Salazar Slytherin

What did it feel like when someone suddenly appeared on a black canvas-and smiled at you?

If he had not already seen Hogwarts's moving portraits and ghosts, he really would have set it on fire.

There were no royal agents here.

Allen quietly took a deep breath, loosened his fingers, and dropped the painting onto the bed. He swiftly rolled out of bed and gripped his wand warily.

The portrait depicted a lavishly dressed young gentleman with black hair, brown eyes, handsome features, and an imposing presence. He looked faintly surprised when he saw Allen.

"Blond hair and blue eyes? You aren't my descendant? Then how can you speak Parseltongue, and why do you have my wand?"

Caution flickered in Allen's eyes. "...Who are you, sir?"

"Salazar Slytherin."

Allen narrowed his eyes. He studied the handsome young man in the portrait, then recalled the decrepit old figure depicted in the school history. His expression shifted.

Out of respect for one of the Founders, he bowed slightly with a hand over his heart. "Allen Cornwall, a first-year Slytherin student. It is an honor to meet you, sir."

Salazar nodded approvingly at his manners, then marveled, "My wand actually chose a Muggle-born?"

Those words put Allen on his guard, and he discreetly took another step back.

After all, Slytherin's insistence on blood purity was common knowledge.

To his surprise, the older wizard merely shook his head, then eagerly asked about the current state of the Wizarding World.

Allen fell silent for two seconds, then gave an objective account of what he had seen.

Salazar sighed. "So we ended up living peacefully alongside Muggle-born wizards after all!"

Allen paused. "With the International Statute of Secrecy and Aurors enforcing the law, the Wizarding World is well hidden now. The young witches and wizards from the Muggle world help protect it too."

Rather than respond, Salazar studied him with interest. "You speak so strongly in favor of Muggle-borns. Just who are you?"

Allen watched him warily without answering.

"If you don't want to say, never mind." Salazar waved it off. "Drip a drop of blood onto my portrait."

Allen grew even more cautious. "Sir, as far as I know, most magic involving blood is... not particularly safe."

Salazar laughed heartily. "I only want to check whether you carry my blood! Besides, I would never harm the new master my wand has accepted!"

The wand in Allen's hand bobbed gently, as though confirming Salazar's words.

"This method of testing bloodlines is quite common among pure-blood wizards. Why not ask that pure-blood roommate of yours? Platinum hair, gray-blue eyes-that's a Malfoy, isn't it?"

Allen was silent for two seconds, then bowed. "Then... please wait a moment, sir."

Blond hair bounced through the dim corridor, and the boy who should have been resting obediently in bed appeared in the Common Room once again.

Draco frowned, anger glinting in his gray-blue eyes. "Allen Cornwall!"

Allen smiled faintly, his face so pale it seemed translucent. "Don't be like that, Draco. There's just something I wanted to ask you."

Allen raised his hands in surrender, smiled at the handful of little snakes scattered around the Common Room, and pulled Draco into a corner.

"Just one question. Once you've answered, I'll go back!"

Draco eyed him suspiciously, then lifted his chin to signal him to continue.

"Well, I read in a book that... because of intermarriage, most pure-bloods are related, so they've developed all sorts of unusual ways to identify bloodlines..."

"That's right!" Draco tilted his head. "There are plenty of forms of blood magic, including family-tree verification, bloodline magic, ancestral-portrait verification..."

"Portraits?"

Allen's eyes darkened briefly, and he put on a smile that seemed merely curious. "They can identify bloodlines too?"

"Of course!"

The little peacock nodded. "You just drip a drop of blood onto an ancestor's portrait, and the portrait will tell you whether you carry his blood."

"Isn't it dangerous?" Allen turned sideways, casually concealing his expression.

Draco scoffed and poked his forehead. "How does that brain of yours work? You're never cautious when you should be, but you worry about something this trivial!"

"I see. Then bloodline magic..."

Allen looked thoughtful, only to notice Draco's angry expression. He chuckled and raised a hand. "No more questions. I'm going back to the bedroom!"

He had already gotten the answer he needed anyway.

He lifted the bed curtains. The handsome, black-haired, black-eyed wizard in the portrait on his bed smiled. "Have you checked, little fellow?"

Allen bowed with a hand over his heart. "I was rude earlier. Please forgive me, sir."

He picked up his wand and tapped the fountain pen beside him, turning it into a frame for the square portrait, whose sides were only as long as his arm.

"My Transfiguration is crude, so please bear with this for now. I'll have a frame made for you."

Salazar was deeply pleased, and his fondness for the little fellow grew.

Such powerful magic in a first-year, and such impressive Transfiguration-children like him were the future of the Wizarding World!

Allen looked at the portrait, now spread out in its frame, took a small silver knife from his desk, and pricked his finger.

A drop of blood flew from his fingertip and quickly sank into the portrait.

Wisps of silvery-white light swept across the canvas. Salazar closed his eyes, sensing the bloodline and magic within that drop, then opened them in surprise.

He spoke, releasing a string of breathy hisses.

Allen was startled. He knew this was another language, yet he understood it. Even when he opened his mouth, the same sounds emerged. [Sir?]

Salazar looked him up and down, then burst into a thoroughly delighted laugh. He hissed, [To think that one day I would meet a descendant of my sister!]

[Your sister?] Allen's heart jolted.

His father was entirely a Muggle, with a meticulously documented family tree, so this ability had to have come from his mother.

In other words, Salazar's sister was his mother's ancestor?!

Salazar nodded. [My sister was named Sivia Slytherin. She fell in love with a German and went to Germany...

[Later, witches and wizards were rounded up in great numbers, and everyone was busy fleeing for their lives. I was occupied with founding Hogwarts alongside Godric, Rowena, and Helga, and unfortunately, we lost touch.]

A hint of nostalgia appeared in the snake founder's eyes, and his gaze warmed as he looked at Allen. [Since you're my sister's descendant, and you have my wand, I'll teach you properly.]

Allen was beginning to feel touched when Salazar suddenly asked, [What was your name again?]

[...Allen Cornwall.]

[Good, little Allen! Let me work out how we're related. Hmm...]

Watching Salazar earnestly begin calculating their generations, Allen's mouth twitched. [I'll just call you "Ancestor" from now on.]

He paused, then could not help asking, [Ancestor, do you remember the surname of the German that Ancestor Sivia married?]

Salazar spent five minutes thinking it over carefully. [I think it was Gr... something. I can't quite remember.]

Allen felt rather disappointed.

Salazar reassured him, [Even if I remembered, a thousand years would be enough for a surname to change several times.]

Seeing Allen's crestfallen face, the snake founder began coaxing the child.

[But you could start with pure-blood families that have a thousand years of history. Most families that survive a millennium were prominent at some point, so they should be fairly easy to find.]

"You have a point, sir."

Allen nodded gently, glanced at the frame, which was neither particularly large nor small, and began looking for somewhere to hang it.

But the bedroom was only so big; he could take it all in at a glance. If he wanted to keep Draco from noticing...

He stared at his bed, then hung the portrait at its head.

Salazar narrowed his eyes and looked from left to right. [This seems a little strange.]

Allen concentrated on adding curtains around the frame as he tried to persuade him. [You know I have a roommate! This is the best place for you.]

[Starting tomorrow, take me with you whenever you go out.]

Salazar looked at Allen, who seemed to be holding back a reply. [Take out your wand. I'll teach you the Space Charm!]