around while talking that is.
The witch motioned at his hand. "It's nothing," Salazar shook his head, "Just a habit that I tend to have when I think." He aimed his finger at where his brain is.
Hermione took this as a refusal to her request. "But, I don't-"She shook her head then wrap her arms around herself, "Feel secure without my wand." She pointed at herself then the wand again.
Noting the slowly dying flame at the fireplace, Salazar stated. "You're cold." With a flick, the fireplace roared back to life. "There, you should feel warmer by now."
Hermione stared at the fireplace in disbelief. Body language didn't seem to work if he took secure as being cold. She stood up and started pacing again, muttering to herself something along the line of deal with Ron, snow fox, serpent brooch, powerful, handsome, language barrier, idiot and simple hand gestures.
"I should get Professor McGonagall to deal with him, but I can't walk around the castle without my wand." She shuddered, thinking of the dementors roaming around the halls in her third year. "I wish there are some ways to get my message across to that idiot." There was a pause in step as she threw a dirty look at the wizard.
"For the love of Merlin, I need a translator!" She exclaimed and right then, two ghosts materialized out of thin air.
Helena Ravenclaw gazed out of the window from Ravenclaw common room, a nightly routine of hers to distract her from thoughts of the lost diadem being in the hands of Tom Riddle, or Voldemort as he proclaims himself. With a tug in her belly, the dark lake was no more and she found herself standing in well-lit room.
At the Astronomy Tower, the Bloody Baron could be seen punching the wall. Only the clanking of the heavy chains he wore could be heard, which led to Sir Nicholas thinking that groaning and clanking at the tower was a favorite pastime of the Baron. Sir Nicholas was not even close to the reason behind it.
In fact, the Baron usually did that to release his pent up frustration after he had enough of the pureblood bigots residing in the dungeon. But that night, his anger was solely directed at a blonde pureblood. "Bloody Malfoy," the Baron groaned, an image of the Dark Mark tattoo on Draco Malfoy's left forearm. This was not what his Lord would have wanted.
All of a sudden, he heard a yelp, "Ouch!" It was a voice he knew and he wondered what she was doing at the Astronomy Tower. After all, they had a silent agreement on not showing up at each other's favorite place at the castle.
Instead of bricks, he found himself face to face with Helena who was rubbing at her left shoulder as he looked up. Realizing that he might have punched Helena, the Baron paled, not that it was visible on his ghostly face. Even after their death he still managed to somehow hurt her. "I'm sorry!" He apologized. "I thought it was a wall… I had no idea…."
Helena cut off his ramble. "It's alright, Baron. We were being summoned," Her gaze fell on the Gryffindor witch, the only non Ravenclaw student that had her attention, well other than Riddle that is. "By Miss Granger, it seems."
"Grey Lady! You know who I am." Hermione was bewildered that the quiet ghost of Ravenclaw who seemed to only interact with students of her own house actually knew her name.
The Grey Lady chuckled. "Of course I do! I've always berated the Sorting Hat for putting you in the wrong house. I thought you were better suited in Ravenclaw with how you topped every class, well, except for Divination. Not everyone has the Inner Eyes." She rolled her eyes. "However, after the stunt you pulled against Umbridge last year, you're definitely a Gryffindor."
Hermione blushed at this, embarrassed that even the ghosts knew what happened at the Forbidden Forest. Then she remembered the Grey Lady mentioned something about her. "Did you just say I summoned the both of you?"
The Grey Lady nodded her head.
"Impossible! I do not have the power to call for Hogwarts ghosts whenever I want."
"You don't, though I can't say the same for this room." The Grey Lady recognized her mom's magical signature that was most prominent at two sites, the Ravenclaw Tower and the Room of Requirements. Seeing how she was at the tower mere minutes ago, she deduced that she was at the latter. She knew that she had not been here ever since her death but she couldn't help the niggling feeling that there was something off about the aura in this room.
Hermione exclaimed, "A translator!"
"I beg your pardon?" The Baron did not know what a translator was but he didn't want to outright question the young witch. He had an image to uphold in front of Helena.
Hermione did not waste time and walked towards the wizard. "You see, I might have asked the room for a translator. Since the both of you are here, it's safe to assume that you can assist in conveying my message to this man over here."
Salazar and Rowena had always wanted to talk to the wandering souls, to study them yet they always disappeared at the sight of the living. It was a look of wonder as he watched the witch have a conversation with two ghosts.
He was sure that nothing else could surprise him further, especially now that he saw the dead willingly interact with the living.
Salazar was wrong. Once the witch walked towards him and the two ghosts turned around, he gasped in shock. "Helena? Baron?"
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