Chapter 1

In a secluded place somewhere in England, a house that was neither small nor large, but just about the right size, stood surrounded by a beautiful garden. Behind it, a thick forest loomed, but there was no sinister atmosphere in the darkness of the night as the sounds of chatter wafted through its windows. Inside, in one of the rooms, two beautiful girls of around the same age sat near each other. One had long raven hair that contrasted with her fair skin, and the other had golden locks that seemed to glow as bright as her smile.

The dark haired one was called Rowena Ravenclaw, and she was muttering a spell under her breath. In the dimness of the room which only source of light was a single candle, a bright orb of licking flames suddenly burst to life, shining like a giant star. The other girl, the one known as Helga Hufflepuff, gasped and stared at the magical creation in awe, admiration so clear on her expression.

"You really can do anything you learned just by reading," Helga shook her head in wonder. Rowena smiled and looked back down at the ancient tome she'd been poring over for the last hour. She waved her wand and the ball of fire vanished without a trace in a blink of an eye.

"Don't you wish more people could learn these things?" she said, more to herself than to her friend. "I mean, there are so many untold wonders of magic in these books. And they're so difficult to hunt down, especially if you don't know what to look for. There needs to be place that just stores all this knowledge of magic."

Helga looked at her sympathetically, knowing how much Rowena would love such a place, and how her brilliance would thrive even more within it. "That would be perfect indeed if such a place existed."

Rowena was quiet for a moment, seemingly lost in thought. She looked out the window and bit her lip uncertainly before she turned to Helga, her eyes shining with hope that she didn't seem to dare to indulge in yet. "Well, maybe we should build one."

Helga stared at her friend in confusion. "Come again?"

"We ought to build one. Build a place to teach magic… a school of magic," Rowena's excitement was much less suppressed now. "Think about it, Helga; a school where every witch and wizard could learn to use all their potential instead of scrambling on their own and trying to make it up as they go along! These abilities that we are blessed with; they need to be honed and trained. Otherwise, so much potential is being wasted."

"A school of magic?" Helga echoed. "I heard there was some sort of academies over in France and Spain, but…"

"But there's none in Britain yet!"

"And you want us to make one?" Helga suddenly looked very overwhelmed.

Rowena clasped her hand encouragingly, and asked the question that Helga knew she would always remember for the rest of her life: "Why not us?"

When it came to confidence, Helga had to admit she didn't have as much of it as her friend did. But there was something about this idea that spoke to her; that touched a deep part of her that maybe had always secretly dreamed about it, only she had never thought it possible or within her own capabilities. After all, building an entire school was no easy task. "Are… are you sure? I mean, you're brilliant and everything, but… that's still a huge undertaking. And… with me?"

"Of course with you, silly! I trust no one better than you to help in something as important as this." Rowena stood up and started pacing. Helga could almost see her brain working a mile a minute already, jumping far ahead and calculating everything. "Although, you're right. We can't do it alone. We have to find more people," Rowena said decisively, the glint of determination in her eyes. "People who share the same desire to teach magic, and who would be great teachers. People we can trust and depend on."

"Salazar," Helga said suddenly, surprising herself with the impulsivity. She hadn't even remembered agreeing to the idea yet, let alone believing she could do it. But Rowena's enthusiasm was infectious. "And Godric, obviously. They're both great wizards and I can't see anyone better to share this project with."

"Yes!" Rowena said with a grin. "You're right; they would be perfect for this. And I can't see them turning this down." She squeezed her friend's shoulder, hope of the future lighting up her face. "Oh, Helga, we're going to be able to teach the next generation and every one after that all about magic. It's about time someone shares all this precious knowledge!" Rowena's passion for learning had never been shown more obviously, and it warmed Helga's heart to see her like this. "Will you help me? Will you join me in creating the best school of witchcraft and wizardry in Britain?"

Helga stared at her best friend in the world, the most exceptional witch that she'd ever known, and suddenly found herself filled with a spark of hope. A school where no witch or wizard would ever be lost again. A place where they could learn and use their skills the right way. "Yes," Helga smiled, Rowena's joy finally infecting her too. She jumped up from her chair and grasped her friend's hands excitedly. "Yes, let's do this!"

Helga Hufflepuff remembered the first time she met her three best friends. It was in one of those frequent pureblood gatherings, which was akin to an exclusive tea party attended by the most prominent wizarding families. Of course, Muggles thought they were just a bunch of stuck-up, eccentric rich families, and those who felt they should earn themselves an invitation would then look down upon them with disdain upon realizing that they had an additional requirement in joining the private group; a requirement that they refused to tell non-wizards. Many had been offended by the simple refusal that yielded no other explanation. But mostly the wizard families were left alone, because their façade ensured that they remained to appear as respected members of the society.

It was at one of these gatherings that Helga first caught sight of a beautiful young woman whose hair was as dark as night itself, and who carried herself with confidence that was almost thought inappropriate by other women at that time. Rowena had caught her gaze and smiled, as if sensing a connection between them that would eventually bloom into a beautiful friendship, as if she already knew what kind of bright future they were going to have together. She'd introduced herself to Helga, who was feeling utterly intimidated and shy around her at first, but soon found herself liking the other girl a lot. And since that night they had been pretty much inseparable.

Rowena's mind was sharper than most women Helga knew. She never ceased to amaze her, and Helga felt very lucky to have found her. They practiced magic a lot in the safety of their homes, Rowena teaching her a lot of new things that Helga had yet to discover. She also read more books than Helga thought was possible to be read in an entire lifetime.

And it was at another gathering much like the one that had introduced them to each other that both girls noticed Salazar and Godric for the first time. Helga still remembered that night as if it only happened yesterday.

"Look at those two boys," she'd nudged Rowena, glancing at the sulking, bored-looking pair of young men who had been trying to entertain themselves with simple spells.

Rowena had turned to look, though she hadn't seemed impressed. "What about them?"

"Aren't they gorgeous?" Helga had said with a grin, a blush creeping into her cheeks.

Rowena had rolled her eyes. "Oh, Helga, you can't be serious. No boys our age are worth our attention. They're all arrogant fools, and I'd bet you anything so are those two. Do not let yourself be distracted by their mere appearance."

"You cannot mean to tell me you haven't found a boy who's smart?"

"Not as smart as me, that's for sure," Rowena had scoffed.

Helga had given her a tired look. "No one is as smart as you, Rowena."

Rowena had chuckled. "Fair point."

"Come on, let's just talk to them for a bit. They may surprise you."

"Which one do you fancy anyway?" Rowena had looked at her suspiciously.

Helga's cheeks had reddened even more. "Well… the one with the green scarf."

She had almost expected Rowena to tease her, but as was often the case, Rowena had surprised her by simply nodding and said, "Alright, then I shall engage the other one in conversation to distract him, so you may freely talk with the one you like."

Helga had been unable to believe that Rowena would do that for her, and yet Rowena had kept her promise. When the two girls had approached the boys (Helga shyly, Rowena pretending to be coy), the boy with the green scarf had introduced himself as Salazar Slytherin. Helga had been taken by his charm quite immediately, and had almost forgotten that Rowena and the other boy—she'd later learned he was called Godric Gryffindor—had also been there.

And from that point on, what used to be two pairs of best friends united and formed a new kind of friendship between four, and it was the best thing that had ever happened to each of them.

Tonight was only one of the proofs that they were all meant to find each other. As Helga stood on the doorway of the living room in Godric's house, having just been let in so she and Rowena could tell the boys about their plan, she took a moment to look at each and every one of her dearest friends lovingly for a moment, feeling the familiar warmth in her heart that she always felt when the four of them were together. They had all taken a seat around a circular table, ready to flesh out their plan. Even though Godric and Salazar hadn't said yes yet, she knew they would. She couldn't imagine a scenario where they would not be interested in this idea.

And so it meant tonight they would start something big.

Tonight, they were going to make history.