Title: The Four Founders' Hunt
Author: Zimagesto
Summary: AU. The four founders celebrate their success in building Hogwarts by going on a hunt. All fun and games until they become the hunted... Alone, they can't survive... And why does everybody think the school remained theirs?
Disclaimer: Don't own any of the founders or Hogwarts or anything else you might recognize from the HP books. But I own the plot and JS.
Story: In perfect accord with 'Harry Potter and the Green Flame Torch', one of my other fics. However, it's not necessary to have read any of them to understand the other. Same world, different times. RER (Read, enjoy, review). Flames accepted.
/*-/*-/*-/*-
Godric woke up that morning. That was a surprise in itself, too, since he had been dead tired last night, after cleaning up the castle with Steven and Salazar. One month had passed and there still were no house elves. Damn.
He got up, got dressed and went down to the Great Hall to eat. Surprisingly, there was no one around. When he entered the Great Hall, it was also empty. Where was everybody?
In a very inspired moment, he got out of the castle and saw a wonderful sight. About 100 meters away from the castle, the students were gathered in one group, one adult with them, all looking at a bunch of wizards who were standing around a huge group of creatures. And in front of the group, four people were talking. His fellow founders and the house elf dealer.
He hurried to the four people.
"Well, thank you and have a good day! Goodbye!" the man said, a grin on his face. He turned to the group of creatures –house elves, as Godric could see- and made a sign to the wizards. All of them left in the same time towards the Forbidden Forest, leaving the house elves unheard.
"Hello" Rowena said towards the elves. "Um... Do you speak English?"
"Yes, us speak English" one of them said, coming out of the group. "And me is the leader"
"Well, um, then you know that we..."
"Bought us" the elf said. "We is not stupid, witchy"
Godric saw Salazar stifle a chuckle.
"And we is deserving to be free, just like wizard!"
"Yes, of course!" Rowena said with a huge smile. "But perhaps you would like jobs? We have some and we are willing to pay you"
"We does not want to be slaves, witchy" the elf said. "We been slaves too much. Bad men had whips. Us does not like whips."
"Neither do we" the witch said. "But we promise, no whips and payment"
"No. We is going to the wild, to homes."
"This castle can be your home" Rowena said.
"No. We does not want to work, witchy. We is now going away. Come!" the elf said to the others.
"But I promise, we just need some help! We'll treat you like humans..."
The elf did not listen and left towards the Forest, along with about 20 of his people. But when he made it to the edge of the Forest, he looked back and saw the 80 who had stayed there.
"What is you waiting for?" he asked.
"We... we is thinking maybe work with wizards" an elf said.
"No, Dobby! Come!"
"I is not coming. I wants to work with wizards. They look like good people."
"Come Dobby" the other elf said, getting upset.
"No!" Dobby said. "Monny, here we is having work... Wizard look good to us"
"Dobby! Thou is not staying with wizards! Wizards bad, Dobby! Come with your master"
"You talk like bad men. Witchy nice. We is staying."
"Stupid Dobby. We leave now. Do not come after us"
"I will not!" the elf replied proudly. "We is wanting to work" he said towards Rowena who smiled.
"Wonderful!" she said. "What would you like in return?"
The elves looked at each other and started talking to each other. Finally, they seemed to reach an agreement.
"We wants to stay in castle and get good food..."
"Of course, that we would have given anyway..." Rowena said.
"And we is wanting to be treated well"
"Never considered anything else" the witch replied.
"And we is wanting to be able to come and going whenever we want. But we promise to come back always."
"Perfect!" she said.
"That all" Dobby said.
"Are you sure?" Salazar asked. "Wouldn't you like galleons?"
"Oh, no, wizard, we have nothing to do with money... We is just wanting to be free and not to be caring of money or food"
The Founders looked at each other happily and then led everybody into the castle.
/*-/*-/*-/*-
"Hello, Master" said a woman.
"Roxana" answered Jack with a smile. "You, my child, are late"
"Yes, well, you know..."
He laughed.
"Yes, Roxana, I know. You are late because you met Eagle and there's nothing more that needs to be said."
"Heh... yeah" she replied. "So, what's going on?"
"Besides a starting war and a weird prophecy, nothing much" he replied. "I need you to find the White Stag"
"The White Stag?!" she nearly cried. "But my great, great, great, great, great, great grandmother chased the beast, it's probably dead by now"
"No, it wasn't her who chased it. Add four more 'greats' and you get the person" Jack replied to the beautiful woman. She had a kind face, with brown hair and brown eyes, but a warrior-type look to counter that kindness. Yes, that was the characteristic of all Chase women. Both kind and warrior.
"Just the point" Roxana said. "It must be dead by now"
"It is"
"Then?! Jack, you either hit yourself in the head, or gone completely crazy. How can I find after a dead thing?"
"Because even though that White Stag is dead, its great, great, great.... Oh, well, you get the point. Its heir is alive."
"So, what good would a weird White Stag be to us?"
"The White Stag has a great power and great will to help. We can ask it a few favors which it might grant us."
"Really?" Roxana asked. "That sounds interesting."
"Yes. Did you know Godric Gryffindor himself wanted to become a Stag Animagus to resemble the White Stag?"
"Had no clue" she replied.
"But it didn't work out, since he was rather the 'predator' type... Instead, he chose the griffin to be his shape."
"He's an Animagus?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "I had no clue."
"Well, he isn't. He gave up, needing to invest a great power into Hogwarts. But he will become one."
"Really?" she asked. "How do you know?"
"He's starting to have more free time. Or he will start to. It's just a matter of time to restart his training."
"Aha. So, I'm going to find the White stag."
"Yes."
"Great. So, I'll be chasing the White Stag, just like my great, great, great..."
"Yes. Don't say all the greats, please or we'll be stuck here until your great grandchildren will get married"
"Ah, yes, true" she replied. "So, where do I start looking for the beast? I can't just wonder around in a forest crying its name out."
"It's somewhere in the forests of Europe and thrice a year it goes on the Black Forest mountain and drinks water from the spring of the Danube itself."
"Cool. So, all I have to do is go there and wait."
"Yes. And when it gets there, catch it. But be warned, it runs with the speed of light and you must catch it, but not harm it for it to grant you wishes."
"My mom chased after a phoenix and I'm starting to wish I was her" Roxana said with a sigh.
"Ah, but your prize is sweeter" he answered. "And for this, I will give you some powers that you might need... But they shan't last long, since you shan't need them again."
"Hey, that's great!" Roxana said cheerfully. "I always love to use your power, it makes me feel wonderful."
Jack smiled.
"Now go, my child. The Stag will be there soon and when you shall catch it, try to make friends with it."
"Alright" Roxana said. "But can I go say goodbye to Eagle? I don't think I'll be seeing him too soon."
"Of course... And good luck on thou journey"
/*-/*-/*-/*-
"The best food I've eaten so far in this castle" Godric said, enjoying his food. "Those house elves surely know how to cook!"
"Yes, they do" Rowena answered. "I'm so glad we have some time off, I was getting tired."
"I don't know about you" Salazar said" but I'm going to become an Animagus now. I think we might need it"
"I agree" Godric said. "I still haven't managed to take my transformation where I wanted it. I look like an overgrown kitten with skin instead of fur!"
"Eew" Helga said. "Godric, I was eating!"
"I'll try to become one, too. How about a raven? How would that do to me?" she asked.
"It's great and it would go with thou name" Salazar said. "I'd like a snake. I think you know why"
"Of course" Helga answered. "I'd like to be a badger"
"What?! And let Godric get the most powerful animal?" Rowena protested.
"Don't worry. Griffins are great, but basilisks are sometimes better" Salazar said.
"Basilisk?!" Godric said, his mouth dropping. "You want to be a basilisk?"
"Yes. It's the king of snakes and nothing else will do" the other replied.
"But reptiles are very difficult!" Rowena said.
"I shall manage" he answered.
They all looked over the Hall. He students were happily eating and the Gryffindors and Slytherins, taking example of their Heads, were eating together at one table, as were the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws. So, only two tables were taken.
"I love this school" Helga said with a small sigh.
/*-/*-/*-/*-
"Eagle!"
"Yes?" the king asked.
"Cassandra Trelawney is calling after you. Says it is urgent"
The king quickly got out of his tent he was currently living in and hurried to see his best Seer. Cassie... He ran to her tent and got inside, seeing her on her bed, crying.
"What is it?" he asked.
"I Saw... I Saw one fall into darkness again... And saw the darkness stretching into his blood... Poisoning him and making him evil... And then I saw him run away... But the evil will live and one day a child will be born and remember the past and See the darkness and gather it around him. That child will grow and die and will be reborn and will lose himself. And at last he will be destroyed... All the evil shall be destroyed in him."
"Cassandra" he said, reaching towards her. "Don't cry. When shall all this happen?"
"I do not know. But the war... It is only a mask. Watch for the one who will fall. Watch for him, Galathorn..."
"I will" he answered.
"And we shall disappear, until the time will come for us to rise... Falling stars in the night between times, we shall arise only when the time is right"
The king watched his Seer shake.
"We shall arise and blood of my blood shall See what will to come, but none shall believe... Because she shall be weak and she will be only sometimes Seer... And blood of my blood shall be the one who shall truly See and shall truly help... But she shall be young and guided by her Master. And she shall know, though she shall not"
"Cassie, I don't understand" Eagle said.
"You do not, but others will" Cassandra replied. "But as for now, take no threat in the war, for it is only a mask. One shall truly fall, but others shall be safe. For it is, as Rowena has understood, a Ghost War. It will be fought, but it shall not be serious. Not now... But what happens now will happen for the future."
"So, it is a war of the future" the king said.
"Yes... when we shall be a memory" she said.
Eagle looked at the frightened Seer. But now she seemed to recover from her visions and to pull herself together.
"I'll be going to my husband now" she said softly. "I need a bit of support"
Eagle nodded and stepped out of her way as she went out the tent, recovering by second. The things she said, they were a riddle. And a difficult one, too. He got out of the tent and started pacing. In all his years as a king, he had thought that the war was about to start and yet it never did. His people were waiting too. They were wizards, squibs and a few well-trusted Muggles as well as wizards who did not like to use magic.
They were great warriors, all of them, although few in number. 623 in total, out of which 63 children and 113 women. They weren't exactly what you would call a 'kingdom', but they were a handful of fearless men who traveled from one place to another, doing whatever they could from hunting to pottery, trading and, of course, fighting. Right now, they were in Scotland, in their temporary houses, the tents. But Eagle knew they were just as valuable as a whole kingdom like France, when it came to fighting. For one, most of them could do magic. For two, nobody could exactly conquer them, since to do that, they'd have to kill or enslave all of them, which was terribly hard to do since they were quick and could easily hide in forests or mountains. Yep, they were a definitely dangerous handful of people. Even the kids could wreak havoc if let to do so. So, they could deal with a war... But what did Cassie just predict?
He snapped out of his thoughts when he saw somebody rushing down to him.
"Roxana!" he said.
"Hey, Eagle" she said. "I wanted to tell you something"
"Go right ahead"
"Jack Strois has sent me to get the White Stag and it's supposed to be in Germany"
"Whoa!" he said. "You're going to Germany?"
"Yes. I have to" she said. "No, wait. I want to. I want to listen to what he said"
"But that means I won't see you for a long while" he complained softly.
"I know, but you'll manage" she said with a smile. "It's not like I wouldn't be able to Apparate when I'm finished. Oh, but there would be one problem."
"Yes?"
"Where would I come back? I hardly managed to find you last time."
"Ask for me at Hogwarts" he said.
"Alright" she said, taking his hand. "I will miss you"
/*-/*-/*-/*-
Author's Note: there goes another chapter. Pretty hard to write, since we have the computer in the living room and my mom was watching TV, but still. It almost came up like a soap opera.
Thanks to: The Red Dragons Order: Well, it seems that you're the only one reviewing. No prob, though. I can't stay discouraged. So, I hope this chap answers the question 'Eagle is king of what?'
Author: Zimagesto
Summary: AU. The four founders celebrate their success in building Hogwarts by going on a hunt. All fun and games until they become the hunted... Alone, they can't survive... And why does everybody think the school remained theirs?
Disclaimer: Don't own any of the founders or Hogwarts or anything else you might recognize from the HP books. But I own the plot and JS.
Story: In perfect accord with 'Harry Potter and the Green Flame Torch', one of my other fics. However, it's not necessary to have read any of them to understand the other. Same world, different times. RER (Read, enjoy, review). Flames accepted.
/*-/*-/*-/*-
Godric woke up that morning. That was a surprise in itself, too, since he had been dead tired last night, after cleaning up the castle with Steven and Salazar. One month had passed and there still were no house elves. Damn.
He got up, got dressed and went down to the Great Hall to eat. Surprisingly, there was no one around. When he entered the Great Hall, it was also empty. Where was everybody?
In a very inspired moment, he got out of the castle and saw a wonderful sight. About 100 meters away from the castle, the students were gathered in one group, one adult with them, all looking at a bunch of wizards who were standing around a huge group of creatures. And in front of the group, four people were talking. His fellow founders and the house elf dealer.
He hurried to the four people.
"Well, thank you and have a good day! Goodbye!" the man said, a grin on his face. He turned to the group of creatures –house elves, as Godric could see- and made a sign to the wizards. All of them left in the same time towards the Forbidden Forest, leaving the house elves unheard.
"Hello" Rowena said towards the elves. "Um... Do you speak English?"
"Yes, us speak English" one of them said, coming out of the group. "And me is the leader"
"Well, um, then you know that we..."
"Bought us" the elf said. "We is not stupid, witchy"
Godric saw Salazar stifle a chuckle.
"And we is deserving to be free, just like wizard!"
"Yes, of course!" Rowena said with a huge smile. "But perhaps you would like jobs? We have some and we are willing to pay you"
"We does not want to be slaves, witchy" the elf said. "We been slaves too much. Bad men had whips. Us does not like whips."
"Neither do we" the witch said. "But we promise, no whips and payment"
"No. We is going to the wild, to homes."
"This castle can be your home" Rowena said.
"No. We does not want to work, witchy. We is now going away. Come!" the elf said to the others.
"But I promise, we just need some help! We'll treat you like humans..."
The elf did not listen and left towards the Forest, along with about 20 of his people. But when he made it to the edge of the Forest, he looked back and saw the 80 who had stayed there.
"What is you waiting for?" he asked.
"We... we is thinking maybe work with wizards" an elf said.
"No, Dobby! Come!"
"I is not coming. I wants to work with wizards. They look like good people."
"Come Dobby" the other elf said, getting upset.
"No!" Dobby said. "Monny, here we is having work... Wizard look good to us"
"Dobby! Thou is not staying with wizards! Wizards bad, Dobby! Come with your master"
"You talk like bad men. Witchy nice. We is staying."
"Stupid Dobby. We leave now. Do not come after us"
"I will not!" the elf replied proudly. "We is wanting to work" he said towards Rowena who smiled.
"Wonderful!" she said. "What would you like in return?"
The elves looked at each other and started talking to each other. Finally, they seemed to reach an agreement.
"We wants to stay in castle and get good food..."
"Of course, that we would have given anyway..." Rowena said.
"And we is wanting to be treated well"
"Never considered anything else" the witch replied.
"And we is wanting to be able to come and going whenever we want. But we promise to come back always."
"Perfect!" she said.
"That all" Dobby said.
"Are you sure?" Salazar asked. "Wouldn't you like galleons?"
"Oh, no, wizard, we have nothing to do with money... We is just wanting to be free and not to be caring of money or food"
The Founders looked at each other happily and then led everybody into the castle.
/*-/*-/*-/*-
"Hello, Master" said a woman.
"Roxana" answered Jack with a smile. "You, my child, are late"
"Yes, well, you know..."
He laughed.
"Yes, Roxana, I know. You are late because you met Eagle and there's nothing more that needs to be said."
"Heh... yeah" she replied. "So, what's going on?"
"Besides a starting war and a weird prophecy, nothing much" he replied. "I need you to find the White Stag"
"The White Stag?!" she nearly cried. "But my great, great, great, great, great, great grandmother chased the beast, it's probably dead by now"
"No, it wasn't her who chased it. Add four more 'greats' and you get the person" Jack replied to the beautiful woman. She had a kind face, with brown hair and brown eyes, but a warrior-type look to counter that kindness. Yes, that was the characteristic of all Chase women. Both kind and warrior.
"Just the point" Roxana said. "It must be dead by now"
"It is"
"Then?! Jack, you either hit yourself in the head, or gone completely crazy. How can I find after a dead thing?"
"Because even though that White Stag is dead, its great, great, great.... Oh, well, you get the point. Its heir is alive."
"So, what good would a weird White Stag be to us?"
"The White Stag has a great power and great will to help. We can ask it a few favors which it might grant us."
"Really?" Roxana asked. "That sounds interesting."
"Yes. Did you know Godric Gryffindor himself wanted to become a Stag Animagus to resemble the White Stag?"
"Had no clue" she replied.
"But it didn't work out, since he was rather the 'predator' type... Instead, he chose the griffin to be his shape."
"He's an Animagus?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "I had no clue."
"Well, he isn't. He gave up, needing to invest a great power into Hogwarts. But he will become one."
"Really?" she asked. "How do you know?"
"He's starting to have more free time. Or he will start to. It's just a matter of time to restart his training."
"Aha. So, I'm going to find the White stag."
"Yes."
"Great. So, I'll be chasing the White Stag, just like my great, great, great..."
"Yes. Don't say all the greats, please or we'll be stuck here until your great grandchildren will get married"
"Ah, yes, true" she replied. "So, where do I start looking for the beast? I can't just wonder around in a forest crying its name out."
"It's somewhere in the forests of Europe and thrice a year it goes on the Black Forest mountain and drinks water from the spring of the Danube itself."
"Cool. So, all I have to do is go there and wait."
"Yes. And when it gets there, catch it. But be warned, it runs with the speed of light and you must catch it, but not harm it for it to grant you wishes."
"My mom chased after a phoenix and I'm starting to wish I was her" Roxana said with a sigh.
"Ah, but your prize is sweeter" he answered. "And for this, I will give you some powers that you might need... But they shan't last long, since you shan't need them again."
"Hey, that's great!" Roxana said cheerfully. "I always love to use your power, it makes me feel wonderful."
Jack smiled.
"Now go, my child. The Stag will be there soon and when you shall catch it, try to make friends with it."
"Alright" Roxana said. "But can I go say goodbye to Eagle? I don't think I'll be seeing him too soon."
"Of course... And good luck on thou journey"
/*-/*-/*-/*-
"The best food I've eaten so far in this castle" Godric said, enjoying his food. "Those house elves surely know how to cook!"
"Yes, they do" Rowena answered. "I'm so glad we have some time off, I was getting tired."
"I don't know about you" Salazar said" but I'm going to become an Animagus now. I think we might need it"
"I agree" Godric said. "I still haven't managed to take my transformation where I wanted it. I look like an overgrown kitten with skin instead of fur!"
"Eew" Helga said. "Godric, I was eating!"
"I'll try to become one, too. How about a raven? How would that do to me?" she asked.
"It's great and it would go with thou name" Salazar said. "I'd like a snake. I think you know why"
"Of course" Helga answered. "I'd like to be a badger"
"What?! And let Godric get the most powerful animal?" Rowena protested.
"Don't worry. Griffins are great, but basilisks are sometimes better" Salazar said.
"Basilisk?!" Godric said, his mouth dropping. "You want to be a basilisk?"
"Yes. It's the king of snakes and nothing else will do" the other replied.
"But reptiles are very difficult!" Rowena said.
"I shall manage" he answered.
They all looked over the Hall. He students were happily eating and the Gryffindors and Slytherins, taking example of their Heads, were eating together at one table, as were the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws. So, only two tables were taken.
"I love this school" Helga said with a small sigh.
/*-/*-/*-/*-
"Eagle!"
"Yes?" the king asked.
"Cassandra Trelawney is calling after you. Says it is urgent"
The king quickly got out of his tent he was currently living in and hurried to see his best Seer. Cassie... He ran to her tent and got inside, seeing her on her bed, crying.
"What is it?" he asked.
"I Saw... I Saw one fall into darkness again... And saw the darkness stretching into his blood... Poisoning him and making him evil... And then I saw him run away... But the evil will live and one day a child will be born and remember the past and See the darkness and gather it around him. That child will grow and die and will be reborn and will lose himself. And at last he will be destroyed... All the evil shall be destroyed in him."
"Cassandra" he said, reaching towards her. "Don't cry. When shall all this happen?"
"I do not know. But the war... It is only a mask. Watch for the one who will fall. Watch for him, Galathorn..."
"I will" he answered.
"And we shall disappear, until the time will come for us to rise... Falling stars in the night between times, we shall arise only when the time is right"
The king watched his Seer shake.
"We shall arise and blood of my blood shall See what will to come, but none shall believe... Because she shall be weak and she will be only sometimes Seer... And blood of my blood shall be the one who shall truly See and shall truly help... But she shall be young and guided by her Master. And she shall know, though she shall not"
"Cassie, I don't understand" Eagle said.
"You do not, but others will" Cassandra replied. "But as for now, take no threat in the war, for it is only a mask. One shall truly fall, but others shall be safe. For it is, as Rowena has understood, a Ghost War. It will be fought, but it shall not be serious. Not now... But what happens now will happen for the future."
"So, it is a war of the future" the king said.
"Yes... when we shall be a memory" she said.
Eagle looked at the frightened Seer. But now she seemed to recover from her visions and to pull herself together.
"I'll be going to my husband now" she said softly. "I need a bit of support"
Eagle nodded and stepped out of her way as she went out the tent, recovering by second. The things she said, they were a riddle. And a difficult one, too. He got out of the tent and started pacing. In all his years as a king, he had thought that the war was about to start and yet it never did. His people were waiting too. They were wizards, squibs and a few well-trusted Muggles as well as wizards who did not like to use magic.
They were great warriors, all of them, although few in number. 623 in total, out of which 63 children and 113 women. They weren't exactly what you would call a 'kingdom', but they were a handful of fearless men who traveled from one place to another, doing whatever they could from hunting to pottery, trading and, of course, fighting. Right now, they were in Scotland, in their temporary houses, the tents. But Eagle knew they were just as valuable as a whole kingdom like France, when it came to fighting. For one, most of them could do magic. For two, nobody could exactly conquer them, since to do that, they'd have to kill or enslave all of them, which was terribly hard to do since they were quick and could easily hide in forests or mountains. Yep, they were a definitely dangerous handful of people. Even the kids could wreak havoc if let to do so. So, they could deal with a war... But what did Cassie just predict?
He snapped out of his thoughts when he saw somebody rushing down to him.
"Roxana!" he said.
"Hey, Eagle" she said. "I wanted to tell you something"
"Go right ahead"
"Jack Strois has sent me to get the White Stag and it's supposed to be in Germany"
"Whoa!" he said. "You're going to Germany?"
"Yes. I have to" she said. "No, wait. I want to. I want to listen to what he said"
"But that means I won't see you for a long while" he complained softly.
"I know, but you'll manage" she said with a smile. "It's not like I wouldn't be able to Apparate when I'm finished. Oh, but there would be one problem."
"Yes?"
"Where would I come back? I hardly managed to find you last time."
"Ask for me at Hogwarts" he said.
"Alright" she said, taking his hand. "I will miss you"
/*-/*-/*-/*-
Author's Note: there goes another chapter. Pretty hard to write, since we have the computer in the living room and my mom was watching TV, but still. It almost came up like a soap opera.
Thanks to: The Red Dragons Order: Well, it seems that you're the only one reviewing. No prob, though. I can't stay discouraged. So, I hope this chap answers the question 'Eagle is king of what?'