Disclaimer: Everything here (besides the few things you don't know) belongs to JK Rowling, creator of the worlds of Harry Potter.
A/N: I'm back from bloody cold England (though I must admit the weather was fine most of the time - a lot more sun than I learned to expect from that dreary island…), where I have spent three wonderful weeks. It had been a great trip, and I absolutely cannot wait to get back there as soon as possible (which, admittedly, for various reasons, would not happen in at least three years or so, probably more). As a matter of fact, I am back for two weeks now, but you know how it is when there are family holidays and all… no time to do anything but sit around a table and eat :P ((groans and pats bloated stomach))
So anyway, the most important of this note is:
Many of you had commented that the Ceremony of the Firstborn strikes you as the same as (or at least resembling to) the scene in The Lion King where Simba is being presented to the whole "kingdom" after his birth. While after reading your reviews I was quite amused to find that it did have something in common, rest assured that this was not in my mind when I wrote the Ceremony. I haven't seen The Lion King in years, and the Ceremony was not inspired by that scene in the movie at all.
As it were, it's quite the logical thing to happen in both the movie and my story, since the whole congregation comes to see the new heir in both occasions, and it is inevitable that the father - or sort of godfather or guardian - (patriarchal society and all that, you know. Unfortunate for us women, but true) would proudly show the newly born infant to the whole people by thrusting the panicking baby up in the air and showing him or her off.
That said, next update is undetermined (depends on holidays and whether I get a job or not), but I'll do my best to update within a week or two. I promise that four months breaks will not recur.
Enjoy!
P.s. Tale of a Time Long Gone is now being translated into Portuguese by the wonderful Angela Danton! Isn't that great? I'm breaking into new languages!
Chapter 19 – Spark of Hope
"While we know that the Council as a whole stood against the Founders of Hogwarts, there is one mystery left unsolved, that if we, as modern scholars, think it over, there can be only one possible answer that will adequately explain it.
"The Founders, from a certain point, were able to successfully challenge every move of Ambrosius. At the time, people attributed it to what Muggles call Telepathy, or as we know it, Occlumancy. However, that Art of extracting the thoughts out of other people's heads had not been perfected at their time and only a meager few could do it. While we must admit that the Founders were all exceptionally powerful, it is unlikely that they had used it, especially over such long distances.
"It is, therefore, a mystery. How did the Founders keep up with Ambrosius' moving of his forces, his most secret plans? It is our opinion that one of the Lords of the Council had turned his back on Ambrosius and had chosen to help the Hogwarts Rising. Who is was, we may never know…"
-Hogwarts, A History; Author Unknown
Rosalind left soon after the Ceremony of the Firstborn, claiming that she needed her space, and that besides, she had lived in the house Raven Lord had built for so many years that leaving it, in her eyes, was one and the same as cursing his memory.
Godric did not know how to take her sudden absence. The time she had spent with them, though short, was very intense, and all of a sudden, she was no longer there. For one, he was quite intimidated by his wife's mother, a woman of standing - and a very stiff-necked one at that - but he also found himself missing her random input in conversation, always constructed and well thought-out before it had ever left her mouth. She had a presence, that was certain, and with Raven Lord as a father, he was not surprised Rowena came out the way she did. But something in Rosalind was much more refined. She was Rowena without the rough edges, almost never losing her temper, polite and concise. If you talked nonsense she would let you know, but in the most delicate of ways. He supposed that his wife's bluntness came from her father.
And now that Rosalind was not there anymore, he felt her absence clearly. Rowena did as well it seemed, for she was down for a while, a thing his own mother associated with both the departure of Rosalind and the aftermath of the birth of their son.
Their son. Dear Merlin, how happy the simple thought had made him! Their Firstborn was a healthy, beautiful baby whom he was immensely proud of even though the months preceding his birth were hard both on Godric and especially on Rowena. The decision to name him Ryan had been hard, because they had both wanted to commemorate their fathers in the baby's name. They had thought about it long and hard and finally had agreed that their first boy would be named after Raven Lord, the next after Gawain Gryffindor, and in the same time his name would also appear in their Firstborn's full name.
Godric could not help but remember Rosalind's face when she had handed him his child with a soft smile. She looked so happy. So… content. He remembered being told at some point that her body had been irrevocably damaged after Rowena's birth and that this was the reason behind Rowena being an only child. It was then he had realized that in a way, his own son was the embodiment of all the children she never had had the chance to have. It made him glad to think that.
Now that she was gone, however, it was time to get back to the normal flow of life. Expectedly, as soon as Rowena was on her feet again she demanded to take over her lessons once more. Though all three of her friends argued that she would at least stay out of the teaching for a few of months, just until Ryan would be a little less dependent on her, a month after the birth she appeared in the classroom where Godric was attempting not to mess up her charm-work students too much, Ryan firmly attached to her by a piece of stout fabric, and flatly told him to assemble his Phoenix Lore class and get out of her way.
The first couple of months she did that were more than a little exciting for her students. At the most unexpected times the baby's shrill cries would start without any warning given. Then Rowena would have to go into a nearby room to nurse him and that way major parts of the lessons would go awry.
Soon enough, however, the students grew used to the baby's presence in their midst. The girls, as girls are liable to, cooed over him, giggled and baby-talked to him. The boys, more reserved and very aware to what other boys would think of them, remained at the background, but Godric, often using his hours off to take Ryan off Rowena's hands for an hour or two, thought he spotted them smiling in spite of themselves and making faces at his boy whenever they thought no one was looking. He found that exceedingly amusing.
It was safe to say, so he thought, that a great sense of relief had entered the atmosphere at Hogwarts. The months preceding Ryan's birth had been hard on Rowena and her students were worried. Now that there was a baby they all allowed themselves to relax, no longer feeling obliged to keep an eye on their teacher. He had the feeling, however, that as Ryan would grow, he would have many watchers making sure he did not hurt himself. Their students, he could see, would see themselves responsible for the little boy because they knew him since birth.
And so life continued. On the Ambrosius front there was no key development at all in the few months after the birth. They heard next to nothing from Marlowe Cane - just little tidbits about the plan of mustering the forces of the Wizarding World and nothing else of substance. The silence was on one hand quite alarming, but on the other, it brought a sense of the relief to them all. They still had time.
It was only well into summer, on a cold, foggy night, that anything happened. It was also possibly the last thing any of them had expected, but would turn to be one of the greatest catalysts of the inevitable confrontation between the Founders and the Council.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
He came under the cover of dark and fog. His footsteps masked by distant thunder, his arrival unplanned.
Rowena had long since put Ryan to bed and settled by Godric's side with a low sigh that he had learned to recognize as one of total exhaustion and realized that he would have to get up that night if Ryan decided to complain. His boy had a strong pair of lungs in his little body, and he made good use of them. Helga had brought her knitting sometime earlier and was already halfway through a lumpy blanket of an unidentified design and Salazar was in the process of sketching something on a piece of parchment when a hasty knock made them all alert and wary. Knocks in the middle of the night rarely signaled something good at the best of times, and these, to say the least, were not these times.
"Come in," Godric said, his hand sneaking almost absent-mindedly down to take hold of his wand. These were dangerous times, he reasoned when he noticed the route his hand had taken, it never harmed anyone to be careful.
The door opened just wide enough to allow two figures entry one after the other and then slammed close behind them. The second figure, a hooded, rather tall man sagged in apparent relief against the door. One of his hands was twitching involuntarily in apparent nervousness. His companion, the bulky, familiar Sir Deiniol, shook his head in silent bewilderment.
"It's safe here, yes?" the hooded man asked the Knight in a low, somewhat melodious voice. There was such a note of hope in that question, that Godric felt sympathetic already, without even knowing what this man was doing there or, for that matter, who he was.
Sir Deiniol snorted at the question. "Safer than in your own mother's womb, my cowardly cousin. If Hogwarts wasn't safe, then Ambrosius would have had his wish and the lot of us would have been dead a long time ago. You're in the power center of the north, just as I had promised."
"So this is Hogwarts?" the man asked in owe, eliciting another sign of surprise from Sir Deiniol.
"Where did you think I was bringing you, you daft man? You said you needed to talk to them, and it's clearly known that Hogwarts is where they live - even to you who live in the south. Ambrosius made sure of that, didn't he?"
"Well, yes," the man admitted. "But from what Ambrosius tells us, Hogwarts is a rundown hut."
"And you believed him?"
This conversation could have lasted all night long for all Godric cared. The big Knight had always been reserved, quiet, unflustered, but the man whom Sir Deiniol called cousin seemed to reveal a different side of the Welsh-born man. Godric was fascinated to see this new side of his personality and wanted to see where this exchange would lead to next. Sadly enough, however, Salazar decided it was time to stop the banter.
"Excuse me, Sir Deiniol," he interrupted with a slight clearing of the throat. "But who is your companion?"
"Oh!" the man in the hood exclaimed. "I do beg your pardon, Lord Slytherin!" Then he pushed back his hood and Godric could not help but stare.
Their guest was none other than the ginger-haired Lord Billius of Cheshire.
Lord Billius had always been one of the more bearable men in the Council. True, he could be as corrupt as the lot of them, but with him you at least knew that there was a chance of you being heard. He was a good man at heart, Godric felt, but then again, so were many of those who sat in the various seats of power within Stonehenge and they all hated Godric and Salazar with a passion. They were good men who found it easier to take the comforts their position in the Council had offered them, no questions asked. They easily ignored the suffering their doings were causing, indulging themselves and their families in wealth taken from those of lesser status. When all things were said and done, they were human.
So the question ranking highest in Godric's list of questions was what exactly was he doing in Hogwarts, risking his own, previously meticulously cared-for, life?
Billius was a tall man, wiry and energetic. While liking the comforts the Council under Ambrosius had given him, he also very much enjoyed keeping the pompous Chief Warlock on his toes. Member of the same party as Lord Gaius, but much more eccentric than his older compatriot, it was most likely that it would be he that would eventually turn on Ambrosius at the least expected moment.
It seemed that this was the least expected moment. Therefore Godric was not all too surprised to hear his first words. What came next was what truly astonished him.
"As you probably have guessed, I am here to betray Lord Ambrosius," he said cheerfully, seating himself in a free armchair, not waiting to be invited. "What you don't know, is that I am Gaius' special envoy here, to bargain with you on his behalf."
A moment of silence was followed by a surprised intake of breath from Salazar. "You mean Gaius has finally decided to take sides?"
"We-ell…" Billius said, stretching, "I certainly wouldn't have come here by myself if it wasn't Gaius behind it. I may hate Ambrosius, but I like my skin the way it is, thank you very much." His dark eyes twinkled merrily and he seemed ready to burst out laughing. "Dear old Gaius thought about it for a long time, and while I admit that I helped nudging him into the conclusion that there was no future in the Council under the Master of Pomposity, I would not be as foolish enough as to come here without any firm backing."
The silence resumed its rule over the room as the four friends contemplated what Billius was saying.
Godric did not know what to say. For so long they hoped that Gaius would indeed see that the future lay in Hogwarts, but none of them dared to say it out loud. It was a distance hope, something that was important, but not very liable. Now that it was here, he did not know where to go to. There were so many options! Gaius was the Lord of so many lands, the caretaker for so many magic communities that resided under his rule. One word from him would muster and align relatively massive forces on their side.
"So…" Helga's voice came, soft and low, "what has Lord Gaius to say? We are open to hear his words."
"Finally one of you speaks!" Billius exclaimed in a loud voice, clapping his hands. Once his initial fear dissolved, his natural personality emerged again. He was a very loud man, Godric wryly remembered. Loud and rambunctious, sharp-tongued and belligerent. It was no wonder he was always at odds with the naturally domineering Chief Warlock.
Jumping out of his chair and then pacing back and forth, Lord Billius started speaking at a very high speed, miraculously never stumbling over his words or skipping over them. "After watching Ambrosius' behaviour closely - like a hawk, as they say - for a very long time, Gaius has arrived at the conclusion that the ass is no longer to be trusted. The state of his mind is to be questioned. He is, Gaius says, a madman, and it is a wonder that no one has noticed this before, since his eyes gleam with the light of complete insanity. His decisions in the past few years have been atrocious if not verging on the perverse and they are forcing Gaius to look back into the days before Ambrosius has taken over the Council and re-evaluate all that had happened.
"It is our opinion that Ambrosius has taken over the Council by illegal means, meaning he had poisoned old Lord Fenwick in order to achieve this position. He has, it has come to our knowledge, taken the vile man, Marcus Gregory, into service again, though it was against all that had been decided during Gregory's trial, legally conducted by Ryan Raven Lord, the commander of the Knights of the Phoenix, and Gawain Gryffindor, the Council's representative in the trial and Raven Lord's second-in-command. And we have also discovered that he had been the one to annul Raven Lord's judgment that Gregory should be relieved of his life.
"It has also come to our knowledge that Ambrosius has authorized many actions against law-abiding, upstanding members of the community who had dared contradict him by words alone. After taking all we know into consideration, Gaius has decided that we must not allow this debauchery to continue. Feeling that you are the last and only chance to cause the downfall of the bastard of York, he is now offering you an alliance.
"While for the time being he and I will remain in the Council and say nothing of our intended departure from his side in order to not cause suspicion, know that we - in the case of us striking an agreement - will do all in our power to delay any military action against Hogwarts. Once we make our move, we promise to supply you with reinforcements of our own men, settled two days away from Hogwarts, in hiding, ready to assist you should the need arise. We will be by your side, thick and thin, magic and body. You can count on us." He then stopped, took a deep breath and with a bright smile on his face sat down again.
"This is all very well," Rowena said, her eyes narrowed, "but you have said nothing about your terms. You cannot possibly offer this for free."
Godric did not like the satisfied grin on the man's face. He did not like it at all.
"Ah, yes," said Billius." Now we come to the matter at heart. Our terms…"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The students coming either from their group chambers or from the village the next morning were surprised to find no teachers at the classrooms. Instead, in front of their rough tables and benches, up in the air, shimmered bright words spelled in red, blue, yellow or green. All they said was:
We are busy. Continue your work from the last lesson. Next lesson we shall test whether you have really done so, so do not even think of being lazy.
The Heads
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Do we have an accord, then?" Lord Billius asked, even his own smug smile fading off his tired, drawn face.
"Just as long as you keep your side of the deal, Godric growled, not in the mood for any more nonsense. He was tired, hungry and had to handle both the finalizing of the agreement and taking care of Ryan who was wide awake and very much twitchy. Rowena had gone to bed with a headache long since, Salazar was snoring lightly on the other side of the room and Helga was still sitting, but he doubted she heard anything Billius and he had said for the past hour or so. Deiniol, Billius' kin through their mothers' side, had excused himself over an hour ago to go and refresh himself before escorting Billius back to the village. "You got what you wanted, we got what we wanted, end of story. Now take yourself and your smugness out of my home and get your rear end back to Stonehenge and to Gaius. If you two even think of breaking this agreement, I will personally haunt you until your dying day."
Somewhat pale, Billius nodded and took his leave, going to search for Sir Deiniol.
Behind, Godric sighed and leaned back. He closed his eyes for a moment and then, quite certain that Billius was no longer near, allowed himself a weak, though satisfied grin. Though they had to promise to protect Billius' and Gaius' families from vengeance in case they won, and they had to agree that if the plan would fail they would be the ones to take all the punishment and promise free education for the next ten generations or so of both houses if they were to win, along with several other irritating details, he thought that it was well deserved. They would have their reinforcements.
He also had to admit that while Billius made him want to grit his teeth several times through the night, the man was a shrewd trader, and all that they had agreed upon, had been won by him fairly.
Now all they had to do was convince Ceridwen, Sir Rhys and the others that the agreement was not sheer folly.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Are you mad!"
All in all, Godric concluded, it could have gone much worse. Instead of questioning their sanity, his mother could have hexed them halfway to London.
"Did you not think, for one minute only, that others involved should be notified?" Ceridwen growled, pacing back and forth in an unknowing imitation of Billius' actions the night before. "We all risk our lives and much more in this endeavor, Godric! We could lose everything - starting with our homes and finishing with our necks! This… this agreement of yours with that foul ginger turncoat is the most foolish thing you could have done without consulting me or Rhys! Once a traitor, always a traitor, Godric! He will turn on you in a blink of an eye! He-"
At that point he stopped listening. He knew to begin with why the others hurriedly told him that he should talk to his mother alone before the big meeting they had planned for the evening. The woman could be temperamental when you prodded her in the right place, and for Ceridwen, the right place was where her authority was concerned.
For years after his father's death she had pretended to withdraw from the society circles she so loved before. She pretended to be a devoted housewife and a doting mother, but in truth it was only a façade meant to fool no one but herself. While she always loved him and had she had the opportunity, pampered him, she forever pushed him to do what she believed in. She sent him to study with Sir Rhys for one purpose - for him to follow in the footsteps set by her and his father. And though he did not mind it, since he was attracted to the Lore of the Phoenix since childhood, this was just one more manifestation of Ceridwen's need to plot, plan, and more than anything, participate is everything interesting that was going on.
He had known for years that she still kept in touch with many of the Knights. He knew that on the slightest pretext she would join on any action directed against Ambrosius. She was still very well connected, and almost nothing of the community's news got past her. Her ears were always open to the smallest change in public mood and opinion. She had been ready for a rebellion for a very long time.
And now, even though she herself said that Gaius and Billius were their best chance to infiltrate the Council and get more forces into the struggle, she was set against sharing the fight with them, and he knew why.
She felt left out.
The past few years had been like a fresh breath of wind to his mother. For the first time in years something happened that made her feel needed. Alive. The fact that they had failed to invite her to the discussions of the night before stung deeply. Suddenly she was out of the main circle, unneeded, unimportant. He supposed it was a sobering experience and that she did not like the headache of the day after. He could have warned her.
Now it was his duty to make amends, but also to make sure she understood the situation. He was afraid that this was a clear case of being cruel to be kind.
"Mother," he said, interrupting her in the middle of her rant, confronting her smoldering eyes. "I'm sorry that you feel that way, I really do. I understand your fears and your warning, and I would have truly accepted them if it was up to me. However," -and here his voice dropped dangerously- "desperate times dictate desperate measures, and this is the most desperate time of all. We are about to face total annihilation of us and the people who have their faith in us. While for the past few years we have confided in all of you - especially in you - and shared the taking of decisions with you, you have to understand that we are the ones who lead this move. We started it and we are the ones Ambrosius hunts.
"We didn't notify the… eh, others involved because Lord Billius was edgy and besides, it's none of your business. While what we did undoubtedly affects you, it is still our decision to make and our risk to take. So as far as I'm concerned you can pout and sulk, but know that the deed is done. We have signed the accord and we are going to fulfill our side of it. The rest depends on Gaius and Billius."
She became much frostier after that, and in a way, Godric knew he deserved it and much worse. You just did not talk to your mother that way. But he did need to put her in her place, and he had always been blunt, so it should not have come as a surprise to her.
After allowing her to steam in silence for a while, he rather flippantly added "And in any case, Mother, if Billius even thinks of breaking the deal, I do believe Salazar put a little something in the drink we gave him. If he betrays us, he will regret it terribly."
"But, of course, he doesn't know it," she said icily, "which provides you practically no help in case he gives you to Ambrosius on a silver platter."
"Oh, but you see, if I'm not very much mistaken, the thing he put in Billius' cup would most certainly act as soon as he commits the act of treachery, and so Marlowe Cane would immediately be aware of it. We have it covered, Mother, so please stop trying to look for flaws in a plan that you yourself had suggested possible only last year."
"Very well," she snarled. "But if anything goes wrong… don't come crawling back to me."
He nodded with a vague smile that probably irritated her more than anything he had to say, and she stiffly got up and left. The door almost closed when it came into a sudden stop.
"Oh, and Godric?" she said, her head the only thing showing beyond the door, her tone scathing. "The hat I bought you? It's the newest fashion, Godric, and as a model for so many people I think you should be wearing what is accepted these days - not the rags you're so fond of for some reason. I expect to see you wearing in the next official event - no excuses, Godric. Don't think I did not see it under your bed. I took it out and it's in your study. Don't let me find it there again."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ceridwen's and Godric's relationship remained cold and distant for a long time after the secret agreement the four had struck with Gaius via Billius. While she came often to spend time with her grandson, Rowena and Helga, she all but ignored her son. Godric knew he had hurt her, but he could not see any other way in which he could make her see that they could, in fact, make decisions without her, that she was not their supreme authority.
He should have apologized for being so harsh with her, he knew, but he stubbornly decided that he was not the only one responsible and that he would not apologize until she would. That left them both in a fix, because none of them would be the first to apologize.
It was only a month or so after their quarrel that anything changed, and even that was because a new parcel had arrived from Marlowe Cane, saying that Gaius and Billius were beginning to actively oppose Ambrosius, attempting to block him with bureaucracy and pointless debates. Their actions were now buying them more than a little precious time. The recruitment to the Council's forces was now practically nonexistent, what with Gaius adamant on doing everything legally and thoroughly and Billius' clever maneuvers with the paperwork, which always left loopholes that Gaius cheerfully pointed out to Ambrosius, claiming that this way they could be blamed for doing crimes against their own people.
The way Godric saw it, the pair was having the time of their lives.
Only after Ceridwen had read Cane's report she came to Hogwarts to confront her son. Her expression was one of a person who had to chew a lemon, and he knew that she was there to apologize. It was then that he finally realized that he really did not need her to apologize.
"Don't," he told her before she could even open her mouth. He did not meet her eyes. Instead he looked only at his son, whom he was bouncing on his knees. "Just… don't. You shouldn't be apologizing, because I said dreadful things to you only because we disagreed. As it turns out, I was right, but you could have been right as well, so just don't apologize. All right, Mother?"
She did not say a thing for a while. He could not hear her at all; she might as well not have been there. Then he felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up. Her eyes met his and they both smiled. An unspoken agreement has passed between them in that short moment, and then Ceridwen reached her arms and plucked little Ryan from his hands.
"Who is Grandmother's little boy, hmmm?" she cooed at his son, a small smile on her lips. Ryan giggled and tried grasping a loose lock of his grandmother's hair. Her smile widened. "I do love you, Godric," she finally said, "but you can be an inconsiderate pig when you want to be." He started protesting at that, but she cut him short. "I think you got it all from me, love, so don't fret. Now - who needs a change of clothes?"
A certain smell spread in the room and Godric did not even bother to stifle his sigh. Babies were their parents' pride and joy, but they could be such a hassle at times… Another sigh crossed his lips and he got up, took his son from Ceridwen and then did what every father must do at least once in a while.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It's the newest fashion, Godric, and as a model for so many people I think you should be wearing what is accepted these days - not the rags you're so fond of for some reason. I expect to see you wearing it in the next official event - no excuses, Godric.
Mulling over his mother's words from a couple of months before, Godric's expression turned sour. He was sitting by himself in his study on the heavily padded chair, staring at the hat sitting on the heavy desk in front of him. Rowena, to his knowledge, was still deeply asleep, treasuring the day of no school and the fact that Godric had promised to be the one to look after Ryan that morning. It has been a long time since his mother left it on the table, and it was not the first time he could be found staring at it in disgust.
The hat was rather simple, he had to admit. Just a plain brownish-red thing with a wide brim and a pointy bit over it. It was the pointy bit which aggravated him the most. What self-respecting warrior would go around with a cone on his head? This shape would not stop anything, unless it had fortifications within, and that would make it even more ridiculous to wear. He would look like a complete fool with this on his head.
There was only one thing to be done now that Ceridwen had dug it from under his bed and brushed off the dust and spider webs that had accumulated on it through the months that had passed since she had given it to him. He had to destroy it - that was the only way. But then, how would he hide what he had done from his mother? And more importantly, how should he do it? There are so many ways to destroy an offending article of wear…
"Godric? Are you in there?" Rowena's voice penetrated his thoughts sometime later, dragging him out of his deep contemplation on whether he should burn that dratted hat or simply rip it into shreds and then hide the remains away from his mother's prying eyes. Burning it had much more merit, he thought.
"Yes, love. What can I do for you on this fine day?"
Rowena entered the room, her face pale, her hair slightly wet and her dressing gown rather haphazardly worn. She did not look her best. In fact, she looked ill and worried. For a fleeting moment he wondered if something had happened to Ryan, since he had not heard him making a sound yet that morning, but then he rationalized that if that were the case, he would have been dead already.
"I thought you planned on sleeping late today?" he said cautiously.
"I did," she said roughly. "I was rather… unpleasantly woken, I'm afraid."
"Are you ill, love?" he decided it was safe to bring it up. "You don't look your best."
"No, I don't think I'm ill," she said, a guarded expression creeping into her hazel eyes. There was something she needed to say and was hesitant about. "In fact, I do believe we are about to have another child."
Unlike the first time round, this time it did not take him long to understand what she was saying. He did, however, stare at her for a while before thinking of anything to say.
"Oh."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Godric and Helga walked into the private quarters of Ambrosius, following the straight-backed figure of Cane as he carried a breakfast tray into the main chamber. They looked around, trying to see who was present, for the tray had enough food for at least three people. On the low divan in front of a roaring fire Ambrosius was stretched luxuriously, as comfortable and lazy as a cat. On an uncomfortable wooden bench in front of him stiffly sat Lord Llyr of the Lower House and Lord Severn of the First House. They seemed to be deep in conversation.
"-do not hold with such nonsense, Llyr," Ambrosius said scathingly. "Though Billius is an annoying man, I have no excuse to get him out of the Second House - and certainly not in order to give you his place."
"You did with Severn here!" Llyr protested. "If you hadn't got rid of Gryffindor, Severn would still have been a Second House Lord!"
"Yes, that's true," Ambrosius said with a satisfied smile," but Gryffindor and Slytherin were a special case. Billius has too wide a base in the Second House. While many do not side with Gaius, they certainly support Billius, and therein lies our problem and the reason for why I asked the two of you to come here today - oh, Cane, you're finally here. Put the food there and go clean the bathing chamber."
With a curt nod Cane left to the next room leaving the door half open.
For a while there was silence as the three Council members ate. Godric decided to fill the silence, asking a question that had been bothering him for a while. "Helga? I don't mean to pry, but what is going on with you and Salazar? You seem to be quite… distant lately."
She sighed, staring at her skirts, her hands smoothing them needlessly. "I don't really know, to tell the truth. Rowena asked me the same thing the other day. I think he's afraid of commitment. We… haven't been very close in the past few months. I think it started right after your wedding, but it was only something superficial. It wasn't until Ryan was born that I started feeling strange around him."
"Ah. I thought it might be something of the kind," he said, wondering why Salazar refused to answer that question every time it came up. "May I ask what you want?"
She smiled. "I want to have what you and Rowena have. I love Salazar dearly and I would love nothing better than to marry him and have his children. However," her smile faded, "if Salazar does not want that, I would be content to let him be and go my own way. I don't mind waiting a few more years, don't mistake me - because I do enjoy being with him just for the sake of sitting with him and talking - but I'm not getting any younger. I never thought I'd say that, but I don't. I know we magic people live longer and are fertile for a longer time, but I don't want to wait until I am old and wrinkly. It all depends on Salazar now, and on what he decides he wants our relationship to be."
It was a tricky business, Godric realized. Trickier than he had expected. It could be fatal to the friendship Helga and Salazar had shared long before they ever fell in love, and worse, if their friendship would fall, the school might fail as well. Everything they worked for - for almost a decade, now - could be destroyed. He wanted to say something encouraging to Helga, but as soon as he opened his mouth, the three men, oblivious to their watchers, started talking again.
"I'm sure you understand my situation, my lords. I am stuck between a hammer and an anvil. From one side I have the Hogwarts four with all their renegade groups of supporters and on the other I have the Billius-Gaius alliance. While Gaius by himself is not too dangerous, since not too many of the Second and Lower Houses are interested in supporting him, Billius is a different matter. He is a likeable fellow, and as most likeable fellows, he has many people who like to call themselves his friends. He has almost half the Council in his pocket that way. If he and Gaius decide to change sides on us, as it appears possible with all their arguments during the Council meetings, we might be in serious trouble, for Billius' friends may not be inclined to act against him."
"What do you want us to do, then?" Llyr said eagerly. Almost like a lapdog begging for leftovers, Godric thought wryly.
"You, my lord Llyr, will attempt to subvert Billius' power amongst the members of the Lower House. I don't care in what way you choose to do so. Extortion, threats, blackmail of any sort is accepted. Do whatever you have to do, just don't let things be connected to you, and certainly not to me. I need his base of power undermined, Llyr, so do not disappoint me."
With a fervent expression on his face, Llyr nodded. He had always been one to dabble in the lowest of persuasive methods. Godric remembered his mother's long lectures about what happens to bad men like Llyr and how he should never descend to that level.
"As for you Severn," Ambrosius continued, "it is time to set the drafting into motion. I want ten training camps constructed, and I want warriors-in-training there by the end of this month. Am I clear?"
"But, Lord Ambrosius-" Severn started, startled by his orders.
"Yes?" Ambrosius managed to put layers upon layers of menace in that single word.
Severn seemed to catch on that, and so his outraged tone softened into mild rebuke. "My lord, constructing these camps would take more time, and would take a lot of gold. Surely you don't expect ten camps in such a short time!"
Ambrosius' smile received a feral undertone. "Oh, yes, Severn. I expect all ten to be ready by the end of one month. Do that, or you are out of the First House. You know I can do it, Severn. I put you there in the first place."
"I think that this is it," Godric whispered to Helga. "After that Mother told me he kicked Cane out and everything else was left unheard. But I think we got the gist of the matter, don't you?"
"Indeed," she replied heavily. "I at first thought it was strange of him to put Severn and Llyr as counterparts of the same conspiracy, but now I can see why. He made sure Severn will stay loyal to him, and by having Llyr there, he gave that miserable little worm a sliver of hope that one day he would replace Severn, if the man would be foolish enough to disobey Ambrosius."
"He's a sneaky one, our Chief Warlock," Godric said sourly. "He now has Severn and Llyr safely under his thumb. We'd better tell this to the others. Come on."
Extracting themselves out of Cane's memory, the two immediately set to find Salazar and Rowena.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Several hundred people were milling about in the half-constructed training camp. Some of them were new recruits and many others were the workers who built the place. It was a massive cluster of improvised tents with a few wooden structures in the middle, sprawling over a few acres. There was a fenced training arena and what appeared to be a mess hall. The wizards responsible to train the unwillingly drafted recruits had their own wooden cabins, and possibly warm fires in the cabins, while the so-called warriors had to crowd around small campfires, cold and shivering.
The four friends stood watching atop a hill overlooking the camp. They were certain no one could spot them, since they had used the disillusionment charm on themselves before leaving the safety of their castle.
Godric had attempted convincing Rowena, four months along, that she should remain in Hogwarts, but to no avail. The bloody stubborn woman was - most likely - standing beside him. He could just imagine her narrowing her eyes and mouthing profanities at what they could see.
This was the first location out of the four Cane managed to give them. There were six more that he did not find as yet, but it stopped worrying Godric from the moment he had climbed atop the hill and saw with his own eyes what Severn and those under him had done. If all ten training camps were like this, then things were bad. They would be heavily outnumbered in a case of direct confrontation. They would be crushed like worms.
"Can we do anything to impede the construction?" Salazar's voice came from somewhere to his right.
"Not unless you can control the weather or people's minds," Rowena said tersely from Godric's left.
"We can try and sabotage it with fire," Helga suggested. "But then, they are probably prepared for such a thing. They have hundreds of people here, Salazar. Whatever the four of us can do, they can undo in half the time it would take us set it up."
Helga was right, of course, Godric knew, and besides, they were here only as watchers, assessing the situation before brining it in front of the gathering that night. They would have to be extremely devious and resourceful in order to defeat this army, and as far as he was concerned, he was out of ideas.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Time passed in the Castle of Hogwarts. While the Council was preparing for a war against them, the Hogwarts four continued their efforts to educate their students. They knew better than anyone else that their greatest chance to create a better future was through these children who looked up at them, whether in admiration or with mischief in their eyes. Even though they knew the day of the confrontation was nearing, they could not abandon their chief endeavor, their first and foremost duty. Their obligation was to the children they had taken under their wing.
These were hard days for them all. They had two major responsibilities, which meant they barely had time to rest. They worked hard on both fronts, attempting to make the best of everything. They tutored their students for long hours and then when night fell they went on working, making their plans for the impending confrontation. Whenever they were not doing these, they were busily making the defences around Hogwarts harder to break, more extensive, crueler to those who would come.
And in the midst of it all, though they were both starting to feel apprehensive about it, what with what was going on in the world around them, Godric and Rowena were preparing to welcome another soul into their family.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Headmaster! Headmaster! Come quickly!"
Godric raised his head and groaned. In the past hour he had been sweating and panting outside, teaching his students in the sunny spring morning.
"What is it?" he asked, trying to quench his annoyance. After weeks of foul weather he could finally let his students out to the grounds and have a bit of fun, and now this.
"It's Headmistress Ravneclaw, sir! We were having our Apparition lesson and she just collapsed!"
Without thinking, Godric dropped his sword to the ground and sprinted to where he knew his wife liked to teach Apparition, the flat ground near the lake where there was nothing in the way. He could see the crowd around the perimeter from a long way off and quickened his pace. When he reached there, the students parted to let him through.
Rowena was crouched on the ground, her arms hugging her body. She was breathing heavily and her eyes were closed.
Helga was already by her side, having been closer to the place than him.
"Godric!" the blond woman sounded relieved. "Thank Merlin you're here! Help me get her to the Castle!"
Helga was panicked, and Godric knew fully well why. If Rowena had troubles in the last months of her pregnancy with Ryan, it was nothing in comparison to this one. She was only eight months along, yet for months she had trouble walking, a lack of spell casting precision forced her to abandon all demonstrations in her lessons, and she lost more weight. The baby took a lot out of its mother.
"Where is Rosalind now? Is she anywhere near Hogwarts?" he asked Helga as he kneeled beside the two women. "Come now, love. Let us get you into the Castle," he then told Rowena and gently pried her arms apart, picking her up.
"She was near the last inn on London Way when she last contacted Rowena," said Helga. "That was yesterday."
"Then she will not be here until noon tomorrow. That's not good. Hurry up to our rooms, put the blankets aside, then send someone to bring the midwife from the village," Godric instructed. "And while you're at it, get someone to tell my mother that Ryan has to stay with her a night or two, all right? Tell her to stay at the village and that I will bring Ryan to her immediately."
Helga nodded and ran ahead of them.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"That's it, Lord Gryffindor," the midwife said with a small smile at noon the next day. "You have a lovely little daughter. And against all chances, I do believe she will survive."
Heaving a great sigh of relief, and feeling Salazar's hand steadying him, Godric got up to his feet and came to look at his little girl. She was a diminutive creature, smaller than any live child he had seen after delivery. She was almost lost in the folds of the pale green woolen blanket that kept her warm, just a head and one tiny hand visible. She was sleeping soundly.
"How is… how is Rowena?" he asked in a trembling voice that sounded so unlike his own, looking up from the little girl in his arms. He was so afraid of the answer.
The midwife's face clouded. "Not well. Mistress Hufflepuff is with her at the moment. She's alive, but it was a close thing." It seemed like she was trying to soften the blow, but then again, there were things that women considered should stay among women alone.
"Is she conscious?" Salazar asked for him as he apparently noticed Godric could not get any sound out.
"Yes, but she's very sleepy."
"Can we go inside and see her, or would that endanger her?"
The midwife pursed her lips, her forehead creased in thought. Finally she came to a conclusion and shook her head. "I'm sorry, Lord Slytherin, but I cannot allow it. She needs rest, and besides-" here she gave them both half a smile "-women absolutely hate being seen when they feel sick and miserable. It would be better if only mistress Hufflepuff would stay with her for the time being."
Godric had spent the next few hours striding back and forth across the main chamber, half listening to the sounds of women voices in the adjacent room. Though either the midwife or Helga came out every now and then with reports, he still could not calm down. He needed to see her.
Sometimes around sunset Helga came out and said that Rowena was much better, but that he is not allowed into the bedchamber anyway. It was only when Rosalind arrived that some over-taut string in him relaxed and he settled down. For some reason he felt much more secure now that the woman who knew Rowena better than anyone else was there.
She arrived late that night, having been delayed since she had to skirt around a training camp of Ambrosius' men. She was saddened that she had missed the birth, but more than delighted to hold her first granddaughter and sit by her daughter as she rested, helping to nurse her back to health. The next morning, however, she came into Godric's study with a somber expression on her face.
"Godric?" she said softly. "May I have a word with you?"
He put down his quill and summoned a chair from one corner of the room. "Of course. How is Rowena?"
"She's… not well."
He looked up at her sharply, dread bubbling in the pit of his stomach. What could possibly be wrong with her? The midwife, after stuffing her with medicine and ordering seven days of bed rest, had said that she was a strong woman and that she would be up on her feet in no time. Did she lie? Taking a deep, steadying breath, he asked "Why is that?"
Rosalind sat down. At first she did not look up. She seemed to be contemplating her words. Though worried, Godric still thought that Rowena would never stop to consider her thoughts. She was blunt, direct and honest - completely unlike her mother. She must have gotten it from Raven Lord. How Godric wished he could have known that man. Then again, had Raven Lord lived, he would have probably thought a much longer time before ever laying his hands on Rowena.
"Godric…" she finally said in a soft, careful voice, "I love you dearly. I could not have asked for a better man to marry my daughter, and therefore I feel reasonably safe telling you this." She looked up. "Rowena must never have another child."
"I - what?" he was dumbfounded. Whatever he had expected, this was not it.
"I cannot allow this. As much as I would love having many more grandchildren, the two of you - like Ryan and I in our time - must realize that there can be no others. I should have said this last time, but then I heard Rowena talking about hoping to have a girl next time, and how the two of you wanted a big family like neither of you had as children - and I simply couldn't. That had been a mistake. This time, however…
"Godric, as I told you after Ryan had been born, the women of my line were never built for giving birth. This child was a risk - the next would be a death sentence to both Rowena and the baby. There is nothing that can be done - magic or Muggle - to change that. I just wanted to tell you this before I tell Rowena, so you would be able to think about it and help her through. I doubt she will take it well. Do you understand?"
Stunned, Godric nodded. No more children. All their dreams in ashes. But if it meant losing Rowena, then there was no question about it. He watched, numb, as Rosalind walked out of his office, apparently to be by her daughter's side again.
He immediately knew that Rosalind had talked to Rowena when he entered the bedchamber on the first day Rowena was well enough to sit up, propped against a few down-filled pillows.
His wife's face was ashen and there were tear marks down her cheeks. She did not meet his eyes as he sat down on the chair usually filled by Rosalind.
"No more children," she said in a choked voice when she finally looked up at him. "It's not fair."
"I know, Rowena," he said heavily. "I know. But it has to be so, and we both know it."
She nodded, recomposing herself. He knew this was all a façade. A very good one, since Rowena had always been good at putting up a brave front, but a façade all the same. Inside, he thought, she must be grieving for all the children she would never have. At long last, after a long pause, she looked up again and gave him a wan smile.
"Does Ceridwen sound pretty much right to you?"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Ceridwen Rhiannon Rosalind Helga Ravenclaw Gryffindor. Oh dear. That is quite a mouthful," Helga said with a wry smile. "The girl will be cursing the two of you when she grows up, you know."
"The same offer stands, Helga, Salazar," Rowena said briskly, ignoring her friend's taunt. She was well again, and had accustomed herself to the idea that there will be no more children. While she still tired easily, and was more often sitting than not, she had determinedly set to take over her classes whenever the baby did not need attention and was resolute to start once again her routine. She shook away any offers of help.
"Offer?"
"Fine. Request, then. Will you or will you not consent to being Ceridwen's guardians?"
"Of course," Helga said warmly. "I could not imagine letting the two of you down."
"Consider me in," Salazar smiled.
Once they had their friends' agreement to play guardians for their second child as well, the road to the Naming Ceremony was clear. Unlike the Firstborn Ceremony, this was held for a very small circle of close friends and family. The second child was certainly less important than the first one and therefore there was no extensive protocol for the Naming Ceremony. Merely calling out the name of the newborn and naming her guardians. All present were welcome to give their blessings, but it was in a much more carefree way than when Ryan was born.
On the evening of the Ceremony, once both children were put to bed and Rowena and Helga had retired to the drawing room to have a quiet evening by themselves, Salazar and Godric sat in the main chamber with a small cask of wine given to Godric and Rowena to celebrate little Ceridwen's birth, quietly saluting the sleeping baby and talking about unimportant things. They were deep in a debate about the merits of wine over ale when a quiet knock came.
The person, who entered soon after the knock, not waiting to be invited, was Sir Rhys' son, Ilar. He looked both ecstatic and frightened. Both men straightened in their chairs, staring intently at the young man.
"I'm sorry to disturb you, Lord Slytherin, Lord Gryffindor," he said in an excited voice. "But there was an urgent message from Cane in Stonehenge. Gaius and Billius have made their move. They have informed Ambrosius of their siding with you. We are now officially at war."
A/N: Well, this was it! You know that routine, my friends - liked it? Hated it? Absolutely adored it? Have comments to make, suggestions, questions? Please review and make my day.
And to all my reviewers:
Gallon of Firewhiskey: Nope. Sadly enough, we can't have Godric anymore. Taken, spoken for, and his wife would probably kick ass if she hears about it :P Life isn't fair ((shakes head)) Thank you!
Spookles: thank you so much. There's nothing that makes me so happy as someone who's been reading this for a while and decides to review - especially such a flattering, lovely review :) Well, if you want it to remain an uncertainty… then I won't tell you :D
Innekeminneke: I was having such a hard time deciding that she really must die :( It was such a struggle. I nearly erased the scene a couple of times before the plot won. I'm glad people will miss her - means they liked her. Hmm… I get The Lion King, but why Cinderella? ((is now curious)) Thank you very much - and I did have a lot of fun in England!
Rockergurl13: 1. Thank you! I did :D 2. ((sniffs)) I'm very sad about it, too, but unfortunately it had to happen… 3. You know, I'm writing this story in bits, not necessarily in order of chapters, and writing Salazar's leaving scene is so hard on me that I just add a sentence every now and then and then feel guilty about it. That's what happens when you get attached to your characters… 4. Yeah, well, he does have two quite hefty lineages to lug about… ;) 5. ((grins very, very broadly, which lasts all day)) thank you so much! That's such a nice thing to say! 6. Was this fast enough? Probably not, but I'll do better next time…
FirstDaysOfSummer: Well, since the story spans so many years, some things have to happen fast, but I'm glad you liked it. Hope you liked this one as well! Thanks!
FizzingWhizbeez: Hey! What about your updates! I am waiting! Lol. But I would really like you to update. Yep - you guessed quite right. 's one of the reasons anyway :) Heh, I've been given The Lion King, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty. Seems that I am quite Disney inspired… Nope. No evil fairy - just evil Muggles that destroy everything… Had a wonderful time, and now I'm hoping to update in a much higher rate! Hold your fingers crossed! And thanks!
Browneyedathena: thank you very much for reviewing! Oh, well, it's a pity, but are you planning on writing anything else?
Alcapacien: thank you very much!
.Aurorablu.: With a lot of difficulty :( This was a soon as possible - I swear! Well, almost… thanks!
shadow-n-the-dark: mmm… chocolate chip cookies… Not that I need the extra padding after the past couple of weeks… I actually already written most of the ending, and while it's not a perfectly happy one, I do think it's not extremely sad. I definitely hope I'm right. I hope you will enjoy the rest of this story just as much as you enjoyed all of it up to now! And thank! For both the review and the cookies…
JakKat: As you can see, you're not the only one who said that ;) Oops… ((grins very, very broadly)) Right in one! Yep. I truly dislike the concept of the wizarding hats. They don't look extremely good in my imagination on anyone but McGonagall and Dumbledore, so I guess I entered some of my own prejudice to Godric's behaviour… :D Thank you!
Wicked.Awesome: You hate those Muggles? Yep, I hate them, too. Evil they are. I know! Isn't Salazar lovely? It's so hard, knowing that he's going to leave in such an angry manner… thank you!
TimeWaitsForNoOne: Heh, "A rollercoaster of emotions" sounds about right - great phrase! I didn't know if people would like that, but it seems like most did. Not too soon! Still 11 more chapters to go! 'sides… you could always read it again ;) thank you very much!
Black Chaos and Light Catastrophe: Glad to be of service! ((bows)) thank you!
Andromeda 'Andy' Black: Yeah, I love Rowena as well. I love them all ((huggles all characters - except Ambrosius - he's been naughty)) thank you!
404: I suppose that for the time of Harry potter, they are much of a legend, aren't they? ;) Thank you!
SecretGinny13: I so love to hear that! Thank you! I'm so glad you enjoyed it :)
Nosilla: I have! I have! Thanks!
Well, this is it for today, people! Next chapter is already partly written (in bits), so I'm hoping that within two weeks it will be ready, especially since I'm away for a major part of next week… Oh, well.
I missed you all, and you all deserve many hugs for sticking with this story through thick and thin - so there!
Star of the North