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January 14th 997

Early came Rowena to me for some advice on her newest proposition, which I had not the knowledge to give with any confidence, but listened closely just the same. Thence we went down to the Hall and up again to Godric's on the seventh floor, where he too took much time in consideration of how we should proceed. Then into the Hall again, where we met with Salazar, he being just come from France.

Rowena was much agitated to get across her idea correctly, Salazar being so very at odds with many of her schemes. Alas, again they disagreed on many accounts about the nature of beasts and how Rowena's enchantment should work if wee were all four to take another form.

Rowena, for her part, is sure that should wee succeed in our transformations and take on the disposition of beasts, thence the sacred blood oath shall be strengthened thrice-fold.

Salazar's reluctance comes from his belief in the inferiority of beasts, he of the mind that naught exists any being which could perform more powerful an enchantment than a wizard.

Rowena vext by this, departed in a fury I have not seen her in before. Wee are all weary of the death and disease that has plagued our castle since the day wee began taking in pupils, but none more soe perhaps than Rowena who wishes to see her castle as a safe hold for the lives within it.

At night to supper with the pupils, all weary and to bed.

January 30th 997

It snowed hard all this morning, and was very cold, and my nose was much swelled with cold.

Rowena hath returned. She brings with her many books on the subject of theiranthropy by which she hopes to convince Salazar. One such book, has mention of Rowena's very idea; in this they call it Hetaeria Sodalitas.

Wee four of us debate again on the dangers of attempting such a feat. Once more, nothing is decided and we part with troubled hearts.

I attend to the sick-bed of a little girl, by name of Rosey who I do not think has much longer before she is lost to us.

And soe, weary of heart, to bed.

February 17th 997

For these two or three days I have been much troubled with thoughts how to get safety to them that we have brought here on the pretense of an education.

By our own neglect this month alone, four have passed beyond the vail; one being little Rosey. Lost forever, by reason of a terrible curse having come down upon the castle. Those four were all of pure-blood birth, which hath caused much distress to Salazar.

Rowena again, beseeches us to take on the disposition of beasts and form a Solidatis. Beasts, she tells us, are inclined to act on instinct, do not suffer from the human tendency towards deceit. Rowen is of the mind that raw emotion formulated through instinct is a great power which can conceive of the most extraordinary magic. On this point, Salazar and Godric are of a different mind, both being strong believers in the rational, wand-contrived magic of recent years.

I myself cannot bee certain one way or another, but am desperate for some relief from the darkness which has engulfed us since the opening of our school. I cannot shake the face of small Rosey, who passed much tormented by the terrible curse. I thence find myself unable to do else but beg Godric and Salazar to test this scheme of Rowena's.

We take a vote; it is decided. We are to bee beasts.

April 20th 998

This morning Godric, Rowena, Salazar and I did eat our breakfast at the Hall with our pupils, upon a cold turkey-pie and a goose. The pupils quite enraptured with Godric's daily performance of transforming into a fierce lion for their merriment.

Rowen is less prone to show her new powers, only transforming when there is need of a particular transmittance to be flown in secret out of the castle. Salazar even more soe. He hath hardly been seen by any as a serpent. I feel perhaps he is ashamed, thinking that form to bee inferior to his original one.

As for myself, I do find it is much easier to sleep in my badger form, due to the frost of a morning and so am inclined to spend all my nights as such.

Wee are still far from our ambition. Rowena believes there will be a time when wee are ready, once settled into our new forms and able to let our instincts lead us towards the great oath, bonding us forever.

May 24th 998

As we have in every thing else, soe we have this afternoone done what no-one with any moderate reason expected of us. But dear reader, future educators of our beloved pupils, I beseech you consider that what wee have done reaches but for the span of our days, and therefore pray you to hasten some other expedient to serve our pupils and their dire need of safety. What wee have done herein being very irregular, and possibly not able I thinke to bee done twise.

But should yee who reads this be willing to attempt our feat, for the protection of all future pupils, I shall take note of how we formed Hetaeria Sodalitas;

First, one must hold the leaf of a mandrake in one's mouth for the length of an entire moon. This leaf must never be touched by sunlight.

Thence, one must let this leaf be drowned in moonlight. Not a single cloud can block this moonlight else all shall be for naught.

The entry ended abruptly here and Lily and Lysander could not find the next page which continued on from it. Alasdair must have left it in it's rightful place in the journal. For the first time, Lily felt disappointed that he hadn't torn more pages out. They nevertheless went on to read the page dated chronologically closest to the last one.

June 7th 998

Many moons have passed since we struck our oath. Such peace, as wee have naught seen before has taken hold of us and wee delight in the progress of our beloved pupils, who in the safety of our castle walls are able to finally receive an education uninhibited by the dark curses of our enemies.

Even Salazar has come to thrive in his new form. I see him oft communicating with the serpents he now keeps with him in his presence at all times- in his chambers and his classrooms.

Wee, at peace, find sleep easily.

Lily rustled through the pile of paper and found a few more pages from the same year, detailing about the lives of the founders and the uses they found for their animagus forms. These entries were markedly different from the previous ones in that they were much more positive in tone. Having somehow ensured that their castle could not be breached by more deadly plagues of magical disease, the founders had more room to branch out and bestow all kinds of knowledge unto their students. They taught about both wand-use and wand-less magic, magical plant care, potion brewing and non-verbal spells and even held the odd ball or two. But all of these merry entries came to and end, with the one last page nothing more than a torn shred with a few short scribbles of writing.

June 16th 999

A pupil dead. Serpent bites to their neck.

Wee are all afeared that this is the doing of Salazar.

June 17th 999

Salazar has fled. Herein the Sodalitas between Godric, Rowena and myself thus broken. Our pupils are in danger, the black death upon us once again.

And that was the end. Though Lily checked again for good measure, that seemed to be the last of all the pages Alasdair had provided. Lily, Lysander and Lorcan looked up from the Lingualatis and around at each other's faces. Though the darkness masked their expressions, they could each sense a feeling of sadness from one another at this abrupt and miserable ending to their glimpse into the inner lives of the founders.

Lily found herself gloomily wishing that she too could turn herself into a badger to help herself sleep through the chill that permeated the air that night.