Chapter 704: Wizard History
Chapter 704: Wizard History
The lights at Hogwarts were sparse tonight, much like the previous nights, but for many, it was still a sleepless night.
The library was quiet, allowing Hermione to immerse herself in her current work.
A stack of thick books lay before her, with about ten of them open simultaneously, but she hadn't looked at any of them. Instead, she bit her lip, deep in thought. Clearly, after the International Statute of Secrecy took effect in the late 17th century, no wizard dared to act publicly. If she wanted to find places where wizards and Muggles intersected, she needed to look before that.
Hermione tried to recall what she had read, occasionally pulling a book over to flip through a page and read for a while. Gradually, a thousand-year-old picture of the wizarding world began to form in her mind.
Although Bathilda Bagshot, the author of A History of Magic, only wrote up to the end of the 19th century, Hermione still managed to gather useful information.
During the First World War in the early 20th century, then-Minister of Magic Archer Evermond chose neutrality and passed a law prohibiting wizards and witches from participating in the war to avoid large-scale breaches of the International Statute of Secrecy.
At the time, Harry's great-grandfather, Henry Potter, strongly condemned Evermond's decision. As a Pureblood and a member of the Wizengamot, his actions caused a sensation and sparked widespread debate.
Some surviving fragments of information suggest that the Potter family's exclusion from the Twenty-Eight Sacred Families might have been related to this incident. During the war, wizards made their own choices—they did not directly involve themselves in the conflict to avoid violating the Statute of Secrecy and the laws of the Ministry of Magic. However, the laws of the Ministry did not prevent thousands of wizards living among Muggles from cautiously and to the best of their ability, helping Muggles.
Hermione flipped through the books, recalling the events—
In the 19th century, the Ministry of Magic agreed to let goblins manage Gringotts. In the 1950s, a serious Floo Network accident occurred, and in the 1960s, the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery Act was passed, prohibiting Hogwarts students from casting spells outside of school. Around the same time, the caretaker of Hogwarts tried to catch and control Peeves but failed, leading to Peeves' fierce retaliation.
Due to Peeves' unique origin, the Headmaster at the time made a compromise.
Edessa Oakden, the founder of the Squib Support Society, was born around this time. Some speculate that her early experiences being mistaken for a Squib might have led her to empathize with true Squibs. In 1892, the Bigfoot Rebellion broke out in America, and the American Ministry of Magic moved its headquarters to the Woolworth Building. By the end of the century, Albus Dumbledore graduated with honors and later abandoned his graduation trip due to his mother's accidental death. He first met Grindelwald in Godric's Hollow...
In addition, the century produced some mundane Quidditch news. Oh, right, Hermione remembered something closely related to her: witch Eloise Mintumble used a Time-Turner to travel back five centuries, getting trapped in 1402 for five days. Eloise died because of this, but Hermione was much luckier...
In the 18th century, a law was passed prohibiting the private keeping of dragons, and the concept of Unforgivable Curses was first introduced.
By then, the Statute of Secrecy had been in effect for nearly half a century, and it had been amended and refined, becoming more comprehensive. However, it also made some wizards feel oppressed, leading to some opposition. Gideon Flatworthy formed an anti-Muggle extremist group, but their way of expressing hatred was by refusing to engage in manual labor like Muggles (Hermione thought this was somewhat similar to the professor's suggestion of using magic in daily life) and developing practical methods for the Summoning Charm. However, Flatworthy did not use the spell appropriately. He was exposed while attempting to steal from Gringotts and had to flee in disgrace to avoid capture. His fellow members were disappointed and left him in a cave, leading to the group's dissolution.
It's worth noting that Gideon Flatworthy's fate was not a pleasant one. Trapped in a cave, injured and starving, he boldly summoned the only food source within his line of sight—the barn at the foot of the mountain. Unfortunately, he was crushed to death by the cows and hay bales that appeared.
Quidditch news never fails to make headlines, but the only noteworthy aspect of recent scuffles was the first public appearance of the Repairing Charm.
The Lappa Potter Law was officially enacted...
The seventeenth century began with a Goblin Rebellion. Eight years later, the most important founder of Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Isolt Sayre, traveled to America. Around the same time, Mungo Bonham established St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries.
The legal prohibition of wands for all magical creatures except wizards was confirmed, alongside the Werewolf Code of Conduct. However, it was clear that no werewolf would voluntarily come forward to acknowledge their identity.
1692 was a pivotal year. The International Statute of Secrecy was formally implemented, and wizards retreated into hiding. Over the next century, "communities within communities" gradually formed, and the American Ministry of Magic was established.
The fifteenth and sixteenth centuries saw little significant activity. Many wizards had already begun to distance themselves from the Muggle world, pursuing new forms of entertainment. The first Quidditch World Cup emerged, followed by an unprecedented collection of fouls, with over 700 different violations recorded. Hermione couldn't believe she had once idly flipped through a book documenting these events...
The fourteenth century marked the origin of the secrecy laws. As the Black Death spread across Europe, anything associated with witchcraft was shunned. Wizards who engaged in semi-public activities were driven out, and the situation worsened, leading to the burning of wizards in some places. Many wizards were forced to hide their identities, either going underground or living in isolation.
In the tenth century, Hogwarts was founded, and other magical schools were subsequently established.
...
As night fell, Hermione looked up from her work. A faint noise behind her caught her attention, and she turned around to see Madam Pince standing there. She was startled.
"O-Oh, I'm sorry, Madam Pince. Are you closing the library?" Hermione stammered. The stern, irritable woman, who resembled a vulture, had left a lasting impression on her.
Madam Pince shook her head. Her usually feather-duster-wielding hand now held a cup of hot cocoa, which she placed on the table.
Hermione stared at the hot cocoa, too surprised to even say "thank you." By the time she regained her composure, Madam Pince had already left. Hermione sat down and continued her work, trying to find a pattern by combining non-wizard history, but she came up empty-handed and felt disheartened.
The hot cocoa gave her a boost of energy. She wandered through the towering bookshelves, seeking inspiration. Her gaze swept over the titles, and she found herself in a rarely visited section, where the shelves were filled with various, musty-smelling notebooks left by Hogwarts students.
Hermione picked one at random. It contained the travel observations of a Hufflepuff student. The language was somewhat archaic due to its age, making it difficult to read. She put the travelogue aside and picked up another book, this time a novel.
She read with great interest for a while, but then realized how much time had passed. She put the book down, sighed, and thought to herself that this wasn't the time for such distractions.
However, her eyes brightened as she realized she had found a suitable angle.
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Originally, I intended to write a television interview script, exploring the perspectives and beliefs of wizards from different viewpoints. Unfortunately, progress was slow, so I put together this chapter as a broad overview of wizarding history. I included a few interesting but plot-irrelevant details that might reflect some aspects of wizarding thought.
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(End of Chapter)
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