Founders

Wit Beyond Measure

Rowena Ravenclaw, 11, stared at herself in the mirror of the vanity in her bedchamber as her mother did her hair. She took in her own pale skin and long raven black hair, as well as her brown eyes that had a hint of grey in them. That was one of the only differences between her and her mother. Her mother's eyes were entirely grey. Rowena looked, and acted, a lot like her mother. Stiff and proper, with a look of annoyance to match, was the Ravenclaw way.

Renna Ravenclaw pulled two strands of Rowena's hair back and tied them with a simple spell. Then she ushered Rowena into the lavatory to wash up.

Soon, Rowena was ready to go. She wore a pouffy blue dress with pouffy blue sleeves and a bronze belt, with a goblin-made eagle diadem on her head.

"Ready to go, Rowena?" her mother's voice was, much like her attitude, cold and distant.

"Yes, Ma." the Scottish seven-year-old answered.

And her mother disapparated, leaving Rowena to disapparate on her own. That was just the Ravenclaw way.

Rowena Ravenclaw appeared right in front of her mother in the meeting room of Slytherin Manor. Her mother was here to have tea or whatnot with Adrielle Slytherin — neè Avery — or someone along those lines. Rowena had not been paying attention when her Mother had demanded she wake up, only to explain that they were going to Slytherin Manor in three hours time. Indeed, her mother had woken her up three hours before they had to be at Slytherin Manor for no reason. It only ever took thirty minutes for her to get ready.

Either way, Rowena thought, she was here. She didn't want to be here, but she didn't have much of a choice. That's how things worked with the Ravenclaws; you never had a choice.

Due to her mother's reputation, Rowena didn't have many friends, either. The village kids never cared to meet her. They knew that her mother was powerful, and that she was evil, and that's all the information they needed.

Adrielle walked over to the young Ravenclaw with a tiny smile. "Hello there, Rowena." she greeted. Her blonde hair was pulled into a tight bun, much like Renna's. Unlike Renna, however, Adrielle wasn't evil.

"Hello, Mrs. Slytherin." Rowena greeted politely. Before he died — before Ma killed him — her Father had taught her to be polite when talking to people. And she had sworn on her intelligence that she would put that politeness to good use one day.

"Please, Rowena, Adrielle will do." Adrielle seemed like a cheery woman to Rowena, so she couldn't even start to imagine why she had ever married someone like Minister Of Magic Sam Slytherin. It didn't seem that she would marry Sam for his money, because she had just as much. Probably not because of his reputation either because, like Rowena's own mother, Sam Slytherin didn't have a good reputation. And it certainly wasn't because of his personality. It was more rotten than a dirigible plum that fell off a tower and got stepped on by an unhealthy rat! "Now, come along. I want you to formally meet the Hufflepuff children, the Gryffindor children, and my own son."

Rowena rolled her eyes. So that's why her mother brought her along! To meet some of the most famous families in the Wizarding World! What was Ma hoping for? A son-in-law by the end of the meeting? "Adrielle, I'm afraid." she whispered as they walked away.

"Why, dear?" Adrielle asked, stopping to look at her. "They're all your age — well, Helga and Gee are slightly younger — and they're all pretty nice. What's the matter?"

"It's just...." Rowena trailer off, wondering if she should tell or not, "I-I've never met anyone my age before. Ma's made sure of that."

"I'm sure that you'll be fine." Adrielle said, smiling warmly at her. For some odd reason, it made Rowena feel inferior. This lady was mocking her, wasn't she?"

"Yes, surely."