A Little Bit on 1692 and Hogwarts Location Speculation

[or.phan_ann]

No: HPFGUIDX 167974

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Goddlefrood" <gav_fiji at ...> 
wrote:
> Odd, a battle that took place in Essex having an effect on the
> wizarding world?. Both the Vikings and the anglo-saxons had a
> strong wizarding folklore. 

Ann:
I meant, I was wondering how the presence of wizards would have 
affected the battle - I'm sure there weren't any dragons or giants 
(or maybe Dementors?) at our Battle of Maldon. Dementors as soldiers? 
Nasty - especially if Muggles can't even see them!

For non-UK members, Essex is famous for its traditions of witchcraft 
and dragons. The latest Essex monster I've been able to find was a 
cockatrice in Saffron Walden, though sadly it was nothing like a 
Potterverse Basilisk. There used to be a church shrine to the knight 
who defeated it, but that was vandalised during the Civil Wars. By 
that time, "superstition" was over.

> More Goddlefrood:
>
> That Grindelwald was defeated in 1945
> and that JKR has acknowledged that this is not merely a 
> coincidence does not mean that every Muggle battle or war has an
> influence on the wide wizarding world. Is your suggestion that
> there was some friction that led to the establishment of Hogwarts?
> If anyone is interested here are some pictures from a website
> devoted to the battle referred above:

Ann:
The similarity between our world and the HP world is why I want to 
push Seclusion as early as possible, and the 1692 date for the 
International Statute of Secrecy doesn't, to my mind, tell us a great 
deal. But no, I don't think the foundation of Hogwarts had anything 
to do with persecution from outside. Thanks for the lovely pictures, 
by the way.

> Goddlefrood:
> I am familiar with (your?) theory that it
> was at one time the HQ for everything in the Wizarding World, that
> is the MoM, a Hospital and all other wizarding geopolitical 
> necessities.

Ann:
If you've met it before, then I've independently re-invented it. The 
Search function didn't tell me if anyone's brought it up here before.

> Goddlefrood:
> 
> Another mystical place, and it agrees with an assessment I made
> in another forum of the location of Hogwarts, which was that it
> would be on the Eastern side of Scotland (the Highlands are more
> in the West and to the North), due to the use of the east coast 
> mainline to get there from Platform 9 3/4 of King's Cross, 
> without changing at Edinburgh (that's E-din-brr-a).

Ann:
On the other hand, given that they walk through a wall to get the 
Platfrom 9 3/4, I don't think a little thing like changing stations 
would stop the Hogwarts Express. Also, "Slough" is pronounced "Slou", 
not "Sluff".

>Goddlefrood:
>
> Of course, Matthew Hopkirk would also disagree with the 
> assessment of wizards and especially witches being in hiding 
> before the Secrecy Statute (he was the Witchfinder General :)),
> but found few and was himself later accused of being loopy, if
> not a wizard himself ;)

Ann: 
You mean Hopkins - ah, another Essex boy (probably)... but he 
presumably had little to do with the HP world's witch-hunts. PoA 
mentions these in the fourteenth century, three hundred years before 
they happened in our world. I don't have it to hand, but it's on the 
first page or so, from memory. Now, English witches weren't burnt (as 
I'm sure you know) so that may imply that these are Continentals, or 
maybe that the Church in England was less *insular*, but I think 
they'd get the message that it might not be safe to live openly. And 
we know that at some point they did. Remember Hopkins' elaborate 
trials? They'd hardly be needed if wands, books, Floo powder, and so 
on could be produced - they wouldn't need to test by cold water in 
that case. (The version of Hopkins' death I heard involved him being 
tested this way and drowning. Irony, huh?)

Incidentally, there may not be a Statute of Secrecy in British 
Wizarding Law, if I'm barking up the right tree. If Seclusion was as 
gradual and cultural as I think, it's possible that it was so basic 
that the Ministry might not have thought to legislate against it - 
after all, there are no laws forbidding April Fools after noon, are 
there? 

> Goddlefrood:
> 
> Perhaps the above may assist you in your theory, which, btw I 
> would be interested to see :)

Ann:
Just that Seclusion happened much earlier than the 1692. Sorry to get 
you excited over nothing.

Ann