Chapter 10: A Wonderful Stranger.
Time passed away just as it always had in my village. Years rolled on, people learned, and the community changed. The village was no longer a village, but a thriving town. Children were born and the elderly passed away, and the years drove us toward the present that I am living in. Simplicity grew by leaps and bounds, and before we knew it people came to us from far and wide. Word spread throughout the magical community abroad that the town was thriving and being protected, and so it wasn't long before Godric returned again with another wave of people and was gone just as quickly.
I was happy in that time; Helena began to open up to me. She participated in the school that I was running with my older students and took a great interest in all of the magic that I had to teach her. She had given up much of her anger and had begun to accept her place within the community. At fourteen she was showing all of the signs of becoming a brilliant witch and a beautiful woman, but her heart still had a lot of secrets. Levon worked extensively with her, being only a year older than her, and she began to take great pride in having a friend to talk to. I saw in Helena and Levon and great resemblance to Godric and myself, when we were young and I hope that Levon would not break her heart, or she his. Helena began to take pride in the position that I help within the community, but there were days when I didn't feel like she was proud of her connection with me. She would pace about, flaunting that I was her mother, but when she didn't get her way she was angry with me. I hoped that she would give up that attribute in time, that someone as pure and as kind as Levon would show her the way, but there were days when I had reason to worry.
Godric was also more thoughtful in those days. He gave to use ample notice that he was bringing us more people, although he never told us how many, and the community, with all its different trades people and specialties, began to prepare for the next arrivals. As with all things the community began to grow as people settled among us and we became more content in our situation. We soon acquired a wand maker and a doctor who specialized in spells and potions to heal, the children could all read and write and knew all their arithmetic from Millany's skilled tutelage. She was our primary teacher by then and was teaching the children that would soon move onto more difficult educational endeavors. With the addition of more children we had to open a primary school, in which Millany was the headmistress, and the older students came to me and my colleagues to learn their magic. The farms prospered, the animals flocked to our gates and surrounded the village in the great woods that were just beyond our borders. Flama became a great mystery to our doctor, she was not an adult Phoenix and able to heal with her tears, but she was still young in her behaviour and clung to me excessively. Nabi had brought to us a new clutch of elegant grey owls and soon we had a full Owlery and postage service that was stationed out of our town's community hall. The elders of the town made up the primary counsel and they worked together to make decisions for the greater good of all the people within our community. There were places of gathering built; pubs and shops were prosperous filling our streets with robe makers and bakeries. The people of Simplicity were in want of nothing. With every arriving Witch or Wizard our magic became stronger. Godric stayed only long enough to make sure that we were well protected and that his charms and spells were strong enough to keep us safe. Word had reached us once again that there had been an uprising in the witch hunt once and Godric was busy seeking out those who could protect us and was putting in place all the measure that would keep Simplicity hidden from the outside world. We had our own police force within the town now and they worked to keep our safety measure in place and our crime down. We were well looked after by the people Godric trusted. Our town grew; we were happy together and felt safe with all of the specialties that carried on around us.
One day, late in the fall of our sixth year as a community, a group of gypsies came down the road that led them into the vicinity of Simplicity. Some of those that traveled with them were of magical background and could interpret the magic that was around them in our protective spells, but the others could not. We worried for a time that the gypsies would give away our location, but because there were magical and muggles traveling together we knew that there was some kind of agreement among them. It turned out that the gypsies were good, kind, people, very much misunderstood just as we were and they were taking in whom ever they could to try and find them a place of refuge. The magical gypsies who knew of our magic and who had heard whispers of our community came looking for us. We opened our gates to the gypsies, all of them, and marveled at the good humor and kindness they showed to our people.
Among them came a jolly woman with eyes that sparkled like stars and a child like desire to witness everything magical. Her name was Helga Hufflepuff and she became one of my dearest and most trusted friends. She saw in everything magical a wonder and beauty that most did not see and every being with the ability to produce magic was a mystery that was like the stars in the sky and the wind that whispered through the trees. She captured my heart and the hearts of my students immediately as she visited our school and threw herself into our midst; teaching the telling stories to all of the children.
The gypsies stayed a very short time, but many of the magical companions remained behind, Helga was among them. The elders of the tribe of gypsies believed in the magical powers that people possessed and knew that Simplicity would be a safe place for those who were discriminated against and the children that showed powers that their villages shunned. We took these people in, gave them food and shelter and welcomed them into the community. Helga was thrilled to have her children with her, all the little ones they had saved from execution or desertion because they were different and our school began to overflow. I was lucky, very lucky; to acquire in Helga a witch of great ability and knowledge, and, quickly, she became a passionate teacher within our school house.
Right away she became a favorite with the children and her jolly nature moved her up in the ranks of the village. She was sweet, she was lovely, she was kind and loving and her personality captured even my Helena's heart. They shared times together that I only dreamed of, but Helga always help her conferences with my child in my house and I was always apart of it in some way. Helena loved Helga just as I did and we became closer because of the jolly little witch that stumbled into our midst. I owe so much to my dear friend. She opened up a relationship between me and my daughter that I had given up as fantasy. Helena was a softer gentler person because of Helga and I liked who I became more because of her.
Helga Hufflepuff, to this day, makes my soul sing and I wish I could be as happy and as full of childlike wonder as she is. She had made so many of my dreams come true, and I am so grateful to have her working with me here in this magnificent school.