A History of Magic

Scotland, 1014

"Salazar!" Godric Gryffindor called out his friend's name as he walked down the darkened corridor, wand alit. "Salazar, where are you?"

He came to a door at the end of the corridor, and pushed his way through. "Salazar!" He looked around "Salazar ..."

The other wizard was sitting on the hard stone floor, holding something - something large - which Godric couldn't quite make out in the reduced light. "Godric," Salazar replied slowly.

"Salazar, where have you been? I've been looking everywhere ..."

He shone his wand down onto the thing Salazar was carrying, and it became clear what it was. A small body. The body of a student.

"He's dead ..." Godric breathed.

"They are all," Salazar answered. "Every single one."

"All of the students?"

"No. Only the - only the Mudbloods." Salazar spoke this final word with a hatred Godric had never seen or heard from anyone else.

"The Muggleborns? Who -"

Salazar cut him off. "I killed them," he said harshly.

Godric felt tears welling up in his eyes. Suddenly, in a flash of anger, he grabbed his sword from his belt and swung it at Salazar -

The other wizard was on his feet in an instant. He had always been the more powerful, magically if not physically or mentally. He deflected Godric's swing easily with his staff, then turned it upon his old friend before speaking a single word of Latin ...

Godric felt himself flung backwards against the wall. But before Salazar could do anything else he was on his feet again, his own wand out now, pointing it at Slytherin ... there was a flash of light from Salazar's staff, but Godric deflected it easily before sending out a curse of his own ... jets of light were flying everywhere, illuminating the dark room ... but then Godric fell backwards once more as another spell hit him in the stomach ... he lay on the floor, panting.

"Yield," he said. "I yield."

"A good choice, Gryffindor," Salazar murmured, squatting beside him. "I see you value your life more than that of your students'."

"They are already lost, if you are telling me the truth," Godric said, sitting up. "There was nothing I could do. But I will see you punished. All this dabbling in the Dark Arts has turned you into a murderer, Salazar!"

Slytherin silenced him with a wave of his hand. "Calm yourself. I do not think I will be punished. Many members of the Wizards' Council share very similar views on those of Muggle heritage."

"But why, Salazar?" said Godric, almost sobbing now. "Why did you have to kill them?"

"You know well enough my opinions," Salazar replied silkily.

"You were my friend ..."

"Even a champion of the weak such as yourself should see that they are a danger to our community. We cannot train them in the arts of magic. They will turn on us, driven by their family history's, and some of them will be so strong they will destroy us completely ..." Salazar spat on the ground.

"That's not true," said Godric, feeling more confident now. He had won this argument before, though Slytherin had always refused to admit it. "I've told you, there are three possibilities. Three things that our world can do with Muggleborn wizards. One - ignore them, let them live as Muggles. But one of them, one day, will learn how to use his powers properly. And then - who can say what will happen? He may use them for ill; he may use them to fight us. Two - kill them, or imprison them, and only give the Muggle population a reason to hate us - put our lives in danger! Three - take them into our schools, take them into Hogwarts. Nurture them to use their powers well, teach them respect for our kind. And even if they do go wrong, even if they do reveal the secrets of our world or turn on us, at least we will know where to find them, know what they can do. At least they won't just emerge when we're least expecting it, because we hadn't bothered to keep an eye on them!"

"But ..." spluttered Salazar. "But ... they are an inferior race ..."

At this, Godric stood up, drawing himself to his full height. "Do not give me those lies!" he roared. "Do not pretend that the Muggles were here before us, and will probably still be here when we are gone! Do not think that just because you can manipulate the world in ways they cannot that you are somehow better! This is not a world of Squibs, with a few who retain their original magical powers, as you may like to imagine! Any fool can see that the Muggle population outnumbers ours by several hundred to one! Once upon a time there were no wizards! Once ... and then one, and then a few more ... they discovered the secrets of magic ... they learned to use their powers - as we are still learning to this day - and they became wizards! We are all Muggleborns! There are no purebloods!"

There was silence, and then Slytherin smiled. He stood up, clutching his staff. "Continue with your delusions if you wish, my lord Gryffindor. But you will not continue to pass these delusions onto my students! I shall become the sole leader of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. And when I die, that honour shall pass to my son, who even now is training to take his rightful place in that position. And the job shall stay in my family, with people of ambition, not with no-hopers like yourself, for evermore! My heirs, at least, can be trusted to keep my beliefs alive!" Salazar walked slowly to the far end of the chamber, then turned to face Gryffindor. "Unless, of course, I lose this duel. But I don't think that's very likely, do you?"

"You always were a snake," spat Godric. "Only ever thinking about achieving power for yourself!"

Salazar smiled again. "And isn't that the way to achieve true satisfaction? Or no? Is it through courageous deeds? Ha. What you call courage is only stupidity."

Godric said nothing.

"Your have no argument?" continued Salazar. "Then let the fight for Hogwarts begin!"

And the two were duelling once more, yelling spell words, ducking, diving, swinging swords ...

Godric knew no fear. All he knew was that he needed to get this madman out of here as soon as possible, for the good of everyone ... he ran at Salazar, his sword aloft, preparing to bring it down on the other wizard's head ... but then Slytherin hit him with a jinx ... he was thrown backwards ... he was up again, he was running. Salazar was hissing at him, trying to put him off with his uncanny ability to speak like a snake ... but this wasn't enough to scare someone like Godric, he continued to shoot spell after spell towards his opponent ... Salazar kicked away the bodies on the floor to try to avoid Gryffindor's attacks, but then he slipped, he was lying on his back, at Godric's mercy ...

Godric walked up to his opponent, whose staff was now lying helplessly a few feet away from him. He placed his sword at Slytherin's throat.

He was crying now, openly. "Salazar," he said, his voice trembling. "Salazar ... I can't kill you. I can't. You ... you were my friend." He paused. "Salazar - just go. Go. Go away from Hogwarts, and never return. Never."

He stepped back. Slytherin stood up and walked quickly and silently to the door. Then he turned.

"Before I go, Gryffindor, there's something I should tell you. You may have noticed that I often - disappear. That is because I retreat to a room I built for myself when we first constructed this castle all those years ago. My own Chamber of Secrets. I'm sorry to have deceived you for so long. You can look for the Chamber if you like. I assure you you won't find it. But if anything ever happens at Hogwarts, if there are ever rumours of a mysterious beast killing our inferior friends - then think of the Chamber. Think of me."

And with that, Salazar Slytherin turned and was gone.