Strange Encounters of the Founder Kind
Salazar travels 1000 years to the future - eager to know whether he's famous! Tom gets the shock of his life... Godric appears soon after and together they wreak havoc! MUahaha!!
~*~
Encounter the serpent
Tom Marvolo Riddle. That was his name; plain, simple and so Muggle. He sighed, idly tapping his wand on the fine champagne glass before him that was once a salamander.
"Ah, Mister Riddle... another fine spell I see," the gentle voice of his transfiguration professor sunk from behind. Tom stiffened and turned around. The auburn haired professor merely smiled kindly. "I think that'll be 5 points for Slytherin,"
"Thank you Professor Dumbledore," the young 4th year replied. But from the corner of his eye he spotted a few dark glares from the other Hufflepuff students. He glared back at them, flashing a triumphant look. They were weak, and so untalented. Tom watched as Professor Dumbledore leaned over an agitated Hufflepuff boy, helping him to get his spell right.
"Now Diggory, relax a little... I know it's a difficult spell,"
Tom couldn't help but snort. Loser house that, he though dryly. However his gaze wandered back to his own house-mates who were equally faltering. Tom chewed on his lower lip. They were all just too stupid... or was he too bright? Sighing again he leaned back into his chair while his transfiguration partner, Malfoy tried valiantly to get her newt to change shape. It was pitiful. It was annoying. It was... boring. Tom groaned. He was bored out of his skull. So, he raised his hand.
Dumbledore glanced up curiously. "Yes Mr. Riddle?"
"I would like permission to go to the bathroom sir," he said politely.
"By all means," the professor answered back gently. But just as Tom was exiting the room, he called out: "Just make sure it's the ONLY place you go Mr. Riddle,"
Tom gritted his teeth but merely nodded and walked out. That Dumbledore never trusted him! Could always see right through his plans that man. That irked Tom a little, all the other teachers liked him but Dumbledore was different. sure he treated him nicely but there was something about him that...
Riddle froze in his stride. For a sudden moment he felt a strong burst of magic pulsating - and growing. The boy shuddered and his hands flew to his eyes as blinding purple light flashed before him. Riddle stumbled backwards and gave a shout, feeling the strength of the magic slamming against him - such power! He'd never felt such might in all his training at Hogwarts! The force of the spell was crushing and for a moment he couldn't breath and his lungs cried out for air. Then abruptly, and very suddenly it ended.
Ragged breath filled the air as Tom blinked open his eyes. Carefully he peeked from between the protective folds of his arms. The first thing he saw was feet. Two feet. Human feet. Actually he saw a pair of muddy, black boots that had the faint traces of grass and dirt. And the boots moved.
Tom glanced slowly up. From the boots he saw a black cloak, and from the cloak an insignia, and from that insignia was the image of a snake that looked at him curiously and said a very cheerful 'Hi!' That was as far as Tom got for he screamed and turned about to run.
"Stay where you are!" a voice commanded and every single hair on Tom's neck stood on end. It wasn't English he heard... it was Parseltongue. He turned around and stared at the man striding towards him.
"Who are you?!?" Tom blurted out in fear and defiance.
"You understand? You understand what I'm saying boy?" the man said instead, emerald green eyes flashing brightly, the gap between them rapidly shrinking.
"Stand back!!" Tom cried out, flicking out his wand, annoyed that his hand trembled.
"Ah, not only do you understand it! You speak it!" the man seemed utterly unfazed by Tom's wand, which irritated the boy more. His eyes, which were glazed like a serpent's, fixed squarely on poor Tom. "We even have the same eyes! The same hair! Hmm, is that Rowena's nose I see on you?"
"WHO ARE YOU??" Tom roared, the end of his wand shooting miniature sparks.
"Such impatience... now I don't think that Rowena has that... and I don't either so where did that come from hmm?" the man smirked. Tom looked very ready to curse when the black robed man finally gave a little bow and said: "Very well, introductions are in order I guess." he paused and seemed to puff himself up high. "I am Salazar Smogius Papaya Sicko Slytherin! And you are my little heir!!"
Tom's jaw dropped and his eyes bulged. Salazar looked very eager and learned forward excitedly. "You have heard of me then?? Have you??"
There was a heavy silence and Salazar waited breathlessly.
"YOU'RE A LOONLY!!!" Tom screamed and ran for his dear life in the opposite direction.
~*~
Tom Riddle lay motionless in his bed as his dorm mates walked by. He didn't care that he had gotten detention for not returning to transfiguration class, nor did he care that his fellow Slytherins jeered at him for hiding in his bed all day: They didn't know; they thought he was hiding from Dumbledore. Sure he would be afraid if Dumbledore was after him but he wasn't. Actually he would have preferred that. Instead some mad man was on his trail. He tried to explain that to the headmaster but Dumbledore somehow convinced Dippet that it was another of 'Mr. Riddles famous twists of truths'. And just when he was being honest for the first time!
The young wizard peeked carefully out of his sheets to find the room empty. Carefully he swung his legs over, reached for his candlelight and -
"Greetings my little heir!!!"
Tom gave a yelp of terror and tumbled out of his bed. Bright green eyes darted about rapidly before meeting two equally green though somewhat amused eyes. Perched rather carelessly above his bed was the loony guy who stretched lazily and smiled.
"What are you doing here??" Tom demanded. "What do you want?!"
The man sat up and looked at Tom most serenely. "I want to rule the world,"
Tom Riddle blinked. This man was truly insane.
"Hah! Kidding!" the other laughed most hysterically. Then he gracefully leapt down from his perch and advanced towards Tom. "Actually I want something from you, my little heir,"
"Stop calling me that!!" the agitated boy hissed, swiping his wand from the tableside. He pointed it straight at the black robed man and scowled. "Look, I don't know who you are-"
"I told you that already... dear Mandrake, has my family line really degraded so in the arena of memory power?? No! Rowena has excellent memory, but your memory is lousy so that could only mean-"
"SHUT UP!" Tom shouted, his hand no longer wavering. He wasn't afraid anymore, just rather annoyed. "Why are you following me??"
"Oh! You deduced that all by yourself! Clever! Maybe Rowena's genes did survive!" the man clapped happily, looking most elated.
Tom could only stare.
The man finally stopped prancing around and turned to face Tom. "Oh you're still confused. Poor little heir. Well, I guess not everyone can be as sharp as me - even if you are in the bloodline. Now my little heir, if you would be so kind as to answer a few of my questions-"
"Not till you answer mine!" Tom shot back. This man just made no sense but something at the back of his mind warned Tom that this wasn't your average crazed person he faced. For the first time the young Slytherin boy got a good look at the loony. At first glance, it seemed the man wore a dark black cloak but on closer inspection it actually had a slight tinge of green. The design too was rather dated and quite traditional. But it was a wizard's grab no doubt. Tom didn't know whether to relax or freak out, so he decided to continue to remain guarded. But there also was something... familiar about the man before him. Green eyes, dark hair. Tom felt his throat tighten. The man looked very, very, very familiar. Too familiar. "Who are you.?" the young wizard whispered.
The other sighed loudly and slapped his head. "For the last time - I am Salazar Smogius Papaya Sicko Slytherin. Why don't you believe me?" The last sentence wasn't a plead; it was a direct question. And it took Tom quite by surprise.
"B-Because Salazar Slytherin died over 1000 years ago!" Tom stammered out.
"Really?? 1000 years you say??" and quite unaccountably the man gave a cry of absolute delight, grabbed Tom by the hands and spun him around. "1000 years my little heir! I traveled 1000 years into the future!!" he laughed, continuing to spin Tom around. "I'm so great I amaze myself!! But surely your disbelieve must stem from the fact that Salazar Smogius Papaya Sicko Slytherin is someone famous, correct?? You wouldn't be shocked if I told you someone's insignificant name like say, oh Godric Googooballs Giselle Gryffindor eh?"
"Godric Googoo-you mean Godric Gryffindor? The Godric Gryffindor??" Tom yelled, trying to wrench his hands free from the other wizard's spinning.
Salazar abruptly let go, causing Tom to fall backwards, thankfully right onto his bed. "Godric is famous too?? Oh Flying Floo! Wait till I tell him that!"
Tom groaned and nursed his head. "You can't be Salazar Slytherin... and why do you keep calling me your 'little heir'?? Stop it!"
"Yes I am that person and no I won't stop calling you that, my little heir,"
"Why not!?!" the younger wizard fumed.
"Because you ARE my little heir!" Salazar cooed affectionately, reaching forward to pinch Tom's cheek.
But Tom leapt nimbly away. His eyes flitted briefly to the door. He could make it, get help, get this crazy man away-
"Tom?" a voice called out. Both he and Salazar turned, finding a very blond girl entering the room.
"Hey, isn't this the boy's dormitory-" Salazar started but was immediately cut off as Tom rushed forward.
"Malfoy! Thank god you are here!!" he cried, gripping the stunned girl by her shoulders. "Get Dippet! Heck! Get Dumbledore! This lunatic has been following me since transfiguration period and he's been incessantly calling me 'his little heir' and-"
"But it's true!" Salazar whined, folding his arms.
"-there's something awfully strange about him but I can't quite put my finger on it..."
"TOM!!!!" Patricia Malfoy yelled. The Slytherin boy froze and blinked a few times, only realizing that she had been calling at him for some time. "_What_ lunatic are you talking about?" Patricia continued, frowning.
"HIM!!" Tom yelled, pointing dramatically at Salazar who in turn bowed most flamboyantly.
Malfoy stared at the empty bed before her. "Tom, I really think you should sit down..."
Tom looked absolutely aghast. "Y-You don't see him?? There Malfoy! He's standing right there!!"
"Tom, I don't see any-"
"GAHHH!!!" Tom shouted, pushing the really blond girl aside and lifting up his wand. "Peskipi--" but the spell just ended there. The boy blinked for a moment and tried again: "Peskipiksss." again his voice trailed away. "PESKIPIKISSsssss...!"
"Uh, Tom I'll just leave you now. I was just coming to tell you that the teacher's are discussing who's going to be prefects next year. Thought you should know," and with that she left hurriedly.
"Ooh! Prefects!" Salazar yipped, clapping eagerly. "What are those??"
"PESKIPI--!"
"If you're trying to curse me, my little heir, it's not going to work," the older wizard responded coolly, sitting back onto Tom's bed and crossing his leg rather haughtily.
"PESKIiiii-oh I give up! Why won't it work?!" Tom threw down his wand with disgust and glared at the sitting wizard.
"Because it is the Time Paradox, dear little heir. I am your past, therefore you cannot harm me or you will not exist. Because if you did not exist how would you harm me then, hmm? Fascinating thing the Time Paradox! I had not known it was true until now. Wait till I tell my darling Rowena that such a hypothesis is confirmed! She'll be so happy! Maybe she will give me a hug! Oh I'd like that..." Slytherin appeared very wistful, his mind beginning to wander of to some happy land.
Tom didn't say anything at first because for all the nonsense the weird wizard had spluttered one thing was true: Tom felt an immensely strong compelling NOT to kill this annoying wizard before him. That had never happened before to him. That was why he found this wizard so strange. "Are you really Salazar Slytherin?"
Salazar drew a deep sigh and dropped his head - a very exaggerated nod. Tom inched closer, a part of him decrying the foolishness of this all - and another part, completely enchanted by the fact that he of all people was actually related to the most powerful wizard of his time. It jabbed at Tom's curiosity ragingly. Slyly the black robed wizard peeked upwards and smiled to himself. Ah, so my little heir is finally curious Salazar thought to himself. "What proof do you need my little heir? We both have the same eyes, the same hair... Parseltongue.?"
"Parseltongue." Tom repeated. It was then he realized that all his conversations with this man were in that strange language. 'Salazar Slytherin used the snake as his house symbol because he could speak to snakes; he could speak Parseltongue. No one else ever had this ability.' Tom remembered reading in Hogwarts: A History.
"Anyway! I care not if you believe me or not. But I intend you no harm if you must know, so please my little heir, try to relax," Salazar smiled, leaning deeper into Tom's bed. "Ooh, it's so soft."
"I am your heir.?" Tom repeated slowly. "The blood of Salazar Slytherin runs within. me??" the young wizard almost felt his breath taken away.
Slytherin grinned and sat up. "Oh you look so honored! I MUST be a really famous person correct?" the other wizard looked like he was about to cry in sheer joy.
Tom nodded. "I am in your house; but I'd never believe that I was your. heir,"
Salazar frowned. "My house?" Emerald green eyes shot about inquisitively. "Wow! I have a BIG house!! How many bathrooms do I have?"
That last sentence snapped Tom out of his reverie. "Um, no. What I meant by house was that I'm in the Slytherin House,"
"I'm afraid I don't follow, my little heir," Salazar leaned forward and patted the side of Tom's bed. "Tell me everything. Firstly tell me why I'm famous and don't be modest,"
Hesitantly, Tom sat beside the man. Salazar Slytherin. He was sitting beside the great founder of Slytherin himself! And he was Tom's ancestor! "You are famous for Hogwarts, sir," Tom began awkwardly.
"Hog Warts? Is that a type of food?" Salazar grimaced. "Hog Warts. Eww. Must be Godric's idea then. I don't think I could stomach something so nasty,"
"N-No sir. This is Hogwarts," Tom waved his arms about them. Salazar glanced around and was about to say something when Tom decided to continue. "As in the name of this place. You're in a school sir - Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry,"
"Oh... OH! Hehe... I thought..." Slytherin paused. "Erm never mind, continue please, little heir,"
Tom nodded and cleared his throat. "I feel like I'm giving a history lecture,"
"Oh I'm used to lectures - I get them all the time from Helga," Salazar quickly responded, obviously attempting at encouraging his 'little heir'.
With a sigh Tom began dictating what every Hogwarts student knew by heart. "Hogwarts School was founded over 1000 years ago, the exact date is unknown by four of the greatest witches and wizards of their time. They worked together and built this castle, far from the prying eyes of Muggles, for it was an age when magic was feared by common people and witches and wizards suffered much persecution. They worked together in harmony, seeking out youngsters who showed signs of magic and bringing them up to the castle to be educated. The four Hogwarts houses are named after each Founder - Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Sly-"
"I KNOW THOSE PEOPLE!!!" Salazar whooped. Tom glared. "Oh, ahem. sorry, do continue,"
"Later, Gryffindor and Slytherin got into a fight-"
"We always do," Salazar mumbled fondly.
Tom ignored him and continued on. "Slytherin wanted to be more selective about the students admitted to Hogwarts. He believed that magical learning should be kept within all-magic families. He disliked taking students of Muggle parentage, believing them to be untrustworthy. After awhile-"
"Wait a minute! Wait a minute! What's this talk about 'disliked taking students of Muggle parentage'??" Salazar demanded, jumping to his feet.
Tom blinked. "Eh, that's what the text books say, sir,"
Salazar grabbed one of Tom's pillows and hurled it to the ground. "Blasphemy! That's not true! Not one word of it!!"
"S-So you don't dislike Muggles, sir?" Tom couldn't believe his ears. "B- But all the books say-"
"Oh no my little heir. I DO dislike Muggles... very much I must add. Filthy creatures, sneaky, dirty, smelly..." Salazar trailed off into a stream of fouler profanity not fit for the rating of this story.
"But you don't dislike wizards and witches of Muggle parentage?" Tom enquired, very confused.
"No, no. It's not that. I'll dislike a wizard or witch with Muggle parentage... when I SEE one!" Salazar stomped on the pillow viciously. "There's no such thing as a Muggle witch/wizard! No such thing at all! Just complete rumors! It's not biologically possible! Genes are heredity and you can only inherit magic if your parents had magic in the first place! Genes can't just appear! Hah! I'll eat Godric's hat the day I see one!"
"Erm, sir?"
"Yes?"
"There are Muggle born witches and wizards,"
"NO! That's not true! You l-" Salazar halted. Suddenly tears seemed to come to his eyes. "No you don't have a reason to lie to me little heir... so what you're saying must be true! Ahh!!! Our kind is doomed!!!"
"Say what??" Tom blinked in befuddlement.
"It's natural selection, my little heir. We are being selected against! It's like a population of little moths. We have green moths and we have pink moths. One day, someone, I'm not saying who, messes up his Poison Smog spell and turns all the tree trunks green! Purely by accident my little heir! Anyway, the little green moths all blend in fine, but the pink moths stick out like pink moths on a green tree trunk! Even from far away, any kind of predator can spot the pink moths and more pink moths would be eaten that the green moths because the surroundings of the green moth provides camouflage and therefore favors the green moths! So the pink moths become endangered; the guy who miscast his spell gets blamed; fire and thunder rain down upon him; he has to flee for his dear life and spends the next three weeks hiding under his best friend's bed eating cookies and sheep's bladders! Do you understand???"
"Huh?" was Tom's only response.
Salazar sighed and sleeked back a strand of ebony hair that had fallen in front of his face. "So I was never good at analogies. Ah never mind, back to what's important. So I'm famous for building this?" he waved his hands about. Tom merely nodded. "Wonderful! I'd like to see more!!"
"Wh--?? No!" Tom shot back. "You can't go running around! What if. wait, why can't anyone else see you?"
Salazar Slytherin tapped at his chin curiously. "Not entirely sure my little heir. It was an extremely tricky spell and I'm not sure if anyone else could pull it off. I had absolutely no references to go by and I had to create this teleportation spell all by me own poor self,"
Tom frowned. "So you're not really here then? Like... a memory or something?"
"Dear boy I am more than a memory! Creating a memory is much easier but it requires a vassal, something that would last the duration of time. And 1000 years is a long time - I don't believe anything could survive that long," Salazar folded his arms, sounding very important.
"Well there's the Sorting Hat." Tom began.
"The what?"
Tom shook his head. "Never mind," Creating a memory only required a vassal eh? Interesting. "How does this spell work?"
Salazar flashed Tom a happy smiled and sat back down beside him excitedly. "Well, you see, since I didn't have a vassal I had to locate one from the future that had a strong relation to me - blood relation in this case - and it turned out to be you! So I honed in on you and drew myself forward to this time. I'm not entirely sure how much of me got pulled through but since I used you as my vassal that must have affected the reason why only you can see me. If not, I'd just be a passive observer,"
Tom nodded, taking in everything he was hearing as Salazar keenly explained the grittier details of his spell casting.
"So now my little heir, as I've said before, I need something from you,"
"And what is that sir?"
"A tour," Salazar Slytherin sighed dreamily.
~*~
A/N REVIEW! REVIEW!!! Starts running around with banner pleading for a review. The tale with Tom ends here but do you want to know more? Clickie little button!
Salazar travels 1000 years to the future - eager to know whether he's famous! Tom gets the shock of his life... Godric appears soon after and together they wreak havoc! MUahaha!!
~*~
Encounter the serpent
Tom Marvolo Riddle. That was his name; plain, simple and so Muggle. He sighed, idly tapping his wand on the fine champagne glass before him that was once a salamander.
"Ah, Mister Riddle... another fine spell I see," the gentle voice of his transfiguration professor sunk from behind. Tom stiffened and turned around. The auburn haired professor merely smiled kindly. "I think that'll be 5 points for Slytherin,"
"Thank you Professor Dumbledore," the young 4th year replied. But from the corner of his eye he spotted a few dark glares from the other Hufflepuff students. He glared back at them, flashing a triumphant look. They were weak, and so untalented. Tom watched as Professor Dumbledore leaned over an agitated Hufflepuff boy, helping him to get his spell right.
"Now Diggory, relax a little... I know it's a difficult spell,"
Tom couldn't help but snort. Loser house that, he though dryly. However his gaze wandered back to his own house-mates who were equally faltering. Tom chewed on his lower lip. They were all just too stupid... or was he too bright? Sighing again he leaned back into his chair while his transfiguration partner, Malfoy tried valiantly to get her newt to change shape. It was pitiful. It was annoying. It was... boring. Tom groaned. He was bored out of his skull. So, he raised his hand.
Dumbledore glanced up curiously. "Yes Mr. Riddle?"
"I would like permission to go to the bathroom sir," he said politely.
"By all means," the professor answered back gently. But just as Tom was exiting the room, he called out: "Just make sure it's the ONLY place you go Mr. Riddle,"
Tom gritted his teeth but merely nodded and walked out. That Dumbledore never trusted him! Could always see right through his plans that man. That irked Tom a little, all the other teachers liked him but Dumbledore was different. sure he treated him nicely but there was something about him that...
Riddle froze in his stride. For a sudden moment he felt a strong burst of magic pulsating - and growing. The boy shuddered and his hands flew to his eyes as blinding purple light flashed before him. Riddle stumbled backwards and gave a shout, feeling the strength of the magic slamming against him - such power! He'd never felt such might in all his training at Hogwarts! The force of the spell was crushing and for a moment he couldn't breath and his lungs cried out for air. Then abruptly, and very suddenly it ended.
Ragged breath filled the air as Tom blinked open his eyes. Carefully he peeked from between the protective folds of his arms. The first thing he saw was feet. Two feet. Human feet. Actually he saw a pair of muddy, black boots that had the faint traces of grass and dirt. And the boots moved.
Tom glanced slowly up. From the boots he saw a black cloak, and from the cloak an insignia, and from that insignia was the image of a snake that looked at him curiously and said a very cheerful 'Hi!' That was as far as Tom got for he screamed and turned about to run.
"Stay where you are!" a voice commanded and every single hair on Tom's neck stood on end. It wasn't English he heard... it was Parseltongue. He turned around and stared at the man striding towards him.
"Who are you?!?" Tom blurted out in fear and defiance.
"You understand? You understand what I'm saying boy?" the man said instead, emerald green eyes flashing brightly, the gap between them rapidly shrinking.
"Stand back!!" Tom cried out, flicking out his wand, annoyed that his hand trembled.
"Ah, not only do you understand it! You speak it!" the man seemed utterly unfazed by Tom's wand, which irritated the boy more. His eyes, which were glazed like a serpent's, fixed squarely on poor Tom. "We even have the same eyes! The same hair! Hmm, is that Rowena's nose I see on you?"
"WHO ARE YOU??" Tom roared, the end of his wand shooting miniature sparks.
"Such impatience... now I don't think that Rowena has that... and I don't either so where did that come from hmm?" the man smirked. Tom looked very ready to curse when the black robed man finally gave a little bow and said: "Very well, introductions are in order I guess." he paused and seemed to puff himself up high. "I am Salazar Smogius Papaya Sicko Slytherin! And you are my little heir!!"
Tom's jaw dropped and his eyes bulged. Salazar looked very eager and learned forward excitedly. "You have heard of me then?? Have you??"
There was a heavy silence and Salazar waited breathlessly.
"YOU'RE A LOONLY!!!" Tom screamed and ran for his dear life in the opposite direction.
~*~
Tom Riddle lay motionless in his bed as his dorm mates walked by. He didn't care that he had gotten detention for not returning to transfiguration class, nor did he care that his fellow Slytherins jeered at him for hiding in his bed all day: They didn't know; they thought he was hiding from Dumbledore. Sure he would be afraid if Dumbledore was after him but he wasn't. Actually he would have preferred that. Instead some mad man was on his trail. He tried to explain that to the headmaster but Dumbledore somehow convinced Dippet that it was another of 'Mr. Riddles famous twists of truths'. And just when he was being honest for the first time!
The young wizard peeked carefully out of his sheets to find the room empty. Carefully he swung his legs over, reached for his candlelight and -
"Greetings my little heir!!!"
Tom gave a yelp of terror and tumbled out of his bed. Bright green eyes darted about rapidly before meeting two equally green though somewhat amused eyes. Perched rather carelessly above his bed was the loony guy who stretched lazily and smiled.
"What are you doing here??" Tom demanded. "What do you want?!"
The man sat up and looked at Tom most serenely. "I want to rule the world,"
Tom Riddle blinked. This man was truly insane.
"Hah! Kidding!" the other laughed most hysterically. Then he gracefully leapt down from his perch and advanced towards Tom. "Actually I want something from you, my little heir,"
"Stop calling me that!!" the agitated boy hissed, swiping his wand from the tableside. He pointed it straight at the black robed man and scowled. "Look, I don't know who you are-"
"I told you that already... dear Mandrake, has my family line really degraded so in the arena of memory power?? No! Rowena has excellent memory, but your memory is lousy so that could only mean-"
"SHUT UP!" Tom shouted, his hand no longer wavering. He wasn't afraid anymore, just rather annoyed. "Why are you following me??"
"Oh! You deduced that all by yourself! Clever! Maybe Rowena's genes did survive!" the man clapped happily, looking most elated.
Tom could only stare.
The man finally stopped prancing around and turned to face Tom. "Oh you're still confused. Poor little heir. Well, I guess not everyone can be as sharp as me - even if you are in the bloodline. Now my little heir, if you would be so kind as to answer a few of my questions-"
"Not till you answer mine!" Tom shot back. This man just made no sense but something at the back of his mind warned Tom that this wasn't your average crazed person he faced. For the first time the young Slytherin boy got a good look at the loony. At first glance, it seemed the man wore a dark black cloak but on closer inspection it actually had a slight tinge of green. The design too was rather dated and quite traditional. But it was a wizard's grab no doubt. Tom didn't know whether to relax or freak out, so he decided to continue to remain guarded. But there also was something... familiar about the man before him. Green eyes, dark hair. Tom felt his throat tighten. The man looked very, very, very familiar. Too familiar. "Who are you.?" the young wizard whispered.
The other sighed loudly and slapped his head. "For the last time - I am Salazar Smogius Papaya Sicko Slytherin. Why don't you believe me?" The last sentence wasn't a plead; it was a direct question. And it took Tom quite by surprise.
"B-Because Salazar Slytherin died over 1000 years ago!" Tom stammered out.
"Really?? 1000 years you say??" and quite unaccountably the man gave a cry of absolute delight, grabbed Tom by the hands and spun him around. "1000 years my little heir! I traveled 1000 years into the future!!" he laughed, continuing to spin Tom around. "I'm so great I amaze myself!! But surely your disbelieve must stem from the fact that Salazar Smogius Papaya Sicko Slytherin is someone famous, correct?? You wouldn't be shocked if I told you someone's insignificant name like say, oh Godric Googooballs Giselle Gryffindor eh?"
"Godric Googoo-you mean Godric Gryffindor? The Godric Gryffindor??" Tom yelled, trying to wrench his hands free from the other wizard's spinning.
Salazar abruptly let go, causing Tom to fall backwards, thankfully right onto his bed. "Godric is famous too?? Oh Flying Floo! Wait till I tell him that!"
Tom groaned and nursed his head. "You can't be Salazar Slytherin... and why do you keep calling me your 'little heir'?? Stop it!"
"Yes I am that person and no I won't stop calling you that, my little heir,"
"Why not!?!" the younger wizard fumed.
"Because you ARE my little heir!" Salazar cooed affectionately, reaching forward to pinch Tom's cheek.
But Tom leapt nimbly away. His eyes flitted briefly to the door. He could make it, get help, get this crazy man away-
"Tom?" a voice called out. Both he and Salazar turned, finding a very blond girl entering the room.
"Hey, isn't this the boy's dormitory-" Salazar started but was immediately cut off as Tom rushed forward.
"Malfoy! Thank god you are here!!" he cried, gripping the stunned girl by her shoulders. "Get Dippet! Heck! Get Dumbledore! This lunatic has been following me since transfiguration period and he's been incessantly calling me 'his little heir' and-"
"But it's true!" Salazar whined, folding his arms.
"-there's something awfully strange about him but I can't quite put my finger on it..."
"TOM!!!!" Patricia Malfoy yelled. The Slytherin boy froze and blinked a few times, only realizing that she had been calling at him for some time. "_What_ lunatic are you talking about?" Patricia continued, frowning.
"HIM!!" Tom yelled, pointing dramatically at Salazar who in turn bowed most flamboyantly.
Malfoy stared at the empty bed before her. "Tom, I really think you should sit down..."
Tom looked absolutely aghast. "Y-You don't see him?? There Malfoy! He's standing right there!!"
"Tom, I don't see any-"
"GAHHH!!!" Tom shouted, pushing the really blond girl aside and lifting up his wand. "Peskipi--" but the spell just ended there. The boy blinked for a moment and tried again: "Peskipiksss." again his voice trailed away. "PESKIPIKISSsssss...!"
"Uh, Tom I'll just leave you now. I was just coming to tell you that the teacher's are discussing who's going to be prefects next year. Thought you should know," and with that she left hurriedly.
"Ooh! Prefects!" Salazar yipped, clapping eagerly. "What are those??"
"PESKIPI--!"
"If you're trying to curse me, my little heir, it's not going to work," the older wizard responded coolly, sitting back onto Tom's bed and crossing his leg rather haughtily.
"PESKIiiii-oh I give up! Why won't it work?!" Tom threw down his wand with disgust and glared at the sitting wizard.
"Because it is the Time Paradox, dear little heir. I am your past, therefore you cannot harm me or you will not exist. Because if you did not exist how would you harm me then, hmm? Fascinating thing the Time Paradox! I had not known it was true until now. Wait till I tell my darling Rowena that such a hypothesis is confirmed! She'll be so happy! Maybe she will give me a hug! Oh I'd like that..." Slytherin appeared very wistful, his mind beginning to wander of to some happy land.
Tom didn't say anything at first because for all the nonsense the weird wizard had spluttered one thing was true: Tom felt an immensely strong compelling NOT to kill this annoying wizard before him. That had never happened before to him. That was why he found this wizard so strange. "Are you really Salazar Slytherin?"
Salazar drew a deep sigh and dropped his head - a very exaggerated nod. Tom inched closer, a part of him decrying the foolishness of this all - and another part, completely enchanted by the fact that he of all people was actually related to the most powerful wizard of his time. It jabbed at Tom's curiosity ragingly. Slyly the black robed wizard peeked upwards and smiled to himself. Ah, so my little heir is finally curious Salazar thought to himself. "What proof do you need my little heir? We both have the same eyes, the same hair... Parseltongue.?"
"Parseltongue." Tom repeated. It was then he realized that all his conversations with this man were in that strange language. 'Salazar Slytherin used the snake as his house symbol because he could speak to snakes; he could speak Parseltongue. No one else ever had this ability.' Tom remembered reading in Hogwarts: A History.
"Anyway! I care not if you believe me or not. But I intend you no harm if you must know, so please my little heir, try to relax," Salazar smiled, leaning deeper into Tom's bed. "Ooh, it's so soft."
"I am your heir.?" Tom repeated slowly. "The blood of Salazar Slytherin runs within. me??" the young wizard almost felt his breath taken away.
Slytherin grinned and sat up. "Oh you look so honored! I MUST be a really famous person correct?" the other wizard looked like he was about to cry in sheer joy.
Tom nodded. "I am in your house; but I'd never believe that I was your. heir,"
Salazar frowned. "My house?" Emerald green eyes shot about inquisitively. "Wow! I have a BIG house!! How many bathrooms do I have?"
That last sentence snapped Tom out of his reverie. "Um, no. What I meant by house was that I'm in the Slytherin House,"
"I'm afraid I don't follow, my little heir," Salazar leaned forward and patted the side of Tom's bed. "Tell me everything. Firstly tell me why I'm famous and don't be modest,"
Hesitantly, Tom sat beside the man. Salazar Slytherin. He was sitting beside the great founder of Slytherin himself! And he was Tom's ancestor! "You are famous for Hogwarts, sir," Tom began awkwardly.
"Hog Warts? Is that a type of food?" Salazar grimaced. "Hog Warts. Eww. Must be Godric's idea then. I don't think I could stomach something so nasty,"
"N-No sir. This is Hogwarts," Tom waved his arms about them. Salazar glanced around and was about to say something when Tom decided to continue. "As in the name of this place. You're in a school sir - Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry,"
"Oh... OH! Hehe... I thought..." Slytherin paused. "Erm never mind, continue please, little heir,"
Tom nodded and cleared his throat. "I feel like I'm giving a history lecture,"
"Oh I'm used to lectures - I get them all the time from Helga," Salazar quickly responded, obviously attempting at encouraging his 'little heir'.
With a sigh Tom began dictating what every Hogwarts student knew by heart. "Hogwarts School was founded over 1000 years ago, the exact date is unknown by four of the greatest witches and wizards of their time. They worked together and built this castle, far from the prying eyes of Muggles, for it was an age when magic was feared by common people and witches and wizards suffered much persecution. They worked together in harmony, seeking out youngsters who showed signs of magic and bringing them up to the castle to be educated. The four Hogwarts houses are named after each Founder - Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Sly-"
"I KNOW THOSE PEOPLE!!!" Salazar whooped. Tom glared. "Oh, ahem. sorry, do continue,"
"Later, Gryffindor and Slytherin got into a fight-"
"We always do," Salazar mumbled fondly.
Tom ignored him and continued on. "Slytherin wanted to be more selective about the students admitted to Hogwarts. He believed that magical learning should be kept within all-magic families. He disliked taking students of Muggle parentage, believing them to be untrustworthy. After awhile-"
"Wait a minute! Wait a minute! What's this talk about 'disliked taking students of Muggle parentage'??" Salazar demanded, jumping to his feet.
Tom blinked. "Eh, that's what the text books say, sir,"
Salazar grabbed one of Tom's pillows and hurled it to the ground. "Blasphemy! That's not true! Not one word of it!!"
"S-So you don't dislike Muggles, sir?" Tom couldn't believe his ears. "B- But all the books say-"
"Oh no my little heir. I DO dislike Muggles... very much I must add. Filthy creatures, sneaky, dirty, smelly..." Salazar trailed off into a stream of fouler profanity not fit for the rating of this story.
"But you don't dislike wizards and witches of Muggle parentage?" Tom enquired, very confused.
"No, no. It's not that. I'll dislike a wizard or witch with Muggle parentage... when I SEE one!" Salazar stomped on the pillow viciously. "There's no such thing as a Muggle witch/wizard! No such thing at all! Just complete rumors! It's not biologically possible! Genes are heredity and you can only inherit magic if your parents had magic in the first place! Genes can't just appear! Hah! I'll eat Godric's hat the day I see one!"
"Erm, sir?"
"Yes?"
"There are Muggle born witches and wizards,"
"NO! That's not true! You l-" Salazar halted. Suddenly tears seemed to come to his eyes. "No you don't have a reason to lie to me little heir... so what you're saying must be true! Ahh!!! Our kind is doomed!!!"
"Say what??" Tom blinked in befuddlement.
"It's natural selection, my little heir. We are being selected against! It's like a population of little moths. We have green moths and we have pink moths. One day, someone, I'm not saying who, messes up his Poison Smog spell and turns all the tree trunks green! Purely by accident my little heir! Anyway, the little green moths all blend in fine, but the pink moths stick out like pink moths on a green tree trunk! Even from far away, any kind of predator can spot the pink moths and more pink moths would be eaten that the green moths because the surroundings of the green moth provides camouflage and therefore favors the green moths! So the pink moths become endangered; the guy who miscast his spell gets blamed; fire and thunder rain down upon him; he has to flee for his dear life and spends the next three weeks hiding under his best friend's bed eating cookies and sheep's bladders! Do you understand???"
"Huh?" was Tom's only response.
Salazar sighed and sleeked back a strand of ebony hair that had fallen in front of his face. "So I was never good at analogies. Ah never mind, back to what's important. So I'm famous for building this?" he waved his hands about. Tom merely nodded. "Wonderful! I'd like to see more!!"
"Wh--?? No!" Tom shot back. "You can't go running around! What if. wait, why can't anyone else see you?"
Salazar Slytherin tapped at his chin curiously. "Not entirely sure my little heir. It was an extremely tricky spell and I'm not sure if anyone else could pull it off. I had absolutely no references to go by and I had to create this teleportation spell all by me own poor self,"
Tom frowned. "So you're not really here then? Like... a memory or something?"
"Dear boy I am more than a memory! Creating a memory is much easier but it requires a vassal, something that would last the duration of time. And 1000 years is a long time - I don't believe anything could survive that long," Salazar folded his arms, sounding very important.
"Well there's the Sorting Hat." Tom began.
"The what?"
Tom shook his head. "Never mind," Creating a memory only required a vassal eh? Interesting. "How does this spell work?"
Salazar flashed Tom a happy smiled and sat back down beside him excitedly. "Well, you see, since I didn't have a vassal I had to locate one from the future that had a strong relation to me - blood relation in this case - and it turned out to be you! So I honed in on you and drew myself forward to this time. I'm not entirely sure how much of me got pulled through but since I used you as my vassal that must have affected the reason why only you can see me. If not, I'd just be a passive observer,"
Tom nodded, taking in everything he was hearing as Salazar keenly explained the grittier details of his spell casting.
"So now my little heir, as I've said before, I need something from you,"
"And what is that sir?"
"A tour," Salazar Slytherin sighed dreamily.
~*~
A/N REVIEW! REVIEW!!! Starts running around with banner pleading for a review. The tale with Tom ends here but do you want to know more? Clickie little button!