4th year: Baby-Creature-Tom-Thing
Summer had been a quiet affair. Mostly. Her father had started the process of the Davis' adopting Harry.
Godric called frequently as was his way and the four of them were at Rowena's for a week. Harry had been invited, but he hadn't wanted to impose, so he had stayed home with Heath and Serena.
Instead, Heath had suggested Harry ask over a few friends to fill in the quiet and Harry had immediately asked Hermione. When asked if he wanted to invite another friend, he hesitantly mentioned Neville. Both said yes. As it wouldn't be proper for Hermione to stay the evening without Sal being there, the guardians agreed on a compromise. Neville would stay for the full week with Harry while Hermione would visit during the day.
At the moment, the four founders sat on the enlarged bed that belonged to Rowena, dressed for the evening.
Godric stretched his arms over his head, a yawn escaping him, before he let himself fall to the side and used Salazar's lap as a pillow, curling up into a ball.
"Comfortable?"
"Mhm. Give me a few minutes before you force me to move."
"And why would I be so considerate as to do so?"
Godric glanced up at his friend, another yawn forcing him to pause before asking, "Because it's me?"
Helga smiled at Rowena as Salazar pushed Godric off. "Shall we go see Samuel again? I know we won't be taking him back to the laboratory, but having a discussion with him would be nice. See what he might have overheard these few months we've been away from the school." She tuned out the other pair's lightly bickering conversation.
"I would like to see him again. It would also give me a chance to check they didn't add yet more spells to him."
"Yes, and maybe we would have time to see what the headmaster keeps in the office."
Rowena smiled. "Helga, are you suggesting we snoop?"
"Of course not. We are merely looking at what is obviously out in the open. I would never suggest we do something so degrading as snooping."
Rowena laughed. A thump had the two of them looking to stare at the other pair. A pouting Godric lay sprawled on the floor, and Helga looked at Salazar, she saw that he had an eyebrow quirked, as if silently asking 'what?'.
Godric rolled over onto his stomach, crossed his arms and rested his chin on them, his eyes falling to half-mast. Helga giggled and carefully lowered a blanket over his form. "He's always the first to sleep."
"Perhaps if he wasn't so high energy during the day, he'd be able to stay up later," Rowena pointed out as she levitated a pillow under his head.
Salazar shook his head, amusement dancing in his eyes. "Well then, he'll just have to listen to this part later."
"I'm listening," Godric slurred out, eyes fluttering open before closing again. "Promise. Always listen."
"Yes, Ric, hush."
"Mmk."
The three laughed softly as the man's body relaxed, a deep sigh leaving him.
"What were you saying, Sal?" Rowena broached.
"Harry woke up with his scar hurting, from a nightmare about Tom. He said that Tom had a body - a weird, baby shaped body, but he couldn't exactly tell as he only caught a glimpse through a mirror."
"That's... odd." Helga stated, picking at the blanket. Having a dream about the bad speaker – she agreed with Ismanna that the name was quite fitting – did not bode well.
Rowena gently grabbed her hand to stop the motions. "That is indeed odd, but what else happened?"
"A man was with Tom, someone named Pyrites, who Tom praised for capturing Bertha Jerkins. Do any of you recognize the names?"
Helga shook her head and Rowena paused before she said, "I don't remember hearing them, no."
"Nope," Godric whispered.
"Alright, maybe we'll find more information later. Well, their conversation was interrupted by a muggle who was invited in. There's a short argument of some sort and then Tom kills him, which is when Harry woke up."
"Did you tell your parents?"
"No, he asked me not to, said it was just a nightmare and he hasn't had one like this before. Said it was probably stress. I agreed, as my parents can't do anything about it and we have no proof that it really is connected to Tom."
"First year," Godric muttered, and Helga barely heard him.
"What was that, Ric?"
"First year, Harry's scar hurt. Because of Quirrell, 'member? Had Tom on his head." A yawn broke through the slurred words. "Only mentioned once, but I 'member 'cause he ignored me for weeks. Don't think he knows what caused it as no one made a… a," he drifted off before he shook his head and adjusted himself. "'nouncement 'bout what happened. Just that Quirrell suffered… accident."
Helga glanced over at the other two and saw concern on their faces at Godric's words.
"That is definitely something to think on," Rowena finally said. She took a steadying breath before saying, "Now as Ric is about to fall asleep on the floor when there is a perfectly made bed in the next room that was made specifically for him and Sal to sleep in, I suggest we retire for the evening."
Helga brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them.
Salazar nodded and slipped off the bed and stood above Godric. He put his hands on his hips and stated, "I am not pulling you up. You can get up on your own."
Godric opened his eyes, hazy from sleep, and he flopped a hand out towards Salazar. "But Sal, help."
"If you stand up I might help you to the room. Now get up."
"Promise?"
Salazar rolled his eyes, mouth fighting a smile. "Perhaps."
"Mmk." Godric's hand flopped back down. It seemed as if he was just going to sleep where he lay when he groaned and slowly stumbled his way to his feet, the blanket pooling onto the floor. Once standing, he shuffled to Salazar and latched onto the man.
Helga giggled at the sight, one she hadn't seen before. Though she had to admit, a sleepy, clingy Godric was one she could happily see again, even if Salazar looked a bit ruffled.
Especially if Salazar looked a bit ruffled if she was being completely honest.
Salazar sighed and began to lead Godric out of the room, Godric easily following and not causing them to trip too often.
Helga watched them go, glancing over at Rowena as they both tried to keep their laughter in check. Godric said something too quietly for her to hear, but they could clearly hear Salazar's response of, "Shush, Ric, you're tired."
"But it's true!" They made it to the door and Godric spoke a tad bit louder. "Even if 'm tired, you're always my favorite."
"And you're a sap in need of sleep."
The two left and Helga finally laughed. "Those two always are amusing together. We're different here."
"Change is bound to happen. New millennium and life will do that, but at our cores we're no different than we were the first time."
Helga smiled. "That is very true." She trailed off and stared at the door Salazar had closed behind them. "I'm worried, Ro. About Harry."
"I am, too, but we'll do what we can to figure out what is happening. Come, there isn't much we can do about it at one in the morning. Let's sleep."
- - - - Founders - - - -
"Heath took you, Neville, and Hermione to see the Quidditch World Cup?" Helga leaned forward in the compartment; a grin spread across her face. "How was it? I know Ireland won, no matter that Krum caught the snitch."
The four founders had once more found a train compartment to share, though this time the room had been a bit cramped as Harry and Hermione had joined them. Hermione had taken the seat in between Helga and Rowena and Harry sat beside Salazar with Godric on the opposite side of Salazar next to the window. Outside, they couldn't make out any forms of land. It looked like a solid screen of black with random flashes of light from the lightning.
"Didn't Tracey tell you?"
"No, but Sal isn't one for the sport so it's understandable. Now, do tell, what happened?"
"Well, first Heath picked up Hermione. Neville and I waited for them at the house, then we ended up in the middle of nowhere to take this really wicked kind of transportation. A potkey, I think."
"Portkey," Hermione corrected quietly, looking up from her Charms homework she was double checking.
"Right, that. And..." Harry blushed. "You probably only care about the game itself, sorry."
"No, no. I enjoy the retelling of stories. Which means from the beginning. You're doing lovely, do continue."
"It's true, Helga enjoys listening to storytellers," Rowena commented, interrupting whatever conversation she was holding with Godric and Salazar.
Harry nodded. "Well, we got there close to the start of the game, so we had to move quickly. The stadium was huge. A lot of people were coming in from the camping grounds where there were all sorts of tents in different colors and sizes. People were wearing interesting clothes, too. Like Luna with her Eagle hat her first year. They were brilliant."
Helga grinned delightedly as Harry continued his retelling of the day he had with Heath, Neville, and Hermione, with the girl piping in every so often to help fill in the blanks when Harry asked. She enjoyed every minute of it.
Helga laughed when she heard that the twins made a bet with a man named Bagman, and called the way the game would end. They must have made some good money on a bet like that, as most would bet one way or another.
He described in detail the mascots and how they affected everyone, especially the Veelas. Apparently neither Hermione nor Heath had been impressed. And then Harry went on to describe the game in detail, a play by play. He gushed about the binoculars Hermione had been planning on buying, but Heath hadn't let her as he had already purchased them before coming to the game. He told her to save her money for other souvenirs.
"I'm just glad we didn't stay. We heard the following morning about the camp site being attacked," Harry ended, wrapping his arms around himself. "The paper didn't say who cast the Dark Mark, only that they caught the culprit."
Helga nodded. "Unfortunately, the paper doesn't always have the best sources of information. You have to work your way through it for minimal knowledge, it seems. Now, what do you think are Gryffindor's chances at the Quidditch Cup this year?"
"Really good, actually!" Harry straightened and grinned. "We didn't lose anyone this year, so if we keep the same team we already work really well together. What about you?"
She sighed. "Daisy graduated last year, and she was one of our Chasers, as well as our Captain. We'll have to wait and see, but I'm hopeful. Maybe this year we'll make you work for it."
Harry chuckled. "You're nearly impossible to score on, Megan. If Diggory caught the snitch before me there is absolutely no way we would win. Wood is good, but you're brilliant!"
A light blush dusted her cheeks. "You're too sweet, Harry. I quite enjoy the game."
The rest of the train ride passed in peaceful chatter, the six of them jumping from one group to another as discussions ranged from topic to topic. Unsurprisingly, Godric was the one who switched groups much more frequently as he grew bored and fidgety.
Eventually they made it to Hogsmeade and everyone pulled on their robes over their uniforms. Godric left his open, showing off his trousers. "Ric," Hermione sighed, "are you going to lose us points before term even starts?"
"No, I'll lose us points right at the start of term. There is a difference," Godric declared as they left their belongings for the house elves to take care of. "I still don't understand why they make such a big deal that I do not wear skirts."
Before they went outside, the founders cast a repelling charm on themselves, and then on Harry and Hermione so the rain would just slide right off them. Rowena took the time to teach Hermione the spell when the girl asked. Afterwards, they hurried outside, through the pouring rain to the nearest carriage.
Once inside, Hermione asked, "Ric, what did you get for dress robes?"
"Trousers, button down, tie, dress jacket, and nice shoes. Why?"
Hermione sighed. "No reason, really. I was just curious if you'd wear a dress."
The carriage started moving thanks to the Thestrals. Godric stared at Hermione blankly for a few moments before answering, slowly, "I don't wear skirts. Why were you wondering if I would wear a dress?"
"I imagine they're different," Harry muttered.
Helga and Rowena giggled at the look Godric sent Harry, while Salazar simply looked amused.
"How are they different?"
"I don't know," Harry said defensively, "but isn't that sort of thing important to girls?"
"Sure, to girls... who aren't me," Godric added on when Rowena elbowed him, though making it seem as if she was simply moving around.
The ride up to the castle went quickly and Helga separated from the other five. She went to the Hufflepuff table to sit with some of the second years.
They chatted about their summers until McGonagall led the new first years to where Samuel was once more on the stool. Helga thought he seemed to be doing alright: he stood straighter, less hunched over than the last three years.
Thankfully the children had been dried and one of them was gesturing wildly and declaring that the Giant Squid saved him.
Once everyone was in position, Samuel called out, and she smiled at how clear and firm his words were:
A thousand years or more ago,
When this hat was newly sewn,
There lived four wizards of renown,
Whose names are still well known;
Bold Sir Gryffindor, from wild moor,
Fair Dowager Ravenclaw, from glen,
Sweet Countess Hufflepuff, from valley broad,
Shrewd Duke Slytherin, from fen.
They shared a wish, a hope, a dream,
They hatched a daring plan,
To educate and keep them safe,
Thus Hogwarts School began.
Now each of these four founders
Formed their own house,
For each represented different virtues
In the ones they had to teach.
By Sir Gryffindor, the bravest,
Instilled boldness into the rest;
For Dowager Ravenclaw, the cleverest,
The joy of learning is best;
For Countess Hufflepuff, the diplomat,
Spreading unity is her mission;
And for Duke Slytherin, the healer,
Safety and resilience is his ambition.
While still alive they did decide
What traits to divide on,
Yet how to choose where the students go
When they were dead and gone?
'Twas Dowager Ravenclaw who found the way.
Sir Gryffindor whipped the hat right off his head
And the founders added me
So I could choose instead!
Now slip me snug about your ears,
I've never yet been wrong,
I'll have a look inside your mind
And tell you where you belong!
Once the children had finished being sorted, Dumbledore had just stood up to begin the announcements for the beginning of the year when a loud bang had a majority of the students jumping in fright.
Helga watched as Godric, Salazar, and Rowena relaxed marginally as a man with a peg leg stomped his way in. Dumbledore introduced the man as Professor Moody, the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.
Once the professor sat, leaving in his trail a swath of water, Dumbledore finally said what he had started to a few minutes prior: "As I was saying, we are to have the honor of hosting a very exciting event over the coming months, an event that has not been held for over a century. It is my very great pleasure to inform you that the Triwizard Tournament will be taking place at Hogwarts this year."
Helga glanced over at Godric, her lip twitching upwards at the cheers from the children and the contemplative look on her friend's face.
AN-Elipsa: Edited the Sorting Song just a tad.
