A/N: Thank you to everyone who followed and reviewed since last chapter, I found it very encouraging. I still can't believe this story has had so much love.
In the previous chapter I mentioned a poll that was on my profile. That hasn't been showing up so the link is: goo . gl / forms / z3TLzQI8DnvdOGxv2 Take out spaces
Please do it if you want a say in the pairing, you don't need a google account to do the poll, and it is all anonymus.
Answers to a few questions about pairings:
No pairings will start until Septimus is older. To everyone that wants Luna paired with him, it will not happen, I have plans for Luna that can't have her paired with Septimus.
Now on with the chapter!
~Sheep~ Parseltongue
Barr Thoughts
"Barr" Talking
-Sheep- Mindscape speaking
Barr The Darkness
Chapter 8, A Green Eyed Snake Leader
Septimus Ravenclaw-Potter would do great things. Ollivander knew this would be true, after all the boy's ancestor did great things, that wand in his hand as he did.
Septimus walked out of the wand store with his new wand tucked away neatly in the wand holster he had grabbed from his family vault. Fred and George were telling him all about the magical castle that was Hogwarts, about how there were secret passages all over the castle, and about the houses,
"You see Septimus, the houses of Hogwarts are all good in their own way," Fred told him swinging his arms about, they had dropped the twin speech a while back since it had no effect on Septimus,
"Oh yes and they are all bad in their own ways as well,"
"Definitely George, people don't like Slytherins because of a dark lord or two,"
"But they forget that most of the most recent Dark Lord's followers came from the other three houses,"
"Especially since the more ruthless, and famous, ones came from the house of the snakes,"
Septimus nodded looking thoughtfully at the two redheaded twins, "You guys seem more like Slytherins than Gryffindors. Why is that?" The twins turned a calculating look towards each other seemingly choosing whether or not to tell Septimus something,
"Yes," Fred started off slowly,
"That would be because the hat couldn't choose between Gryffindor and Slytherin for us, in the end it put of in Gryffindor because they didn't feel like creating a ruckus," George continued for his brother, gaining a nod of appreciation from his twin. Septimus nodded his head in understanding, about to say something, when a loud voice screamed out,
"Fred, George! Where have you been!" Fred rolled his eyes as the twins mother came up to them, "You were supposed to be looking after Ron, and he told me you went off with some rude boy, who was never taught proper manners," The twins eyes had darkened at that,
"That rude boy, that you speak of is me madam, and I would appreciate if you didn't speak of me that way," Septimus' soft voice drifted from where he was standing next to the twins. The red headed woman, who the twins had told him was named Molly Weasley turned to him paling slightly at the sight of his bright green eyes, so similar to the killing curse. "You see Lady Weasley, it is not good practice to insult a member of the House of Potter, which I might remind you can politically wipe the floor with your lesser house," Molly Weasley's face grew red,
"How dare you insult me and my family, did your mother never teach you any manners?" Septimus noticed Arthur Weasley, current Lord of the Weasley family pale at his wife's words, he seemed flabbergasted by his wife insulting who he now knew to be the current Lord of the Potter family by the ring that had appeared on the finger of the boy's finger,
"Lord Potter please excuse my wife, she does not handle the Weasley accounts," Arthur said stepping up and in front of his wife, who seemed angry at her husband's words. The rest of the Weasley clan looked slightly shocked that their father was acting like a proper pureblood, Septimus smiled a shark's smile,
"It would be in your better interests Lord Weasley to keep your family in line, you should also do better to teach your youngest son proper manners when it comes to pureblood society," Septimus said his green eyes flashing in the direction of the boy that had run into him in the book store, who was now openly scowling at him. Arthur looked sharply at his son who seemed to shrink back behind his mother.
"Of course Lord Potter. We should be going now," Arthur looked towards his twin sons who hadn't moved from their places either side of Septimus, "Fred, George, will you be coming home with us or would you like to stay with Lord Potter for a while?" Fred and George smiled at their father,
"We would like to stay with Septimus for a while dad if that is alright?" Arthur smiled at his sons,
"Of course, just be back before you go off the Hogwarts, so lets say be back before dinner of the 29th of August?" The twins looked shocked at first, but then saw his father glancing slightly at their mother who was fuming, understanding it was to give her time to calm down, the twins nodded and Arthur turned to Septimus, "I hope that is not too much trouble Lord Potter?" Septimus shook his head, "Then I must bid you good day," at that Arthur and the Weasley clan left, with Fred and George staying with Septimus.
Soon after the three left Diagon Ally with a portkey to the manor Septimus had decided to stay at which happened to be the Slytherin Castle. The castle was just that, huge and elegant, with extravagant gardens filled with bright flowers, pathways made of large multicoloured stones leading to wooden benches, statues of all types of animals, and a large stone fountain with a stone snake shooting water out of it's mouth. The snake looked almost real with glowing red eyes and scaly skin. Septimus and the gawking twins went up to the door where a sculpture of a snake came alive looking at Septimus, and hissed at him,
~Speak your name human who looks so much like my late master~ Septimus took a deep breath and hissed back shocking the twins,
~I am Septimus James Harrison Ravenclaw-Potter, Lord of the houses Potter, Peverell, and Slytherin~ The snake looked sharply at Septimus,
~I will bite you to find out~ the snake lunged at Septimus and bit his hand drawing blood, the snakes eyes glowed green and it slunk back into the door becoming stone once again, said door swung open to show the entrance room made of different stones, and metals.
Septimus and the twins walked into the house looking wide-eyed at the many vases and precious objects that littered the room in perfect order. They stepped further into the room admiring the intricate carvings on the walls, and the patterns on the floor. Septimus didn't know how long he and the twins stood there admiring the hall when a pop was heard. Quickly jerking his head to where the pop came from Septimus gawked at the small creature that stood there, floppy ears framed a small wrinkled face with big blue eyes, the small creature wore, what Septimus assumed, a uniform with the Slytherin crest on its breast. He stood looking at the creature for a small while before he remembered what the darkness had told him, it was a house elf, small creatures that are bound to wizarding families, like servants they cleaned and looked after the family, but unlike servants the house elf needed the magic of being bound to someone or something to survive.
The twins chuckled as Septimus looked at the small house elf watching the cogs in his brain wind, they already knew that their new friend was raised in the muggle world, and they had figured out that he had never seen a house elf before.
The house elf wrung their hands until Septimus shook himself out of his shock and bent down to the creature's level holding out his hand for the creature to shake,
"Hello, I'm Septimus, I'm the current Lord Slytherin," The creature looked shocked and tears started to well up in it's eyes, before it flung itself at Septimus hugging him,
"Oh Master Slytherin is so kind to Tina, just like old Master Slytherin, so kind" Septimus was shocked at the sudden hug from the elf he guessed was named Tina, and from the high voice he guessed was female. After the elf had calmed down Septimus looked her in the eyes smiling,
"Tina can you tell me about the elves that look after this house please? What role do you play? Also you mentioned old Master Slytherin, who was that?" Tina looked pleased at the questions,
"Tina is the head elfs, and Master's personal elf. In charges of the kitchens is Flop, with fifteen elfes under him. Clory is the guests elf head, he hases three elfs under him, Disy, Fris, and Jitz, whose look afters any guests," Tina looked at the twins who stood behind Septimus, "And thens there be Ani and her five elfies who look afters the gardens, Gary with five elfies who cleans the houses, ands Simy and Kol whose look after the horsies," Tina took a breath and started to walk away towards a door asking the three to follow her, she took them through a door on the side, then turned right through another door into a large sitting room. The chairs in the room included one black couch and two armchairs of the same material, they sat on a fluffy green rug, The couches formed a almost U shape facing a wall, instead of a muggle TV set which Septimus expected would sit there, there was a portrait of a man with black hair that fell to his shoulders and bright green eyes, the colour of the killing curse which Septimus guessed was a spell which this man invented. The twins seemed to also have this thought gasped,
"You're Salazar Slytherin!" Fred pointed out, the founder raised his eyebrow,
"No I'm Godric Gryffindor" you could almost see the sarcasm dripping from his voice, Fred blushed a bright red and Septimus chuckled,
"So you're one the legendary founders of Hogwarts. The one who people say killed muggles and hated muggleborns, my ancestor," Salazar's eyes pierced Septimus' and he hissed in anger,
"I never killed a muggle, and I don't hate muggleborns, all I wanted was for them to be more closely scrutinised, to make sure they weren't being abused, or mistreated by the muggles. The Avada Kedavra curse is a painless option for healers, I made it for Helga," Septimus nodded and sat on the couch stretching out across it, inviting the twins to take the armchairs.
"Can you tell us about the other founders? We don't really know much about them," George asked the green eyed man. Salazar smiled at the red head,
"Of course," Salazar sat down in the chair in the painting and started to tell the story of the founders, immersing Septimus and the twins in a tale history got wrong.
Salazar told the boys the tale of his wand, how he learnt magic along his good friend Garrick Ollivander, from Garrick's father, they found out that Septimus' wand was Salazar's which warmed the founder even more to the young green eyed boy. Salazar told them of travelling all around the world when he turned 15, and he told them of when he arrived back into Britain a few years later.
Salazar Slytherin was 20 years of age, and trudging through the snow that lay on the ground. He loved the winter time, and was happy he was back in Britain to celebrate Yule how he always did. He had been travelling all over the world for the last five years, learning all sorts of magic, from spell crafting using numbers, to potions that he had never even heard of. Now he was back in his home country, trekking through the woods towards where he knew there to be a Muggle village with an inn. Finally breaking through the trees he saw the village, but his smile soon faded when he got closer and he heard shouting which he had always dreaded,
"Kill him! Burn the magic user!" shouted one voice followed by a chorus of cheers. Salazar paled and sprinted towards the village, where the muggles were dragging a redheaded man out of his hut bound in rope. The man saw Salazar round the bend, and seemed to beg him with his eyes, and Salazar shouted,
"Stop!" the whole village stopped and stared at the newcomer Salazar seeing his chance flicked his wand down so it was just covered by his sleeve, "why are you going to kill an innocent man? Why are you going to kill a man over rumours?" Someone who had the same hair colour as the man about to be burnt stepped forward,
"He is a disgrace, he practices witchcraft," The bound man seemed to choke at that,
"Why brother, why do you believe that? Why?" the bound man begged, Salazar's eyes grew hard,
"You are about to kill your own brother? Your flesh and blood? That is disgraceful" Salazar spat at the ground in disgust. The man's brother chuckled,
"He will never be my brother again. Let us burn him and you shall not be burned," at that the crowd started to drag the red head away who seemed to be crying, Salazar walked after the brother and tapped him on the shoulder when he turned around the green eyed man punched him in the face, quickly stepping back and flicking his wand out of is sleeve slashing it to cut the ropes of the other wizard, who he threw his spare wand to. Like a snake Salazar lunged his wand forward blowing everyone away with an invisible force, the other wizard gained his senses and joined Salazar in the attack, never killing. After all of the muggles had been dealt with Salazar turned to the other wizard,
"We need to get out of here. Where is a good place to go?" The other wizard ran off with Salazar on his heals. They walked through the forest along a path which never seemed to be used, finally coming across a clearing in which a hut stood,
"I come here sometimes to get away from the village," The red headed wizard said, "I'm Godric by the way, Godric Gryffindor," Salazar shook Godric's hand,
"Salazar Slytherin," Godric smiled,
"You are quite good with magic, like a snake almost. A green eyed snake leader," Godric laughed, Salazar rolled his eyes,
"Snakes can't do magic, I would know I can speak to them," Godric looked surprised at this,
"The man who taught me magic protected me from someone who could speak to snakes, do you know a man named Vladimir Slytherin?" Salazar's eyes darkened at the name,
"My bastard of a father, he tried to gain control of me when he found out who I was, the Goblins helped me in making sure that never happened," Godric nodded and smiled at Salazar,
"So my green eyed snake leader, shall we go inside out of the cold?" Salazar nodded following Godric inside. The two men spent the winter in that hut, and they learnt a lot about each other, Godric learnt of Salazar's travels and Salazar learnt of Godric's passion for a sword. By the time winter ended and they could travel safely, the two men were inseparable, becoming fast friends, they knew they could trust the other to have their back.
It was that trust that saved them on many occasion as they fought back to back, both with magic and weapons, Godric with his sword and Salazar with his daggers. Their friendship went so deep that when Salazar got hurt in one of the fights they were in, Godric searched under every haystack and rock to find a healer, luckily he didn't need to search far because they soon came across a wizarding village where a healer and her friend rested in front of her house. Helga Hufflepuff and Rowena Ravenclaw were that healer and her friend, and Helga worked tooth and nail to heal Salazar, and Rowena tried to get Godric to speak, since he had become silent while he waited for his friend to wake, the only thing he said was the word please.
Salazar soon woke under Helga's care and soon told Godic he was being an idiot,
"Godric, we were in a fight, of course I was going to be hurt! You are not going to be able to stop every injury. Idiot," Godric just smiled,
"Of course oh great green eyed snake leader," he said bowing, gaining a laugh out of Salazar, and as Helga and Rowena soon found out Godric was the only one who could ever make Salazar Slytherin laugh.
The four powerful witches and wizards became friends, and soon decided that they needed to pass on their knowledge, and it was Godric who suggested the idea of a school, which all four soon latched onto. They choose a spot next to a lake just up from the wizarding village of Hogsmead, which Helga and Rowena came from. The clearing which they choose was massive, with a forest next to it. Rowena, who had always wanted to live in a castle, suggested just that.
The four great magicals got working on the castle weaving in their magic as they worked, it took them three years to complete the castle, and two more years to sort out the curriculum, teachers, and other necessities of a boarding school, which Helga named Hogwarts. Soon they had teachers for all the subjects with the four founders choosing Godric as headmaster. Students learnt at that school for many years.
People age, and this was just as true for the founders, Rowena was the first to die, after her dearest daughter ran off with her diadem, and then was killed, and her son was being bullied for being a squib. Helga stayed by her side, but Rowena's health deteriorated, and she begged for a painless death. Salazar hearing her plea created a curse the same colour as his eyes, Avada Kedavra, and Helga used it on her long time friend ending her life with a smile on her face. The other three buried Rowena on the grounds of Hogwarts, the sentient castle mourned for the loss of one of its creators and integrated Rowena's magic and soul into the castle itself as it would do for all the founders. This was the time that the founders created a method of sorting people into houses when they died, The Sorting Hat.
Salazar had two children, a girl and a boy. His daughter inherited his kind heart and his green eyes. His son on the other hand had the brown eyes of his mother and had a cold heart. Salazar's daughter grew up to marry a muggle which infuriated her brother, who tried to kill his sister, and her husband, destroying a village in the process. Salazar was heart broken, Godric saw this and went after Salazar's son, and with the sword Salazar had given him, which was goblin forged, killed the traitor.
Upon Godric's return to Hogwarts, he was told the news of Salazar's deteriorating health. Godric sat at his friend's bedside until Salazar died, leaving his portrait behind with all his memories.
Salazar finished telling his story and saw that the boys were falling asleep, chuckling he told Septimus to call the elfs to show them the rooms. Septimus did just that calling Tina and Clory, who was instructed to take the twins to their room, whilst Septimus followed Tina to his, before Septimus could leave Salazar told him one last thing,
"You remind me of my daughter Septimus, and your friends they remind me of Godric," With that Septimius was taken to his room, being told that the twins were just across the hall, he fell asleep.
The rest of the time that the twins spent in Slytherin castle, was full of fun, every morning the twins would try to beat Septimus downstairs, they never won. Soon they developed a routine, in the morning they would have breakfast with Salazar, then they would go into the garden for sometime, lunch with Salazar then they went down into the potions lab, where Salazar had another portrait and he would teach them potions. At night was dinner, then they would read in the sitting room, Septimus would use this time to write to Luna detailing her on everything that happened that day.
All too soon it was the day the twins had to go, they promised Septimus they would find him on the train and told him how to get onto the platform. Septimus spent the next day talking with Salazar, and all too soon it was time for him to go to the station. It was no hassle for him to get onto the train, his trunk was all packed and Hedwig was in her cage. Salazar had told Septimus about his chamber below the school and of the Basilisk that lived there, and he was planning to go have a look.
Soon the train started to move and Fred and George poked their heads into the compartment to say hello, and Septimus started to read his transfiguration textbook. After about an hour there was a knock on the door and Septimus called out enter not bothering to look up,
"Do you mind if I sit here, I got sick of hearing about how muggleborns should not be let into Hogwarts?" Septimus looked up from his book to see blond girl with piercing blue eyes looking at him,
"Of course," Septimus replied, putting down his book he stuck his hand out to the blond girl "Septimus Ravenclaw-Potter" the girl shook his hand,
"Daphne Greengrass," after that Daphne and Septimus sat in silence both reading sometimes talking about Hogwarts and the houses. Both got changed five minutes before the train stopped in the Hogsmead station, and the students were told to leave their stuff on the train. Getting off Septimus and Daphne were lead by a giant of a man, along a pathway.
Rounding the corner of the path with the other first years, Septimus couldn't help but to gawk at the massive castle that lay before them, it was a beautiful thing with all the lights and massive towers whose tops lay hidden in amongst the clouds. The giant man who was leading the first years ushered them into boats "No more than four to a boat" is what he had said. Septimus was sharing his boat with Daphne, a dark skinned boy named Blaise Zabini, and a pale boy named Draco Malfoy.
Everyone had slipped and stumbled up the stone stairs that lead to the front doors of Hogwarts, which after being knocked on opened to reveal a stern looking woman named Professor Mcgonagall. The professor who introduced herself as the deputy headmistress, told the new students about the houses, and how they would be like your family, who hated you when you lost tremendous amounts of house points. At least, that is how Septimus heard it. The deputy head took the group of first years into a little antechamber off of what ,they assumed was the great hall, and then left them there, like a responsible person. Septimus looked round at his yearmates, it really was a disaster waiting to happen, honestly leaving a bunch of 11 year olds in a room without supervision, it is a ticking time bomb, the darkness chuckled at Septimus' thought, it is probably a test of some sort, she will most likely come back in just before anything happens, Septimus mentally nodded. Unfortunately that theory wasn't tested, and the only remotely interesting thing that happened was some ghosts coming through the wall, then being told to move along by Mcgonagall.
Septimus was in awe as he stepped into the great hall, it really was great, with floating candles and a high ceiling which showed the sky outside. There were four long tables with two on each side of the large hall. The tables each had a banner above them, proclaiming which house sat there. The first years were taken to the front to stand facing the fifth table, which stood higher than all the others and was about half the size. On it sat the professors and the Headmaster. Professor Mcgonagall stepped up onto the platform on which the head table lay, and stood next to an old hat which most unusually started to sing. The hat sung a a small song about the houses, and once it was done got thunderous applause from the students, bowing to each table. Once the hall had calmed down the stern professor called out the first name,
"Hannah Abbott" a timid looking girl walked up to the hat and sat on the stool, the hat being placed over her eyes,
"Hufflepuff!" The table upon which the Hufflepuff's sat erupted into cheers. A few more names were called, Susan Bones went to Hufflepuff, Terry Boot to Ravenclaw, a girl named Hermione Granger went to Gryffindor, and Septimus' new acquaintance Daphne Greengrass went to Slytherin. The boy with the pale face, Draco Malfoy surprisingly did not go to Slytherin like everyone expected, but Ravenclaw, the house of the smart. The Ps came and went and everyone started to murmur,
"where is Harry Potter?"
"Septimus Ravenclaw-Potter" Mcgonagall called out, everyone sat silent, wondering who was this who held the name of the Ravenclaw family, and the Potters. Septimus walked up to the stool, everyone's eyes were on him, before the hat covered his eyes he saw the twins give him the thumbs up.
"Ah Mr Ravenclaw, son of a Potter and a Ravenclaw. Where to put you?"
Wherever is best
"Gryffindor? No not a fit for you"
I wouldn't fit in
"No you would not. Hmm let's see, Hufflepuff won't do either"
Ravenclaw or Slytherin
"You are smart like your mother's ancestor, yet ambitious and sly, like your ancestor,"
You are taking awhile
"Of course. It must be"
I'm waiting
"Slytherin!"
This the hat shouted to the hall, and Septimus stood up to polite clapping, a smirk on his face, that was mirrored by his new house.
A/N: I think we all knew that Septimus would be a Slytherin.
I realised as I was writing this that I haven't written the Dursleys reaction to Septimus leaving, and stealing from them. Do you guys want a chapter with that in it? Of course the chapter would also have a few other POVs other than Septimus'. Tell me if that is what you want.
In the previous chapter I mentioned a poll that was on my profile. That hasn't been showing up so the link is: goo . gl / forms / z3TLzQI8DnvdOGxv2 Take out spaces
Please do it if you want a say in the pairing, you don't need a google account to do the poll, and it is all anonymus.