A/N: So, I had a request from vampygurl402 for a Salazar/Harry time travel AU. So, I decided to tweak it a little bit and make it NOT time travel, but instead, extreme AU. Harry James Potter is the first of the Wizarding Potters to walk the earth. He attends Hogwarts in the first class to be accepted and catches the eye of both Salazar Slytherin and Godric Gryffindor? Who will he choose? Or, will he leave both of them heartbroken? Extreme AU!
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Harry James Potter sat in his family's home in Britain, awaiting his father's arrival home from the church where he preached fire and brimstone to the villagers. Recently, he'd felt strange and strange incidences seemed to follow him. When a servant was whipped in the town square, his wounds suddenly healed when Harry wished for it. When he became angered, a vase in his room broke.
Some of the villagers who disliked his father began accusing him of witchcraft. He knew that couldn't be possible. He was a devout Catholic and he could not have possibly displeased God. He worshipped daily, never strayed from his faith, stayed pure and respected his parents. What could he possibly have done?
A tap at the window brought him out of his reviere. He opened the window in a daze when he saw a white snowy owl holding a scroll in its talons. He carefully unrolled the scroll after seeing his name on the outside. It read,
Mr. Potter,
We would like you to join the first class at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry near Dufftown, Scotland.
You have been noticed by some of our agents in your village and, due to your magic, you have been selected to attend. Your supplies will be provided for you. Please reply by 31 July. We would truly like to see you at out school.
You may attend for seven years to gain your magical education and obtain a job in the Wizarding World. Should you choose not to attend, you will not be bothered any more.
Again, please send your repsonse by 31 July. Term will begin 1 September. You will be retrieved by a member of our staff.
Sincerely,
Godric Gryffindor, Salazar Slytherin, Rowena Ravenclaw and Helga Hufflepuff"
Harry was honestly shocked. How could he be a...a wizard! They were an abomination in the eyes of God! He must speak to his father about this. There must be some sort of mistake. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before he hyperventilated. He'd be burned at the stake! He wasn't sure if he should even tell his father or mother for that matter. Surely her heart would be broken over her child's execution.
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Three hours later, the door to Potter Manor swung open and shut. A bedraggled looking Nicholas Potter walked in, carrying a King James bible. Harry met him at the door. His mother, Katheryne, was sleeping. She was exhausted due to a recent illness. Nicholas took in his son's frightened and worried look before leading him into the sitting room.
"Harry, my son, whatever is the matter?" Nicholas asked his son, who fidgited with a piece of parchment in his grip. He took in the sight, knowing something must have gone horribly wrong. He waited until his son got up the courage to speak.
"F-Father. I got a letter today. Please read it yourself." Harry shook as he passed him the letter. He read though it once, twice three times before his eyes nearly popped out of his head.
"What is this blasphemy, my child!? Where did you get this? Why would you do this? My son, you are not a...a...WIZARD!" Nicholas shouted. Harry flinched and fell back, away from his enraged father, who left the room for a moment, returning with a whip.
"Son, I truly hate to do this to you, but this insolence must be punished." Nicholas said, unrepentantly. Harry stared up at him with wide eyes.
"But Father! I haven't done a thing w-"
*crack* The whip lashed across his stomach, leaving a cut in his shirt and a cut in the soft skin of his stomach. He cried out in pain as the whip continued to sting him painfully. But then suddenly, it stopped. He opened his eyes and looked up at his father, seeing that the whip had been replaced with a silk handkerchief. His father's eyes widened at the cloth in his hand before losing all sense of decorum.
"Out! Get out of my home, you anti-Christ! You devil! Leave this holy home!" Harry sobbed as he ran from the house, carrying his letter with him.
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The Founders were concerned. The boy known as Harry Potter hadn't accepted nor refused their invitation to come to Hogwarts. Every other student either sent an acceptance or refusal, but they hadn't heard a thing of the boy. They agreed to send Salazar to Harry's village to see if he was alright and in need of assistance.
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As Salazar popped into existence in a darkened part of the village known simply as "Athena's Hollow", he immediately knew something was wrong. The area he'd apparated into smelled of thickly of blood. He moved quickly, casting a lumos charm in order to see in the dark. He heard whimpering in a corner and moved toward it, pointing his wand out to see. He gasped at what he saw.
The boy the Founders knew as Harry Potter lay in a heap on the ground, bleeding profusely. it was clear he'd been tortured quite vigorously by the looks of the cuts. Salazar cast a few healing spells that he knew. He didn't know much, but it was enough to seal a few smaller cuts, stop the bleeding from the rest and relieve a bit of the pain. He'd take the boy to Helga as soon as he arrived back; she was the expert in healing spells and potions.
The boy whimpered as he felt the blood cleaned from his back and saw a handsome young man standing above him holding a stick of wood. He instictively knew it was called a wand, but chose to ignore that fact. He subconsciously noted how handsome the man was, but pushed that aside, focusing on the fact that he could only be a wizard. The older man stared at him for a moment before coughing and introducing himself.
"I am Salazar Slytherin, a founder of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. When you hadn't responded to our letter, we became concerned. What on earth happened?" Salazar questioned without really thinking about it. Harry winced.
"My father, a priest in the church, labelled me an anti-Christ...he called me a witch. The village is very deeply religious. They tormented me, trying to get me to admit to being a child of Satan. I did, finally, because I thought the beatings would stop. But they only got worse. They finally left me for dead...what did I do to deserve this? I worshipped God as one should, but...I am only hurt for my actions." Harry sobbed bitterly. Salazar sighed and picked the boy up, noting that the boy was much lighter than he should've been.
"There is no god, Harry, only magic. As to your misfortune, it is over now, if you choose to allow it to be. There is only power in the world and those who wish to grasp it will be the ones to survive. Would you like to survive, Harry? Take control of your power and your life?" Salazar asked. Even if Harry said no, he'd still take him to Hogwarts to heal, then allow him to leave into the wizarding village near it. But he was surprised when the boy curled into him and whispered, "Yes...please yes."
And so Salazar apparated back to the castle known as Hogwarts with Harry Potter in his arms, never to return to the village again. After a thorough searching, the villagers assumed that Satan had taken his child home. Nicholas couldn't help but feel a pang as Katheryne sobbed for her lost child. She lost her luster for life after that, succumbing to an illness that would later be known as tuberculosis. Not only had he lost his only son, he'd lost his darling wife. The murmured condolences did nothing but fuel the fire of his guilt. Perhaps if he'd heard Harry out, his child and wife would still be alive and near. Little did he know, Harry was very much alive.
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A/N: I'm sorry that had to be so...cruel, but just think about it. Historically, witches and wizards were tortured, so Harry had to have a reason to run to Hogwarts when he talked to his father about it. Some may ask, "Why'd he stay if he knew how his dad would react?" And I guess my answer to that was trust. He trusted in his father to believe him and love him, but it just didn't work in his favor at the moment. I promise, it will get so much better!