Disclaimer: This is really getting exhausting. I do not own the rights to the Harry Potter books, and therefore do not own J.K. Rowling's world. I also don't own the English language, if anyone's wondering, though I can sort-of claim the nicknames.
It had been a typical day at Hogwarts. Children had come in, for breakfast, talking loudly. The usual attentive people had been attentive, and the usual inattentive people had been inattentive. Some had forgotten their homework; others had done it perfectly.
So of course, it was followed by a typical end of the day.
"Godric Gryffindor, how dare you -!"
Helga stood in front of the fireplace, her face flushed with frustration, her hands on her hips, the orange flames turning menacing as they reflected her anger. Godric stood lazily a few feet away, smirking a bit at Helga's anger. Rowena sighed, sitting in an armchair and drinking hot butterbeer close enough to stop them but far enough to avoid getting hit. Salazar watched all this from the armchair opposite Rowena, lounging elegantly in his chair.
The Founders were currently in the secret chamber the students didn't know about. They had fun listening to the students guess where their teachers slept, since the only room they seemed to have was a small room about as large as a public bathroom. Salazar joked that they should just turn it into a bathroom and get a bigger room. Anyways, each of the Founders had designed their own room within the chamber. Rowena had designed a library and research area, Godric had designed a training area, Salazar had designed some sort of command center (you can never be too prepared) and Helga had designed the room they were in.
It was a comfy room with 4 squat armchairs arranged in a semicircle around what Muggles would in the future call a coffee table, facing the normally merrily dancing flames. Rowena had already taken the precaution of moving the table, a wise decision, as they were arguing over their Houses. Again.
"Now now, children," Salazar drawled, unable to resist, "it's fine to let it all out. You know my house is the best." Hey, if he didn't stand up for himself his house would be completely ridiculed.
He had to dodge two hexes, but it was, as always, worth it.
Rowena let out a long-suffering sigh. "Would you mind bringing this into Godric's chamber?"
"But Godric's chamber is only a duelling room!" Helga protested. "It's so boring, so plain, so Gryffindor!"
"Exactly! You won't destroy any furniture!"
"Excuse me?" protested Godric, offended. "Are you implying that my room contains no furniture?"
"Glad to see something's got through that thick Gryffindor skull of yours," Salazar said sarcastically.
"Salazar!" snapped Rowena. "Godric, your chamber is designed to be destroyed and easily remade. So close that mouth of yours!"
Godric obeyed sulkily. Salazar snickered. Rowena always had had a gift for keeping them quiet. Merlin, she was practically the only adult among the other two children. And him - he was just an innocent bystander.
Helga clapped, obviously not realizing that it would be a great time to shut up. "Great job, Rowie! I still can't believe you manage it!"
"Shut your mouth, Algae," shot Godric.
"What have I said about calling me Algae?" Helga demanded. "It doesn't even make sense!"
"Only someone with a brain full of Algae could think your house was the best," Salazar said. Then he winced internally. Godric was rubbing off on him.
Godric smirked at Helga. "He's right, you know. Hufflepuffs can't even be sidekicks properly."
Salazar could have killed himself. Was he the only one (other than Rowena, of course, who understood the meaning of "not the time"?
Helga froze, visibly restraining herself. "Only a Gryffindor would say that," she bit back. Then she spun on her heel and exited the room.
Godric followed her, taunting her. Salazar heard, "Face me like a man, coward. Oh, wait, you're a woman."
He exchanged a resigned look with Rowena before both of them followed.
Helga and Godric had started exchanging hexes, which somehow the two always started doing. They were standing in front of the four large statues that parodied the Founders. A few columns already showed signs of damage. Godric was still relentlessly teasing Helga, who was screaming back by now. How did it always get to this?
"And you know that student of yours?" Helga yelled as she pressed Godric to a pillar. "Aries Nott? All brawn, no brain? The one who -"
It was Godric's turn to stiffen, blowing Helga back with a burst of flame from his wand. It went against his sense of honor to mention any student.
"What, your Gryffindor courage gave out?" Helga taunted. She had no problem with using every verbal weapon in her arsenal.
"STOP IT!" Rowena shouted, dousing both of them with water. The two dripping wet Founders turned around to face her, turning their wand on her. "All of our Houses are equal."
"Oh, I don't know, Rowena," Salazar said, smirking at the two. He told himself that he was supporting Rowena, not making it worse, though it barely pushed back the guilt. But he really couldn't help it. It wasn't like they were taking this seriously, after all. "I'd say the statistics show that my House is the best."
"Salazar, please," Rowena pleaded.
"Well, Rowena?" Salazar pushed. "Aren't the statistics always correct?"
"Yes, but is this really the time?" Rowena asked.
"So you do think Salazar's house is the best," Helga said almost viciously, turning her anger at Godric at Rowena. "Where's your sense of loyalty, Rowie?"
"That's not what I meant!" Rowena protested. "Please, Helga, Godric, Salazar, this is getting out of hand!"
"Don't ignore the subject," said Godric. "Well?"
"All of the Houses are equally important, okay?" Rowena demanded. "I don't know what statistics you've been looking at, but you must have been twisting them incorrectly. Now stop this! If this keeps on going Hogwarts is going to collapse from within! Now go to bed!"
The three obeyed sulkily, still glaring at each other, and the next day the tension was still there.
What are we doing? Salazar wondered. Sometimes we apologize and everything's better the next day, but usually we don't, and the next day the tension just gets worse and worse. We're not even arguing over our Houses by now, we're arguing because we just want to win.
And it's only going to get worse, Salazar realized. Because none of us are willing to give up. They say Godric's fire, because he's brave, and Helga's earth, because she's kind, Rowena's water, because she's brilliant, and I'm air, because I'm cunning. But it's also something else.
He didn't put what it was in words that day, but it preyed on him, day after day, as his mouth opened, almost against his will, to make snarky remarks.
Godric was the fire that would destroy Hogwarts. Helga was the fuel for it. Rowena was the water that tried to douse it. And Salazar... Salazar was the air that kept the fire alive.
One of them had to leave. With only one, Hogwarts would be fine. Didn't Rowena say that triangles were stronger than squares anyways? And Godric wouldn't - he'd see it as cowardly. Nor would Helga - she was too stubborn. Somebody had to leave. And he would have to do it, even though he would probably be villanized for it. It was his choice: was his honor worth Hogwarts?
One day the Founders woke up and found Salazar gone.