Ties that bind

Hello again! First off, this story is in no way related to my other story Genesis, although the Salazar and Godric from this story share some traits with their Genesis counterparts. This story takes place during Harry's fifth year.

As always, let me know what you think! Reviews keep the juices flowing :-).

1: All roads...

The broad shouldered redhead entered the apartment completely silently, feeling the wards tickle at the edge of his magical senses as he carefully pushed the door shut and shrugged out of his jacket. A small smile played at his lips at the sight of the rig and two gun holsters already hanging from the coatrack where one might expect another simple coat, or in a wizard's home most likely robes, and he fingered the weapons reverently before stepping off the mat on socked feet and padding down to the living room. It was the middle of the night, and as he'd suspected, his partner was laying sprawled out on the couch and fast asleep, his long silvery white hair fanned around him in a halo as it was touched by the moonlight coming in from the window. The association between his partner and an angel made him grin ruefully, and he continued to watch the other man's chest rise and fall in sleep in quiet contemplation. He knew that if it had been anyone else that had passed through the wards, he would've had a weapon pointed at him before he could have even gotten this far, but as it was, he could walk in without challenge and after a moment he took the opportunity to slip into the kitchen to make himself a coffee. After today, he sorely needed one.

It didn't take long for the sound of the coffee machine to accomplish what he had not, and he looked over his shoulder as the other man joined him in the kitchen. The older man looked haggard, and in pain, and as always he regretted not being able to heal him as he went over to help his partner sit down at the kitchen table, taking mental note of the stiffness with which the other man moved instead of his usual lethal and catlike grace. "How are you feeling?" he asked as he crouched down in front of the chair and the older man caught his breath, taking in the sight of him now that he wasn't keeping up the glamours hiding his true appearance.

Muggles tended to react quite negatively to anyone looking as unnatural as Salazar did, which meant he always cast extensive glamours before leaving the house, so he only got to see Salazar like this when they were within the safety of one of their numerous homes or around other wizards.

Salazar breathed a short bark of laughter at the familiar question, running a hand through his messy silvery white fringe as he looked up to meet Godric's eyes. Those grey irises tended to unsettle people, their paleness ringed by a darker grey making his gaze almost wolfish, but Godric had long found those eyes to be capable of great warmth. "Better. But you know this." And he did, almost a thousand years of travelling together made you get to know one another pretty well…

Nevertheless. "Let me see."

Salazar sighed, but obliged by lifting up the tight black tanktop he was wearing, revealing his left side to be covered in bruises and healthy pale skin stretched taut over his abdomen where a few days ago there had been a mess of torn flesh as a particularly bad curse had almost split him clean in half. At those moments, it didn't matter that Salazar was as good as immortal, the pain was still real and undeniable, and magical Healing had never worked on the older wizard, the Healing magic not able to get a hold on his inhuman magic and seeming to slide off of him like oil. Something in the man's Shadow Magic simply rejected conventional Healing spells, but as it was that same Shadow magic that always healed his friend at this insane rate anyway, Godric rarely had reason to complain or even worry. But he still hated seeing the other man in pain, which happened way too often as far as he was concerned.

"Does it get your seal of approval?" Salazar asked after long moments as Godric ran his hand along the newly healed skin, prodding carefully, and Godric chuckled at the badly disguised sarcasm sounding through in Salazar's slightly hoarse voice as he nodded before standing. "As always, almost as good as new," he commented as he went to pour them fresh coffee. Behind him, he could hear Salazar shift as he also stood again, relieving some of the pressure off his abdomen that sitting up still caused, and Godric held out a filled mug for the pale wizard to take as he summoned his briefcase wordlessly.

The Daily Prophet's front page immediately caught his partner's attention as it flew out of Godric's briefcase at the younger wizard's summons and came to hover in front of him.

"I thought we killed him," the pale wizard muttered, rare surprise coloring his voice as he reached out to pluck the paper out of the air. Godric huffed, leaning with his hip against the counter as he slowly worked to undo his tie with one hand as he gestured with the other, his steaming mug charmed against spilling after one too many accidents. "Thought so too.. Apparently not though, if Potter is to be believed. After what happened at our school the past years, I'd expected Dumbledore to have gotten a bit more careful. But clearly I was wrong. A boy died Sal. One of our students died."

Salazar remained silent as his eyes scanned the front page, reading the article while Godric watched him, crossing his muscular arms over his chest as Salazar's expression turned blank.

"A student died, and we weren't there to protect him. We turned a blind eye Sal, we knew something was off in the energy signature we sensed from England. It was exactly what we had feared, but we did nothing. And now he's back." Salazar put down the paper, sitting down at the edge of the kitchen table, and Godric recognized the suddenly heavy feeling in the air as Salazar concentrated on the weaves of magic that made up the world around them. It was more difficult with them being on another continent, but centuries of experience made up for that as Salazar tapped into the connection with Hogwarts he still shared.

It had been almost 50 years since he'd connected with the school they helped found, and the period before that had been even longer, but Godric had agreed with Salazar ages ago that they would not interfere with Wizarding Britain any more than necessary. And when they did, it was always from the shadows, unnoticed, and never with any connection to their names. Nobody knew the real names behind the powers that intervened from time to time.

It wouldn't do for the world to know they still lived… Not only for the world, but for themselves. After having lived for as long as they had, being a figurehead wasn't on the agenda. They could work much better if nobody knew they were there. With Godric working on the surface, and Salazar taking care of the things that hid in the dark, they were an unstoppable force, and they did extensive political work.

But still, Godric had always felt connected to Hogwarts, the place where it had all began for them. He had made up his mind as soon as he'd let the news sink in, but he needed Salazar to agree with him, needed the older man's cooperation. Returning to Hogwarts meant having to put some of their other activities on hold, and it was hard to throw away years of hard work and intelligence gathered. But the school needed them… and Godric wanted to answer that call… It wasn't often he allowed himself to be selfish.

But the only way he would return was if they went together.

Salazar released a ragged breath as he drew back into himself, blinking several times to clear his head before shaking it. "Hogwarts is in turmoil… The teachers are completely out of their depth. How is it possible that the Headmaster isn't doing anything to stop this..?" Wizarding Britain was a mess. Godric had a hard time believing how bad it must have gotten over the past years. They had travelled all over the world, and nowhere were magic regulations so extensive and cumbersome as in the UK… Politics dictated everything, and it was frightening how the laws were suffocating the magical populace. The witches and wizards in the UK were painfully cut off and unprepared should they ever be discovered by Muggles, a possibility which was getting more real each and every day.

If Muggles found out about the magical populace sharing their cities, all Hell would break loose, and while some countries would be prepared, others would be sorely outclassed. This danger was what he and Salazar were working so hard at to prevent, or at the very least contain by preparing witches and wizards to know what to do in case that happened and to make sure they would be able to defend themselves against the non-magical people they thought to be so powerless.

Oh, how wrong they were… This Voldemort was nothing in comparison to the devastation that would happen if the magical world was revealed to the Muggles. But the Dark wizard did increase that chance exponentially, and so he had to be dealt with. The devastation that would be wrought on the wizarding community was unimaginable… they had to do something.

But first, Hogwarts… to them, all roads eventually led back to Hogwarts.

Their eyes met, and he could clearly read the agreement in Salazar's cool gaze, and some of the tension left his shoulders as the older man nodded. "We should pack, and leave tonight. We'll need time to figure out our best approach, and the summer vacation only lasts a few more weeks," the palehaired wizard said as he stood from where he was sitting on the edge of the table, and Godric smiled in agreement as he also pushed away from the counter. For the first time in a very long time, he actually felt giddy at the thought that finally, he had a reason to go back to their school, and he could see some of that reflected back to him in Salazar's eyes as well.

Salazar smirked before turning on his heel and padding to their bedroom, and Godric followed, summoning whatever he wanted to bring with him to him. As they would be Portkeying directly to Hogsmeade, where another of their houses was located, it didn't take long to gather what they needed. Godric didn't need all that much, and most of what Salazar always took with him was always on his person in the first place. They did change into more wizard appropriate clothing though…

It wouldn't do for them to be seen in Hogsmeade dressed like Muggles like they were used to, it would draw too much unwanted attention.

Although to be honest, Salazar would probably always draw stares without the glamours, and dressed like he was dressing himself now in his custom made battle gear, so unlike the bulky and cumbersome robes most wizards wore, he looked nothing like a usual wizard. His clothes were simple, pants and a Muggle looking shirt allowing for freedom of movement and not interfering with any of his many weapons, all covered by several layers of protective and concealing yet elegant battle robes to hide most of the weapons from view. And Salazar carried himself like he knew how to use the myriad of weapons at his disposal, a strange mix of magical and Muggle weaponry with the two twin swords crossed on his back, the knives, and his two seemingly Muggle guns secured in their holsters at the small of his back.

Most wizards wouldn't even recognize guns… which made them all the more dangerous. Most magical shields were keyed into stopping magic, not physical projectiles, and certainly not ones that couldn't even be seen.

Salazar had killed powerful wizards without even using his own magic…

It was a sobering thought. Magical people had no idea the kind of damage Muggle weaponry could do. And what better way to show them that than at a school?

Godric crossed his arms over his chest, his more traditional yet elegant wizarding robes clearly showing him to be wealthy and of pure bloodlines. The irony wasn't lost on him that the one the world believed to be a fanatical bloodpurist was dressed like a Muggle underneath his battle gear, while he himself looked like everything the world expected to see when they thought about Salazar Slytherin.

A wry smile twisted his lips at how incorrectly history had depicted them over the years, but there wasn't anything they could do about that without revealing themselves. And Salazar had long since accepted the fact that children were taught that he was an evil Dark wizard who hated Muggleborns…

"Godric." Godric started out of his thoughts at Salazar's voice, and his gaze shot up to meet the pale grey eyes of his partner. Salazar looked down at him intently, gaze searching his own before seemingly coming to a conclusion about something as he nodded. "Let's go."