A Dark Grey Memory

Chapter 18 - Safety in Numbers

Hogwarts, Scotland, September, 995 CE

This year starts as all the others did. The fifth year of Hogwarts, and the school is doing well. Every table is full of students, and word has begun to spread of the talented instructors that populate the schools staff.

Children from all over Britain are beginning to attend the school. Students with druid backgrounds have the most trouble adjusting to magic the wizarding way, and some still refuse to come.

"It's a pity, that there are so few muggle-born students this year," Helga comments, looking at the students.

"The witch hunts are getting pretty bad, and some of them are being drafted into armies for their liege lords," Rowena says with a sad voice. "It's tragic, but we'll probably see a steady decline in our muggle-born and half-blood numbers."

"That has always been a concern with them though, that if forced, they'd chose allegiance to their kingdoms rather than to magic-folk," Salazar mutters and Veronica shoots him a death-glare. "I'm just saying, we better be sure our defenses are strong. We don't want someone to rat us out and burn the castle to the ground."

"All they'll see is rubble, Sal," Godric argues. "But we'll keep an eye out. I don't see why any students would betray us though."

"They won't want to," Veronica whispers reluctantly. "But those armies have methods of persuasion. They'll threaten and bully the children into giving up the location of this school. Those children are that, children, they won't be able to refuse the armies for long."

"Veronica, you don't really think they'll do that, do you?" Helga asks concerned for the children and the pain they might have to suffer through.

"I do. The DWA has worked with muggle armies before, to achieve their ends," Veronica explains quietly, so that only the other founders can hear. "I've seen firsthand what those monsters are willing to do to get what they want. We have to be careful."

"I'm surprised at you, you yourself are a half-blood, are you saying we should no longer allow half-bloods and muggle-borns into our school?" Godric demands angrily and Veronica shakes her head.

"No, not at all. I'm saying we should shore up our defenses, see if there is any way to keep our students safe. It's safer for all those with magic to be in the walls of this school, protected from those battlefields, but we can't realistically do that. We could place a charm on the students, so that none of our students can give up its location, not even if they're to tortured," Veronica tells the founders. "I can place the charm, but I'll need help, some of it will involve walking on the outside of school boundaries, and I can't leave the school boundaries."

"We'll help, we should do it as soon as possible," Rowena suggests and the other founders nod.

"How will students find the school if they can't give up its location?" Salazar asks.

"The letters we send out every year, they'll have the address of a predetermined location and we can figure out how to transport them to the school from there," Veronica says and the other founders think about an appropriate location for Veronica's proposal.

"London?" Helga proposes, it's a large city with plenty of people coming and going, it's a safe spot for our students to congregate before transport. Besides the fact that it's under the protection of the Wizard Council and the students would be safer waiting there before school."

"That would work." Veronica nods at the suggestion.

"Could you ask your father, if he has any ideas for transportation?" Godric asks Veronica, ignoring his hatred for her for just a moment.