It's a Hit...Sorta (Founders)

Godric was shocked that the pair had just boldly assumed claim over Helga's room like that. After she specifically said that she really didn't want anything to do with the project, only finally agreeing grudgingly because she'd been outvoted. But then, intelligent people lost in their dizzying thoughts usually tended to wander wherever it led them, often not thinking of consequences. He knew because he could be the same way and only his family pointing it out repeatedly did he know.

"No." He said firmly, interrupting their thought process. While he didn't mean to be harsh, it was the only way to woo them out of their dizzying plans that were leading them further and further away.

"Not the Great Hall. The ceiling is already enough of an attraction in there. Plus, despite it's grand size now, it will one day be filled to the brim with students. There will be no room for it all.

"I believe that they should go out in the Entrance Hall. The students will still have to pass it to go into the Great Hall so they can look whenever they please."

Rowena looked triumphantly over at Salazar as he echoed her idea. Great minds and all. She then turned to listen to Helga as she suggested creating an incantation based on specific words and she nodded in agreement. "Excellent idea, Helga dear," she said as she pulled the parchment back over in front of her and began to scribble some possibilities.

 Her head came snapping up however when Godric said no. Ro's eyes narrowed into slits as she looked at the man in surprise. She didn't like being told no in general, but especially by a man. It just rankled something inside of her. And the fact it was coming from Godric was ludicrous to her. How dare he?

On the other hand, once her ire cooled slightly she considered his suggestion. Begrudgingly she had to agree because she didn't want to alienate her best friend any more than they already had today. "I suppose the Entrance Hall is as good as any place," she acquiesced.

Salazar was taken aback at the way Ric had stood up to the two of them. While their friend had an opinion on just about everything, it wasn't often he would try to assert his own over them. No Gryffindor could ever be accused of being a passive bystander; his opinion was always ready when someone asked him. It just wasn't something he would offer so boldly with the expectation of it being accepted as what would happen.

Then again, there was a reason his house bore the lion on his crest. A male lion at that. Lazy up until the point when threatened. When it came down to business that he felt was his, then the claws came out. Apparently, Ro recognized it as clearly as Salazar did, though she was less pleased by the rejection. It seemed a strange thing for his friend to take a stand on but if he felt so strongly on the matter, then Salazar could abide with the alteration. 

"So we need a spell so that any one of the staff members can use it anywhere on the school grounds, in order to subtract or add points. Well, there is a massive library. Perhaps there is something in there. Maybe have that new librarian you hired look for one while?" He suggested. Might as well put the man through his paces.

Helga hadn't expected anyone else to stick up for her or her space, not with how excited the topic seemed to still be so her mind was already considering defeat on the whole matter and that meant spending an evening someday soon working in the kitchen to help relieve her frustrations on the matter. That changed as she heard Godric reply and outright reject the idea of putting the hourglasses in the dining hall and she turned to look at him with as much focus as she could gather in her drunken state. She felt a bit guilty for doubting anyone was paying attention to her feelings on the matter, they had all seemed so approving of it and she not quite used to this side of the vote wasn't sure just yet how to get the subject from her mind without it leaving behind a bitter taste or pounding in her head. Someone taking her side had been unexpected but she was still grateful that soon not just Godric but Rowena and Salazar seemed to be on board with not putting the hourglasses in the great hall.

"We can put it right by the doors of the Great Hall if that would work, the general flow of students and staff would have to walk right by it several times a day so it would be able to be viewed at any time of day and inspire those that are competing to continue to for their houses" Helga added after a moment hoping it was a decent enough compromise. She really didn't want it at all but at least it wasn't going to be in the great hall so nearby seemed fair enough.

Helga looked a little puzzled at Salazar as he brought up they should seek out the new librarian. She glanced at her best friend a moment as her intoxicated mind tried to recollect what was said on the topic. "I thought the librarian you hired hasn't arrived at the school just yet or did I mishear something again? Sorry I may have had a bit too much wine so my minds beginning to get a bit fuzzy with some information" she asked doing a sweeping glance around the table before settling her eyes on Rowena. If they weren't here yet it was possible they would have to hold off on doing any kind of points until they arrived or would they have time to go do some research themselves in between the various lessons they were teaching over the next few days? It didn't seem like it would be too complicated, possibly a few spells combined together but finding the right ones would be the tricky part.

Rowena was already nodding as Helga suggested putting the hourglasses by the entrance to the Great Hall and she could picture it in her head. Perhaps it would be better there after all. She could see the wisdom of it, as the students would pass by it not just at meal times but on their way to classes or out into the grounds. Yes, it did make more sense to have it there.

"Brilliant Helga," she complimented her best friend before looking up from her sketches to address the suggestion and the following question posed to her.

"Yes, he has yet to arrive but should do so within the next day or so, which should give our students ample time to get settled into somewhat of a routine as well as allow us to erect the hourglasses and explain their function to the staff," she said as though it should be obvious. "Though I honestly think we should be more than capable of finding the answer ourselves, if we must delegate the task out then yes, Master O'Connell would be knowledgeable and adequate enough to take it on."

Ro wanted to make sure the enchantment was perfect though and would likely take whatever the tome caretaker found and modify it to suit their needs. This was to be finely tuned magic after all, specific to Hogwarts. Already more ideas were coming to her as she absently stroked her bottom lip with the feather tip of the quill. "Contracts. We could likely interlace the enchantment into contracts for the faculty. That way the school knows who is a teacher and who is not so there is no funny business from the students," she suggested finally. "Think of it as simply taking the pledge of being an instructor in written form, which should also make the enchantment easier to deal with."

"Contracts can be easily done." A slippery smile appeared on Salazar's face. "I've been thinking since we first started considering hiring staff that we needed something to guarantee good behavior amongst our staff. If they are in a position of authority, we do not want them abusing it while going on a power trip. Some of these people have not had power like they now have. Exercising it...it's a heady thing that first few times." His lips curled even more.

"But why not use a more powerful magic? Blood casts a much stronger spell than any other and I just so happen to have been working one a pen that will siphon blood instead of ink." He announced. It was something his mother had taught him long ago. If you wanted a guarantee, use blood. Nothing was stronger than the blood of a witch or wizard when used to cast enchantment. You wanted surety (which he did when it came to anything regarding this school that didn't pertain to his friends), you used something potent for that surety.

Helga sat back a bit more into the cushions of her chair and let the lull of her drunken buzz relax her a bit more. It seemed like her idea for the placement of the hourglasses had been approved by her friends or so she assumed given none of them seemed to object. Rowena even seemed to enjoy the placement idea and it added a bit more to her growing good mood knowing she had met the sometimes particularly difficult approval of her best friend. Not to say her bestie was a stubborn mind but she could be picky time to time, a little bragy when she had a brilliant thought, and sometimes couldn't hide the hint of jealousy if someone thought of a good idea before her. It was all different pieces of the good friend she had come to know over the years and she wouldn't trade her or any of her good friends for anyone else in the world. Helga knew she had her faults and good points too but at the moment her hazy mind couldn't really be bothered to pick any of them out from her mind. 

She didn't have much to say as the topic shifted to contracts for the staff. While it made sense that they should have some kind written agreement down she could go either way when it came to the official forms like contracts. They just tied people down, holding those accountable for what was agreed upon but unless directly specified the way they went about it could go any way making them both good and bad. At least that was her experience with a few of them. Yet she hadn't expected the response from Salazar to pull her up from her drunken buzz. She looked at him across from her at the table, unsure if she really heard the words he had just said and that they sounded no where near a joke or tease. 

"Contracts are one thing but do we need to go down the path of something like a blood contract requirement for our staff? I mean none of us have contracts in place like that right now with anyone or each other right? And if we are already doubting the professionalism and trust of the staff we have hired then what does that say about us? Can we really make them do such a thing as a blood contract to prove they can be trusted and won't abuse their power while they are here? I'm sorry but I don't know that I could agree with something like that" Helga said. She looked at Salazar for a few moments before she glanced at the other two to see what they thought. She was hopeful this time she wasn't going to be the only voice against this idea.

Godric knew, even before Salazar opened his mouth, what was going to come out of it. And it wasn't his friend's fault. The man had been brainwashed by a paranoid mother. A talented witch with a few crazy and somewhat extreme ideas, in his opinion. She'd definitely been talented though or Salazar wouldn't have the intelligence he did, since she was the one who'd been responsible for his magical upbringing. It didn't help that they still didn't know where she'd come from - who her people were. They definitely weren't druids, if she was proposing stuff like blood magic.

Then again, there were many different sects of the religion so maybe she had been. Considering the muggle myths, he'd almost believe she was one of the fae creatures about which they told horror stories. However, all magical folk knew that 'fae stories' were likely just incidents where muggles interacted with a witch or wizard.

Still, her mist and shadows and unique way of teaching...just an odd duck out of row compared to most of the magical people he knew. He'd known about blood magic, of course. Salazar had explained a few spells to him - ones that might mean life or death on a battle field. And while he'd never used it, the knowledge was there. Knowing the possibilities of what blood could do for him, he could understand how it could be of use to them at the school. After all, both he and Salazar had contributed their blood into the building of the wards around the school. Now that he thought of it though, he wondered if the girls knew that. And if not, maybe they needed to.

"I agree that contracts would be the best way to bind the teachers to the school. It is simply an easier way to bespell the hourglasses so points can be given and taken away. Even we would have to be under contract, even though we know our commitment to this place is of the highest order.

"And while yes, blood is a good medium to ensure loyalty beyond measure, I believe that the people we have hired are just as dedicated to success as we are. After all, their reputations are on the line as well. If one fails, we all do at this point."

Well, to be fair, he wasn't so certain about this scribe that Rowena had hired, since none of them but her had met the man. A contract would go a long way to easing his mind about this individual's place among the staff. And while they had all agreed on the current staff otherwise, he knew Salazar still doubted his sister and the girls' might have their own reservations about others that had been chosen but had decided to keep their own council on the matter.

So yes, contracts were good but blood - while a stronger reassurance of commitment - didn't seem necessary...yet.

"I propose that we stick to magical ink for now but if there proves any trouble in the future with staff actions, we can reassess the medium in which we use to contract any future hires." Hopefully that was an acceptable compromise for Helga to live with. Or maybe Rowena would overrule them both. It would be interesting to see her reaction.

While Salazar had a point that blood was a far stronger binder to magic, a contract in itself if you will, Rowena couldn't help the slight narrowing of her eyes. It was oh so tempting to agree with him because his reasoning was sound just misguided. She wondered if that was his weird mother's doing. She had only met the woman on a handful of occasions over the years, and each time she struck her as odd and strangely not to be trusted. Considering she's the one responsible for doing to Salazar what he had ultimately done to her, she could understand the feeling.

However, she couldn't just agree with him. The principle of the thing was that they trusted those that worked for them, otherwise they wouldn't have carefully selected and hired them in the first place. Each one of them vetted each employee based on the needs of the school. There was a reason it was a fleet of house elves handling the kitchens and cleaning the castle instead of humans after all. Humans couldn't be trusted to do nearly as good of a job in those areas and still maintain loyalty to the school.

When Helga and then Godric seemed to disagree with Salazar, Rowena knew what her choice had to be. She didn't want to cause a tie and thus more contention than it was worth at the moment. Besides, it was something they could revisit at some point later on in the future.

"Though dear Salazar is correct that blood magic is by far the strongest and most binding magic, I agree with Godric that we don't need that level of dedication from those in our employ just yet," she said trying to be slightly diplomatic. "This is still quite a new venture and should it fail despite our individual and combined determination for it to succeed, I do not wish to shackle others to the ruins so to speak."

"I think we can suitably weave an enchantment strong enough for our purposes utilizing some of the ink that Lady Moore has prepared for us, and double bind it to the roll of parchment we will use," she said thoughtfully as if she had given this more than just a momentary twirl in her brilliant mind. She didn't want her friends to feel completely inferior after all. "Though this also brings up another project I had in mind, that I seem to have forgotten until this moment."

Rowena's cheeks flushed slightly. She wasn't prone to forgetfulness often and it physically showed in this case. "I was contemplating the problem of future students. How would we know who to invite to study here after this inaugural term? A bit silly, I know to be thinking of such things when we cannot see a full forecast of the future for the school itself, but I simply couldn't help it. If this is to be our legacy far after we've gone, then we need to ensure that no magical child gets left to fade away," she said, turning her gaze from her best friend to Godric and finally letting her blue eyes rest on Salazar.

Rather famously, the other founder known for his intellect was also known to harbor a certain proclivity toward those pure of magical blood over those who had no choice in their parentage, whereas Rowena though she understood his point, was very much in favor of also protecting and teaching those with unfortunate births, after all, they did not choose their parents but still deserved to learn to use their gifts.

"As such, I was toying with the idea of another enchantment, this time woven into a special tome and quill, a magical ledger if you will," she said, smiling a bit slyly now as the pinkness in her cheeks faded and gave way to her vanity. "Something to list each child in Europe born with magic. It would be a great undertaking, something not easily accomplished to be sure but I worthy challenge of our considerable skills combined, not simply my own brilliant mind. I suppose I am unsure of how to accomplish this feat of magic just yet and thus ask for your opinions on the matter."

Salazar jaw clenched tightly, extremely irritated about everyone siding against him. Sure, Rowena and Godric had tried to be diplomatic about it but the basic fact was that none of them agreed. It was amazing that as many concessions as he was forced to make upon the creation and guidelines set up to rule this school, they could not simply go with this one security measure that he felt would protect them all.

What was a reputation for someone like Godric's sister? She hadn't given a thought to such a thing at any point in her life, judging from the stories his friend would tell him. And while Sir Raine was a knight who had served with Godric, Salazar had only met him a few times. If things went south here, the knight's family had influence enough to make it all go away if they so chose.

And who would care about some common healer's reputation? She was practically a nobody and not in a position to gain or lose anything other than solid employment.

And then, before he could even try to renegotiate, Rowena went on to describe some new invention she'd thought up - yet another contribution to the school. Yet if any of them had suggested such a thing, her ego...well, it would not have been such a positive interaction. Well, he was not without his own ego.

There was also the fact that her words, exactly, had been magical child. Not pureblood children...not even children of magical parents. No, she meant ALL magical no matter their background which went against his very instincts of what was best for the school. Didn't these people understand the dangers of letting mudbloods in here? It was a tragedy in the making and they refused to see reason. That didn't mean he had to be a part of it. As they would likely veto his additions down, simply best to stay out of it altogether.

"Sounds like a lovely idea," Salazar said stiffly. "I am certain you will figure something out. You always do." He tossed back the dregs of his wine. Contrary to the nice flavor it had had before, it was now bitter as vinegar. Salazar could barely stomach swallowing it but he would not insult Helga in such a way.

"With that, I believe I shall retire for the night. Much to do tomorrow." He stood, moving to set the goblet on the table where the treats were that Helga had brought. "I bid you all a good evening. See you on the morrow." Then he bowed his head to the ladies respectfully and departed. While normally not one to leave in such a hurry, Salazar knew he needed to get out of there before he said something that he might regret later.