"Good to meet you, I'm Malfoy, Draco Malfoy. It's an honor to meet you all." Unlike Hermione Draco was not frozen in his spot. Instead he had taken it in stride, grasping Godric's hand and shaking it firmly. "This is my traveling companion, Hermione Selwyn. As I'm sure the elf informed you, we've come to see if perhaps there is a place for us here."
"It is an honor and a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Selwyn." Godric took Hermione's hand, kissing it gently. The twinkle in his eye almost dangerous. Hermione's mouth felt dry, though she found herself smiling a little breathless. The flush on her cheeks made her look starstruck. Draco scowled at her for a moment, shaking his head not caring that the others caught it.
"Oh, no, please. The pleasure is all mine. I mean, you," Hermione finally tore her eyes away from Godric, looking at all the others finally getting her hand back. ", all of you. Who hasn't heard of the wonderful things you've been doing here? The place has only been up what?" Draco put his head down. Oh, Hermione could be clever when she wanted to. A very good way to find out exactly what year they were in.
"Two years. Though I wasn't aware that we had become so prolific yet." It was Salazar who spoke up now, moving out of the shadows. His dark eyes looking at her calculatory. "Selwyn you said, that would make you a Pureblood wouldn't it?" Salazar turned to look at Draco. "Though I don't recognize the name Malfoy. Are you." He bristled. "Are you a muggleborn?" Oh Hermione had the feeling he wanted to use a different word.
"No." Draco's voice cold, hard, had one hand clenched behind his back as he tried to control his anger. "My family comes from France. My older brother Armand still lives there with our mother Delphi. Perhaps you've heard of her? Delphi Calchas. Decendant of Calchas himself."
"Interestig. I wasn't aware that Delphi had married. Or had children for that matter." Rowena was the one who spoke up this time. "I had the pleasure of meeting Delphi once." She nodded at Draco. "I see the resemblance. You've got her hair and her eyes." Those words didn't seem to placate Salazar though, at least not immediately.
"Come now 'Zar! You know that that's not important." Godric called out looking at him over his shoulder. Though there was a slightly hard edge to his voice.
"Yes, indeed come on 'Zar." Rowena spoke up almost mocking Godric's voice. "I believe the magic that we have done here, in the architecture alone, would make us quite prolific. After all, have you ever come across a place such as this?" Rowena asked looking at him boredly, though when her gaze turned to Hermione and Draco there was a glint of interest in her eyes. It didn't surprise Hermione that Rowena mentioned the architecture, from everything that she had read, she had been the major designer.
"You say that you've come here to teach." Helga had all but cleared her throat trying to get back on their original subject. "Tell me, what is it that you think you would teach?" This question seemed to interest them all, Hermione swallowed four pairs of eyes turning to look at her.
"Ancient Runes." Hermione's voice was a bit higher than she had expected. Clearing her throat she tried again. "Ah, Ancient Runes is one of my specialties. I've got quite a mind for translating and I think I will adequately be able to teach others the same talent. My friend," God the word almost made bile rise up in her throat. ", well when we learned that you didn't have a Potions Master well he's the right man for the job."
"What makes you think we don't have a Potions Master?" Hermione stumbled on her words a little. "I am the school's residential Potions Master. Though I'm sure there is something else you can do hmm?" Helga addressed Draco directly this time, a look of intrigue on her face. Hermione was stunned in everything she had read, nothing mentioned Helga being the schools Potions Master, or that she even had a grasp on Potions though that didn't surprise her entirely.
"Oh yes, of course, he is quite talented. I'm sure he'd make a great erm." Hermione was at a loss for words. She didn't need to come up with an answer though because Draco interrupted her.
"Care of Magical Creatures." Hermione almost gaped openly at Draco, though she caught herself.
"Oh wonderful! We've got a Forest full of Magical Creatures. It really would be something for people to learn about them." "Yes, maybe they wouldn't die each time they foolishly went to tackle something that is beyond their ability?" Rowena suggested a little crudely. It made Hermione flinch.
"Have students died because of creatures in the Forest?" She asked carefully looking at each of the Founders.
"No, no, of course not. We don't allow students to go into the Forest. That doesn't mean that an ignorance of creatures hasn't been the death of many uneducated witches and wizards alike." Helga explained politely. "Take the Chimaera that's been sighted lately for instance. I highly doubt that many people know how to kill a Chimaera."
"There is no record of a Chimaera being killed. Though not many people can read ancient Greek to tell you for sure if they had records. Whether or not those are reliable well." Rowena's thin lips pressed into a line, showing just how much she trusted the rustic translations of other civilizations.
"We really should do something about that Chimaera though before it kills anymore people." Godric added, his full lips turning into a frown beneath his beard.
"Chimaera's do have a weakness though I doubt you're going to like it." Hermione was surprised when Draco was the one who spoke up. "Fiendfyre, which isn't exactly something that we can control. There is one other option the Blood of the Three. Under a full moon you mix together Dragon's blood, Unicorn blood, and Threstal blood. The blood of the strong, the pure, and the dead. You dip a silver dagger, sword, your choice, in it and you chop off it's head." All five of them stared at Draco incredulously for a long silent moment.
"Wonderful! You're both hired. I look forward to seeing what you can teach the young minds we've got here!" Helga all but clapped smiling beautifully at them both. Though Hermione was still having trouble wrapping her head around what Draco had said. How he knew how to kill a Chimaera. As far as she knew only one made had ever done it before, way after the Founder's time. He'd fallen from his winged horse to his death before telling anyone how he'd done it.
"T-thank you. We are very excited with the opportunity to work with all of you." Hermione said a little in shock still of Draco's answer. Oh boy would she have a question for him in the morning.
"Now, come, Hermione was it? I shall show you to your quarters. Godric, if you could escort Mr. Malfoy to his I would greatly be in your debt." Helga with with a nod toward the taller than.
"Of course Helga! Anything for you dear." He told her with a saucy wink before reaching out, wrapping one arm around Draco's uncomfortable shoulders. Hermione couldn't help but grin a little at the strained smile he'd put on his face. Draco, apparently, didn't like being touched. She didn't get long to soak and revel in the image of his distraught because Helga was already leading her away.
"Your classroom is up in the south tower. Your quarters are close though a little lower down. You'll have your own lavatory of course. I do hope that it will be up to your standards. If there is anything that you need, please feel free to ask. We do have some students who have been here more than a year. Though none of them of course will have taken Ancient Runes Study. We have students of varying ages between eleven and thirty. Though once we gain more headway the starting age will be eleven." Helga explained things as they walked. Hermione couldn't help but look at the lack of all the paintings. Paintings that hadn't been painted yet though she knew almost exactly where they would be at on the walls.
"I'm sure that it will be more than up to standard. Compared to how we had to stay travelling on the road," Hermione laughed a little. ", I'm sure that it'll be like a glorious inn." Hermione had to be careful of the words that she chose. She couldn't exactly say it'd be like a five star hotel. Helga stood before the painting of a large tree. Hermione recognized it at once as the 'Tree of Life'. The leaves weren't all green, some were orange, red, and yellow. Standing before it she could see some leaves falling off. Hermione didn't recognize the tree, though she hadn't been among the teachers quarters on this part of the castle before. Briefly she wandered if the tree would lose all of its leave and bloom in the spring.
"Kneazle." Helga proclaimed to the portrait. It hadn't asked for a password, though Hermione wasn't surprised that it required one. "That is your current password. You may change it if you so desire." Helga lead her into the quarters, immediately Hermione saw a small, neat living room office combined. A sofa, two armchairs, bookcases filled with books and scrolls alike, an impressive desk with a beautiful ornate high backed purple chair behind it. The overall themes of the room were dark, cherry wood, silver and purple.
"Oh, it's absolutely beautiful." Helga smiled at her. The look in Hermione's eye showed the sheer truth of her words. "I don't even need to see the bathroom or the bedroom to know that I love it." Hermione added eyes glittering. "Can I see my classroom?" She asked turning to look at Helga feeling the excitement bubbly in her chest. Her classroom! Oh Merlin's beard did she like that!
"Of course dear of course." Helga laughed goodnaturedly at Hermione. "I daresay you'll need to know where it is. Your first lesson won't start tomorrow, probably next week. That will give you time to plan your first lessens. We don't have a plethora of students, as I said but we do have an adequate amount. A little under seventy at my last count. Most of them are younger, older witches and wizards don't exactly like admitting that they don't have a complete grasp of magic."
"With only that amount of students, I imagine that all classes are mandatory?" Hermione asked her hands behind her back as they walked toward what would be her classroom. She didn't expect anything overly fancy, but she would have her own office. Oh, Hermione felt giddy. Almost giddy enough to forget the reason why she was having to teach in the first place.
"All subjects are mandatory save for one. Wandlore." hermione nodded sagely as Helga said it. She should have known. Wandlore was something not everyone could learn or master. "So far, there are only four students who are studying Wandlore with Salazar. They leave from time to time, often for a few weeks. Picking out trees for wands is not an easy feat." Helga explained, Hermione couldn't help but agree.
"I wonder where Salazar learned Wandlore." Hermione mostly was speaking to herself as they entered the empty classroom. It looked much like any of them did, though this one didn't have desks the way McGonagall's had, instead they were sections almost like bleachers of desks all combined. Two large glass stained windows let a plethora of color into the room. One of them depicting a large raven the other a rock surrounded by moss and the sea. "How does he go about picking out students who have the ability to create wands?"
"I suppose that is something that you'll have to ask him yourself. I could tell you of course but, learning from the source is always better." Helga grinned watching Hermione like an amused mother watching her child discover her hands and feet. Hermione looked at Helga for a moment. She got a strong sense that Helga was the leader of the Founders for some reason, the more she spoke to her the more respect Hermione found for her.
"You're right." Hermione agreed with a grin. "Everything looks perfect." Helga gave a graceful inclination of her head in thanks.
"We did take a great while to have this castle prepared. Years before we even opened it. There are four houses, they are named appropriately after the Founders. Gryffindor for the brave, valiant, true of heart, with daring nerve and chivalry. Ravenclaw who value wit, intelligence, and knowledge. Slytherin," Helga's face had turned a little stern, her brow arching slightly as she continued. ", Slytherin whose students are cunning, ambitious, relentless, resourceful, and above all pure of blood." Helga's face changed though as she got to her own house. "Then there is Hufflepuff, where we value patience, loyalty, dedication, fair play, and above all else second chances." Hermione softened regretting the jokes that she head heard, or laughed at, about Hufflepuff's. They weren't dolts, they were kind souls who believed anyone could achieve their dreams through perseverance.
"Those are most noble qualities." Hermione told Helga softly. "How do you go about choosing the students for each of the houses?" She asked curiously. Hermione knew, from Hogwarts, A History, that the sorting hat wouldn't be creating for a few more years. Not until the Founders were finding themselves closer to the end of their lives did they think to make it.
"We hand pick them. A series of questions, small tests of sorts, and of course, it is their choice. If a student comes to us and they ask to be placed in a house we do take that into great consideration." Helga explained, something Hermione admired. It also explained why the hat had allowed her to choose Gryffindor instead of Ravenclaw. Hermione had wit, but as an eleven year old she wanted to be bold, daring, and most of all brave when in the face of adversary.