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Salazar stared out the carriage window dully, looking at the crowd of people. They looked so happy, so…unaware of the horrors of the world. He could tell which ones had families, which ones were well fed and had a roof over their heads every night. Many of them probably had no idea what it was like to have their family, their entire life ripped away from them in one brutal move.
Salazar Slytherin thought he would have been able to escape the brutality of life but he ultimately hadn't been able to. Religion and the way it affected people had been his family's downfall.
The carriage jolted to a stop. Salazar braced himself against the window to prevent from tipping out of his seat. There was a shriek of surprise.
"Watch yourself!" he heard the driver of the carriage shout. Salazar rapped on the ceiling, a signal that he wanted to get out. His legs were stiff and he needed to walk about, so this was a perfect excuse.
"What happened?" he asked as the driver opened the carriage door.
"Just a woman not looking where she was going, sir," the driver responded. Salazar looked around and spotted a woman about the age of seventeen or eighteen sprawled in the dirt. Her wares were spilled around her.
"I saw where I was going," she snapped as she got to her knees. "I was in a hurry to get back to my home and I wasn't expecting the carriage to be traveling so fast. Especially in the city!"
"The lord has a message to relay to the king," the driver snapped. "It's important and you have delayed us!"
A small smile crossed Salazar's lips. The girl was fiery. It was a trait that he didn't often see in women. Most women were meek and obedient nowadays.
He hated those traits. It had taken the first year of marriage to break his wife of those habits. It had also taken nearly that long to acclimatize her to the occasional odd displays of magic.
They had raised their daughters to be brave and to speak their minds. He knew that it wouldn't be appropriate court behavior but he hadn't been raising them for life at court. He had been raising them to be strong, knowing that life could always bring troubles on a whim.
Looking at the woman who was gathering her wares, Salazar's eyes widened. With her round face and wide eyes, she reminded him of his deceased wife.
"What's your name, woman?" he asked. She glanced sharply at him.
"Nothing of importance," she replied. "And I will be moving on now. I wouldn't want to keep the lord from delivering his message."
With that last comment, she disappeared into the crowd. The driver snarled at her retreating back. The gray-eyed lord walked around for a few seconds before returning to his seat in the carriage.
"Carry on," he said. The carriage moved on.
Godric leaned against the wall, eyes trained on a group of women. He smiled as they glanced his way and smirked to himself as they giggled and fluttered their fans. A few even adjusted their dresses.
It was good to be considered attractive. It made enticing women easier.
Godric still had no urge to marry a noblewoman and settle down but he had no problem with looking. Looking was easy.
The red-haired man was preparing himself to go over and talk to the ladies when a familiar passing face caught his eye.
"I don't believe it," Godric said. "Lord Slytherin!"
The gray-haired head glanced in his direction.
"Lord Gryffindor," Salazar said. "Still lurking about court, are you?"
Godric smiled.
"What brings you to court?" he asked. "The last time we talked, you were quite adamant about staying at your manor."
"I had to deliver a message to their majesties," Salazar replied.
"And now?" Godric asked. "Are you returning home?" That would be the most logical thing his friend would do. Much to his surprise, Salazar shook his head.
"His majesty has asked me to stay for a while," he said. "So I am to stay at court until his majesty tires of my presence."
Godric smirked.
"You will be here for a while, then," he said. "The Slytherin family has always intrigued their majesties. I doubt that they will tire of you anytime soon."
"Then I will stay here until they do," Salazar murmured. Godric nodded.
"Well, now that you are here for a time," he said. "Will you be interested in meeting Lady Ravenclaw and the other ladies I told you about?"
Salazar thought for a few minutes before nodding.
"I would be," he said. "Is there a private place for meeting?"
Godric's smile grew.
"I know just the place," he said.
The last place Salazar expected his friend to lead him to was a sitting room in the corner of the castle. He had expected to be led to Godric's private rooms or a secluded garden, not an ordinary sitting room.
Then he glimpsed runes carved into the bottom layer of stone. So it was hidden with magic. Interesting. Not many would dare to use magic in the castle where the king and queen made their home. Most would be too paranoid to even consider it.
"Who hid this place?" he asked. "Who altered it so that this room couldn't be perceived by those that don't have the gift?"
Godric looked surprised by the questions.
"I should have known that you would notice the spellwork," he said. "I suspect Lady Ravenclaw did so, since she was the one that found this room originally. Lady Ravenclaw has been at court the longest."
Salazar raised a thin eyebrow. Lady Ravenclaw was intriguing him more and more.
Without knocking, Godric walked into the room. Salazar trailed behind, looking around the room. It was an ordinary room but he could pick out spots that had been altered by magic to hide something. Judging by the size and shape, he would guess that they were books.
"Who's your companion, Godric?" A plump woman asked, getting to her feet. Godric beckoned Salazar further in to the room.
"This is Lord Salazar Slytherin," he announced. "The friend that I have talked about before."
"The one with the gifts?" A dark-haired woman asked, also getting to her feet. Godric nodded and the woman smiled.
"Welcome, Lord Slytherin," she said. "I am Lady Rowena Ravenclaw. This is Miss Helga Hufflepuff—" she gestured to the plump woman, "and this is her companion, Miss Hajna Hogwarts."
To Salazar's surprise, Rowena gestured to a wide-eyed girl. It was the same girl he had seen at when riding in to the city. The girl gave him a curt nod.
"We encountered each other briefly," she told the others. "His carriage is the one that nearly ran me over."
"I apologize," Salazar said smoothly. "My driver can be a bit brash at times."
Hajna scoffed.
"Are you at court long, Lord Slytherin?" Rowena asked.
"Until their majesties grow tired of my presence," Salazar replied with a nod.
"Has Lord Gryffindor told you of our goal?" The dark-haired woman asked, retaking her seat. Helga followed suit. Godric gestured to a free seat for Salazar.
"The school?" the gray-haired man asked. Rowena and Helga nodded.
"We have started making plans," Helga said. "Of course, they are only plans now. We haven't found the proper location yet and of course we need to locate the students but little by little we have planned it."
"And the funds to run the school?" he asked. The three women and Godric traded looks.
"We have some," Godric said. "Not nearly enough but I suspect it will take a few years to build up all the funds that are needed."
"No need to worry anymore," Salazar said. "I can take care of the funds."
"How?" Godric asked. Salazar's gray eyes dulled.
"I no longer have five dowries to pay for," he reminded his friend. "And I have investments that are doing quite well lately."
"Thank you for your contribution, Lord Slytherin," Rowena said quietly. "I heard about your loss. I am sorry. I met your wife once before your marriage. She was a lovely woman."
Salazar's mouth tightened and he gave a curt nod.
"She was," he agreed. "And she would approve of your plans. She always insisted that our daughters be well read and educated."
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