I've
done a lot, God knows I've tried
To find the truth, I've even
lied
But all I know is down inside I'm bleeding.
And Super
Heroes come to feast
To taste the flesh not yet deceased
And
all I know is still the beast is feeding.
And crawling on the
planet's face
Some insects called the human race
Lost in time,
lost in space
And meaning.
Lyrics by Rocky Horror Picture Show, "Super Heroes"
Chapter Six
The world around him was empty and just a vast field of nothingness. Draco's Uncle was nowhere to be seen, nothing was heard and the bruises he had received from his Uncle had vanished.
Draco shakily stood up, feeling the ice-cold sensation he had felt just moments ago disappear completely.
"Uncle?" he asked aloud, but no answer came. He was completely alone and he had no idea how to get back to that castle.
"Hello?" he called out, hoping for someone to hear him.
How had he not felt the pain before, but felt it when his Uncle slapped him? And had he really kissed Potter? That was the real thing on his mind. He had kissed Harry-Bloody-Potter!
"Draco, are you alright?" Salazar's voice came from behind him.
He swiveled around to face the oncoming wizard.
"I tried to get here faster but Bellatrix thought it would be amusing to attack me," Salazar said. "Sodding bitch."
Draco stared at him, unsure of what to say. He had allowed himself a moment of weakness not too long ago. All because of this place. How often would he be sent here? Was it because of the potion that he had been brought here again?
"What happened here?" Salazar asked, now facing him.
"Can I ask you some things?" Draco asked, choosing to avoid the question.
"Ask me anything, I'm here to answer you," Salazar answered, which to Draco was very peculiar way to answer his question.
"What exactly do you do up here?" he asked. "I mean, are you just dead, walking around with no purpose?"
"No," Salazar said. "Here, let's take a walk, Draco."
He nodded, and suddenly appeared in a large garden, green, with square hedges, round trees, colorful flowers of pink and red.
"Woah," he said. "How did we get here?"
Salazar motioned for him to walk with him on a large dirt path around the garden. "If you wish to be anywhere here, then you can go. This land is the perfected land of where you come from. It's a place of rest for the dead who have fought in battle."
"And what do you do here?"
Salazar sighed, looking out into a blue-green pond. "Here we're guardians. We're in charge of fate a lot of the time. Each year we're are allowed to change the world in one way. Everything else you do here is just to exist. You fall in love, you live in peace, you have no other responsibilities."
"I thought you said there was no time, how can you change something once a year if there is no time? And what does that mean? You can change anything you wish?" he asked.
"Every Earth year we can change something," the Founder said. "But only a few people can change something a year, and it's usually a collaborative effort, but of course, it doesn't have to be. Most of the time, it's a personal change, but sometimes it can be something huge."
"Have I, I mean I haven't been here for a year, but was I given the chance to change anything?" he asked.
"Yes, you have," Salazar said, a hint of bitterness in his voice. "You were given the choice when you first arrived."
"What did I change?" he asked.
"You never told me," Salazar answered.
He looked up at him, but couldn't tell if he was telling the truth.
"You went back home a few moments ago, didn't you?"
"Yes," he answered. "I did."
"What happened?"
"I...I don't really want to talk about it," he answered. He thought back to the potion, back to that kiss with Harry.
"Are you still with Potter there?" he asked.
"Yes."
"He's not good for you, Draco. I want you to know that. The stories to which you have told me about him. He's a liar, and a manipulator," Salazar told him sharply. Every word seemed to be delicately chosen as if he was telling him the most important thing in the world.
"What do you mean 'stories I've told you'?" Draco asked.
"Potter has hurt you, fought with you, lied to you," Salazar said, he stopped in his tracks. "I don't want you to get hurt from him."
"Why would I allow myself to get hurt with him?" Did Salazar know of Harry's attraction to Draco? And what had he told the Founder about the boy? Was he really a manipulator, did he get him to kiss him somehow by tricking him?
"You don't have to hide your feelings about his type, I know everything," Salazar said.
"His type?" Draco asked. "Are you saying you think I'm gay?"
Salazar turned to him, looking taken aback. "Well, um, Draco, you are aren't you?"
"I don't know! I mean, no… I don't know!" Draco said. "I don't understand anything. I mean I kissed him. How could I bloody kiss a guy?"
Salazar watched him, but didn't say anything.
"I mean, I was sitting there, crying for Merlin's sake! I don't bloody cry! And he just sits down and kisses me like it's nothing. And I didn't stop him! What's wrong with me?"
"There's nothing wrong with you, Draco. You're only are reacting like this because deep down you know you're not supposed to be with him."
He stared at him.
"That's not what he says," he muttered.
Salazar let out a chuckle. "He doesn't want you, he's using you."
"Why?"
"To humiliate you."
Nothing made sense. Was it Salazar who was lying or Harry? Why would Salazar be so passionate about saying all of this? Why would Harry lie? To humiliate him didn't seem to make much sense.
"You okay?" Salazar asked him. "Do you want to sit down?"
"Sure." He nodded.
They sat on a bench in the center of the garden surrounded by shading trees and bright colored birds.
"You know what, I want to forget all of this for right now," Draco said. He'd know soon enough when the potion started working, or if it started working now that he was in this world. "Tell me something."
"What?"
"Tell me about yourself. I've read a lot about the battles you were in, and the troubles you had with Hogwarts, but tell me about your life or something," he muttered.
"Well, I guess I could do that," Salazar said, a smile on his lips. "I could tell you about how Godric, Helga, Ravenclaw and I started Hogwarts."
"Ravenclaw?" he asked, raising an eye. "Why do you call her by her last name?"
"That's part of the story, though I don't always call her Ravenclaw anymore," Salazar said, and then he began. "Helga and I were friends long before I had ever met Godric and his girlfriend. She looked up to me a lot, and as my best friend she would do nearly anything I asked her. I can truthfully say now a lot of what I did then wasn't exactly friendly, but she stayed true to me all the same.
"It was a day when I was up to no good that we met the two of them. I was trying to sabotage Helga's relationship with a boy named Herrick. Because well, I had a crush that would flair up in jealousy every time I saw them.
"I was in the middle of telling Helga that I found Herrick making out with someone else at the Christmas party when these two walked up to us. One was smiling and the other was blank faced. It was Godric who was smiling, but as he came up to us, I could at once identify that it wasn't a happy smile.
"'Helga?' Godric had asked.
"'Yes?' she said.
"'I wanted to tell you that Herrick was sorry he couldn't make it to the Christmas party,' Rowena said. Her eyes stared at me, and she was laughing, mocking. She had overheard my conversation with Helga and ruined everything.
"Helga looked at me, and in an instant, she slapped me across my face, 'Damn you Salazar!' she said. 'How dare you! Why are you always doing this to me?'
"What could I say to her except that I was in love? Rowena and Godric told me how rotten I was for doing this to my friend, how I should be ashamed. I had never talked to these two before in my life, and yet here they were, judging me. Even though it wasn't my first time in meeting them, it turns out it wasn't Helga's first time in talking to them.
"She told me they were her friends from her Charms class. At this time we all studied at small private schools. They were so small in fact that there were possibly only ten students in a class at once. It was utterly dismal.
"Well, we got to talking. Over the next few days the two hung around us, keeping an eye on me and watching out for Helga. Over time we began to form a friendship, except that Rowena was always against me, and she had her strings attached to Godric who would always give in to her.
"We discussed things like magic, and how we wished there was a real place we could learn to study. We discovered our talents. And what rare talents they were, we were beyond any wizard of our age, any wizard that we ever studied. This is when we decided to come up with Hogwarts.
"At first everything ran smoothly. We set up four houses, one for each of us, of course the over shadowed Helga almost didn't get her house, which pissed Ravenclaw off to no end. She blamed me for everything that went wrong. Any problem I had with anything was always taken out of proportion. She told me I shouldn't even bother to teach at the school.
"I believe it was because she was worried about what I was capable of. I was more powerful than even her boyfriend, and I had strong beliefs. If I wanted something I'd get it. But Ravenclaw was also strong-headed as well as very bright. She stopped my plans before I could even begin them.
"Eventually it was as if I was being pushed out of the school. Godric was forced to side with his girlfriend, and Helga could never stand up to such a woman as Ravenclaw. So I turned from the castle before I could be turned away.
"Of course, I left surprises for Ravenclaw around the school. Including the most specific thing she had forbidden me to make, The Chamber of Secrets. I got back at her in very discreet ways, just my way to shove it in her face that I still had more power than she could imagine.
"We ended up meeting back up again many years later in a war. By then we had forgotten our petty little differences. Of course, I still never really forgave her for everything she did to me, and we have an occasional brawl here or there. She still likes to point me out when I do stupid things, but at this point, she's probably lying." Salazar smiled. "Thus endith the story."
"Why would she lie?" Draco asked.
"Because she's just out to get me back now, for everything I did at the school," Salazar said.
He nodded, taking in the story. He had no idea what a controlling person Rowena was.
"Have you ever gotten together with Helga?" he asked.
"What?" Salazar asked bewildered. "Why would I do that? Helga is my friend!"
"But, you said...that you...err, loved her, that's why you tried to break Herrick and her up," Draco said.
Salazar let out a hearty laugh, his beautiful face profound in laughter lines. "Don't get me wrong, Helga is very lovely. The only trouble is, she's a woman, and I happen to go for err...well, men. I thought you could have guessed that by now, Draco. You knew it before you forgot everything, you knew right when you met me."
"I erm...Oh," Draco muttered, feeling embarrassed.
"Don't worry about it," Salazar said simply. "I know how you really feel about me, and we'll get to that when you're ready."
How I feel about him? Oh Merlin! I've fucked up everything, he likes me! Just like Harry likes me...Only one of them is lying to me, and I think I know who.
"Have we ever..." Draco started. "I mean, did we ever...kiss or anything?"
Salazar looked at him, his face seemingly glowing. "Yes, we did kiss."
Oh fuck!
"Oh."
He felt the sudden urge to run, and instead of forgetting that impulse, he embraced it, he got off the bench and was running as far as he could before Salazar could ask him where he was going.
He kept running till he didn't recognize anything, He ran till he was surrounded by thousands of houses, all with shingled slanted roofs and rounded windows.
He didn't want to understand his attraction to Salazar or Harry. He didn't even realize he had an attraction to Slytherin until the moment he had started to run. He wanted to remember everything, and he wanted to remember nothing. He wanted the past to be erased, and he just wanted to be alone for a very long time.
He wanted to be alone and not with his family because that was too much to handle. He had too much responsibility when it came to his family. Too much responsibility to the Dark Lord also. What would happen if the Dark Lord found out he was still alive...well that was, if he want back to Earth again.
This being the third time he had been brought to the Honored Land, he still felt like he would never be back alive again, and that was more terrifying than the many other thoughts that filled his head.
He needed answers, now, he needed to know if Salazar was telling the truth. Maybe he could ask Helga and she'd tell him. Or maybe he'd ask Godric and Rowena, they couldn't lie about everything, right? He pictured the castle, and wished himself there.
He appeared inside, right in the middle of a small dining room. Rowena and Godric were seated at a small wooden table, drinking something oddly resembling Butterbeer.
"Draco," Godric said. "Need anything lad?"
"What?" Draco said, disoriented. It was still weird to just think of a place and appear. It was also odd to hear himself being called 'lad' from people who looked the same age as him. They were actually a lot older than 17, so why did they look so young? "Oh, no. I just wanted to ask you a few things."
"Have a seat." Rowena smiled.
Draco seated himself, and Rowena poured him a glass. "It's mead."
He grimaced but took the cup anyway.
"What can we help you with? Who did Bellatrix take you to see?" Godric asked curiously.
"My, erm, Uncle. But I have a few questions about Salazar, and this place."
Rowena's eyes narrowed a moment. "What has Salazar done now? I'm going to murder him, I swear!"
"That's another thing," he said. "When I pinched myself earlier I didn't feel any pain, how come when...erm...Well, never mind."
"Did Salazar hurt you?" Godric asked.
"No, not him," he said softly.
Both their eyes watched him calmly, looking concerned.
"You want to know why you felt pain then and not before?" Rowena asked.
He nodded.
"Well, you can't cause physical pain to yourself. Others can, but they can't kill you, and the wounds immediately heal. The trouble with this could be if you were to be, let's say, tortured it could go on forever because the pain would just keep on coming. To stop this there are Demigods who monitor everyone. They won't stop an occasional brawl, but if things get out of hand..." Rowena explained.
"Why can we feel pain if this is an afterworld? Shouldn't it be peaceful?" he asked.
"The people who died here as I said, aren't necessarily good or bad. It is just a Honored Land where we can do the world justice because we died Honorably. This isn't a real after world. You have to earn your way there, very few do that here, because here is not such a bad place to live."
"Everything is usually very peaceful around here," Godric agreed.
"Except when there's people like Salazar around," Rowena mumbled. "What did he say to you?"
"Wait, before that, I want to know why you four look so young," he said.
"You take this one, Godric," Rowena said.
"Well, you take on whichever form of yourself you choose. We all liked ourselves as young carefree teenagers." Godric laughed. "We had our most fun during that time. And you, because you have only lived for seventeen years had only those years to choose to take your form."
"I see," he said. Then the words came tumbling out of his mouth, "Did I really get together with Salazar? Do you really hate him? Did I really tell him that Harry was a horrible person? Do you all really not know what I changed when I got here?"
"Whoa, whoa, sweetheart, calm down," Rowena said. "You're going to hurt yourself thinking so much."
"I'll do no such thing. Stop calling me sweetheart, and just answer me something!" Draco said desperately.
"Okay...Did we know what you changed. No, we don't know, you didn't tell us you did. Though perhaps you might have told Slytherin," Rowena said humbly.
"He said I didn't," he said.
"Don't trust anything Salazar says," Godric said.
He raised an eye, waiting for their explanation.
"Salazar likes you, a lot," Rowena said. "I think he believes he's in love with you. He's been jealous of this Harry Potter you speak of every since you started to mention him."
"Did I really have a thing with Salazar?" Draco asked.
"To our knowledge you never did," Rowena said. "Salazar wanted to. He tried to get you, but you always told him you only loved one man and that you could never be with him...I think Salazar is telling you a tall tale."
"He's using your memory loss for his advantage," Godric said. "He'll do anything he can to get you. Tell you any lie, he'll promise you the world even if he can't give it to you."
"And as for you saying that Harry was a horrible person, well I have never heard you speak an ill word against your love since you came here."
Draco held his breath. So either Salazar was a very good liar, or these two were. Now he really didn't know what to believe. He wanted to believe Rowena about some things, and in others he wanted to believe Salazar. This want tore at him, making him very confused.
He remembered back to Aiyana's warning, that the spell would make him act on impulses. That must have been why he ran off. Why he asked all these questions. Why he had so easily admitted that he had kissed Harry.
He wanted to see if what Salazar said about Rowena was true.
"Do you hate him?" he asked again.
"Who, Salazar?" Rowena asked. He nodded yes. "I dislike him very much, yes. But hate is a very strong word that I don't often express."
"Do you like Salazar?" Godric asked. "Are you worried about liking him?"
It was as if Godric knew what he was thinking.
"I don't have any idea on what's going on, and the potion for my memory on Earth hasn't kicked in yet," Draco said.
"Someone found you a potion?" Rowena asked.
He nodded.
"It is so strange that you go back to Earth and we don't even know that you are gone," Rowena said. "Who do you think has heard of something like this, Godric?"
Godric thought for a moment, flipping his hair out of his eyes with a shake. "I believe the victims of the veil perhaps. Maybe you should meet them."
"Who?" he asked.
"They are wizards stuck in both realms, only they're case is a bit different than yours," Rowena said.
"Well, if they might know anything, I'd like to meet them," he said. "When can I?"
"I'll make the arrangements; it's not easy to get in to talk with them because they aren't actually here. But I can talk with one of the Demigods and they'll be able to take you themselves."
"Okay, sounds good," he said. "How exactly do you become a Demigod here?"
"You apply for the job, and if you have the right qualities and characteristics, then you may become one," Rowena answered.
"Salazar tried to apply once," Godric said, remembering. "They turned him away. I don't even know what made him think he'd be able to be one."
"Because he doesn't think," Rowena said.
"I resent that, Ravenclaw," Salazar's voice entered the room. He appeared next to the table. "Draco, I wish to speak with you."
Draco nodded, he wanted to speak with him as well. Mostly he just wanted to find out the truth.
--
"Step forward, Severus," a chilling voice called him into the shadows.
Severus Snape was pushed by Peter Pettigrew into the darkness, and when the blinding light went away he could see the shape of the Dark Lords face.
"My Lord," Snape said, bowing low to the floor.
"Get up!" Voldemort ordered.
He sat up, watching the Lords red eyes glaring at him.
"Betrayal, Snape," Voldemort said. "Is something I do not tolerate."
"I have not betrayed you my Lord!"
"You will speak when I tell you to!" Voldemort barked. "Lucius tells me that his son was under your care all of last year. Is this true?"
"Yes, my Lord," he said.
"As it turns out, either his son betrayed you as well Severus, or young Mister Malfoy and yourself were perfectly aware of Draco's activities all of last year. Just imagine, Draco Malfoy promising me Harry Potter's dead body, and instead brings me a device that would destroy me."
He held his breath, waiting for more accusations.
"What do you have to say for yourself?"
Snape stared at him for a moment; when had he ever been given the chance to explain himself to the Dark Lord.
"Severus, my patience grows thin. If you do not answer I will have to assume it is the latter of my assumptions, and you will of course be killed."
"I did not know of Draco's actions. He told me that he planned a game with Potter. This game was supposed to destroy Potter. He lost contact with both me and my wife when he disappeared off to Potter's house over the vacation. Potter has mind powers like you have never seen, he has grown well in Occulamency."
Snape said the lie, and laughed inwardly. The thought of Potter actually succeeding at Occulamency was very laughable.
"He must have turned Draco against us. I had no idea! I would never betray you, my Lord. Lucius Malfoy is jealous. He has always wanted my place next to you. He will try to say anything to get rid of me."
There was a moment of silence as Voldemort thought. "I know, Severus. Lucius is a man of great talents, but his envy has proven to be a great hindrance at times. This is why I gave you a chance to speak, and I never will again, Severus. If you screw up again - if I understand you are in league with that crack pot old fool, then you will be killed without a second thought." Voldemort laughed. "Albus Dumbledore as a woman, it suits him."
Snape's straight face almost wavered, and he stared at Voldemort.
He knows! Severus thought.
Snape realized he had to speak before Voldemort questioned him. "Albus Dumbledore is a what?" he asked, catching himself.
If Voldemort knew, then that changed a lot of things with their plans, Aiyana needed to know immediately.
--
As he followed Salazar away from the dining room and down a long corridor in the castle he began to worry about the potions effects. If he were to act on impulses – and he could feel his urges beginning to grow stronger – then what could happen here?
"I didn't mean to frighten you off," Salazar said. "I just wanted you to know the truth about us."
"You're a fucking liar. We've never done anything," Draco shouted, unable to control himself. "And I should know, I'm a Slytherin myself, I know all about sabotage and manipulation. Potter wouldn't lie or manipulate. But you would, you're notorious for it."
Salazar watched him. "Rowena has gotten to you I see."
"No! I've gotten to me! I know all about your type! I grew up with one, I am one! We're bastards and we're evil. And I know you're lying to me."
Salazar looked amused.
"Well, tell me Draco," Salazar said. "Is it not what you wanted to hear? You don't want to want Potter."
"I don't want to want you either," he said.
"Don't tell me you don't find me sexy," he said coyly.
Draco wanted to decline, but the truth was, Salazar really was very good looking. "Yes, I do. But I find Potter sexy too, and it's creeping me out!" Draco said. Why did I just say that?
Salazar smiled smugly, then reached out to touch him.
Draco backed away, he wanted to know what his touch was like, but it frightened him far too much. Salazar kept moving towards him, backing him into a wall. His curiosity to know what it was like to feel this boy on him was getting to be a bit too overwhelming.
As his back hit the wall, in the same moment something clicked in his brain, he forgot all about his dignity and only wanted to feel Salazar's lips on his.
Salazar met his kiss halfway, both of their eyes shut and not surprised that it was happening.
As their lips clashed together, Draco felt an immediate sense of wrongness wash over him. He pushed Salazar away and moved passed him feeling sick, and not just revolted. His head was spinning, but it wasn't because he was about to pass out.
Images were flooding into his head as he sank to his knees on the hard floor. Images of Harry and himself. Images of the Dragon Games. Everything, absolutely everything from his time on Earth was flooding back to him. Every feeling, every word, every moment, every perfect kiss came back to him.
When the images stopped, he still couldn't move. Couldn't speak. Everything was right and wrong at the same time.
He had just kissed Salazar Slytherin. He had just cheated on his love. And Salazar was watching him, and he wanted nothing more than to be back in Harry's arms.
"Draco?" Salazar asked.
"Do not touch me ever again," Draco hissed.
He couldn't stand to look at him. He couldn't stand how awful he was feeling. How he had treated Harry over the past few days...What had just happened, and how in a really bad way he still found the bastard Slytherin sexy. What was he going to do?
What am I going to tell Harry?
A/N:
I hope you enjoyed, please R&R tell me what you think about everything that is happening.