I don't own Harry or Salazar they are merely burrowed game pieces for my plot... I think you know who the belong to...

Chapter Five The Serpent's Apprentice

Unable to sleep Harry arose at dawn. Salazar Slytherin had disappeared the night before after asking him which spell that Harry had survived – he had seemed slightly displeased when Harry didn't answer.

But Harry didn't think he could have told his founder, despite that he already saw what his great heir was capable of. Somehow it had seemed wrong...something that a spoiled, rotten child would flaunt at his adversary...but Lord Slytherin was not his enemy.

'At least he hasn't done anything to really harm me,' Harry reflected. 'He had struck at me with magic...but I think I may have deserved that one.'

But Salazar was the least of Harry Potter's troubles. He was one thousand years in the past when he should be somewhere in the future learning how to defeat Lord Voldemort.

The morning air had the chill of winter, so Harry borrowed one of the blankets from his bed to wrap around his shoulders. He stepped outside and was immediately greeted with a freezing cold wind and wrapped the blanket tighter around his shoulders, thankful for the slightest bit of warmth that it offered.

In Salazar's yard the animals sniffed the air and regard Harry curiously with their big beady eyes as if asking whether or not he was going to feed them. Sighing Harry went to the shed and measured out the feed…

Salazar awoke to the smell of cooking. 'I'm not burning at the stake am I?' Swearing he opened his eyes and wondered who was in his house. Throwing the bed clothes straight of the end of the bed, he grabbed the nearest robe to shove over his night shirt and raced to the kitchen…

"Earven…" he called grumpily as he barged into the kitchen.

Salazar was meet by the pair green eyes. "Oh," he muttered, "It's just you…Harry."
Harry nodded whimsically and turned back to the breakfast he was cooking. "Breakfast will be ready soon, Lord."
"You didn't have to do that bo – Harry."

Harry gazed at Salazar incredulously and Salazar gazed at him shrewdly. "How long have you been up?"
Harry shrugged, "A little while lord."
"Ah," Salazar replied taking a seat at the table, "And what else have you taken upon yourself to do?"
Harry glanced back at Salazar steadily, "I fed the animals fetched the day's water and I'm cooking…"
"Ah, I see."

Harry's eyes flickered to Salazar Slytherin perplexed. "Then I should not have?"

Salazar muttered something about infuriating Gryffindors and asking too many questions then turned his penetrating gaze to Harry. "Why is it young Gryffindors insist on putting words into my mouth as if it is some sort of game?"

Harry sighed heavily and dished up breakfast as Salazar's question seemed more like an irritated demand rather than a question seeking an answer. So Harry steadied his shaking hands and handed Salazar a plate and eating implements and sat opposite the older wizard.

"Lord it was said that you are from the fen - this is not…"
Salazar sniffed loudly and put down his eating implements down with a clattered. "Always so full of questions," he muttered fixing Harry with a hard stare. Harry stared straight back at him his green eyes so obviously seeking an answer.

'Just like Saxtyn he stares back so darkly…always eager for a response…'

"Ah well – you were told I was from the fen…which is true. I was born and raised there – before Hogwarts was first conceived as an idea."
"Oh, I suppose that makes sense now," Harry replied shovelling a great mouthful of food into his mouth – it had seemed weeks since he had his last decent meal. Considering the food he got at the Dursley's it had been a while...

"So where were you born and raised?" Salazar watched bemused as Harry chew quickly to swallow before he could answer.
"I was born in a village called Godric's Hallow, but I was raised with my mother's family in Surrey…"
"With muggles…" It was a statement, and Salazar's disdain for the non-magical community was clear.
Harry nodded wordlessly, there was no point in trying to deny the fact, and the Dursley's were the worst types of muggles…
"So how do they treat you?"
Harry sniffed contemptuously before replying cryptically, "It could have been better," then added in an undertone, "They could have sent me to an orphanage."

Salazar like many powerful wizards had exceptionally good hearing and heard the rest of Harry's reply. However he used all his composure to mask the fact he had heard, feeling it would have been ungentleman - like to allow Harry to know he had in fact heard. Virtually nothing escaped Salazar Slytherin's notice…

Harry collected the breakfast plates and pans wordlessly when they had finished. Salazar sat back and watched…

"You're not afraid of work are you boy." This was not a question but another of Slytherin's observations…
"I suppose not," Harry replied lightly, submerging his hands into the water without thinking and causing him to drench his sleeves.
Salazar's lips twitched. "I find that pleasing, boy… Too many wizarding lads your age would recoil at the very thought of work. Young people today! They want everything handed to them on a silver platter…Not like you, ha boy?"
"I suppose not…"

"Ambition is a fine trait – if only more Slytherin apprentices had your dedication to hard work! For ambition is completely wasted – worthless in fact if you are not willing to work and toil…"

"I'm not ambitious…" Harry protested.
Slytherin chuckled knowingly – but it was calculating and shrewd… Not at all comforting.

"You could have been a great Slytherin, boy."
Harry sniffed. "I'm a Gryffindor."
Slytherin nodded his head lightly but his dark eyes never left Harry's face. He leant forward, letting Harry glimpse at his confidence. Then he frowned slightly and his gaze become long and hard.

"I know what Godric's Sorting Hat told you… You could have been one of mine – won me glory in a time of great turmoil…but your heart chose otherwise and you're Godric's…." Salazar frowned deepened as he added, "And perhaps that is a good thing…"

Harry reeled at Salazar's words. How had he known? Salazar must have seen Harry's confusion and apprehension, for he said silkily with a dismissive wave of his hand, "I saw it in your mind…"

"You read my mind?" Harry replied horrified thinking of Snape and his dismal lessons at occumency.
Slytherin laughed lightly, "The mind is not a series of scrolls to be methodically read, boy. The mind is a complex web of memory, facts, and thoughts – all mashed together into one great big mess…a jumble of oddities and curiosities the mind is…" Salazar eyed Harry curiously, "When I asked about Hogwarts the memory of the Sorting Hat was easy for me to grasp as you associated the hat with Hogwarts. There is an interconnectedness between the memories – one is related to the other and visa versa…both are facets of what you remember and know or what you think you know about Hogwarts. But surely you know that…"

Harry shook his head in disbelief…

"No?" there was genuine surprise in Salazar's voice. "Well," he drawled slowly, his eyes lighting up with playful slyness as he beckoned to Harry, "I can remedy that – sit here…"

Harry hesitated. If Salazar had seen what the Sorting Hat had told him, what other unsavoury thoughts would the powerful founder find? But Salazar was waiting and so Harry slumped into the chair next to him.

"Skin contact makes it easier for another to enter your mind…" Salazar explain

shaking his hands slightly as he reached up to touch Harry's temple. "Close your eyes and relax…"
Harry obeyed but gripped the edge of the seat tightly with his fists.
"I said relax… let your hands loose…"
Harry forced himself to let go of the chair…

For quiet some time Harry remained motionless waiting for Slytherin to do something. Sighing heavily Harry resisted to urge to open his eyes and to take a peek at what the Slytherin founder was doing…

"Ah, you have finally relaxed." Slytherin stated softly, "Now do you feel my presence in your mind? No…" Slytherin felt Harry's twitch of impatience, and felt the negative response before the boy had opened his mouth.

'I've been waiting for a little while for you to realise I was there…Now do you sense me?'

Something clicked in Harry's mind and suddenly he became aware of the foreign feeling in his mind. Apart of him wanted to shake the found out of his head – the other half was becoming enthralled by the odd sensation of someone sharing his mind.

'What you are feeling this my essence… you'll be able to identify an individual in your mind via their essence. It is who you are and no essences are the same…'
'Like fingerprints?'
.'Erm… I don't know.'
'Modern science…'
Harry was surprised at the embarrassment he was feeling on Slytherin's part… 'Now,' the found quickly commanded, 'I will start with something simple, show me your – erm family…'

Whatever Harry was expected Slytherin to say it was not this command. He hesitated, the last time he had seen his family was when the Death Eaters had attacked them at 4 Privet Drive…his uncle was dead…

Slytherin quickly picked up the train of thought and demanded suddenly, 'No…?okay…let's see…your closest friend…'

A picture of Ron Weasley floated quickly to mind, as well as the Burrow and the flying Ford Anglia… (which made Slytherin chuckle… 'Now what is this sort of nonsense…')

Slytherin continued prompting Harry to think of pictures for only a short while before he broke the contact…

Harry opened his eyes slowly to regard his unexpected mentor…and was shocked to even think of the man as a possible mentor…

Slytherin however seemed caught between being pleased and perplexed. "Now let's see how well you can block me…" Slytherin's fingertips touched Harry's temples and in the next instant Harry felt a sharp shock that made him yelp…

"Incentive…to get it right…" Slytherin explain simply as Harry rubbed his temple and glared at him…
"But I don't know how to block…"
Slytherin grinned. "That dear boy," he said with a flourish, "Is what I am here to do…teach you."
Harry looked at him dubiously.
"Now this time I want you to mentally build a wall – use all the power you can summon to push me away…"
"How?"
"God lord what do they teach at that school, I wander?"
"Not this… Anyway all I have to do stop you would be to make sure you can't touch me…"
"My dear boy," Slytherin said mockingly, "I am a powerful wizard and I may enter your mind if you're half way around the known world…"
"Oh…"

"Now…you know how to access your power, boy?"
"Erm…noooooo."

Slytherin frowned and scratched his beard, "You, my lad are a waste to the modern wizarding world if they cannot even teach you that elementary skill…"

Harry looked down at his hands and twisted them nervously, who knew what this great wizard had install for him.

"I guess I'll have to start from the beginning and assume that they haven't taught you anything of note…"

'This is going to be a long day…' Harry thought grimly as Slytherin raised his hands once more to cup his temples 'What did I do to deserve this?'