The Founders Four

The Search

The rolling jade and green hills were distorted by a misty blanket of rain. It was fine rain but it had been drenching these valleys for days. The mountain pathways were now perilous and the inhabitants of the surrounding villages had had to repair their roofs. The forests were now reduced to muddy planes but the somewhat welcoming scent of wet bark emanated from each and every tree. Whatever this miserable weather was doing, it didn't seem to dampen the spirits of the wildlife, which chirped, buzzed and sang constantly.

Wales was, of course, prone to this dull weather. Though the weather was similar to that of England, specifically London, it seemed like a world apart. It seemed like a free land in these remote parts, as though the inhabitants hadn't quite been downtrodden by the king. It had been three years since he'd lost his daughter and two years since he'd called off the search for her. He'd told his subjects that she'd been lost to the sea whilst travelling with her husband that never was, Edmund. The country had mourned with him but, in actual fact, he'd not been mourning in quite the same way.

He'd enlisted another search for his lost daughter. More specifically, a search that would hunt down her accomplices, Godric and Helga. He would not be made a fool of and still remained optimistic that he'd find them all and have his revenge. Unlike the queen, who was desperate to have her family back together, he wanted to track down Rowena to teach her a lesson, along with her little friends. He was so adamant to have the last laugh that he'd even sent his subjects as far as Europe, thinking that she'd have enough sense to have left the country. Little did he know that she wasn't very far away at all.

In actual fact, she was perfectly safe and content. After years of having been cooped up inside the castle she'd now gained a new lease of life. She was with the one she loved and, as long as they remained incognito then they'd get to spend all the time in the world together. Of course, the task they'd given themselves was slightly contradictory to that. They had to search for other magic users like themselves and could hardly go around asking for such people.

Instead, their lives had been made a little complex. They'd had to trace up old legends of families within Wales or ancient magical civilisations. Most were regarded as myths but, without arousing suspicion, Rowena and Godric had to see if this was indeed the case. Sometimes they'd had to leave a little village quite soon after arriving, as they'd arouse too much suspicion. Other times they were more cautious and gained a community's trust. They did this so well in one of the little towns that the elders of a secretive magical community had revealed themselves for what they really were. They trusted Godric and Rowena, thinking their school was a brilliant idea, and managed to convince many of their community to let their children attend the school when the time came.

It was a pity that other magic users weren't so trusting. Many of them hated the idea of Hogwarts, thinking that the teaching of magic should be kept secretive and not paraded around for all to discover. The trickiest situations arose when a child possessed magical skills that their families did not. Godric and Rowena were now currently lying low in a small coastal town, renowned for its fishermen. They'd traced legends to this place, legends than an ancient curse hung over the town.

They stayed in a small Inn close to the seafront and tried to blend in with the locals. Of course, the accents didn't help, so they couldn't do this quite as effectively as they'd hoped. They'd been here for two long months now. They would not normally stay in a place for this long but the young girl they were currently searching for showed great potential. Godric and Rowena had not witnessed this but had heard many of the other children in the area whispering and giggling about the strange little girl who could throw stones without touching them. Though they laughed at her, it was also clear that they feared her. They stayed well away and would only make comments when she was well out of earshot.

"She came down here earlier," Godric hissed.

He and Rowena had been waiting near the edge of the dense woodland that lay to the east of the village. The rain was dripping loudly from the trees and, not keen on catching pneumonia as a result of such weather, Godric and Rowena were taking shelter beneath a stone arch that led the way back up into the village.

"Oh, I feel so...this just seems very wrong, Godric!" Rowena muttered, looking uncomfortable. "It's like we're spying on a child!"


"We are," he reminded her, squinting through the thin sheets of rain into the dark shadows of the trees. "We have to see if the stories are true."

They both craned their necks at the same time, in order to get a better view. They'd been trying to catch this girl out for weeks but had never seen any signs of magic. They would have left long before now but the stories kept reoccurring and there was no way that was just mere coincidence.

"And what exactly are we supposed to do if she does show any potential, jump out and kidnap her?" Rowena demanded.

"Of course not!"

"Then what?" She urged, raising her eyebrows.

"I haven't thought that far ahead yet," he shrugged.

Rowena groaned and rolled her eyes. Acting on impulse like this was very adventurous and Godric did it a lot but it would sometimes land them in trouble. Not knowing what would happen next would often worry Rowena, as she knew they had to be extremely careful in what they were doing.

"There she is!" Godric murmured, automatically pressing himself against the side of the archway so that he'd be less noticeable.

Rowena squinted out into the mass of trees and sure enough, there she was. She was just about visible as she shuffled between the trees. She carried a large basket that was obviously too heavy for her to handle; she'd been sent to fetch in firewood again. Looking at her now, you'd understand why she was made fun of and called strange. Her clothes looked as though she may have possessed them all her life. They were old and faded, ripped and torn. They were dirtied in places, as though they hadn't been washed in well over a year. Upon initial sight, no one could be blamed for thinking that this poor girl lived rough. Her long, dark hair was matted and always covered most of her face. It was unclear whether she made it fall like this to try and hide herself away or simply because it was a natural occurrence. She was very pale but looked darker than she really was, as her face was dirtied and at that current moment mud streaked the sides of her face and forehead. One piece of beauty that shined through all of this was her eyes. She had the deepest brown eyes, almost black.

At that moment she was scanning the open grassland in front of her. She spotted another large piece of wood and stumbled towards it. She surveyed it for a moment and then tried to bend down to pick it up whilst still holding the heavy basket of wood she'd already painstakingly collected. Rowena felt Godric tense beside her in anticipation. Was this young girl about to use her rumoured magical abilities to get that log into the basket? No. Instead, the girl bent slowly towards it, stretching out with her fingers. She lent too far, though, and unbalanced herself. With a series of dull thuds, she toppled to the ground, the basket following her and scattering all the firewood she'd collected across the grass. She thumped the ground angrily, rising to her feet and surveying her muddied dress.

"Godric, what are you doing?" Rowena hissed, staring at him with wide eyes as he began marching towards the girl. "You can't say anything - "

"Don't worry," he insisted, beckoning her to follow. She did so but somewhat warily. "You look like you could use a hand!"

The young girl looked up, startled. She was now scrambling around, trying to get all the wood back into the basket. She seemed to be avoiding eye contact with them both.

"Are you alright?" Rowena asked gently, not wanting to worry the girl.

"Not supposed to talk to you two," she replied stiffly, snatching a chunk of wood Godric had just picked up and putting it into the basket herself.

"And why's that?" Godric asked conversationally.

"My Mum says I shouldn't. You're foreigners!"

"We're only from across the boarder!" Godric pointed out, chuckling at her reaction.

"Still foreigners!" She said adamantly, pursing her lips and continuing to collect the wood.

"We're not that different," Rowena reasoned. "We just speak a little different, that's all."

"Why are you down here anyway?" She asked suddenly, staring up at them through her unkempt hair. "You don't look the type to go collecting your own firewood!" She remarked.

Godric laughed and her brow creased a little at this, as though she was confused by him.

"We can collect firewood," he assured her. "I'm Godric," he smiled, holding out a hand to her. She just gaped at him.

"Gwen Jones," she replied, awkwardly shaking his hand.

"This is Rowena," he added, indicating her.

"How old are you, Gwen?" Rowena asked, smiling kindly.

"I'm ten years old," she replied uncertainly. "Eleven in June." Godric and Rowena exchanged a small glance and an untraceable little smile. "What does it matter to you anyway? If you've been talking to the other children in the village then don't listen to - "

"What do they say?" Godric asked her seriously.

"They say horrible things," she muttered, breaking eye contact and focusing on the ground despite the fact that there was no more firewood left to retrieve. "They call me a..." She trailed off, looking terrified.

Godric could see how uncomfortable she was talking about this now. He decided to drop the subject and picked up the heavy basket.

"What say we get this back to your house?"

"You don't have to help me," she insisted.

"It's fine, come on!" He insisted. "You can lead the way!"

They followed her up a steep embankment and then down a rather perilous pathway on the other side. The little stone houses soon came into view. Once they reached the outskirts of the village they followed Gwen down a narrow dirt track that had houses flanking it all the way along. These were the smallest and most rundown within the entire village. It looked as though most of the roofs would have leaks.

When Gwen paused outside her house she suddenly froze, spotting a group of children approaching from the other end of the track. The moment they spotted her equally nasty grins widened upon their faces. Gwen's head dipped down and she instinctively looked to the floor, as though trying to hide herself. It was too late, though, and they advanced.

"Urgh, look, it's weird Gwen!" One of the boys laughed, grimacing at her.

"Don't go near her, she'll give you the pox!" One of the girls warned.

They then skipped off, giggling nastily at her before they disappeared out of sight.

"Are you okay, Gwen?" Rowena asked quietly, looking sympathetic.

"Do they always say things like that to you?" Godric asked her.

"They say worse. Most of the time they throw things too. They didn't today because you're here probably," she shrugged.

Godric and Rowena exchanged glances, both feeling for this poor girl. Before they could offer her any words of sympathy or assurance, though, the front door of her house swung open, causing her to flinch. A bony-faced woman with a skeletal frame came marching out into the dim light of the day, scowling as though someone had annoyed her. Her dark hair, which was pulled up into a messy bun, was greying slightly in places and her cold eyes took in Godric and Rowena, narrowing slightly.

"Where have you been?" She demanded of Gwen.

"Collecting the wood like you told me to," she replied sheepishly.

"And what took you so long?" She asked, snatching a glance in Godric's direction.

"I'm terribly sorry, it was my fault," he insisted, holding out a hand for her to shake. "My name is Godric Gryffindor."

She just glared at him until he awkwardly put his hand back down and then turned to her daughter, looking quite angry with her.

"What did I tell you, girl!" She snapped, pushing her forcefully through the doorway. "Get inside!"

She obediently did so and as Godric and Rowena stared after her, Mrs. Jones snatched the large basket of wood from his arms.

"Please, don't blame Gwen for being late back," Rowena pleaded. "We just offered her some help, that's all."

"She's a useless child!" She snarled. "A bane to me. She needs to pull her weight and it won't help her better herself when people like you are constantly butting in! Now, clear off and go back to where you came from!" She barked, stepping back inside and slamming the door in their faces.

Godric exchanged a glance with Rowena, both of them wearing equal expressions of shock. Mrs. Jones was certainly a foreboding woman. Rowena, empathising with Gwen, could understand why she'd want to keep her remarkable gift from a woman like this.

"Godric," Rowena murmured anxiously, as shouting began to echo from within the little house.

"You foolish girl! Bringing strangers back to the house!"

"I'm sorry, Mum!" Gwen squeaked, sounding quite fearful.

"You will be!" She shouted.

After that Godric and Rowena knew they had to leave, knowing there was nothing more they could do. They returned to the inn they'd been staying at and remained hidden away for the next few days, not wanting to get Gwen into any more trouble.

"I feel so guilty for leaving her," Rowena sighed.

They were sitting by one of the small little windows inside the tavern, which was letting a warm glow of sunlight into the dark and dingy room. This was the first sunny day this part of Wales had seen in months. Godric and Rowena were some of the few people who were not out enjoying this, though. Instead they kept indoors, worrying about little Gwen.

"It seems like she's just not our responsibility," Godric grunted, trying not to show how let down he was.

"But we have a duty towards her!" Rowena insisted. "She's our student as far as I'm concerned!"

"We've seen no evidence of her magic," Godric pointed out. Despite this fact, he very much wanted it to be true.

"We will," she said defiantly.

"And what about her mother?"

"I don't know," she said quietly, looking a little concerned.

Godric surveyed her anxious expression for a long moment and then sighed, gripping her pale hands firmly together with his. He locked eye contact with her, knowing she'd not let this situation drop. He'd have to distract her in some small way.

"Let's go outside. It'd be an awful shame to waste a day like this!"

Slowly, she nodded and they exited the darkened room, becoming momentarily stunned when they stepped out into the bright light. They strolled out of the village and were soon within the woodland at the edge of the village. The fresh smell from the waves upon the coastline filled the air and, if they listened hard enough, they could just about make out the sound as they smashed into the rocks. They weren't sat beneath the shade of a large tree for long before they spotted Gwen wandering solitarily through the long grass at the edge of the trees. Even from a distance they could see that she looked downcast. She'd obviously received a very harsh telling off from her mother.

Godric and Rowena were pleased that they'd concealed themselves within the trees and watched quietly as Gwen passed them, heading towards the river.

"Rowena!" Godric hissed.

"We have to speak to her," she insisted, dragging Godric along with her.

The pair of them followed Gwen as she strolled up to the edge of the river, kicked of her tattered old shoes and sat with her feet dangling in the water. She sloshed them about calmly as she stared out in front of her, quietly taking in the view. Godric and Rowena stood concealed behind a nearby tree. They both then automatically sat down upon the ground, watching the girl carefully. If she was capable of magic then the only time she was bound to perform it was if she was alone.

After a long ten minutes of waiting Gwen suddenly glanced around her. Godric and Rowena shrunk further into the shadows so that they'd be more difficult to spot. Godric felt Rowena tense up next to him, obviously just as eager to see what this girl could do as he was. Gwen then turned to look back out across the river. After a slight pause she raised her arm out in front of her. A large, round stone from the riverbank on the opposite side suddenly jumped towards her and she caught it effortlessly.

"Godric!" Rowena gasped, a large smile breaking across her face.

"I know," he murmured, smiling back.

So this little girl did have a talent for magic. It was quite clear why she'd want to keep such a thing hidden, though.

"So what do we do now?" Rowena asked anxiously.

"I'm not quite sure," he admitted.

"Maybe we should assure her. Tell her it's okay..."

"Rowena, don't!" He hissed, as she suddenly rose to her feet and stepped out from behind the tree.

The moment she did this she alerted Gwen to their presence. The girl turned around in alarm and the moment she spotted them her face split into a look of pure terror. For a moment she just stared at the two of them standing there but then jumped to her feet and snatched her shoes up off the ground. She didn't bother taking the time to put them back on and bolted across the clearing.

"Gwen, wait!" Rowena called, attempting to chase her.

"I'll get her!" Godric promised, tearing after her. "Gwen, please stop!" He yelled, preying she didn't reach the village and tell her mother she'd been followed by the "strangers" again.

She looked back in horror when she realised he was gaining on her and tried to speed up, her breath coming in sharp and painful gasps. The moment she slowed down Godric took advantage and got a hold of her gangly little arms.

"Gwen!" He panted. "Why were you running?"

"I...you...you saw!" She cried, tears beginning to stream down her face.

"Yes," he nodded. "But it's okay. Everything is going to be fine," he assured her, when she began to look terrified again.

"If they find out - "

"No one's going to find out, Gwen!"

"But it's not normal," she whimpered. "I'll be burnt at the stake. My mother told me terrible stories about witches when I was younger! I'm not a witch but - "

"You are," Rowena said gently, finally catching them up. "You're one of us, Gwen."

"What?" She squeaked, staring up at them in terror. She began to shake her head in disbelief. "No...you can't...no!"

"Don't be afraid," Godric said quietly. "There are thousands just like you, all over the world. We keep our world of magic hidden the best we can but not all young witches and wizards like you get to realise their full potential."

"We're opening a school, Gwen," Rowena smiled, when she continued to stare at them as though this was all some big joke. "And we'd like you to come and learn magic with us. We'll train all the young magic users like you."

"You want me?" She asked shakily.

"Yes," Godric nodded, smiling in amusement at her reaction.

"I don't think my mother would approve," she said quickly, looking scared.

"Your mother knows about your magic?"

"No," she said quietly. "But if she did then..." She trailed off, her eyes beginning to swim with tears.

"Don't fret," Rowena assured her, gripping her hands firmly upon her shoulder. When the little girl gasped in pain Rowena suddenly reeled back. "What's the matter?" She asked worriedly. When Gwen remained silent Rowena pulled down the edge of her tattered dress to reveal the tops of her shoulders. She also gasped when she saw that they'd been bruised, dappled with patches of blue and green. Godric then pulled the girl's arm towards him and pushed up her sleeve to reveal more of these bruises. "Gwen, what happened to you? Did the other children do this?"

She shook her head, the tears beginning to stream down her cheeks.

"Your mother has beaten you, hasn't she?" Godric asked darkly.

Slowly, the poor girl nodded.

"Why?" Rowena asked, feeling her heart contract painfully.

"I do things wrong all the time. She punishes me for it, says I have to be taught a lesson," she murmured.

"No one deserves this," Rowena breathed, feeling tears welling up in her own eyes. "Especially not a child!"

"I do. I'm a magic user. The penalty is death! I'm lucky really..."

"And who told you that? Your mother?" Godric spat, looking disgusted.

"She's wrong, Gwen!" Rowena insisted.

"You won't tell her about what I can do, will you?" She demanded, looking suddenly horror-struck again.

"Of course we won't!" Godric promised.

"Oh, thank you so - "

"GWEN!"

She suddenly froze as a horrid voice struck across the clearing; Godric and Rowena froze too, recognising it immediately. Gwen Jones's mother stood at the very edge of the village and was staring angrily at her daughter. She also reserved some nasty looks for Godric and Rowena too.

"Mother...I was just - "

"None of your excuses, you silly girl!" She barked, marching sharply towards her. "You'll get home this instant! I told you not to wander off. And you two!" She growled, staring up at Godric and Rowena once she reached them. "I want you to stay away from my daughter. I know what you are!" They weren't quick enough to disguise the anxious glance they shared and Mrs. Jones grinned in triumph. "The whole village will know soon enough so you'd better get packing! Come on, move!" She snarled, grabbing Gwen by her hair and dragging her back towards the village. "You wait until you get home!"

Rowena gripped Godric's hand tightly as they watched this poor girl get dragged away, knowing there was nothing they could do.