Chapter Three: Hold Me Tight

Two years later

Salazar eyed the muggles shuffling around him with indifference. Why his mother insisted on shopping in muggle towns was beyond him. As far as he was concerned, they did not have anything that a wizarding shop would not also have. They were also dirty, he noted as a group of boys around his age ran past, leaving a stench in their wake. It must be a terrible thing to live without magic.

"Mother, it is getting late, I think we should start heading home." He tugged on her sleeve as they walked.

It was a rare day that they were able to leave Slytherin Manor to go into the muggle world, but Salazar had little interest. His father was currently in France doing who-knows-what, and wasn't scheduled to return for a few days, hence the trip. The muggle world was a boring place and he would much rather be spending his time elsewhere. Salazar would have even been okay with staying at the manor, enjoying the rare day when he did not have to live in fear.

"Nonsense Salazar," she said. "We have plenty of time before we must be home. Besides, I wanted to get us some fruit."

"Oh, okay." Salazar loved muggle fruit, for some reason it always tasted better then the conjured ones. His mother had spoken a few times about making a garden of their own, but as soon as his father heard, it was over. Salazar winced at the memory, subconsciously rubbing his elbow where a thin scar resided.

He watched with slight interest as his mother picked through the fruit and discussed each one with the vendor. She bought a few tomatoes, which was Salazar's favorite, and a few other fruits before finally allowing them to leave.

His mother slipped the fruit into her bag, which was a decorated animal-something, Salazar didn't know what, nor had he cared enough to ask. His mother liked it, so he did as well. They followed the road west out of town, toward the forest. A few muggles gave them curious looks, probably because a woman and child were leaving town when the sun was almost down. They were foolish, Salazar decided, because it was not so scary when one had a wand.

They walked for a little more, until the town no longer looked so large and the sun had disappeared completely. They turned off the road and disappeared silently into the wood next to the road. Almost immediately, Meriwether pulled her wand out and cast a lumos charm, giving them enough light to walk safely. She also un-shrunk their robes, hers blue and Salazar's black, so that they could shed their muggle-wear. Salazar felt a feeling of satisfaction as he slid the robe over his head, glad to be back in normal clothes. The muggle clothes always felt strange and foreign to him, no matter how much he wore them. They couldn't beat the comfort of a good-old wizard's robe.

They pushed deeper into the woods, searching for the portal location they had entered from. Portals, as they were commonly called, aids witches and wizards with side-along apparition. Many people, like his mother, did not have enough power to side-apparte anyone, so they had to use the portal, which pulled magical energy from the ground as well as the apparating witch or wizard, to return home.

Salazar didn't like the portals very much, because he always felt slightly ill afterwards, but he could not deny their usefulness. Without the portal, his travel would be severally limited.

They walked slowly, looking carefully at the ground for the location of the portal, which was hidden carefully by a series of wards. The way to deactivate the wards was to cast a revealing charm at the marker, which was a small shrub with red-tipped leaves.

As they advanced, Salazar began to feel increasing uncomfortable. He felt as if they were being watched, and subconsciously scooted closer to his mother. It was a small reassurance that she didn't seem worried, but Salazar's fear refused to go away. It was something more than the anxiety he felt moments before the portal activated. Something was wrong.

"Did you find it yet, mother?"

"Find what?" Salazar's body went ridged with terror as the rough male voice spoke from behind him. His heart sped up and his hand instantly reached into his pocket containing his wand, but they were shaking.

"Shh Salazar, we must be cautious. I am sure they mean no harm." His mother whispered, her hand gently pulling his out of his pocket. They both turned slowly, Meriwether guiding Salazar. Although he was terrified, Salazar forced his legs to move, so that he stood slightly in front of his mother. His father hadn't taught him all those curses for nothing, it seemed.

A burly man came into view. He had dark red hair that was very thick and unkempt, feeding into his large beard at random. He wore dirty muggle clothes like that of peasant, and was pointing at them with an old sword in his right hand, his left resting on the tip of a dagger that poked out from a bag of cloth tied to his belt.

"Look what we got here." His eyes traveled over Salazar's small frame and fixed on Meriwether. His beard shifted, presumably because he was smiling. Salazar's small fists curled into balls, his nails digging into his palm.

"What do you want?" Salazar said, trying to make his voice sound forceful.

The man laughed, but there was nothing pleasant about it. "Brave little boy," He commented, "but I won't hurt you if you do as I say. I want everything you have, including those mighty-fine coats." He snickered. "And the lady's lovely dress." Meriwether let in a sharp gasp and Salazar felt her body go stiff behind him. This man was bad news.

Salazar was terrified, but he was also angry. This man -this muggle!- was trying to steal from them and probably more. Salazar's instincts told him to run, but he had nowhere to go. He was a fast runner, but the man had longer legs and probably knew the wood better than he did. Salazar inhaled slowly, eyes boring into the man's as he tried to think of a plan.

As he stared, something clicked. It was the cold, hard, unpleasant truth. He was going to hurt them. No matter what, he would come after them. There was no escape; Salazar had to fight. He had to be ready. He was a wizard, after all, he could not lose to some muggle. His mother needed him to protect her. Salazar uncurled his fist and discretely reached into his pocket, gripping his wand steadily.

His mind set, Salazar's eyes narrowed in anticipation as he watched the man. "You will not come near us." Salazar commanded, this time his voice did not quiver.

The man paused, apparently noticing the change that had come over Salazar, but than his eyes slanted in anger. "I don' think you get to decide that, little boy." His sword rose slightly, so that it was now even with his shoulders. "Now!" He yelled.

Salazar's hand flew out of his pocket as the wood erupted in noise as four men appeared from this hiding spots among the trees. Meriwether reacted as well, stunning the man that had appeared closest to her. The men didn't stop at the sight of the spell, but they did slow down for a second. Salazar pointed his wand at one of them with wavy brown hair, ready to curse him when a body crashed into him. He fell down with a shout and barely managed to keep hold of his wand. There was a crack and a flash of red covered Salazar's eyes, followed by an over-whelming pain from somewhere on his left leg. When his vision cleared and his mind returned, Salazar became aware that someone was sitting on him, making it difficult to breathe and impossible to move. He turned his head, causing dark spots to appear. He was in so much pain.

"Don't even try." The first man said with another snicker. "If you try anything, we'll slit this pretty woman's throat." Salazar wanted to say something, but the most he could do was grit his teeth. He couldn't see anything. Where was his mother? What was going on?

"Revive Jim." The man commanded, digging his foot into Salazar's shoulder. He tried to shout, but it turned into a choke when he couldn't get enough air. "Stand 'im up." The crushing weight disappeared seconds before rough hands grabbed him, pulling him upwards. His vision went out again, but he tried to find even footing, at least until he put him left leg down. This time, Salazar did cry out as pain flooded his skull, not allowing him to think of anything else. He was dimly aware that he had fallen and was being picked up again, so was careful not to use his left leg.

When he opened his eyes again, he was being supported by one of his attackers, staring at the man his mother had stunned and, behind him, his mother.

They locked eyes for a moment and Salazar felt as if they were staring at each other's souls. He could see how terrified she was, both of him and herself. The man with brown hair was behind her, holding her hands that were twisted behind her back. The other one held a dagger to her neck, just far enough away that it didn't cut into the skin. Meriwether's wand lay at her feet.

"Revive Jim." The bearded man repeated, drawing Salazar's attention away from his mother. Salazar just stood there, a blank look on his face as he stared at Jim. He had to save his mother. He couldn't lose like this. Meriwether gasped, making Salazar's eyes dart to her with fear. The dagger had shifted and dark red blood now trickled from her throat onto the neck of her dress. "Well?"

With tears in his eyes, Salazar forced his unsteady wand toward Jim's crumpled form and cast an enervate. Salazar's senses dwindled as he fell again while his captor went over to his fallen comrade. Tears blurred his vision, but they were no longer just because of the pain.

"Wizard!" The man who had supported him before shouted. "Do you know all that you people have caused?" Salazar didn't understand, nor did he have the will to answer. He watched through blurry eyes all the man knelt down in front of him. "I want you to suffer." He snarled, resting the cold tip of his dagger on the bridge of Salazar's nose.

Confused, Salazar once again offered no response, except for a whimper of pain that unwillingly escaped his lips. He once again, tried to think, but he couldn't get beyond the pain. Dimly, he was aware of random increases of pain, but he wasn't entirely aware of the causes.

Salazar felt himself be lifted up, as if he was a doll and his rope shed from his body. His head shun and he felt sick, but without enough energy to do anything. He was released, only to collapse again into a worthless heap on the ground.

Disjointed thoughts told him that his hands were being cut by rope, sharp thing were carving his skin, and hard objects were kicking him, but Salazar was unable to connect them. Nothing felt real. He tried to open his eyes, curious as to when they had closed, but it was as if he was attempting to pick up a tree. With all the strength he could muster, Salazar slightly moved his eyelid, enough that he could see colors swirling, before they lowered again.

New-found panic began to rise in Salazar's stomach. Why couldn't he move? What was going on? His whole body felt nub, but Salazar was sure it was still there; he just couldn't feel anything. It was if his mind has retreated, away from the pain. He could almost think logically. But how could it be possible; to escape the physical world like that? He wasn't dead, was he?

No, Salazar thought, he wasn't dead. Not like this. He had his mother to think about. He had to protect her. He had to return, somehow, from wherever he was. Salazar concentrated as hard as he could, focusing in his mother, willing himself to return to her.

By some miracle, Salazar became aware of his senses again. The pain flooded into his brain, but he forced himself to not yield to it. The pain could not consume him as it had before. Instead, he tried to open his eyes.

It took several tries, but Salazar was eventually able to see beyond the black of his eyelids. His mouth tasted of copper and felt raw, but he could not place the feeling. Salazar wondered if he had thrown up. His head was still heavy, but he fought to shift it. He needed to find his mother. With a lot of effort, Salazar turned his head and put his weight on his chin, gritting his teeth. His body sent him constant warning, telling him that the pain was still increasing and he should stay down, but Salazar ignored it. He would not succumb.

His gaze finally rested on his mother and his heart skipped a beat. She had not moved much, except that her outer robe was lying in a heap by her feet. The cut on her throat had probably stopped bleeding by now, but it now had a twin, although it was deeper and longer, on the other side, making Meriwether take long, bated breaths. Salazar tried to remember his lessons about the throat, but in this state everything was a blur. All he could remember was that you could die from the throat injury, but he didn't remember exactly where one had to cut.

As he watched, his mother tensed for a moment and then started to cough. The man holding her hit her twisted her arms, pressing them further into her back. "Shut up." He commanded. In response, Meriwether bend forward and spit at the ground. Salazar was confused for a second, before he realized what she had spit. Blood. His second realization hit almost as hard: the copper taste was blood. He was throwing it up as well.

"Salazar!" His mother shouted without warning. "Run! You must live, Sa-" Salazar watched in horror as the man threw her to the ground, pressing his digger into her arm and withdrawing it quickly. It shone red through the darkness.

His heart pounding in his ears, Salazar tried to summon every bit of energy he had. His whole body began to tingle, as if it was nervous. The pain dulled and Salazar began to feel his body again. His mind even cleared, allowing him to think. He was drawing upon his magic, pumping it through his body at an alarming rate. He could feel power beneath his finger tips. It was time.

With his new-found strength, Salazar twisted around, surprising the two men as he sent a pure burst of energy at them. They both flew away from him, their eyes wide. Even though his pain was dulled, it still took a lot of effort to stand. His body protested, making his left leg threatening to collapse again under his weight. Meriwether struggled with her captor, shouting an intelligible string of words as she went. Salazar ran over, yelling in both anger and pain, throwing another magic burst at the man. He fell over, stunned, allowing Salazar to finally reach his mother.

"Mother-" he breathed, a wave of relief washing over him. They were safe; everything was going to be okay now. His mother did not respond, instead she continued her chant, lightly grasping Salazar's forearms. "Mother, its okay." He said, tears forming once-more in his eyes.

Salazar watched in amazement as his mother's face began to fade before his eyes. With a shout, he attempted to dislodge his arms from his mother's grasp, but she held strong. They locked eyes. He struggled more as the world faded around him, as if his vision was slowing growing fuzzier, but kept looking into his mother's eyes.

And then everything disappeared.

---

Groggily, Salazar opened his eyes. His other senses awoke as well, informing him that he was in pain somewhat equivalent to falling from the sky and smashing into a rock. Everything hurt. He hurt in places he didn't even know existed.

With a grimace, Salazar observed his surroundings, trying to figure out where he was. His mind was foggy, not allowing him to remember how he had gotten here. Salazar lay on the ground, in the woods he assumed, based on all the sticks and dried leaves around him. He lifted his hand to his forehead, jerking it back when he felt warm liquid. Inspecting his hand in the dim light of the moon, he saw that his hand was covered in the dark stuff, but he had no idea what it was. Maybe it had something to do with the pain?

Wanting to figure where he was (and why) Salazar attempted to stand up, but he didn't get further than bending his knees before he fell over, actually crying out in pain. His left leg felt like it was on fire. But he needed to stand. He felt blindly of something steady around him, wincing at every movement. Semi-consciously, Salazar pulled on the magic inside him, using it as fuel to keep his body functional. It would not be good to sleep in a place like this. Using his sense of touch only, Salazar found what seemed to be a tree branch; it was thick and rough. With that, and a tree trunk behind him, Salazar stood up, although it took him several tries. His magic dulled some of the pain, but there was just too much to entirely mask it.

Going mostly on his other senses, Salazar slowly started to move, hoping that he was heading toward someone. He stumbled several times during his shuffle, but by some miracle did not fall down. It took several minutes to reach the end of the trees and by that time, Salazar's eyes had adjusted completely to the light, so he was able to see rather clearly. Taking in his new bearings, Salazar almost gasped in surprise. He knew where he was now! Only a short bit away sat Gryffindor Manor, with the cobblestone path that he had walked upon many times before only a few meters away. With rejuvenated strength, Salazar pushed himself to the path, crossing through two large bushes and receiving a few more cuts for his efforts. He ignored the other trees, bushes, and gardens that mined the path, instead focusing his complete attention on the stones underneath him. Limping on cobblestones is never any easy feat, let alone when you have almost no strength at all. He fell twice, but thanks to his magic, was able to get up again.

Salazar practically climbed the three steps leading to the door. Large black spots started to fill his vision as he pounded his fit on the door. He wanted to yell, but when he tried only blood came forth. His head erupted in pain again as if the gate restraining it had opened again.

Muffled voices drifted through the door, so Salazar banged his fist again, although it was much heavier than before. Help! He wanted to scream. Finally, the door began to open. Salazar got a glimpse of Lord Gawin's surprised face and heard someone shouting "Salazar!" before everything turned black.

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And another chapter appears! I apologize for any mistakes you may find (I tend to write at like three in the morning, when my usually amazing grammar sense has already gone to sleep). If you catch anything, I would appreciate it!

Also, to Electra de Lioncourt: yes, they do act older then you would expect. There are several reasons for that, one of which is because I have no idea what goes though kids heads and I can make them do whatever they want (hah); but in that time, children, even of noble descent, matured much faster than children do today, especially considering that girls were getting married at 12 years old (Trust your local history nerd!). There will be things that pop up in later chapters that show (hopefully) why they are especially mature, but you'll have to wait 'til then. Thanks for reading and reviewing!

Note: if a section appears in bold, I apologize. I have no idea why that is, nor do I have any idea how to fix it, as it is not that way in the actual file.