Disclaimer: Harry Potter and its characters all belong to J.K. Rowling. This is just a fanfiction work involving the original story's characters and instances.
I hope you enjoy reading.
Somewhere around 1000 AD
The fire crackled merrily in the hearth as four people sat in the four identical seats around an intricately carved wooden round table, talking and laughing at each other's jokes. The room was furnished quite lavishly, and it could be easily assumed that either they were of very rich descent or that they had been very successful in their ventures; the latter being the reason.
The four individuals were as different from each other as was possible. Yet, one look at the group could tell you that they were the closest of friends, more akin to family.
One was a tall, muscular man with a lion-like mane of wavy red hair and a beard to match. He had peach-coloured skin, and his green eyes twinkled with the roar of his laughter. His famous sword was hanging in its sheath, around his waist. He wore red robes with gold highlights and rather intricate designs on the sleeves, indicating his nobility. This man was named Godric.
To his right sat a thin man, with balding black hair and a thin long beard. His skin was pale and his black eyes were betraying the signs of laughter he was trying hard to suppress. A green snake was peering out of his green robes, but the man was completely at ease with its presence. He was wearing a prominent silver locket emblazoned with the letter S. This man was called Salazar.
To his right sat a round, plump woman with red hair. She was wearing a yellow dress with black emblazing, and held a golden cup filled with wine in her hand. Her face wore signs that she had a habit of laughing quite frequently, which was what she was doing right now. Her blue eyes even had tears as a result. Her name was Helga.
Next to her sat a tall woman, who had long black hair and dark eyes. She was quite beautiful, and yet could be intimidating when she wanted to. A beautiful diadem adorned her head, and she wore elegant blue robes complementing her pale skin. She too was chuckling merrily at her neighbor's joke. Her name was Rowena.
"Ah, you should've seen that muggle's face." Godric said, finally getting over his fit of laughter.
"You stupid Gryffindor! And what would've happened if that muggle found out that you were a wizard?" Rowena asked, frowning a little at the red-haired man.
"Knowing Godric, he probably would've challenged him to a duel. And beat him spectacularly too." Salazar said, sneering at him from his seat.
"You do know him better than us, Salazar." Helga said, snickering.
"Oh, how I miss those days when I was young and carefree." Godric sighed.
"Who doesn't?" Salazar exclaimed.
"I, for one, happen to like where we are today. Surrounded by friends and the success we have had at Hogwarts." Helga exclaimed.
"I agree with Helga. We have to think about our students first. As the founders of Hogwarts, our first and foremost duty lies to the school." Rowena said, imperiously.
"Of course, Rowena. We agree with you completely. Isn't that why we have placed those strong wards around the castle? And even if anyone manages to breach them, we all are always here to protect our students from any harm." Salazar replied.
Godric was uncharacteristically silent, which didn't go unnoticed by his friends.
Salazar touched his arm to bring him out of his reverie. Godric looked around the table and spoke in a serious voice. "And what about the future of the school? We all are going to die after a while, what if the school is attacked and the students are in danger with no one around to protect them?"
"We are just men, Godric. And all men eventually grow old and die. And besides, there's no way to find out for certain that the school will ever be in such grave danger in the future." Salazar said, trying to calm his friend, with little effect.
Rowena, however had the familiar expression of being deep in thought. Helga caught that.
"Now, now, Rowena. What has got you all worried, now?" Helga asked, in her calm voice.
Rowena sighed, and looked at Helga, and then the others.
"Actually, there is a way we can find out if Hogwarts is going to be attacked in the future and if the students will be in mortal danger. I read about a ritual in an ancient Greek Grimoire, in my father's library. I remember the incantation. It can confirm if anything like that is going to happen in future and the year of its occurrence; it simply requires a strong link to hold the ritual. I am confident that because of our link to the castle, I could perform the ritual successfully. I'll just have to try and see if it works." Rowena announced to the group.
"I sense there is a 'but' coming." Godric pointed.
"But, we can do nothing about it. The mere knowledge of when the school wards are breached, will do us no good. We won't be able to do anything but worry. Now, do you still wish to know?" Rowena finished, eyeing the others.
All four of them looked at each other nervously, all concerned about what to decide. Salazar however, turned his gaze away and started stroking his pet snake, his eyes lost in thought.
After a moment, Salazar broke the silence. "If you could verify that Hogwarts really needed our help and the exact time we are needed, I may have a way that could aid us in rescuing the students." Salazar said, keeping his eyes still on his snake.
This admission was followed by another round of silence, which was broken by Godric. "Are you referring to using the Dark Magic again, Salazar?"
"For the hundredth time, there is no dark and light magic, Godric; it's the intent that matters. Besides, wasn't it your wish to help the students if they ever need us? We should wait for Rowena's verification before arguing any further, perhaps there may not be a reason for me to use Dark Magic at all." Salazar said, in a resigned tone.
Godric then turned to Rowena. "Well, could you find out?"
"And here I thought we were supposed to celebrate the end of term tonight." Helga muttered. But, she too was very concerned when it came to protecting the children in their care.
Rowena conjured a parchment and placed it at the center of the table, and then sighed, "I will need your help as well. The castle is linked with all of our magic. Just let a thread of your magic flow to the center, when I ask you to."
The blue robed witch then closed her eyes in concentration and started chanting in Greek. The others looked at her cautiously when a blue mist enveloped her. She opened her eyes and pointed her wand at the center of the table, and nodded her head to others to do the same.
Four streaks of light; blue, red, green and yellow met at the center of the table and the parchment glowed with a dazzling golden light. And then all of a sudden, the light was gone and everything was back to normal.
"Did it work?" Salazar asked, and Godric and Helga too looked expectedly at Rowena.
Rowena seemed to be in a haze as she picked up the parchment and studied it. After reading the information, her quivering hands dropped the parchment and she looked at others in horror.
Helga placed a soothing hand on her shoulder and asked, "What is it, Rowena?"
Rowena seemed to struggle to form words, something her friends had never seen her do. Tears were forming in her eyes and she managed to speak. "Hogwarts is certainly going to be attacked in the future. And more than fifty students are going to die."
Helga gasped in horror, as Rowena collapsed in her arms, giving into her tears. She barely whispered, "I saw…I saw their bodies. Lying in the chamber off the Great Hall."
Godric and Salazar were shocked as well. But, Godric was the one to speak first. However, once the shock wore off, the red-headed man was incensed with anger at the person responsible for the slaughter of the students of his school.
"Salazar, my friend. I don't care how you do it, but make sure that I can save those poor students who we have sworn to always protect."
Salazar thought for a while and said, "Helga, would you pass me the parchment?"
Helga did as she was asked. Salazar glanced at the parchment. It simply read, '1997'. So this was the year it will happen, he thought. It was almost a thousand years into the future.
"I will look into what I can do, Godric. It will take some research, but be assured I will not let innocent students slaughtered at anyone's hands, muggle or wizard." Salazar said, solemnly.
He then summoned a Calming Draught from his potions bag and passed it towards Helga.
"Give it to Rowena, she will need it. And feel free to call on me, if you need my help on something." With that, Salazar apparated to his chambers, only to immerse himself in what his friend Godric considered to be 'Dark Magic' books.
The month that followed, the four founders were not at all their usual selves. Salazar was rarely seen out of his dungeons. Rowena had offered to help with his research, but he had turned her away. She had been researching on her own, nevertheless. Godric was sulking and was usually found in a bad temper. Helga tried to improve her friends' dismal moods, but to little effect. She herself was unable to shake off the gloom that had followed them since that night at the end of the term.
It was during the next month that Godric, Rowena and Helga, all received the same message from Salazar; to meet him in his study after dinner. Salazar himself was absent at the meal and the rest of the three ate quickly and went down to the dungeons, guessing the reason behind the summon.
Salazar was waiting in his study and motioned for them to sit in the armchairs beside his fireplace. Once they took the seat, Godric spoke in an expectant voice, "Have you found a solution, my friend?"
Salazar looked at his friends' expectant faces, before answering. "There are a lot of things to consider, since we are talking about preventing something in the future. We only know that the murders happened at Hogwarts in the year 1997, we know nothing about the cause."
Rowena nodded and said, "Exactly. For all we know, the reason behind the atrocities could be building back years before the incident itself. Besides, there is no protection charm that could protect every student residing here in the school, especially a thousand years in future."
Godric spoke next, "Then, we have only one choice left. We have to go to the future ourselves."
"I was thinking along the same lines myself." Salazar said.
"But won't it be a bit strange if four grown witches and wizards show up unannounced at the castle out of nowhere? What if the students think that we are the enemy?" Helga asked, concerned.
"We'll just have to convince them somehow." Godric answered.
"But there is no way to travel to the future, especially that far. Believe me, our bodies won't be able to survive that." Rowena said.
"But our souls will be." Salazar answered.
"What are you proposing, Salazar?" Rowena asked, her voice filled with suspicion.
"That we let our souls travel to the future, not our bodies." Salazar answered.
"And then, whose bodies are you planning to steal?" Rowena asked, with a gleam of anger in her voice.
"Not steal, just borrow. We can each easily pose as a student of Hogwarts; think about it like this, it will make it easier for us to fight the enemy of the school." Salazar supplied.
"I think you are quite right, Salazar. If we could pose as a student. But one year won't do. The battle happens in 1997, so we'd have to be seventh year students by then or else everyone is going to question our abilities. It's settled then, we are going to go to 1991. It will be quite fun to be a student here for once. There's also the language barrier we have to think about… but Rowena's language charms can help us with that." Godric muttered.
"Godric, are you aware that you said all of that out loud?" Helga asked.
Godric just appeared amused. It seemed he had already finalized his next adventure and was excited to be a young lad again. Salazar was happy that at least he no longer had to convince Godric about his plan; the man could be very adamant when he wanted to.
Rowena however, wasn't so easily convinced. "Salazar, what about those students that you plan on stealing bodies of?"
"We can send them to this time. And our headmaster can take care of their education. They will only grow up in a more peaceful time." Salazar shrugged.
Rowena looked around the others, but it seemed that Godric had already set his mind to the Salazar's insane idea and Helga too didn't mind all the laws of magic they would be breaking by performing soul-magic.
"Fine, you get to tell the Headmaster about all your plans. I'm agreeing only because it is for the safety of the students of Hogwarts." Rowena sighed.
Salazar smiled, knowing that the difficult part was over.
"Well, I don't think Headmaster Emrys would mind it much when I explain to him the reason. He might even help me with the ritual." Salazar mused.
"I do think Headmaster Myrddin can be a bit eccentric at times. But there's no denying that he's a brilliant wizard, when it comes to teaching." Helga said, while Rowena just huffed.
"So when does this ritual take place?" Godric asked, eagerly.
"Tomorrow. After I talk to the Headmaster and take his views." Salazar replied.
The next night, all four of the Founders of the Hogwarts sat inside the circle made of Gaelic runes in the Headmaster's office. The Headmaster, Myrddin Emrys, watched from a corner, as Salazar proceeded to take sacrificial blood from the rest of them for the completion of the soul-switching ritual. He saw the last circle complete as a golden light engulfed the four Founders, as they lost consciousness. When they opened their eyes, they were four curious eleven or twelve year olds trapped in the bodies of four adults, who were about to start at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Myrddin knew that as a consequence of the ritual, the souls of the Founders had been swapped by the teenagers who resembled them most. He smiled knowing that he would be teaching the very Founders of the school, magic from the very basics. He quickly cast the language spell invented by Rowena and stepped in front of the confused looking adults and introduced himself.
"Hello students, I am the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I think you all must be the first years."
They looked at him with confused eyes. And then Rowena spoke in the same breath, "Where are we? How did we get here so fast? The gamekeeper was just about to knock on the door; it doesn't make any sense. And why is my body changed?"
Myrddin smiled. "Young lady, I hope you understand that you are at a school of magic. Anything is possible here. Now close your eyes and imagine what you see when you look into a mirror."
The four adults closed their eyes in concentration. Myrddin waved his wand at them and they all turned to teenage children. So this is how they look now, Myrddin thought in amusement.
The children opened their eyes in surprise.
The red-haired boy exclaimed, "Was that the sorting? Fred said it hurts a lot, I knew he was joking."
"You all are sorted into your houses." Myrddin announced, not correcting the boy at his conclusion.
"Now, may I know your names? And I'll let you know your houses."
"Ron Weasley, sir."
"Gryffindor."
"Susan Bones, sir."
"Hufflepuff."
"Hermione Granger, sir."
"Ravenclaw."
"Harry… Harry Potter, sir."
"Slytherin."
The Headmaster was sure he was going to have his hands full for the next seven years. Not to mention the explanation he had to give to the four teenagers, as to why they had travelled back a thousand years in time.
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