"As Harry said, I'm Samantha Roberts and Harry has asked me to do this interview. As was agreed, a copy will be sent off for approval, prior to publishing, and this interview will go live through most of the ICW countries after it's approval, on the same day."

Harry was a little nervous about this, having Natalia, Daphne, and Fleur all together for the first time since the Yule Ball had him a bit apprehensive. Yet, the rational part of him knew they were all too well brought up to cause any sort of scene in public.

"I'll start by asking Harry some questions and then move along. This shouldn't take too long." Sam shared a smile with them all.

It couldn't. The press conference for the Third Task was right after this. A joint announcement of details for the task and the press work leading into it.

With no disagreement, Sam began the interview.

"I think the first thing, beyond congratulations, would have to be why now? You're only fourteen and you have years before you'd have been pressured towards a decision like this, let alone three."

Harry nodded and looked at each young woman before responding. "I could have waited but would these three beautiful women's families have been okay to wait? It wasn't so much the pressure on that, just that I recognized how incredible each one of them is and how well things came together. Everyone would be aware of how well Natalia and I have gotten on and it just clicked for us in the beginning. The rest is history, as they say. She's gorgeous, smart, and loyal. I don't know what more you could want from a partner."

Harry took a quick intake of breath and then continued, "The Delacour family has been a staunch ally of the Potter family, going back generations, and they are like having my own family around. Fleur and I got to know each other and though it was a great political match, our personal connection can't really be quantified."

"Daphne and I had been pupils together at Hogwarts but we hadn't gotten a chance to know each other. When I took on the Black Regency, the Greengrass family was there for me. We've spent a lot of time together this year and it's just been great - she's just been great."

"I don't think anyone will have any difficulties seeing why you locked these three up, but why was the focus now, instead of in a few years, or even a decade?"

Harry frowned, he had missed answering that part. "This year has been a year of maturation, change, and growth for me. There has been such a degree of change that I barely feel like the same person. One of the things I have done well was seizing opportunities that came up. My tutor has been amazing, Horace has been a great mentor, and I have strong supportive advisors.

"When you look at each fiancé individually, they are just exceptional. I can't sit here and tell you I don't feel overwhelmed and overjoyed that this has worked out this way. I never thought beyond a single wife and a couple kids. I mean, that was always what I thought of, the standard nuclear family. I'd be lucky to have that with any of them and, somehow, they all agreed to this."

"Thanks, Harry," Sam said, "Can you talk about this partnership and how it all came together? The idea of the Delacour and Pavlov families being involved in an agreement like this would've been unconscionable to consider, given their animosity at the ICW."

"One piece at a time, like anything else." Harry gave a slight smile and then continued.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Harry flopped down into the love seat by the fire, kicking his legs up, both Fleur and Daphne followed him in.

"That was less painful than I had expected but still tiring," he said, letting out a breath.

Any response was delayed by a happy screech and then Cuddles came flying into the room. She first turned towards Harry but something caused her to pause. Harry shook his head, realizing he knew exactly what it was. Daphne had conjured a little stand for her and was finishing up the transfiguration work to make the rocks comfortable and hot, just how Cuddles' liked it.

Daphne had a smug look plastered to her as Fleur looked on, jealousy dancing in her eyes. Her blue eyes drifted to Harry and she smiled. Approaching the love seat, she transfigured it into a full-sized sofa; Fleur slipped into the new space and put Harry's head in her lap.

Daphne took the chair beside and reached out her arm so she could pet Cuddles, the little dragon preening at the attention.

"Sam will send a copy of that to everyone for editing and approval. The story should break in a week," Harry said, ignoring the byplay between the girls.

"I thought it went well, mon coeur," Fleur said as she stroked his head.

"It will be fine," she said. "Was it Horace who was heading up the planning of the engagement party?" Daphne asked.

"Yes, he's getting the guest list put together; it'll be on the day that the news goes public."

"It'll be large then," Daphne said. "Three women engaged all at once."

"I'm sure you'll have the Minister there?" Harry asked, turning his head to look at Daphne.

"Naturally, and with the people I can see father inviting, I can't imagine this is going to be a small event either. It might end up being called a private party but function more like a ball."

"Oui," Fleur said, "Papa will 'ave many that will need to be there as well."

Harry sighed, there was always more politics on the horizon. He took a moment to enjoy Fleur's ministrations but knew he'd asked them down here for a reason.

"I got word that the Pavlov's signed the contract. I'll be signing it and doing the ritual with Natalia...tonight."

"The forty-eighth ritual," Daphne said, no visible change to her countenance as her eyes were focused on her work at making Cuddles attempt to play the part of a purring cat.

Harry gave a tight nod.

"She is not down here for this reason, non?"

Natalia was about to become a confidant but she wasn't one yet. "I wanted to bring it up now, and we can all get together and discuss it more later...I want to talk about setting some ground rules."

Harry looked at Daphne, she was sitting upright and with a perfect posture. Fleur was relaxed beside him but her eyes showed how closely she was paying attention.

"There is going to be conflict, even in a one to one relationships, they happen. I expect when it happens that it will be kept internal," Harry said. "No gossiping and running back to family and friends before discussing it with the other person or group."

"Witch Weekly will wantonly weave whatever we wished wasn't written," Daphne said. "We don't need to add any extra fuel."

"We will need to be respectful of each other," Fleur said, frowning as she did so.

"Exactly. I can't always be the arbiter. If you girls want to try and get me to play the referee each time there's an argument, it's not going to go well."

Daphne crossed her arms over her chest. "Then what would you suggest? There's going to be issues, particularly with schedules. Have you even considered Yule? Which family traditions will be adopted, whose family dinner do we attend? Who comes around in the morning, or where will you go solo? Do you plan to send us all home to our families and you'll do breakfast, lunch and dinner at three different places?"

Harry groaned. One wife would have been so much less of a headache.

"I'm still concerned with Natalia. Her family turned on the side they'd pledged loyalty to and their reputation hasn't been unearned since," Fleur said and then huffed a breath out her nose.

"The ritual will take care of any questions on Natalia's loyalty," Harry replied. "She won't be beholden to her family but to me. I think she's genuine…Besides, the Pavlov's unsavoury way of doing things is needed."

"If you're sure," Fleur said, voicing her doubt.

"And you're doing the ritual tonight, then?" Daphne asked.

"That is the plan, yes."

"Then the final one...49, comes next."

"Yeah…I'd like you both here for it." Harry rubbed the back of his neck. If he wasn't about to be doing another virginity ritual soon, it would have been at the forefront of his mind. But, after his experience with Fleur's ritual, he couldn't help but be equal parts excited and apprehensive.

This wasn't a magical ritual for sharing a gift with a partner. In essence, this was almost the magical domination of another. She'd be his. Never looking at another man, her magic subservient to his. No oath, nor any ability to work against or betray him would be possible. It sounded almost like magical slavery except he couldn't see Salazar advocating for that.

Unwavering loyalty, he could see the man pushing, advocating for. But not magical slavery. Who would want to be shackled to a partner that could never be more than a mere servant?

Magic was complicated and illogical, at times. An allowance for free will and the curtailing of it at the same time was always required. Either way, it was a ritual she had to be willing to do. She would have to choose this, him.

The two exchanged a look and Fleur replied for them, "We will be, 'arry."

Harry had expected nothing less. He gave her arm a gentle squeeze.

"What do you two think of the Third Task, keeping it the same but moving it to a secure site was a little surprising?" Daphne said, asking the two champions for their thoughts from the press conference they'd just come from.

"It's not something we can talk about. Everyone involved has sworn an oath, including us. No revealing the location." Harry said, shooting an apologetic look at Daphne.

"I 'ave more confidence with it being removed from 'ogwarts."

Harry nodded, he felt the same. Hogwarts had been infiltrated, again, this year. The place wasn't secure and moving it to the World Cup stadium felt like a better option. All Harry hoped for was a clean task without outside interference and no war with an Acromantula Colony.

"So long as we make it out, I don't care about the blasted tournament," Harry said. "I just want Fleur and I to get through this and move on."

"Given your ridiculous plan, I don't see why you should be so worried about the tourney," Daphne said, grousing about the plan she hadn't been keen on since hearing bits and pieces of it.

Harry went to retort but Fleur spoke up first. "Some of us 'ave faith in 'arry. I'll be going with 'im," she said, adamantly, placing her hand on his thigh.

"It's not up for discussion," Harry said and placed his hands on Fleur's.

"If you're throwing your life away, it should be," Daphne said, her voice cold enough to freeze water.

"Everything I do is with survival in mind. That has always been my goal - survival."

With that, Harry stood, extricating himself from Fleur but not before giving her a peck on the lips. "It's time for me to meet Natalia."

To Harry's slight surprise, Daphne stood and gave him a quick kiss. They hadn't gone all the way yet and Harry wondered if it was strictly because of his plan. If she believed there was a decent chance he didn't survive it then it could be considered prudent to remain a virgin until he made it through it.

That might have bothered him at some point but her pragmatism was one of the things he truly appreciated about her.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

"When you asked me to come here, I thought you were crazy," Natalia said before taking another mouthful of pink cotton candy. "I'd heard muggles had invented these sorts of places but I had no idea they could be this much fun!" She stuffed another handful of cotton candy in her mouth.

"I'd never been to one before but I thought it'd be a lot of fun."

"I'd just expected to have a Funday with you," she said, bumping her shoulder into his.

Harry took a step to balance himself and grinned at Natalia. "I thought it might be fun to just do something normal," he said as he swung his arm around her.

Natalia nuzzled into the contact. "Why did we come here though?"

Harry gave her shoulder a squeeze. "I like being with you. I feel like we're normal teens. Just out for a date. No magic, no politics. Just me and you."

Natalia leaned into him. "I enjoy that too, Harry," she said. "But today is the day that Father signed the contract. I'm loving being here with you but that's in the back of my head..."

Harry nodded his head and slipped his hand down into her mid-back, guiding her to a little table to sit at. With a flick of his wand, privacy spells were up. "There's one more condition that your family doesn't know about. Something only you can decide."

"Wh-what is it?" Harry could tell Natalia had been caught off guard.

"I have a ritual I'd like you to do with me. Fleur did one..." He knew that was a bit of a low blow but Harry needed this to come together.

"What does it do? Am I able to do one? Will I have to do more?" Questions tumbled out of her mouth.

Harry smiled, "It makes us closer. You won't look at any other men; for you, there will just be me."

Natalia looked down at her lap, her hands too restless to be idle as her thumbs moved back and forth. "Is that all?"

Harry shrugged, "Essentially."

"Then why wouldn't you tell my father?" she asked, looking up at him.

Harry ran his fingers through his hair. How much should he tell her? He couldn't admit the full truth of the ritual. If they planned to use pre-existing Unbreakable Vows, he couldn't risk tipping them off. "I don't fully understand how it will work but it is supposed to shift your loyalty to me," he said. "Like working against me would be an anathema to you. Might not be possible but it's not supposed to strip free will." Harry threw up his hand, he didn't truly know but it was what he suspected.

Natalia's eyes had lit up when Harry mentioned working against him. "What does the ritual entail? Does it involve blood or spells, or?"

"I've got to paint some runes on us. The ones on you in my blood and the ones on me in your blood." Harry grinned as Natalia scrunched her nose up at that prospect. "Upon penetration, the ritual takes effect. It's not entirely clear what happens but I'd gather we finish and so does the ritual."

Natalia's cheeks had gained a crimson hue, though they were not as bad as the topic had once garnered. For Harry, after being with Fleur, fooling around with Daphne and Natalia, it had been a lot easier to talk about, even somewhat openly. Though, he would never give Sirius or anyone else any of the lurid details.

"Okay," she said, in a small voice.

"Okay?"

"Okay. I'll do it," she said, looking up, her eyes meeting his.

"Just like that?" Harry asked, feeling uncertain about the easy acceptance.

"Just like that," she echoed. "I love you, Harry."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

The first thing Harry felt upon waking were soft delicate touches along his jaw. It took him a moment to realize that it was a pair of lips, working down his face and continuing to kiss down his neck.

Harry cracked his eyes open and saw the top of Natalia's head.

"Morning," he murmured, his lips having difficulty breaking apart as they were dry and somewhat stuck together. "How do you feel?"

Natalia's descending kisses stopped and she sat up above him, her hips straddling over his, he noticed. Her eyes blazed with emotion, though Harry wasn't certain what it was. Relief, love, hunger, passion, excitement?

"Free," she said before holding his face in her two hands and bending down to give him a searing kiss, a kiss that woke up all of him.

Harry ignored his body's reaction and their suggestive position.

They'd done the ritual. He was sure of that. He'd painted the runes, he'd had everything set up and stated. But after penetration, it had all been a blur.

His magic had been called forth with such intensity that it'd made him light-headed. It was all he could do to focus on moving his body. Instincts had taken over and he'd no idea if he'd even given her pleasure.

It had just been about reaching a goal, one he hadn't been mindful of.

Finish. Finish as fast as possible.

As he gazed up into the third young woman he was now engaged to, betrothed to. "Free?" he questioned, quirking his head.

"Free," she repeated, nodding and then giving him another soul-searing kiss.

Harry groaned, he wanted to give in to his hormones but his mind was too inquisitive. He had to know what the ritual had done to her.

"Natalia," he said, heavily breathing out her name as he disengaged their lips. "Free? How so?"

"Free, light, unencumbered!" she exclaimed. "Whenever I was with you, my magic was constantly constricting. I couldn't say the wrong thing. I had to act so it would benefit the Pavlov family."

Harry's eyes narrowed even as his eyebrows knit together. "They had oaths and vows controlling you?"

"Controlling?" she laughed, a bitter mocking, sarcastic laugh full of resentment. "Imagine being a slave. Imagine being taught to be the perfect daughter from the moment you could walk and talk. Obey the family. Always do as you're told. Work to strengthen our position by any means necessary." She shook her head and then, almost as if she was a puppet whose strings had been cut, she fell onto him.

Natalia nuzzled into him and Harry basked in their closeness. While it was physical, to describe it as such would be inadequate. There was something between them now that felt magical, almost spiritual.

She hummed in contentment. "It's all gone now. I'm yours, I can feel it." The joy in her voice was palpable. "I'm no longer trying to find a way to work within the confines of my oaths to do what I want. I'm no longer trying to convince my magic that what I want to do fits the confines of what I'd sworn to do."

"It worked then," he said, his hand alternating between gently massaging and running his fingers through her hair. "The ritual was meant to magically shift your allegiance to me. To ensure I knew you were not controlled by your family, or anyone else."

"I knew it," she whispered, her body clinging to his.

Harry felt it before he heard it. Her shoulders shook, her back and abdomen contracted, as sobs wracked her body. He couldn't see her face but he felt wet tears drop onto his shoulder.

She wasn't just crying, Natalia was sobbing. And given the way she clung to him, Harry didn't think she was upset with him.

He kept massaging her head and running his hand down her hair with his free arm, the other being trapped underneath her. Harry kept doing his best to comfort the girl but the only thing he figured would end this would be for her to cry herself out.

How long it kept up, Harry hadn't bothered to try and figure out. All that mattered was the girl still clutched onto him.

"Are you better?" he asked after the sobs had stopped and her breathing had levelled out.

Natalia pushed herself up, just enough so she could look him in the eye. "I'm great," she said, her eyes were all red and puffy, her face marred by endless tears and red marks where she'd had her face pressed against him.

"Can you tell me why you were crying? It wasn't because you were upset with me?"

Natalia's lips curved into a soft smile. "I'm free, Harry."

Harry nodded his head, feeling a flash of irritation that he kept asking and the answers weren't entirely forthcoming.

"Imagine living your life under someone else's control," she said. "Think of playing quidditch with an anchor attached to you. Sure, you'll get used to it and it will even help you dive faster. But it's always there. Physically weighing you down and taking a mental toll on you too. No matter where you go, no matter what you do, you'll always have that anchor dragging you down, holding you back."

Harry took in her words and the first thing that came to mind was his time with his relatives. They'd held him back, kept him from achieving anything. They had been needlessly cruel and abusive. Were Natalia's parents like that, in a different sort of way?

"You know, I hated you when we met," she giggled and pressed a soft kiss to his lips.

"Wh-what?"

"I was told...forced to get to know you. Instructed to find a way to attend the Yule Ball," she sighed and flopped back down onto him. "I didn't want to get to know you, I didn't want to try and entice you, but...you were so sweet."

"Sweet?" Harry almost choked on the word.

"Yes," she said, giggling. "I thought you'd be arrogant or just try and get with me because of my family. You didn't even know who they were."

"Hey," Harry said. "I learned quickly."

"You did," she said, smiling. "But it was so hard for me. I actually liked you but had to follow my family's wishes."

"And you can speak openly now, on that?" Harry guessed but some confirmation would be nice.

"I-I think so?" Natalia said, frowning into his shoulder.

"If you were restricted by vows, would it not warn you?"

Natalia didn't respond immediately. "I...think so? It has in the past."

"Well, why don't you just walk me through things with us."

"Us?"

"Yeah, how we got together, from your perspective," Harry said before dropping a kiss on her forehead.

"We almost didn't," she told him. "Lacroix likes you and didn't want you involved. She likes me too and thought it could end, well, like this."

Harry squeezed her shoulder, pulling her into him. "I'm glad she did."

"My family wanted me to charm you," Natalia said with a shake of her head. "But I didn't want to. I'd been trying to keep from getting close to anyone."

"Why?"

Natalia tucked her chin down towards her chest and clung to him. Her breathing became shallower and Harry could feel her heart racing in her chest. "B-b-b-" she began trying to explain but she couldn't spit out the words. A sob escaped her.

Harry began rubbing her bare back with his hand. "It's alright," he said. "Just take your time, we're not going anywhere."

She nodded rapidly and then kept quiet, only moving her hand to caress his chest.

"The Pavlov family has gained power through fear and betrayal," she whispered the last word and kept her head lowered.

"Fear I know about," Harry said, slowly, after thinking on her words for a few seconds. "Viktor warned me, others too. But betrayal? Does that refer to Grindelwald?"

Natalia shook her head. "No."

"Your family plans on betraying me, then?" Harry pushed himself up into a half-sitting position and frowned down at her.

Natalia clung to him and shook her head, then brought it to rest on his hip. "Well, they do, but I don't think they can compel me to betray you now."

"They had you make an unbreakable vow," Harry stated, frowning.

"It's how they work. Swear to always put the family first. Swear to always be working towards the Pavlov family's benefit. Swear to never betray or work against the family," she said, firing them off one after another. "There are so many that I don't even know how many I've been forced to swear. All are designed to work towards the betterment of the family, and that includes betraying the family you marry into."

"I don't get how the betrayal would work, though," Harry said. "You're required to swear an Unbreakable vow to not be able to do that to me."

Natalia looked up at him, her eyes equally despondent and critical. "It's in the wording and intent. Father made sure to include actively," she said. "That's the key. My family has a passive way of passing along information. All I need to do is get you to say something incriminating and it gets caught."

"Then you have something incriminating, and you can use that leverage to extract things from me," Harry said, understanding dawning on him.

"There are a number of terms that they planned to extract from you to add to the contract. Birthing the Potter or Black Heir being the primary one to target."

Harry looked down at her and then away. "I knew the contract negotiations were too easy," he said. "The read I had on your family was they cared far less about rehabilitating their public image than what Horace, Cyrus and Patrice had thought."

"If you always betray people, it will never be that great," Natalia said with a shrug.

"But with the ritual, you are free to tell me about all this and are loyal to me now?" He looked down at her, their eyes meeting.

"I'm free, Harry," she said, a large sweet smile blossoming on her face.

Harry nodded, a matching smile coming to his face. He'd have to get details on how they passively collect information and ensure he was set up to never allow leverage to be gained over him. And, now that he was thinking about it, he would be sure to discuss this with Horace. Bringing this up with his allies might be a good idea too…

But as Natalia pulled herself up and into his lap, those thoughts were driven from his mind.

He may not recall too much about the actual ritual but he was going to be sure to savour this moment as Natalia positioned herself on him.

"I'm free and I'm yours."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Harry woke with a start. Sleep had done it's best to elude him all night. Even with spending the afternoon with Natalia and then having Fleur do her best to wear him out at night. Even with that, he couldn't sleep anything more than a few restless, fitful winks…

Things had started out well with the three girls now engaged to him but the time between the last ritual and the next one had flown by. With the 49th ritual this close, his mind had been far too preoccupied to sleep.

This day had finally come and his rest had been worse than the night before a major quidditch game. Worse than the lead up to the first and second task.

Harry let his hands mechanically run up and down Cuddle's scales. His amazing, wonderful familiar had known.

They were connected, how could she not know?

Normally she didn't sleep on the bed with Harry but tonight had been an exception. Once Fleur had fallen asleep, Cuddles had kept him company. She settled right onto his chest and kept him company all night as his mind raced, worried, wondering, what was coming the next day.

After softly shaking his head, he cast a wandless charm and saw that it was just after six now.

Harry rolled his head to his right and brushed a lock of hair out of Fleur's face. He rubbed the back of his fingers against her cheek a couple of times then placed a kiss on it.

It was time to get up and go see what this day would bring. Just thinking that was enough to fill his stomach with angry butterflies. Already he could feel his heart was beating far faster than it should be upon just getting up for the day.

His body knew it, his mind knew it, and he had no doubts that his magic did too. It was restless, imbalanced, and demanded resolution. A final ritual to bring completion to his magical development.

He thought back on Apolline's words. He was locked into three girls now and had heeded her advice. Maybe it wasn't necessary, maybe it was. At the very least, it was one less thing to concern himself with.

After taking care of his need to micturate, he made his way to the study. Standing outside the closed door, he reached forward to open the door. His hand was shaking, his arm was unsteady. He used the other hand to steady his arm and tried to calm his breathing.

But nothing wasn't working.

His free arm was shaking too. His heart was beating erratically and he was having trouble handling his nervousness.

Today was the day he'd either pass and balance his magic or do his best to avoid whatever had befallen all the previous potential heirs.

He'd struggled to get the door open but he'd eventually managed it. Harry then made his way to the desk and opened the drawer that contained the ritual book and the journal.

It was glowing.

Harry took a deep breath and, with unsteady fingers, he opened the book to the latest journal entry.

Perspective is a fascinating thing. When you are young, impatient, and lacking experience, you lack perspective, no matter how much you may rant, rave, or believe it to be untrue. It is a fallacy of youth. You know so little that you lack the perspective to understand how much you truly do not know. It is only once you have learned a great deal that you begin to understand how little you truly do.

It is not until you are wise and full of experience that you are capable of making the decisions you ought to have earlier in your life.

Perspective.

A truly wondrous gift and a horrendous curse.

You are so impertinent, impatient.

A toddler cannot wait to become a child. A child wants to grow big and strong- so they are more capable. An adolescent wishes to gain their independence and freedom. Yet, an adult can look back at their youth with fondness and with regret. Regret because they were too focused on progressing that they hadn't taken the time to just enjoy the stage of life they were in.

It is only with perspective that one can look back and reconsider their actions, their choices, their life.

I've said it before, and I will say it again: death humbles all.

You are at the end, my heir.

I have counselled you in love.

I have counselled you in character.

I have given you my understanding and feel for magic.

I have tried to shape you into the young man that I wish I could have been.

I have toiled and tarried for months on end to fashion a tool capable of ensuring my legacy lives on. Though, that is not truly what I have done.

Though you may be my heir, you will not be a Slytherin.

I am Salazar Slytherin.

Salazar Slytherin is the name I have taken on. I have fashioned my own legend and it shall stand alone. My gift of parseltongue shall be passed on but not my name.

Slytherin is a name reviled, curse, praised, hated, glorified and, above all, it is mine, and mine alone.

Then what are you, you must be wondering. You, you who stands at the precipice of greatness.

There will be none after me who understand rituals as I do.

Millennia of experimentations on rituals have been lost. I can say this with certainty for I have destroyed them. The depravity and abominations which can be created through ritualistic magic are too perverse to allow them to be propagated.

I have lied, cheated, killed, murdered, butchered, and done unspeakable deeds in my quest for power. It is only after vanquishing my foes, building up such a reputation that few would dare to challenge me, that I have realized how little I have accomplished.

For now, at the end of my days, what is the value of my knowledge? When my mistakes have caught up to me.

What am I left with?

A house at a school that will outlive us all and eclipse our own achievements. Or is it the lackwits I have for offspring?

What is it? What am I left with? My pride? My prestige? My vaunted knowledge and power? What meaning do these have to I that will perish in a matter of weeks? What good does it do me?

There are muggle philosophers, there are muggle priests, and yet none of them have even an iota of understanding of magic. They speak of afterlives, they speak of resurrections and reincarnations. They speak to the meaning of life but they are fools. Imbeciles that have less understanding of the world than mine own familiar.

I have spent a great deal of time evaluating students, seeing if any of them could live on as my legacy. After years of arduous professorship, I have been left with a single conclusion: None are worthy.

How could they be? How could I teach any of them all they would need to know when they lack parseltongue?

It became evident that there was a sole purpose for the remainder of my life. A single task drove me and, as I write this, I can tell you I have been successful, that it is complete.

Your entire tutelage has been of my design. I have given you every advantage that you will need to become the man I wish I could have been. With my affinity for magic, seven sets of seven rituals, and a grounding in magical knowledge, you are prepared to craft a legacy of your own.

But, this has been the easy part. For gifting knowledge uninhibited is an errand in foolery. Anyone can be taught but not all learn. All can hear but how many listen? Even among those who listen, too few comprehend.

Gifting power to any halfwit that can read is beyond mere imprudence.

There had to be a test, a way that I could ensure that what I have taught had sunk in and whoever followed after me I could ensure they would be a suitable legacy.

A Legacy.

My legacy.

A Legend in the making.

Progeny is the way we live on. The utmost goal, then, becomes the ensurement that those who succeed you are left better off than when you were at birth. It is this goal that the muggle philosophers fail to understand. It is this truth of nature that the priests fault to comprehend. We live on through those that we raise.

Thus, it is my final task. To ensure the knowledge and power I have accumulated is passed to a sole individual. One capable of succeeding my legacy, one that I will know beyond any shadow of a doubt that is worthy.

Worthy.

Are you worthy, my heir?

Did you heed my words on love? Did you grasp the lessons I tried to impart from the failures in mine own life?

Are you a young man of character? Can you persevere through any and all circumstances, and stay true to who you are?

I have not made you all-powerful. I have not given you the spells to destroy your enemies. Instead, I have given you a foundation. A foundation built on strength of character, of a wholesome understanding of magic, and a way to carry yourself, fashion yourself into ensuring you achieve the goals and tasks you set for yourself.

There are no strings attached. There are no more commands upon completing 49 rituals.

Heed my words, my heir. I am Salazar Slytherin.

The final ritual is the end. After its completion, you will have my full library. Every shred of knowledge I have accumulated is there, waiting to be unlocked. The powerful spells are there. The lost knowledge is there. Anything I have studied is there. Written down in parseltongue, so all of my vast wealth of knowledge will avail your endeavours.

Take it. Grasp it. Become a legend that eclipses my own.

There is one final ritual, one final test.

I have told you to protect your loved ones. I have lectured and written about the importance of such, but how can you do so if you die?

How can you ensure that you'd leave a lasting legacy if you die or fail?

Power attracts attention. Power demands a challenge.

You cannot become as powerful as you are without notice.

Will you allow a sole failure to ensure your destruction? Will you allow your death to be the desecration of all that you hold dear?

Harry dropped his head into his hands and then used them to rub his forehead. His heart was beating erratically and he pictured Fleur, Natalia, Daphne. Horace, Sirius, and anyone else he cared about, their faces flashed through his mind.

Voldemort was coming for him. Could he guarantee he'd live through their inevitable confrontation?

It was the unspoken elephant in the room when he met with his advisors.

If Harry failed, they were all doomed.

It fueled his urgency, it made him press on with his studies and go harder in his training beyond where others would have stopped.

He desired survival. He'd gotten with Natalia, Fleur, and with Daphne to ensure he lived long enough to have children. That he lived long enough to raise his children.

Salazar asked what would he do? What would he sacrifice to ensure his loved ones were protected?

The question was worded wrong. It wasn't what he was willing to do but how little he wouldn't do.

Harry picked his head out of his hands and let it drop into the chair. He sat there, letting his thoughts run wild as he worked to calm himself.

Was this affecting him so strongly because it was written in parseltongue? The thought came to his mind and he had a hard time shaping it. It was one of the worries of his. With the strength of its ability to pass along magic, was it doing something to his mind?

The question was unanswerable but a persistent concern. Much like the answer to the question. Harry had already assassinated a man to deprive the opposing side of a powerful asset. Was this a path that led to him becoming a monster?

At times it seemed like it, felt like it, but where were Tom Riddle's loved ones? Where was his wife, his partner? Where were his trusted advisors to guide him? It was those around him that made him believe that he wasn't going to allow himself to become a Dark Lord.

With his own faith buoyed, he turned his attention back to the book.

I challenge you, my heir. Do whatever is necessary to protect yourself. Delve into the pits of despair if it will protect your loved ones. For, at the end of the day, what is the difference between a man who has done no wrong and one that has lived a barbaric life overflowing with villainy?

Will the earth fail to reclaim the decayed body of the righteous man? Would it reject the villainous man?

Of course not. For death claims us all. Death humbles us all.

Then this I leave you with, my heir.

The final ritual. A final gift. A way to protect yourself from failure.

The final ritual is a method of taking your soul and storing it, containing it.

If Harry had been holding the book, he would have dropped it.

Storing your soul?! Containing it?!

A Merlin forsaken Horcrux!? A Horcrux!

Horcrux!

The unspeakable evil, of damning your soul to shatter and break, through an act that is beyond vile.

No.

NO!

This couldn't be it.

Herpo the Foul created the Horcrux. But I have perfected it. A way to not split the soul but to bind your soul to an object.

Harry's heart pounded in his chest. Sweat beaded on his forehead and his palms were clammy. The breath he exhaled was one he had been holding, unknowingly. In and out, slow and deep, he just sat there, staring at the words.

Not a Horcrux.

He chanted those words over and over in his head.

He was willing to commit despicable acts for survival and his loved one's protection… But a Horcrux? The worst thing Riddle had done, according to Horace? No. That was crossing a line he wouldn't.

The full ritual is in the book. Let me warn you, there will be no greater pain that you can experience in your life than this. Fight through it, master it, and do not stray from the instructions.

Do this, do what is necessary. Live well, love well. Live a full life and rise to your full potential. Eclipse my legacy.

Stay true to yourself.

Be better than I.

Be more.

Be worthy.

Become my true heir.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Thanks to Triage & Nauze for the beta work on this one, again!

Feels great to get to this part now and I'm looking forward to finally getting to write the scenes in the next chapter. Should be a ton of fun!

Taliesin19 & I took part in the Flowerpot (Harry x Fleur) Discord Server's Flowerpot Garden Event, which was for getting Harry x Fleur one-shots written by authors on the server. I think there were a dozen new one-shot's dropped yesterday. Mine & Tal's is called Edelweiss, it's 18k words and it's on the SalTal Studios account. The story is in my fav's if that is easier and the FFN community is also fav'd too.

discord dot gg slash KCkSTUn - this is the ITT discord server
discord dot gg slash q63UUxD - this for is for Harry/Fleur discord server.
Replace dots with a period and slash with the forward slash.

If you can't find it or want help getting to the discord server just PM me.