Foundation

Chapter One

It didn't take long for the school to take shape after that first momentous meeting. The four got along quite well and were quick friends. They began immediate work on finding a site that fit their requirements: it must be by a lake, forest, and in the mountains.

It was, of course, going to be a castle. It was the modern thing in that time, and therefore not one of them thought twice about that decision.

Each of them would build their own section. Salazar would be in charge of the dungeons; Rowena would build one half and Godric the other; and Helga was to be in charge of all interior decorating and furnishings.

They were all quite overwhelmed by their individual task. It was a lot to build half of a castle, much less furnish each and every room.

Salazar thought it would be beneficial if the dungeons had a sort of grim look: he didn't feel that bright and airy was always the best way to go. Therefore he asked Helga to furnish them darkly and he made sure that he built them so that not much light could get in. The others thought this quite odd--obviously--but let him do what he wanted since he was so prone to emotional outbursts.

Rowena and Godric both decided that instead of each building half they would build the whole thing together. Therefore all windows, doorknobs, building materials and so forth would match and be the same throughout the castle--except for the dungeons. It was a slow job.

It took them a year to find a plot of land that they could buy and that fit their standards. It was quite beautiful, really, and all four of them were immensely excited by the prospect of their dream actually coming true.

It took all of their funds combined to buy the land, which, of course, was quite secluded and was at least forty miles from the nearest Muggle village.

"I was thinking that perhaps we should build spells into the stone so that it will be fortified and strong," Rowena said one afternoon. Godric looked up.

They were currently working on the digging of the foundations, mainly digging the hole where the dungeons would go. They would have to wait until Salazar was done with the dungeons before they could start on their own part, so they had plenty of free time to plan. That is: plenty of free time when Salazar was not putting them to work. He quite often would ask them to do something for him, and happy do so, they would agree.

Today they were sitting in stiff, wooden chairs on the sunny south lawn with their wands out. Usually they didn't talk while they worked, but Rowena had an idea and was absolutely bursting to tell Godric. And so, they sat, about halfway between the lake and where the school was to be. Their wands were held up in the air, and every once in a while one of them would mutter a spell to set a shovel back to work or a wheelbarrow back to scooping and dumping.

"Really?" Godric turned to look at her, a dark eyebrows rose in curiosity.

Rowena nodded, fighting back her wind-whipped hair with the hand that was not holding her wand. It was a particularly windy day, and most women would have tied their hair back. Rowena did not. She thought it was very unbecoming.

"Tell me about it," he said. And so she did.

"Well, we will have to come up with some regulations to how we build it. For instance, do we want certain things to be able to function here? We should set up some guarding spells to be sure that the students are safe while they're here. We definitely need to hide it from the Muggles, and that should be easy enough. A few warding spells and that's taken care of. They'll think it's an ancient ruin or something and leave just as soon as they come. Of course, to be sure that they don't try to explore the ruins we'll put up some spells that will make them suddenly remember something that they forgot. Perhaps that will keep them away..." She looked thoughtful for a time.

"That sounds like a good idea. And we can certainly add more wards, even when the students are here."

Godric whipped his wand around towards a large stone that was tumbling down a hill and muttered a spell. The stone stopped and rolled around so that it was going up the hill instead of down, and when it was near the pile of large rocks that they had acquired he stopped it and resumed work on digging.

Rowena watched. They periodically had to do this, for the stones were all too happy to roll away and not be stacked upon each other.

"Do you think so? We definitely need to put up spells to keep the Muggles away. We'll have to think of others as we go."

Godric nodded. They didn't talk the rest of the time, but for the most part they had at least developed some sort of plan (which was unusual considering they hardly ever spoke while working).

The digging was slow--they only had one thousand shovels working on the project--and it took the better part of a year just to dig out the dungeons. Salazar was quite excited, however, when the digging was finally done.

They didn't see much of Helga--her part was to come later--but from what she had told Rowena she was often out finding furniture that she liked. That way she could do a successful conjure of it when she was furnishing all of the rooms. They intended for no one but themselves to work on the school, and therefore any work that they did was slow.

One evening, after all the work of the day was done, the four sat together in Helga's house. In fact, it was the same room that they had started all of this in. Godric and Salazar had politely given the two women the couch to sit on and had conjured two chairs to sit on themselves.

"Salazar, how is the dungeon coming?" Helga asked, taking a sip of her tea.

Salazar nodded; a sly smile on his face. "Quite well; I'm terribly excited! I can't wait for this school to be done. Where should the students sleep? I have fashioned a sort of dormitory in the dungeons that will work well for them. There are also several offices and classrooms down there. Oh...and I hope you don't mind but I took the liberty of putting my own sleeping quarters there. Is that alright?"

The other three nodded. They hadn't really thought about where they themselves would sleep, but Salazar seemed to have the best idea: to make it themselves and put it somewhere where they could easily gain access to the dormitories of the students.

"How many secret rooms have you put in? I love a good mystery. The students will find it awfully fun to come upon a random room or two." Godric leaned towards his friend with a mischievous glint in his eye.

Salazar grinned lazily. "Ah...but you'll have to figure that out for yourself, my dear friend!"

The others laughed at the crestfallen look on Godric's face.

"I actually wanted to ask something of you and Rowena," Salazar told them, looking at Godric and Rowena.

The two nodded.

"I would enjoy working on a part of the castle other than the dungeons. I promise to make it light, and with plenty of windows. Would you mind if I did?"

Rowena smiled kindly. "That would be wonderful, Salazar! I look forward to seeing what you put together for us!"

* * *

The next day continued as normal. Salazar still had several things to finish up with in the dungeons, but for the most part Rowena and Godric were ready to start the first floor. Rowena was sitting with Salazar in a room that was to be a classroom in the dungeons, watching him work. It wasn't fun to do, naturally, but they talked while he worked and it passed the time well enough. Currently they were discussing relationships.

"Are you married, Salazar?" The two hadn't had much of a chance to talk during the first year of the construction, and while Helga and Godric were quite close and knew everything about the other, Rowena and Salazar were almost strangers to one another.

"No. I haven't yet found that perfect woman." He smiled grimly, flicking his wand at piece of wood that immediately began fashioning itself into a door.

Rowena smiled. "Neither have I. It's terribly hard, isn't it? It's hard for me to even be friends with a male, much less marry one!"

Salazar laughed. He was finding more and more that Rowena was quite enjoyable to be with.

"What about you? Is there a reason why there isn't a certain someone?" she asked, tucking her wavy brown hair behind her ears and watching as Salazar's expression changed.

He didn't answer for quite some time, but instead pointed his wand at the door that had just finished making itself and directing it to a rectangular hole in the gray stone walls of the classroom.

"I'm sorry. It wasn't my place to ask," Rowena said. She walked over to the newly fashioned door to examine it more closely.

Salazar shook his head. "No, it's just a sore subject for me. Come, let's walk upstairs."

Rowena grinned. "You mean up to the ground. We have no upstairs yet."

Salazar laughed and shook his head. "Alright then, if that's how you want to look at it. Let us proceed to the south lawn!"

In reality they had already put in a floor for the first floor, made of a beautiful stone that shimmered in the bright morning light. Salazar stood and offered his hand to the young witch. She took it, smiling happily, and together they walked out of the room, to the left, and up a flight of narrow stairs that led to the first floor.

* * *

"What do you think of this chair, Godric?" Helga asked, sitting down and settling her skirts.

Godric regarded the chair in which she sat. He had a very playful expression on his face--as he and Helga got along quite well--and he grinned down at her.

"I think it's beautiful when you're sitting in it," he said slyly, and she giggled.

"Honestly, Godric! I really was trying to get your opinion," she told him, waggling a stern finger at him.

He grinned. "Ah! Well, in that case I think it's rather dull. Perhaps we should go with something more...plush?"

Helga stood and cocked her head as she looked at the chair. "I agree," she said with a slight nod.

He nodded back and they walked to the next chair--a stiff, wooden one that seemed to have been around for ages.

Helga had asked him that morning if he would mind too terribly coming with her as she went to various shops to look at furniture. Naturally, Godric didn't mind in the least.

This was the third shop that they had visited. Helga told him that she had already picked out several chairs that she liked but she was looking for some chairs that would work in the Great Hall: which they had decided would be on the first floor and would be where all meals were held. Rowena was trying to come up with something that would make it really awe-inspiring, but so far she hadn't been able to think of anything that she really liked.

Today, Helga wore a simpler dress than the first time Godric had met her. It had no wires to hold the skirts out, but simply hung loosely down to her ankles. It was quite flattering, and again the same yellow and black that she seemed to favor. Godric had no idea why she liked these colors so much, but it looked quite good on her either way.

Godric wore his usual colors of gold and red--a very expensive color combination--and as he and Helga walked together among the fancy chairs he had to wonder why it was the each of the four had colors that they particularly favored. With Salazar it was green and silver, Rowena blue and bronze, Helga her usual yellow and black, and Godric red and gold. It wasn't unusual that a person had favorite colors but they wore those colors all the time. He doubted Salazar had any clothes that weren't silver and green.

"Alright, Godric, let's go. I don't think I like any of these. I'm tired...why don't we just go back to the castle?"

Godric nodded and offered her an arm. She took it, and, smiling at one another, they disappeared.

* * *

"I was thinking, Salazar, perhaps we should make this the Quidditch Pitch. It's quite grassy, and also large. I think it would work beautifully." Rowena stood in the middle of the south lawn, staring up at the bright morning sky and at the thick forest at the other end of the field.

Salazar looked around after she said this.

"You know, I think you're right." He looked down at the plush bright green grass that was long enough to cover his shoes. "We'd have to cut the grass for a cleaner take off, but other than that it would work! We could put the goal posts down there." He pointed to one end of the field, the end closest to the school. "And the others down there." He turned and looked down at the other end.

"What sort of stands should we put in?" he asked, looking at the bright witch next to him.

She looked thoughtful for a while. "Let's see...Quidditch is played in the air, obviously." She seemed to consider for a moment before brightening. "I saw a picture in a book that depicted stands that had stairs--and were up in the air so that the viewers could see what was going on. We'd have the cage for the Snidget's down there." She pointed to a tree that was at the corner of the newly founded Quidditch Pitch.

Salazar nodded. "An excellent plan; the stands sound good as well. Whom shall we appoint to the construction of them?" he asked, turning around and looking at the field. It really would work perfectly for Quidditch.

"Which one of you is better at Quidditch?" she asked, meaning Godric or Salazar. Salazar laughed.

"I cannot play at all, so I do believe that Godric would be the better choice for that. I'll tell him, if you like."

Rowena nodded. They stood looking around for a few moments before Rowena suggested working on the construction more. Salazar, of course, agreed, and they walked towards the school once again. While neither of them particularly wanted to work on it anymore, it was agreed that they should work on it as much as possible.

* * *

When Helga and Godric reappeared they were standing in her house.

"Oh dear! How did we end up here, I wonder?" she said, looking around her at the room. "I wonder if my brother is here." She walked to the door and peered out. "Apparently not or he would be sitting in the dining room."

She grinned at Godric, who smiled back.

"Shall we go ahead and head back to the school? I have to wonder how Salazar and Rowena get along. The two aren't exactly alike."

Helga laughed. "Yes, let's go back!" And once again they disappeared with a 'pop'.

This time, they appeared in the right place. They were standing on what was to become the Quidditch Pitch (even though neither of them knew it yet). The school was barely visible over a small hill that covered up the dungeons. Neither Rowena nor Salazar was in sight.

"Well! Here we are then," Godric said, looking around him at the lush green field surrounded by dense forests.

"I suppose we should work on the school a bit more today. Salazar told me that he was ready for me to start furnishing the dungeons! I'm very excited." She gave a little jump and a wide smile and started skipping off in the direction of the school's foundation.

Godric followed slowly, watching her as she skipped.

It was hard to look at Helga Hufflepuff without thinking about how beautiful she was, very hard, especially for males; and Godric, after all, was only human. She didn't seem worried at all by his apparent slowness and continued to skip along merrily.

The school wasn't too far off from the south lawn and the two arrived there in relatively no time at all. It would have taken longer had Helga not skipped, but faster if Godric had done so with her--which was unlikely.

"You should look for Salazar and Rowena, Godric. I'll begin work on the dungeons. If you need to find me I'll be in the classroom farthest from the stairs. I want to work my way up." Helga smiled briefly at him and bounced down the long, stone stairs, her blonde curls bouncing with each step.

Godric, quite sad that she had left him, slowly began to make his way toward a make-shift building that the four of them had set up to live in while working long hours on the school. Generally it wasn't used, except for the rare occasion that one of them wasn't tired and wished to continue working through the night.

It wasn't located that far off from the school--about a five-minute walk--but it was quite beautiful to traverse. The grass was bright here and grew plentifully; the mountains in the background jutted up to impossible heights and snowcapped peaks; the lake was to the right, glistening in the afternoon sun.

Godric quite enjoyed the scenery here and always looked forward to walking up to the shack. He wasn't one to take the beauty of the land for granted.

He generally looked at the mountains as he walked since they were directly in front of him and relatively easy to spot. But today, he was ready for a change. He watched the lake this time.

He and Salazar had been discussing whether or not mermaids lived in it. It was decided that most likely there were, since it was very old and would be actually more improbable for there not to be. Rowena had told them that she could speak to mermaids and had volunteered to speak with them if she could. Godric and Salazar had been quite excited by the prospect, but had yet to see anything come of it. They hadn't seen any mermaids--which they hadn't expected to--and were still waiting for Rowena to make her move towards contacting them.

It had come up that there could be something else living in there, such as other magical aquatic creature, and it had been agreed that it was almost a proven fact.

But as Godric watched he was totally unprepared for what he saw next. The sun was behind the lake, causing the little waves to glint different colors in the light. There were reeds on the sides and every once in a while a fish would break the surface with a plop and disappear just as fast as it had come.

Godric looked away to traverse a particularly difficult section of the land--covered in rocks and nasty magical plants that grabbed and tore at unsuspecting ankles--and when he looked back there was a great tentacle rising from the lake. It flailed about a bit, sporting great suckers and a brownish-red color before a rocket-like head soon followed it with a huge eye: looking right at Godric.

It was almost as if it was waving at him. Godric stopped walking and stared. None of them had thought of a giant squid! It continued to flail its tentacle in his direction, and it only stopped when Godric took a step towards it.

Godric had--of course--read about giant squids before. He knew that they were quite placid and generally rather curious, but he wasn't quite sure what this one wanted with him.

It was a much longer walk to the lake than it would have been to the shack, but every time he stopped the squid would start that awful wriggling again. He didn't like that, especially as he got closer and got a better view of the gigantic suckers that lined the inside of the tentacle. They had been quite visible from his position before but now they were larger and much more intimidating.

He had never made contact with a giant squid before and had no idea what it wanted with him. He certainly could not speak squid (though he had no doubt that Rowena could) and didn't know how he was going to communicate with the thing if he couldn't speak to it. He didn't even know if it wanted to communicate. For all he knew it was going to pick him up in one of those giant tentacles and eat him--and he would have thought that that was the things intention if he hadn't read all about them already.

When he did finally arrive at the edge of the lake his imagination was starting to get the best of him. He had horrid mental images of the squid lifting him and bringing him towards that large, clicking beak...

"Hello."

Godric's head snapped up to look at the squid. Surely it wasn't talking to him?

"Yes, I am talking to you. And yes, I am a Giant Squid. Surprised I can speak English?"

Godric didn't know what to say in the least. The huge creature took up one third of the lake and the eye was just as big as he was. It continued to stare at him with that great eye, and had--thankfully--lowered its tentacles to below the cool water so that he couldn't see them anymore.

Godric made sure he was standing in a place where he could easily run away if need be and positioned himself behind some reeds and a tree.

"Yes, I am quite surprised. Why are you speaking with me?" Quite honestly he didn't feel like talking to a giant squid any longer than was absolutely necessary.

"I have been listening to your talk with the three others. You are to make a school."

Godric noticed that when it spoke the huge beak clacked open and shut. He shuddered and nodded.

"I wish to request something of you," the squid said, and Godric nodded again. He didn't fully trust himself to speak.

The squid seemed to come closer. "I would like to ask that you teach your students about magical creatures and how to handle them properly. That way, they shan't bother me."

Godric nodded. They'd have to find a teacher, but he too, had considered having a class about care of magical creatures.

"Thank you, good sir. A good day to you! May the lake always be brighter on...er...your side!" It started to submerge again.

"And you," whispered Godric. He was quite frightened, really, for he had never spoken to anything so large and potentially dangerous--or so his imagination told him--in his lifetime.

He stood there for quite some time, afraid that his knees would give away if he started to walk. After a while he heard what sounded like laughter. Looking around, he didn't see anyone.

But after a few moments Rowena Ravenclaw appeared around the corner farthest from him, and she was indeed the one laughing.

Godric stared. Why was she laughing? Certainly she hadn't seen his encounter with the Giant Squid?

"Godric! I saw--and heard--your entire encounter with the Giant Squid!" she shouted.

"So much for that," Godric muttered as she neared.

"I'm guessing you didn't know he was there?" she asked, coming to a final stop in front of him.

Godric didn't answer for a few moments; he was too busy staring at Rowena. She was almost glowing! She seemed very happy and Godric desperately wanted to know why. He had never seen her this bright and cheerful in the whole two years that he had known her.

Her hair was curled seductively around her long face and she wore a blue and brown dress that clung to her in all the right places.

He didn't notice her roll her eyes. All he saw was a hand coming nearer his face. When it did finally arrive, it slapped him lightly on each cheek.

"Honestly, Godric! You act as if you've never seen a woman before! Did you or did you not know that the squid was there?" she asked, a cute, frustrated look appearing on her pleasant features.

Godric did, indeed, try to snap out of it. "No, I didn't know," he told her.

She smiled and laughed lightly. "We thought not. Come; walk with me to The Shack."

He held out his arm and together they walked back in the direction of the small building that sat above them on a hill.

Rowena and Godric never talked too much about anything but the school. They had a mutual friendship, one that would last a very long time but would never develop into anything else. As they walked, Godric reflected on how long, in fact he had worked with this kind, intelligent woman. Surely it hadn't already been just under two years? It certainly didn't feel like that long.

When they were closer to approaching The Shack--as they had come to call it--Godric felt increasingly better. His knees weren't quite so shaky and he was beginning to talk a little bit more, even if it was only about future plans for the school.

Rowena opened the flaking door for him and he walked in first. Quite odd, but he didn't seem to notice--or remember--the rule 'lady's first'. His thoughts were still on the Giant Squid and Rowena's clothes.

As he walked inside, however, he was sourly shocked out of his reverie. Salazar and Helga were sitting around a small table laughing...laughing at him. It wasn't a very large shack, just tall enough for he and Salazar to stand in, with only one small bedlike structure and a small light sitting next to it. There was a little window over the bed, a small table (which Salazar and Helga were currently sitting at) and a chamber pot under the bed for emergency use.

"Why are you laughing?" he snapped, and Salazar stood to clap him on the shoulder.

"That Giant Squid can't talk, Godric, at least not in English," he whispered, and Godric's eyes widened considerably.

"But then...how did..." he blubbered.

Helga pointed at Rowena, who was now giggling as well.

"It was I, Godric. I was the voice of the squid," she said, and she quickly danced out of his reach as he tried to grab her around the wrist.

"Honeslty, you could have just told me you were thinking about having a care of magical creatures class," he said.

"But I did!" she said, and the two others roared with laughter.

Godric sat down at last with a grim smile on his face, realizing that he had, indeed, been had.