Chapter Four
Luna and Ginny shared a look. "Come in." Luna called, directed at the door.
The door opened with the rattle of a handle and a creak. Hermione stepped through, followed by a dark figure.
Eleanor looked up. "S-Salazar?" She croaked. Her weakened voice made him flinch.
Hermione stood aside and waited for him to move. He was still. She rolled her eyes huffily. "Go." She hissed, pushing him forward. He glared at her and she smiled sweetly.
Salazar almost scowled at the younger witch. His eyes connected with Eleanor's from across the room and he felt at a loss. He tentatively stepped forward, the other two unknown witches in the room moving aside.
"Eleanor... I'm sorry, so sorry." He pulled her close to him in a swift movement, taking in her scent before planting a kiss on her forehead as she leant against him, sobs wracking her frail body.
"Oh, Salazar, you have no idea how much it hurt..." She whispered, clutching at his robes. "I'm sorry. I-I had to..."
Hermione looked up suddenly. That was something they hadn't thought of. She cleared her throat, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment as the pair of lovers pulled apart, looking at her questioningly. "Err, I have to ask, I'm sorry. But, how are we going to deal with the arranged marriage? We can hardly tell your muggle parents that you've gone off an married some teacher at a wizarding school." She pointed out in a clipped tone.
Eleanor looked up at Salazar. "Oh, Merlin, Salazar..."
He was still staring at Hermione. "You – you can help." He said, releasing Eleanor and striding over to the brunette look-a-like.
"I know." She said, sharing the same thought pattern.
"You look like her." He observed, scrutinising her. "Maybe we could make your hair permanently blonde... Rowena would know something about that –"
"NO! You can't possibly – Hermione!" Ginny protested, stopping Slytherin mid-sentence. "You will NOT! I forbid it!"
Hermione sighed and turned to her best friend. "Whatever it takes, Ginny. Remember? We said we'd do anything for them. And I guess this falls under that category."
"Them?" Both Salazar and Eleanor asked, looking confused.
"Uh, don't worry." Hermione covered. "I'm sorry, Gin, but I must. Whatever it takes." She said, watching as her friends' eyes began to water.
Luna hugged her tightly. "It's not the only way, Hermione." She reasoned.
"Yes, well, I can hardly murder some poor unsuspecting muggle." She said, looking down at the blonde.
"But you don't even know the bloody muggle!" Ginny protested.
"That has nothing to do with it." She said loudly, looking pointedly at Ginny. Whatever it takes. Her eyes found Salazar's. "How are we going to do this?"
The plan was simple. They'd worked it out in that little room that night. Hermione was going to get Rowena Ravenclaw to dye her hair permanently blonde and she would follow Eleanor around secretly for a week, learning the names and mannerisms of the people she knew. And then, a week after that, she would replace Eleanor completely and the two lovebirds would marry.
It was simple.
Hermione straightened her dress, taking a deep breath. "I'm ready to do this." She told herself as she waited for Rowena in Salazar's chambers the next morning.
"Why are you doing this?" Salazar enquired, looking at her curiously. Her brown eyes were frantic, a thousand thoughts racing behind them, and her small hands were wringing together in an all too familiar attempt to calm herself.
She looked up, watching as he leant against the wall casually. She couldn't help but notice his muscular figure. Who knew Salazar Slytherin would be so attractive? She blushed at the thought and cleared her throat. "Well... it's just that I-I come from a place where the outcome of this situation is going to affect everyone I love." She explained carefully.
He raised a dark eyebrow at her. "How?" Such a simple question.
She sighed. "I can't say."
"Why not?" He asked, looking all the more intrigued. This witch was fascinating.
"Because... well, it'd ruin everything." She said, feeling her knees quake under his even stare. "And you'd probably try to – well, I really don't know what you'd do, but you wouldn't like it."
"How do you know so much of me?" He asked, now quite angered by her and her damned evasive answers.
Her eyes widened. She'd said far too much. "I-I just do, okay?" She snapped, looking away and continuing to wring her hands. "Just stop with the questions." She told him firmly.
"No. Why should I? What are you hiding? You have no right to come in here and suddenly take control of things that had happened. You owe me an explanation."
She growled under her breath. "Trust me, you'd rather not know. Are you complaining about it, Slytherin?" She asked coldly. "Because if you are, you're an ungrateful bastard if I ever met one."
He rolled his eyes. "Fine." He said.
"Fine."
Oh, it was infuriating. She just stood, watching the door, as if the very opening of it would save her. The nerve of that girl! Salazar was not happy. Hermione and her wild hair, wild eyes and untamed mind. He'd never miss her presence. What a bloody annoyance?
"Are you really just going to leave it at that?" He asked, irritated.
"Yes." She answered simply. "Look, I'm doing you a bloody favour, the least you could do is not ask questions!" She finally snapped, turning full away from him.
"There's something in it for you, though, isn't there?" He asked coolly, ignoring her outburst.
She grit her teeth and marched up to him, finger in his face. "Yes, of course there is something in it for me! There is never not a catch! But what you must accept, Slytherin, is that you will never know what it is."
He glared at her heavily and she found it unnerving. "I'm not going to accept it."
She felt the tears prick at her eyes again. She was remembering. Something she didn't wish to do at this point in time. It would all change, though, after this day. "Just stop." She said quietly.
Salazar dropped his glare, for a more concerned facial expression. Hermione wiped away a stray tear and straightened herself up, but he continued to stare, contemplating what could possibly make this girl, so full of passion and determination cry. He wanted – no, he needed to know. There was something pulling him toward her, but he had no idea what.
Her voice shook as she turned to him. "There are many things in this world, Slytherin, that will forever remain unknown to you. There are people out there, who, no matter what you choose to do, you will affect." She told him, staring up into his green eyes. "You can choose whether you will have a good effect, or the opposite. And for the sake of the world," Hermione continued, another tear escaping. "I hope you do what is right."
"What is right, then? Tell me! Because I do not know!" He shouted suddenly, rage filling him. She was beginning to sound too much like Gryffindor.
She flinched back, quickly looking away from him. "For you to be happy, Salazar." She said, emotion thick in her voice. "Don't turn into a bitter man, with only one intent; to make the world... pure." She spat.
He was taken aback. "Pure?"
"Yes, pure. No mudbloods – no halfbreeds." She answered resentfully.
"Why would I want to rid the world of –" It dawned on him. Until Hermione had come along, he had come home, despising muggles. Mudbloods. He looked to her, eyes open wide in alarm. "How did you –"
"I know a lot of things, Slytherin." She was cold again and he wondered where all the passion of her previous demeanour had gone.
He took a deep breath. He couldn't see her like this anymore. He wanted to – strangely enough – put hope back into the young witch's eyes. "I promise that I will not rid a world of what is already pure." He said quietly.
Salazar watched in amazement as Hermione's eyes went from downcast and bleak, to warm and happy. A small smile spread across her face and he found one on his own soon enough. "You do?"
"I swear on all things Slytherin." And her shoulders slumped. Salazar frowned.
"That's the problem. You are Slytherin. How do I know I can trust you?" She said sceptically. It should have been enough, but Hermione had the feeling that she would need to make sure, just in case. It was the same feeling she had when she'd found the memory. She had to be sure of what lie behind it.
"You can trust me. I-I swear on... I swear on my own life, the one I value above all others. I swear that I will never try and attempt to make what is already pure something it should never be. I swear never to harm another human being unless it be deserved." He said, holding his hand over his heart.
Hermione almost laughed. Salazar Slytherin making her a promise. A promise to never harm a muggle or muggle-born or half-blood. How ironic.
"Is that good?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at her amused expression.
"Yes," She said with a laugh. "Yes, it's brilliant." She smiled. He really, really liked that smile.