Disclaimer: Don't own it, it's not mine, though I wish it was. Dag nabbit, why can't my ideas be 1) my own, and 2) profitable.
Founders Four:
Helga Hufflepuff
Hermione settled down on the chair, smiling at the Headmaster. "Good morning, Headmaster."
"Miss Granger, I hope you don't mind my being present." He nodded at his desk, overflowing with paperwork.
"No problem, sir." She smiled, and regarded the worn Sorting Hat. "It certainly looks beat up."
"Part of that is the thousand years it has been around, Miss Granger. Students have attempted, through the long centuries, to hex, charm, or otherwise commit unwise magic upon the Sorting Hat."
"Students! Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff fairly hated the thing. Hufflepuff wanted it tossed in the rubbish bin, and Ravenclaw cast a spell to scent it with flowers once. Right after they'd finished building the school, but before the wards were cast." Hermione smiled at the memory.
Those twinkling blue eyes crinkled in a smile. "Professor Flitwick tried to take apart the magic holding it together, so he could understand it better, when he was a student."
He was smiling as she set the Hat upon her head.
Hello, again, Miss Granger. Are you Headmistress yet?
She spluttered in sheer outrage. "Honestly!"
The chuckle in the back of her mind was assuring, and she relaxed as it spoke once more. Shall we venture into the past once more, young Gryffindor?
************
"Helga, dear, have you seen my hat?"
"Honestly, Bleise, you'd lose your head if the Lord had not seen fit to attach it." She chuckled, and stepped up to him. "Here, and mind you come straight home after talking to that Gryffindor scamp. I'll not have you reeking of alcohol and scaring the poor child once more. It's bad enough that her Ladyship terrified the child, we don't need you scaring her half witless and speechless for a month."
"Now, Helga, dear, you bully me terribly." He snickered. "And don't be calling the Lord Gryffindor's heir a scamp, you'll be punished."
"As if any witch worth her salt can't make them forget such things." She flicked her fingers.
"As if any wizard worth his salt can't see to it a young witch suffers for her presumption. I may be a cleric, Helga, but even I can't protect you. Already you are under threat for being a Viking."
She touched his cheek gently. "My husband, is this young Gryffindor worthy of her ladyship? Can any man truly measure so strong as to be worthy of a daughter of the line of Taliesin?"
"My wife, if any these Britons of Wales may measure well, of the same stock as her Ladyship has sprung, the Celts of history." He smiled at her. "Now, my wife, I must go."
She sighed. "I needs must tend to her Ladyship and the child. Go, husband."
They had rented, of need, a house from a merchant.
The child whimpered as she stepped into the room where she was kept. White orbs flickered and flashed, and Helga smiled at the Lady, stroking the hair gently of this daughter of Muggles.
"Has there been change, my Lady?"
"She is still in horrible pain, Helga." The Lady smiled gently. "Is your husband away?"
"Aye, and I've warned him not to let the Briton get him drunk. The fool youth has no respect for a man of the cloth! None at all!"
Her Ladyship laughed. "Goodwife Hufflepuff, calm you down, and help me care for the child. The burns still trouble her."
"If it were not that my parents were Muggles…." Helga sighed, and gently untied the bandage about the girl's arm.
"Not all Muggle parents are as accepting of wizarding children as yours were, Helga."
"Hah, that's because my parents were heathen Vikings. Who chased me out of hearth and home when I fell in love with a weakling Christian." She snorted.
The child was horribly burned, and her eyes had gone milky white. She whimpered as the bandages were changed, and the poultice was replaced.
"Maybe my husband would know of a local potions brewer able to assist in the healing of this poor lass." The Lady spoke in a soft voice. "Helga, go ask."
"My Lady!"
"Go."
The plump wife of the priest trotted down the hall, and out into this strange village. It was not small, nor was it large. While the settlement was mostly wizarding, there were those Muggles who could accept magic here, or those Muggles that were spouse to a witch or wizard.
Helga found her husband in the small church, speaking with a man whose golden brown hair glowed in the sunlight.
"Wife, what has brought you?"
"Forgive me, husband, but Her Ladyship has sent me to beg of her future husband a boon of information."
Godric Gryffindor turned curious eyes on her, and she swallowed. "What do you need, Goodwife Hufflepuff?" His voice was courteous, and slightly surprised.
'Oh, and he's a handsome young lad, isn't he?' She mused. "If it please your Lordship, we've a child burned terribly, and it would be a boon if we were to know of an alchemist who might be able to administer Healing Draughts. We would be most grateful if you would honor to tell us."
The young Lord Gryffindor, heir to a baronetcy, stood. "Indeed, I do. It is a day's hard travel to Nanna Ogg's hut. If you'd like, I can order a cart for you to take the child. Aside from that, until I inherit my grand-father's position, I'm only a knight."
Helga stepped back. "I… thank you, Sir Gryffindor."
********
That is how Hufflepuff and Gryffindor met. The Sorting Hat said, sounding quite solemn and calm.
"But, how did they stay together? How'd he know to found Hogwarts with her? Why'd they pick the name of Hogwarts?"
Ah, for the first, they stayed together because Lady Caerdwyn married Gryffindor, and Lady Caerdwyn kept in contact with her old Lady's maid. Even though Helga and her husband returned to the valleys of Ireland, where her husband had a parish. Although Helga could not read, there are charms which allow written words to speak, and Gryffindor was kind enough to teach his wife and the pastor's wife those spells. The Sorting Hat chuckled. As for knowing to found Hogwarts with her….
********
The child was grown now, a slender woman hardly older than a last year student of Hogwarts. She was horribly scarred, but she wore the colors of Gryffindor House. She stared at the gathering, milky white orbs unseeing. "Godric Gryffindor.."
The Lord of Gryffindor Manor started. He turned away from the elderly priest discussing the wedding plans.
"Helga Hufflepuff."
The priest's wife started. "Oh my. Is she still saying Prophecy, Godric?"
"Indeed she is, Goodwife Hufflepuff." He smiled.
"Salazar Slytherin."
A tall thin man, perhaps a decade older than Gryffindor, started. He spoke, a faint accent haunting his voice. "Godric, your Muggle born toy is addressing me. I warned you about that."
"Salazar, stop insulting my student." Godric sighed. "Or my wife will hex you again. Do you really want to walk on your hands for a week again?"
"Rowena Ravenclaw." From the other side of the room, Godric's wife sighed, and took an infant from the arms of a tall woman, slender and beautiful, with a blue, white, gray, and silver plaid pattern band across her chest.
"Go on, Lady Rowena. She shan't finish the prophecy until all she's named have gathered near her." The lady smiled at her friend. "I can discuss my daughter's betrothal with the good priest myself."
She smiled down at the infant in her arms.
The four gathered close to the young girl. She spoke, a surprisingly deep voice for a mere child.
"Four Founders there are and there shall be.
One clever traveler, one wise beyond years,
One loyal worker, one proud with nobility.
Their names shall be known,
Their Houses shall be great,
Though kings be over-thrown,
Still their monument stands.
Touch every youth, magic in their souls,
Knowing in their eyes, wands in their hands.
Four Founders there are, and there shall be.
Hidden, they mark this land for eternity."
When she finished, only Godric's quick movement caught her from her collapsing onto the floor.
"I certainly don't like that line about kings. That's the sort of thing which gets a body in trouble." Slytherin said, grimacing.
********
"Amazing. Hogwarts was built because of a Prophecy?" Hermione blinked as the world came back into focus.
The Headmaster blinked, looking up from his paperwork. "Indeed. The text is about somewhere…." He glanced at the shelves in the room, over-flowing with books, some leaning haphazardly, others stacked atop each other, until the wood fairly groaned from the weight. Then he sighed. "It is nearing lunch, Miss Granger. Your friends will be most worried for you if you fail to attend.'
Come back next week, young Gryffindor. I have two more Founders to tell you of. The Hat said, before she lifted it, and set it gently on the Headmaster's desk.
"Thank you, sir." She swallowed. "Thank you, Sorting Hat."
"My pleasure, Miss Granger. Shall you return?"
"I still have to learn about Ravenclaw and Slytherin." She nodded, clutching her notebook to her chest. So much information!
He escorted her to the door. "I shall be quite busy next Saturday morning, but you are welcome to come after lunch."
She left, mind still whirling.
Author's Notes!:
All right, my wonderful reviewers, I *was* working on a Slytherin chapter, but it wasn't flowing properly, so I bumped Helga up a notch, and set the Slytherin aside for the nonce.
I never knew I'd get so much use out of my Norton's Anthology for culture references… wow.
Gkey- thanks for the review. It was the final spur that jabbed me to switch tracks, get rid of the writer's block, and post something. So all the others should thank you. I must admit, I did start this because I felt too much attention was paid to Gryffindor and Slytherin. After all, it is the *Four* Founders, and all four should get equal notice. Except it is being viewed through a Gryffindor's eyes, so there might be a slight bias….. I hope you enjoy this installment.
Sundance- Oh my gosh! You have this listed as a favorite story in your bio! I'm going to die of shock now! I'm slipping religion in because in the 1rst millenium, people were pretty religious. England and Ireland were already converted at the point. Rest assured, Helga and Godric are the most religious of the pair. I think. Rowena hasn't told me much yet. How can it be for Wiccans? I've heard that before, but I always dismiss it. After all, England doesn't have the Separation of Church and State we have here. The wizarding world also seems to be fairly medieval in attitude (excepting rights for the women, I've noted), and that was a very religious time. A very *Christian* era, in fact. BTW - your compliment on my spelling is much appreciated. I glowed with pride. This story isn't beta read, so having a comment like that, well, my skills as an author are suitably buttered.
Raistin of Metallica - I hope you did know I was talking about the Dragon Lance character. I worried ever so much after I'd posted that if you'd taken it as an insult. I'm sorry… I hope you see here that Helga isn't noble. Which is why Rowena had to teach her. Let's go Rowena! Yoo-hoo! Aside from that, thank you for the constructive criticism. Much appreciated, it's the sort I refer back to when I'm typing up the next chapter.
Minerva of Tortall - If it weren't for the fact that I have reviewers, I'd say stuff it, because finding decent sources that agree is annoying. I really desperately want 24-7 access to my old college library, but since I'm failing that, I have to dig out my old history texts, and my old English Literature texts, and piece it together. As well as search the web for information I can trust. Because of you and your fellow reviewers, however, I will finish this (and post a bibliography) as soon as I can. (Psst- I love your stories.)
To everyone:
Well, I replied to the names that I have. That done, I can give you general info.
There will be one chapter per Founder, and a bibliography at the end.
My main story is a Highlander one, so this is sort of something I type up when I'm brain fried on that. Which, I admit, is a lot of the time, but I have to recover enough to type anything in the first place.
Yes, you'll find out where the Founders got the name of Hogwarts. Or my idea of where they got it.
See, I'm trying to create the seeds of the Gryffindor/ Slytherin dispute, which ended in Slytherin getting booted out and leaving a basilisk at the school. I'm also being deliberately vague and not tell the Founders that it's a school they'll be building. After all, prophecies aren't supposed to be self evident.