Author's Note: Rowena meets the Gryffindors and Slytherins, to summarize this chapter. Godric finds her facinating.

Augusta

Disclaimer: If you recognize it from Harry Potter, then it belongs to J.K. Rowling. If you recognize it from Arthurian myth or historical incidents, then it belongs to European history. If there are other unconsious resemblances, I apologize and give the credit to the author. If it belongs in none of the above categories, then it's mine. A note on ch. 1- the name Setiva, one of Godric's sisters, belongs to Brian Jacques. I had forgotten it was in there.

It turned out that, although the Hufflepuffs did have a library, it wasn't a very good one. None of them had any head for book learning with the sole exception of Helga's sister Elisabeth the nun. Lady Gwyneth had apparently often wished for books, but was too well-bred for asking her husband straight out. There were a great many stupid rules about what a well-bred lady could and could not do.

Despite the enormous difference between her life in Glen and her life at Lanast, she began to gradually fall into a kind of comfortable routine with the jovial Hufflepuffs and their way of living. She did find Lady Gwyneth to be one of her preferred companions, and not only because Gwyneth saw a great many things as she did. Gwyneth was adamant on the matter of Rowena not being rushed into the complex world of high society, a countryside noblegirl still in mourning. On one occasion, however, the old lord stood up to her.

" The entire Gryffindor clan is coming clean down from Tintagel, Gwen," he said stubbornly. "Rowena won't ever have a better chance at making her debut than then, if she can get the most powerful of the old wizard families behind her. And you needn't try the line about possibly ruining Helga's chances either. If Godric Gryffindor went head over heels for Rowena he'd nay marry her. Those French are as proud as Lucifer." Gwyneth's mouth thinned, but she had no possible answer.

Which was how Rowena found herself bundled into the first new gown she's had in years and her few jewels and standing a little behind Helga a month later, waiting to receive these wealthy visitors she had heard so much about. She could have stood beside Helga-indeed, Lord Anthony encouraged her to, expressing a desire to show off both of his 'lambs' as prettier than Miss Marie and Miss Sophia- but, aware of how Helga would want to shine alone as these people's kinswoman-to-be,she put herself where a charity dependant should stand- at the back.

They heard high-pitched laughter long before they actually saw the carriage, driven by both a wiry coachman and the irrepressable old gentleman Francis, who had a reputation for not being nearly as manners-obsessed as most of his people. Miss Marie and a striking girl who had to be the oft-mentioned Isabel. A third girl, dark, thin, and silent, was only too obviously the ever-silent Sophia. And, of course, the two younger gentlemen whom Helga prattled about almost to distraction.

Everyone was so enthusiastic in their greetings of old friends that Rowena, as the outsider, was totally ignored by everyone-except Sophia, who detatched herself from the knot of people around Helga in what appeared to be curiosity. Truth to be told, Rowena was rather interested in Sophia, this small, silent child who had been betrothed to her brother. Sophia either couldn't or wouldn't say a word, but her dark eyes seemed to be almost as communicative, and at the moment they were showing a friendly, timid liking.

" Who's that Sophie's talking to?" Miss Marie's high voice asked suddenly. " Surely Elisabeth hasn't abandoned the coif and veil! Besides, that girl's too thin and ugly to be Elisabeth. Elisabeth was prettier than that even if she did have hair as dark as old lady Gwyneth." Rowena could see Gwyneth flushing and felt her own cheeks burning at the insult, but neither said anything. Gwyneth needed her least-favorite daughter married into this family too much to offend even fast pieces like Marie, and Rowena was Marie's inferior by blood, birth, and looks. Confident in her golden-curled beauty and gold money, Marie could be as cruel as she wished. Rowena had inherited the unattracive dark looks of her father and little else. Helga, however, could and did react to the slight on her mother and 'sister'.

" You take every word of that back, Marie Gryffindor! Mama's not old, and Rowena's not thin and ugly. Besides, there's absolutely nothing wrong with having dark hair. Your own mother and sisters do!"

" Like you have any more notion than a goose about looking nice, Helga. Mother was an old haint, Setiva isn't much better, and Sophia's as ugly as a hobgoblin," the proud beauty said cooly.

Self-control schooled into her by Alienor and Madge for such eventualities made Rowena's face go into an expressionless, well-trained mask, but Sophia had apparently had no such childhood training. The girl's eyes shone with tears and hurt. " Now look what you've done," a decidedly out-of-temper man's voice with a trace of French accent that Rowena hadn't heard before said. " You've upset Sophie-bird and- Rowena?-Marie. Did you never pay attention to any of Enna's lectures on behavior, or are you that stupid that you heard all those times and missed the point all of them?" Marie went white with rage, especially when her father burst into laughter. The speaker came over to where Rowena and Sophia were standing with the girl Rowena thought was Isabel on his arm.

" Never mind Marie," he said in a low voice to Rowena. " She's entirely too much the belle of the dutchy for her own good. Faith, but if I could but bring her down a peg or six! Sophie-bird, never mind Marie. She's just jealous because she knows you're going to be prettier than her in a few years." Sophia smiled, her eyes adoring. " She likes you," he informed Rowena. " She wants you to talk to her and tell her about yourself. I've never seen her take to anyone so quickly."

Marie sniffed. " That's Godric for you, Helga. You're to marry a fool who thinks the world of charity relations and cross-eyed idiots one brick short of a load. I wish you all the happiness in the world. Ouch!" Helga had pinched her.

" And may it teach you a lesson in manners, Mistress Priss," Rowena muttered fiercely, but apparently not quite low enough. Isabel laughed right out loud, though laughter was forbidden to a well-bred lady. But Rowena, raised by a woman who had failed to think of rank only once in her miserable life, could see blood and breeding in Isabel as surely as she could see the cobblestones her feet stood on. The tall girl laid a hand on Rowena's arm, tip-tilted eyes sparkling with humor.

" Marie is as big a fool as was ever born," Isabel whispered, with the lilting drawl of a Portugese coast aristocrat clinging to the edges of her speech. " La, but if she could have heard you call her that! I believe we will be friends. I am also a-how did Marie phrase it, Godric?-charity relation?" The good humor remained, but was lined with bitterness. " That, I knew we shared in common from the moment I saw you allowing Helga all the attention. I also stand at the back of all family gatherings with my brother Salazar, because we both know that if Godric, Marie, and Sophia aren't necessarily better than us, they are the blood of the master of the house and we are only the niece and nephew of his wife he took in out of the kindness of his heart and could turn out on their ears any time he pleased.How came you here?"

" Lord Anthony's second daughter Marigan is the widow of my brother Hemalange, and I was supposed to have been married to Master Edwain Hufflepuff in good time, but my father and brothers all died and a unmarried girl of fifteen couldn't live alone. Where I come from, it would have been a scandal. I am Rowena Ravenclaw, Lady of Glen. I am presuming you are the Viscountess Isabel Slytherin?"

" I am. I have heard of you quite a great deal from a mutual aquaintance of ours you might not remember. I-" she cut off as the fellow next to her-Godric- said something in what Rowena thought was Portugese-which she didn't speak a word of. Isabel clapped her hands. " That is a wonderful idea! I can't believe I didn't think of it myself. Oh, what fun!" Isabel looked like a small girl in anticipation of a prank. Noting Rowena's curiousity, she smiled. " I can't tell you what that was about now, but I think you'll find it marvellous. And I have an idea for how to get that Marie back for her big mouth."

" I doubt I'm going to like this," Godric muttered. " The last time you tried to get up-one on Marie nearly got me run through by one of her thousand beaux."

" Well, that was an unfortunate incident. The worst thing that could come of this would be Lady Gwyneth and Helga getting a little out of temper with you, and if I explain to them they'll understand."

" Faith! I'd rather face twenty duels than Gwyneth in a temper!"

" Well, I'll tell her before this evening. You know that Lady Gwyneth hates Marie like a house-elf hates dust. She'd probably put up with anything to see the little hussy put in her place. Rowena, would you be a darling and wear your very best this evening to the party? "

" Of course," Rowena said, slightly confused. She had never had the sense of humor God gave a goat, in her father's words, and couldn't fathom any reason how she was dressed would help bring Marie down a few pegs. Her finest gown would probably be the equivalent of what Marie would wear to weed the garden-except, of course, that Marie had never weeded a garden. Sophia clapped her hands appreciatively, eyes sparkling. Isabel laughed again.

" You know exactly what old Belle's up to, don't you, Sophia?" she chuckled. " Well, don't tell anyone. It'll be lovely! I'm sure I can talk Uncle Francis into letting you come out tonight. You're twelve now, and if you're old enough to get married then you're old enough to go to a party. Come, now, we must race Helga upstairs. It would be a true shame if she ever managed to beat us." They dashed up the wide stairs together, leaving Rowena and Godric to climb them at a more sedate pace, Rowena feeling suddenly, for the first time in her life, shy.

" Isabel can work wonders with Sophia," he said conversationally. " Sophie took right to her, too. We're all hoping that one day Isabel will get her to talk, but Belle won't push her or nag her about it. That's why Sophie sets such store by us-we've learned to understand her without words and don't particuarly care if she talks or not."

" Her eyes," Rowena said without thinking. " It's like-they talk for her. "

" Exactly. No one knows why Sophia won't talk. She's never said a word or made a sound as far as anyone knows, though all the Healers Father's hauled in say she should be able to talk any time she wants to. There's nothing wrong with her mind- she's as sharp as anyone, more than some-but she can't or won't speak. Father considered your brother Manalran to be a gift from God for agreeing to marry Sophia anyway, but he died."

" My father considered Sophia to be a gift from God. He hated talkative women, and there weren't many girls raised in the old way to be silent unless spoken to. 'A woman has no business with having opinions or choices. Women are weak, foolish, sin-tainted creatures who should let themselves be guided by their fathers, husbands, and brothers.' Marigan used to get beatings for airing her opinions, and I learned quick that if I wanted a whole hide and any of my father's affection, I'd spend the rest of my life being controlled by him, my brothers, and whatever man he married me off to. Fair trade exists only in storybooks."

" It would be a true pity if you actually felt that way, Miss Rowena-I may call you by your first name, mayn't I?-because you seem to have as much or more intelligence than any man in shoe leather, and spirit to go with it. But I've a suspicion you don't. Am I correct?"

" I don't suppose there's much a woman couldn't do on her own if she set her mind to it, monsieur. Just because Eve was a stone-blind fool doesn't mean all women are. Myself, I always thought it was a little stupid that I had to act like I was one of the dogs, without any brains or tongue. I was my father's pet, but I knew I was never allowed to disagree with him one jot, or at least not speak of it even if I did know more than he did about a matter. Father's probably turning in his grave at the knowledge that little Ennaling with her nice manners and no more sense of humor than God gave a goat and utter deference should be his only heir! Fortunatlely, I learned a lot about how to manage and govern a people. I watched him when he didn't know I was watching.He would have rawhided me if he had known." She stopped, shocked. Speaking that frankly to a man, and a gentleman who outranked her,too! Alienor was probably writhing with shame even in far-away Heaven!

" 'Tis rare to see a girl who can put things into plain words and doesn't flinch at truths. Helga's a darling, but she'd have giggled and fluttered and talked on tangents till I lost any notion of what she was on about. I hope to see more of you, Miss Rowena." They reached the top of the stairs and she was startled when he kissed her hand, gentleman to lady of equal rank. Suddenly confused, she hurried upstairs. It was going to take Madge, Martha, and several hours to turn her out if she really was going to the welcoming party Anthony had insisted on in her best finery.