The One Who Looks Down

Horace Slughorn's introduction of Salazar Slytherin was both expected and unexpected.

After all, he was over six feet tall, bearded, gaunt, dressed in a dark green robe from a thousand years ago, and wearing sunglasses that covered half his face. Anyone could have guessed who he was.

At the same time, since nearly everyone present knew Horace Slughorn's temperament, it seemed only natural that he would invite Salazar Slytherin—

The only slightly surprising thing was that Horace Slughorn had actually managed to invite Salazar Slytherin.

After all, Salazar Slytherin had always kept a low profile. Other than showing his face at Cornelius Fudge's inauguration as president of the Magical Federation, he had never appeared in public again.

Even within Hogwarts, students could count on one hand the number of times they had run into Salazar Slytherin.

"It is an honor to meet you all here." After Horace Slughorn finished his opening remarks, Salazar Slytherin stepped forward as well, raised his glass, and spoke in a hoarse voice in an archaic tongue.

"Fate is such a marvelous and cruel thing," Salazar Slytherin said with a trace of melancholy. "I never imagined that, after parting ways with some of my old friends, I would return here in this manner—to Hogwarts, to the place into which we poured our life's work."

"We were young then. Our blood still ran hot, and the ideals and ambitions in our hearts still burned fiercely. We hoped to build a sanctuary for our wizards." Salazar Slytherin paused, then shook his head in denial. "No, not merely that. That puts it too lightly."

"We wanted to build a God Realm for wizards, a Garden of Eden, a nation where our wizards could live forever," Salazar Slytherin said. "That was where my differences with them arose. We had disagreements