Ouroboros || harry potter

Chapter Twenty-Eight

(Salazar)

Soft gray twilight tinted freshly fallen snow blue through the window. Salazar dropped the curtain, glanced over at the softly snoring Godric, and headed silently for the door only to pause at the sight of a piece of folded parchment stuck to the wood at eye level. He tilted his head as he contemplated it for a long moment. Then he flicked a finger at it causing the folded side to float upright without him touching it.

It was a note from the old man that owned the pub and inn. He frowned at it in confusion as he reread it a few times. The words never changed. The parselmouth checked his hat on his head, and quietly slipped out the door.

Downstairs showed an almost deserted room. There were a couple of hags seated in a corner, a group of half-awake shop assistants Salazar had seen working in various stores in Diagon Alley over the summer, and a wealthy, older woman with streaks of silver through her blonde hair. He looked back through the room a second time before he turned to the bar and hunted down Tom the old bartender.

As soon as the old man reappeared from the back, Salazar demanded, "My aunt is here?"

Tom blinked owlishly before he huffed, "Use your eyes, lad." He waved his hand over to the wealthy older woman.

Salazar stared at Tom and recalled the fact that Tom didn't actually know who he was. He looked back over the woman with a faint frown. That was definitely not Aunt Petunia.

With nothing else to do about it, Salazar wandered over to the woman. She looked up and glanced disinterestedly at him before she returned to her drink, and—now that he was at the right angle to see it—her subtle watch on the stairs through a decidedly dirty mirror. Her hand reached up and played with a necklace. It drew Salazar's gaze. There was a pendant with a star-crowned dog hanging from the chain.

Clearly, Arcturus hadn't kept their meeting to himself. Salazar looked over the older woman in interest. She had silver-streaked blonde hair instead of Arcturus's salt and pepper hair that leaned more silver than black. Otherwise, they had similar eye colors and the same high cheekbones. They were likely of similar height too.

Salazar claimed the other chair at her table, drawing her startled gaze. His actions forced her attention. She pursed her lips together in displeasure.

The woman began to demand, "Wha–", but stopped herself and stared at him for a long, long moment. Salazar's eyebrows rose as he felt her magic surge and then her gaze softened to wonder. The woman had disrupted what little had remained of his hat's influence on her after he had forced her attention.

Impressive.

He'd have to think of how to fix the runic arrays so that wasn't an option.

She offered softly, "Fascinating magic...Arcturus showed me many intriguing things."

He hummed before he stated, "Aunt."

She blinked and then smiled. "Nephew, why don't I check you boys out and take you to breakfast? Never to sure who might be around, snooping over the residents here."

Salazar considered her for a moment longer before he offered a nod as he rose. If she could find them, others might so moving on from the inn was a valid point. Spying old Tom watching them curiously, Salazar stated louder and with a little too much cheer for the time of the morning, "We'll be down in a few!"

Tom snorted and muttered something about boys and sleep as Salazar ran past him and up the stairs.

As soon as the bedroom door closed, Salazar called out, pulling his hat off as he did so, "Godric, we're checking out." His brother continued to snore. Salazar picked up a pillow and threw it at Godric's face before he focused on pulling a few more layers of clothing on. Who knew where they were getting breakfast. It was best to look the part of her nephew and House Black seemed traditional enough he'd take Percy's distant remarks about layers seriously.