Chapter 2 – A World of Possibilities

Rowena woke up on the hard stone floor of the Great Hall.

"Did I fall asleep?" she asked in confusion.

"You and Helga both," Salazar replied in a quiet whisper so as not to disturb her. Rowena knew that his whisper was rather pointless as Helga was a heavy sleeper and nothing short of the rafters falling down would wake her before she was ready to rise.

"Why didn't you transfigure something into a bed?" she asked as she rubbed her neck. "Or better still, summon one of the beds from storage?"

During their travels over the past months it had become clear that they were accumulating far too many items for their school that simply couldn't be carried with them at all times. So to remedy this problem they had taken possession of a storage facility to house the numerous beds, tables, desks, books, blackboards and all the other furnishings and items they required. Each time they made a new acquisition they would immediately send the item into storage with the intention of summoning it to the school once they needed the same.

Rowena was more than a little annoyed that no one, herself included, had had the foresight to summon her bed from the storage facility.

"Godric said sleeping on the stone floor was character building," Salazar replied with a smirk.

"Godric can take his character building and shove it where-"

"Godric is wide awake and can hear every word you're saying," the man in question interrupted from across the room.

Rowena turned her head to deliver her smart reply but stopped as she realised what it was that was different about the room.

"Ooooh," she said as she looked up.

"You like it?" Salazar asked as he moved to sit beside her.

Rowena was speechless as she looked up at the ceiling and saw, instead of the wooden beams, a blanket of twinkling stars. The storm clouds had disappeared with the moonrise, revealing a clear sky, a bright moon and a whole world of possibilities.

"I know you like looking at the stars," Salazar continued. "This is my one romantic gesture for the year."

Rowena giggled girlishly still transfixed by the sky above them.

"He'll tell you anything," Godric commented. "He only did it to try to prove he could teach Astronomy from the ground instead of the tower I've provided for the subject."

"I don't care," Rowena said. "It's beautiful."

She leaned back on the floor, all thoughts of a comfortable bed forgotten as she smiled dreamily up at the stars. She felt her eye lids start to droop and was half asleep when she felt a familiar arm ease its way under her shoulders. She shifted her position and let herself be held close as she drifted off to sleep once more. The last thing she heard before slumber claimed her once more was Salazar's whisper in her ear: "I'd give you the stars themselves if I could."

Rowena wasn't sure what it was that woke her the next morning.

Perhaps it was the irritating sensation of pins and needles in her left leg, caused by her uncomfortable position.

Maybe it was the draft from the open doorway chilling her slightly on the misty April morning.

It could have been the tantalising aroma of freshly cooked fish that was teasing her nostrils with the promise of a delicious breakfast.

More likely though, it was the pleasant sensation of warm breath near her ear and the slight flicker of a tongue on her lobe.

She smiled dreamily, her eyes still closed.

"Sal, stop it," Rowena giggled quietly, conscious of the others who were in the room.

The tongue tickled her ear once more and she giggled again. "Sal don't, we're not alone, remember?"

"I don't know what it is I'm being accused of, but I assure you all I'm doing right now is breathing." Salazar's voice sounded vaguely amused and very sleepy. Rowena was also quick to notice that it was coming from the opposite side of her to the presence that had woken her. They didn't call her the brightest witch of the Age for nothing.

She opened her eyes and stared into the large brown eyes that were gazing placidly at her.

She let loose a shriek and scrambled away from the goat that apparently found her so interesting.

Salazar grunted in pain as she climbed over him.

Helga laughed from where she was tucking into a dish of fish. "Looks like you've made a new friend, Rowena."

"How in the name of Merlin did that thing get in here?" Rowena asked as she pointed accusingly at the offending animal.

"I'd imagine through the door," Helga replied calmly. "It was in here when I woke up. Godric left the door open when he went to catch breakfast."

Rowena stepped back to avoid the creature that was now eyeing the hemline of her robes in hungry anticipation.

"Why didn't the great lummox shut the door behind him?" Rowena fumed as she edged further and further away.

"The great lummox had his hands full at the time," Godric replied with good humour from where he was dishing out more fish into bowls for the two sleepier members of the party. "Thought we could use her for some milk."

Rowena looked at the goat apprehensively as she walked across to Godric. Much to her annoyance the wretched animal followed after her.

"She likes you," Godric said with a smug grin. "She'll probably let you milk her later."

"Milk her?" Rowena squeaked.

"Your father runs a farming estate," Godric pointed out, as though this explained everything. "He has goats doesn't he?"

"He also has servants," Rowena snapped as she took the bowl of fish from Godric while continuing to try to evade the hairy little monster.

"You'll pick it up in no time," Godric said with a casual wave of his hand. "If muggles can manage to milk their goats I'm sure you'll have no problem."

Rowena glared at Godric and contemplated how much damage she could do with the fork that was clenched in her hand.

"I'm curious about something," Helga piped up from where she sat, clearly amused at watching Rowena dancing around the room, trying to evade the goat. Rowena looked at her and saw the familiar twinkle in her friend's eyes. She groaned, dreading what her best friend was going to come out with now. She'd known Helga for twenty years, ever since they were children, and the look on her face rarely boded well for Rowena. "What made you think the goat was…er…Sal?"

Rowena groaned. Salazar generally hated his name being shortened and until now the others had had no idea that in private he let Rowena use the pet name. She shot him an apologetic look. Godric and Helga would never let him forget it.

"It was probably the smell," Godric piped up mischievously. Salazar switched his glare from the still snickering Helga to Godric.

"That or the ratty beard," Helga giggled.

"My beard was not ratty," muttered Salazar, sounding offended. "And at least mine hadn't got things living in it!" Rowena tried to suppress a smile. Salazar had started to grow a beard some five years ago but had given it up at the constant jibes and teasing of the others, Rowena included.

"We were trying to decide on a name for the goat," Godric commented, ignoring Salazar's jibe at his own beard. Rowena knew her friends far too well to imagine for even a second that he was actually changing the subject. "How about we call her Sal?"

Rowena groaned again, Salazar shoved a fork full of fish into his mouth rather than reply, and Godric turned back to the floor plans for the castle with a deceptively innocent look on his face. Helga rolled backwards on the floor as the giggles developed into full blown gales of laughter. She seemed to be bordering on the verge of near hysteria.

The demon in the form of a goat chewed contentedly on Rowena's robes.

"Godric's allocated you a tower," Salazar pointed out with an exasperated sigh. "You don't need all the underground space."

Unfortunately for him, Helga wasn't giving an inch. "If I'm in charge of the kitchens I need rooms near them. Not at the top of one of Godric's wretched towers!"

"But I need rooms in the dungeons," Salazar argued. "If you're taking up all the space my rooms will end up pushed under the lake."

"Plenty of room under there," Helga pointed out, clearly not bothered by the thought.

Rowena listened to them with half an ear as she stood just outside the entrance hall watching the first of Godric's towers materialising above them. Godric himself was out of sight, and so was their new four-legged companion. Rowena wondered how long it would take the others to realise she'd shut the animal in one of the newly built store cupboards.

As the morning had progressed the castle had started to take shape. The first floor was partially completed. The walls were in place and Rowena was in the process of adding doors and windows to the classrooms. Godric was now working upwards whilst Helga and Salazar had decided to work downwards.

"Rowena, come and back me up here," Helga called in a voice that was bordering on the very edge of whining.

Rowena turned to look at her two dearest friends. Helga and Salazar were two of the most stubborn people she knew. She was reluctant to take sides with either of them and felt a very slight stab of annoyance at Helga for putting her in that position.

"Godric's purchased more than enough land for ample underground facilities," Rowena pointed out tactfully.

"Why do you need rooms in the dungeon anyway?" Helga asked. "You're going to be teaching Potions and Astronomy. Godric's building a special tower for Astronomy and it's hardly healthy to be brewing potions underground. All those fumes and no circulating air."

Rowena privately agreed about the location of the Potions classroom but bit her tongue to keep from saying anything. She'd already caused Salazar his fair share of embarrassment for the day, and it wasn't even lunchtime.

"What's wrong with building under the lake?" she asked instead. "A few charms should keep the water from flooding us."

"Fine," Salazar grumbled. "I'll build the rooms but you'll have to come down with me to hold the water back. I can't do both at the same time."

"Perfect!" Helga smiled as she pointed her wand at the ground, spoke the spell defodio. They watched the ground open up into a tunnel and with another flick of her wand stairs appeared, leading down into the darkness. Rowena and Salazar watched her disappear down them purposefully.

Once she'd disappeared from view and her somewhat tuneless whistle had died out Salazar pointed his wand at another part of the ground. The same spell Helga had used caused the ground to open once more and steps to appear.

"Lumos," Rowena said as they descended into the darkness. Salazar shook his head at her and instead conjured a small container and a small quantity of bluebell flames that he placed inside it. Of course, the light from her wand would disappear as soon as she needed to cast the charms to hold back the water, leaving them in the dark and vulnerable to any mistakes they might have made in their spells.

They followed the tunnel that was forming in front of them, Salazar guiding it steadily as it formed.

"Are you sure this is the right direction?" Rowena asked. "Which way was Helga planning on building?"

"Back there," Salazar confirmed. "This is the way to the lake." He waved his wand slightly out of habit and a tunnel branched off from the main one. It twisted off to the left and disappeared into darkness.

"Oops," Rowena said and shrugged.

"I'll say I did it on purpose," Salazar replied. "Who's to know? Provided you don't accidentally tell everyone when you wake up tomorrow."

Rowena giggled as they continued to walk down the tunnel. "I'm sorry," she said between giggles. "It just sort of slipped out."

Salazar snorted in response.

"Am I forgiven?" she asked meekly as the tunnel they were walking down began to incline even further underground. She hooked her arm through his and swore as her movement caused Salazar to accidentally spawn another tunnel, this one branching off to the right.

"You think they'll believe me, if I say they were both on purpose?" Salazar asked with a sigh.

"I doubt it," Rowena replied. "Maybe if we do a few more it'll sound more believable?"

Salazar grinned wickedly as he aimed his wand at the wall. Rowena did likewise on the opposite wall and within a few minutes there were so many tunnels twisting off the one they were standing in Rowena actually wondered whether they'd be able to find their way back above ground again at all.

Once they'd finished creating more tunnels they carried on down the main one, or at least Rowena hoped it was the main one, towards the lake.

"You ready?" Salazar asked her as they drew to a halt at the end of the tunnel. Rowena nodded. Salazar brandished his wand and a room opened up in front of them. They were dangerously close to the under-surface of the lake and as soon as the shimmering depths of the water appeared Rowena performed the charm that kept that same water from pouring in and crushing them.

"We make quite a team don't we?" said Rowena as she looked around the room that seemed to shimmer like the water itself.

"The best," Salazar replied with a smile.

"It's a bit cold down here though." Rowena shivered and rubbed her arms as the chill from the water started to set in. Salazar pulled her into his arms with a smirk.

"I bet I can warm you up," he whispered in her ear. "Do you realise this is the first time we've been completely alone together in two months?"

"I hadn't noticed," Rowena lied. "How about over there?" She pointed to a spot near the far wall.

"How about right here?" Salazar replied.

"It'd block the doorway," Rowena retorted mischievously.

"Huh?"

"If you built a fireplace here, it'd block the doorway," Rowena said in as innocent a tone as she could muster. Unfortunately with Salazar kissing her neck she wasn't particularly successful. "Why? What were you talking about?"

"Tease," Salazar laughed and pulled back. "If my lady wishes a fireplace, then a fireplace she shall have."

A hollow appeared in the wall Rowena had pointed at and a few seconds later a roaring fire lit up the room.

"Is this going to be your room?" Rowena asked as she provided the room with a door.

"I think this room should be the common room for my students," answered Salazar after a few moments of thought.

"You'd better put the password protection on the door then," Rowena pointed out. Salazar nodded in agreement.

"Where do you want the dormitories?" Rowena queried as she contemplated which directions were going to require her to charm the waters and which ones wouldn't.

They worked tirelessly for several hours, constructing room after room under the huge expanse of the lake. Eventually the Slytherin student quarters were completed along with a fair amount of classrooms, storerooms and Salazar's office. Only when Rowena's stomach growled so loud that Salazar heard it across the room, did they begin their walk back to the world above.

The smell of something meaty and delicious drifted down towards them before they reached daylight. Rowena's stomach growled again in anticipation.

They reached the entrance hall at the same time Helga appeared at the top of the stairs leading to the kitchen and her quarters. She was levitating in front of her a steaming pot of stew and Rowena's mouth started to water.

"Got your quarters completed?" Salazar asked as they walked into the Great Hall.

"Almost," Helga replied. "The kitchen took longer than I thought and then I stopped to prepare this. Oh and I wasted about half an hour trying to find Sal. Who put her in the store cupboard with all the herbs I'd collected on the way up here? I had to go gather more roots as the greedy goat had eaten them all."

"Where's Godric?" asked Rowena, ignoring Helga's question about the goat as she rummaged about in their belongings for bowls and cutlery.

"I put them away downstairs," Helga said as she realised what Rowena was searching for. With a wave of her wand a table from storage appeared in front of them, the eating utensils following a moment later from the kitchens below. "And I've not seen Godric since before we went downstairs."

"He'll turn up when he's hungry," Salazar said as Helga ladled out generous helpings of stew for the three of them.

An hour later Godric still hadn't reappeared.

"Maybe he's gone fishing, or something," Rowena suggested. "He could've eaten what he caught down at the lake."

Salazar nodded in agreement and stood up to go check. Rowena and Helga followed close behind. They walked down towards the lake but it was clear that he was nowhere around. Rowena turned round to head back and stopped in her tracks.

"What is it?" Helga asked.

"Does something about this picture look wrong to you?" she replied as she gestured to the partially formed castle.

"Not really," Helga admitted after a moment's contemplation. "The first floor's finished, at least externally, Godric appears to have finished the first of the towers…what's wrong?"

"Godric had almost completed the first of the towers when we went downstairs," Rowena pointed out. "So what's he been doing all this time?"