Reviews

Zeehana: I'm so glad you are enjoying it! There's so much more to come trust me!

Blackraven4400: Thank you! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Littleredloser3101: Hahaha, yes you weren't the only one calling Salazar a Jerk! Poor Salazar, he had his own reasons though! Thank you dear!4

Guest - Thank you so much for your kind review! I hope you will like this next installment.

Moi: - Hablas español?! LOL My spanish isn't that good unfortunately. But I do understand what is being said to me, I just can't reply in Spanish. I think since the times aren't as safe for witches and wizards, there would be wards around the school as a safety measure. At least that is what I am applying in this story. It could also be because Hogwarts is not yet the Hogwarts Hermione is acquainted with.

I get really upset when you review because this silly website only shows guests reviews like two days later after they have reviewed! *throws rocks at fanfiction . net* But the wait is totally worth it! I love reading your reviews, they make my day really.

...

Tsukuyomu - I love you dear! Once again thank you so much for your lovely input and for BETAing this chapter.

Merlin's Pants, Help Me!

Chapter VII

A disaster. That was what he was. What all of his men were. How could they have been so easily defeated by a mere witch? He had not sensed anything special about the wench, but now he could clearly see that casting her aside, just because she was young and irrelevant to their mission, had been one big mistake. Just who was she? She had to be someone of great importance to Slytherin. He always travelled alone.

He shook in sheer anger and threw the glass he was holding against the wall. The few men that were sitting about were startled by his outburst but quickly paid him no mind as they went back to drinking, still grieving over the loss of their companion.

The tavern's door opened and a bell rang loudly; however, the tavern's occupants were too busy drinking and chatting with one another to notice the small, shy man who entered. His hair was dirty and reached his shoulders. The clothes he wore, filthy and his hands held onto a hat. His boots were worn out and completely filled with mud and by the horrible stench he was emitting, horse dung.

His eyes scanned the crowd until he finally found the man he was looking for. It was not like the man was hard to miss anyways. Jonathan always had his hood pulled up, shrouding his face in shadows, in order to hide his monstrous face. He had never seen it himself, the full expanse of the curse he had been hit with, but he had seen small glimpses of it, and knew enough. He approached his table and coughed, clearing his throat in order to get the man's attention.

"What do you want, you diminutive scoundrel?" Jonathan barked out, sounding to be in a foul mood, not that he had ever heard the man in anything but a foul mood. It was as if a Dementor had sucked everything good out of the man's soul, leaving behind only abhorrence and resentment.

"He is here."

The tavern's bell rang loudly again barely muffling the loud chatter inside the tavern and a lone figure stepped inside. The figure regarded the men around the tavern with a look of repulsion. The man was quite tall with broad shoulders, his hair short and blonde with a few grey streaks visibly apparent. His eyes were a powerful intense blue, and he wore a beautiful long green cloak that hid his perfectly immaculate white tunic. Unlike his messenger, his leather boots were spotless. He was the perfect definition of a misfit.

With a short nod that the messenger knew to be his sign of dismissal, he left the two men, and scampered off.

"Who are you?" Jonathan asked, trying to keep his tone neutral, but failing at it for it came out more of a command than a question.

The man seemed to be completely unaffected by it and sat himself down while slowly removing one of his gloves.

"You are a lucky man," the male started off as he inspected his surroundings. He spotted a few men stealing glances at him, no doubt trying to analyze whether he was a threat or not. "These…curs seem quite keen in having you as their master."

"Again…who are you?" Jonathan asked, this time sounding terse. He had always prided himself in being a man who was extremely hard to track down, yet here was this man, appearing to have found him effortlessly. He must be losing his touch, or there was something more to this man than what his appearance outwardly projected.

"I have only been in Dufftown for approximately a day and I already find it to be quite remarkable," the man all but ignored him and continued, "had I known of its charm and fascinating…inhabitants, I would have come ages ago." The man ended, every word heavily drenched in sarcasm.

Jonathan said nothing but slowly and discreetly reached for his wand when the man resumed his speech, "I suppose I have you to thank…for extending this invitation."

"I will not ask again. Who are you?" Jonathan asked as he pointed his wand at the blonde-haired male. He watched as the man stared at him, unimpressed with his silent threat, or if he was frightened at having a wand pointed at him, he did not show it.

"Oh. You are a smart man. I am sure you know who I am. I am an intelligent man myself you see, so let me tell you what my spies have told me about you, Jonathan. Right now, you think you are in a good spot, having filthy muggles follow you around like the dogs they are," the man paused and smirked, removing his remaining glove. "You gathered yourself a little family and your ultimate goal is to kill Godric Gryffindor and anyone close to him. What I do not understand is what for? To get control over the school?"

Jonathan opened his mouth to interrupt but the man did not allow him.

"So in an act of true despair, you reach out to the one man on this earth who hates Godric Gryffindor more than you do. But I could not understand what you hoped to gain by targeting Salazar. Yet knowing who I am, you dared to call me, the one they call the slayer, the one who's burnt cities far more charming than this one to the ground. That shows courage, and I value courage." he said, a cunning smirk slowly appearing on his face. "So let me make you a promise, here and now: you can have the school, you can even be the one to kill that damned Gryffindor boy, but first, you will tell me who the woman that travels with my son exactly is."

Hermione did not trust herself to speak. This woman was Helga Hufflepuff! She knew from the moment Salazar promised her he would escort her to Hogwarts that she would eventually meet with the remaining founders, but to be on top of a horse clinging tightly onto Helga Hufflepuff made her realize how easy it was to forget the life you had lead before. The past days–or was it weeks?–she had lost all sense of time. It had been almost as if she had moved on, like a part of her had accepted that this was her life now, although, there was still a tiny little voice nagging at her constantly, repeating the same phrase, like a chant: she could not stay.

And then his voice, strong and determined, assured her that she had come to be here for a reason. She knew him to be right, deep down in her heart, she knew it.

Her mind jumped and danced from thought to thought; Harry and Ronald. Were they alright? They were probably worrying and searching for her. She shook her head and bit her lower lip hard enough to make it bleed. Don't think about it, she repeated in her head. She knew that if she gave reign to her feelings, everything would pour out of her.

Her inner confusion suddenly disappeared as the hills gave way and allowed her to take a good look at the castle that one day would grow to be the magnificent Hogwarts she had attended. Even from a distance, Hermione could tell that the clock tower was missing; it would probably be added later on in the future. The castle seemed to be smaller as they got closer and she figured it was only normal and logical. She could not wait to get inside and start exploring. I should write a journal of everything while I am here, she thought excitedly.

Helga stopped the horse in the viaduct courtyard and extended a helping hand to Hermione, who missed it entirely as she stared at the small building that would, with no doubt, lead them to the Great Hall. Memories of her first year came to her and she could just picture Professor McGonagall standing by the Chamber of Reception looking down at all of them with a stern look on her face right before their sorting.

"Hermione?"

Blinking, she turned to look at the expectant blonde-haired woman who was eyeing her with a curious look on her face.

"Oh, I'm sorry." She mumbled and quickly accepted Helga's extended hand.

Helga smiled and Hermione simply followed her. She looked around at her surroundings carefully and as they finally walked inside, Hermione's stomach was in knots. She did not remember walking, or even how long they had walked. A sudden and unexplainable feeling of anger was taking over her and it was only when they walked by an empty Great Hall that the reason for her anger became clear to her. She was angry at herself.

She wanted Salazar to be correct in his assumptions as an excuse for her to stay. Even if a part of her agreed with him, even if she wanted to stay here and learn–and she knew that there was plenty of wonderful things for her to learn–she was angry at herself for forgetting her plan to find a way to get back home, her plan to go back to her own time.

The Room of Requirements. It should be her ticket home.

And suddenly, there it was. The place where it all begun. She was walking right past it. There was no mistaking it. She could feel it in the air around her, feel the powerful magic pulling at her so viciously, as if daring her to use it again.

The question was: did she dare?

Hermione…

Harry's voice!

The bushy-haired witch came to an abrupt halt and stared at the stone wall, eyes wide in alarm. She did not see the blonde-haired woman stop and turn around to look at her.

Hermione…

Hermione!

"Hermione?"

She jumped at the sudden weight of a heavy hand on her shoulder and found herself turning to look at a dark-haired man. She blinked, the spell or whatever was, had now been completely broken. She noticed Helga by his side and nodded slowly, "Yes. You are?" she asked, feeling slightly lightheaded, wishing to be far away from this particular hallway. By the confused looks on their faces, she realized she had used English but before she could translate it into Latin, the man all but introduced himself.

"I am Godric Gryffindor, I have heard of you from Salazar." He spoke, his voice sounded so perfectly composed, which was so very unlike his appearance. The man looked like he was about to faint any time soon.

She nodded and smiled, "It is a pleasure to meet you sir. I have heard from you as well."

"Yes, she probably has. And I assure you Godric; none of it came from me."

Hermione quickly whirled around and a mix of all sort of feelings hit her at once. It was wonderful to see him again and she was shocked at such a revelation. They had only been a day apart; surely something was wrong with her? Ah, yes of course! It was only logical of her to miss the only person she was most acquainted with in this era. Yes, that was it!

"I must be quite famous then," Godric added with a playful smile, which instantly lit his features making her forget just how miserable he had looked a second ago. "It is not every day that Salazar brings family home. I hope you will like it here and adapt to the local language as well our customs."

Helga blinked. Family? She took a better look at the young witch. She was Salazar's family? She did not believe it one second and surely Godric did not either. Were they hiding something from her? It would not be the first time that they would keep her out of their little secrets. The girl looked to be just as confused as Helga was but she recovered quickly and a smile was now in place to hide her initial surprise.

"Ah yes. Salazar was most kind when he offered his assistance. When he told me of Hogwarts," Hermione looked at Salazar; his eyes were filled with mirth. No doubt enjoying himself as she struggled to lie, "I immediately wished to come and see for myself."

Godric nodded, "It is settled then." He said and then looked at his friend, "I trust you will see Hermione to her room, she must be exhausted."

There was suddenly a strangled silence making Hermione fidget slightly. She was no fool; she could almost feel the painful and strong tension that surrounded the four of them. So she forced herself to nod in agreement, "Yes, that would be lovely." She replied, not being able to shake the feeling that she was anything but welcomed.

"Well then," Godric bowed his head shortly, avoiding eye contact with the young woman. Instead he turned his gaze on Salazar and pinned him with a glare, "until next time." He added and swiftly whirled around, leaving them behind.

Helga frowned, unsure of what was happening. As usual, she thought bitterly. She too bowed slightly to Hermione and Salazar, "If you will excuse me." She hastily added before she turned around to follow Godric.

"That went well, do you not agree?" Salazar asked as he moved a hand to her back, steering her around.

"You didn't tell him?" she asked, frowning deeply as she allowed him to lead her down the hallway.

"You expected me to do so? To tell him that you are not of this time?" he asked and shook his head, "No, Hermione. I did not. And you would do well to keep that just between us."

"I do not understand." She said, blinking as she looked up at him. "Surely, you are aware that he knows that we are lying?"

He shrugged his shoulders, "Trust me, little one. If he knew the truth, he would not be as welcoming as he was just a few seconds ago."

For a while they walked in silence. Hermione's thoughts went back to Godric's behavior and then Salazar's words. Did he not trust Godric to keep her secret? A cold shiver suddenly licked her spine; maybe it was not that he did not trust Godric with the secret, but rather that he feared what Godric would do with it?

"Hermione."

She looked up at Salazar; a questioning look on her tired face.

"I must apologize…" he paused and frowned as he looked down at her."I was needed here and I…" he paused again, struggling to come up with words.

A smile slowly appeared on her features and she moved a hand to his arm, "I know you had your reasons." She said and watched as he looked relieved, "You really need to work on your apologies, though."

He chuckled and ran a hand through his hair. "A Slytherin never apologizes. I grew up hearing those words so I am not very good at apologizing," he quietly added. "Ah! Here we are. I had one of the servants prepare this room for you."

Hermione's breath caught in her throat as she stared at the beautifully furnished room. There was a double bed between two large windows, one of which seemed to have a balcony. She noticed a chair where several dresses rested. She looked to her left, spotting a fire that was lit and a tub with steam coming from it. She walked inside, not noticing that Salazar remained outside by the door. She smiled happily when she noticed some towels, soap and a proper comb settled on top of a chest of drawers. There was a small mirror as well and she slowly took it, gasping loudly at her reflection.

"I look like a banshee!" she exclaimed out loud only then remembering that Salazar was still there. She quickly whirled around and blushed, "I probably smell too!"

He smirked at her, "You want my honest opinion?"

"No thank you."

He chuckled and shook his head, "I will leave you then. Rest and I shall collect you in the morning."

She nodded and motioned him to leave with her hand as she turned her full attention towards the bath tub.

When she opened the door, Salazar barely recognized her. The young woman had her hair up in a firm ponytail; her wild hair now tamed. She was looking undeniably recuperated, the new dress adapted well to her slender body. He nodded in approval. "Much better," he informed her, only to have her roll her eyes back at him. It pleased him how she was not vain like most women he knew.

"So, I couldn't really sleep last night." She confessed and he thought it to be quite obvious as she still looked quite exhausted, "And I was thinking that you should provide me with details of your little lie in order to make it more…convincing."

He raised his brows in surprise, "You needn't worry about it. By now, the entire castle knows that you are Hermione Granger, your mother was Laoghaire Slytherin and married into the Granger family from Prussia–which is where you hail from." He said, all the while looking at her.

"Is there even a Laoghaire Slytherin?" she asked curiously.

He smirked, "Does that even matter?" he replied as he led her down another corridor.

"Well I suppose not."

He suddenly came to a stop and Hermione could hear all the noise that was going on behind the closed doors, "I believe you are well acquainted with the Great Hall, no?" he asked her, teasingly. And then without waiting for her reply, he pushed the door open and she was suddenly taken aback at the sight before her.

There were children and teenagers sitting about; eating and chatting to their hearts' contents. She noticed that none wore uniforms, thus preventing her from identifying which person belonged to which house. However, that didn't seem to be a concern in this time period, as she had the feeling that there was no prejudice between the four houses.

Not yet anyway, she thought darkly. It was a beautiful sight to contemplate and she was happy to be here and witness it.

Salazar walked her to a table that she was well familiar with: the professors' table. She noticed that unlike in her time, all of the chairs were of the same size, including Godric's and Helga's which led her to believe that they did not see the need to distinguish themselves from the others with them at the table. She found her cheeks heating as every man and woman sitting at the table stopped conversing as she and Salazar approached.

"You must be Hermione!" a dark-haired handsome man chimed in, breaking the awkward silence. "I am Frederic; it is a pleasure to finally meet you."

Hermione realized he was introducing himself and making use of her very limited vocabulary, she nodded at him, "Well met." She added quietly and quickly sat down.

Frederic blinked, and it was only then, when Helga leaned close to him to whisper something in his ear, that he realized why the woman had looked so embarrassed.

Noticing her embarrassment, Salazar took a piece of bread and offered it to her, "Eat." He commanded simply, not noticing the appreciative look on her face. She slowly took the bread and began eating, smothering all of the other voices and firmly ignoring the curious stares. She noticed the two empty seats, one which no doubt belonged to Godric and the other to the woman she had yet to meet: Rowena Ravenclaw.

A sudden loud ruckus made her gaze ahead as students gathered and appeared to be yelling something.

"They are begging for a song," Salazar whispered in her ear when a young red-haired girl stood up on her chair, quieting the crowd almost instantly.

She looked at him in bewilderment and then back at the child. She couldn't be more than what? Twelve? Thirteen? She suddenly felt great admiration for the girl. She would never be able to stand in the spotlight, much less sing to an audience.

The girl opened her mouth and the voice that came out was powerful and beautiful.

"Sing me a song of a Lass that is gone…"

Hermione jumped, startled at the hot breath close to her ear. She relaxed and her smile widened when she realized he was translating for her.

"Say could that Lass be I?

Merry of soul, she sailed on a day,

Over the sea to Skye,

Billow and Breeze, Islands and seas,

Mountains of rain and sun,

All that was good, all that is fair

All that was me is gone.

Sing me a song of a Lass that is gone,

Say could that Lass be I?"

The little girl finished her song and the entire hall erupted into cheers and clapping. She was blushing and bowed as she faced the professors' table.

"We stick together as one," Rowena said, her big dark eyes looking at the other three standing before her.

"Always," Helga replied, a wide grin plastered on her beautiful features.

"And forever," Godric added quietly as his gaze fell on the abandoned castle.

Slowly, the three turned their heads to glance at the blonde-haired male. He was looking straight ahead with his jaw set firmly. Everyone wondered what Salazar was thinking about. They knew it had been extremely difficult for him to leave his family behind. As the sole heir to an entire clan and without any siblings, he could not have parted in good terms.

"Yes," Salazar replied at last, "That we shall." his voice cracked with emotion.

Rowena smiled and playfully punched his shoulder, "What? Is baby Sal going to cry?" she asked teasingly.

Salazar stiffened and glared at her, "Do not be silly, woman!" he retorted with a snort and quickly marched forward, leaving the other three behind with knowing smiles on their faces.

Helga chuckled lightly, "You tease him too much, Rowena."

The dark-haired woman only shrugged, "Oh but it is so much fun to tease him, dear Helga."

As Rowena remained plunged in nothing but darkness, she examined the scene more carefully. The nostalgic smile that had been previously on her face now faltered. Her eyes fell on Salazar's broad back as he marched towards the castle. For some unsettling reason, she knew that those words they spoke before would not hold to be true.

The scenario changed once more and now she saw herself, leaning against the door to Godric's study. She remembered this day all too well. Salazar had arrived with terrible news–muggles were hunting them down: witches and wizards. This time, she walked past herself as she knew this only to be a memory and stepped inside the room.

"They are burning our kind!" Salazar exploded ferociously. "And you say we should do nothing!?"

Godric dragged his chair backwards and instantly jumped to his feet, a stern look on his face. "What do you propose Salazar? Have us go out there and kill every single one of them?! I will not bring more violence and death–"

"It is because of people like you, that those filthy muggles have lost faith, and in that loss, they no longer know who they should fear!"

The look of shock on Godric's face was one of a kind. He looked at Salazar as though he no longer recognized him. "By the Gods, Salazar! Do you hear yourself?"

Once again the scene changed and Rowena found herself in her chambers but she was not alone.

"Now you will tell me what has been bothering you," Rowena's tone was final; it left no room for discussion. Helga had been acting out of sorts ever since Salazar had returned from whatever it was that was doing nowadays. Salazar's absence in Hogwarts was becoming far too noticeable and they could no longer pretend that they were all falling apart.

"I did not sign up for this, Rowena," Helga's voice was cracking and tears were welling up in her eyes. "I did not!"

"If you will just tell me what is wrong then I am sure we can–"

"Everything is wrong! Everything! He knows…Oh Rowena, he knows!"

Rowena was rendered speechless. Surely, she did not mean that Salazar was aware of Helga's affections? But the look on the other woman's face said it all.

"You confessed," Rowena deadpanned.

"I did, and oh! What a fool I was! I knew he could never feel the same and now…now I ruined it. He will never look at me the same."

"Helga…" she started quietly as she approached her, wrapping her arms around the blond-haired woman and hugging her tightly, "It will pass. The pain you are feeling now…it will come to pass, and then you will find love again. I am sure."

Her friend sobbed loudly, "I do not want to find love again…I just wish to know…what is so wrong about me? Am I not good enough?" Another sob wracked her body, "I come from a good family Rowena and I–"

"Oh Helga, it is not that…don't doubt yourself my friend."

The scene suddenly dissipated away and she was once again left in nothing but darkness. "Please…please stop this…what is the point in all of this?"

"Do you not wish to see what is yet to come, child?"

The voice that spoke in her mind sent shivers down her spine. She knew the dangers of seeing, of knowing the future. She knew she should decline the offer, she knew it with all her heart, but she could not find it in herself to refuse in the end.

"I wish it." She whispered quietly.

"Then see for yourself. How all of you will fall."

…

"What did you do!?" Godric's angry tone echoed into the Great Hall.

…

"I don't believe you!" Helga whispered. She then whirled around, a fierce look on her face. "He is not gone…he cannot be!"

…

"Do you really think I care for an instant about the bloody muggles!? I will hunt all of you till your end!" Salazar shouted, scaring away all the children, "Do you hear me!? DO YOU!?"

…

"He is gone, Hermione. And there was nothing I could do to stop it."

Rowena woke with a start, gasping for breath, her entire body soaked in her own sweat and as she looked at the man hovering over her, she could not help but think. Who the bloody hell is Hermione?

A/N: So I was really insecure about this chapter. But thanks to my lovely beta for making my worries go away! ALSO 100+ followers, it's like a dream come true. I am so glad that I actually have people reading this story. Since this is my first story, it means a big deal to me.

Also a big thanks for the reviews and positive feedback. Keep it coming! :)