Chapter 20: Sal's Culture Shock
There seems to be a glitch on FFN. My words are being jammed together, but when I go to edit, they are fine. So, it has to be FFN. Thanks for pointing it out to me.
HP-BTVS-HP-BTVS
Godric hid in his hat as soon as the door opened. He didn't want the headmaster to know about him. He could be their spy in that office. He knew that Albus was not an evil man, but his thoughts on the Greater Good were borderline bad. So, it was important to maintain his disguise.
"I see we have a guest," Dumbledore said, taking in all the people crowding the room. His hands may be tied on many things, but strangers in the school was part of his duties. "May I inquire who this gentleman might be?" the old man asked.
"I am Sal Slytherin. I am a descendant of the great Salazar Slytherin. I came here when I heard the school was being terrorized by a giant snake," Sal made up on the fly.
"The last man who claimed such tried to take over Wizarding Britain. How do we know you will not do the same?" Albus asked, very leery of anyone who sported that surname.
"Because I just said I'm here to help?" the man replied, looking at the colorfully dress man as if he was an idiot.
"We only have your word on that," was the response. "And as far as I know Voldemort was the last descendant of Slytherin," he added with great insistence, like it was very important that this man knew that he was not trusted and why.
"Voldemort?" Sal asked Xander.
"The last big bad," the wolf-eyed man said with a roll of said eyes. He knew the headmaster thought bad of all Slytherins, except his pet Death Eater. "Some Dork Lord that tried to take over Britain, like the old man said. He claimed to be the last Slytherin."
"Oh, well, I don't know him, but I am a descendant of Slytherin," he said again. "I came to help." He looked back at the colorblind old man.
"Again, we only have your word," the headmaster stated, his eyes never leaving Sal.
"No, you have my word that the danger is over, and it is all because of this man," Xander said forcefully, pointing his finger at Sal.
"The monster is slain?" Dumbledore inquired, hoping that Harry had somehow been involved. The boy was sitting right there after all.
"It has been neutralized," Xander stated.
"You must tell me how," the old man said, casting one more glance at the tired boy.
"Who are you, anyway?" Sal inquired, still trying to get over the colorful robes.
"I am Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster of this school. I really need to know what transpired this evening. Why are these students here? Why was I not informed?" Albus asked, getting infuriated that he was being kept in the dark. Harris was getting too much control if he could make Poppy not do her duty.
"We'll talk about it in the morning. The boys are tired, and it can wait. The school is safe, and no one is hurt. Blaise, Harry, go to bed. Don't talk about what happened. Blaise, not a word on what you've heard here tonight," Joyce said, gently nudging the two boys out of the room.
Blaise, who had been staring at the man he was sure was Salazar Slytherin in great awe, let himself be shuffled out of the room. He nodded to Joyce and had a huge smile on his face.
Harry, on the other hand, wanted to try something. "Dad, can I try waking Colin?"
"Do you think you can?" his dad asked, wondering what Harry was going to do now.
"I want to try. I know I'm not all powerful and such, but I read something that might work," the dark-haired boy hedged, cutting a sly glance at Dumbledore.
"Go to bed, you can try in the morning. Or tell Poppy how," Xander said in relief. Colin could wait another night.
"Okay, Dad. Good night, everyone," Harry said and left the room.
"I wanted to speak to him," Albus stated as he watched the boy leave.
"I was there, anything you need to know I can tell you," Xander countered. There was no way he was going to let this man talk to Harry. Even though Albus had been behaving, there was still a good chance he still thought Harry was the only one who could kill Voldemort. This made him wonder if Dumbledore knew about the horcrux, and what else he might know.
"How did you get to the Chamber? To my knowledge it can only be open by a parselmouth," the old man asked, looking at the newcomer warily. He still didn't trust the man.
"I opened it," said Sal proudly. "I am a Slytherin. Of course, I'm a parselmouth." He preened, proud of the fact.
"I have kept the opening a secret. I sent every parent a letter stating that the beast had been sighted and that they could take the children home until the danger passed. Nothing about the Chamber. How did you even know to be here?" the headmaster questioned, even more leery. Parselmouths are not someone you trust readily.
"You are in a school with hundreds of children, there are no secrets," was the reply. "The word on the street is that someone opened the Chamber of Secrets and that no one could find it," Sal said, making it up on the go.
That made the old man sigh. This stranger was correct, there were no secrets in Hogwarts. At least as far as he knew.
"I let him in. He's been mailing me for a month now," Xander added. "When he said he could open the Chamber, I asked him to come."
"Why was I not informed?" asked the indignant man.
"I'm the Head of Security, I took care of it," the younger man answered with a shrug. "It's my school. I can invite anyone I want. That and the man is a descendant of one of the Founders. Who am I to say no?" He shrugged as if it wasn't a big deal.
"They are correct, Headmaster. Any of the children of the Founders are welcome here," the Hat stated.
"Very well. You say the threat is over, I will write the parents and call back the students," came the defeated reply.
"Sal here is going to stay at the castle. He is part owner, and as long as he doesn't interfere with the school, he can stay," Joyce stated, glaring at Albus as if to say, 'argue with me'.
The old man sighed once more. What she said was true, it was in the charter. The Founders and their family could view the castle as their home. He was just glad that Headmaster Dippet didn't know that. Still, "I need proof he is of the Slytherin line."
"I have my papers right here," Sal said, searching his robes for the papers he needed. After finding them he handed them over, glad that Rowena had done such a masterful job at forging them. Her being a seer helped keep the family tree in line. He should have listened to her when she told him that his story would be mistold. Still, he had wanted to meet Xander, so had taken the chance.
Dumbledore sighed again, going over the documents and seeing they were legit. He was indeed a Slytherin, from the main line. "Very well. Do not interfere with the school and you may stay."
"Like you had a choice," mumbled Xander. Only Godric heard him, which caused the hat to chuckle.
"Please tell me what happened in the Chamber. Who was letting the basilisk loose and how did you slay it?" Dumbledore asked, trying to be patient.
Xander wove a tale that included him, Sal, the goblins and Remus. Sticking as close to the truth as he could, he stated that Harry only followed without permission, and when he did, he didn't like the look in Albus' eyes. It was like Harry had passed a hidden test. A few questions and much debate and finally the headmaster left. Xander and his group split up. Xander and Remus both heading to bed, while Joyce and the others stayed.
After everyone left the hospital wing, Joyce turned to her sons. "Which one of you wants to tell me why you're here?" she demanded.
"Aren't you happy to see us?" Godric asked, mock pouting.
"Of course, I am, but you could have told me," the embodiment of Hogwarts sighed, giving both men a hug.
"That bloke Whistler warned us not to. He said something about creating chaos if we did. Like if you knew I was coming back, you might have tried to wake me early, and that would have killed me since only Xander could," Sal explained his side.
"He told me that if you knew I was in the Hat, that you would have relied on me more than you should have and that you would not have brought Xander here, and all would have been lost in the end," Godric stated, seeing where the man was coming from.
"I suppose I can understand that, but still…"
"Don't worry, Mum, we're here now and we'll be a family again," Sal said smoothly, putting his arm over her shoulders and giving her a loving squeeze.
"Yes, and now you have a big brother and a little brother," she smirked, shaking his arm off and giving him a hug. She then sat on one of the beds, swinging her feet in a childlike fashion.
"Aw, that means I'm not the oldest anymore," Sal pouted, sitting down next to her, and crossing his legs.
"Well, technically you are, but I've known Xander longer, so…" she shrugged, and gave him a winning smile.
"That also means I'm not the youngest," Godric cheered, raising his arms above his head in triumph.
"That also means that you're going to have to keep a close eye on your baby brother," Joyce warned.
The three talked for a few hours, then Sal, not tired after his long rest, went and talked to Slinky. It was talking to his family and pet that he learned much about his descendants, and how they had turned a once noble family into a bunch of evil pansies. Never in his day would he have done the things he was told he was famous for.
He had much to do to get his reputation back on track. Still, his mum and Godric knew much about his family that he could spin a good tale on who they were and what they did. He also had with him a diary that he had 'slept' with. It could be 'found' in the Chamber of Secrets, along with his office/lab. This would help greatly.
Hpbtvshpbtvs
The next morning Harry returned to the Hospital Wing with Xander and Joyce. Poppy was there to witness what Harry was trying to do.
"Okay, Harry, how are you going to do this?" Xander asked, getting comfortable on one of the beds.
"I think I can put enough magic in him to jolt him awake. A bit like an electrical shock. You know, like when they shock patients to get their heart started," Harry said, looking at his stalker, and wondering why he was trying to wake him. Sure, it would be a great experiment, but the boy might follow him more.
"Well, if it does not work, Nicolas has the potion ready. He brought it this morning. Either way, that boy will be up and around in a few moments," Poppy stated, her wand at the ready in case anything went wrong. "Be very careful you don't apply too much magic; it could shock his system."
"Yes, Madam Pomfrey," Harry agreed, and then took a deep breath. "Okay, let's do this," he mumbled and laid his hands on Colin's chest. He blasted the boy with a small amount of magic, causing him to arch on the bed. That didn't seem to get the job done, so he tried again with a larger dose. A few seconds later there was a groan then Colin opened his eyes. Harry quickly moved to Xander and waved Madam Pomfrey over.
"Merlin, what happened?" the first year asked, looking around the room. "The last thing I remember is taking a picture. Hey, where's my camera?"
"Your camera was destroyed when you decided to take a picture of a basilisk," Pomfrey stated, waving her wand over the child. "Foolish though it was, it did save your life," she added.
"Aw man, really? Now I have to ask Mum to buy a new one," Colin whined.
"You're going to have to wait until next year. I talked to your mom when you were hurt. She's very upset with you. I think you're grounded the whole summer," Xander said jovially. Mrs. Creevey had been so angry that her child had put himself in danger that Xander had to give her two shots of whiskey to calm her down.
That bit of news caused the boy to groan again.
"Come on, Harry. Poppy has this," Xander said, clapping his son on the back and leading him out of the room. "Why did you decide to do that?"
"I just thought that I could. I mean, what if something like this happened to my friends? I wanted to make sure that I could save them," the dark-haired boy explained the best he could.
"Yeah, I get that," his dad commiserated. He too did things like that to make sure he was helpful to the Scoobies.
By the afternoon, word had spread. The Chamber had been opened and the monster slain. Word got out that it was Harry who had done the deed, and soon enough the poor boy was bombarded with questions. He quickly went to Xander. They needed a cover story that was close to the truth. Xander told him what he had told Dumbledore. They conferred with Sal and Godric, Joyce chiming in now and then. Soon they had a believable tale.
So, once again Harry and Xander were in front of the school, right after dinner.
"Okay, once again you guys have started rumors about Harry. Now, I know it is human nature to talk about others, but none of you are correct. Harry did nothing more than follow us down. He is being punished for that, but the real hero is Sal. Sal come over here and tell your tale," Xander said, looking at the man seated with the teachers.
The dark-haired stranger got up. He cut a fine figure in his emerald robes. He calmly went around the table and stood at Xander's side. His face was open and honest, like no words of lies ever passed his lips.
"I am Sal Slytherin," he stated in a smooth cultured voice, which had an accent no one could place. "I am the last descendant of Salazar." That statement cause whispers to break out. Especially at the Slytherin table. "I heard there was trouble at the school and came to help. We, Xander, Remus, the goblins and I, went to the Chamber of Secrets to confront the beast. Harry heard about this and followed. I don't know what he thought he could do, but he's a Gryffindor, so there you are. I was just ready to kill the basilisk when it pleaded mercy. The snake told a good tale, but in the end, it was neutralized. You no longer have to worry about Slytherin's Monster," he said, taking a bow when the Hall exploded with applause.
"Sal here gave up everything to come and help you. He will be staying here for now. If you have any questions about Slytherin and his family, come speak with him. Since he was not close to his family, he only has a vague description of the original Salazar, so he will be getting help from the Sorting Hat. Okay, now that you've heard what happened, time to eat." With that he snapped his fingers and the food appeared.
"Wait, can we ask questions?" piped a seventh-year Slytherin.
"Sal?" Xander asked, turning to the man who would give the answers.
"Sure, why not," Sal said with a shrug.
Hands flew in the air, and Sal pointed to the first student.
"Are you really a descendant of Slytherin?" came the skeptical question from the same seventh-year.
"Born and raised."
"Will you tell us what he was like?" the same boy asked.
"I plan on exploring the Chamber. If I find anything, I will be sure to share." That answer caused another outburst of whispers. Sal pointed to a third-year Hufflepuff.
"What did you kill the snake with?" she asked, not really sure if she liked the thought of even a deadly monster being killed.
"I charmed him to sleep. He won't wake again," the man said with a smirk. Half-truths were wonderful.
"You're a snake charmer?" came the inquiry from Ravenclaw.
"Yes, all my family are. It is part of our makeup."
Again, the room exploded with the sound of soft voices exchanging thoughts and comments.
"Last question," Xander said, making everyone quiet down.
Sal pointed to a Gryffindor.
"What are you going to do here?" a sixth-year girl asked.
"Right now, I am going to get a feel of the school. If there is anything I can do to help, I will let the headmaster know and we'll work something out," was the surprising answer.
"Right, that's enough. The food is getting cold. You guys eat up and finish your day," Xander said in a voice that all had learned not to argue with.
Harry quickly went to the Gryffindor table and sat with Hermione and Neville. The students only asked a few clarifying questions and soon the chatter was about the mysterious man.
The next day, students started to return, and weekend classes were scheduled for those who had gone home. They needed to turn in their worksheets and show they knew the spells/potions that were assigned.
Sal went to Gringotts to open an account. With Xander being the king, it was easy to establish himself and his family line. He used the gold he had stashed in the Chamber, under the coffin, and was soon set up as one of the elites. He was very upset that his home was now used as a prison and vowed to make it right. Either the government would be paying him for the home, or they would be giving it back. That would be in the future though. To start it off he hired Dora's mother, Andromeda Tonks (nee Black), to start the process.
Xander introduced him to everyone in the know. Hermione and Neville were overjoyed to meet the Founder, but they were more excited to meet his brother Godric. They were sworn to secrecy on both. Luna was a bit upset that Rowena was not coming back, but soon joined Hermione in bombarding the two with questions about the old days.
Minerva was over the moon to meet the Founders, and she too asked many questions on how the school was set up and what they thought of it now. Godric expressed his disappointment over the lost classes and the fact that the Board was in so much control. Sal said he'd have to see more to give his opinion.
Xander took Sal around and introduced him to the modern improvements. To say Sal suffered from culture shock was an understatement.
"You mean to tell me that with this device I can talk to anyone who has a similar device?" the out of place man asked, holding up a telephone receiver. "Anywhere in the world? No fireplace needed?"
"Yeah, they aren't really popular yet with the magical crowd, but most muggle homes have at least one," Xander confirmed, taking the receiver and placing it back on the base.
"And this box," Sal said, moving over to the TV, "shows plays, and some of the actors are female?" he said in awe, as he watched a drama playing out.
"Yeah, I forgot you come from a time when they were all male," Xander chuckled, as he watched Sal take in the curves of the leading actress.
"Wow, things have certainly changed since I was around. If she had dressed like that in my day, she would have been burned as a scarlet woman."
"I don't think that will go over well with today's society," Joyce commented from her place on the couch. She was amused at her son's astonishment. "I told you about most of these things way back then, but it seems that you did not believe me," she added with a smirk.
"No, I suppose I did not. Sorry, Mum. It is just so unbelievable. So, who's going to teach me about all this?" the man asked, waving his hand at the room in general.
"Harry! Hermione!" Xander yelled up the stairs.
The sound of little feet came as the two ran down.
"What's up?" Harry asked as he pulled even with his dad.
"You guys are going to teach Sal here all about what's in the house. Answer his questions as best you can and if he asks something you can't answer, just tell him. He can find either me or Joyce," Xander instructed.
"Oh, this will be so much fun," Hermione said with a great deal of excitement, bouncing up and down at the prospect of helping a Founder. With that the two took the bewildered man's hands and started their lecture. Well, Hermione lectured, but Harry chimed in now and then. Sal Slytherin got a crash course on muggle technology, and after that Joyce gave him a brief history lesson. All and all the man had a busy week.
Hpbtvshpbtvs
Later that week, Amelia came to get firsthand knowledge on what had happened. Dora and Kingsley had come to tell her the danger was over, but they didn't know what had happened. She made her way to Xander's quarters and knocked on the door. The Armor, Jarvis, told her someone would be there in a moment.
Xander opened the door, wearing some jeans and a black t-shirt. He smiled at her and said, "Amelia, I've been expecting you." He held the door open in the Sunnydale greeting, and after a moment's pause, she entered.
"My Aurors told me that the danger was over. I wanted to hear from you what had happened." She made her way to the living room and spotted a well-dressed man who seem to be fascinated with a box that had moving pictures on it. She, herself, was amazed by the phenomenon. She had never seen such a thing. She walked woodenly to the couch and sat next to the stranger. "Is this a play?" she asked after a moment.
"Shhh, Verna is about to break up with Cliff," the man hissed at her, his eyes never leaving the screen. If anything, he leaned closer.
Xander chuckled and switched the TV off.
Sal groaned dramatically and let his head fall back on the sofa, with eyes closed and a hand over his forehead. "Xander…," he whinged.
"It's recorded, you can find out what happens later," Xander said with little sympathy. He sat in a chair across from them and called Dobby for refreshments. "Amelia, you wanted to talk to us."
"May I ask who this is?" she inquired instead. She didn't want to get into a discussion without knowing who she was talking around. They might not have the right to be there.
"Oh, sorry, I'm Sal Slytherin. I helped calm the monster," he said with a chuckle.
"Ah, yes, Dora told me Xander had help. I am Amelia Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement of Great Britain. Can you tell me what transpired that night?" she asked, giving the man her full attention.
They gave her the story that they had given Albus. It was not that Xander didn't trust her, just that he knew somethings needed to be told differently to those in charge. He didn't want a conflict of interest on her part. From what Dora had told him, they had to make magical vows upon becoming an Auror, so he wasn't going to put Amelia in a position that would go against anything that would cause her to lose her magic.
"And your plans now?" she asked Sal.
"First off, I'm going to explore the Chamber, then I'm going to see what changes have been done to the castle. As you can tell from my accent, I am not from around here. I think the community I come from is further behind the times then Xander says you are. I want to get caught up," he explained, taking a sip of coffee.
"I see," Amelia stated, putting her teacup down and looking to Xander. "We're behind the times?" she asked, lifting an eyebrow.
"Oh, big time. You just got a taste of what muggles can do," he said, waving to the TV.
"That is a muggle invention?" she asked, awestricken.
"Yeah, it's been around for a few decades," he said with a smirk.
"Truly?" was the impressed reply.
"Yup, and non-magicals are much further along than that. Surely, your muggleborn have told you things like this," he suggested, really wanting to know that tidbit.
"Of course, but work is not the place to discuss such things," she answered in a no-nonsense voice. She never fraternized with her Aurors. It just wasn't proper. Though, she had asked a few about the telephone and if it would be advisable. She was still working on a pitch to sell it to the Wizengamot.
"Right, okay, well, I'll leave it up to you to get caught up. Anyway, was there anything else you needed? I, too, have a job to do," Xander said, putting his cup down and getting up to show her out.
"No, but if I have further questions, I will return," she replied also getting up and going towards the door.
"Not a problem, we'll be here."
With that, the Head of the DMLE left and Sal looked to Xander. "Please turn it back on. I want to see Cliff's reaction," he pleaded, with folded hands and all. His eyes going large, and hints of tears started to form.
"Gods, you're worse than Spike," Xander mumbled and switched the TV back on. He then left Sal to the wonderous world of soap operas. Meh, maybe it'll help him adjust.
Sal chuckled to himself, "Works every time." He then got engrossed with the TV and spent a good two hours watching the drama unfold.