Chapter 13: Diagon Alley – Part 2

"Don't be alarmed honey but I think we've got a shadow," Harry murmured softly to Hermione, his tone trying not to panic Hermione, who he felt tense up on his arm and clamp it tighter.

"What? Can you see who it is?" she softly replied.

"Negative," he said shaking his head, "he's got a cloak on similar to ourselves."

"Let's just quickly get inside Gringrotts," Hermione said nervously as the couple rounded the corner and the large white marble building loomed in front of their path.

Quickening their pace ever so slightly, they scanned the crowd for their shadow, before they were forced to stop abruptly as four figures cut their path off and stopped in front of them. Two were wearing Auror cloaks, whilst the other two wore imposing black cloaks. All four had their wands pointing at them.

"Death eater scum," Harry viciously spat out, "thanks for the heads up Professor," he thought silently. Both Hermione and himself slowly slid their wands out of the wand holsters, and readied themselves for the duel that would be sure to break out.

"Potter, Mudblood Granger," the death eater on the right said, "you're to come with us to a meeting with the Minister in regards to the events that happened at Hogwarts where the Dark Lord threatened the staff and students of Hogwarts whilst searching for Potter. Resistance will lead to arrest."

Before Harry could reply, their previous shadow swept out in front of them, and Harry caught the slight wiggle of his hand discreetly at their direction, before turning to face the four 'Ministry' officials.

"Now now, you must be mistaken… these are my apprentices," he said, sweeping off his hood of the cloak he was wearing to reveal aristocratic features, the little of which Harry could see as their mysterious saviour still had his back to them.

"Apprentices?" the first death eater said disbelievingly, "this is Harry Potter and Hermione Granger."

"Or are they?"

And with that their saviour waved a hand at them and their hoods fell down revealing their faces, panicking Harry and Hermione. However, before they could do anything to defend themselves, the four figures dropped their wands and bowed slightly to them.

"I do apologise sir, we assumed it was them, however they do not seem to be the two we were looking for."

The two Aurors nodded to them and a bemused Harry and Hermione watched as the four swept away, muttering to themselves.

"Come with me."

Harry and Hermione didn't dare disagree with the one who saved them from the trouble the deatheaters would have brought upon them, and hurried after the tall stranger, bringing up their cloak hoods as they ducked into Knocturn Alley and into a strange looking pub.

"Ah, Cherry, how wonderful it is to see you," the stranger greeted with a deep baritone voice as ge swept into a bow, taking a large blonde haired woman's hand, who Harry presumed was Cherry, planting a kiss on the back of it.

"Well Salazar, looks like you've found yourself into a pickle if you're being this charming with old Cherry today," Cherry shook her head as she pulled her hand out of Salazar's grip and without a word, turned to the desk she was standing in front of to grab some items, before handing him a large silver key with the label 13 in one hand and three bottles of Butterbeer in another, and chivvying him towards the stairs.

"Room 13 as reserved," she said with a wry grin as Salazar swept into another bow and smiled devilishly at her.

"As always, we part my fair maiden to be reunited once again," He said and made up the stairs, a faintly amused Harry and Hermione on his heels. He opened the door and ushered them both in before locking the door behind him and collapsing into a large silver and green striped armchair.

There was silence for a few minutes as he opened the bottle and downed about half the bottle, before stretching and leaning back, his eyes closed as he contemplated how the meeting would turn out.

Harry took this time to survey the room he had just entered. It looked similar to the room he stayed in at the Leaky Cauldron prior to his third year in the Alley, except it seemed like the landlady Cherry had a fondness for the Slytherin House, what with the heavy, floor length emerald green and silver striped curtains adorning the windows, along with matching bed covers for the four poster bed against the far wall, with the Slytherin emblem on one of the two pillows. Across from the bed there was a chocolate brown fabric sofa and armchair set around a coffee table that held copies of the Daily Prophet, and a few Witch Weekly magazines that Harry shuddered at internally, opposite from a fireplace that had signs of recent use. A door leading the bathroom was situated next to the fireplace and a rickety cupboard which looked like it was past it's use by date was against the wall opposite the windows.

Harry and Hermione sat down in the two seater couch, shivering slightly from the events that had just happened, and Hermione flicked her wand at the fireplace to start a warm fire which crackled in the silence of the room.

As everyone sat there in the quiet listening the crackling fire, without warning, Salazar opened his eyes and finished his bottle, banging it back onto the table and making the two students jump in the process as he let out a chuckle.

"You were in quite a predicament, I see. How often does this happen?" He asked.

"I'm not sure what you mean sir?" Hermione asked nervously.

Salazar got up and began to pace around the room as the two students' eyes followed him.

"Wands ready, muscles tense, thoughts of murder on your mind Harry, worry for each other coursing through you both… of course this happens never," he pondered as Harry and Hermione looked at each other astonished.

"Not to be rude or anything but how do you know that?" Hermione asked.

"Or more importantly, why were you following us before in the shadows?" Harry interrupted, his eyes narrowing at this potentially dangerous individual.

Salazar let out a chuckle and sat back down, crossing his legs at the ankle and with a wiggle of his fingers, he conjured a cigar which he lit and took a few drags of, stroking his black pointy beard.

"Well, where to begin? I think I'll have to introduce myself properly to you. My name is Salazar Slytherin and I've been around for a long time."

Harry and Hermione's jaws dropped as they tried to process what they had just heard. A Hogwarts Founder was sitting in front of us, not looking a day over 40.

"Excuse me?" Hermione said incredibly.

"How can this be? You'd have to be centuries old, even millenniums. But you only look at least 35 to 40 years. That's a good joke. Nice meeting you and thanks for saving us from those Deatheaters, but I think it's time we left," Harry scoffed and Salazar frowned.

Harry offered his hand to Hermione, who took it and the two pulled their cloaks back on their heads and started towards the door.

"Is it so hard to believe when you Harry Potter and Hermione Granger are time travellers from the future?" Salazar said, leant back in his chair and smirked as he saw the two young students stop in their tracks as if hit with a petrification spell.

"Say we believe you, prove it to us," Harry challenged, turning around to look at the man sat in the armchair.

Salazar motioned with his hand to continue and Harry nodded.

"What's your secret in Hogwarts?" Hermione asked.

"The Chamber of Secrets."

"Where is it located and how to do you access it?" Harry asked.

"Second floor girl's bathroom. You speak Parseltongue to the sink with the snake on the tap and it sinks in to reveal the tunnel you slide in. You continue through the pipe underground and reach a door with snakes on, which again you speak Parseltongue to enter the main chamber, where there is a statue of myself."

"Speak the password in Parseltongue," Harry demanded.

§Open§, Salazar hissed in a strange but familiar language which Harry recognised as Parseltongue.

That was the straw for Harry and Hermione, who made their way back to the recently vacated sofa and sat down, staring unapologetically at the man who had proved to them that he was Salazar Slytherin, Founder of Hogwarts and Slytherin House.

After a few minutes silence, Salazar cleared his throat and offered the two shell-shocked students the two bottles of Butterbeer he had carried up previously, which they accepted and after a big gulp, Harry lowered his bottle onto the coffee table and fixed his gaze on the smirking legendary wizard.

"So I imagine if you found the chamber then you would have met Bertha," Salazar asked curiously.

"Bertha?" Hermione asked puzzled.

"My pet Basilisk, of course," Salazar continued, missing the horrified look on Harry and Hermione's face, "I left her there to guard the castle should anything threaten it or the students and teachers within Hogwarts. I've been meaning to visit but how could I?"

"Sorry Salazar, but I, er..." Harry trailed off, uncertain as to how to explain that he had slayed… Bertha.

"What Harry is trying to say is that in our second year there was a series of events and petrified students due to the Heir of Slytherin opening the Chamber of Secrets that one thing led to another and Bertha was killed," Hermione said nervously watching Salazar's expression.

"Heir of Slytherin?"

"Voldemort," Harry and Hermione both said at once.

"Ah, that abomination that continues to terrorise the nation and self-proclaimed Heir of myself," Salazar sneered angrily.

§Poor Bertha. My dear, I hope you find peace§ Salazar hissed out a prayer.

§I'm very sorry Sir about Bertha. Please accept our condolences. If anything were to happen to Hedwig I wouldn't know what to do§ Harry hissed sadly and Salazar jerked in surprise.

§So you speak the noble language of Parseltongue§

§Yes sir, ever since I set a snake on my cousin in the Muggle London Zoo§

Salazar let out a loud laugh and Harry and Hermione smiled at each other.

"Sir, not that I mean to offend you or anything but I was wondering what you were doing following us in the Alley before. Or how you even knew us?" Hermione asked.

"Ever the inquisitive one Hermione aren't you?" Salazar smirked. "Well I think it begins when Helga, rest her soul, revealed the prophecy to us about how bad times would come and a wizard so evil would threaten the future of all Magical Britain, only for a saviour to be destined to stop him and save the World. Naturally, I wished to aid this person and so we, that is Godric, Rowena, Helga and myself concocted a plan to send us into the future."

"So what happened?" Hermione asked eagerly bouncing slightly on the edge of her seat.

"Well, I arrived a few weeks ago and have been catching up by newspapers, the locals and the Goblins, who recognised me after a blood test, and I've learnt all about you Harry. Then I found out that impersonator sent you a Portkey and here I am. When you hang around quite a bit you pick up a few time travel tricks," Salazar finished.

"So what now? How are you gonna help the saviour?" Harry asked trying to gauge whether Salazar knew he was the saviour or not.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm going to train you Harry to defeat the fake Heir of Slytherin," Salazar proposed and Harry nearly choked on his drink.

"Oooh, that'll be amazing Harry, think of all the spells and charms and hexes and potions you could learn from one of the powerful wizards in history," Hermione chattered extremely excited and if she could she would be bouncing off the ceiling.

"As well as yourself Hermione," Salazar extended and Hermione stopped and looked like she was about to faint in excitement.

"M-m-me," she stuttered and Salazar chuckled.

"Well if anything is to go by, people do call you the brightest witch of your age," Salazar commented and Hermione squeaked before smiled widely at Harry.

"Please..." she whined and Harry nodded after a few minutes.

"Deal." Harry said offering his hand.

Salazar shook Harry's outstretched hand and nodded to himself.

"Well this is going to be fun."

I'm so sorry! Please accept this chapter as my humblest apologies and please read and review.

What do you think?

Hugs and Kisses xoxo