Rowena Ravenclaw: An Insight on the Most Intelligent Founder

Chapter2: The Hufflepuff Manor and The Tower

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When we arrived I saw a grand manor house. There was a gigantic archway in the direct center of the house. It was made of black marble and inset with glittering yellow gems. Over it was a coat of arms with a black and yellow badger. My parents and I entered through that archway and were greeted by a very clean servant in a yellow and black uniform. Even a fool could see that the family colours where black and yellow. The woman led us down a hallway where moving portraits of past relatives hung. We stopped at a doorway and the woman disappeared for a second. No doubt to announce us to whoever was inside the room. The last portrait was of a family of six. They where all dressed in black and yellow and had massive amounts of jewellery. There was a blond haired mother and brown haired father; both wore uptight expressions. The elder son was brown haired and wore an expression that exactly matched his parents. But the elder daughter and son both had light brown hair and smiles on their faces. In the portrait the girl was holding a squirming baby girl with a single blond curl. I examined the painting out of the corner of my eye until the servant reappeared.

"The Lord and Lady Hufflepuff are ready for thou gracious nobilities to grace them with your presence," the woman bowed deeply and I felt a stab of pain as a cut on the woman's arm split open with the motion. I had always behaved civilly towards our servants and I was appalled at how these people treated theirs. The woman let us pass through the doors and we entered a glowing room. It was completely black and cream marble with crystal pillars. There were lesser lords and ladies dressed in bright colours, talking and giggling all throughout the grand room. I knew this to be the ballroom. It seemed we had arrived for a ball.

In the middle of the ballroom, was a stone dais, in which we approached. Sitting on chairs upon the dais were the people from the portrait outside. The uptight mother, father, elder son and baby. They where all older now. The baby was a toddler and the father had streaks of grey in his brown hair. The only people missing from the dais where the smiling son and daughter. They must be the 'wild and unruly' children, whom mother and spoken about. Compared to the proud, richly clad people on the dais, I with my simple gown and vibrant expression felt very out of place. My skirts sighed at the injustice of things as I curtsied. The boy nodded at me and I got a sick feeling in my stomach, like he wanted something out of me.

The man upon the dais spoke to Father, "Ah, Mathias, you are late for our celebrations. No doubt you where fashionably late."

Father chuckled, "No Justin, you forget it is always my wife who fusses over such things. No we where late for this years festivities because this year we have brought along out daughter Rowena." I stepped forward and curtsied. It should have been a lot lower but this indifferent man didn't deserve it.

Justin sniffed, "Welcome Rowena Ravenclaw of Glen. I trust you have heard all about my son Alexandar?" Alexandar stepped forward and kissed my hand. As soon as he had done so, I yanked it away.

Justin looked at me through his thin eyes, "Dear Mathias, you and your wife must join me and my lady in the back room. There is much to discuss." I knew that they where going to discuss dowries and such. I slipped away as soon as I could.

I had made it a little ways away from Alexandar when I felt a small hand tug on my gown. I looked down. There was the little toddler of Hufflepuff.

I smiled at the little one. "Hello, what is your name?" I asked the little child.

She smiled up at me and said, "Tamara, I'm four years old. I can walk and talk."

I picked the little one up and asked her, "My name is Rowena. I was wondering, do you know where I could find Helga and Howart?" I wasn't sure if the little toddler could tell me but I needed to meet these strange and rebellious children. I needed to meet other children who where different. Surly they weren't a witch and wizard but they could be someone to confine in.

Surprisingly Tamara pointed her finger towards the interior of the house, "There, Helgy and How are always locked up in their room."

I knelt down and put the little girl back on her feet, "can you take me to them?"

Tamara nodded and started walking and leading me through corridors. We where unnoticed by servants and nobility and soon we had reached an old wooden ladder. It led up to a small door about twenty feet above our heads. On the door was carved, 'problem children'. I smirked; difference was always looked down upon. Tamara just knocked on a slightly greenish brick and the ladder started to move upwards like a drawbridge. Tamara grabbed hold of a rung with her small hand and told me to grab on. I followed suit and soon we had reached the top and a small landing popped out of the wall.

"What was that?" I exclaimed to Tamara. She gave me a small grin and whispered, "Helgy's new trick with the ropes. She won't show me but it helps when I want to visit."

Tamara knocked on the door three times and whispered through the lock, "It's Tamara with a friend."

The door opened and I saw it open slightly. A voice whispered harshly, "quickly, get in."

I looked around. The room was really small. There were two ratty pallets near an empty fireplace, the walls were rotting wood and there were copper bars over the window. This room was so dirty and ill cared for that I was surprised anyone could live here. But sitting in the corner was a boy of fifteen and the girl who had opened the door was about thirteen. These where the smiling children from the portrait. But now they didn't have the gorgeous clothes they once wore. Brown rags clung to their frail and skinny figures and scarcely covered all of them. Helga and Howart may be wild from what I heard, but they shouldn't be locked away in a tower. But if they where locked in how did Helga open the door. I glanced at the lock. I saw it was severely rusted; a simple kick could break it.

"'Mara, who's this?" Helga asked her little sister. Tamara grabbed my hand and pulled me over, "This is Rowena!" Tamara pronounced my name Rownia but the girl got the gist of it.

Helga smiled, "My name is Helga, I'm thirteen and the boy in the corner is my fifteen year old brother Howart." The boy waved from the corner. Helga continued, "As you can see we aren't in the state for entertaining visitors." Helga looked down at her dress, "And we aren't exactly dressed for the occasion."

I laughed, "It's alright. I don't mind. My gown isn't that nice anyway."

Helga gasped at this, "What!? I've never wore something that grand for about three years! The silver on white embroidery, it's beautiful!" I had never thought my dresses to be beautiful, but that might have been because of the repetition of white. I curtsied and thanked her for the compliment.

Helga shook her head fiercely, "No curtsying, our status in society is greatly diminished because of our 'condition'."

I became curious, "What condition? Mother only said that you were wild children. Then again she didn't mention a locked tower."

Howart let out a loud, "HA! Wild I think not. Maybe dirty like a wild animal but certainly not wild in itself."

Helga agreed with him. I still was confused, "What's your 'Condition'?"

Helga bit her lip, "Should I tell her?"

Tamara nodded vigorously and gave a little chorus of , "Yes, Yes, Yes!"

Howart agreed with Tamara, "I have heard that the house of Ravenclaw is a great leader in that specified art."

Helga sat down on the floor and I squatted, not particularly lady-like but I was being rebellious today. Helga started, "Well, three years ago when I was ten and Howart was twelve we where climbing a tree. I was not supposed to be but I loved feeling the wind rustle through the leaves and the branches sway beneath my feet. It's a lovely feeling. Oh I'm getting off topic. Anyway I was climbing and suddenly a blast of unexpected wind came and knocked me off the branch I was sitting on. I started falling and Howart yelled 'No!' and pointed his hand at some branches. Before we knew it the branches moved to from some sort of hammock. Unfortunately I crashed right through it and was plummeting towards the ground. But I did not break anything. When I was six feet off the ground I started floated. Gently I landed on my feet, and would you believe it I had no scratches on me. Very surprising since I crashed through a hammock of branches." Howart took over. "Unfortunately the gardener had seen us and then told the steward, who in turn told our parents. They knew of our magical talent and immediately locked us up in a closet. Tamara who was one at the time had taken the keys and unlocked the door. I'm certain she has some magic of her own, not exactly the same as us but she's much too smart for her age. Well we escaped for a little while and all three of us tried to run away but again we where caught and this time Howart and I where locked in this tower. We aren't allowed out for anything. Mother and Father despise us for our magic and are trying to keep us hushed up. Alexandar doesn't like us either. It's only dear little Tamara who remembers we are still around, if not for her bringing us biscuits and water then we would have starved years ago."

Howart ruffled the small girl's hair and she giggled, "I don't even think Mummy and Daddy know they're still alive."

Helga told me, "We are telling you all this because we trust you and we know that the House of Ravenclaw is a magical house."

I nodded and pulled out my wand, "Yes I have magic."

The three Hufflepuffs looked at me in awe. Helga shrieked and picked up and spun her little sister.

Howart took my shoulders, "You can save us!"

Helga set her little sister on her shoulders, "We have wands. We made them with twigs and Phoenix feathers that floated into our room. I enchanted the ladder with my own little spell, so Tamara could come up here and escape with us. As soon as we had blasted the bars of the window Father's guards came up here and clasped iron bracelets on us. They ward our powers." She and her brother sadly held up their wrists, sure enough there were wrought iron circles around their wrists. I felt pity for the poor girl and boy.

Tamara pushed the sleeve of her gown up to show an identical bracelet, "They put one on me just because I was helping them. It does not affect my speaking or anything similar to that. I just can not fly on Cook's broom anymore."

I touched my slender fingers on the cool metal of the bracelet. I looked around each iron wristlet on the three and saw the swelling. I told them, "I can't curse them off, no spell can destroy iron. I have to use a lock pick." They looked relived and Tamara hugged me around the waist. I used my wand to conjure up a thin wire. I threaded it through the lock of the iron and slowly twisted it. One by one the iron bands fell to the floor with a dull thud. Helga picked up her wand and healed the swelled areas of her and her sibling's arms. Howart gave me a kiss on the cheek and Tamara latched onto my waist and refused to let go.

"Thank you," they all told me. I held up my wand, "Just one request. Please clean up." I made the wall stretch out to create a little bathroom with a large tub and fluffy towels. Howart and Helga both got cleaned up and I transfigured their rags into grand clothes. I also made some jewellery out of the old pallets. Tamara and I where helping Helga with her corset ties as Howart was changing the yellow and black of his clothes to gold and green.

As I stared at him he simply said, "I feel no loyalty to this house. From now on I am Howart Gracedye, wizard extraordinaire." He held out his wand triumphantly and positioned the golden circlet more comfortably on his head.

I and the other girls giggled. Helga swept back her now shining hair into a pleasing style and told Howart, "I disagree; there are good things about Hufflepuff. Must I remind you it was our dear sister Tamara that kept us alive? There is also our great aunt Elizabeth who has given us both sizable amounts of gold when Tamara told her of our gift. I am keeping my name."

I smiled and told the two squabbling siblings, "Come down to the party, no one will recognize you. It will be fun."

They reluctantly stopped bickering and followed me and Tamara down the ladder.