a/n: I actually kind of like this chapter. Rownica, I think and I'm not quite sure why, is a very good character and one of my only true original characters. Her story was such fun to write and one of the few short stories (seeing as I usually have the disability of writing short stories) that I think is fairly good. Perhaps sometime I will go back and write it in more detail from Rownica's point of view. Note that I was lazy and didn't go through this and correct grammar this time, please excuse.
Disclaimer: By the mere fact that this is posted on a site called "FanFiction", I should hope that all of you corporate people would figure out that this does not belong to me…except Rownica's story.
R O W N I C A'' S S E C R E T
H
alloween was coming, and all of the Gryffindors were looking forward to what promised to be a spectacular display. Hagrid had been growing giant pumpkins that already seemed to guard the entrance to the Great Hall and the ghosts were to be seen rehearsing parts for some sort of play.
When Siandra and Claire walked out of History of Magic, in which a very old teacher who was named Professor Binns taught, they were greatly surprised by a striped umbrella floating in midair.
"Er…what do you suppose that could be?" asked Claire, hesitantly.
"Dunno," Siandra said and reached her hand out to touch the end. There was a sudden cackling sound and the next minute, the umbrella was stuck on her head and she couldn't see anything.
"Help! Help! I've been attacked by a mad umbrella!" she yelled and tried to run for Professor Binns' room but ended up bumping into what seemed to be the wall.
She heard a disgruntled response from a picture that she supposed she had bumped into and mumbled, "Sorry."
"Ickle firsty doesn't know where she's going! Hehehe!" said a mocking voice from up above her.
"PEEVES!" she heard someone roar and the umbrella was pulled off her head just in time to see Madam Hooch diving at the floor. However, there didn't seem to be anything there, as she rose up massaging her head and repeatedly saying "ow".
"Er…Madam Hooch?"
"That's Peeves, the poltergeist. I've no idea why Dumbledore let him in, he's not really even a ghost, but he's here, but there are just some things in life that we can't change, so we have to deal with him. The Bloody Baron, the Slytherin ghost, is the only one who can control him," she explained. And then to the ceiling, "THE BARON'LL HEAR ABOUT THIS AND I MEAN IT!"
Then she excused herself and rushed off to the Hospital Wing.
"That was sure unexpected, I wonder why we never noticed him before…maybe he's made a grand entrance or something," Claire wondered aloud as they passed a group of startled-looking second years who just had a carpet pulled from beneath them and were screaming with terror.
Even though she had returned the library book back to Madam Pince, she kept thinking about it. Why had it been down there? Did someone else know about the corridor, or had it been forgotten for centuries, buried under the dust?
The day of the feast happened in a flurry. Their last class was Transfiguration, with Professor Comora. Siandra and the rest of the first years were chatting after the bell to waste time in order to get to the feast. Siandra's necklace from a secret admirer was still on everyone's mind and they expressed various theories about it. Most people thought it was from some older student that Siandra didn't know that was 'enchanted by the becoming first-year'.
When Halloween finally came, a group of Gryffindors made their way down to the Great Hall, chatting excitedly. When they reached the doors to the Great Hall, they found the two giant pumpkins standing by the door and there was an enchanted new doorknocker in the shape of a skeleton hand. Gina opened the door and they found themselves in the Great Hal. The usual hundreds of floating candles had been placed inside of numerous carved pumpkins and a thousand live bats fluttered around the ceiling. They gazed up at the stormy ceiling while they walked through the center and sat at the edge of the Gryffindor table. The golden plates and goblets had been newly polished and the punch bowls filled with iced pumpkin juice. The teachers were looking relaxed at the high table, and Professor Comora was talking with Madam Hooch. Every one of the Gryffindors started digging ravenously into their foods. Siandra thought that it was even better than the beginning of the year feast. The start-of-term feast probably looked so good because she had never been to the Great Hall before, nor tasted their foods.
Once they had all sat down, Dumbledore stood up and announced that a band of skeletons would be serenading them as they ate their feast and quite a few students stood up to cheer. The skeletons struck up a lively tune as the school finished their dinner, and they ended with a much slower one.
Afterwards, the ghosts sat in seats provided for them that were against the wall near the high table and watched the play that the ghosts had put together (they called it "Double Beheading") with The Grey Lady (the Ravenclaw ghost) and Nearly Headless Nick (the Gryffindor ghost) as the stars.
Finally, after a very fun night, they headed out of the Great Hall at about seven o'clock. Siandra was so busy thinking about what the evening had been like, that she didn't even notice where she was walking and ended up bumping into a ghost, giving her the sensation that she had stepped into a bucket of ice water.
"Oh, sorry, didn't see you there! Er…who are you?" she asked as she first realized that she had never seen this ghost before.
"My name's Rownica. I'm the 'should be' Ravenclaw resident ghost," she said, glancing jealously in the direction of The Grey Lady, who was passing by.
"Er — if you don't mind me asking — why?" Siandra asked.
"Come here, into this empty classroom and I'll tell you just why, I just don't want her to be listening," she said, directing Siandra into the classroom with an ajar door with her arm a few millimeters away from Siandra's back, so she wouldn't actually touch her. She took one last spiteful glance at The Grey Lady and then glided into the classroom after Siandra.
Siandra took a seat at one of the desks and Rownica tried to take a seat next to her, but failed, having only achieved to go through it.
"Well, I am Rowena Ravenclaw's great, great, great, great, great, great — "
"Er…you can stop now, I get the point."
"Great grandchild, and at the time, I was the only direct remaining relation of one of the great Hogwarts Four that was fully aware of their noble lineage and ready to take part in the responsibilities it entailed," she ticked them off on her fingers, "Godric Gryffindor had children, I'm related to him and my other relations were off somewhere doing their own things. Salazar's children were off doing their dark deeds elsewhere, away from the school, thank goodness. Helga Hufflepuff had some, but they eventually all died and in my time, all that was left was an in-law relation, who hardly knew the noble history of his great ancestors. He posed no threat."
"No thre — " she quickly covered her mouth, "Sorry, go on."
"Anyway, there was a dark wizard coming to power. His name…was Orknian. Most dark wizards start by just gathering followers, but he had them all right. In numbers never seen before," she shivered and continued, "He wanted to take over Hogwarts, and at the time, I was the headmistress, my ancestor being what she was. I was engaged to a man named Englen. One evening, while I was sitting in my office, looking at student grade reports, Englen came in. He was carrying two goblets from the table and a bottle of wine that he said that the house-elves gave him. He offered me some and, of course, I accepted. He walked over to a desk behind me and poured us each a glass. He also brought out some bread and cheese, so we could have a meal, and when we were done, he asked me truthfully whether I would entrust the school to him if I died. Foolish I was, I said, 'Oh yes, of course! But I doubt that will happen for a long time!' Then he looked at the golden clock that I had on the mantelpiece, laughed easily and started changing into…Orknian," she paused as she shivered once again. Obviously, the thought still chilled her, "I then realized that he must've taken the Polyjuice Potion to turn into Englen so I would agree to hand over Hogwarts to him once I died. I then also realized, that there was only one step left for him to complete before he could take total control of Hogwarts. I threw the wineglass onto the floor, but I was too late and the poison was already starting to take effect and I soon died."
"What happened?" asked Siandra, eager too see how the story ended and Hogwarts was saved.
"Oh, Galdrakona got him in the end," she said wistfully and would have continued had Siandra not interrupted.
"Galdrakona was here? Are you talking about this school? I mean, she was a really powerful witch, and she was one of the people who practically discovered magic! She was here? And anyway, how could she live that long?" Siandra asked in disbelief. She had studied Galdrakona in PWS (Pre Wizarding School) and had leaned that she was one of the most powerful wizards that there ever was and she thought that she would hardly reside in Hog-warts.
"She was the first ever to make the Philosopher's Stone, didn't you know that?"
"Er…no."
"Well anyway, she took the Elixir of Life. After a while she went down in the ocean to see if there were mermaid colonies there and was never seen again. While she was here, at Hogwarts, I mean, she made loads of secret passageways here and they say that she left tons of magical artifacts, hidden around the school too."
"Wow, cool! And one more question for you…"
"Mmmmm?"
"Why do people become ghosts?"
"Ah, what a good question! Many living beings want to know that question and hardly any get answers. But I think that I can trust just you with this little forbidden tidbit of information? Mmm?"
"Of course!" said Siandra eagerly.
"People who become ghosts," Rownica whispered dramatically while Siandra listened intently, "Are people who have suffered a particularly violent or sudden death, have unfinished business, or are condemned to for their sins."
"Wow…thank you so much for telling me, I'd best get going, it's eight forty-five," thanked Siandra walking off, "Good-bye!"
"And do you think that you could tell The Grey Lady how very fitted I am? I'm just dying to get her position. Anyway, you always know where to find me!"