Hogwarts: A History by Bathilda Bagshot

Chapter One: Its Founding

The School

Almost a thousand years ago (in the early 11th century), the four greatest witches and wizards of the same age shared a dream: to create a school where young people of the wizarding world could study and be trained in the magical arts they needed to become skilled, fully-trained wizards. These four great people each founded one of the Houses ( Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw)[for further information, refer to chapter two] of the school that they worked together to form: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

The location was specially selected. It lies on what was known as a 'Principalis Weyline'. It is now simply known as a 'Weyline Intersect'. [For more information, refer to chapter exponent 1 at the end.]

The highest concentration of Weylines lays in the centre of the school - below what is now the Astronomy Tower. This concentration allows the highest flow of magic on the planet, and it just so happened to be in the Scottish Highlands. This placement presented an opportunity for the castle to develop its own sentience, bestowed by Lady Magic (Hecate). [For more, refer to chapter three]

Its Founders

Godric Gryffindor

Godric was born in 993, and it is unknown when he died. Gryffindor hailed from a moor which is now known as Godric's Hollow, a small West Country village in which Harry Potter later slew Lord Voldemort. He was described as being 'the best duellist of his time'.

Not much is known about the man, however, it was recorded in 'the long since lost' diaries of Salazar Slytherin that he was engaged to Godric Gryffindor - a very obviously controversial move for the period.

He was fair-skinned, with red hair and green eyes.

He was best known for three things:

• His slaying of Ragnuk the First, and his followers, later leading to 'The First Goblin Fealty Betrayal', (an incident that precipitated in 'The Greatest Goblin War of 1203'.)

• His creation of the 'Sorting Hat' - named 'Castilian Basque', for its link to Salazar Slytherin. It was named as such due to the dark ritual used to create it. [For more refer to chapter two]

• His creation of 'The Sword of Gryffindor': a cursed, dark, Goblin-made artefact.

Helga Hufflepuff

Helga was believed to have been born in 993, and to have died in 1147. Born into the Hufflepuff family from her Father (a pureblood), and his cousin (her mother - a bastard half-blood) She was a Welshwitch, and - due to her mother - a half-blood.

She was a fair-skinned brunette with blue eyes, and it is believed she engaged in homosexual relations with fellow founder Rowena Ravenclaw.

It was recorded she was unable to create a corporeal Patronus, though never was it explained why.

She had a gift for Food-related charms, and her recipes are still used as the basis for many Hogwarts feasts. She also arranged for the house-elf contingent to work in the kitchens, giving them somewhere safe to work, where they would not be mistreated or abused.

Salazar Slytherin

Salazar was born in 976 in Ireland, and almost everything that can be known about him can be found in his diaries, sealed and hidden by him. There are only two copies of each: one is supposedly sealed away in his Chamber of Secrets, whilst the other (once in my possession) resides in the Department of Mystery in the Ministry of Magic.

He was a shy, reserved man full of emotion, and the one of which I have the most personal knowledge. He was - despite what was believed - a muggleborn, and held a great resemblance to his mother.

Lady Magic Hecate bestowed upon him the power of magic in a dream when he turned 17 (which was what later determined the age of majority). He was gifted with overwhelming power in Legilimancy, and parseltongue - something only otherwise accessible to those born and raised in the tropics of Brazil.

He was 17 years older than the other Hogwarts founders, but noted as such:
"My age has seemingly no negative connotations. Godric loves me all the same, and I see Helga and Rowena as my daughters. We are a family - and a close one at that."

He later left the castle after having his magic stolen by his fiancé, Godric, in a dark and powerful ritual. [For more refer to chapter two].

Rowena Ravenclaw

Rowena Ravenclaw was a pureblood witch born in 993, in Scotland. She is believed to have died in 1147 from a broken heart caused by her daughter Helena - bestowed upon her by Hecate - killed her 'alleged' partner (Helga Hufflepuff) and then fled with Rowena's diadem.

She was a tall, pale woman with flowing black hair and brown eyes. Her ghost is seldom seen, but it actually resides in Hogwarts. Whenever seen she is crying, and often you can hear the name of her departed lover on her lips.

Outside of this, not much is known about her.

Chapter exponents:

[1] Weylines are almost like rivers. The hold the natural magic that all magic users draw and conduct from.

{The idea of a magical core is ridiculous. Magic can not be depleted, and magical exhaustion doesn't exist. (Magical exhaustion is actually, in fact, closer to the body being cooked by the energy conducted through the body, and can easily be remedied through drinking watered-down burn salve - though it is usually treated by 'magic replenishing potions': mixtures of aloe vera, water, honey, and oil reduction salve).}

Weyline Intersects are areas where Weylines overlap, and generally those areas are more powerful due to the disruption in flow. The one on which Hogwarts sits is an intercept of what is believed to be a record-breaking 38 Weylines - which would be the most known to intersect yet.

{Magic users access this magic via their Silver Thread, which holds their personality and their ability to conduct magic. Muggles, however, have a Golden Thread that holds their personality but is unable to conduct magic.}