Connor's Hogwarts

"Salazar, are you sure you want to leave? Leave this safe haven we built together?!"

"I see no future here, Godric. I can't change your minds, just as you can't change mine, so what's the point of me staying here?"

"Just because of this!? Just because of this you are going to give up our long-term efforts!?"

Slytherin, who was wearing dark green robes, turned around, and raindrops dripped from his angular chin. He stared at the former friend in front of him, and the words he spat out were as sharp as a razor blade:

"We are no longer young, Godric, don't be childish anymore. Do you really think that we can just hide in this corner and survive!? If we don't do anything, what awaits us wizards? It could be an extremely cruel future!”

"Maybe we can't change the status quo, but we still have hope. We can wait and leave the future to the next generation. Maybe they can think of real solutions..."

"Enough! Waiting!? This is called sitting and waiting! If we don't do anything, then we can't change anything!"

Slytherin took out his wand and pointed it directly at Gryffindor in front of him. He gritted his teeth and gasped, and there seemed to be thunder hidden in his breath:

"Godric, I thought you were just a little naive, but I found that I was wrong, you were just escaping! You are escaping from the inevitable future, you are a coward!"

"No! You are really crazy! If I can use my life to stop the madness of the Holy See, I will never blink an eye! But this is not a reason to be reckless! Salazar, our power cannot resist the Holy See! Don't you see Do not understand!"

Gryffindor opened his hands to face Slytherin's wand. The rain washed down their faces, and they didn't know whether it was sweat or tears dripping down their faces.

"Haha, is this the reason why you choose those bastards who are destined to swing? Are you learning from the Holy See? Learn their brainwashing skills?"

"Those children are also wizards! They are also victims of the Holy See! We have a common enemy!"

"Are you saying that those bastards who wave their scepters and order a group of Muggles to arrest our compatriots from above are also wizards!!! Why and who do you think we are in today's situation!! I absolutely I won’t admit that those bastards are also wizards! No way!!”

A bolt of lightning flashed across the dark sky, and the dull sound of thunder beat like a drum on the chests of the two once closest comrades. Only the other was in their eyes.

Slytherin put away his wand, turned his back, and chose to turn his back on everything in the past:

"You can't convince me, Godric. There is no place for me here anymore. You three can run this school well, can't you?"

"Salazar..."

"I have to find the answer myself. Even if I am alone, I have to fight alone."

"Why? We can cultivate better successors, we can teach more power to resist the Holy See, and as long as we accumulate strength step by step, we have a chance to defeat the Holy See. Isn't that what we decided at the beginning, and we have gone all the way? Really? Why do you abandon us at this time..."

"Then what?"

"What?"

Slytherin said without looking back: "What will happen after defeating the Holy See? Where should we wizards go? Will these students you taught allow us to enslave their Muggle parents?"

"What? Of course we wouldn't do that! Why would we enslave Muggles? That's not-"

"This is where our differences lie, Godric. You still don't understand that wizards and Muggles can't coexist peacefully. We wizards and Muggles are different, but we are the same. We are born with greater power. Powerful humans, this is what makes us what we are, but it can also destroy us..."

"In the words of the church, pretentious wizards will move towards [arrogance], and stupid Muggles will move towards [jealousy]. They initially tried to get everyone to abandon the so-called original sin and move towards coexistence, but the result? They are waving They are chasing us with a butcher knife!"

"In the final analysis, we humans are creatures that like to fight. There is no option for peaceful coexistence between wizards and Muggles. There is no choice but to enslave one party to the other."

"Salazar, your thoughts are too pessimistic. There must be a perfect solution. Maybe we can't think of it, but there will always be hope in the future. Isn't it a solution for us to guard this tiny flame together? Salazar, don't go, Hogwarts needs your power..."

"Maybe you are right..." Slytherin raised his head and looked at the dim sky above his head, where no sunlight could be seen:

"But that won't be my answer. I can't wait for that day to come, and I won't put my hope in an illusory future."

"Goodbye, Godric. I'm going to Rome to find more possibilities. I can also attract their attention there. Oh, I appear in front of their eyes. They can't. Come and cause trouble in my castle, and don't worry, I won't let the existence of Hogwarts be exposed."

"Salazar..."

"Farewell, my friend, Rowena has never cared about these troublesome things. I have never understood Helga's thoughts. Godric, my comrade has always been your only one. , but now, we are going our separate ways.”

"I don't know if the path I chose is the right one, and I don't know if the future you expect will come, but I have never forgotten my original intention, and I hope you will not forget it either."

"For the wizard."

Slytherin's figure disappeared into the rain.

That day, Gryffindor stood on the long bridge at Hogwarts for a long time, until the dumping stopped, until the rain stopped and the sky cleared.

————

Fifty years later.

An old figure re-entered the land where he once grew up. His accent remained unchanged, but his back was no longer as straight as when he was young.

He saw his former friend again, smiled at each other, and said a thousand words without saying anything.

"You're old, Salazar."

"You too, Godric."

More than fifty years ago, it was Slytherin who took Gryffindor to visit his castle. Now, fifty years later, it is Gryffindor who takes Slytherin through this school.

Neither of them asked how the other was doing. Although they had not met each other over the years, they had always paid attention to each other's news and the tacit understanding of being friends had never changed over the years.

"It's great to see you. Without your help, we wouldn't be sure about Rowena."

"Is she finally going to take this step? Eternal life is actually not something that can be easily decided upon. Maybe Rowena is the only one among us who can insist on going on."

"Her dream has always been to pass on the knowledge of wizards forever. This is the path she has chosen. It is a blessing to have such a simple and direct dream..."

"..." The two stood in front of the auditorium door, facing the sunset in the distance, silent to each other.

Gryffindor asked: "Have you found your answer?"

"Unfortunately, I am a loser. After all these years, I have accomplished nothing." Slytherin straightened his back and smiled helplessly.

"You have done enough. The collapse of the Holy See has already appeared, hasn't it?"

"Perhaps. Without the strongest angel, the Holy See will indeed not be able to survive for a few more years."

"Haha, I may not be able to see that day..."

"..." The blinded Slytherin looked at his old friend holding his straight chest and back, and saw the gradually dimming soul fire in his body. There seemed to be a touch of sadness in his eyes, but his eyes In fact, it has long since lost its luster.

Gryffindor smiled openly: "Let's not talk about it anymore. How are you preparing for the test that Helga asked you to prepare for the juniors? Let me tell you, I have prepared incredible ideas! I will definitely give it to the juniors. What a surprise for the boys! Hahaha!”

"You can just mess with that kind of thing. I came back here just to build a tombstone for myself."

"Eh? Didn't you agree to Helga's plan? Do you want to go back on your word! Why are you becoming more and more unreliable as you get older!"

"Idiot. I never believed that there is any test that can test a person's true nature,"

Slytherin leaned on his cane and snorted coldly: "Whether you have the courage to bear this power, I have to use my eyes to judge."

"Huh? Do you also plan to accompany Rowena to live forever?"

"No, I said, I came back to build a tombstone for myself."

"Hehehe, what do you plan to write on your epitaph?"

"Only those who are truly dead will leave epitaphs. As long as I don't see the final result, I will not truly die."

"I will use these eyes to witness the future that I cannot imagine - from my tombstone."

[End of "The Secret of the Snake Whisperer\