The news of the discovery in the caves under Westminster spread rapidly through the wizarding community. It was not long before dozens of witches and wizards were coming to see the caves and look upon the mysterious arch. Helga had taken a length of black material and fixed it over the arch as a curtain or veil for, she said, staring into the gap was an uncomfortable and disconcerting sight. But Rowena was not sure if she preferred the veil, as it swayed and fluttered as if in a gentle breeze that was not present in the stillness of the cave.
It had been Salazar’s idea to make the discovery of the arch public to the wizarding community. Salazar, Godric’s friend, the enigma, who had appeared so suddenly and somehow had immediately become a permanent fixture in their group. It had also been he who had suggested using the caves as their base; the headquarters for making Rowena’s vision a reality. –If you want to affect a great number of people,†he had said, –don’t go searching each of them out. Let them all come to you.â€
It had been wise advice, Rowena had to admit, and finding the arch had certainly given them a reputation in the wizarding community, but Rowena was still not sure about Salazar. The man seemed to cultivate a deliberate air of mystery about him. The first question Rowena had asked him, after he had saved her life, had been –Who are you?†and when he had finally replied, he had said, –My name is Salazar Slytherin,†and nothing else.
Godric had been a bit more forthcoming. Salazar was an old friend who had helped him in many of his prior quests and battles. He was well connected in the community and highly informed on just about every subject. Godric had immediately thought of him after meeting Rowena and Helga, and had sent him a message at once. –I had not thought he would come so quickly,†Godric had said, –but I’m glad that he did.â€
It was plain that Godric trusted him implicitly, and Godric was such a plain and honest man that that should have been enough for Rowena. Yet it wasn’t. There was something maddeningly frustrating about Salazar, which Rowena could not pin down. –It’s almost like he wants to be mistrusted,†she told Donald as she knelt by his grave.
Although she was now more or less living permanently in the caves beneath Westminster, she still made time to make regular visits home, to check on the running of the estate in her absence, and to keep Donald informed of her progress. Though her rational sense objected to talking to a mound of earth, she nonetheless felt it her duty to tell Donald how she was keeping the vow she made.
–Living in the caves is not nearly as bad as it sounds,†she said. –They are vast and extensive and we have filled them with lights and many of the comforts of home. Above all, they are secluded and safe. I have even built a nursery for Helena. She wants for nothing, I can assure you. Helga is with her at the moment.
–It has now been three months since we found the caves. In that time we have certainly achieved a standing in the community. The question now is what we do next. We will at least be assured of an audience when we have something to say, even if they do not listen, but what is our message? That is something the four of us need to discuss.
–The four of us... even I’m saying it now. It seems we are a four whether I like it or not. I am going to have to overcome my doubts about Salazar if we are to move forward.†She sighed, and stood up. She looked around her for a brief moment. All was quiet and still on the shore of the loch. –I have to go now. I’ll be back soon.†She closed her eyes and Disapparated.
Her ears were immediately filled with the sounds of dozens of voices. She had arrived in the great cavern at the centre of the cave complex. It was being used as an arrival point for witches and wizards visiting the site. She opened her eyes. People were milling to and fro, gazing up at the beautiful ceiling and marvelling at the pillars and stalactites. Rowena caught sight of Godric talking to a group of them and went over. –Godric, I need to speak to Salazar. Is he around?â€
–I haven’t seen him since this morning,†Godric replied, –but if I see him, I’ll tell him you’re looking for him. Oh, by the way, somebody arrived a while ago who said he knew you. He’s down at the arch, I believe.â€
–Did he give a name?â€
–Not to me.â€
–Tell Salazar I’ll be down by the arch then.†Rowena wasn’t expecting anyone and headed off at once to find out who it was. She went down the narrow passage to the deep cave and found as always a number of people standing or sitting around the arch, looking up at it, lost in thought, as the veil swayed in the non-existent breeze. That was more or less all anyone did at the arch. No-one ever dared approach it too closely.
They had cut steps in the sloping floor of the cave to allow visitors to walk around more easily. Rowena made her way down the steps and looked around for someone she recognised. A voice called to her left. –Rowena, over here.†Rowena turned and did not immediately recognise the man before remembering where she had seen him before. It was Edwin, the man she had met in Jorvik, who had bought Helga’s old school. –It’s good to see you again, Rowena,†he said warmly.
–Welcome to Westminster, Edwin,†said Rowena.
They sat down together on the steps. –When I heard about this place and about you, I knew I had to come and see for myself as soon as I was able,†Edwin told her. –This is the talk of the whole community right now. When you said you would change the world, I hardly expected you to begin so quickly.â€
–I haven’t changed anything yet,†Rowena replied. –But give me time.â€
–I don’t doubt it.†Edwin fell silent for a moment, looking up at the arch. –It makes me feel so cold somehow, like a chill running right through me. Are the rumours about it true, then? Is it really a gateway to Death itself?â€
–I prefer to describe it as a tear in the fabric of the world, joining the realm of the living with the realm of the dead. I’ve been studying it for three months now, and there’s still so much left to be discovered about it.â€
–Who built it?â€
–That we may never know. It predates the Roman invasion and record-keeping in this country, so there’s no history to search for. The old ways of magic were largely wiped out by the Romans, so whatever people built this are likely long gone. But it may not have been built at all.â€
–What do you mean? The arch has obviously been carved.â€
–Yes, but if you look closer, the carving is much rougher on the inside of the arch, close to the edge of the tear. Also, if you look at the base, you’ll see the arch has not been built onto the outcrop, the whole thing is one seamless piece of stone. The arch may well have been carved after the tear was formed.â€
–Are you saying it’s a natural phenomenon?â€
–Possibly. I know of no magic that could create such a thing, nor would I wish to. Another possibility is that it was created by accident, the result of some ancient wizard meddling with forces he couldn’t control. As I said, there is still much to learn.â€
–It’s the voices that frighten me the most. The voices of the dead calling from the next world.†Edwin leaned forward, listening. –I can’t make out what they say. Can you?â€
–No, no-one can. Everyone hears something slightly different, though, and some hear nothing at all. I sat here for days after we first found this, trying to see if I could hear the voice of my husband, but I never did. The voices are too faint.â€
–Is it true that one of the men who killed your husband died falling through the arch?â€
–Yes, he or one of his fellow thugs. They have turned their attention to me now, fearing what I might do, or what I might discover.â€
–Still, at least you have a modicum of revenge.â€
Rowena turned to look at Edwin. –I don’t want revenge,†she said firmly. –I want justice. The desire for revenge is one of the things I want to stop.â€
–You are a remarkable woman, Raven’s Claw,†said Edwin. He stood up and stretched his arms. –I’m feeling hungry; I’d better head up top. I think I’ll stay around here for a while, though. With so many witches and wizards coming and going, there are some good opportunities for business here. It was good to talk to you Rowena. I’ll see you around.â€
He headed for the exit of the cave, but as he did so, Salazar entered, and Edwin stopped for a moment. The two men eyed each other suspiciously, they passed in silence, and Edwin looked back over his shoulder as he left the cave and Salazar approached Rowena. Edwin’s expression was a mixture of puzzlement and concern.
–That was Edwin of Jorvik, wasn’t it?†said Salazar.
–We’d met before. We were talking about the arch,†Rowena explained.
–A common cobbler’s son,†said Salazar, stiffly sitting down in the place Edwin had just vacated. –Not a man to be trusted.â€
–Why do you say that?â€
–I have my reasons,†said Salazar inscrutably. –You wished to see me?â€
–I thought it was about time we got to know each other properly.â€
Salazar’s wizened face crinkled into a thin smile. –You don’t trust me.â€
–I don’t know you,†Rowena replied.
–And knowledge is what you must have in order to determine all things, young Raven’s Claw. Very well, if it is knowledge you seek, I will impart what I can. My name is Salazar Slytherin. I was born and raised in East Anglia, ere this century began. My trade is information. It is my business to know all there is to know about any and every person in our community, witch or wizard, young or old. Such knowledge, as you can no doubt appreciate, is highly valued.â€
–You know everyone?†asked Rowena.
–I have lived a long and well-travelled life,†said Salazar. –Perhaps you would care for me to demonstrate?†He pointed to a man on the far side of the cave. –Over there is Farmon of Sussex, a descendant of a long line of magical folk on his mother’s side. He is a talented potioneer, and has recently become engaged to girl named Edrys from Kent.†He pointed again. –That is Tilian, from Coventry. His father advocated the elimination of all centaurs in England, and was killed in a duel just outside Warwick when Tilian was twelve years old.†He indicated a witch sitting over to their left. –Lynna, daughter of Odel the Wanderer. She makes a living selling magical wards and charms, and has to date spurned the advances of every wizard who has sought to woo her.â€
–Impressive,†said Rowena. –Since you cannot have met every witch and wizard, how do come by such information?â€
–I travel, I observe and I listen. For instance,†Salazar turned to point his finger at Rowena, –Rowena, daughter of the nobleman Malcolm of Fife, and Wilona of Northumbria. Reputed to be the cleverest witch in Britain. Known as the Raven’s Claw on account of her dark hair and sharp mind, a nickname she picked up on her travels between leaving school in Jorvik and marrying Donald of the Highlands. Now widowed, with...â€
–I think that’s enough,†interrupted Rowena.
–My apologies; I did not mean to intrude on private grief. But the circumstances of your husband’s death are common knowledge, after all; they are the reason you are on this mission, are they not?â€
Rowena looked up into Salazar’s dark eyes. –Do you know who killed Donald?â€
–No,†replied Salazar gravely. –There are perhaps half a dozen known groups, and still more unknown, that could have carried out such an attack, or the one on us in this very cave. My knowledge is not without limit, and many of these groups number only a few individuals and operate in utter secrecy. That way they know the king’s law cannot touch them, for their crimes remain unknown to those without magic. If your husband had private dealings with any of these people, you would be more likely to know than I. I’m sorry I cannot be more help.â€
Rowena fell silent for a moment, and gazed over to the arch and the fluttering veil. Eventually, she spoke. –You still haven’t told me much about yourself.â€
–There is little more to tell. I am a widower myself, many years long since, and I have a son who is approaching middle age. Also I am a Parselmouth.â€
–A snake-talker?†said Rowena. –I have never met anyone who possessed the gift before. I did not even know any dwelt in Britain. Is it true you hear the language of snakes as if it is your own?â€
–Quite so, and I speak it in the same way, without realising I am so doing. Snakes are very misunderstood creatures. There is a nobility and a strength of purpose to them that is not recognised by most.â€
–I have but one further question,†said Rowena. –Why do you support my cause?â€
–Because it is in my interest to do so. The chaos and destruction in our community benefits no one, least of all me, who has spent a lifetime cultivating friendships and alliances that could be broken at any moment with the single wave of a wand. Magic is a precious thing, and should not be squandered or wasted. Every drop of magical blood spilled is a terrible loss.†Salazar scratched at his wispy white beard. –So, what conclusions have you drawn about me?†he asked.
Rowena paused for thought. –I have a few deductions,†she said after a while. –You say you were born in East Anglia last century, which means you spent the early years of your life under the Danelaw. So you will have seen at first hand the ravages of occupation and war, which makes your desire for peace and security wholly understandable. You take no decision without first deciding if and how it will benefit you, which makes you cautious and calculating, and also highly ambitious. You see your connections with others as a way of furthering that ambition. There is more to your past than you care to admit, for instance your name is not English but Iberian, and you have not said how you came by it. Also, every person who you pointed out, you named their parents or ancestry, which suggests you regard lineage and background as extremely important in a person. How close is my analysis?â€
–It is as astute as I expected from you. On your last point, I believe in the integrity and value of magical bloodlines, and the need to preserve them from outside influence.â€
–You’re an isolationist?â€
–More or less. Withdrawing the community from society entirely is impossible at present; we lack both the skills and the unity we would need to make it work. But I believe it will be necessary and desirable eventually. Magic is a gift for a select few, and we need to ensure it is protected as such. It belongs to us, and to our heirs.â€
Salazar paused, as if waiting to see Rowena’s reaction, but Rowena was impassive. –So, do you trust me yet?†Salazar said at last.
–Trust is earned, not given, and that will take time,†answered Rowena. –But I do think you will prove to be very useful. I believe your Parselmouth ability is prescient, Salazar, for I see you as being able to speak with snakes. Not just the reptilian kind, but the human kind too. You are the person who could take our message to those who would not otherwise listen, and convince those who might be hostile. You know what people want, and what they fear. Noble words alone will not turn our community around, and I suspect your skills will be much needed.â€
–I am at your service.†Salazar offered a wrinkled hand and Rowena shook it confidently.
–I should return to Helena,†she said and got up to go. But at that moment Godric rushed into the cave and ran over to the two of them.
–Salazar,†he said breathlessly, –I’ve just been told, Tolan is dead.â€
Salazar looked shocked. –Who’s Tolan?†asked Rowena.
–A close friend of mine from home,†said Godric. –They say he was murdered. The conflict among us has claimed another victim.â€
The Raven's Claw by Sonorus
Chapter Endnotes: You may have noticed I've avoided using words like 'muggle' and 'pure-blood' in this fic, the idea being that they don't exist yet. Salazar's ideas are still new, undeveloped and not widespread.