Ancient: The Legacy of Slytherin

Pensive I

1000 A.D. London. 890 years before the Goblin Rebellion of Hogwarts.

Salazar Slytherin turned the ring over in his hands aimlessly. The gold metal was cold against his fingertips, and the smooth obsidian caught the light every so often and glistened. He heard footsteps approaching and slid the ring back on to his left ring finger, a reminder of the promise he made six months ago.

A reminder that he would never see the love of his life again.

Marjorie Slytherin walked into the bedroom and placed a delicate kiss on Salazar's cheek. Salazar held his hand out to rest on her belly, trying to sense the new life that had taken root there just three months prior.

"He kicked me today. I think he's going to be a feisty one. Feisty, but fierce. Like his father."

Salazar smiled at his wife's endearing words, and then something clicked in his head.

"He?"

"Mhmm."

"How do you know?"

"I can sense it, Salazar. As clearly as I see you in front of me, I know this child growing within me is a male. Your first heir."

He was thrilled, of course. Having offspring that were women was useless, for women needed to marry and abandon their family name. No, that wouldn't do at all. The House of Slytherin needed to continue on, to realize the mission he set out to accomplish by starting the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

"Something on your mind, dear?" Marjorie looked at him with a twinge of concern.

"I'm just happy that my son will be able to continue my legacy."

Happy.

The truth was that Salazar hadn't known what that word meant until he met Isabella. And he hadn't felt it again since she left.
+++

992 A.D. Scotland.

It was a cool autumn day in Scotland. The chlorophyll in the leaves had begun to fade away, making room for the brilliant reds, yellows and oranges that would soon adorn the trees. Salazar liked the color green; it was bold, brilliant, elegant...rich. He always mourned the day where the last green leaf fell from its sturdy branch, only to be replaced by red monstrosities. Red was Godrick's favorite color, which naturally made Salazar hate it by proxy.

Salazar watched a green leaf break off a nearby tree and begin its long descent into the grass of the Scottish Highlands below. Its journey to the afterlife was abruptly halted by a delicate hand into which the leaf fell gracefully. He turned his gaze up to see who dare interrupt the life cycle of the plant and met the eyes of a woman.

She nearly took his breath away.

Her frame was petite, much smaller than Salazar's own. She had hair that was black as obsidian, like the obsidian that made up the hilt of his wand. Her hair reminded him of snakes, curing down over her shoulders in coiled ringlets that seemed to move on their own. Her skin was a light olive tone, and her eyes-- her eyes. They were the most brilliant shade of blue that reminded him of the lake outside of Hogwarts, surrounded by a smaller ring of the most vibrant green he'd ever seen.

And Salazar liked the color green.

"I always thought it a shame when the green leaves begin to abandon the safe refuge of their branches. It means change is coming. I was never one for change."

He stared at her in bewilderment as she spoke.

She dared to glance in his direction, a smile crawling across her lips as she realized she had stunned this stranger into silence. Wordlessly and without a wand, she made the green leaf levitate, sending it over to the stranger in hopes he would hold out his hand to catch it.

Salazar watched the leaf float to him in shock, for wandless magic was not a simple feat to conquer. He realized she was sending the leaf to him and reached out his hand to catch it. It landed delicately in his hand before it began to glow a brilliant blue color. Salazar was versed in every kind of magic that existed in the wizarding world, but he had never seen this before. It intrigued him, and he yearned to know everything about the nameless woman who seemed to leap from the pages of a fantasy novel.

"The leaf- it's...it's glowing blue." Salazar looked up to meet the woman's wide eyes.

"You can see that?" She had never crossed paths with anyone who was able to see the same type of magic she could, living her life as an outcast to other witches and wizards.

"Yes, it's...brilliant."

"You think differently than most, then. My own parents thought me cursed, and every magic expert I've met with has written me off as a crazed witch."

"May I ask what your family name is?"

"My name is Isabella. I don't have a family name."

"Everyone has a family name, surely." Salazar was puzzled. How could one know their blood status if they didn't know their family name? And how could one go through life not knowing their blood status?

"Everyone but me, I suppose. I told you, my family thought me cursed. They surrendered me to the streets of London at a very young age. The first time I showed them this type of magic was the last time I saw them."

"How do you know your blood status if you don't know your family name?"

She giggled and shrugged her shoulders. "I suppose I'll never know. Doesn't bother me much, though."

That infuriated Salazar. He believed that witches and wizards who did not descend directly from a long line of other witches and wizards were less than, not worthy of breathing the same air as him. Certainly not worthy of wielding the same magic as him. He was a pure-blood, and he wanted Hogwarts to be a place where pure-bloods could gather and learn from each other.

The other founders of Hogwarts had different ideas. So, he was going to leave. But not yet. He had one more task to accomplish, although he was unsure how he was going to achieve it.

After a long silence that threatened to end their conversation, Salazar spoke again.

"I could help you. Discover your ancestry, that is. If you want. I have extensive resources at my disposal."

"And who are you, mysterious stranger with extensive resources at your disposal?"

How did she not know who he was? "I'm Salazar Slytherin, one of the four founders of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

"Well it's a pleasure to meet you, Salazar Slytherin, founder of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

He picked up on her sarcastic tone. "Have- have you not heard of it?"

"Oh, I've heard of it. As a matter of fact, I envy it. If a school like that had existed when I was young, I may have had a home. A different kind of family, even."

Salazar didn't consider himself empathetic, but there was something about Isabella that tore at his heartstrings. He felt sad for her. And he knew she would have been a brilliant student.

"I'm sorry, Isabella. I can't change the past, but as I said, I can help you now."

"And why are you so quick to help a stranger?"

"Anyone who knows me would ask the exact same question. I'm not one to offer a helping hand. But you...intrigue me."

Salazar held up the leaf in his hand and looked directly into her eyes.

"And I love the color green."