IWSC Summer Camp
Round 1 - Horse Riding
Cabin: McGonagall
Word Count: 1146
Sometimes, Salazar Slytherin felt like a snake; much of his life had been spent shedding one skin for another according to what would best protect him from hostiles. When he'd been Harry Potter, he'd had a persona for living with the Dursleys, one for Hogwarts, and one for dealing with the war and Voldemort. In the time he'd spent in the distant past, he'd been Harry, son of James, an apprentice to a healer who specialized in anti-venoms, and his newest persona, Salazar Slytherin, a name reluctantly chosen after an ancient version of Hogwarts, a History made him aware of how much he resembled the man in his youth and the discovery that others had never heard of in infamous Founder.
As with many of his personas, being Salazar did not come wholly naturally for him. Oh, his burgeoning relationship with the magnificent Helga Hufflepuff came simply enough once he let it, and helping Rowena to repurpose her castle into what would soon become his old home, Hogwarts was easy.
But then you had days like today. Sal had awakened to find a small snake wrapped around his ankle like a piece of jewelry. More specifically, the snake was a second-generation basilisk pleading for help to save his mother. Apparently, some idiot had decided that raising dangerous animals and using them as a means to commit murder to Mundanes was a great idea.
Sal had originally planned to leave alone after breakfast, but of course, Godric, the resident hero, had to receive an owl requesting help with a forest plagued by monsters that same morning. After some fast-talking, it was decided that they should go together.
And that's how they found themselves struggling through the underbrush of an unusually dense forest looking for any sign of the lunatic.
Every step seemed unbearably loud to Sal. The crunch of centuries' worth of leaves under their feet announced their presence to the world.
Godric noticed his concern but dismissed it. "I've been fighting off monsters for years, Friend! It matters not what creature this madman sends our way. I shall be able to protect us and defeat it," he announced. The casual swing of a sword Sal was only too familiar with emphasized his point.
"And if the beasts are innocents forced to do his bidding? Do you plan to strike the deadly blow first and ask questions later?" Sal asked with an arched brow. His argument may have held up better had one of the creatures in question not shown up at that moment, ready to attack.
The two might not have noticed the creature until it was too late if not for the sudden chill that came over them on that warm day. Both had been in battle against all manner of dark creatures enough to know not to ignore the sudden sense of heightened unease.
Godric saw it first-inky black, the lethifold could almost be mistaken for a cloak lying on the ground. As it started to move towards them, however, he rose to the occasion, hacking away at it with his sword-only to find himself surrounded by dozens of the foul beast.
"Stop cutting at it, you fool!" Sal shouted before summoning his Patronus. The silvery stag quickly killed the pieces surrounding Godric with only one escaping.
"Lethifolds can only be killed by the Patronus. They're also not native to this area, nor do they hunt during the day. Whoever is behind this is making these creatures go against their natures. Whether that is better for us or worse, I'm afraid I don't know."
The two spent days looking for any sign of the madman's hideout. Though they came across many of the creatures under his control, the man himself remained out of sight.
As little as Salazar particularly wished to run into snakes under his control, he almost wished for their arrival since, should he be able to convince them that he meant no harm, they could lead the way to the one responsible for all this.
The next best thing came the next day when two griffins swooped down screeching what appeared to be a battle cry.
Before Sal could react to this latest attack, however, Godric blocked his way.
"Don't attack. They don't want to hurt us. They've been watching us and want our help to stop the madman," he explained.
"How do you know?" Sal asked fiercely. While neither griffin had attacked yet, he couldn't let his guard down.
"They said it while they were landing?"
"You, Godric Gryffindor, Gryffindor, can speak to griffins. Why didn't you ever say anything?"
Godric's face went through a myriad of emotions: horror, anger, worry, resignation… Salazar Slytherin was all too familiar with each.
"I didn't say anything because the only thing it has granted my family is ridicule and pain. We've been attacked, and we've attacked outsiders in the name of it. It's better if the greater public doesn't know about it, or they may have a decidedly worse opinion of Hogwarts, but we can discuss how freakish I am later. Right now, we need to stop the man behind these attacks, and I think these griffins are going to be our way to do it."
Oh yeah, Sal definitely could relate to how Godric felt. Still somewhat wary of the large animals, he finally followed Godric's lead and mounted the one closest to him. While the creatures took them to their enemy's camp, he couldn't help but say one thing to Godric.
"To the Mundanes, any with magic is a freak. Let's not perpetuate that belief by declaring certain abilities 'normal' or not, eh 'Ric? You talk to griffins; I talk to snakes. I wouldn't be terribly surprised if I found out the ladies had unusual gifts as well. Hogwarts should be a place that encourages acceptance, no more talk about freaks, okay?"
Godric just nodded as the griffins began a gentle descent.
What followed was a bloody battle in which many potentially innocent creatures died; they stopped the villain though and used their contacts to get those who survived back to their natural habitats… with a few exceptions.
The little basilisk who had first asked Sal for assistance decided to stick around the school. A spell caused its eyes to lose their deadly gleam, and Sal created a giant chamber for it to play in. The basilisk generously permitted its fangs to be milked to create strong anti-venoms on a regular basis.
"Why so large?" it had asked about its new home.
"You'll see," Sal answered cryptically, remembering his first visit into the chamber as a boy.
The griffins similarly stayed in the area of the school and were willing to interact with the students so long as Godric was by their side. They were among the first residents to make a forest (that would one day be called forbidden) home.