AN: For the Quidditch League Round 7.

Hufflepuff's Cup.

"Godric! Godric I've done it!" Helga called as she raced down the stairs of the newly built castle.

Godric looked up from his work on his hat and saw the plump witch running towards him, something gold in her hand.

"Is that it? Is that the cup?" Godric asked, as soon as she got close enough to hear.

"It is, Godric, it is. It worked!" The grin radiating from Helga's face was so contagious Godric found himself smiling along with her before he'd even seen what the cup could do.

"Well, come on. Show me what it does then!" Godric requested setting aside the hat he was working on and the sword he'd not long finished himself.

"Alright, alright! But you have to tell me about the hat after."

"Deal!" Godric agreed wholeheartedly.

Helga called for her favourite house elf and demonstrated the ability of the cup. It was a combination of her magic and house elf magic and was able to fill itself with any liquid. Helga quickly transfigured it into a plate and demonstrated that it could do the same with food before turning it back into the original cup.

Godric was awestruck, he knew that Helga was good with food charms, but he never realised that she was this good. There had to be a great deal of house elf magic at work here; he knew that wand magic could not make food appear unless you were using accio on it and the only time Helga had used her wand was to transfigure the cup into a plate and back. The sword he'd been working on required some magic, but it was the hat that needed the most and it was proving quite difficult. Helga's cup held such advanced magic, and she was the first of the four to complete the item they'd decided to make.

The four of them had decided to each make an object that would help someway in either Hogwarts or personal life. Hufflepuff had decided to make her cup, Ravenclaw a diadem, Slytherin a locket and Gryffindor a sword and a hat which he added later. Helga's cup was designed to help transport food, she was working on a way to transport food from the kitchens at Hogwarts to the Great Hall without having to use accio. Rowena's diadem was able to make the wearer beautiful in anyone's eye. Godric's sword was indestructible and took on anything that would make it stronger, his hat he was trying to work into being able to pull the sword out of. No one knew what Slytherin's locket was meant to do, he refused to tell anyone.

"So, what do you think?" Helga asked, bringing Godric out of his thoughts.

"It's fantastic! How on earth did you get it done so fast?"

"Well it wasn't that hard, it's just a simple food charm mixed with a little of Ivy's magic. I'll show you how I did it if you'd like?"

"What's this you're showing him?" The voice of Salazar Slytherin came from behind them making Helga tense. "Fancy showing me this as well?"

"I'd really rather not, I don't want everyone knowing my secrets," Helga replied, unable to mask the malice in her voice.

"Oh what, so you're willing to show Gryffindor over there, but not me? That seems fair…" Slytherin snarled.

"Sounds about right. Not that I don't trust you, of course, it's just I don't trust you." Helga had gotten over her initial shock at his appearance, and was now more pissed off at him being there. Turning round she noticed that Slytherin had come right up behind her and was now snarling in her face.

"Bloody typical. You're willing to share all with him, Mr. I Can Do Nothing Wrong, and not someone who deserves to know advanced magic! We all know it's because you're in love with him. You do know he's married and expecting a child – so are you! I should have known when you all started trying to tell me Mudbloods should be allowed in our school!" By this point, Slytherin was so close to Helga's face she could feel the spit coming out of his mouth when he spoke.

Helga was too pissed off at this point to even take offence at his words.

"Someday you're going to wind up all alone, and you'll have nobody to blame but yourself!" she spat back at him before grabbing her cup off the table where Godric had been working and marching back to the kitchens.

On her way back she passed Rowena who was just coming down the grand staircase. Rowena looked to her; a question on her face, but Helga just shook her head at her and continued where she was going.

Helga flopped down in her armchair feeling more tired that day than she had done since she started work on the castle. How anyone was able to get on with Salazar Slytherin was beyond her, she felt sorry for his wife.

Setting the cup down on the side, Helga decided she might as well continue working on it. She had been able to make food and drink appear, but so far she had found no way to make it disappear. When she demonstrated to Godric she'd had to pour out the drink and remove the food from the plate herself. Helga had tried different strength reversal charms on the cup, as well as trying to put some magic into the food itself but so far she'd had no luck.

"Ivy!" Helga called, the house elf appearing at her side not a second later, "Is there any way to recall food after it's been sent from your end?"

"No, Mistress. I have tried but I am not able to get it back, none of the elves are."

"Very well, I don't know what I'm-" Helga started, before being hit with an idea. "Ivy… what if we had a second cup?"

Helga looked down at Ivy who had seemed to understand what she was taking about almost immediately. The elf disappeared with a loud crack, reappearing a moment later with some new metal to create a new cup from.

Several hours later Helga sat in front of two identical golden cups watching as Ivy sent pumpkin juice between the two; it even worked between her room and the Kitchen. For the first time since Slytherin had confronted her she let a smile cross her face. This was one secret she was going to keep even from Godric.

Words: 1,087.

Also for;

The Title Challenge;

A Glimpse of the Past.

Fanfiction Scavenger Hunt;

Founders Era.

A Variety of Prompts Challenge;

Disney Quotes – "Someday you're going to wind up all alone. And you'll have nobody to blame but yourself." – The Emperor's New Groove.

Disney Character Competition;

Pacha – Write about Helga Hufflepuff.

Animal Competition;

Dolphin – Write about Helga Hufflepuff.

Wand Wood Competition;

Write about an invention or creation.

The Fault in Our Stars Competition;

Peter Van Houten – Not that I don't trust you, of course, it's just that I don't trust you.

If You Dare Challenge;

676. Glittery Gold.