Hiya, everyone.

This is a shorter chapter, but an important one! If all goes according to plan, the next one will be out BEFORE CHRISTMAS! Exciting, I know!

Much thanks to my beta, xLady-Helenax. Love you, darling!

With her wand, Helga silently hung curtains around the beds in the Hufflepuff boy's dormitories. They were a pale yellow colour, to represent the house's colours. The dark wood went well with it.

With a flick of her wand, the fabric slid across the top of the bed, to enclose that side of it. Standing back, she looked over the room which had two beds on each side of the wall.

The four of them hadn't been sure of how many beds to put, but they at least knew how many years the students would be staying. They had decided to have seven rooms for the seven years, with a few beds in each. The rooms were large enough that, if needed, one or two more beds could fit alongside the others.

Happy with the finishing touches, Helga turned and left to go to the girl's dormitories. She went into the bathroom, inspecting everything from the lavatories to the showers.

They had really come a far way. Things were coming together quickly now, with only small things and decorating left. Helga smiled to herself as she thought about how well she and her friends had been working together the past couple of weeks.

Everyone was focused upon the dream they all shared; to start a school for witches and wizards. Nothing could come between them if they kept their goal in mind.

Helga stepped over to the bathroom window and glanced down into the grounds. She could see her gardens from where she stood, as well as where the trees were growing slowly from the ground.

She didn't want to be distracted for too long, so she turned away and lifted her wand to finish preparing the dormitories.

Salazar was already done his dormitories, thus he had nothing much to do. He sat silently in a wooden common room chair staring into the fire blazing in the hearth. There were probably other things he could do elsewhere in the castle, but right now he was enjoying having some time to himself.

He had time to think. He thought about how close the castle was too finished, and what they meant to him and his friends. Hogwarts was almost ready to be lived in all year-round. Soon, they would be teachers. They would secretly be teaching magic to pupils they found themselves.

The fire crackled suddenly, jerking Salazar's attention to it. He watched the flames glow and the embers fall to the base of the pit. His eyes remained unblinking, as he gazed into the golden fire. It was very warm and inviting, just like most of the fireplaces in Hogwarts. Salazar wondered how his friends were fairing. Rowena had been looking forward to decorating her house's tower. He wished he could go visit her, and help her if she wanted, but he knew he couldn't. They were all giving each other time on their own to create a living space for their students.

Suddenly, Salazar diverted his gaze from the fire, and stood. He decided to walk through the Slytherin tower to make sure everything was complete. If it was, he would move on through the dungeons and do whatever he could to prepare the castle to be a school.

In a strike of brilliance, Rowena had thought up a motto for her Ravenclaw house.

Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure.

Smiling, Rowena gracefully etched those words around the ceiling of her house's common room in gold.

She was almost finished, and in her opinion, her dormitories looked amazing. She thought they looked majestic in the houses deep blue colour and bronze undertone.

Rowena hoped her friends were finishing up as well. She was much anticipating the completion of the school. The new year was fast approaching, and if they were lucky, they could take a break for the holidays.

Being the organized person she was, Rowena already had plans for the months after Christmas. When the four of them got together other the holidays, they could discuss their next steps.

Rowena was getting a sense of satisfaction and security in the thought of Hogwarts being close to finished. She was finally getting somewhere in life, making her dreams happen. Ever since she met Salazar, Helga, and Godric, her life had changed. Prior to them being a part of her life, Rowena never imagined that anyone shared her vision to magical education.

Stifling a yawn, she set her wand down on a table and took a seat in front of it. The room around her seemed to be finished, yet something nagged at the back of her mind, as though she had forgotten a small detail. She closed her eyes, and let her mind analyze everything she had done in the Ravenclaw tower.

A moment later, her tense form shifted to comfortably fit into the frame of her chair and she slipped into slumber.

Godric was taking a break. He sat in a red upholstered chair, at a large wooden table that would eventually be used to do homework.

He ran a cloth over the blade of his long sword, polishing from its sharp silver point to its ruby embedded handle.

Godric was satisfied with Gryffindor tower. He hoped the students would appreciate it as much as he did. He thought the common room was very pleasant, clearly displaying Gryffindor's colours of red and gold. There was a lot of space, filled with many places to sit, either at a table or in front of the fire. The entranceway was blocked by a thick redwood door.

Godric was very excited to bring the students he picked for Gryffindor up into the tower and show them where they would be staying all year. He was also looking forward to the start of the term, though he would never admit that he was excited for teaching. The idea of magical education appealed to him and he wished to begin exploring it with his students immediately.

He and the others had not decided how they were going to teach yet. Would the four of them be enough? It depended on how many students were able to come, Godric supposed. How would they get more teachers, if that was needed?

They had been distracted with the rapid building process, and had not thought everything through yet.

Godric hastily set down the cloth, and sheathed his sword again. He stood, to retrieve a quill and some parchment and ink. He settled in front of the fire, and started a list of things they still needed to discuss. Godric would do everything in his power to have students walking through these halls as soon as possible.

Salazar strolled into the Great Hall, finished double checking the dungeons. As far as he could see, everything was set.

He looked up to see Helga seated at the table at the far end, her chin in her hands as she looked up into the sky above the room. It was sunny out, and the room seemed to glow under its brilliance.

He made his way up to her, and she only noticed his presence when he was no more than ten yards away. Startled, she lifted her head and smiled at him.

"Good day, Salazar," she said kindly.

"Good day to you as well, Helga. You must be finished with your dormitories," Salazar replied.

"That I am, just finished a quarter of an hour ago," she replied happily. "Yours are complete as well?"

"Yes, I do believe that whole area of the castle is finished. It came together very quickly, did it not?" he mused.

"It did, indeed. I do hope Rowena and Godric are faring well. We ought to celebrate soon, to commemorate a job well done!" Helga said as she stood up and came to Salazar's side. "Have you heard from either of them in the past few hours?"

"I have not, but surely if you have finished, they should be soon as well. Would you like to accompany me for a stroll outside? I should think that by the time we return, the other two will have finished," Salazar suggested.

Helga nodded and started to walk to the other end of the Great Hall. "That sounds like a wonderful idea, Salazar. It is a little cold outside, however, so do wear your winter robes."

Salazar followed her. "They are in my dormitories. Accio winter robes," he muttered while he walked with her. Helga had left hers in the Entrance Hall, and donned them just as Salazar's flew up from the dungeons. He casually caught them in one outstretched hand and threw them around his shoulders.

The ground was littered with ankle-deep, fresh snow. Helga shivered a little and pulled her robes closer around her. The sun still shone brightly.

They walked to the courtyard that faced the upcoming forest. The stone arches were covered in snow and the ground crunched under their feet.

"Come spring," Helga began, "it will have been a full year since you first discovered this place. How it has changed in that time!"

Salazar realized she was right. The year had gone by slowly, as they were so busy, but now that it was close to over, it seemed like the time had gone by far too quickly.

"It's true," he said slowly. "I'm glad it didn't take too long to build the castle. Thank Merlin for magic."

Helga giggled and nodded. They continued to chat between the two of them as they walked along the courtyard, passed the gardens and came back around to the front gates. When they reached the door, they were warmed up, and rosy-cheeked.

As they came in through the gigantic oak doors, they glimpsed Rowena and Godric sitting side by side on the steps up to the first floor.

"Hello, friends!" Helga called, waving her arm above her head. She fluffed up her blonde hair and she hung her outdoor robes in a closet by the doorway. Salazar slung his over an arm and walked with her to the staircase.

Rowena stood when they arrived and stepped down to their level. Reluctantly, Godric pushed himself up from the staircase and followed.

"We wondered where you two had gotten too," Rowena said, looking back and forth between the two of them.

"We took a walk while waiting for you two to finish in your towers," Salazar supplied.

Godric stretched dramatically. "We're all done, you two must be as well," he said.

"That we are. So I suppose this means…" Helga replied quietly.

"The castle is completely finished," Rowena breathed out, just as quietly. The four were silent for a moment, watching each other for a reaction.

Godric's face suddenly lit up, and his face stretched into a huge smile. "Finished!" he exclaimed. "Hogwarts is finished!"

Huzzah. Please review to let me know if you enjoyed this chapter!

On a side note, my beta and I gave each other 30 word-prompts, and I'm writing 30 HP oneshots. If you're interested, check out my profile. Thank you for your support.

I love you all, my readers!
-D0nQuix0te