Harry had been wandering the castle for what seemed like hours before he finally made it to dinner on the first night. He had gotten lost on the way back to gryffindor tower, and had ended up in a part of Hogwarts he had never encountered before.

He was in a long thin room, adorned in cobwebs and dust, the floorboards creaking as he wandered down the room. A hissing noise came from somewhere to his left, and as he turned, he caught sight of an elegant man, cloaked in fine emerand silk trimmed with golden thread. His hair was pure white, and he seemed to have an almost vacant expression on his face as he hissed to himself.

"Salazar Slytherin!" Harry gasped to himself, as the charecter in the frame swung round to face him.

"Why, it's been many a year since  a young hatchling has found me here- what brings you here?"

"I-I-I'm afraid I got lost, and somehow ended up here!" stuttered Harry, lost for words when face to face with one of the four founders.

"Well, I'm sure you want to get out of this dusty attic one day, but alas, so do I. Since you are lost, and I built this place, my suggestion is that you dust me off, and I will guide you back to the great hall- so shall we?" proposed Salazar, a twinkiling in his eyes not unalike the headmasters.

Lost for words, and unable to string together a coherent scentence, Harry simply nodded, picked up the painting, and continued on his journey, with the founder guiding the way.

-------page break-------

"Where the devil is the boy?" thought Severus, as he nervously scanned the great hall for any sign of the child.

He had never missed a meal before- hell, he had never been late to one either! But hen again, there must be a first time for everything...

The doors then opened with a crash, and a small boy wandered in, coated from head to toe in thick dust, accompanied by the long lost portrait of Salazar Slytherin....

wait...

THE LONG LOST PORTRAIT OF SALAZAR SLYTHERIN!!

Severus leaped up from his seat and ran down the length of the hall, reaching the other end in a matter of seconds.

Noticing Harry almost collapsing under the weight of the portrait, he lifted it off of him, setting it down beside the wall. Turning back round to check how Harry was, Severus was surprised to see the boy leaping and jumping around in celebration that he managed to get out the attics!

"Harry...you do realise what you found here?"Severus asked.

"Yeah, a portrait of Salazar Slytherin"

"Harry, this is no ordinary portrait...you've found the only- and long lost- portrait of Salazar Slytherin..there's not a single other one in existence"