Winter 1992

Ronald Weasley

"He doesn't even know what it is yet," Ron said breathlessly, the words almost seemed to fall out of his mouth.

Salazar nodded and stopped mid-pace. Despite having been apart for the entire holiday break, Ron thankfully hadn't noticed anything different about his mentor. He almost expected to return to the room of requirement and find nothing but an empty closet.I'm not that crazy… yet.

"Yes, and your Harry Potter might be right. It would be best if we don't dismiss his concerns. You said he was going to break into this professor's office? Did he find anything?"

Ron shook his head. "No, just obscure potion books. Harry says it looks like Professor Snape doesn't do anything else but his job."

"Hmph. Not much ambition, is that? But perhaps… yes, perhaps this professor is just a true disciple of my own? He is a Slytherin after all. His ambition might just be to help raise the next generation of potions masters. That's not dissimilar from what I wanted if we exclude all of the parts about the slaughter of wizards," Sal said with a small frown. "We must be careful, even more so now that we know our theory isn't baseless."

"You think the troll and the object are connected?" Ron asked. He had to admit that Harry was a really good investigator, his friend could probably be an ace Auror when he finished Hogwarts.

Salazar nodded and resumed pacing. "We must assume that they are, to not do so would be foolish. It's always advisable, boy, to overestimate your enemy than to underestimate them."

"So it's not Snape?" Ron took a small breath. He had never really believed Harry's theory, but considering the way that Snape treated Gryffindors he couldn't really be sure.

Salazar took another pause, his lips thinning. "I do not believe so, it would seem too obvious. Maybe I am doing the opposite, overestimating to such a degree that the obvious passes under my nose… but we don't have much liberty here, Ronald. The fate of this school may rest in this moment."

"The fate of Charlie," Ron added. A small surge of anxious tightness ripped through him.

"Thankfully we are in an advantageous position. This friend of yours, Harry Potter, can continue to chase the trail he's following while we can look elsewhere."

Ron frowned. "I've made a list but it's just so bloody hard. I can't tell who's actually up to something and who's just a bloody pest."

"Motivation and greed; they drive a man's conscience. Think for a moment, boy, why did you save that muggle-born girl's life?"

Ron shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "Because I was the one who put her in danger."

Salazar nodded. "It takes strength of character to admit that, and I appreciate your honesty. I think you'll find that most human actions are devolved from greed in one form or another. I know Christians speak of seven deadly sins, but truly I believe in only one which the others follow. You saved that girl because you couldn't live with yourself if you didn't. You did it for your sake as well as hers. Am I wrong?"

Ron frowned, he didn't like the implication that he wouldn't have saved Hermione's life if he didn't have a reason to do so.

"I don't mean to suggest you're a bad person," Salazar clarified, "only that your actions are driven by your desire to live without that guilt. Desire is just another name for greed, for lust. And what I mean by all of this babbling is that your list should not just include people who you think are in some way socially ill but also those who have a deepest greed that only these few actions can fulfil. It's not an easy task, but I would start by asking why. Why steal this object? Why is it being held here at Hogwarts and not somewhere else? It's powerful enough to be protected but not by hired wands?"

Ron nodded slowly. "So we need to know what the object is before we can know who wants to steal it."

"If they were after gold they would have robbed a different vault," Sal nodded. "They want something they can't otherwise have."

What could Professor Snape want…

"What about the Quidditch match? Why would Professor Snape want to kill Harry if he wasn't the one trying to steal the object?" Ron asked.

"That's why I don't think this professor is the person we are looking for. I'd like to think that a professor here at Hogwarts would not only be more subtle if they were trying to murder a student but also a lot more competent. Your friends might be mistaken or perhaps this Professor is just a very enthusiastic fan."… I'm not sure if that makes me feel better…

"Not all problems are yours to solve," Sal said, reading the thoughts out of his head. "Unless it pertains to the current task we should push aside the entire Quidditch incident."

Ron nodded slowly. He hated the way that Professor Snape treated Harry, it was definitely something that needed to be addressed but at the same time he understood what Salazar meant. After all, now that he really thought about it it seemed unlikely that Professor Snape would fail to kill Harry and just decide not to try again. Ron knew that if he was going to kill Charlie's murderer he would try as many times as it took. The piss drinker could wait until after they saved Hogwarts and until after they saved Charlie. Ron bit his lip. Maybe Snape could even wait until after Ron found some way to save Harry from his awful muggle family.

"Kidnap him," Salazar suggested mildly.

Ron stared at him with wide eyes. "What?"

"You're concerned about your friend but not concerned enough to become a monster and risk your brother's life by murdering an entire family of muggles. You would be foolish to do that and I think you're a relatively smart young wizard, Ronald. So, your other option is to remove your friend from the situation… but… you would risk his life." Salazar let out a heavy breath. "It's an impractical suggestion, but the only one I have to offer."

Ron swallowed and the back of his neck turned warm. Once again he felt as if he was a child, which sometimes happened when Salazar would read his mind. He knew the founder was right, he couldn't help Harry with the Dursley's in the same way that he couldn't stop Professor Snape. At least, not without doing as Sal is room at the Burrow…

"Oh, and don't forget," Sal added. "We must continue to prepare for whatever is to come. Our lessons are to resume at once and as often as you can manage without suspicion. And, you should do as I suggested and find a book on modern combat magic. We need to build your arsenal with more spells that won't exhaust you. We need whatever it takes to keep you alive."

- SS -

Winter 1992

Theodore Nott

Hogwarts had a charm that even Theo couldn't quite resist. It was like an old and battered toy that had been thrown around the field a dozen times but still served a purpose and, if anything, he wasn't above using things for their purpose.

If he was going to become the wizard he wanted, if he was going to live up to the Nott family name, then he would soak in what the castle had to offer. He would do whatever it took to look over those beneath him and even rise to tower over those who stood on a similar footing. And to do it all… it would be easier with Ronald Weasley.

Theo wore a large smile on his face as he strode down the dungeon corridor and finally stepped into the common room. He took a deep breath of the warm air and let it fill him with bubbly excitement. He couldn't help himself but enjoy the prospect of the game about to be played. The same one he had been playing since the beginning of the year, all the webs combining together in just the way he had wound them. It wouldn't take much longer before he had truly carved himself a secure position in the house. And arguably, he could have resumed his game earlier if only his father hadn't insisted he take the Floo.

He took a brief glance around the room, his eyes landing on one of the chairs in the corner. Whatever thoughts he was having were quickly yanked away as he focused on Tracey Davis. He frowned. Tracey was curled in the chair with her legs beneath her and a textbook in her hands— a potions textbook.

Wherever Theo had imagined that his first year at Hogwarts would go, he didn't expect to be partnered with a half-blood. He also didn't expect to actually enjoy her company. It made an awkward situation that he wasn't entirely sure on how to handle. On one hand he wanted to pull away from her, find someone else to partner with like the hippo girl, Milicent Bulstrode, and on the other hand he wanted to be Tracey's friend. She was funny and far better company than he usually enjoyed. She was going to ruin his plans, and he wasn't sure how to stop her.

Theo's brows furrowed as he stood still near the entrance and stared at Tracey from afar. His mind flickered between his plans to rule Slytherin House and the prospects of befriending a half-blood and casting away whatever sense of purity some of his housemates might demand. He knew what his father would tell him to do and he knew what his father would say. There were reasons, very good reasons, that the Notts were better than the Malfoys and one of them was most certainly that the Notts were far more pure. Pure because they didn't befriend half-bloods. But, a Nott had never, to Theo's knowledge, befriended a Weasley either.

Theo took another deep breath and started to head in Tracey's direction. A loud echoing pop was the only warning he received before a nearby bottle of ink exploded in a small sprinkle of glass and a large splatter of bright green ink. The ink smelled of something rancid and coated his robes from the shoulder down. All at once heads turned in his direction and many mouths filled with laughter. Tracey's eyes met his and Theo blinked. His chest turned cold and sour, rage rose in the back of his throat.

"Nice look, Nott," Draco Malfoy sneered behind him.

Theo, for his many faults, was usually not violent. Or at least not in the brutish way that Malfoy's minions were and yet for a second he considered saying the incantation to the exploding charm and simply hoping he could cast it correctly.

He turned around and looked into Malfoy's eyes. The boy wore a wide smirk, a smirk that Theo was going to remember. A smirk that Theo would enjoy smothering.

"You should buy better pots," Theo said, "the ones I buy are expensive. They usually don't explode."

"Watch your tone, Nott. I had nothing to do with this," Malfoy hissed back. The smile didn't leave his face and Theo had a hard time believing that anyone else but Malfoy would dare. Anyone other than Malfoy might find themselves having nightmares, and maybe Malfoy still would.

Theo forced a smile to his own lips. For a second Malfoy faltered, as if he hadn't expected the reaction.

"Sleep well," Theo whispered. Instead of heading towards the dormitories, he pushed past Malfoy and his minions and out through the hole in which he had entered.

It will be amusing to see how Professor Snape reacts to the potions in your bunk. I hope you have to cry to your father for help.