Disclaimer: All characters, places and ideas associated with the Harry Potter series are the property of J.K. Rowling. Those unrecognizable from the four canon books are the property of Tajuki. No money is being made from this story and no copyright infringements were intended in its creation.
Author's Note: The credit for this spectacular foreword goes to Soupofthedaysara. Sara, thank you so much for tackling this part of the project for me. It is better than anything I could have hoped to write.
Another Note: It is important to state first off that this is a companion piece to my series including It May Be Raining, The Road To Nowhere, and Where Madness Gives A Bit. Please, if you have the time to dedicate to them give them a read. It is not necessary, however, to read them to understand this story. In the last work Where Madness Gives A Bit Ginny decides to tell the story of the Founder who have, up until this point, been silenced. A battle, a friend and a death spurned her to tell the story for them, The Unsung Past. Please enjoy it.
Foreword
History was written by those who have hanged heroes. The victor always chronicles the battle. The campaign has been long and the victory only just secured in a war betwixt the proverbial good and evil. The outcome of the crusades of the Hogwarts Founders can only now be set down in the honored historiography of these illustrious isles. In the rich textures of gray, where black and white mesh to create reality, we must realize that there were heroes on both sides, the blood of the innocent on the hands of all.
The story of the Founders, until now largely speculative, can now be written with a clear certainty, the veil of centuries now can be lifted. They are now free to tell their story, the story of their children, the story of their chosen protectors, and the story of the heirs to those chosen. It is a tale of the purest good, of the blackest evil, and the many degrees of each that lie within the extremes. Complicated as it seems, this is a worthwhile pursuit that will benefit generations to come. It is a warning to those who seek absolute power, for absolute power corrupts absolutely, and a gift of encouragement to those who may falter in the quest to uphold justice, truth and honor.
The intermediary through whom the Founders have made their deeds known is an author of great skill, profound insight, infallible objectivity and no experience. Virginia Weasley, in her authorial debut, has given us an invaluable treasure that showcases her unique gift, her tireless research, and limitless dedication to the truth. It is a feat many seasoned writers could not conquer, although a few select have tried, while remaining as faithful to the players as a play-write could hope to be. My thanks and adulations to Miss Weasley are therefore her due for creating this uniquely realistic account of the lives and deeds of the Hogwarts Founders.
Albus Dumbledore
Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Order of Merlin, First Class
Acknowledgements
A very wise person once told me when I had almost given up on humanity, "You do yourself and the people you love a great injustice when you turn a blind eye and a deaf ear on evil and deceit. It is the duty of everyone who still draws breath to seek out the truth and find the good in their fellow human beings. Otherwise, hell would have swallowed us up a long time before this."
That small grain of truth stayed with me through an ordeal that I was unsure I had the strength to endure. This story would have remained untold if it had not been for the urgings of this one inspiring individual. Indeed, she still encourages me today. She is an invaluable friend and one of the best people that I have had the fortune of knowing. I hope that I could resemble her in any small way. Lucy, you are my rock.
Others that I have been privileged to know have also been an inspiration in writing this story. Although I didn't have the honor of meeting the Founders of Hogwarts, their struggles and victories which had been entrusted to me to tell, I owe them a great debt. It was their children and the chosen protectors of their houses that have taught me a great deal about myself and who I would like to be. I owe them more than they will ever know.
To Maren who in many ways resembles her heir, Lucilla Malfoy, your strength and bravery have become my own.
Galahad, a noble knight who dedicated his life to the goal of peace and the abolition of the Slytherin's black hold on the wizarding world: your sacrifice will go unnoticed no longer.
Isaiah, bravery is too weak a word for you. Your courage in battle changed the course of history. Though you didn't survive the Army of Slytherin, your efforts and the efforts of the men that followed you, gave all for the cause you fought gallantly for, saved us all.
Azria, a wise and kind lady, your abilities as the seer of the Hufflepuff line saved many. It was your planning, diligence and insight that thwarted evil again and again. I hope that my account will do you honor, though words cannot express fully the contributions you've made and the endless effort you gave for the side of good.
Faramir, for what is just and true, you have given all. Your family was murdered—a punishment for your selfless deeds and unfailing courage. Your sister, whom I had the great honor of speaking with briefly, was killed among them. As selfless as you were and just as innocent, she was silenced before her story was ever made known. Just as voiceless as her, Faramir, your story will finally be told. It is the only small justice that I can impart for a million injustices that have been viciously exacted on you and your family. I regret that I can do no more. You are the exemplar of bravery and nobility, not noble of blood but of character, which far outweighs title and land.
To Mungo, I shall always remember you with love. If courage is the capacity to conquer one's fear, you were the most courageous person I ever met. Not once had you handled a sword or fought bravely for your house and your friends. Your battle was with the dying. It was perhaps the most profound moment in my life standing there in the middle of swirling chaos, war, death and destruction watching you heal. Spent, the last of your energy leaving you as you tirelessly helped one hopeless case after another. When Galahad was brought to you, you knew as I did that there was nothing you could do for him. In that last moment, as your aid tent was under siege, the injured slaughtered, you made a sacrifice that was not expected nor asked of you. You gave your last reserves of strength and energy to a dying man that he might die with as little pain as possible. Some would have said that it was a waste, dying for a dying man. They would have been wrong and fools for thinking so. It was no waste. It was the purest gesture of the heart to die for your friend. It was courage in a form that I may never witness again.
Here is their story. Do them justice and take it to heart.
Virginia E. Weasley
