Salazar sat in the guest chair with his legs crossed, a sketch pad on his knee, and a charcoal in hand. Helga had wanted an image of the true face of the imposter and, since he finally had a moment of peace, Salazar sketched while they waited. Salazar sat with his back to the only entrance to the room. It was not a position he usually put himself in, but it was a tactical move to make him appear vulnerable. As uncomfortable as it was for him, Salazar wasn't concerned for his safety because Godric, as always, watched over him. Godric stood disillusioned facing the door and anyone that entered.

The pair didn't have to wait for very long before Snape came storming into his office. The professor came to an abrupt stop in his doorway. It took the man a beat before he bellowed, "How dare you break into my office!"

Salazar, without looking away from his sketch, spoke calmly, "Good evening, Professor. Do come in and secure the door."

The man didn't move further into the room before he snarled, "I will have have you expelled."

Salazar paused in his work to look over his shoulder and - silently, wandlessly - sent a wave of magic to pull Snape into the room just as Godric sent magic into the school to close the door and seal it for privacy. Snape visibly stumbled in surprise when Salazar's magic grasped his robes. The professor instantly had his wand in his hand, eyes narrowing at what he must have perceived to be an imposter sitting in his office. Salazar went back to sketching the fake Moody and Snape finally asked, "Who are you?"

"That's a complicated question." Salazar's charcoal paused as he looked up at the corner of the room where Godric stood and corrected himself, "Actually that is a simple question with a complicated response." Salazar nodded as if agreeing with his correction and looked back at his sketch. The charcoal image was complete, but Salazar frowned at it. The likeness was good enough, clear enough, and reflected the memory exactly, but the angle was odd since it was viewed by a house elf. Salazar shook his head when Snape still hadn't moved and addressed him, "We have much to discuss this evening, Professor." Salazar flipped the page and started on a fresh sheet as he said, "But first I have to be certain you're as trustworthy as I believe you to be."

"Who. Are. You?" Snape asked again, over enunciating each word.

"Would you believe me if I told you that I'm Salazar Slytherin reborn?"

"No," Snape said without hesitation.

"Then this conversation will be quite brief." Salazar felt his ring warm and glanced at the warning from Godric. Salazar raised a finger and shook it in the air. His voice was still light and conversational as he told Snape, "No, no. I came here in good faith to inform you of what is happening in our school and - while drawing your wand upon me is acceptable considering your past - if you think I'm going to allow you to actually cast something at me..." Salazar chuckled before he looked at Snape with a blank stare, he said quite deadpanned, "That will not be allowed."

Salazar could see the man weighing his next words, his next move, and while Snape's wand did not lower, it didn't continue to rise. Finally Snape asked, "Why should I believe you?"

"You want proof?" Salazar asked rhetorically. He looked back at his sketchpad and shrugged. "Of course you do. That's a reasonable request, unfortunately not one easily fulfilled." The second rendering was of the trunk and the seven layers and seven locks. It was not ornate, but it was rather unique. He had never seen anything like it before and looked forward to seeing it up close one day - not not simply from the inside. Salazar began shading the drawing and filling in small details around the trunk and in the background. There was some odd concave mirror or glass, set on a side table. There were spinning things and whistling things. Salazar told the man behind him, "First I will need a vow. A simple one will do, nothing too intrusive, but binding in order to protect us all. You have decent occlumency shields and the trust of the Headmaster. He won't look too deeply for any betrayal from you. Vow to keep silent about what you learn tonight and you will get your proof." Salazar snapped the sketch pad closed, turned in his chair and faced the man declaring, "Fail to do so and I will strip this conversation from your mind. While you are proficient in the mind arts, I'm a master. Do we have an accord?"

"You dare to sit in my office and threaten me?" Snape scoffed, "You claim to be a master, yet a mere memory had you crippled with nightmares."

Salazar set his charcoal down on top of his sketch pad. He had to move slowly before he lost his temper. Thoughts were running rampant in his mind. This man had the audacity to question his abilities? Salazar stood up and faced the professor. There, standing before him, was the man they were going to trust with their secrets. Salazar was seething with anger and then... the silence of the room spoke to him. Salazar leaned against the edge of Snape's desk and listened. Snape was such a hypocrite. Snape's thoughts were speaking to Salazar. The man wanted to believe. He was weary, wary, and full of doubts. Salazar grinned at the professor.

Snape's eyes narrowed as he asked, "What is so amusing?"

"You expected me to react, to lash out like a spoiled child when you insulted me. I would like nothing more than to deny what you said, but you aren't particularly wrong. With this body my magic is still adapting to my past skills. But don't be fooled by what you saw that night. I had expended a massive amount of magic that day. It's not something I usually experience." Salazar sent a message via his ring to Godric. He wasn't sure if his best friend could read it, seeing how he was disillusioned, but Salazar needed Godric to know that he was okay.

Salazar met Snape's gaze and projected a memory to the man. It was one of Salazar's fondest memories: Helga and Rowena were thirteen, while Salazar was sixteen and Godric seventeen. They were in what would later be called the Great Hall. Salazar was sitting off to the side, Aedelric on his knee. Everyone was listening to Godric who stood in the center of the room with his blazing red hair, wearing armor, and a familiar sword at his hip. Godric was telling a story to the room in a language as old as the castle, his muscular arms gesturing broadly. There were people of all ages that had gathered at tables around the hall. Each young face was enraptured by the tale Godric was weaving, adults were listening with smiles, and laughing happily. Helga smiled patiently at a bundle in her arms, her husband roaring in laughter beside her. Rowena could be seen casting spells at the ceiling only to stop occasionally, rub her protruding belly, and laugh along. The memory played out for a few minutes before Snape inhaled sharply and closed his eyes as the vision was abruptly cut off.

The professor took a moment to gather himself. "Was that..."

"A memory," Salazar admitted. He smiled fondly. "One of my favorites."

"That was the Great Hall." Snape shook his head and staggered to the guest chair to clutch the seatback. "The woman, the pregnant one."

His best friend moved away from the corner of the room to stand beside him. Salazar leaned closer to Godric's warmth. "Rowena, yes. She was enchanting the ceiling to what you see it is today."

"And the man speaking..."

"That was Godric," Salazar admitted. "The best friend any man could ever ask for."

"And Helga Hufflepuff?"

"The redhead with the infant." Salazar was still smiling at the memory. Godric leaned against his side and he allowed it, for once not pushing the man away.

Snape nodded. "I will give my vow."

"Of course," Salazar said. "Take care in your phrasing. There will come a time when you may need to speak of what you learn from us."

"You're all here?" Snape swallowed and nodded. "Your first night, first year... Miss Turpin said you hadn't seen each other in a long time."

"Questions will be answered, first your vow."

"Naturally," Snape said and he straightened, still gripping the chair for stability. The professor thought for a moment, then raised the tip of his wand to say his vow, "I, Severus Snape, vow to keep the secrets of the founders until such time as it is necessary to speak out for the safety of the students."

Godric dropped his disillusionment spell and looked at his ring. He snorted in amusement and said, "So I see."

"Where...?!" Snape swallowed and looked around. "Are there any other surprises for me tonight?"

"Yes," Salazar warned. He stood from the desk, dislodging his friend, and grabbed his sketchpad and charcoal. "It's time to go. The girls will be wondering what's taking so long."

Godric grinned. "I can't wait to see his face when he meets Ismanna."

"Ismanna?" Snape asked, repeating the name as if testing it.

"Yes, Ismanna is the basilisk that was spotted in the lake."

"The monster-"

"No," Salazar cut him off abruptly. He took a deep breath before he could calmly correct the professor's assumption. "While Ismanna is a basilisk, she is not a monster. She was never meant to harm a student like the idiotic stories portray her regardless of past events. Ismanna has been freed from the heir's influence. We made certain that he will no longer have access to her. Ismanna's purpose is to protect the castle and its inhabitants, it always has been." Salazar waved off the rest of that conversation for later. "We can discuss that in more detail. It's time to go."

"In a moment." Godric stepped forward to stand in front of Snape. "You stood there and scoffed at Salazar's claim, but you don't understand how weak you all are in comparison. The wizarding world is stifled because children are taught to use magic using only a wand when a wand was meant as a learning tool only. Children should be doing wandless magic by the time they start school at eleven, when they come into their full powers. In our time, we taught a child from their first sign of magical ability. What you call accidental magic. The amount of magic that Sal used that day, wandlessly and without incantation, is no small feat. What Sal did to pull you in here..." Godric trailed off and shook his head as Salazar stood at his side to lean into him. "I'd like to see you do what Sal did without being winded. If you ever say anything derogatory to or about Sal again I will gut you. Understood?"

"Noted," Snape said and looked at his two students with a furrowed brow.

Salazar extended his hand to the professor. Snape looked at it warily and Godric's grin grew wider. "You can come along voluntarily or I'll just take you. Your choice."

When Snape took his hand Salazar linked arms with Godric. They spoke the portkey activation for their rings, "A thoirt dhachaigh."

The three landed in the laboratory in front of the warding stone. Snape looked around and stilled completely when he spotted Ismanna. "Where are we?"

"This is the staff laboratory... what the children used to call the Chamber of Secrets," Helga said from underneath her darling queen.

"That explains the snakes," Snape said in a calm voice. Salazar wasn't fooled, but he let the man keep his dignity. He'd suffered enough for one evening.

"I forgot about the snake statues, besides this is also Ismanna's home, not ours." Salazar gestured to the lounge area.

"Should I change them to something else? I hadn't thought about that before now," Godric mused.

"An issue for another time perhaps," Rowena suggested as she looked at Snape. "Good evening, Professor. Tea?"

"Yes please, Miss..." Snape said automatically, then hesitated as he took a seat.

"Turpin is fine," Rowena smiled patiently, "old habits, after all. You've known me by that name for the past four years. I don't expect you to change your ways."

Rowena handed him a cup of tea, and Snape nodded. "Thank you."

"You took longer up there than I had thought you'd be," Rowena noted as she offered Salazar his tea.

"Thank you." Salazar sipped before he stated, "The man's even more stubborn than Ric."

"I'm not that stubborn," Godric denied.

"Just stating facts," Salazar teased as he dragged his best friend to a seat. "Snape here refused to believe me even while he wanted to. In the end, I showed him a memory." Salazar smiled at the one he shared and told his friends, "It was in the early years, Aedelric was only a year old and Godric was telling one of his tales."

Snape closed his eyes and breathed slowly. "I'm not dreaming, am I? This is truly happening."

"Yes, Professor." Helga spoke softly with her calming tone, "You'll have questions, no doubt. There is a reason we've returned, but first I believe proper introductions are in order."

"Apologies, you are right of course," Salazar agreed. "I'm sure you've already sussed out the others. Megan Jones is truly Helga, Countess of Moray."

Helga stroked Ismanna's scales and told Snape, "Helga is fine. We no longer carry titles."

"Lisa Turpin is Dowager Rowena Ravenclaw."

Rowena wrinkled her nose. "I never cared for that title, even if it was accurate."

Salazar smiled at his best friend as he introduced him, "Fay Dunbar is Sir Gryffindor, Knight and Champion of Hogwarts."

Godric shrugged at Snape. "I told them I was born with the wrong bits, but no one believed me."

"And this is Salazar, Duke of Moray, who's land Hogwarts and Hogsmeade reside upon," Helga added lightly, smiling sweetly at Salazar.

Salazar huffed, "Fine, yes I was a duke. The only good things to come from that bloody title were my sons." He waved it off. "Just Sal is fine or, if you insist, Miss Davis."

"Ric or Godric," Godric insisted. "I won't answer to anything else."

"In class you will," Salazar reminded him.

"We're not in class," Godric pointed out.

"We're getting off topic and the hour grows late," Helga interrupted the quarreling friends. "I'm sure you have questions, Professor."

Snape stared into the murky liquid in his cup and said, "I imagine there's a reason you chose not to inform the headmaster of your return."

"Of course," Salazar agreed. "You are in my house, you understand that there's a hidden agenda in everything." Snape nodded slowly, but Salazar wasn't done. "You also suspect that there's something more going on with Moody, especially since we brought him to your attention at the beginning of the school year... or more accurately, the man portraying Alastor Moody."

Snape's head snapped up. His eyes were narrowed and he asked in a steely tone, "What?"

"The night everyone was having fun with the novelty treats provided by the Weasley twins," Rowena said as she set the original flask on the table. Snape stared at it before looking at her and she continued, "The real purpose of the evening was switching his flask with a decoy filled with a laughing potion."

The professor looked at the flask with a befuddled expression. Godric informed him, "We warned the man when he didn't take the mental health of our students into consideration that his time here was limited."

"He has Moody's magical eye, how were you not caught?"

"It was switched before the feast began."

"There were numerous decoys set on each table, including the head table."

"And this one was brought down here?" Snape asked, but didn't move to take it.

"It was," Salazar agreed. "I switched it myself." He gestured to the flask and said, "Polyjuice potion."

"That's why you didn't know who's memory you had," Snape reasoned.

Helga and Rowena exchanged glances, but Salazar ignored them to speak directly to Snape, "Precisely."

"What about Moody? He must be alive for the potion to work properly." Snape set his cup down. "We need to find him."

"He's here in the castle." Salazar held a hand up when Snape looked as if he wanted to speak again. "We can't take him out of his current situation, but I have checked on him. He's malnourished, dehydrated, and he had a number of wounds that began festering causing a fever and infection. I've treated him and have him on a potions regimen. The house elves are keeping him fed and watered. They have him cleansed since there are no facilities where he's being held. He'll be healthier by the time he's 'rescued'."

Snape nodded along with everything Salazar said, then asked, "If you've seen the real Alastor Moody, does this mean you know who the imposter is?"

"Not exactly," Salazar said and flipped the pages of his sketchpad to show the others the image he had drawn earlier that evening, "but I have seen the memory of someone who has witnessed his true face."

"Barty Crouch," Snape said as he looked at the image before passing it around. The professor shook his head. "He's supposed to be dead."

"The old man with the weird mustache?" Godric asked.

"His son, Barty Junior," Snape corrected. "He was sent to Azkaban and was reported to have died there."

"Yes, well, we all know how well the reports of people dying are," Godric said sarcastically. "Tom's supposed to be dead, Pettigrew was supposed to be dead, now Barty Junior was supposed to be dead... Do people not know how to tell when someone's dead?"

"I suppose decapitation and gutting people isn't done nowadays," Salazar pointed out.

"Well they should start carrying around swords again so there will be no more doubts."

"Dear me, Godric," Rowena said as she chuckled. "Can we please get back on topic?"

"Right," Godric said as he settled back in his seat. "What were we talking about again?"

Snape shook his head and asked, "What do you have planned?"

"You are part of the staff, and as such have the freedom of movement that we do not." Helga explained, "The third task is coming and we've since learned that after it's ended is when he will carry out whatever he has planned."

"Reasonable assumption."

"It isn't an assumption, we've learned the truth from the man himself." Helga shook her head. "How we have come about this knowledge is unimportant."

"Do you remember the incident with Malfoy in the Great Hall?" Salazar asked.

Snape's eyes narrowed. "That wasn't the Weasley twins?"

"Partially. While they had nothing to do with the potion itself, they helped with the execution."

The professor sat forward and leveled his gaze on Salazar. "What did you give him?"

"Something I created," Salazar admitted. "It's an altered version of Veritaserum with a compulsion."

"Something that we're hoping you, Professor Snape, will be giving to the Moody imposter at the third task," Rowena interrupted before the two potions masters could get onto the subject and lose focus of what was truly important at that moment. "We have another decoy for him, it contains the potion we need him to ingest and tell his truths."

"The Ministry will cover it up somehow." Snape said as he sat back, "They always do."

"The imposter will be gone, the students will be safe from his influence. That is more important than anything the Ministry does or does not do," Helga reminded him.

"I will need to switch the flasks a second time once he's ingested the altered Veritaserum. I don't think you'll want the Ministry having their hands on your potion," Snape said as he sat with a contemplative look.

"It would be appreciated, yes." Salazar smirked as he told the man, "You can keep the flask afterwards if you'd like to try and figure out what I've done."

- - - - Founders - - - -

Their potions class was coming to an end when Snape made his wishes known, "Miss Davis, Miss Dunbar, stay behind."

Salazar nodded in acknowledgement as he said, "Yes, sir."

Godric stayed with his friend and they cleaned their workstation. When all other students left the room, Harry being the last to leave as he looked over his shoulder at Salazar, Snape finally spoke, "I have questions."

"We thought you might." Salazar nodded.

"We can meet again to provide you answers," Godric offered.

Salazar grabbed his bag. "After the feast?"

"Seven p.m.," Snape agreed. "My office."

- - - - Founders - - - -

At seven sharp that evening Salazar knocked on Snape's office door. A voice came from within, "Enter."

Salazar opened the door and stepped inside. Snape was standing behind his desk, his hands were held behind his back. Noting they were alone, Salazar closed the door and ran his fingertips along the stone of the wall, pulsing his magic to activate the wards.

Snape frowned. "I thought we agreed..." His words tapered off when Salazar reached out his hand, palm up, for the man to take. "Ah, of course."

He knew it wasn't easy for the man to trust others. Snape had been a spy for a long time. Yet Snape didn't hesitate to cross the room and take the small hand in his own. Salazar finally spoke, "A thoirt dhachaigh."

They landed in the laboratory - or the Chamber of Secrets as Snape still stubbornly referred to it - and joined the others already in the room. Much like last time, Rowena served refreshments. "Good evening, Professor. Tea?"

"Yes please, Miss Turpin," Snape said. Rowena handed him a cup of tea and Snape nodded. "Thank you."

Ismanna had hunted that morning and was lazily draped around the room with an interesting, best not asked what it was, lump in her torso. Helga was in her favored chair, stroking the large snake's snout. Godric wiped his hands free of his paints and joined the others in one of the arm chairs.

Once they had all settled in, Snape began his inquiry, "There are numerous questions rattling around in my head demanding answers. Yet the one that I keep coming back to is: why me?" Snape shook his head in bewilderment. "Of all the people on the staff, I am the least liked, most hated, if I'm being honest with myself. So, why did you choose me to help with this plan?"

"The night of the last big prank, the fireworks went off." When Snape nodded showing that he remembered the incident, Salazar continued, "Who stood to protect the students?"

"You four, Potter..." Snape frowned, "and myself."

"Yes, just us," Rowena agreed. "While the others claim to be concerned for the safety of the students, they are too comfortable with their positions and their belief in the strength of one man."

"He's a strong wizard," Snape argued.

"Perhaps," Godric replied, "but he stopped putting the welfare of our students first."

"Which is why you haven't told him you're back," Snape reasoned.

"Precisely," Salazar agreed.

"Why are you back?" Snape asked. "Which leads to my next question of how?"

The conversation lasted for at least two hours before Snape finally sat back with his cup of cold tea. Rowena sent a small wave of magic over to reheat the cup and Snape blinked before he said, "Wandless, silent magic..."

"It is not too late to learn for yourself. It simply takes practice," Salazar stated.

"I'm too old and set in my ways," Snape said, shaking his head.

"You're thirty-four, I'm forty-seven," Godric said with a laugh. "We're all older than you are. All it takes is practice if you're willing to put in the work."