The weeks flew by as September gave way to October. Salazar's wound still hadn't fully healed; it had mostly closed, but the new, reddish skin still needed to consolidate and lose its fragility. As a result, his arm remained immobilised, and he wouldn't be ready for the upcoming Quidditch match against Slytherin. He was glad there was a suitable replacement on the Gryffindor team. Salazar attended two out of six training sessions to observe, but he spent the rest of his time "working hard" on his essays and hanging out with Godric and Helga while they pondered whether or not Rowena would appear soon. He and Godric had, on several occasions, suggested possible students who could be her. Helga had already been through this during her own student days when she had searched for the three of them to no avail. She thought that Rowena would simply appear when the time was right; they just had to be patient.
In mid-October, the long-awaited Quidditch match took place in the middle of a powerful storm. It was one of the worst storms seen during a school match. Godric commented that the presence of the Dementors had exacerbated the storm, and Salazar agreed with this observation, wondering why the match hadn't been postponed. It was far too dangerous. He could understand that the students, in their lust for glory, hadn't considered the danger, but what about the teachers? Was the rivalry between the Houses so intense that the teachers were blinded by it, putting the safety of their students at risk? Unfortunately, it seemed to be the case.
Both Salazar and Godric had come to the match in Muggle raincoats—plastic cloaks with hoods to protect them from the rain. This had caused a lot of laughter, which bothered Godric a little but left Salazar indifferent. This was more practical than using an umbrella, which could easily be torn off by the wind and turn into a weapon that could hit one of the players. The match had started half an hour earlier. The strong winds diverted the players from their course, forcing them to put in a greater effort just to stay in the air, especially the Seekers and Keepers. The Chasers had to adjust their flight to the deflection of their passes with the Quaffle or make their passes shorter, the latter making them easy targets for the Bludgers thrown by the Beaters. The match was pure chaos, and the storm was only getting stronger.
"What's the score?" a dreamy voice asked near them. It was the Ravenclaw girl, Luna, who had travelled with them in the carriage at the start of the year. "You can't see the scoreboards."
"Slytherin is winning thirty to forty," Godric said. "If they don't catch the Snitch, we'll all freeze in this storm."
"With the visibility out there, that's unlikely," Salazar added with a frown of concern. "The match shouldn't have been held today."
"Quidditch has never been cancelled before," Luna said. "My father has a copy of all the match chronicles from his time as a student."
"Do any of them mention storms like this?" Godric asked.
"No. Harry, what's wrong?" Luna asked.
Salazar was looking at the match with a grimace of disgust. The Seekers were no longer in sight, and a light fog had begun to cover the pitch. His body was tense with alert, and his hand was on his left forearm, circling his wand, ready to pull it out. He seemed to be waiting for something. The cold intensified, and the fog grew much thicker.
"Shit!" Godric cursed, pulling out his wand. "Dementors."
"Patronus Charm, Neville," Salazar called out to the boy nearby. "We've been practising it." Salazar and Godric exchanged a meaningful glance. Now, they could perform the incantation and claim to have practised it, since a teacher had performed it in front of them.
"Let's do it," Godric replied.
"Look!" Luna exclaimed, pointing upwards. One of the Seekers had been struck by lightning while catching the Snitch, while the other Seeker fell from her broom.
It was Draco Malfoy who had made the catch, and Ginny Weasley who, unconscious, fell towards the ground. Her brothers, the twins Fred and George, forgot about the Bludgers and their bats, and raced to meet her, trying to prevent her fall from killing her.
"Expecto Patronum!" Salazar and Godric cast the charm at the same time.
One of them pointed their wand towards the sky, and the other released their Patronus onto the pitch, where it flew around the stands. One of the Patronuses was a Thestral, the other a Pegasus. They were joined by a Lynx and a Badger. The Badger joined the Thestral, while the Lynx joined the Pegasus. A few seconds later, a Phoenix appeared on the scene—it was the Headmaster's Patronus. The five Patronuses repelled the Dementors' attack, driving them and the fog they had brought back from the pitch.
"Prefects!" Dumbledore's voice echoed throughout the stadium. "Escort the students to their common rooms! Those who need to go to the hospital wing should wait in the changing room area for the teachers!"
Salazar and Godric waited for the rest of the students in their stands to leave. Many of them were already whispering about what the two of them had done, so they had to start thinking of a logical explanation in case they were asked. They came to a silent agreement to say that when they found out the monsters were around the school, they found a way to protect themselves and would claim to have been very lucky to summon them.
A few days after that event, the school became a hotbed of rumours because of an article in the newspaper. The news was that Sirius Black had been seen in September by a town near Hogwarts. Apparently, the Ministry had hidden it to avoid a general panic, something that, judging by the mood in the castle, they had failed to achieve. On the afternoon before the Halloween excursion, Salazar was called to Professor McGonagall's office.
"We can't allow you to go to Hogsmeade tomorrow, Harry," said the current Head of Gryffindor House.
"Why?" he asked, already having a good idea from what Mr. Weasley had told him and what had been in the papers.
"Because it's not safe, Harry," Professor McGonagall said sternly. "And it's not certain that you'll still be on the Quidditch team, either."
"Professor, if it's not safe to go to Hogsmeade, why haven't they cancelled the trip? Why is it just me being withdrawn?" Salazar whispered, staying calm but frowning. "And Quidditch? Last year, it was cancelled for everyone without hesitation because there was someone inside the castle trying to kill everyone. If there's a danger, why is it greater for one student than for another?"
"I can't tell you, Harry."
"Then you can't stop me from going to Hogsmeade. I have the signed authorisation as required. If there's no reason why the danger is greater for me than for the rest, I don't see why I can't go. Unless something is being hidden from me."
"Headmaster Dumbledore is concerned about your safety. So, he doesn't think it's appropriate to let you leave until the danger has passed."
"What danger?"
"The Headmaster doesn't think it's necessary for you to know. You will not go to Hogsmeade, and that's final. As for Quidditch, we'll see what can be done. Perhaps training could be supervised by a teacher."
"Has the Headmaster considered that in order to be protected, I should know what this danger is that threatens me?"
"Don't continue with this line of reasoning, Mr. Potter, or I'll have to take points from Gryffindor."
"Understood. I can keep playing Quidditch because it's in Gryffindor's interest to keep their star player, but that star player can't go to the village," Harry said with an analytical calm. "Well, in that case, the Gryffindor team can do without my services, Professor. If I'm in danger for something, I need to know what it is. Neither you nor the Headmaster can deny me from knowing something that might compromise my safety. If I can't be supervised for an excursion where there will be many adults nearby because of a supposed danger only I am in, I am not going to risk my teammates just to get a trophy. No matter how supervised the training is."
"Harry, please... Don't make this difficult."
"Don't make this difficult, Professor. If I'm in danger because of something, I must know. Neither you nor the Headmaster can deny me from knowing something that may compromise my safety."
"The Headmaster would be very upset if I told you," Professor McGonagall said.
With those words, Salazar immediately understood the conflict between the orders the teacher had received and what she believed was the right thing to do. The Headmaster was motivated by his own interests; he wanted to keep Salazar in the dark, and Salazar assumed it was so he could use him and entangle him in something. It was possible that Dumbledore was simply someone who didn't make the best decisions, but Salazar had always had a policy of asking himself, "What is the worst thing that others could want?" He waited for a few moments, looking into her eyes and observing the inner conflict. She was a good Head of House; she cared about her students and looked out for them. She also urged them to pursue their achievements. He could also tell that she was someone who wanted her students to win, both the House Cup and the Quidditch Cup. He had struck a nerve.
"Professor, what's going on?" Salazar asked.
"It's Sirius Black," Professor McGonagall said with hesitation. "He has escaped from Azkaban to kill you."
Salazar paused for a few moments, feigning the fear and shock a thirteen-year-old boy would feel upon hearing such news. Then, he slowly recovered, leaned forward, and rubbed his temples for a few seconds.
"According to the newspapers, he's nothing more than a psychopathic lunatic who was the lieutenant of another psychopathic lunatic," Salazar said. "Professor, how can you be so sure?"
"When Voldemort decided to go after your parents, a spy in Professor Dumbledore's service informed him," she explained. "Albus advised them to hide under the Fidelius Charm. Do you know what that is?"
"A location is hidden in a person's mind so that only that person can reveal it voluntarily," Salazar explained.
"An excellent way to put it for a third-year, twenty points to Gryffindor, Mr. Potter." Salazar would have been happy to win twenty points for his new 'home' under other circumstances, but the matter at hand was serious. Very serious. "The mind where this information is kept is that of a person known as the Secret Keeper. Your parents named Sirius Black their Secret Keeper, and he betrayed them to Voldemort."
"Why would they choose a Death Eater as their Secret Keeper?" Salazar asked.
"Sirius Black was your father's best friend at school. When your parents got married, he was the best man at the wedding, and when you were born..."
"When I was born, what?" Salazar asked softly.
"He was named your godfather." There was a moment of tense silence. "I know this may be a bit shocking, but I'm afraid this is common knowledge."
"Thank you, Professor. It's better to hear it from someone close to me," Salazar replied.
Salazar remained serious. If there was one thing he couldn't tolerate, it was betrayal, and that made him want to make Black pay for it. He wouldn't go after him; he would wait patiently. Patience was one of his virtues. However, something troubled him: the fact that Black was his godfather. If their bond was more than just a piece of paper, if it had been sealed with magic, magic itself would have prevented him from consciously endangering Salazar. Of course, revealing his location to a psychopath could be considered deliberately endangering him.
"Are you all right, Potter?" Professor McGonagall asked.
"Yes, I was just thinking. You can be sure, Professor, I will not cross the castle gates without authorisation," he promised. "And as for Quidditch, do you know a good way to acquire two new brooms?" Salazar asked. "Ginny was on mine when the accident occurred."
"I'll contact the Quality Quidditch Supplies store, although two brooms are rather excessive."
"I can afford it," Salazar said. "Perhaps not two Nimbuses, but the new Comet Two Sixty and a Nimbus 2001."
"I understand that you should buy a new one, but why buy one for Miss Weasley?" she asked.
"She's good," Salazar reasoned. "An excellent substitute as a Seeker, but her way of moving has the mannerisms of a Chaser. She's a great asset to the team, and there will come a time when we need new players. Why not incorporate them earlier and have them as substitutes? The longer they play on the team, the better their connection with it will be. And, Professor, we want Gryffindor to win, don't we?"
"Of course. But the Weasley family is usually very proud when it comes to money."
"I have that in mind, Professor," Salazar replied.
When the meeting concluded, he found himself in the hallway with Godric and the twins, Fred and George. In the distance, he could see that Helga was watching them and he was sure she was paying attention. Salazar told them what had happened, leaving out his connection to Sirius but giving a meaningful look to Godric. He would tell him about it later. As expected, the twins protested for a while, but Salazar immediately played down the matter, highlighting a certain turn of phrase he had used in the office and giving them a mischievous smile. He practically insinuated that if he wanted to, he could go without being detected, that he would figure it out.
"Well, we had thought of giving you this for Christmas," Fred began.
"We already know it by heart, so we must pass the baton," George finished.
"This is the key to our success. Get it out, George."
"It's difficult for us to part with it, but we feel the time has come. You'll make good use of it, so choose well who to share it with."
"Don't worry, Neville is trustworthy. He's a true Gryffindor," Salazar said, reassuring them.
They showed him what looked like an old scroll, but he could sense a powerful magic in it. A magic locked inside. For a moment, he worried that it was something like the diary, but the magic it contained was not dark, nor was it completely pure. It was a mixture of magics that intertwined location and protection.
"What is it?" Salazar asked.
"Very observant, Harry."
"Show me, Fred."
"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," Fred whispered, pointing his wand to the scroll. Immediately, lines of ink began to be drawn on it.
"It's a map of the castle!" Godric exclaimed in an admiring whisper.
"And it marks each of the people in it," Salazar pointed out, verifying that their names were still the ones they were known by now. "And this... these look like secret passages, and... they seem to be off the map." He pointed out something he already knew existed. Only the Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin common rooms were missing from the map, in addition to the Chamber of Secrets and the Room of Requirement.
"Points for Harry!" the twins cheered.
"Did you make it?" Godric asked.
"No. It was made by Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs," Fred said, pointing to the signatures on the map.
"We found it in Filch's drawer in our first year," George explained. "Filch caught us making a prank and started threatening us with different punishments. Then, in his office, we saw this parchment that said 'Confiscated and highly dangerous'."
"So George distracted him while I snuck into the office and 'borrowed' it."
"A permanent loan."
"It took us the rest of the year to figure out how it works."
"It's fantastic, lads," Salazar said, acknowledging their gift. He could see their potential and wondered why they weren't in Slytherin. Yes, they were great Gryffindors, they had proven it; but they also had characteristics that would have made him admit them to Slytherin. He assumed that family tradition and the events of the last war had had something to do with it. "How do we hide it?"
"Easy," they both said, pointing back at the parchment. "Mischief managed!"
"And how will you avoid getting caught in your pranks now?" Godric asked.
"We have other resources," George said.
"We're also starting to make joke products. We want to have our own store."
"I can help you with that," Salazar said calmly. "You and your family have welcomed me from the beginning and treated me as one of your own, so I intend to treat you the same way." Salazar knew he would make a good gift for each and every one of them, including Percy. The two eldest Weasleys, he couldn't, since he didn't know them; nor could he get a gift for Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, as it would seem inappropriate. "I intend to give your sister a new broom. Ron has adjustable protective gear to train as a Keeper—he doesn't know it yet, but he has the makings to be one of the best. Percy will like the compendium of national and international laws, updated. But... what about you? The only thing I can think of is a capital investment for the development of your products and the future location of your store. What do you say?"
"That's too much, Harry," Fred said in surprise.
"It's not," Salazar replied. "You have something that can help you be great. What kind of person would I be if I didn't help you achieve greatness when I'm able to do so?"
"You'd easily unseat Zonko's, let alone that little shop in Diagon Alley," Godric added. "Their joke products are widely known. Soon people will want new things, and that's where you come in."
"Establish a market now while you're at Hogwarts, and the rest will go smoothly," Salazar continued.
"Alright then, it's fantastic," George said. "But we couldn't accept it unless you agreed to be our partner. And there's no discussion about it."
"Okay, it's all so you can fulfill your dream, lads," Salazar agreed with a smile.
---
The Halloween feast was enjoyable. Godric was glad he avoided the sweets for once, opting for some of the more traditional holiday treats. The real excitement, however, began after the party, when they returned to the common room. The fat lady's portrait was completely slashed, and Peeves, cackling with glee, told them how Sirius Black had entered the castle and tried to break into the Gryffindor common room. A prefect had immediately notified the teachers and the Headmaster, and the decision was made to send all the students to the safety of the Great Hall. Godric was not happy with this. He felt they would have been much safer inside their common room, which had security mechanisms designed for moments of danger. Worse still, the decision to send them to the Great Hall had foolishly put the rest of the students at risk.
"This is ridiculous," Godric complained. "Sending us to the Great Hall is one thing, but making the rest of the students leave the safety of their common rooms is just stupidly endangering them."
"It's more worrying that he entered the castle without the protections being breached," Salazar observed. "No one with hostile intentions towards an inhabitant of the castle should be allowed to enter. Students, faculty, and non-teaching staff are all covered by the protective wards."
"Do you think he's still in the castle?" Godric asked.
"Either in the castle or somewhere nearby," Salazar replied. "We'll find him sooner or later."
"Are you going to go after him?"
"No. Not unless circumstances require it. I'd better wait for him to show up." Salazar said as they settled into their sleeping bags, slightly separated from the rest of the students. "I don't think he got what he was looking for."
"What was he looking for?" Godric asked. "You speak as if you know."
"Me." Salazar sighed. "Apparently, my godfather wants to kill me."
"But if he's your godfather, magic won't allow him to hurt you," Godric pointed out.
"Not directly or indirectly. I know," Salazar agreed. "However, given the level of Muggle culture that's been introduced into our world, we can't take it for granted that he's a sworn godfather with a magical bond."
"I'll write to my grandmother," Godric said. "As far as I know, your mother was my godmother, so she must know something."
"Tomorrow, we'll look for our friend and assess the map."
"I'll contact her, Harry," Godric said. "Given the orders that the Aurors have not to disrupt the normal life of the students, it would be very conspicuous if they saw you too close to any of them. I truly don't know what the Headmaster is playing at."
"The adult who overprotects the child by keeping him uninformed," Salazar said with a hint of sarcasm.
The Following Day
Sleeping in the Great Hall, under the circumstances, was not very comfortable. In fact, Salazar had a rather restless night. It wasn't like when they were building the castle, where everything was more relaxed and sleeping there was an adventure. It was difficult for him to sit still, unlike his friend. He was eager to go out into the halls and deal with the problem himself, but he had to constantly remind himself that he was a student and that he should behave as one.
Salazar spent most of the next morning looking for Helga around the castle. It took him a while, not only to locate her, but to find her alone. Her fellow Auror seemed very attentive to her. Not in the sense of a romantic relationship, but more as if he were watching her. Both seemed somewhat more alert than they had been in the last few days. They were clearly looking for evidence. Salazar finally managed to talk to her by taking advantage of a moment when they had separated. Helga confirmed that she would meet him at the entrance to the Room of Requirement after dinner.
That same afternoon, around eight o'clock in the evening, he and Salazar were on their way to the Room of Requirement when something caught their attention, causing them to stop and deviate from their path. A group of fifth-year Ravenclaws were bullying a somewhat eccentric, dreamy second-year named Luna Lovegood. A glance between the two friends was enough for them to decide to intervene. They weren't going to tolerate bullying at their school. In fact, they found it repugnant that teachers allowed it, because looking the other way and saying "it's just children's stuff" was the same as tolerating it. Even so, Godric was worried; his friend had been without his bandages for a couple of days, and Godric knew Salazar had not yet fully regained the mobility of his arm.
"Four against one," Salazar began, raising his voice to get the group's attention. He didn't shout or speak in an excited way, but his voice was soft, calm, and cold. "You must feel incredibly insecure to gang up on someone younger than you. Is Luna surpassing you, and you need to even the odds?"
"I don't think so, Harry," Godric said, directing a mocking look at the students. "Rather, I think they are not up to par with their classmates and need to feel that they can overpower someone by attacking a second-year girl." Godric looked at them coldly, openly defying them. "What's more, I'd bet that a third-year could wipe the floor with you."
"Longbottom and Potter," said the one who seemed to be the leader, clearly enraged by their words. "The useless one who could keep Filch company in the Squib Club and Dumbledore's pet. You shouldn't get involved in what doesn't concern you."
Godric could sense Helga's closeness. After looking around the area, he could see she was standing at a fork in the corridor, in the shadows, watching. He wondered why she hadn't stopped the burgeoning fight, but he remembered that she couldn't. Aurors were not allowed to intervene in student brawls. He was also able to spot the Ravenclaw house ghost, Helena Ravenclaw, observing the scene.
"Actually, if you mess with our friend, you mess with us," Salazar said. "And I defend my friends."
"None of us are going to tolerate systematic attacks, either in a group or individually, on another person," Godric added. "You are nothing but cowardly bullies."
The fight began, and the fifth-year students started attacking them with all the hexes they knew. Salazar and Godric quickly stunned the two slowest of them, which enraged the other two. At the same moment that they broke their preferred team strategy—one attacking and the other defending—Godric saw how Helga conjured her Patronus and waited. She had raised the alarm but couldn't intervene. Godric attacked, Salazar defended. They couldn't use everything they knew; they had to restrain themselves for two reasons. Firstly, the bullies were still students, no matter how stupid they were, and secondly, if they showed they knew more than they reasonably should, they would be in trouble.
Finally, Professor Sprout arrived. She immediately stopped the duel, disarming the four students who were still fighting and waking up the two who had been stunned. Godric understood why Helga had avoided notifying McGonagall or Flitwick—it was to avoid accusations of favouritism. The teacher's intervention left the hallway silent. At that moment, Helena withdrew, moving away from the problematic situation.
"Potter and Longbottom attacked us," said the Ravenclaw leader, rushing to give his version of events. "Stewart and Frengir fainted! We were just defending ourselves."
"I see," said the teacher. "Mr. Potter, Mr. Longbottom. What do you have to say about this?"
"We were only defending our friend, Luna, from this quartet of bullies," Salazar interjected. "I've always hated bullying, Professor, both in primary school and here. I've simply decided to refuse to keep looking the other way."
"We asked them to stop," Godric said. "To be fair, insulting their bravery for attacking a second-year probably wasn't the best method."
"Auror Tonks, you warned me, what do you have to say?"
Helga stepped out into the lit part of the corridor, and the Ravenclaw boys immediately turned pale. "I was on patrol when I came across the situation," she began, narrating the events without going into great detail. "These four students had the girl cornered when Potter and Longbottom arrived. With their words, they made them forget about bothering the girl and focus on them instead. The four of them attacked them at the same time, and almost miraculously, the two managed to stun two of them and hold their own against the other two. It was at the moment when all four Ravenclaws raised their wands that I raised the alarm. I would have intervened before anything happened, but the Headmaster does not allow us to do so." She made a face of disagreement.
"No doubt if you had gone any further, you would have skipped that guideline," Professor Sprout observed. "The four of you will be punished. Fifty points from Ravenclaw. Now get out of here. I want to see you in the greenhouses after dinner." As soon as they left, she turned to Salazar and Godric. "I cannot approve of you taking the law into your own hands, but I accept that you defended a colleague. You were lucky to hold your own against boys two years older than you, but I ask that you be more prudent. There will be no punishment this time." When she finished speaking, she left, surely to report the matter to the Headmaster. Godric hoped Helga wouldn't be in trouble.
"Thank you for helping me," Luna said. "Are we really friends?"
"Of course, Luna," Salazar said.
"I'll walk you to your common room to drop your things off," Godric offered, picking up her backpack from the floor.
"Thank you, Neville, you're a godsend."
Godric left with Luna, leaving Salazar and Helga alone in the hallway. On the way, they met Helena, who was watching them attentively. Godric did not miss the look of recognition she gave him. It was suspicious, and he had to tell Salazar and Helga as soon as he returned.