Just to be Noticed
Title: Just to be Noticed
Genre: General, Sad
Characters: Helena Ravenclaw, Rowena Ravenclaw, other Founders, others mentioned
Rating: GP
Word Count: 1,044 words
Summary: Helena just wants her mother to take notice.
Author's Notes: Written for Prompt #23 (Invisible) on my prompt table from 100quills. Liberties have been taken with Rowena's character for the purposes of this story.
Rowena Ravenclaw prodded a marble bust of Queen Maeve curiously. She had been trying for the past three hours to get the statue to talk. It was quite difficult. She had consulted Salazar but he had merely suggested their old professor might not want to speak to them. However, Rowena Ravenclaw was not one to give up. She tried a different spell.
Helga burst into her office. “’Wena, darling! Look who Vortigern dropped off for the Easter holidays!”
“Haven’t I told you not to bother me in my office, Helga?” Rowena muttered, trying yet another spell. The bust refused to move. She flipped a page in the thick tome on the desk beside the sculpture. “No, no, I tried that,” she muttered, marking the words with a spell.
“’Wena, if you look…” Helga insisted.
“I don’t care what my fool husband dropped off,” Rowena muttered, extremely upset at her lack of success. “Just leave it on that desk.” Rowena gestured to a dusty table in the corner of her office. The table was littered with ripped scrolls and other discarded items.
“It’s Helena,” Helga hissed.
Rowena tapped the figurine on the crown of its head. It shattered. “Oh, for heaven’s sake!” she yelled. “I don’t care what it is, Helga! Take it away or leave it here, I couldn’t possibly care!” She swept her wand over the pieces and they came back together.
Helga squeezed Helena’s shoulders and led her out of the office. “Come along then, honey. Mama’s just a little busy. Don’t you pay attention to anything she said.”
Helena beamed at the small field of flowers she had managed to turn blue. She knew her mother liked blue. Maybe this would finally catch her attention. Helena twirled the wand she had taken without permission in her small fingers.
“Ah,” a man’s voice announced behind her. “Your mother has been looking for her wand, Helena. That was very naughty of you to take it.”
Helena looked up sheepishly at Salazar, who loomed over her. His voice, however, was not one of anger but one of amusement. “Ah, what have we done here? Blue? I would be more impressed if they were green. But then, they would look like the grass, wouldn’t they?”
“I can turn them silver,” Helena said proudly.
“Really?” Salazar said, his tone still amused. “I’d like to see that sometime. However, this wand must be returned to your mother first,” he teased, taking the wand from her. Helena pouted.
Salazar chuckled. “Don’t you worry, I’ll have Gibbons come up to the school tomorrow. We can get you a wand of your own. Custom-made, like mine.”
Helena was just about to cheer happily when a yell interrupted her. They both looked up to see Rowena striding across the castle grounds. She stopped in front of Salazar.
“Look, Mama!” Helena pointed at the flowers eagerly.
“Thank goodness you found my wand, Salazar. My class is about to begin. It really would not do if I did not have my wand,” she plucked the wand from his fingers, turned around and strode back into the castle.
Helena heaved a sigh and dropped her head. Salazar made a face. He offered his hand to her. “Come on, you can join my sixth year class. You might be a little too young to listen to a lecture on dark curses, but at least you’ll learn something a little more useful than playing with flowers.”
Helena took the hand he offered her. Together, they walked back into the castle.
Helena rushed into her room and starting washing her arms and her face. She pulled on the new blue dress she had acquired yesterday. She used her bedpost to tighten the corset her father always insisted on. It was tedious and it agitated her because she wanted to join the party downstairs. Since her birthday was during the winter holidays, they could all come to attend her party. Finally, she tied the loose ribbons together and tucked the ends neatly under her skirt. She brushed her hair furiously and checked her reflection. Even her father would be proud.
She hopped down the stairs, collecting herself right before she opened the doors to the parlour. Controlling her breathing, she stepped into the room. Helga immediately descended upon her and gave her a hug. Helena nearly choked from the sheer force of it. “Happy Birthday, Helena!” she gave Helena a big kiss before releasing her.
“Thank you,” she managed to wheeze. Godric beamed at her from the wall and tipped his glass.
“Ten years old today! Not too long until you join the classes at Hogwarts!” he cheered, patting her head. Helena gave him a smile. However, she was beginning to feel annoyed. She craned her head, looking around for someone. Godric was telling her about a recent encounter with a herd of unicorns. She nodded along but was unable to keep her attention on him.
A present appeared in front of her eyes. She took it rather mechanically and said thank you. She looked up to see Salazar. There were no sweet words from him or endearing gestures. Still, among the Founders, she still felt the most attached to him. Well, next to…”Mother!”
Rowena sat at her desk, scribbling on a piece of parchment. Helena practically skipped over to her and beamed. Rowena did not look up from the letter she was writing. She was mumbling under her breath. Helena waited patiently for her mother to look up and say something - anything.
“Darling, looks like your mother is busy,” Helga finally crooned after what seemed like an eternity. Helena’s face fell but she didn’t look away. Surely, on her birthday?!
“Yes, Helena,” Godric announced in his big, booming voice. “Come and have a look at the cake that Helga whipped up for you. It’s strawberry, luv.”
She felt strong hands around her shoulders and looked up to see her Father steering her away. She turned around. Her mother’s face was still screwed up in concentration. Helena could almost see the cogs in her mind solving the problem before her. She was still muttering under her breath.
“No, no…it is impossible…it cannot be how she wants it…” were the only words Helena heard from her mother that day.
Genre: General, Sad
Characters: Helena Ravenclaw, Rowena Ravenclaw, other Founders, others mentioned
Rating: GP
Word Count: 1,044 words
Summary: Helena just wants her mother to take notice.
Author's Notes: Written for Prompt #23 (Invisible) on my prompt table from 100quills. Liberties have been taken with Rowena's character for the purposes of this story.
Rowena Ravenclaw prodded a marble bust of Queen Maeve curiously. She had been trying for the past three hours to get the statue to talk. It was quite difficult. She had consulted Salazar but he had merely suggested their old professor might not want to speak to them. However, Rowena Ravenclaw was not one to give up. She tried a different spell.
Helga burst into her office. “’Wena, darling! Look who Vortigern dropped off for the Easter holidays!”
“Haven’t I told you not to bother me in my office, Helga?” Rowena muttered, trying yet another spell. The bust refused to move. She flipped a page in the thick tome on the desk beside the sculpture. “No, no, I tried that,” she muttered, marking the words with a spell.
“’Wena, if you look…” Helga insisted.
“I don’t care what my fool husband dropped off,” Rowena muttered, extremely upset at her lack of success. “Just leave it on that desk.” Rowena gestured to a dusty table in the corner of her office. The table was littered with ripped scrolls and other discarded items.
“It’s Helena,” Helga hissed.
Rowena tapped the figurine on the crown of its head. It shattered. “Oh, for heaven’s sake!” she yelled. “I don’t care what it is, Helga! Take it away or leave it here, I couldn’t possibly care!” She swept her wand over the pieces and they came back together.
Helga squeezed Helena’s shoulders and led her out of the office. “Come along then, honey. Mama’s just a little busy. Don’t you pay attention to anything she said.”
Helena beamed at the small field of flowers she had managed to turn blue. She knew her mother liked blue. Maybe this would finally catch her attention. Helena twirled the wand she had taken without permission in her small fingers.
“Ah,” a man’s voice announced behind her. “Your mother has been looking for her wand, Helena. That was very naughty of you to take it.”
Helena looked up sheepishly at Salazar, who loomed over her. His voice, however, was not one of anger but one of amusement. “Ah, what have we done here? Blue? I would be more impressed if they were green. But then, they would look like the grass, wouldn’t they?”
“I can turn them silver,” Helena said proudly.
“Really?” Salazar said, his tone still amused. “I’d like to see that sometime. However, this wand must be returned to your mother first,” he teased, taking the wand from her. Helena pouted.
Salazar chuckled. “Don’t you worry, I’ll have Gibbons come up to the school tomorrow. We can get you a wand of your own. Custom-made, like mine.”
Helena was just about to cheer happily when a yell interrupted her. They both looked up to see Rowena striding across the castle grounds. She stopped in front of Salazar.
“Look, Mama!” Helena pointed at the flowers eagerly.
“Thank goodness you found my wand, Salazar. My class is about to begin. It really would not do if I did not have my wand,” she plucked the wand from his fingers, turned around and strode back into the castle.
Helena heaved a sigh and dropped her head. Salazar made a face. He offered his hand to her. “Come on, you can join my sixth year class. You might be a little too young to listen to a lecture on dark curses, but at least you’ll learn something a little more useful than playing with flowers.”
Helena took the hand he offered her. Together, they walked back into the castle.
Helena rushed into her room and starting washing her arms and her face. She pulled on the new blue dress she had acquired yesterday. She used her bedpost to tighten the corset her father always insisted on. It was tedious and it agitated her because she wanted to join the party downstairs. Since her birthday was during the winter holidays, they could all come to attend her party. Finally, she tied the loose ribbons together and tucked the ends neatly under her skirt. She brushed her hair furiously and checked her reflection. Even her father would be proud.
She hopped down the stairs, collecting herself right before she opened the doors to the parlour. Controlling her breathing, she stepped into the room. Helga immediately descended upon her and gave her a hug. Helena nearly choked from the sheer force of it. “Happy Birthday, Helena!” she gave Helena a big kiss before releasing her.
“Thank you,” she managed to wheeze. Godric beamed at her from the wall and tipped his glass.
“Ten years old today! Not too long until you join the classes at Hogwarts!” he cheered, patting her head. Helena gave him a smile. However, she was beginning to feel annoyed. She craned her head, looking around for someone. Godric was telling her about a recent encounter with a herd of unicorns. She nodded along but was unable to keep her attention on him.
A present appeared in front of her eyes. She took it rather mechanically and said thank you. She looked up to see Salazar. There were no sweet words from him or endearing gestures. Still, among the Founders, she still felt the most attached to him. Well, next to…”Mother!”
Rowena sat at her desk, scribbling on a piece of parchment. Helena practically skipped over to her and beamed. Rowena did not look up from the letter she was writing. She was mumbling under her breath. Helena waited patiently for her mother to look up and say something - anything.
“Darling, looks like your mother is busy,” Helga finally crooned after what seemed like an eternity. Helena’s face fell but she didn’t look away. Surely, on her birthday?!
“Yes, Helena,” Godric announced in his big, booming voice. “Come and have a look at the cake that Helga whipped up for you. It’s strawberry, luv.”
She felt strong hands around her shoulders and looked up to see her Father steering her away. She turned around. Her mother’s face was still screwed up in concentration. Helena could almost see the cogs in her mind solving the problem before her. She was still muttering under her breath.
“No, no…it is impossible…it cannot be how she wants it…” were the only words Helena heard from her mother that day.