That Monday, Helga stood beside Rowena outside of the Defense classroom, arriving quite a bit earlier than the rest of their classmates. They both had a free period beforehand and the two had spent the majority of the time in the laboratory, discussing Samuel.

"Well, the ideal time would have been a few nights ago..." Helga trailed off wistfully. "Well, one good thing will come from all this. With one of the dementor's being petrified that proved Hagrid's innocence and he was released from Azkaban. The poor man looked awful when he came back."

"Well, after being there for months… At the very least he is out of that ghastly place and can start healing. There's not much we can do for him except give him time. Now, to the matter at hand, we can go Friday evening. Everyone will be at supper and he stays later, as most students do. We eat and make our excuses."

Helga nodded, startling at the long strand of black hair falling past her shoulder. She had decided to try to wear her hair free for the first time in years. "We would not be able to stay long."

"We will not need to. You can speak with Samuel and I'll take a look at the spells around him. We will be in and out before you know it." Rowena smiled and Helga chuckled at the surety in her friend's voice. "Come, Helga, didn't you go first year?"

She blushed. "I didn't really sort that through and simply acted. He seems to have a more sporadic schedule than our first year. As long as we do not dither for more than thirty minutes we should be fine."

Rowena laughed. "Nervous? You?"

"Of him? Unfortunately." Helga leaned against the wall. "It's difficult to tell what he wants. First year, we had an easily accessible artifact that should not have been here. Last year, nothing had really been done about the petrifications. This year, he allowed dementors. And most of the news hadn't gone back to the parents, which makes me think that the letters were being vetted. It's worrying."

"It is," Rowena agreed. "However, there is nothing to be done at the moment. We will go see Samuel and see if we can help him."

The two grew silent for a while, both lost in their own thoughts.

However, Helga shook off her melancholy thoughts to ask, "Ro, has Luna mentioned Ginevra and how she's doing?"

Rowena brushed a lock of hair behind her ear and smiled. "She misses her. Ginevra had been Luna's only friend her age. Though she says that Ginevra is doing well at St Mungo's. Luna visits as often as she can."

"Do they know how long she will be staying?"

"They're hopeful that she'll be released by the end of May. Luna was saying that Ginevra will be back at Hogwarts next year in the correct year and that she wants to try out for the Gryffindor Quidditch Team. With the treatment and the ample time to study, she feels her academics, at least, did not fall behind." Rowena smiled at Helga. "Speaking of Quidditch, when are your tryouts?"

"This coming weekend. I will be trying for the Keeper position." She absently twirled her dark hair around her fingers, nibbling on her bottom lip, " I am a -"

Her words were cut off as a cacophony of sound erupted from seemingly nowhere as the door to the Defense Classroom slammed open. The two women cringed at the sudden hullabaloo.

Slytherin and Gryffindor third years came out the door in a thick wave of sound. Apparently the professor had well made wards around his classroom.

Helga glanced around, easily looking over her friend's head as she was a few inches taller than Rowena, waving and nodding to those who greeted her. She murmured to Rowena, "I don't see them."

"They're inside with Professor Lupin," the quiet voice of Neville Longbottom had Helga turning and smiling at the boy.

"Thank you, Neville. Maybe we can meet during a free period and discuss anything of interest we found in this year's Herbology book? You're also taking the extra class for Earth Magic, yes?"

Neville nodded. "I am. How about the library?"

"Tomorrow, during fourth period?"

Neville began to nod, but paused, "I have Potions fifth, and I don't want to be late. How about Wednesday, third?"

"I have Defense." She hesitated as she mentally ran through her schedule. "Thursday, any of the first three periods?"

"First I'm free."

"Excellent, I'll see you in class, Neville." He gave a small wave and she made her way after Rowena, who stood in front of the door. Once Helga stood beside her, Rowena pushed it open a tad to hear what was being said.

" - at a later time this week. I believe you both have a free period after this class. I have Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw third years next so it would be easy for you to join."

"It would be best if I didn't take part in this practical, Professor."

Rowena pushed the door open further and they stepped inside, Rowena closing the entry swiftly so no one else would be privy to the discussion. Helga leaned against the door so if any tried to enter she would know. She didn't dare cast anything in the likely case that Professor Lupin would notice.

"This is part of your grade."

"I'm willing to take the failed grade for the day," Godric answered.

Professor Lupin had turned his head slightly toward Rowena and Helga when they entered, as did Salazar and Godric, who stood side by side. Both of them gave a nod of acknowledgement to Helga and Rowena and Professor Lupin turned his attention back to Godric when he began talking.

"The dementor made me relive a memory, one that is quite painful... I had been told... that someone I..." he took a deep breath and continued, "someone extremely dear to me had died and... I... My greatest fear is that I see them dead before me. Or someone now who... I can't..." He trailed off and closed his eyes.

Professor Lupin looked shocked, and then ashamed as he said, "I apologize that I forced you to have to think of that," the words from the professor had Godric's head shooting up. "I should have thought to ask for volunteers and not forced everyone to try. Some fears are..."

"Too raw?" Salazar supplied.

"Exactly so," the professor agreed. "You will have full marks, Miss Dunbar, and I apologize again for my lack of forethought. Perhaps, though, when you have had time to think about what you could do to counter the creature, you should try. Knowing how to fight a boggart will help if you come upon one unawares. Miss Davis?"

"I, too, feel as if I should not face the boggart."

"Very well. That was all I wished to discuss with you two. Miss Turpin, Miss Jones, you're a bit early. Welcome."

"Thank you." They both stepped forward away from the door.

"Professor, I do have a question or two for you if you don't mind me asking?" Godric mentioning the dementor had a thought striking Helga.

"I will do my best to answer it if I can."

"As you are the one that drove the dementor away, is the spell one you can teach?"

At her question Godric and Salazar turned their attention fully on their professor once more.

"It is, though it is not a spell many can learn, and usually not until they are older than you. The concept is easy in theory, but the actual spell in and of itself there are few who can cast it." He spoke kindly, and not demeaning, so Helga did not fault him his words.

"Would you be willing to teach us? None of us liked being unable to defend each other. Please, we don't want to feel that way again."

- - - - Founders - - - -

The following Wednesday, Salazar and Helga left History of Magic, where Helga had taken to reading her Ancient Studies Textbook. There were a few interesting things to note, though she wished the professor didn't profess it all as truth as history rarely had all the facts correct.

Salazar, as usual, had left in a foul mood due to Cuthbert, muttering about how the ghost just needed to move on for everyone's sanity. They split off from the rest of the Hufflepuff and Slytherin students as Salazar did not have the following class of Care of Magical Creatures with them.

"Sal, if he bothers you so, you could tell him that he died." Helga laughed lightly. "He still acts as if he's eating at meals and teaches as he did before. According to the stories, he died and kept right on teaching as if nothing had changed. He did so love teaching..." her voice dropped lower and lower as she talked, so no one else could hear their conversation.

"Somehow, I do not believe it will be that easy."

Helga glanced over at him and smirked, and Salazar immediately seemed on alert. She simply said, "Open says me?"

"Oh, shush." She watched as Salazar pouted and changed the subject as they started down the stairs to the Great Hall. "We'll need to be more careful in Runes class."

Helga sighed and finally pulled her hair into a bun, tired of the strands getting in her face. "Yes. We do. I am thinking we should not all have taken it. Godric has too much fun passing notes in Runes because he's aghast at how little the world remembers."

"Though he does enjoy the challenge of not showing our knowledge. I imagine we all do. Still, this is a challenge we cannot afford to lose."

"We will strive to do so, but having a reason for what we do know is prudent. Speaking of Ric, do you know where he goes during this time? Ro says she doesn't see him at supper."

Salazar sighed. "To see Ismanna and work on his form. He said he had to try to disrupt some old thoughts and feelings and the only way he knew how to do that is..."

"Tire himself to the point that his mind blanks?"

"Precisely." Salazar shook his head as they paused near the Great Hall for Salazar to enter. He gestured to the doors leading to the grounds, "Go on, you'll be late for class."

"Yes, you're right. I need to go find Lily. Oh, Sal, I have a need for some help on a potion I think you'd find fascinating."

He smiled at her, "Does this have anything to do with that essay Professor Snape assigned?"

"That it does."

"Hmm. I will speak with you more about it later."

"We will need to get supplies in Hogsmeade as I don't believe Professor Snape will allow us some of them."

Salazar nodded before gesturing her onward and Helga waved and went outside, casting a hand over her eyes to protect them against the setting sun.

As Helga neared the edge of the forest, she could make out a large, almost fluid looking statue. Instead of the dark grey like the ones from the year before, this one was nearly black. The robes of the dementor still seemed to almost flow about it, frozen in time. The reds and oranges from the setting sun fell over it, causing it to look like it was bleeding.

She had to look away.

Making her way quickly to the meadow that Professor Kettleburn preferred to teach in, she saw a beautiful creature standing in the fenced off area. It had the front legs, beak, and wings of a flying creature with the body, hind legs, and tail of a horse. Feathers of a dark blue ran over the animal's head, neck, and withers.

"A hippogriff," she whispered in awe as she rejoined the group of Slytherins and Huffelpuffs.

A/N Elipsa: In the books had CoMC with Gryffindor and Slytherin, but we obviously changed that. With the added bonus of no Malfoy, so yay. We planned the entirety of the school schedule. For each year.