Salazar and I sat in the quiet of my expanded lab, surrounded by glowing runes and vials of magical reagents. I could sense the tension coiling in his movements—the way he tapped the crystal-encrusted table with his clawed fingers, the subtle hiss of his voice when he spoke.
"They want to admit Muggleborns?" he asked, his serpent-like eyes narrowing. "Into Hogwarts? Into our domain? Into our… sanctum?"
I nodded, leaning back, letting the shadows of the room dance across my face. "Yes. Godric, Helga, even Rowena—they insist. They argue that we can't neglect talent simply because it comes from the Muggle world."
Salazar's jaw tightened. "It's… risky. These children, untrained, unknowing of the dangers, could easily reveal our location. Imagine a Muggleborn wizard returning to their world. Even unintentionally, they could expose us. The Church, the Inquisition—anyone who hunts magic—they could come for us."
I studied him carefully, recognizing the fear behind his logic. He wasn't entirely wrong. Muggleborns carried the unknown. They could be a threat—not by intent, but by accident.
"They could also have suppressed magic," I added, "like most Muggleborns in the wild. If they're scared, hunted, or untrained, their magic might manifest violently. Obscurus… explosions of magic… that's a risk too."
Salazar's tail twitched, his crossbow hidden beneath his cloak giving a faint metallic click. "And yet," he said slowly, "we can't simply ignore them. They are wizards, Seraphina. Denying them could breed resentment, instability. Some might develop… dangerous tendencies if excluded."
I let a slow breath out, weighing the options. "So we have two risks," I said. "One, they could accidentally reveal us to the Muggle world. Two, if we ignore them, we could have magical instability, Obscurus forming, or worse, rebellious, unstable wizards growing up untrained."
He was silent for a moment, thinking. "What do you propose?"
I smirked faintly, feeling the thrill of strategy building inside me. "We keep them close. Carefully monitored. We admit them, but under strict supervision. They stay at the school, live on campus. We observe, train, and ensure they never have the chance to… leak information. And any Muggleborns who show promise, or danger, we identify early. That's the only fair way."
Salazar exhaled sharply. "You're… pragmatic. I can see it. Fine. But the first years—no exceptions. Only those we can monitor. If a child comes in untested…"
"We test them," I interrupted. "We use magical wards, runes, spells. We ensure loyalty, we ensure secrecy. They'll be part of Hogwarts, but the school comes first. Safety first."
He nodded slowly, the tension easing slightly. "And the others?"
"They'll need to understand this," I said. "We present it as a measured, careful approach. We can't afford recklessness. Hogwarts is our legacy—and we can't risk it on… naïveté."
Salazar's gaze softened a fraction. "Perhaps… I can accept this. If we are vigilant, and the wards are strong, and the children are properly trained… then it might work."
I smiled, a slow, cunning curve of my lips. "Exactly. We protect the school, protect the students, and maintain control. Muggleborns aren't a liability—they're an opportunity. We just have to handle them carefully."
He hissed quietly, almost like a reluctant laugh. "You are… terrifyingly efficient, Seraphina."
"And you love it," I teased, tapping my claws lightly against the table.
Salazar only narrowed his eyes, but the faintest twitch of his lips betrayed that he did.
Together, we plotted the first phase of the Muggleborn integration. Careful, calculated, precise—Hogwarts would expand without risking itself. And in this era, under our guidance, magic would flourish, safely, for every child who walked through our doors.