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Salazar and Rowena.
The tenth century, right before he leaves Hogwarts for good.
Salazar stood in the center of his now empty chamber, surveying the place. It looked so different without his books and portraits. He took a seat on his empty bed, waiting for Tristan and Eva to come back. Eva had forgotten her favourite dress in her room, and, Tristan went to help her look for it. He sighed.
There was a knock on the door. Rowena Ravenclaw waited impatiently just outside, tapping her foot against the floor and tossing her hair back over her shoulder. She knocked once more. "Salazar! Hello--Salazar, come to the door!"
Salazar hoped that his last meeting with Rowena would include his children shooting curses here in the entrance hall and he would be too busy to listen to what she had to say. He slowly walked over to the door and opened it. "Yes?"
Rowena shouldered her way inside as soon as the door was so much as ajar. Instantly, before Salazar would have time to react, she had grabbed him by his lapels and slammed him against the wall, holding him there with the full force of her body. "What, Salazar Slytherin--what exactly do you think you are doing?"
"Leaving." Salazar grabbed her wrists and pulled her off of him. "What does it look like?"
"You can't leave," Rowena argued, pushing him against the wall once more and securing him there with a knee pressed in the middle of his stomach.
"Yes I can. And I am. Now let me go."
"But why?" There was rage in Rowena's eyes, and his request for her to release him only made her dig her kneecap harder into his gut.
Salazar put his hands on Rowena's hips and easily lifted her away from him. He carried her over to the bed and dropped her onto the mattress. "I have to."
Rowena did not go idly--she struggled in vain as he carried her to the bed, kicking at his shins and digging her nails into his shoulders. "No, you don't!" she cried out once he'd sat her down.
"Yes I do. I can't be here anymore. I'm leaving."
"Why? Why can't you be here any more?"
"NO ONE WANTS ME HERE!" he shouted. "Now goodbye. I'm getting my children and we're leaving." He turned away from her and walked towards to the door.
"I WANT YOU HERE!" she shouted back, even louder than he.
At that, Salazar stopped and turned around to face her. "I knew I should have left earlier."
Rowena stood up, her arms held so stiff by her sides as to be almost trembling. "How dare you leave, and say that none of us want you. I do. Helga does. Your students want you."
"What about what I want?" he asked coldly.
"You don't want this either," Rowena said firmly. "I'm sure of it. You'll regret this."
"What could possibly make you think that?"
"You will," she said calmly. "Once you're gone, you'll miss this castle. You'll miss us. And when we're dead, you'll feel guilt."
"I hate this castle."
"But you don't hate us."
"Are you sure about that?"
"Positive."
"I cannot wait to be away from you. All of you."
"You'll regret saying that," Rowena told him confidently. "So you might as well stay, and avoid the guilt."
He shook his head slowly. "No."
"Why not? Do you hate me now?" Rowena had tried to objectify it, but after a point...it couldn't help but become personal.
"You make me miserable." His voice held complete sincerity, but his usual facial tic was there.
"Do I?" Rowena arched an eyebrow. "How so?"
"Everything you do." He stepped closer to her. "You try to control me, for one."
"Maybe you need to be controlled," Rowena responded fluidly. "What else?"
"Goodbye, Rowena." Salazar turned back around and walked towards the door, too angry to care whether or not his children were ready to leave yet.
She was practically shaking with both anger and something akin to fear as she ran forward, grabbing his shoulder and turning him around, catching his lips between hers forcefully and aggressively. She slipped her tongue into his mouth, caressing the familiar terrain and pressing a hand to his cheek, so that she could feel his pulse beating through his warm skin on his temple. I can't let him leave.
Salazar returned the kiss for only a moment before he pushed her away. "You can't change my mind," he said, his voice shaky. It was getting harder and harder for him to stand by his decision to leave.
"Please," Rowena said, still reaching for him. "I don't care if you hate me. I--I'll miss you."
"Don't touch me." Salazar took a few steps away from her. "Why did you even come here?"
"Why do you think?" Rowena ignored him, wrapping her arms around his waist and holding him tight against her body. "To make you stay."
"Get. Off. Right. Now."
"If I can't make you stay, just tell me so. But I want to hold you, anyway. Especially if it will be for the last time."
Salazar felt like he was beginning to panic. He grabbed her arms and only half-attempted to pull her away from him. He craved her touch. "You can't make me stay and I don't want you to hold me. GET OFF!"
Rowena released him, but it was with a pained expression on her face. "Salazar, I'm dying," she said, her voice quivering slightly. "Surely you can wait...you can wait a few more years. For me."
"No. I can't." He continued to step backwards until he was up against the wall. "I have to go now"
"But I'll never see you again...."
Salazar forced his expression and tone of voice into apathy, though he was hurting on the inside. "You won't."
"Then...kiss me again."
"No," he said firmly. He knew that if he kissed her again, he wouldn't be able to leave. Or at least leave without her. "Come with me."
Rowena was suddenly quite dizzy, and she had to grip the corner of his bedside table to remain upright. "Come...with you?"
"Come with me," he repeated. "We're building a castle and I'll take care of you until you die. Anything you want will be yours."
"Salazar...." Her head spun. "Salazar, you...you know I can't do that."
"Why not?"
"My place is here." Rowena gestured at the room around them. "This school, this castle. I could never leave it. And I don't understand how you can, either."
"I only agreed to do this to protect you," he admitted. "I never would have done it otherwise."
"I found my dress, daddy! We can go now." Tristan and Eva entered the room and upon seeing Rowena, Eva glared and Tristan looked concerned. "Do you two need a minute?" Tristan asked.
Rowena's hand had gone straight to her mouth at his words and there were tears falling hard and fast down her cheeks, unchecked and uncensored. I only agreed to do this to protect you.
"No. We're done here," Salazar answered. "I'll meet you upstairs."
Tristan and Eva exited, leaving the two of them alone again.
Salazar stood in front of Rowena and took her face in his hands. "You could have saved me. But you couldn't have saved me here." He kissed her passionately, and then rushed from the room.
The tenth century, right before he leaves Hogwarts for good.
Salazar stood in the center of his now empty chamber, surveying the place. It looked so different without his books and portraits. He took a seat on his empty bed, waiting for Tristan and Eva to come back. Eva had forgotten her favourite dress in her room, and, Tristan went to help her look for it. He sighed.
There was a knock on the door. Rowena Ravenclaw waited impatiently just outside, tapping her foot against the floor and tossing her hair back over her shoulder. She knocked once more. "Salazar! Hello--Salazar, come to the door!"
Salazar hoped that his last meeting with Rowena would include his children shooting curses here in the entrance hall and he would be too busy to listen to what she had to say. He slowly walked over to the door and opened it. "Yes?"
Rowena shouldered her way inside as soon as the door was so much as ajar. Instantly, before Salazar would have time to react, she had grabbed him by his lapels and slammed him against the wall, holding him there with the full force of her body. "What, Salazar Slytherin--what exactly do you think you are doing?"
"Leaving." Salazar grabbed her wrists and pulled her off of him. "What does it look like?"
"You can't leave," Rowena argued, pushing him against the wall once more and securing him there with a knee pressed in the middle of his stomach.
"Yes I can. And I am. Now let me go."
"But why?" There was rage in Rowena's eyes, and his request for her to release him only made her dig her kneecap harder into his gut.
Salazar put his hands on Rowena's hips and easily lifted her away from him. He carried her over to the bed and dropped her onto the mattress. "I have to."
Rowena did not go idly--she struggled in vain as he carried her to the bed, kicking at his shins and digging her nails into his shoulders. "No, you don't!" she cried out once he'd sat her down.
"Yes I do. I can't be here anymore. I'm leaving."
"Why? Why can't you be here any more?"
"NO ONE WANTS ME HERE!" he shouted. "Now goodbye. I'm getting my children and we're leaving." He turned away from her and walked towards to the door.
"I WANT YOU HERE!" she shouted back, even louder than he.
At that, Salazar stopped and turned around to face her. "I knew I should have left earlier."
Rowena stood up, her arms held so stiff by her sides as to be almost trembling. "How dare you leave, and say that none of us want you. I do. Helga does. Your students want you."
"What about what I want?" he asked coldly.
"You don't want this either," Rowena said firmly. "I'm sure of it. You'll regret this."
"What could possibly make you think that?"
"You will," she said calmly. "Once you're gone, you'll miss this castle. You'll miss us. And when we're dead, you'll feel guilt."
"I hate this castle."
"But you don't hate us."
"Are you sure about that?"
"Positive."
"I cannot wait to be away from you. All of you."
"You'll regret saying that," Rowena told him confidently. "So you might as well stay, and avoid the guilt."
He shook his head slowly. "No."
"Why not? Do you hate me now?" Rowena had tried to objectify it, but after a point...it couldn't help but become personal.
"You make me miserable." His voice held complete sincerity, but his usual facial tic was there.
"Do I?" Rowena arched an eyebrow. "How so?"
"Everything you do." He stepped closer to her. "You try to control me, for one."
"Maybe you need to be controlled," Rowena responded fluidly. "What else?"
"Goodbye, Rowena." Salazar turned back around and walked towards the door, too angry to care whether or not his children were ready to leave yet.
She was practically shaking with both anger and something akin to fear as she ran forward, grabbing his shoulder and turning him around, catching his lips between hers forcefully and aggressively. She slipped her tongue into his mouth, caressing the familiar terrain and pressing a hand to his cheek, so that she could feel his pulse beating through his warm skin on his temple. I can't let him leave.
Salazar returned the kiss for only a moment before he pushed her away. "You can't change my mind," he said, his voice shaky. It was getting harder and harder for him to stand by his decision to leave.
"Please," Rowena said, still reaching for him. "I don't care if you hate me. I--I'll miss you."
"Don't touch me." Salazar took a few steps away from her. "Why did you even come here?"
"Why do you think?" Rowena ignored him, wrapping her arms around his waist and holding him tight against her body. "To make you stay."
"Get. Off. Right. Now."
"If I can't make you stay, just tell me so. But I want to hold you, anyway. Especially if it will be for the last time."
Salazar felt like he was beginning to panic. He grabbed her arms and only half-attempted to pull her away from him. He craved her touch. "You can't make me stay and I don't want you to hold me. GET OFF!"
Rowena released him, but it was with a pained expression on her face. "Salazar, I'm dying," she said, her voice quivering slightly. "Surely you can wait...you can wait a few more years. For me."
"No. I can't." He continued to step backwards until he was up against the wall. "I have to go now"
"But I'll never see you again...."
Salazar forced his expression and tone of voice into apathy, though he was hurting on the inside. "You won't."
"Then...kiss me again."
"No," he said firmly. He knew that if he kissed her again, he wouldn't be able to leave. Or at least leave without her. "Come with me."
Rowena was suddenly quite dizzy, and she had to grip the corner of his bedside table to remain upright. "Come...with you?"
"Come with me," he repeated. "We're building a castle and I'll take care of you until you die. Anything you want will be yours."
"Salazar...." Her head spun. "Salazar, you...you know I can't do that."
"Why not?"
"My place is here." Rowena gestured at the room around them. "This school, this castle. I could never leave it. And I don't understand how you can, either."
"I only agreed to do this to protect you," he admitted. "I never would have done it otherwise."
"I found my dress, daddy! We can go now." Tristan and Eva entered the room and upon seeing Rowena, Eva glared and Tristan looked concerned. "Do you two need a minute?" Tristan asked.
Rowena's hand had gone straight to her mouth at his words and there were tears falling hard and fast down her cheeks, unchecked and uncensored. I only agreed to do this to protect you.
"No. We're done here," Salazar answered. "I'll meet you upstairs."
Tristan and Eva exited, leaving the two of them alone again.
Salazar stood in front of Rowena and took her face in his hands. "You could have saved me. But you couldn't have saved me here." He kissed her passionately, and then rushed from the room.