MC4A; Hogwarts

Fill 3
Stacked with: Hogwarts; Snicket Fence; FPC
Individual Challenges: In a Flash (N); Yellow Ribbon (N); Yellow Ribbon Redux (N); Librarian MC (N) (x2); In the Library (N)
Representations: Salazar Slytherin; Helga Hufflepuff
Bonus Challenges: Machismo (Expressing emotions); Chorus (Not a Lamp, White Dress)
Prompts: Apocalypse AU (auction); Luxury (365 words); Confucius quote (Insane Prompts)
Word count: 774
Note: I'm ignoring the fact that Excalibur died in The Librarians.

Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall ~Confucius

The Library had vanished into its own dimension and then the anchor of the Annex had also been lost. Magic had spilled out into the world and destroyed the society that had previously existed. Now, only those with magic had any say in the world and there were no rules assigned to those who could wield it. The world was in chaos and separated into various camps.

Some camps were kinder than others. Some were like a dictatorship that had harsh rules with harsher punishments. Helga, Salazar, Rowena, and Godric ran the camp of Hogwarts. They tried to teach all of the people in Hogwarts how to use magic. They wanted to help everyone they could to have a chance in the world that now depended on magic.

"You're doing well, Chris," Salazar assured. "You just need to add another little wave at then end and you'll have it."

Chris grinned up at him. "Thanks, Mister Slytherin!"

"Go see Godric now. He's about to set out hunting and I know you've been looking forward to finally going out with him."

Chris needed no further encouragement as he leapt to his feet and raced off, leaving Salazar alone by the crackling fire. He smiled as he watched the happy child run away. Happiness was something that had been frequently absent when magic had returned. He had been a Librarian when Excalibur had been returned to the stone and let the magic loose, and he tried to do all he could to make up for not being able to stop the Serpent Brotherhood.

A chipped mug entered his field of vision and he looked up to see Helga offering it with a sad smile. "You're trying to make up for something you couldn't have stopped. The Brotherhood was never going to give up until they achieved their goal."

"Flynn stopped them the last time they tried. And he was working with inexperienced Librarians who had only just been introduced to the world of magic. I'd been a Librarian for three years, Helga, and I couldn't stop them."

"You are not Flynn Carsen," Helga reprimanded. "You are Salazar Slytherin and you did your best. But you have to remember that you also had a broken leg at the time."

"And Flynn was bleeding out from a wound caused by Excalibur!" Salazar burst out, repeating an argument that had already been made many times.

Helga sighed and dropped down to sit next to Salazar on the ripped car seat. "Drink," she ordered, passing over the mug.

Salazar took a sip from the mug. He then wrapped his hands around the mug and stared into the brown liquid. There was no milk—such a luxury was not often granted and they had run out of it several days ago. Still, it was warm and comforting. Helga's presence was just as comforting, and he gradually let himself sink into her.

She wrapped him up in a sideways hug and he felt the tension leave his body. It was almost a ritual for them now; they would sit together and let their presence lend comfort and warmth to the other that wasn't often found in world gone to hell. Even in darkness there was light to be found.

From across the campsite, Godric waved at them as he set out on a hunting trip to find more food. Rowena was teaching the teenagers how to work cloth and create clothes and other necessary fabric items. Alex bounded up to the two of them and offered up a ragged stuffed toy.

"Can you help me fix it?" she asked.

Salazar passed over his mug to Helga and smiled at Alex. "Of course we can, love."

There may not be a Library anymore and magic might be running wild in the world but that didn't mean they couldn't still help people. The Clippings Book still updated every day and they tried to help the people written in the book as much as they could. They were more limited now since they lost the Annex and stopped being able to use the Einstein-Rosen bridge as they had before. Jenkins was working on creating a portable version.

But even without a Library, there were Librarians and they would continue protecting the world from wild magic as much as they could. They were battling an endless war, but not one they would give up. Maybe one day, the Library would connect back into their dimension and provide a way to drain magic back into the artefacts and put an end to what people had started to call the apocalypse. Until then, they would try their best.