Origins
Book One: Hogwarts: A History
By Through Dee's eyes
Summary: Hogwarts: A History is book one in the Origins series. Book one focuses on how the Founders built Hogwarts and about the rift that tore them apart.
Disclaimer: This is a work of FanFiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author's or my imagination or have been used in a fictitious manner and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance of characters to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. J. K. Rowling owns the characters except for the characters that I created, I'm just borrowing her creations.
Chapter 1 notes: the wise owl, James and Millly are my creations.
Chapter 1.
The two women walked silently through the thick layer of snow. The snow storm (which had gone on for 2 days) was finally over though grey clouds hovered above them.
The silence was broken when Helga Hufflepuff spoke. "So Rowena, what is this plan that you have come up with?" Helga asked her friend. Helga Hufflepuff was a round and plump woman. She had red hair, shining blue eyes and white skin.
"I think that it is best if we wait for the others to join us first before I reveal anything about it Helga." Rowena Ravenclaw replied speaking in a pronounced Scottish accent. Rowena had black hair, dark eyes and pale skin.
Helga sighed, "as you wish Roe."
"I knew you'd see it my way and don't call me Roe, my name is Rowena."
"Sorry Roe," Helga replied, smirking. "I just wish we weren't meeting in a seedy location like the wise owl."
"As I've said to you before, it is seedy that is true but there is less of a chance of being overheard. I know the tavern owner. James and his wife Milly are good people."
The two approached the tavern where their meeting was to take place. Helga sniffed as she spotted the tavern for the first time. A sign hung from the door. On the sign was a picture of an owl and underneath the picture were words which were written in blocky letters: "The Wise Owl." The Wise Owl was the name of the tavern. It's grimy wooden walls had flakes of paint peeling away from their surface and it looked old and run down.
The women reached the building and Rowena knocked upon the door. Helga glanced at the sign and she glanced uneasily at the eye of the owl on the sign. It seemed to be glaring at her with disapproval.
After a few moments of silence, the door opened a crack. The two women could see a sliver of the man in the doorway.
"Can I help you?" the male voice asked from behind the door. He couldn't see the two women clear enough yet (due to the door that stood between them) to know who they were. Rowena knew the man by his raspy voice.
"It is me, Rowena." Rowena said through the crack in the door.
"Ah, hello "it is me Rowena", come in." Helga sniffed at the man's failed attempt at humour. The door opened fully and Helga saw the man glancing admiringly up at her. His gaze then flicked towards her friend.
He had brown hair (which had flecks of grey in it), watery blue eyes and a pudgy face and hands. He wiped his hands on a cloth draped over his arm and then he held one of his pudgy hands out to Rowena who shook it. "It is great to see you Miss Rowena." James (the tavern owner) smiled as he let go of Rowena's hand.
"It is great to see you too James. Have the others arrived yet?" Rowena asked James.
"No Miss Rowena, Mr. Salazar and Mr. Godric have not arrived yet, but I think they'll be here soon." James replied. Rowena hoped so, she wanted her friends to hear about her plan and she hoped they'd be interested in helping her with it.
"I take it that this lovely young woman is Miss Helga?" James asked, glancing once more over at Helga.
"Yes, this is Helga." Rowena replied and James held out his hand so she could shake it. Helga reluctantly shook his hand, the man seemed nice enough she supposed.
"Just Helga will be fine, James." Helga said, she knew the man was only being polite by saying Mr. and Miss before their names, but it somewhat irritated her.
"Very well, 'just Helga.' Please, come in. Your private meeting room has already been prepared." James smiled at the two women and Helga scowled at another failed attempt at humour from James. Rowena glanced reprovingly at her.
"Thank you James." Rowena said as James let go of Helga's hand.
"Any time, please, follow me ladies." James stepped back and the two women stepped into the tavern.
Voices could be heard from the common room. James stopped outside a room which was half way down the corridor on the right hand side.
"This is the room." He took a set of keys from his belt and glanced at them. Then he chose a small silver key and put it into the lock. The key turned in his hand and the doors handle glowed for a brief moment. Despite her dislike of such places; Helga was curious about the glowing door handle. The glow finally diminished.
"What was that?" she asked James curiously.
"A password shield." He smiled.
"A what?" she asked.
"It is a password shield: it gives the key holder confirmation that the key fits and that you have permission to enter the room. No one else can use the key to open the door as it is linked to me."
'Interesting, I wonder how they work, perhaps I'll ask James about that later.' Helga loved shields and complicated spells.
James opened the door and then he stepped back to allow the two women to enter the room first. It was a medium sized room. In the middle of the room stood a large table with four chairs. On the tables surface was an hourglass.
"When people utilize the meeting rooms, they are given set times to use them." James explained as he tapped his wand once on the hourglass. "You have 2 hours to use the room, starting from now. Miss Rowena already knows this, of course."
"Oh, I see." Helga appreciated the fact that he was explaining things, purely for her benefit.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.
"Yes?" James called.
"James," a woman said as she stood in the doorway, "they are here." Rowena sighed with relief and Helga smiled.
"Good, thank you Milly, please, send them in."