Hogwarts' John Wick

John entered Slytherin’s Chamber of Secrets once again.

Of the secret chambers left behind by the four founders, this was probably the one most widely known.

Gryffindor’s was meant for those with an adventurous spirit.

Ravenclaw’s could not be found by the clever.

Hufflepuff’s served wizards at midnight.

Slytherin’s Chamber, however, seemed to have broken the rules from the very beginning.

Its existence was steeped in terrifying legends, tales of purging wizards who were not pure-bloods.

It had nurtured a deadly Basilisk and housed magic associated with evil.

Slytherin’s Chamber of Secrets was undoubtedly the odd one out among the four founders’ hidden chambers.

Nor had Slytherin left behind a consciousness like the other founders had.

Returning here once more, John could not help feeling nostalgic.

He had once fought the Basilisk here, and he had also studied soul magic in this very place.

Before the Constellation Society existed, this had been John’s secret base.

Only he and Harry knew how to enter it.

All manner of forbidden magic had been experimented with here.

John walked towards the enormous statue. Built deep underground, darkness was the defining feature of this place.

John’s eyes could see perfectly well in the dark, but he still chose to create a ball of light.

The glowing orb floated overhead as John entered the statue.

There were three levels inside.

The workshop on the first floor.

The office on the second.

The *** area on the third.

John entered the second floor and ran his hand over the silver skull artefact.

A long box rested quietly nearby, completely empty inside.

Returning here with his current knowledge, John saw everything differently.

He glanced at the silver skull artefact. It was an alchemical object, and also something similar to a Pensieve.

Magic was inscribed upon it, along with a sentence written in an ancient language.

-"Glory and light are both indispensable."-

John picked it up and casually tossed it from hand to hand. The long box that had supposedly once contained Slytherin’s wand did not appear to be anything special.

Carrying the silver skull artefact, John entered the third floor.

The books there were perhaps the best-preserved things in the entire Chamber.

The previous heir had been Voldemort, and that fellow had taken away everything valuable that he could carry.

John raised a hand, and a book flew from the shelf towards him.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that the books here had formed the foundation of John’s knowledge of forbidden magic.

John casually flipped through the pages. Content that had once been obscure and difficult now seemed as simple as blank paper to him.

With his current mastery, even if he had not yet reached Slytherin’s level, he was at least capable of contending with him.

With a wave of his hand, several more books flew from the shelves.

John returned to the second floor.

He set the books alight, and thick smoke filled the room.

Then he raised the silver skull artefact.

The skull opened its mouth and began drawing the smoke inside.

Green flames ignited within its eye sockets, casting an eerie glow across the surroundings.

And within the space illuminated by that green light, a human figure appeared.

He sat there, reading the book in his hands and making notes.

The surroundings no longer seemed quite so ancient either.

The collapsed shelves had been restored, and there were two golden candlesticks instead of one.

John looked at the man and slowly said, "Salazar Slytherin."

It was not really him. It was only an image.

The skull was recreating events that had once taken place around the books.

Much like the statue outside, Salazar Slytherin looked exactly like the sort of evil wizard who would appear in old stories.

However, this Slytherin was not as old. His beard was still black.

Salazar Slytherin’s research was actually rather dull. Until the image faded, he did little more than keep writing.

John placed several other books into the artefact.

Like John himself, Slytherin was either researching or experimenting.

He was passionate about magic and would sometimes remain in the same place for an entire day.

"No wonder everyone says we’re alike."

John laughed softly. Looking at Salazar Slytherin’s bald head, he touched his own black hair.

"I’m not going to end up bald too, am I?"

For the first time, he began to worry that his old age might leave him completely hairless.

When the image from the final book ended, John could not help shaking his head.

"So he really isn’t here."

He had hoped the images might draw out Salazar Slytherin’s consciousness, but now it seemed that no such thing existed.

Or perhaps that consciousness had already faded away.

It was a little sad.

Of Hogwarts’ four great founders, the one who should have been among the most accomplished in magic had been the first to disappear.

"All right. Whether you’re here or not." John set down the skull and spoke loudly into the empty Chamber. "As a Slytherin, I still have something to say to you."

"I learned a great deal in your Chamber. That knowledge helped me immensely."

He waved a hand at the empty air.

"Now I’m leaving. I’m leaving this school."

"I never earned the title of Heir of Slytherin."

"But as the King of Slytherin, I should still say goodbye to the great Salazar Slytherin, founder of this House."

"Glory to Slytherin," John said with a faint smile. "Slytherin pursues glory, earns glory, and defends glory."

"Great Salazar Slytherin, be proud!"

"John Wick came from your House!"

John’s voice echoed through the Chamber.

It carried the boldness of someone about to step into the wizarding world.

It carried the pride of the Second King.

It carried the ambition of Slytherin.

At last, the echoes faded into silence.

There was a sense of relief on John’s face as he prepared to leave.

He walked out of the statue and followed the dark passageway.

"John... Wick."

John stopped in his tracks and took a deep breath.

A deep rumbling sound filled the passage, and a helpless look appeared on his face.

"I really did overlook something rather important."

Slowly, John turned around and looked behind him.

The statue John had entered earlier was opening and closing its mouth.

John said, "I never took a close enough look at this Chamber."

The statue of Salazar Slytherin.

Of course. Why would a great wizard devoted to exploring magic ever follow the conventional path?

Slytherin had not disappeared.

Instead...

He had been here all along.

That statue was where his consciousness had been preserved.

Gryffindor had his great wooden sword, Ravenclaw her portrait, and Hufflepuff her recipe.

Each of them had left behind something that housed their consciousness.

Salazar Slytherin had placed his own consciousness within this statue.

The statue’s mouth moved as it spoke.

"I have been.... watching you all along."

"All right." John shrugged. "Great Salazar Slytherin, surely you didn’t come out just because of what I said?"

If you did, you’re far too petty.

John complained inwardly.

Salazar Slytherin said in a deep voice, "I watched you grow.... You are very much like me."

"The same pursuit of magic. The same devotion to family and friends."

"I watched you study while still ignorant of so much. I saw how you encountered difficulties and found ways to overcome them."

"I saw how you created magic and touched upon forbidden things."

"I watched you study magic countless times, even placing another secret chamber within this Chamber."

"I have been watching you all along. You are the most unusual person I have ever encountered."

Salazar Slytherin continued, "The four of us founders each placed part of our thoughts into the Sorting Hat. That is why it is the fairest, and why it understands our intentions better than anything else."

"You have been searching for an answer. An answer about yourself."

John nodded. "Yes. I want to know."

Many people had already given him that answer.

The statue of Salazar Slytherin said, "You are the finest Slytherin.... You were right, and I can also feel your ambition."

"You will not take pride in being a Slytherin... Instead, Slytherin will take pride in you."

As he said those words, John could almost feel Slytherin’s awkwardness.

After all, he was an extremely proud man. For someone like him to say such a thing could not have been easy.

Salazar Slytherin took a deep breath and said seriously, "John Wick, you are a true Slytherin."

That was the answer.

John smiled.

Many people had said it before, but hearing it from Slytherin himself felt more like an acknowledgement.

An acknowledgement of his talent, his ambition, and his pride.

"I have to ask. All these years, you never appeared. Were you really struggling over my Muggle background?" John stared suspiciously at Salazar Slytherin.

He had come down here dozens of times, if not a hundred. The other founders had appeared the first time, yet Slytherin had never shown himself even once.

"Ahem." Salazar Slytherin sounded somewhat embarrassed. "I was merely observing you to see whether you were qualified to meet me."

John had every reason to suspect that he was simply too proud to admit it.

He wanted to acknowledge John as his heir, but apparently found it difficult to accept that a Muggle-born could be his legitimate successor.

After all, Slytherin had once quarrelled with Gryffindor and simply walked away from Hogwarts.

They had been friends. There was no reason they would truly have treated each other as mortal enemies and cut off all contact forever.

Slytherin building the Chamber of Secrets seemed more like an act of spite.

Regardless, John smiled and bowed elegantly.

"Great Slytherin, I accept your acknowledgement. Wait here until the name John Wick reaches your ears once again."

John raised his head, his eyes filled with ambition that seemed capable of swallowing everything.

No matter how stubbornly proud Salazar Slytherin might be, even he had to admit that John was the perfect successor.

The enormous stone head lowered slightly.

"I will be proud of you, King of Slytherin."

John left with Slytherin’s acknowledgement.

He would now step into the wizarding world and become a king beyond the walls of this ivory tower.

____

Damn... watching him come this far, I feel like a proud dad😭

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