Title: Begging Forgiveness

Cast: Salazar Slytherin, mention of other canon characters

Disclaimer: We don't own anything created by J.K.R! We make no financial gain from this story.

Special Warnings: Mention of Character Death

Timeline: Missing Moment - Halloween Eve 1981, Godric's Hollow

Authors' Note: Inspired by the Ghost Challenge on the Harry Potter Dark Fic Collective (LJ Community). We gave a T rating to be on the safe side since there is mention of Character Death.

xoxoxoxoxo

"What plague have I brought upon our people?

It is the curse of the young to foster ideals that are imperfect; you would do well to remember this bit of wisdom.

Where should I begin? I suppose at the beginning.

It was a dark time for our kind. The Muggles feared us. In their fear, they sought to destroy us. There was no safe place for our children to learn the ways of our world. So, Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw, Helga Hufflepuff, and I found a place far from prying eyes and built Hogwarts.

How could I have foreseen the strife that would arise between the four of us? I should have been more open-minded. I should have tried harder to preserve Hogwarts as a whole instead of the blood purity of its students.

I should have stayed.

I comforted myself in the knowledge that my absence brought peace among my friends. Our shared dream continued to prosper under their leadership. I found solace knowing that the attributes I valued in new students and the House I founded were left intact.

How could I have predicted that my bloodline would produce someone so unbalanced?

Even I must admit that times have changed. Yet, to my mortification, my Heir has corrupted my views to suit his own agenda of revenge. I never advocated the slaughter of Muggles or Muggle Born. I never wished for the strife that now pervades our world, threatening to rip it apart.

There are no words to express the sorrow I feel for the pain you suffer now and in the future, yet I must try.

Forgive me, child, for I never meant these horrible things to come to pass. Forgive my rashness. Forgive my short sightedness. Forgive my inability to prevent the atrocities of this evening.

I have done what I can to shelter you in these last few moments, but others approach and I must depart. I shall watch you from afar, child, and hope that you do not fall victim to making the same mistakes as those who have gone before you.

Live well, Harry. Remember as best you can the sacrifice your parents made this day."

Salazar Slytherin brushed the cheek of the sleeping child curled in his dead mother's arms, causing him to shiver slightly. The ghost could hear someone digging through the rubble and knew they were only moments away from discovering little Harry. Not wishing to be seen, he drifted out of sight.

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