OK here it is, guys. Sorry it took so long!

Chapter Twenty-Two

Godric stood back (a lot back) and stared at the completed castle. It towered over their heads, almost thirty times higher than the enormous oak trees. It was made of stone and marble. The sharp-looking spires on the tops of the towers glinted ominously in the moonlight. Godric couldn't help smiling. It looked magnificent. But hopefully not too frightening. He turned and grinned broadly at the others.

Rowena grinned back. She was just as satisfied as he was about the exterior there was only a very little amount of work left inside. She glanced up at the five high towers, doing the math in her head. If that oak tree was five hundred feet tall (they grow taller in the Wizarding world than in the Muggle community) then the highest tower must be....

"Fifteen thousand feet!" she said aloud. The others gave exclamations of surprise and delight. "Three years of work and we've finally finished the school, and it's fifteen thousand feet tall!" said Rowena happily.

Helga nodded. "It's truly amazing," she agreed, her normally soft voice even softer than usual in her awe.

"Well, don't get all misty-eyed yet," interrupted Salazar. "Who knows if anyone will want to come? None of us are very good teachers." He ignored the others' disapproving frowns. These past three years of hard labor had made Sal cranky and waspish, and he annoyed the others constantly. At first, it was because he felt he had no choice, but he was slowly becoming himself again, and now annoyed them simply for fun.

Helga rolled her eyes at him and slapped him across the face (gently) to make him shut up. Salazar subsided into a sulky silence. "Hogwarts," she said. "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." It sounded good and was easy to say.

"Hogwarts," echoed Rowena.

"Hogwarts," Godric said, looking up at it again.

"Hogwarts," muttered Salazar. He was trying to conceal his ecstasy by acting bored.

They all smiled at Salazar and attacked him in a tickle fight. When finally they had made him laugh, the four of them pushed open the enormous doors and walked inside the massive entrance hall, talking and laughing like they had when they were teenagers.

No one saw Salazar slip off into the shadows, towards the dungeons.

End of Chapter Twenty-Two