Salazar crouches by the lake, skimming stones across it. Apart from the beat of the pebbles hitting the water, the only sounds are the gentle lapping of the waves against the shore, and the wind through the pine trees.

There’s a full moon, though the clouds mean the light is intermittent. Salazar stares into its reflection, and the shadowy mass of forest beyond, rather than the castle behind him. It takes effort, however, to resist the urge to turn and discover what had become of the castle he had helped build.

She’ll be here soon.

Maybe it’s arrogant for him to be so sure, but he doesn’t care. He smiles as he sees a shadowy form on the other side of the lake. As she gets closer, the moon shines full on her face and he sees that she has changed. Why shouldn't she have? It’s been five years, and it shows, in the lines on her face, the wisps of grey he imagines in her hair’; it’s difficult to tell given the muted colours the night offers.

Salazar has travelled many miles to return to the place he left in anger five years before, and he does not want to waste a moment of it. However, once she’s standing only a few yards away from him, he cannot think what to say. He is not used to being wordless, and so settles for the one word that he can say, without revealing anything about his purpose there tonight.

“Helga.�

“Salazar.�

There is a silence during which the water of the lake suddenly seems very loud. It is Helga who breaks first, saying finally, “You shouldn’t be here.�

“I want to talk to you,� Salazar says simply. Let her do the talking. Gauge how she feels about the changes in his absence.

But to his surprise, she laughs, shaking her head and turning away from him, and repeats, “You shouldn’t be here.�

“Neither should you,� he whispers, stepping forward and kissing her cheek, in what he hopes strikes her as an impulsive and romantic gesture. He fears he might have gone too far, but she doesn’t move. He suspects he might have, had he tried for her lips. He does not embrace her, as her body is still stiff next to him, as if she doesn’t trust herself. Instead he takes her hand and kisses it gently, whispering, “I miss you,� as he does so.

He straightens, expecting her to express how much she has missed him, but she doesn’t say anything. He is usually good with long silences, certainly much better than Godric or Rowena, but he grows tired of waiting, and says, “I’ve come home.�

“Home?� Her voice is strange, as if the word is strangled before she can speak it. Then she laughs a strange laugh.

“What’s amusing you, my love?� he says, brushing a lock of hair that has escaped from her cap behind her ear. The moonlight is now illuminating every line of her face, and Salazar, for a second, sees in her playful smile the Helga who loved him long ago.

But then she bats his hand away, and says, not angrily, but very sadly, “Salazar. This isn’t your home. Not anymore. You chose to leave.�

“I did not come here to repeat an old argument,� he snaps, surprising himself and Helga. They both know he usually has more control.

“Then why have you come back?�

“Because I can’t stop thinking about you.� She begins to laugh, but he cuts across her. “I am perfectly serious, Helga. That castle, the school, it can all go to hell, and without us probably will, but you are too precious for me to let you go as lightly as I did.�

She is, initially, too stunned to reply, and he, emboldened by this, continues, “I’ve roamed east of the sun and west of the moon, I’ve seen things that would shock and delight you, but none of them matter, because I can’t stop thinking about you. If I had you, I would be happy.�

Salazar has been testing these words on many women, using it casually, in order to reduce the importance this moment has. He’s not fooling anyone.

Smiling at him, Helga suddenly extends a cold hand, and strokes his cheek. When she speaks, her tone is gentle, half in disbelief, but also in amusement at his actions. He suddenly feels very small as she speaks. Salazar does not like it.

“You leave us for five years,� she murmurs. “We didn’t know whether you were dead or alive. You cannot, and yet you do, expect me to drop to swoon at the sight of you. How could you be so foolish?�

“Foolish?�

“Yes,� she sighs. “Foolish. I’ve been able to forget you. It took years of effort on my part, but I suggest you do the same.� Salazar frowns, staring at her in disbelief. She half-smiles, before saying, “I’m married. And before you ask, to a Muggle-born.� He snorts, and she stops stroking his cheek, her hand retreating as if his skin were burning coals. Anger enters her voice.

“Don’t snort, Salazar, don’t you dare snort. And no, before you ask, he’s not as intelligent as you, nor as handsome, nor as charming as you, but by God, he’s a better man than you ever were. You may be greater than him, but he loves me. If you loved me you wouldn’t have left. It broke my heart, and you can’t expect to come back and have me swoon at your feet. Only a fool would think that, and you are many things, but you are not a fool.�

“I tried to forget you,� Salazar replies, speaking slowly after a long pause.� It took you effort, but obviously you succeeded. I have not.�

“Then try harder,� Helga snaps. “I shouldn’t have--goodbye.�

She half-turns to go, but he cries out, “Please! I tried as hard as I could and I’m tired of trying.�

Helga stares at him, hard. “I don’t know what you want,� she says, voice shaking. “I can’t think of a single conversation we had where I was sure you were being honest about what you thought and wanted, except when that castle was concerned. So tell me honestly. What do you truly want?�

Salazar wasn’t sure. When he had been one of the founders, a teacher at that school, he had been sure. And when he realised that he was being turned against, he had worked so that they would never be able to forget him, building his chambers deep beneath the castle. But thinking of that now, it didn’t matter. What mattered was Helga.

“You. I love you. I am tired of roaming alone. I want to be with you.�

“Ah, I should’ve known,� she sighs. She looks disappointed. She isn’t supposed to look disappointed. He wishes the clouds were still interrupting the moonlight, because then he might be able to pretend that it isn’t disappointment, but something else. Angry at himself for having caused this feeling in her, he lashes out, as he often used to, and regrets his sneery tone as soon as the word leave his lips.

“I’m sure there’s much you should have known. What have you missed this time?�

Helga does not immediately reply, but

“You don’t want me to negotiate a reconciliation between yourself, Rowena and Godric. That’s what I foolishly hoped. Ask me to do that, and I will, but I won’t abandon them. What we’re doing is important and if you want to join us again, then I will help you do that, but I refuse to run away with you, which I think, in your circular way, is what you’re asking. Your choice, and it’s our choices who make us who we are, not what we are born, whatever you may think.�

“I chose to come back,� he says, extending a reconciliatory hand, but she steps back.

“To ask me to run away with you. I will not flee my responsibilities that lightly. Goodbye Salazar. I think it would be better for all, if you do not return.�

Salazar stares at her. He’s heard many songs about how this moment feels. He already knew what an aching heart felt like, but now his heart is broken in two.

Helga begins to walk away, and he calls out, “Have you forgiven me?�

She pauses briefly in her step, says without turning around, “Of course I’ve forgiven you. I love you,� and then continues to wind her way back to the castle.

As she walked away, Salazar wondered if he should shout after her. Maybe he should drop to his knees and beg, but his pride prevents him from doing so.

He begins to whistle, unsteadily. It was stupid of him to have come back. He had expected her to want him back. He had imagined her life would be so dull without him, but she had grown a life without him. As he walks back to the edge of the lake, he wonders if this extends to the castle, and whether they have tried to remove his influence from its fabric, but then realises he doesn’t care. He just cares about her, and finds she no longer cares about him.

Picking up a stone at random, not caring for size or shape, he then lobs it as far as he can, seeing it fall into the water and hearing the loud splash. With that, he turns on his heel and Disapparates, leaving Hogwarts for good.