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Post by Rowena Ravenclaw on Feb 6, 2011 0:41:29 GMT 1
It was another sleepless night for Rowena. She found herself walking in small circles in her room and office, unable to make herself fall asleep. Rowena sat down in her chair, with a cup of tea in her arms, wearing her blue silky nightgown. She looked out the window at the starry sky above. It had been almost two weeks, two sleepless weeks since the awful event she'd witnessed, since she'd lost a person who'd meant a lot to her, no matter what Salazar said. Rowena just sighed and took a sip of her tea, looking out the window. She was sitting there for hours, watching the night turn into day and the sun rise above the lake and the mountains.
Rowena finally stood up, changed into a long dark dress, did her hair, placed her famous diadem on her dark curls and walked out of her room, hoping she didn't look too pale or exhausted. She walked downstairs, towards the staff room, where she hoped to see the other founders. Rowena didn't know what time it was, but she thought that at least Helga would be awake. Rowena walked into the room and kept standing at the door, just looking around.
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Post by Helga Artemis Hufflepuff on Feb 6, 2011 0:58:31 GMT 1
Helga's night had not been very different from Rowena's. Too many things were happening in Hogwarts, and none of them appeared to have a happy ending. Not only her job was proving to be difficult to handle, but also her private life. After Cornictacus's accident, she had put aside her internal conflicts and spent most of her free time with her husband to be. However no matter how much she tried, when she was in bed and alone at night, negative thoughts settled and took over her mind. Her parents still did not know about her pregnancy and she knew that they would not be happy.
They would force her to get married to the father and leave her job.The youngest of the four founders, was not yet ready to give up her job and life for marriage. She loved Cornictacus, but Hogwarts meant a great deal to her. She had her friends and her beloved students. After hours of tossing in bed, the sun finally rose. Helga slipped quietly out of her bed and got dressed. When she was done she went downstairs to the kitchen and started working on breakfast. It took her less than an hour to prepare sufficient food to feed the whole school.
Being still early, Helga went to the staff room. Upon her arrival it was empty. She sat down on the soft couch and started rubbing her small bulging tummy while staring blankly ahead of her. Some fifteen minutes later the door swung open. When she did not hear any footsteps, Helga turned slowly towards the door. Her eyes found Rowena and she offered her friend a tired smile. Helga shifted her position and let out a soft sigh before bidding her colleague a good morning. |
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Post by Salazar Slytherin on Feb 6, 2011 1:12:17 GMT 1
Salazar spent most of his time with his basilisk, patting it, he focused more on the creature then his students or his potion class, awfully absent in most classes, he hasn't seen the others that much, haven't left the chamber of secrets for a while either, he seemed more pale then usual, his nails did grow a little, he was also oblivious to all that happened in Hogwarts lately, it was time to get up there and see the others, see what's going on, his Basilisk could now survive on it's own, he smiled, talking in the parseltongue dialect to her, patting her one last time as he soon left the chamber. He looked around, no one was in the girls bathroom so that was good, he left the place and walked toward the usual staff room, covering his eyes from the light, he hasn't seen it for a while, maybe his construction of the chamber of secrets misses something, maybe some lights could be used in there. He just shrugged as he made his way to the staff room, to get some information on what was going on.
Once he arrived, he opened the door and went inside, he saw that he wasn't the first here, nor the second one, Helga and Rowena were already there, he nodded calmly, his way of acknowledging them. He took his respectful seat, looking at the two of them, they both seemed tired, really tired, he put a hand on his eyes, the light still blinding him, he wasn't used to it yet, it has been so long.
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Godric corrected some parchments, looking at them twice, overall the answers were pretty good, the students were in the passing zone, which was rather satisfactory. Godric caressed his beard for a while, wondering if he was forgetting something, was there a staff meeting today? He didn't remember, he left his offices to have a look, just to be sure. He opened the door slowly, and then entered the room, he looked at Rowena, Helga and Salazar, they all seemed rather tired lately and Salazar seemed a bit more pale than usual, he caressed his beard, what was he up to? He just shrugged and looked at all of them, true he was late and he just wanted to lighten the mood for a while. "A wizard is never late."
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Post by Rowena Ravenclaw on Feb 6, 2011 1:31:22 GMT 1
Rowena looked at Helga, realizing how crazy she must have looked, just standing there, with a tired look on her face. "Good morning." she finally said and sat next to Helga in an armchair. Her friend looked just as pale and tired as she herself was; it seemed as if she hadn't slept longer than Rowena the previous night. "Tell me." Rowena said gently, waiting for her friend to tell her what was on her mind and bothering her, even though she had an idea what it might be, she wanted to make Helga feel better by saying it.
Salazar entered the room and Rowena realized she hadn't seen him for days. He looked so pale and tired. Rowena nodded her head in answer to his nod, before she spoke to him. "Are you alright, Salazar? What happened?"
Godric came last, as usual. Unlike the other three, he seemed so happy and relaxed that Rowena actually envied him. Rowena looked at him with her delicate eyebrows slightly raised. "Of course." she said tiredly. "I'm glad we've all arrived."
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Post by Helga Artemis Hufflepuff on Feb 6, 2011 1:46:36 GMT 1
Helga looked away from Rowena and removed her hand from her stomach, instead folding her arms across her chest. The young founder nibbled her lower lip and shrugged at Rowena's words. After several seconds she turned her head back in her friend's direction. "I am exhausted. I don't think I will be able to..." she let her voice trail away, unable to voice her fears and worries. Helga placed her hand on Rowena's and noticed that she looked more tired than ever. Helga knew the other woman had been having trouble sleeping but she had not realised it had been this bad. "You can talk to me whenever you feel the need to," she said soothingly.
The words had just left her lips when the door opened and Salazar walked inside the staff room. Helga's eyes followed his every movement as he crossed the room and sat down. Helga had no idea when was the last time she had seen Slytherin. He looked pale and his appearance was ragged. Rowena voiced her same concerns, thus she remained silent. Helga moved forwards in the couch and locked her eyes with Salazar's expectantly. Godric's appearance startled Helga and put her on edge. Although she was not fond of the latter, she smiled in his direction. |
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Post by Salazar Slytherin on Feb 6, 2011 1:57:12 GMT 1
"I'm alright dear, I'm alright." He said, how many days did he spend there? He didn't remember at all, he was so thin since he didn't eat much, he almost seemed like a skeleton, He was rubbing his hands together, feeling rather cold, probably because of the temperature back in there, his nails were sharp enough to gouge someones eyes out, or at least it seemed that way, he looked at the only one, the usual one who was never affected by all of this. He sighed calmly it was so typical, Godric always in a better mood no matter the danger, it was annoying him and yet in a same way, he admired that trait, in his former friend, he looked away calmly, was it him or Helga's stomach changed, what did this mean? He just looked at it intensely. "Helga... did you eat too much?" That was impossible was it? Her face remained the same and yet her stomach did seem to grow, what was the meaning of this? He shrugged, his fault for missing so many news.
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Godric looked at them, they all seemed tired and beat. He sighed calmly, for once he wished his friends would be in a better condition, maybe they should just cancel this meeting so they can rest? He smiled back at Helga, still unaware that she wasn't really fond of him, he kept looking at them. "Is this meeting a wise idea? You are all tired, you should get some rest, a rested mind is always better than one tired. Oh and Helga, could you give a thanks to Cornictacus for me, I love his prank items."
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Post by Rowena Ravenclaw on Feb 6, 2011 2:20:39 GMT 1
Rowena gave Helga a warm yet tired smile. "Oh, you'll be fine, my dear, I know how strong you are." she said gently. "Thank you, my dear, you're always so kind to me." Rowena sighed and turned to Salazar. "Are you sure? You really don't look too good." she expressed her concerns as she looked at him. "Where have you been for the past couple of..." she started, but then she heard Salazar's question and raised her eyebrows, surprised. "Oh, honestly, Salazar, isn't it obvious?" she asked, still unable to believe his words. Rowena turned to Godric, then. "We have important issues on our hands, Godric. We can't just go and do nothing. Besides, the only way for me to rest is to use my mind." she added. Rowena rolled her eyes at his last comment, how typical, talking about childish prank items while the others were dealing with more serious problems.
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Post by Helga Artemis Hufflepuff on Feb 6, 2011 2:31:23 GMT 1
"Not this time Rowena," she said with an air of defeat. Helga smiled at her friend and gave her hand a squeeze. "That's what friends are for," she replied. Helga did not seem convinced with Salazar's statement. He looked under feed and she instantly made a mental note to prepare him some of his favourite dishes. Helga could feel Slytherin's eyes on her and it made her feel uncomfortable. Her eyes widened at his words and she looked at Rowena as she spoke. Helga gulped and looked from Slytherin to Gryffindor. "I'm pregnant," she finally said in a strangled voice. Gryffindors's next words seemed to be the last straw for Helga. No sooner had he uttered Cornictacus's name, she burst into tears. Helga buried her face in her hands and sobbed quietly for several minutes. |
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Post by Salazar Slytherin on Feb 6, 2011 2:39:08 GMT 1
Salazar was a bit shocked to be honest, he didn't expect this, not from gentle, nice Helga at least, she wasn't even married to her fiance yet, this could be bad, he listened to Godric and just sighed, he always was relaxed, he then looked at Helga, what was going on, why did she seem so sad, He saw Godric getting close though and putting a hand on her shoulders, what happened? He looked at her and in unison with Godric, they said. "What happened?" Salazar looked at Godric and then at Helga, they both did. Salazar had no news of what was happening around here, with his friends and all, he was too busy with his basilisk, he put a hand on Helga's hands, pulling them away as he wiped off her tears, being careful with his nails, his hands were just so cold, even Salazar was trembling because of the cold he was feeling.
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Godric felt bad, as he looked at Rowena, his hand still on Helgas shoulder, what just happened, he should of asked Rowena for more news, he looked at Rowena, a bit furious that she omitted to talk about the recent events, the only events he had was Alfies death.
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Post by Rowena Ravenclaw on Feb 6, 2011 2:57:27 GMT 1
Rowena held Helga's hand and patted it gently with her other friend. She realised her friend was rather uncomfortable with looks and questions, but there was nothing she could do to help her, other than hold her hand. The other two would have found out about her pregnancy eventually, but Rowena kept her friend's secrets, just like Helga kept her secrets. When Helga started to cry, Rowena hugged her, to make her feel better. Godric came closer to them and Rowena gave him an icy cold look for making the youngest founder cry. She rolled her eyes again; how could they even ask such a question, with Cornictacus being hurt and nearly killed by a lunatic. Rowena hadn't actually told them about the accident, but she thought they knew about it. "There, there... don't cry, dear, it'll be alright." she whispered gently to Helga. Salazar was so kind and gentle, Rowena had seen him acting like that only once before, when he was comforting her in Hogsmeade, after the bloodbath they'd witnessed. Godric seemed to be angry with Rowena for some reason. "Why are you looking at me like that? Is there something wrong?" she asked him calmly.
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Post by Helga Artemis Hufflepuff on Feb 6, 2011 3:11:15 GMT 1
Helga did not move or hug Rowena back when the older woman wrapped her arms around. She buried her face deeper in her hands and continued to cry until the two males asked the same question at the same time. When Salazar removed her hands from her face, she did not struggle. After lowering her hands and folding them in her lap she looked at them with puffy red eyes and tears streaming down her face. Salazar's fingers on her cheeks made her shudder and Godric's touch was less than reassuring. She shook her head in response to their question and whispered, "I'm fine." Her words said one thing, but her broken expression revealed the exact opposite. Godric's look did not go unnoticed. Helga flinched when Rowena snapped at him and she begged, "Please let us not fight. We are here to discuss more important matters." She did not want her friend getting in trouble for not telling them about her pregnancy. In fact, Helga felt angry that Godric would expect to be notified about everything. |
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Post by Salazar Slytherin on Feb 6, 2011 3:24:29 GMT 1
Salazar just nodded, there was no point in fighting, he looked at her calmly, his hand finally stopped touching her cheek, he looked back at Rowena, even he seemed a bit angry, but not at her, he realized he should of been out more, maybe stop the bad stuff happening to his friends, he sighed before getting back to his seat, as he looked at Godric and then at Helga, something told him that he was far less from reassuring.
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Godric just sighed, she was right, he went back to his seat, there was no point in arguing, but some information would be nice, did something happen to Cornictacus? Since he did mention him and she started crying, he sighed calmly as he went back to his seat, lost in his thoughts, what could they talk about, the three of them were tired, so how would this staff meeting work? He sighed and looked from Rowena, to Helga and then Salazar, he noticed his old friend trembling, but didn't say anything just in case he would feel bad just like Helga did with something he said, maybe it was best if he remained silent.
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Post by Rowena Ravenclaw on Feb 6, 2011 18:17:48 GMT 1
Rowena kept staring at Godric, acting as if she had no idea why he was giving her the look. He was wrong if he was expecting to hear everything about Helga's secrets and problems from Rowena. She was actually a bit offended with both Godric and Salazar's behaviour, they always did that, they were never there, but they expected Rowena to do everything that had to be done and keep them informed. She usually did all of that without objection, but sleepless nights and her conscience made her a bit more sensitive to the issue. Rowena took a deep breath "I agree, there is no need to fight." she said, even though she didn't agree. "Many things have happened in the last couple of weeks, both good and bad and we have to work together to solve the problems."
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Post by Helga Artemis Hufflepuff on Feb 6, 2011 19:31:04 GMT 1
Helga closed her eyes for a brief moment and took a deep breallth. When she was convinced she had successfully managed to calm herself she looked at her colleagues. Helga nodded her words at Rowena's words and said softly, "Although I do not agree I feel it is my duty to tell you that some students have been asking me about these new sports emerging throughout our world." She stood up and walked towards the board in the staff room. Helga drew out her wand and waved it. Writing instantly started appearing on the board:
Stichstock: Originating in Germany and consisting of a single wizard acting as a guardian or goalkeeper, trying to protect an inflated dragon bladder. A number of other players mounted on broomsticks would attempt to pierce the bladder, with the first who successfully did so being declared the winner; the goalkeeper could attempt to hex the other players; if nobody was able to pierce the bladder, the goalkeeper won.
Aingingein: An Irish game which requires broomstick-mounted players to fly through a number of burning barrels set in the air, whilst all the time clutching a ball with one hand. At the end of this fiery course was a goal into which the ball had to be hurled. The wizard who completed the course and scored a goal in the shortest time, without catching fire along the way, was the winner.
Creaothceann: An exceptionally violent and often fatal game originating in Scotland. A large number of boulders were charmed to hover in the air and each player had a cauldron strapped to the back of his/her head. A horn was sounded, the rocks were released, and the players would fly around on their broomsticks trying to catch as many rocks in their cauldron as possible. The winner was the player who caught the most rocks.
Shuntbumps: A very simple form of broomstick-jousting where one flyer attempts to knock the other off his broom.
Swivenhodge: involves hitting an inflated pig's bladder back and forth across a hedge.
References
Wizards' Sports Wikipedia-Quidditch: Ancient Games |
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Post by Salazar Slytherin on Feb 6, 2011 19:48:57 GMT 1
Salazar just remained calmer, not even looking at Rowena, he was staring at Helga, playing with his nails as he kept looking at her, he brushed his hands against each other, to try and warm up, but he then looked at the fireplace, casting a fire on it, to make sure it would be warmer, he felt also hungry but he wouldn't admit it, his stomach did growl at some time, but he looked back at Helga when she started to speak, listening attentively, he touched his beard, looking at Godric from time to time, when she was done, he looked at the other founders. Creaothceann seems interesting, I think we should pick that one. We choose players in our house for it, so I guess the winner could get a prize, a cup perhaps?"
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Godric looked at Salazar, he swore that he heard his stomach growl, he shook his head, focusing on Rowena and then back at Helga, when she talked about the different sports, he just looked at her, it seemed an intriguing idea. "Yes the Creaothceann seems interesting, but I think we should integrate all of those sports in Hogwarts."
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