He felt a chill run down his spine. It was that feeling one got when someone was staring at you. Salazar didn't react immediately; they were in class, after all. If he were to suddenly look around, it would be obvious he noticed the attention. And Salazar was never obvious when he could be subtle.
"Harry is looking at you."
Besides, Salazar could always count on Godric to tell him who was looking his way. His potion was simmering as he stirred in a figure eight. He counted his rotations until he reached nine and looked up. Just as Godric said, Harry kept glancing his way. When Harry finally caught his eye, the boy did some strange eye-head-squinty-speak. Salazar raised his eyebrow in amusement and gave a discreet nod in response before returning his attention to his cauldron.
"It's a good thing he's not in your house. He's not very subtle."
"Much like someone else I know."
"But you still love me."
"That's true."
Godric grinned. Salazar pretended to ignore him. Godric's grin grew bigger and refused to diminish until class ended.
Harry slowly put his belongings away, but was done by the time Salazar hefted his bag on his shoulder. He headed towards the exit, knowing Godric was with him. They met Harry and Hermione at the door. Salazar looked at the two Gryffindors and nodded.
Without saying a word Salazar walked to classroom eleven, ignoring the odd looks they received along the way. Godric was beside him, Harry was walking behind them, and Hermione was beside her best friend. Once they arrived at their destination, Salazar held the door open for everyone and closed it with a snick. Salazar brushed his fingers along the stone wall, allowing his magic to flare, and nudged the protections to bloom across the room.
Godric's shoulders relaxed when he felt the magic. He sat on one of the desks and looked around curiously. Salazar moved towards the others in the room and noted his friend's curious glances. He nodded in agreement and commented, "It would appear that the house elves have noted our frequent use of this particular classroom and have cleaned it for us."
"Shame we don't have more comfortable furniture here, but having a clean room to meet in is a nice change of pace," Godric said.
Harry had been staring at his shoes throughout the entirety of the short conversation. Salazar stepped closer to him and asked, "Is something wrong, Harry? Do we need Mum and Dad?"
"What?" Harry's head snapped up and Salazar's words registered. He shook his head, "Oh, no. No, I'm okay. It's just... I've been talking to Professor Lupin." Harry sat back on a desk with a sigh and Salazar just nodded as if accepting what the boy had said. The look on Salzar's face belayed the agreement. Harry took a calming breath and apparently grabbed hold of his courage because he plowed ahead saying, "He's been telling me stories about my parents. So I asked him if he thought they'd be upset if I lived with other people. He said no. They'd be happy that I have a good home. So, I'd like to live with your family… permanently…"
"Good." Salazar smiled and relaxed.
"Finally!" Godric said with an exasperated huffed, "It's about time." He pointed a finger at Harry and rhetorically asked, "Do you have any idea how hard it has been for me not to tell you what to do? Not to tell you that you're being an idiot for not taking them up on their offer of a family and home? But," Godric held up a finger and proclaimed, "I did it. I managed to refrain."
"We're all very proud of you, Ric. Well, done." Hermione said in mock sincerity.
Salazar snorted, "Yes. Very."
Harry was blushing when he stated, "I knew. I just… didn't know how to say it."
"Hermione, thank you for coaching him." Hermione beamed at the praise. Salazar told Harry, "We will inform the parents. I'm sure they can contact Helga's father and get the paperwork going immediately."
"Helga's father?" Harry's brows were furrowed.
"He works at the CSA," Hermione reminded her friend, "I told you that last year. It was in the letter from Serena."
"Right," Harry nodded. The other three looked at him and the boy grinned sheepishly. "I knew that."
- - - - Founders - - - -
Archimedes flew into the Great Hall and dropped a letter for Salazar before swooping across the room towards the Gryffindor table. Salazar watched with interest when his family's owl landed on Harry's shoulder to deliver a letter to the boy and knew immediately why Archimedes chose to head over to Harry quickly. Hedwig stole a rasher from Harry's plate, Archimedes followed suit, and the two flew out of the hall to laughter from the lion's table.
"Why is your owl delivering a letter to Scarhead?" The grin on Salazar's face slid away at the sound of the girl's nasally voice. He chose not to answer the imbecile and focused on his repast, but Parkinson refused to be ignored. "Associating with half bloods, traitors, and mudbloods is beneath any true Slytherin. When will you start behaving properly?"
Salazar paused, his tea cup raised, but not yet to his lips. His eyes swept over to look at Parkinson and narrowed on the buffoon, "A true Slytherin… I've had this discussion with Malfoy. I'm surprised you don't recall since you were hanging all over the boy." Gregory was trying to hide his grin. Salazar pointedly asked, "Gregory, do you recall what makes a true Slytherin?"
"Someone that uses all resources available to them to not only achieve their goals, but to excel in life in general. Someone that is clever, witty, sly, cunning, and a survivalist." Gregory sipped his tea in thought. "Someone that doesn't accept the status quo. Someone that wants more, wants better, not just for them, but for their family… and not a narrowed minded, imbecile, racist bully." Gregory set his tea cup down and asked, "Did I cover them all?"
"Well said, Gregory." Salazar smiled at the boy and put his own tea cup down. He proceeded to pat his lips with his napkin, take up his envelope, and told Parkinson, "You are far from a true Slytherin. Perhaps someday you'll grow up to be one, but I have my doubts…"
Salazar sent a pulse through his ring alerting his friends of his intent. Harry and Hermione were already in classroom eleven when Salazar got there. The two were reading Harry's letter from the Davis parents. They waited for a few minutes and the other three friends soon joined them, Godric doing the honors of sealing the room.
Hermione twitched when the magic flared. She looked around for a moment before Harry asked, "What?"
"Nothing," Hermione said distractedly. "I thought…" She shook her head before focusing on the founders. "Hi."
Salazar was too busy reading his letter to respond, but the groan caught everyone's attention. Godric was concerned, "What's wrong?"
"Apparently the parents have decided that: 'We're to celebrate our first holiday as a family as a family.' We're to take the train to London with the rest of the students heading home for the holidays. They're going to meet us at the station." Salazar looked pained when he said that. Harry bit his lip, worry clearly written in his eyes, and Salazar waved him off, "Oh, not to worry, Harry. It isn't the notion of going home that pains me. It's the abhorrent grammar that I take umbrage with."
- - - - Founders - - - -
Riding the train home wasn't nearly as tedious as Salazar expected it would be. He ended up sharing the compartment with an interesting group of people that changed a number of times throughout the trip. Helga was heading home as well and she had a wide variety of friends from all houses and all ages.
Unfortunately for Salzar, two of those friends were the Weasley twins. The identical twin terrors stood outside the compartment with matching grins as they looked in on the occupants. Harry had spotted them, grinned and waved them in. Much to Salazar disappointment. Naturally the man didn't say a thing to the boy, but his thoughts were screaming.
Salazar sat by the window reading a book. He felt the bench seat depress beside him. Helga had been sitting there a moment ago, but apparently moved so someone else could take the seat. He didn't look when he was purposefully nudged and a face drew nearer to his own. Salazar's wand tip met the nose of Twin One and the idiot grinned widely. "I was hoping you wouldn't ignore us the entire ride."
"If you want to keep that nose, I'd suggest removing it from my sight," Salazar countered.
Twin Two chuckled. "We're here to visit with Harry."
Salazar looked at his new little brother and Harry's eyes widened. "I didn't know they were going to bother you or I'd have gone with them to a different compartment."
Amusement glinted in Salazar's eyes and Harry visibly relaxed. He was getting to know Salazar's little quirks, small nuances, and his different facial expressions. Salazar thought the boy had potential. "I will not deny you your friends. Not here, not at school, not at home." Salazar nudged Twin One's nose with his wand stating, "I simply do not want their faces in my personal space."
The grin on Twin One's face never faded, nor had Salazar expected it to. But Twin One did, at least, sit back. Seriously, the boys were incorrigible. Salazar returned his attention to his book and pretended to ignore the twins and Harry. Conversation was rampant in the compartment. Helga held court with her constant revolving contacts until at last the train began slowing as it approached London.
Twin Two sat forward, "You really are brilliant."
"We know you are."
"We also know…"
"…you have other…"
"…projects you're working on…"
"…but that doesn't mean…"
"…you can't help us out…"
"…when we're stuck on a potion."
Salazar had ignored them… or pretended to. When they finally completed that long running sentence between the pair, he looked up and threatened them, "If you two don't stop," he pointed at one twin then the other, "that nonsense, I will curse you both."
Twin Two grinned. "Promise?"
Salazar deadpanned, "Yes."
He turned the page in the book as Twin One nudged him gently. "We could really use your help."
"I'm not interested in your pranks," Salazar said as the train pulled into the station. He snapped his book closed and stuffed it into his bag. Then he proceeded to stand and left the compartment. As the train came to a stop, the door opened and Salazar was the first to exit unencumbered.
Serena and Heath were waiting on the platform. Serena waved at her child. Salazar sighed softly and smiled at the woman. She truly was a good mother and Salazar could appreciate that.
Heath hugged Salazar and asked, "Where's Harry? I thought he was coming…"
"He is." Salazar turned to look back at the train. "His friends were being a bother, so I left. He'll be along in a moment."
Helga's father walked up behind the Davis parents at the same time as Helga departed the train. "Dad!"
"Love!"
"There he is," Serena pointed out.
Harry looked around and saw the Davis family. Serena gave him a wave with a huge smile. Harry made his way over and before he could speak, Serena wrapped her arms around him in a hug. Salazar saw his mother whisper something to Harry, but was too far to hear. Harry's smile was easy and content when Serena gave him a squeeze and let go. "I was afraid you'd changed your mind."
A family of redheads walked past slowly. The twins grinned at Salazar - Salazar crossed his arms, and leveled an unimpressed look in their direction - and waved at Harry, who waved back. Ron glared at the entire family as if they personally wronged him somehow, then snubbed Harry by pointedly looking elsewhere. Harry just sighed and deflated. Salazar and Helga stepped to his side immediately when they saw his reaction. The Head Boy looked over, swept his eyes over the bunch with a curious gaze then moved on without a word. The father gave Harry a small wave, smiled at the rest, and ushered his family forward. The mother... had an interesting reaction to Harry and the people around him. Salazar watched as the woman clutched her chest, held a hand over her mouth as if to keep from speaking. Looking horrified at the families around Harry - or it could have been envy, Salazar couldn't be bothered to look too closely at the woman - she then rushed off to catch up with her husband. While the woman was too far to hear, her tone was hard to miss; it was shrill and Salazar recognized it. "Weasleys," he said to himself.
Harry looked at Salazar, "Well, yes. I thought it would be obvious from their sons."
"I…" Salazar huffed, Helga snickered. "Oh do shut up, Helga."
"I didn't say a thing." Helga said in a very sing-song fashion. Salazar smirked.
"Harry," Heath called for the boy's attention.
"Yes, sir?"
"I'd like you to meet Michael Jones, Helga's father." The two shook hands as Heath continued, "Michael's helping with the paperwork to give us legal guardianship of you, both on the muggle side of things as well as the magical side."
Harry's shyness evaporated instantly and he stood taller. "Pleasure to meet you, sir. Thank you for helping."
Michael chuckled. "Just call me, Michael. I'll be stopping by to go over the paperwork some time during the holiday. You can ask me any questions you need, and I will do my best to give you answers. Sound good?"
"Yes, sir… Michael," Harry quickly corrected himself. His grin was contagious. Harry had the entire group smiling. Harry looked at Salazar and half whispered, "Best Christmas gift ever."
A/N Elipsa: Thank you all for the lovely comments, I do read them all. I'm not the best at replying, but I appreciate all the kind words. :) Hope you all continue to enjoy the story.
