Bane
2495
Special thanks to Miriam1. I love how she is stepping into Frau's size 6 shoes. She doesn't quite fit them yet, but she is getting there. I couldn't continue without her help.
Warning: this chapter contains a lot of back story that is necessary to the on-going plot.
So be advised: Both canon histories were tweaked. Nothing major, per se, just enough to so that they could fit together. The description of the Vale's meeting hall in this chapter can be found in the Owl Series.
Disclaimer: See chapter 1. Also, please note: according to M. Lackey – firecat is one word and not two. I did look it up.
:. . mindspeech. . :
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Chapter 12: A History Lesson
Firefox sighed as he looked around the crowded, ground level common dining area/ meeting hall.
In his opinion, the hertasi had outdone themselves with the buffet table running along the one side of the hall. He was positive he knew most of what was going to be discussed, but was he ready to hear the rest of the story?
At the firecat's request, only the Elders of the Vale and a few of the mages were there as well as Celin. Kelvren, from the gryphons, along with Kieryn laid stretched out on a few floor pillows as well. Asyhen, the Vale's head hertasi sat tucked in the corner, directing his ever hidden and present clan. King-stallion Tyrsell and another stallion from the dyheli herd laid by the gryphons.
After drinks and snacks had been passed out, all eyes turned to the large orange and cream cat that sat majestically on a center table. Firefox took his place beside his parents, near the front of the center that surround the table that Salazar was perched on.
:We all here?: the cat projected mind voice started his tale. :Good. I hate repeating myself.: The stern mind speech of Salazar echoed in the minds of all present. :My name in life was Salazar Slytherin and my tale goes to the time of the Mage War between Urtho and Ma'ar.:
A gasp rang out, but no one spoke. However, it was the Tayledras way. They would listen to the tale first, ask a few questions afterwards, then go off to think about what they heard, then come back ask some more questions, and then plan.
Firefox had informed his parents last night the name of his new teacher and explained who he was. Over the years since his arrival to the Vale, he had told them of his experience at Hogwarts and its colorful history which included Salazar Slytherin.
:My family were among the few Ma'ar forces that were fed up with the war. They and others had been working with some of the Urtho's for a cease fire. They had hoped to get out from under that evil adept mage's rule by Gating out. Then word had come that Ma'ar had slipped a spy into Urtho's ranks. :
Firefox knew that Gating was opening a portal from one place to another. It usually took a very powerful adept mage to use and hold the magic. His father Firesong was one of the few human mages that once could open a Gate. However, since the mage storms, such feats were now impossible.
:One of the reasons why we wanted out was Ma'ar liked experimenting with the lives of those he considered beneath him. In one instance, he wanted an unstoppable cavalry that couldn't be unseated. So he combined humans with horses into one being. My grandfather's brother Charion was one such victim.: The firecat sighed as he paused to take a drink of water from the bowl beside him.
Firefox thought back to what he knew of the secretive centaurs that lived in the Forbidden Forest. Were they . . . ?
No one spoke as Salazar began to weave his tale of betrayal and the need to flee as the destruction of Ma'ar's fortress. The Gate had been too unstable at the magical destruction of Ma'ar's fortress.
:Where we landed, we were not certain. The sky and stars were different. Even the magic of the land felt different. A man with a strong earth-based elemental power found us. And we learned we were no longer in our own world. We had crossed dimensions to a place called Britannia and the mage's name was Mryddin.:
Firefox "eep"ed and sat straight up as if struck by lightning, causing several to give him a curious look. He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it at the firecat's steely gaze. Firesong glanced over at his son as if asking a question as Silverfox placed an arm over his son's shoulder as Salazar continued.
:Just so, my new student. We, who were young, had a better time of it in this new world. I was but a babe in my mother's arms when we landed in our new world. Magic there was pristine and untainted – wild and unfettered. Dangerous to handle for those that who no respect to its nature. Although my grandfather and the other mages could not do the great magics they were used to, they made do in this new world. The centaurs, as they were now called, took over the forest areas around the most magical heavy lands they could find. They and a few of the more destructive of Ma'ar's creatures were hunted by the natives. Thankfully, only the centaurs and the hertasi that came with us survived by hiding in the thickest of forests.:
Images of green, untainted lands appeared in the listeners' minds. Also, there came images of half man/half horse herd running free, small beings that Firefox recognized as house elves, maticores, nundus and several minor creatures that he knew were listed in his Monster Book of Monsters. The hertasi were the saddest-looking of the images. They were supposed to have lizard-like features; instead, they had large ears and more human-like characteristics. Where hertasi were free to choose, these were turned into slaves.
Those images changed to show people lived in mud huts or behind stone walls. There was a clear difference between the rich and the poor. There was no middle class.
:We tried to stay to ourselves for the first few years, trying to come to terms with the idea that we could not go home. The way was closed to us. There were some, my friend's parents included, that were thankful they couldn't. In time, we settled into a small community and discovered that magic lived in this world as well.:
Salazar paused for a moment and took a sip of water. Firefox could see that it was taking a slight toll on the firecat as he relived his life as a human.
:In time, I and my friends Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw, Helga Hufflepuff decided to start a school for magic. We used a strong node of magic in the north, well away from any villages. There, we built our school. With the help of Myrddin, who was extremely old that that time, we built the school with magic, and it only took a year.
An old religion of the non-magic users had a sweeping revival of a concept new to our way of thinking - many of the native magic users were considered evil. Instead of mages, the non-magical humans called us "witches" and "wizards," and they called the purging of magical influence from the midst of humans "witch hunts," wherein they captured and killed us. We had lost several of our people to the fires.:
Again, images of people being burned alive for been different crossed everyone's minds. Magical creatures being killed when found.
A cry of horror swept across the listening audience as a few ran from the common area with hands crossed their mouths, looking a bit green. The more stoic just swallowed their reactions and lowered their heads.
Firefox shivered. He knew of those dark days of his history. It was the main reason for the Statute of Secrecy that came later on. Salazar gave his student a 'just so' look.
:I wanted only our people to be trained and protected, but the others wanted to open it up to any that showed magic. You must remember, we were not of that place and time. The native magic users were born into families that believed in this religion, but who were far more zealous about being anti-magic than countless generations before. They were often betrayed by a family member and were killed for the simple fact they were born with a special talent.:
"So that's what really happened? I thought. . . " Firefox asked, tears running down his cheeks. His mother had been a muggle-born and he remembered the hate that had been directed against him by his aunt. "It was taught that you wanted only the pure bloods to be taught magic."
:Pure bloods? Hmmphf! Blood had nothing to do with magic.: There were some murmurs running through the crowd as the firecat paused in his story telling. :You have it or you don't. I would not have objected too much if we could've been guaranteed not to be betrayed by those that allowed fear and hate to rule their lives. We will deal with that nonsense in our lessons, in the coming months. Now let me finish, please.:
"Yes Salazar." Firefox settled against Silverfox, as if seeking some comfort from his father. Once everyone had quieted down again, Salazar continued:
:My tale is almost done for now. After a couple of years of teaching, I was able to create a different version of your heart stone with the help of Mryddin. He had been intrigued by our use of the ley-lines and nodes that ran throughout his native lands. We managed to create this "ward stone," as we called it, under the castle to extend for a few miles around to protect our students and the surrounding forest and the small hamlet that grew up not far from the school. This is where my story takes on a more decisive tone.:
Images of a castle with children going to and from classes. The Great Hall filled with laughter. A lake glittered in the afternoon near the castle. A peaceful scene invoked a smile to those listening.
:As I said earlier, Godric and the others wanted to teach all who had magic. I did not. I make no shame of the fact that I wanted to protect my heritage and my new home. Those native-born magic users were dangerous. Their families hated all types of magic. They out-numbered us.: Salazar paused again. This time, he appeared to be in pain.
Firefox stood and sat beside the firecat on the table.
"I think we need to take a break here," he commented softly, as he ran a hand over the firecat. "I know some of the story. It's my history too. He's right, you know, what happens next was a dark chapter in history. His story was lost in time and has become very murky. I went to Hogwarts, centuries later and was sorted into Gryffindor, but I could've been in your house, Salazar. I was told I would've been great in there."
:And you should've been. I see a lot of myself in you, child. Strong, cunning, brave and secretive. My tale is almost done, for now.:
"A quick question. Was it your idea to leave a basilisk under the school?" Firefox asked, curious.
The firecat blinked and opened his eyes wide. :A what!?:
Firefox blinked back at the firecat. "A basilisk. It has been said that it lived in the Chamber of Secrets under the school since the day of the founders. If you didn't put it there… Wonder who did?"
:Well, it could've been my son. He did take over, after I left. After the ward stone had been created, Godric and I had a falling out. The argument about allowing the native-borns or those of mage blood only took on a darker note. The fires were getting worse. Godric and Helga were worried for the young native-born that had magic would be caught in the fires. Also, as it became clearer that we could not return home, some of us had already started to intermarry with some of the native-born. My son's wife was a native-born. She was a lovely thing but her father. . . :
Salazar shuddered. :He was against magic, in all its glory. He was a very devout man to his religion. He refused to allow his daughter to marry someone so tainted by magic.:
The image of a lovely young woman wearing a long, flowing gown with a white veil hiding most of her long, braided hair appeared. She had sad, haunted eyes.
:I killed her father in a fit of rage when he struck her in my presence. She was heavy with my first grandchild. Afterwards, Godric refused to allow me to return, as he couldn't protect me from the storm of politics that followed. I was killed by the girl's brothers not long after that. I never got to see the birth of my first grandchild.:
There were no images of that scene. They were too personal. Silence reigned in the dining area as everyone digested the long history.
There was some murmuring as people quietly left. There would be more questions and discussions later.
Firesong stood, allowing his son to comfort the wrung out firecat. Turning to Silverfox, he said, "I think I should sent to An'desha. He might want to know about this. It would be interesting to know his reaction to knowing that some of his people survived."
They both knew that An'desha was a direct descendant of Ma'ar. The evil adept mage had used a blood ritual to body jump from his male heirs to live a sort of immortal life. His last possession had been An'desha of the Plains. Once Ma'ar's soul had finally been sent to hell, Firesong had a brief fling with the handsome young Shin'a'in.
"Well, this news will have pieced together some lost history. The kyree* will have a field day with this," Silverfox commented as he studied his son and new teacher. "Firefox, you need to eat. Remember, you are still on restriction," he called out.
"Yes, sir. Can I get you anything, Salazar?" the teen asked as he hopped off the table.
:Some fish would be nice.:
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A/N: As I said, we tweaked both canons a little to make them fit. Please don't complain if you don't like it. Artistic license and all that. Also, sorry if this come out as preachy, I was trying to go for a dry history lesson with some bias to it.
Kyree – They resemble wolves, but are much larger, with shoulders standing as high as a man's waist. They have broad and wolf-like heads with rounded foreheads, forward-facing eyes and enormous jaws. They come in three genders – Male, female and neuter. Neuters frequently become historians and storytellers, carrying the chronicles of notable kyree as well as those of other races (human and non-human alike).