the Founder's Legacy

Chapter 11: Something There That Wasn't There Before

Hayden's PoV:

Another day, another argument. They seemed to be coming more and more frequently nowadays. What used to be a rare occurrence, now seemed to be happening at least once a week anymore. Her demeanor had completely shifted since school had started back up. She was reverting back to trying to be a true Slytherin and it wasn't who she was.
       I knew deep down that she wanted to be worthy of the name, but she was in my book. She didn't have to try and be someone else. All I wanted was for her to be the girl that I fell for. And right now, she wasn't being that.
      Sabrina had always been a puzzle, an enigma begging to be solved. I loved her the way she was, so why was she so hellbent on changing who she was just to fit in a narrative? Why did she believe that if she finally became worthy of her name that things would be okay? The sorting hat always picked someone's house based on who they truly were as a person.
      Deep down, Sabrina was Hufflepuff, even if her name was Slytherin. So why the obsession, why the pursuit of being someone that she wasn't? It was a mystery and problem that I could not solve. And by not solving it, it may cost me dearly.
     I had just left Sabrina in her room after she basically threw me out and was wandering the halls, pondering what was next. The early weeks of school were always hectic. First Years discovering what the castle had to offer, older students already focusing on exams and OWLS and seventh years already waiting for graduation. Not to mention the hustle and bustle of everyone adjusting to new classes, schedules and people.
      Despite all of this newness, it was something old that stirred my curiosity. The old journal of Helga's that I had found and read was still gnawing at me, like an itch that wouldn't go away. The diary had been fascinating to read, even if it felt like I was invading part of my ancestor's privacy. It talked about the early days at the castle, building the greenhouse, and convincing students to come here. And yet it also touched on more personal matters as well. Her family, the hope for her descendants like myself.
      It was easy to see why she founded the house with her virtues. Her easy going manner, the way she wanted to accept all who walked through the castle doors. All of these were enshrined the ways of Hufflepuff, ways that other people saw as strange and quirky. Helga was probably the nicest person on the face of the earth, and her diary was proving that in spades.
      But as for me, why was I not in Hufflepuff, my own house? It never bothered me, family legacies didn't matter as much to us Hufflepuffs, but I was now beginning to wonder. The virtues that Helga had and enshrined was a code that I had always tried to live by and yet the hat still put me in Ravenclaw. Not that I minded or even objected to the choice.
      In fact I agreed with the choice, if I had chosen myself this was where I would have gone, mostly because I saw myself as a Ravenclaw in terms of the intellectual department.
     So why was I now questioning the hat and even my own decision? Was Sabrina giving me more pause for thought, was it Helga's diary or was it the fact that all four descendants were here at once? I didn't have a great answer to that question and it bothered me.
      It was starting to weigh heavily on me and I was beginning to think that I needed to talk to someone about it. But really the only people who could help me were either of the other three descendants or Headmaster Malfoy.
      Talking to the Headmaster about something this trivial seemed unwise. Sure, Castor Malfoy had gone through a similar thing that Sabrina or any of us had gone through. After all, he was the first Malfoy not sorted into Slytherin. But he was the Headmaster, he was probably far too busy. Which left any of the other descendants.....
      Sabrina was a nonstarter, the issue was driving a wedge between us already and I wasn't going to discuss it further yet. I hadn't met Grant Gryffindor, but being a Gryffindor sorted into Slytherin, he did not seem like the kind of person who would be good at talking about the subject. Which left only one individual, one that I had already met: Miss Riley Ravenclaw.
       I had met her once in the library and had been intrigued by her from the get go. She was a natural beauty for starters and the way she seemed to carry herself was interesting. Her intelligence distinguished herself as a Ravenclaw, but there was the way she had reacted to her detention from Celeste that clearly showcased the Gryffindor in her.
      She was remarkably different from Sabrina. Riley carried herself in high esteem and didn't seem to shrink in the face of anything. There was a confidence about her that was obvious. Sabrina had her quirks, which I loved, but I couldn't get through those quirks and those walls. Riley didn't seem to have those barriers.
     Stop it Hayden, you love Sabrina and would never do anything to hurt her or jeopardize the relationship. Flirting with another woman is a recipe for disaster. You may be going through a rough patch, but all relationships have that. My internal monologue was in overdrive and it was right. I was praising Riley and comparing her to Sabrina. I had only met her once and yet here I was seemingly infatuated.
     I knew it was wrong, but I needed to go and talk to her. I needed to see if she had any lingering doubts about the fact that she was sorted into Gryffindor. And I needed to hope that I could repair my relationship with Sabrina before it was too late....