Forgiveness

"You have got quite a sharp mouth for someone so little. No one in their lifetime had ever talked to us this way."

Salazar Slytherin's voice was so powerful and chilling that Chris didn't dare to reply and beside her Fergus looked outright terrified, but soon a resolve built on his face and he tried to step in front of Chris and open his mouth – Chris was sure he was going to apologize on her behalf. However, before he could do any of that, Helga Hufflepuff turned to Salazar Slytherin with an exasperated look.

"It's refreshing, is it not?" Helga Hufflepuff asked and Salazar Slytherin just looked at her questioningly, so she explained. "Someone, who speaks her mind, is it not refreshing, Salazar?"

"I find it admiring," said Rowena Ravenclaw with a small smile. "If she was not this brave, wise, and unwavering I doubt she would have chosen."

"And why wouldn't she speak her mind? Whose bloodline do you think she is from?" Helga Hufflepuff said with a proud glint in her eyes. "She defends the people she loves and cares about the way she should. Do not try to intimidate her for that, Salazar."

Salazar Slytherin and Helga Hufflepuff stared each other down and the tension hung in the air uncomfortably before Salazar broke away from Helga's gaze and shrugged.

"Yes, but she is also very disrespectful," Salazar Slytherin narrowed his eyes at Chris. 

Chris opened her mouth and then closed it. 

"No, she is not. You just have a different idea of respect, Salazar. Grow up. It is not the ancient times anymore."

Fergus gasped and Chris looked back and forth between the founders.

"Helga –" Salazar Slytherin looked baffled as well but before he could say anything else Madam Helga turned away from him.

"Oh, hush now. You have made my children's lives difficult enough because of your ridiculous actions."

That seemed to smother Salazar Slytherin's rage, he closed his mouth and slightly cleared his throat, only to look away.

Before Chris could unpack all of this, Helga Hufflepuff turned to look at her and broke into a big smile, and to Chris's greater surprise, she stepped forward and swept Chris and Fergus into a hug.

"Oh, my children. My sweet, brave, kind children. You did so exceptionally well. Both of you did."

The hug was so warm and comforting and so was Helga Hufflepuff's kind soothing voice, that without any restraint Chris hugged her back and buried her face in Helga Hufflepuff's robes. Tears threatened to spill from Chris's eyes because the hug felt like a mother's hug to a child after the child had fought and faced the cruel world and had come back home at the end of the day. It was a place of comfort and safety. A place Chris didn't even know she missed this much.

"I'm so sorry, Madam Helga. I'm so sorry. So so sorry," Fergus's muffled voice broke and Chris realized Fergus was also feeling the very same, he had also hugged Madam Helga and had buried his face in her arms, and was now crying.

"Hush child, hush now. I know you are sorry. I know," Madam Helga patted Fergus's head and back comfortingly.

"I didn't mean to cause so much trouble, I swear," Fergus spoke between quiet sobs. "I am so sorry. I never thought . . . I didn't think it through, and I –"

Madam Helga interrupted Fergus and pulled back from the hug to look him in the eyes.

"It is alright, Fergus. I know. Do you hear me? I know you never meant for this to happen. We know it. Christina is absolutely right. You are not the only one to blame here."

Fergus's bloodshot eyes widened at the mention of "we", his eyes immediately darted to his father. And maybe for the first time, Chris saw Godric Gryffindor lowering his eyes looking hurt and ashamed.

"Yes, darling we all know it," Helga Hufflepuff said with a sad smile. "I always knew your heart. I knew you were the perfect successor. I just wished you had believed in yourself as much as I had.

"I . . ." Fergus glanced over at Salazar Slytherin and Madam Ravenclaw, and they both looked enigmatic, however, they also looked somewhat sad at the way things turned out. "But it was my fault. I gave Maligno so much power . . . even after you warned me about what he was capable of."

"To be perfectly honest, none of us knew what he was truly capable of," Madam Helga sighed. "Thus, we are not exactly blameless in this, darling. Isn't that right?"

Madam Helga said the last words glancing at the founders and when none of them replied, she muttered again,

"Isn't that right?"

Salazar Slytherin cleared his throat looking slightly embarrassed and nodded.

"Yes, to be perfectly candid, yes, indeed there were some . . . unfortunate unforeseen circumstances that we failed to predict," Salazar Slytherin said with a low voice.

"To put it mildly," Madam Helga added rolling her eyes at Salazar Slytherin. "We were the best witches and wizards of our time, yet we couldn't see far enough to make the right decisions."

"We never claimed to be without flaws, Helga," Rowena Ravenclaw supplied without any embarrassment. "If you never admit that you are at fault, you won't be able to redeem your mistakes and do better. Thus, acknowledging your flaws can be one of your greatest strengths."

"However, some of us fail to do so," Helga gave a bitter smile. "A lot could have been avoided if we had talked among ourselves, keeping our egos and prides aside. If there hadn't been so many cracks in the foundation of Hogwarts, a parasite like Maligno would have never thrived so long. So blaming just you for all this is not right, Fergus."

"So you all are not angry at me? You . . . forgive me?" Fergus whispered as if he couldn't believe his luck and when Madam Helga, Salazar Slytherin, and Rowena Ravenclaw nodded one by one, Fergus's tensed shoulders relaxed slightly. Until he saw his father still not talking and not even looking at him. 

"Fa – Sir Godric, I . . ." Fergus began shakily and Chris debated if she should say anything or not when Godric Gryffindor finally broke his silence.

"Forgive me, Fergus."

"What?" 

Godric Gryffindor's sudden deep yet soft voice caught Fergus so off-guard that he almost flinched hearing his father's voice after so many years. 

"Some of us weren't brave enough to admit our flaws either, so we pretended as if we had done enough . . . as if we had done all things right and still lost. Forgive me, Fergus . . . if you can . . . I apologize for how I have treated you in our lifetime. I was so occupied being the brave savior of all of wizardkind that I forgot to be a good father. I thought I was protecting you but in reality, all I did was harm you more. For that I haven't – I will never forgive myself. I do not think I deserve your forgiveness but Rowena told me I should tell you this at the very least, so you know . . . you know I regret it. I regret all of it."

Godric Gryffindor's voice broke and Chris saw his eyes going red from holding back tears but Fergus had no such restrain. Tears flooded freely down his face and he couldn't speak. 

"I never got the chance to apologize, I did not want Godric to make the same mistake," Rowena Ravenclaw said very quietly as if the words were only made for Chris's ears but Chris wasn't sure if Madam Rowena did that intentionally as there was this faraway look on her face, as if she was reminiscing. 

"Fa – Sir, you don't need to apologize, I –" Fergus began but Madam Helga waved him off.

"Oh, he most definitely does need it, Fergus. I have been giving him an earful for more than a thousand years, he finally has his chance. Let him apologize."

"Helga is right," Godric Gryffindor smiled sadly. "I did deserve all the earful and more. But I do not think I can ever fix all the mistakes I have made. Even with your mother –"

"Mother is here?" Fergus's face lit up like a child.

"Not here at this moment. But I have met her . . . and she had refused to forgive me as well and I completely understand."

"But I do, Fa-Father," Fergus visibly swallowed and stood up a little bit straighter. "If my sins and mistakes can be forgiven then why couldn't be yours?"

"Because you were a child and he was supposed to be the sensible one as your father," Madam Helga expressed but Fergus shook his head.

"No, you were a good person. I know. You did what you thought was right. I forgive you, father."

"Even though I pushed you to make a friend like Maligno?" Godric Gryffindor's eyes widened in surprise. He couldn't believe his son's words.

"Father, he didn't know I was your son. Us becoming friends was truly a coincidence. Maybe it was the only coincidental thing in his life. So don't blame yourself for everything."

"I – I don't think I would be able to do that but thank you, Fergus. Thank you, son."

Godric Gryffindor gave a genuine smile at his son and Fergus returned the smile. They didn't hug because there still was this distance between them and Chris knew this was far from over as they had talked only one the surface level but she was glad they finally got the chance to tell each other what was important.

"Now that, that is out of the way, let's move on to other important things," Madam Helga looked over at Chris again but this time her eyes scanning Chris from head to toe. "But first, tell me darling, why on earth are you still covered in blood?"

[To be continued]