[ She knows from the slowness of his speech that there's a "but" coming, and so when he casts a charm to ward of casual listeners-in, Helga's face turns solemn and thoughtful.

Yes. Blood purity. She's heard Salazar's-- well, calling them "rants" wouldn't be very polite... but it wouldn't be inaccurate, either. Luckily, he's been content to keep muggleborn students out of his house and allow the other three to take them on instead. Rowena and Godric at least agree with her that the circumstances of one's birth have no impact on one's ability to learn magic.

But if Salazar's selective sentiment has trickled down even through all these years... to what end, Helga wonders?

Merlin's next point does lighten the mood somewhat, and she spares him a sympathetic smile. She doesn't imagine hearing strangers use one's own name as an expletive is very amusing. At least, not after the first few times. ]

There's not much we can do to become any less well-known. [ She's proud that the work they started has continued on so long, and that future generations have appreciated Merlin for the bright wizard he is, but it does make living one's life rather inconvenient. ] We shall simply have to decide how we handle notoriety.

[ And then, more solemnly, ] We shall have to decide how we handle the rest, as well.