A/N: okie dokie folks! I made a small error last chapter because I had stayed away from the fic for so long…heh heh. I called Harry's lips pink instead of black…sorry…ignore that. And think of the black still.

So, an update. Not as quick as I'm sure you all would have liked, but it hasn't been a year and a half either. Sooooo….enjoy my hard work and the last chapter of Insane Dreams!

Disclaimer: I haven't done this in a while…probably not since the 1st chapter, but I wanted to remind everyone. Harry Potter is not mine. And it never will be. Alchford is an OC.

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"How do we go back?"

"After things are settled, come back to this place."

"Thank you Rowena. I'm sorry."

"Don't be. We are free from mortal bounds. We are happy. Helga and I are together once more. No more does society press upon us. Godric is once more with his wife and child. We are at peace. Now it is yours and Salazar's turn to be at peace." her voice whispered as a slight wind stared up, carrying with it, the last wise words of Rowena Ravenclaw.

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And I Spin Colliding Into Sound

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Harry stood slowly from his desk, a grin plastered on his face. He allowed his hands to gently shuffle the papers into a neat stack and picked them up and left the office quickly. Everything was done. The last of the new teachers, the headmaster, had been picked! They could leave soon! He reached out to Hogwarts and felt the sadness, but also a sense of peace and happiness. He had already explained to Hogwarts that they would be going to the future, and would return to him then.

Salazar stood from the desk in the headmaster's tower and allowed a small smile to grace his face. Harry should be here soon with all the paperwork transferring the operations of the school to the new headmaster. He took a good look around the office, allowing a hand to linger on the desk. Godric had always sat on it when they came up here. He allowed his eyes to move to the large cushioned chair behind the desk. That had been Rowena's chair that no one else was allowed to sit in. His eyes finally roamed to the window, where a cheerful yellow cushion sat on the sill. Helga always sat there and looked out the window, talking with them. He finally allowed his eyes to look at "his" chair. It was a sturdy carved maple high back chair that had a plush black cushion on the seat and smaller cushions on the arm rests. The others had gotten it for him the year they opened the school. He absently wondered if it was still in the office in Harry's time.

Harry quietly allowed the stairs to carry him up to the office. He was bouncing slightly on the balls of his feet, excitement coursing through him. He had told Salazar that Rowena's spirit had told him to go to the small graveyard and they could go back to his time together. No one would persecute them. No one would blame them. Everything would be perfect. Salazar had finally agreed after some wheedling. He opened the door and saw his lover staring at his chair. He smiled. "It'll still be in the office."

"Really?" Salazar asked quietly, turning to face the smaller man with a small smile on his face. "They kept it?"

"Oh yes. It's my favorite chair to sit in whenever I visit the headmaster."

"Well, we'll just have to see about getting it moved to where we will be staying." Salazar chuckled as he took Harry in his arms. "Everything is done?"

"Here are the papers. We just need to wait for Alchford to get here, and then we can allow our new headmaster to take care of the rest."

"He is supposed to arrive in two hours. Is everything packed?" he carded his fingers through the soft black spikes, grinning when Harry turned his head into his hand.

"Everything is in my pocket. We just need to walk out there." Harry hummed quietly, grinning when Salazar placed a light kiss on his head.

"Good. Let us get some lunch, and then we shall wait outside in the sunshine for him to get here."

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Alchford appeared with a pop outside the gates of the school he was to taking control of. He stared up at it with wonder and a smile. He could feel the curious tendrils of magic the castle was sending him. With a bigger smile, he reached out some of his own magic to greet the castle. The tall man started through the gates, his eyes immediately seeing the two figures on the castle steps. He had heard a lot of these two men. They were comfortable with each other, and they had left the castle, returning later to find the castle empty and the other founders dieing. They wanted to leave, and he couldn't blame them. "Lord Slytherin. Lord Potter." he called out in his strong voice as he came within speaking distance to the two men.

"Lord Alchford." Salazar hailed back. "We welcome you warmly to your new school."

"It is an honor to be chosen for this task."

"We trust you will take care of Hogwarts and his students, yes?" Harry stared up at the tall man, steel in his black-rimmed eyes.

"Absolutely."

"Then we leave you here, and we entrust to you the magical world's future." Salazar intoned quietly. A spark of magic flashed between the three men. "This is where we take our leave. Everything you need is in the castle, and Hogwarts can help you if you have any questions."

"Luck to you both."

"Thank you." Harry mumbled quietly as he turned and followed after Salazar, both heading towards the forest.

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Salazar shivered slightly as they stepped into the clearing where the three graves were. "What are we to do now?"

"I don't know. Rowena didn't say anything beyond coming here. And that the ritual would drain my magic back to natural levels." Harry hummed as he looked around, almost expecting to see a ghost.

"Step into the ring," a soft voice whispered through the air, the unmistakable voice of Helga, as a ring of grass slowly yellowed.

"Grasp each other and don't let go." the strong voice of Godric wrapped around them.

"Now, think of where you wish to go Harry. Salazar, support his magic and his mind with yours." Rowena's comforting voice whirled around the two entwined figures.

"We will miss you." Salazar murmured against Harry's hair, his mind and magic instantly snapping into focus on what his lover wanted.

"This is how the future was forged. Now we send you back to where you belong." the three voices whispered together before a gust of magic ensconced the two dark wizards, melding with their magic, and pushing. Harder and harder, until, with a great snapping pop, air and time was displaced as the two men disappeared.

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Poppy shivered as she stared at the empty bed. "Albus, I just tried to heal him! I tried to heal him! I cast a standard spell! It was harmless! What happened Albus?" she screeched, her voice rising steadily with each sentence.

"Now, now Poppy," Dumbledore soothed, his strong hands wrapping around Poppy's. "Panicking won't make anything better, or make Mr. Potter come back. We need to wait for Severus to come back, so that he can see what type of potion Harry was exposed to."

"Right," she whispered to herself, seemingly gathering her composer tight around her, like a heavy cloak would be pulled tighter in a winter storm.

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"Fate's Potion." Snape's voice ground out from behind his teeth. He was not in a pleasant humor today. He had just walked through the castle doors and had been accosted by Poppy and Albus, had a potion shoved under his nose, and had been asked what it was.

"What does it do, my boy?" Albus asked gently. He was tempted to gently grab Severus' elbow, but he knew the darker wizard would not appreciate it.

"It sends whoever drank it or, in Potter's case," here he sneered, "Whoever was saturated in it, to wherever they need to go. It has been speculated the potion can overcome time as well as distance. That has never been seen though. The first magic that comes into contact with the victim, that is strong enough for the potion to use for its' purpose, is used to transport them to where they are needed." Healing magic, even the simplest spells, were notoriously strong.

"So Harry could be anywhere or anytime?"

"Theoretically, yes. Are you through with me?"

"Yes, Severus, we're horribly sorry. Are you injured?"

"No,"

"Nonsense Severus! Come with me, and I'll give you a check up!" Poppy grabbed the taller man and dragged him, grumbling the entire time, up to her ward. There was nothing she could do for Harry now. She would just have to wait.

Albus allowed a small smile to grace his face. Harry was still missing, but he was somewhere he was needed. He would be fine.

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They appeared with another snapping pop of displaced air. They kept hold of each other, knuckles white with their grip. Harry blinked away the spinning sensation and focused on the man in front of him. "You ok?"

Salazar opened his eyes and looked around. They were in a forest. It felt positively ancient. "Yes," he squeezed Harry just a little tighter, not yet looking at the smaller man, his eyes still wandering around the clearing. "Where are we?"

"We're in the Forbidden Forest, somewhere. I can tell by how it feels and how the trees look. I just don't know where. Or which direction the castle is." Harry frowned, and shook himself loose of Salazar's hold.

Salazar looked down at Harry, his eyebrow lifting, a cutting remark readying itself, before he stopped himself. He then gently grabbed the smaller man and turned him to fully face him. "What?" he asked quietly, as he grabbed Harry's chin and gently turned it up so that the raven haired man was staring up at him.

"Salazar, what are you doing?"

Salazar drank in the sight of his small lover. Crystal clear green eyes were no longer rimmed in black, just the sweeping curl of dark lashes. Harry's lips were no longer black. They were a pale pink, the lower one larger than the top, and the top slightly thin and slightly chapped. Perfectly kissable. It was like a new person was staring at him. "You look beautiful."

"Salazar, what?" Harry was confused and slowly getting angry. He no longer felt the swirling chaos within his magical core, straining against the walls of his magical core. He felt at peace, but now Salazar was staring at him, like the other man had never seen him properly.

Salazar wordlessly conjured a mirror and presented it to the confused, and quickly angering man. He smiled at the dazed look that Harry had plastered on his face, made even clearer now that all black tattooing had removed itself. "That is what."

"I never thought I'd look like this again." Harry mumbled as he touched his pink lips, his fingernails a soft pink, instead of the black he was used to.

"Rowena said you would be as you were before, yes?"

"Yes," Harry smiled up at Salazar, noticing the quirked brow. "But I thought she was just talking about magic. Not my appearance too."

Salazar leaned down and brushed a gentle smile against Harry's smiling lips. "You are beautiful, no matter what your appearance is. Now, how about we find our way to the castle?"

"I just told you I don't know which direction it is." Harry blushed and looked away from the intense eyes, looking around at the trees.

"Mr. Potter, are you, or are you not, a trained wizard?"

Harry thought his face would light aflame he felt his cheeks heat so much. "Shut up. You could have performed the spell just as easily as I can." Harry hissed, eyes narrowing before he spat the spell out. His wand spun haphazardly in his palm before settling in a direction facing their right. "Let's go," he mumbled, grabbing Salazar's hand, dragging the still chuckling man with him.

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Harry and Salazar, almost as one, rocked backward as the felt the rambunctious magic of the castle greet them as they walked onto the grounds. Harry glanced to his left and grinned as he saw Hagrid's hut. "Home." he mumbled, as he allowed his magic to drift with the castle's.

"It has barely changed." Salazar mumbled, as he stared at the towering walls and sweeping turrets. He glanced at the lake and saw a large tentacle slowly dragging itself under the water. "It is beautiful,"

"We need to find Albus."

"No need my dear boy." a cheerful voice called to them. Albus was smiling and bouncing madly with each step he took. He finally got near enough and took a long look at Harry and the tall lean man that stood slightly in front of the smaller man. "You may have just been gone a few hours, but we feel like it has been years. We were very worried about you. But I can see, that all is better, yes?"

Harry grinned and gently traced his hands along his pink lips. "Albus, I proudly introduce Salazar Slytherin to you."

"It is a pleasure to meet you." the old headmaster's eyes were positively beaming. "I see you have helped out dear Harry meet his peace."

"Indeed." Salazar intoned as he stared at the eccentric man in front of him.

"Well, we simply must go tell everyone you're fine, and all about our new resident to the castle." Albus turned and slowly started to walk back to the castle, smiling as he heard the two men follow behind him.

Salazar glanced at Harry. He could feel the calm of the other man's mind. It was no longer a tortured swirl of magic and emotion. He smiled slightly and turned to face the ancient man in front of him. "Headmaster, I believe there is a chair in your office that I would like to discuss the placement of it with you."

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A/N: done! Finally done! I'll admit. I kinda half-assed the end. Not having everyone running up and screaming and all that. But, he was only gone a few hours…lol I hope I entertained everyone, at least a little. And I thank everyone that kept reading this even through my torturously slow updates.

Cheers!

The Cap'n