Homework One [graded]

For twenty points, write a five inches parchment essay about the founder of Hogwarts specified on your house. For example, if you are in the house of Slytherin, your essay will be about Salazar Slytherin.

Bonus Question for five points:
On what year was the Hogwarts established? Clue: It is a three digit number.

Questions will be entertained when sent as a personal message to me. Your homework should be placed on this thread as a reply message. Deadline of submission will be July 29th. The next lesson will be posted on July 30th.

Rowena Ravenclaw, from the highland glens of Scotland, was the most beautiful and intelligent witch of her time. One of the four founders of Hogwarts, she came up with the name and the changing floor plan. Her crest was a blue banner bearing a bronze eagle, which indeed is the symbol of Ravenclaw House today.

Her most prized possession was her legendary diadem, which granted infinite wisdom and knowledge to the wearer. Ravenclaw's only daughter, Helena, ran away with the diadem shortly before her mother's death, thus breaking Ravenclaw's heart. She sent a scorned lover of Helena's after her, but both he and she died in the forests of Albania.

Ravnclaw's best and lifelong friend was the also prodigiously talented Helga Hufflepuff, though she maintained friendship with Godric Gryffindor and Salazar Slytherin. The four of them fouded Hogwarts in 993 AD. She valued intelligence over any other traits, and therefore Ravenclaw House is most well known for their wit and smarts. After a time, Slytherin was kicked out of the school by the other founders, though he left the Chamber of Secrets behind him. Presumably, Ravenclaw helped in the search for this, failing, however. She died without coming back as a ghost, though her daughter Helena did.

James Riddle
Ravenclaw
First Year


Rowena Ravenclaw, a Scottish witch who lived during the early Middle Ages, is mostly known as one of the four founders of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, that she established around 990 AD alongside Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff and Salazar Slytherin. One of the school's houses still wears her name, Ravenclaw, characterized by the colours blue and bronze and with an eagle as its symbol.

She was considered one of the greatest witches of her age, mostly because of her intelligence, wisdom and creativity, traits she demonstrated numerous times, for instance when designing the ever-changing floor plan in Hogwarts or when creating her famous diadem, a magical artifact which had the ability to increase the wearer's wisdom. During her lifetime, she searched for those virtues in the students that she accepted in her House, and even nowadays Ravenclaws are chosen for their wits and their will for learning. She was also known to be strict, intimidating and quite proud. Other than her obvious expertise in Charms, it is certain that she possessed extensive knowledge in other basic branches of magic as well, since at the beginning the four founders were responsible of teaching their students about all aspects of magic.

Rowena had a single daughter Helena, who was in the first generation of students ever to attend Hogwarts. However, one day, Helena, jealous of her mother, stole her diadem and ran away. Rowena sent someone to get her back, but Helena refused and the man killed her. Rowena died shortly after, sometime in the 11^th century, of a fatal illness, though it is considered that her broken heart, mainly because of her daughter's betrayal, contributed to her demise. Helena returned to Hogwarts after her death, and is now known as the Grey Lady, the house ghost of Ravenclaw.

Bonus question:
Though the exact date remains unknown, it is considered that Hogwarts was established around 990 AD.

Kim Frey
First Year
Sytherin


Salazar Slytherin was one of the four founders of the school Hogwarts Witchcraft and Wizardry. He is known to create his own house, Slytherin where only picked students are chosen to be a part of it having the qualities of resourcefulness, cleverness, determination and about to their cunning, ambition and blood purity. He is also famous for his two talents: having the ability to talk to snakes or Parseltongue and the act of magically navigating through the many layers of a person's mind and correctly interpreting one's findings or Legilimency.

Slytherin was one of the founders of the castle Hogwarts. As the history says, Godric Gryffindor, also one of the founders, was one of his closest friends among the three but founding Hogwarts can break them apart. It is rumored that Slytherin wants to take revenge against the muggles, who at that time, was against magic, persecuting every wizard that they know. He didn't want to accept any muggle-born because of their wrong perception.

Surprisingly, the other three, Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw and Helga Hufflepuff didn't agree with his idea. This lead to Gryffindor and Slytherin growing apart. Some said that it lead to one long duel between the two but others would say that it caused a war. Either way, Slytherin left the castle, feeling beaten because of his unaccepted idea.

No one knew that Slytherin left a trace on the castle named the Chamber of Secrets. He built the chamber and placed a basilisk, which is also one thing that he can do, to breed basilisks, for his mission to continue. It is told that this basilisk can and should kill all the muggle-borns that will enter the school. It hasn't been proved yet until the year of 1943 when the true heir of Slytherin, Tom Marvolo Riddle, managed to open the chamber located on the girl's lavatory using his talent of Parseltongue.

Another year, 1993, when the chamber was again opened. Riddle used a part of his soul and put it on his diary and used this power to possess someone named Ginny Weasley to open the chamber. But his mission to kill muggle-borns was not accomplished, it is the mission to kill Harry Potter.

BONUS QUESTION:
On what year was the Hogwarts established?
Year 991 AD

Keith Parker
First Year
Gryffindor

Godric Gryffindor

Godric Gryffindor is one of the four Founders of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Althought nowadays, Gryffindor's and Slytherin's aren't good friends, Godric Gryffindor and Salazar Slytherin were, but he opposed him when he later thought that they should not accept Muggle-born students at the school. Gryffindor was born in Godric's Hollow, where it was soon named after himself in his honour. It is not known the whereabouts of his death. His portrait, although, still remains in the castle.

Gryffindor is said to have praised courage, determination and strength of heart above all other qualities. Students were put into his House based upon their daring and bravery, according to the Sorting Hat. He was also the most in favour of allowing Muggle-borns into the school. Gryffindor, initially, was a very close friend of Salazar Slytherin, but over time their friendship slowly faded. A portrait of Gryffindor hung at Hogwarts guards a secret short cut between the seventh-floor landing of the Grand Staircase and the Entrance Hall side room. "Starshine" is the apparent password required to enter the shortcut.

Gryffindor left two known relics: a goblin-made sword adorned with rubies, and the Sorting Hat. The two items share a particular bond; that whenever a true Gryffindor is in need of it, the Sword will present itself to that worthy Gryffindor. He was a legendary figure to the wizards and witches of the Wizard world, he also had many magical abilities and skills such as duelling, to which he was said to be the greatest duellist of his time, and Transfiguration, to which he transfigured the Sorting Hat into a sentient artifact to sort students after his lifetime.

Bonus Question:

I believe Hogwarts was established in 990 A.D.