They were gathered in the Room of Requirement again. Helga was the first to arrive so there were numerous plants, a fire in the hearth, and a very cozy feel to the room. Rowena wasn't sure she recognized what the room represented, but Helga was certainly comfortable there.

Godric was in the midst of the retelling of the quidditch game from the day before, not that Rowena cared one wit, but he was quite excited about something that had happened. She was fussing with her rings. She had already managed the Protean Charm, but she still wanted a monitor for danger and the homing effect before she could call it complete. When Godric got to the part of the story that covered a rogue bludger, the man suddenly had her full attention. "The thing wasn't behaving properly. It only followed Harry around, like he was a beacon."

"Like a heat seeking missile..."

"Right," Godric said enthusiastically, "Like that! And the bludger is the missile, seeking Harry's heat." Rowena and Helga exchanged amused glances, as Godric continued on, utterly oblivious to what he insinuated, "Somehow Harry managed to out fly the bludger. He even caught the snitch to end the game. Unfortunately, that did not stop the bludger from breaking his arm."

Rowena winced. "That sounds painful."

Salazar agreed, "While healing it would be uncomfortable for the lad, I can't imagine that's what kept him in the hospital overnight."

"It wasn't," Godric agreed. "Lockhart did that."

"You should have been there, Sal." Helga noted, "If you had been, perhaps you could have saved the child from the imbecile."

"What did Lockhart do?"

"Vanished all of the bones in the child's arm," Helga said with a huff of annoyance. "The man is a menace."

Salazar paused and rhetorically asked, "He did what?" The man sighed. "Please tell me that there is a way to grow bones? I've never encountered such a thing before."

Godric nodded at Salazar. "Thankfully Madam Pomfrey has something called Skele-Gro. Harry said it tastes disgusting, but then what potion doesn't?" Salazar chuckled. Rowena silently agreed, but she had lost interest in the story again and went back to working on her project.

"Interesting," Salazar said. "I will have to look into this potion."

"You look up every potion you hear about," Godric teased.

"Yes, well..."

"Isn't there more you need to tell us?" Helga prompted.

"What?" Godric pulled his attention from Salazar and focused on Helga. He paused to think before sighing, "Right. Colin." Rowena paused long enough to listen again. Godric was pensive and told them, "Ismanna has attacked again."

Helga held her hand over her mouth, Salazar was sitting at the edge of his seat, and Rowena lost interest in what she had been doing. Godric waved them down. "She hasn't killed anyone, but Colin Creevey, a first year Gryffindor, was found last night petrified. Thankfully the boy was busy taking pictures and didn't get the full force of her eyes."

The four friends exchanged looks of concern. Salazar sighed and reached a hand out to Helga who looked near tears. He reassured her, "We'll find her."

Godric nodded. "Before anyone else does. We'll save her. You'll see."

Helga let out a small laugh and shook her head. "We're supposed to be saving the students and here you're worried about Ismanna."

"Because we know she's innocent in all of this."

"Yes," Helga agreed, "we do."

Salazar gave her hand a gentle squeeze before releasing his hold on her. "I'd like to get my hands on the fool that is endangering our school. How are they controlling Ismanna? That's what has me stumped."

"Could it be a true heir of yours?" Rowena asked.

He winced at the reminder, but shook his head. "No. There was only one of my descendants left and the fool has already died... or he is thought to be dead." Salazar leveled his gaze at his best friend. "You met what was left of him last year."

"Voldemort?" Godric asked.

"Voldemort," Salazar confirmed. "That's what I read anyhow. He claims to be the last of the Slytherin line. Though that is not his true name. At the end of my familial line is a Tom Morvolo Riddle." Salazar ran a hand through his hair. "If he is the last, it's best that the line die. I don't like what's become of my family or my legacy. I'm just grateful for the squibs in Peverell's first brother's line or I couldn't have been reincarnated."

"Not to change the subject too drastically from Colin, but as you mentioned Peverell's, I did find something interesting of note in that family." Salazar looked intrigued and he motioned for Helga to continue. "Harry's family, on his father's side, is descended from the youngest Peverell." She quickly brought her bag forward and began digging through it until she found the correct parchment and handed it over to Salazar. "The only family that he has left alive... is your family, Sal."

Salazar sat back in surprise, parchment in hand. He hadn't looked at it, he kept his gaze on Helga and asked, "Is he really?"

"He is," Helga said, one could hear the slight offence in her voice that he'd questioned her.

"Oh, I believe you," Salazar said instantly, "that was a rhetorical question." He finally looked at the parchment and contemplated aloud, "What to do about this..."

"Helga has mentioned his home life, I'd think that the 'what to do' is obvious," Godric stated.

Salazar shrugged. "Would he even want to come live with a Slytherin?"

"Of course, as long as it wasn't Malfoy. Besides, you are the Slytherin, that's completely different. What kind of question is that?"

"As funny as that is," Salazar said with a chuckle, "that's not helping."

Godric shrugged unrepentantly and Helga spoke up, "Your father was a Hufflepuff. Perhaps that will help?"

Rowena motioned vaguely. "Just write to your parents. If they aren't willing to take him in, worrying about the boy's opinion is moot."

"I will." Salazar moved closer towards the table as Rowena handed him parchment and quill. "Thank you."

Helga asked, "What are you working on, Ro?"

"The rings," Rowena stated. Helga continued to stare at her, which prompted Rowena to elaborate, "Sorry, obviously I'm working on the rings. It's just... well... They're small. Which isn't necessarily an issue when it comes to layering spellwork. If I'm to add runes on the inside for the monitoring and locating devices, then it's going to be difficult. Not impossible, but difficult."

Helga, Salazar, and Godric received their rings. Godric put his on immediately and flexed his fingers experimentally. "It adjusts automatically. I like that."

"Yes," Rowena said with a smile, "it took me most of the summer to get that bit right. I didn't know what size you all wore, so it had to adjust automatically to fit."

"It doesn't bite into my finger. That's a bonus. I think I can wear this and not hate it," Godric said with confidence.

Helga and Rowena exchanged amused glances and Helga pointed out, "You'd have to wear it anyway. You're the one we need to keep tabs on. Hard to locate you if you aren't wearing your ring."

"But that part isn't on the ring yet, so I don't have to wear it until it is," Godric tried to argue.

"It's best to get accustomed to wearing it now, though," Helga countered.

"But-"

"Just wear the ring, Ric," Salazar said.

Godric huffed and crossed his arms. Rowena smiled and went back to researching through the newer runes. Her ring warmed and vibrated. She read the message and let out a surprised laugh. "Ric, the messages sent via the rings aren't just received by the 'brat'. We're all alerted."

Smiling unrepentantly, Godric shrugged. "He knows who I'm talking about."

"Yes, but I'm ignoring you." Salazar handed Helga the letter he just wrote to his parents. "Did I miss anything?"

Helga skimmed the letter and when she reached the end, she handed it back with a soft smile. "Perfect."

Salazar took the parchment back and rolled it carefully. "I'll be sure to send it off this evening."

- - - - Founders - - - -

It was the start of another lovely day. Rowena made her way down the stairs and came to a stop when she spotted the girl working frantically in the common room. "Luna?"

"Hmm..." Luna said as she kept writing.

"I thought you finished your charms homework last night," Rowena stated as she came to sit at the table with the first year blonde.

Luna looked up and gave her a small smile. "Hello, Lisa Turpin. I'm sorry I was rude a moment ago. I needed to complete the thought before I lost it, too."

"That's quite alright." Rowena admitted, "I hadn't meant to interrupt your thought. I'm glad you kept hold of it long enough to express it in writing. Now," Rowena prompted, "what are you working on and how can I help you? It is nearly time for our morning repast and then classes will begin."

"Oh," Luna looked at the parchment before her and admitted, "The wrackspurts... I must have misplaced my Charms homework last night because it wasn't in my bag this morning."

"How often do these wrackspurts claim your homework?"

"They don't want my homework, they go into your ears and confuse you. So the wrackspurts must have muddled my thoughts enough for me to misplace it again."

"How often?" Rowena asked again.

"At least once a week."

"Unacceptable," Rowena said with a sigh. She looked up at the stairway wondering how to handle the situation when Luna asked a question of her.

"Do you know a duplication charm?"

Rowena paused and thought, "I know of two. One to simply duplicate an item and a curse that duplicates as well."

"Will you teach me?"

"Certainly," Rowena said without hesitation. The instructor in her was simply beaming at the girl, much as Luna was smiling at Rowena now. "Grab your wand." She waited until the girl plucked her wand from behind her ear. "We will use your current homework." She raised her wand and pointed it in the direction of the dorm rooms, "Accio, Luna's Charms Homework."

It took a moment, but the parchment came to them, crumbled yet whole, and Rowena plucked it from the air as it reached her. With a few more charms, the parchment was as unrumpled as she could manage. "Now, take your wand and move it like so," Rowena weaved her wand in a wide backwards S over the parchment then tapped it twice. "Go on. Show me the movements."

Luna took her wand and concentrated on the movement and beamed when Rowena praised her, "Excellent. The incantation is: Dùblachadh."

The girl perked at the incantation and Rowena smiled with a nod, "Yes, it is one of my own creation. Now, say it for me, Dùblachadh."

"Dùblachadh," Luna said the word clearly.

"Excellent." Rowena then began the motion, said the incantation then gestured for Luna to copy her.

"Dùblachadh," Luna repeated while doing the motion in the air. When Rowena nodded approvingly at her, the girl paused before eagerly turning to her parchment. Luna began the movement, then spoke the incantation. Her homework was duplicated perfectly. "I did it!"

Rowena chuckled softly and praised the first year girl, "Well, done." She pointed at the original parchment. "Try it again and tap thrice." Luna did as told and soon had two more copies. Rowena warned her, "If you try to create more than two copies using this spell, it will diminish the appearance of the duplicates." Luna nodded and tried it again with great success. Rowena then pulled Luna's new homework, which was half finished, and told the girl, "There is a modern version of duplication. It is Geminio. This spell is either a charm or a curse, it is in the deliberation and intent that will decide which it is. For example, if you were to simply apply the spell," Rowena flicked her wand at the half prepared school work, "Geminio," and duplicated the work. "Or curse it," Rowena stared at the paper thinking of those bullies in her house and snarled, "Geminio!"

The paper flared golden, but did not duplicate. Pleased with her results, she gestured towards Luna. "Now, touch it."

Luna nodded and used the tip of her forefinger to tap at the parchment. Automatically the parchment duplicated. Luna looked at Rowena when she didn't say anything and touched it again, laying her palm on it as if to take it in hand. The parchment trembled and began doubling swiftly until, laughing, Luna dropped the original.

"Now tell me true; who is taking your homework?"

"I don't know," Luna said softly.

"Hmm," Rowena thought about the situation and came to a swift decision, "very well. We will ward your belongings to keep away those pesky wrackspurts."

"I'd like that," Luna admitted.

"Then that is what we shall do."

Google Translate Time:

Dùblachadh - Charm, duplicates item