Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or any other part of the Harry Potter series. They all belong to that lucky lady JK Rowling. I only own the plot.

A/N: I am updating fairly quickly for the first few chapters, as I like to get the stories out there, but as I go on, the updates will be spaced out a little more. Hope you enjoy. Please review.

Chapter Two:

A month had gone by since the vowing ceremony. The four founders and their army of house elves had been hard at work. The vowing ceremony had taken place in the early spring of the year, just as the crocuses were starting to bloom. Now it was April, and they had just finished excavating the foundation of the school. They knew that over time, many additional facilities were going to be added, so they had chosen and area where there was room to expand. Their biggest problem at the moment was a far more immediate and practical one.

'I knew we shouldn't have excavated in the rainy season I just knew it!' Exclaimed Helga in exasperation. 'Just look at it! The whole darn thing is filling up with water. We went and dug a huge whole, just to see it fill up with water! What on earth are we going to do?'

The other three looked at each other knowingly. Helga didn't have the name Hufflepuff for no reason. When exasperated she could, like the wolf in the fairy tale, 'Huff and Puff till they all fell down', but at this point, the biggest problem was the spring squall that had sprung up out of nowhere, and was proceeding to dump large amounts of water onto their construction site. The elves were scrambling all over trying to place repelling charms over the excavation, but the site was too big and there was too much ground to cover.

'I suggest that we just leave it for the moment. There really is nothing we can do, so we could stand out here getting wet and do nothing, or we could go back to the inn where it's warm and dry and do nothing. Personally, I prefer warm and dry, and I could use a firewhisky. When the rain stops, we can come back and drain it out. That will be far less work than trying to keep it from filling up in the first place,' said Godric, talking rather more loudly than usual to make himself heard over the rain and wind. Not waiting for a response, he put his arm around Helga and guided her towards the path to town.

Salazar shrugged. 'Might as well, Rowena. There is no chance that we can do this without their help. I guess that Godric has made our decision for us. We can come back tomorrow and make repairs.' With that, he followed Godric and Helga.

Rowena stood in the rain looking at the rapidly filling excavation. She knew that Salazar was right and they couldn't do it alone. She hurried after Salazar and walked back down to the town with him, partly glad to be heading somewhere that wasn't quite so wet.

They arrived at the inn and shook off the excess water from their robes. There were some cushioned chairs by the great fireplace in the main room, and this was their favourite place to sit and talk about their plans, or to just quietly watch the fire and think. Rowena pulled out a book and started to read while Godric started up some idle banter.

'I love this room by the fire; it's so warm and welcoming. I think that the common room for the students should look something like this. They will need a place to relax and talk after a day of lessons, and an environment like this would be perfectly suited to their needs.'

'I agree that the students need a private area, but this room is a little… colourful… for my taste. I think something a little starker, more geared towards a study area, would be best,' replied Salazar, settling himself into a chair. 'If things are too comfortable, they will not be focused, and there would be too many distractions.'

'Well, we'll see,' interjected Helga. 'After all, the place hasn't even been built yet. And we need to think of how we will drain out that hole tomorrow. I for one think that some rest is in order. I am going to write some letters to the children, and then I am going to bed. I will see you all in the morning. And NO FIREWHISKY!' She added to Godric, who was headed towards the bar.

'Of course Helga, whatever you say, but surely you can't say no to a single flagon of mulled mead?' And with that he was off.

Rowena looked up at Salazar, who seemed lost in thought. He was staring in to the fire with a blank expression, and his unreadable face worried her.

'Salazar, is there anything wrong? You seem… melancholy. What is troubling you?'

'Nothing. I'm just tired after a long day,' he replied, without enthusiasm.

'It has to be more than that. I've seen you when you are tired, and this is not fatigue. You have always been able to talk with me. Please, don't stop now.'

'I sometimes get very frustrated Rowena. Godric is my best friend, and a good man. He is just so… exuberant. He frequently does not think. Had he stayed up there with us, we could have saved ourselves quite a bit of work tomorrow, but for all of his bravery, he does not like work. Especially when it is uncomfortable work. He is not like you and I. We are thinkers, my dear Rowena. I worry sometimes about just what he will teach our students. I want them to learn to use their minds, and sometimes Godric can be mind-numbing.' Salazar stopped at the look of surprise on Rowena's face at his words. 'As I said. I am tired. Perhaps a good night's sleep will allow me to regain my temper. Goodnight, and be well.' And with that, he too, headed to bed.

Rowena sat looking into the fire. She knew that Salazar and Godric had had their differences in the past. They had always resolved them, and would do so again. She spent the rest of the evening reading her book while Godric tried to gain the affections of the busty blond barmaid, Rosie.

The next morning, the four found that the damage was not as bad as they had thought. The excavation was still sound, and the amount of water was not as high as they would have expected. The elves had been out round the clock making sure that the excavation didn't cave in and that the amount of water remained manageable. Helga immediately took herself over to the elf tents to tend to cases of injury or sickness, and to berate them for working so hard in such weather. She hated the idea that they had been out there all night, but the elves were so eager to please that they took little thought for their own safety. Rowena sympathized with Helga, but she felt that speaking to house-elves as equals was not appropriate. Godric and Salazar didn't really notice, as they were busy trying to figure out how to drain the remaining water from the foundation of their new school.

The two of them worked together, Salazar siphoning excess water out of the hole and into the lake, and Godric working clean up by heating the remainder to evaporate out what was left. By noon, the excavation was clear and dry. The process of working together on something as mundane and ordinary as a cleanup helped clear Salazar's head. He loved Godric as though he was his own brother. Any minor differences that they had in style and taste could be overcome, and by the time they were finished, Salazar was back to his usual self. If Godric had noticed any change in Salazar's behaviour, then he never let on. Once they had finished, Godric proposed another challenge. The wizard who could bring the most stone to the site by the end of the day would win. The two of them set off for the nearby stone quarry, and started levitating rock after rock over to the excavation site. With the help of the elves and the two witches, they had completed an astonishing amount of work by nightfall. There was enough stone at the site to fully line the subterranean levels of the castle, and they had a good start on the main floor. When they retired to bed that night, they were exhausted but happy.

Over the rest of the summer, they worked with the elves to construct the school. There were other occasional incidents of disagreement, but they were quickly resolved. By fall, they had finished the stonework on the castle, and the construction was almost finished. The left the site to settle over the winter, and went home to their families. While Helga and Godric had children and grandchildren to return to, Salazar and Rowena did not, and thus they spent more time visiting each other than the others. Rowena even spent a lovely Christmas holiday at the Slytherin Manor. She presented Salazar with a magnificent ring for the holiday, and he, knowing her liking for fine jewelry, gave her a stunning tiara. She spent a good portion of the winter in communication with various furniture makers to commission all the things that would be needed for the castle; tables, chairs, desks, and beds were all ordered. She and the others also sent many owls to each other discussing items like the curriculum and who would have the teaching of which subject. They decided on 8 major subjects to start with. Rowena would teach Transfiguration and Charms, Helga would have Care of Magical Creatures and Herbology, Salazar would have Potions and Runes, and Godric would teach Defense against the Dark Arts and History of Magic. By the time spring came and the crocuses were blooming again, all was in readiness, and they prepared to return to their castle in the highlands to put the finishing touches on their beloved school.