Founding Friendships

By Harry Potter

We all know that Hogwarts was founded around 1,000 AD by Helga Hufflepuff, Salazar Slytherin, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Godric Gryffindor. It is also known that they were the smartest, most powerful witches and wizards of the age. Hogwarts castle, and her abilities, is a testament to that fact.

And, of course, we all know that after a huge fight between Salazar Slytherin and the rest of the founders about allowing students without all-magical backgrounds to attend Hogwarts, Salazar left without a word and was virtually lost to history. Right?

WRONG!

Much of what we know about the founders after the founding of Hogwarts is based on the book Hogwarts: A History. It may surprise many that the first edition was written by none other than Helga Hufflepuff. An interesting fact, you may think, but what does that really matter? It matters because Helga Hufflepuff was writing the book as, from her point of view, a woman scorned. Hogwarts: A History was, effectively, her revenge on her husband.

For those who have not read Hogwarts: A History, I first seriously suggest you do so, but also allow me to give you a brief idea of what it contains on the founders. It explains how, because of the ill feeling between magical and non-magical humans at the time, the founders decided to found a school to teach young witches and wizards to control their magic, and thus lessen the chance of discovery. They also viewed it as a way to help teach witches and wizards with non-magical parents about magic, and to help remove them from what were often poor home environments.

Now, we are led to believe that not long after Hogwarts opened, Salazar Slytherin decided he no longer wished to admit students from non-magical families, which led to his eventually leaving Hogwarts, never to return. Not once within the book are we treated to any personal information about the founders, even that which would have an impact on the school, like their marriages.

The reason for this omission: Helga Hufflepuff wanted to strike her marriage from history at the time she wrote the first edition. Because of her anger, her marriage was, in fact, slowly lost to history. Because of this, the marriage of her friends Rowena and Godric was lost as well.

By now you are most likely beginning to gather the pieces. Helga Hufflepuff was wife to Salazar Slytherin, and Rowena Ravenclaw was wife to Godric Gryffindor. How did this information come to light? The information was revealed to me by none other than Professor Cuthbert Binns, the current professor of History of Magic at Hogwarts. In fact, he has been the History of Magic professor since 1,200 AD (see page 9 for his official offer of employment, dated 1,199 AD). As you can imagine, the knowledge of the founders' marriages had not yet been lost to history when Professor Binns began teaching. He has adapted his teaching over the years to reflect the so-called "acceptable" information. Omitting the founders' marriages from the curriculum was one example of this.

The information was first brought to light last year, when a Dracolisk from Salazar Slytherin's legendary Chamber of Secrets was released and set upon the students. In response to questions from then second-year Slytherin student, Hermione Granger, Professor Binns told the following story:

You all know, of course, that Hogwarts was founded over a thousand years ago — the precise date is uncertain — by the four greatest witches and wizards of the age. The four school Houses are named after them: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin. They built this castle together, far from prying Muggle eyes, for it was an age when magic was feared by common people, and witches and wizards suffered much persecution. For a few years, the founders worked in harmony together, seeking out youngsters who showed signs of magic and bringing them to the castle to be educated.

Salazar Slytherin was married to Helga Hufflepuff, just as Godric Gryffindor was married to Rowena Ravenclaw. Slytherin and his wife started a yearly tradition that Gryffindor and Ravenclaw soon joined as well. They took summer trips to faraway lands searching for new knowledge to pass on to their eager students. During these trips, the four friends amassed a large wealth of knowledge, both magical and mundane. Slytherin, ever cunning, realized just how much power came with the knowledge they had amassed. He realized how dangerous the combined knowledge could make someone who was not pure in his or her intentions, so he tried to convince the other founders to hide the knowledge away and never let any one student learn it all.

Now, Slytherin especially warned against those students who showed an interest in learning all of the information, as he mistrusted the desire for so much information from ones so young. These eager students were typically Muggleborns who were, most likely, just trying to learn more about the new world they were part of. Now, when the three other founders refused to hide the information, and instead started to make plans to make it available to all, Slytherin left the school, unwilling to stay where he was unable to protect the students from themselves.

The story goes that Slytherin protected the knowledge by building a chamber that the other founders knew nothing of. It is said he protected this chamber with a deadly creature, only controllable by his true heir. The heir alone would be able to find and unseal the Chamber of Secrets, tame the creature within, and gain the knowledge concealed within the chamber to become the most powerful witch or wizard of the age.

Since that point, it has, in fact been proven that there is a Chamber of Secrets, although it is impossible to know if the ancient knowledge is still stored within. However, this lends credence to Professor Binns' story. It also explains how easily Helga Hufflepuff was able to mold the story to make Salazar Slytherin appear to be an elitist Pureblood bigot.

To further prove this story, the editor of this fine paper, Mr. Xenophilius Lovegood, is willing to share that his deceased wife was descended of Rowena Ravenclaw and Godric Gryffindor, and, by extension, so is their daughter. A Blood Magic test confirmed this result.

So, with Professor Binns' story confirmed, we are left with an interesting view of the founders, one completely at odd with what we thought we knew. Salazar Slytherin did not hate witches and wizards with non-magical parents, nor did he feel that they should be kept from learning magic, he merely distrusted students who showed an unusual amount of interest in gathering knowledge (and, by extension, power). Would any of us today feel any differently?

Unfortunately, while we have lost track of all of the present day descendants of the founders, we do have information as to their children and grandchildren. (see page 11 for their family tree) Godric and Rowena had five children, three boys and two girls. Salazar and Helga had three children (Helga was pregnant when Salazar left the school), a boy and two girls. Surprisingly, considering how powerful the children must have been, none of their children intermarried, and the lines remain separate today, as far as we know.

One of Godric and Rowena's daughters married a non-magical Lord and had five children. The other daughter married an influential wizard and had three children. Their boys all married witches of varying standings. Salazar and Helga's elder daughter married a Wizard lord and had eight children, and their son married an orphan witch he met and fell in love with at Hogwarts. Their younger daughter never married, instead deciding to devote her life to healing. It was she who developed the Episkey spell.

With those endings, you may wonder, what, exactly, happened to Helga and Salazaar. Those endings, unfortunately, are much grimmer. Helga, having had her heart broken, devoted her life to the healing profession, and, in fact, made many remarkable discoveries, even inventing Skele-grow.

Salazar Slytherin vanished for several decades, before resurfacing on the continent in Spain. He was a successful Potions Master, providing the local witches and wizards with many potions of his own invention. He never again set foot in Britain. It is believed that he went to his grave thinking his wife would never forgive him for leaving.

With this new information in your arsenal of knowledge, you must now ask yourself some questions. Can life continue as it was with all of the new discoveries brought to light this year? Can we continue to base power and status on whether or not your parents were magical? Can Slytherin house continue on its path knowing the truth about their founder? The world is changing, I know I can feel it, and I'm certain many others can as well.

"Harry, that's a very good article."

"Thanks, Mia. It wasn't as good as yours though. I think people will read mine out of curiosity for the information. People read yours because of the quality of the writing."

"Nonsense, Harry. You wrote an amazing article. Thanks for helping me in my crusade to change the world." The all grinned. She really was affecting change, and far more than they had initially believed possible. Before anyone could voice these opinions, however, a large tawny owl flew down in front of Luna.

"Hello, Ory. What has Daddy sent me?" The owl held out its leg to Luna, who untied the letter. "Do you want to stay, Ory, or do you have to go right back?" The owl hooted and nibbled her ear before flying off. "I guess that answers that question."

Luna opened the letter and scanned it quickly, her smile widening as she did so.

"Good news, Luna?"

"Yes, Harry. Daddy said he's gotten so many subscription requests that he'll need to buy a second printing machine. He can't keep up with demand. It seems everyone wants to read what the Boy Who Lived wrote."

Harry groaned. "Just what I need. I'm glad it's helping your father, though, Luna."

"Thanks, Harry." There was a moment of silence between the friends. "So, who's writing next month's article?"