Centaurs, Serpents, and Princes

Chapter 7

Happy Christmas! Unfortunately I'm not in a position to promise conservative updates but I do hope you enjoy this update!

The area appeared desolate with collapsed and decaying trees about along with a great deal of rocks and dirt.

"Where are we?" Lucy asked her father?"

"What once was a home." Severus stated.

"Was it dismantled?" Lucy questioned.

"No, simply hidden." Severus answered.

"Like 12 Grimmauld Place?"

"The only similarities they have are that both are hidden. This location has been hidden by blood magic...There should be a stone with a carving on each side."

Lucy took a step forward and found herself nearly tripping over a rock about the size of her fist. On one side a simple shake was carved into it and on the other side was a bird mid flight.

"I believe I've found it." Lucy declared.

"Indeed." Severus nodded once he had seen what Lucy had lifted. "The next step is the assurance of blood."

"Assurance?" Lucy inquired.

"A drop of blood on the snake and on the bird each to prove yourself a descendant of Salazar Slytherin. Once done you never have to do it again."

"So Salazar created this?"

"No."

After realizing that no more details were coming Lucy drew her dagger from her boot and pricked her finger, letting a drop spill onto each engraving. A moment passed and then, like a curtain being dropped, a grand mansion came into view.

Once inside, Severus became much less mum on the details. "Salazar Slytherin's two children, Silas and Persephone cast the powerful magic not too long after Salazar's death."

"How did he die?" Lucy wondered.
"It could have been a heart attack or perhaps old age. All that is recorded in the family history is that he died in his sleep." Severus informed her.

Lucy nodded before turning her attention to the house. Despite being old and no longer lived in, the manor held not a spec of dirt or dust and although the mansion was "Slytherin Manor", it was rather bright with a different color scheme for almost every room from what Lucy could tell so far in the tour. The front room had marble floor with a grand staircase with a green carpet and polished wood handrails. The music room was silver and the drawing room gold. The dinning room was red and the kitchen was sky blue.

Severus then showed Lucy his favorite room in the Manor, the library. It was easily three stories tall with several levels of lounging areas in which to read. One section of books was exclusively potions and had an adjacent room for the purpose of brewing said potions along with a well stocked ingredients closet.

Finally, Lucy posed a question, breaking the silence. "This is used as a safe house for Salazar's descendants?" Severus nodded in confirmation, knowing that that was not her true question.
"The Dark Lord is unaware of it?" Again Severus nodded.

"This place is, amazing...Why don't you live here?"

"Sometimes the Death Eaters like to make house calls."

Lucy nodded in understanding but there was something off. Something was wrong.