The Twin Who Lived - The Founders’ Little Guardians

Word of the tiny lion spread through the castle slowly—though not through rumor, as most curiosities did at Hogwarts Castle. Instead, the knowledge remained mostly confined to the professors and a small handful of very trusted students.

At the center of it all sat a single creature.

Pip.

The energetic Niffler had not forgotten the triumph of discovering the enchanted lion.

He had, in fact, drawn a very different conclusion from the event.

There were treasures in the castle.

Old ones.

Shiny ones.

And apparently very important ones.

Which meant Pip had a mission.

Mira Silverthorne discovered this the following afternoon when she opened her sanctuary suitcase in the Slytherin Common Room.

Pip burst out of the suitcase with the energy of a creature that had just remembered where it left buried treasure.

Draco Malfoy, who was lounging on a nearby chair with a textbook he was not reading, glanced over.

“Oh no.”

Mira looked at Pip, “What is it?”

Pip sniffed the air.

Then he dashed toward the dormitory door.

Draco sat upright, “Where do you think he’s going?”

Mira sighed softly, “I suspect we’re about to find out.”

They followed Pip through the corridors of Hogwarts.

The Niffler scurried along stone walls, pausing occasionally to sniff suspiciously at armor stands or decorative sconces.

Draco walked beside Mira with his hands in his pockets.

“I still can’t believe he found something from Godric Gryffindor.”

“He didn’t know what it was,” Mira replied calmly, “He just knew it was interesting.”

“That’s worse.”

They turned a corner near the library corridor.

Pip suddenly stopped.

His nose twitched.

Then he scratched excitedly at a loose stone near the base of a wall.

Draco crouched, “Is that… loose?”

Mira knelt and gently shifted the stone aside.

Something gleamed faintly in the darkness.

She reached inside.

And withdrew a small object.

Draco leaned closer, “…Another figurine?”

Mira brushed away dust.

The object was indeed another tiny sculpture.

But this one was different.

It was shaped like a serpent.

The serpent figurine was crafted from polished silver, its scales engraved with delicate precision. Its tiny body coiled elegantly around itself, head raised slightly as though watching.

{A/N: This is what figurine looks like}

Unlike the lion, this figurine remained still.

For a moment.

Then its eyes glowed faint green.

The serpent uncoiled.

It slithered across Mira’s palm with graceful, silent movement.

Draco stared, “Oh brilliant. Another one.”

Mira turned it over.

Another inscription was carved into its base.

She read it quietly, “Knowledge hidden is knowledge preserved.”

Draco blinked, “…That sounds suspiciously like Salazar Slytherin.”

Mira nodded, “Yes.”

The serpent lifted its tiny head.

Then it flicked its tongue.

And slithered neatly into a coil again.

The two students looked at Pip.

The Niffler looked back at them.

Then he squeaked proudly.

Draco groaned, “You found more, didn’t you?”

Pip ran down the corridor.

Mira and Draco followed again.

Their next stop was the Hogwarts Library.

Near a forgotten reading table in the back corner, Pip began digging through a stack of old book crates.

A soft metallic clink sounded.

Mira lifted the object Pip uncovered.

This one was bronze.

Its wings were folded neatly against its body.

An eagle.

The craftsmanship was astonishing.

Each feather etched in fine detail.

{A/N: What the figurine looks like}

The eagle’s eyes opened.

Its wings fluttered.

Draco stepped back slightly.

“Oh that’s clever.”

The eagle hopped once on Mira’s palm.

Then it gave a soft metallic chirp.

Mira examined the inscription beneath it, “Wit sharpens the mind beyond any blade.”

Draco nodded, “That’s definitely Rowena Ravenclaw.”

By now Mira suspected what Pip was doing.

“He’s finding the entire set.”

Draco blinked.

“There’s a set?”

Mira nodded slowly.

“Yes.”

“If there are three…there must be four.”

They found the final figurine near the Hogwarts Greenhouses.

Pip scratched at the base of a stone planter.

Mira reached inside.

And smiled softly.

The figurine was carved from smooth brown stone.

A badger.

{A/N: What the figurine looks like}

Its sturdy body looked almost alive even before the enchantment activated.

Then its nose twitched.

The badger stood.

And shuffled across Mira’s hand.

Draco grinned, “Well, that’s adorable.”

Mira turned it over.

The final inscription read:

“Steady hands build what courage begins.”

Draco nodded again, “That would be Helga Hufflepuff.”

That evening the four figurines rested together on the desk inside Dumbledore’s Office.

The professors gathered once again.

The lion roared softly.

The serpent coiled.

The eagle fluttered its wings.

The badger waddled slowly across the wood.

Albus Dumbledore watched them with fascination, “A remarkable discovery.”

Beside him stood Minerva McGonagall.

Her eyes shone with emotion, “They must have been made together.”

Dumbledore nodded, “A set of small guardians.”

Snape folded his arms, “Founder artifacts.”

“Hidden for centuries.” Sprout stated.

Flitwick adjusted his spectacles, “The enchantments are extraordinary. They’re interactive. Self-aware in limited ways.”

The tiny lion roared proudly again.

McGonagall gently picked up the lion, “These were not toys.”

“No.” Dumbledore agreed, “They were lessons.”

He pointed to the figurines.

“Courage.”

“Knowledge.”

“Wisdom.”

“Loyalty.”

“The four virtues of the founders.”

Mira watched them quietly.

Draco leaned against the wall.

“So Pip basically uncovered a piece of Hogwarts history.”

The Niffler puffed up proudly.

Snape sighed, “Merlin help us if he continues digging.”

The four figurines stood together now.

Lion.

Serpent.

Eagle.

Badger.

Each representing a founder.

Each carrying a message.

The lion lifted its head.

And gave a proud little roar.

The sound echoed gently through the office.

A reminder that even the smallest artifacts could carry centuries of history.

And sometimes—

The past revealed itself in the most unexpected ways.

Especially when a curious young witch…

And her treasure-loving Niffler—

Went exploring through the ancient halls of Hogwarts.

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