Chapter Six: An Eventful Christmas

-Dumbledore's Office-

Albus was finishing some paperwork concerning surprisingly expensive supplies for Minerva's transfiguration class when Fawkes trilled from his stand near the Headmaster's desk. With a fond look at his long-time companion, Albus stood, stretched, and went to refill the beautiful bird's water dish. "Just a moment old friend and you will be situated once more." Fawkes trilled again in contentment as Albus stroked the feathers on the bird's head. The man had been finishing paperwork concerning the spring semester for almost an hour and a painful crick had formed in his neck. Albus rolled his head as he thought about the next day. It was December 23, and tomorrow, Salazar would be joining the rest of the order for a few days at Headquarters. Albus had already sent the port key and time of activation to Salazar, so the Headmaster himself was ready to celebrate the season with no more errands to attend to before the holidays.

Of course, other actions needed to be completed before classes started again. One of the most pressing was the issue of Salazar's questionable continuing presence. The children would need to be told, but Albus had decided that Salazar himself needed to be informed of his unique state. 'It really isn't fair to the young man to be so uninformed concerning himself, and he might not want the students to be aware of his potential health issues' mused to Headmaster to himself, 'I am still worried about his reaction.' Regardless, Albus had a meeting with Salazar that very night to discuss the issue with the other wizard. The idea that one of the children might tell him before Albus could did not sit well with the old man. A knock interrupted Albus' thoughts as the time of such meeting had come. "Come in Mr. Slade."

Sal didn't know why Albus wanted to have a meeting with him the night before he was scheduled to spend a few days at Order Headquarters. Sal was actually quite excited about getting out of the castle for a few days. He had finished cleaning out the room of requirement's closet of hidden objects a few days earlier. He had also taken advantage of the unique properties of the room by spending much time in a replicate of his old room in Godric's family home. After the death of his mother and sister, he had moved into his best friend's home until his father had returned from his trip to France. Sal surprised himself with the thought of his father. Since he had arrived in this time, he had often spent time missing his friends and comforts of his original time, but he had not given more than a passing thought to Simeon Slytherin. He and his father had never been very close, but Sal greatly respected the older man. 'I wonder what he would have thought about all this,' he thought. Sal grabbed his cloak as he left his room to go to Albus' office.

He walked down the hall as he continued to think about the upcoming holidays. He was very excited to see Ginny again. He had sent her a cryptic letter telling her he would see her soon, but he did not give away any details. He had spent a lot of time picking out an appropriate gift for the young witch, and he was very happy with his choice. He wanted to leave her with something special to remember him as well as something she would genuinely love. He smiled to himself as he knocked on the office door.

Sal walked into the room and took a seat opposite Albus' desk as the Headmaster settled into his own chair. "What is it you needed to discuss Albus? If it is about the last Horcrux, I haven't come up with any new ideas. Obviously it is something tied to Godric, but I have not exhausted all my resources yet." Truthfully, he had been a bit preoccupied for the past week to do any real research concerning the matter.

"No Mr. Slade. I am here to discuss something else with you." Albus ran a hand though his beard as he considered how to continue. "I need to tell you something I have been keeping from you since you were revived."

Sal sat up a little straighter in his seat. At last, he would know what the old man had been keeping to himself for months.

"The rest of the Order knows, so you may have noticed they act a little oddly in your presence." Sal nodded as Albus continued. "Since I discovered that several of the students had more information that I realized, I have since filled them in on several important details that you yourself do not know."

"Like what?"

Albus took a deep breath. "It is true that an ancient spell revealed that you would help us greatly in the war effort, and that spell has proven to be quite accurate. Without your help, I shutter to think of how the Horcrux hunt may have proceeded. I want to thank you for that."

"What about the other details Albus?" Sal was beginning to get very anxious and annoyed with the Headmaster. "Just tell me."

"The reviving spell did not bring Salazar Slytherin through time. The spell's magic created a body, and in that body the memories, talents, and traits of the man were placed. The spell actually created the Salazar Slytherin we all know as Sal Slade in this time line."

A moment passed where silence filled the office. 'It all makes sense now,' Sal thought to himself. Why the Order was not worried about altering the timeline, why certain members of the Order looked at him as if he were not even human, and why he had been feeling uneasy for the past months. Thoughts raced through his mind as he reviewed the past few months of his life or in reality, he realized, his entire existence. The stoic potion master's words ran through his mind, "Not all is as it seems." Albus continued.

"In many ways, this is good. You do not need to worry about altering the timeline, and you can continue to live here in this timeline. I tried to create an alternate identity that you would feel comfortable occupying for many years." Sal's continuing silence seemed to unnerve Albus slightly. "Do you have any questions?"

"I want the book."

Albus raised an eyebrow. "Which book?"

"The book that contained the spell. I want to read about the spell."

Albus opened a desk drawer and pulled out an ancient text bound in leather. "I must warn you Mr. Slade. The text goes in detail about the consequences of the spell. There are still a few details concerning your future that the students are not aware of yet. I plan to fill them in on all the details, with your permission, soon. I realize you must be in shock right now, and I do encourage you to read the book and think about the reasons behind why we did this. The war was becoming unbelievably violent, and we were all struggling for ideas. This book seemed to be the answer to all our prayers as it seemed to be a perfect solution."

Albus handed Sal the book as both men stood. Albus rubbed his nose, as he needed to say one last thing. "I want to ask for your forgiveness Sal. I know I may not deserve or get it, but I do want to let you know one thing. I do not regret my actions as I have gotten to know a truly unique, amazing person."

Sal took the book and started towards to door, his hands shaking in a barely contained emotion.

"Please, do consider spending the holidays with us at Headquarters. I will understand if you choose not to do so. I will be in touch if you have any questions you want answered in the meantime. Please keep in mind Sal, the world is a beautiful place, and it is worth saving." With one last look, Sal left the room as Albus sank dejectedly into a chair.

- Outside the Castle -

Sal sat against a tree on the bank of the lake near Hogwarts. He was not surprised he had ended up here; after all, this was one of his favorite spots. It was dawn, and he was watching the sunrise over the water as he pulled his cloak closer. He had not slept all night. The moment he had left Albus' office, he had headed to the library. He had spent all night reading the ancient book and cross-referencing every note he made. He felt sure he finally understood the details. He was not Salazar Slytherin. The very thought seemed counterintuitive. He was Salazar Slytherin! He had to be.

Not only was he not who he knew he was (very confusing), but he could just disappear in an instance. The book itself had not mentioned how he would eventually die. The book seemed to insinuate that he might have health issues or become mentally unstable as the magic that bound him to this plane of existence began to dissipate. Personally, Sal believed that since he had appeared in an instance, his exit would be equally abrupt.

He was furious. He was beyond furious; however, he had no one he could direct his anger towards. Albus seemed the obvious choice, but there were over fifty other wizards and witches who had the same information. Albus was not the villain in this tale. 'I suppose, I am just mad at the world.' Sal grimaced as he pulled himself up to move towards the castle. If he was completely honest, he had surprised himself with his reaction. He was upset, and he knew the information he had learned last night would be enough to keep him from sleeping for the rest of his life. The very thought of his friends and family sent him into a tale spin. He had never met Helga, Rowena, or Godric. How could his best friend be a man he had never met before? His mother, sister, father…how could their absence hurt so much if they were not his own? Everyone he had ever known, loved, and cherished was dead- he would never see them again, and he mourned.

What surprised him is that he had not immediately killed Albus and made plans to demolish the rest of the Order in a friendly Christmas massacre. 'Ginny,' he thought to himself. 'Ginny is the only reason I am still sane.' Thoughts about Ginny, keeping Ginny safe, and keeping Ginny happy kept Sal from making any hasty decisions. He still had work to do here. If Riddle were allowed to win, everything he had come to love here would be destroyed. He would not lose everything. He had plans; plans that included the Order as well as a few ideas he had. He had noticed the name written in the corner of the first page of the old book: Lucius Malfoy. 'I have to finish this,' without another moments hesitation he knocked on Albus' door.

Albus had also not slept well the previous night. He had tossed and turned all night long as he reviewed the meeting with Sal over in his mind. Albus was perceptive enough to know that Sal was very upset; in fact, Albus knew that Sal was furious. Albus had just finished preparing for the day when he heard a knock on his door. With a frown, he opened the door to see Sal standing there, book in hand. "Mr. Slade."

"Albus" The Headmaster moved away from the door to allow the other man to enter the room. "I have a few questions."

-Sal's room-

Sal had spent the rest of the morning planning his next move. He had talked to Albus for over an hour before retiring back to his own quarters to make a few further plans. He had asked that the students not be told that the magic surrounding the circumstances of his revival was weakening. Of course, his reasoning behind all this was Ginny. Not only did he not want her to worry, he didn't want any of their pity. Yes, he had finally identified that look many Order members gave him: pity, and he was sick of it. He did not want any other people giving him that look.

As for his own plans, he still was going to spend the next two days at Headquarters. He did want to give Ginny her gift, and he needed to talk to Harry Potter. Albus and Sal had discussed the boy in their meeting, and Sal knew the boy was important in his overall plans. Harry had to be ready to take Tom out of the picture once all the Horcruxes were destroyed. Once Sal had found and destroyed that last Horcrux, he planned to turn his attention to helping Harry meet the Dark Lord at the best moment. He even had a few ideas concerning that.

He had spent the past few hours researching the Malfoy family. He knew Draco Malfoy was in his sixth year at Hogwarts, but he had never really paid any attention to the boy. Evidently, the Malfoys were strong dark arts supporters, and Lucius Malfoy was in Azkaban for being a Death Eater. 'Why hasn't Voldemort gotten him out?' Sal knew Tom had the resources for a jail break, so why had Lucius been in jail for months. Evidently, Tom wasn't happy with the Malfoys. Maybe Draco was looking for a way to get out before the same happened to him. 'I need to have a meeting with him, but I need to now where he stands before asking him questions like 'How did the Order get a book from a Death Eater?'' Sal scratched his head as he finished packing his bag. 'I believe that I will be talking to Mr. Malfoy soon.'

-Headquarters-

Ginny was beyond excited. Sal would be here in a little over an hour. Christmas Eve had always been special in the Weasley household, and his presence would only make her happy. 'Of course,' she thought, 'everyone else is on pins and needles.' She was nervous about telling him the information she had received earlier, but he deserved to know. 'Hopefully, after a good meal and a relaxing evening, he will be in a better mood to take the news -especially after I give him his present.' Ginny had actually found Sal's gift before she had left Hogwarts. Sal had always been interested in her Ancient Runes homework, and he had enthusiastically read all her textbooks. She had actually found a great book that contained a few unsolved rune languages that he would love to work though. 'Maybe they're even common in his time.' The thought caused Ginny to pause- another reminder of what she would have to tell him later that night. 'Hopefully the book and the new shirt I also bought will soften the blow.' Ginny's head turned as she head the characteristic ping of a port key activating. 'Or not.'

She could barely contain herself as she forced herself to walk casually into the front room. As she rounded the corner she could see Sal letting her Mum lead him to his room for the next two days. He slowed her pace as she listened.

"And you'll be here on the second floor." Molly swung the door open and followed Sal into the room. "I know you'll probably spend a lot of time here relaxing, but we will have dinner tonight at 6:00 with several other Order members. You are welcome to join us."

"Thank you Mrs. Weasley." Sal placed his bag on the bed before noticing Molly had not left the room. "Is there anything else I can help you with?"

Molly hesitated before shaking her head. "No, I'll see you at dinner."

"Of course," Sal turned to unpack his bags as Molly left. After making sure her mother had turned the corner going down the stairs, Ginny slid into Sal's room pushing the door shut as she entered the room.

"I am so glad you came," she gushed as she flopped down on the bed. "I've been going insane trying to pass the time before you showed up."

Sal smiled as he tossed his bag into a corner. "I'm glad I'm here to. I'll be gone tomorrow, but I wanted to spend Christmas Eve with someone I care about… when will that lovely French witch your brother is dating be here?" Sal smirked as Ginny threw a pillow at his head.

"I do have something I need to tell you," Ginny twirled her hair as she bit her lip in apprehension. "I know you won't like it, but we promised each other we'd never keep secrets."

"What is it?" Sal moved to sit beside her. 'What on earth could it be?' he thought. Thought ranging from the impossibility of Ginny's parents knowing about their relationship to the possibility of her breaking up with him raced though his mind.

"Mum and Dumbledore told us something about you a few nights ago that I need to tell you…"

"Wait, if this is what I think it is, Dumbledore has already told me."

"You know about the spells?" Ginny asked relieved she wouldn't have to break the news to him.

"Yes, I'm working through it." Sal pushed his hair away from his face as he lay down. "I'm not thinking about it too much; it hurts." Ginny silently traced patterns on Sal's palm as he gathered his thoughts. "It makes so much sense. I can see why they did it, but I am so angry, not at anyone specifically, but at the world."

"Now you sound like an angsty teenager." Ginny smiled as he joked to lighten the mood.

Sal smiled again as he pushed himself up onto his elbows. "True, before you know it, I'll be prancing about the castle announcing 'it's not fair' to anyone who will listen."

"You have a right to; it's not fair."

"Whoever said the world is fair? I'm still in a state a shock really; I think the next few weeks will tell how much this is affecting me. Part of me still can't believe that it's true. I have all these memories, and emotions for people I have never met. I was just thinking of my father last week, and how I would love to hear some of his advice again. It hit me hard when I realized I would never see him or any of my friends again. It's just like when my mother and sister died- I didn't get to say good-bye. I don't know when I'll get over this."

"Well, I'm here to help you get through it. Between the two of us, I think we can defeat the evil wizard, punch-out a couple of bad guys, and get that happy ending."

Sal eyes grew dim at the mention of a happy ending, 'I just don't see that happening for us," he thought as he pulled Ginny in for a kiss, 'but we'll keep trying.'

-Dinner-

Several order members sat around the dinner table that night, and all were surprised when Salazar joined them. After a quick visit to Ron and Harry where he bluntly announced he knew he wasn't the original Salazar Slytherin, the amused Slytherin led the befuddled boys to the dining room where he sat between Harry and Ginny before gracing the group with a raised eyebrow, "Well, shall anyone begrudge me the indulgence of enjoying the first Christmas of my existence?" Shocked looks and whispers flew as Molly quickly ran to get the rest of dinner on the table.

Sal found the evening astoundingly amusing, 'If I'd have known eating dinner with these people would be this fun, I'd have stuck around after order meetings.' There were of course, members who didn't look him in the eye (Molly), and those who stared openly (Ron). By dessert, Ron couldn't keep quiet anymore.

"You cannot just drop a bombshell on us like that and be so calm about it!" Ron skewered his apple pie with his fork in frustration. "How can you be so calm?"

"Actually, I believe that Dumbledore dropped that bombshell on you."

"You know what I mean," Ron rolled his eyes; "I know that I'd be freakin' out!"

"I am, fortunately, not you." Sal looked around the table. "I know that I did not have what you would call a "traditional" birth," Fred and George snickered. "But, I still have a very strong sense of self, and I am processing the information."

"Only a Slytherin could accept his bizarre fate with a smile and a sarcastic remark." Ron hid a smile in his hand as Harry snickered.

"Well, I still have my secrets." Sal gave several order members pointed looks before looking at Dumbledore, who was sitting at the head of the table. "One of which is what kinds of grades you all made on your potions exams."

With that proclamation, the room erupted with a chorus of "tell me!" and "did you grade this or Snape?" The atmosphere in the room, while still slightly tense, eased up as Sal finished his pie while Harry and Ron argued with Fred about the legitimacy of grades. He felt more relaxed that he had since he had discovered his true origins, but a shadow flashed across his eyes every time he looked at Ginny. 'Is it fair that I am keeping her when I know this will only end in tears?' Ginny flipped her fair as she snuck a bite of ice-cream from her brother's plate; she caught Sal's gaze and winked before sneaking in for another bite. 'No,' he thought to himself, 'but since when is life fair?'

-That night-

"So, what'd you get me?!" Ginny grinned as she and Sal exchanged gifts in her small room in Grimmauld. "No, open yours first."

Sal smiled as he un-wrapped his book and shirt. "Thank you, you know I love to read this stuff." He opened the book to scan the table of contents. "I'll be sequestered in my room for days reading this."

"You're welcome." Ginny quickly ripped the paper from the box Sal had given her; she gasped as she pulled a velvet box from the paper. With a final look at her boyfriend, she opened the box. "You really shouldn't have!" she exclaimed as she leaned forward to hug Sal. Sal knew she would love it. Inside the box was a small diadem made of white gold and emeralds; Ravenclaw's diadem had inspired him. "I don't have anything like this!"

"Good," answered Sal, "a crown for my queen."

"I'm no queen."

"Who else gets diadems for Christmas?" Ginny smiled again before tackling her best friend.

Else were in order headquarters, Ron and Harry were still awake. "I think he's taking this all very well," commented Ron.

"Yes, maybe too well."

"What do you mean?"

"All I know is that I'd be angry if I'd found out I'd been lied to all year."

"Well, been there done that," answered Ron in an obvious reference to Harry's destruction of Dumbledore's office last year.

"Yeah," said Harry sheepishly.

"You can't use your own reactions to gauge how other people react; it's called transference. Slytherin is one odd bloke, and I don't think how we feel about it is how he feels about it."

There was a beat of silence, "Did Hermione tell you that?"

There was another beat of silence, "Yeah, word from word from her letter. She'll be here tomorrow. She convinced her parents to let her spend Christmas day with me!"

"You?"

"Oh, well, I mean all of us." Harry swore he could see his friend turn bright red even in the darkness.

"Of course Ron." Harry couldn't help but grin as he rolled over to fall asleep.

-Malfoy Manor-

Christmas used to be his favorite time of year. He always got lots of presents, his mother walked around all day with a huge smile on her face, and even Lucius got happy one day a year. Now, he hated Christmas. His father was gone; his insane aunt followed his mother around all day making sure she knew that Lucius wasn't going to come home. His mother was beside herself with grief; he had found her earlier wrapped in one of Lucius' robes looking at old photographs. He had gotten many presents from friends and family, but the best gift of all came in the form of a letter a few days before Christmas. Draco had been sitting in his study brooding when the sound of an owl tapping on the window made him look up. After retrieving the letter, Draco felt a smile on his face for the first time in months.

Mr. Draco Malfoy,

I believe we have a few issues to discuss. Meet me at 143 Mark's Way lane in London on Dec. 26th at 7:00 p.m. Come alone, and we will discuss my possession of certain book from your family's private library.

S.S

Draco didn't know why Salazar Slytherin wanted a meeting, but if it was going to get him out of this situation, he was all for it. He needed his aunt out of his house, and he wanted his mother to smile again. Now, he just needed to make a few plans as he pulled out his own letterhead:

My Lord,

He wrote with only a hint of guilt.

A/N: I know, I know. Berate me later. I'm sorry this took so long. I have no excuses. (This is still Firelight Tales, I changed my penname). Review? Please? Thank you so much for the individual reviews, I love it! Keep giving me ideas and suggestions! What will happen at the meeting? Is Sal really foolish enough to walk into a trap?