The Founders Awaken
Chapter 5: The Curse
TW: this chapter contains two miscarriages from the past.
Salazar woke groggily, his head pounding, his back sore from the cold stone floor he seemed to be laying on, and the child in his stomach squirming slightly in distress. He ran a hand over his bump to try and calm the child within as he sat slowly, looking around the dungeon room… cell, he seemed to be in. He saw Helga waking up slowly, too, and he crawled over to her, concerned.
"Helga, are you alright?" he said urgently as she sat, her hand resting on her still flat belly.
"Hm," she hummed, looking at him in concern, "Just a headache. What happened? Where are we?"
"I don't know," Salazar growled, "All I remember is darkness, and something hitting me round the head,"
"Are you feeling okay?" Helga asked.
"Just a headache," he said, "Do you have your wand?"
"No, do you?"
Salazar shook his head, growing more concerned, "We need to get out of here,"
They heard a dark chuckle by the door and spun to face the man leaning against the doorway. Neither of them recognised him.
"I'm afraid that isn't going to happen. Not any time soon, at any rate," the man said.
"Who are you?" Salazar asked.
The man was older than them both. He could tell by the greying hair, the wrinkles, the posture.
And Salazar didn't know him.
"I don't think that particularly matters," the man said.
"What do you want from us?" Salazar said, trying not to show the fear that was blossoming more and more in him at the sneering grin that was on the man's face as he looked at them.
"It's simple, really. I want revenge," the man chuckled.
Salazar glanced at Helga and saw the fear in her eyes, too. The fear he was feeling as they both covered their stomachs as much as they could.
"Why? We don't even know you. What could we have done that you want revenge for?" Salazar's voice trembled no matter how he tried to hide it.
The man chuckled again, and then the next second he was right in front of them, sneering into Salazar's eyes. Close enough for Salazar to smell his stale breath.
"It's not you who has harmed me. But your father. Your father, Salazar Slytherin, took my unborn child from me. He tortured me until I birthed my dead child, and then he burned their tiny body, before I even had a chance to say goodbye. A chance to hold them in my arms. Your father is dead, now. I can't punish him. But I am sure he is watching over you, his precious son, and I am sure he will be delighted as I do to you and your friend what he did to me," the man snarled.
"He wouldn't care," Salazar said shakily, "He hated me for being a bearer. He wouldn't care if you… if you caused me to… lose my baby. You won't be punishing him. I'm sorry for what my father did to you. But this isn't the way to heal,"
"I need someone to feel my pain. You are the son of the man who took everything from me. So you will feel it. Your friend is an added bonus," the man yelled.
"I feel your pain. I do. I had a miscarriage last year," Salazar swallowed, "I know it hurts, more than anything else in the world. But causing someone else to feel that pain, that isn't the way to get over it. Not that you ever will, but you can't… surely you are a better man than my father. Taking my baby from me, that isn't going to fix anything,"
"Was it a natural miscarriage? Or was it forced upon you?" he snarled.
"Why does it matter if I still know the pain of losing my child?" Salazar snarled back, "Hurting us like this isn't going to make you feel any better. You will still be hurting. You will still be grieving,"
The man stepped back with a smirk, "Perhaps I don't care. Perhaps I just want to get some revenge before I die. Perhaps that is all that matters to me in my last years on this earth,"
The man's wand slid into his fingers and Salazar shielded Helga and his unborn child as much as he could.
"Please, don't do this," Salazar said, "I will do anything else you want. I can give you money, a roof over your head, I can do anything. But please, don't take our children from us. It won't do anything to help you, it will just cause us all more pain,"
"What good is money when I don't have my child? I don't care. I don't care about you, your friend, or your children. I don't care about your father not caring what happens to you and your children. I don't care about anything anymore. I just want some revenge before I die. And this is the only way. The only way…" he grinned and aimed his wand at the two, who hunched in on themselves.
"I thought you two were supposed to be two of the most powerful wizards and witches of our age, and yet here you are, terrified of me," he chuckled, "You could at least try to escape, make this more fun for me," he taunted.
"It's a bit hard to try and escape when we don't have our wands," Helga practically hissed, "You know how finicky magic can be when you're pregnant. We need our wands to control it,"
The growl the man emitted blended into a chuckle as he glared at them both, "Right, I had forgotten. It has been ever so long since my child was taken from me," his voice was hard, barren of emotions, "But no matter, I suppose, either way, this is fun for me. Killing the grandchild of the one who killed my child will be my prize. The prize I have waited for for so long. And the extra one is just a bonus,"
"Please. Please, don't do this," Salazar said again, staring at the wand that was pointed at him, trying desperately to get his magic to work so he could get himself and Helga out of there.
But his magic wouldn't work.
His baby was too stressed.
And no matter how many deep, but shaky breaths he took to try and calm his little one down, no matter how many times he rubbed his bump gently, nothing would settle his little one.
He saw a shockingly powerful red beam of light coming their way, and a terrible, excruciating pain engulfed them both, somehow.
They gripped each other's hands and tried to keep their magic protecting their babies for as long as they could, whilst also trying to get some of it to help them escape. Their throats soon becoming raw, alongside their cheeks and eyes.
He could hear chuckles as the spell came to an end.
The pain didn't end, though.
If anything it became worse as he felt the beginnings of contractions and his birth canal opening against his will. And out of his periphery he could see a pool of blood gathering around Helga as she hunched in on herself with almost quiet sobs.
And his magic kicked in, he could feel hers doing so, also. With their magic joining together through their still joined hands they were able to blast through the wards that were hiding them from their spouses.
But all they felt was pain as they felt their babies dying inside of them.
The man knelt in front of them, grinning from ear to ear, and Salazar didn't have the fight in him to do anything but sit there.
"Do you feel it, little Salazar? Your little one dying inside of you? The contractions? Your birth canal opening much too soon? Do you feel what your wretched father did to me?" the man snarled, still grinning.
Salazar did nothing but try to breathe through the contraction that was racing through his stomach.
"Well, how about feeling this every year on this day as a reminder of what your father did to me? To you? Doesn't that sound wonderful?" the man seemed rather giddy as his wand pointed at Salazar, "Maledico tibi, ut hodie experiaris physice, mente, et passione omni anno in hac die, quamdiu anima tua, mens, et magica in hoc plano resident. Sic fiat fiat. Maledictio puerilis damni est,"
Salazar felt the curse settle into his magic and he wanted to curse the man back but he was gripped by a particularly painful contraction that made him cry out, much to the man's delight, especially as the first trickles of blood left him.
The man turned to Helga with the intent of cursing her, too, but all he managed was a pained gasp as a familiar sword pierced his chest. Blood started to dribble out of his mouth and as soon as the sword was pulled from him the man collapsed onto the floor, lifeless.
Then Godric and Rowena were kneeling in front of them, worry and pain in their eyes.
"I-I'm sorry," Salazar breathed shakily, tears dripping from his eyes as Godric wrapped his arms around him.
"It's not your fault, Sal," Godric said, kissing Salazar's head gently, "I'm sorry we weren't able to find you both sooner,"
"It's not your-" another contraction gripped him and he cried as Godric rubbed his aching back gently. Helga was crying out in pain in her wife's arms, too, the both of them still squeezing each other's hands.
"We should get them home, Ric," Rowena said gently.
"Right, yes," Godric said, nodding.
Rowena picked up Helga and apparated the both away as soon as Helga and Salazar had released each other.
"I'm s-sorry. I tried… I tried-" Salazar cried as he looked into his husband's eyes.
"I know," Godric said gently, wrapping his arms around Salazar a bit tighter as Salazar gripped his arms tightly.
Then they escaped in a whirl of pain and… well, pain.
They were on their bed and Salazar thought he would rather be anywhere else as he… as he birthed their child.
Their child who's magic and life was fluttering away because of a man who had sought revenge for something Salazar had nothing to do with.
He needed to push and he hated it. He hated that Godric knew he needed to push, also, because the man was slowly, gently removing his trousers and undergarments in preparation. Summoning towels and a bowl which he filled with warm water, as if he suddenly knew what to do when someone was in labour, and yet still letting Salazar lean against him.
He couldn't push.
He couldn't.
It was too soon.
His baby wasn't dying.
This wasn't happening.
There wasn't a growing pool of blood and amniotic fluid under him.
He wasn't in excruciating pain.
Godric held him as he tried not to push through his next contraction, teeth gritted, groans and sobs escaping him.
"Sal, you need to push," Godric said gently, and he almost punched him out of anger and pain.
"No," Salazar said instead, "No, I don't,"
"Yes, you do, my love," Godric said, his voice catching, "As much as it pains me to say it, you can't keep our child in you forever,"
"Please, I can't… No, no no," he cried as his body pushed painfully, against his will, and he felt his baby move lower and lower with each second.
And their magic and life fluttered away.
And he screamed with each second he pushed.
He reached down as he felt his baby slide out and he lifted the tiny body gently to his chest, holding them close as he and his husband cried, Godric's arms not leaving him even as he levitated a warm, white towel to cover their baby's body and Salazar used it to start cleaning the blood and fluid away from… from their little boy.
Their baby boy.
A house elf popped into the room when Harry started crying out in pain, his hand gripping Neville's desperately as tears began to leak out of the closed eyelids. Neville's heart hurt just watching his soulmate re-live this pain again.
"Oh," the house elf said, with sadness in her voice as she looked at the four of them, especially Harry, "Master Sal's curse be back?"
"Yes," Luna said shakily from her spot knelt next to the sofa, "Do you know of anything that can help him?"
"No," the house elf said, shaking her head apologetically, "Buts Professor Snape knows a lot about curses, maybe he knows something?"
The three conscious reincarnations looked at each other. They knew Harry had wanted to speak with Snape, and perhaps bring him in. But they also couldn't stand to see and hear Harry in pain as he re-lived this torture every year, again. And if the man did know something, anything, then that would be a great help. If not then he could help them search. Harry trusted the man enough to want to speak to him, and see why…
So maybe they should trust him, too.
Harry cried out in pain again, hunching around his stomach and that was their answer, because Neville was desperate. They all were.
"Can you bring him to us, please?" Neville said gently.
The house elf nodded and popped away.
Soon the house elf was back, with the man at her side.
The man looked annoyed until he saw Harry, then he rushed over to them and knelt next to Luna, his wand running over Harry, briefly shooting a questioning glance at Draco who was still lying behind Harry, tears in his grey eyes.
"What's going on? My test says he's… well not healthy, but there is nothing currently causing this pain," Professor Snape asked sternly as he looked between the other three and the parchment in his hand.
Then the Professor looked around the rooms briefly, confused.
"Where are we?" he demanded.
The three of them looked at each other again, and Harry cried out, one hand clutching his flat stomach and the other gripping Neville's hand harder.
"He's been cursed, Professor," Neville said quietly, but the man heard him and looked at him in confusion.
"Cursed how? And by whom?"
"We… We don't know who. He didn't leave his name. But he… He was cursed to re-live this pain physically, mentally and emotionally for as long as his soul, mind and magic remain on this plane. He… He is re-living torture, and the death and birth of our child… our little boy," Neville said.
"Do you think I'm an idiot, Longbottom?" the professor growled, "At no point on this record does it state that Potter has been pregnant, let alone that he has had a miscarriage,"
"That's because it wasn't in this life, sir," Luna said, and the Professor looked at her in shock.
"Wasn't in this life?" the man said.
"It's true, sir," Draco said, his voice wavering, "I… I lost my baby, too, on the day he was cursed. The person who cursed him was going to curse me, too, but Godric killed him before he could,"
"Godric?" the Professor said in shock as he looked at Draco.
"That would be me, Professor," Neville said, "Godric Gryffindor,"
"I was Rowena Ravenclaw," Luna said.
"I… I was Helga Hufflepuff," Draco said.
"And Harry was Salazar Slytherin," Neville said.
"You really expect me to believe this?" the Professor demanded.
"Harry said that he had noticed things about you over the years. Things that he had wanted to talk to you about. But I do believe us hopefully being able to rid him of the curse is a lot more important at the moment. Nevertheless, if you don't believe us, you could always look at our memories. Unless of course you believe any of us capable of making up a whole life-time's worth of memories, alongside our memories from this life-time," Luna said, a tad harsh.
"You can look at my memories, Professor," Draco said tentatively.
The Professor sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, "Fine," he said.
Draco sat up slowly, keeping a hand on Harry's side as he looked his Head of House in the eyes and let down his walls.
When the Professor left Draco's mind he looked at them all in shock, and almost awe. Draco laid back down behind Harry and wrapped his arm over him again.
"Right," the man sighed again, "The curse of a child's loss, although the name isn't… It's focussed on his memory, and the magic of the child he was carrying,"
"Is there a way of stopping it? We couldn't in our previous lives, but things are more advanced now, so surely…" Neville said, desperation flooding him.
"There are no known ways of stopping it. I would have thought it would have stopped upon his death in the previous time-line, that it wouldn't have crossed over. But clearly there is more to the magic than what is known. Not that much is known as most people aren't so heartless to make someone physically and mentally re-live the death of their unborn child," Snape said, gulping slightly as he looked down at the floor, "I can research it, though, and, if Harry permits, maybe run some scans on him to see if I can find anything. It may be necessary to look into pregnancy in more detail also-"
He was cut off by Harry's excruciating screams and Neville tried not to sob as he knew what part of that horrible day he was re-living.
Their baby's magic and life fluttering away as he pushed.
Harry's screams turned to sobs as he curled himself impossibly more into a ball around his stomach, his hand still gripping Neville's tightly as Neville ran his fingers gently through his love's hair.
"I c-can't keep doing this, Ric," Harry said quietly as he slowly came around.
"I know, my love. I know," Neville said, his voice catching as he kissed Harry's forehead, "But we'll find something to stop it,"
"You always say that and we never do," Harry said, sounding resigned to the torture, wincing as he sat up with Draco's and Neville's help, his hand still on his stomach as he leaned into Neville, who's arms went around him.
"Hm, but things are more advanced now, so maybe we can," Neville said, holding Harry closer as he gasped in pain and hunched closer, "Are you still contracting?"
Harry nodded into his chest, shoulders shaking.
The Professor passed Neville a potion for Harry, which he took gratefully and pulled back slightly, "Harry, I have a pain relieving potion for you, is that okay?"
Harry shook his head, even as he gasped in pain.
"Harry,"
"No," Harry said, "I want to feel closer to him for a bit longer. Please. I want to feel close to our baby boy, our little Gideon,"
"Okay," Neville sighed sadly, kissing the top of Harry's head, "But I have the potion for when you are ready,"
Harry nodded in understanding.
Harry pulled back to take the potion ten minutes later, after a particularly bad cramp that left him crying harder than he had in the last five minutes. Then he turned to look at Draco and Luna, who were sitting next to him and Neville on the sofa now, cuddled together, and was shocked to see Professor Snape kneeling on the floor in front of them.
"Erm, Professor Snape, when… When did you get here? How did you get here?" Harry said, wiping his eyes with the back of a hand.
"I've been here a while now, Harry," the Professor said gently, shocking them all, "Your friends had a house elf come and get me so they could ask if I knew anything about the curse,"
"So… So you know?"
"I know," the man nodded, "I won't tell anyone, though, not without your permission. I am assuming you all want to keep it a secret for a while, and I will help you in that regard. I will also attempt to help you get rid of the curse. But I can't make any promises. There isn't much known about it, even in this time. But I can do some research into it, and help with whatever else you may need help with,"
"Right… Thank you. Erm, I wanted to talk with you, actually…" Harry said nervously.
"So your friends have mentioned. But I think that can wait a few days at the very least. You have just gone through a harrowing ordeal and need some time to recover,"
"I'm fine," Harry said.
The Professor smiled at him sadly, and yet with eyes full of understanding, "No, you're not," he said gently, "And you won't be for a while, but at least give yourself a few days to recover before you dive straight into business. You may have the mind and memories of a whole life-time plus your life so far in this body, but you are physically a child. And you need time to rest, and recover. I will go and get started on some research, and get in some new books if I can. If you need any potions or anything, have a house elf come and get one from me, or I will come with them and make sure you are doing okay. It is only Saturday. I will see you all on Monday,"
The Professor gave them all a surprisingly soft look and a house elf popped into the room, only to disappear with the man a second later.
Hiya, I hope you are all well!
So, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and didn't cry too much. Are they going to find something to stop the curse? If so, what will it be? And will they want to do it? More specifically, will Harry want to do it? How will Severus be involved in this story, other than helping them find a counter? Will anyone else become part of the group? Are we gonna bring the goblins into this story, too? Only time will tell, I suppose, but I would love to hear your thoughts.
Also, I posted an essay/petition where I (un)officially explain why I think I should be cast as my favourite character, Severus Snape, in the new HBO series, despite the fact that I am a woman. It would mean a lot if you went and read it, but no pressure. It isn't going to lead to anything, unless, by some miracle, it goes viral, but it was fun to write. It is on my AO3, Maraudering_Paige. Feel free to go and check it out.
Anywho, I am working on some Spotify playlists for my fanfics, so if you can think of any songs you think work with the stories as they are so far, or where you think they are going, or songs that give you the vibes you get from the stories, then please do let me know and I will give them a listen, then potentially add them to the playlists. I will let you know as soon as they are ready, though it may take a few weeks because life.
I have a Facebook group called Maraudering_Paige which you are all welcome to join if you would like to and are able to. It is where we can talk about Harry Potter, fanfics, life, share memes and more. It is also where I have somewhat of an update schedule for my fics and will be keeping you up to date on what I am working on, in regards to fanfics, original works, and more things. So if you are interested in joining then I am more than happy to accept you all.
I hope you are having an amazing day!
Kind regards,
Paige xx