Chapter 7
Time with the Girls
Hermione sat back against the chair as Rowena stirred the potion that her and Helga had been working on. Hermione had asked to come watch out of curiosity and the two had, of course, let her tag along. It was interesting watching the two of them working side by side to make the potion.
It was odd the two of them got along so well. She had never once read that Helga and Rowena were the closest. Maybe it was because they were the two females of the founders. After all Godric and Salazar were supposed to be the best of friends.
She shook her head at the thought of the man. She had refused to speak to him since the incident last night. She was pissed that he was being such an ass to her when she had tried to take care of him. She had gone off right after he had finished insulting the female gender. She would have been better off if she had just stayed pissed at him and blew off his head like she was half tempted to do to Ron.
"Hermione, dear," Rowena said as she chopped up the roots that she had in her hand. Hermione looked up at her. "You are more than welcome to come and join us. We would like the extra company. You do not have to just sit there and observe us."
"No, no! I enjoy watching you. It is interesting to see two of the greatest witches working together."
"Two of the greatest? Hermione dear, you are so sweet," Helga smiled as she poured in a red liquid. She was looking at her while she poured the liquid in quickly.
When the liquid went in the potion started to bubble and issue a high-pitched noise. All three girls looked at the mixture with curious eyes. Steam started to froth over the sides and onto the floor. Helga got a little closer to the cauldron and peaked over the edge of the metal bowl.
Hermione sensed that something was about to happen and ducked under the table she was sitting at. It was quite as she heard Helga say, "It does not look—"
PPPPPOOOOOOOOOOPPPPP!
Over the edge of the table Hermione watched as green liquid flew to the walls. She waited for a minute and then peeked up. Her mouth fell open as she looked at the two women. Green sticky goop was spewed everywhere in the room. Helga was spitting some of it out of her mouth while Rowena was wiping it off of her hands. It was apparent she had covered her face because that was all that wasn't covered in the goop.
"Helga, what in world did you put in that cauldron?" Rowena demanded shaking her hands furiously.
"I just put a little belladonna root mixed with mineral water and a pinch of a shark heart." Helga wiped off her face and then shook her hands.
"Well, that explains it," Hermione said poking some of the goop.
"What?" Rowena turned to her.
"If you mix belladonna root and mineral water mixed with the ingredients you already have in there. They discovered in the future that if you mix those then you get what you just got. Be glad that you didn't add any lion's mane to it."
Helga looked at the hair in her hand. "Why?"
"It makes a deadly poison that will peel the skin off of bones," Hermione sighed.
Helga put the hair in a box and looked around. "This is certainly going to be fun to clean up this mess."
"We had best get started," Rowena sighed.
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"Godric, I need to talk to you," Salazar walked into his best friend's office. The Lion Founder looked up at the Snake Founder with curious eyes. He put down his red phoenix quill. It was his absolute favorite quill and cost a fortune. That was if his father hadn't own a bird.
"Still using that quill, I see."
Godric twirled it in his fingers, admiring the suns light playing on the gold and red feather. It was a gift from his father for his fifteen birthday. It was from his father's bird Fawkes. He had gotten the bird from his father who had gotten it from his and so on. It had been in the family for the past two hundred years.
"Yes, I still am," smiled Godric. "Now my friend what is that I can do for you?"
Salazar sat down on the chair in front of his best friend. He looked down at the floor, trying to find out how to say what he needed to say. He didn't want to hurt his best friends feeling.
Godric observed his friend with a worried eye. "You seem troubled, what is that bothers you?"
"Godric, do you remember when you said that Isvathtere had a fondness for me?"
"I do," Godric replied. "What about it?"
"Then you told me to court her because you did not want her to go unmarried for too long or she would lose all chance of ever finding someone?"
"Yes. You agreed with me and courted her." Godric went silent. Salazar looked up at him with curious green eyes.
"You do not wish to court her anymore." It wasn't a question.
Salazar sighed, "I'm afraid that courting your cousin is just too odd for either of us. We only are doing it to please you. She is one of my closest friends, not a possible bride for me. We both agree that courting is just not for us."
Godric nodded. He had known for quite some time that the two of them had just been playing along to please him. Still he had tired to think that maybe they would actually work out. He knew that both his cousins were nearing the age when men would no longer desire them.
"Why do you tell me this?"
"I require your help with something," Salazar blushed as he looked at the man in red next to him.
"You wish to court someone else?" That was one of the greatest things about Godric. He seemed to be able to read his mind and could say whatever made Salazar uncomfortable. This topic was particularly hard to speak of.
"Yes."
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"Rowena," Hermione said. Helga had left the room to go fetch some house elves to help clean up the mess. None of them were very good at cleaning spells so they figured they might as well get the best at them. Thus the need for house elves.
"What?"
"Can I talk to you about something really private?"
The blue-headed woman turned to her. Her blazing gray eyes were focused on her with total attention.
"What is it, dear?"
"I've been having these feelings that I can't explain."
Rowena was almost sitting on Hermione's lap as she got closer to hear the whispering girl. Her ears were perked up to hear anything that the curly haired girl might say. She defiantly didn't want to miss this little bit of news. Even the smartest woman in the country loved her little bit of gossip.
"What is it, dear?" Rowena repeated.
"I think I have a crush on someone," Hermione said looking up from her hands with large round eyes. She was scared to admit it but it might be true.
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"And who is the lucky woman?" Godric asked as he stood next to his best and, as of the moment, most embarrassed friend. His blue eyes watched as the snake founder fiddled with his robe. Salazar never fiddled with anything.
"That is just the problem," Salazar said looking up at the lion founder. His mind, for once, was a jumble of emotions and thoughts. He didn't know one thought from the next except for one little thing. He couldn't get one image out of his head.
"What is the problem?" interrupted Godric. He was kneeling in front of Salazar, head level with the black haired man. Their eyes were locked as Salazar tried to say something. Now Godric was just getting anxious to hear what his friend had to say. He gripped the other man's hand and squeezed hard enough to make Salazar yelp.
The snaked founder glared at his friend as he rubbed his hand. He was not a man of pure physical strength like his friend. He was a man of brains and charm, not bronze and steel. Plus, that had hurt like hell. "What was that?"
"Who is this woman?"
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"Who is this man?" asked Rowena curiously.
"Promise not to laugh?" Hermione managed to ask.
"You have my solemn word I shall not laugh no matter the humor with held in the contents of what you are going to say." Hermione had to take a minute to dissect the proper sounding sentence. She translated that it meant she wouldn't laugh.
"Alright, the truth is that I have a crush on…"
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"Who is this woman?" Godric demanded annoyed.
"I cannot bear to utter that name in fear of you teasing me," Salazar shook his head. He wasn't going to say something that was sure to make Godric roar with laughter and then beg more questions from him, just to make him laugh more.
The lion founder pulled Salazar to his feet and grabbed the front of his robes. "You would think so little of me that you will not inform me of what is troubling you, my dearest friend, because you fear my laughter?"
"Very well," the snake sighed, "I am fond of…"
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"Salazar Slytherin?" Rowena exclaimed in shock and delight.
"Yes," groaned Hermione, covering her ears. Now she wished she hadn't told the woman.
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"Hermione Granger?" Godric repeated, looking at his blushing, and nodding, friend.
"Aye," was about all he could get out.
