-Chapter Two: Slytherin's heir-
Next morning Salazar, right after breakfast, barged into Snape's office. "Professor, take me to my heir, immediately. I have to set him straight", he announced first thing as he set his foot into office.
Severus pinched his nose bridge and sighed. "Just one moment", he said and stood up and started to transfigure his robes to Death Eater attire.
"Just take me there, you do not need to stay there. I can handle things from there alone", Salazar said waving Snape's protests away. "You have classes to attend to, don't you?" he asked.
Severus sighed. "If you really insist, my Lord", he said. He had pretty much stopped thinking Salazar as Harry Potter and instead he was fully Lord Salazar Slytherin in his mind to him.
"Yes, I insist that, dear professor", Salazar said. "Let's go", he urged. "There a lot things to do", he said.
They walked out side to grounds and beyond wards. Severus offered him his arm and then he apparated to Little Hangleton where Voldemort was currently still located. "You may leave now. Wouldn't want to endanger your life because of this", Salazar said. "I can find my way back to castle, as I am able to apparate."
"Good luck, my Lord", Severus said and apparated away.
Salazar nodded determinedly and walked through wards like they didn't even exist and to old, looming Manor. He entered into house and easily located his heir's magical signature in dining hall, most likely still eating breakfast. He banged doors widely open to dining hall and strode in his silver and emerald-green robes flaring around him.
"TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE! YOU ARE IN SO MUCH TROUBLE!" he bellowed with conviction and glasses rattled at tables.
Voldemort, who was currently indeed eating breakfast nearly choked to his tea upon hearing bellow. He spun around and saw tall man with hip long raven colored hair and killing curse green eyes. He sprung to his feet quickly, whipping his wand out.
"Who the hell you are?"
Salazar lifted his hand and every Death Eater in place froze, unable to move. "You, my dear Heir, are grounded and home arrested, for a next decade", he said his nostrils flaring. "And look at yourself, mutilating your body like that with botched resurrection spell", he said clucking his tongue disapprovingly. "I, Salazar Tychion Slytherin, declare my Heir and descendant Tom Marvolo Riddle aka Lord Voldemort to under home arrest and grounded until he learns from his errors. So mote it be", he declared loudly and magic whipped around him wildly.
Voldemort's mouth was hanging open in shock. "You cannot do this!" he yelled and darted toward black-haired man.
"Now now, Tom", Salazar said and stopped him with flick of his hand. "If you continue this sort unseeming behavior I am forced to bend you over my knees. You are not too old to be spanked, you know. I had to spank my second eldest son, Alectos Selwin, when he was 89 years old, for pulling prank at his cousin, Alaric Gryffindor, Godric's son, in 973. So I dare you. Try me, dear grandson of mine."
Salazar snagged Voldemort from ear and dragged him out of room. "Come with me, my dear child, there is a lot to be done. And very first thing on the list is to heal your body back to a normal", he said and they disappeared into hallway leading to Voldemort's bedroom. As soon as they were in room Salazar locked door with flick of his hand and sat Voldemort down to bed. He started to weave his hand in different intricate and difficult patterns, whole while muttering strings of Latin.
Salazar's brows wrinkled into frown and he hummed thoughtfully. "I see. This won't be too difficult. But it will have...", he muttered and conjured parchment and self-inking quill and spelled them to write accordingly his thoughts. "... and side-effects would be... No, they will..."
Voldemort sat stiffly at edge of his bed, not daring to move even one inch. Barely daring even to breathe. If this man really was is ancestral father, Salazar Slytherin, like he had said he was then it was better listen him and follow his orders. It was already something saying that man treated him, who was 70, like he were a little child, told something about his age.
"You see, young man, you made quite mistake when you revived your body with faulty ritual. Had it been correctly done, the ritual that is, you would be now walking around in your original body, but alas...", Salazar said with wave of his hand. "That was not to be. But no matter... It shall be fixed in no time."
Voldemort was slightly dreading what his ancestor was going to do him.
"But first...", Salazar said and eyed Voldemort critically, and Dark Lord's feeling of dread increased exponentially. "... You need to be punished your bad deeds."
Next ten minutes were extremely mortificating for Voldemort as he was in fact bend over Salazar's knees and spanked to a bare bottom with Salazar's bare hand, one swat per every deed he had done starting with opening Salazar's Chambers in 1944 and ending up to his latest deed raiding ministry.
Needless to say, Voldemort's rear end was quite sore after everything was said and done with. Voldemort had never, ever in his life felt so mortified and embarrassed. To be spanked like naughty child. His face was streaked with tears of humiliation and pain. Older man was now muttering his calculations about re-creating Tom Marvolo Riddle's body. Voldemort himself was lying in his bed on his stomach, sulking, and his rear end throbbing painfully and exposed to cool air. Salazar took pity on his heir and conjured ice-pack for him.
"Ah-ha! It's done", Salazar said snapping his fingers and put his parchments down to table. He summoned his potion brewing equipment from his chambers and get to work instantly.
Voldemort, despite that he was sulking currently, he was curious about was older man was doing and watched with care what he did and how he did prepare all ingredients for potion and what he used. He in awe how gracefully everything was done.
Eight hours later, when Voldemort had already fallen asleep, little help from Salazar, cauldron was exuding golden mist with intriguing patterns and cauldron was filled with shimmering, wispy like glimmery golden liquid.
Potion was now nearly ready and it only required one last ingredient, it being two drops of Salazar's blood. He cut his finger and carefully let two drops of his blood to fall in cauldron before carefully stirring it. There was bright flash of crimson light and it then died down and potion was once again back its normal state. He poured potion to one large goblet and woke Voldemort to drink it.
Voldemort drank it coughing and spluttering, looking like he wanted to puke it up, but Salazar forced him to drink it every one last drop of it. When his heir had finished choking the potion down his throat, he curled up into ball, his body every cell throbbing painfully, burning with ice hot fire.
Salazar critically observed what happened to Tom. His body first rejected botched resurrection and his skin poured black sticky substance and then it shrunk to wailing newborn babe in which state from his skin rose mother-of-pearl-sheen vapour. Effect's of love potion, Salazar noted. 'He was conceived under effects of love potion', he thought. 'So that's why he was emotionally so messed up.'
"Good, this should now be mostly over", Salazar muttered and lifted wailing newborn from bed and conjured up warm water to wash up the child. After babe was cleaned he transfigured some clothes to baby and dressed him. "Now it should take only month or so him to reach teenage years again", he said with chuckle. "You are coming with me, darling", he said looking down baby at his arms. "You are my heir, after all. Dobby", he called and house-elf popped up.
"Master Harry Potter sir called Dobby. What Dobby can do for master sir?" excitable elf squeaked.
"Dobby, as you know very well, I am not only Harry Potter but also Salazar Slytherin. Are my chambers cleaned and ready to be moved in?" Salazar questioned, rocking the baby in his arms.
Dobby bobbed his head furiously. "Yes master Salazar sir, they are ready. Does master need something at the moment?"
"Yes, please. Mother's milk for newborn child would be very nice", Salazar replied. "Also, if you could prepare my old nursery and see that everything will be there."
"Yes master Salazar sir", Dobby said and disappeared with crack.
Salazar sighed with relief. Now he only needed to get back to school and to his chambers. If he was lucky this would be over in month or so, and Hermione and Ron would help him with nursing little Tom. He cleaned everything with wave of his hand and send his brewing equipment back to his chambers. With last nod he looked around and left the rooms, a baby securely in his arms.
As he reached hall again he saw few Death Eaters sitting around table and conversing with worried tone about their disappeared Dark Marks. "Of course Dark Marks have disappeared. Voldemort do not exist anymore so his marks has faded away."
"You killed him?!" Screeched Bellatrix, awakening sleeping baby.
"Silence you stupid wench", Salazar said with deadly voice and rocketed now wailing child. "I said Voldemort is no more, but I didn't say that killed him. Are you completely gone insane, woman? I did not kill him, my flesh and blood, he is my heir", he said. "He has merely returned to his early childhood, child in my arms you see is your once master and the Dark Lord. Now he is a mere babe, but he will grow soon enough. Within month or so he will be a teenager", he said scowling. "And no, I will not leave my heir to your care, woman."
Other male members of Death Eaters kept Bellatrix back from attacking him. "I deeply apologize my wife's erratic behavior, Lord Slytherin", other roughened looking, dark-haired man said bowing his head in submission.
"Your apology has been accepted, Rodolphus Lestrange", Salazar said with regal nod. "I have to return to my home to care my heir's well-being and raise him in an appropriate ways. I will send Severus Snape with instructions for what you will be doing. But until then, rest and recuperate. Try not to use magic if possible as it will speed up your physical recuperation, eat balanced meals every day, small meals six times a day, lot of milk and fruits, meat during meals. Excercise, but try avoid using magic as I mentioned earlier. And sleep at least 9 hours per day", he rattled instructions, and Rabastan nodded.
"Will be done, my lord", Lestrange brothers said as one and Dolohov nodded.
"Now, I will be going", Salazar said and left, leaving Death Eaters in Hall.
Salazar, being Founder of Hogwarts School he could directly Apparate in castle if he desired so. And now, with newborn child in his arms he did so. He had arrived in Great Hall during dinner time so every student and staff member was in hall having their meal.
"Professors Snape and McGonagall", Salazar said and motioned them to come to him. They came to him and he led them to just outside the Great Hall.
"How did your visit to your heir go, my Lord?" Severus asked, eyeing suspiciously babe in Slytherin's arms.
"It did go rather well. I bend him over my knees and spanked him to a bare bottom for every bad deed he had done and grounded him for until he learn from his errors", Salazar said with huff. "I scanned him and fixed his mutilated body from botched resurrection. He was also purified from some other foul things and he will be from now on be normal, feeling person. He was quite emotionally messed up because he was conceived under love potions effects", he said and peeked child wrapped in blanket. He revealed cherub face of newborn, tiny babe. "He is quite sweet child, this young heir of mine", he said. "Potion I gave him to fix and heal his body turned him to infant, and he will grow up to his teen years in a month or so. He will stay with me until I deem him ready to live alone even if he is an adult already."
Minerva saw child and cooed at him. "So sweet and beautiful child. He is Tom Riddle, then?" she asked and caressed child's cheek.
"He is. I have raised many children during my long, long life so it will be easy to take care of him, although it has been quite some time I have last had a child in my care as I was up until recently child myself", Salazar said. "I have put house-elves into task of cleaning and fixing my quarters up so that I can move in there again. No matter how nice Gryffindor Tower may be, nothing still beats my own Chambers."
"Where your Chambers are located if we need to find you?", Severus asked, peering child himself too. A former Dark Lord looked so sweet and innocent now, that he could hardly believe that he would be a Dark Lord.
"Funny thing that, my Chambers. They are to this day referred as Chamber of Secrets for some unfathomable reason. Makes me wonder what in the world happened to make them to turn to some sort of legendary Chambers. The so-called monster I left here was my dear familiar I left to protect school and students if they were ever under attack in any reason", Salazar sighed. "I regret that I had to kill Seyeena, my dear basilisk, but she was driven a mad with loneliness and that she killed a student in 1943 by an accident."
By now at least Minerva started to wonder what in the name of Merlin had happened in past to mutilate it so badly and riddle records with so many mistakes. "If you won't mind Lord Slytherin, I would like to accompany you to your chamber as you put young mister Riddle to bed", she said kindly.
"I would appreciate it very much. I hope that house-elves have done very good job with my chambers and nursery. I wonder though, If my family's portraits are still down there. I miss my own children and wife", Salazar said and he started to walk toward entrance to his quarters. "For some unfathomable reason entrance to my quarters has been changed to different location since it's building. But the Lady Hogwarts has changed it to more sensible location", he said casually.
Door to his chambers were now in dungeons, leading a long stairs down to bottom floor of dungeons, locating under the Black Lake. Everything had been cleaned perfectly, clean and fresh, torches and lamps giving a light. Ante-chamber looked much same it has been since he last was there when he was still Harry Potter and second year student. Tunnels and hallways led into different rooms and halls, storerooms and other places. He glared his so-called statues with evil eye and vanished them with wave of his hand and huffed in annoyance. Water in pools in ante-chamber was clean and clear. Seyeena's corpse was no longer there so he assumed that elves had harvested it for him.
He trudged toward nursery and found for his delight that it was in a perfect condition and there was everything he needed for a child.
Severus and Minerva were awed about the Slytherin's quarters. They were awe looking but also very normal at the same time.
Salazar hummed softly as he placed tiny babe to crib and started to take unnecessary clothes off. He checked nappy and found young heir staring him straight on with his big baby blue eyes that had not changed yet to their permanent color. "Ah, so you deemed yourself ready to wake up now. Well, then, darling, I will feed you", he said.
Minerva watched as Salazar sat himself to rocking chair with a baby and summoned bottle of mother's milk and warmed it up with mild heating charm to perfect warmth, starting to feed a baby while slowly rocking the rocking chair and humming some ancient lullaby he had sang to his own children so long time ago.
Severus felt twinge of envy in his heart. He longed to have own children but it was impossible for him in current situation where world was in. War was looming near, with bigotry and prejudice at large everywhere. But who would want to take old ugly and scarred Death Eater?
After a burping and putting young Tom sleep again Salazar conversed with his two guest for awhile until it was time to go sleep.
Next few day Salazar had his hands full tending young child. As he had expected Tom aged very quickly and in four days he was 2 years old. Tom learned to walk and speak very quickly and his accidental magic made also it's appearance.
Hermione and Ronald helped him to care young Tom and they did not carry lasting grudge against him when he explained why he had turned out what he had been. Hermione had cried for a while and then she had run off to do some research of the topic. She and Ron spoiled young Tom with small gifts and lots of affection to make sure that he would not turn out same as before, and they developed real fondness to child.
Tom's first word was 'Da'. That caused Salazar to cry in remembrance of his own children.
Salazar took Tom to visit Poppy to get his shots. And it was then that Poppy fell in love with small child, just like Minerva had before.
When Tom was 6 years old Salazar took him to outside to grounds. It was still cold as it was still February, nearly March. This time Tom gained yet another females to his loving fans. Slytherin girls Pansy Parkinson, Millicent Bulstrode and Daphne Greengrass were fawning over cute six-year-old boy.
Tom had now slightly curly dark chocolate-brown hair, pale skin and big green eyes that were quite distinguishing trait in Slytherin family.
At age seven he made friends with boys from every house. He also begin to attend some Minervas's and Severus' classes when he felt bored.
When he reached age of eleven Tom started to unlock his memories and it both frightened and confused him to no end. Salazar sat him down and explained him why that happened. Needless to say he Tom was upset and scared.
When Tom entered to his teenage years he started to garner attention from girls wholly different reasons than before. As it was, Tom was handsome, angelic boy with perfect manners. Salazar had raised him as he had done with his own children in past.
In one night 16 years old Tom came looking very afraid to Salazar's bedroom and crawled to his bed, trembling and sobbing from memories he had just receive. And Salazar had managed to get him to calm and relax, boy fell asleep, curling up against Salazar's chest like small child would.
Tom was twenty when he stopped aging even though he still got memories from his life as per normally. Salazar calculated that it would take up to four and half months for Tom to acquire all his memories back if they where coming at the rate as they had before. Summer holidays would be already starting when he had fully regained every memory back.
Tom was confused about that he wouldn't age to his real age as he had expected so Salazar sat him down once more and explained the potion he had given him to make him regain real body and not poor substitute he had had earlier due that botched resurrection. He told that side effect of his potion was that he would stay in young physically rest of his life and he would have slightly longer than normally lifespan but he would not be immortal like Salazar himself was.
No-one had ever figured out why Salazar was Immortal as he had been born to a normal, noble family. He had not been cursed. He had not done any kind ritual to become immortal. There was no spell or potion to make one truly immortal. He was forever stuck as 23 years old physically, but his body changed and his hair grew normally longer and all that, but he just didn't age or he wasn't able to die.
Headmaster Dumbledore didn't take it kindly that Salazar was housing Tom Riddle in his chambers in the school. World knew by now, two month after his revelation, that Salazar Slytherin was alive and kicking. The Dark Lord Voldemort had disappeared at the same time, causing chaos as much as him being still alive had caused.
Disappearance of Harry Potter was creating a havoc in Ministry. Their Saviour had up and gone, lost. They were afraid that Voldemort and his Death Eaters would attack ministry and others.
But they didn't do that. Salazar had given them very clear orders what to do and don't do. Dark Mark was gone and it had not returned. It would not return unless Tom would create it again.
*S*L*Y*T*H*E*R*I*N*
