Thanks! Lots of thank you-s and a lot of hugs to Seldes Katne for beta-reading Hearts and Hourglasses before it's posted on Sugar Quill! She's a wonderful person and a fantastic beta-reader!

Chapter 22 continues Chapter 21: Legacy immediately. (Draco and Salazar's conversation)

Chapter 22: Dark and Light

You have to understand something, Draco. I am not the Lord Slytherin who destroyed the Thirteen.

... What do you mean, Sir?

My memory as well as the others' were sealed in the Sorting Hat at a time when the real me had not yet destroyed the Thirteen.

... So you don't know anything after your memory was sealed?

Exactly.

That doesn't matter. You are still Lord Slytherin even if you don't know everything the real you did, and I can tell you what you did.

Thank you, Draco. You can tell me as the need arises.

Yes, Sir. ... Why did you come to this time?

Despite what Godric insists, I am not here to cause havoc. I just wanted to see if what I have worked for has withstood the test of time.

You mean Hogwarts, Sir?

That is right, Draco, and I am pleased by what I have seen.

... You are? But Hogwarts barely teaches any Dark magic now.

True. I was disappointed when I learned about that. It's Hogwarts' loss. Dark magic is equal to Light magic. Neither can exist without the other. I plan to speak to your Headmaster about it.

He won't do anything. Dark magic is illegal now. The Ministry won't allow the Dark Arts to be taught in the school.

Ministry?

The government. It replaced the Wizards Council.

Then, I will talk to the Head Wizard of this Ministry.

Draco laughed at the thought of Lord Slytherin talking to Cornelius Fudge. He could just see the dumpy Minister of Magic cowering behind his desk upon learning that Salazar Slytherin had returned.

Then Draco frowned. He didn't like the idea of the Ministry finding out that Lord Slytherin had returned. They would rejoice and shout huhhahs and hurrays, no doubt, upon discovering that Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were back. However, there was a bias against Slytherins in the Ministry. The Ministry preferred to hire non-Slytherin graduates from Hogwarts, though they still pandered to the wishes of wealthy Slytherins.

Since Lord Slytherin's time a thousand years ago, the Dark wizarding community had slowly and steadily dwindled. Many of the lesser familes and weaker wizards and witches had turned over to the Light side. Even the strong families had to officially renounce the Dark Arts and practice Black magic in secret instead. There were periods when history favored the Light side, and there were times when the Dark side held supreme.

This time was in the midst between Dark and Light.

Lord Slytherin couldn't had chosen a more dangerous time to return. The Ministry was on tetherhooks with the rumors of Lord Voldemort's rising. Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters hadn't done anything yet, and already, those fools at the Ministry were afraid. And though idiots they were, they were still dangerous, especially more so since they were afraid. With Dumbledore's warnings, Harry Potter's and Alastor Moody's testimonies, Cornelius Fudge had launched a manhunt for suspected Death Eaters and for any information on the whereabouts of Lord Voldemort.

Aurors had been arresting and questioning wizards and witches suspected of being Dark magic practitioners. Draco's father was among the suspects, and it was only his close relationship with the Minister that kept Aurors from taking him in. There were even talks in the Ministry of allowing the Aurors once again to use Imperius, Cruciatus and Avada Kedavra (at their discretion) once solid proof was found that indeed Lord Voldemort had returned.

The Ministry of Magic was so fearful of Lord Voldemort that just rumors of his return already terrified them. If they learned that Salazar Slytherin was back, Draco shuddered to think of what they might do. Lord Slytherin was a respected historical figure even to Light wizards, but they considered him as a villain, a traitor to their kind who chose the Dark side.

The Ministry would consider Lord Slytherin a danger to their security and might even regard him as a criminal.

Draco couldn't allow that to happen.

To be continued.

Author's note: This chapter shows why Draco doesn't want people to know that the Founders, particularly Lord Slytherin, have returned. It's also an additional reason to why Draco doesn't want Harry to be sent to Azkaban.

Draco doesn't want Harry to be sent to the Dementors when he realized that he didn't want to lose his rival. The second reason is that if it got out that Harry used the Cruciatus Curse, a great deal of attention will be focused on Hogwarts. There will be investigations on exactly how it happened that The Boy who Lived used Crucio on another human being.

Investigators and reporters will also find out about the Magical School Accreditation Team from the students. Then, questions will be asked, because the Ministry had not sent out Accreditation Teams. There will be attention on Professors Gloucester, Scaevola, Regius and Hawthorn, and it will be discovered that there are no records of these professors at the Ministry.

Chances are, the Founders will be found out. Draco also doesn't want that to happen. Harry doesn't want Voldemort and the Death Eaters to find out about the Founders, and neither does Draco want the Ministry of Magic to find out about Salazar.

Now, you're probably wondering why I'm putting this in an author's note instead of just including it in the story. It's because it's very hard to get Draco to tell a story. He doesn't want to share his thoughts. If it was Harry's PoV, it's easier, but with Draco..

Chapter 22 has ended. Please go on to the next chapter.

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