She Died With a Chalice in Her Hand
Author: LVB
Disclaimer: JK owns it all. Title a play on the movie He Died With a Falafel in his Hand. I tried to get as much info from the HP Lexicon as possible, hope it all makes sense!
Summary: Helga Hufflepuff was the most loyal of them all…even to the bitter end. Founders era.
A/N: Only my second foray into the HP fic world. I can't help it, JK has sucked me in ;)
She had chosen yellow. She had always loved yellow. It reminded her of the sunshine, of daisies and of that dress her mother had made for her when she was just a little girl. She had always loved sitting outside in the sunshine. That was until the other villagers came. She wouldn't forget that fateful day anytime soon.
They had come to their home with flaming torches and destroyed everything. Helga had been too young to understand why at the time but it was blatantly obvious to her now. They had feared them because they were witches. She had been so scared that night that she had performed her first act of magic. Reaching for her mother's wand like she had seen her do, she pointed and closed her eyes.
The next thing she knew, the bad people had gone. She had managed save herself but there was nothing she could do to help her mother. Instead of running as far away as possible like her mother asked her, she simply sat and held her mother's hand until she finally slipped away.
From that moment on, Helga swore to herself that she would do everything in her power to protect those that needed it the most—which is exactly why she found herself to be in the grand castle decades later. Along with her friend Rowena Ravenclaw and two very powerful wizards Godric Gryffindor and Salazar Slytherin, they had been able to found a wizarding school. They had finally decided on a name- Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Granted it wasn't the most inventive or magical name but as she had toured the grand halls of the castle, she had decided it fit perfectly.
They had each taken one of the four towers, founding a House under their own names. The happiest moment of Helga's life was the day their first students had appeared at the school. Godric had kindly offered his magical hat. Between the four of them they enchanted it so it would be able to distinguish the most prominent abilities each student had to offer. The Slytherin students would be cunning; Ravenclaw's smart and Gryffindor's brave. But what would those who belonged to the house of Hufflepuff show? Helga was at a loss. She remembered the way Salazar had smirked and made yet another striking comment. She remembered the way Rowena flicked her hair impatiently waiting for her powerful but hopeless best friend to make up her mind. She also remembered the way Godric had simply smiled and handed her what he had dubbed as the "Sorting Hat".
"Put it on Helga. It has a way of sensing things inside you that you might not even be aware of. That's part of its magic." He smiled and gently placed the hat onto her head. She immediately felt herself relax as the hat suddenly jerked to an upright position.
"Well, what do we have here?" Helga wasn't sure if it was just a voice in her head or if in fact the others could hear. The confused look on Salazar's face answered her question.
"My first project it would seem. Oh yes, you are the wonderful Ms. Helga Hufflepuff, aren't you? I heard what you did to that nasty dark wizard a few years ago. Yes, my, my, you are a powerful witch. But what is it that you seek?"
Helga frowned as she thought of an appropriate answer. "I seek the answer to the question what is it about me that makes me who I am. What can I offer that they cannot?" She swore she actually felt the hat atop her head thinking.
"There is lots of pain in your past, Helga of Hufflepuff. But every time there is an evil to defeat, an innocent to protect, a witch or wizard to educate you are there. You are strong in more ways that one. Which is why I say that Helga, from the House of Hufflepuff you are LOYALTY!"
As the Sorting Hat screamed out his last word, she couldn't help noticing the broad smile that adorned Godric's face. She didn't even bother looking at Salazar's face, as she already expected his obligatory scowl and look of disdain. From that moment on, Helga made it her mission to put everything she had into the sanctuary she and her comrades had struggled to hard to create.
Over time, the school opened properly and all those facing persecution for their gifts sought refuge at the grand castle. Helga always attended the Sorting and every time she received a new student to fill her tower of the castle, she smiled, knowing that it would be her job to forever protect and help these students. Time passed and as more and more young witches and wizards came to join them, the cracks began to show between the four great founders.
And most naturally, the cause of the problem was stemming from Salazar. He had called several meetings trying to persuade the others to try and restrict those who entered Hogwarts. Salazar, being a proud pureblood himself only wanted those of the same descent to attend the school. The anger on Godric's face as he mentioned it yet again reflected the opinions of both herself and Rowena. All her life she had always been caught between the two worlds, never allowing herself to be proud of who she was. Salazar's comments cut deep and the moment he announced he was going to leave the school, she felt like an immense weight had left her shoulders.
Salazar left amongst unfounded rumours of a chamber he had left behind to exact his revenge. They had searched the castle and unless Salazar had some amount of magical knowledge the others did not posses, they were unable to find it. So life continued on at Hogwarts, ever peaceful and ever studious, although the three remaining defenders of the school were always cautious of the return of Salazar.
Many nights were spent in magically sealed rooms and between the three of them. They were secretly trying to plan a defence in case Salazar did ever return with a fiery vengeance. Unbeknownst to the others, Helga had been secretly carrying out her own research. She always had a gift at transfiguration and she had been slowly developing a new spell that could possibly change the entire wizarding community.
Last night she had successfully changed herself into badger. Years of practice and hard concentration and she had finally achieved her goal. Tomorrow she would present what she knew to Godric and Rowena. She wasn't sure why she turned into a badger but this animagus form as she called it, could be used for future generations of witches and wizards.
Smiling, she decided that tonight it would be entirely appropriate to enjoy a glass of wine. She poured the liquid into her finest cup and sat on her bed. Just as she was about to take her first sip, a black shadow appeared at her door. Suddenly, the figure became clearer. Salazar Slytherin.
"Interesting trick you performed last night, Helga," he stated icily. His appearance had grown more ragged and his eyes reflected a darkness she hadn't seen before.
"What do you want Salazar?" she asked him, standing up and clutching her wand along with her cup. He approached her and took in her form. He raised his hand and gently brushed back her golden locks.
"I want you to teach me that fancy new transfiguration spell you managed to create," he whispered as she shoved him away.
"There is no chance of that Salazar. You were once a great wizard and now look what you have become," she hissed as she got her wand at the ready. She doubted she could even disarm him at this rate. Her only option was to cast her Patronus and hope that Godric and Rowena would heed her call.
"You were never smartest Helga," he said as he smirked. "You were the most beautiful, with your hair as golden as sunshine, as yellow as your filthy mudblood attracting house. Instead of attempting to fight me you're just going to stand there, tell me your secret and then die for those same disgusting half-blood and mudbloods you love so much,"
This was her chance to act. She threw her wine directly in his eyes and hurried toward her window. "Expecto Patronum!" she screamed with all her might and watched as her badger disappeared in a swirl of smoke.
She turned to face Salazar who was upon her now. He drew his wand and shouted "Imperio!" as loud as he possibly could.
"Tell me the wards to get into the student's dormitories," he demanded. She did not budge. "Tell me where you keep the geneology parchment Helga."
She just kept concentrating. He couldn't keep this up; not when she wasn't responding. "Tell me how to change into an animal and keep my form! Tell me now!"
In that moment when he realised she would not cooperate, he released the spell. She saw her opportunity. "Petrificus Totalus!" she screamed, knowing it would only work momentarily—he was only weak from the struggle to keep her under the Imperius.
It was then that she acted. She grabbed the now empty chalice and with every ounce of her that was magically bound she poured everything she knew into the cup. She looked up and saw the image of a lion running towards her quarters. Godric was on his way and finally Salazar would be destroyed.
She smiled. There was only one way this was going to end and if Salazar struck before Godric arrived, she might just collapse. But she couldn't do that. She owed her allegiance to the school, to the castle, to her fellow founders, to her precious children and to herself. She was Helga Hufflepuff and she would be loyal to the very end.
She grasped her beloved chalice in one hand and clutched her wand in the other. "Goodbye Salazar. Let them know I was loyal…until the bitter end." She raised her wand and with a single spell, "Avada Kedavra!" she fell onto her bed amongst the beautiful green sparks.