"Oppugno" he exclaimed; flourishing his wand in Rowena's direction. The numerous little birds came soaring towards her before she stepped aside and watched them vanish as they hit the wall.

"Excellent Thomas!" Rowena cried with glee. "Oppugno can be a tricky spell to conquer but you have done brilliantly!" ; she patted him on the back and strolled across the room admiring the spells that the students of Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were learning quicker than any of them had expected. She found Helga observing one of her own students attempting the petrificus totalus jinx which was a pioneering spell but was proving quite useful.

"Now this is very advanced magic" she heard Godric say to a group of sixth years a few paces away, "watch carefully; and remember; you need to think of the happiest memory that you can conjure and maintain it!" Godric Gryffindor was perhaps the most magnificent and mysterious man that Rowena had ever met; and the only man she had ever looked at for more than a few moments. His long brown hair was thrown behind his ears and positioned so as to draw focus to his magnificent golden eyes. His robes, as scarlet as the rubies on the sword attached to his belt, were fitted so perfectly that they moved in time to his graceful wrist actions.

"Expecto patronum!" at once a gleaming silvery-white lion pounced from the end of Godric's wand and leapt into the air at a pace which the boggart underestimated. It was immediately thrown by the lion back into the chest by the feet of a first year from Rowena's own house.

"Thank you for that William" Godric said to the young boy; who had evidently been used to make the boggart look like one of the ghastly prison guards. She found this odd and yet slightly enlightening, it made a change from constantly seeing the riddikulus charm used on a Salazar look-alike.

"Rowena! May I have a word?" he asked hopefully. She gave a curt nod. "Yes Professor Gryffindor" and she followed him towards the far side of the room. They were blocked from view by a spiral staircase that led to the upper floor of the room they had built and named 'The Room of Requirement'.

"We may have a problem" he put bluntly.

"What might that be?"

"I was exploring the upper floor last night and found something amongst one of the many piles of trinkets. . . . it was his locket"

"You mean- "

"Yes" he interrupted. "He must've found a way in last night; either that or he's been biding his time. I think we might have to evacuate the school"

"What?!"

"The attacks are becoming more frequent and much more violent. It is a miracle that no one has been murdered yet. Jocelyn Lowe has had to be sent home; her mother runs the apothecary where she will get much better treatment, I sent her in my own carriage".

"Thank you, Godric. She was one of my own students; I should have seen to it myself"

"Not to worry"

"But still, for a man whose house stands for courage and bravery you are being rather strange on this particular issue; evacuate the school?"

He took hold of her hand; "There are certain people who I do not want to see hurt. It is only a matter of time before pure-blood attacks begin"

"Who don't you want to see hurt?" they looked at each other for a long time. She gazed into those golden eyes and watched the pouncing lion behind his irises. He in turn watched her sapphire-coloured eyes and saw the majestic eagle circling over and over again as if wanting to tell him something. Rowena didn't breathe the entire time he looked at her; only when he turned and walked back to the sixth years did she let it out. A tear rolled down her cheek as she pondered whether or not in close proximity he was able to feel her pulse quicken when he held her hand.