13# A quick visit

The door opened abruptly, no doubt making her jump, as someone went to exit at the exact moment she knocked. It was Professor Archerose himself, arms full of various notes -- stuff in parts with old newspaper clippings. Research, by the looks of it.

'Oh. Good afternoon.' He smiled at thee young Gryffindor. 'How can I help?'

'Hogwarts' history, eh? That does sound fascinating,' Professor Archerose said, shifting his notes so he could adjust his glasses. 'A thousand years, and an entire magical castle, is a lot of ground to cover though. Is there something in particular you'd like to know?'

He smiled when she offered to assist him in carrying his notes. 'I appreciate that, thank you,' he said, though kept grip on them. 'I think I've got it covered, though. Not to worry -- I'm used to juggling a mountain of books.' He chuckled.

On the contrary, Professor Archerose remained calm and attentive. He enjoyed the curiosity of his students, always encouraging them to question things and seek discoveries. Alice, however, was a first year and only had a few lessons with him so it was understandable she didn't know that too well yet. He hoped, in time, she'd realise he was always open for such discussions.

'The founding artefacts, hmm? There's not much information on those, I'm afraid,' he said. 'It's not unusual for historic details to get lost in time, especially from a thousand years ago. The objects themselves were never found.'

He considered it for a moment, but she wasn't the only student this year who'd approached him about it.

'Many have tried, of course, but none succeeded,' Archerose added, pleased that he did have something to give her, even if it wasn't the full answers she sought. '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 adjusted his notes, almost losing a piece of newspaper in the process but quickly fixed it. It was almost time for dinner, but he lingered because students deserved his attention when seeking such knowledge. He was happy to help.

'But of course, this is all speculation,' he added. 'It's quite the mystery. Perhaps only the founders themselves will ever know the truth. 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.'

After dinner, of course, given she probably wouldn't have time to do much else until afterwards.