The rest of the school year passed quickly with the basics of sword training with Godric, which Helios did rather badly at, and reviewing the basic Dark Arts with Salazar. One weekend Heolstor went to Hogsmeade, and returned with a wand, twelve inches, yew and basilisk fang, that, when he first picked it up, made power flow through him sweet, dark and deep. He started to use it almost exclusively, only pulling out his old wand when in the presence of the other founders. When he had free time, most often Heolstor was found in the library, reading up on magics mostly lost in his time and practicing magic by intent.
The day after the students left for the summer, he entered the sitting room to see Salazar already at the breakfast table, cup of tea in hand. Mumbling incoherently, he sat down and poured a cup himself and quaffed it in silence. After his second cup, he looked at his table companion, who was watching him with some amusement. "I can tell you aren't much of a morning person.", he said, smirking.
"Not by choice, no, which is why I never join you in the Great Hall for breakfast.", Heolstor replied. Then, perking up a bit, "So, now that the little terrors are gone, what do you have in store for me?"
"Well, I think that we can finish up most of your review this summer, and if you like, you can probably sit for a Mastery at the end. Unfortunately, at least from what I understand of Godric's grumbling, you aren't doing nearly as well with him. He may end up giving up on pounding sword-sense into you, and switch over to another weapon, in hopes that you have talent elsewhere."
"Hmm", Heolstor hummed neutrally, reaching for a piece of toast, rather pleased with Salazar's assessment.
"Now, with all of the reading that you have been doing, have you found anything that interests you specifically?" Salazar asked.
"From what little I could find, Blood Magic. It seems that the wards around my family's house are blood-based, and the ritual that your heir used to become corporeal was as well."
"That would certainly work well with potions training." Salazar mused. Focusing on Heolstor, he said, "Blood Magic is, even now, considered marginal Dark Arts. Unscrupulous practitioners tend to use rather unwilling donors for the main ingredient, and…it is an inherently biased sort of magic. If you are serious about pursuing this, we will have to modify you a bit."
Heolstor looked at him questioningly.
"Most Blood Magic is potions-based, and if the user's blood is to be an ingredient, then it must be magically stable. This requires magic coming from both lineages.", Salazar said, a bit delicately.
"So that pureblood, half-blood nonsense has some basis in reality?" Heolstor said, a bit incredulously.
"For the most part, it makes no difference at all, really, but in this, yes. Just like other potions ingredients, the final product is the result of the interactions of the different magics available from each ingredient. Since blood is the binding or transformative ingredient in Blood potions, the magic available must be well balanced or things go wrong. Mudblood didn't start out as such a dirty term, if you pardon the pun. A muggleborn who attempts a Blood potion will end up with a cauldron full of sludge."
"So you can, in effect, turn me into a pureblood. Would this change anything other than my ability to do Blood Magic?" Heolstor asked, returning to the subject at hand.
"The ultimate result of my tinkering would be the replacement of half of your magical heritage. It shouldn't change your level of power, as you are already quite strong. It will though change the feel or effect of it. You may find some aspects of magic suddenly easier than before, or you may discover altogether new talents. It shouldn't change you physically, though you may do so later, if you wish.", Salazar replied.
He made himself another cup of tea while Heolstor ate his toast, and then continued. "It isn't a difficult thing to do, I can make the potion while you go play with Godric. I will also make a revealing potion, to explain any fatigue you may incur."
At Heolstor's questioning look, he continued. "Blood Magic is not thought well of. It would be best to not let the others now what we are about. The revealing potion will uncover or unblock any hidden talents that you may possess, which can be fatiguing. After all, I do want you to reach your full potential."
"Ah" said Heolstor, a bit blankly. "Bloody Slytherin mind.", he muttered.
Salazar laughed.
"Alright, I'll go play with Godric, as you said. Hopefully he won't kill me with his enthusiasm."
Helios walked out to the Great Hall to meet Godric, hoping that whatever they were doing today didn't involve swords. As if in answer to prayer, when he walked up to Godric, he was guided in the opposite direction of the sword-training salle, and ended up in a long room, one wall covered with mirrors, and targets set up at the end opposite them.
"I've decided that with your stature, swords are rather a lost cause. I think something a bit smaller might work better, especially in a fight with magic." Godric said briskly, going to one of the cupboards along the wall next to the mirrors and opening it. He plucked a few objects out, before turning towards Helios and throwing something at him. Automatically, he reached out and grabbed the shining silver object, before actually looking at it in startled realization.
"Ah, I thought this might work.", Godric said a bit smugly, as Helios stared at the simple dagger in his hand. "Now, see if you can use that eye for some target practice." He gestured towards the targets, and then quickly stepped out of the way.
Four hours later he was finally set free, arms limp with exhaustion. Moving quickly to escape Godric's enthusiasm, Heolstor was soon back into the safety of the dungeons, and was able to relax. He bathed quickly before emerging from his room in a simple robe to await Salazar. Relaxing in his armchair, he had just finished his first cup of tea when Salazar made his appearance, sweeping into their sitting room, looking pleased with himeself. "Ah, good. You're here. If you would please…" and he grasped two vials out of the air, one filled with a bright red liquid and the other a murky brown.
"Lovely." Heolstor said dryly, "And I bet they taste delightful and everything."
Salazar laughed, a bit wickedly, Heolstor thought, before handing them over. "Take the brown one first, that's the Blood Cleansing, and then the Revealer. You should lose conciousness pretty quickly because of the first, so make yourself comfortable. It would be best to let it work through before adding the second."
"Thank you, Salazar." Heolstor said seriously, before taking them and gracefully standing. "I think I will retreat to my room. We will talk in the morniing?"
"Aye, Heolstor. Good luck." Salazar returned.
Waking up was unpleasant. Heolstor's entire body ached, and as he slowly rolled over it felt as though every muscle screamed in protest. He snagged the Revealer and downed it, hoping for the best. Leaning back, he felt a growing heat spread through his body, releasing tension. It built up until it felt like he was in a sauna, and then a flash of pure fire, before leaving in its wake a feeling of lassitude and comfort. He basked in it for a while, before reluctantly dragging himself out of bed to pull on robes before going to find Salazar. It didn't take more than Heolstor entering their sitting room, and it amused him to see this evidence of concern, though nothing showed on Salazar's face when he looked up from the book he had been reading.
"Good morning, Salazar", he said quietly, coming to sit across from him.
"I suppose it is." Salazar mused, closing his book and setting it aside. "How are you feeling?"
"Rather well, actually." Heolstor said frankly. "The Revealer actually removed all discomfort that I felt upon waking." Looking at Salazar's expression, he suddenly felt more wary. "Why do I get the feeling that I should be worried, Salazar?" he questioned.
"Why, because you are intelligent, my dear boy." Salazar replied, a wicked smirk growing on his face.