Moon and Stone

It was a relatively peaceful day, almost the new moon -- just the beginning of the most comfortable time of the month for Salazar, with the next few days to look forward to. He and Helga were curled up in a very cozy blanket that Meghan had knitted over the course of several months. She had learned the patterns from a classmate born in a tiny sailing village, where magic seemed to flicker in and touch even the Muggles' yarnwork. It was a gift in what seemed to be a sort of apology for the girl's initial (and faintly continued) fright; Salazar had made the rather disconcerting discovery that once she was intellectually convinced his lycanthropy was... well contained, she was nearly as unnerved by thinking of him as "belonging" among her aloof local wizards.

The blanket, whatever its motives, contained patterns which would in theory not only keep them warm and dry but give them protection against storms, whirlpools, and sea monsters. Salazar rather doubted that these would ever really be tested, but he found his thoughts wandering in other directions as he traced the twisting ridge of a cloud-charm that he had guessed meant a sea-serpent and a fork of lightning that made him think of chickens.

"Helga," he said after some time, stroking a lock of hair in a whorl over the whirlpool dispersion, "I think I should like to try hatching a basilisk."

Helga blinked. "Herpo is not the Greek Parselmouth I thought you were paying attention to lately."

"Well, no, Aesculapius is more relevant for the day-to-day, particularly when Sarah is one's student," he chuckled softly, twining her hair around his finger, releasing it, and twining it again. For some reason, he'd always found the motion very soothing. "But I was thinking when I started training that Runespoor that perhapss he would be a good guardian for me. Except he's not big enough, or likely to be enough of a safeguard. But a basilisk..."

"You're making somewhat less sense than usual, my dear." She traced his jawline lightly with one finger. "Why do you need a magical serpent of any type as a guardian?"

"...For the full moonss."

Helga frowned. "That is what we have the chamber for. I don't see how a basilisk would help; you can't get out as it is. And you already make Godric carry that sword of his down there 'just in case'. How much protection do you need?"

"Yess, but...we have new students all the time, with new abilities and talents. And curiosity. There's always the chance that one of them could decide to go exploring and...undo what Godric'ss done." He shivered lightly at even the imagined harm; his greatest fear. "An extra guardian would be one more safeguard for our students." A very faint smile. "The protection isn't for me, love. It's for our school."

Helga frowned for a moment and finally spoke slowly. "I think... that any student with the talent to do that could be warned against unauthorized or untimely expeditions, or just given a place to practice on their own. Still, if you wish another serpent for a guardian -- or companion, or challenge --" she smiled. "I will not argue with you. Only be careful."

"The fastest way to ensure something be done is to forbid it. I...think it would be a good idea." He pressed his lips against her forehead for a moment. "And basilisks are fascinating creatures, truly. A good study for any Parselmouth."

"Hmm. I gather you'll introduce it to Sarah, then?" She raised her eyebrows with a smile.

He wrinkled his nose at her. "Yes, I probably sshall. She was quite good with the Runespoor, even though her interests lie more in your domain."

"You do well enough in 'my' domain as it is, and her other talents may allow her to surpass me in it, one day."

"Surpass you? Imposssible," Salazar vowed steadfastly, kissing her. It was ruined slightly by his low, hissing laughter breaking up the middle of it, but he trailed his lips across her jaw and hissed lightly against her skin. "You are incomparable, my dear. Though Sarah is very talented."

"Mmmm. And you, my beloved, are biased."

"Biased? I?" Salazar said thoughtfully. "It is possible, I suppose..." He laughed again and kissed her soundly. "But even bias can still see truth. And you forget, I've felt your skill every month for years now. There is no bias required for that."

"I've not forgotten." She ran her hand through his hair -- finally starting to silver, though he said this was very early yet for someone in his family. "Do you think there's any chance the basilisk would...ease the time for you at all?"

He frowned at her. "Easse it? It would rest my mind before and after, knowing it was out there if something happened and I got out of the Chamber. I'm not a Parselmouth as a wolf, so I wouldn't be able to get past."

"Mind-ease is something, yes, but I meant... So far as I understand it, a werewolf's bite only turns humans, not that a basilisk's scales are easy to pierce anyway. From a few things you've said...I wondered if a beast, another predator, might dull the rage a little." She hesitated, then shook her head. "I'm sorry. Fool's hope, I suppose."

He hissed thoughtfully. "I don't know. It always seems... harsher in the Chamber. Like I was more in control in the forests. Though I don't know if that was becausse I wasn't around so many humans, I was around so many animals, or I could run free. But yes, I wouldn't be able to bite the basilisk. That's... something, I suppose."

Helga winced a little, involuntarily; she knew the enclosure made things worse for him in some ways, and she hated it, and this was the first time in years that he'd actually said so, at least without adding in the previous or next breath that it was wonderful because he couldn't hurt anyboy. She cuddled against him and rubbed at the nape of his neck; Salazar hissed in the back of his throat. "I would be glad of any way to make it easier," she said softly.

"It's still worth it, to know there's no way to hurt anyone. Such a thing is worth any price."

There it was. She'd thought for a moment that maybe he had realized they didn't need reassuring that he thought that, even if it was hard to know... "I know, Salazar. But still...I would not have it worse than necessary."

"I'm not particularly fond of that mysself," he replied dryly, leaning his head against hers. "Well, a basilisk would be one more safeguard at least. At most...well, we'll see what happens. I...don't dare dream for more."

"No, I suppose not." She reached up and slid her fingers through his hair. "I shall dream for you, if you like."

He made a noise between a hiss and a purr as he leaned his head into her touch. "I think it upsets you more than me, so dream all you like." A very quiet sigh. "I never meant to cause you such worry, month after month."

"Shh. You're certainly not to blame for it, and I worry over you because I care." And because the results did seem to be getting worse. It had always sickened her to find the injuries; she still had trouble believing the stone was truly better for him than silver... but the silver might sap his strength worse than the bruises and bites, ultimately.

He was silent for a long moment, then said slowly, "Part of me still says I should never have involved you." He noticed her tensing slightly and held her closer. "But the rational part of me knows I could never have kept you away, as friend or love. And I'm glad for it more than I'm sorry."

"Good." She settled into his arms and relaxed again. "I much prefer to be involved."

"Still a strange idea, people wanting to be involved. I think I'm almosst used to it by now, but...I don't think I ever truly will be." He kissed her meditatively. "I love you."

"I love you too." She worked her fingers down to his scalp and stroked it, eyes half-shut. "And at least you believe it now. I am thankful for that."

"I still believe you are strange people, but it is a strangeness I'm very fond of."

Helga chuckled and kissed him softly. "I suppose I can't argue with that one, for a number of reasons. We're very fond of you too, though, so it works out."

"More strangenes," he laughed in return. "Who would ever have thought it would take getting bit by a werewolf to find the best friends in your life?"

"Mmm... you would have had others, I'm sure, if things had gone otherwise. But I am very glad to know you."

"I would never have had anyone as splendid as you," he declared firmly with a kiss. "Nor as true of friends as Godric and Rowena. That is fact."

"I am certainly not inclined to argue." She put her arms around his neck and blinked at him. "Even if I occasionally talk while we are kissing."

He leaned his head against her shoulder and shook with silent laughter for a moment, probably more amused at the comment than was truly warranted. Finally he looked back up, grinned at her, and pressed his lips against hers, hissing highly suggestive comments against her lips. Eventually he moved to nibble on her neck lazily and murmured, "I don't mind."

"Mmmm. Judging from your expression, I suspect that I...want a translation..."

"Hmmm. If you like. I wass thinking that a demonsssstration might be in order."

"Better still."

He hissed softly in laughter and anticipation and proceeded to translate. With great attention to detail.

*****

Godric flopped down in his usual comfortable chair by the fire in the staffroom with a heavy groan. "Fourteen explosions. Fourteen. Either the students are getting worse, I am, or they're doing it on purpose."

When the other occupant of the room made no reply to this beyond a distracted hiss, Godric craned his neck around to look at Salazar crouched over in his favored carved green chair, frowning at the book in his lap. "Problem, Sal?"

An irritable hiss. "Why doessn't thiss blassted book ssay anything about how to make the bloody toad sssstay!"

Godric pondered this exasperated question for a moment before deciding that he had, in fact, probably heard it correctly but that it did not seem to make a great deal of sense. Just in case the first conclusion was incorrect, he inquired cautiously, "Did you say a toad? I didn't think those were your area."

"They're not, or thiss would be eassier!"

"Er." Godric paused, then offered, "At least they aren't exploding. ...Are they?"

Salazar chuckled slightly. "No. But this would be sso much easier if I could jusst use a ssnake to do it! They'd lissten to me." He frowned and picked up a book from the small stack at his feet. He started to leaf through it and muttered, "Maybe a modified Leg-Locker..."

Godric succumbed to curiosity, levered himself out of his chair, and came around to look over Salazar's shoulder. "What in the world are you working on that requires Leg-Locking a toad?"

Salazar waved the first book under Godric's nose in explanation, but that didn't help much as it was written entirely in Greek.

"Er..." Godric picked the book up and flipped through it. Though the words were incomprehensible -- and he knew Greek would've been more useful than Sumerian, blast it! -- there were a few carefully penned illustrations of a rather impressive serpent and...a toad sitting on a giant egg. "Salazar...are you trying to hatch a basilisk?"

"Yesssss." The elongated sibilant was as good as an eyeroll.

Well, that would, Godric thought a bit dazedly, explain the toad. "Why?" He paused. On reflection, this was a rather silly question. Because it was a magical serpent and an interesting experiment and he could -- well, if the toad were cooperating, which it wasn't. Still.... "Ah, do you need somewhere to keep it away from the students?"

Salazar grinned. "If you'd let me ansswer your firsst question, you'd have an ansswer to your second. I want to keep it in the Chamber's antechamber."

Gradually in the past few years, they'd taken to referring to Salazar's werewolf chamber as simply "the Chamber", both as shorthand and so no one else knew what they were talking about. Godric had, at various points while bored and waiting for moonset, expanded the space just outside the Chamber into a rather impressive series of rooms. The three of them could wait, chat, and probably even play sports in the large space, should they ever take the notion.

Godric blinked. "...Well, that should make life interesting."

"I'd teach it properly. It would be no danger to you or the others, of coursse. But I--" Salazar hesitated for a moment. "I was talking to Helga and we agreed it would make an excellent safeguard. I can't get past it while transformed even if I get out of the Chamber itsself."

"The stone isn't going to give," Godric protested, "and I'd rather have to fight you myself than lose you to an accident with a basilisk if it did."

"We have more sstudents every year, and one of them could be a stoneworker just as easily as I found a Parselmouth. I would train the basilisk." Salazar snorted. "And if it comes to a fight, better I fight an animal that I can't hurt than a human that will jusst make the wolf angrier."

"I can stun you, and have; can a basilisk fight without killing?"

"If trained, yess."

"Ah. I suppose that's all right then."

Salazar hissed under his breath. "There'ss some risk, yess, but frankly, I'd be much calmer dealing with a sserpent than with you in wolf form. Ssomething about humans... intensifies everything. I think that's why the transformations got worsse..." Salazar trailed off and shook his head. "Anyway, as you said, it should never come down to that. The stone will hold. Jusst consider it an experiment."

"I am sorry," Godric said quietly. "We didn't realize, that the school would make that worse...."

"The sschool is worth it," Salazar said firmly. "And so are you. I didn't mean to sound like I was complaining."

Godric's mouth quirked. "You don't complain nearly as much as I do, and you have greater cause. Don't worry if you do." He hesitated. "Would I be able to get past the basilisk? To let you out again?"

"That would be part of its training. To recognize you three and let by no one else."

"Ah... Please tell me that's by scent."

Salazar grinned. "What, you don't want it to know you by ssight? What happened to that vaunted Gryffindor courage?"

Godric bumped him lightly in the shoulder with the book he was still holding. "I'll have to smooth out the floor better in that case, so I can walk it blind myself."

"Sshow-off."

Godric blinked. "What?"

"Well, you don't need to. Did you not read anything in that book, Godric?" Salazar snatched it back and quickly flipped to the appropriate page. "Basilisks have eyelids. How else would they not kill each other?"

"I don't read Greek. I read Sumerian." Salazar gave him a very odd look. "And there are, theoretically, other possibilities. At any rate, if it's supposed to look at me...."

"Snakes have an exccellent sense of smell. It will use lethal force only if necesssary. I don't want a sstudent wandering down by mistake and getting killed!"

"Recognition by sight was your idea. But yes, I know, not to mention that seems to have been a main point of the exercise." Godric grinned down at him. "Aside, I would guess, from the fact that you find the idea of raising a basilisk rather appealing."

"There isss that," Salazar admitted, returning the grin. "What's the point of having a Parselmouth at the school if I don't sstudy magical sserpents?"

"And the Runespoor isn't enough even with three voices." Godric leaned on the back of the chair and looked thoughtful. "I might be able to coax a toad to stay put, at that.... they tend to be fairly well grounded...."

"Oh good. I don't think a Leg-Locker would work, and I was sstarting to think I'd have to hold it there the whole time!"

Godric snickered softly. "Now that one would be interesting to explain...."

Salazar waved dismissively. "Easy. I'd just say you'd put a hex on me that you hadn't figured out how to lift yet. No one would bat an eye."

"Mm-hmm. Naturally. Involving an egg and a toad."

Salazar levied a quelling look at him. "Says the man who once attached a live roosster to his leg for a week." He winced. "Rooster. Speaking of, I suppose I should put up some ssilencing charms."

"Rowena and I try to test the stranger ones on ourselves first, you know that." He paused. "Oh, I forgot that. ...Should we switch to geese?"

"Well, I don't plan to let it wander the school anyway. A seriess of silencing charms around the anteChamber will do nicely." Salazar made a face. "Probably sshould've had them up before, in case a sstudent realized the howling wasn't coming from the Forest on full moons."

"It's not that loud, nor that frequented an area -- but not a bad idea."

"Every little bit helps. We're really very lucky that only Meghan has found me out sso far."

"Ah..." Godric sounded faintly uncomfortable. "I'd be very surprised if Sarah doesn't suspect. Other than that, though..."

Salazar paused, closed his book very deliberately, placed it on the floor with the others, and leaned forward to eye Godric. "Iss there a reasson you think ssso? And a reasson you haven't told me before now!"

Godric sighed. "She's fairly good friends with Meghan, she spends quite a bit of time working with you and Helga, and I assumed you knew from Helga that she had been the one to make a joke about men having moon-times the day Meghan asked about it."

"...No, Helga never mentioned it." Salazar sighed. "Blassst. I'm ssorry."

"Don't be." Godric shook his head and set a hand on his friend's shoulder. "You know Sarah, Salazar, and if she has made the connection she clearly isn't upset about it... not enough to be noticeably uncomfortable around you or Helga, at any rate."

"No, but...every persson who findss out iss one more who might let ssomething sslip. And if sshe could work it out, sso could ssomeone elsse. I jussst..." He shook his head slightly. "I worry, Godric. I don't want to be the causse of any problemss here." Another sigh. "At leasst Sarah is wizard-born. The Muggles are ever worsse about moving out with silver blades if they even suspect a werewolf is around..."

Godric looked at him sidelong. "Meghan's weren't."

"Meghan is sstill scared of me, though she deals with it well."

"True. Though I get the idea half that now is that you're from one of the wizarding families she's... somewhat familiar with."

Salazar snorted and said bitterly, "I'm not from any family. But with occasional excceptions aside, the point sstands."

Godric folded his arms and leaned against the chair thoughtfully. "I think Meghan has the vague impression that her family could have something unpleasant done to them on account of her association with you, if yours were aware. I believe Helga's assured her this is unlikely. ...Are the wizards in your area unusually alarming or something?"

Salazar shrugged. "Just very...closse-knit. There are a few families and they're all fairly well interrelated by now anyway. Outside wizards do just as poorly as the Muggles do."

"Ah." A pause. "...Just as poorly how?"

"Driven off." Salazar's mouth quirked. "And despite what the local Muggles would tell you, not by feeding anyone to dragons. Muggle gives them indigesstion." Salazar grinned. "The wizards there jusst happen to have perfected the art of being very, very intimidating."

Godric covered his eyes. "It's a wonder she came here at all. Or no, she was probably hoping to get away from them...."

"They jusst wanted to be left alone. By anyone who wasn't one of them." Salazar's face grew somber and he looked away to shield the sudden sadness in his eyes. "Well. Hopefully Meghan will improve the impression of magical folk in that area."

Godric hesitated, then squeezed Salazar's shoulder. "If she goes back there, perhaps she will. Too bad for that purpose that you couldn't stay, though I'm grateful you found your way to us."

"When I was there, I wassn't any different."

"Well." Silence for a moment. "...We all learn. And she does like you, you know that, even if she fears you a little with it."

"I know." Salazar sighed and leaned back in his chair, looking up at the ceiling as though he expected it to give him the answer. (It was the wrong part of the castle for that, of course. Only the dormitory ceilings actually spoke, though the students would no doubt be horrified that their professors could keep track of them this way.) "Ssometimes I try to remember what it was like when everyone jusst...knew me and liked me, without the fear. But I can't anymore." Another moment of pensive silence, then he shook his head sharply and reached back down for his books. "Enough foolisshnes. I have a basilisk to breed."

"That's not foolishness. I'm not afraid of you. And most of the students are no more so than they ought to be of their teacher."

"Not the same. And only because they don't know."

"....True."

Salazar shrugged. "And it is foolishness. There are more important things to worry about. Such as, do you think you can come convince my toad to sit on an egg for a while?"

"On the other hand, maybe I should be afraid of you," Godric said without missing a beat. "And yes, I can at least try. Just be sure to feed it well."

Salazar looked offended. "Of course. I know how to deal with animals, Godric. I sshould."

"Well, I was thinking about those pictures -- I don't think a dish would work quite right after a while, if they're accurate."

"Herpo was neither an artist nor a writer, unfortunately," Salazar said with a slightly rueful grin as the two men made their way out of the staffroom and down into the bowels of the castle that housed the Chamber. "But he managed to be intelligible enough. I think I have a fairly good idea of what to do."

"What I want to know," said Godric, who had come up with a fair number of equally improbable ideas himself, "is how one comes up with the idea of using a toad and a chicken to get a serpent in the first place."

"Accident. The egg was supposed to be breakfast, but he forgot about it, and sstored the toad there for another experiment. Fortunately he noticed the toad was dead before looking at what hatched."

"Hm. No wonder you keep giving me and Rowena wary looks when we mention food and experiments in the same minute."

"I give you and Rowena wary looks twenty times a day."

Godric turned to him in shock. "Only twenty? We must be slipping."

"No, I'm just getting used to you."

"Hmph." The rooms approaching the Chamber opened out before them; Godric surveyed the area and moved on into the anteChamber, still looking around curiously. The stones seemed almost to turn their attention toward him as he passed; much of the castle was arguably a little bit alive by now, and this was more recently modified. "So where's this toad of yours? I see the egg." It was sitting in a very nice little nest. With a warming charm snuggled around it, but no toad.

Salazar muttered something that sounded very much like "Not again!" before calling out, "Accio!" A toad came zipping out of a corner, trying to hop away in mid-air before coming to rest in Salazar's hand. "Why can't you jusst stay put?" A sigh. "Here, see what you can do with him, Godric."

Godric smothered a laugh and accepted the toad, holding the kicking amphibian up in front of his face for a moment before kneeling beside the nest, toad still aloft and struggling. "I'll let you down now," he said conversationally, "but you'll have to stay there." He set the toad carefully on top of the egg and his hand firmly on its back. "See, it's nice and cozy... and stable... and you'll have plenty to eat as long as you're there. ...And a really unusual child," he added in a mutter. He focused magic carefully through the palm of his hand and down through the toad -- and the egg, hopefully that wouldn't be a problem -- into the stone. "Hm. Wait just a minute..." He closed his eyes, raised his wand in his free hand, and announced "Accio toadstool."

He decided he should try to remember to modify that for the path of least resistance. He had to get a second toadstool after the first tried to go through a large mass of stone and got squashed.

"There we go...." He broke off the top and slid it carefully underneath the egg, then gave toad and deadly mushroom another light jolt of stone-magic. "That should do it." The toad tensed slightly and then hunkered down comfortably as if deciding it was in the right place after all. "See if the egg's still all right."

Salazar bent down close enough that the toad blinked at him oddly -- but didn't move -- and hissed softly to the egg. "Seems all right. Thank you." He summoned the toad provender he'd gathered earlier and set it where the toad could eat without moving off the egg. "I'll keep a closse eye on it, but it shouldn't take too long."

Godric peered at the dubious toad and grinned. "So how long after it's hatched will we be able to meet the baby?"

"However long it takes for me to be sure it won't look at you. I've never trained a basilisk before. I'm not sure how long that will take. A few days, perhapss."

"They learn quick, I take it -- will you be all right?"

"Serpents are highly intelligent, magical ones more so, and being able to speak to them greatly helps in training." Salazar smiled. "And yes, I'll be fine. No serpent, even a young one, would want to harm a Parselmouth, and I'll be sure to keep my eyes closed until it understands."

"All right then." Godric's mouth quirked. "We'll bring food down beforehand."

"Bribery always works," Salazar agreed with a grin.

*****