Chapter 06
Salazar's true tale

Merlin's POV

I cannot believe what people have grown to believe of my good friend – and last of my pupils – Salazar and vow to clear his good name as I sit down on the comfortable high-backed chairs and say: "Now, you want to know the truth behind Salazar, Godric and their supposed break-up, yes?" And Madame Rosmerta says:
"Yes, if only to protect that poor Potter boy." Instantly everyone's attention is drawn and Terra calls for his Keyblade, holding it behind him like only he, Aqua and Ventus do and asks: "Potter boy? That Heir of Slytherin is after our supposed mate?" And the woman asks: "All of your mate?" And they all nod as Ienzo says:
"We believe that, what happened to his ancestor with the eleven lines and heirs, is happening to him now." The woman nods and says: "Yes, that makes sense. And yes, I mean one and the same. You-know – oh, wait you wouldn't know, would you?" And we all shake our heads as the woman steels herself and says:
"Voldemort. It's not his real name, at least I don't believe it to be, but he names himself that and he caused such pain, death and terror during the seventies that everyone fears him, even when he was supposed to be dead. No one, in the last 15 years, has dared say his name and he disappeared in 1981, on Halloween to be precise."

We all nod and Even asks: "How exactly did he disappear?" And the woman looks down as she says: "It was a terrible thing to happen. The Potters, James, Lily and Harry – that's probably your mate, he's the only one left." This shocks and hurts me and I listen on as she says: "Well, they went down under to hide and –."
She gasps and says: "Oh, it was just awful. James had this friend, you see, named Sirius Black, and he was as dark as his name. Faked eleven years of friendship and then, when it comes out best for him, he betrays them when they need him most. He was supposed to keep the secret of where the Potters were hiding and he – he didn't."
This shocks me and she cries as she says: "And – and You-know-who. He – he went for the Potters, he knew where to find them and instantly went to kill them.""He didn't, did he?" Ventus asks, worried beyond anything and Rosmerta nods as she says: "He was able to kill James and Lily too, but – but he – he couldn't kill Harry."

We all look shocked and she says: "It's incredible. There are just no words for it. He was only an infant. Only a year old, one and three months actually. And there he goes, surviving the worst wizard in a hundred years, banishing his body and giving us 14 years of freedom. And all he has left of that attack is a scar."
She then draws a lightning bolt over her forehead and says: "Right here, like a lightning bolt. It was created because he survived an unsurivable curse and now – now he says that – that you-know-who is back and everyone calls him crazy, but I know. I know he wouldn't lie about that. I mean, why would he? He's such a sweet boy."

This makes many of my friends smile and I say: "Thank you for telling us. We will be sure to keep this Voldemort far away from young Harry." And all my friends nod, making the woman smile, while I can clearly see that Lea has more determination to protect Harry than the others, which I know is because of Axel and Roxas.
I smile at the redhead Keyblade Wielder and then say: "Now, let's get back to the tale of Salazar, shall I?" The Tavern lady nods and I say: "Well, let's see. Godric and Salazar were blood-brother bonded a year after they founded Hogwarts and it was forty-four years after this that the witch hunts, caused by non-magicians –."
The woman stops me and says: "We call them Muggles nowadays." This makes me smile and I say: "Very well, caused by Muggles, started targeting witches and wizards of younger and younger age each time. This really worried my friends and thus, to protect them, we used an extended winter holiday to do some brainstorming.

In the end, in 954, Helga came up with a brilliant idea, but it wasn't until the summer after that, that we were able to see it in action. Helga had created a spell that copies an actual child, but then without the magical abilities of said child." This shocks all those around me and I say: "Please understand it was for the safety of the children."
My friends nod and I say: "So our plan was to find a structure strong enough to serve as a nursery and orphanage and to transport that to the South-eastern wall of Hogwarts, where now that exceedingly large hall is located. We would then find magical infants and toddlers and raise them ourselves, while giving the copies to the parents.
That way, the Muggle parents would think we would free their household and family of the devil – as they saw witchcraft as work of the devil – and they would happily accept the Muggle child, while we could save the magical infant before its parents would betray it and send it to the burning pile, where so many died before it."

This makes my friends smile at me and I sigh in the same joyous relief as I felt back then before I go on and say: "Now, it might be true that Godric and Salazar had some fights here and there, definitely had a few of them while we planned, but the magic of their blood-brother bond kept them from ever really lashing out at one another.
So the tale that Salazar left Hogwarts after fighting with Godric is nothing but hogwash and should never be believed. Now my dear, what kind of chamber did you say Salazar created?" And the woman answers: "The Chamber of Secrets. It was said to house the Monster Slytherin wanted to use to cleanse the school."

This shocks me and I ask: "Cleanse the school? Of what?" And the woman answers: "Muggleborns. He was after all seen as the one who started the Pureblood-Muggleborn feud, so it was said that, upon his departure, he had spoken of building a secret chamber in which he housed a monster that would rid the school of those unworthy of magic."
I can barely believe what I am hearing here and then realize just how history has been twisted and sigh as I say: "Oh dear, this is all one big misunderstanding. You know that gigantic forest around the school, right?" The matron nods and says: "Yes, it's called the Forbidden Forest nowadays." This makes me sigh and I say:

"Yes, that was indeed Salazar's plan. You see, at the end of the school year before he left on his journey to find that structure, Salazar announced to the students that all Purebloods and Magical raised Halfbloods were all to gather a plant from their home and to plant a seed from that in the ground around the school.
He would then, at the start of the year after that, help the growing plants to develop and to ever spread out until a forest big enough for a Basilisk to hide in would be made. After this the Forest would be out of bounds for everyone but his descendents as only they would be able to speak to the snake, seeing their inherited talent."
The woman nods and says: "Parsletongue, right? That's the talent Salazar spoke off." I nod and she asks: "But why would he want the Basilisk in the Forest?" And I sigh as I say: "What you have to understand my dear, is that Salazar was absolutely terrified of what Muggles could do once they found out about us.
He had – no, I swore not to speak of it, so I won't – anyway, he had a personal experience with them so badly, he didn't hate them, but feared they could do the same to his friends – or worse, to the students. Therefore, to make sure Muggles couldn't get near the school, Salazar wanted an enchanted Basilisk housed there."

"Wait, enchanted? Enchanted how?" Madam Rosmerta asks and I say: "Enchanted so that her eyes could never kill. You know that the gaze of a Basilisk is deadly, but that was something Salazar didn't want to risk, especially because Parsletongue wasn't improved well enough to protect a speaker against the gaze.
So he wanted the Basilisk in the forest, but without the deadly gaze, it was supposed to petrify the Muggles – but only temporarily and long enough for the Basilisk to call either him or his descendents, so that they could erase the memory of Hogwarts from the Muggle's mind and send the Muggle merrily on his way."
"So – Slytherin never wanted Muggles – or – Muggleborns dead?" Madam Rosmerta asks me tentatively and I say: "Oh heavens, no. We often asked him, of course, but he always answered with the words that his parents wouldn't want him to be a murderer and he didn't want us to become murderers either."

This makes Madam Rosmerta smile appreciatively and she says: "Oh, I can't wait to throw this in you-know-who's face. He will lose just so many followers when his minions hear that he is disgracing the wishes and beliefs of the ancestor he supposedly works in the honor of." And she laughs hard, obviously very relieved.
I smile at the woman, but then look up and whisper: "Oh Salazar, what happened to you? What caused history to change so drastically?" But no answer comes, not that I expected any and Madam Rosmerta stops laughing as she says: "Well, gentlemen, ladies, I will leave you to your sleep and tomorrow we'll head off for Hogwarts, agreed?"

We all nod and she bids us a goodnight, undoing the notice-me-not spell, but keeping up the privacy and silencing spells and Aqua and Aerith leave for their own room, Aerith crying softly and muttering: "How terrible it all was. How could they twist his peaceful, caring person into such a Muggleborn killing monster?"
And again I wonder what changed as it must have happened in exactly that summer of 955, when Salazar went to find that structure. Then suddenly I look up and my eyes widen as I see a face I haven't seen in over a century. I rush forward, grab the picture hanging against the opposite wall and look at it.
Assured that it is just about the same face, except for the short hair and the smaller eyes, do I run back out of the room and ask: "Madam Rosmerta, who is this?" And I aim for a small boy standing between a tall lad with long black hair, a lad with messy black and a pair of elders with black hair, who stand behind the final lad.

The woman looks shocked and I can barely believe what I am hearing as she says: "That's Peter Pettigrew. He used to be friends with James Potter and Sirius Black, but Sirius Black killed him at the age of 21 years old, right after Black betrayed the Potters." But all I catch from that explanation is the first name.

Peter Pettigrew.