Introduction –
Of all the magical locations in Britain and Ireland, none are as spectacular as Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and its surrounding environs. It is also one of the most well-known locations, as virtually all of us (including myself) have been taught all that we now know there. However, it still remains a mysterious place, with the rooms and staircases moving around more often than Defence Against the Dark Arts teachers are replaced. I have therefore taken it upon myself to detail the history of Hogwarts, right from its earliest days to its recent history.
Not long after I completed A History of Magic (which, may I slip in, is a thoroughly good read and details our wizarding history), I became interested in one particular chapter of that book, The History of Hogwarts, and decided to expand upon it and create an entire book from it. At first, I was slightly apprehensive about the task at hand, as I didn't know if there was enough history at Hogwarts to fill a book. I soon realised, though, that I could have filled dozens of books with the things that have occurred at Hogwarts over its centuries of existence.
However, it was hard researching it all. I knew quite a bit about it myself, having attended several years before, but I would be foolish to think I knew every secret about the castle. Indeed, there are very few who know everything about Hogwarts, and to conduct my research, I questioned what must have been hundreds of ex-students, teachers, current students, ghosts, portraits of dead headmasters and an annoying poltergeist, who told me that Hogwarts had been created by Urg the Goblin in the thirteenth century before upturning a large vase on my head. Suffice to say, it was not easy. Many reports contradicted themselves (for example, a Weather-Modifying Charm that went awry could not have created the lake in the grounds in the seventeenth, as one ex-student so vehemently claimed, for the merpeople have been there for many hundreds of years) and others were blatantly false (one student informed me that the giant squid in the lake was actually a student who had been Transfigured for using one of the Unforgivable Curses at lunchtime).
My first edition of Hogwarts: A History was published in 1962, though multiple editions have been published since then. The original book concentrated only on the castle and its immediate grounds, but I have since expanded to detail the Forbidden Forest, Hogsmeade Village and any new secrets that I may come across. For example, until recently, I knew next to nothing about the kitchens at Hogwarts, and did not know that house elves made the food (rest assured, though, it is included in this edition), and nor did I know of the legend (or, rather, the truth) behind the Chamber of Secrets until a few months ago.
Do not think this is the definitive edition, though. Hogwarts castle is such a mysterious and enchanting place that new passageways and secret room are likely to be cropping up for many more years to come. But, until the next edition, I present you with Hogwarts: A History, and hope to enjoy it.
Bathilda Bagshot