Chapter 11: The Need for a Bigger School.
Once again, as winter raged and we fell into one of our coldest and most trying seasons ever, Godric returned with another group of refugees. This time, there were children by the dozens that followed him like the Pied Piper. There were very few adults with him, but his powers were so strong and well established that the children were safe and sound in his presence. He knew that they would all be safe within the borders of the magical city and so, as the wind and the snow pelted our town, the elders and the families within its walls began to ready themselves to adopt and welcome into their midst the children that had been heralded by one they respected so greatly.
I will tell you now, dear reader, that Godric was a man whose heart had been stolen by the children. He loved them above all things and I believe, had he been of the settling in nature, he would have been a most fantastic parent. His head wept for the child that was left behind and if ever he stumbled upon one, he had to make sure that they were safe and sound. Many a muggle child lost in the woods or abandoned was helped by Godric Gryffindor. He risked his own life to bring them into villages and to make sure that they were taken care of. I believe that is why he is so well respected to this day. No matter what, a child is a child and they deserve the opportunity to live.
I knew early on that the children were coming. Nabi had been summoned away from me and returned with Godric's letter. A list of names, as long as my arm and filled with children ages raging from infants to young adults arrived on the breezes of early winter and we quickly began to place them all within houses of the town. It was a busy, but joyful time. Our own Mr. Ollivander, a wand maker whose children were already studying the art of wand making, was already preparing for the onslaught of children needing wands and he was prepared to take in children to his workshop, and so were his sons. Their houses would soon be filled with adopted children and would reach out into history as some of the greatest wand makers around.
Haas and Gretel although already well into their elderly years were preparing their cottage for children and Levon, who had by this time, turned into a young man and was content with his little house was also ready for children to take up residence with him. He had not yet married, but he was ready to take care of anyone that was in need. Helena was disappointed by his open heart. She felt betrayed by the idea of him taking in children and not giving her his attention, but she could not stay mad at him and soon became reconciled to the idea of his raising children.
Millany, I am pleased to say married a young man from our village and had become the mother she wanted to be. While she continued to teach the younger children in the school and raise her family in the well established farmhouse of her husband she began making room to take in more children and her husband opened his heart to all the great joys that more little ones would bring. Chase, as he was called by many in the village, was a hard working man, a brilliant farmer and highly respected wizard. He was also very skilled in the healing arts but his passion remained in the fields with the plants and the animals that surrounded him. He was perfectly suited for Millany and she was happy and proud to have caught his attention. Their hearts overflowed for the children that would come into their lives and they looked forward to teaching and raising the large family of their dreams.
My biggest concern, however, was that our school house was already full to capacity. Millany had to take on more teachers in the grammar school and we could not fit anymore students into out school of witch craft and wizardry. We had many children already living in Simplicity and we were not going to turn any away, everyone was welcome to seek refuge, but how and where were we going to teach them all.
Helga knew of my concerns. She sat with me many days as we worked together to make clothing for the children that would arrived and to prepare our lessons. Helga kept an immaculate garden of magical plants in a magical green house perfectly suited for those types of flora and which entertained her greatly. It was by this garden that she taught most of her lessons, but on this day we sat together, close to the fire in her cottage knitting.
"We knew one day we would run out of space," Helga stated as she rocked in her rocking chair and smiled as the needles worked before her.
"Yes, but I didn't think it would happen so fast," I stated, my own needles working away as I hand stitched a girls pelisse on my lap, my wand tucked behind my ear.
"Perhaps it is time to petition the village to construct a larger building," Helga stated. "We have space; there is a mountain that would hold our castle and children quite nicely. I'm sure Godric would assist if he was given ample notice as to our endeavor. It could be huge and we could invite students from all around to come and learn with us there. It will stand as a magnificent sentinel over our simple village and will one day be the greatest magical institution in the world." She stated dreamily as she rocked, her eyes closed and a smile spreading across her face.
"You are such a dreamer," I laughed at her in that moment.
"It is a beautiful dream, don't you think?" Helga asked. "You have been dreaming of a school since you settled in this place, since you built your little school house and since you started keeping your students as professors in your one room building. It's far from the grand school that you have dreamed about, and yet you are working toward it. Your students call you professor, but your school does not warrant that title, not yet at least. A castle and thousands of witches and wizards is what you long for. I am simply painting the beautiful picture of a castle on the mountain truly showing off our grandeur."
"You are correct," I admitted. It was everything that I dreamed about, but I didn't know how it would all work. I knew I couldn't do it alone, but with help, with Helga, it all seemed possible.
The arrival and the ultimate departure of Godric brought with it even more hope of one day seeing a great school before us. Godric would know just how to obtain the impossible dream and I hoped that someday he would stay long enough for us to tell him of our plans. The children came, they were adopted into our community and for the first while we made due with what we had. No child was left behind. They were all treated with equality and were given every opportunity that we could give them to learn and to be taught in our little school. Little did we know what would truly become of our beautiful little dream; it was the dream that gave birth to our legacy.