AN: I left it for more than a month because of writer's block, but I have an assignment to finish, and suddenly I finished this within three days. What the hell Brain! Get your priorities straight!
Also, I tried writing an accent in the last chapter, but I discarded that altogether in this one because the conversation is long and is so dang hard to put an accent in each of them. So forget them ever having an accent in the first place.
Finally, enjoy.
Chapter 20: The Birth of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Words: 3,637
Recap: A millennia-old hat exists today to tell the tale of how Hogwarts came to be. And yet, this young man could only hope it'd be fast enough for me not to blurt how long the Hat hadn't washed himself.
The moment the Founders found themselves out of the Dead Forest thanks to a herd of magic reindeer.
(I can't believe that sentence makes any sense in my head.)
The four moved together as they ventured from village to village, hiding from the eyes of the knights, until they reach one of the still safely hidden wizarding towns that held the proud Library.
(I'm guessing it's more than your average-magic-library? I can hear the capital-L there.)
(Because it had held priceless and dangerous artifacts and grimoires that wizards today would willingly kill for. Which is why not even the Slytherins dared to out its existence.)
(Uh oh, I'm sensing a 'but' there.)
Alas, when they reached the town. It was a town no longer. Homes burned to ashes with lingering fires, nothing but rubble and waste was left of it. The Four had nothing to say; no words could convey their shock as they strode through the streets void of any people.
The fame Library was no exception. Gone were the stained glass windows with the color of life itself, paintings upon the dome ceilings looked down in mourn, books and artifacts were stolen or burned, and the sparkling golden arched away fell in ruins.
(How is that possible? This is a wizarding town, right? Even if muggles find out, I doubt they could make that much destruction.)
(That's because it wasn't done by muggles.)
The scene in my head showed Godric picking up a broken rustic bead necklace with amulets in the shape of strange symbols I recognized as runes. The former knight must have known as well because he then sneered, "Volvas,"
Salazar looked up in surprise, "Those demented witches? I heard them, and those Danes have started raiding around the Kingdom. I never imagined they'd go this far… no, wait, I take that back; I can imagine it quite clearly."
(Volvas? Danes?)
(Danes are Germanic Vikings, they've been laying assault all over England. Volvas are what people called their witches. They've been the base of what muggles stereotyped witches; crazy, cruel, and mean tricksters.)
(Wow, they sound vexing to handle, the King must not be happy.)
The assaults of the Danes and Volvas turned more and more frequent, and the damage spread wide and far. As his name suggests, King Aethelred the Unready was not at all prepared to deal with the problem and made the simple solution he could make, fighting fire with fire.
(You mean bringing back the wizards.)
Indeed. The Four knew what would entail and they couldn't trust the Royals to repeat history. So with enemies from the front and the back, there was only one course of action they could do.
"I'll tell you what we can do." Godric threw the helmet like it has offended him. The metal helm made a loud clang on the floor. "We fight. We need to protect our own knowing the Kingdom would not give rats about us, so I say it's up to us." He took heavy steps as he looked at each and one of his friends with a steely gaze. His voice roared like a fire being fed with more oil.
"Godric, that's lunacy. You're talking about an army here, and there's only four of us."
"We can't just sit by and let this insult slide without giving them a taste of their own medicine! At this rate, with the military aiming our heads and Volvas razing our homes, there'd be nothing of us left!"
"Fight, is it? Oh, men and their fights thinking we could fight all I problems away. What would you expect from us? For us to go wand blazing against the Volvas? They're the main reason we witches even have a bad name with their uncivilized experiments and cultish way. Everyone knows death is mercy when you go against them. Is that what you want from us, Godric?"
"Better than asking to live your life, running away from your problems."
"IT'S HOW I SURVIVE!" Rowena roared; her echo had been loud enough for the dust to shake as if willed by her emotion, "I have spent too long surviving on my own, running from everything I know because my step-mother found out about my magic and put a bounty on my head after she put my mother on the stake! To never see the one your father again and never be able to go back home. I ran because I didn't want to satisfy that bitch from ruining my life, and I'm not going to start now."
At that point, Rowena had red-rimmed eyes from the tears she failed to keep in. Her cheeks flushed, and she was huffing and puffing while struggling to keep a steady breath. They descended into silence, creating the whole ruin feeling of the former Great Library. Not even Godric, for all his bravery, dared to break the silence that blanketed them.
Helga was the first to move, slowly closing on her before gently pulling her into a hug. The usual aloof Rowena didn't even fight. She gave herself the chance to be vulnerable, resting her chin to the crook of her neck. Giving in to the warmth of another person for a minute or two.
Finally, Rowena had enough and took a step back to loosen Helga's hold, but the plump woman didn't let go before gripping her hand tightly. "I can not imagine the pain you suffered all these years, but Rowena, you're no longer alone. If you must decide, then choose the one that lets you live and not just survive. Whichever you decide, we'll be there for you."
The Runaway Princess's eyes widen, shock and disbelief at the unreversed support and kindness given to her as if it was something new to her. I supposed life outside the palace had been harsh to her for her to be touched by this. Rowena wiped her eyes before tears began to freshly break out again, taking a shaky breath in before looking back at the shaggy-haired knight. "What do you have in mind, O noble knight? I stand by my case that this is a bad idea, so don't assume I'll join without a plan."
Godric grinned and opened his mouth, only to freeze and gaped with nothing coming out of his mouth. Helga smiled feebly at his antics while Rowena rolled her eyes. Salazar took that chance to speak up.
"If I may, while indeed the Buffoon talks without much thinking. I have to agree with his point that as long as we do nothing, there wouldn't be any of us left. Our heritage, our lives, and our magic would only be taken again and again. I refuse to let muggles, volvas, or anyone to take it from us. However, Rowena is also correct in the case that we are hopelessly unmatched against them, so our first order of business is for us to save as many of our people to keep them safe."
His implication was clear, and the rest of his comrade either had eyes round as saucers or hanging jaw on their faces. "Are you suggesting a sanctuary?" Helga confirmed, "But all the main wizard villages are gone, and the rest aren't safe enough for that."
"Not if we make our own." Salazar boldly proclaimed, like he had suggested they'd go searching for El Dorado, which both sounds equally absurd. "They can't search for what they don't know. Considering the arrogance of the muggles, they'd just believe they've succeeded eradicating us."
And so they argued and traded ideas back and forth until a solid plan began to form in their minds. It was still a baseless idea at that point; no land to build upon, no money to secure them, nothing that would ensure their people's safety and secrecy within these dark times.
But they didn't give up, and so they set off together with a purpose. To deny the hand fate had dealt them.
They needed money, land, and connection. They obviously cannot rely on the muggles for support any longer. But their choices were, let's safe to say, limited.
"So let me put this crystal clear," Godric summarized after a hard bite of his bread, not minding his volume in the busy tavern they were in, "Our only options are those greedy goblins, a stick in their literal-arse centaurs, and those creepy chittering mermaids."
Helga whacked his head, "Don't be rude."
"It's not rude when it's the truth. Besides, what makes you think they would want to ally with us?"
"Between our passive-aggressive relationship and getting killed on sight by muggles for bragging rights. I think we can persuade them to pick the lesser evil of the two," Rowena gave her two cents, just as thrilled at the idea as the rest of them.
"As much am I against associating with those hybrids, I suppose there's little choice on the matter."
It was easier said than done. The whereabouts of magical creatures alluded both wizards and muggles, and searching for them would take time. They managed an audience with the Centaurs and have them act as guardians for their sanctuary, even recommending a hidden land within the depth of Scotland.
The Centaurs just happened to fail to mention the 20-foot long Basilisk nesting on them.
"I told you we can't trust those arses! I told you!"
"Be quiet, or do you want to be dinner!" Rowena whispered shouted as the four were forced to run within the maze-like tunnels from the preying reptile they've only ever heard from legends.
Other wizards would have run or fallen dead. Not them. They stood their ground and fought for their lives as they used every resource against the beast. It went on for three days and three nights until Salazar managed to tame it with his gift.
I watched as Salazar stood face to face without looking at its eyes. His hand outstretched as he spoke strings of hisses that barely could be called words. They were at a grandstanding, with none of the other founders dared to move until the Basilisk touched his hand with its head. Eyes closed as if a sign of submission.
Then Rowena blinded its eyes, Helga petrified it, and Godric stabbed its head.
Well… so much for that Hiccup-Toothless moment.
"When they mentioned the Slytherins were a crowd of Snaketongue, I didn't think they were literal about it."
"For your information, the accurate term is Parseltongue. It is a valuable skill passed down in our bloodline. It is imperative that we didn't flaunt our skills in front of people outside our families."
"Then is it okay, showing your family's secret to us?"
Salazar stared long and hard at the three of them. His face showed little emotion or what he might have in mind. "I already told you the reason," then he turned and walked off without another word.
The scene changed to the barren side of the land where Helga planted the magic seed the Reindeers had entrusted them. It then rapidly grew to the familiar outline of the Forbidden Forest. The Founders were excited in building a new place and planning their moves. It wasn't long afterward that Sylethrin tried to hatch a chicken egg under a toad within his personal space.
That guy has issues.
(His family took fratricide into some sort of sports games, what do you expect?)
(Point taken.)
Next, they went to the mermaids, who agreed and offered protection from any seafarer assaults. With most Volvas sewing chaos through the sea and the many sea beasts, they had been a significant addition for security.
The goblins were the hardest to bargain. They were a greedy bunch who wouldn't share any of their riches despite their benefits, not to mention the arrogance to stay hidden from the muggles while living in the deepest and darkest depths of the caves. Salazar had to compromise from trading their goods to loaning them for the wizards.
(Y'know, considering his cunningness, are you sure Slytherin didn't try to cheat the goblins?)
The Four Friends scoured the whole of England for any wizards. With her vast knowledge and magic, Rowena managed to pinpoint those with magical abilities, whether they were purebloods or muggle-borns. Inevitably, they clashed with both the military and the Viking.
Flashes of spells being thrown around between wands and staff. Villagers apparating into the hidden settlement by Helga as she gave them guidance and kind words for supports. I watched as the grief and acceptance passed their faces as they worked toward building a new home. I saw Godric waving a gleaming sword that radiated power, slashing away knights and blocking spells, dominating the war-torn field with his might.
They looted riches from the nobles and enemies alike; golds, grimoires, and weapons were not spared.
(So Salazar helped the diplomacy, Godric fought on the frontlines, Rowena searched for wizards and made strategies against the two-front enemies, and Helga organized the refugee in their newfound village and kept everyone's morale.)
Exactly. Many years passed, more and more magical people disappeared from society until people have no choice but believed that they were all extinct. The wizards and witches were all tucked away and out of sight from the muggles. The wizards and witches were well settled, and together The Four Founders made something no magic users at that time had hoped to achieve; a safe haven.
But it wasn't enough. They needed a place to cultivate their heritage—a place to teach them magic.
(And that's when Hogwarts was born.)
And when everything fell apart.
The Four had seen and experienced more battles than any current wizards residing in their villages. Hence, they were the most suited in teaching the future generation.
Salazar had no problem hiding muggle-borns from the prying eyes of muggles. Still, he made a harsh line to teach commoners alongside those of noble lines. His upbringing reigning its head of clear segregation between the two groups.
Godric was not happy with the clear-cut discrimination. He made the suggestion that there should be an opening for those who prove worthy of joining their ranks as he had done so during his period as a knight. He recommended those who expressed their desire to use magic for their people and fight evil should be allowed to learn magic.
Rowena was against the criteria. She, too, was not happy by the discrimination and suggested those who have passions for learning because learning sake should be allowed admission, regardless if they were nobles or not.
Helga had been surprisingly the most vocal and against their ideas, instead of demanding that they should accept the children and guide them regardless of their reasons or background. She had been vicious in putting down her foot. Even Salazar had to back off and concede to her demands; they get to teach the children they like in exchange.
(Yeah, Hufflepuff Pride all the way!)
They gave birth to me, putting a part of themselves as they brought me to life to sort where a child whose tutelage would make them flourish.
However, Salazar did not forget his friends' insult, creating a subtle crack between them. It felt like a betrayal for the noble Slytherin, but still, he remained faithful to the school. Yet, the grudge made the cracks grew over time until it twisted his views on them as more and more muggle-borns came to Hogwarts until they outnumbered the purebloods. This was unacceptable to him, so he made it his mission to weed out the muggle-borns he found 'defective' and cross the line he could never take back.
( I gulped. Words weren't needed to know what the Hat meant.)
The rest, horrified by their friend's action, argued and fought. Godric, most of all, felt the betrayal most keenly and threatened a wand at him, banishing him from the school. To be threatened by his only friends, the cracks turned to shatters as Salazar left with bitter farewell and a warning of his descendant to one day finished his unfinished deed.
The Now Three Founders were reasonably horrified by the revelation of a beast lurking within the castle, yet they were unable to find it. So Godric made a plan. If Salazar entrusted his grudge to his cunning descendants, then he would entrust hope to the brave chosen. So he stole back the sword the Goblins loaned to him and hid it within the castle's Vault, in hope if the time comes when Salazar's prediction comes true, his people would be there to fight and defend the weak and their home.
. . .
"...and that's what happened," I finished the story to my audience, with various reactions. Remus and Lily were both leaning in, enraptured by the tale no history books managed to record. Sev acted much more subdued but couldn't hide the gleaming excitement in his dark eyes. Sirius and James look a cross between bored and frustrated until the last mention of a clue about the Lost Treasure. Peter just seemed overall confused; he looked like a go with the flow kind of guy instead of thinking for himself.
"So all we know is that the treasure is a sword?"
"What are you saying? It isn't just 'a' sword but 'the' sword! The Sword of Gryffindor is said to have brought forth victories across the land; no weapon or spell could equal its power to those who were chosen to wield it."
"Then obviously I'm going to wield it." James climbed up and stood on the table, putting up what I had to assume a regal pose but fell inadequately with his small form, "I'm going to find the Sword, and with it, I'm going to kill the beast that foul Slytherin hid in this castle and become a hero."
A wild McGonagall appeared and passed by the Great Hall, then she barked, "Potter, get off that table!"
"Yes, Ma'am," he squeaked and promptly sat back. The rest of us tried to plant our butts or else we might fall off laughing from our seats.
"But still, as interesting as that was, how is that going to help us find the Lost Treasure?" Severus tapped the table after calming down. His face looking like it has a hundred million things racing in his mind.
Sirius looked like he has a thing or two on 'Snivellus' getting involved in a scavenger hunt for Gryffindor's treasure, but I was quick to cut all of their attention off with my next words; "I think the Hat already told us where the treasure is from that little history lesson." All of them were reasonably surprise at me. Good. Because I have no idea what I'm talking about.
"Really?" Oh boy, Lily looked really eager with this. You can't see this, but my lip is twitching from the sheer effort of keeping my face straight.
"Err, yeah…" Okay, Brain, time to help me bullshit my way like you did with my A- Biology presentation I barely studied. "From what he showed me, the Founders split the key apart into four parts to the place each has significance to them. Helga in the Forbidden Forest where she brought back the seed where they first met, and Salazar hid it underground where they slay the Basilisk that they killed together." Wow, that actually makes a sort of sense. Way to go, me! "If we follow that pattern, then Rowena's would be associated with the library where they've decided to actually make a sanctuary for wizards or maybe the castle itself since she designed it, and Godric's would be…" Ah damn, I'm out of ideas.
Don't give up on me, Brain! I tried to cheer it, but all I got was; I'm sorry, but we're fresh out of ideas, would you like me to serve a cheesy change-of-subject instead?
Thankfully, I didn't need to finish because Lily stood upright with a gleam understanding, "I know where it is!" Jumping out of her seat, she went off without another word. The rest of us guys were forced to get up and follow her without question.
AN: Okay, so before anyone points out plothole of Godric hiding one of the pieces of the same place the Basilisk was. Here is the reason: When Salazar left with his warning, he knew his friends would scour the whole castle for any secret room that would hide a beast capable of killing people only to find no sign of it. This is where Salazar's brilliance came; he never left a Basilisk in the school. At this time, the Basilisk is still a baby and pretending to be a normal snake, which he had taken with him. He knew his friends are capable of finding anything he tried to hide and he never made a secret room for himself. He just made them think that. So when Salazar has a kid or grandkid or whichever descendant sent to Hogwarts, he made sure to tell them about the Chamber of Secret, the same chamber used to hide part of the key, and keep the Basilisk there. And so Salazar managed to hide the Beast after the other Founders had searched the castle in the only place only four of them knew that they themselves try to keep hidden. Simple misdirection.
During the discussion of the children acceptance. I made it so that purebloods and mugglebloods were more synonymous to nobles and commoners. During the medieval period, school and education were more of a luxury than a right or necessity. Commoners were too busy to work than to learn, and books and papers were expensive since they weren't mass produced. As Hermione said, wizards aren't known for their logic so even if they could mass produced with magic, they didn't think of such things for a long time. For that reason, it's common sense for only nobles to have the right for education and Salazar is too prideful to share a room with commoners. Godric wasn't against the segregation since he learn to accept and respect hierarchy, but more for the lack of opportunity for others to prove they are worthy to learn magic, as he had proven his worth from a lowly farmer's boy to a loyal knight of the castle. Rowena was against the segregation because she believes learning is a right not a privilege, but she has no patience for anyone who doesn't want to learn. Helga was… well, she was Helga. She was the only one with the common sense to ask "Why can't we just teach everyone?!"
Thank you for reading, hope you review!