A few days later Salazar was called to the Great Hall. He was required to dress for official business and that made him nervous. He entered the room standing straight and waited by the guards to be called.
"This isn't anything bad." The guard whispered.
Salazar nodded to him but he was still unable to speak. At ten years old he was mature for his age but he still hated official stuff. A few minutes later Richard finished the business he had already been working on and then he called Salazar.
"Salazar son of Slytherin welcome to my home." Richard opened his arms indicating the hall.
Salazar approached and knelt down with his head bowed, "Thank you My Lord."
"Salazar you and your father have meant a great deal to me." He softened his voice though everyone still heard, "His loss is a grievance upon my heart. To lessen that pain for both of us I am bringing you into my family. I will not take away your name but you will be known as a son of Lord Gryffindor."
"Thank you My Lord." He said just loud enough to be heard. It was all he could do around the lump in his throat.
"You are to be trained in the art of personal defense." Richard continued, "But time will always be set aside for you to continue work in your potions."
"My Lord you are most gracious." Salazar was trying to hold back the tears.
"Time will also be made to learn magic." He finished.
Salazar gasped. Family magics were never shared with outsiders. This was a sign to everyone that Salazar Slytherin was also very much a Gryffindor. His stuttered reply was sincerely felt, "My Lord you… you are… too much for… for my feeble skills of speech."
Richard laughed and stood and pulled Salazar up to stand with him, "I've never heard that one before."
"I don't know what to say." Salazar said into Richard's shoulder as he was pulled into a hug, which he returned with all his strength.
"I know I cannot replace Sanazar in your heart." Richard whispered, "I am just asking you make room for me."
"You have always been there." Salazar replied just as softly, "Since the first time Sanazar brought me I have thought of you as a treasured uncle."
"I never got to be an uncle." He pulled back and looked down at the boy, "I like it."
Godric came to his rescue and pulled Salazar out of the hall. First stop was his bedroom to change clothes. Second stop was the yard to meet his trainer.
"You will not be a soldier or great warrior." The man said with just one look at the boy, "But I can help you protect yourself. My name is Rowan Stergis."
"What do I call you?" Salazar thought back to his first time with Sanazar. Back when he was the potion master rather than the father he had become soon after.
"Rowan is fine." He waved him off, "I won't be your sword master or anything because you are not built for that."
"What am I built for?" Sal asked as Ric took a seat to watch the fun.
"You remind me of the stories my grandfather told me of Assassins from old countries." He grinned, "Lean and shadowy all stealth and stalking."
"Sounds like how you hunt." Ric offered with a chuckle.
"I do." Sal could admit it, "Meat tastes better if it's not been run into the ground."
Rowan laughed, "That it does. We shall start with how to hold a dagger."
Training with Rowan would last the entire time he lived in the castle. If you keep up your training you won't forget anything when you were in a fight. Many cuts and bruises were experienced and that led Salazar to create potions to heal them quicker with less pain. While he was still trying to invent them he did have a few mishaps.
"What is that smell?" Richard was ready to bust out windows it was so bad.
"Sorry." Salazar entered the Hall and bowed low and stayed there.
"He was experimenting in his room." Godric laughed, "His room smells worse."
"It smells like a very large dung pile." One of the guards offered.
"Sal." Richard sighed, "Did you get rid of it?"
"Yes sir." He answered still bowed.
"Stand up." He chuckled, "How bad is your room?"
"Putrid." He grimace, "Smells much better in here."
"The upper floors are fine." Godric offered knowing he would worry about the Lady Gryffindor.
"Very good." Richard sighed, "Why do you always smell up my hall?"
"Potion fumes are usually heavy, especially when they've been… bad." Salazar offered.
"So maybe the dungeons would be a better place for your lab then my floor." Richard suggested, "Would that be acceptable?"
"Yes." Salazar finally looked up, "That would be great. I could keep the ingredients down there for much longer and they wouldn't be as likely to spoil the potion."
"Keep the recipe for this one." Godric chuckled, "Just think of how an army would react if we put a vat of this in the middle of their camp."
"Even if we tipped it over a hill and let it run down into the camp." Salazar suggested, "It didn't seem to want to seep into the hole I dug for it."
"How did you get rid of it then?" Richard asked.
"I vanished it and then taught him how." Godric grinned, "In return he's going to teach me to make the healing paste."
"Giving up a secret?" Richard lifted an eyebrow.
"I figure it's worth it to get rid of a smelly potion before it fills my room with the odor of a thousand dung heaps." Salazar offered wryly.
"I suppose it is." Richard's booming laugh filled the room.
"Now to try and recreate it." Salazar grinned, "Where in the dungeons do you want me?"
"As far away as you can get." Richard shook his head at the thought of more smells like that.
One year after the death of Sanazar news of a battle reached Gryffindor castle. It came on horseback with two young ladies and a guard of twenty riding fast. They were brought directly into the Great Hall.
"My Lord Gryffindor." The captain of the guard knelt, "I bring desperate tidings from the Lords Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. Invaders from England."
"How long ago?" he asked signaling for his guard to get ready and for his own armor.
"Ten days past." He offered.
"You rode very fast for the ladies." Richard stated.
"We had some interesting help." The captain hesitated.
"I made a device that brought us part of the way." One of the women offered, "It is a magical form of transportation that I invented."
"It isn't very comfortable." The guard offered quietly.
Godric perked up at the idea but kept his peace as his father got ready to leave.
"Godric, you have the castle." He stated, "You know what to do if I don't return."
"Yes Father." He stood and embraced him, something neither usually did in public, "Be safe."
"And you as well son." He let go of Godric and pull Salazar into a hug, "You too my nephew."
"Be safe and victorious uncle." Salazar replied.
Godric waited until they were gone from the castle grounds before he rounded on the two women who were staying for their safety, "What is this travel you have developed?"
"Portkey." The dark haired girl replied, "Takes you miles in just seconds."
"Fantastic." He grinned, "How do you do it?"
"I'm not telling you." She huffed, "Do I have idiot written across my forehead."
Salazar laughed at the two of them and both turned to glare at him. He stifled the laughter and bowed to the young lady, "Dear Lady I am so please to make your acquaintance. My name is Salazar Slytherin, nephew to the Lord Gryffindor. May I be bestowed with your name?"
"Rowena Devonshire, soon to be Ravenclaw." She bowed her head slightly.
"Lovely." Sal turned to the next girl while Godric stuck out his tongue, "And you fine Lady?"
"Helga Hufflepuff." She also bowed her head slightly, "New daughter-in-law to My Lord Hufflepuff."
"Again so lovely." Sal quirked at eyebrow at Godric, "May I present the Heir of Richard Gryffindor, Sir Godric."
"I'm still not teaching you my portkey." Rowena scowled.
"Not even for a paste to heal burns in a few seconds?" Sal offered a trade.
"Healing paste?" Helga perked up, "For burns?"
"Yes madam, I am a Potions Master." He gave his own bow.
"I thought potions only poisoned people." Rowena lifted an eyebrow.
"I can do that too." He admitted, "However I prefer healing to death and destruction."
"He's adopted." Godric offered to the astounded looks from the ladies.
It was well known that Gryffindors were a warrior bunch that loved a good fight. Evidence of that was traveling south at this moment to help a fellow in need.
"That explains the good manners." Rowena sniffed.
Godric's booming laugh was much like his fathers. Soon the other three were laughing. Before long they were the best of friends and would talk of all sorts of things. But the thing that seemed to bring them together was one of Helga's ideas.
"I can't wait until I have children old enough to teach." She sighed, "I was tempted to teach the children at Hufflepuff Castle but it would be looked down on."
"You know that's not a bad idea." Godric sat back in his chair, "If we taught all the children of Scotland how to control their magic they could all work to keep our country safe from invasion."
"But the non-magicals would get jealous." Rowena disagreed.
"We could get other non-magicals to teach their children things too." Salazar offered, "Or we could just keep it a secret. Some of the non-magicals are rather violent."
"Sal..." Godric put a hand on his shoulder.
"They wanted to torture me until I used father's potions to turn the two others magical." Salazar huffed, "I can't make people magical. You're either born with it or not." He was having a hard time hiding his emotions so he stood and left the group.
"Sorry." Godric looked contrite, "Two non-magicals and one magical killed his father a few years ago. That's when father adopted him. He's a good kid but he still struggles with his emotions at times."
By the time the English were routed and sent back home the four friends had solid plans for the school. Now they just needed approval from the families to teach their magics to those who could wield them. Richard was the first one approached.
"A school to teach family magics." He sat back, "I can't decide this for everyone."
"We know." Godric explained, "But we thought if all the magicals of the land knew how to wield the strongest magics we could be at peace and not worry about attacks. They would be stopped before they reach very far in."
"Farmers could protect their crops from thieves." Salazar offered, "That would mean more food available for everyone."
"We could have places where injured were taken and healed by teams of healers." Helga's excitement was contagious.
"Knowledge is power." Rowena stated her argument, "If we share the knowledge we increase our power. Little girls could send the English dogs back to their hovels with just a flick of their wands."
"How much better would our magic be if we were able to build our own wands?" Salazar's newest thought astounded him, "We could have several wands in case one broke."
"How many daggers are you carrying?" Richard stopped to ask Sal.
"Fifteen, why?" he asked clearly confused by the change in topic.
"First more daggers and now more wands." Richard chuckled, "Always with you it's how much can I do with that and how much more can I do with double of that."
"It has served me well." Salazar looked haughty, "I haven't been fully disarmed since I started learning how to wield a dagger."
"Not even when you sleep." Godric chuckled, "Father do you think we have enough to convince a council?"
"I think you might." He agreed, "Where do you propose to have this school?"
"I was thinking we could use our northern castle." Godric suggested, "Far enough from enemy lines that children would be protected.
"Why there? It's a wart on the face of the earth." Richard knew the place. It held their pig farm. They kept it far away because of the smell. He sighed and decided to move the pigs, "What would you call this school?"
"Hogwarts." Godric said as a joke because he too knew what the castle was.
The four of them moved to the castle. Helga's and Rowena's husbands were grateful that they were far from the continuing war. Most especially since they were both carrying the heirs. The quartet found their quarters and made their homes. Salazar took the dungeon since it had worked so well at Castle Gryffindor. Rowena took one tower so that she could watch the stars. Godric also took a tower he was used to sleeping up high. Helga, like Salazar preferred close to the earth. Many of the plants she grew were helpful in the potions he made. The two of them were very close.
Salazar was the youngest, he was four years younger than Godric, six years younger than Rowena and seven years younger than Helga. He was actually younger than their first students. For seven years they built up the school and taught students. It was a potions accident that brought up the issue that would change everything.
"What was that?" Godric met Rowena in the entry way.
"It shook the whole castle!" She responded as Helga appeared at the stairs going to the dungeon.
"Potions accident!" She yelled as she waved the students past.
Godric pushed past them and ran for Salazar's classroom. He used the bubble head charm when the smell got too bad, it was a charm from the Bones family who lived close to the sea. He found the potion still smoking and vanished it. He then levitated the students out to the hall where Helga and Rowena were waiting. He couldn't find Salazar for several minutes. He moved the teacher's desk back to its position and found Sal under it. He picked him up noticing the blood on the floor.
Godric sat by the bed of his best friend and the man he considered a younger brother. He'd been unconscious for three days. The students had all woke up but Salazar was still out. One of his top students had taken the class over in his absence.
"Come on Sal." Godric put a hand on his shoulder, "Nap time is over. We need you back."
"Anything?" Rowena asked.
"No." he sighed.
"Go sleep." She nudged him, "I'll sit with him."
"Ok." He agreed, "If he wakes get me immediately."
"Of course." She promised.
"Why?" Godric stopped at the mumbled words.
"Sal?" he turned back.
"Why do you want to them to get you?" he mumbled.
"Maybe because you've be out for three days." He sat back down and patted the shoulder, "I've been worried."
"What happened?" he asked.
"A potion exploded." He offered.
"Anyone hurt?" he asked as he struggled to sit up.
"Other than you?" Godric chuckled, "No. Knocked them all out but no one was hurt. Do you remember?"
"Yes." He grumbled, "And you're not going to like it."
"What?" he sagged back in his chair.
"McKenny tossed something into Norman's cauldron." He sighed, "I couldn't see what it was and it exploded on contact. I don't remember anything else."
"Were you behind your desk?" Godric asked.
"Yes how did you know?" he asked.
"I couldn't find you for a bit." He scratched his head, "You were under it."
"No wonder I feel like I was ran over by something." Sal sighed, "Where's Helga?"
"Asleep." Rowena offered.
"What time is it?" He finally noticed it was still dark out.
"Around midnight." Godric answered.
"Go to bed." Sal lay back, "We need to have a meeting tomorrow, the four of us."
Helga brought him breakfast the next morning, "About time sleepy head."
"Morning." He mumbled.
"Row and Ric will be here as soon as breakfast is over." She sat the tray down. When he frowned she commented, "They aren't going to be happy?"
"No." he replied.
"The accident was that bad?" she asked.
"No." Sal sighed, "This doesn't have anything to do with it, not really."
Rowena and Godric met them in the hospital and they looked curiously at Sal when he locked the doors and set up wards to keep everyone out.
"Godric, do you remember the first time we met?" Sal asked.
"Of course. You were a wee little thing trotting along behind Sanazar." He grinned, "I think I was twelve."
"When he introduced me as his son, do you remember what your father said?" he asked.
"Yes he seemed surprised that Sanazar had a child, he had thought the boy had died or something." Godric answered looking confused, "But Sanazar said he had adopted you. Memory loss wasn't it?"
"Not anymore." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "My name, the one I was born with is Harry Potter. When I was eleven I started school and was hexed by an older boy. I disappeared from my school and appeared in Sanazar's home."
"A school?" Rowena asked.
"But you were eight!" Godric argued, "You're more than one year younger than me."
"I was eight." He agreed, "The school I went to was in the highlands. It had a really odd name."
"Sal there isn't another school out here." Rowena pointed out.
"I went to Hogwarts." He told them, "In the year 1991."
"What?" all three of the gasped.
"I was hexed and somehow came back in time. I also lost three years and landed here at eight years old." Salazar explained, "I have to find a way back."