Unto Eternity (Slytherin)

[Salazar Slytherin]

Salazar seemed to agree, Morgana loved her Avalon, but she loved it as a place of safety for those of the magical sort, “there has to be some reason. I assume you’ll discover someday, unless this jump in time changes the future as it occurs.” He nodded, “we were not the first, no, but we were the first who thought through all the problems that would occur, and the first to take four different personalities and opinions and viewpoints on magic. The biggest issue the others had was one take on what magic should be, what witches and wizards should be. Helga, Rowena, Godric, and I each have very different views and ours combined will leave well-rounded witches and wizards.” He was fully convinced this was the truth.

“Perhaps she is the daughter of both fay and the devil. It would attest for her unfortunate strength and skill. And that may be the case, Morgana, but those who have been persecuted know little else and then go to persecute others. It has always been the case, even we sometimes fall into those grasps.”

Salazar knew that his opinion on magical folk differed from Morgana. She believed all should work together, he believed that purebloods were stronger and needed more teaching and therefore were the ones he preferred. He had yet to learn that even those with non-magical blood could be as strong or stronger than those whose magical blood lay untainted.

“Someday soon the magical folk will have to come to power acting as muggles to contain these horrible weapons. Their weapons are heading to the strength of magic, only they know little of how to control it, while magical folk have had millennia to develop and understand their magic.”

[Morgana le Fay]

"I pray that this alterted timeline has averted the event that caused my older self to conceal Avalon," she sighed. "Perhaps I would seek her out to ask were I not repulsed by the very idea of time paradoxes. I think, sometimes, that approaching it as you did is why Hogwarts ultimately succeeded."

Considering Evienne's sketchy origins, it was entirely possible that she was more than just half-fay. Even if she were merely fay-born like Morgana, her skill and power were impressive and undeniable. There was a very good reason that the shores of her lake had been avoided by magical folk for so long; she was infamously territorial, and it was not wise to draw the ire of someone with such raw strength as Evienne.

"She is the result of some unholy union, I am sure. And I had hoped that, perhaps, we might have finally overcome our differences by this time; I see now that I was wrong. I wonder if it was not pure disillusionment that sent the older me into solitude."

She had taught, and so she knew that there were talented children of no magical lineage. More than just a few had been her students. It was for that reason that she could never agree with Salazar's philosophy on instruction.

"If we don't step forward, they'll destroy themselves," she agreed.

[Salazar Slytherin]

Salazar nodded, “again, I agree with you, Morgana. Avalon is a very powerful refuge, one that beats even Hogwarts in spells of protection.” He understood completely her wariness of paradoxes, if he had lived as long as she he would be wary of them as well, but he was naïve and didn’t care to learn what could come of paradoxes. “I believe that it is the reason we succeeded. Magic does not have one form so it should not be taught in only one way, by only one opinion. It should be taught by many of many opinions.”

“I agree. I pray that someday someone overpowers and over takes her, stopping her killings and destruction.” Salazar considered it, “perchance, but I think not. You never were one to disillusion yourself for more than a few months or years.”

“Even if we step forward without revealing magic, as this time is still terrified by the idea of revealing to the muggle world, because of that which occurred to magical folk of our time. Though they’d have much better luck nowadays as the magical folk across the world are connected in some manners and could band together much better.”

[Morgana le Fay]

She was not used to agreeing with Salazar on anything. In fact, their few brief attempts at cooexistance had proven that the two of them became supremely awkward when they spent too long together. They were both too stubborn to ever admit that they had a lot in common, beyond their share hatred of Evienne, Lady of the Lake. Morgana had been considered for the role, but her strong attachment to Avalon had prevented it; she wondered if it might have been best for her to take over from her mentor Vivianne. The Lady of the Lake was a very important part of magical Britannia, and Evienne was too dangerous to be entrusted with such power.

But Morgana had never been able to let go of her worldly attachments as readily as Evienne, and the Lady of the Lake had to.

"I fear that I may be finding myself thinking you less of a wretched git," she noted with a laugh. "We do not usually spend so much time together without finding something to argue about."

"Being Lady of the Lake emboldened her; I wonder sometimes if I should have accepted the role when it was offered to me," she confessed.

She feared whaf was required of the Lady, though. It would have meant giving up Merlin and Arthur; it would have meant turning away all but the strongest of the terrifed, world-weary young souls that had found her over the years. She could not do that, so she could not be Lady.

"It is sensible to show caution, but I fear that those who followed us may have taken it too far. They can be ridiculous in their precautions."

[Salazar Slytherin]

Salazar was equally as surprised that their truce of today had lasted so very long. Often times they began arguing mere minutes upon meeting. This had been much longer and still they hardly differed in their opinions, let alone argued over them. “Perhaps the time jump has changed something,” he pondered, “or perhaps we are both simply growing past foolish and petty debates.”

“You would have driven yourself mad in that role, leading to either suicide or a fight with someone that then led to your death. You as a person are better off where you are, where you can still oppose Evienne and prevent her worst attempts at evil doing.”

Strangely enough, he knew her well enough to know that she would never last as Lady of the Lake. She had been too fond of Merlin and Arthur, and later on, too fond of helping those who needed solitude or protection. She could not last as Lady, it would destroy all that made her Morgana.

“I fear you are right, perchance we should encourage them to break some precautions and attempt to connect with the nonmagical world?”

[Morgana le Fay]

"I fear that, for me, growth is something that no longer happens," she quipped. "But I understand what you were trying to say. Perhaps you're correct."

She knew that she would have been driven to madness by being Lady of the Lake, but part of her also knew that she should have taken over the role. Between Morgana and Evienne, Britannia would have been better off for having Morgana as the keeper of its secrets. The knowledge bestowed upon Evienne as Lady had made her more dangerous than she'd been before, and that was saying something. Morgana had begun to worry that she may have to finally take steps towards ending Evienne's Ladyship before the time jump.

"I would never have killed myself; it is far too important a role, but...you are right to assume that it would have driven me mad. The thought of just not caring anymore is revolting," she scowled.

Vivianne had, for all that she was nuturing towards Morgana and Evienne, always seemed utterly soulless, like she had one foot in the grave constantly. Perhaps she did, and someone with Morgana's fear of death did not need to spend the remainder of her existance waiting for it.

"But how to do so without revealing our time-traveler status?"

[Salazar Slytherin]

“Everyone grows in some way, even if they don’t believe it to be true. You still grow, even now, and even later in your life while you hide away, you’ll still be learning and growing,” though it was rare, Salazar was sometimes very good at telling things how it was, no matter how strange it was.

Salazar understood completely, he would have an equally tough time if he had to give up all of his friends, he had once been a loner but now cared dearly for the other three founders.

“You could never stop caring, even if your role forced you to. You would simply drive yourself mad trying to accomplish both things at once.”

“We speak to Dumbledore, get larger roles in the magical time, and offer a different opinion from others. Eventually, someone will listen.”

[Morgana le Fay]

"I have a sneaking suspicion about what the older me has done, and if it is correct, I can safely say that she does not grow, but...perhaps I do. Just a little," she conceded.

She was stubborn, but she tried to not be foolish. She knew her limits, and she knew when to admit that somebody else was right. She hadn't always; in her youth, she'd been dreadfully impulsive and mulish. She sometimes wondered if she ought to just call what she referred to as her youth her early years. Morgana would be almost eternally youthful; that painting had drived that particular painful point home.

"Maybe you're right," Morgana agreed.

She frowned a little and folded her arms across her chest.

"If my conclusions are correct, my policy of non-interferance may well be my best bet in this time. I fear that I could do some horrible damage if I misstepped."

[Salazar Slytherin]

“What exactly, do you believe that to be?” he was curious, Morgana was often mysterious in this manner, but rarely about something that crew his attention as this did.

Salazar smiled, “I do not believe you have ever said that to me, Morgana, perhaps our grudging alliance will soon become less grudging and more alliance.” It was a strange thought, but possibly best for the both of them. If they focused less attention on each other and more on Evienne, they might succeed in doing more.

“Then what do you believe we, or even I, if you do not want to interfere, should do? Hiding from the muggle world will only hinder the future of the magical race.”

[Morgana le Fay]

"Evienne is not Lady of the Lake in this time, and I know her to not be the type that takes an apprentice. I fear that I know too well who the new Lady is, and, if I am correct, then a lot makes sense."

She was praying that time had changed Evienne, that she had taken an apprentice, because she knew that Ladyship would destroy her, but Morgana also knew herself. If it become necessary, she knew that she would be willing to kill Evienne and take over, and she was certain that this would be the result. A complete inability to care about anything.

"Time will tell," she responded with, perhaps, the first genuine smile she'd ever showed him.

"It is possible to guide without directly interfering; I am a master of the art at this point. It is what we will have to do."

[Salazar Slytherin]

“You believe that you killed her and took over the duties of the Lady,” Salazar said. It was not a question, he knew it to be true. With all the time he spent around her (even when they argued), he understood her mind rather well.

He, for the first time ever, felt worried for Morgana. She would completely lose herself if she were to become the Lady of the Lake. Morgana without her friends, without the people who made her who she was, was an empty hole that even he never wanted to see. Morgana had so much fire that losing everything would quench, and he feared seeing that side of her.

He was surprised, first she agreed with him, then she smiled. Something was definitely very strange in this time. “Something has gone very different, you’ve never agreed with me, nor smiled.” He laughed, it was a very strange feeling.

“Then you must teach me how, it is not a skill I possess, which you very well know, Morgana.”

[Morgana le Fay]

"I do, and I worry that it is more than just a sneaking suspicion. Why else would Dumbledore refuse to tell me who the Lady is...? At the very least, I seem to do the job well," she noted, glancing out the window. "There is, at least, that."

She knew the rules of being Lady well; they had caused her to reject the role once. Things must have gotten bad if she had willingly taken on a burden that she'd never wanted. Morgana had always been reluctant to take on too much power; she knew that it had a tendency to change people, warp them. It seemed that the Lady's power had done to her what she'd always feared that would. Sometimes, she hated to be right.

"Mayhap I should stop," she suggested mildly as a joke.

"I know very well your skill set, little snake," she agreed.

[Salazar Slytherin]

Salazar nodded, it did seem fairly likely. “The only threat I’ve seen in this time is a man who calls himself Voldemort and is trying to purge the world of muggles, muggle borns, and half bloods, despite him being a half blood himself. He seems to have some distant relation to me and believes to be doing what I would have wanted.”

Salazar rolled his eyes, another thing he had picked up in this time period, “mayhap you should for fear of forgetting why we have so long hated one another.” He said this as a joke, but also because he was thoroughly confused. This was a different Morgana than he was used to.

“Which is both good and bad, depending on the particular moment.”

[Morgana le Fay]

"I've heard of him. They whisper his name as though he were the Devil incarnate, and glance over their shoulders as though he will appear at the very mention," she noted. "He is an effective fear-mongerer, but not the threat that Evienne is. Not yet."

She didn't revel in death and destruction, didn't enjoy to kill. Despite the massive power that she wielded, Morgana had always strove to live peacefully...excluding the times when she took arms for whatever reasons, which were usually very brief. Her anger proved to be a strong deterrent for those that would dare disturb the peace.

"I am old," she began out of the blue. "Older than I care to admit, older than most realize. Sometimes, I feel it, and act my age."

It was happening more and more frequently lately, as she began to realize that something would have to be done about Evienne. She had begun to speak with Rowena of the possibility of taking over as Lady of the Lake; the two of them were searching for a replacement Transfiguration professor in her own time.

"For me, it is always a good thing," she half-joked.

[Salazar Slytherin]

“He seems to inspire fear in all. I assume because they know little of what true horrors, such as Evienne, can do. Perhaps he will be, someday. He is growing steadily stronger and Dumbledore believes him to have been using dark magics, though there is no proof to go by.”

Salazar could not think of a time that Morgana had truly fought over anything. She would argue, debate, threaten, but never follow through. She was a very peaceful person, and the thought of her killing Evienne was an astounding one.

Salazar rarely saw Morgana in this manner. It was different, not her deepest darkest side, he was sure, but still different. “Everyone does, once in awhile, though you are older than most.”

Sal glared at her, “rarely for me.”