Redemption

Redemption

-Chris

There's a ghost in the Slytherin chambers. It's not a nasty ghost, like Peeves, or a boring one, like Professor Binns, but one that can only be seen by me. Why me? Because I'm the heir of Slytherin.

No, I'm not Voldemort, or Grindelwald. I'm not even Draco Malfoy, my junior in the school levels. I'm the heir because I discovered who the ghost was before anyone else, even Dumbledore or Snape, and I was prepared to listen. I also had one other attribute; I was in Slytherin.

Well, do you want to hear the story? Yes? You do? Well too bad, my lips are sealed. Heh heh.

Wait; don't go, I was joking. Just let me mount the soapbox for a while. Yes I know it's a Muggle term, but who says the Muggles can't come up with useful ideas once or twice in a while?

You see, we Slytherins have a bad rep. That's partly because of the various dark lords that sprang from our womb (stop looking sick down there); although to be fair Grindelwald came from Durmstrang rather than Hogwarts and Slytherin. Quite aside from Voldemort, however, there are little shits like Malfoy who live up to the 'bad boy' reputation that surrounds Slytherin house. It's probably not helped by Snape swooping around like an oversized bat either, or his obvious prejudice in our favour.

Slytherin does not produce just dark wizards through. What about Crouch Sr? Slytherin to the core and Voldemort's greatest foe apart from Dumbledore and Potter. What about Crouch Jr? Gryffindor to the core and look what he did. Wormtail? Sirius Black?

But, I suppose I should explain how I became the heir and the best hope of Slytherin house. Oddly, it all started with a joke played by the Weasley twins, three years ago...

Quite how they found their way into the Slytherin common room I don't know. It may have had something to do with the map Macnair saw them stuff into their pockets as Snape passed by with his customary 'ten points from Gryffindor'. Be that as it may, they got in and they planted a large number of extra-stinky super-powered mega-smelly sink bombs in the room. Two hours afterwards, the bombs exploded, turning the room into a smell trap that would have shamed an egg factory. Most of the Slytherins stumbled out through the smoke, cursing and vomiting. Once most of them were out, the final two bombs, room-wreakers, went off. One of the bombs blasted a hole in the wall, and dropped to the ground a small orb, which shattered on the ground while chairs, tables and sofas were picked up by the blast and smashed around.

Not that I saw much of that. I was knocked-out on the ground, as a table had come down on my head. Ouch.

When I awoke I had a splitting headache. I could not see through all the smoke at first, but the whole room was lit by an eerie green glow. Peering through the mist dimly, I saw a horrible sight. It seemed that there was a glowing green man and he had professor Dumbledore at wand point. The two of them were talking.

"I know who you are," said our headteacher. "What are you doing away from the border?"

"A fine job you, Dippet, Frood and Malfoy are doing with those in my care. I've come back to set it right. I'll teach them from now on."

"There have been four people in the last two-hundred years who have claimed to be your heir. All of them have wreaked death and destruction and never built anything. I don't think you have much right to comment," replied my angry headteacher.

"You hold one of MY children in slavery under false delusion. You saved him from Azkaban at vast cost, for when he goes back to that popinjay; he'll be killed and you can't keep him here!" He called WHO a popinjay? Voldemort? That made sense, but whom? And who was that man?

"I saved him from Azkaban because it was the right thing to do!" said Dumbledore, and I could see an angry gleam in his eye.

"You remind me so much of Godric," said the ghost, for it was now obvious who he was and also, incidentally, whom the man Dumbledore had saved was, it had to be Snape. "He too never bothered to think about the consequences of his actions."

The two of them glowered at each other for a while, and then the ghost attempted to grab Dumbledore. The old wizard ducked back and used his wand to fire a curse at the ghost, but the ghost was too powerful for a simple curse to stop and he had his hands wrapped around Dumbledore's throat before he could fire another. Magic cracked between the two figures and Dumbledore dropped to the ground.

"Professor!" I shouted and rushed forward, wand in hand, and launched a curse of my own at the figure. The ghost raised its own wand and blocked my curse with it, but there was an odd flicker around the wand as the curse connected.

"How odd, a Slytherin who defends a Gryffindor. Imperio!" he said and I felt the strength drain out of me. I heard, as if from a great distance, commands from him and I tried to resist, when he ordered me to burn a hole in Dumbledore's body, I broke free again.

"Who are you?" I said, as I prepared for a hopeless fight.

"Is it not obvious to a true Slytherin?" said the Ghost, "I am Salazar Slytherin!"

"Why are you here? What is this border that he thought you should be at? Why do you hate the Muggle-borns? What are you doing here?" I said.

"Questions, Questions. Let's see. I'm back because the Slytherins are treated like dirt and are not taught how to use their Slytherin traits properly. The border is the barrier between here and Otherworld. The founders and many other great witches and wizards guard the barrier to prevent the Dannan from returning to this plain. And I never hated the Muggle-borns. Hate is an uncivilized emotion and anyway it's unnecessary here."

"What funny language consistency you have," I observed

"Cheeky beggar. Any other questions?"

Obviously, I had about a ton of other questions and I had difficulty in deciding which ones to ask first. I finally decided to ask about the Dannan. Who were they? He touched my forehead and I felt things being shown to my mind.

Long years ago. Humans afraid of the dark, because nasty creatures lurked when the sun went down. Power that dwarfed anything the humans could bring. Humans used as playthings by beings so powerful that they were called Gods. Creatures that demanded respect. That stole children and altered them. I saw a man called Tom the Rhymer, Vip Van Wrinkle and others, touched by great power.

And then deliverance. Blue fire ignited, bringing the magic back to the earth. Human traits concentrated in five people, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Slytherin and the king over the water. I saw them close the borders between the worlds, trapping the Gods away in Otherworld, found Hogwarts.

And then the reaction. Muggles blinking, emerged into the light. The world was humanity's again, determined to destroy magic. They hunted the slowly growing clan of wizards and witches while the remaining four founded Hogwarts.

And then Conflict. Muggle armies used the Gods weapons to wipe out covens. Hogwarts, however, remained unfound. Godric and Salzer, close brothers in mind if not in family, argued. Should Muggle-borns come to Hogwarts? But they could betray the school argued Slytherin. They need to learn to control themselves and swell our numbers replied Godric, and the other two backed him up. Swearing eternal friendship, Slytherin left the school, founded Dumsrang, kept in close, if secret touch with the others.

When the four died, they discovered that they were required to watch over the border and hunt the remaining magical creatures on earth. Until now, that is where they have remained...

I was stunned. So much had been forgotten by the Muggles and wizards alike. I felt sorry for them for the first time. And that was when I became the heir.

The ghost smiled. Pointed at Dumbledore, still out cold. "What should we do with him?"

"He's a good man"

"He's teaching the Slytherins that they are not as good as the Gryffindors."

"No, he's seduced by the legend of Slytherin house. You could talk to them, convince them of what the house was once and what it could be"

"No, I'll make you a deal," said the ghost. "I don't have much time left anyway."

"How very Slytherin of you," I sneered."

"I want you to be my heir. I want you to take up the torch, help defeat Voldemort and then redeem the house. I'll spare Dumbledore for that.

"Damn You"

"I am dammed until you free my house. Well?"

"Ok, I'll do it."

The ghost vanished. I packed up Dumbledore and slowly carried him out of the room. He started to recover as soon as the ghost left, but did not fully recover until he was out of the room. Professor Snape was there and he started to fire questions at me, but Madame Pomfrey stopped him and insisted that I go to the hospital wing.

But from that week on, Professor Dumbledore and I became firm friends. It seems I was not the only one who learnt something from the ghost.

I needed his friendship when I suffered a great disappointment in seventh year. I was Slytherin seeker, but Flint (the bastard) needed new brooms and so Draco was able to buy his way onto the team. I was unceremoniously shoved off for him. He promptly repaid Slytherin by losing to Potter in the first game. Dumbledore consoled me by saying the Draco would be a good person for me to teach about Slytherin, but I don't think he would care.

There's not much else to tell. I trained hard, served with Remus Lupin and Mad-eye Moody as an adventurer, wiped out a dark coven led by a Voldemort wannabe and killed a death-eater who finally got careless. Slytherin must have done something to me, for none of them could match my skill at spell-casting and duelling. I finally came back to Hogwarts as a teacher.

Christopher Swift