The years passed more quickly than I expected. Once the greatest foundations of our work had been laid, life settled into a calmer rhythm. Hogwarts no longer relied upon us every hour of every day. The school had become an institution capable of standing on its own, supported by talented professors and generations of students who now carried our teachings throughout Britain. Watching it thrive without constant intervention was strangely satisfying. It meant we had succeeded. We had built something that would outlive all of us, even if our reincarnation ritual had somehow failed.
Life outside of research continued to move forward as well. Godric eventually settled down, much to everyone's surprise. None of us had ever imagined the loud, battle-loving swordsman becoming a family man, yet seeing him with his wife and children somehow suited him perfectly. Helga did the same not long afterward, creating a warm and welcoming household that quickly became famous for its generosity. It seemed fitting. Even away from Hogwarts, she naturally became the heart of every gathering.
As for me...
I finally married the woman I loved.
The teasing from the others had never truly stopped, and looking back, I suppose they had seen what I refused to admit to myself. She had slowly become the person I looked for first whenever I entered a room, the one whose smile could effortlessly brighten even the most exhausting day of research. The brilliant young witch from the Black family had long since become far more than my apprentice or companion.
She had become my home.
Our wedding was surprisingly small. The five founders, close friends, several former students, and our families attended the ceremony. There were no grand political displays or extravagant celebrations. Neither of us wanted that. We simply wanted to begin the next chapter of our lives together.
Several months later, another one of my inventions changed my own future.
Years earlier, I had successfully created a revolutionary fertility potion capable of allowing two witches to conceive a child together. Originally, it had been nothing more than another magical theory—an exploration into bloodline magic and reproductive enchantments—but after years of refinement, it became one of the discoveries I was proudest of. Now, for the first time, I would personally entrust my own family to my research.
The potion worked flawlessly.
Months later, my wife gave birth to our daughter.
Holding her for the very first time was unlike anything I had ever experienced. I had mastered ancient magic, challenged death itself, explored forbidden rituals, and uncovered secrets that had remained hidden for centuries. None of those achievements compared to looking into the tiny eyes of my child as she wrapped her impossibly small hand around one of my fingers.
"So..."
Godric grinned as he looked down at her.
"The terrifying genius finally has a weakness."
I rolled my eyes.
"I preferred you when you were traveling."
"You'll get used to it."
Helga smiled warmly as she gently held the sleeping baby.
"She's beautiful."
Rowena looked at me with an amused expression.
"I never thought I'd see the day you willingly stopped researching long enough to become a father."
"I still research."
Salazar snorted.
"Of course you do."
Everyone laughed.
Fatherhood changed me more than I expected. I still spent countless hours researching magic, experimenting with alchemy, and pursuing immortality, but I found myself thinking differently. Every discovery was no longer only for myself or my fellow founders. Now I was building a future for my daughter and for every generation that would follow after her. Our descendants would inherit not only our bloodlines, but the world we left behind.
The five of us continued expanding our legacies over the following years. We established additional hidden libraries throughout Britain, created enchanted vaults protected by ancient runes, preserved rare magical creatures, and carefully documented every important discovery we made. We hid artifacts behind trials that tested intelligence, courage, kindness, and ambition rather than simple magical strength. We wanted future generations to earn our knowledge, not simply inherit it.
Time, however, continued moving forward.
Even we could not ignore it forever.
Although I remained the youngest founder by nearly a decade, I had reached my thirties. For a witch or wizard, that was still remarkably young. Magical folk commonly lived well beyond one hundred and thirty years of age, meaning I wasn't even close to middle age. Most magical scholars considered sixty to be the beginning of true adulthood's later years. I still had many decades before age became a genuine concern.
The others, however, had begun reflecting upon their own futures.
One evening, Salazar gathered us together inside the Great Hall after dinner.
"I've made a decision."
Godric raised an eyebrow.
"That sounds ominous."
Salazar smiled faintly.
"I'm leaving Hogwarts."
Silence settled across the table.
"Not permanently," he clarified. "At least... I don't think so."
Rowena folded her arms.
"Why?"
"Because there is still too much of the world I haven't seen."
He looked toward me.
"We've spent years uncovering forgotten magic hidden beneath Britain."
Then his eyes drifted toward the windows overlooking the distant horizon.
"But Britain is only one corner of the world."
"I want to see the ancient temples of Egypt."
"The hidden monasteries beyond the eastern mountains."
"The forgotten cities swallowed by the desert."
"The oldest magical civilizations still whispered about in myths."
Godric smiled.
"Now that... sounds interesting."
Helga sighed fondly.
"I had a feeling none of you were ever going to settle down completely."
Salazar chuckled.
"We're researchers."
"It's practically impossible."
Not long afterward, Salazar departed Hogwarts alone.
His farewell wasn't dramatic.
There were no speeches.
No promises.
Only a quiet wave as he disappeared beyond the castle gates with little more than his wand, his research journals, and an endless curiosity about the world.
Months passed.
Then one evening, Godric walked into my laboratory carrying a map covered in handwritten notes.
"I'm bored."
I looked up from my work.
"That's usually dangerous."
"It is."
He placed the map on my desk.
"Let's go find something ancient."
I couldn't help smiling.
"I was hoping you'd ask."
Rowena chose to remain behind, continuing her research and expanding Hogwarts' libraries. Helga devoted more of her time to her family, students, and the magical communities she had helped build across Britain. Both promised to write regularly, though neither seemed particularly surprised that Godric and I had already begun planning another expedition.
Within weeks, we were traveling across Europe, following half-forgotten legends and fragmented myths that most scholars dismissed as fairy tales. We explored ruined temples hidden beneath forests untouched for centuries, deciphered magical inscriptions carved into mountains older than recorded history, and entered tombs that had remained sealed since long before Hogwarts was founded. Every ruin seemed to reveal another mystery, another civilization, another reminder that magical history stretched far beyond anything recorded in Britain's libraries.
Nearly two years into our journey, fate smiled upon us once again.
Standing atop a cliff overlooking the Mediterranean Sea was a familiar figure dressed in dark green robes, calmly examining an ancient stone monument covered in serpent-like runes.
He looked over his shoulder.
"...Took you two long enough."
Godric burst into laughter.
"I knew you'd miss us."
"I missed competent assistants."
I walked forward, unable to hide my grin.
"So..."
I glanced toward the enormous ruins stretching across the valley below.
"What impossible mystery have you found this time?"
Salazar's smile widened.
"I think..."
He rested a hand against the weathered stone.
"...we've just discovered the entrance to a civilization older than any magical kingdom recorded in history."
And just like that, our journey began anew.