Marylein was not ambitious. After all, how can you have ambitions, when you don't even know what you'll be? She couldn't become a hat-maker, like her father, even though she knew how to do it, she helped in the shop after all. But she had three brothers, and they would all inherit the shop before her.

Then… what else could she be? She liked food, but making it was for house-elves, was what her father said. But then what about old Derby, he sells food, she'd asked.

That's an inn, her father had said. And that's certainly not a respectable profession for a young witch.

As it turned out, there were no respectable professions for a young witch.

So, Marylein spent her days, going through the motions required to make hats (most of the flicks were delicate and boring, Marylein quite preferred the more dramatic swishes of the wand), and the hats she made were sold by her father.

By the time she was 12, she'd realized that she was going to be married off. She wasn't quite sure what being a housewife entailed, after all, her mother had died when she was five, but perhaps it would be more fun than her life right now.

But then one day, the little bell over the door rang, and two people stepped in. A father, and a son around her age, and oh.

It was as though a little bell ringed inside of her as well, signaling that something was about to change.

She made a far bigger swish than she'd intended to, and with a loud poof, the hat in front of her changed.

Marylein stared down at the pointy thing, and her father swooped down on her.

"What on earth is this?!" her father yelled, holding up the pointy hat, as though it was the corpse of his cat that she'd just slayed. "What is, I can't sell this, you stupid girl!" He wacked her over the head.

"Ouch!"

The handsome dark haired boy snickered, and Marylein felt blood rush to her cheeks. What a rude boy! Oh, she didn't like him, no not at all!

"You're going to have to completely redo this," her father continued. "You messed up at the most critical step! Now we might as well throw that out!"

"Well, I don't see what's wrong with it," Marylein declared. "Why, I meant to make it like that, I think it's the new fashion." And then she plopped it right on top of her head.

What did it look like, she wondered. A pointy black hat on top of her black curls, and thick eyebrows set in a stubborn expression. Probably quite ridiculous.

The darkhaired boy agreed, because he was openly laughing now, and pointing at her. "That looks ridiculous!"

"Your face is ridiculous," she retorted, and it earned her another wack, knocking the hat off her head.

"You stupid girl, don't you realize who that is?! I am so sorry, most esteemed elder sorcerer," her father groveled before the father of the dark haired boy.

The father, she presumed at least, since they wore matching green robes, had a red beard down to his chest, but his hair was black. It looked funny, and she would have said so, if she wasn't sure her father would have killed her for it.

"Actually," the elder e-steamed or whatever said, humor in his voice. "I think she's right, I think that hat would look just wonderful on you, Salazar."

The smile fell right off Salazar's face, as he looked at his father, betrayed.

"We did come here for a hat for my young boy," the father kept going.

"Well, uh, my Marylein does come up with some fascinating things sometimes," my father said, smiling nervously, as he sold them the hat.

Only two years later, Marylein's words became the truth. Every wizard in their small society came to get one of the trendy new hats. It was a lot of work, all of a sudden. Her father was ecstatic.

Marylein's feelings, as usual, didn't matter.

"We need four hats before noon," her father said. "You still haven't done them? Get started!"

"I don't want to!" Marylein yelled. "I've showed you how to make the stupid things, now do it yourself! Why do I have to do your work?"

She stormed out, and then she found herself hiding in an alley, sniffling.

That was where she met him for the second time.

"Are you… crying?" a kind voice asked. "Are you alright?"

She looked up, embarrassed that someone had found her, but as she recognized him, her face turned sour instead. "Oh, it's you."

He seemed a little amused. "You know, usually when people recognize me, they do it with a bit more enthusiasm."

"Why, it's your father who's impressive, not you," Marylein retorted.

She was used to her comments earning her beatings, or maybe that he would leave in an angry huff.

But, instead, he sat down next to her, even though the ground was dirty. "That's true. I haven't done anything to prove myself. Yet. But I will. And then you'll see that I'm far more impressive than my father. You'll smile at me then."

"Well, aren't you ambitious."

"A little bit. But why were you crying, why don't you tell me?"

"Oh, it's dumb," she deflected.

"It can't be dumb if it made you cry."

"Can't it now? Weren't you the one who called me ridiculous?" Marylein sniffed. "And. And you know what, maybe I am. What am I even? Where am I going with my life? I'm a witch, but the only magic I do is stupid hat-making! Not even magical hats, just. Magically made hats. Wow." She rolled her eyes aggressively.

"You don't do any magic beside that?" Salazar asked, baffled.

"I'm not allowed to, because it's dangerous," she sneered, and rolled her eyes again. She experimented when her father wasn't watching, and he was right that it was dangerous, but she was careful. She only blew up unimportant things, usually.

"That's ridiculous," Salazar said, and Marylein stood up in a huff.

"I knew you would say that!" she accused him, ready to leave, but he held her back.

"I'm not saying you are ridiculous, I'm saying it's ridiculous that you're not taught more magic!"

Mollified, Marylein directed a considering look at him. "You think so? Why, an esteemed elder's son probably learns all kinds of interesting things, doesn't he? You think he could show me a few things, maybe?"

Maybe he was a little handsome after all. His smile, at least, was very charming. "Who am I, to refuse a beautiful young witch?"

It wasn't that Marylein was ambitious. Magic was just, well, magic. Who wouldn't want to learn more?

Love was a little like magic, Marylein found. It changed things that she hadn't thought could change.

One day, as she and Salazar were reading a book together, Salazar leaned particularly close, and Marylein found herself more entranced by the length of his eyelashes, than the content of the book.

She could have kissed him then, but…

He was so much better than her. Marylein wasn't dumb. She was just a hatmakers daughter who barely knew any magic.

If he found her disgusting, that was it. No more interesting magic for Marylein, surely he wouldn't want to see her anymore.

So, she held herself back, and the feeling inside her chest turned into pain.

"My father is teaching me a new kind of magic, that I'd like to practice," Salazar told her.

"Oh?" She moved to sit down next to him, as she usually did, but he pointed at the opposing seat instead.

"I need to be able to look you in the eyes for it to work," he explained.

She sat down in the seat next to him anyway, and turned around in the seat. "Isn't this fine?"

"Oh. I suppose this works." He shook his head, amused. "Now. It's called legilimens, and it's the art of entering another person's mind."

Marylein frowned at the description. This wasn't anything she had ever heard of before. "So… You'll know what's on my mind."

"Yes."

"As in, you'll know what my feelings are."

"Yes."

She looked away. "… Do I have any control over what you see?"

"Ah, no, the point is that I'm reading your mind, otherwise I could just ask you how you're feeling," he said, rolling his eyes.

Marylein stood up abruptly. "I'm not feeling entirely comfortable with this!" she declared.

"What?! Why?!"

"We- why, I think," Marylein sputtered. "You might not. Be prepared! For the gutter that is my mind, ooh. I think in slurs all the time. Words that are not meant for polite company like yours!"

"I could not give less of a shit," Salazar declared, and that was the first time she ever heard him use a word like that. "I want to learn legilimens, you're the only one I can practice on, please Marylein!" he implored her.

"I thought you had plenty of friends?"

"They're nobles, they would be incredibly offended that I even suggested such a thing. I'm not close to them like you and I are! Please, after everything I've done for you!"

"I- I need some time to think it over," Marylein hedged. A million years, preferably. "While I'm thinking, you could. Ask some others. I'm sure you can find someone else."

"Marylein!" Salazar called after her, as she stormed out.

She knew she couldn't say no forever. Not if she wanted to keep Salazar as a friend, a tutor, a… Well, that was all they were, even as she wanted more. And that was the problem.

Salazar had said there was no way to control what he saw. So maybe, if she was lucky, all he ended up divining from her mind was the intricate secrets of hat-making.

But, whenever she saw him, all she could think about was how much she loved him. If it was the first thing on her mind, it was probably the first thing he would see.

There was only one solution.

She would have to fall out of love with him.

The priest stared at the new addition to his flock, openly dumbfounded.

Marylein shamelessly met his eyes, and slowly, lifted up her arms and clasped her hands together. She was here to pray, goddammit.

She hadn't paid all that much attention to the religion of the muggles, but even she hadn't been able to avoid lectures from the local monks proudly telling her that they were above such sinful feelings, because they, why, they only had god in their hearts.

So, if she could just get their god to enter her, that should solve the problem.

"How do I know if god is inside of me yet?" Marylein asked the priest after mass.

"God is already inside all of us," the priest said, nodding at her knowingly.

"He must be quite small then!" Marylein exclaimed. "I never noticed him! And all of us at the same time? That's a neat trick."

The priest didn't seem to know what to say to that.

"But I'm not really satisfied. Do you think he could enter me more? Maybe become a bit bigger?"

"Well, if you pray-"

"I already tried that."

"And, uh, clear your mind of impure thoughts, so that only his divine light fills you."

Marylein tipped her pointy hat as she left. "Alright, I'll be trying that! Thanks for the help!"

For two weeks now, Marylein had done nothing but clear her mind. She had warred fiercely against her impure thoughts, and now, she stood before the final battle.

"I'm glad you changed your mind," Salazar said, a boyish grin on his face that did NOT make her heart swoon. "You know, if it's because you're afraid I'll see that you have maybe some unflattering opinions, perhaps about me, I don't mind. I know you're a brilliant witch, and I'm… I'm really quite excited to get a look inside. I'm sure there's nothing you could say that would hurt me."

"I fear nothing," Marylein said serenely.

He chuckled. "I'm glad."

And- damnit, her heart skipped!

Empty yourself of emotions, Marylein ordered herself desperately. Cool as a river, unmoving as a stone, imagine… imagine making hats!

"Legilimens!" Salazar cast.

Marylein wasn't sure how long he spent inside her mind. It felt strangely like a dream, one that she spent with a friend. Because Salazar was her friend, a dear one. After all the things he had taught her, she only wished there was something that she could teach him.

When she came to, she was looking at his blue, smiling eyes.

"I can see why you hate hat-making now," Salazar said, shaking his head. "That is a lot of steps for making a hat."

It was strange. She hadn't really fallen out of love with him, she knew. She couldn't stop that feeling, just as much as she couldn't stop being a witch.

But somehow, Salazar, despite all his brilliance, never saw that inside her mind, or at least, never commented on it. Maybe it was because Salazar wasn't very experienced with the magic yet. Maybe it was because she was always prepared for him to enter. As they practiced, Salazar learned to cast the magic without speaking, then without even needing his wand. But at least he still needed eye-contact, and while it was tiring at first, to be ever vigilant and careful before meeting his eyes, it became easier with time.

"Nobody can ever hide anything from me anymore," Salazar said, satisfied, after finally managing to cast legilimens without a tell.

Marylein smiled and nodded. "Must be nice."

Sometimes she wondered if he knew, and was just laughing at her inside.

It soon became apparent that the greatness that Salazar aimed for, wasn't to be found within their little hamlet of magic. He was leaving.

"This'll be the last lesson," Salazar told her, offering her a little smile. He was happy to be leaving.

Marylein didn't smile. "I see."

"You'll be there to see me off, won't you?"

"I-" Marylein started. "When will you return?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. I would promise to write, but I don't know how busy I'll be, so…"

"Salazar."

He cocked his head, like I was a puzzle to be worked out. "What's wrong?"

"If you're leaving anyway, I wanted to tell you…" It was strange, how sick it made her. Even though there were no consequences now, if he laughed, what did it matter? "That- That."

He stayed silent and let her speak, even as she was stuttering and didn't meet his eyes, and she knew he wasn't a patient person, usually. He was being nice, out of consideration for their friendship.

It was awful of her, really, to sour the pure memories they had made together. A better woman would have stayed silent.

But Marylein always was one to speak her mind.

"I always liked you," she finally spit out, and met his eyes.

Several emotions passed over his face. Surprise, first, then a disbelieving smile and a frown. Then a smile that Marylein wasn't sure how to interpret.

"How did you keep that hidden?"

There was a strange greed in his eyes, and she wasn't sure what emotion made her heart quiver then.

"Is that what's important right now?"

He was silent, as his eyes went up and down my body, considering her in a way that he never had before. "No. You're right, it's not."

He stepped closer, taking her into his arms. He kissed her softly, and Marylein's heart would surely have burst if he had done any more than that.

"You didn't seem like the deceptive type," he whispered. "And yet here you are, having made a fool of me for years."

Marylein hadn't thought herself deceptive either.

But a lie, she reflected, is easiest to believe from the honest.

He promised he would be back within a year, and she didn't believe him, but thanked him nonetheless. "I'll wait," she promised.

He wrote her often, in the beginning. He had so many questions about legilimens. How she had avoided him, if she could teach him. He had decided to call it occlumency, since she had occluded him.

I'm not sure what I did, she wrote back, so I don't know how I would teach it.

He thought it would be easier for her to teach, if perhaps she learned legilimens as well, so he offered to send her a teacher. That teacher, she realized when he stood in her father's shop asking for her, was the esteemed elder wizard, Salazar's father.

"I am here to teach her," he told her father with a smile.

"What, exactly," her father asked, with uncharacteristic hostility.

"Advanced magic. My son has told me she has quite a bit of talent, and with a bit of nurturing-"

"No!" Her father seemed to realize who he was speaking to, and then continued in a more groveling tone. "She is only a woman your highlines, and, truth be told, she should have been married by now, but there's been so much work in the shop, and her brothers are no help- what I mean to say is, I worry it will hurt her chances, if she is too powerful. You understand, right?"

Marylein was quite impressed with herself, when she didn't storm out of there. Instead, she revealed herself from where she had been hiding, and coolly looked at her father. "That ship sailed long ago, father."

He laughed at her. "What, you think you're some powerful witch just because the elder wizard's son taught you a few tricks? Please, esteemed wizard, she has no talent, your son must have been mistaken-"

"Let's just leave," Marylein said, turning to Salazar's father.

"You do not have my permission to leave!" he yelled at her, brandishing his wand. To cast what spell, she wasn't sure, the most lethal spell she'd ever seen him cast was a cutting charm. Nonetheless, she didn't take any chances, and swished her wand at him. He flew back with a boom, and hats flew off their shelves from the impact.

One of the pointy hats rolled to her feet. It was a nice green color, her father had yelled at her for that. Only the black ones sold.

She picked it up, putting it on. Wouldn't do to leave without a headcovering, after all.

Marylein was no good at legilimens. It came as a bit of a shock for her, she had never struggled with magic before, and it was particularly embarrassing in front of Salazar's father.

Or Mr. Slytherin, as he insisted she call him.

"It's quite alright. Nobody is good at everything, not even my son."

Astonished, Marylein asked, "Does Salazar have any weaknesses?"

"His humor is severely lacking," Mr. Slytherin said drily, and it shocked a laugh out of Marylein.

"Might be some truth to that."

Mr. Slytherin looked at her shrewdly. "You quite fancy my boy, don't you?"

Marylein's face went as red as an apple. "H- how did you know?"

"Oh, I don't need to read your mind to see that." He chuckled. "It wouldn't be so bad if he settled for a girl like you. Your bloodline might not be so impressive- I hear your mother was a half-blood, but the blood is clearly strong in you. Yes, you would certainly have my blessing."

Salazar returned three years later than he had promised her. But she wasn't angry. Anyone else and she would have been.

"Did you learn legilimens?" he asked her, not meeting her eyes as though shy. She knew he wasn't shy.

"I can't cast it without a wand, but yes," she assured him. He finally met her eyes.

He entered her mind, she could feel it, the way he greedily rummaged around. She let him, she had nothing to hide, after all. She did, however, purposefully lead him towards something that had been on her mind, ever since his father had mentioned it.

Salazar's crestfallen expression told her no.

"If I was an innkeepers son, I would have married you in a heartbeat," Salazar said, heartache in his voice. "But I will be far more than an innkeeper, or a hatmaker, I want to be the greatest wizard in the world. So I intend to, I need to, marry someone of a higher status. But I do love you, and I want to be with you regardless. It just won't be as man and wife, but I will give you anything else that you ask for."

Oh. Her heart sank as she realized what he was suggesting. What he was offering her, all that he was willing to offer her.

Tears welled up in her eyes, while she nodded. "Alright."

She was not, after all, an ambitious person. If she could have the one she loved, wasn't that enough?

"He has your eyes I think," Marylein said soflty, looking down fondly at her sleeping son.

"All babies have blue eyes," Salazar said dismissively. "He might get your green eyes when he grows up."

She pouted, but then smiled at him.

He was still hers, Marylein thought, satisfied. Even if they weren't married, they were in all but the word. It was supposed to be secret, so she wouldn't hurt his chances, but Salazar still hadn't found someone else. She liked to imagine it was because he was looking for someone better than her, and they kept coming up short.

He wouldn't ever, and one day he would realize that. Then he would come to her. Maybe she would say no at first. That might be fun.

He did, marry someone else, though. She attended his wedding as a "family friend", carrying his two-year-old daughter and holding her five-year-old son's hand.

She had agreed to this, she desperately reminded herself, as she met the bride's eyes.

At least, Marylein consoled herself, she wasn't better than her. A pretty blonde thing, sure, from a noble family, yes, but Marylein saw her discreetly wave her wand under the table and mouth the spell. It was child's play to lead her around on a fool's errand, convincing her that she really was just a family friend, and the father of her children was just someone who happened to have a passing resemblance to Salazar, really.

Marylein even retaliated, entering little Ariana's mind. Maybe it wasn't the skill she had most talent with, but practice made perfect. She dug through memories of Ariana's childhood, playing with an equally blonde cousin, before she finally found what she was looking for.

There was no love for Salazar there, Ariana was just as shrewd and cunning in her choice as Salazar had been. Still, there was the hope, that perhaps they would find love, eventually.

Not if I can help it, Marylein thought, surprising herself with how spiteful she felt.

She needed some air, so she found herself in the garden. She wasn't the only one there.

"You're the cousin of the bride?" Marylein "guessed".

"I am indeed," he held out a hand for her to shake. "Godric Gryffindor."

"Marylein, no last name. I'm afraid nobility didn't choose me."

"Agh!" His gestured were exaggerated, as he waved away her concerns. "Who cares about that stuff? What is a last name anyway, you could choose a last name if you want, in fact, why don't you?"

It seemed, Marylein thought, the man was drunk.

"What do you want me to call you?"

Slytherin, Marylein thought, and immediately discarded. She sighed. "Really, I don't care. I don't have a last name because I wasn't meant to go down in history."

She left him at that.

He had risen quite far, her love had. She heard from his father, that he was building a school now. Yes, from his father.

Salazar hadn't visited her in five years, ever since getting married. He wrote her letters, every now and then. She suspected it was because his father guilted him into it.

Even then, the letters were loveless academia, chattering about new discoveries, and asking if she had any insights.

She responded in kind, carefully hiding her fury. Intellectually, she knew that it would be unwise to reveal anything in letters, which might be intercepted by other parties. She knew that he was busy, always busy.

Her son came home very quiet one day and wouldn't meet her eyes.

His eyes were, in fact, green, just as Salazar had predicted.

But Marylein found that she was quite happy with that.

"The other kids called me a bastard, because I don't have a father."

"They're muggles, it doesn't matter what they think."

"No they… they were from around here."

Marylein lowered the pen. She was writing a response to Salazar's latest letter, but that certainly wasn't more important than this. "You'll have to tell me which kids," so she could punish them, she left unsaid. "But first, I haven't told you who your father is, because it's a secret, but I'll tell you once you're twelve. I think that's old enough for you to keep a secret. But until then, just know that your father is a brilliant wizard. Even if he is a complete arsehole."

She looked down at the letter, adding a new line. "In fact, I think I'll go visit him in a few weeks. I'll go see why he's so busy."

But first, there were some kids that needed to be taught a lesson, one they wouldn't learn at Salazar's school.

He was happy to see her, he insisted.

She'd thought him lying at first. Until he put her to work.

He wanted an enchanted castle.

The project was ambitious, to say the least, and he needed every wand he could get.

"Even his wife barely sees him, he's an absolute workaholic," Godric confided in her, as they were taking a break together, which involved copious amounts of alcohol. Necessary for the creative process, Godric claimed. She found that she quite liked the man. "I'm not saying he doesn't treat her like a gentleman, and Ariana isn't complaining, but still. She must be lonely." He shook his head, as though bemoaning how little he understood their relationship.

Marylein hummed in agreement. "I certainly would be."

"I get lonely every now and then too," Godric said, his tone changed. His face was awfully close.

"Is that so?" Marylein whispered. It would have been easy to just close her eyes. Godric was a handsome man. And even still, she heard the sound of a little bell, as a door long ago opened. "No."

Godric didn't demand an explanation, and yet she couldn't help but offer one. "There's someone else who's still in my heart."

"Salazar." She dragged him into a corner, where they would be hidden from passersby. "I want you to come home. Visit your father. Your children."

He met her eyes. "I don't really have time right now."

"Your occlumency have come far."

"… You can tell I'm using it?"

"No. But you just admitted it, so."

He sighed. "It would be best if you just forgot about me. And your children can't know that I'm their father."

"Because, why? Your reputation?"

"Quite frankly yes. I don't want accusations of adultery as part of my legacy. I am, after all, building a school here."

Marylein chuckled, even as she felt that she should rage and cry. "Alright," she lied.

Though her help was half-hearted at best, it seemed Salazar wanted to reward her. Or maybe he wanted to motivate her by including her.

"I thought it would be fitting, to enchant a hat that you had made."

"You want me to make a hat again?" Marylein asked, keeping her tone carefully even. How many years had it been? Not enough, Marylein decided. She looked around at the wizards gathered. Rowena Ravenclaw, Helga Hufflepuff, good women both of them, with impeccable fashion sense. Rowena was wearing a diadem even. They probably wouldn't be caught dead wearing one of Marylein's creations.

Salazar's hat was too new.

Her eyes fell on Godric, proudly sporting a patched, dirty and fraying wizard's hat.

"There's no need for me to waste my time," Marylein said, pointing. "I did my work ahead of time, see? That one's one of mine."

"You made that thing?" Salazar asked with disgust, at the same time Godric exclaimed with glee, "You're the creator of my favorite hat?!"

"I made a lot of hats, didn't always put effort in." Marylein said, shrugging. "I liked how that one turned out though, even if no one else did. Comfortable isn't it?"

"SO comfortable," Godric agreed with gusto.

She lifted an eyebrow at Salazar. "You said you wanted one of mine, and I'm not making a new one."

They used Godric's hat.

Marylein turned the hat around in her hands. It was a marvelous enchantment, even as it still looked like Godric's old brown hat. The enchantment was strong enough to last a thousand years, more even.

And every one of those years, it would sing aloud Salazar's name.

He wanted the ambitious, did he? The pureblooded and strong?

The magic that Salazar had showed her, it wasn't all nice. Some of it, he had told her to keep a secret at all cost. Dark magic, dangerous magic, the sort of magic that her father never wanted her to learn.

For some reason, Marylein had always been particularly good at that magic. She found it very intuitive. It wouldn't be hard, she thought, to push it a little further. Do more with it, than what Salazar had showed her, had ever imagined.

She put her wand on the hat, and there was some nostalgia in that.

She weaved a curse, foul and evil. The love that had turned to hatred was poured into the spell. She would make it so his legacy would be hated. When his name was spoken, it would be with irreverence. Who, after all, could love a Slytherin?

Marylein's heart twitched, as some clarity came over her, and she saw the poor children who'd done nothing, who would be hit by the curse. "But if they ask, let them choose their own house," she whispered, amending the curse. It was the best that she could do, now.

If her best was not good, well, when had she ever claimed to be a good person?

She sighed, smiling happily.

Maybe it was the curse already working, but she felt quite confident now, that she no longer loved him.

It was time to go home to her children, who weren't, and never would be, Slytherins.

AN: Marylein was quite wrong about that.