Written for the Hogwarts Summer Funfair.
Sword Eater: Write a story without any compound sentences. *Wipes sweat off brow*
Puppet Show: It is said that Salazar left the school one day. Write an AU where one of the founders goes after him and brings him back to the school
Word count: 542
'Salazar.'
Rowena was standing at the edge of the cliff. Her hair billowed out behind her. The words were simply stated: no anger, no hurt, no emotion. Rowena had always been Salazar's favourite.
'Rowena,' he greeted. He dipped his head. 'What brings you so far from home?'
'Don't pretend that you don't know,' Rowena replied. 'I've come for you. Leave your work. Return to Hogwarts. It's where you belong.'
'And what if I think otherwise?' Salazar asked lightly. 'I have much work to be done,' he gestured to his trinkets. 'I'm very busy. You may as well leave. You come here in vain.'
'And will nothing sway your opinion?' Rowena asked. She sat down by her former friend. 'What are you working on? Is it more important than the education of generations to come?'
Salazar sighed. Rowena would continue to pester him for the rest of the day, maybe the rest of the month. He tried to think of a good riddle. Only an unsolved problem would rid him of Rowena Ravenclaw. The remaining founders chose their envoy well.
'I will give you a conundrum,' he said after a while. 'There are two possible outcomes. You solve the conundrum. I come back. You do not solve the conundrum. You leave me in peace. Does this sound fair to you?'
Rowena studied him closely. Is this a trick? she asked herself. But she saw only honesty in Salazar's eyes. She closed her eyes for a split second. Then she nodded.
'Your terms are acceptable,' she acquiesced. 'Very well. What is this problem?'
Salazar showed her a small box. It was of Egyptian origin, made of gold. A scarab beetle was inscribed on the top. Rowena turned it around. She thought it dated from the time of Ramses II. She couldn't be sure, though. She noticed a button and pressed it. Nothing happened.
'You see now,' Salazar interrupted her thoughts. 'It cannot be opened. Some sort of curse has been placed on it. I've been trying to solve it for weeks. The curse is…particularly potent.'
'We might be here for a while, then,' Rowena noted.
Salazar thought she might give up then and there. But she didn't. Instead, she sat down on one of the many rocks around them.
The sun set over a cloudless sky. Salazar enjoyed the view for once. He didn't spend enough time appreciating the world around him. A small noise sounded from his left. He jumped.
Could it be… he wondered.
He rushed over to Rowena just in time. She toppled from her perch in a dead faint. The small golden box fell from her hands like lead. Salazar had to choose. Luckily, he was a wizard.
He cast a nonverbal Accio on the box. Then, he grabbed Rowena mid-air. He didn't care if it was ungentlemanly. She had solved the riddle. But she hadn't solved the curse. He checked her pulse. It was weak. Very weak. But it was still beating. For that, Salazar was grateful.
'You win this time, Rowena,' he said.
He carefully secured the treasure in his robe pockets for a later date. In the meantime, he needed to get back to Hogwarts. Rowena was dying. Helena Hufflepuff was the best chance she had.
