Epilogue: The Dawn
Disclaimers: again, I do not own anything in Harry Potter books.
Warning: if you are hoping to see a happy – or at least bitter-sweet ending to the story in this epilogue, please stop reading right now. Unfortunately, there is no pleasant ending of Salazar Slytherin's past here, for it already happened and it will not be changed. There are regrets, shame, and pain in his story, and they will not just vanish – this is a tragedy after all.
-o.O.o-
"So, that was how everything began, how everything developed and how everything ended. That was the story of my life. It didn't end very well, as you must have noticed," Salazar Slytherin finally finished telling his story. The wizard who was sitting in the portrait looked at Harry, pain and loss were visible on his face. Sighing heavily, he closed his dark-red eyes, looking tired and exhausted. It seemed that recounting the long tale used up all his energy and he had no strength left.
Harry blinked. He simply sat there, frozen in his armchair, dumbfounded. After hearing what he had longed to know, after discovering the old secrets from the distant past, he supposed that he should have a lot of questions to ask. But instead, he found none. He was speechless. After looking into the gap in the history books, he had imagined for numerous times about what the truth was, but he had never thought it would be something like this.
He had been listening to Salazar Slytherin's life experience - for how long? He couldn't really tell. Since the second he had woken in this chamber, he had lost the track of time. He was so concentrated on the recounting that he didn't even feel the time flying by. It was indeed a long tale – the friendship, the school, the students; the loyalty, the betrayal, the regrets; the truths, the lies, the misunderstanding… In the end, everything vanished into the darkness of despair and the eternal loneliness. He had finally learnt that the history had not been as simple and wonderful as he had thought. There was a long-lasting war, the never-ending terror, the violence and deaths in the Founders' world. His view of his House founder was also changed greatly after hearing the incidents Salazar Slytherin had gone through. So that was why Slytherin had left Hogwarts. His students had been killed and he had done something considered terrible out of that sudden rage and desperation, which made it impossible for him to forgive himself. There had been arguments over the topic of muggle-born students between him and the other Founders indeed, but the reason of his hatred towards those students seemed quite valid and logical, and his actions seemed very understandable. Harry was so shocked to receive all those pieces of memory together that at that time, he did not know what to think. The complex and mixed feelings were so strong and confusing. Everything made sense now, yet at the same time nothing made any sense anymore. He felt at a loss.
"I tried to warn you, Harry Potter,"Salazar said quietly, his breaths deep and his voice weak and hoarse again. "I warned you that you might regret hearing the truth. But still, you don't have to believe me even now. If you want to feel better, simply see me as a lying impostor and forget everything you have heard. It's really that simple for people to ignore the truth. Isn't that what people always do, ignoring the truth and coming up with different versions of deceptions? You have no reason to believe in me anyway."
Did he regret this? Harry asked himself. The scenes and facts Salazar had described and stated were powerful enough for him to feel uncomfortable just by hearing it. He could not deny that he had not expected the history to be so dark and painful. However, the answer came immediately without any hesitation. No, he didn't regret anything. But there was still something bugging him and he had to be sure…
"Professor Slytherin, there is a statue outside of this chamber. May I ask whose that was?"
"You mean that one near the entrance of this room?" Salazar frowned, trying to recall that piece of information. "Oh, yeah, that had belonged to my father, and I had put it there just because it seemed the most appropriate place in the whole castle really… Why did you ask?"
Oh Merlin. Harry felt extremely stupid and embarrassed right now, his face twisted a little bit, flushing in a light-pink colour. So that monkey-like figure had never been Salazar Slytherin in the first place? Okay, that explained why this portrait didn't look the same as that stone face outside, though there were still some similarities in their appearances. He remembered Tom Riddle talking to that statue, referring to the sculpture as Salazar Slytherin, and he couldn't resist the urge to sigh.
"Nothing, I was just… curious," Harry decided that he'd better not tell Salazar that people had been mistaken his father for him all along, not really wanting to make him feel worse. He gave another attempt to change the subject, "How about your portrait hanging in that school hallway then? How many magical portraits did you have?"
Raising his eyebrow, Salazar stared at Harry blankly with an incomprehensible expression on his face, looking rather confused, "This painting was the only magical portrait – or portrait in general – I had in my life."
"Oh," That was everything Harry could manage to say. He was actually flushing now, and he could feel the warmness on his cheek. This was awkward. Looked like that statue was not even the only thing people had falsely recognized as Salazar Slytherin and it seemed that they also had held wrong impressions of the Founder of Slytherin House all along. "We… we always assumed that it was yours."
"If that person in the portrait looks middle-aged, or older, that's definitely not me since I died looking exactly like this. I was killed not long after leaving Hogwarts. You did find the signature S.S. on the painting, didn't you?" Salazar rubbed his temple with his left hand, seemed troubled by a headache.
"Yes, and that was why we thought it belonged to you in the first place-"
"Of course you did," Salazar let out a sigh again, "My uncle Salem Slytherin had a special zeal for artwork and was always passionate about making portraits… I can imagine that after my departure Godric would want to find someone else to fill my gap. And of course he would hang my uncle's portrait along with theirs… He would not be able to find mine, and he wouldn't want to anyway, not after what I had done…"
Salazar's gaze became unfocused again, staring into the void of the past Harry could never see. There was such melancholy in his eyes that he looked even more real, sadder, and more human. Observing Salazar in wonder, Harry could see the shame and regrets in his eyes. Who would have imagined that one of the greatest wizards in history would still feel guilty and ashamed like any other man? Suddenly Harry realized that he was feeling very sorry for the Founder of Slytherin House, and he felt the need of explaining something.
"They didn't tell anyone about it, Professor. Now we only know that you had left Hogwarts after arguing with other Founders about the acceptance of muggle-born students, nothing more."
"They didn't do that for my sake, Mister Potter, " Salazar smiled sadly, the melancholy on his face now was replaced by bitterness, "What else could they have done, if not concealing everything? Could they tell the students that I had fled because of the guilt I felt about killing five students who had been held hostages? Could they tell them that they had given me away and had saved their schoolmates in exchange? Could they tell them that one of the former professors in Hogwarts was a merciless, dangerous and heartless murderer? It is never hard for people to lie. The most difficult thing is telling the truth all the time. And why should anyone be honest when the truth would only hurt and the lies would make everything better?"
Harry shut his mouth closed. The silence fell like a wall between them and Salazar looked away, "My apologies, Mr. Potter. Why was I shouting at you? None of it was your fault, of course. You couldn't possibly understand, you are so young and this is already too much for you."
Harry swallowed nervously, hesitating about if it was the right time to ask more questions. He took a deep breath, gathering his courage.
"Did you hate them?"
Salazar's body stiffened. He froze, "Pardon?"
"Did you hate them? I mean… Did you hate them for giving you away to the Knights?"
"No. I never hated any of them. I hated the Knights, I hated Charles Wright, I hated myself… But Godric, Rowena and Helga…I would never hate them. Yes, I felt betrayed when I was chained to the cross, I felt betrayed when that muggle told me that they had chosen to let me die, and I felt betrayed when the Knight stabbed me with that sword… But I didn't blame them because I deserved it. I had myself to blame," Salazar shook his head slightly. And then he started to cough, his body shaking violently.
"Professor!"
"My power is fading. The magic power put into this portrait only managed to last for hundreds of years because I was asleep until you came into this room. It will not last for very long," Salazar looked extremely calm. "That's the point of this secret chamber, to leave a trace of me inside of this castle, to leave a part of me in the world… But now it does not matter anymore. I don't even know why I started talking to you, maybe I was alone for too long… Now it's time for everything to end, and I have nothing left in this world that will make me linger here. But before everything disappears, I would like to ask you one last question, Harry Potter. I don't mind others lying, but Just for this once, I hope you can answer me honestly."
"Was I a good man?"
Harry's body went rigid, he looked up and their eyes met. There was only tiredness left in Salazar's eyes.
Was Salazar Slytherin a good man?
He was a man with great magical ability, for sure. But after everything he had done, could Salazar Slytherin be considered as a good man? He had killed many people, he had been cold and distant towards the muggle-born students, he had not been a really patient or kind teacher. According to his narrative, Salazar Slytherin had had many flaws, and had made many mistakes which could never be undone.
However, there was no one in the world who could live without flaws and making mistakes. After hearing Salazar's story, Harry no longer saw him as an inapproachable figure, but a man, a man who had lived, had laughed and wept and fought and struggled and suffered and died. A man who was real, who really existed, who was no longer just some sentences from the history textbook or some lyrics from the Sorting Hat's singing. He heard the entire story, and he could understand everything Salazar Slytherin had done. Salazar Slytherin had always tried to protect people he loved, and he had never betrayed any of them. He had always loved Hogwarts and had always protected it at all costs. His shame and guilt had only been proofs of the humanity and kindness in his heart. He had been so human, even if he had not realized it himself. He deserved all the respects and reverence people could give.
His thoughts flew apart once again, and he remembered Severus Snape, another man from the Slytherin House. And he remembered how Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy had called out for their son in the battlefield, how Regulus Black had sacrificed himself. Then he wondered why bravery and great courage were considered traits of only Gryffindors. He could not express his feeling with words right now, but he knew there was something, some traits very important in the House created by Salazar Slytherin. He could sense that from the Founder, especially.
"I can't judge you, Professor, " Harry said sincerely after a while, "The line between 'good' and 'not good' is too thin, and I do not have the right to judge you either. However, personally… In my opinion, you were a good man, and perhaps one of the greatest and most honourable men in the magical world."
Salazar simply stared at him, motionless. And then he smiled. It was the first time Harry saw real happiness on his face.
"Thank you. That…was everything I needed,"Salazar closed his eyes. Harry wondered why his voice was trembling.
"Before you take your leave, Mister Potter… Would you do me one last favour?"
-o.O.o-
Salazar looked at the dark-haired boy with green eyes, knowing that the boy would do as he had asked and his secret would be safe with the teen. He didn't even know why he trusted the boy so much. Maybe this boy reminded him of someone, someone he had always trusted, someone with the same curiosity and courage in the emerald eyes…
He realized now what a fool he had been – he didn't need a portrait to leave something in the world in order to proof his existence. Hogwarts would be here, and he would always be part of Hogwarts, just like the school he had built and loved would always be a part of him.
He was once again lost in the river of memory, the memory of the past... And suddenly he could see them, all of them: Godric was laughing happily by his side; Rowena and Helga were waving at them, standing in the sunlight; Alston Malfoy and Vincent Prince turned to call him "Professor" with joy in their voices, and Albert Malfoy was sitting behind his brother, giving him a timid grin…
And now they were all gone. And now he was left alone in the world. Then why should he stay here any longer?
"Harry Potter, value everything you now have in your life – value the people you now have in your life."
'Don't lose them. Don't lose them like I had lost everyone I had loved.' He meant to say. But he knew the boy could understand his words now so he didn't have the need to explain any further..
The room was shaking, and everything started to break down. Harry hurried to the door as Salazar had said, and opened it easily with the password he had been told. Before leaving the chamber, he turned around to have one last look at one of the Hogwarts Founders.
Salazar had closed his eyes. As the magical power left on the portrait was slowly drained, he was becoming still and motionless. However, Harry could swear that he saw a drop of shiny liquid rolling down on Salazar Slytherin's face. Then the colours, lines and shadows in the painting froze like they would in a muggle portrait, and never moved again.
-o.O.o-
Harry stood in front of the door of the Chamber of Secrets, putting his hand on the cold, hard stone.
He could still feel the darkness waiting to devour its preys, could still see the dim dark-green colour lying silently, and could still hear the never-ending sound of water dripping. But he was not afraid anymore. He had learnt the secrets, had solved the mysteries, and had understood many things.
Salazar had given him one last mission. The Founder of Slytherin House had asked him to seal the Chamber of Secrets forever, so that it would never be opened again. Indeed, there was nothing left in it now. The snake-shaped symbol on the foot of that statue of Salazar's father was now only a pattern. Salazar also had asked Harry to keep the tale he had heard to himself. All the pain and loss, truths and lies, mysteries and darkness would be buried here, deeply underground, with the past no one else would ever know.
Harry knew clearly why Salazar had made this decision. As he had said, he had never belonged to Harry's era. The dead should remain in their times, forever.
But he would never be able to forget what he had heard in the Chamber of Secrets. He would always remember. He would remember Salazar Slytherin, remember his happiness and pain, remember his love and suffering, remember his life and death. He would forget nothing.
He kept his hand on the door, whispering one word in parseltongue, which he had just learnt from Salazar. He didn't know why Salazar Slytherin had chosen this word as the lock to close the chamber eternally when building this place, but he would never have another chance to ask.
"Tragedy. "
The door made a clicking sound, and everything was silent again. Harry turned around; gripping the rope which he had tied to something in the washroom, he climbed up. The white ray of sunshine was guiding him, like a lighthouse in the sea, like the moon in the pitch-black night. He kept climbing, away from the darkness of buried past, into the beautiful present and the yet-to-come future, into the light.
O.o- Fin -o.O
Author's note:
This is the end of the story, and a prequel or a sequel is clearly not needed… I wasn't lying when I said there was no happy ending. I hope you enjoyed reading and thank you for reading my story. My English is still bad but I hope I will be better at it after practicing. Please review and tell me what you think. Your reviews will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks to Ben, 9069253, Soumita, Flavia Jackson, Shetan20 and all the Guests for reviewing! Your reviews helped me a lot. Thank you again for reading and supporting my story! :)
