It was weird that such a thing happened on this time and age, you see. People are proper and tend to have their… romantic affairs, indoors. Thank you very much.
Even if it was something occurring in a secluded place, it was very much a public affair and something no one decent might be caught partaking in, but that's the point. This whole curse casted on him, it was supposed to be humiliating and demeaning.
Meant to completely destroy and humiliate him beyond the point of reparation and redemption.
But before reaching this point…everything started when a famous and mature "he" woke up as a young, blushing "she".
Surely the caster had outdone his or herself…. Right? Reading that blasted letter again and again, no loophole had been found. No way out. Months of research, of running away and avoiding attention. Maintaining contact with others through letters and nothing else… any precaution his frazzled mind could come up with in order to hide this predicament and not besmirch his reputation. Oh, how those simpletons who hated him would rejoice if they happened to see him now.
Even the right to have a family ring wasn't his anymore. Women held no sway. They weren't fit to hold a title and they certainly weren't trusted for anything besides housework, even if some of them were recognized as exceptional like his colleagues: Rowena and Helga. They were the exception and not the rule. Certainly one had to be beyond stupid to even suggest Rowena Ravenclaw had to step out of her position and force her to do embroidery or any such nonsense. And Helga Hufflepuff was a brilliant botanical, to have that talent devote itself only for culinary exploits, it would be such a waste to the art of potion making and healing. They were respected and treasured, but certainly no one would treasure or respect an unknown woman in his circle. Or any circle. Specially a young one, of marriageable age, it just wasn't done.
He believed in capable women being encouraged to explore and develop their gifts within certain boundaries of course, that being said, he certainly wouldn't be overjoyed to have an outspoken and unruly wife, he was pretty conservative with his views on women's proper behavior, maybe that's why he bemoaned this fate so much.
Why, alone with his innermost thoughts and barely containing anguished sobs past his lips (to his complete humiliation and boiling frustration), this could very well be the death of him.
He certainly believed rude women were amongst the worst things you could cross paths with. Such vicious creatures existed; maybe he should count his blessings to be alive, even if he rather be dead.
And he was almost certain that this predicament he was living was the handiwork of such a woman.
Losing everything was somehow some notion of over dramatic people and dunderheads that indulged in poetry. But really, he wasn't a "he" anymore. That meant losing everything. Quite literally. His freedom and his identity as a whole, how the world treated him. It took a serious readjustment, he couldn't default to dueling and threatening since it wasn't proper.
Oh, the indignity. He will find the wretched soul that had caused this and use it as a test subject in his most hideous curse development. The thing is, he didn't remember how he got himself in this kind of mess, and his mind didn't provide the answers, upon waking up and discovering this unfamiliar frail and lithe body and a letter in his pillow… well, it didn't help matter any.
Certainly this letter is not a social call. You see. Whenever I cast a curse on someone I despise, I leave behind a way out of it. It depends on them if they follow it or not. Consider your current predicament the due payback you get for being bigoted, prejudiced and sneaky. As you consider women are so unreasonable, act like it. Be unreasonable, impulsive, reckless, rude, savage, you name it. Act it out, breathe it and live it, swear by it. You won't be a man again, until you embrace being a woman in every sense of the way. Until you own it. You won't be able to distinguish or inform a kind face of the fate that has befallen you. I'm a jealous caster. This is purely for my entertainment and to teach you an overdue humility lesson. Only when you manage to be an outstanding woman you might reverse back into the ma you were, or not. The point of this is to make an honest and tolerable man out of you.
Enjoy your feminine side. "Lord" Slytherin.
Oh how he burned in anger and despair upon realizing his bleak future. Upon transfiguring his clothes and boots to fit his new body, he fled. He really had no way out and if anyone were to see him wearing his family ring he might get burned for it. Women weren't allowed to carry family heirlooms, less of all, the ring with the family seal.
He really had it rough. He couldn't reach out to anyone that might know him. First, they wouldn't be able to recognize him, and he won't be able to speak if the letter was to be believed, and… it was the only thing he had.
It was written in cheap parchment with atrocious handwriting. He found everything on it, up to the last thing to be offensive. That darned scrap of cheap paper didn't have any trace he could pinpoint. It wasn't that he didn't try, but whoever cast the curse, masterfully covered their tracks. It seemed the atrocious handwriting and manners were just to annoy. Whoever was capable of something like this had to be insidiously smart and profoundly vindictive, if they hadn't targeted him in particular he might even… respect them.
His foe had to be someone of the old families that had a feud to pick out. And what a vengeance!
…
Godric Gryffindor wasn't your average man for this kind of mission, but then again it fell on his shoulders the task of looking for his wayward colleague. He couldn't hope that Rowena or Helga took up the task, they could manage the school in his absence, take care of his and Salazar's students and keep things running, and they had the staff back at Hogwarts and their husbands to assist. But he didn't dare to doubt their capability. Merlin forbids.
Thinking about Salazar sometimes he felt torn between growing anger and disconcerted uncertainty.
Salazar Slytherin wasn't the kind of man that would just up and disappear. His wife didn't know where to find him, not even the first thing besides his last known destination, besides that, it seemed the woman barely knew anything about her husband.
Daphne Hades was an uninteresting and meek woman, at least in personality. In looks, she was something else. Hell, if he didn't know any better he might say she hated Salazar's guts. She wasn't exactly cooperating in the school and couldn't care less about anything related to running it. None of them had asked Salazar about it. The man was just too much of a private individual and what they knew they had found out by elves or something that slipped out of one of the students.
Said woman was about the only being in the school that wasn't in an uproar over her husband's disappearance.
She kept to herself most of the time, administered the Slytherin household affairs and had everything running efficiently; she got along with everyone, without rising passions or strong reactions. And most of all, she purposefully kept herself out of her husbands business. They conceived their son and from the get-go she arranged a different room. It was an arranged marriage and she and Salazar really didn't bother in keeping up appearances of congeniality.
When Salazar went missing, Daphne did what was expected of her, even so, her reaction rubbed Godric the wrong way and it really made him question if he really wanted to conform to an arranged marriage like Salazar did. He wanted someone that at the very least cared about him.
He was after Salazar's trail from that one inn where he was seen last time. Someone had paid for his room and left. But that someone was female. The innkeeper remembered her because of her particularities, a woman that didn't want to dress up and with dry manners. She also had a nasty temper; didn't leave a name or anything that might be traceable, but when she appeared, Salazar disappeared. If someone could know anything it must be that mysterious woman. But no one had seen her face and Godric was just looking for a needle in a haystack at this stage. He asked around the inn and the town, for anyone who might have anything on that woman that might lead him to find her, no such luck.
Everyone agreed that she had an odd character. And that she was covered head to toe. Even indoors. Salazar's family seal had been used to seal cards; those cards were penned and signed by him, so he must be capable of that much even if he was otherwise indisposed or contained. Payments and anything that might be covered with letters was taken care of, even Daphne's expenses. Everything with the Slytherin seal and family crest, signed by Salazar Slytherin himself, but the man was nowhere to be found.
No one but the man himself should be able to wield that seal. Salazar would die before letting anyone else get their hands on something like that.
Godric knew that much. This was a whole maddening puzzle that he had to solve all on his own even if he didn't have the slightest idea of what to do that could yield some results. He wanted to go back to Hogwarts with answers, for Salazar's wife and child, Helga, Rowena and, of course, for his students.
…
All of his intelligence didn't prepare him to try and figure out the mad ramblings of his enemy's mind. He really didn't have a clue about how to embrace being a woman, so far, he despised it.
He found it demeaning, troublesome, tiresome, and even… gross.
And he also respected them significantly more than ever before all of the same. If that had been a condition to reverse this curse, he had covered it and discovered to his bitter disappointment he was still trapped.
The infinite amounts of shit he had to endure on a daily basis from everyone, women, children, elderly, and also… men.
Disgusting men, that is. He really wanted to hex them to death. The spineless gross bastards.
Back on the day when he walked the streets as a man, he commandeered respect. Someone had to be mental to intentionally cross his path, to even think they could get away scotch free with causing him troubles.
Even covered completely as he was, he still got insane amounts of attention in this despised form of his.
As if those beasts had never seen a woman before. Or maybe they thought a traveler was up for grabs.
What was it so interesting about a woman that wandered around covered? Muggles had women that didn't marry and stayed looked up "serving God".
He never stayed in the same place for more than 3 days, that in itself was bothersome. As a magic user he really could stay anywhere he wanted and make it comfortable. And as male he never had to worry about how others might perceive him. But now… he just couldn't stay wherever he wanted as that might raise uncomfortable questions and unwanted attention.
He had needs that couldn't be fulfilled in the middle of the forest or on the run as easily.
He quickly made acquaintances of the infamous period cramps and the dreaded bloodstains.
Really an eternity of doom sounded merciful for that wretched soul that cursed him and if he ever got his hands on them…
…
After almost a year of nothing, Godric finally got a lead worth following. You see, Salazar's letters could be traced to muggle messengers. He didn't use owls anymore and they just recently learned it. That someone as Salazar who openly despised muggles ended up using their services willingly was something that raised a lot of alarm. They traced the service, that of an order of knights, the Templars.
It was easy enough to enter as a messenger himself and travel around with them from town to town. Just waiting to spot the person who delivered Salazar's letters by chance alone. By now he knew everything there was to be known about the parchment, the ink and the family seal; he could recognize the penmanship with just glimpsing at it.
Rowena sent a device of her own making, she said it would point him in Salazar's direction or at the very least it might detect his magical signature and he was beyond grateful for it, he really missed the castle and wanted this search to come to an end. He was ready to get Salazar back to Hogwarts even if it had to be kicking and screaming.
The particular figure arrived at the post office at rush hour when lots of people were abounding, it was too thin to be a healthy man, covered head to toe and with dark gloves that covered their hands. The ring with the Slytherin family crest hanged around their neck and they just got it out to seal the parchment since it had to be done before the messenger or they might be affected negatively by the magic of the seal and die. Godric had to contain himself from his corner not to jump out and capture them on the spot.
He had waited long enough. Saving to memory everything about this individual, he was happy to find Rowena's device consisted of a modified clock and its hands pointed straight at the covered figure and it heated on his palm. It was warm and he could swear it sounded like a wind bell. After a year of nothing, he finally had something.
…
She had a secret smile. No one could really find it if they didn't know her well, but ever since that day she was a happy camper. Whoever had done that had her infinite thanks. You see, whoever had managed to outwit her husband. She didn't know what happened or why he didn't want to come back home or to Hogwarts, but with him out of the way, she could finally be herself. She knew her husband was alive elsewhere since she still had gold and received instruction on how to run his business. Well, she mostly complied with his wishes.
She could do that; she could live with that. It was better than having him home at any rate. She loathed him. Not enough to wish him dead, he was the father of her child after all.
Oh but her family… They practically sold her. For the prestige and power they were getting by being related to one of Hogwarts founders. They didn't care about her wishes and she had to get married anyways. Well.
No use to cry over it, they were related to Slytherin, yes. But she had learned a few tricks of him. And in regards to her family, her husband deferred to her.
So much for benefiting of her marriage, she was the obstacle they hadn't even thought to consider. She despised them. So, naturally she didn't let them profit of what they had done to her. They filled their mouth with being related to the Slytherin household and their children didn't have to pay full tuition when they made it to Hogwarts (if they made it). But other than that…. Nothing.
She had her revenge against her family.
She despised Salazar not because he had mistreated her, even if some could argue his treatment was mistreatment alone, when she had conceived, he had agreed not to touch her again. That was so much more than many other women similarly trapped had gotten out of their respective husbands. That's why she genuinely wanted him alive, at least.
But she was trapped in this marriage, and as long as he didn't release her, she will be his wife. She couldn't be with someone else. And for that she couldn't forgive him for agreeing to this sham of a marriage in the first place.
Well, he wasn't at home and she could be herself and be at ease. Even exchange letters with the one she loved.
Acting like the brainless and worried wife was getting old. It was exhausting. She had been doing it since she married into the Slytherin family. Oh well. Maybe Gryffindor might manage something now that he had something to trace Salazar. She wanted him back, eventually, so he could deal with his business.
…
Ever since delivering his mail to the couriers Salazar felt dread. He didn't know why. What was wrong? He just wanted to get out of there.
He felt observed and that unnerved him, not knowing who or why, especially now that he couldn't recognize friend or foe. Whoever had cast this damned curse on him, they covered their tracks well. They could be tailing him from the get go for all he knew.
He couldn't ask for assistance because no one will recognize him in this shape, he couldn't recognize those who might offer assistance even if he saved the barrier of his looks. And he was vulnerable if someone who hated him ever found out about this. He didn't have the slightest clue about how to end it. And he tried.
Later, if asked what prompted him to stop in a bar, he couldn't answer.
He entered and people looked at him trying to piece why someone was completely covered in this heat. Not minding the other patrons, he asked for cold beer. The beast of a man behind the bar was efficient, but he gave him a searching look and Salazar had to contain his irritation. He roughed his voice but whenever he spoke more than a couple words, people found out.
That's why he kept verbal communications to a minimum and managed with gestures and gold. People didn't want to make questions when a semblance of discretion managed to pay their bills.
He never saw or felt it coming… if his senses hadn't been altered along with his body, he might have avoided it altogether. Alas. A curse on top of a curse was bound to be cast.