--Beyond the Grave--
Disclaimer: Anything you recognise isn't mine – god bless JK!!!
Beta Reader: Sir Darlon – big thanks I couldn't do this without you!
Chapter 17 – Beyond the Grave
Reminder: "So you want to hear the real history of Hogwarts?" he asked
I sat up my legs crossed and nodded attentively eagerly anticipating his start.
"It all began years ago……"
-- Hogwarts: A Ghostory --
"It all began years ago, long before Hogwarts was a school, back in those days Hogwarts was nothing more than a small castle, with no real resemblance to the building you find yourself in today, and certainly not the same in scales of grandeur.
Indeed I think all that really remains of the original building now are the bits your find beneath your feet, the dungeons, and the old courtyard, which stood where the grand staircase can be found today.
There's certainly no remainder of the Muggle village that once surrounded Hogwarts and came under its protection.
"Hang on a minute? Did you say muggles" interrupted Cedric his eyes shining "there were muggles at Hogwarts" I quietened him with a look
"Carry on please Friar" I nodded expectantly.
The Fat Friar inclined his head and for a moment paused as if in thought,
"There were Muggles here" he agreed, "I suppose it would surprise you to know that Muggles built Hogwarts?" Cedric nodded his head clearly shocked by the Friars words
"Of course back then it wasn't known as Hogwarts, in fact the only name it really beheld was the name of its lord and master, Albanwr.
"Wait a minute" I interrupted, "I thought that Hogwarts was built by the founders"
The Friar Smiled at me indulgently,
"A lot of people make the same mistake. But you see what the founders did was bring magic to Hogwarts, There had always been a settlement here, even when I was a boy, people would talk of Albanwr and his wife in they're castle in the north. The founders only created Hogwarts, and while they did indeed build, they also used the original building. Why else do you think a school would have dungeons?"
I nodded realising I had never really thought about it before.
"We will be coming to the creation of Hogwarts soon Miss Weasley, I just ask that you have a little patience, for the story that came before Hogwarts is just as important as the school itself.
Back then I travelled the length and width of the country spreading the word of the one true lord as we called him, I would walk from one village to another with only my oak stick, a prayer and a song in my heart
There are many stories I could tell you of my travels, I walked the country, I came into contact with figures of pure legend, Arthur Pendragon, and one of the greatest wizards of all time, Merlin. But this is neither the time nor the place,
Many homes, and castles would turn me away instead relying on their pagan gods, they're woodland gods to protect them, and in that time of darkness and suspicion not everyone would trust the word of a man travelling alone, they claimed I was a Jonah, a pariah, and turned me away from they're doors, scared that I would perform evil magic's upon them, were they to accept me.
Other homes were not so suspicious, they welcomed the weary traveller, and listened to what I had to say, and Albanwr was one of these, though I came to him in a much worse state than many others.
I had undertaken a particularly treacherous journey through the Scottish highlands, and for all intents and purposes I meant to reach Castle Albanwr, and I meant to reach it before sunset, as I had heard of the dangers of this particular forest and the demons it was said to house.
My journey however had been interrupted, and I was attacked by all manner of foul creatures, it seemed that with the darkness of the trees to cover them sunrise or sun fall didn't matter.
I still don't know to this day how I escaped them, I think there was a wolf that helped me get through the worst of it, a snow white wolf with pale blue eyes, it held them back in the darkness and shadows and allowed me to escape.
I ran through the forest and the very trees themselves seemed to be attacking me, and I tore my thick habit on stray branches, as I struggled through the thick undergrowth.
Somehow I managed to escape the forest just as the sun was setting and as I hammered on the castle door and fell into a faint, I heard a wolf howl triumphantly in the distance.
Momentarily I thought this is it, my life is over, and then, I am ashamed to say I blacked out.
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I awoke what must have been many days later, finding my self in a room with a flickering fire, covered by rough blankets. I stared around at my surroundings, the round room with its huge fireplace, and small leaded windows.
That room later became the hufflepuff common room, but as I said before I'm getting ahead of myself.
The door creaked open and I found myself sitting up in bed to see who came in, and I saw a tall woman with raven black hair, and startling green eyes set in a heart shaped face looking straight at me.
Becoming aware of my state of undress I quickly reached for the blankets pulling them up to cover my shoulders, and judging by the smile that twinkled in her eyes I probably went a very becoming shade of pink as well.
Thinking back on that time now I could probably have behaved differently, and indeed remembered my upbringing, however I did not,
"Where are my clothes?" I demanded of her,
She threw back her head and laughed, a sound like water trickling over pebbles in a mountain stream.
"Your clothes are by your bed side master friar" she told me in her low voice that sounded like honey, "And you have been here for six days".
Remembering my manners I bowed low and apologised for my rudeness and thanked her for her hospitality;
"Never mind" she told me, "It's only to be expected with what you've been through. Did nobody tell you never to travel those forests alone?"
I nodded glumly, the last village I reached had told me precisely that, but I had ignored them, too full of my own self importance, certain that god would protect me.
I now regretted my pride.
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It wasn't for several more days that I met Albanwr; he had left on a hunt whilst I was unconscious, and was yet to return. I found myself wandering the castle and the small village inside its towering walls, and everywhere I was greeted with welcoming smiles, and open faces, something I had never once come across in my past travels, yet there also seemed to be something else, the people here seemed to be holding something else back. And it wasn't until two moons has past that I found out.
But first let me tell you of Albanwr, he was a rich lord, but a fair one. He allowed the people here the protection of his walls, and when I met him I found myself looking upon a man I would very much like to please. He had one of those shining personalities that attracted people like moth to a flame. And his flame it seemed burned the brightest of all.
Something else I learned when he had returned was that he had a daughter, a daughter who remained almost constantly by his side. Her hair was as pale as her mother's was dark, and it gleamed like moonlight. She had also gained most of her mother's height and stood tall and willowy, and delicate. Most startlingly however were her eyes, as blue as a lapis lazuli. I had the feeling I had seen those eyes somewhere before, but try as I might it escaped me, and I had certainly not seen the girl before. Perhaps it was just the colour, the same blue as the early dusk. I pushed the thought to the back of my head, just a romantic notion and promptly forgot about it.
His wife Ceridwen, it turned out was a prophetess, she had some sort of sight tat allowed her to see into the future. She dreamed things that were yet to happen. And I discovered this is how they had found me, the wolf that rescued me being a magical form of they're daughter Lily.
"She was an animagus?" interrupted Cedric, "back then?"
The friar nodded, and continued not giving us chance to ask anything else...
"Ceridwen it turned out was a wise woman, as they called them back then, and her daughter had inherited her mothers powers, today you would have called them both witches, but in that time of darkness such gifts were best kept secret, and had I known that in my youth, perhaps things would not have turned out as they did.
Five summers after I had arrived at the castle, a man had showed up at the gates, pleading for a bed for the night. Albanwr allowed him entrance to his home, and the moment the man set eyes on Lily, and her on him, they fell in love.
You often of hear of love at first sight, and until that moment I had never believed in it, but lily and the stranger were made for each other and it was evident to all. That first night the man sat and told us his story.
He was a powerful looking man with a shock of red hair, he told us of his home in the moors of Wales, and how he had travelled north seeking three friends only to come under attack from the same creatures that had attacked me.
The mans name was Godric Gryffindor"
I gasped, "You knew Godric Gryffindor?"
Cedric scoffed, "Course he did Gin, if he was here longer than the school, I bet he knew all the founders.
The friar's eyes twinkled,
"I knew him in life, Miss Weasley, but you are mistaken Mr Diggory, I knew the other founders only in death."
It was now Cedric's turn to appear shocked, and he blurted suddenly "but how did you die?"
"All in good time Mr Diggory, all in good time.
Lily and Godric became betrothed, and I myself married them, as you already know Godric himself was a wizard, and therefore did not have any qualms about marrying a witch
Within a year she was with child, and she later gave birth to another little girl that they called Anwen, which Godric told us meant very beautiful in his native language.
Albanwr had never been more proud of his daughter, as we all were. For I had come to look upon them by this time as family which makes what I did even worse.
Most surprisingly of all though was that spending time with these people, I found I also had powers, powers that remained dormant really until I had arrived at the castle.
Ceridwen actually told me one day that she only ever had visions about magical people, but I never really made the connection until my own powers began showing through.
Just little things, people seemed instantly at ease with me, and I seemed to have a talent with animals, I could soothe a horse when no-one else would go near it.
Godric realised that this was dormant power and began encouraging me to use it, to focus it.
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It was tradition every spring to travel to the nearest town, just across the mountain to trade and barter for provision for the forthcoming year that way we could keep our own village prospering.
I had been only twice as Godric usually travelled alongside Albanwr, this time however he had visited Wales and taken Anwen with him, for her to meet his family.
Lily was going to go with him but stayed at the castle knowing she was needed there as her mother had been sick in bed, under some sort of fever that no-one seemed able to cure, ironic really, Ceridwen was the healer, and now the healer was dying no one was there to really help her...
I went along to the nearest town with Albanwr, and somehow found myself in a tavern, drowning my sorrows and my worries for Ceridwen in a pint of finest ale, whilst Albanwr collected the provisions he required.
Had I not been drinking, I may have noticed the whispers going on in the tavern around me. Whispers of witches and evil and Albanwr. Hearing a shout in the street I rushed out only to find Albanwr stabbed, his blood spreading outwards in a circle away from his body.
"Who did this?" I yelled in a fury, "What harm had he ever done you?"
I looked into the face of my old friend, his eyes had now taken on a deathly pallor, "Lily, Ceridwen" he whispered, "take care of them".
Someone kicked me and sent me sprawling into the filth that lay all around.
I turned around fists ready to fight, only to be advanced upon by a group of men each with murder gleaming in they're eyes. In my temper I somehow managed to fling the pitchfork out of one farmer's hands, setting off a whole new riot.
They looked momentarily scared, but then realising they outnumbered me fifteen to one, they began advancing.
I struck out blindly with my fists trying to stop them, drive them back, all the time frantically trying to call on that power that had lifted the pitchfork, but for some reason it was blocked to me. Thinking back I realise it was probably because I was panicking, and it required concentration.
The men continued to advance, and even with my fists flailing I was no match for them. I was stabbed in the rib cage before they drew out the knife and repeated the action.
My last thought before I blacked was that I had failed Albanwr, I couldn't perform his dying wish so I had failed them all.
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I found myself as a ghost and for a while I was disorientated, as we all are on such occasion. And when it finally returned to me why I died, why I was running it was too late.
I got to the castle and all its occupants were dead, killed by people later to become muggles, killed because the villagers were too ignorant, and too suspicious, too afraid of differences.
Godric returned days later with three friends and Anwen in tow, when everything was lost.
Being the last remaining member of Albanwr's family the castle and its land were now his. He was overcome with grief at the death of his Lily, overcome because her magic had not been strong enough to defend her. Had she only known a little more she may have been able to stop them.
It was then that he swore with his three friends to create a place where Witches and Wizards could learn about they're powers, where Anwen would be safe, and where muggles would never reach them again.
A school was born from the ashes of Castle Albanwr, and he called it Hogwarts, a type of Lily, after his lost flower."
I sat dumbfounded, they had all been massacred, just because they were wizards, and it was terrible. No wonder Hogwarts had been built.
Cedric meanwhile grasped at the one straw we had remaining, "Godric came from the Welsh moors? Well there can't be that many moors in Wales, it's all mountains"
[Author Notes, - thanks again for the reviews, hope you like the new chappie, I will update soon – Silvermoonluna]
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