Disclaimer: Don't own any the characters, places etc. JK Rowling retains the rights etc etc. I'm borrowing them for a while for the amusement of myself and my readers.

Note:  Rated it M to be on the safe side though it is probably nearer to T. Just in case anyone is wondering.

This story is the sequel to Hogwarts: All Sales Final so it is recommended you read that one first. This one has some humour but is more drama/romance.

And yes I know they still sound a bit too modern - call it quirks of them being witches and wizards - it's not like they'd have been speaking English at all in that era and I'm certainly not going to be learning another language to make it compliant with medieval times. ;-)

Enjoy!

Whatever it Takes

A little more than three and a half years later

Chapter 1

"Rowena, hurry up and come out of there! We'll be late for Godric's meeting!" Salazar hammered on the door to the women's privy where the sound of groaning and vomiting came from within.

"I feel awful," Rowena muttered when she finally appeared. "I…I…oh no!"

Salazar rolled his eyes as Rowena dashed back inside once more.

"Well what do you expect?" Salazar scolded her as he followed her inside. "You should know better than to mix butterbeer and nettle wine and from all accounts you had way too much of both of them last night."

"The barman said that if you started and ended with a firewhiskey it prevented hangovers," Rowena muttered as she clutched her head.

"And you actually believed that?" Salazar roared with laughter.

"Don't laugh so loud," Rowena whispered as she clutched her head again. "Can't you go brew me up a hangover cure?"

"Not until after Godric's meeting."

"I'll promise never to drink again if you go make one now," Rowena said.

"Anyone with any sense would swear not to drink again anyway."

"Well we had to make sure that trade was good for his first day," Rowena said. "Helga and I wanted to show support."

"Is that what you call it?" Salazar replied with another laugh. "Just because Hogsmeade has expanded enough over the last few years to warrant the building of a tavern, it doesn't mean you and Helga have to try to drink the place dry in a single night."

"You're just annoyed because you and Godric couldn't join us." Rowena stood up slowly and took a tentative step towards the door. Her stomach seemed to be stable for the moment so she ventured back out into the corridor.

"Godric didn't want to," Salazar pointed out as they headed towards the common room. "He wanted to have another look at that ruddy snake of his. Now it's too big to let loose with students around he can only see it in the holidays and has been bothering me nearly every day about it."

"Hasn't he decided on a name for it yet?" Rowena asked. "It seems a little silly to keep calling it 'that ruddy snake', especially after all this time."

"Oh, he's thought up plenty of names for it," Salazar replied. "Each more ridiculously inappropriate than the last. He started off with names like Rover, Bingo and Lassie and even suggested we could teach it some tricks. When I finally convinced him that was out of the question he suggested calling it after some prominent wizards of the age like Merlin and Malfoy. Then it turned out to be a female so he had to re-think again. He started off with Betsy-May, then Mary-Sue and Tiffany-Jo and eventually I just left him to it. He usually refers to it as Ickle Snookums these days, which is frankly more than a little bizarre since it's already more than ten feet long."

"Snookums?" Rowena asked with a snicker. "Is that even a word?"

"According to Godric it is."

"Well as long as I don't have to go look after Ickle Snookums he can call it what he likes. You're sure it can't get out of there?"

"The only way to get into the chamber now is through the entrance in the girls' privy chamber. I told you, I've sealed off the other entrance permanently. Only someone who can speak parseltongue can open the chamber and I'm the only one round here who can do that. I don't let Godric in the room when I open the chamber so he doesn't know the password even if he has an ear for mimicry. He can study the thing in the privy chamber and I promise you there's no way that snake is ever seeing the light of day again."

"I hope not." Rowena shivered slightly at the thought of the monster that was lurking below the school. It wasn't that she didn't trust Salazar but she did worry that someone, some day after they'd both gone, might figure out a way into the chamber anyway.

"Don't worry about it," Salazar said as they approached the common room. "Just try to concentrate on the meeting…for once."

"You've done what?" Rowena shouted, clutching her head a moment later and regretting, if not her words, then at least the volume of them.

"She's a perfectly acceptable candidate for the post," said Godric firmly. "In fact she's the only candidate for the post."

"But I teach Ancient Runes. I've been managing to teach both that and Transfiguration without any problems so far."

"The only way you're managing it is by using that time-turner," Godric pointed out. "It's only a matter of time before you run into yourself somewhere and cause who knows what damage."

"But I know that I'm using a time-turner so if I run into myself anywhere in the school I'll just know that it's the other me and nothing dark or strange."

"That's not the point. You were also looking rather tired at the end of last term. So I've been scouting around for someone to take over the Ancient Runes post and Cordelia Disdel has excellent qualifications. She's been teaching the subject to children in private residences for a number of years."

"She's a tart!" Rowena snapped. "You can't hire her! I won't let you!"

"I already have," Godric replied. "She'll be arriving next week with the rest of the staff for the start of the new school year."

"You can't hire someone without clearing it with the rest of us," Rowena pointed out. "You're not the only one in charge here!"

"Helga hired most of the staff herself when we first opened," Godric argued.

"But we agreed that we trusted Helga with the job," Rowena countered.

"And you don't trust me?" Godric glared around the table.

Rowena's eyes with flashing with fury, Salazar looked distinctly uncomfortable and even Helga looked nervous.

"Fine!" Godric snapped. "You find another suitably qualified Professor of Ancient Runes before the start of term. Produce one yourself or Cordelia joins the staff…as planned."

"I will!" Rowena declared. She gave Godric one final scathing look before storming out of the room. She slammed the door behind her, and regretted it instantly when her aching head began to pound once more.

"I'm sending the owls to the staff, reminding them of the start of term in three days time," Godric said to Rowena who was rapidly reading through the half dozen owls she'd received from prospective Professors of Ancient Runes. "Have you found anyone for the post yet?"

Rowena sighed as she read the last of the letters, none of the wizards and witches she'd approached were able to take up the post. The most suitable candidates all had prior commitments that couldn't be altered at such short notice. The ones who were willing to take up the post were unfortunately less qualified than Cordelia.

"Well?" Godric asked again.

"No," Rowena admitted.

"Then I'll send Cordelia her letter and we'll expect her in two days time with the rest of the staff."

Rowena didn't bother to reply, still furious with herself for not managing to secure someone else for the position.

"I'm sure you'll get along fine with her once she's settled in," Godric said.

Rowena ignored him. She wasn't so sure and considering her previous half dozen meetings with the woman she suspected that living in such close quarters with her would probably result in nothing less than bloodshed.

"New teachers sit at the end of the table," Rowena said with a sweet smile that didn't reach her eyes. Cordelia looked like she might argue but instead meekly sat down in the seat that Rowena indicated. The seat that they both knew was furthest away from Salazar.

The start of term feast was about to begin and the students were filing into the room. In a few minutes the first years would be arriving, having taken the traditional route via the lake from Hogsmeade.

This was the first year that the founders had decided to try their new method of sorting the students into their houses. Rather than arguing through every application as to who should be in which house Godric had come up with a different idea.

"We'll give it some brains and let it sort for us," Godric had announced as he'd pointed to his hat. "It can even continue after we're no longer here."

"Morbid much?" Helga asked as she poked at the hat. "Don't you have a nicer hat to use? This one has a tear in the brim."

"That was where that sea serpent ripped it last year," Godric said. "I thought I'd found the only sea serpent that would attack a human…maybe even a brand new species…turns out it was just trying to get at my lunch that I'd stored in my hat for later."

"I really don't see how this is going to work," Salazar said after Godric had explained the spell and the idea for the second time. "It's a hat, a hat can't talk. Even if it could decide which house to place the students in, how's it going to tell us?"

"I guess we'll find out at the start of term feast," Godric said with a shrug. "Should be interesting."

"It'll probably be a disaster," said Helga in a pessimistic tone. "The hat won't know how to communicate with us and we'll waste most of the night trying to sort out the students ourselves anyway."

The problem of communication between the hat and the founders was soon resolved. The tear in the brim that for some reason hadn't been fixed before they worked the spell became the hat's mouth and it spoke as well as they did. Of course, getting it to shut up was a whole different matter.

Rowena sat in her seat between Salazar and Godric and watched as Helga carried the chatting hat and the list of new students towards the front of the room. She crossed her fingers under the table as the first of the students sat down on the stool in front of the rest of the school.

Rowena leaned forward as she strained to hear something from the Hat but no sounds came forth.

"I told you this wouldn't work," Salazar whispered across to Godric. "It doesn't-"

"Gryffindor!" the Hat suddenly shouted out causing several people to jump in their seats.

Godric applauded loudly, and nudged Rowena to do the same. The rest of the room burst into applause too and the student went to sit at the table Helga pointed him to.

The second student took her place on the stool and everyone held their breath once more. The Hat decided quickly this time and shouted out "Gryffindor!" again.

When the third student was also sorted into Gryffindor, Rowena turned to Godric and suggested that something might have gone wrong.

"Give it time," Godric said. "We all put something of ourselves in the Hat, it will no doubt find other students with the qualities you search for in your students."

"Hopefully this year," Rowena whispered back.

The fourth student to be sorted revealed that there was nothing wrong with the Hat and after a great deal of deliberation she was sorted into Hufflepuff. Helga beamed and patted her cheerfully on the shoulder as she directed her to the table where the rest of the Hufflepuff students sat.

Finally all the students were sorted and, Rowena was pleased to see, there were a fair number of students in her own house as well.

"A pretty even four way split," Salazar commented.

Godric stood up to make his annual start of term speech. They had unanimously decided to let him have that honour every year…no one else wanted to waste part of the summer holidays deciding what to say. Helga meanwhile carried the Sorting Hat towards the antechamber.

Rowena thought she heard it muttering on the way.

"That's all I get to do? I've got brains I have, and talent. You could at least let me sing a song or something before you shove me back here."