Chapter Text
Prologue
1015 A.D.
The severe-looking man was busy trying to calm the squalling newborn, while desperately trying to stem the tide of red flowing from between the woman’s legs. To add to this incredibly stressful scene, was the sound of objects pelting the small home, along with yells of outrage and madness from outside the humble abode. The only thing preventing the small horde of people from getting to the trio was the strong wards spelled by the two adult occupants in the room prior to the woman going into full labor.
The male attempted to cast another healing spell to no avail, wishing with all his heart that Helga was here to help them. Merlin, he wished any of his… friends were here to assist him. But Godric or Rowena would no doubt, hex him, if not worse. They’d had a terrible falling out over this incident. The fact that it was their daughter lying here, mayhap bleeding to death, would no doubt, increase their antagonism. Granted, he was… honest enough to know that he was not blameless in the events that created the rift between Godric, Rowena and him. This was made even worse when the woman lying on the bed chose him, instead of her parents.
He was Salazar Slytherin and he had somehow fallen in love with the much younger off-spring of Rowena Ravenclaw and Godric Gryffindor. It should have never happened. They were three of the four powerful Founders of Hogwarts School of Witchraft and Wizardry. The fourth was Helga Hufflepuff. Fractions grew due to their beliefs in who should be admitted into the school – Salazar believed in creating a school for pure-bloods. The others disagreed. But they never appreciated how the non-magical, the Muggles would stop at nothing to persecute anything or anyone they did not understand.
Helga, the peacemaker of the four founders, and the only one who still spoke to Salazar would often say, “Careful Salazar. The qualities feared in another, may one day find their way within one’s own character.”
But Salazar dismissed such concerns and remained steadfast in his belief that magical beings were far superior to their Muggle brethren. It was the daughter of Rowena Ravenclaw and Godric Gryffindor who began to chip away at his beliefs. Unlike her more selfish and jealous sister, Helena Ravenclaw – whose father was still unknown, Cassiopeia Faith Gryffindor-Ravenclaw was kind, generous, and fiercely loyal, with an intelligence to match her mother’s. Known as Faith, she also inherited Godric’s more nauseating attribute – bravery. That bravery caused Faith to stumble into Salazar’s life, completely upend it, challenge him at every turn, using humor and compassion to disarm him, until he broke just enough to fall in love with her.
She’d tore down the steadily building barriers that had turned him into a cold, seemingly unfeeling wizard, filled with enduring hatred and prejudice. But these barriers had also created a lonely existence, except for the occasional pure-blood sycophant hoping to gain favor. Naturally Godric forbid their friendship and just has predictably, Faith ignored him. Rowena was busy fighting an illness, while hoping her other daughter would return. The rumors are that Helena betrayed her, but Rowena denies it at every turn, and Faith remained completely silent on the issue. But Salazar didn’t miss the look of anger and sadness, the look of betrayal on her face whenever Helena’s name was mentioned. It was for these reasons that Faith did not tell her mother about the nature of her relationship with Salazar or the subsequent pregnancy. When she began to show, she used a powerful charm spell to hide her bigger stomach and other signs of the pregnancy.
Helga knew of course, but Faith swore her to secrecy. It didn’t prevent her from tearing a strip from Salazar’s hide. Merlin smiled on them regarding Faith’s father; Godric had taken to leaving for months at a time when school was not in session. Salazar was secretly not as confident that he would have been triumphant if he had to duel Godric.
When Helena found out about Faith and Salazar she became enraged and used dark magic as an attempt to erase her existence from the family books and history. But in her rage, the spell was mishandled and instead caused what should have been a fairly routine birth, to suddenly become fatal. Yet the gods smiled on them when the child was born – a daughter, before Faith completely succumbed to blood-loss. However, the spell did cause Godric, Rowena, Helga to forget powerful Cassiopeia Faith Gryffindor-Ravenclaw. The memories seeped from their brains, wispy trails of curled up in the air high above, before coming together to look like a small cloud. It continued to move until it found an object, deep inside Hogwarts. The cloud hovered above the object until it began to swirl faster and faster, forming a funnel into the object, filling it completely before settling like a serene silver liquid.
Two elves stared at one another, communicating silently, until one nodded, carefully picked up the object, snapped its finger until the elf, along with the object disappeared, never to be seen again. At least until She appears to collect her legacy. As for Salazar, before the spell hit him, he was holding his squirming daughter in one arm, the minutes-old witch was unleashing an impressive array of incidental magic upon the small holding, and he was also trying and failing to save his love. He knew. He knew he was losing her. Suddenly as if hearing from a long distance, he realized that Faith had been trying to call his attention to her.
“Salazar. Li-listen my love…”
Tears filled his jade-green eyes, as he stared with love and the beginnings of grief at the dying mother of his child. “Shh, shhh. Save your strength… Faith.”
A shaking, elegant hand lifted from the bed to gently cup his cheek, brushing her fingertips against his bearded jaw. “You must promise something Salazar. I do-… I don’t have much time.”
“No! Please, don’t go.”
“Listen to me. Promise me to never give up on humanity”
“Let us not talk about such things right now. You have- “
“Just promise me you won’t give up on them. Please.” Cupping his large hand around hers, holding it against his face, as he turned his head to lay a kiss on her palm.
“Ok, my love. No-,” but she cut him off.
“This ne—“ Faith took a minute to gather herself. She could feel the Veil calling to her and something else… something dark. She had to hurry.
“This next promise must be Unbreakable, Salazar.” At this he attentively listened. “You must hide Faith. I fear for her, fear for our line. She is the culmination of the great Founders, with Helga as her godmother. Make her line matriarchal. Hide, but protect her. Can you do this for me? For her?”
Faith was a powerful witch; she was also a powerful seer. Unless necessary, she often did not reveal her visions because these were dark times, with very little good news to impart. These were times of nation-building, war, famine, and suffering. So when she requested something due to a feeling or something else, it was wise to listen. And since this included his daughter, he would do whatever Faith asked. However, hiding Faith meant hiding her from even him. Even though he has daughter instead of son, he could no less look after her.
Still holding her hand, he lowered their hands, turned her hand over until he could clasp it, and entwined their fingers. Pointing his wand where their wrists touched, he muttered a spell, a glowing white rope appeared, wrapped itself around their wrists while Faith repeated her request, cementing his acquiescence into an Unbreakable Vow.
When the spell was completed, Salazar leaned down, gently kissed her lips. “I will love you here and in the ever-after, always.” He promised as his tears splashed onto her face. He brought the now silent baby-infant closer to her mother, who looked out at her with clear, brilliant lavender-colored eyes.
Faith gently stroked the fine down of dark hair, kissing her soft cheek. “I love you my little one. Ours will be a great line. Ours will be the line that will eventually save the Wizarding world from itself.”
The darkness Faith had been fearing grew nearer. “Take her Salazar. She will be a Ravendor, her middle initial S. Name her. Name her well.” Suddenly she gasped, her eyes widened as the spell and death began to grip hold.
“Faith!” The baby began crying in earnest once again. “Faith, her name will be Athena. Athena S. Ravendor. And she will know her mother.” He lifted his wand once again, muttered a spell and a blue light, followed by sparkles danced over the baby’s skin. When it finished along the little girl’s thigh, in tiny, green, elegant, cursive lettering was the name S. Ravendor.
He could only watch helplessly, as those beautiful eyes grew dim, the light leaving them. She whispered, “Thank you.” And she grew still.
But before he could give over to grief, that same darkness took hold of him too, rendering him momentarily light-headed. When he came to, he confusingly stared at the squalling child in his arms. He looked around seeing the smashed or overturned furniture and other items. However it was the beautiful woman lying before him, who had obviously recently given birth to this infant in his arms that captured his attention. Briefly touching his fingers to her cheek, he realized that she must have just passed this life since her skin was still warm to the touch.
Gently rocking the infant in his arms, he desperately tried to remember who she was or what he was doing here. He gently reached over for a blanket and covered her, but not before staring into her face one last time, feeling as if something stood right at the edge of his memories that connected her to him. Once he covered her, he stood up walked over to a window, and saw a crowd of Muggles trying to get past the wards set on the property. He sneered.
Muggles, he thought with disdain.
He lifted his wand and was about to unpleasantly hex them before something… made him pause. He looked down at the baby and realized she was no longer crying. He felt a strong connection and sense of protectiveness towards her. The magic emanating from her was very powerful; one of the most powerful he’d ever felt. Pureblood naturally, he thought with some smugness. He gave his wand another wave, restoring the contents of the house back to order, and then he sent a Patronous to Helga, asking her to come quickly.
In the meantime, he conjured up some milk, and set a fire on to warm it up. He gently laid the child on the nearby wooden table, carefully unswaddled her from the blanket before noticing a magical tattoo along her leg. S. Ravendor it read. It must be her family name. He frowned wondering what the S stood for. He wracked his brain, trying to remember recent events and could only determine that somehow an Oblivate spell must have been cast. He was going to have to come up with a name and then make arrangements for her care. After a few moments, some of it spent dispersing the tiresome crowd in front of the house. There was also a strong sense that not only did he have to arrange for the child’s care, but that her destiny did not lie with him. She must be an important pureblood if she a landed in his care. Severe features softened as he once again, stared down at the cherubic features, watching as the girl gripped his finger, and attempted to place it her mouth. He never realized that his face was wet with tears, nor could he determine why he had this empty ache inside him, mostly because of the tiny being currently in his care.
Perhaps, he’ll call her… Athena.