(Chapter 3 Edited 12/26/06)
Before the founders there was a single spiritual plain. There were no Diagon Alleys in the world for magic existed in the veins of every person and animal. Magical plants covered land and inhabitied the seas. Creatures that are now extinct in the Muggle World today evolved into contemporary forms that magical individuals are familiar with.
Dinosaurs became dragons and surprisingly enough "small" avians such as the chicken. Yes that may seem like a large stretch but both magical and muggle technology has tied the two through evolutionary purposes. Pteradons became became birds. While this may same strange considering dinosaurs became the avians of the contemporary muggle world, pteradons, a league of their own, became the magical elemental avians of the magical world with the Phoenix, the Thunderbird, the Frost Owl, and Augrey leading the flocks and heading the avian hierarchy.
Unicorns still exist today in the magical world. The few tales and depictions that survived the Middle Ages are a testament of their own. After the fiasco of the Moiddle Ages, the Founders Four and the Magical coummnuties decided to permanently separate the magical and nonmagical worlds. But alas the tales of Merlin, dragons, pegasuses, unicorns, and fairies have carried on into the present.
Dinosaurs were important to the world for they were the first of the creatures on the planet to contain control of magic. They could not cast magic or contain ingredients capable of being used in potions, but their bloodlines have spawned the majority of the magical creatures that have existed and exist today.
Many of the dinosaur fossils found in the museums of the muggle world are actually predacessors of dragons. Dinosaurs were primative forms of dragons. We do not know much about how they interacted or what abilities they have, but we can tie them historically ot creatues of today.
Marine reptiles have evolved over time into sea serpents, Leviathans in particular. The Loch Ness monster is actually a school of aquatic Dragons that live in Northern Scotland. Though they fall under of sea serpent, these aquatic dragons have many ties to our story…
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North, East, South, and West.
Those four words serve more purpose than serving as directions. These four symbolize the paths the Four took in order to achieve greatness.
North had earth; East had air, South fire, and West water.
The first ventured to frozen tundra for love but instead found the power she possessed in some unlikely circumstances. She gained some new allies that would prove their worth in the Great War.
The second ventured to people of the dragon. The winds of Asia brought both good fortune and heartache to the second of the four. For great power a sacrifice was made.
The third traveled south to the warmer climate of Rome. A civic duty had become something more when the fiery passion within him changed and belonged to something else.
The final individual was lost at sea and traveled to great lengths to find the power of Water. Many losses and heab\vy burdens were lifted when the tides came in to take its champion
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The four cardinal directions have very specific magical properties. Eastern cultures such as the ancient Chinese believed in five elements: (in no particular order) Earth, Fire, Metal, Water, and Wood. Other civilizations believed in different combinations. Wiccan magic relies on the four classical elements of Air, Earth, Fire, and Water in conjunction with Aether to form a star or pentagram.
Magic today relies on the cross. The cross is the Greek and Roman interpretation of the elements. The four elements in this model are Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. Earth is the northern point, Air in the East, Fire in the South, and Water in the West. These four elements work together to form the four minor elements of Lightning, Metal, Wood, and Ice. The Four Major Elements together form the central element which is given no name, but is very deadly.
But something funny happened with the Four Founders. It is not hilarious funny by quirky. Though the Founders Four had "no" affiliation with the Four, many coincidences did occur. But magical alignment was something the Founders lacked for their birthplaces did not coincide with the Elements they mastered with the exception of Godric Gryffindor. Though it made little difference for they were the strongest witches and wizards of their time.
Only Gryffindor maintained the proper element. And for that his elemental powers outmatch the others (but not by much) due to his elements ties with his emotions. Fire is powered by rage and jealousy, but also by passion and dedication.
xxxxFen? Glen? Moor? Valleyxxxx
Salazar Slytherin came to Hogwarts from fen. The Eastern portion of England. Typically aligned with Air, but still he carried control of water.
Rowena Ravenclaw of Glen had a family affiliation with Air and mastered Air despite her family living in the "Earthern" part of Great Britain, Scotland.
Helga Hufflepuff departed from the Valley. And Godric Gryffindor from the Moor. The Valley and the Moor are much more discrete in their locations. It is likely that both came from the Southwestern part of the isle though some have speculated the Hufflepuff is from the West and Gryffindor the South.
Though it might not seem like much…the origins of the Founders will be important to both the original Four and the contemporary Four.
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Godric Gryffindor's name alone can speak volumes about his character. And many of the origins of his name are indeed truthful. Slytherin has been painted as an evil man, Ravenclaw a bookworm or scholar, and Hufflepuff as weak. Godric Gryffindor is always painted as bring brave and just, but there is much more than that. Keep in mind that there was more to Helga Hufflepuff than meets the eye especially when it comes to Gryffindor. Why did Slytherin leave? And why did the friendship between Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw fail?
Gryffindor's heir will be the only one in the proper house. He will be the one that connects the other three to each other. He will be the glue that keeps them together, and will lead to Voldemort's downfall.
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The Four common rooms are a clue to that.
Ravenclaw: A tower: Air
The affinity with air makes a tower the perfect candidate for the Ravenclaw dorms. As Air Overcomes Earth, the highest vantage point from the ground would be a logical choice for wise Ravenclaw's students. (One could also interpret this as distaste for a certain Earth Elemental).
Gryffindor: The highest tower: Fire
Like Air, Gryffindor's dorms are also located in a tower. Heat rises so a tower for fire is logical. Ravenclaw's inhabit a tower, but Gryffindor's Common Room is on the Seventh Floor of Hogwarts… Fire is intensified by Air and weakened by water thus making a tower a good choice. Earth can help (wood) or hinder (soil) a fire making the tower also an odd choice to some degrees.
Hufflepuff: Cellars: Earth
The cellars are the lowest portions of the main building. The cellars is where the kitchens are, the true heart of Hogwarts. In many parts of the castle the cellars are the lowest one can go mirroring the element of Earth compared especially to Air and Fire. This could be seen as Ravenclaw dismissing Hufflepuff as beneath her.
Slytherin: Dungeons, under the lake: Water
The dungeons are deeper than the cellars in some regions of the castle, but the Slytherin dorms in particular are much deeper. Even the Chamber of Secrets has ties to water: a bathroom. The location of being under the others could be viewed as the others seeing him as being beneath them for being prejudiced.
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No matter what the reasons are for the locations of the Common Rooms and Dorms, the originality and ingenuity of the Four in selecting the four areas highlight the traits of each of the houses.
Towers into the sky show that the Ravenclaws think they are better than other people because they are smarter than everyone else. This generalization may not hold true for every individual within the house of Rowena Ravenclaw, but it does for the majority. The attitude of Ravenclaws tend to make them appear as if they are above the rest of the students due to their intellectual status.
The Gryffindor Toweralso reaches into the sky and is quite tall. This could be due to the fact that they have the persona of thinking themselves to be the righteous ones and above the rules. Godric Gryffindor could come off as being very pompous and arrogant so positioning himself above the others (technically above Ravenclaw due to the level on which the students enter their Common Room).
The location of the Cellars on the ground mirror the humble qualities of its founder and its current Head of House. Hufflepuffs tend to me humble, loyal, and dedicated so a close proximity to the grounds and Hospital Wing reflect well on its founder and her students.
The Slytherin Dorms under the lake make sense because it is a dark and shady area (just like its founder). Slytherins are not as social as the others so the individual-oriented arrangement and location of the dorms makes perfect sense. The Slytherins of today (sadly it is most of them) are affiliated with Voldemort so the location away from the other houses is perfect from their plans to over throw the world.
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The arrival of the final heir of the Four marks a new chapter in the War Against Voldemort (and subsequent Dark Lords. Grey Lords be forewarned!).
The youngest may come off as naïve, and her powers may have been the last to have awaken, but that does not mean she has the least control over them. While Air and Fire magic are (mostly) tuned to violent emotions, and Water is tuned to nurturing emotions, Earth magic is based on intention.
Earth magic primarially focuses on helping other individuals so the idea of it being intention based is a logical choice. Earth magic is different from the others because it tends to be physical. It is the "most difficult" to master because of this.
Water magic is about compassion. Like Earth magic, Water magic is used to help people (through healing) but can also used as a weapon.
Fire magic is used in battle. It does have a few practical purposes, but it is used primarially as a weapon. Fire magic focuses on passion (loyalty and dedication too when it comes to battles) and rage. Fire can be the most destructive (after Earth).
Air magic is by some the weakest of the four for it most take something from one of the other three to unlock its hidden potential (fire and earth for lightning, water for ice, sleet, hail, and snow).
The youngest heir has arrived and a new chapter has begun as previously stated. The heir of Earth's appearance is the most monumental because Earth relies heavily on the other three to continue to exist.
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Friendships will be tested and barriers will be broken. The Four shared many of the principles of the Founders except for the strong thirst for knowledge. While intellect was important to the Four, whit was not. While Slytherin is the oucast of the Founders, in comparison to the Four it was Ravenclaw that was the outcast… (THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT)
There is a very important reason why the heirs of the Four arrived the way they did. Air is the hardest to master followed by Fire, Water, and Earth. The inclusion of two Gryffindors and the lack of a Ravenclaw is not so much a principle of personality as much as it is of bloodlines.
The blood of the Four only ran potently through a single Founder of Hogwarts. That is not to say that it did not run through the others, but it was not in large enough quanities. (THIS IS ALSO VERY IMPORTANT!!!).
Blood purity was not important to the Four as it did not exist yet (except in interspecious mating for muggles did not exist yet). It was also not important to Salazar Slytherin except for the fact that he thought that muggleborns should be educated separately for an additional year or for the first year for they tended to hold back the portential of the half- and purebloods.
Salazar Slytherin was not a bad man. Godric Gryffindor was not a brainless warrior. Rowena Ravenclaw was not a fair scholar. Helga Huffelpuff was not a weak and lowly woman.
The tales of the Founders are shrouded in mystery for little has survived from their time. A cup of Hufflepuff, a locket of Slytherin, and the Sorting Hat of Gryffindor are the only relics of the Foundders that are known to have survived the test of time.
Author's Note
Wow this was fun redoing! I went from 110 words to like over 2100 minus this note and the sections dividers I made. I really enjoy enhancing the quality of this story and hope you enjoy reading it. So hopefully after reading you'll write me a nice little review! I love this story and its not almost five in the morning the day after Christmas 2006 so be kind and write me a nice little review please!
-Keeper!