by Poultrygeist99
Summer 978 A.D. ~ Scotland
Following the murder of his half-brother, Edward II, the Martyr, Ethelred II succeeded to the throne of Scotland. Only ten years old at the time, Ethelred was referred to as Ethelred, the Unready by many of his countrymen. Scotland at this time was plagued by Viking invaders, but had not yet seen the menace of William, the Randy.
The Christian religion was starting to find a foothold, but many still clung to their pagan and druidic roots. Conflicts between members of different religious were common. Druids were beginning to hide themselves as the common folk became less trusting of their magical ways.
Several members of the Druid community banded together to plan for the continued support and education of their young people.
February 984 A.D. ~ Hogsmeade
The wind was howling across the moors. A witch in her early-twenties hurried across the road and into a small tavern. She held her cloak tightly against the wind. Hogsmeade was a small town, barely meriting the label of village. A few small huts huddled together, as if trying to protect one another from the blistering wind. A path leading through the middle of them made a pretense at being a road.
Despite its small size and unpossessing manner, Hogsmeade was remarkably clean for a medieval village. It was as if its inhabitants had some magical means of maintenance rather than relying on the ditches and cesspools so common in other villages of its ilk. There was a faint smell of horses, but it was largely masked by the welcoming scent of cooking fires. Missing was the odor of human waste that would have been expected by any stranger who happened into the village.
As she entered the tavern Helga’s eyes quickly skimmed her surroundings. Most of the faces in the tavern were familiar, some were welcoming as they looked up to see who had joined their number. A stranger in their midst would have been regarded with suspicion and fear. But Helga Hufflepuff was well known and highly regarded in this small, tight community.
Helga’s eyes sparkled in greeting to some of the faces that glanced up, but her gaze was quickly drawn to a table in the corner. Three people sat at this table, engrossed in conversation. Helga hurried to join them.
“Sorry I was delayed,” Helga’s voice was light. “Father was ranting about Ethelred again. It seems that he is planning to attempt to buy off the Danegeld and enlist their support against the other Vikings.”
One of the two men at the table snorted in his ale. He smoothed back his long black hair and shook his head. “Anything he pays them he will have to pay thrice over. As they are leaving with their gold, they will simply toss a new threat over their shoulders in parting.”
The other man sighed, “Salazar, you are ever the skeptic, but I fear you are right in this instance. This Muggle king will run the throne and treasury into the ground rather than take a brave stand against the Vikings.”
Rowena, the other woman at the table replied, “The sooner we get our school up and running the better. These are dark times and I fear for the safety of our youth. Just last week the Muggles caught Gwendolyn and attempted to burn her at the stake.”
“Again?!” answered Helga. “That must be twenty times she’s allowed herself to be caught and burned.”
The conversation paused briefly. Godric caught the eye of the tavern-keeper and signaled for more ale and a fourth mug. Helga caught his eye and motioned that she had brought her own cup with her. She withdrew a small pewter cup from her cloak. The handle was in the shape of a badger. Godric smiled at her with his eyes, but said nothing.
“Helga, we’ve been discussing the plans for the castle,” Rowena started the discussion again. “I’ve been working out a way to disguise the size of it. Should the Vikings come our way I don’t want our castle to be a temptation to them. Look here,” Rowena motioned to a roll of parchment spread out on the table. “I’ve found a way for the staircases to move, so the floor plan can shift slightly to accommodate our needs.”
Helga studied the parchment. “That’s brilliant,” she said. “What’s this?”
Godric leaned forward to study the parchment with the two women. “Oh,” he replied, “That’s the entrance to the staff quarters. We were thinking that we might need some privacy from the students.”
“Have you designed the library yet?” asked Helga. “I’ve been thinking how to make it an inviting place for our students to study. I think we should have tables set up just so, and a row of bookshelves along the wall here.” She paused, then switched tracks, “Oh, and Nicholas sent me an owl this morning. He has procured three books in Constantinople to help us start our collection.”
The dialogue proceeded as the four friends discussed the plans for their school. Several hours and many jugs of ale later they finally started to wane. Godric kicked back his chair and stretched. Helga masked a blush as she noticed the way he stretched his hands with the rest of his body. His hands appeared as strong and capable as the rest of his body. Ready for hard work, but capable of amazing feats of dexterity and grace.
Salazar noticed Helga’s look, but quickly averted his eyes. “Rowena, may I see that plot for dungeons again?”
Rowena shuffled through the parchment littering the table and pulled one out. She and Salazar bent over it, their conversation hushed. Across the room, a bard unsheathed his lute and began to play:
Lhude sing, cuccu!
Groweth sed and bloweth med
And springth the wude nu.
Sing, cuccu!
Godric stood and offered his hand to Helga. She took his hand, stood, and shook out her skirts. They moved toward the center of the room and began to dance. Helga joined in the singing:
Sing, cuccu, nu. Sing, cuccu.
Godric pulled Helga a bit closer and sang so only she could hear:
Lhouth after calve cu,
Bulluc sterteth, bucke verteth,
Murie sing, cuccu!
Back at the table Salazar glanced up to see his friends making fools of themselves. He leaned closer to Rowena, smiled and whispered, “I suspect there will be a wedding ‘ere long.”
Rowena giggled and replied, “Her father will be relieved. He indulges her studies, but ‘tis no secret he would rather see her wedded and bedded than spending her life teaching other people’s children.”
“Indeed, she does favour the stupidest of all children, doesn’t she!” Salazar stroked his chin thoughtfully. “Your shifting floor plan gives me an idea. Even with the private teachers’ quarters methinks these two shall require a special room. Perhaps we could plan it as a wedding present.”
Rowena bent back to the parchment on the table. “How about here? We could hide the door and enchant it so that it can only be found when they are truly in need.”
Salazar bent in to see where his friend was pointing. “That looks perfect. A bit out of the way, but not so far out of the way that we’ll never remember where it is.” He sipped his ale as he continued to study the parchment. “Let us place enchantments on the room so that the room will provide whatever comforts they may find themselves in need of.”
Rowena blushed prettily and glanced away. “You’ve thought of everything, haven’t you?”
Wel singes thu, cuccu.
Ne swik thu naver nu!
Sing, cuccu, nu. Sing, cuccu.