Thanks to everyone for reading. I've already gotten more reviews than I expected, truth be told. I'm not really a writer, you know; just a viola player who moonlights as a writer. *laughs* Now, for some quick notes to the individual reviewers…
Poke – Thanks.
Ness – So have I, and that's why I wrote this story.
Hedwig7up – I will continue, thank you.
Girlofpoison – Thanks.
Dee – Yep, Rowena's married, and it's okay to be seriously hyper. ^_^
Freelancer – You got something against Flitwick? *laughs* Kidding, kidding. Glad you're enjoying it, but don't waste so much time reading my idiotic stories that you forget to update yours… hint hint, nudge nudge. Anyway, thanks for reading. Ich liebe dich, selbst wenn Sie ein unwissender Amerikaner sind. (Inside joke, in case anyone else is wondering)
Mee – Thanks, and don't worry, there will be much Cedric and Cho, and Draco and Hermione, and Godric and Rowena, and I think that's all I have planned.
Lily Evans Potter Black Lupin – Thanks. I will.
… - Thanks. You'll find out who her husband is in this chapter.
VenusDeOmnipotent – Yes, her husband. No point in making it easy for them, after all… *evil laugh* And yes, the language is VERY American, but alas, after speaking English as a second language while living in the United States for approximately six to eight months out of the year for almost all of my seventeen years, it's really the only form of the language I'm familiar with. Ich würde es vorziehen, die Geschichte auf Deutsch zu tun, aber Freelancer würde meinen Kopf haben wenn ich also ist er auf englisch. And no, German isn't my first language, either.
Dream – Nope, not Salazar, although I entertained the possibility for a while. Besides, I like Salazar too much to make him the title character of this chapter. (I'm telling you, he's not evil, just misunderstood…)
CHAPTER FOUR
-The Other Villain-
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was founded in the year 1098, seven years ago. Six years ago, Godric Gryffindor and Rowena Ravenclaw fell hopelessly in love with each other. And then, five years ago, a treaty signed by her parents when she was born forced her to marry an appalling beast of a man named Raano Kettler. Rowena hated Kettler. He was rude, cowardly, dull-witted, repulsive, cruel, and twice her age; the complete opposite of Godric Gryffindor, who was polite, brave, intelligent, charming, compassionate, and four years her junior. She refused to take on her husband's name, saying that her house had been founded under the name of Ravenclaw and having a different last name would make things confusing, but in reality, she just detested the man and anything that had to do with him. She would have happily taken on the name of Gryffindor if he was her husband. But by law, she was Kettler's, and there were great penalties that would fall upon both herself and Godric if their love was ever discovered.
The next morning, when Rowena received an owl from Kettler saying that he was coming to the school, she didn't know what she was going to do.
"She's married?" Hermione Granger said in disbelief when Cho Chang delivered the news that a visitor was coming.
Cho nodded. "To this man named Raano Kettler. She described him briefly, and he sounds awful."
Hermione and Cho were in the Slytherin common room with Cedric Diggory and Draco Malfoy, where the two boys had taken up residence for the time being. Cho had encountered the founder of her house on her way to the library to return a copy of a Defense Against the Dark Arts textbook she had been comparing to her own the previous night, and Rowena told her who Raano Kettler was and why he was coming to Hogwarts. Cedric and Cho were sitting next to each other on a couch, and seated in separate armchairs just across from them were Draco and Hermione.
"You didn't know she was married?" Draco asked.
"You did?" Hermione returned.
He shook his head. "No, it just seems like something you would, well, already know."
Hermione didn't know if he was just commenting or waiting for an opportunity to insult her.
"Not a lot is known about the founders," Cedric commented. "A lot of historians have dubbed them the four most mysterious people in history."
"Well, it's good to know someone can stay awake in History of Magic," said Hermione.
"Oh, I love the subject," said Cedric. "It's Binns that I don't care so much for."
"Cedric Diggory, did you just end a sentence with a preposition?" Cho asked with a teasing grin. "What were you thinking?"
"I'll show you preposition," Cedric said, taking a swing at her head and purposely missing. Cho giggled.
"What's a preposition?" Draco asked Hermione.
"Something you can't end a sentence with," Hermione answered, and then slapped her forehead. "Oh no, I just did it!"
"Hypocrite," said Cho teasingly, and ducked another fake punch from Cedric.
Draco handed Hermione a pillow. "Here, throw this at her."
"Thanks," Hermione said, and did so.
She missed, and the pillow hit Cedric. "Hey!" he exclaimed, and the other three laughed. He tapped the pillow against Cho's head, and then threw it back at Hermione.
"Maybe you should throw it at Cedric," Cho suggested with a smile. "Then it might hit me."
"This is why I don't play Quidditch," Hermione said, and threw the pillow at Cedric. It left her hand too early and hit Draco. All four of them burst into a fit of laughter.
"So, Rowena Ravenclaw is married," Draco commented once they had all calmed down sufficiently enough to return to the initial conversation. "To who?"
"To whom," Cho corrected.
Draco rolled his eyes. "Will you quit with the grammar thing?"
"His name is Raano Kettler," Cho said. "They've been married for five years. Usually, she only has to put up with him over the summer holidays, when the school isn't in session, but he's insisting that she leave because of the Lady Darbarec thing and is coming to take her home with him."
Draco looked at Hermione. "Did you ever happen to read that name anywhere, Hermione?"
She couldn't even remember the last time he called her by her first name without trying to be insulting. Usually, he twisted the pronunciation or called her Granger or Mudblood or something of the sort. "No, never," she said after getting over her shock.
"What?" Draco asked, noticing her surprise. "Aren't I allowed to call you Hermione?"
"Well… yes, but… but you never do."
"Did you talk to him or something?" Cho whispered to Cedric.
"Not about that," he replied.
"Anyway," Cho said loudly, getting all their attention, "this Kettler guy is supposed to be here this afternoon. It'll be interesting to see what kind of man Rowena Ravenclaw's married to."
"Question," said Draco, and Cho looked at him and nodded. "If Ravenclaw's married to Kettler, then why is her last name still Ravenclaw?"
"Not all women change their name when they get married," Cedric pointed out. "My aunt didn't."
Draco rolled his gray eyes. "Cedric, it's the year 1105."
Cedric frowned and folded his arms across his chest. "Right."
Cho laughed and tossed her head, as if the answer was completely obvious. "Probably because she hates the man, Draco," she replied. "Consider this. Say it's the year 1075, and your parents and Hermione's parents signed a treaty saying that you two would get married someday. You and Hermione would obviously be very unhappy because, well, let's face it: you don't get along. I think you could understand Hermione not wanting to take on your last name."
"Yes, and not to mention the fact that 'Hermione Malfoy' sounds ridiculous," Hermione said with a nervous laugh.
Cedric's brow wrinkled with confusion. "Really? I think it has kind of a nice ring to it, actu- ow!" He stopped speaking when Cho's elbow made contact with his rib cage.
"Hypothetical situation, Cedric," she reminded him. "It's a figment of my imagination."
Cedric rubbed his ribs. "Your imagination hurts."
"Sorry," Cho said, and gently rubbed her knuckles over the spot where she had hit him. She then pulled her hand away and continued. "Anyway, so Hermione decides to keep her maiden name, and you two acknowledge that you are married by law and not love. In Rowena's case, keeping the last name 'Ravenclaw' helps ease the sting of being married to a man she despises. Understand?"
Draco turned his head toward Hermione. She was looking at him, too, and both wore identical expressions on their faces: confusion with just a hint of shock. Draco looked at the pretty girl from Ravenclaw house and slowly nodded. "Thanks, Cho. You've really put it in perspective for me."
Cho caught the sarcasm in his voice and arched an eyebrow. "You're mocking me, aren't you?"
Hermione covered her mouth with her hand to stifle a giggle.
"That was a very good analogy, Cho," said Cedric. An amused grin was playing at the corners of his mouth. "But anyway, when is this Kettler character supposed to be here by?"
Cho gasped. "You did it again!" she said.
"Did what?"
"Ended a sentence with a preposition!"
Raano Kettler turned out to be even worse than what the four students had been imagining. They, along with Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin met him in the entrance hall early that afternoon. Even Cedric, who would often go out of his way to discover the good side of a person, could not bring himself to like Kettler.
Rowena's husband had probably been handsome once, and had he not been wearing an angry scowl on his face, his sixty-plus year old face may have retained some of the attractiveness of his youth. His eyes were a light, icy blue, and glowered angrily at all eight of them, especially Rowena. Draco had to hold his breath to keep from laughing when Kettler walked up to his wife – Rowena was at least nine inches taller than him, and it was a funny sight to see them next to each other. Helga, Godric, and Salazar did not find the situation near as amusing as Draco, and Godric in particular looked especially agitated.
As soon as Kettler spoke, Cedric knew any chance of ever liking this man was long gone. "Foolish woman," he said to Rowena. "You should have known your pathetic school could not stand up to Danae Darbarec. She will destroy everything you have worked so hard to create."
"She will not touch Hogwarts," said Salazar.
Kettler glared at him, but did not speak. Like so many other wizards in the world, he feared Salazar Slytherin greatly, and for good reasons. Salazar was widely recognized as the most powerful wizard who ever lived, and no one wanted to get on his bad side.
Rowena let out a soft sigh of annoyance and spoke. "Why are you here, Raano?"
"Don't be ridiculous," Kettler spat. "You know I've come for you. We will return to our estate at once."
"You mean your estate," Salazar said. "Rowena's home is with the school, and here it will always be. You are not welcome in this place."
"What are you going to do, Slytherin?" Kettler replied, summoning up enough nerve to stand up to the mighty wizard. "She's my wife. I have a right."
"She's your wife," said Godric, "not your slave."
Kettler laughed. "You say that like there's a difference between the two. If I were you, Gryffindor, I'd find myself a woman and see for myself."
"Well, if you were me, then I'd be you, and I would appreciate the fact that I'm married to Rowena Ravenclaw."
Salazar chuckled. Helga tried to hide a grin, but failed. Hermione, Cedric, and Cho also found Godric's bold statement amusing. Even Draco was smiling. The only one (besides Kettler) that didn't seem too pleased with Godric's comeback was Rowena, who was looking at him with an almost desperate expression.
"You will come with me, Rowena," Kettler insisted. "I will not allow you to die here along with these fools, as much as you deserve it."
"I will not leave," Rowena said.
"I will decide what you will and will not do," he snapped. "We are leaving this instant."
"No, you're not," said Godric.
Kettler's nostrils flared. "What?"
"Rowena does not leave this school," Godric said, "and that is final."
"And who gave you the authority to make such a decision? You're not her husband."
I would be, Godric thought bitterly, if it weren't for you. "And neither are you, as far as love is concerned."
"And another ten points to Gryffindor," Cedric whispered to Cho in his best Lee Jordan impression. Cho stifled a giggle. "Kettler looks for the Golden Snitch, but it is nowhere in sight."
Kettler's face turned red with anger. Hermione thought she saw steam coming out of his ears. Rowena looked more frantic than ever. An amused smile crossed Salazar's face. "It looks like Gryffindor is one step ahead of you, Kettler," the founder of Slytherin house said. "And now, if you don't mind, I demand that you leave this place before I-"
"Before you what, Slytherin?" Kettler interrupted. "You have no authority to tell me what I can and cannot do with her."
"But as the deputy headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," Godric chimed in, "I do, and I say the danger is too great for her to leave us."
"So get lost," Draco said.
All eyes turned to the boy from Slytherin house. Salazar looked slightly impressed at Draco's boldness. This boy is most definitely a Slytherin, he thought to himself.
Kettler shot Draco an icy glare. "You would do well to watch your tongue, boy."
"And I think you would do well to watch yours," Draco replied.
"Be careful, Draco," Hermione warned him under her breath.
A look of surprise crossed his pale, gray-eyed face. "You called me Draco," he noticed.
She shrugged. "You called me Hermione."
"And I call all of you fools," Kettler said. He looked at Rowena. "I offered you safety, Rowena. Don't wait until you're dead before you wish you'd taken it." Without another word, he Apparated off the premises.
"I thought Apparating wasn't permitted at Hogwarts," Cho whispered to Hermione.
"Not until 1435," Hermione whispered back. "They actually taught it to the seventh-years until then."
Once Kettler was gone, Salazar let out a long, irritated sigh. "Every time I see that man, I want to turn him into a cockroach and step on him."
"You're not the only one," said Helga, nodding her head in agreement. "As if Lady Darbarec wasn't bad enough! Now we have to deal with Raano Kettler as well." She looked at the school's headmistress. "You have my deepest sympathies, Rowena."
Rowena managed a small smile. "Thank you, Helga. And thank all of you for coming to my aid." She looked at Draco, and her smile grew slightly wider. "Even you. Kettler isn't used to challengers."
She looked at Godric next, and he looked at her at the same time. She tried desperately to send him a telepathic message. We need to talk.
Cedric's eyes hadn't moved from the spot from where Kettler had Apparated. "Why do I get the feeling that we'll be seeing a lot more of him?"
Godric and Rowena didn't get a chance to talk until about an hour later, when they met each other just outside the Transfiguration classroom. "What were you thinking?" Rowena asked frantically as soon as he came into sight. "You could have exposed us! It wouldn't surprise me at all if Helga and Salazar already know!"
"And if not," Godric said softly, "they might find out right now if you don't lower your voice."
Rowena then realized she had been shouting. "I'm sorry," she said in a tone of voice considerably lower in volume. Tears began to sting her eyes, and she wiped them away with the back of her hand. "I don't know what's come over me."
"I don't like him, either, Rowena."
"You're not married to him, Godric."
"Maybe not," he said, placing his hand on her shoulder, "but the woman I love is."
She seized him by the neck and kissed him, long and hard. When it was over, she laid her head on his chest and wept bitterly. He wrapped his strong arms around her trembling body, and before long, tears began falling down his cheeks as well.