Harry Potter: The Golden Viper

0598 Love

Harry, Ron, and Hermione stared in utter astonishment as they watched the slightly plump, middle-aged witch with soft, kind facial features walk back to her wooden desk. Beside the desk, a beautiful witch with icy blue eyes full of wisdom conjured an elegant wooden stool with a wave of her wand and sat upon it gracefully. The trio wore expressions of complete shock and disbelief, as if they had seen a ghost materialize before their very eyes!

"Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff--" Hermione stammered and her voice was barely above a whisper.

She stumbled backwards uncontrollably in the stunned silence. Almost the instant she saw the two witches, she recognized their identities. After all, even a full millennium later, moving portraits and detailed tapestries depicting these legendary witches still decorated the halls of Hogwarts. But Hermione's mind buzzed with the sheer impossibility of what her eyes saw.

'How could such an absurd, inconceivable thing be happening right before me?!'

Harry felt his head buzzing and spinning, as if a swarm of bees had sat in his skull. After over three years at Hogwarts, it would have been utterly ridiculous if he hadn't at least heard the names of Helga Hufflepuff and Rowena Ravenclaw. After all, the very Houses bearing their names were mentioned every day in the castle. But this--

This was beyond anything Harry could have ever thought of. Two of the founders of Hogwarts, living and breathing, present in the flesh right before his disbelieving eyes. At this, Harry's thoughts were crushed to a screeching halt. He thought that even if Voldemort himself suddenly appeared before him, sneering with malice, he could not possibly feel this level of shock. 

"I must be dreaming--" Ron muttered under his breath, his face was pale as he shook his red head slowly from side to side. His wide eyes inadvertently fell upon Professor Watson's expression.

Ron felt another jolt of shock course through him as he saw that the professor still had an infuriatingly calm and composed face.

'These were Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw themselves, in the flesh!'

Ron thought it was utterly unimaginable for anyone, no matter how powerful or influential, to remain so completely unfazed and calm in the face of such situation. Unless...

"They're not real, right, Professor Watson?" Ron blurted out loudly, unable to contain himself. Hermione turned towards him in alarm and hastily clamped a hand over his mouth and yanked him backwards.

"Shut up, Ron!" Hermione hissed furiously in his ear, her voice was low and trembling with intensity despite her hushed tone. She shot Harry a glare where he stood rooted in place still staring at her blankly in confusion. "Those are the great Helga Hufflepuff and Rowena Ravenclaw themselves! Show some respect, for Merlin's sake!" 

Illusion magic -- that was Professor Watson's calm explanation.

In that moment, the familiar light of understanding burst to life in Hermione's racing mind. Of course, this office clearly belonged to none other than Helga Hufflepuff herself. Although Hermione remained utterly perplexed as to the underlying reasons, it seemed that the great Lady Hufflepuff had left behind this amazing enchantment within her office, granting them an unparalleled chance to glimpse the true faces of these two legendary witches!

'What an incredible significant experience this was!'

Hermione thought giddily, barely able to contain her excitement.

She took in the sight of the two legendary witches standing before her with captivated fascination, and her eyes shone with pure admiration and awe. An overwhelming swell of gratitude began to build in Hermione's chest as she reflected on how passionately she had insisted they investigate this ominous secret passageway. Never had she imagined that her persistent curiosity would lead to a discovery of such magnitude!

Bryan turned his head slowly and his eyes swept over the three stunned teenagers who had unconsciously backed up against the rough stone wall. Dobby and Freedom, the two house-elves, stood quietly to the side, and their bulging eyes were wider than ever.

"They are indeed exactly who you believe them to be, Ron," Bryan said with a small smile. "This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that has fallen into our laps. As such, I must ask that from this moment forward, you all remain completely silent, regardless of what you may hear--"

"You appear utterly exhausted, my dear Lady Ravenclaw--" A high, squeaky voice suddenly came up, cutting off Bryan before Harry, Ron and Hermione had time to promise.

It was Kiki, the house-elf who had been standing obediently beside Hufflepuff. She spoke without any hint of the timid servility one would expect from her kind.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione instantly sucked in sharp breaths and held them, staring at the unfolding scene.

"Shall I prepare a special invigorating elixir for you?" Kiki offered proudly gazing towards Hufflepuff, whose kind face had a gentle smile. "It's based on Lady Hufflepuff's latest alchemical formula. I assure you; the effects are truly remarkable and the flavor is simply divine!"

Bryan gazed down at the tiny elf with a strange, pensive expression. He marveled inwardly at how extraordinary this particular house-elf was.

Kiki had clearly managed to completely shed the innate servility and submissiveness that Herpo had cursed into the very souls of her species. From his own studies, Bryan knew all too well how immensely difficult it was for a house-elf to break free from that magical shackle.

Dobby and Freedom also looked at Kiki in utter disbelief, and their jaws were almost hanging open. They couldn't imagine that one of their ancestors actually dared to address the renowned Helga Hufflepuff and Rowena Ravenclaw in such a familiar, almost 'equal' manner. It boggled their minds and challenged their entire worldview.

"One of Helga's remarkable new concoctions? I would be delighted to sample it. Thank you, Kiki," Ravenclaw replied, her icy blue eyes flashing with a cold, detached light of pure rationality. Even her gracious smile held a distinct undercurrent of coldness.

"Pardon me, Lady Ravenclaw, but I shall need a few moments to brew the elixir," Kiki squeaked. "I'm afraid I have not yet fully mastered the details of the preparation process."

With that, the tiny elf turned on her back and walked out of sight, leaving a flabbergasted audience in her trail. Helga and Rowena watched her go with expressions of fond amusement.

As the door shut behind the house-elf with a soft thump, Rowena's eyes glazed over slightly, as if her mind had transported her far away. She thought back to the scene witnessed in the underground temple on that small island, then slowly turned to face her dear friend.

When she finally spoke, Rowena's melodic voice was heavy with a complex mix of emotions. "You've achieved something truly remarkable with Kiki, Helga. To guide her in throwing off the chains of that innate submissiveness..."

"Every sapient being, no matter how small, possesses a soul that yearns for freedom, Rowena. It is an inextinguishable spark that even the most potent magic cannot completely overpower," Helga replied gently and her eyes lingered on the closed door. "So long as we nurture that spark with love, it can grow into a brilliant, unquenchable fire - restoring their souls to their intended radiance."

'Love?' The corner of Bryan's mouth twitched. The notion that love possessed the supreme power to conquer any obstacle had always been one of Dumbledore's most troublesome beliefs, in his opinion. As a man of science and logic, he still did not believe that pure love could override the absolute laws of magic and nature.

Hermione, however, found herself deeply intrigued by the exchange. Kiki's extraordinariness, combined with Helga Hufflepuff's stirring words about uplifting house-elves through love resonated in her heart and mind. Of the group of time-travelers (in a way), she was by far the one most fascinated by the concept. She turned and examined Freedom thoughtfully for a long moment and a speculative gleam flashed in her eyes.

"Love..." Rowena repeated the word slowly, as if tasting it. An uncharacteristic flicker of immense sadness rippled across her facial features before vanishing behind a curtain of careful control.

This was unusual.

The Rowena Ravenclaw that Bryan had witnessed on the trip to Azkaban was the most rational witch he had ever seen. Her emotions were almost extinguished beneath her extraordinary wisdom. What could have possibly caused such an intense fluctuation in her composure?

Helga had also clearly noticed her friend's distress. She reached out a comforting hand and laid it gently on Rowena's arm. When she spoke, her normally cheery voice was tinged with concern and understanding.

"You still haven't told Godric, have you?"

It was more of a statement than a question.

Ravenclaw smiled then showing a heartbreaking expression filled with endless sorrow and unimaginable loneliness. On her face, it was a gut-wrenching sight that threatened to bring tears to the eyes.

When she finally responded, unshed tears glistened in Rowena's eyes. "Helga... you know as well as I how precarious Hogwarts' existence remains in this world. Those stubborn, close-minded fools on the Royal Wizards Council, along with the Old Pureblood Houses, resent our efforts to bring magical education to all. They tolerate our school only out of fear of our combined might."

Rowena paused, taking a deep breath and continued.

"But in their hearts, they have never abandoned their insidious goal of tearing down these walls we have raised - of jealously hoarding the gift of magic for themselves alone once more. The fanatics among them would seize any excuse to reignite the fires of war against us.

And even the conservative factions, who begrudgingly allow Hogwarts to stand for now, plot against us in the shadows. One reason is they hope that after the four of us disappear from this world, if Hogwarts does not have outstanding successors, then they will take practical action.

The second is that we have deceived them by making our families maintain opposing stances. If the Gryffindor family and the Ravenclaw family develop a closer connection than of friendship, it will undoubtedly stimulate their tense nerves, and war may come immediately."

Gryffindor and Ravenclaw...

Harry and the others listened in stunned silence, barely daring to breathe. Nobody had ever heard even a whisper of this tear-jerking story - not in any of the wizarding history books they had read over. Even Hermione, with her encyclopedic knowledge, could recall not a single mention of the ill-fated love between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw.

Bryan pursed his lips slightly. He was not particularly surprised by this matter. In the memories he had witnessed during the journey to Azkaban, there had been some exposed clues about the subtle feelings between the two. However, a sense of admiration still rose from his heart.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

The wizarding era a thousand years ago was much more hostile and closed off than it was a thousand years later. From what Ravenclaw said, it seemed she intended to cut off her emotions and perhaps ties too with Gryffindor to ensure that war would not happen, allowing Hogwarts, which passed on magic to young wizards of Muggle blood, to continue to exist!

Helga sighed heavily and her warm eyes held unshed tears of her own. When she finally spoke, her voice was rough with emotion. "But Godric... surely won't care about these things—"

"Yes," Rowena interrupted, showing a sad smile. "And that is precisely what I fear! You know Godric as well as I... he is a man of passion, of conviction. He would gladly march into the jaws of war, to defend our love."

She laughed then that came as a bitter, broken sound empty of humor. "But don't you see? That reckless courage goes against every ideal we have struggled to uphold! If we were to reignite the terrible flames of war, we four would emerge unscathed, it is true. But the children... those precious students whose hopes and futures we hold in our hands..."

"Their Pureblood families would recall them away behind the warded walls of their manors to fill their heads with poison against us. Those poor, brilliant Muggleborn children would be left defenseless as their magical homes fell to ruin and they were dragged back to the Muggle world in chains!

I cannot, just because of 'love'..."

The vehemence in Rowena's raised voice was startling in its intensity.

"Because of 'love', I cannot be selfish...no matter how zealously my heart yearns to cast aside all pretense and damn the consequences. How could I ever live with myself - how could I ever find joy, even in Godric's arms - if our love spelled the doom of generations of youths who should have passed through these halls?"

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