Teacher

"Lady Ravenclaw?"

Rowena looked up from her writing. "Yes, Andreas," she said, looking at the caretaker who had just come into her office.

"I am sorry to disturb," he apologised, glancing in the direction of 7-year-old Genevieve, and 9-year-old Helena who had been, until then, working sensibly with Rowena, "but your services are required in the Entrance Hall."

Rowena put down her quill and stood up. "Nothing too serious I hope?" she said.

"Someone from the Ministry is here to speak with one of the Headteachers. Lady Helga is teaching and, as you know—"

"Godric is away," Rowena cut in gently. She nodded. "I will be down in a moment, Andreas. Thank you for alerting me."

Andreas nodded and left the room. Meanwhile, Rowena turned her attention to the two young girls.

"I shall be back soon," she told them both, though she seemed to be speaking more to her daughter who was, after all, the eldest and therefore the one with the most responsibility. "If you need me I will be in Helga's office."

Helena nodded, as did Genevieve. With one last glance in their direction, Rowena then swept out of her office. As soon as the door had clicked shut behind her, Helena dropped her quill on the table and leaned forwards.

"Would you like to see something?"

Genevieve looked up from her work. "All right."

Helena smiled and got up from the table. She rooted around one of her mother's desk drawers before extracting a very simple wooden box and opening it. She removed an intricate diadem from within.

"A crown!" Genevieve exclaimed in excitement. "How beautiful. Where did you get it?"

"It is a diadem," Helena corrected. "Mother made it. She enchanted as well."

Genevieve's eyes widened. "To do what?"

"To make the wearer wiser." Helena put it on her head causing Genevieve to giggle.

"I have never seen Rowena wear it before," Genevieve said.

Helena's smile slowly disappeared. She took the diadem off and placed it back in its box.

"You know my mother," she said quietly, resuming her seated position at the table. "She does not really need it," she added.

Genevieve was silent as she watched Helena return her attention to her work. When Helena noticed that Genevieve was not doing the same, she looked up.

"Come on, let us finish our work," she told Genevieve a little impatiently. "Then we can go to the owlery — I can show you Cleopatra."


Embarrassment

"It is embarrassing," Helena said flatly, crossing her arms.

Rowena did not know what to say. "I—no, darling," she said, coming to sit down opposite her daughter. "Why ever would you think that?"

Helena purposefully looked away from her mother, who was trying her best to catch her daughter's eyes.

"Everyone will know I'm your daughter, with a surname like Ravenclaw," Helena said sulkily. "They will expect me to be wise like you." She breathed out huffily and stood up.

"Helena—"

"Do not pretend you do not know what I am talking about, mother," Helena interrupted, walking towards Rowena's desk where the diadem lay unsuspectingly. She traced the outline of the diadem with her index finger before picking it up. "Could I wear this in class?" she asked in mock airiness. "I could make it invisible."

Rowena stood up too. "No," she said flatly, taking the diadem gently from her daughter's hands. She let go of it, leaving it to float suspended in the air for several seconds, before finally sending it into the small wooden box she used to protect the diadem. She placed the box on one of her many bookshelves. "It will not do you any good."

Helena tore her eyes away from the box where the diadem was now contained. "You wear it," she said stubbornly.

"I wear it when I need it," Rowena replied. "I can assure you, Helena, that you do not need my diadem to make you any wiser. You will manage perfectly well at Hogwarts without it."

Helena did not look pleased with this answer. Her features arranged themselves into her previous grumpy expression and she folded her arms again. Then, with a dramatic flick of her hair, she stalked out of the room with her chin in the air.


Argument

Helena looked down at her hands which were resting on her lap. "I didn't mean it," she said. "It just—sort of—came out because..." she trailed away and looked up at Helga. "I'm sorry."

"It is not me you should be apologising to, sweetheart," Helga said.

Helena looked down at her hands again. "Is she terribly upset?"

Helga thought of Rowena - the way she had paled once the words had left Helena's lips. Then, the clipped way she had spoken once Helena had left the room.

"She is, isn't she?"

Helga sighed. "I think it is only natural that she would be, slightly," she admitted. "But she also knows that one can say things one does not truly mean when angry."

"I didn't mean it," Helena repeated earnestly. "And I was angry. But I still knew that it would hurt her."

Helga reached out to put her hands on Helena's. "Your mother is a strong woman, Helena, and she will move on from this by the time tomorrow comes."

Helena was silent for a moment. Then, she finally looked up again. "It wasn't true what I said anyway, was it?" she said. "She did know who my father was?"

Helga nodded. "It is one of the few times that I have seen your mother so completely besotted," she said.

Helena groaned and pressed her palms to her eyes. "I feel like such a horrible person," she mumbled. "Will she ever forgive me do you think?"

"Of course, Helena. Your mother loves you dearly," she added. "A silly thing like this could never get in the way of that."