The next day found Rowena sitting alone at the table. She had styled both her hair and dress as usual. She sat at the table in a way that one watching would think that Rowena was a high-born well-educated lady who, unbothered by her thoughts, had just woken up from a dreamless sleep.

The truth, however, was far from that. She had been unable to sleep that night as she was consumed by her thoughts. They crashed into her mind like waves. Coming and going but always lapping at the edge. They drove her mad as they constantly asked her questions.

Why Rowena? They sang, Why did you do it? Why did you hurt Emrys? Was he not your friend?

Even as she sat at the table, they whispered. They whispered to her using words. Words that, although softer compared to the storm they were previously, still drove her mad.

What will the others say? They will not trust you.

She knew that although these thoughts stemmed from her conscious and guilt, they were speaking the truth. Helga, Salazar, Godric, none would trust her.

Godric was often seen praising Emrys and how he seemed to always be willing to partake in death-defying adventures. When he came back though, it was Helga who sang his praises. She, on the other hand, liked how he was always willing and had the skills required to help her keep the castle working. Both of them would be deeply hurt by her actions but she knew that the most difficult reaction to deal with would be Salazar and his snake's.

Salazar and Ophidia were both very close to Emrys and the three would often be found together. Sometimes they would have books with them and sometimes they would not. It did not matter what they did though as their bond was very close, almost as close as Salazar and Godric's.

Speaking of Salazar, she thought.

She watched from her spot as he entered the room, around his neck lay Ophidia. She seemed to be lethargic and was curled tightly, trying to gain Salazar's heat. As both of them were very close to Emrys, they were sure to question his disappearance.

"Morning, Rowena," He greeted, happily.

"Morning, Sal, Ophidia,"

Ophidia hissed at him, "Of course," He said back to the snake. No matter how often he spoke to her, she would never get used to it, "Ophidia says 'Good morning',"

"Where's Emrys?" He asked, sitting next to her.

"Haven't seen him," She lied, even through the pain and regret filling her heart. She shouldn't have tried to drain the magic from anyone. Black magic was black magic; Nothing could change that. No motives, no reasons which were just excuses. She should have left it alone.

Eventually, Helga and Godric joined them. They sat at the table and, as the sun was already high in the sky, insisted on waiting for Emrys to come down. The decision did nothing for Rowena's emotions. The guilt settled into her even more and she knew that if there was a chance (even if it was the slightest, most unlikely change) for her to change what had happened, she would take it in a heartbeat.

"It's getting late," Said Helga as she began to stand from the table, "I'm going to get him,"

Panicked, Rowena grabbed her arms. Salazar's eyebrows rose into his hairline and then his eyes narrowed. Rowena saw this and tried to calm down, "He was probably up late last night and decided to sleep in," she said.

Helga stopped moving. She looked at her and considered her answer. She sat back down, seemingly agreeing to what Rowena had said and called for Tinky. Tinky appeared through a well-placed door to the side of the hall. It most likely led to the kitchens as Rowena had seen Helga use it before. Said lady greeted Tinky when she came and asked her when breakfast would be.

"Soon, Lady Helga. Tinky and Hooky be making breakfast for all," She said, her mood was slightly less exuberant than normal. Just before she left she looked at Rowena, her eyes pledged retribution and Rowena had to wonder whether or not they knew what she had done.

The Secret of Rowena Ravenclaw

Time went on even in the absence of their friend until eventually, a few months passed. Rowena had been able to keep what she had done a secret from the others, but Salazar was getting closer to the truth.

He had become withdrawn in the absence of his mentor, but it had intensified into reclusion when he had received a letter. No one knew what was written in the letter, although it had affected Salazar in a way none of them thought possible. The only people he spoke to were Godric and some students that he thought gifted.

She had told them an excuse about Emrys and had been able to keep everyone in the dark. The wards were staying up, but the castle had begun to feel a lot colder for everyone. That was until the new people arrived.

It was at that point the castle had begun to gain sentience, some of the staircases would shift overnight and corridors that lead one place one day would lead somewhere else the next. It seemed as if it fed on the magic used by the inhabitants and areas where more magic was practised were more active.

When the first year had started with just under 30 students. They came from twelve different families, but many of them did not claim any last name. Of the twelve, the only families who did were the Abbott's and the Korizar's.

Their families were said to have both been forced from their position as nobles when the Great Purge had begun almost 400 years ago. They had not settled down since. Some of the other families came from the nearby towns, while most hailed from the area's down in the South.

The matriarch of the Abbott's, being from the South, had brought with her three kids who were 12, 14 and 17 summers. She had travelled the last part of the journey alone, and still grieving for the loss of her husband. They had been some of the first to arrive.

The Korizar's only a single son who was aged at just under 3 summers, but another was set to join them early in the next year. They had just arrived but had been able to settle down fairly quickly. During their short time living at Hogwarts, Salazar, Ophidia and the Castle had seemed to take a liking to them.

Jillian who was already waddling, often found that she would make it onto lower floors without taking any stairs. The first few times that she had found herself like this, she had been confused. It had begun to happen more often the further along she got in her pregnancy though and eventually, she had just accepted it.

On Samhain, Jillian found herself running into Salazar over and over. It was not even noon when he grew tired of it and for the rest of his day, he remained in his chambers. No matter how hard they tried, not even Godric could persuade him to come out.

It was long after dinner when he finally ventured out. He was beginning to walk past the Great Hall when, thanks to his heritage, he was able to feel as the castle shifted. Its magic centralised around the corner and he heard Jillian's tell-tale waddling. He would not have noticed her otherwise.

"Hello," She greeted when she noticed him. She was on the other side of the entrance, but he still felt slightly agitated by her presence. He gave her a tight-lipped smile and looked around.

"Hello," He whispered back even as his voice cracked. He hadn't spoken for a while, but he got a feeling that he should at this moment. He was not worried about anyone seeing them due to the time, but was still confused as to why Hogwarts had brought them together.

"Are you alright?" She said.

Coming up to him, she placed her hand on his forehead. He nodded at her as a wave of magic crashed into him. He stumbled back and (bless her) Jillian grabbed his arm to steady him.

"You better not be lying to me," She said, placing her hands on her hips. It would have been able to rival Helga's stance had she not had the protrusion caused by the babe. A violent shudder ran through her spine, and she wrapped her hands around her shoulders.

"What's happening?" She asked, her voice breaking.

"You need to follow me," He said urgently, holding out his hand,

"Quickly,"

She hesitated before grabbing it but when she did Salazar let out a breath of air. He visibly relaxed and led her behind a column where they waited. They waited and waited and waited until Jillian eventually got fed up. She went to step away from the large structure when Salazar grabbed her upper arm and pulled her back.

As she opened her mouth to argue, he covered it. The sound of heels on flooring made her look at him. While she did this, he brought his other hand up to his lips in a pled for her to remain silent. His eyes seemed to hold suspicion and a mild level of contempt.

She looked around the column to see Rowena coming down the stairs. The normally beautiful lady was currently dressed in a tunic and dirt-stained pants. In her hand was a basket that was covered by a thin cloth. The low light made seeing through the cloth a feat, while the few shapes that could be seen were almost impossible to make out.

Salazar slowly lowered his hand from Jillian's mouth while using his other to make the universally recognised sign to be quiet. Jillian recognised that there was something disturbingly weird about the current situation that they were in and tried to breathe as softly as possible.

Once Salazar was sure that she wasn't going to make any sound he peaked his head out from behind the pole, only to watch as a door that was not previously there appeared. Rowena turned the key in the lock and after removing it, went through the door which then disappeared behind her.

He waited a little bit longer in case someone else appeared before grabbing Jillian's hand and dragging her to the stairs,

"Quickly," He said, "We don't know how long she's going to be in there,"

He stopped her at the top of the stairs when he heard a door creak. Looking at Jillian he quickly cast on her one of the few spells that Emrys had taught him. It didn't work as well as he would have wanted but it would have to do. In front of him, he could see her simmer and fade until all that was left to see was a semi-gleaming shadow.

"Go! It won't last long," He whispered as he ran back down the stairs in an effort to draw attention away from her. Jillian began waddling along the corridor following Salazar's instruction to get as far away from there as possible.