Salazar Slytherin liked the fens. There was plenty of land for him to explore, it was quiet, and, best of all, there were snakes. His family had a gift of sorts, though Sal didn't realize it. It seemed perfectly reasonable to him that his friends, the snakes, could speak to him about mice popu-ay-tions (he thinks that's how one says it) and the latest gossip. He especially liked late summer when the litters were hatched, but his brother Aaron, would claim that Sal was too young to go out alone. He was already seven though, practically an adult! So he knew it was just a poor excuse and his brother was over worrying like he always did. Besides, his best friend was a mighty snake, Elric the great! Elric would protect him from any harm, although he couldn't imagine anything truly dangerous happening in the happy and tranquil fens.

In short, Sal liked his home.

His parents also liked their home, for very different reasons. Sure, the snakes were kind and they didn't need to constantly entertain an energetic child, but the main reason they live in the fens was for protection. Fear against witches and wizards was growing, and the rampant paranoia meant witch hunts were a common phenomenon everywhere in the muggle world. The Slytherins were powerful, there was no doubt, but against a mob, when only two were even capable of using magic? They would either be slaughtered or they would be forced to use their magic for violence, and the Slytherins refused. Sal remembered when his parents had first explained to him and Aaron their policy.

"I don't understand," Aaron said. "If muggles are attacking us and want to kill us of course we should defend ourselves! They're the ones in the wrong for being violent, we would just be protecting ourselves"

"Our magic is a gift that gives us great power. With great power comes great responsibility. All life is valuable, so it is never okay to use magic to take away a life." His father answered.

At the time, the answer made sense to Sal. He looked up to his parents and believed in what they said. He'd seen the miracles they practiced secretly, and the joy those miracles brought. Healing a little girl's broken arm, magicing food for a starving family, those were the right ways to use magic.

But as the family would soon find, their no violence policy would be put to the test. A bar-keeper had found the family out, and he planned to destroy the Slytherins for he believed they were demon spirits who'd poisoned his daughter. His daughter's broken arm had been mysteriously healed, and ever since she had become rebellious and questioned her rightful place in the family. Of course, in reality the timing was just a coincidence but the bar-keeper was certain that if he destroyed the Slytherins his daughter would return to being docile and submissive.

After a bit of planning, he realized the Slytherin's glamour that hid their house disappeared during the full moon as the family needed to restock the ward's potion ingredients then. So on the night of the full moon, the bar keeper ran into town saying that he saw a house in the woods, and inside were witches, and they had possessed his daughter. The town charged into the woods with flaming torches and fiery anger that witches had dared to come near their town.

"Sal. Wake up," his brother was whispering, panicked. He sat up bleary eyed, only to be pushed back down. "Stay away from the windows," Aaron explained.

"Sal, I'm going to need you to do something for me okay?" Sal nodded. "I need you to run into the woods. I'll meet you over by where the striped snake lives." there was banging on the door, and shouting. Sal's parents were standing by the door, leaning against it in an effort to keep it closed. Aaron looked over at them, panicked. Then he performed the first and last successful magic he would ever accomplish: he made Sal invisible.

The door finally crashed into the room with an explosion of splinters, the mob not far behind. Aaron paled.

"Sal, run!"

Salazar managed to run out in the confusion without anyone noticing his touch, and ran as far as his legs could carry him. He ran to Elric the Great, and asked him if he could stay in his den. It was a tight squeeze, but he made it in and fell asleep waiting for his brother.

When Sal woke up, he was surprised to find he was still somewhat invisible. His brother had yet to appear, but Sal trusted Aaron's words and was certain he'd come and find him soon. While he was waiting he admired the shimmering invisibility spell as it slowly wore off and his body came back into view. He then spent the next few minutes talking to Elric. By noon, however, Aaron had still yet to show and Sal was getting very hungry. He decided that it was time to go back home, maybe Aaron was held up with something. He brought Eldric with him in case those scary loud muggles were still near his house.

Sal couldn't quite comprehend what he had found when he arrived. His bright house had been replaced by an ugly charred structure, filled with ash. Outside the structure (surely that wasn't his house) was a large bonfire, which had been put out. He could recognize some of the fuel for the fire as his bed frame. And, oh, that must have been the table, and that would make those the chairs. There was something else too, in the fire.

Sal walked closer to the fire, trying to figure out the last… thing. Things, really. There were three. Some part of his brain had figured it out, but would not tell him.

He turned away again, back to the burnt structure. It was starting to look more and more like his house as his eyes started making connections, seeing how the shape and glass and destroyed outlines of furniture matched the house of his memories. Finally he forced himself to look at the stake again and the three burnt things. Sal saw a gold glint in the sunlight and reached towards it, pulling the jewelry out from the burnt ash. It was his mother's necklace, the one his father gave her when they'd gotten married. Holding the necklace in his hand covered in ash he felt bile rise in his throat.

Sal ran.