1Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. If I did, Helga Hufflepuff would narrate the history of Hogwarts.

Warning: Contains slash and angst.

After two years, four computer crashes and near five drafts this chapter is done. I hope everyone likes it. All of the reviews definitely got this done.

Some explanation, Epona is a Celtic and Roman goddess originating in France and not Link's horse. Mabinogi is a related Welsh goddess. Epona was known for being very pure and was the only deity even adopted by the Romans. Sounds like the Malfoys to me.

Farewell Gryffindor

Chapter 2: Ill Returns

Salazar sat stunned for a moment. He swallow heavy and didn't move. He wasn't sure how to react to the news. "Godric is...? He's... He can't..."

Helga felt overwhelmed with guilt. She didn't want him to be upset. He was like a brother to her, Godric had been as well,and she had hurt him.However, someone had to break the news and it was better Helga than Rowena. "Salazar..."

Salazar snapped out of his daze and stood up in the tiny office. "Don't you dare pity me, Hufflepuff. Don't you dare!!" Helga sit up straight in alarm. Salazar was slowly walking around her cluttered desk closer to her. "How did this happen? How could Godr.." He broke into a sudden hiss but stopped himself quickly.

Helga looked alarmed.. She was not one to judge but she had never liked his parseltongue. She thought it a terrible habit but she was not the type to ever tell him that. "It was the dragon pox." Helga said looking down at her hands. "He died a week after the sores appeared. It was just this morning that he finally passed on."

Salazar looked at her shocked. "Is that all?"

Helga looked up surprised. "'Is that all?' That's all you have to say?"

"Was Gryffindor's untimely death the only reason for my summoning? Or was it more a matter of his funerary arrangements?"

Helga looked appalled but held her tongue. Men dealt with such things differently than women. Rowena was still crying. "We are having a funeral pyre. Godric was..."

"Anglo-saxon, I know."

"And it's..."

"Tradition, I know." Salazar said calmly. "He always spoke of his... culture."

Helga held her tongue again. She truly disliked the way Salazar did things. He had an inexcusable arrogance, a sharp tongue and no respect for those who weren't as he was. Though she always told herself it was only because they were so different that they didn't get on well. "So are you staying?"

Salazar looked at her as though she had slapped him across the face. "Are you mad, Hufflepuff!?! Of course, I'm staying but only for the funeral."

"Your students will be thrilled. They miss you Salazar."

"I'm sure they do." He said with an array of irritation and left the office.

The halls of Hogwarts had an eery silence and feeling to them. The Gryffindors had taken the death of their beloved head hard. Very hard to be exact. They slunk down the halls boys hardly said a word and half the girls were simply sobbing to themselves. All trying to put on a brave face and went from class to class with a weak smile. It was horrible depressing to Helga and Rowena. However, the Slytherins were hardly in the same spirits. All of them were overjoyed by their head of house's return and though not said, by the Gryffindors' misfortune.

Probably the most noticeable of these Slytherin was Equio Mabinogi. His family even in those somewhat ancient times were old blood. They had all been wizards and witches further back than anyone cared to remember. The whole family had taught itself to transform at all into horses, white horses. The native muggles of France, Briton, Eire, Scotland and Spain had been so awstruck they had deified the family as the gods of dreams and fertility. They were eventually adopted by even the Romans as gods and became ridiculously wealthy and Equio wouldn't dare let anyone forget it.

Though in all fairness you couldn't blame the muggles. The Mabinogi or Epona's as they were once known in Rome were a striking people. They had pure white silvery hair much like a veela and eyes that were so pure that they almost appeared to have no irises. They were also far paler than the other children with shallow features. The truth of the matter was that they had tried to remain that pale to retain their animagi's pure white mane and body. They were always horses, something all of the teachers at Hogwarts could not explain but something the Epona's said "was a divine justice." Equio was so no different. He had the same features, the same lineage and the same way of easily swaying a crowd to worship him like a god.

He walked, or perhaps strutted, down the halls with a flock of admirers behind him. He almost never gave any overzealous expressions, he had been taught that "gods don't skip" and "gods don't grin like animals." However, he felt himself lose that breed composure as he saw Salazar Slytherin. Their head of house had returned. He broke out into a solid run leaving his cohorts in the dust. "Slytherin! Lord Slytherin! You have returned!"

Salazar hadn't even seen the boy coming and was more surprised than happy to see him. He had sorted the boy's older sister, a lovely young woman with a way of degrading. He had liked her.

"I'm sure you have returned for your charges. It's gone to pot around here. Helga looks after us and the Gryffindors are like animals hopping around. We need you back, my lord."

Salazar was half in a haze at this point the boy was speaking exceedingly fast and he only understood "lord" "pot" "hopping" and "back". He truly hoped he hadn't called him a rabbit. "Young Master Mabinogi." He said in a calm voice. He in reality was anything but calm; however, barking or more hissing out a student wasn't going to get him to Godric any faster. "I'm only here because they need aid with Lord Gryffindor's funerary pyre. I am sure that Lady Hufflepuff is more than capable of watching after my house."

Equio was taken aback by the statement. She was not more than capable. She wasn't ambitious. She was overly kind. She had too much pity for them. She wasn't a leader. She was a born healer but not a leader to a god. "No! She's not! She has been treating us like children. We need a leader not a wet nurse!"

Salazar turned on the boy. He had only lost one of his companions in his head moments ago and the sheer idea of attacking another was unbearable. Even if, she did act like a wet nurse. "You will address all of the head of Hogwarts with respect. That includes Lady Hufflepuff. She will be caring for your house and if you do not appreciate her services, I will inform her that my house can fend for themselves. And the Gryffindors are not a kind lot when not restrained."

Equio by this point was wide eyed with his silver hair standing on end. He would have said something but he knew better and his voice agreed to fail him.

Salazar seemed to understand that the boy had nothing more to say and strut off. It was was quite the walk from Hufflepuff's small office near the Great Hall to Gryffindor's chambers. He had to admit the changing staircases didn't help any. He had used a charm numerous times when he had resided in the castle to get them to adjust to the way he wished. The stairs had been Rowena's idea. She was always up to something like that.

He was nearly there when he saw Rowena. She was in the Gryffindor wing sitting on one of the benches with her nose in a book. He decided it best to greet her. The last thing he needed was for Rowena to be angry with him. He swore that woman was more vicious than Godric ever had been. "Afternoon Lady Rowena."

Rowena looked up from her book. Her long red hair was braided neatly and framed her freckled face. She looked up at him unsurprised and without losing her composure. He rose from the seat and smiled politely. "Salazar."

"I see you're well, Rowena and I trust your students are as laborious in their studies as ever."

"You are going to see Godric. Didn't you believe Helga?"

"I have my doubts."

"Dragon pox can be rather awful. It has been known to..."

"Yes Rowena, I know about dragon pox. But Godric had dealt with the pox and worse and always came out fine. Singed occasionally but fine."

"He wasn't as young as he used to be."

"He was Godric Gryffindor. There is a difference between some old foul and Godric Gryffindor. The man grew up in the fen, killed dragons, could speak to birds, transformed into a lion. He wasn't an ordinary man."

Rowena sighed to herself. She wasn't going to get through to him. Both of those men were pig headed fools but she pitied him at the moment. It wasn't the best thing to be called home for. "Go see him then. But you're only going to cause yourself more pain, Salazar."

Salazar didn't answer her. It was impossible for Godric to be dead. He was positive. The man was too strong and too stubborn for some ruddy disease to kill him. He was sure of it. Dragon pox had been after all a near constant problem for Godric. He had seen it come and go year after year.

He finally reached the entrance to his chamber. He had stormed through the Gryffindor common room without a word, surprising all of the residents in the process. He felt a great diseasy as he opened the door. He didn't know what to expect and hoped he was right.

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