A little one-shot - I had the urge to tell Muriel's side of the story.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural or Harry Potter

It was hard, harder than anything she'd ever done, to leave Heaven.

Stealing the Horn had been easier than she had expected - Gabriel hadn't touched it, not since Lucifer fell, and Otheos was almost pathetically easy to sneak past for an angel of their standing. They didn't notice at all as Muriel crept past them into the armory and took the Horn.

It wasn't as well protected as she'd expected an archangel's weapon to be - but it was only a horn, after all. Its real value lay in its ability to summon the entirety of the Host in a matter of minutes - for when the Horn blew, you answered the call.

Or else.

This was the first time Muriel had seen - or rather, heard - it used, and she was determined never to hear it again.

Hence, stealing it.

The armory was nowhere near as well guarded in the back and Muriel rushed away, falling through the planes that separated Heaven from their Parent's universe and rushing past stars and galaxies in a blur until she found one of the human's planets, suitably far away that any angel who came after them would have difficulty finding her among the possibilities.

Muriel almost relaxed, but they weren't done yet - they still had to find a vessel. So, Horn clutched by their true form [which was so much smaller than Gabriel that if they decided to come after them for the Horn Muriel would be dead] they set off to find someone who was either desperate or devout enough to let themselves be possessed.

The opportunity, strangely enough, presented itself almost immediately.

There was a girl inside the top floor of a house [which wasn't saying much - there were only two floors] with the window thrown open. Muriel almost recoiled at the taste of strange magic inside the young woman, but a closer inspection revealed no demonic taint, and Muriel sighed in relief. She was almost the perfect vessel - but anything demonic would have ruined the possibility of Muriel being able to possess her.

It was then that Muriel realized she was crying.

Curious, they drew closer to the window. The girl had her face shoved into a rough pillow, but her shoulders were shaking and the pillow was damp.

"I cannot do this." For a moment, Muriel thought she was speaking to them, but then they realized that the girl was simply talking to herself through sobs. "I cannot, gods, why do I do anything?"

If Muriel had been human, her expression now might have been called a frown. What was the girl talking about?

"Someone just stop all of this, please." The words were barely a whisper.

Muriel felt a coil of guilt wind through her, at the same time of a burst of thought. She was certainly desperate enough to let herself be possessed - but it was a bit, well, un-angelic to possess someone in this state.

Well, it wasn't like Muriel possessing her was going to kill her. The soul would just sort of be...tucked in a corner.

If the human body had an equivalent of a corner.

Muriel shoved their doubt and guilt into their own body's corner and reached out to touch the girl's mind.

I can help.

The girl started so badly that she knocked one of the other pillows off her bed as she sat up, eyes moving around the room and trying to identify where the voice had come from.

"Who's there?"

Just me.

Muriel saw the girl's eyes widen as she realized that the voice was speaking directly into her mind. "Are you a spirit?" She asked in a wavering voice, pushing herself back on the bed slightly.

No. Muriel hesitated. Well, not really. I don't know much of spirits. Other than the fact that they exist. I was hoping to ask you for a favor.

"What favor could anyone want of me?" The girl swiped at her still-tearstained face. "I'm useless."

Muriel almost didn't keep going.

But they had to.

Humans were odd.

No one had noticed that Muriel was now in charge of the girl - Rowena's - body, and they had been able to set off on their own. The nearest town was quite close, despite both settlements being a bit in the middle of nowhere, but in both places Muriel was still having a difficult time on occasion.

The large, rowdy group of boys sitting outside the nearest tavern [Muriel got the idea that they had just been kicked out] wasn't helping her concentrate on her current predicament - i.e., she had no money and no place to stay, and was attempting to figure out how to get around that. Being an angel meant she didn't need money for food, or a place to stay technically, but a room to spend the night in would be preferable to spending it outside.

The group of boys had gotten even louder, and one of them seemed to be the root of the problem, talking loudly to the others and being shouted over by them. They seemed to think he'd done something rude, and the one boy looked to be severely outnumbered in what was shaping up to be a fight.

Muriel decided to do something.

Before the lead boy could land a hit on the one at fault, a long piece of wood held in Muriel's hand met his head and knocked him clean off his feet.

There was a stunned silence, in which the disadvantaged boy froze in surprise, the one Muriel had hit collapsed to the ground, and his friends stared at Muriel.

Muriel glared, Grace unconsciously unfurling slightly. "I suggest you leave."

They left, practically tripping over each other and not stopping to retrieve their leader from where he still lay on the ground.

Muriel dropped the wooden board with a huff, and turned to go when suddenly a hand fastened around her wrist.

"You would not leave without letting me give you proper thanks?" The boy she'd helped was beaming, and swept into a bow, planting a kiss on the back of the hand he held as Muriel stared, slightly taken aback. Was this another human custom? "I am very grateful to you - I would not have lost, of course, but it might have gotten difficult."

"I find it hard to believe you could have won against six other people," Muriel replied once she'd recovered her voice.

"That would be because we haven't met before," The boy said, rising from his bow without letting go of her hand. "I assure you, I am perfectly capable of it."

"You must have some secret talent, to have such confidence in yourself." Muriel said, tugging her hand out of the boy's grip.

The boy only grinned. "My name's Godric," He said cheerfully.

"Rowena," Muriel replied, borrowing her vessel's name - the fewer connections she had to Heaven, the better.

"Rowena what?"

"You haven't given me your last name," Muriel retorted, a tad sharply, but Godric kept grinning. Did anything discourage him?

"Gryffindor," He said proudly, and Muriel paused.

Wasn't Gryffindor the name of a quite distinguished noble family who watched over this town?

"You should spend the night up at the manor," Godric decided, cementing Muriel's thought and causing surprised to shoot through her. "It's the least I can do to repay you for the help - unless you already have a place to stay?" He barreled on without waiting for an answer. "You should come anyway! Gryffindor House is much better than any inn the town can rustle up - no offense to them meant, but, well-" He glanced around, as if the reason should be obvious.

"I don't think-" Gryffindor was a magical name, as far as Rowena knew, but Muriel was far less sure about this - and magic in general, really, but Godric was persistent.

"You must! What sort of gentleman would I be if I let you stay here tonight?"

"It's really not-"

"Nonsense!"

Seeing that this was going nowhere, Muriel sighed. It would be nice to be guaranteed a room..."I supposed it couldn't hurt."

Godric's grin was so broad that Muriel almost took it back; anyone who smiled that widely couldn't be up to anything good, but he was already leading her insistently up the road, to where a long, low manor house was perched on a hill which overlooked the hill.

One night turned into several, at least until Muriel had been set up with her own house [with a couple shouted conversations that were just back-and-forth 'I couldn't possibly!' and 'no, we insist!' - Godric's parents were just as insistent as he was, and within minutes of meeting them Muriel had discovered exactly where he got that particular quality] but by then she had been quite firmly cemented into the life of the Gryffindors.

It wasn't bad, and Muriel had grown to enjoy Godric's company - he could be brash, but he was a good boy, and his soul was bright enough to convince her that he truly did mean well in everything he did.

Godric had not even the slightest inkling, though, that his friend might be more than she seemed, and Muriel was determined to keep it that way. Her Grace was barely used - in the last few years she'd grown proficient at using Rowena's copious amount of magic - and the heavily warded and locked room in the back of her house was kept out of sight and out of mind. It was only a lucky - but convenient - side effect that her friendship with Godric immersed her even more fully into the world of these wizards and witches, but Muriel very firmly told herself that that was not the only reason she was friends with Godric.

And it wasn't.

But it certainly hadn't hurt his chances in the beginning, when she'd first realized this.

"Rowena!" There was a bang as the front door burst open - Muriel had long ago given up on persuading Godric to knock, but there seemed to be another voice with him as well which he replied to in a surprisingly quiet voice. "Hallo? Rowena? Are you home?"

"I'm right here, Godric." Muriel moved to the top of the stairs quickly, looking down at Godric and trying not to reveal her surprise at seeing the man accompanying him. "Doesn't one usually bring guests to their own house?"

"That is what I told him," The man in green robes said, "But as you seem to know Godric well, I assume you also know well his tendency to ignore other people when they disagree with him."

"Indeed." Muriel descended quickly, tucking Rowena's wand back into her sleeve. "I don't supposed you'll introduce your guest, Godric?"

"Of course!" Godric looked almost injured. "Rowena, this is my friend Salazar - a good man, though he still won't tell me where he hails from-"

"You seem to entertain yourself well enough guessing, I would hate to deprive you of that." Salazar bowed slightly, kissing the back of Muriel's hand like Godric had when they first met. He was certainly of noble background, or at least smart enough to have learned the proper procedures. "A pleasure to meet you. Godric has spoken often of you in his letters. I thought for some time he had found himself a fianceé."

"Salazar!" Muriel laughed at Godric's indignant exclamation.

"It's fine, Godric." She told him, still smiling. "It's wonderful to meet you too, Salazar - I was beginning to wonder if Godric had any other friends."

Salazar's mouth twitched into a grin, while Godric looked incredulously between the two of them. "You're teaming up against me," He said, sounding aggrieved. "Introducing you was a mistake."

"Don't be so thin-skinned, Godric," Muriel said lightly.

"Indeed," Salazar agreed. "Ms. Ravenclaw-"

"Rowena is perfectly acceptable."

"Rowena, then. I have been told that you have quite a library - if it is not too much trouble-?"

"Of course not. Godric, are you coming?"

He was, despite a groan and a muttered complaint that he was going to be stuck inside all the time now with two bookish friends.

Muriel sat in her room, frowning at Rowena's wand. Godric had recently asked for her help on a project he and Salazar had been working on, and she'd of course accepted - but for some reason was having trouble summoning up the necessary power.

Which didn't make sense. Rowena was anything but lacking in that area, so why-?

Muriel let out a small ahh of understanding as it hit her. She still considered it Rowena's magic, Rowena's wand - and it was, past everything angelic, Rowena's body, and her at the core.

So Muriel did something she had been previously unwilling to do.

She called up Rowena from where her soul rested.

There was a vague stirring, and then a sense of something expanding, and a voice wriggled its way into Muriel's mind. What...?

I apologize for disturbing you. Muriel carefully placed the wand on the bedside table, lying down to better converse with Rowena without being disturbed. It was necessary, or else I would not have done it.

Why? Now Rowena was more alert, extending her soul as much as she could to understand what was happening. What is happening?

As best she could, Muriel explained. She probably explained more than was necessary - why she'd needed to possess Rowena, the results of that, her trouble with the magic now.

Rowena was quiet.

I feel almost sorry for you, She replied eventually. To be away from your family like that, with no hope of going back...

It was my own choice.

As it was mine to allow you entrance. You say my magic will not cooperate?

For this, at least. It was yours originally, and still is as such. It is...unwilling to bend quite that far for me.

I am not surprised. Rowena sounded amused. I was always been told that I was unusually stubborn, for a woman.

What does being a woman have to do with it?

That was usually my reply. Rowena's soul shifted slightly, with the air of a person preparing themselves for a long discussion. Now, let me see what I might know.

After their discussion, Muriel found she was able to help quite easily, and to beyond the extent which Godric had expected while helped by Rowena. She had an innate understanding of magic that Muriel readily absorbed - they were sharing a mind, after all, so what came naturally to one usually popped up in the others' mind as well.

Their work attracted another person to the usually not so popularly frequented town of Griffin's Hollow, which despite the rule of the Gryffindors was still a fairly small town. Muriel couldn't have been more surprised to open the door and see an unfamiliar woman standing there.

"I hope I'm not intruding," The woman said anxiously, fidgeting on the doorstep. "This is the house of Ravenclaw, is it not?"

"Er - yes," Muriel replied, caught somewhat off guard, and Rowena stirred slightly in interest. "Is there a reason you're looking for me?"

"Oh - it's you?" The woman seemed delighted. "Why, I - ahem. Actually, I heard of that remarkable new system you were instrumental in devising - that new runic bit-?"

"I wasn't aware word had spread that quickly," Muriel said, surprised.

"Oh, well, I was in the area on a trip, and I had to come and see if you might be able to help me with a problem of my own." The woman reached into her bag as if to dig around, before pausing, wide-eyed. "Good Merlin, I haven't even given you my name! Helga Hufflepuff," She introduced herself, sticking one hand out in the manner that men usually introduced themselves.

Muriel didn't hesitate to take it. "Rowena - though I gather you already know the name. What problem might you have?" She had been immediately intrigued by the idea of a new challenge, and so was the real Rowena.

And so Helga was escorted into the house in a rush of talk and inquiries about magic and all manner of things, and never really quite got around to leaving.

"Think 'bout it, Rowena!"

"Godric, you're drunk," Muriel said patiently. This certainly wasn't what she had expected when she had given in to Godric's insistence that she host the celebration party for him completing his Apprenticeship with a certain master wizard, but at least now she knew why he'd been so certain in the idea that his parents would refuse to host anything other than an official banquet up at the manor.

Beer, it seemed, had the unfortunate side effect of making Godric even louder, and Helga had retired upstairs several hours ago [and Rowena suspected her of employing several silencing charms - not that she blamed Helga]. She had gotten along with Godric brilliantly, when the two of them had first met, but there was only so much of the brash man that one person could take after still being relatively new to knowing Godric.

"'M not." Godric waved a hand dismissively, and succeeded in knocking over a now-empty glass, which hit the table and thankfully didn't roll off of it. "Bu' a school f'r magic, Rowena!"

"You are drunk."

"They need to be taught!" Godric exclaimed, throwing his arms out. "I got 'prenticed but how many 're tha' lucky?"

"If you weren't pissed drunk I might take you seriously," Muriel said severely, hoping the rudeness would shock Godric enough to make him shut up. It did no such thing - he didn't even give any sign that he might have noticed.

"Think 'bout it," He urged her, one hand fastening onto the sleeve of Muriel's robe. "School - but f'r magic! You gotta think-" He stumbled over his words, eyes fluttering. "Gotta be a good idea," He muttered to the table, hand dropping. "'S my idea."

"I'm sure," Muriel said sharply. Salazar had been nodding at the other end of this table the whole time, watching with-half lidded eyes, not nearly as drunk as Godric but nowhere near sober.

"C'mon-"

"No."

Godric muttered something slurred under his breath. "F'n. D'n wanna b' great 'n have stud'nts 'n stuff. See 'f I care."

It sounds kind of interesting.

What does? Muriel paused midsentence. She'd been writing down some information she'd meant to copy, after Godric had finally fallen asleep at the table. She hadn't been inclined to move him.

A magic school. Rowena sounded almost eager. What if we could?

Rowena, you're not really talking Godric's drunken ramblings seriously.

What if he's really had a good idea? You were only so short with him because you don't like him drunk.

Muriel hesitated, and really thought about it. I suppose he's got a point...

"Oh, my head."

"It serves you right." Muriel informed Godric, slamming a book onto the table harder than was strictly necessary and making the glasses and dishes - but mostly glasses - rattle. Godric groaned. Salazar was exactly where he had been last night, except with his arms tented over his head in an effort to block out the sunlight. Two brown eyes peered out from under them, squinting into the bright kitchen.

Muriel pointedly strode over to the window and yanked the curtains open, drawing twin groans of protest from her guests.

"You're a horrible woman," Godric complained, throwing one arm over his face. "No pity for me at all!"

"Clean up your mess and then maybe I'll be a little more sympathetic." Muriel stood, hands on her hips, and for a moment the only noise was of Rowena sniggering in the back of her mind and the two wizards groaning under their breath. "I don't know how you get ideas like that while so drunk."

Salazar peered up at her. "Ideas like what?"

Muriel grinned, and anyone who saw would have immediately recognized it as the kind of smile that preceded an idea that would either turn out brilliantly or very, very badly.

"Here it is!"

"You make it seem like we're intrepid explorers, Godric," Helga huffed, one hand shielding her eyes from the sunlight. "This does look like a good place," She said admiringly.

"Of course it is." Salazar was surveying the area with a pleased expression. "Nice, solid ground, no non-magicals for miles - and plenty of space."

"We'll need it," Muriel said decisively, paging through her notebook. Paper was expensive, but at this point she could afford it, if only with a little bit of saving.

"Ah yes, for these plans for a school that you won't show us." Godric leaned over, and Muriel moved the book out of the way, grinning at his defeated expression.

"I was waiting until the right moment," She said haughtily, still grinning.

"When's the right moment, then?" Helga asked.

"When we've bought the land." Muriel gazed out over the flat fields and distant mountains. Yes, she decided. This was the perfect place for their school - their castle.

"What are those builders doing?"

Godric whirled around, a slightly guilty expression on his face as Muriel stormed up to him. "Rowena," He said, falsely cheerful, but Muriel only glared.

"Don't 'Rowena' me, Godric, what have you told them to do?"

"Well, I thought-"

"You thought!" Muriel snapped, interrupting. "You thought! Do you have any idea how long it took me to make those plans perfect? Well?"

"Months?" Godric guessed.

"Yes!" Muriel shoved a finger in Godric's chest - they were the exact same height, to her satisfaction, which meant if she stood on tiptoe it was easy to create the illusion that she was towering over him. "You cannot just add things in wherever you want! Just because you think a tower would look nice there-"

"Well, it would-"

"No, it would not!" Muriel glared at Godric and set off for where the builders had stopped working to stare at the argument, and all hastily tried to not be the one Muriel chose to start yelling at.

"I have told you not to listen to him!"

There was a low laugh, and someone in green robes stepped out of a shadowy corner next to Godric.

"I told you she'd take it badly," Salazar said, looking amused, while Godric was partially hunched in on himself, disconsolately watching Muriel scatter the builders.

"I don't see why she is so determinedly against it," Godric said grumpily.

"This castle is her pet project," Salazar reminded him. "We may be her co-conspirators, Godric, but you have to admit that it was Rowena at the heart of it."

"It was my idea."

"And you wouldn't even have remembered it the next morning if not for her."

Godric harrumphed again, but didn't disagree. The builders by now had been well and truly scattered, leaving only the usual debris which accompanied the enormous task of building a castle, which Muriel was now magically shifting on her own, a determined frown on her face.

"I wonder if she'll turn you into something again," Salazar said almost reminiscently. "You remember, that time when she-"

"Yes," Godric interrupted quickly, repressing a shudder. "Let's not bring that up again."

"No."

"But Rowena-"

"Absolutely not, Salazar." Both Muriel and Helga looked deeply disapproving, though Godric looked considering. "You are not putting a giant snake in this castle."

"I said what if we all-"

"I heard you the first time." Helga said sternly. "Really Salazar, how could you suggest something like that? There will be children in this castle."

"It would be intended to guard them," Salazar protested halfheartedly.

"A giant snake?"

"A lion would work better," Godric mused. "Say we found one and used an Enlarging Charm on it-"

"No!" Both women shouted at the same time, looking at each other with expressions that were a mixture of disbelief, irritation, and can you believe these two?

"We are not having," Helga began, "Anything even remotely resembling giant animals, be they lions or snakes or anything else. Is that clear?"

Godric nodded, but Salazar still looked off-kilter.

"Something you'd like to say?" Muriel inquired. Not all three of them were looking at Salazar, who coughed and muttered something about having already made the arrangements so I thought you should know...

"Salazar," Helga gasped. "Tell me you haven't already put one in the castle."

"It's only a hatchling," He said defensively, but now Godric was the one looking apprehensive - he disliked snakes unless they were illustrations, and giant ones were a recipe for disaster with it and Godric in the same castle.

"Get it out!"

"Helga-"

"I will not tolerate this, Salazar Slytherin, now show me where that snake is this instant!"

"Something on your mind?"

"We should do something about the ceiling," Muriel said absentmindedly.

Helga strolled into the Great Hall, glancing up at the roof. "I don't see anything wrong with it."

"No, there's nothing wrong, it's just..." Muriel trailed off. The roof was quite well done, actually - soaring arches held up a great cavernous peak, with slitted windows for owls to come through, and small ledges for archers to stand and shoot out if necessary.

"Boring?" Helga suggested.

"Yes. This is a school of magic, and I simply feel like it should look more...impressive." Muriel finished, somewhat lamely in her opinion.

Helga, however, only nodded. "It would look more impressive with a touch of something out of the ordinary, wouldn't it?" She asked brightly. "As a matter of fact I stumbled across a spell recently that might do the trick."

"Really?" Muriel sat up straighter, and Rowena did the mental equivalent. Muriel suspected that she'd gained her deep interest in magic from the latter, but her attention now was on Helga.

"Yes, I was looking through what we've got so far of the library - I know it's mostly your books, but Salazar's contributed one or two good ones - anyway, it's supposed to change a ceiling to look like the sky above it. Of course, this wouldn't work for a room on the first floor under a lot of other rooms, but it would work admirably here, would it not?"

"What's the incantation?"

"Lacarimalus," Helga said carefully. "I'm not sure what language it's in, but it worked well enough when I used it on the shed outside where they're doing the greenhouses for practice."

"Let's try it, then." Muriel stood, unsheathing her wand fluidly.

"I knew you'd like the idea."

It took a touch of Grace for the ceiling to be properly enchanted, but Salazar and Godric were delighted later when they were shown it. It seemed no time at all before the castle was finished and ready to house people - a sizable village had even sprung up alongside it, but with the readiness and news spreading [carefully] through local magical communities, a snag was hit.

A rather large snag by the name of Salazar Slytherin.

"Salazar, you're being unreasonable." Muriel huffed as they descended to the Great Hall.

"Am I?" Salazar challenged her. "Rowena, the non-magicals can be ridiculous about these things. When we arrive to tell them that their children have magic and we'd like to take them away for half the year to learn how to control it, we'll be first on the stake - followed by said children!"

"They wouldn't burn children, Salazar," Muriel said flatly. "And we'd agreed that we were going to introduce the idea more subtly than that."

"And what of the children from non-magical backgrounds?" Salazar snapped. "I supposed they will just come quietly when they have been told their entire lives that magic is the work of the devil? And when they are being separated from their parents?"

"No child has to come if they don't want to!"

"And what of the ones that do? What will stop them from telling their family everything?"

"For Merlin's sake, Salazar!" Muriel lost her grasp on the fraying edges of her temper. "You're suggesting that some children will come here with the intent to spy on us! None of them will be any older than ten, at most! What has happened to you?"

Salazar only glowered, an expression Muriel was unused to seeing on him. "I think you are treating this situation far too lightly-"

"It is you who are turning Ashwinders into Dragons-"

"Seven witches and wizards have been burned in the past month, Rowena!" Salazar interrupted loudly, shocking Muriel into silence. Seven? "And if we are not careful, more will follow their fate!"

"This school," Muriel said eventually, "Was meant for those willing to learn. I have put too much effort into it to let any of it - any of it - go to waste. Anyone who wishes to come will be here, or needs to come - even if we must impress upon them the dangers and consequences of refusing - should be able to come. No matter what."

"And if they still don't want to?" Salazar stared back at her, his expression deep and unreadable.

"Then you know what we must do." Muriel had originally been horrified at the idea of Sealing someone's magic, but Godric and Salazar had impressed upon her the necessity of doing so - only in certain situations, when there was absolutely no other option.

Salazar released his tight grip on the railing with a huff. "I am not accepting any of them into my House, I hope you realize."

"I did not seek to make you do so." Muriel recalled the argument over Houses, which had ended with Helga throwing her hands in the air and calling them all ridiculous fools, and if you're going to be so picky about who you teach then I shall simply take the rest of them.

Salazar nodded tightly and swept off back up the stairs, the way they had come, and Muriel could not help but feel a sense of foreboding.

Teaching was something Muriel was entirely unused to, but showing young humans the correct way to channel their innate powers was, Muriel had to admit, fun. The more worklike aspect of it, not so much, and keeping the castle running required a lot of work. Luckily, the older students [most of whom had a rough grasp on their magic already] were more than willing to help out in exchange for the education they were being given.

Helping out around the school was, in fact, included in the tuition. Everyone was expected to pitch in - even the few magical-born students, who were used to having servants do things for them, but they were never much of a problem since those who did come [the majority were kept in homeschooling] got around to doing their share of work eventually, even if they never got used to it.

One of the students in particular had attracted Muriel's [and Rowena's] attention - a girl by the name of Helena, who was one of the few who had taken up the offer to stay in the village near the school when not learning - she was an orphan, Muriel later found out, but knowing that or not she often invited Helena to talk to her and found that the girl possessed a keen intelligence to rival Rowena's.

One thing led to another, talks became more frequent and more personal as time wore on, and even though it was never technically made official Helena's last name was changed to Ravenclaw in the official registrar and a glowing Helena took up residence in the Tower that had become known as Ravenclaw Tower, because it was where Muriel's students [and herself, and now Helena] lived while school was in session - and for the latter, year-round.

The warded room that Muriel had at last successfully hidden in the east corridor was never mentioned, mostly because no one else knew it was there, though Muriel knew that they must have noticed her state of nervousness on the day she'd moved the Horn - now disguised as her diadem, which had been a complicated bit of magic to complete, since the Horn was unwilling to respond to anyone save Gabriel, much less change its shape - from her temporary house in the village and then up to the castle itself.

Angelic business thoroughly behind her, Muriel finally felt like she could relax, and was fully intending on being a good adoptive mother to Helena - but she should have known it wouldn't last.

It started - and ended - with Helena.

Muriel had made the mistake of disclosing the location of her room - she hadn't thought anything of it at the time, but Helena was trustworthy; or so she thought. Her adoptive daughter had been growing disconsolate as time progressed, for some reason, and Muriel knew she should have paid more attention to the whispers of the other students, but she hadn't thought it worth paying attention to.

Obviously, Helena had.

But Muriel never thought she'd have felt panic like that when she discovered the diadem missing.

As she realized what had happened, part of her panic was for Helena. If she tried the diadem on, or even worse, tried to unravel the magic that 'enchanted' it, which everyone else thought gave it its powers but really kept it in such a reduced state-

Muriel tried not to think about it.

Despite the protests of her friends ["Rowena, you're not thinking straight-" "It could be dangerous, Rowena - Rowena, come back here!"] she'd left immediately to try and find Helena before it was too late.

It was here that her luck truly ran out, or else how could a demon have come to be standing in her path?

"Well, well," It said, and Muriel recoiled upon seeing it - she'd never seen much of demons, except from far away, and they were repulsive. "Angel out all on their own, huh?"

"Leave my path." Rowena's wand flicked out, and the demon looked almost bored.

"That is all you've got?" They asked, revealing their own wand. "Done that. And here I thought killing an angel would be challenging."

Muriel barely remembered the fight afterward - it was a blur of magic and barely-used Grace surging up and throwing itself at the demon - but she definitely remembered being pinned down by it.

"Easy pickings," The demon snarled, and even as its hand burned at her throat Muriel remembered something she knew - a spell of Banishment, one that would eradicate the demon and hopefully any others for a long time - but did she have the power?

She would have to stall for time. One of Muriel's hands groped at the demon, her Grace burning it back, but it still refused to move.

Or she could just go for it.

Muriel began muttering rapidly, words blurring into each other, sometimes Enochian, sometimes English, sometimes other languages that were somewhere in between and hadn't been spoken for centuries. The demon almost leaped back, and Muriel felt a temporary lightening of the weight on her throat, but then it pressed down a hundredfold harder.

Muriel choked, breath partially cut off - she didn't need to breathe, but she needed air to talk and chant - and then bypassed human limitations, forming words despite that and forcing them out of her mouth, and the demon seemed almost taken aback. It was difficult to tell, with its foul appearance.

"That's how you want to play, huh?" The demon snarled, and began its own chant.

It became a race to see who could finish first - and luckily, Muriel had a head start.

"Banish!" The demon shot off her with the force of combined magic and Grace, which created a strange sensation in Muriel unlike one she'd felt before.

Right before the demon vanished, though, and as Muriel picked herself off the hard dirt road, it looked straight at her and snarled one word.

Oh, was all Muriel thought as she felt the heavy weight of a partial spell settle over her. The demonically tainted magic did strange things to her already misbehaving magic and Grace, and Muriel sank back down almost immediately. For some reason, she thought she could hear footsteps pounding up the path behind her.

"Rowena!"

Oh, thank her Parent, they had followed her.

"You're not alright, and you are certainly not traipsing off after Helena." Helga's voice softened somewhat. "Rowena, I know you're upset. None of us thought she'd do that. But you have to trust that he'll bring her back."

He - The Baron, and the last person Muriel would have chosen to go find Helena. But by the time she had woken up, Godric had already sent him off after her daughter - and there was nothing she could do about it.

Helga squeezed her hand comfortingly. "She'll be fine, Rowena."

That much Muriel believed - The Baron was desperately in love with Helena, and while top of the list of reasons she would not have picked him, she had to admit that he'd be the last person to hurt her.

Rowena had been worryingly quiet since Muriel's encounter with the demon, and Muriel feared the spell had affected her more so than the angel it had been intended for. Her magic had not settled since being combined with her Grace in such an explosive manner. If anything, it had gotten worse, and [not knowing of the Grace] Helga had been at a loss to explain it.

Muriel had since been assailed with the occasional cough and long bouts of weakness which made it nearly impossible to get out of bed - and if she did manage it, she often needed help to walk. Muriel knew what the other two Founders [and there were only two now - Salazar had left after a furious falling-out with Godric a year or so before Helena] would not say to her face - they feared she was dying.

Muriel secretly feared the same thing of Rowena.

She could not die, but Rowena could - the girl was still a human soul, and Muriel knew with a heavy heart that though staying in the vessel might prolong Rowena's life, it would be no life that she could possibly wish upon the young girl. Muriel still remembered her as they had first met - Rowena pouring her sorrows into her pillow, and Muriel full of anxiety and fear.

Both of them full of desperation.

"Helga?"

"Yes?"

"I want to write something down."

She could see her old friends surprise at the odd request, but Helga wordlessly summoned some parchment, an inkpot, and a quill. Muriel almost regretted what she was about to do.

"I need to do this alone."

"Rowena-"

"Please, Helga." And maybe it was the desperation once again returned to Muriel's voice, but Helga hesitated, then nodded.

Muriel waited until she heard the door to her office close before putting pen to paper. She had a lot to do.

My dear brother...

Helga,

I know what is happening. I did not want you to see and made you leave the room, but I hope it is not you who finds me.

There are no words to possibly express the joy I have found with you, and how I wish we could have many more years of it. I could not have possibly predicted that, when you showed up on my doorstep all those years ago, we could have grown to be such fast friends, but I am glad we did.

Please do not grieve for me overlong. You are full of life and happiness, and that spreads to all around you - please, please - if only for my sake - continue. Leave behind a happy legacy. I hope I will see you one day again, if ever we meet again, be it in the realms of the living or the dead.

I am sorry to leave Hogwarts behind with only two founders, but I cannot delay what is coming any more than you can - howevermuch you have tried. Believe me, I have noticed what remedies you have been shoving down my throat every day, but Death waits for no Witch, and I am no different.

If you ever see Salazar again, tell him that I am sorry he had to leave. We could have had happy times together - but I am sorry for him as well, and I understand why he left, even if Godric does not.

I do not wish to make this overlong, and already my hand is starting to tire, and even so it would be impossible to fit a life's worth of regrets and hopes for you into one letter.

Love, and many fond farewells,

Rowena.

Godric,

My old, dearest friend. We must have been fated to meet on that night in Griffin's Hollow - I hear they have named it after you now. I know you will not want to show your grief for me, but I tell you again - there is no shame in feelings.

Have a happy life - for me. Live long and proud, and carry the Gryffindor name to new heights and new fames. I am sure there is still much of your life stretching ahead of you, and I know you will live up to all that is expected of you.

Please, for me, put the three sealed letters into my room. I know you know where it is - I have seen you peeking when I enter it. Leave it there, do not read it [I say this only because you have an alarming habit of peering over my shoulder whenever I write anything] and I have left a sequence in the door - please activate it. I want to be sure that only the Right Person will find that room.

The same mechanism is on the bird which guards the door to my student's rooms. Do the same there. I know you can figure it out, with Helga's help - you two are the smartest witch and wizard I know.

Goodbye, my friend.

Rowena.

And it was so that Muriel departed Hogwarts, leaving behind two Founders, five letters, a secret room, and a school draped in black.

And, in the very far future, a legacy that her brother would discover.

Well? What do you think?

If you want to make yourself really sad, listen to Taylor Davis's version of 'The Hanging Tree' while reading Muriel's letters. Obviously, the one the begins 'My dear brother...' isn't included in full because it's the one I wrote down in chapter eleven of The Accidental Vessel.

Read and review, please.