Chapter 36: Salazar and Godric
It was dark, damp, and cold. Where am I? Harry asked himself. He tried to blink—he couldn't feel a thing.
His first instinct was to speak. He mouthed the word, Hello? But he could not hear himself. A cold shiver ran down his spine, and he began to worry. Where is Severus?
Then he remembered—the mind bond! Even though we took that potion, perhaps it will still work? It was his last shot.
He tried to think the words as "loudly" as possible. Severus? SEVERUS? Can you hear me?
No answer.
~~HP/SS~~
Severus awoke on a dusty, hard-wood floor. Everything was so dim—he could barely see.
Fuck—he thought, as he realized he actually couldn't see anything in front of his eyes. He called out, but his voice was muted, and only Merlin knew why.
This is it, he thought to himself, Hell. He wanted to chuckle to himself for his own dark sarcasm in this grim moment. Finally, he'd gotten what he deserved. Potter would be better off without him.
He blinked—Nevertheless…what if I've been kidnapped? He creased his brow, though he could not feel it—trying to think of something, anything. Was he hexed? Was this a prank?
But how could it have been, when Harry and himself had been fast asleep in his quarters?
Then, he remembered: despite the potion they had taken, they had still managed to hear each other's thoughts after making love. He mentally sighed. I have to try, he thought.
Harry! Harry, can you hear me? Are you alright?
~~HP/SS~~
Dumbledore sat in his study, waiting for Godric and Salazar to arrive. He sipped his tea and took a lemon drop. Might as well take another! He popped another one in to his mouth. Oh, lemon drops, not even in the afterlife do they get tiresome. He chuckled to himself.
The fireplace flared—in came both Godric and Salazar. Godric looked very noble, wearing a long, gold and red cloak. He shaved his beard, Dumbledore thought to himself.
He then looked at Salazar, who had lost that pale tinge—or, most of his pale tinge—to his skin colour. He looked quite healthy—not as skinny. His eyes darted the room—Dumbledore watched him clear his throat. He was always a bit awkward. He remembered.
"Ah, gentlemen!" Dumbledore stood up out of his chair, "I am so pleased you both could make the trip. It is quite an honor to meet you." He bowed in respect.
Both of them bowed back, Godric speaking first. "Oh, but Sir Dumbledore—the pleasure is ours. We have watched you for many, many years."
Salazar chimed in, "Yes, we certainly have. The true honor is to make your acquaintance. Your reputation as a war hero is the talk of the afterlife." His voice was actually deeper than Dumbledore imagined it to be.
He smiled at them both, "That is very kind of you. Though, I believe Severus Snape—and Harry Potter, of course—along with many others, such as Neville Longbottom, Ms. Grainger, and the Weasley's, are the greatest heroes of all. Alas," he summoned some tea for them along with some chairs and a small table, "there are so many things to discuss. Would either of you like some tea? These lemon drops do hit the spot!" He swallowed another.
Salazar chuckled, sitting down next to Godric. "I think I would fancy a lemon drop! Godric isn't much for sweets, though, I'm afraid." He looked over to Godric, who rolled his eyes playfully at Salazar.
"Love—you know it embarrasses me when you put me on the spot like that!" He blushed.
Dumbledore sipped his tea. I shall write all this down later! "Your bantering, if it is not an imposition of me to say, is as sweet as the lemon drops."
He sipped his tea while Godric just laughed and Salazar blushed crimson. "Ahem," Dumbledore began, "so, I believe we have a bit of an interesting situation on our hands. Severus Snape," he paused, leaning forward, "and Harry Potter, have acquired a magical bond. But not just any bond, as you already know."
Godric and Salazar nodded. Salazar started, "Yes, we have been watching everything. I thought we'd be the only—and the last—ones to ever manage to complete such a bond."
Dumbledore nodded in agreement, and Salazar continued, "We want to help them, but there is no way for us to see them face to face."
Godric added on, "But maybe you can help us, Sir. We want to give you all the information they need. The problem is, we can't do it ourselves, because we never met them while we were living. And, as you know, we don't have a portrait strong enough to speak to them for more than a few words." Dumbledore thought about that—he knew that one could only speak to people who have passed if they knew them from their life, or if they happened to have a very powerful portrait, such as the Fat Lady. Otherwise, it is quite impossible for them to cross, no matter how powerful the witch or wizard was in their lifetime. Of course, if the dead wanted to meet others who had passed, both parties had to agree.
Godric continued, "Only a select few people knew about our bond, you see—but Potter and Snape are hot targets. Not only are they famous, but there are still people out there who want them dead. The death eaters that had escaped, just to name a few." He said, creasing his brow.
Dumbledore replied, "Please—call me Albus. I agree with you—both of you—however, there is one other way that we can help them."
Godric looked at him in confusion. Salazar smirked, "Albus—you genius man."
Godric looked at him, dumbfounded. "But there's no way! Everyone knows that!"
Dumbledore smiled with a twinkle in his eye. "There is a certain," he paused to look at Salazar, "loophole in the system. And it was founded by none other than Salazar Slytherin himself."
That's when Slytherin chuckled, "You do give me too much credit, Albus!"
Godric's face got red. "Will someone tell me what is going on?" He turned to Salazar, "How could I not know about something you created, love?"
Salazar rolled his eyes. "Well, it never came up. And besides, no one believes it can be done anyway—all they have to go on are rumors. This theory I developed," he paused, looking regretful, "was never published. It was going to be titled 'Dreaming Dead.' Actually—Albus, how in the world did you know about it?" He looked at him puzzled.
Albus continued to smile. "Yes, well—I had no idea if it was true. It was a complete guess! Haha!" He chuckled, sipping more tea, then putting it down. "Though, one thing about you that I know is that you are a very smart man, and if any rumor were to be true—why not this? It's quite brilliant—a spell for the passed souls—who have never met the people they wish to see—to meet them! And how? By entering their dreams! Haha!" He looked delighted.
Salazar beamed, "Thank you! So much, sir—Albus. As you have probably heard, I was very interested in Dream Theories."
Godric nodded, "I had heard the rumors, but love, I never knew it was true. Everyone knows you're brilliant though—so I'm not surprised." Salazar smiled at him warmly.
Godric turned to Albus with courage. "So, how do we test out this theory of ours?"
Dumbledore got up out of his chair, "Follow me."