Salazar was sitting in his room, his mind filled with a jumble of things, some serious, some trivial. The one thing he wasn't thinking about were his O.W.L. results; he knew he had performed exceptionally well. At that moment, he was relaxing with a children's book series about demigods. It wasn't his usual type of reading, but it was good for disconnecting. In fact, he had discovered that he enjoyed reading and comparing different fantasy sagas. He heard a knock on the door.
"Yes?" he called out.
"Harry, Dumbledore's downstairs. He wants to talk to you," Sirius announced.
"I'll be right down."
Salazar stood up and placed the book on his desk. Before heading downstairs, his eyes scanned the titles in his personal library. He remembered the advice Rowena had given him on the last day of school: "When Dumbledore comes to visit you, bring something of Homer with you." Salazar didn't know how that could help him, but if Rowena said it was for a reason, he just had to trust her and see where the conversation would lead.
"Did you want to see me, Headmaster?"
"Always so formal, Harry. There's something I have to talk to you about. In fact, I should have told you about it a long time ago, but I put it off, and I'm afraid it's too late now."
"What is it about?" he asked, placing the Homer book on the table and sitting down opposite the Headmaster.
"The reason Voldemort tried to kill you when you were a baby. I remember you asking me this in your first year, and I didn't think you were ready to know the truth. I wanted to protect you, Harry."
"I can understand that. Although I came to think there was no real reason, that he was simply a madman who liked to kill. A psychopath, as Muggles call them."
"There is some truth to that. But that's not all. There's a reason he went for your family in particular. A prophecy."
"A prophecy? The thing they stole from the Department of Mysteries?"
"Exactly. And now he knows the content of that prophecy. That gives him a certain advantage, or so it would be if there were no other record of it besides the one he stole. I know the content of the prophecy; whoever performed it did so before me, in circumstances that are now irrelevant. It's time for you to hear it. Voldemort, after all, only acted knowing half of it. Now that he has the entire prophecy..."
"Wait. I don't want to know, Professor. Knowing a prophecy that affects you directly or indirectly is a potential danger." Salazar now partially understood Rowena's advice. He didn't want to be directed by Dumbledore, but at the same time, he knew that going along with this would allow him to observe Dumbledore's movements. "Everyone who has known their fate has tried to do something to avoid it, and that has never gone well. They ended up in a bad position and, on many occasions, ended up creating the very fate they had tried to avoid." He gestured to the book he had brought down. "Half-heard or not, Voldemort acted on what he had heard and it ended up getting him blown up for a while. The point is that whatever we do, that prophecy will be fulfilled one way or another. Why should I know what could happen and be worried about it, instead of just letting it happen and being prepared for any eventuality?"
"That's very wise of you, Harry, but also dangerous. The prophecy could guide you in a certain way without having to let it dominate you."
"That's what I have you for, Professor. To be my guide."
"And that's what I'm here for," Dumbledore said. "Before you face Voldemort, there is vital information about him that you should know. You have to know him in depth to be able to face him in a way that we can defeat him definitively. It is vitally important information."
"Then it will be a very long conversation, Professor."
"No, Harry. It is not information that can be dealt with in a single day. We have to do it in several sessions throughout the summer. It is the type of information that requires reflection."
Salazar frowned. That last statement had many possible implications, such as Dumbledore controlling the way he gave him information and being able to guide his opinion. But on the other hand, it could be helpful to grasp certain nuances that, if given all at once, might require several rounds of thought. In any case, the most important thing, Salazar suspected, was that they had already deduced it. Still, he never closed the door to a little extra information.
"When do we start?"
What he could get from these meetings could help them a lot. It would be necessary to achieve his main objective and also to finish assessing the extent to which Dumbledore was a threat to the students. To Salazar, Dumbledore became a threat the moment he had tried to manage his life. In those few minutes, Salazar had decided what he would do. He would attend these meetings with Dumbledore and then update his friends, those with whom he had begun his journey.
"I will send you a message by a secure means of when our special training sessions will be."
"All right, Headmaster."
Salazar remained seated at the kitchen table even after the conversation, deep in thought. He had the intuition that a lot was at stake; that everyone was taking a gamble. Of course, on the other hand, they had all been playing this game for years. He silently sent a Patronus to his three fellow planners. He wanted to talk to them before the others. Well, it was clear that at least four or five more people would join them whether he wanted it or not, and they all had personal reasons for doing so. Hours later, when he told them about his meeting with Dumbledore, he could see concern in Godric, annoyance in Helga, and a certain expression of triumph in Rowena.
"Everything will soon come to an end," Rowena said enigmatically. "Those sessions will help us get to the castle when needed. Everything will end on the last new moon of this summer holiday."
"Time to get it all ready?" Godric asked.
"Time to get ready," Salazar and Helga said at the same time.
A Final Toast
The summer had been progressing. Albus was glad, for lack of a more appropriate word, that Harry was collaborating with him. These were not the conditions he would have preferred, but it was okay not to have the interference of any other adults. They all wanted to take charge and not let what had to be done be done. During their sessions, Albus had been examining Harry to see how much the siege that had been put around him had affected him. He seemed to be the same boy from his first three years at Hogwarts. That was good. Albus dedicated the sessions to giving him crucial information about Voldemort's past and discussing different theories. It was a very delicate subject, but he wanted to have the boy ready and, above all, to prepare him seriously during the upcoming term. He did not reveal to him what the strange quartet who called him Gandalf had told him about the Horcruxes. It was clear to Albus that this was not the case because that would have meant killing Harry, and Harry was alive. But as for the rest of their information, everything led to dead ends and a real display that made their claims seem plausible. Albus was impressed by several things about these allies, such as their ability to anticipate him and what he described as their arrogance. Even if their information had been useful, he did not like to feel as if he had to pass on a report on his actions.
"I'll have to keep an eye on them; they may take advantage of the situation to take control of the world," he said to himself.
That night, he had no meeting with Harry. He had moved it to another day. That evening he had to receive a liaison from the Ministry. At last, it seemed that they wanted to work together and, although it was late, it was not too late. All summer, Albus had been discussing the issue of the castle's security and other things with this young man sent by the Ministry, an intern in the Department of Magical Security. He was a brilliant young man who, a couple of years ago, had graduated with great academic and behavioral merits from that very school. An old Hufflepuff. Someone he could talk to and who was open to passing on his suggestions to his superiors. In fact, Albus was beginning to consider him a possible future friend. Owen Aubrey. The fireplace in his office soon crackled with green flames, announcing the arrival of a visitor. He checked the time; it was the expected visit.
"Owen, I'm glad to see you. A lot of work at the Ministry?"
"Oh, Headmaster Dumbledore. The same as always. But we have something to celebrate in these very dark days." The young man brought out a bottle of barrel-aged mead. "Drinks that were bottled by hand, one by one. The Ministry has approved the proposal not to disturb the peace of the students. Aurors will patrol the perimeter and only enter the castle during the nights. Of course, students must be informed that they will be present. They will have to cut back on the nighttime antics to a minimum."
"Of course, that will be done. Is there anything that can be done about those barriers that the Ministry wanted to implement? This is a very old place, and any alteration to it could be catastrophic."
"I'm negotiating about that. It would be easier to put them on the village than on such an ancient place. The village grew up around the castle, if I remember my history lessons correctly. But the prospects are good."
"Let's enjoy that drink you brought, then."
Albus took a couple of glasses from his sideboard. It was not much to drink in company, but it would be a bad gesture to refuse the invitation of young Aubrey. He smiled thoughtfully. They had achieved a very important victory. The next step was for the Ministry not to put its paws on Hogwarts, as they had shown themselves to be since Fudge took over as Minister. He did not fully trust the integrity of that institution. He suspected there was too much corruption in general. That was another reason he liked Owen. He was a Hufflepuff. The most upright and incorruptible house in the castle. If there was anyone who was truly trustworthy, it was a Hufflepuff. They were very loyal to their ideals.
He took one of the glasses and toasted to the achievement of their common goals. In the young man's case, Dumbledore imagined that it was a true recognition of his work. In his case, it was to be sure that Hogwarts was safe, but at the same time, that the Ministry did not interfere. He raised the glass to his lips and took a long sip. He didn't get to taste the mead; almost immediately, he began to feel a sudden suffocation. His airways closed, and he was short of breath. Every effort he made to breathe made it worse. He noticed how all the fluid went to his throat, drowning him and causing it to come out of his nose and mouth. "Poison," he thought, dismayed. He noticed that the level of young Owen's glass had not dropped. He didn't understand it. How? Why?
"Most poisons alter the properties of mead. Most, but not all," said the Ministry liaison, who uncovered his forearm, revealing the Dark Mark. Albus saw him raise his wand and point it at the window, silently conjuring something. Then he left, exiting through the same door of the office.
Albus tried to fight, to get to the cupboard where he had several antidotes and other potions at his disposal; but his body did not respond. He could hardly stand or move a single muscle. He could only feel his own agony and what was happening at Hogwarts at that moment. He was completely helpless. The last thing he felt was Voldemort bursting into the castle, though he didn't know how. At that moment, everything ended for him. He lay on the floor, staring at the ceiling, seeing nothing.
The Last Stand
They had arrived at the castle an hour in advance, although they did not know that at the time. They knew they had very little time. Rowena had given the signal when it was going to happen, and they had prepared thoroughly. There were seven of them in total, apart from the four founders. Helga looked at them all. They were accompanied by Hermione, Theodore, Draco, Ginny, and Ron. She knew Salazar's motivations for bringing Ron; she knew of the boy's need for revenge and that Salazar had helped him to control himself. They had tried to keep Ginny from coming, but she would not have allowed herself to be left behind.
"Good. Harry, Neville, Luna, and I will go after the black king," Helga said calmly. "It will have to be a coordinated attack. Harry and I will attack, and Neville and Luna will defend."
"It's time to do what the teachers and the Ministry don't do," Ron muttered.
"I'll go for the unfortunate Malfoy. Not you, your father," she said to Draco. "You take care of Ginny."
"I don't need to be taken care of."
"We will work as a team," Helga insisted.
She looked at them carefully. If she didn't know what they were capable of, she would have been more insistent that they not come. Many of them had personal motives against one of Voldemort's followers, motives that would have caused them to throw themselves headlong into the fight. In a group, they were more contained, although she didn't exactly like it. The four of them had talked about it. They had imagined this situation, but they had not expected it to happen so early. She wished it had happened in a couple of more years. She wished they hadn't gotten involved. Although she understood that they had to make decisions and develop as people in a way that the school, as it was today, did not help them with.
She turned to Rowena and Godric, who were whispering to each other. She imagined they were planning their way of intervening in the battle and their strategy. Godric was one to muzzle himself at every moment, and Rowena to plan in advance for any contingency. They were a good pairing.
She looked at Salazar, who had been silent since they had arrived. He seemed to be meditating. She knew what he was really doing. He was connected to the castle's barriers. He would alert them of the right moment, and from there, they would go out to the right place to confront them and cut them off. The Room of Requirement itself would provide them with the right place for it. She would lead them.
She approached Salazar and sat down next to him carefully. She didn't want to interrupt his concentration, although she admitted to herself that she was more worried about him than anyone else. It was a great threat they faced. She didn't want to interrupt him, but she wanted to at the same time, to dedicate those last moments of tranquility to him.
"Don't die tonight," she said suddenly in a whisper. She could still remember how he had died in the past.
"I don't plan to," he replied, opening his eyes and staring at her.
She pulled him to herself and gave him a passionate kiss. Up until now, they had held back a lot, controlling themselves in the presence of the others—a little less so when they were alone with Godric and Rowena, but still, they had. Now, she didn't want to.
"Hey! I told you to find a hotel!" Godric shouted.
"Are the two of them together?" Ron asked.
Helga looked at them and shrugged. She didn't want to hide it anymore; she wanted to shout it from the rooftops. That everyone would find out. She wasn't worried about showing it to all of them. She just got carried away by the moment. She was about to say something about it when Fawkes appeared on the scene. Many looked at the phoenix with surprise, except for those who knew who it really belonged to, for they thought it was Dumbledore's as much as Dumbledore himself had believed and proclaimed indirectly.
"According to Fawkes, the Headmaster is dead." She noticed the strange looks of those who did not know the secret. So she made a quick lie. That and many others were the kind of secrets that should remain secret. "The phoenixes transmit their messages to those they deem appropriate." She shrugged. "I suppose it's time."
"It is," Salazar said. "Do you send a message to your Auror friends?"
"Of course. Although I doubt that they can reinforce us. They will most likely storm the Ministry and take over Hogwarts at the same time."
"I shouldn't be surprised if they attacked St. Mungo's as well," Godric murmured.
"Time to settle the score," Ron said in a deep voice and a defiant look.
They all left the Room of Requirement. She could immediately see how overwhelmed the teachers were. They were very talented, but not talented enough to face a score of Death Eaters and Voldemort himself at the same time. Helga stood next to Salazar while he made his move. A silent spell in the vicinity of the Dark wizard himself attracted his attention.
For a moment, it seemed that time had frozen. Professors, Death Eaters, and Voldemort all seemed surprised by their presence. Ginny and Draco took advantage of this to attack a few Death Eaters, while Ron launched his challenge to Lucius Malfoy.
Helga smiled at Salazar briefly before looking defiantly at the Dark wizard and getting into an attack position next to her beloved. She noticed that Godric and Rowena flanked them in a defensive position. The Dark wizard laughed, mocking them.
"Potter, accompanied by an Auror and two other schoolchildren. Why don't you tell your companions to go away and you and I fight?"
"Why should I do it on your terms?"
"You wanted this. They will die because of you, and you will be the last to die," the Dark wizard laughed.
Helga could sense how many had stood still and frozen at that exchange. But neither she nor her friends reacted to that obvious provocation; they simply held their wands ready for action. Voldemort was powerful, but his soul was enormously mutilated, and there was nothing left of him but the shell with which he walked and interacted with the world.
The duel did not take long to begin. A fierce and quick duel. A constant exchange of spells and curses that were not exactly innocent. Helga was fast, fast enough to hold out for a while in the face of the raw power that the wizard used. That was what made him so dangerous. He used raw power that soon overwhelmed those who challenged and stood up to him. Helga was not going to allow that to happen. She had Salazar by her side, and he was at hers. Together, they could do it. Not to mention that Rowena and Godric were in charge of closing their defences, and that the rest covered their backs, preventing any Death Eater from wanting to break their formation. They had to hurry, finish the game before it went on too long; but, at the same time, not rush, or they would make a huge mistake. She didn't count the time they were in that struggle, that confrontation. She heard Fawkes' singing in the background, which gave them strength and hope while at the same time despairing and horrifying Voldemort and his followers. She caught Salazar's signal; it was time. In one swift move, the two combined their spells while Godric and Rowena caused Voldemort to have to fend off the two of them in a quick shift from defensive to offensive. There they had an opening and managed to impact him. It wasn't a killing curse, but two spells. One that would cause him to bleed quickly inside, and another that would paralyse him without him being able to do anything. It was a matter of seconds after that.
"Wow, so that's what you were studying in the Black's library," Rowena said, appreciating the act as if she were commenting on the end of a play.
"It would have been more poetic to use a Muggle weapon," Godric remarked. "Although, yes. I know. We are not here to write an epic or things like that."
She looked around. The marked Death Eaters collapsed dead, as if something had drained their lives. The teachers looked at them more stupefied than before. Helga could see that everyone was fine, although there were some casualties on the part of the teachers and among those who had come with her and her friends. She caught everyone's eye. Ron seemed satisfied but empty at the same time. She knew that Salazar would soon talk to him about his culminating revenge. He was a good boy, although impulsive, and it wouldn't be nice if he lost his mind. Professor Flitwick took the pulse of one of the fallen Death Eaters. The rest of the teachers did not take long to do the same. They soon announced that they were all dead.
"A lifetime of service body and soul, or death," Salazar murmured darkly.
The teachers focused their gaze on him, on them. It was now that they had to give convincing explanations and, for that, nothing had been prepared. In any case, they had just saved the skin of everyone in the castle and the rest of the world. She didn't think they would demand too much of them. Salazar was a little faster.
"Sometimes I send my elves to help in the kitchens of Hogwarts when they have nothing to do. They warned us and... We came quickly without being able to contact anyone else."
"We'll have to do casualty counts, pile the bodies to the side, and contact the Ministry," McGonagall said. "Come and have something to eat inside. We'll take care of it."
Once they were sitting at one of the kitchen tables, enjoying the celebratory delicacies that the house-elves had prepared for them, Hermione thought to ask the question.
"How did they all die at the same time?"
"The Dark Mark was linked to Voldemort. They gave their lives and souls to the service of their master. Once he was dead, they had to fulfil their oath." Salazar had already said it before with his own dark words; he was just trying to soften the answer.
"All those who were marked died the moment Voldemort died for good. It's a shame that some of them repented and were collaborating with the Ministry, or with anyone who opposed it," Salazar said. "But the truth is that, the moment they accepted the Mark, which could only be accepted voluntarily, they gave themselves entirely in life and soul to Voldemort. That dark magic was already used in ancient Egypt with slaves; only the death of these occurred after the mummification rituals were concluded."
"Technically, the one who conjured that binding spell could specify how to do it. Apparently, Voldemort himself decided that it was something immediate," Godric commented. "It was like when Anakin destroyed the droid control ship in the Phantom Menace. Everyone on the ground just shut down."
"What?" Ron, Ginny, Draco, and Theo asked at the same time.
"The hive mind," Hermione explained.