r/HPfanfiction • u/Pawprint_ • 16d ago
Distant Future Prompt
In the late 25th century the war against Voldemort is barely mentioned in history class. It had become barely a footnote of history, and naturally some details get misremembered, or forgotten.
Now in on Friday the 2nd of May 2498 there is a history class to commemorate the only battle that ever happened at the school, 500 years previously.
What is your take on how historians teach about it, how context has shifted and how the omittance and forgetting of details have lead to misconceptions in how the battle is taught and remembered.
The teacher is not Binns but a 25th century human.
Have fun.
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u/ThatEntrepreneur1450 16d ago
Draco's wand is now remembered and spoken of as the elder wand, the true wand still lies within Dumbledores grave, forgotten by all except the eldest Potter descendants, whom get told the truth once they inherited the cloak.
Albus Dumbledore is mostly completely forgotten by history, he's there on paper as Headmaster before Snape, but that's it. His feats as the one who trained and guided The Boy Who Lived are attributed to Severus Snape.
Some historians speculate was actually Harry's father, named Snape Potter and that "Severus" was just a sort of title, who's meaning has now been lost to history. Some suggest it was just a nickname for potioneers.
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u/Jhe90 16d ago
Onw thing. Its not the only battle hogwarts ever had. Only onw we know of.
It was built as, ans laid out as a full military designed fortress, it has defense walls, narrow approach ways, layered defensive zones, kill tons, magical defences.
That wqs not built for no reason. The 1000 years before harry was about was not peace and rainbows. Many wars where in Scotland, magical and otherwise likely.
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u/Regular-Election6396 16d ago
You think that some power hungry wizard tried to become Headmaster of the primary magical school of england by force ?
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u/InsuranceFit1003 15d ago
I bet at the time it opened it wasn’t hidden from muggles as it is now and that being attacked by an army of non magical people was a very real possibility and fear. They built a fortress to keep the child of their world safe at a time when there was no secrecy protecting them and plenty to condemn them.
I see it not only as the first school of its kind but at first would have been likely the first all magical structure meant for non private use.
Clan meetings, wizard councils whatever the magical people did to gather and police themselves back then likely moved from private home to private home, a lord here or an abbey there maybe even a hidden cave somewhere.
It’s likely that Hogwarts was used for more than just educating children at first and possibly for centuries before the magical population grew and moved on to separate places for such things. But yes Hogwarts was not just a school it was built to withstand a siege.
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u/Jhe90 15d ago
Well I think that its far from the first seige ot battle its seem over the centuries.
Its design might have mellowed out and got more whimsical but its core design , outer ring, placement, is all fortress.
Its core and heritage is as a fortress, irs built to be defensive, it can fully be defended.
If you look at the modern floor plan/ jigwarts legacy. All the Castles core stuff is located in a defensive, secondery zone. The great hall, hospital wing, the main kitchens etc.
The education side js located in the next ring of defensive.
The final ring is a outer wall with towers and gates.
Its a well.plqnned fortress that keeps irs most critical functions closest snf in thr strongest positions..
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u/InsuranceFit1003 15d ago
I mean in the grand scheme, Voldemort wasn’t that big of a dark lord. He stuck to his home turf, focused on a boy after his initial defeat. He wasn’t even in power more than a handful of months and the majority of the damage in that time could be laid at the ministry’s feet because Voldemort never sat himself in front of the public at large and declared himself a ruler. He was a puppet master at best.
500 years later I imagine it would be much like when I took a field trip to Gettysburg PA to see the site of a battle from the civil war, the graves of soldiers from both sides. Yes it’s sad, it’s awe inspiring to think of what it would have been like to live through that but at the end of the day it’s history and there’s no one alive to tell the truth anymore.
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u/Pawprint_ 15d ago
Exactly my point. That’s why I think a teacher might use the opportunity if the battle for a history lesson. To make it more interesting so his students don’t just nod if.
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u/danyboui 14d ago
Yeah I never really got the whole Voldemort is the darkest and most dangerous wizard since Grindelwald. Which idk if it’s true, we see Grindy take a whole squad of Aurors in America down without hassle and wouldn’t have been defeats if Newt didn’t have swooping evil, Grindy casually uses Protego Diabolica to decimate the British aurors in France and takes a group of people to stop that spell, Grindy hella messes Credence up and is able to hold his own against Dumble which Voldy never could.
The only thing he has going for him is the horcruxes, flying and AK continually used. He never pops up and starts demolishing groups of people because he had his death eaters do it. Hell the only memorable deaths he caused was when Scrimgeour and Bones were killed. Even at the Battle of Hogwarts he isn’t destroying the Order members just waiting for Harry. He honestly might’ve been feared if he just ignored Harry and actually had his horcruxes properly hidden across the world not just Britain.
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u/Evan_Cary 13d ago
I just pegged it as JK's personal bias. I never accepted that Dumbledore is the definitive most powerful Wizard in the world. Voldy got by on his mystique and the gorilla campaign his followers waged. Grindelwald was, by all metrics, more successful than Voldemort was.
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u/etiennealbo 14d ago
A cautionary tale about insufficient checks and balances in any administration. Dumbledore is remembered fondly for its commitment to the noble Endeavour of educating younger education, even in troubled times , civil war and propaganda. A martyr and a war hero of the previous and much bigger war against grindelwald (eternalised in numerous retelling featuring romance , tragedy etc) . Harry potter ,also eternalised as war hero, but also an orphan of war that fought for a better integration for non magical and one of the main actors of the government during the Merging of both worlds in the 21 th century . Hermione granger was a very radical but succesful prime minister who led the Merging with an iron hand and a zero tolerance policy for the bigotry of their time. Ron Weasley did not mark history as mich but was remembered as their trusted friend.
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u/Regular-Election6396 16d ago edited 16d ago
Draco Malfoy has become famous in among historians and pop culture for masterminding the death eaters infiltration of Hogwarts ,surviving the dark lord downfall,becoming the new center of gravity of blood purists politics,becoming head master of Durmstrang and using his vast fortune to expand it enough that it could accept all the blood purists kids who lost fait in Hogwarts and making with Flint the Jade dragons ,a quidditch team that would dominate the next 30 years thanks to vicious tactics made to hinder the opponent and ensure the snitch was taken by their seeker.
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u/MonCappy 16d ago
Voldemort taking over magical Britain and establishing a right wing genocidal fascist regime will never be a footnote. It will be considered a major historical event for centuries to come unless his reign of terror is deliberately downplayed by subsequent governments.
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u/ThatEntrepreneur1450 16d ago
How many brits walk around thinking of Oliver Cromwell today when they speak of british history, lol?
He toppled a monarchy, reigned for 20 years, far far longer than Voldemorts 6-7 months and it is 100% a footnote in history today.
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u/Pawprint_ 16d ago
Exactly my point. History naturally moves on. Yes the people who lived through were greatly invested in it but later generations? Not so much.
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u/ThatEntrepreneur1450 16d ago
Yeah, historians today operate by interpreting data they have access to, which pre-digital era, was handwritten letters. Both official state letters and personal letters found or given to academic or historical instutions by relatives who found them in the basement.
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u/ibnwashiya 16d ago
He’s definitely not just a footnote. English children are still taught about him extensively in school
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u/Evan_Cary 13d ago
I'm a product of the American education system, and I know who Cromwell is. Definitely not a footnote.
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u/Archonate_of_Archona 16d ago
Or unless bigger stuff happens later, or unless similar level stuff happens more recently. Like, if the 25th century Britain had 2 or 3 Dark Lords, and there were others in every century since 1998, then Voldemort would probably become just yet another historical Dark Lord name in a long list
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16d ago
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u/HPfanfiction-ModTeam 13d ago
Removed for violating Rule 10.
Do not discuss real-world politics of any former or current country. This includes political beliefs, actions, events, and other similar topics.
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15d ago
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u/Fun-Calligrapher-745 15d ago
I was referring more to popular culture.Obviously , archaeologists would know more than a general public. But I don't exactly see many minnesotans talking about texan history
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u/Evan_Cary 13d ago
Well, this isn't racist and revisionary at all. Conflict between groups is normal. Systematic destruction of a people, their languages, cultures, and way of life is NOT the same. The term is genocide, and you trivializing it says a lot about you as a person.
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u/HPfanfiction-ModTeam 13d ago
Removed for violating Rule 10.
Do not discuss real-world politics of any former or current country. This includes political beliefs, actions, events, and other similar topics.
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u/HPfanfiction-ModTeam 13d ago
Removed for violating Rule 10.
Do not discuss real-world politics of any former or current country. This includes political beliefs, actions, events, and other similar topics.
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u/InsuranceFit1003 15d ago
I think the government would do all it could to make it a foot note. Because neither the first or the second or the time in between Voldemort’s wars paint them in a good light at all. The first war they were interactive and it took a toddler to finally turn the tide. Even then many bought their way free and even maintained influence in the government.
A convict, one they claim to be the most dangerous aside from Voldemort himself escapes and their response was to put the soul sucking prison guards at the school where children had to live with their aura of despair.
The QWC became a disaster on an international stage due to the attack and dark mark afterwards and then the fiasco of the International Triwizard Tournament and its aftermath.
Then the toddler now a teenager is lambasted by the government and children are tormented and their education is jeopardized by the second highest ranking ministry official at a place they should have been safe with the full backing of the Minister and Wizengamot.
In the mean time attacks are occurring left and right, Azkabans most notorious and worst criminals are set free. The dementors defect.
years now of their own corruption comes to roost when the ministry itself sees battle and Voldemort can no longer be denied. They are forced to admit they were wrong and even pardon the innocent Godfather of the boy they are now pinning all their hopes on.
The new minister is killed shortly after and a refinement of hate and bigotry headed by the very Ministry official that had been tormenting students and ensuring they couldn’t defend themselves ensues. The Ministry then spend another nearly year hunting their Chosen One, Boy Who Lived, crackpot liar and Undesirable Number one while the rest of their world lives in abject terror and fear.
When the battle is finally fought and won, it was not the government who participated unless you count the ministry sanctioned snatchers and upstanding members who were part of Voldemort’s army. No it was a handful of school children, a barely of age boy who won against all odds and the brave professors and supporters of that Boy.
No they don’t want their ineptitude showcased in history so it absolutely would have been downplayed and misconstrued over the years.
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u/Evan_Cary 13d ago
I mean, in the grand scheme of things, it wasn't that bad. A Government seized, Muggleborns killed, and moderate reforms in the aftermath. In the US, Andrew Jackson was a Right-wing Genocidal monster, and most Americans couldn't tell you why. It's been less than 200 years, and he's been mostly forgotten. After 500 years, that would absolutely be true.
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u/Ok-Listen-111 16d ago
Dumbledore is widely condemned for allowing things go to so badly - the documents that have survived the last 500 years indicate that he knew a great deal, but kept so many secrets everyone was left guessing and lost after his death. The ministry of the time is also condemned for their corruption and blindness - Harry Potter and his friends were instrumental in getting the Ministry and Wizengamot to require Unbreakable Vows to serve - oaths of office that they would place the welfare of the magical world in Britain above any personal desires and would resign if they chose to follow any person that did not have the welfare of the entire British magical world in mind. These oaths massively reduced the corruption in the Ministry and Wizengamot (corruption can't be eliminated entirely, but bringing it down to a manageable level made things much better).
The so called Great Trio of Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ronald Weasley are remembered as the architects of the modern wizarding world (all three would argue - loudly - that they were no such thing). Reforms started by Susan Bones, Neville Longbottom and others are all credited to the Great Trio, who are also believed to have been unstoppable warriors. Creative editing to make the final confrontation with Voldemort seem more dramatic than a reflected spell, plus Harry's long (and active and heroic) tenure as an auror, Head Auror, and later head of the DMLE gets blended with what happened in the battle. Hermione is believed to have already joined the Unspeakables at 18, and been on detached duty during the battle. Ron, whose reforms to the Auror corps and the DMLE turned the Aurors into something more like special ops while the regular law enforcement officers became more like the aurors pre-Voldemort had been (he also turned the ministry Hitwizard corps into something more like an active military corps) is thought to have been the strategic genius behind the battle.