Ancient: The Legacy of Slytherin

Pensive II

992 A.D. Hogwarts. Salazar Slytherin's Scriptorium.

Isabella watched as Salazar paced between the bookshelves. He would open a book, scan it, and close it harshly before moving to the next and repeating the process. It was mesmerizing to watch.

"So what did you call this place again?" Isabella asked from a chair in the corner of the room.

"My Scriptorium. It's a private library of things I've curated over the years."

"Why is it so secretive?"

Salazar closed the book he was scanning and turned to her. He walked around to the front of his desk in the middle of the room and rested against the front of it.

"The other founders and I don't see eye to eye. So I've been keeping a record of things I'd like to pass on to my descendants. They'll be the only ones able to access this place. I've made sure of that by charming the entrance to only be accessible by Parseltongue and requiring the casting of Crucio before they're able to enter."

"Ah. Why the Unforgivable curse?"

"Because I believe Dark Magic should be widely taught. It's impossible to prevent against the Dark Arts if one doesn't hold a mastery over them. The other founders don't think students should be learning Unforgiveables."

"Well I have half a mind to agree with them, but I do see your point. Is that why you want to leave?"

How did she know he was planning to leave? They've spent the past few days together, yes, but he never mentioned that to her. "I never said anything of the sort to you."

"Call it intuition. Is my intuition correct?"

"Yes. I'm making preparations to depart Hogwarts. But first I want to use all of its resources to track down your lineage. Once I do that, there's one more task to accomplish before I walk away."

Isabella admired how dedicated he was to her cause. No one had ever cared bout her as much as he seemed to. He was so patient with her, always answering all of he questions in full and never complaining that she had too many. She couldn't help but notice the way he seemed to smile when he felt her eyes on him.

And Salazar would be lying if he said he didn't find her extremely attractive. She was so beautiful, every time he felt her eyes on him, he couldn't help but smile. He had never felt this way about a woman ever. He was always solely focused on his end goal that he had forgotten a crucial step- he actually needed heirs to pass his teachings down to. And Isabella was right here, in his Scriptorium day after day, patiently watching as he worked to uncover her lineage. But he couldn't. He couldn't do a thing until he was sure she was a pure-blooded witch.

Isabella watched as Salazar resumed his pursuit for knowledge on her behalf. She nearly jumped out of her skin when he suddenly exclaimed.

"Aha! Here's something...a mention of something called 'ancient magic.' It describes a blue glow...the same that accompanies your magic when you cast it. It also mentions someone named Rackham...Julius Rackham. Does that name mean anything to you?"

"Hmm..." Isabella pulled a locket out from under her corset. She turned it over to inspect the letters engraved on it.

"J.R."

"Salazar, look at this! It's a locket that's been passed down through my family...I wasn't meant to have it, but I stole it from my mother before they put me on the street. I thought I could sell it one day for Galleons. Do you think they're related?"

That was all the proof Salazar needed. She had to be pure-blooded. He traced the lineage of Rackham from the book, and there wasn't a single tainted aspect. Not one.

"Come, look at this." Isabella walked over to him and placed her hand on his shoulder as she peered around at the book. He could feel her breath on his cheek and it made him...nervous. He swallowed hard and continued.

"Rackham is part of a long line of pure-blooded witches and wizards. The latest entry is..." He used his finger to trace the family tree down, down, down...he froze when he saw the name on the parchment under his finger. Slowly, he turned around to face Isabella.

Isabella Rackham.

She smiled a devious grin as his mind pieced together the puzzle. "Hmm. I really thought it would take you longer to find out."

He raised an eyebrow in confusion at her. Her tone was...almost cold.

"You- you knew? This whole time?"

"You think it was a coincidence I was there that day? When you were wandering about on the grounds of Hogwarts. I've been keeping an eye on you, Salazar. Because I need you. And I think you need me too."

His mouth was nearly on the floor as she spoke. Salazar was used to being the most cunning person in every room. He never dreamed of having that title stripped away from him, by a woman nonetheless. She continued.

"I was just waiting for the right opportunity to approach you. I needed you to be sure with your decision to depart Hogwarts before I made my move."

She took out her wand and twirled it between her fingers methodically.

"You see, I need someone to help me understand this ancient magic. It's had control over me my whole life. I want to control it. And you need this magic to help you build something, don't you? So, we can help each other."

How in bloody hell could she know about his plan? He hadn't spoken a word of it to anyone. The only place it lived was inside his own head.

"I can sense your confusion...you're trying to figure out how I know about the Chamber. I'm a gifted Legilimens, Salazar. So gifted in fact that I've been exploring your mind every time your back is turned."

"That's...that's impossible. I'm skilled in Occlumency...I would have known..."

"My ancient magic pushes my skill beyond anything comprehensible to a normal wizard. Even an extraordinary wizard like yourself. So, what do you say? Do we have a deal?"

Salazar was angry. Furious. No one explored his mind without permission, not ever. At the same time, he has never been more impressed with a witch in his life. He admired her tenacity and her cleverness. So yes, he would make the deal. He would make the deal and she'd help him complete his plan.

Then he would use her to produce the most powerful heir the wizarding world had ever seen.