the Founder's Legacy

Chapter 7: Where We'd All Rather Be

Godric's PoV:

     Letting out a loud and frustrated sigh, I stood in my spot. One hand on the Watching Wall for support, head bowed, and eyes closed. I had just watched a god awful flying lesson given to the child who was put in my house. It was utterly embarrassing and she should be ashamed.
"Penny for your thoughts Godric?" My eyes shot open as I heard Rowena's mocking tone behind me. I growled in return trying hard to not let her see how much this was bothering me.
"I don't need your stupid penny Row" I turned from the wall to face her.
"I thought Ravenclaw were supposed to be smart! Why is your descendant such a twit?" I yelled to her in utter repulse.
"Now now Mr. Grumpy pants, that's not how we should speak to each other." I palmed my forehead hard at Helga's words. She entered the room in a flowing dress of golden silk carrying a watering can. "As we are stuck together here, we should remain civil" she spoke to us but was focused on her plants.
"You tell her that! She started it!" I pointed at a smirking Rowena, whining like a child. I glanced back at Rowena lounging on the loveseat couch thinking she was all high and mighty. Looking from her down to the glass full of dark liquor in my hand, I briefly thought how good it would feel to throw it at her. Sadly though, Helga was right. Not that I'd tell her that.
"Okay, while Godric whines and bitches like a little girl, maybe we should all remember what actually happens when all of the artifacts are activated?" Sometimes I hated how smart and logical this bitch was.
"Well they've all been found. Sabrina has already played the piece. Grant found the chess set and gravitated to the red knight of mine. But, he hasn't played a game..." I paused, knowing I didn't want him to do such because I knew how those games ended. I had always been fortunate enough to win every game I played.
"Meanwhile, Riley and Hayden have found the journal and the notebook. Though they haven't read them, both have been thoroughly skimmed." Helga spoke up, actually using her brain. Sometimes I thought she might have been smarter than Rowena. But, that could also be because I hated Row.
"Great observation H, but there isn't a way for us to change that. They must do that on their own." I pointed out to both of the ladies. "Just like with flying, it seems that Rowena's descendant is also a bit twit like with her reading." My snide comment did not go unnoticed by either of the girls.
"Godric..." Helga spoke my name using her "warning" tone. I simply waved her off. Setting my glass down I pinched my nose in frustration. I did want to go back. Though we had no idea how it would work, what it would be like, or what we would be like, the whole concept was intriguing. And I missed Hogwarts. Not that I had said anything out loud, but I longed to be back on the grounds of the school I helped to build.
"Well my girl is certainly the smartest. She should have been sorted into Ravenclaw. She did activate hers first after all." I rolled my closed eyes at Salazar's words.
"And where have you been?" I questioned him, opening my eyes to scowl at him. Waving me off nonchalantly, Salazar ignored me.
"The real question, my dear friend, is where would any of us rather be?" He responded to my question with another. He smirked at me, taking great amusement in irritating me. Turning away from him I said nothing more. I was in no mood to play his silly little game. I listened as he moved closer to me. I heard the glass making noise as he poured himself a drink. Probably not his first today...
I sighed, "Sal, don't ask questions like that. You damn well know where we'd all rather be." I used his nickname, knowing how much he despised it. I heard a faint hiss in response. But, he was right and I'd never tell him that. Of course we wanted to go back to Hogwarts. It was our home, our creation, our legacy...
"Okay so, it's not like we can actually make our descendants activate the rest of the artifacts. They must do it themselves. So we must be patient..." Row spoke, directly looking at me. I was actually offended.
"Hold on a minute! Why are you looking at me like that? I wouldn't do anything!" I defended myself harshly.
"Hey hey, I don't know." Rowena held her hands up, dropping the open book on her lap. "Surely it would be Salazar. But, seeing as his young one has already activated his piece, he is in the clear." I rolled my eyes at her.
"Well what about you and H?" I placed my hands on my hips like an angry teenage girl.
Throwing her head back, Rowena laughed at me. Almost in a meniachle way. "Oh silly man. Don't you know that women are the more patient of the genders?" She quickly glanced at a nodding Helga. This time both Salazar and I laughed.
"Remember Row, Gryffindors aren't patient to begin with. Asking Godric to be patient with his descendant is like talking to a brick wall, useless." Sensible Helga once again bringing up a good point....
"Yes, I think we've made the point abundantly clear that despite our clear want to go back, we have to be patient. Now, can we get back to the topic at hand: why is my descendant in Slytherin of all places????" Was I angry that Row's descendant seemed a poor choice for my esteemed house, yes. Was I even more annoyed that mine had been sorted into Slytherin, also yes. It was infuriating that my closest rival got to lay claim to my descendant.
"I for one think it's rather remarkable. It just goes to show whose house is the superior house. But cheer up Godric, at least your descendant will win many a house cup tournament while in my house. Ah, I do love karma." I could feel Salazar's smile even though I was avoiding looking at him. I knew he was trying to rile me up, and it was working. But as I grabbed my glass for a refill, I had the perfect response cooked up.
"Is it ideal that my descendant was sorted into your despicable, evil house, no, not at all. But, at least mine wasn't sorted into their favorite house, that of Hufflepuff."
"We don't talk about that alright. I've been drinking away the pain all day. The disgrace, the shame, the humiliation. My glorious house shall never be the same again."
"Oh quit your whining you drama queen. You've hated my house since day one, all because my house is welcoming to all and doesn't have expectations thrust on them from the moment they walk through the doors." Helga always got defensive when we talked about her house. We always thought it strange that she had formed her house and her ideals last, as if all she was doing was taking the strays that weren't good enough for the other houses. Row usually came to Helga's defense, though I had no earthly idea why.
"Your "grand" family name will not die just because one girl is sorted as a Hufflepuff. You've had descendants be Dark Lord's, try to kill every nonwizard alive and take over the world and still have endured, despite all that. I think you'll survive one descendant being a nice student and being put in Hufflepuff." Helga finished her tirade before continuing to drink her tea. Helga had hit Sal where it hurt and it was amazing to see. Unlike me, the girls always managed to get under his skin.
"As if that wasn't bad enough, she's also dating a Hufflepuff, also known as Helga's descendant." The smirk in Rowena's voice was evident. I fully expected a hiss and snarky comeback from Salazar. There were no words though. Instead, all we heard was a bone chilling hiss escape his lips. I turned to face Salazar, his face as red as my house color. I fully expected smoke to come from his ears.
"Nothing to say dear Salazar?" I asked him, taking a sip of my new drink. He glared at me with his snake-like eyes. But he said nothing again. Although he did throw his glass at the wall, it hit and shattered a mere few centimeters from my head. Before I could retaliate, he threw his hands in the air out of frustration and turned to storm out of the room. We heard him mumbling about the "stupid Hufflepuff boy", what a pansy he was, and the disgrace his family was bringing upon his name.
I wondered if the girls were as amused as I was. However as I glanced at them, I noticed they were unmoving. Rowe was lost in her own mind while Helga looked frightened. I too was a bit wrapped up in my own mind. Leaving the girls alone I began to stroll around this amusing world of limbo we were stuck in. Some of it mirrored the old Hogwarts, thankfully the bridge I had built was still in original condition here. It was my favorite part of the school.
Wandering down the bridge I looked to the immaculate school. Here, it looked just like it did the day the four of us had finished constructing it. In a way it filled me with sadness. So much had changed in the current world and so much had happened to the school. After the Great Battle many years ago, the school had been rebuilt and "fixed" up. It may look the same, but I'm sure it wasn't. I'm sure it was now modernized and techy. I was saddened by the fact that it wasn't quite the legacy that we, the great four, had wished it to be.
Speaking of which, in our time, no one with our name would dare to be sorted into another House. The sorting hat knew this and took it into consideration. But, that also seemed to have gone out the window. What happened to tradition? Had my family truly fallen so far that my current descendant was dark enough to be a Slytherin? Was his soul that dark and lost? Had his parents even tried to prepare him to be a true Gryffindor?
This was not only saddening, but also frustrating. The modern world had ruined so much, it had lost the legacy, the elegance, and the tradition. A name no longer meant anything. Lost in thought I stood on the bridge and continued to stare into the oblivion at nothing.