Fore note: Lots of thank you-s and a lot of hugs to Seldes Katne for beta-reading Hearts and Hourglasses before it's posted on Sugar Quill! She's a wonderful person and a fantastic beta-reader!

Chapter 13: Ravenclaw

Rowena was returned to her family one month after being kidnapped from Ollivanders in Diagon Alley. She returned with sound mind and body, showing no sign that in any way was she traumatized by the experience. Lord Regius Ravenclaw praised his daughter for possessing such courage and strength to face the Dark wizards who took her and to return, by her self, unscathed.

Rowena told her father that the Dark wizard, who had kidnapped her, returned her, but he wouldn't hear of it. Sometime later, she would learn that her father had paid one hundred twenty galleons for her release.

***

The first thing Harry saw when he woke up was the lion and serpent ceiling painting. He blinked and stared at it. Currently, both the lion and the serpent were sleeping curled up at opposite sides of the ceiling. Both were starting to wake up though, and Harry heard a groan. He turned his head on his pillow and saw Draco waking up in the other bed.

Harry bolted wide-awake then, sitting up and watching Draco warily. Before he could say anything to the other boy, the door opened to let in Godric followed closely by Salazar who closed the door quickly behind him.

"Rowena knows," hissed Salazar, "I told you not to think about them!"

Godric looked defensive. "Rowena won't tell Helga, I'm certain."

Salazar glared at him. "Helga will get suspicious, and you know Rowena is not a good liar."

"Unlike you," grumbled Godric.

Harry sneezed before he could control it; Godric immediately went to his bedside.

"How are you feeling, Harry?" Godric asked in a solicitous voice. Harry smiled and said he was all right. In the corner of his eye, he saw Salazar sit on Draco's bed, and a sudden chill went through him. He grabbed Godric's sleeve.

"Draco," Harry whispered to Godric urgently, "he's going to tell others about the four of you."

Godric's expression stilled, and he glanced over to Salazar who was talking softly to Draco. The other boy was following every word Salazar was saying. The look on his pale face was ebullient.

Godric looked back to Harry, saying, "Salazar would have made Draco promise not to tell anyone about us before giving him his pin."

Harry shook his head vehemently. "Draco cannot be trusted," he declared bluntly and a little too loudly for a pair of silver heads at once turned his way.

Draco immediately taunted Harry, "I was waiting for you to say something like that, Potter. Took you long enough."

Harry's hands clenched into fists, but Godric gestured at him to stay calm. It was he instead who questioned Draco. "Will you promise to keep silent about us being here at Hogwarts?"

Draco folded his arms and gave Godric a contemptuous look. "I do not have to promise anything to a Gryffindor," he declared impertinently.

That was too much for Harry to take. Draco had the gall to show disrespect to Godric Gryffindor, Harry's House's Founder, and in his face. He got out of bed even as Godric shouted, "You little imp!"

Harry lunged at Draco and rammed into Salazar who had sidestepped in between them. He pushed Harry back firmly. Harry landed heavily against Godric who quickly steadied him.

Before Harry could recover, Salazar said lightly, "Trust is an ambiguous thing, Harry."

Harry felt Godric behind him tense as Salazar silkily continued. "And promises are nothing more than the tools of fools in need of petty assurances."

Salazar's words had barely began to sink into Harry's mind when he turned away from him and Godric to Draco, who was now sitting on the edge of his bed and looking at Salazar with profound respect.

"Draco," said Salazar, "will you tell anyone about us?" Harry couldn't quite describe the tone of voice Salazar was using. It sounded expectant as if he already knew what Draco would say.

Draco's eyes were steady as he answered, "I will not."

"Why?" asked Salazar.

Draco made the slightest pause before he said, "Because I don't want anyone else to know." His eyes hardened and flicked over to Harry. "They don't deserve to know," he said softly.

Why that- But the other boy had turned his attention back to Salazar. "I won't tell anyone about you." Draco seemed to be addressing Salazar solely. "I promise I won't tell anyone."

Salazar smiled. "I don't need you to promise anything, Draco."

Draco considered this silently for a moment then said simply, "I know." Harry stared at him with disbelief. Draco actually sounded mild and tranquil. Harry found himself staring at Salazar, wondering what he had done to Draco. The other boy treated most people as though they were trash, but with Salazar, he was respectful, even humble. Draco didn't act that way even with his own father.

Salazar chuckled. His left hand raised and rested on Draco's shoulder as he turned back to Harry and Godric. "Satisfactory?"

Harry didn't say anything, but Godric gave a stiff nod. Salazar tilted his head in a minute bow and said, "We'll go then."

Harry watched silently as Draco and Salazar left the room. After a few moments, he took a step forward and faced Godric, who had closed his eyes and was looking a little off-color.

"Sir," he asked worried, "Are you all right?"

Godric's eyes snapped open and stared at Harry in surprise as if he had forgotten Harry was there. Then, he relaxed and smiled slightly. "I'm fine, Harry. Just remembering something."

Harry nodded and waited, hoping Godric would tell him what that something was. When Godric remained silent and looked away from Harry, he asked, "Can you tell me more about Lord Slytherin?"

Godric's eyes flicked back to Harry, and his smile turned wry. "He is a mystery, isn't he?"

Harry nodded, looking reluctant and admitted honestly, "It's difficult to believe that a Dark wizard is one of the Founders of Hogwarts."

Godric laughed softly. "I know. I know," he sighed, "Helga nearly bashed my skull in when I told her that I asked Salazar to join us." He closed his eyes again, took a deep breath and opened them before saying, "But we needed him."

His tone turned reminescent. "After Lord Regius Ravenclaw passed away, Rowena asked me and Helga to help her manage her family's estate."

Harry sat down on Draco's bed, listening intently as Godric continued. "I'm not certain if your history books tell you this, Harry, but just in case they don't.... Before Hogwarts, Light wizarding families sent their children to learn magic from the Ravenclaws."

Harry smiled and commented, "I expected that." Godric chuckled, lowering himself to sit on Harry's bed.

"Old Regius Ravenclaw was a tyrant," Godric said, frowning slightly, "He was hard on his students and a perfectionist. I almost got sent home several times, but Rowena pleaded with her father and tutored me behind his back. Helga wasn't as fortunate. Old Regius sent her home within a week."

Harry made a face. "That doesn't sound fair."

"Oh, it was definitely not fair," Godric declared, "Old Regius was so strict and demanding that a lot of families stopped sending their children to him." Then, Godric's expression softened. "But Rowena adored him, and he her. If Rowena's mother hadn't died so early, he might have been a kinder man. I never had the honor of knowing Lady Rachel Ravenclaw, but my father told me she was the most lovely and gentlest girl he had ever seen."

Here, Godric grinned. "Then my mother clobbered my father."

Harry laughed. Godric chuckled then coughed a bit. "Sorry, Harry. I got a little sidetracked. You wanted to learn more about Salazar."

He immediately reassured him. "I don't mind at all. I like learning more about Lady Ravenclaw."

"I'm sure you do," Godric said slyly, and Harry blushed. "Sir!"

"Don't be embarrassed, Harry. Rowena is the reason why Salazar got involved."

Harry blinked. "What do you mean exactly?"

"Half a year after Rowena's father passed away, Dark wizards broke into Ravenclaw manor and ransacked the library. Their head wizard was none other than Salazar Slytherin, the youngest of the Thirteen."

"... Thirteen?"

"... Good grief! Don't tell me your history books don't mention the Thirteen! They were the most powerful coalition of Dark wizards in my time!"

"I'll look into it," promised Harry. He was certain Hermione would know about them. "Please continue the story, Sir." Harry was dying to know what happened next.

Godric still looked a little peeved about Harry's lack of historical knowledge and continued in a grudging tone, "I was there that night at Ravenclaw manor. I heard the alarms go off and rushed to the library. I was the first to reach it."

"There were seven of them. Dark wizards usually go in groups of six, but whatever they came for in the library must have been important because Salazar was there to oversee them. He was the only one not hooded so I could see his face."

"I saw that one of them was holding a book, which clearly didn't belong to them. It was an old spell book that Old Regius used to carry around with him. I attacked him first, casting Expelliarmus, but Salazar shoved the man out of the way and countered the spell."

"He shouted at them to hurry up and to ignore me." This time, Godric's face turned disgruntled. "He said he would take care of me."

"What happened then?" Harry was on the edge of his seat.

"They took more books and items while Salazar and I were duelling. I couldn't get pass him." Godric sounded frustrated. "He kept countering every hex and curse I threw at him, and I couldn't get close without making myself an easy target. I knew he was just playing for more time for his people to get the job done."

"When Helga arrived, they were already leaving. Helga attacked Salazar immediately and managed to disarm him."

Harry interrupted, "Lady Hufflepuff managed to disarm him (while you didn't)?" His eyes were wide.

Godric looked sheepish. "While I was busy trying to take Salazar down with magic, Helga simply swooped in and knocked his wand away with her staff. No magic."

Harry's respect for Helga Hufflepuff increased threefold as Godric continued, "Salazar was surprised by Helga's attack style, but he quickly recovered. He got his wand back and was about to escape when Rowena showed up."

Harry straightened. "What happened?" He was starting to sound like a broken record player.

Godric's eyes twinkled with amusement. "Salazar literally froze when he saw her. So did Rowena, actually."

Harry grinned, and Godric cleared his throat before continuing, "Helga swung her staff at Salazar, but Rowena shouted, warning Salazar, who ducked and barely missed being severely brained. He tumbled pass Helga and ran through the doors that opened out into the garden. He Disapparated once he passed the borders of the estate." Godric chortled then, saying, "Helga was so nettled with Rowena and me."

Harry could just imagine Helga shouting at Godric and Rowena for letting Salazar escape. "Were the things stolen ever returned?" Asked Harry curiously.

Godric shook his head. "No, Dark wizards never return what they steal."

"But Lord Slytherin did return."

Godric snorted. "Yes, he did. To steal Rowena."

Harry gasped, "He kidnapped her?!"

"Not if Helga and I had anything to say about it," declared Godric. Then, he relaxed and told him, "I'll tell you the rest later, Harry. You better go get ready for your classes."

Slowly, Harry nodded reluctantly and left the room with Godric.

To be continued.

Chapter 13 has ended. Please go on to the next chapter.

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