Hogwarts, a History
Chapter 1: The Discovery
An old, wizened man wearing long brocade robes stood in the large, echoing room, clutching several arrows and a large longbow that looked unbendable next to the little ancient man. There were four arrows to be precise. A large crowd of people was circled around him, silently waiting. The people ranged from a three-year old girl standing shyly next to her parents, grasping their hands nervously, to an old female with age to rival the man standing in the middle of the circle, who was now staring at the window. For another moment, there was silence. The hushed hall seemed to be breathlessly waiting for something. And at that moment, the old man spoke, in a voice that very well matched his elderly visage.
"Today, I have gathered you here for a noble reason," said the old man. Someone coughed. He moved on. "As many of you can tell, I am no longer a young man. Death will come for me as soon as I let it, and I welcome this. The only problem is, however, that my knowledge has not yet been passed on. Now, I know that you all are accomplished witches and wizards of high magical ability, but there are people with undiscovered magical ability in this world. Children, in fact." He glanced around, his eyes settled on the various children among the people in the room; the three-year old girl, what seemed to be her brothers, and various other children. A 12-year old girl. A 15-year old youth. A seven-year old girl hiding behind her parents' legs, among others.
"My duty here today, is to find these children." He gestured at the longbow and the four arrows. Looking at the window, he spoke. "All the talent in the world is not found simply in this Society. It is found out there." He gestured past the window. "Today, I am going to shoot these arrows, which have been bewitched to land at the feet of the four children with the most magic. Their names will travel back to us by magic, and they will start training at the age of 11. Yes, this is many years, but death will only come for you if you let it, when you're a powerful wizard like me."
The old man picked up the bow, and placed in it carefully an arrow. Firmly, he pulled back the string, and the arrow flew perfectly, through the window and beyond. Again, he did this, and again. The last arrow was perched on the longbow, and he let go. But this time, it did not fly past the window. It simply turned around, and flew in the room, as if it had gone awry. But it had not. It flew nearly into the ground. Most by then thought it had been a mistake. Until they saw her. Hiding behind her father, the arrow landed at her feet. At the feet of a three-year old girl. Every eye in the room was on her. Shyly, she stepped forward. The old man looked at her in wonder, the daughter of what was arguably the most talented family in all of Britain.
"Welcome, Rowena Ravenclaw," the man whispered. Even he could not predict how great she and the others would become.