Chapter 11 - Building Much More

Salazar Slytherin

Accompanying Rowena to view plots was a great compliment to myself. I had to contain myself to keep from assaulting that man, Mr. Bottomhedge. It was a struggle, as he treated Rowena like a lesser person every time he opened his mouth.

But despite our host's exceedingly poor behavior, we did in fact find a property that we all agreed upon. I never expected Rowena too seek the approval of all of us before she signed the agreement, but the fact that she did so made me think much more highly of her sense of honor. I was raised in the teaching that if something appealed to you, take it, asking no questions. The thought of her has changed my course of action more times that I can rightly count. It angers me to no end that she has such an effect on me, but despite the anger, I cannot help but admire her.

I loose myself. After the deed was returned to Mr. Bottomhedge, preparations were ready to begin. I, being one of the Slytherins, although unrecognized by my family, was able to direct Rowena to a number of highly trained wizards that would at least lay the groundwork for the endeavor. I made it clear to the man I had chosen for the job, Charles Cutter, that the work was to be voluntary. I knew that he was of the pureblood train of thought, but participated with the Ministry on the side as well. I explained to the man that the school was for the wizarding community, and for the better of the cause, despite what was said from the Minister, and he agreed to help us with the work. I was going to owe the man a favor, and I was sure that he wasn't going to be quick to forget it.

The fact that Cutter worked for muggles during the day and the Ministry in the evening left his schedule quite cramped. Most of the heavier work was to be done at night, with only the moon and a few well placed wands to keep the light. It was dangerous work, suffice to say, Bottomhedge had indeed been hiding the fact that things did inhabit the lake and forest. A herd of wild threstrals came to pick at Cutter's midnight lunch, and I was nearly drowned in the darkness by a feisty young squid in the lake. I was not amused. No Godric, it was not a laughing matter. I hold to my threat to empty the lake if it happens again.

The basis for building the school was simple enough. When building with magic, the laws of physics are quite easy to go around. I believe this is the reason why Cutter chose to assist with this job, as it were, he was unable to use magic to build during the day, and the man had a knack for building. When asked what we thought the structure would look like, Rowena pulled a beautiful sketch of a castle out that I thought I had discarded in the trash. To anyone passing, she had taken with the idea of a ruined castle, but in our reality, the building was to be a remarkable castle, turrets wherever we wished them, dungeons to my liking, and so much more. The castle was going to be enormous, and left with much much room to grow.

Rowena glowed in those moonlit nights, she seemed a changed person from the uptight almost stuffy person I had met on that first day in front of the bookstore. She gave clear directions as to what she wanted, but did so in a manner as not to offend Cutter. She had a vision, and took not only her ideas but the rest of ours into her directives. I marveled at the way she handled the menial tasks that needed to be done, moving dirt, placing stones. It seemed that the work may have taken weeks longer had she not assisted. The sheer determination contained in one woman was enough to make me both scared of her in a way, and at the same time in awe of the vibrance that she contained.

In a few short weeks, we were ready to take our first steps into the castle. Cutter assured us that all the walls were stable, and he charmed them to stay upright even in the worst of battles. Helga seemed alarmed at the thought of battles coming to the school, but we assured her that it was just a figure of speech. Cutter admired his work, tipping his hat to us as he handed over the great keys. There was no need for keys to this door, but it was more symbolic than anything. He explained the assorted charms that we could use, wards to place around the castle for safety reasons, and urged us to contact him if we needed anything else he could help with. Then he was on his way.

The four of us stood in front of the Great Door, almost holding our breaths. While we worked on the castle at night, none of us had seen it fully in the light of day. It was enormous, even by my standards. I was accustomed to large and ornate buildings, but this surpassed anything that I had ever laid eyes on. I was as much in awe of the building as my counterparts.

Linking arms, as though to brace ourselves, Rowena took the keys and opened the lock. Cutter had made it a point that we not see the inside of the castle as he finished the work. I have a feeling that even those glimpses could not have prepared us for the sight that spread before us. A great foyer greeted us, and the size of it took my breath away. I felt the rest of the group gasp as we all, still linked, took a collective gasp. It was amazing. Simply amazing.

There was much work to be done, but the bones of the building were in place. All of the work we had toiled over was finally reaching culmination, and if the rewards were this great this early, I think we all tasted a piece of heaven.

As Rowena stepped over the threshold, I was tempted to carry her. She spun a little, her tiny body dwarfed by the expanse of the room, but she was the only sight for my eyes. I joined her and we did a little waltz around the great room, only stopping when Godric was taken with a fit of lunacy and started doing a wild jig that while being both annoying and badly timed, was infectious. We all danced around like children and laughed.

While Godric was busy spinning Helga so hard that she looked slightly green, I took the opportunity to steal a small kiss from Rowena. It seemed I had no choice, she looked at me with those laughing eyes and I couldn't help it.

Could it be that in the building of this splendid dream, something could be building between us? I never fancied anyone to this capacity before, and should have kept the feelings to myself, but love is scarcely polite about such things. Love knocks you off your feet and pulls you into its crushing waves, and I was drowning. I reached out for something, and I found Rowena Ravenclaw.

SS