Hearts and Hourglasses

Forenote: Chapter 22 continues Chapter 21: Legacy immediately. (Draco and Salazar's conversation)

Chapter 22: Dark and Light

You have to understand something, Draco. I am not the Lord Slytherin who destroyed the Thirteen.

... What do you mean, Sir?

My memory as well as the others' were sealed in the Sorting Hat at a time when the real me had not yet destroyed the Thirteen.

... So you don't know anything after your memory was sealed?

Exactly.

That doesn't matter. You are still Lord Slytherin even if you don't know everything the real you did, and I can tell you what you did.

Thank you, Draco. You can tell me as the need arises.

Yes, Sir. ... Why did you come to this time?

Despite what Godric insists, I am not here to cause havoc. I just wanted to see if what I have worked for has withstood the test of time.

You mean Hogwarts, Sir?

That is right, Draco, and I am pleased by what I have seen.

... You are? But Hogwarts barely teaches any Dark magic now.

True. I was disappointed when I learned about that. It's Hogwarts' loss. Dark magic is equal to Light magic. Neither can exist without the other. I plan to speak to your Headmaster about it.

He won't do anything. Dark magic is illegal now. The Ministry won't allow the Dark Arts to be taught in the school.

Ministry?

The government. It replaced the Wizards Council.

Then, I will talk to the Head Wizard of this Ministry.

Draco laughed at the thought of Lord Slytherin talking to Cornelius Fudge. He could just see the dumpy Minister of Magic cowering behind his desk upon learning that Salazar Slytherin had returned.

Then Draco frowned. He didn't like the idea of the Ministry finding out that Lord Slytherin had returned. They would rejoice and shout huhhahs and hurrays, no doubt, upon discovering that Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were back. However, there was a bias against Slytherins in the Ministry. The Ministry preferred to hire non-Slytherin graduates from Hogwarts, though they still pandered to the wishes of wealthy Slytherins.

Since Lord Slytherin's time a thousand years ago, the Dark wizarding community had slowly and steadily dwindled. Many of the lesser familes and weaker wizards and witches had turned over to the Light side. Even the strong families had to officially renounce the Dark Arts and practice Black magic in secret instead. There were periods when history favored the Light side, and there were times when the Dark side held supreme.

This time was in the midst between Dark and Light.

Lord Slytherin couldn't had chosen a more dangerous time to return. The Ministry was on tetherhooks with the rumors of Lord Voldemort's rising. Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters hadn't done anything yet, and already, those fools at the Ministry were afraid. And though idiots they were, they were still dangerous, especially more so since they were afraid. With Dumbledore's warnings, Harry Potter's and Alastor Moody's testimonies, Cornelius Fudge had launched a manhunt for suspected Death Eaters and for any information on the whereabouts of Lord Voldemort.

Aurors had been arresting and questioning wizards and witches suspected of being Dark magic practitioners. Draco's father was among the suspects, and it was only his close relationship with the Minister that kept Aurors from taking him in. There were even talks in the Ministry of allowing the Aurors once again to use Imperius, Cruciatus and Avada Kedavra (at their discretion) once solid proof was found that indeed Lord Voldemort had returned.

The Ministry of Magic was so fearful of Lord Voldemort that just rumors of his return already terrified them. If they learned that Salazar Slytherin was back, Draco shuddered to think of what they might do. Lord Slytherin was a respected historical figure even to Light wizards, but they considered him as a villain, a traitor to their kind who chose the Dark side.

The Ministry would consider Lord Slytherin a danger to their security and might even regard him as a criminal.

Draco couldn't allow that to happen.

To be continued.

Author's note: This chapter shows why Draco doesn't want people to know that the Founders, particularly Lord Slytherin, have returned. It's also an additional reason to why Draco doesn't want Harry to be sent to Azkaban.

Draco doesn't want Harry to be sent to the Dementors when he realized that he didn't want to lose his rival. The second reason is that if it got out that Harry used the Cruciatus Curse, a great deal of attention will be focused on Hogwarts. There will be investigations on exactly how it happened that The Boy who Lived used Crucio on another human being.

Investigators and reporters will also find out about the Magical School Accreditation Team from the students. Then, questions will be asked, because the Ministry had not sent out Accreditation Teams. There will be attention on Professors Gloucester, Scaevola, Regius and Hawthorn, and it will be discovered that there are no records of these professors at the Ministry.

Chances are, the Founders will be found out. Draco also doesn't want that to happen. Harry doesn't want Voldemort and the Death Eaters to find out about the Founders, and neither does Draco want the Ministry of Magic to find out about Salazar.

Now, you're probably wondering why I'm putting this in an author's note instead of just including it in the story. It's because it's very hard to get Draco to tell a story. He doesn't want to share his thoughts. If it was Harry's PoV, it's easier, but with Draco...

Forenote: Chapter 23 continues Chapter 20: Friends, Enemies and Rivals, immediately. The story commences after Harry walked out on Draco in the classroom.

Chapter 23: Much Ado about Sticks

Draco was bothered by what Harry had said. What did he mean exactly when he said that Lord Slytherin wouldn't stay long enough in this time to help Voldemort?

It couldn't possibly be a threat now, could it? Potter wouldn't dare do any harm to one of the Founders, even if it was Lord Slytherin.

Draco headed back to the hospital wing. He wanted to reassure himself that Lord Slytherin was in no danger.

When Draco tried to see the Dark wizard, Madam Pomfrey immediately ordered him to leave, saying that Professor Scaevola needed his rest and was in no condition to entertain visitors. The nurse still thought that Draco didn't know about the Founders.

Fortunately, the other Founders were there. Ravenclaw reassured Pomfrey that Draco would be no trouble at all, and Draco was allowed to see the patient.

The Dark wizard was still sleeping. Gryffindor was sitting in a chair by the bed. Hufflepuff was sitting in another chair on the other side of the bed. When they saw Draco, Hufflepuff gave him a slight smile. The woman had since changed her mind about Draco when she saw how worried he was about Lord Slytherin.

Gryffindor nodded at him shortly before turning his attention back to the other wizard. Lord Slytherin was frowning in his sleep. Once ever so often, he would twitch and mutter softly.

"Rachel." Gryffindor look over to Ravenclaw, who quickly moved closer to the bed. "Is he having a nightmare?" Gryffindor asked her. Draco watched Ravenclaw closely. Why would Gryffindor ask her if Lord Slytherin was having a nightmare?

"I'm afraid so," Ravenclaw answered softly. She took and held Lord Slytherin's left hand, which shook before clenching tight around her hand. ... Could she read minds? wondered Draco.

"What is he dreaming about?" asked Hufflepuff curiously.

A smile curved Ravenclaw's lips as she stroke Lord's Slytherin's hand gently with her other hand. "Broomsticks," she said simply. Draco was startled, but he quickly realized that what had happened to Lord Slytherin was more than enough to give him nightmares about broomsticks.

Gryffindor chuckled. He was about to say something when Ravenclaw gasped softly. Lord Slytherin's hand jerked away from her as its owner stilled. Lord Slytherin's eyes suddenly snapped open, blazing green fire. Everyone was startled when he sat up abruptly with a look of absolute fury on his pale angular features.

"Brooms..." He hissed through gritted teeth. His lips curled in an expression of sheer dislike.

Draco flinched when he bellowed, "I HATE BROOMS!"

***

Salazar seemed none the worse for wear. At dinnertime, the Great Hall was abuzz as students murmured and whispered to one another, all the while craning their heads to look over at the staff table more properly. Despite the other Founders' protests, the Dark wizard insisted on having supper as usual in the Great Hall.

Harry watched with amusement as Salazar glared resentfully at any professor or staff member who would dare bring up the issue of his broom mishap. It was the topic for dinner conversation this night and undoubtedly would be the most talked about news at Hogwarts for days to come, unless something even more exciting happened.

"I'm glad Professor Scaevola is all right," said Hermione, and Harry forced himself to look away from the staff table, where Salazar was slouching in his chair with his arms crossed and with a grumpy look on his face.

Chuckles and snickers suddenly broke out from the Weasley Twins and Lee Jordan. Hermione frowned at them, and Harry asked them curiously, "What's so funny?"

George cleared his throat before answering Harry, "He's funny git, Professor Scaevola, I mean."

Harry wondered if he was referring to Salazar's undignified behavior at the staff table, then Fred said, "Just before dinnertime, we spotted him outside at the broom shed."

"What was he doing there?" asked Ron.

Lee shook his head slightly, looking perplexed but still very amused. "We're not really sure, but before he could even open the shed door, the other Professors arrived."

"Professors Gloucester and Hawthorn were pretty upset," continued George, snickering. What they had seen must have been very funny.

Fred bit his lower lip, looking like he was trying hard to keep from laughing, and he was failing miserably.

Lee snorted. "It seemed that Scaevola managed to get away from them and wanted another try on a broomstick."

A chuckle escaped Harry before he could help it. It was just like Salazar to attempt another broom ride so soon after falling off one miles above the ground. He definitely wasn't the sort to accept failure lying down.

"What happened next?" asked Ron, who was grinning.

"Gloucester yelled at him," said George, "He told Scaevola he was nuts for even thinking of riding another broom. Stick to horses, he told him. Hawthorn threatened to give him a concussion if he pulled that stunt again."

Harry interrupted them, "Professor Hawthorn thinks he did it intentionally?"

"He must have," said Lee. "I mean brooms sometimes do go crazy when they're old or damaged, but they don't go crazy like that, and Draco's Nimbus 2001 is only about three years old."

Fred nodded, agreeing, "I think he must have edged on that broom too much and too quickly. Its magic must have gone haywire, and at that speed, its brakes must have gone kaput too. I've never seen a Nimbus 2001 go that fast."

Harry got a sinking feeling in his stomach as Hermione asked, "He made a broom perform beyond its capability?"

Lee explained, "There are some wizards and witches who can make a broom fly better than it's expected to do. They have a natural talent for flying. But there a few wizards who are just maniacs on a broom, no matter what they do. They unintentionally force too much out of the broomstick, and it just goes berserk. That must be what Scaevola did to Draco's Nimbus 2001."

George added, "He broke it without meaning to. I can understand why Gloucester and Hawthorn were furious that he tried to ride another broom again."

"He's a very bad flier," finished Fred.

What they said eased Harry's worry that Salazar may have tried to get out of Hogwarts, and it practically cleared Draco of wrongdoing. In which case, he owed Draco an apology. However, Harry still didn't trust Draco or Salazar for that matter.

***

Harry still had detention to do that evening. With a heavy heart, he told Ron and Hermione not to come with him, even under his Invisibility Cloak. It would be useless now that he was doing detention with Draco.

His best friends had been keeping him company each evening when he was doing detention. They would quickly help Harry finish most of his work, then spend the remaining detention time chatting and doing their homework. Hermione had cast a surveillance spell that would warn them if anyone was approaching. If someone did come, she and Ron would don the Invisibility Cloak while Harry continued his chore.

Now, with Draco, Ron and Hermione couldn't keep Harry company. But the two of them insisted on accompanying Harry to Mr. Filch's office at least. When they arrived there, they saw Draco, alone, waiting for Harry with their assignment. The two of them were to go dust the bookshelves in the library (the Restricted Section was excluded).

The chore didn't seem so bad at first. Ron and Hermione made loud excuses of wanting to do their homework in the library. It was closed at this time, but since Harry and Draco had to clean it, it should be all right if they stayed. They didn't have to speak so loudly though since Draco wasn't paying any attention to them. Harry wondered if Ron and Hermione noticed that Draco hadn't even sneered once at them this evening.

While Ron and Hermione did their homework (or tried to), Harry peeked at Draco out the corner of his eyes as he dusted the bookshelves.

Draco paid no mind to him as he meticulously dusted the books with a large feather duster. He sneezed often as did Harry as the dust tickled their noses. Soon, both boys' eyes were red and watering, and their noses were stuffy. Harry almost hit himself for not thinking to tie his scarf around his mouth and nose first.

Draco thought of it at the same time Harry did, and both lads soon resembled bandits with their thick scarves wrapped around the lower half of their faces. But their eyes were still bothered by dust, and Harry had to clean his glasses many a time. Draco fared worse, rubbing at his itchy eyes constantly.

Both of them were also starting to sweat despite the cool temperature in the library. It felt stuffy being surrounded by books and bookshelves, and the dirt and dust seemed attracted to their perspiration. Harry kept wiping his forehead with the back of his hand and didn't realize that it was now streaked with grime.

Suddenly, there was a cry from Hermione, and Harry immediately rushed out from between the bookshelves with Draco closed behind. He saw Hermione sitting stiffly in her chair. She was holding her hands to her mouth. Ron was sitting beside her, looking stunned, and his mouth gaping slightly.

Both of them were staring at Rowena Ravenclaw, who was smiling at them reassuringly. Harry decided that she must have appeared in an unexpected manner since Ron and Hermione were very surprised to see her.

Rowena's eyes lit up when she saw Harry and Draco. She walked towards them, saying, "I'm glad I found all of you."

"Is there something wrong?" asked Harry immediately, relaxing when she shook her head. "No, Harry," she said warmly, "everything is fine." Then she hesitated and added, "Actually, I would like to invite the four of you to Wvelte."

Ron and Hermione naturally looked confused, and they stood up and approached Rowena.

"Wvelte?" asked Hermione, and Rowena looked at her with a warm expression. "You'll see it soon," she said.

Harry was ready to jump at the opportunity to go back up there. Then, he remembered he had detention to do.

"I can't," he said to Rowena in a strangled disappointed tone of voice. He lifted his feather duster when she gave him a questioning look.

"We have to clean the library tonight." It was Draco who explained. He sounded very somber. Ron and Hermione glanced at him with surprised expressions.

"Oh," Rowena murmured, and she looked at each of them. Her eyes settled on Hermione who was holding her wand.

"May I borrow your wand, Hermione?" Rowena asked her politely. Hermione was startled, but she quickly handed her wand to Rowena.

Harry watched curiously as Rowena held out the wand and closed her eyes. Moving only her wrist, she began waving Hermione's wand in a circular motion. Seconds later, there was a small burst of light, and a miniature whirlwind appeared, twisting and hovering in the invisible sphere formed by Hermione's wand.

Harry jerked when he felt the air around him began to move towards the mini tornado.

"Quickly," said Rowena, opening her eyes and backing away from the magic whirlwind she had created, "it will only last for a short while. Dust as much as you can."

He stared at her puzzledly, and glanced at Draco who had rushed back in between the bookshelves. The other boy began hitting at the books with his feather duster, and Harry, Ron and Hermione jumped when the dust Draco dislodged flew towards the whirlwind. It was like a vacuum.

Harry quickly started dusting; Ron and Hermione helped as well. Soon, a modest dust cloud was whirling in the library, steadily fed by currents of dust-laden air. Harry and Ron made a contest of it, running through the bookshelves, swiping their dusters across book spines and through the bare spaces in between the shelves and books. It took very little effort to loosen the dirt and dust. Once the particles were in the air, Rowena's whirlwind drew them in, gathering all of it into a dense dark gray ball.

It was like working in a dust storm (which was what it was exactly), but it was fun. Harry, Ron and Hermione were laughing and coughing when they finished running through the library. Even Draco was grinning. Rowena laughed suddenly and lifted her hand to her mouth to stifle it. When Harry looked at his friends and Draco, he realized what she found so funny. All four of them were gray, from their hair to their shoes. Their faces, hands, arms, hair and every inch of their clothes were covered by fine library dust.

"Oh dear," whispered Rowena, who was immaculately clean.

***

"You three boys go into that room." Rowena pointed at a door to the right. They were in the grand hall of Wvelte. Harry noted the door Rowena indicated and quickly walked towards it. All twelve doors looked virtually identical to Harry, and he didn't want to end up opening the wrong door.

Draco followed Harry while Ron kept still. The latter was staring up at the crystal dome, his mouth opening in amazement. Hermione was in a similar state, but she didn't have much time to gape since Rowena was ushering her towards the door just right of the one Harry was standing in front of.

"I'll go with Hermione," said Rowena warmly. Hermione looked embarrassed as Rowena told the boys, "Don't take too long to clean up. The others are waiting for us. We'll meet the three of you back here in ten minutes, all right?"

Harry nodded, opening the door and stepping inside.

It was a bathroom thrice the area of the Prefect's bathroom. The floor was made of polished granite slabs while the walls and ceiling were of amber veined white marble. There were no windows, and the room was lit by dim tear-shaped light globes suspended on the walls. These brightened when Harry stepped further into the bathroom.

There was large sunken bathtub in the center of the room. A wide full-length mirror hung in the center of one of the four walls. Beside the mirror were finely carved wooden cabinets. Harry opened one of the cabinets. There were white fluffy towels and bathrobes inside.

He heard water splashing and turned to see a curtain of water falling magically from the ceiling and into the bathtub, which was big enough to be considered as a swimming pool.

"What did you do?" Harry heard Ron ask Draco in a demanding tone. He turned to see Ron fuming since Draco was ignoring him. The silver-haired boy suddenly stepped towards the rim of the tub and began taking off his clothes.

Harry and Ron watched as Draco quickly stripped down to his underwear and jumped into the tub, which was only thigh-deep and already half-filled with water. Draco waded to the cascading sheet of water and immersed himself in it. Seconds later, he emerged from it, walked back to the rim and got out of the tub dripping wet and clean.

Draco scowled when he saw Harry and Ron gawking at him. "We're suppose to hurry, remember?" He snapped at them. Harry and Ron jumped and began divesting themselves of their robes. They got into the pool while Draco rummaged in the cabinet for towels.

When Harry and Ron clambered out of the pool, they found Draco, with a towel over his head, frowning at the marble floor.

"What's wrong?" asked Harry as dried himself with a towel.

Draco gave him a puzzled irritated look. "Our robes and shoes are gone," he muttered.

"Eh!" Ron exclaimed. He and Harry began looking around for their clothes, but couldn't find them where they had dumped them on the floor. Ron looked suspiciously at Draco, thinking that he took their clothes, but Harry nudged him to be quiet. He didn't think that Draco took their clothes, since his own clothes were also missing.

The door suddenly opened, and Godric walked in. He spotted them and hurried over to them with a reassured look on his face. "Good. You're all clean," he said as he walked passed them to the cabinets. He opened the rightmost cabinet and took out their clothes and their shoes.

"Here, put them on," said Godric, dumping their clothes into their arms. They were now clean and dust-free. Godric seemed to be in a hurry and didn't notice or choose to ignore the surprise in their faces at the instantaneous laundering of their clothes.

Harry fingered a sleeve of Ron's robes (Godric had switched his and Harry's clothes). Their robes had also been pressed and ironed, and their shoes were polished shiny.

While Harry and Ron exchanged robes, Draco had finished dressing and was putting on his shoes. When he was done, Godric told him to go ahead to the third door on the right from this room. Draco immediately went off without a question.

"Sir, what's going on?" Harry asked while putting on his socks.

Godric's expression turned rueful. He passed to Ron his socks before answering Harry. "Sextus," he stated. Harry remembered that Rowena's name spell was still working on the Founders. Godric and the others would hear Salazar's real name, but everyone else would hear his alias.

"What about Lord Slytherin?" said Harry, unable to keep himself from grinning. The Dark wizard seemed to cause trouble wherever he went.

Godric rolled his eyes, looking exasperated. "He's being an annoying brat." A snicker escaped from Ron at this, and Harry had to bite his lower lip to keep from laughing.

Godric looked disgruntled. "Whiny," he said in an irritated tone of voice, "Sextus has been whining since dinnertime, because we wouldn't let him go near a broomstick."

"He is dangerous on a broom," commented Ron with a grin, and Godric nodded firmly, agreeing. Then, brown eyes turned curious as they locked on Ron, who was embarrassed at having Lord Gryffindor's full attention.

Harry quickly introduced Ron to Godric, who smiled and shook Ron's hand. "Please to meet you, Ron Weasley," he said warmly, and Ron looked as though he wanted to ask Godric for his autograph.

***

The fourth room in Wvelte that Harry entered became his favorite, beating Godric's bedroom. It was a low-ceiling room, dimly lit and cozy with dark wooden paneled walls. Windows covered one whole wall and were shrouded by thick maroon curtains with silver embroidered edges.

The other two walls adjacent to the window wall were covered with shelves filled with books, bottles and various objects. Most of them appeared to be games. Harry spotted a gold and silver chest set. On the fourth wall was a fireplace. The fire in the hearth was changing from one rainbow color to another.

In the center of the room was a round table whose surface was glowing white. Four plush recliner couches were around it. Salazar and Draco were sitting on one. Helga, Rowena and Hermione, on another.

Hermione stood up when they came in and rushed over to Harry and Ron with a wide happy smile. Harry blinked at her. Hermione's hair had been braided and set in an elegant style.

Hermione looked as though she had something that she wanted to tell Harry and Ron badly, but when she saw that Godric was with them, she became embarrassed. Godric immediately noticed her discomfort and gave her a reassuring smile. Then, he excused himself politely and went over to join the others.

"What is it, Hermione?" asked Ron. She looked very excited. Harry then noticed she was wearing Rowena's eagle pin.

"There's a huge library here!" Hermione's eyes were glazed over with joy. "When I told Lady Ravenclaw how interested I was about their time, she said I could look over the books and scrolls in the library. She let me have a peek at it, and it's fantastic!"

Harry didn't have to guess which room in Wvelte Hermione liked the best.

Hermione was practically squealing. "She said, if I like, I could borrow the books! Oh, Harry, Ron! This place is a treasure house! A lot of knowledge was lost over a thousand years, and this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to replace them! I must tell Madam Pince! She'll be so excited!"

"So... I guess that means you two can come over here whenever you want to."

Hermione fell silent, and Harry looked over to Ron, who was struggling not to look jealous. Harry swallowed uncomfortably. So Ron must have noticed that he and Hermione had pins, and Draco too."

"Oh, Ron..." Hermione bit her lip, at a loss for the words that would make Ron feel better.

Ron shrugged, putting on a brave face. He pretended to be uninterested.

"What are you three doing over here?" They all jumped when Helga suddenly appeared beside them.

"Oh. Ah. Nothing." Hermione was flustered, and so was Harry. Ron just looked away. Helga tutted softly and said, "We better start the game soon before Godfrey murders Sextus. Hermione, you'll be pairing with Rachel, right?"

As Hermione nodded, Harry wondered, what game? But before he could ask, Helga was shooing off Hermione back to Rowena, and then she turned to him and said, "Harry, you're Godfrey's partner."

Harry blinked at her and nodded slowly. He was startled when Helga moved passed him and took Ron's hand.

Ron stared into gentle teasing black eyes. "You will be my partner, won't you, young man?" Helga said in a warm but still no-nonsense tone of voice. Ron's ears turned red, and he nodded.

Helga smiled at him brilliantly and pulled Ron over to the table. After a few seconds, Harry followed them.

To be continued.

Chapter Twenty-Two and Twenty-Three have now ended.

Chapter 24: The Game

"Release," said Godric, and four bundles of colored sticks scattered simultaneously on the table.

"Pick up the loose sticks first, Ron," Harry heard Helga say as he began picking up loose sticks on his and Godric's section of the table. Hovering a foot above the table was a three-dimensional game board.

"Throw the dice, Rachel," Salazar said. Harry glanced over to him and Draco, who had already gathered all the loose sticks on their side. The other boy was now gingerly levering a green stick off a red stick.

As Harry turned his attention back to picking up sticks, he heard the click clack sound of ivory dice hitting wood.

"Six," said Rowena, and Harry glanced up to the game board. The blue token moved six spaces and landed beside a red square.

"Do we have a free red stick, Hermione?" Rowena asked her partner. Hermione nodded and held up a red stick. Rowena smiled and told her to place it on the game board. Harry stopped picking up sticks to watch Hermione.

When the red stick touched the game board, it glowed, shimmered and vanished. A scroll suddenly popped up out of nowhere in front of Rowena and Hermione. Floating in mid-air, it unrolled itself and showed its contents to them.

"Hmm..." Rowena conferred with Hermione before declaring, "Barrington Brothers' Smithy." Harry watched with wide eyes as a miniature building assembled by itself on the red square.

Sitting beside Harry, Godric groaned. "Rachel," he complained, "you know that's my favorite."

"I know, Godfrey," said Rowena in a mischievous tone, "if you happen to get Trapps Tilan's Library, we can trade."

"If I can get it," muttered Godric. Harry grinned. Godric was very serious about this game. Then he was distracted when Helga threw the dice. The three dice landed in the center on the table, rolled, stopped and showed triple sixes.

Salazar exclaimed with delight, and Harry was startled when the table began to shake, sticks scattered, and four new bundles of sticks appeared and dropped.

"Hannah, you are beautiful!" Godric declared joyfully. On the game board, the yellow token moved eighteen spaces and landed beside a yellow space. Ron placed the required stick on the board, and without looking at the scroll, Helga said, "Jippet Japp's Hospice."

Another building rose on the yellow square, and it was Godric's turn to throw. The dice showed ten, and the red token landed beside a green square.

"Oh no," Salazar grumbled. Godric looked very happy, and Harry quickly placed a green stick on the board.

"Scrimbles' Snakes Emporium," said Godric, without looking at the scroll. Harry snorted. That was most likely where Salazar sold his and Godric's basilisks.

It was Salazar's turn, and the dice showed twelve. The green token landed beside a blue square. "Trapps Tilan's Library," Salazar declared after Draco placed a blue stick on the board.

Pointedly ignoring Godric's glare, Salazar turned towards Rowena. Harry watched as two more scrolls popped up in front of them and exchanged places before vanishing. On the game board, the tiny blue flag flying over Barrington Brothers' Smithy became a tiny green flag. The green flag over the newly constructed Trapps Tilan's Library turned blue.

Then suddenly, four more scrolls appeared; one for each team. Harry read the scroll floating in front of him and Godric.

Orange is needed for each hut to build
Red can clear land for a farm to till
Violet to give for a well to dig

Harry quickly checked their stack of free sticks and breathed in relief to find that there was one red stick among them. While Godric placed the required sticks on the board, Harry quickly picked up more sticks. It was clear that sticks were quick to be in short supply, and he had to be careful not to jar other sticks since they would disintegrate if they are bumped by the stick he was trying to pick.

Harry hoped that someone would throw another triple sixes. It was getting very hard to pick up sticks. Also, Harry was very distracted by little wizards and witches now on the board and working on their farms. Their portion of the game board village was off to a good start with six huts, a well and one farm.

The scrolls vanished after a predetermined amount of time, and Rowena threw the dice. Again, she got another six, which placed the blue token right on Trapps Tilan's Library.

All of a sudden, the room shimmered and turned into a library. Harry was so surprised, he accidentally knocked away a lot of sticks, which immediately disappeared. "Ack!" yelled Ron, who had also lost a lot of sticks. Even Hermione and Draco lost many of their sticks when they all suddenly ended up in Trapps Tilan's Library.

The library seemed small and rather dingy, but that was because dozens of tall narrow bookshelves were crammed into space the area of, say, the Gryffindor common room. There were small tables and spindly-looking chairs scattered throughout the room. All the windows were open and bright slats of sunlight-patterned rectangles of light on the rough stone floor. Countless dust motes danced lazily around and were seen only when they passed through the sunbeams.

Suddenly, a wizard in dark gray robes walked out from between the bookshelves and went through the game board table and through Draco.

Draco paled whiter than a ghost, and Helga said to Rowena that perhaps it would be better if they went back. Rowena nodded and reached out to tap the blue token on the board with her fingertip. The room shimmered again, and they were back in the game room in Wvelte.

"That was incredible," whispered Ron after several moments' of silence. Harry looked over to him as Godric asked curiously. "You've never played a game like this?"

"Sure, I have," answered Ron, still looking impressed, "but no one's ever made a game that changes the room you're playing in into the interior of a location in the game. That was so cool!"

"That library we were in was a real place, wasn't it?" asked Hermione. She still looked a bit startled.

Rowena replied hesitantly, "It was a memory, but there is or there was a place known as Trapps Tilan's Library. I frequented it."

A memory... thought Harry. He stared at the game board with its minuscule buildings and little wizarding folk. So, it was also like a Pensieve.

Salazar looked thoughtful, and he commented to Godric, "Since they don't know about this game, I suppose we never got around to marketing it then."

Godric nodded slowly and murmured, "I suppose." Then, both wizards fell silent, and Harry noticed that they were avoiding Rowena and Helga's questioning eyes. Helga simply looked curious, but Rowena was beginning to look frustrated. She looked as though she wanted to question Godric and Salazar, but she didn't since Harry, Ron, Hermione and Draco were there.

The room fell into an uneasy silence, and it was Salazar who broke it. With a peculiar blank expression on his face, he told Rowena to go on with the game. For the first time, Harry saw Rowena give Salazar a sharp penetrating look. It reminded him of Professor McGonagall when she was at her strictest, or of Hermione when she was being stubborn.

Harry was certain that once he and the others left Wvelte, Rowena would be after Godric and Salazar for answers, not subtly nor gently, but in the same way that Hermione had tried to bully people into joining and supporting S.P.E.W.

Salazar faced Rowena's formidable glare unflinchingly, and Rowena's eyes narrowed at him. "Hermione," she suddenly said in a calm yet dangerous tone of voice, "place the white stick on the board."

Helga looked surprised by this move. Godric's face turned wary, but Salazar's expression remained unchanged. Harry watched curiously as Hermione took out the single white stick from their pile. It was one of the two rarest sticks in the game since there was only one white colored stick in the bundles of colored sticks, which had thirty-six pieces each. Harry had no idea what the white stick would do in the game.

Instead of simply disappearing, as the other sticks had done when placed on the board, the white stick glowed and flashed. The blue square upon which stood Trapps Tilan's Library lit up. A colored disc suddenly appeared, floating a foot above the game board. It was a foot in diameter, and its center was aligned precisely with the center of the table. A thin iridescent blue thread flowed down from it, and its free end attached itself to Trapps Tilan's Library.

Harry jumped when invisible trumpets blared, and a scroll popped into existence in front of Godric and Harry. It unrolled and on it was written:

The building of Hogwarts has begun!

Gryffindor has none out of three hundred sixty points
Ravenclaw has one out of three hundred sixty points
Hufflepuff has none out of three hundred sixty points
Slytherin has none out of three hundred sixty points

Game ends when one House is complete!

Harry blinked at it and was about to ask Godric about it when the clattering of dice distracted him. Helga had taken her turn. The dice read nine, and a tiny ebony black badger ran nine spaces from Jippet Japp's Hospice. As it stopped beside a red square, Harry stared at the badger and looked at the other tokens. Their red token was now a mini golden lion, which was pacing impatiently around the square it was in. Salazar and Draco's green token had turned into a coiled silver serpent. Rowena and Hermione's blue token had become a bronze eagle, which was perched atop Trapps Tilan's Library.

Thankfully, Godric started to explain to Harry the rules and objectives of the game. There were three main objectives. The most obvious was acquiring as many territories (squares) as possible. Developing one's area of the game board was also important since a player needed to fill out certain requirements such as wizard population. These little game wizards in turn would increase the production of the player's territories.

It was their turn at dice now, but before throwing them, Godric nodded towards the game board and told Harry, "Watch what the little people do."

On their side of the board, they had six huts, which seemed to be able to accommodate three little people each. As Harry watched, six little wizards and witches in teeny scarlet robes began working on the single farm they had. Half of these six went over to the well and took out the tiniest wands Harry had ever seen. These wizards began summoning water out of the well to fill up buckets.

Harry had to tear his eyes away from them so that he could see what the other dozen little people were doing. Three of them, Harry saw, were heading towards Scrimbles' Snakes Emporium while the other nine just seemed to be lounging around their huts doing nothing.

"Scarlet Simeons' Tavern," declared Godric, and six more wizards headed out. Harry frowned, wondering why six were going to the tavern while only three had gone to the snake emporium. He looked over to where Scarlet Simeons' Tavern was and noticed it was on a red square.

Harry paused then looked over to Trapps Tilan's Library, which had six wizards in dark blue robes gathered in front of it. As he watched, half a dozen tiny heads nodded in agreement, and all of them went inside the library.

"If it's your own color, production will be more efficient," Godric said suddenly, and Harry glanced at him. The older wizard nodded over to Jippet Japp's Hospice. Harry looked over to it just as a tiny wizard in dark brown robes came out of the building. He was holding a white bundle in his arms, and he walked over to a witch who was standing beside a neat pile of bundles in front of the hospice. The witch nodded and wrote something on a minuscule scroll she was holding with an equally tiny feather quill. The wizard placed his bundle on the pile and went back inside the hospice just as another wizard came out, carrying a similar bundle.

"What are they making?" Harry asked Godric in a low voice.

Godric answered, "Since it's Jippet Japp's, medicines and bandages mostly."

Harry suddenly noticed that their people had reached Scrimbles', and they seemed to be arguing in front of the shop. It was on a green square.

"Why don't you exchange squares with Lord Slytherin?" suggested Harry.

The look Godric gave to Harry made it clear he didn't like the idea.

After all players had their third turn at dice, scrolls again popped up before all of them. Their scroll said:

The more the better, the price's still the same.
Red for food violet for water oranges for houses

You currently have ~~~
Six houses with three tenants each, which makes 18!
A farm and a well with six farmers, good! There is enough food for all!

"Hmm...," murmured Godric thoughtfully. Harry watched as he picked up a rainbow colored stick, all the oranges they had left and a violet stick. These, he handed to Harry, who placed them on the board. The rainbow colored stick, Harry saw, flashed red before vanishing.

Three more huts, a farm and another well appeared on their side of the board. By now, each of the teams had three squares, and the game board was starting to look quite confusing with little wizards and witches traveling all over the place.

"You and Lord Slytherin made this game?" Harry asked Godric in a hushed voice filled with awe. Godric, who was looking over their domain, nodded distractedly.

As the game proceeded for the next hour, Harry learned a few more important things about the game. New bundles of sticks appeared when all four players made complete rounds around the board. Harry was thankful for this especially, since in the last few turns, game play barely advanced due to the lack of sticks.

Another important event occurred when all tokens made complete rounds. The products or packages made by their workers could be converted into sticks. For example, thirty tiny bundles of medicines from Jippet Japp's Hospice could be made into a single yellow stick. Forty-five bundles would be required for a red, blue or green stick. Random or rainbow-colored sticks cost sixty bundles each, and they could only be turned into any of the above four colors when used.

White, black, orange and violet sticks, on the other hand, could only be gained by picking them up.

The House color sticks, as what Harry had began to think of them as, were also used to upgrade territory squares. Buildings could only be upgraded three times, and the number of people working in them increased by three with each renovation. Production also increased proportionally.

Harry also found out that white sticks could only be used when a player landed on his own square as Rowena had done very early in the game. Materials could only be transferred to Hogwarts if a white stick had been played on a territory square. It turned out a House point equaled three hundred and sixty packages.

Godric also told Harry that building Hogwarts usually didn't begin until midway through the game when each player had already gained a good number of squares and when most buildings had been upgraded to second level.

"Early in the game," said Godric, "it's better to have the packages turned into sticks rather than have them go up to Hogwarts immediately; however, what Rachel did was also a strategic move since the first convoy link to Hogwarts becomes its cornerstone and cannot be destroyed."

Harry glanced at the shiny colorful threads connecting Hogwarts to the squares below. Right now, there were six blue threads, five yellow threads, three red threads and three green threads. They had been playing for nearly three hours now.

"They can be destroyed?" Harry queried as the Gryffindor lion token padded six spaces to stop beside Barrington Brothers' Smithy.

He blinked when Godric slapped a black stick, a red, a violet and an orange stick on the game board. Trumpets blared again, and this time with drums beating in the background. Harry watched with mild shock, as six tiny wizards in dark red robes ran towards the smithy, where three little wizards in dark green robes were coming out.

A takeover? Harry thought as he watched the pint-sized wizards duel with each other.

"Sir?" Harry heard Draco say loudly, and he looked over to other boy who was looking a little embarrassed since Salazar had fallen asleep while leaning against him.

Godric stood up with an expression of disbelief on his face. "Oh no... that's not fair-"

"Thank goodness," said Helga interrupting Godric with a sigh of relief. "He finally fell asleep- Godfrey, don't you dare wake him up!" she hissed sharply just as Godric was about to shake Salazar awake.

"He has to be pretending," grumbled Godric, "I was about to take the smithy." Harry shook his head at his House's Founder and at Lord Slytherin. Both wizards had been undermining each other throughout the game. That was why their teams were so far behind the other teams.

"There is a way to make sure," Helga reminded Godric, and she asked Rowena, "Is Sextus really sleeping, Rachel?"

Rowena nodded with a smile. She had since regained her usual gentle demeanor during the course of the game though Harry felt that she will not be letting up on Godric and Salazar anytime soon.

It's better that they don't know that Lord Slytherin left Hog- Rowena suddenly looked towards him sharply, and Harry almost hit himself for thinking about it.

Harry quickly stood up, causing Ron and Hermione to look at him curiously.

"We should really be going to bed now," said Harry, hoping he sounded reluctant and not nervous.

Godric looked at him curiously then nodded with a smile. "Yes, it is very late already."

Harry was glad when Hermione followed his lead quickly. "We had a wonderful evening," Hermione said to Rowena who was slow to look away from Harry.

"It has been an enjoyable evening for us as well," Rowena said warmly.

Godric and Helga escorted Harry, Ron, Hermione and Draco to the hall outside. Before they were sent down, Helga gave Ron her ebony badger pin. Ron was very red with embarrassment, but Harry could see he was ecstatic. Harry grinned when Helga warned Ron she would take her pin back if he misused it.

When the four students arrived in the entrance hall, Draco nodded at them silently before heading down to the dungeons. He went away so quickly that Harry didn't have a chance to say good night to him. Ron and Hermione didn't even seem to notice that Draco had left, and on their way to Gryffindor Tower, Harry had to explain to his friends why he was in a hurry to leave Wvelte.

To be continued.