CHAPTER 51: THE SECRETS OF SALAZAR

He made his way down the corridor, Harry encountered Ron and Lavender. Their presence triggered a familiar ache in his chest. He exchanged a glance with Ron, a silent acknowledgment of their shared sorrow. The encounter stirred memories of somber moments with the Weasley family and a vivid recollection of the slim, silver chain dropping from Ron's fingers into Hermione's cleavage.

"Can't unsee that," Harry mused to himself, breaking the connection and leaving the past behind. He deposited his essay on Professor Vector's submissions shelf, his thoughts momentarily drifting to Lavender. "Lavender's going to be pissed if she finds out, though. That looked like an expensive present."

Harry then cast a cautious glance up and down the corridor before disillusioning himself, making his way up the staircase and along the second-floor corridor.

"Hello, Myrtle," Harry greeted the ghost with a friendly smile as he approached her bathroom. "How've you been?"

Myrtle floated over, her spectral form blushing a deep silver. "Harry. I've been alright, just drifting around. I keep feeling like I've forgotten something important, though."

"If it's anything you saw in the Prefect's Bathroom, then I don't want to know," Harry quipped with a playful smirk.

Myrtle giggled, her laughter echoing through the bathroom's tiled walls. "Are you sure?"

Harry chuckled. "If you must..." He leaned in, curious to hear what Myrtle might have to share.

"Cedric Diggory was there yesterday for the first time since he came back after Christmas. He had a really long bath," Myrtle informed Harry. "All the bubbles ran out."

Harry couldn't help but laugh at her incorrigible nature. "Didn't he see you?" he asked, curious about Myrtle's clandestine bath-time habits.

Myrtle shook her head. "No. I can be sneaky if I want to."

"Well, no peeking on me if I get made prefect next year," Harry teased as he opened the chamber. "I want to be able to bathe in peace."

Myrtle watched the entrance to the chamber appear with a mischievous glint in her eye. "No promises, Harry," she murmured, her ethereal form taking on an enigmatic quality.

Harry descended the steps into the chamber, and the cold, dense air closed in around him. Goosebumps prickled along his arms, and he shivered as he stepped into the study.

"Cold?" Salazar inquired.

Harry quickly cast a couple of warming charms on himself. "It's not warm down here. Why couldn't you have included a fireplace or something?"

Salazar chuckled. "Where would I put a chimney for the smoke?"

"You're Salazar Slytherin," Harry retorted with a playful smirk.

Salazar laughed heartily. "Nobody's turned that line around on me since Godric got himself killed chasing myths." He affectionately stroked the head of his snake. "Why have you come?"

"To learn, of course," Harry replied. "And maybe discuss a few ideas with you."

Salazar considered Harry's request. "If you want to learn something, it would be best for it to be blood magic," he suggested. "That or you can try and improve your dueling skills."

"Why not both?" Harry suggested, gesturing at the time-turner hanging around his neck.

Salazar considered the idea. "As long as you don't overuse it. You were using it far too much last year, but we didn't have much choice to make sure you were skilled enough to survive. Overuse causes severe mental strain."

"We wouldn't want that," Harry agreed. "Then there'd be two senile people in here."

Salazar couldn't help but snipe, "That's why you should only use it sparingly. Best to only have one of you at any given time."

Harry chuckled, appreciating Salazar's humor. "Blood magic first. I can learn here for a bit, while future me practices wand motions outside."

Salazar contemplated Harry's request for a moment, running his fingers through his goatee. "Before we start on blood magic, have you gotten anywhere with the mind arts?"

"I'm capable of utilizing passive legilimency now," Harry revealed. "I haven't tried it on more than a handful of unprotected minds to avoid the risk of detection, but I can do it."

Salazar reassured him, "It shouldn't make too much difference. The connection is so faint and slight it takes a competent practitioner to detect or prevent it."

Harry nodded. "I noticed Dumbledore's."

Salazar acknowledged Harry's innate talent. "You're naturally gifted at this branch of magic; all our family is. You're more than just competent."

"Modest as ever," Harry teased.

"The truth is the truth," Salazar replied. "Now, blood magic. Do you remember what I taught you before?"

Harry recollected their previous discussions. "You pretty much told me that it used blood as a medium and was often sacrificial."

Salazar folded his arms, a hint of disdain in his expression. "I doubt I said it so inelegantly, but that is a very basic paraphrasing of a rudimentary understanding."

"I'm happy to listen to a more elegant definition," Harry replied, eager to learn.

"Blood magic is any magic that uses blood as a medium or tether, which is what I told you," Salazar explained, tapping his fingers on the top of his serpent's head. "Because of its power, it's usually used in ritualistic, sacrificial magic. However, it can be used for just about anything that magic can be used to do: rituals like you've done, warding, enchanting. If you have the imagination, you can do it."

Harry couldn't help but let his mind wander for a moment. Fleur might find this interesting. He envisioned a collaboration where he handled the blood aspect while Fleur used her ingenuity to create various clever enchantments.

"You're not listening," Salazar snapped, noticing Harry's momentary distraction.

"I was considering the applications to enchanting," Harry retorted.

"You were thinking about Fleur Delacour again," Salazar pointed out, a soft gleam appearing in his eyes. "You had that silly smile on your face."

Harry fought down a flush. "I'm listening."

"Good," Salazar replied, his demeanor returning to seriousness. "We'll start with wards. You may need to know about those soon."

"Voldemort?" Harry inquired.

"Tom shares our family enthusiasm for such magic. I can't speak for Voldemort, but I doubt he would abandon the use of powerful magic."

"I can't imagine he would, either," Harry agreed.

"Obviously, you can use blood magic as a medium in sacrificial magic to create very powerful wards like those on this chamber," Salazar continued. "Other times, you might not need power so much as specificity. A sacrifice of blood can grant you access to wards, like a key for a lock. You can either choose the ward to only allow through those who sacrificed blood in the ward's creation, or you can allow anyone to sacrifice some of their blood to gain entry. The latter can be very useful in creating traps. If your enemy thinks that spattering a bit of blood will grant him entry, he might be tempted to risk it. There're all sorts of nasty surprises in which you can catch an overconfident wizard who's willingly given blood to you."

"Can they be broken?" Harry inquired.

"All wards can be broken if you've sufficient power," Salazar explained. "However, it's often the worst way to break a ward, because it forces you into a direct conflict of power. You have to expend at least as much magic as was put into the ward to overcome it. There's almost always a better way."

"What about the wards tied to this chamber?" Harry inquired. "How do they work?"

"More complex. I did both," Salazar replied with evident pride. "The wards of this chamber are bound to my blood. Only a parseltongue can speak the words to open the entrance, and only someone of my bloodline can pass through the other wards. It's why you can apparate in and out of here, but nobody else can."

"Except Voldemort," Harry pointed out.

"Except Voldemort," Salazar confirmed, his gaze turning distant. "But I knew Tom well, and despite twisting himself into Voldemort, he likely retains much of the same character. He would not come here until it's worth the risk. He never came back after leaving the school, not once."

"What about portkeys?" Harry inquired.

"Only someone of my blood can portkey here through the wards, though anyone who has seen the inside can create a portkey here."

Harry pondered the implications. "What would happen if they tried?"

"I don't know," Salazar mused. "Maybe you should get someone to try, just to find out. I suppose the portkey would just fail, or they might bounce off and arrive nearby. They might even vanish completely."

"Perhaps another time," Harry said with a grin. "I'd like to save playing with experimental magic until I no longer want to live a long and fulfilling life. How did you make the wards?"

"Sacrifice," Salazar whispered. "Magic like that requires will and intent that can't be measured with words, blood, runes, or anything so simple. It takes feeling. It takes pain. It takes determination. You have to know how much it will hurt to accomplish, and you have to want it enough to do it anyway."

"I don't understand how you bind the magic to your bloodline," Harry admitted. "It makes sense that the stronger the magic, the further you must go, but I don't get how to actually attach the magic to a bloodline."

"It's abstract magic," Salazar murmured. "I drew a runic description of my intent within the confines of the chamber using my blood as ink just as if it were a simple ritual. That sacrifice of blood allowed me to make my blood both the medium and the key to the piece of magic. You have to put it in the runes and hold it in your mind as you create it."

Harry pondered Salazar's explanation. "I think I understand. I could probably draw the runes. In fact, I guess I could draw them all wrong as long as I didn't realize."

"Very true," Salazar agreed. "But it's best not to try that; something weird might happen if you noticed halfway through that you'd done it wrong."

"I'd just need something to sacrifice," Harry noted.

"You've sacrificed much already," Salazar whispered. "Everything you've given up to survive, all those things you've left behind to reach that lovely French sunset, they'll be with you in every piece of magic you cast."

"Is that why Voldemort's so powerful?" Harry wondered. "Has he sacrificed so much that his intent is just that strong?"

A small smile curved Salazar's lips. "I fear so. And, in a way, I'm still a little proud of the magic Tom has managed. But there are some things you shouldn't sacrifice, Harry. There comes a point when you've cut away so much of yourself that there's very little left."

Harry's thoughts turned to Voldemort, or rather, Tom Riddle, and the price he might have paid to become the Dark Lord. "I see. So if I wanted to create blood wards around a house to protect someone important to me, I'd have to sacrifice something of approximately equal value."

"Yes," Salazar affirmed. "Though it would be strengthened by everything you've already sacrificed, and you can only make wards so strong before sacrificing more makes no difference."

Harry nodded in understanding. "Makes sense. How would I enchant something using blood magic?"

"That's the simplest use," Salazar explained, waving a hand dismissively. "Lots of wizards and witches did this to ensure only their bloodline could use their creations, and, of course, blood is a powerful medium to use for the creation of the object itself. Beyond that, I would wager a great deal that most of the legendary magical artifacts were made using sacrificial magic of the greatest sort and blood as a medium."

"A powerful sacrifice and a powerful medium to create the strongest possible enchantment," Harry mused.

"More than that," Salazar continued, his voice filled with a sense of wonder. "I never got my hands on one, despite searching for a very long time. They're few and far between, jealously guarded, too. Imagine, though, Harry, the sort of artifact you could create from the shared sacrifice and intent of a hundred wizards."

Harry couldn't help but shudder at the thought. "If a single wizard can create something like this chamber, then something created by a hundred would be unbelievably powerful."

"Yes," Salazar agreed. "I don't know of any, really."

"The Caduceus was one," Salazar said, his expression turning nostalgic. "I searched for it as my wife's health failed. It was created back before even the Classical Era but was lost during the fall of Rome. It was reputed to be a staff of healing without comparison. A wand so powerful that any magic cast through it with the intention to heal was almost always successful. Rumors were that it could even prevent death. It was so famous it remains well-known even amongst Muggles."

"Any others?" Harry inquired.

"A few," Salazar replied, cracking a grin. "I'll tell you about some of them in the future, but you have more important things to worry about now."

'That's true,' Harry nodded. 'Fudge, the current Minister, will jump at any chance to get rid of Albus Dumbledore and earn some credibility back. His days are numbered, so Dumbledore will likely be back by next year, if he wants to be.'

'If his martyr is here, he will want to be,' Salazar muttered.

Harry scowled and swallowed a shard of cold rage. 'No doubt.'

'Do you have a plan?'

'Dumbledore gets ousted. Umbridge gets dealt with. Sirius gets me into the Ministry. I get the prophecy, hear it, then destroy it.' Harry bounced his fingertips together. 'My cloak ought to get me through any wards at the Ministry.'

'Yes.' Salazar's gaze sharpened. 'Don't lose that cloak, Harry. If it truly makes your magic completely undetectable, then you have something on par with the Caduceus in your possession.'

Harry's eyes snapped to the pool of silken material upon Salazar's desk. 'Really?'

'Oh yes. It's not a story for now, you have enough on your mind for the moment, but in the near future it might be prudent for you to learn a little more about that cloak.' A small, rueful smile curved his lips. 'You should always know exactly how much something means to you.'

'It's the only thing I have from my father,' Harry said. 'But I'm less attached to it than I used to be. I've grown used to not having much family.'

'Well, I'm not advocating sacrificing it for any reason. In fact, I advise against it other than to save your own life. It's likely very valuable.'

'How valuable?'

'Priceless,' Salazar whispered. 'It's the sort of thing wizards spend lifetimes looking for.'

'How intriguing,' Harry murmured.

'Just don't lose it,' Salazar snapped. 'If you do, I will find a way to claw myself free of this canvas and beat you to death with the pieces of my former frame.'

Harry snorted. 'I did wonder how good it was. Dumbledore did find me under it once, but I'm not sure if he could actually detect me, or if he just deduced it indirectly.'

'Indirectly, I suspect,' Salazar said. 'Death is not so easily outdone.'

'What?'

'Something for another time. You have enough to do without getting obsessed with old myths like Godric and I.'

That's true enough.

Harry reached for the time-turner, ducking his head through the thin gold chain. 'Any suggestions for what I should practice for my duelling?'

'Try casting your shield charm and your silly butterflies simultaneously. If you can manage that then you'll have a very powerful defence to fall back upon should you need to weather the storm for a bit.'

'How can I cast two pieces of magic at the same time without weakening one or both?' Harry demanded. 'They have different intentions.'

'Not different intentions, different mechanics,' Salazar said. 'You're looking too closely at how the spells work. Forget that one is conjuring butterflies and another a shield. The broad intent behind them is the same, so once you're able to cast without incantation or wand motion, you can produce them simultaneously.'

'How is it any better than deflecting hexes from within the butterflies?'

'It's safer,' Salazar said. 'You won't be able to attack, and it's less flexible than duelling while your animated defence protects you, but defensively it's stronger.'

'I'll practise it.' Harry flipped the time-turner several times and strode out over the bridge. 'I'm getting the hang of bringing it all together.'

'Practise chaining your wand motions too,' Salazar called.

Harry shot him a thumbs up over his shoulder as the room blurred, and time flowed backward around him.

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