Acknowledgments: Rpeh on the beta work.
Chapter 15
Harry's first thought as he brought the broom to the ground in Wales was that the weather was surprisingly warm. It only took a few moments for him to find the warming charm he'd used while flying insufferable so he canceled it as he peered toward the walled city before him.
Lida hadn't been able to give him any more information on Salazar Slytherin other than 'Wales' and maybe 'somewhere near the sea' because apparently he mentioned cliffs and water in the letters to the Headmaster. When Harry asked how she knew what was in his letters to the Headmaster, she countered that his eyes weren't very good and he needed someone to read them to him.
Part of him wondered if he should explore this more than he was. He figured she was fibbing about something although he had a hard time caring about exactly what. Given that none of the other Professors seemed to have any issue with her role there he figured there wasn't much of a point. He'd even overheard Professor Nash grumbling that he was glad he didn't have to deal with the invalid.
He'd taken that general information from her and decided upon Cardiff because it was, or at least he thought it was, near the sea and in Wales. It would have been embarrassing to be wrong. But he found a small castle with a city around it and a sense that it must have been Cardiff, so he decided it was Cardiff. Facts be damned.
He leaned his broom up against a nearby tree and closed his eyes. The first thing he sensed was incredible cold and annoyance from off in the distance. It was rather difficult to push the general anger that was radiating from that direction from his head but he managed.
He didn't sense much else and decided his best course of action was to wait. It was perhaps twenty minutes before she brought her broom down near him, cursing under her breath as she stumbled on her feet.
"You're really bad at that," Harry said.
"Flying is dumb. We can teleport," Circe countered.
"I don't know Wales well enough to pop over and apparently they can only Floo call at this point," Harry said. "You could have stayed behind at Hogwarts."
"I didn't want to."
"You also didn't have a better suggestion at the time. If you have one for our return trip, I'm all ears," Harry said. Circe glared at him but didn't respond. Even he had to admit, four hundred miles at night by broom wasn't the best way to travel. He watched as Circe stretched her limbs out and glared at him. He knew she didn't have a better idea. But he figured he could probably apparate his way back to Hogsmeade. Although he knew most wizards didn't like to apparate that far in one go, something in the back of his mind told him he could pull it off. And he saw no reason to doubt his own excellence.
"Why did you stop here?" she asked. She crossed her arms over her chest and glared toward the town.
"I was hungry," he said. She rolled her eyes at him. "And it's not like I have any idea where I'm going. Figured we could poke around and see if something points us in the right direction."
"Your plan is to wander into town and ask random people random questions about a man named Salazar Slytherin?" Circe asked.
"Nope," Harry responded cheerfully in an attempt to annoy her. "My plan is to wander into town, find something to eat, and roll with whatever happens after that."
"Has anyone ever mentioned that you are the least prepared person on the face of the planet?" Circe countered.
"Not that I've heard," Harry said. Circe's glare intensified but the moment was rather undercut by her stomach growling. Harry resisted the urge to comment on it, or the flush that rose to her cheeks.
"I suppose I could eat," she sighed.
"You sure?" he teased. "You could always explore and I'll catch up after you've found him."
"You are obnoxious."
"So I've been told," Harry said. He turned from her and started walking toward the town. She hesitated for a few seconds before following.
It didn't take long to find an inn which turned out to be a large stone building with a thatched roof. The inside was so smokey it made Harry's eyes water until he remembered he was a wizard and fixed that with magic. A handful of patrons were littered around uncomfortable looking tables. A barman stood in the corner and was the only one who'd taken any notice of Harry and Circe. Harry moved toward one of the tables but Circe reached out and tugged on his shirt, leading him toward the bar.
"Food for two, please," Harry said. The barman stared at him, unmoving. After a few moments he responded in something that Harry was convinced wasn't an actual language. He raised his brows and stared at the man. The man stared back. Harry kept staring. The man kept staring.
Eventually, he spoke again, this time slower, but still in gibberish. Harry focused on the translatory spell he knew he'd kept running since he'd been on the island where he saw Circe die. He figured it had helped with his Olde English. It was still active but the magic felt…well..confused. It took it all a moment for it to click. Somehow it didn't surprise him that even magic would struggle with Welsh.
"This is Lord Harry Potter," Circe said in a staccato tone, emphasizing his name as if it should mean something. When the bartender didn't react to it she added. "The Marquess of Blackwell!"
It had the desired effect. The man's eyes widened and suddenly he spoke English well enough that Harry could understand it. In moments they were escorted to a table and shortly after food and drinks flooded to them.
"I'm not a Marquess," Harry said, peering over a bowl of stew moments later.
"And I made up Blackwell. It worked, didn't it?" Circe shot back.
"I suppose it did," Harry responded. The food was bland but warm, which was fine. The drinks were bland, but warm, which was less so. Still, they consumed it all. They didn't speak much. Harry peered around the room to pass the time. He had a sense that he was in the right place for whatever he needed. But he wasn't sure if there was something he was supposed to notice or what.
Circe drew far more looks than he did. Most of the men in the inn peered at her from time to time. She never made eye contact with any of them and kept her head down, focused on her food or her drink.
"Would Lord and Lady Potter like a room for the evening?" the barman asked as he approached with another round of drink. Harry peered at him and opened his mouth to correct him when Circe spoke up.
"That would be lovely," she said. Harry brought the new drink to his lips and looked at her. It was easy enough to know what she was doing. It was far simpler to keep the ruse going. But his mind kept flashing back to 'Lady Potter' and the more he drank the more he liked the way it sounded. He thought it suited her, although he couldn't figure out why. Hell, Circe Potter didn't sound great in his head. But he liked it.
He wasn't sure how long they stayed in the dining area but at some point they were given a key to a room upstairs and they retired for the evening, but it was four or five drinks later. He only vaguely remembered getting into bed and was rather surprised when he woke up in bed with Circe.
They were clothed, and she was as far away from him as possible on the bed, her back to him. But it still amused him, in a way, that he'd slept with Circe. If he ever got back home that would be something he'd have to make sure he bragged about to whomever would listen.
He crawled out of the bed and peered down at her. Her expression as she slept was rather serene, her mouth curled into a slight smile. She was gorgeous, he knew that, he'd always known that. But she did a fairly good job of hiding it behind scowls when she was awake. It felt sexist to wish she'd smile more, but he did.
He conjured new clothing, redid the requisite charms and walked over toward the bed. Saying her name twice didn't wake her so he reached out for her shoulder and gave her a gentle shake. She opened one eye at him.
"I'm going to find breakfast," he said before she could scold him. She closed her eye and as far as Harry could tell was back asleep in moments. He watched her until he thought he was being creepy before returning to the dining area.
He sat at a table but didn't gesture for any food or anything of that nature. The barman looked over his way but made no effort to serve him. Harry suspected the man didn't like him, or possibly the English in general, and was doing the bare minimum to not attract any trouble.
Harry didn't mind though. He closed his eyes and took a few moments to focus himself. He wasn't sure what he was looking for. The first thing that came to mind was that Circe was, albeit rather slowly, dragging herself from the bed.
Something told him to wait. He couldn't quite place whatever it was. But he knew his best course of action at that moment was to stay there. So he stayed there. About ten minutes later a man entered the room carrying a basket of goods. He spent a few minutes chatting with the barman.
Somewhere in the conversation the man mentioned that he was off to supply the old coot and Harry's gaze shot straight to him. It was nothing, two almost random words that shouldn't have had any bearing on his decisions. But something told him that he should follow. So he kept his eyes on the man.
Eventually he made his way to the exit and Harry rose to follow him out. He hoped he wasn't being too obvious. As he moved toward the exit, Circe emerged. He gave her a pointed look and then nodded toward the man leaving the building.
Somehow, with a simple look back, she managed to convey that he should follow and that she was going to eat something and then catch up. If he'd have had more time to think about it he would have found it impressive. Instead he followed the man out into the streets and outside of town toward the forest where they'd landed the evening before.
A quick Disillusionment charm was all it took to stay hidden as he weaved through the trees. The sun was setting when Harry finally followed the man into a clearing. He approached a small hut with a thatched roof and smoke rising from a chimney. The man knocked twice on the door before setting down the basket. He didn't wait for any signs of life, instead choosing to leave immediately as if he didn't expect anyone to answer the door.
Harry watched the door and waited. No one came to collect the basket. He could feel magic from the house. It wasn't as strong as say, the charms on Seth's villa or most of what one could sense at Hogwarts, but it was more impressive than most anything else he'd encountered. He continued to wait until a small pop from behind distracted him.
"This mind thing is handy," Circe said. Harry raised his brows at her. While he'd certainly used it to check on her he'd never really thought about her doing it to him. Part of him thought he'd have noticed had she. But nothing had felt unusual in the last few minutes.
"So you figured you'd just let me do all the work and then pop on over for the conclusion?" Harry joked.
"Hey, it was your idea. I just turned the tables on you." Circe smiled at him. It lit up her face and he was reminded of his earlier thought that she should smile more. "I did bring you some bread if that makes you feel better."
"It does," Harry said, taking it from her and devouring it in far fewer bites than it should have taken.
"Are you just going to stand out here or are you going to try the door?" Circe asked as Harry finished the bread.
"Hadn't decided yet," Harry said. "I'd hoped someone would come to retrieve the goods and I'd have approached then."
"That doesn't seem to be working out well for you," Circe commented.
"Not as of yet at any rate," Harry admitted.
"I feel like this perhaps needs a more feminine touch," Circe said. He thought she was blinking rather more than necessary.
"Have at it," Harry said. She nodded and took a few moments to continue blinking and scrunching up her face slightly. Her eyes started to water until tears were flowing. She managed to sniffle perfectly and then a few quick spells tore some of her outfit in a way that looked like it had snagged on bits of forest. She examined herself for a moment, before rushing toward the house.
"Please, please is anyone there?" she shrieked through perfect sobs. If Harry hadn't watched the entire thing unfold he would have thought she was in grave danger. She rushed up toward the door and knocked loudly as she continued to plead.
It only took two minutes for her to get an answer. The door swung open, nearly knocking her back, and an irritated old man glared out at her. He was short and bald with a short, well-kept beard. His expression softened as he saw her.
"What do you need, girl," he said, gruffly. Circe turned her gaze to him in a more demure manner than he would have thought her capable of. She spent a moment brushing at her dress as if trying to make herself presentable before allowing her hands to wring together. She made a point of looking away from the old man before she spoke.
"My friend and I," she started, still managing to fake sobbing as she acted overcome with emotion. Harry took that as his queue and stepped out from the woods.
"Lord and Lady Blackwell, I presume," the man said.
"How did you know?" Harry asked.
"I make it my business to know what goes on in town," the man responded.
"While living out here?" Harry asked.
"I like my solitude," the man countered. "And I know that no English Marquess has any purpose here."
"We're looking for Salazar Slytherin," Circe offered. She seemed to be scrutinizing the man rather closely. Harry wondered why until he realized a part of her was distantly related to the man before her. He wondered what it would be like to meet a great ancestor. Disappointing, he assumed. Somehow he doubted they'd ever live up to the expectations one had in their mind.
"You've found him," Salazar said.
"Can we come inside?" she asked. The man peered at her before nodding.
"You bring in the basket," he said, nodding toward the goods left on the doorstep before turning back into his home. Circe followed him. Harry paused for a moment before gathering up the goods and joining them inside.
He knew it shouldn't have surprised him that the obviously one room house contained an entryway, a dining room, a sitting room, and the kitchen where he was directed to drop off the goods. Harry could sense the magic in the building as he walked through the halls and eventually deposited the goods on a table in said kitchen. He peered around the room before Salazar's voice told him to gather some of the bottles of mead in the basket and meet them in the study.
The study was a small room with a fireplace, a few bookcases and a desk that judging from the piles of books and miscellaneous kitsch on it served more as storage than anything else. Slytherin sat at a large chair near the fireplace. Circe had cleaned the fake tears off of her face and fixed her dress. She sat in the matching chair across from Slytherin. Harry opened and distributed the mead and summoned the desk chair. Almost as soon as he sat down Slytherin spoke.
"You're from Hogwarts," he said.
"We are," Circe responded. Harry took a sip of his drink and figured she should have every opportunity to lead the conversation.
"You're here without Miss Spore's approval," he added.
"She's the one who told us you were in Wales," Harry responded.
"Why would her approval matter?" Circe asked.
"You haven't figured it out yet?" Slytherin asked.
"What?" Harry asked.
"I have a fairly good idea," Circe said.
"I am not sure if she knows the exact location of my home. But she could have certainly done better than just saying Wales," Slytherin said.
"We left in a hurry," Harry said. "We likely outran any letter."
"Perhaps," Slytherin said. His gaze turned toward the fire as if he was mentioning that there were plenty of other, quicker, ways to get a message to him.
"I think she wanted to see how we, and you, would react," Circe said. Slytherin nodded.
"I'm not sure why that would matter," Harry said.
"She runs the school," Circe responded as if it were obvious. And if Harry was being honest with himself, it kind of was. "It's why no one ever sees the Headmaster. Even most of the professors defer to her. She doesn't want to irritate a Hogwarts legend and donor but she thinks we might find something."
"Did she do something to the headmaster?" Harry asked. Even as he said it he knew she hadn't. It wasn't in her nature. Still, it felt odd.
"He's senile and infirm," Slytherin said. "She took over most of his duties out of necessity. And she does a good job. I plan on giving her my full support when the old man finally dies."
"Can't you remove him before that?" Harry asked.
"We could. But it hasn't been necessary yet. Did you really come to discuss Hogwarts politics?"
"We didn't," Circe said.
"Then what do you want?"
"Tell me about the Chamber of Secrets," Harry said. Slytherin's brows perked up and his gaze shifted from Circe and over toward him. He thought he heard the word 'idiot' in his head, but figured what was done was done.
"The Chamber of Secrets?" Slytherin asked.
"Yes."
"I'm sorry. I don't know what that is."
"You might call it something different. It's the secret room you built into the castle," Harry explained. Slytherin smiled at him and shook his head.
"I built a secret room into the castle?" the man chuckled as he said it, as if he found the concept absurd.
"Godric and Helga built the castle," Slytherin responded. "Rowena and I scouted for students and helped create the village. When we finished with that I recruited the elves and made sure the local Lairds wouldn't come calling while Rowena recruited staff. The castle was built before I ever laid eyes on it."
"You didn't all build it together? I thought all four of you worked on it. That's what they say anyway." Circe said. Her voice was soft and Harry had the distinct impression that she wanted him to shut up for a moment.
"It was our collaborative idea. Helga drew up the plans and she and Godric laid the foundation and built it. We all had our own parts to play. Godric liked to put in the work. And it was best if he was kept away from anyone important. Unless they needed to be taken on a hunting trip or to a drunken party," Slytherin said. He smiled as he spoke, as if it brought back fond memories of his former friend.
"Then why say you all built it?" Harry asked.
"We did all build it," Slytherin shot back. "There is far more to building an institution than putting up walls."
"Forgive my husband," Circe said with a glare directed at Harry. "He can be a bit slow on the uptake. Especially after a few days of travel."
"Oh it's fine," Slytherin said. His voice trailed off and he turned his gaze to the fire. Harry raised his brows and wondered what Circe was getting at.
"Thank you for taking us into your home," she said.
"What?" Slytherin asked, his gaze shifting from the fire and toward her. He had the look of someone who'd clearly been lost in thought.
"Thank you for taking us in," Circe repeated. "I'm not sure we could have made it back to town tonight. We didn't think we would find you and we were less than prepared."
"It's fine," Slytherin said. Harry took a moment to observe the other man as his attention focused on Circe. He had countless lines on his face and one word immediately popped into Harry's mind to describe him. Tired.
"Still, we appreciate it," Circe said. Slytherin nodded to her before sipping his drink.
"I'm sorry it's not much more."
"It's quite remarkable what you've managed with the magic. There's barely a trace of it from the outside," Circe said.
"It's kind of you to say so, my dear, but it boils down to the simple fact that you didn't know where to look," Slytherin said.
"What do you mean? Harry is usually quite good at detecting magic in structures and I don't think he noticed anything. Isn't that right, dearest?" Circe said, making her tone sound generally interested in the magic.
"Oh uhm, No. Well, I mean, a little trace here but nothing that struck me as odd. And not nearly enough power to explain all of the added space. Nothing I would have looked twice at, at any rate. And I like to think if I encountered a house like this on my own I would be quite interested in looking twice," Harry rambled. Given that Circe didn't chastise him he figured that he must have complimented enough.
"It's easy when you know how," Slytherin said. He spent a moment adjusting himself in his chair, leaning forward and staring between them.
"Please enlighten me," Circe smiled, a dimple on prime display. She leaned forward to match him, looking almost mischievous at the thought of new information.
"You make the runes as small as you can and put them as low to the ground as possible," Slytherin said. He waved a hand in the air and inscribed runes started to glow at the bottom of the walls. "People seldom gaze that low. If they do, the magic becomes obvious. But most look up, rather than down."
"Brilliant!" Circe said with a bright smile.
"Is that what you did at Hogwarts?" Harry asked, already knowing the answer to that. While it worked for a cursory glance, it didn't hold up under any type of scrutiny. But he didn't see much of a point in bringing that up.
"Yes. It was Rowena's idea to start but I was better at applying them," Slytherin said.
"I would have never thought of that," Circe said in a tone that made Harry almost believe her. It also made Slytherin smile.
"It works. Of course it's easy to notice once you look," Slytherin said as he dismissed the runes with another wave of his hand. "But for those who don't know what to look for, it works in almost every situation."
"I look forward to experimenting with it in the future," Circe said. She made a show of yawning and stretching her arms above her head.
"Did you two spend the day looking for my home in the forest?" Slytherin asked.
"Yes," Circe admitted. "And it was kind of draining. I think with proper directions we could make it back to town before it becomes too late."
"No, that won't do," Slytherin said before Harry cound protest that he wasn't going to leave before he got the information he needed.
"We wouldn't want to impose," Circe added with a perfect pout.
"Taking the spare bedroom for the evening is not what I would call imposing. I'm sure the inn in town is more comfortable but I suspect you're used to finer things anyway, Lady Blackwell."
"We like to travel," Circe said, as if that explained away any lack of creature comforts.
"And are well versed in cushioning charms I'm sure," Slytherin responded. He hauled himself up to his feet which seemed to take more effort than Harry would have thought necessary.
"Well I do like my pillow just so," Circe giggled. Slytherin gave her a quick smile as he led them out of the study. They walked down a short hallway and he showed them to a very basic bedroom equipped with little more than a bed and a small table. Circe thanked him for his efforts and then closed the door behind them. She cast a silencing charm on the room as Harry paced over toward the bed.
"Husband? Dearest?" he asked, his brows raised.
"He knew us as the Marquees and his wife, not the random Fellows from Hogwarts. It seemed cleaner to keep that illusion up," Circe said.
"I suppose," Harry said. "Why did you stop my questioning?"
"You made him agitated. We'll be able to charm any information out of him in the morning. There's no need to put him on the defensive," Circe said. She undid her hair and conjured multiple brushes which went to work on it as she paced around the small room.
"You think that will work?" Harry asked.
"Of course. He's old and lonely and he wants to talk. So we'll get him to talk. But I have an odd feeling," Circe let her voice trail off as her dress melted into a dark nightgown.
"That he doesn't know anything," Harry said.
"Yes," she responded.
"He's old. Memory can be a strange thing. Hell…"
"He might have intentionally gotten rid of it," Circe said.
"Or what we know is wrong," Harry added.
"Wouldn't that be interesting," Circe said. She vanished the brushes and crawled into the bed. Harry stared at her for a few moments before working up the courage to ask.
"You mind?"
"No, but if you get too handsy you're going to spend the rest of your life as a vole," Circe said. Harry wondered if 'too handsy' meant there was a certain level that was allowed. He decided it was best to not ponder that as he shifted his clothing into pajamas and slid into the other side of the bed.
"What do we do if he doesn't know anything?" Harry asked.
"I don't know," Circe said. "It certainly makes for some interesting questions."
"Can I ask you one?"
"Hmm?"
"What's it like meeting your great great great great great great great Grandpa?" he teased.
"I'm older than him," Circe retorted.
"Oh come now, you know what I mean," Harry said.
"I never pictured him as an old man," Circe shrugged. "I'm not sure what to think. I guess we'll find out in the morning."
"I guess we will," Harry said. He closed his eyes and willed sleep to take him while thinking about anything other than the fact that he was in bed with Circe. She didn't seem to have the same qualms as he did, given that her breathing slowed to a steady rhythm in moments.
At some point she rolled over, her arm reaching across him as she slept. He could have sworn he heard her mumble his name. And that had a definite effect on him. He alternated between staring at her hand on his chest, and the ceiling until he finally fell asleep.
He rolled over as he woke in the morning, tossing his arm across the bed. The opposite side of the bed was still warm, which caused him to remember Circe. He opened his eyes and peered around the room but she was nowhere to be seen.
Harry lifted himself out of bed and readied himself for the day before moving out of the bedroom. He heard a familiar, but odd, giggle from down the hall and decided to investigate. He found Circe in what must have passed for the kitchen. She was using magic to cook eggs while smiling brightly at a rather flustered Salazar Slytherin.
"You don't have to do that," the man argued.
"It's alright. It's the least I can do for such a gracious host," she responded.
"I find it odd that a Marchioness knows how to cook," Slytherin commented.
"Always had a big appetite and my mother refused to allow the cooks to make food whenever I wanted it. Sometimes you have to learn to fend for yourself," Circe responded with a playful smile.
"And Lord Blackwell doesn't mind you sullying yourself in the kitchens?" Slytherin asked.
"She makes a rather good treacle tart. I've learned to live with it," Harry said from the doorway. Slytherin turned to face him and the usual morning pleasantries were exchanged before Circe divided up three plates of food.
"Salazar, I hope it's alright if I call you that, was telling me about the educational planning he was working on," Circe said as they started their meal.
"It's fine," Slytherin said gruffly.
"He has some interesting ideas for an educational system," Circe said.
"It's just the same thing I've been trying to do from the start. I've spent the last few decades modifying it," Slytherin said.
"What's that?" Harry asked.
"It's just a standardized curriculum. I've argued since the beginning that we need to come up with a baseline of magical education and a system to encourage it," Slytherin said. "I think a nine or ten year plan works the best to ensure a proper education."
"That seems like a reasonable idea. At the end of it you'd at least know what everyone was taught and what you could expect from them," Harry said.
"Exactly!" Slytherin exclaimed. "It does present one major problem though."
"What's that?" Circe asked.
"It forces Hogwarts to become more exclusive," Slytherin said.
"How's that?" Harry asked.
"If we adopt it we can't take in anyone that displays magic. We have to set a certain level of minimum skill to make sure the education works," Slytherin explained.
"Which would make Hogwarts considerably more selective," Circe added.
"Purebloods only," Harry added. He narrowed his eyes and glared at Slytherin.
"To a degree," Slytherin said. "We should focus on beginning efforts on people who we know are capable. You've no idea how many young students we bring in because their families claim they have some mysterious power only for them to demonstrate no talent at all. Many times I suspect the stories are all lies."
"But many more turn into talented witches and wizards," Circe added.
"They do. In a perfect world we'd have some way where we could find talented individuals more readily to be able to start students on more equal footing. And to know which ones would never truly develop the talent. We don't have that means as of yet," Slytherin explained.
"And the lesser students shouldn't be at Hogwarts?" Harry asked.
"It is a hard choice. But yes. The students who are incapable of getting through the curriculum shouldn't be at the school interfering with the studies. I'd like to set up a system where graduated students can help the less talented, but it's all very early stages. Rowena and Helga spoke of creating an enclave for them but never in anything other than the most basic terms," Slytherin said.
"I think Hogwarts should be inclusive," Harry said.
"I agree," Circe added. Slytherin shrugged his shoulders.
"If they can do the work," he said. "But I have a feeling this isn't what you came here to talk to me about. And I'm not sure small talk is going to solve any of our problems."
"It won't," Harry agreed. He gathered up the now empty plates and used magic to clean them. A look from Salazar Slytherin told him that he wasn't sure why he wasn't making the woman clean up, but a gesture showed him where they should go and he put them away.
"You mentioned something you called the Chamber of Secrets," Slytherin started. He let his gaze shift between both Harry and Circe. Harry pressed his lips together, remembering Circe's words from the night before, and bit his tongue.
"We did," Circe said.
"And just what do you think that is?" Slytherin asked.
"It's believed to be a secret chamber from the founding of the school," Circe said.
"Well, I've not heard of it," Slytherin said.
"The rumors are that you built it and stashed something away there when you were driven from the school," Circe said.
"Driven from the school?" Slytherin's gaze focused on her, confusion evident in his eyes.
"That's the rumor," Harry added.
"I left the school of my own volition after Godric and I had a disagreement. Helga tried to get me to come back a few months later after Godric….Well at that point it just didn't feel the same."
"There are rumors you had quite the argument," Harry said. To his surprise Slytherin smiled.
"We had quite the argument every other day. I loved Godric. The man would do anything for you if you asked. We traveled most of Europe together in our youth. He was my best friend," Slytherin said with a smile on his face. "But we always fought. We fought our entire lives."
"And Hogwarts wasn't the same without him," Circe said.
"It was not," Slytherin agreed. "And the lingering sense that had I been there I might have been able to help…"
"How did he die?" Harry asked.
"They found his body in the forest, mangled by some type of animal. Undoubtedly something clever got the best of him. According to Helga he'd been drinking more since I'd left and his reflexes weren't what they once were," Slytherin said. He peered away from the two of them, shaking his head as he finished speaking.
"A basilisk?" Harry asked.
"Excuse me?" Slytherin retorted, his gaze shooting back toward Harry in an instant.
"Could it have been a basilisk?" Harry asked. Slytherin hesitated. Again, he looked away from Harry and paused before responding.
"I would put a basilisk on the list of creatures I think capable of killing Godric Gryffindor," Slytherin agreed.
"Your basilisk?" Harry asked.
"My basilisk?" Slytherin retorted, his brows raised.
"Yes," Harry said.
"You do realize I'm Salazar Slytherin and not Herpo the Foul," Slytherin commented. He leaned back in his chair and focused his gaze on Harry.
"We think you bred a basilisk," Circe said.
"And just what gave you that idea?" Slytherin asked.
"Rather compelling rumors," Harry said.
"So you come here and accuse me of what, exactly?" Slytherin asked.
"I'm not accusing you of anything," Harry said, deciding it was time to stop beating around the bush. "I know you successfully bred a basilisk. I want to know where the Chamber of Secrets is so I can find where you stashed it and deal with it."
"Miss Spore was right about you, Harry Potter," Slytherin said. He stiffened in his chair and Harry felt the first vestiges of defensive magic rise in the old man. He made no move to counter it.
Slytherin's face hardened as he steeled himself. He looked younger as he readied himself for the fight he fully expected to come. Harry remained passive. He knew they hadn't told him their names. And he'd only referred to them by their made up titles.
"About what?" Harry asked as Slytherin finished posturing.
"There's something off about both of you," Slytherin said. He relaxed into the chair but his eyes stayed alert.
"How so?" Circe asked.
"It's hard to place. You know things you shouldn't. But you don't have all of the information. It's like you tried to translate something but were missing part of the key. In the end, something is just off," Slytherin said.
"She told you that?" Harry asked.
"In more words," Slytherin said. Harry couldn't help himself, he chuckled quietly. Circe rolled her eyes at him.
"So you knew who we were," Circe said.
"I know who you claimed to be," Slytherin amended. "And made sure you had someone to follow to my hovel."
"Why?"
"I was curious," Slytherin said. "It's interesting that she did not contact me about your coming. I'm assuming you've shared these opinions with her."
"They've come up," Harry said.
"And she believes you. She hoped you'd catch me off guard," Slytherin said.
"Perhaps," Harry commented.
"But you think the unfortunate situation earlier in the year with the students was a basilisk and not the hazardous combination of jealousy and magic?"
"I'm positive it was," Harry said.
"And you?" Slytherin asked, nodding toward Circe.
"I agree with Harry," Circe said.
"Well, I would love to know where you got your information, because I never successfully bred a basilisk."
"What?" Harry asked.
"I tried. For the better part of two decades I worked at deciphering and translating Herpo's notes. It was a monumental effort," Slytherin said.
"Translating Greek?" Circe commented, aghast that such a thing would be difficult.
"Parseltongue," Slytherin said.
"He wrote notes in Parseltongue?" Harry asked.
"He attempted to," Slytherin said.
"What would that even look like?" Circe asked.
"A lot of very similar lines," Slytherin said. "But at any rate I spent years translating it. And when I did, I'm ashamed to say I did try to create one of the creatures."
"And you succeeded," Harry said.
"I did not. Godric found out what I was doing. It caused our big fight. He destroyed all of the eggs. At the time I was furious," Slytherin said. He peered away from them as he finished his sentence, a certain melancholy lingering in the air.
"But later?" Circe asked.
"I admitted that he was right. I was trying to breed a deadly, uncontrollable snake in a place that housed children. It was the dumbest, most thoughtless thing I'd ever attempted in my life. I was ashamed that I let my own pride, my own assured competence put the lives of students at risk that I couldn't bring myself to stay at the school," Slytherin said.
"And so you came here," Circe finished.
"I traveled some first. But in the end, yes, I came here," Slytherin said. "After the rest of them died, well, it felt wrong to not be involved with the school. But I couldn't bring myself to head back there. Since then, I've spent most of my time trying to come up with ways to better the institution."
"You aren't what I expected," Harry said.
"Where we're from you, well, have a reputation for abandoning the school for malicious reasons," Circe said.
"And where is that?" Slytherin asked.
"London," Harry said.
"Greece," Circe said.
"Interesting," Slytherin said. Again his gaze shifted between the two of them. It was clear he didn't believe them. No, that was wrong. He looked skeptical, like he knew there was far more than they were letting on.
"Where were you working on creating the snake?" Harry asked. Slytherin paused for a few moments before responding.
"I started in my office. When the required temperature grew too excessive for me to tolerate I built a pen in the forest," Slytherin said.
"Where in the forest?" Harry asked.
"It's been over a century. I would be surprised if it is still there. But I took the path around the lake and at about the halfway point cut into the forest. It was about ten minutes from there straight on to it," Slytherin said. "I doubt Godric left much standing. In his shoes I wouldn't have."
"At the very least it gives us a place to start," Harry said. "What about the Chamber of Secrets."
"I'm sorry but I don't know what that is," Slytherin said.
"You didn't create a private sanctum in the school?" Harry asked.
"I did not. And you should know how difficult it is to force Hogwarts to change," Slytherin said. They were silent for a moment. Part of Harry thought the man was making excuses and hiding something. But there seemed to be little reason for that. Another part of him thought it felt honest. He was debating how to respond when Circe spoke for him.
"Thank you for your information," she said. "I think it's best if we–" But a cough from the fireplace interrupted her.
"Professor Slytherin?" Lida Spore's voice ran through the home.
"What is it Miss Spore?" Slytherin responded.
"I hate to be a bother but I was wondering if Harry and Emily arrived at your home? I should have told you they were likely to come," she said. Harry thought she sounded rather frantic.
"They are here," Slytherin responded.
"Oh good. Can you tell them-"
"They can hear you."
"That there's been another incident."
"What happened?"
"We found Professor Nash's body by the lake this morning. And two students are missing from their dormitories. And it seems like a couple more are missing from the town. I'm getting rather nervous about it. I'm wondering if a lot of the other students who we thought left the school didn't and I've never been scared walking down the halls before and I don't know what to do," Lida rambled.
"We'll start making our way back," Harry said, trying to sound as reassuring as possible as he looked toward the fire.
"Okay," Lida said. She took a deep breath and seemed to struggle to prevent herself from saying more. "Please try to hurry."
"We will," Harry said.
"I should go and make sure the rest of the students are all safe. And I think Professor Warbeck is trying to come up with some way to blame this on you so I'll have to deal with that and," Lida said, losing the fight as the rambling continued.
"Good luck," Harry said. Lida nodded but did lift herself from the floo. Harry rose from his chair. Circe and Slytherin both peered at him. The Founder did nothing, but after a few moments Circe rose as well.
"You really think it's a basilisk?" Slytherin asked.
"Yes," Harry said. Slytherin watched him for a moment. Harry found it annoying. Something told him he shouldn't move just yet, even if he knew the broom flight back to Scotland would take most of the day. He cursed the ancients for inventing the floo call before the actual floo network. He wondered if he could apparate that far. He'd never tried. It might be worth a shot, even if he could only make it to Hogsmeade it would still save him a great deal of time.
He almost didn't notice Slytherin rising to his feet and smoothing out his robes.
"It will take me some time to get my affairs in order," the man said as he peered around the room. "There's notes to write, projects to put in stasis, instructions to leave."
"Excuse me?" Harry asked, not quite catching the man's words.
"You think a basilisk is terrorizing the students. And evidence details that there is a chance you're correct. And you think I have something to do with it," Slytherin responded as he started to move around the room. A staff flew into his hand from down a hallway and he started casting a series of charms on various objects in his home.
"We don't mean to accuse you of anything," Circe started.
"It's a little late for that, girl," Slytherin responded. Circe glared and Harry saw her bite back a comment. It was for the best, he figured the last thing the Hogwarts founder needed was the knowledge that he was talking to someone a couple thousand years older than him.
"Why though? You've provided us with enough information that I think I can handle it from there," Harry said. Part of him didn't want to let a deadly snake fall into the hands of Salazar Slytherin. But he also didn't think the man looked healthy enough for a trip to Scotland.
"We all swore to protect the school to the best of our abilities. It seems I have been derelict in my duties and it is time I rectify that. If you handle it before I arrive, so be it. But if not, I will do everything in my power to help you defend Hogwarts," Slytherin said with a conviction Harry would have expected from Albus Dumbledore.
"Alright. I look forward to seeing you at the castle," Harry said with a nod that Slytherin returned. Harry spun on his heel and both he and Circe left the house.
They walked into the woods for about five minutes, a comfortable silence filling the air as they moved back toward where they'd left the brooms two nights ago. It was Harry that interrupted the quiet.
"Do you think we can apparate to Hogsmeade?" he asked.
"I can't," she admitted. "I've never been able to apparate more than three hundred miles at a single go. I guess we could try to go north randomly and get close enough."
"Or I can just do it," Harry said. She raised her brows at him as he hugged her. Her body stiffened against his as the magic welled into him. He could sense she wanted to protest, and having his arms around her wasn't strictly required, but oh well. With a surge of power they stumbled into Hogsmeade.
"You should have waited until we gathered the brooms," Circe scolded as she slipped from his grasp. She started walking down the path to the school. Harry followed, trudging through lightly falling snow. He thought the town seemed less active than he'd remembered it.
The castle, too, seemed somber when he entered it. He supposed the death of a professor would do that. He wondered if it would be rude to look for lunch rather than start investigating immediately. But before he had time to make a decision Lida came rushing out of the Great Hall.
She saw them standing there as she rushed passed, heading in the direction of the Headmaster's office. She did a double-take and nearly fell over as she tried to stop running mid stride. She recovered with the slight assist from a suit of armor.
"How on Earth did you get back here so fast?" she asked.
"Magic," Harry shrugged.
"That's not possible," Lida said.
"And yet here we are," Circe retorted.
"You have to stop Elric. He's trying to rally the older students into a hunting party to find this mysterious basilisk. Honestly I think he's doing it so Professor Warbeck shuts up. But he's being incredibly stupid," Lida said.
"That does seem like a poor decision," Harry said. As if on cue Elric emerged from the Great Hall. Harry could see maybe fifteen students lining up behind him.
"Oh hey you're back!" Elric smiled as he spoke.
"You're not seriously thinking about taking some vastly under-trained students against a basilisk, are you?" Harry asked.
"Numbers would be our biggest advantage in such an engagement," Silverberry said.
"Elric!" Lida scolded.
"We're not doing that," Harry said.
"You have a better idea?" Silverberry shot back.
"Salazar Slytherin is coming to help. I'll defer to his expertise," Harry said.
"Slytherin, really?" Silverberry seemed rather surprised by the revelation.
"Really," Harry affirmed.
"I have to make sure his chamber is prepared," Lida added.
"You're not going to go after it?" Silverberry asked as Lida rushed off down the hall again. Harry figured she was keeping herself busy to distract from the current situation and that it was best to let her go.
To his surprise though, Circe followed her down the hall and looked rather concerned about the entire thing.
"Not with a bunch of green students I'm not," Harry said. "It's our duty to protect them."
"We don't even know where the damn thing is," Silverberry retorted.
"Slytherin gave me a couple of ideas. Dismiss the students and meet me out by the lake. There's some spots in the forest I think we should check out," Harry said.
"A solid lead?" Elric asked, his lips curling into an excited smile.
"Very," Harry said. Before the other man could talk more he turned and walked out of the castle, toward the lake, as if he fully expected his orders to be followed.
Fifteen minutes later Silverberry found him on the path around the lake. Harry had stopped exactly at the spot Slytherin mentioned and was staring off at the forest. Harry led him into the forest.
It wasn't the first time they'd explored the land together. And Harry didn't expect it to be much different. But he followed Slytherin's directions anyway. It wasn't much different than their normal hunting.
Near sundown they found something they'd overlooked. Evidence of a building existed in a small clearing, but it was little more than some rocks outlining what was one a hovel of some sort. But magic lingered in the air and it felt much like the magic in Slytherin's house.
Silverberry didn't notice and passed by but Harry paused to investigate. It was getting dark, which would be easy enough to rectify with magic, but he worried it could draw unwanted attention from the denizens of the forest.
He raised his hand and marked the area with magic before telling Silverberry it was time to go. The Gryffindor was rather disappointed with returning to the castle but even he was smart enough to know the fading light wasn't an ally.
He sat near Circe at dinner. It was a somber affair, all the house heraldry had been replaced with generic black versions to express mourning for the loss of the Professor. Harry didn't listen as Professor Warbeck gave a speech about his deceased friend. Even in his time there he'd had very little interaction with Professor Nash. Still, Lida liked him and Circe hadn't derided him, so Harry figured he must have been a good man.
After the meal he left with Circe. She asked him a handful of questions about what they'd found in the forest and he asked her why she'd followed Lida. She answered that the girl needed someone to help calm her down and get her emotions in check, and then shrugged as if it were obvious.
The topic changed to Slytherin as she brought out a bottle of wine. They sipped it and discussed their opinions of the man. It reminded Harry quite a lot of the nights they'd spent at her villa, discussing whatever flight of fancy took them well into the evening.
Much like their nights on her island, it ended when the bottle of wine was empty and she escorted him back toward his room. He slipped into his own bed, finding the familiar comfort charms to be wonderful, but the emptiness of the bed to be less so.
The nights with Circe hadn't even been sexual. But he still found he missed it. He wondered what she'd actually be like. Would she be more like Cassandra, who liked to be near him but seemed to avoid actual contact as much as she could, or Elena who'd seemed to think he was an effective pillow.
He spent a good portion of the night thinking about that and comparing the merits of the three women until sleep finally took him.
Lida Spore woke him way too early the next morning. But she'd brought breakfast and they ate in his office and she spent the meal running over everything he'd missed in his few days away from the school.
He suspected it wasn't much. But Lida was not known for using a sentence when a half hour conversation could accomplish the same goal. After she finally exhausted her topics she excused herself and moved toward Circe's bedroom door, undoubtedly preparing to do it all again. Although he heard the conversation start with a rundown of how the Mandrakes were growing, so he figured there might be one or two differences.
Harry waited in his office, peering through books and wondering what he'd teach when he resumed his classes. Which, he quickly realized, he should be doing that day.
Before he knew it he was back into the routine of Hogwarts, the minutiae of it taking up far more of his time than he expected it to. Still, he managed to find some time to continue exploring the forest around the hovel. Circe joined him most days, and Silverberry joined him on the ones where she didn't.
They found a series of burrows nearby. But there didn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to how they were set up. And most of them were caved in a few feet away from where they started. Harry marked each of them with a tracing spell whenever they found one.
Wine with Circe ended most of his nights. The conversations continued to come easily and whenever they talked she seemed to be happier than in the past.
It took thirty-five days before they received word from Salazar Slytherin. Harry was starting to think the man wasn't going to keep his word. But eventually he'd arrived at the castle late one evening.
Harry spent the night of his arrival drinking with Circe. The man hadn't done much more than head to the Head's office, and then let Lida lead him to his chambers. He'd gruffed that they would worry about the snake in the morning and disappeared into his chambers.
Harry thought far more about the basilisk than their conversation. He hadn't heard anything in parseltongue when they explored the forest, but something told him that it was out there. Circe agreed with him when they'd brought it up.
A more cynical part of him thought that he'd have already found the snake had he not been waiting for Slytherin to show up. And that he'd delayed himself because the thought of reinforcements was appealing.
A glance at the clock in Circe's room showed him it was now the day Slytherin would arrive. He exhaled through his nose and thought about everything that could go wrong with fighting a basilisk and all the ways he could be utterly incapicated by it.
He went to take another sip of his wine only to notice his glass was empty. He saw Circe's glass was also empty and noticed the bottle was also empty. Normally that would end their evening.
But this time his gaze lingered on her and he thought of how he'd prefer his night to end. Especially as he realized there was a higher chance than normal that it could be his last night. While he was fairly confident he could prevail against the creature, there were so many variables that could alter the outcome.
He knew what he wanted to do. It was so obvious. He walked over toward Circe, stopping just in front of her. He took a deep breath, stared into her wide eyes for a moment, and then leaned toward her.
"What are you doing?" Circe asked, her hand rising up and pressing into his chest.
"I want to kiss you," Harry said. Circe raised her brows at him.
"I'm flattered, but no."
"Why not?" she asked.
"Why?" she countered. Harry took a deep breath and stared at her.
"Honestly, Circe? I like you. Probably more than I should considering how dour you can be," Harry started.
"Dour?" she snapped. Harry frowned and bit back the first thought that came to mind.
"You don't always look happy when I'm around," Harry tried to explain.
"And kissing me would change that?" she snapped.
"Yes. I can tell it's intentional. You let the facade slip sometimes. And you're happy to see me. And I can feel that in my head. I know it. We might never have an opportunity like this again. We might die tomorrow. So yes I want to kiss you and see what happens," Harry said.
Circe's expression didn't change. Her eyes stayed locked on his and her face was blank. Her hand still pressed against his chest, keeping him at an arm's length from her. After a moment she bit her bottom lip and tilted her head to the side. Her hand slipped from his body, caressing him softly as she withdrew it. He made to move closer to her but she stepped back and shook her head.
"No." she said.
"Why not?" he asked, trying to not let annoyance rise into his voice.
"Because I don't want to," she said, looking away from him as she caught her bottom lip between her teeth again.
"Yes you do," Harry said.
"No," she said, her voice hardening.
"Circe," Harry sighed. "I like you. A lot. I like what we're doing. I'm happy. I don't want to waste what might be our last opportunity to say anything, or do anything."
"I don't feel the same way," Circe said. Her voice was stiff and she kept her gaze turned away from him.
"Circe," Harry said again. This time she brought her gaze to his. Her expression hardened and he could feel the anger.
"Get out," she snapped. "I don't know what stupid boyish delusions you're having. But I'm not interested in indulging your fantasies."
"I–" Harry started, but the words didn't come. Tears were welling in her eyes as she looked at him and something in her tone rang false to him. But the thought of arguing with her about her own feelings felt equally wrong.
"Get. Out," she said again, her whole body shaking as her eyes watered. Harry stepped back from her.
"I'm sorry," he said as he turned to leave her room. He didn't notice that she fell to her knees after he left. And he assumed the sudden urge to cry coupled with the empty feeling that he'd just made a grave mistake were both his own emotions.
He was back in his room in moments. He went through the motions of readying himself for bed when all he really wanted was a tub of ice cream or a bottle of whisky. Or maybe both.
It seemed to take an inordinate amount of time to undress and when he got down to his underwear he spent more time staring into a mirror wondering just what he'd done wrong. Could it be as simple as he wasn't attractive to her? He didn't think he looked too young. Hell, they were able to pass for the same age, more or less. And he was in very good shape. But perhaps there was just something else.
In his head she changed her mind. He imagined her slipping from her bedroom, her resolve increasing with each step, until she finally reached his door. In his mind she hesitated before she took three deep steadying breaths and knocked on his door.
An actual knock on his door caused him to jump. He paused and turned to face it. He couldn't bring himself to close his eyes and see what might be on the other side. Instead he took the same steadying breaths he'd imagined from Circe and walked to the door. He took one final breath as he opened the door.
Phyllida Spore stood in his doorway. She wore a translucent white shift and was blushing a rather deep crimson.
"I know you're going to go after the basilisk tomorrow and I know that you might die if you do it and I've been thinking about that a lot in the last few days and I really don't want that to happen to you but I was also thinking about things that I may have liked to have happen if you were here for longer and part of me sort of wondered why I should bother waiting," Lida said, her words getting faster with each passing moment. She kept gazing down the hallway as if worried someone would see her in her current state.
Harry paused for a moment, wondering what he should do as she kept talking. In the end he knew that Circe had just rejected him, so he stepped away from the doorway and allowed her to enter. She took a breath then looked around his room. Her brows shot up and she looked around.
"You're not supposed to be able to change your room like this! They're uniform to prevent anyone from complaining! Everyone is supposed to be the same. How did you do it?"
"Magic," Harry said with a shrug of his shoulders.
"That's your excuse for everything! You can't just keep saying that it's obnoxious," Lida started.
"Lida," Harry interrupted.
"And I'm going to have to report it and it will be a big hassle and your bed actually looks really comfortable. Oh God I can't believe I said that out loud. Can you pretend I didn't say that out loud?" Lida continued. Harry figured it was time to resort to desperate measures.
He lifted his hand, cupping her chin gently and tilting her head up to look at him. She stopped breathing when he did it. Which had the added perk of quieting her for a moment. He stared into her chocolate eyes before he leaned down and kissed her.
She gasped into his mouth as his lips touched hers. She tasted sweet. Her lips fumbled against his with an obvious inexperience. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her again and again until she pulled herself from him. Her eyes were wide and her shoulders rose and fell rapidly with her breathing as he smiled at her.
"That's nice," she said. Harry nodded and let his hands slide down her back. He cupped her bottom and kissed her again.
"Yes it is," he said as she gasped once more.
"I want to," she started.
"I know," he said as he led her to bed.
Author's Note: Thanks for reading and reviewing. I am on PAT RE ON now at TE7Writes. If you wish to support me more please consider doing so over there. The next two chapters of Ithaca, including the dramatic conclusion of the Past Hogwarts arc, are currently available over on that platform. Thanks again for taking the time to read and review!