HOGWARTS, A HISTORY

I am going to write about the many paintings hung throughout Hogwarts.




When Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was first established, the founders, Godric Gryffindor, Salazar Slytherin, Helga Hufflepuff, and Rowena Ravenclaw saw it fit, to place paintings around the many halls and walkways of the grand castle. But with a bit of added flare. Seeing as the school was founded for the sole purpose of educating those who had an affinity for magic, what better way to show the wonders of the special gift it brings than infusing these paintings with the power and wonder magic can offer. The spells each of them placed upon the portraits brought the very pictures to life, some being pictures of other wizards and/or witches, others portrayed various animals that roamed the savannahs of their canvas. Each portrait is able to travel from their frame and venture forth into another, however none are able to remove themselves from the frames and tread the hollowed halls of the wonderous castle. Priceless art brought to life by magic, a grand endeavor indeed, one that still holds true to this very day.

Hogwarts, A History - The enchanted ceiling of the Great Hall

For many of the small wizards and witches being new to Hogwarts year after year, the ceiling of the Great Hall is one of the nicest and most admirable surprises. Enchanted to resemble the sky outside the castle, but never creating unwanted side effects such as rain inside the chamber, this is one of the wonders created by the founders in the earliest time of Hogwarts.

Originally, presenting the pupils with an air of freedom and creating a special atmosphere at the one place they all shared was an idea the befriended founder women Helga Hufflepuff and Rowena Ravenclaw came up with.
After a long time of studying old magic and thinking of new ways to create their stunning charm, the talented women found a way to make their dream come true.
Sadly, it is unknown to the day how the founders enchanted the ceiling so that it probably is unique around the wizarding (and of course the Muggle) world.

~*~

Room of Requirement

This room is located on the seventh floor by the picture of a wizard who is trying to teach trolls to dance. Many do not know of this room even if they were to enter it. This room will only appear to those who are in great need of something. In order to access this room you must walk across the blank stretch of wall three times while thinking of the thing that you need the most. On the third time the door shall appear if you did this correctly. Once you enter the room it shall have what you needed in it like for example if you needed a place to hide it could become a cupboard that only you could enter. If you wanted to follow someone who was using the room and you wanted in you would not be able to get in unless you know what they are using the room for. Only until you know what they are using the room as is the only way you will be able to enter it and see what the other person is doing inside of the room at the time that they are in there.

Moving Staircases

You will have noticed, if you attended Hogwarts, that the staircases move about quite frequently. This is because the architecture in Hogwarts is constantly updating itself. At times it becomes necessary to create another chamber or corridor, whether hidden or openly visible, and thus the staircases must accommodate themselves to connecting to the aforementioned chamber or corridor.

It is also said that the Four Founders had quite a sense of humor, and that they wished that the students of Hogwarts be acquainted with all parts of Hogwarts. Naturally, if a student doesn't take a certain class, for example Ancient Runes, there would be no need for them to transverse the Ancient Runes corridor. But what if said student was on their way to Transfiguration, and their usual route suddenly pointed towards Ancient Runes? They would have no choice but to explore that section of the castle, and possibly find another route.

At times the moving stairs are helpful, revealing shortcuts and hidden passageways, and at others they are a tease, purposely blocking any and every route the student might take that would get them to class on time.

Source: hp-lexicon.org

How The Founders of Hogwarts Split:


In the beginning of Hogwarts, there were four house founders, also the founders of Hogwarts itself. Those founders were Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, Godric Gryffindor, and Salazar Slytherin. The founders once worked in peace together and would brought children into a seven year course if they thought they would be good magical students. But Salazar Slytherin wanted there to only be pure bloods in the house. Almost every pureblood was brought into the Slytherin house, leaving the scraps left for all of the of the other houses.

How did he make it that way you might be asking? He bewitched the Sorting Hat, hoping that after the sorting was done, that all of his students in Slytherin, would help him build a chamber. He succeeded in doing so, and he brought in a basilisk to the chamber. He then set out to kill all muggle born students at Hogwarts and some half-bloods. The teachers noticed that Slytherin students were not being harmed at all in this sudden uproar. They then questioned Slytherin, but he lied.

Rowena Ravenclaw found out about the chamber and the bewitched sorting hat, but when Slytherin found out about this, he threatened to kill everyone in Ravenclaw if she told anyone. If she kept quiet about the incident, he would not kill anyone from Ravenclaw. But Rowena became afraid and told Helga Hufflepuff in secret, Salazar never found out about Rowena telling Helga.

So Helga Hufflepuff made a brew of polyjuice potion in secret for herself and Godric Gryffindor. They took it and made themselves into Slytherin students. Once they found out about a secret meeting to go to the chamber, they went as they were told. Once the polyjuice potion wore off, they fought Salazar Slytherin and defeted him outside of the chamber. But what they did not know was that he had sealed the chamber of secrets before he died, so that when his heir returned to the school, the heir would be able to open it and unleash what lay inside the chamber to all muggle borns or those unworthy in Slytherin's eyes, who just happened to be unharmed in this horror, to study magic at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

okay maybe I got slightly carried away.


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 Hogwarts together, far from prying Muggle eyes, for it was an age when magic was feared by common people, and witches and wizards suffered severe persecution.

For a few years, the founders worked in harmony together, seeking out the young who showed signs of magic and bringing them to the castle to be educated. But then disagreements sprang up between them. A rift began to grow between Slytherin and the others. Slytherin wished to be more selective about the students admitted to Hogwarts. He believed that magical learning should be kept within all-magic families. He disliked taking students of Muggle parentage, believing them to be untrustworthy. After a while, there was a serious argument on the subject between Slytherin and Gryffindor, and Slytherin left the school.

Reliable historical sources tell us this much, but these honest facts have been obscured by the fanciful legend of the Chamber of Secrets. The story goes that Slytherin had built a hidden chamber in the castle, of which the other founders knew nothing about. Slytherin, according to legend, sealed the Chamber of Secrets so that none would be able to open it until his own true heir arrived at the school. The heir alone would be able to unseal the Chamber of Secrets, unleash the horror within, and use it to purge the school of all who were unworthy to study magic. So far, the Chamber of Secrets has been opened twice, both by Tom Riddle (aka Lord Voldemort).

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is one of the four wizard schools. Of course, Hogwarts is protected from the common Muggles so they are not discovered. When Muggles walk by, all they see is an old run down castle instead of the fabulous masterpiece it really is! The school is protected from outside intrusion; therefore the only known ways to get into the school is by the gates.
When first year students get to Hogwarts, they are required to put on the Sorting Hat which puts them into the four house groups; Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Slytherin, and Ravenclaw. All four houses have their strong and weak points, and all students are picked by the Sorting Hat to the group in which he or she would fit the best in. The house you are selected into will be the group of people you will live with throughout your seven years of school at Hogwarts before you are 'of age'. All houses have their own sleeping quarters and common room, along with their own traditions.

The Library

When Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry came the most interesting of all the rooms it contained most any thing you wished are diesired to discover if you only find yourself there. Once you enter this room you will be sounded by tens of thousands of books on any subject you wish from potions and spells to The History of muggles and much much more, but beware to those who wish the books harm for they are protected by magic and spells for harm will come to you if you try to vanadlize them.

During the day hogwarts students are free to come and go as they please ( but watch out for the libarian Irma Prince). They are free to go to any section but have to have special previlages and a note to enter the section of dark magic. When wondering the great hall of he libary beware for if you find yourself lost and come upon the forbidden room you should find your self leaving as fast as you came or face Mr. Filch who is always on guard for it is off limits to all the students, for in this room the founding fathers kept the hisory of the school and all the many dark dark secrets hidden. For in the history of Hogwarts only one student has dared to enter in to this room.][/b]

Located to the East of the castle, the Dark Forest, known to many students as the Forbidden Forest, contains some of the most dangerous and most astounding creatures. The plants of this Forest mainly consists of beech, oak, pine, sycamore, and yew trees as well as undergrowth of knotgrass and thorns. Humans attempting to navigate the forest mainly utilize the paths, brooks, and clearings of the forest; any attempt to stray off the path would only result in one getting lost. The various animals enjoying their habitat in the Forbidden Forest generally respect and accept Hagrid as a friend who wishes to protect him as opposed to other humans who may enter and leave in fear of return. The various animals known to Hagrid include Acromantulas, Fluffy, centaurs, Mr. Weasley’s bewitched red Ford Anglia, Grawp the giant, thestrals, and unicorns. Surroundings of the Forbidden Forest include Hagrid’s paddock for hippogriffs as well as an area used to house the dragons for the first task of the Triwizard Tournament. Hagrid’s quaint residence in a comfortable cabin exists at the edge of the Forbidden Forest at its entrance. Although many still today have complete fear of the Forbidden Forest, it houses some of the most important and fascinating creatures in the wizarding world.

Works Cited:
"The Forbidden Forest." HPL: Forbidden Forest. 2006. 13 July 2007 <http://www.hp-lexicon.org/hogwarts/castle/forest.html>.

Hundreds of years ago..... Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry was formed, by the four greatest wizards and witchs of the age. They were Godric Gryffindor, Salazer Slytherin, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Helga Hufflepuff. At first the four founders worked in peace. They each had a house of which their students would be placed in Gryffindor,Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. It was a seven year course. Most purebloods entered Slytherin. Gryffindor took the bravest and most loyal students. Ravenclaw took the wisest. And Hufflepuff being kind hearted took the rest. Year passed and Slytherin came to belive only purebloods should be allowed into Hogwarts. He shared his feelings with his co-workers but they did not agree. feelig betrayed he decided to leave. But before he left he built a chamber in which he inclosed a beast. So when his own true heir came back to Hogwarts he could un-seal the chamber and kill all the muggle borns and half-bloods.

The Headmaster's Office

Gaurded by a password to be given to a stone gargolye, the headmaster's office is located on the seventh floor at Hogwarts. You must present a password selected by the headmaster; the gargoyle protector will then jump aside, revealing a staircase spiraling upward for your entrance. A vast multitude of portraits of deceased head masters/mistresses fill the walls on every angle. The headmaster can choose to seal the office if s/he chooses to leave the castle so that only s/he can enter it. Many head masters and mistresses alike have posessed this office, and many more to come will enjoy the security and privacy of it. While many delinquents have been sent up for punishment to the office, no one has ever attempted to break in and harm the head master or steal from him/her.

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The school motto, which appears on the crest, is "Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus," which means "Never tickle a sleeping dragon."

A long time ago, Slytherin and Gryffindor were dueling each other again due to the quarrel that at gone on for a week. Slytherin transfigured a huge dragon out of stone and sent it at Gryffindor. Poor Gryffindor wasn't an expert on dragons didn't know an spells that will send it back at Slytherin so he decided to charm it asleep by magically playing a harp. Slytherin was puzzled when he didn't see Gryffindor get chased by the dragon anymore because he knew that the dragon he made is very hard to hurt so he decided to scout out the dragon. To his amazement, he found it asleep in one of the empty classrooms. He tried multiple spells to waken it but it just didn't wake. So he tried some silly ideas like yelling and dumping water. When neither of the ideas work, he got frustrated and transfigured a quill and start tickling it. To his amazement, the dragon woke up, but to his horror, the dragon was very very angry at him. This event caused Slytherin to hide in his room for a week while Ravenclaw got rid of the dragon. Due to the funny event, the three Founders named the school motto after that. The embarrased Slytherin just tried to stay away from all reptiles, but since his house mascot is a snake, he just couldn't help but admire the basilik in the forest...

(hmm..mine is a bit like a story..if it isn't suppose to be like that, i'll rewrite it..)

The lake of Hogwarts, located to the south of the castle, which sits atop a cliff overlooking the lake, is a half-mile in diameter, and home to some of the many secrets Hogwarts guards. Part of the school and its traditions since its Founding circa 1000AD, it is the first feature of Hogwarts that First Year students are exposed to. The lake has also been the site of many Triwizard Tournament tasks due to its not-altogether safe environs. For a comprehensive reciting of Triwizard Tournament Tasks, see chapter 54 “Triwizard Tasks and Trials: A thorough description of every task, ever”.

This water source is fed by a natural underground spring that originates in the mountains. The fresh water of the lake is not, however, safe for consumption (or for anything else, really) due to the high levels of latent magic the water contains. The lake is a place of refuge for many magical creatures: grindylows, mermaids, and the infamous Giant Squid (among others), which appeared in the lake’s depths circa 1050AD, not long after the school was founded. It is well documented that large amounts of magic attracts those of similar kind: thus the lake, invigorated by the magic being conducted in the school, began to take on a magical life of its own. This life is not all safe for students, or the casual swimmer, however; creatures of the Dark have been sighted, and attacked the unwary individual in the past. It is advised that one goes swimming armed with their wand – or else risk losing a few appendages. For a comprehensive list of fauna the lake supports, see Appendix 113.

The phenomena which bred magic into the water of the lake, is also responsible for the properties that magic took as time passed. Certain of the lake’s botany is particularly prized by potions masters, due to the singular nature of the ingredients grown there. One may find ingredients harvested from the lake at an inflated price on the market. For a comprehensive list of potions ingredients from the Hogwarts lake, see Appendix 114.

Source:
http://www.hp-lexicon.org/hogwarts/castle/hogwarts_outside.html

Term 8

Gryffindor
FaerieOfDoom- 40 points

Ravenclaw

Hufflepuff

Slytherin