The four friends sat around a small wooden table covered in spilt Firewhiskey, laughing and chatting happily amongst one another. "Then Eloise Dumel approaches my desk halfway through class," Helga Hufflepuff began, clutching her mug in her pudgy hand. "And says to me, 'Miss, my wand's snapped in half!' She'd gone and sat on it, the funny girl!" She finished in a fit of inebriated giggling. The great, muscle bound man at the far end of the table chuckled and took a sip from his glass. "It's true, the students can be trying at the best of times, but would we forfeit a single one?" Godric stated in his deep, booming voice. The two women smiled, but the sallow-faced man remained impassive. "A toast, to our wearisome, yet wonderful students," the beautiful woman announced as she raised her glass. The founders raised theirs in celebration of their newly established school, the glasses clinking together loudly as the four friends talked cheerfully well into the night.
****
"Sal, you've got to see it from my point of view," the two male founders were sitting next to each other in the Great Hall in the centre of the long table, whispering heatedly. "In my eyes, it shouldn't matter what your parentage is, if you possess magical talent, you have the right to be taught how to use it," the red haired man murmured, before taking a bite out of a chicken leg. Slytherin rolled his eyes. "Perhaps certain people don't deserve such an education, Godric. Parentage should matter, and thus it does. Search my house, you will not find a single half-blood or muggleborn. They are not welcome in the house of the snake, nor will they ever be, that is how this entire school should be run." Gryffindor growled quietly, but could not retort as his mouth was full. Before he had a chance, the fair Rowena Ravenclaw, who was sitting on the opposite side of Slytherin, stood up.
"Good evening everyone, I hope you are enjoying your dinner," she began in her lovely, wind-chime voice. "I would like to take this time to announce that the finishing touches are currently being put on the new Quidditch pitch, it should be ready for use within the week." An assortment of hoots and hollers were heard from the Gryffindor and Slytherin tables. Ravenclaw smiled sweetly and continued. "As you all will have noticed, our great school is coming together very nicely, though there is much work yet to be done. There are still facilities that we all want and need, but patience is the key, young ones. Soon Hogwarts will be bigger and better than any of us thought possible, and you will all be using your magic in more and more fantastic ways. With that exciting thought fresh in all of your youthful minds, I bid you a good night." The food disappeared from the tables in an instant, and the students slowly filed out of the Great Hall. "That was a lovely speech, Rowena!" Hufflepuff shouted over the commotion of the students. Slytherin scoffed. "Absolutely inspiring, how about you let one of us give a speech next time?" Ravenclaw narrowed her large brown eyes at him, opened her mouth to speak, but promptly closed it again. She turned and walked briskly through the hall to join her house. "I think you hurt her feelings," said Hufflepuff.
****
"Arlington!" Gryffindor barked. The frightened second year Slytherin jogged over to the hefty man. "Would you like to explain to me why there is a jar of Gillyweed missing from Professor Hufflepuff's store?" The second year smirked slightly before looking down at his feet. "Fifty points from Slytherin, and I'll see you in my office tomorrow night." Arlington grimaced and walked away. Gryffindor sighed. That little kleptomaniac had been giving him a lot of grief lately. He turned around to head back to the common room and walked right into Salazar Slytherin, who had been standing behind him with his arms folded. "Whoa Sal, you nearly gave me a heart attack." Slytherin stared coldly back at him. "I was just heading back to my common room, excuse me." Gryffindor attempted to side step out of Slytherin's way, but the grey haired man stepped with him. Slytherin's lipped curled. "Gryffindor, I do not recall giving you permission to punish students from my house," he hissed. Gryffindor's brow furrowed in bewilderment and his eyes narrowed. "I wasn't aware I needed your permission," he said sarcastically. "But since you seem so keen to run this place, I shouldn't be surprised that you're fabricating new rules." Slytherin snarled. "I wouldn't feel the need to 'run this place', as you so eloquently put it, if the rest of you did a halfway decent job," he replied fiercely. "Since when is scaring small children a good method of running a school?" A few students had gathered around the two angry founders, watching in silent anticipation. "Things will be different around here soon enough." Slytherin turned on his heel and ambulated down the corridor. "Run away and talk to your serpents, parselmouth!" Gryffindor yelled after him. He glanced around at the students watching him. "Don't you all have classes to be in?" he said harshly.
****
Hufflepuff sat cross-legged on the floor of her office, vials of strange substances spread out around her. Ravenclaw sat at Hufflepuff's desk, reading a book. The robust woman poured a purple liquid into a flask, followed by a drop of something sticky looking. It bubbled for a moment before turning bright pink. "Darn it," interjected Hufflepuff. "I just can't get the Tetrahydrocannabinol to mix properly!" She sighed, stood up and approached Ravenclaw. "What's that you're reading?" She asked. Ravenclaw looked up. "Hmm? Oh. I'm grading my student's homework. There really are some geniuses in my house. Of course, that is what the house of the eagle values, after all." Hufflepuff bit her lip. "You know Rowena, maybe it wasn't such a great idea to divide the students based on certain traits. Why couldn't we just teach them all as a whole? Things would be so much simpler." Ravenclaw raised an eyebrow. "My Ravenclaws will only work with each other. Their superior intelligence means that they don't get along well with the other houses," the beautiful woman answered. Hufflepuff gasped. "Are you calling my students stupid?" She asked, taken aback. "I'm sorry Helga, that didn't come out right. It's just that, some of my students require the company of people of similar brain power, to sustain their thirst for knowledge." Hufflepuff scoffed. "You're just saying the same thing! You may think that wit is the most important trait you can have, but nothing is more important than loyalty and kindness and of the latter, you evidently have none!" She said sharply. Ravenclaw picked up her parchment and stormed gracefully out of Hufflepuff's office, mumbling angrily.