Riddle and Grindelwald (book 2)

33. Isolt Sayre

"I thought father would be here when I got home" admitted Salazar sadly.
After many lonely months without her oldest son, Genevieve had picked Salazar up a few days before Christmas.
Tom had failed to make an appearance, and Genevieve had been forced to hold in her anger, for her childrens sake.
It was at time's like this that she needed Hope to calm her down, but her Kneazle was curled up on her bed, and hadn't joined her in the dining room.

"I'm sure he just forgot what day you were coming home. He has been looking forward to your return for ages" lied Genevieve.
"I doubt it" mumbled Salazar, as he sadly stabbed a carrot with his fork.
He had been so excited when his mother picked him up from school, but when he returned home and found out that his father wasn't there to greet him, his mood had fallen.

"Your father has missed you, just as much as I have. Now, tell me more about Ilvermorny. You said that your house is called Horned Serpent, is that like being in Slytherin?" Asked Genevieve, who was desperate to change the subject.
"Not exactly. The Horned Serpent favours scholars" answered Salazar.
"So, it's like being in Ravenclaw" replied Genevieve.
"Kind of. But the houses at Ilvermorny are different. Instead of friendly, brave, resourceful, and smart. The different houses at Ilvermorny favour; healers, scholars, warriors, and adventurers. They also represent different parts of a person, like the mind, body, soul, and heart. Horned Serpent represents the mind, obviously, as it's the smart person house".

"That is a different way of doing things. How exactly does the sorting ceremony work over there?" Questioned Genevieve.
"Well, there is no sorting hat. You just stand in front of the four statues that represent the houses, and if that house wants you, the statue comes alive" informed Salazar.
"That sounds weird" admitted Gellert.
"I think it sounds cool" interjected Genevieve, who didn't want Salazar to feel uncomfortable.
"You can actually have multiple statues come alive for you. When that happens, you can choose which house you want to belong to... It happened to me" revealed Salazar.

"Which two houses wanted you?" Quizzed Genevieve.
"Horned Serpent and Wampus. I went for the snake, thinking it would please father. In hindsight though, I should have chosen Wampus, as they are fighters, and father would have wanted me in the house that holds the most warriors. But at the time, I didn't know what the houses symbolised" admitted Salazar.
"You shouldn't choose a house because you think it is the one your father will like. You can't spend your whole life trying to please him" replied Genevieve.

"What's a Wampus?" Asked Gellert.
"It's sort of like a panther" explained Genevieve.
"Cool. I want to be in that house" informed Gellert.
"Well, you will have to wait to see if that house wants you. For all we know you might get placed in Pukwudgie, Thunderbird, or Horned Serpent like your brother".
"I had the choice of two houses, and I chose Horned Serpent, so that is the house I am stuck in" informed Salazar.
"You're also a Parselmouth, so I expect that's why you felt drawn to that house" replied Genevieve.

"The founder of Ilvermorny was a Parselmouth as well" revealed Salazar.
Genevieve choked on her drink, "What!".
"The school was founded by Isolt Sayre and her family, and they picked their favourite animals as the houses. Isolt was a descendant of Salazar Slytherin, just like me" explained Salazar.
"That can't be true" replied Genevieve.
"It is. Isolt took great pains to make people forget about her Slytherin heritage, after her deranged aunt tried to murder her and her family. She even owned the original Salazar Slytherin's wand at one point. But one of her daughters was a Squib, so lived life as a Muggle. Her other daughter was a Parselmouth like her, but she didn't want to pass Slytherin's gift on, so she chose not to have a family".

"Are you sure about all this?" Questioned Genevieve.
"Yes. I learned the schools history as soon as I arrived" informed Salazar.
"But your father and I would have known if there were more Slytherin's in the world" replied Genevieve.
"This was hundreds of years ago, mother, and her descendants have died out. They didn't even have the Slytherin name. Isolt's relatives were Gaunt's not Slytherin's, which is probably why no one in this country knows about her".
"That is my middle name" announced Gellert.
"Yes, because your father's mother's name was Merope Gaunt" explained Genevieve.

"So, we must be related to Isolt Sayre, since she was a Gaunt" said Salazar.
"I suppose you must be" agreed Genevieve.
"It's strange how I didn't go to Hogwarts, because I'm a descendant of one of the founders, so it would have made things weird, and I ended up at the school made by someone else I am related too" admitted Salazar.
"Yes, the chances of that happening were very slim. I guess I should have looked into the history of Ilvermorny, before sending you there".
Salazar's face fell, "You're not going to pull me out and send me somewhere else are you?".
"No. You've settled at Ilvermorny, so I have no intention of uprooting you and throwing you into another school" reassured Genevieve.

"What will father say when he finds out about the Slytherin thing?" Asked Gellert nervously.
He had been very quiet while Salazar was at school, and Genevieve never found out that he had listened to her and Tom's argument. So she didn't know why he seemed almost afraid of Tom, whenever he was around.
"Your father was more worried about someone finding out his identity. He won't be concerned that the founder of Ilvermorny was also a descendant of Slytherin" answered Genevieve.
"Are you sure he won't be angry?" Mumbled Gellert.

"Of course I am. I'm sure Salazar didn't tell anyone about us, so there is no reason your father should be unhappy when he gets home" insisted Genevieve.
"I didn't tell anyone about who my parents really are. And I didn't reveal my real last name to anyone" promised Salazar.
"That's good to hear. Your father will be pleased" replied Genevieve.
"I did tell people that I'm a Parselmouth though, because I wanted my classmates to think that I was cool and powerful"
"That's fine. There's nothing wrong with being a Parselmouth. As long as you don't use your gift to scare people"
"I don't. Everyone thinks it's awesome, and I actually have a lot of friends"
"I'm glad".

"I want to go to Ilvermorny" grumbled Gellert.
"You will get your chance, in a few years" reminded Genevieve.
"I want to go now" replied Gellert.
"I'm afraid that you have to wait until you turn 11, just like everyone else"
"But I want friends, and a wand. And I want to get out of this house"
"You can't go to Ilvermorny yet, and you know it. Now, stop complaining, and eat your dinner".
Gellert frowned and turned his head back to his plate, before begrudgingly shoving a piece of brocoli into his mouth.

"So, you have good friends at school then?" Questioned Genevieve, turning her attention back to Salazar.
"Yes, I am quite popular, because I am good at magic. I also have a close group of friends" answered Salazar.
"Good. I'm glad that you are having such a good time over there" replied Genevieve.
"Me too... Thanks for making father let me go to school"
"You are very welcome. And I'm sure he will be home to greet you any time soon"
"I doubt it. He's probably very busy".

Genevieve sighed deeply, as she didn't want to lie to Salazar, for he seemed to know that Tom didn't care about being a good father.
The more Tom missed out on his children's lives, the harder she found it to defend him to them, and make excuses for his absences.
She didn't feel it was right to make Tom into someone that he was not.
He was never going to be a good father, and she had to accept that.