TDM's February challenge
Prompt - Thousand Years by Christina Perry
Salazar Slytherin waited patiently and not so much. Some days time crawled like the slowest snail, others it flew faster than Aethonan. Salazar could swear that there were days when time stood still, but with every day passed, with every year gone she was one step closer.
Some days he was ridden with doubts and fears, ready to give up and end it all. In others he borrowed the bravery from Gryffindor who held his heart. For her he gritted his teeth and bore as his words and ideas got twisted and distorted, his name and reputation dragged through the mud, as his descendants, easily tempted by the darkness, fell to ruination. He watched in silence, sticking to the shadows, not daring to set the record straight and worst came to pass change the history, change the world and in the process lose Her as she cease to exist due to his actions.
So Salazar waited and watched.
He watched as his self proclaimed heir found his secret chambers and took possession of his dear Adalinda. Darkness young Riddle radiated left his beautiful basilisk sick with madness.
More years passed and then one day she walked through grand doors of Hogwarts. He saw her, but she was not she yet.
Seeing her gave him hope that his waiting was almost over. But he couldn't even imagine that those last years would be the hardest. It seemed like she could not stay away from the path of trouble. Though he managed to persuade Adalinda to petrify her to keep her safe during Riddle's attempt to rise from the death. He watched and admired her eagerness for knowledge, her loyalty, her cunning streak and her kind heart.
He stuck to shadows looking over her, learning more and more about her. And with every day his love for young Gryffindor grew stronger and brighter.
After Dumbledore died she didn't come back and his beloved Hogwarts turned into hellish nightmare. And they had the gall to say that new regime was modeled after his ideals. Ha!
Salazar used his influence as schools founder and enlisted the help from ghost as Riddle's followers had no power or leverage over them. Untouchable army of spirits helped to keep students safe from idiotic new additions to school staff and their barbaric punishments.
It all came to the end on the May 2nd of 1998. Thousand years of waiting was over.
She came into his secret chambers holding dear Helga's cup in her hand. Salazar cringed as he watched her destroy his friend's relict using one of Adalinda's fangs. He knew that it was stained by dark soul of Riddle, but still it was another piece of history, of his past destroyed. His anger towards the last person in his descendants' line grew.
As she left, he fallowed. He stuck to her as a shadow deflecting curses and other spells shot her way, dispatching of so called Death Eaters too. Salazar saw how she met up with her two best friends and how they decided to use young Potter's connection with Dark Lord to go after him. Just then bright cerulean blue stream of light come from behind them and hit her in the back. Her two companions dove quickly to push her out the line of fire but they were too slow and spell reached its target. She kneeled over as if slow motion her head hit the ground making awful sound. Her two friends and horror stricken allies who saw it happen flocked around her.
Few seconds passed as the world seemed to come to the halt. And then to their all shock Hermione Granger rose from the ground. But she was different now. She was fuller now, as if the months of starvation never happened. Her bushy hair was no more - now two small braids held it from her face while the rest fell to the middle of her back in nice, if little wild, curls. Her dirty and ragged jeans and jumper was nowhere in sight as she sported old fashioned dueling attire made from dragon hide. Her gaze was fierce and determined as she looked around. She quickly found pair of grey eyes hiding in the shadows. As their eyes met Salazar could see that it was finally her - his soul and heart mate, his brilliant Gryffindor, his love and his future. He let it all show in his eyes and it all was reflected in hers.
She nodded at him firmly and turned to her cohorts. Time for passionate and tear-filled reunions will come latter, now they needed to win a war.