The Hat Experiment
'Right.' Godric held out the hat, all full of self importance. 'Ladies first.'
Helga eyed it doubtfully. She'd never been certain this was a good idea. Surely the main aim of the wizarding school was to bring wizards together, not split them apart. The whole Hat Experiment had been Godic's idea, but Salazar's fault. 'Are you sure this will work?'
'There's no reason why it shouldn't.' Salazar grinned at her and raised an eyebrow. 'Don't you trust it?'
'We've got to make the stipulations within the next ten minutes.' Rowena was impatient. They'd been working at this for months, and she wasn't about to have it all wasted because of Helga's indecisiveness. Briskly she stepped forwards placing her wand against the hat brim.
'I will take only those students who are intelligent.' Inwardly Helga rolled her eyes as a bolt of light shot into the centre of the hat where it glowed faintly. What a surprise. As far as Rowena was concerned, Hogwarts should only be for the most intelligent students, picking them out and training them to be of some use to the wizarding world.
'Helga.' Godric sounded impatient. 'We haven't got all day.'
She stepped forward. What was she going to say? Unlike the other three she had no clear, bold opinions on the types of children that deserved to be taught by the school. It was a school, for teaching everybody, allowing every child the chance to learn.
What could she choose? What types of pupils did she deem worthy of acceptance? She placed her wand on the edge of the hat.
'Ummmm.' Rowena tutted in the background. 'I will take only those students who are, er, willing to work.' She wondered if this would clash with Rowena's stipulation. 'Those who are friendly and loyal. But…' she looked worriedly at Godric, 'I don't want to leave anyone out…'
The light flew from her wand. She stepped back, feeling awkward. Was that the right thing to do? Salazar was looking slightly confused, Rowena annoyed.
'Right, my turn.' Godric stepped forward with a flourish. 'I will take only those students who show… true bravery!' Again the light shone from the end of the wand. If Godric heard Salazar's snigger as it did so, he ignored it.
And, last of all, Salazar Slytherin. Helga felt her throat constrict as he stepped forward. This was the part she'd been dreading. Don't say pureblood, don't say pureblood, Godric will have an aneurism.
He paused for effect and laid his wand down slowly on the hat brim, staring at the three circles of light shining inside. Helga realised she was holding her breath. This was typical Salazar, all theatrics and melodrama, smoke and mirrors. She thought back to her own rather confused contribution to the Hat Experiment and sighed. The others had managed it so well, and she'd probably messed it all up.
It was like the colours. Godric had said 'red' at almost the same time Salazar had said 'green' and that had left yellow and blue. Rowena didn't like yellow, and Helga had to admit she wasn't too fond of it either, but Rowena had chosen first. Then they'd had to pick a second colour, to make the banners work properly, and there had been a huge fight between Godric and Salazar over who should have gold. It had eventually been decided when Godric had threatened a duel, and Salazar had capitulated with bad grace.
Then Salazar and Rowena had sniped for days over who would have silver as their second colour. Salazar had won eventually, when Rowena had become tired of the whole affair. And Rowena had chosen bronze, leaving Helga with the choice between black or iron. Then Salazar had complained that iron looked too much like silver.
Black and yellow. How had she ended up with that? But between preventing all out war between Godric and Salazar, trying to get Rowena to cooperate, attempting to sort out the building plans for the castle while everyone else worried about the wretched banners she had simply not had the time to think.
She was needed. She took comfort in that. Because Slytherins need rungs to get up the ladder, and Ravenclaws need someone to show their work to the real world and Gryffindors need people to clean up after the heroics are over. But would History remember that? It was the clever, the foolhardy and the powerful who were remembered, not those people who had spend hours upon hours of their life, slaving away at a job they knew to be necessary, just to make the world that little bit easier for other people.
She was brought back to reality as Salazar's words, barely spoken above a whisper, crept out into the night air. 'I will take only those student with great ambition…' He looked around at their faces. Helga looked relieved, Godric satisfied.
Rowena hissed, 'You're the last one, finish the spell.'
He smiled 'And…' his wand tip trembled slightly on the edge of the hat 'Preferably pureblood.' Rowena's eyes opened wide, there was a gasp from Helga and an angry shout from Godric but by then it was too late as he spoke the incantation to seal the spell and the hat fell tumbling from Godric's hands to lie in a heap on the floor.
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Just my interpretation. Good idea? Bad idea? Please review!