A/N: I have a free day today, so I thought I might start on this and maybe get it up by Sunday (10/22) if all goes as planned. You'll find out in the bottom note how long it took me to write this…

The Cap'n's guide to her writing--

"C is for cookie, and that's good enough for me!" -Talking

C is for cookie, and that's good enough for me!. –Thoughts or stressed words.

::C is for cookie, and that's good enough for me!::-Parsletongue

C is for cookie, and that's good enough for me! – book text

C is for cookie, and that's good enough for me!" –Memories/Dreams

-----

Salazar ignored the idiot man and shoved the goat once more to Helga, erected a barrier, closed his eyes, and opened his mouth to start the ritual. Guttural sounds slipped from his lips as his hands formed patterns and runes in the air. A heady magic was filling the air in the barrier, surrounding Harold and Salazar. One last word of the strange language spewed from Salazar's mouth sounding more like a wet belch than anything even remotely related to a language of magic.

"Fantastic," a voice drawled from the center of the room, from a fog that had accumulated without any notice, a solid body rising and walking towards the two founders and the goat.

-----

Godric was currently slumped in his seat, out cold as he had been for the night. He had fallen asleep after any and all attempts to harass her were ignored or responded to with an angry spell. Rowena glared at him and rubbed tiredly at her amber eyes. She hadn't slept all during the night, to busy trying to break out of the room and go put Harold in a permanent grave. "Stupid idiotic dead man!" she hissed, glaring at the door once more.

"That's no way to talk about the person that's about to let you out," his mocking voice floated through the wood to her, causing her to scowl even more.

"Shut-up and let me out!"

"As the lady wishes,"

She had the strangest feeling that he was mocking her even with his polite response. She heard the lock click and instantly opened the door, expecting to see Harold floating in front of her, his ruined chest level with her face just to spite her. She was met though with the sight of a small good looking man with dark hair, bottle green eyes, pale skin, a jagged scar on his forehead, and a black eye. "Who the hell?" she blurted out.

"I'm injured Rowena. No pun intended." he grinned, the same self-satisfied smirk that Harold always wore on his face as he gently caressed the bruised skin around his eye. "The fact that you don't even recognize me now that I actually have a body,"

"Harold," she mumbled slowly, eyes widening.

"The one and only at your service." He bowed mockingly, his grin widening.

Rowena stared at the solid man in front of her and finally made the connections to the ghost that had haunted them for two months. "I always thought you were taller." She said wryly, tilting her head down slightly to look at him.

Harold scowled angrily. "If you keep mouthing off like that, I'm not going to be the only one walking around injured." He sneered.

"Fine," she said, scowling. "Where are the others?"

"I've no idea." His demeanor shifted back to one of self-satisfaction.

"What?"

"Salazar punched me and took Tom outside and Helga ran off to God only knows where. I halfway think she's on her way up here." He smiled charmingly at her.

Rowena narrowed her eyes shrewdly at him. "Why would Salazar strike you? Who, or what, is Tom, and how did you get here before Helga if she's coming here?"

"I know shortcuts." He grinned at her once more and turned on his heel and left.

"Harold!" she screeched at him before he left the hall, angry at his refusal to answer her questions. He only turned around, bowed, and tipped an imaginary hat to her. "Stupid man," she huffed, going to wake Godric up. She walked over to the chair where her fellow founder was sleeping in. "Wake up you idiot!" She barked, kicking the chair over.

"Huh?!" he grunted, sitting up sharply from the floor.

"We need to go find the others and talk with them."

"What happened?"

"I'll explain later."

-----

"Where is he?"

"Harold?"

"Yes Harold! Who else has everyone been searching for the whole day?"

"No need to yell at me Salazar. I haven't seen him since you struck him." Helga scowled at the taller man.

Salazar sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, his finger tips and bridge of his nose turning white as he applied more and more pressure. "Where is the bastard?"

"Stop! You'll break your nose!" Helga scolded him, plucking at his thin wrist as she tried to remove his hand from his face.

"I'll go check the dungeons once more." Salazar growled, allowing her to remove his hand from his face. I think I may know where the damn idiot is.

-----

Harry scowled, causing his bruised face to throb, and stared at the scorched wall. "What happened?" he mumbled, flicking his fingers slightly, producing an angry red spark. He then focused more on what he wanted and sent the spell spiraling to the wall with a flick of his wrist and fingers. The spell shot from his fingers a bloody red and then, when it hit the wall, turned a repulsive sickly green. A green that he knew only to well. "Why is this happening to me?"

"What's happening to you?"

Harry jumped rather violently at the voice and turned quickly. "Salazar," he greeted warily.

"What's wrong?" the man questioned again. He stared at the scorched wall.

"My magic. That's what's wrong."

"What's it doing that's so wrong?"

"Watch," Harry commanded, focusing on the spell he wanted. "Just for the record, what I'm about to perform is supposed to be a shatter hex. It'll be a rather bright blue."

"Get on with it then."

"Right," he focused and then flicked his wrist, a jet of bright blue light flying to the wall. On impact though, it turned a sickly green. "That's what's wrong."

"How did you do that?" he was stunned. "It should have been impossible for the magics to do that; especially at impact."

"That's what I've been trying to figure out."

"Have you tried verbal spells?"

"Yes,"

"Spells with a wand and with the incantation?"

"I have no wand with which to try that with."

Salazar fell silent and stared at Harold. He blinked when he saw the short man's eye. "I didn't realize you bruised so easily," he said with a smirk, stepping forward and running a thumb over the mark as he studied the harsh purple and black bruise.

He shivered at the touch. "Thank-you ever so much Salazar. Now, if you aren't going to be of help to me, leave me alone." He snapped in annoyance at Salazar's remark, jerking his hand up, yellow sparks leaping off his fingertips.

Salazar instantly backed up, staring warily at Harry's hand. "Calm down. You could kill someone if you got angry enough to cast a spell."

Harry's eyes widened, an alarmed look spreading across his face, and instantly turned around. "I'm as good as a squib. Only worse." He muttered bitterly, gazing at his hands and then at the blackened wall. "I should probably leave the castle now."

"What are you talking about?"

Harry turned quickly. "I could end up killing someone. You said it yourself. Look at what happened when I got in a knot over a little ribbing." he snarled, worry planted deep within his gaze.

"Just don't do magic." Salazar knew how hard it was not to do magic and felt like an idiot as soon as the phrase left his mouth. Doing magic was like breathing. And the glare Harold was giving him was telling him just how much of an idiot he was for saying that. "All right," he muttered, bringing his hands up defensively, "Bad idea, I agree, but you can't leave."

"Why?"

"We could help you. I'm sure if we told the others about it, they could help." Salazar forced Harry to turn around and look at him.

Harry squirmed uncomfortably under the scrutiny and firm grasp of the taller man. "Fine, whatever. But I haven't a clue as to what I can do around here until we figure out what's wrong."

-----

"Found him," Salazar called out as he entered the Great Hall, dragging Harry with him by the arm.

"What happened to you?" Helga cried out, hurrying over to Harold, gently touching his eye.

"Ah, that's from earlier, just for the record," Salazar mumbled nervously, inching behind Harold as the diminutive woman flicked her wand and healed Harold's eye.

Helga turned narrowed eyes to her fellow founder. "Salazar," she said warningly.

"He's telling the truth Helga. He hasn't touched me since that horribly painful punch earlier today." Harry then rubbed at his head pitifully. "I've had a headache for hours."

"Now Helga," Salazar said pleadingly when the matron's angry eyes turned to him once more. He turned his gaze to Harold and saw a smirk decorating the small man's handsome face. "Shut-up," he muttered.

::Pay back's a bitch.:: Harry hissed.

::Foul mouthed idiot.:: Salazar hissed in return, eye narrowing.

"Boys!" Rowena shouted when she noticed Harold tensing as if he were about to jump the taller man. "Both of you come and sit down and tell me why you ran off Harold." She demanded, her sapphire eyes glinting angrily.

"Yes Rowena," they both muttered, skulking to the table and sitting beside each other.

"Thank-you. Now, tell me where you have been."

-----

Rowena paced in her study, a frown creasing her brow. Harold had told her of the ritual that had been performed. She had not been happy to know that he had forced Helga into participating. Godric hadn't been happy about dark magic being performed in the castle. As unhappy as she was about the means, she was thrilled for Harold to have gotten his body back. The only problem that remained was that he could only cast killing curses. "What do we do? I've never heard of anything similar to this." She mumbled.

"Has Harry checked that book he got that ritual out of?" Helga mumbled from the small sofa.

"What?"

"Harry got that ritual out of a book he had been reading for a while. Salazar turned the pages for him," she trailed off with a happy smile at the thought of the dark founder doing something nice for someone else.

"Helga," Rowena coughed, sitting closely beside the shorter woman.

"Right! Well, Harold got that ritual out of the book. He said he needed a soul stone, a recently dead body preferably of wizarding stock, and goat. He later told me the goat was just because he wanted one. I'm beginning to think it wasn't."

"Why wouldn't he have used the goat in the ritual if it specified the use of a goat?"

"Maybe he didn't want to kill it." Helga smiled once more as she imagined Harold not wanting to slay an innocent animal for his own use.

"He's walking hell. Why wouldn't he want to cause strife and pain to anything he can come across?" Rowena spat angrily.

"You're just angry because he locked you in the staff room with Godric. No need to be spreading lies." Helga sharply pinched Rowena's arm.

"Ow!" Rowena gently rubbed at the red mark on her pale forearm. "Helga," she whined.

"Serves you right what with saying those horrible things about Harry! He's a sweet person. Maybe a little mischievous, but he wouldn't harm a thing."

Rowena sighed and dropped the issue. "Let's go ask Harold himself if the goat was actually needed and why he didn't use it if it was needed."

-----

Harry blinked, and turned his head to the side. "I didn't want to kill it." Helga beamed at him and Rowena's jaw dropped in disbelief.

"WHAT?" Salazar screamed from behind him.

Harry winced when he felt Salazar's thin fingers wrap around his shoulders and shake him. "Salazar," he whined when the other man finally stopped shaking him.

"You made me leave out a necessary part of the ritual all because you didn't want to kill a bloody goat? I could have permanently erased your existence from this Earth! I could have killed myself and Helga on accident!" Salazar was screaming by now.

Harry shrank back against the wall as Salazar advanced on him. He thought he was whimpering, but couldn't be sure. He looked to the side to where the other three founders were and found them gone. Evidently an angry Salazar was something to worry about. "Now Salazar," he started.

"Shut up you fool man." Salazar demanded, his voice reigned in tightly. "Where is the damn book?"

Harry gulped, feeling the angry heat radiating from the other man soaking through his robes. He shivered, for an entirely different reason than fear. "I'll go get it." He whispered, his eyes wide as he scuttled by Salazar quick as he could.

Salazar's eyes narrowed as he stared at the hunched form of Harry as he rushed out of the room. He leaned against the wall that he had had Harold trapped against moments before. "You're powerful. I'll make no qualms about that, but God you're so stupid sometimes." He muttered.

Harry sagged against the wall in relief. He'd never hid the fact from anyone in his time that he was gay. "Queer as a three-pound note," Hermione had once said. Him and Dean were the only two that got it. He'd told no one in this time because he was positive that homosexuals were persecuted heavily. He'd just gotten his body back. He didn't want to lose it this quick. Regardless of his knowledge, that did not prevent his body from reacting to a situation where he was in close contact with an extremely attractive man. Even if said man was pissed off at him. "The book said the goat wasn't necessary," he mumbled as he peered at the bookshelf, looking for his book amongst Salazar's tomes.

Him and Salazar shared quarters. Rowena had said because they both liked the dungeons and because she thought they had grown fond of each other. Salazar had scoffed at her and left to clearly mark where Harry was permitted to be in the rooms they shared. Harry spent most of his time avoiding the other man. God only knew what Salazar would do to him if evidence of how far this supposed fondness for each other had grown. "Got it," he mumbled, grabbing the black book and tugging it from place. Another book promptly fell out and landed on his head with a heavy thud and fell open to the floor, screaming. "I swear I didn't mean to!" he shouted when Salazar came storming into the room.

Salazar heard a thud and was already moving when the screaming started. "Damn book," he muttered as he swept into the room. He stopped in the doorway as he watched Harold make shushing motions toward the book, rubbing his head and clutching the book he had been looking for under his arm. Smothering his amusement he swept into the room only for Harold to shout over the screaming that he hadn't meant to do anything. He walked over to the book and kicked it shut before picking it up. "That works better." He solemnly informed the short man without looking at him.

Harry stopped rubbing his head mid-rub and stared at Salazar. "Is that a sense of humor I'm sensing?"

"Don't push it."

"Right," he hastily grinned.

"Your hand is still on your head." Salazar calmly informed him, plucking said hand from off Harold's head.

"Um, here's the book." Harry shoved the book at Salazar.

"I think I preferred you as a ghost. At least then you weren't a hazard to have around." Salazar mumbled as he turned the pages swiftly.

"The book said the goat wasn't necessary." Harry stubbornly said.

"We'll see about that." Salazar bit out. He finally found the ritual and began reading through it. He paused for a moment before looking up at Harry. "You realize this is a book that dark lords would kill for, yes?"

"Yeah," he looked expectantly at Salazar.

"The rituals were designed to help the dark lords amplify their magic as well as return to a body and implement their power in it if they were ever killed or horribly maimed." Salazar breathed harshly. "Usually a weak witch, the spouse of the dark lord, would perform the ritual. She would be the sacrifice that the "optional" goat was for." he ground out.

"Huh?"

"You still don't get it?" Salazar demanded. He pinched the bridge of his nose harshly, his finger tips turning white as well as the skin of his nose as he applied more and more pressure.

"Helga's right! You are going to break your nose! Stop!" Harry demanded, moving closer and pulling Salazar's hand forcefully away from his face.

"You fool man! You could have killed me if i had been weaker. The caster was meant to be a sacrifice so their blood could be used to fill the veins of the body! Not to mention some type of damnable bond was created because the SPOUSE of the receiver of the ritual was to perform the ritual. But I'm to bloody powerful for the spell to have drained me." Salazar practically screamed the word spouse at Harry. He was pacing

Harry blinked and followed the movement. Where was Salazar reading all this? "Where are you getting this information?"

Salazar stopped and stared. "What are you talking about? Right here." He pointed at a blank spot on the page.

"There's nothing there."

"Yes there is." His voice was terse.

"Give the book and I will read to you what I see." Harry grabbed the book and Salazar and using his finger to trace the words he read. He read the whole page. Nothing about a spouse or bond or anything left his lips. Just the fact that the goat was not necessary.

"This is impossible."

"What is?"

"The whole damn thing." He hissed angrily. Harry backed up quickly, eyes wide when Salazar turned on him, eyes blazing. "I have no idea what the repercussions of this are, but you've screwed things up."

"I did what the book said!" Harry insisted. He understood why Salazar was mad, but why was he taking this out on Harry when he had just done what he had read out the book. "Excuse me for not wanting to kill an animal if I didn't have to!"

"Get out of my rooms until I figure out what the hell you have to me and to yourself. GET OUT!" Salazar screamed, ignoring Harry's words.

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A/N: you all probably want to shoot me. But you should've known that:

I suck at updates

I suck at not leaving cliffies

I always have to have a tension of some sort!

Yeah…I think you all can see just for the record how long it took me. But I'll put here at the bottom anyway because I promised and because I deserve a little shame for the long wait. So yeah…4/19. Took me 6 months give or take…I'm a horrible person. Well, I'm gonna go and get a start on a new chapter for ID. Hopefully that'll be up in a few weeks. But you all know how terrible I am when it comes to updating. Just know I'm not dead.