Chapter written by: AJReas and Elipsa

As was her habit, Rowena made her way to the library. Her pace was unhurried, her mind a jumble of thoughts - what she wanted to accomplish, what she needed to research - when she was startled by a soft sob. It wasn't until she felt the ache in her chest that she realized the sound had come from her. Closing her eyes and taking a calming breath, Rowena tried to center herself, but wasn't doing a very good job of it. There came a soft touch on her elbow and a call of her name just as gentle, "Ro."

Rowena instinctively leaned towards her friend. While the voice wasn't overly familiar yet, the care and love in the tone was. Rowena's own voice was barely above a whisper when she was finally able to respond, "Why won't she speak with me? Does she not know how much her distance pains me?"

Salazar silently guided his long-time friend into a nearby vacant classroom. Once the door was closed, he pressed his hand on the wall and waited for the familiar wash of magic to seal the room safely from prying eyes and ears before speaking, "Culley."

The house elf immediately appeared and bowed low before speaking, "Mistress-sir called for Culley, but not in safe-" Her voice cut off abruptly when she saw Rowena trembling beside Salazar. Her reprimand died instantly. "Culley will get tea," the elf said without being told and popped away.

Salazar held his friend in his arms in a stiff embrace and patted her back a time or two. Rowena appreciated the effort he made to comfort her in her time of need considering he was a private person and wasn't one for showing emotions or affection. She breathed deeply and straightened herself out of the embrace. Sniffling a few times, Rowena dabbed at her eyes with her handkerchief. "I'm sorry, Sal. I must look a fright, acting like a child like this. I just don't understand where I went wrong. I love my daughter above everything and yet I must have failed her in some way for her to spurn me so."

"Nonsense," Salazar said, "you are a doting mother and anyone with eyes can see how much you cherish your child."

"Then why?" Rowena stilled as Culley returned with a tray of tea and biscuits.

"Set it there." Salazar gestured toward the student desks.

Rowena transfigured a wooden chair into a sofa and frowned with a soft huff at the misshapen furniture. Culley's eyes widened briefly when she saw the display of silent-wandless magic. "Mistress is still young. Magic is not strong like when she was living first time. Need time, need practice."

"That's enough out of you," Salazar said to the elf. "Just make something comfortable for us to sit on and leave."

"Sal," Rowena reprimanded, but Salazar merely raised an eyebrow. With a soft sigh, Rowena looked at the house elf and said, "Thank you, Culley."

Culley bowed to Rowena and turned her back on Salazar long enough to transfigure the lopsided seating into an overstuffed sofa. The elf then snapped her fingers and transfigured a desk into a coffee table. Salazar took the tea tray to the coffee table and poured some for the two of them.

"She isn't wrong," Rowena said as she accepted her cup of tea. "I've noticed the difference in my magic. I'm trying not to use my wand; I dislike the dependence everyone seems to have on the tool. It is meant to be a teaching aid, not something to use permanently."

"You're avoiding the subject…"

"Yes, I am," Rowena admitted and sipped her tea before declining the offer of a biscuit.

"Why won't you let us intervene?" Asked Salazar.

"No."

"I'm sure Terence…"

"No."

"…knows where to find her and I will speak with-"

"No!" Rowena finally had had enough. She raised her voice slightly to stress her point. "If my daughter doesn't wish to speak with me, then I will simply not speak with her. That stubborn child of mine will either come to me of her own free will, or…" Rowena swallowed hard before continuing, "I will simply bide my time at our school as she avoids me and never learn why…" The tears came again unbidden. "Blast it, Sal."

"Fine." Salazar set his cup down on the table and scooted over to sit beside Rowena. "I won't have Terence look for your daughter."

Rowena sagged in relief. "Thank you, Sal."

- - - - Founders - - - -

The school was buzzing with excitement and Rowena found it difficult to ignore. The anticipation was so thick it was nearly tangible. Usually Rowena wasn't one for sports or any type of team events that had little to nothing to do with educational activities. After all, she was an academic, not a sports enthusiast. Still, Rowena found herself just as excited as the rest of the school about the upcoming quidditch game, but not for the same reasons.

Rowena pointedly ignored the first quidditch game, which consequently led to her having missed Harry's debut as the youngest seeker in a century. Rowena wasn't as fortuitous to miss hearing the numerous recounts of the game's events - featuring Harry's bucking broom and capture of the snitch in disgusting minute details - and her curiosity was piqued.

Trips to the library had been in order and Rowena had begun her search into the history of the game. Her enthusiasm did not end there. She was soon researching the history of the rules, the balls and their enchantments, and - more importantly - the brooms.

The enchantments on the various balls were fascinating, but the brooms… That was where the true magic sat. Sculpting the wood into sleek handles, twisting and manipulating the twigs into uniformed shapes, and the enchantments: speed, stability and safety. Fascinating.

Therefore, Rowena had attended the next scheduled game and was pleasantly surprised with the atmosphere within the stadium. The other students were quite lively in their support of the players and it was as if those individuals playing on the teams fed off the energy. None were more surprised than Rowena when she too stood and cheered during the game.

Now it was mid-February and game three of the year was scheduled for that very morning. Rowena was eagerly anticipating the match between Salazar's snakes and her eagles. The odds were just about even regarding the outcome, but Rowena felt otherwise and was discussing it at length with her friends as they walked towards the pitch.

Helga simply smiled and listened with the patience of a true Hufflepuff. Godric was bored with the entire conversation and did his best to urge his friends to move at a quicker pace. Salazar rebutted the statistics half-heartedly. The silly man claimed that he wanted his house team to win, but it was plainly obvious to Rowena that Salazar couldn't care less about sports considering he'd sit in the stands and fight off boredom.

Once they were seated in the stadium and settled in, Rowena took out her muggle sketchpad and a mechanical pencil her father had gifted her before coming to Hogwarts. Soon the announcer's voice could be heard over the crowd. It was that student in Godric's house; Rowena was almost certain Helga mentioned his name once, but she could not remember it. He sounded quite chipper, "Welcome to Hogwarts' third Quidditch game of the season. Today's game, Slytherin versus Ravenclaw!"

The spectators roared with excitement and the players came out of their respective locker rooms to meet in the center. The announcer named off players as they flew around the pitch and met in the center. Madame Hooch, who refereed the games, spoke with the captains and released the balls.

Rowena watched the players in fascination… well, she watched the brooms they were riding to be more precise. She had chosen a few players as they came onto the field, mostly Ravenclaws since the Slytherins all rode the similar models, and sketched their brooms on separate pages. As the game continued, she jotted down notes on how well the brooms reacted and how smoothly they moved. Otherwise, she skipped to the pages where she had already drawn the different balls. The pictures of the equipment took up the majority of the sheet along with her various notes: where the equipment originated from, what they were first created from, possible runes and spells that would make the balls act as they do.

The game moved swiftly with the score fluctuating back and forth, neither house pulling into a comfortable lead. That meant the win was dependent on the success of the teams' Seekers.

"Davies breaks the play… Intercepts the Quaffle from Pucey. And Oh! Foul! That's a foul from a foul Boyle!"

"Jordan…"

"Unfortunately for Davies, he didn't notice the beater until he hit him. Bletchley retrieves the quaffle, passes to Pucey, Pucey to Flint. Slytherin scores for 10 points, tying the game."

Rowena glanced up and booed along with the other Ravenclaws and Gryffindors while the Slytherins voiced their joy at once more having scored. The Hufflepuffs were torn between cheering and booing because it was a good play even though someone was unjustly injured.

Bludgers began as rocks, but they crumbled to pieces after they had been hit. Quickly they had been upgraded to lead. They had stayed that way for centuries even though they bent out of shape and couldn't fly straight a few hits in. When iron had become well known, the entire ball had been made out of the material. However, the first time someone had been hit by one - even with the use of cushioning, softening, and dampening spells - they had died as the iron ball had connected with their head and no one had been able to stop the player's fall to the ground. The manufacturer's made it so that it was only the inside foundation to be made of iron with a soft casing so as not to kill anyone else on impact.

The runes she had drawn to the side were: Yr, Maðr, Eoh, and Lögr.

"Ravenclaw scores!"

The small huff from Salazar sitting beside her had her smiling. Rowena closed her sketchpad and dutifully applauded. However, from there, the game didn't last long as the Slytherin Seeker grabbed the snitch. Salazar turned to her, eyebrow raised, and one side of his lips quirked up in a smirk.

With a resigned - good natured - sigh, Rowena prompted, "Go ahead, Sal."

"Whatever are you talking about, my dear?" He chuckled and shook his head. "Come, let's head back to the castle."

"How silly of me to forget whom I'm speaking with. You are, after all, the consummate Slytherin. Why say something when your contemptuous silence says it all?"

It was at that moment that Godric and Helga caught up to them. Godric inserted himself between the two as Helga moved to Rowena's left. The friends linked themselves together by their interlocked arms. Godric was still buoyed by the event they had just witnessed. "What a fun game to watch! And such a close match as well, both teams were well balanced."

"Perhaps next year you shall join your house team, Ric?" Helga asked with a sweet smile edged with humor.

He shuddered. "I should think not!" The group of friends walked down the stairs, Salazar and Godric helping Rowena and Helga down and around other Hogwarts students. Godric stated matter of factly, "My feet were meant to stay firmly on the ground. I do not believe I will ever get on a broom again. No thank you."

"At long last, have we found Ric's fear?"

Huffing, Godric turned away from Rowena, but not before she saw his grin. "I fear not height nor wind nor broom. I simply prefer the earth and my own two feet. There is nothing wrong with that. Unlike Helga here. Will you be trying out next year?"

Helga shook her head, a bittersweet smile adorning her features. "No, I think not. We have much to do and I do not think I would have enough time for practice. The love of flying does not equate to talent."

The closer they got to the Hogwarts entrance, the four were pressed together by the other students as everyone rushed to enter causing them to funnel inside the large double doors.

"Ric! Ric!" A girl's voice rang out behind them and a frizzy haired girl made her way towards the group. The girl Rowena recognized as Hermione, a friend of Ron, Harry, and Godric. They watched as the Gryffindor girl managed to wind her way towards them, huffing as she squeezed past bodies until she found herself staring at the four friends. "Oh... hello to you all. It's a pleasure to meet you." Her voice grew softer, more timid, with each word and she seemed to shrink into herself.

Rowena smiled kindly and glanced over at Godric for introductions, which he hastily did. "Right! Hermione, this is Ro, Sal, and Helga." He gestured to each as he called out their name. "What can I help you with?" He led them into a random hallway, away from the pressing bodies, for a chance to talk in peace.

"Honestly, Ric. Your manners are poor," Helga murmured.

"What?" He squawked. "How so?"

Rowena shook her head and held out her hand to the girl. "Lisa Turpin. However, these three prefer to butcher my middle name, Royen, by calling me Ro. It's a pleasure to officially make your acquaintance, Hermione."

Hermione smiled timidly - as Godric continued to bicker with Helga - and shook Rowena's proffered hand. "Hermione Granger, nice to meet you."

"Why do you argue with Helga, Ric? You know you won't win."

"This is Tracey Davis." Rowena carefully grabbed her friend's arm and dragged him away from the squabbling duo.

Salazar looked around quickly before gesturing towards a door stating 'We may as well get comfortable, they'll be a while' and led them even further away from the Entrance Hall and into a deserted classroom. Once inside, Salazar leaned against a dusty desk and held out his hand to Hermione. "As mentioned, my name is Tracey Davis. These three call me Sal. Do not presume to do the same."

Hermione bit her bottom lip and nodded while timidly shaking Salazar's hand. "Keeping the theme going by a diminutive of your middle names?"

Rowena laughed, delighted. "Quite right. We couldn't leave Sal out, that would hardly be fair."

Salazar smirked at his long time friend before looking back at the frizzy haired girl when she asked, "Do they always bicker like that?"

"Yes," Salazar said at the same time as Rowena said, "No." Hermione smiled at the two.

Rowena admitted, "It's just Ric. Ric is as stubborn as they come and will..." Rowena paused to choose her word deliberately, "debate with everyone."

Hermione giggled and bit her lip again. She often shot Salazar curious looks, but refrained from commenting about the lone Slytherin in their midst. The three idly chatted about classes until Helga and Godric finally managed to stop bickering long enough to join them in the classroom.

With a huff at Salazar's amused look, Godric finally turned his attention back to the girl who had interrupted them. "So, Hermione... What can we do for you?"

Hermione stopped mid-sentence and stared at Godric, floundering for a moment before squeaking out, "You mentioned going to see the house elves after the game."

Godric stopped short in surprise. Looking for all the world to have forgotten the offer when a large smile came to him. "That I did, and we're in luck. We just happen to be in the presence of the best person to do the introductions..."

While Hermione looked at the four friends expectantly, she followed their gaze back to Helga. The young Hufflepuff had her arms crossed, hip thrown out and her weight shifted, giving Godric a bemused stare. "You argue with me, then expect me to do you a favor?"

"No, not for me..."

If she could, Hermione would probably have shrunken back into the furniture as all eyes then turned to her. Helga didn't remain cross with Godric, nor did she deny the request to introduce anyone to the house elves. "Of course," Helga acquiesced, "I'd be delighted to."

A/N-Elipsa: Sorry this is late! Work has been a bit crazy.