Published on: 3/18/20

Words: 2,609

Hermione POV

I had never heard of Founder's Hall before, not even in legends and yet here it is, right in front of me. And I couldn't believe that I'm the Heir of Hogwarts and that I could live forever if I wanted to, protecting this Hall and everything in it. I also have access to their Gringotts vaults once I've gotten their ring singlets. Many things that history hasn't mentioned could be in there. I thought to myself. I went to the desk and I was about to open one of the drawers when the ghost of an elf showed up in front of me. The funny thing about it was that it wasn't wearing the Hogwarts uniform of a simple tea towel with the crest but rather a deep blue tunic with bronze trim and black leggings. However, the entire uniform looked to be made out of a table cloth or maybe high-quality sheets; it was clothing but not clothing, quite inventive really.

"Well, I's be thanking Merlin yous here. I's being dead for a very long time. And being dead is not as fun as Miss might be thinking," he said and I looked at him confused. "Oh. Well, um. Who are you?" I asked. The elf puffed out his chest, "I is Keeper, Keeper of the Secrets. I used to be Mistress Rowena's elf but before she was dying, she and the other kind Masters is making me Keeper," he replied. "I see, and what secrets might you be keeping?" I asked him. "The Founder's Hall, of course. Miss is not being very smart if she is not knowing that," Keeper said as haughtily as a house-elf could.

"Hey!" I said indignantly, insults to my intelligence were some of the few things in life which actually annoyed me, plenty of things pissed me off or infuriated me but she didn't find many things annoying. "I was just wondering what sort of secrets those might be, that's all," I clarified. "Ah, I is happy you is asking that," Keeper said cheerfully, "As soon as I is passing on my secrets I is finally being able to leave this hall and be moving to the other side. I is wanting to do that since I is dying," he said. "Oh, well maybe we can get this done quickly then," I said with a smile. "I would be liking that very much Miss."

"So, where would you like to start?" I asked. I was very interested in finding out as much about this hall as I could, the sooner the better. "First, this room is needing cleaning." With that, Keeper just popped away, apparently even when dead, elves could do their form of apparation. About twenty seconds later a group of nine house-elves popped into the hall, four males and five females. At first, they were wearing the traditional Hogwarts tea towels but as soon as they appeared, eight of their outfits changed to match the ghost's, just in different colors; navy blue and bronze, maroon and gold, yellow and black and emerald and silver; each of the tunics had a very faint embroidered pattern of a raven, lion, badger, and snake on them. One female and one male in each set of colors. Under all their tunics they wore the black leggings. Despite the color differences, they all seemed to fit together. The fifth female elf, however, was a bit older and had a white tunic with black embroidery. The elves all turned their eyes down at their outfits and looked up at Keeper in fright, the ghost, sensing that they were worried about their new uniform put them at ease.

"Elves, elves, no panicking. You is not being freed, you is just wearing fitted table cloths made by other elves, they is not clothes. You is now working in the great and wonderful Founder's Hall so you is needing to look smart. This is what the Founders is wanting you be wearing." Now that the elves were sure that nothing was wrong they set about inspecting their new uniforms, they were all very happy about it. The female elf in white looked up at Keeper and asked, "Why is I be wearing white?" Keeper floated over to the elf and said, "You is being given great honor by Hogwarts herself. She is choosing the best elf to be head elf. You is in charge of the Hall, you is now called Chief!"

The elf's eyes went impossibly large. "But Keeper, a Chief is always being male! I is girl, I is not being able to be chief." Keeper floated down so he could look straight into her eyes, "Hogwarts has chosen, you is not able to change her mind." The elf wrung her hands together. "Okay, I is being chief, but I is hoping for a different name. Chief is not being a girl elf name." Keeper smiled and turned to me since I had just been standing there in shock at the nine elves. "We is asking Miss here to choose yous a new name."

I blinked. "You want me to pick a name? I still don't even like the idea of house-elf enslavement in the first place!" All the elves looked at me in horror. Keeper flew up so he was right in front of my face. "You is being wrong to think that. We is liking our work, we is wanting no more than serving nice masters and mistresses. You is bad heir to be thinking of us like slaves." He shook a finger in her face. "You is needing to change yous mind!"

"Oh," I said, I had never seen an elf speak so vehemently about their position in life before. All the elves I had met seemed to say things like that because they were expected to, not because they wanted to. Maybe it was time to re-think my position on house-elves. "I guess I could try." "Well you is better be trying now because Chief is needing new name," Keeper said, still rather angry. "Okay," I desperately tried to think of a name that would be accepted by them. "How about 'Doe'?" "What is 'Doe' meaning?" The elf who wasn't Chief asked. "It is for your eyes," I answered. "All the elves that I see always have doe-like eyes. Full of innocence and happiness. I thought you might like it," I said remembering Dobby's eys. "Oh," the elf said hesitantly, "I is liking 'Doe'," she said and I smiled.

"Okay," Keeper said cheerfully, "Now that that is being decided we is needing to be cleaning. Doe, you is in charge, you is deciding what happens when. You is starting now," with that, the elves hurried away and Doe started handing out instructions. Keeper turned to me "I is hoping you is treating elvises nice and not doing everything by yous self." "Okay, I'll try. It will probably be easier with Doe around to keep things going and stop me from doing anything." "Yes, you is right. Now, we is needing to do explaining of Hall." The elf changed into what could most accurately be described as 'teacher' mode.

"Right, yes, explaining," Keeper floated quickly over to the desk in the corner of the room, "This is the Heir's desk, only you is being able to use it, it be very safe." The desk was beautiful, it was made of deep mahogany wood, it was fancy without being gaudy and spacious without being imposing. It was a wraparound table so there was even more room to spread out papers and books when doing research, there were plenty of drawers and bookcases all along the walls behind it. The chair was just screaming, 'Sit in me for hours!' But what caught (and held) my attention was the four bulky envelopes sitting on the desk each addressed to 'My Heir'. When I opened the first one, I found inside a short letter and an ornate ring with a ruby in the middle surrounded by small red diamonds. on the inside it said Chivalry and Nerve, it was Godric Gryffindor's ring. I was about to start reading the letter when Keeper interrupted impatiently.

"Miss, you can be reading the letters later, just put the rings on and we is being able to continue." I was disappointed that I couldn't read what the founders had written but understood that Keeper really wants to move on from this life – or lack thereof. So, I just opened each of the letters and placed the rings on the desk in front of me. "Um, Keeper?" She asked, "Do I really have to wear all of these?" Keeper glared at me. "Of course you is having to wear them, you is the heir. But if you is not liking to have many, yous is able to make them look different. Yous is also being able to make them into one."

I smiled and placed the Gryffindor and Slytherin rings on my right middle finger, I focused on them and asked it to become one. Much to my surprise, it turned into a thin gold band with a thin red line running down the middle; in the ends, there were each of the colored diamonds. On the inside, the words Chivalry, Nerve, Clever, and Ambitious were carved on the inside. I was satisfied, this was much nicer, and didn't draw attention to itself, no one would guess that this small piece of rather feminine jewelry was the official signet ring of Godric Gryffindor and Salazar Slytherin.

Then I placed Ravenclaw's and Hufflepuff's rings on my left middle finger and did the same things as before. They turned into a slightly thicker silver ring band with the tear-drop shaped diamonds on both ends in the colors of blue and yellow. On the inside, the words Wit, Creativity, Just, and Loyal were engraved.

"There, you is seeing how nice they is now," Keeper said proudly, "They is looking nice on Miss' hands. But enough of that, we is having more to see." "Right, yes." I said, still in a bit of a daze from the whole ring thing. "What's next?" "The index is being next," Keeper said as he floated back to the book stand on which she had found the letter a few minutes ago. "This is the index book, it be telling you what books is here, in the library or in Masters and Mistresses own libraries." My eyes widened. "The Founder's have personal libraries?" I asked breathlessly. "As in, with their own books?" Keeper looked a bit surprised at her reaction. "Yes, of course they is. They is in their rooms Miss."

It was only my strong disposition that kept me from fainting then and there, I could go to the Founders' rooms! "Miss, could we be keeping going, please?" Keeper asked with a roll of his eyes. I shook my head and blinked about a hundred times to bring me back to the present. "Yes, of course." "Good. Like I is saying, this is being the index book. All yous need to do is touch it with yous wand, or yous hand if yous is being able to doing magic with no wand and think or say what yous be looking for." Before I had a chance to ask questions or get too excited Keeper moved on. "Now, there is a few ways to be getting in the hall, there is the 'fun' one from the astronomy tower – that was Salazar's idea, I is having no idea why but he is insisting that be the way you come in the first time, completely deranged that one." I frowned, I had never heard Slytherin called deranged before; evil, bigoted, maniacal even insane, but never deranged. However, I didn't get time to voice my thoughts because Keeper had already moved on.

"Another way is being the spiral tapestry," He floated over to where, if we were in the Great Hall, the Headmaster's chair would be at the head table. On the wall was a beautiful tapestry of a spiral staircase as looked at from above. Keeper pushed the tapestry to the side and revealed the top of a tiny spiral staircase, funny that. "This is leading to the Great Hall, it is being behind the Headmaster's chair. A one-way window makes you able to see the peoples but they not see yous."

Well, that could be interesting. I thought, spying on the professors during meals...very informative. "Lastly, the bestest way to be getting to the hall is through the Founder's Door, it also be taking you everywhere yous be needing to go. It is right next to the astronomy door." I looked over to where Keeper was pointing and noticed the door for the first time, I was about to ask him what he meant by 'everywhere yous be needing to go' when he gave a high pitched laugh and said, "I can go!" And he vanished into thin air.

I sighed. Oh well, I guess it's better than no information. Then I walked over to the door to figure out exactly what he meant. However, as soon as I reached the door I noticed that there was no handle. There was just a door, it was simple yet elegant, covered with intertwining engravings, upon closer inspection I found that there was a pattern. There were distinctive symbols when were connected by a vine design. The symbols were very specific and didn't seem to have any single theme, in fact, the person who made the door seemed to have a good sense of humor as some of the carvings were quite amusing.

I looked at all the engravings and felt my hand-drawn to one, it was of a roaring lion, and as if by instinct I gently pressed my hand to it. As my skin made contact with the wood, the lion grew until it filled the entire door, then a handle appeared and glowed gold. I carefully opened the door and nearly had a heart attack; I had just opened a door to the Gryffindor common room! It was as if I was standing right next to the wall, I felt like I was in the room. It took me a few moments to realize that the students in the common room weren't paying any attention to the gaping doorway thing which had just appeared in the wall, I figured that it must be invisible, or at least unnoticeable. Waiting until the students left to go somewhere else, I stepped through the door and closed it behind me. I turned around and saw that where I had just walked through there was nothing more than a beautiful tapestry. When I stepped closer to the tapestry it turned back into a door. Interesting. It must have some sort of notice-me-not charm on it or the area around it. To test my theory I tossed a pillow from the nearest chair towards the tapestry, less than half a meter before it would have hit the wall, it disappeared. Well, at least I won't have to explain why there is a new door in the common room. And if I stand close enough people won't be able to see me either! Oh, the possibilities...