#3 - Someone With an Affiliating Interest

The door opened and Professor Rivera gave them a smile, especially pleased to see a member of her own house. They didn't look hurt or in trouble, so she assumed it wasn't an emergency they sought a staff member to handle.

'Hello there,' she said warmly. 'How can I help you two?'

'Of course. I'm sure he'd be delighted.' Professors Rivera opened the door further as she leaned around the frame to speak with those inside. 'Ervine, some lovely first years are asking for you. Apparently they have a history question in need of your expertise.'

They couldn't see much into the room, as it led off to one side just out of their view. But for what they could see, it was rather impressive and there were lots of different chairs. Grace caught glimpse of a padlocked book cabinet, and a large closet that sometimes rattled.

'Ah, wonderful.' Professor Archerose thanked Rivera, who headed back into the room and out of view. 'Well then, how can I help you?' He adjusted his glasses, giving each first year a praising look.

It excited him that someone actually sought him out to learn more about history, as he knew Binns had made the subject rather dull to the older students in the past. He was determined to correct that, and show the students how fun or interesting history could be.

'Ah.' Professor Archerose nodded, as if he understood something, yet frowned in consideration for a moment. 'Well, yes, but there are many secrets of Hogwarts, of the founders themselves, and hundreds of theories as to the meaning behind their legacies.'

He was determined to help them, but those were big questions. 'Is there anything in particular you'd like to know?' Archerose asked. 'Something with a title, focus, or time period? Hogwarts was founded over a thousand years ago - that's a lot to work with.'

'The founding artefacts?' Professor Archerose's eyes widened. 'There's not much information on those, I'm afraid. It's not unusual for historic details to get lost in time, especially from a thousand years ago.'

He cleared his throat, then stepped out of the staff room doorway. He shut the door and nodded, thinking how to relay what he knew.

'The objects themselves were never found. Many have tried, of course, but none succeeded,' he said. 'The artefacts were said to be a sort of talisman, though instead of bringing luck they behaved as a magical constant. An anchor of some sort. It's claimed that without them, Hogwarts cannot be sustained.'

Archerose removed his glasses, wiping them with a cloth while he continued. 'But of course, this is all speculation. It's quite the mystery. Perhaps only the founders themselves will ever know the truth.' He put his glasses back on, and gave each student a careful glance. 'If you are still curious, you can check your house fireplace – each founder left behind a different part of a message as the only proof the artefacts existed. They say it's unique to each student.'