#Hogwarts legacy theories

[girl-named-matty]

Why I don't like Solomon Sallow

(I worked this out on a google docs first and that has some screenshots i couldn't fit into here so after this post imma post some screenshots of the document) SO HI EVERYONE! You'll probably remember what I posted yesterday about dissecting the scene where you first go to Feldcroft in order to find out just a few things about Solomon upfront, so here it is! Buckle up because it is a lot.

Why I dislike Solomon Sallow, by me. 💕 Based on the scene where you first arrive in Feldcroft to visit Anne with Sebastian. 

So I’ve just finished writing this scene for my fanfiction and going over the dialogue so carefully has made me realize just how much from this scene only we can see why Solomon was just a horrible person in general–if it wasn’t already obvious by now. I’ve been wanting to dissect scenes from the game for quite a while now and I think this presents a perfect opportunity to do it! 

First, we’re going to start out when MC first arrives in Feldcroft and Sebastian is standing up on a ‘watch-tower’ to keep an eye on things since Feldcroft hasn’t been safe with all the goblins around. And then he states this: 

Now, the goblins being around Rookwood castle isn’t Solomon’s fault. But being a resident of Feldcroft and being an ex-Auror, one would assume that he’d at least check it out, correct? Nope. Because Sebastian goes on to say this as well:

Now at the time, everyone thinks that Anne has been cursed by Goblins and not Rookwood, even Solomon does. But even with Solomon thinking the goblins had cursed Anne, he refuses to confront them even though we know he could since two fifteen-year-olds (Sebastian and MC) could easily defend themselves against said goblins. 

And this leads us into our second segment. 

We are now at the Sallow residence in Feldcroft and Sebastian walks in first, going to surprise Anne. Everything is happy and Anne is extremely excited to see Sebastian as shown in this picture: 

Sebastian then pulls out a Shrivelfig, something he picked up in Hogsmeade for Anne.

Now from that screenshot alone, we can’t really tell if Anne just really likes shrivelfigs or if she thought it could be the cure–but from what happens next I can safely assume she may have thought it was some form of cure. 

Because as shown right here–SOLOMON JUST YOINKS IT OUT OF SEBASTIAN’S HAND. 

Solomon doesn’t give Anne and Sebastian even a moment to have a proper reunion, he doesn’t say hello to Sebastian, or greet MC, he doesn’t wait until MC is out of the house to have a conversation with Sebastian like a civil person would if a guest were around. In fact, he doesn’t do anything civilly, he starts an argument with Sebastian RIGHT there and then over a shrivelfig! 

He looks at Sebastian and tells him that Shrivelfigs cannot reverse the curse. But we have no background to if they’ve ever even tried to do something with a shrivelfig to even help ease Anne’s pain. Since Hogwarts Legacy came out, the wiki for shrivelfigs has stated that they cannot reverse curses but it does have “medicinal properties' which could’ve at least perhaps eased Anne’s pain for even just a bit. 

But what is even worse is that when he says “Nothing can” he looks DIRECTLY AT ANNE!

Why would he look directly at Anne while saying nothing can reverse the curse she has? Probably because he wants her to believe that she cannot be cured. He’s tired of trying to find one and so if Anne isn’t complaining about not having a cure, he doesn’t have to hear about it from anyone other than Sebastian. I’ve had conversations with friends about this and have a few theories about this situation but that’s for a different post. Then Solomon proceeds to destroy the Shrivelfig right in front of Sebastian and Anne.

Now, this is possibly a bit of a stretch but Sebastian got that for Anne and not Solomon so he’s basically just destroying a gift that Sebastian took the time to get for her right in front of the both of them which is a pretty crappy move in my opinion.

Then he turns to leave, yet again not even taking the time to say hello to Sebastian or MC and of course Sebastian, feeling like he needs to defend himself, says that they haven’t tried everything–which is technically correct. But then of course, instead of Solomon civilly telling Sebastian that there is no cure–It turns into another shouting match.

He gets up in Sebastian’s face and shouts at him, right in front of Anne and MC. Wow Solomon! I wonder why your nephew hates you. 

Yes I understand that Sebastian is a stubborn boy but at this point in time, he’s a fifteen-year-old boy who is desperate to cure his twin sister! Before this, all he had was Anne and Ominis because his parents were dead and his uncle truly never cared. Let’s say MC had never come into the mix and Anne died, all he would have was Ominis. This is an act of Sebastian trying to preserve the last of the people who love him. 

And then, unfortunately, the effects of the curse start to pain Anne.

The first thing they do is look over but instead of Solomon immediately going to Anne’s aid, he has to look at Sebastian and blame him for Anne’s pain.

Then he goes over to Anne to aid her and Sebastian tries to apologize for the argument that Solomon started.

Then instead of letting Sebastian apologize, Solomon tells Sebastian to leave.

He doesn’t even give Sebastian a chance. He’s fed up and doesn’t even want his nephew around. My whole guess is that he’s truly never wanted Sebastian around and this was all just an excuse. This leads us into our third segment.  Sebastian storms out of the house and tells MC that he needs a moment alone if they are alright with it. Then MC will go talk to Solomon and Anne and for this, we’re going to speak to Solomon first.  You go up and you greet Solomon, everything seems normal. Solomon apologizes for Sebastian’s behavior claiming “he doesn’t know when to stop” which is true in some cases.

When he says this, this is not a fact, and we have to keep that in mind. When he says nothing can be done for her–that’s his opinion because HE doesn’t think anything can be done for her. Which opinions are okay to have, but using your opinions to discourage others is usually not the way you want to use them. 

Now after this, MC can say two different things. If you pick the option “Surely there’s something” your MC will say “It could be that you’ve not yet discovered a cure.” so in turn, slightly disagreeing with Solomon’s statement that nothing can be done but not downright disagreeing with him out loud. 

But again, instead of Solomon holding a civil conversation, he starts to accuse MC of thinking they know more than the healers at St. Mungo's. 

Now did MC ever claim to know better than the trained healers? NO! So why is he assuming this? It’s because he’s incapable of having a civil conversation regarding the curse if anyone disagrees with him in the slightest. We see this several more times throughout the game! 

After this, your MC will say “Perhaps the healers don't know everything, sir.” which is in turn–correct because as skilled as they are, no one knows everything. And keep in mind that MC is calling Solomon “sir” being respectful while Solomon is not, he is shouting and spouting off. MC then follows up with “Sebastian is single-mindedly focused on finding a way to help his sister. If there is a cure, he will find it.”  Then Solomon responds with this.

Yet again going back to the fact that he could easily confront the goblins but he never does. You have a dialogue choice here but both of them really just lead back to this statement.

He claims giving Anne hope is cruel because he doesn’t want her to have hope that she can be cured but in my opinion—not giving her hope is just as cruel! Imagine telling your niece, the child you are supposed to be raising, that there is nothing that could possibly cure her and so she is stuck feeling immense pain for the rest of her possibly short life even when there are still chances of finding a cure! I’m not sure about anyone else, but that sounds pretty cruel to me. I can see why you’d want to keep her comfortable but its still keeping her comfortable for her impending death when there’s still a chance she can be cured. 

Then, as if he’s been acting like a good guardian, Solomon plays this card.

He says he knows what's best for both of the twins–which is clearly not true seeing how he treats Sebastian. Then he goes to say “my stubborn brother’s children” which always makes me think that Solomon had something against his brother–a rivalry possibly–that led them into fighting a lot and so Solomon takes his anger for his late brother out onto his brother's children. Which, keep in mind, is never okay. 

Sebastian is a target of Solomon’s constant attacks because Sebastian acts like his dad. And that’s just the nature of a young boy to act like their father. Also, to Solomon, are you sure your brother was the stubborn one here…?

Solomon follows up with this and then this.

THIS ^^ is probably the only sensible thing he says during the entire game. Yes, Sebastian doesn’t know when to stop sometimes but I wonder why he doesn’t stop. It’s because he’s constantly being verbally attacked and Anne is the LAST bit of family he has that actually loves him! Of course he isn’t going to stop–he’s trying to save the life of his twin sister! 

Our fourth segment leads us into our conversation with Anne–which gives us more perspective since we get all three perspectives of the Sallows who were involved in this. 

MC enters the house and apologizes for earlier and Anne–being the sweet girl she is, reassures MC that it is not their fault for the pain she has.

It’s clear she’s struggling but she always makes sure to make it clear that it is not anyone’s fault when her pain comes and goes. Meaning Solomon was wrong by blaming Sebastian for Anne’s pain during the argument. 

MC and Anne go on to talk about Anne being at Hogwarts and how she misses it but she says she wouldn’t mind being in Feldcroft all the time if it weren’t so dreary. That meaning, the goblin attacks and of course, her uncle and brother fighting all the time.

She says this but the way she words it makes me think a few things. She mentions that Solomon is fighting with Sebastian whenever he’s home. Which this could be a stretch but that makes me believe that Solomon starts the majority of the arguments that they are in. As seen earlier, Solomon started this one as well instead of letting the scene play out before he jumped in. Not only does Solomon starting arguments affect Sebastian, it affects Anne too! 

MC will then say “Sebastian mentioned something about your uncle being an ex-Auror but refusing to go after Ranrok’s Loyalists'' and while I’m not an uncle, I am an aunt and if someone cursed my niece especially while she was in my care–I’d be burning down the goblin encampment while demanding answers. Then MC says “I must say, I wasn’t prepared for him to be as angry as he was''

Then Anne goes to defend her uncle, which is understandable.

BUUUUUT then we get into Anne now thinking she cannot be cured, saying that she can feel it.

Now I am not about to argue with the victim of the curse for saying she doesn’t think she can be cured–after all, she is the one suffering. But from what we saw with Solomon looking directly at Anne while saying “nothing can” referring to nothing can cure her, how much of her disbelief about her being able to be cured is actually coming from Solomon that she has just accepted and isn’t actually her own belief? 

After that, you finish up your conversation with Anne and go to find Sebastian which leads us into our fifth and final segment.

Now, Sebastian does the same thing Solomon does and apologizes to MC for the way he acted–which means they are sort of the two sides to the same coin when it comes to how others perceive them. Both feel like they need to apologize for something that the other has done–even when only one of them is actually in the wrong. You have two options for dialogue here. You can either choose “He was out of line” which will lead you into saying “I’ll admit, I wasn’t expecting him to be so angry.” or you can chose “He’s trying to do what’s right” which I honestly have no idea what that option will lead you to say because I’ve never chosen it and I went through nine different playthroughs I found on YouTube and nobody chose that option so I assume people agree that he was out of line. (If anyone could tell me what MC says if you chose the option “He’s trying to do what’s right”, that’d be lovely) 

SO if you chose “He was out of line” which leads to you saying the part that you weren’t expecting him to be so angry, Sebastian will reply "He's always angry. He's been angry since my parents died." and "After Anne was hurt, he only grew worse. It's as though he blames me somehow. Always calling me 'my father's son' as if its an insult." (I apologize for the lack of screenshots here, I wrote this out on a google docs sheet before this and tumblr only allows me to have 30 pictures in post so screenshots of the doc are coming soon!) This brings us back to what I said earlier about Solomon deflecting his angry feelings from his late brother onto the twins and he most likely targets Sebastian the most because Sebastian acts the most like his father. Sebastian will go on to say “I’m the one trying to help her. He’s simply given up.” to which MC will reply, “Both Anne and your uncle seem to be genuinely convinced that nothing more can be done for her.” 

To that, Sebastian replies that he refuses to believe that, that Anne’s pain is more than physical, that it’s changed her entirely, and that he misses her and is going to get his sister back. 

After that you’ll go and explore the plateau that Anne was cursed on yada yada and you’ll get a bit of background on that.

So–what's the conclusion of all of this? 

Solomon is just a horrible person. 

He immediately starts an argument with Sebastian in front of Anne and MC over a shrivelfig, no less. And I don’t know about you but it's always so awkward when a friend gets yelled at by their parents/guardian and it's pretty embarrassing when it happens to you and you're the one being shouted at. 

He’s either subconsciously or consciously trying to convince Anne that she cannot be cured by telling her “Nothing can” and by always screaming at Sebastian that nothing can cure her. When he shouts, it's scary, so obviously Anne isn’t going to want to speak up for herself and get screamed at. 

He verbally abuses Sebastian–and probably Anne in the past as well. Now I’ve seen theories that there is possible physical abuse which I have also had theories about but it’s never been proven so I’m not gonna accuse him of such a crime BUT there is obvious evidence that he has no problem verbally abusing Sebastian at all by screaming, shouting and yada yada. 

He’s taking his anger that he has for his late brother out on Sebastian and Anne, which is never okay. Children are never responsible for the sins of the father–and we don’t even know if their father did do anything wrong! From how Solomon acts, he could’ve totally been in the wrong for whatever arguments they had. And Sebastian is a target because he acts the most like his father. 

And although this isn’t in this scene, Solomon has no problem attacking two 15/16-year-olds (who are still legally children) in the catacomb.  So the conclusion is that Solomon Sallow is not a good person and he has no problem showing it. And that you can see so much just from this one scene that probably lasts only a few minutes. 

I rest my case. 

Taglist: @boomingsmile @biographyofanadult @kit-kair @operation-pez @morelikeravenbore @findingtruenorth23 @follesexual @epicsweetness712 @mcyt-trash-can @sallowgauntsupremacy @kukukha-sanctuary

[sallowtheories]

There's times when I just like to take a moment, and remind myself of the time Hogwarts Legacy took place. 1890, meaning the a little over 10 years before the Victorian area ended.

There still hasn't been any world wars in the muggle world, or a major war in the wizarding world (only goblin rebellions. One in 1612 and one in 1752).

This was the time of invention in the muggle world. That for muggles was mostly seen as an exciting time, with the Great Exhibition in 1851. And though it may have been exciting for muggles, can you imagine how stressful it must have been for wizards and witches living around muggles? Suddenly a muggle decides that it's good idea to demonstrate a gas street lamp in 1807, and now London is lit up at night. Now is a witch or wizard to do their thing in the street, without getting caught? And now they had to keep up with all these things muggles were producing, as to not get caught.

But though it might have been stressful, things were certainly made easier by the muggles. King's Cross was built in 1852, which fitted perfectly with Ministry's intention of creating a safe method of transportation for students to Hogwarts in 1827, using some form of muggle transportation, resulting in the Hogwarts Express in 1830 (wonder where they picked up the students before 1852).

Other than Ranrok's rebelion, the Victorian area must really have made an impact on the wizarding kind of the UK, as their newspapers and products are still inspired by the area.

What we see in Harry Potter - the world we are invited into - is a world that came to be, just a short time before the lives of Ominis Gaunt and Sebastian and Anne Sallow. Their parents and grandparents saw the world chance into the style of the wizarding world we know today, and when they started at Hogwarts, many of these things might even have been considered still somewhat knew.

Let me put it like this: Let's say that Sebastian and Anne's parents were 25 when they got them. That would not be strange age to have children, at least not by our standers today. That means that they were born around the year 1850. That was just two years before King's Cross was built. Now let's say that their parents were 25 as well when they were born. That means Sebastian and Anne's grandparents would be from 1825 - 5 years before the Hogwarts Express. Who knows, Sebastian and Anne's great grandparents could have been there at the Ministry in 1827, with a 2 year old baby, taking part in the talk on wether or not a muggle train would be safe for students to travel in.

While it was a time of invention for the muggles, it surely also was so for the wizarding kind.

[mrs-sharp]

I just noticed that that thing Niamh wears around her neck looks very similar to a time turner. The only difference is that there isn't an hourglass in the middle, but something similar to a water drop.

I know Dinah Hecat mentions that you can't manipulate time yet (I don't know the exact thing she says because I don't play the game in English). That either implies that time turners didn't exist at that point or that she talks about manipulating time on a grand scale since time turners only take you back a few hours.

I don't know if that thing really is a time-turner or some kind of prototype or something completely different. I just find the choice of design interesting.

[myokk]

before it felt like a sin, ch. 1

pairing: Sebastian Sallow x f!MC

word count: 3000

summary: Eloise never wanted to be different.

And yet, her differences are what have defined her life up until this point: growing up as a squib in one of the most prominent wizarding families, being exiled to muggle society, and then attending Hogwarts at the age of sixteen.

She finds herself thrust into the life she should have been prepared for from birth but was denied. As she navigates this new life and her new precarious position in her family, she must come to terms with the fact that maybe what she dreamed of her whole life isn't turning out how she ever expected it would.

a/n: Hi everyone!! I decided to post this here too...I'm slowly going through everything I've written so far, and I want to post each chapter here as I edit them. I'm hoping that this can be a way to a) get back in to writing more, and b) get better at my art as I make full illustrations for each chapter. Let me know what you think!! :)

There is nothing quite as horrible as being a muggle, Eloise thought savagely as she ripped out yet another stitch in the landscape she was embroidering. At least, it was supposed to be a landscape. Maybe with her head tilted to the left and with her eyes almost closed so everything blurred together, it might resemble one. She did just that, trying her hardest to make out some recognizable shape and blast the stupid practice of manually pushing colored thread through a fabric in some sort of -

“And what is this, Miss Babbit?”

Eloise jumped at the sound and looked up at the scowling face of her teacher, and then quickly back down at the tangled thread in her lap. Behind her, she could hear the hushed giggles of the other girls in her class.

“Oh! Er…it’s -”

“How long have you been here?” the woman interrupted.

“One hour…I just -”

“Don’t be smart with me. I mean, at this institute.”

“Five years.” Eloise glared down at her embroidery as if it had personally offended her. It wasn’t like she was actively trying to be bad at everything, but she had the distinct disadvantage - how had it ever come to be that she would be at a disadvantage to muggles? - of not having spent a lifetime being prepared for muggle society and all that it entailed. The last five years had been a monotonous, endless cycle of lessons designed to turn her into the perfect lady: French (a waste of time as Eloise was already fluent), embroidery (a waste of time as the things she embroidered weren’t actually useful), dancing (a waste of time as she was already engaged to be married - why would she bother trying to woo another silly man?), and her most dreaded class of all: etiquette. No matter how many years had been spent trying to assimilate into muggle culture, her thoughts still got muddled when she tried to remember the steps to a dance, or how to properly address the son of a duke.

Did it really matter, anyways, what the other girls thought? She had pretended her whole life to be the daughter she thought her parents had wanted - now she was simply pretending that she hadn’t been thrown into the muggle world without a second thought. What was a bit more pretending - that she didn’t care? That she hadn’t been tossed aside without a second thought?

“Exactly. Five years. And yet, you have shown no progress whatsoever. This -” a finger jabbed accusingly at the embroidery - “is absolutely horrendous. If your parents hadn’t continued to make such a sizeable donation every year, I would have deemed you a lost cause and sent you packing when you first arrived. How your family ever managed your betrothal to the son of an earl is beyond me.”

Eloise grimaced at the mention of her fiance as her teacher clapped her hands together to get the attention of the class - a wholly unnecessary action due to the fact that it was already being given. “Class is dismissed. Please collect your belongings and put them in the correct place. Remember, as future wives and mothers, you must be organized in all aspects of your life. Many of you will be managing important households and the slightest misstep -“ a slight glance to Eloise out of the corner of her eye - “can cause the biggest of scandals.”

Eloise raced to gather her things and leave the classroom before everyone else. No matter how many years had been spent at the school, she couldn’t help but hate sitting through the classes amongst the judgmental stares and snide remarks. Although things had started out shaky at the finishing school - to be expected, really, when you’ve grown up in wizarding society and then are then forced to live as a muggle - it still stung that after all these years, she still hadn’t found a friendly face. She was treated as if she were a pariah: it was as if the other girls just knew that something was different about her. But…wasn’t that the great irony of it all? She wasn’t different than them. She was a filthy squib.

When she first arrived at the school, she was an anomaly. A twelve-year-old girl who didn’t know how to play the piano or who the queen was. It was clear to everyone that Eloise wasn’t the charity case of the school - her parents were obviously quite wealthy - and yet they seemingly wanted nothing to do with her. Whereas the others got regular letters and visits from their family, it was as if Eloise were an orphan. Nothing new to her of course, but to her peers this otherness aided them in her ostracization.

Upon entering her room, she was abruptly pulled out of her thoughts. Something wasn’t right. Everything seemed the same: a twin bed perfectly made opposite a small wardrobe, a plain wooden desk placed between them. The weak afternoon sunlight shone through the window, illuminating her desk. But…there.

That…

Placed on her bed, resting on the pillow, was a letter.

She never received letters.

Eloise shoved her embroidery under her bed and hungrily grabbed at it, pausing when she saw the address. Miss E. Babbit. The Third Bedroom on the Left… It seemed vaguely familiar to her in a way she couldn’t quite put her finger on.

As she read the letter, though, it became apparent to her exactly why this was. Although not exactly the same as the one her brother had received six years earlier, it quickly became apparent that this was a Hogwarts letter. For her. For Miss E. Babbit.

Hands shaking, she set the letter down on her desk and sat on the edge of her bed. She smoothed her hands over her skirt over and over, taking comfort in the familiar softness as she tried to even her breathing.

How was this possible? She had all but accepted the fact that she was a squib. The shame of her family, a dirty secret to be hidden away and never talked about or mentioned again. Her parents had suspected as much by the time she had turned seven without any signs of magic whatsoever manifesting around her - not even a basic transformation of brussel sprouts to sweets during dinner. It was ultimately confirmed, however, when her own Hogwarts acceptance letter never arrived. She had spent the whole year before her banishment daydreaming about her life at Hogwarts, still optimistic that there could be something magical inside of her. Her brother, Leo, came home every holiday with wonderful stories of his new friends and teachers, and the subjects he was learning at school. Even back then, at twelve years old, Eloise hadn’t been sure if he was actually hopeful she wasn’t a squib, or if he had been trying to prolong the fantasy for her before it all came crashing down.

Although she had had five years to come to terms with her new life, there was still a small part of her that hoped. A small “what if…”. She had tried time and time again to squash that tiny ray of optimism that would escape every so often, tried so very hard to cultivate a hard exterior that wouldn’t let any sort of vulnerability shine through. And that optimism was a vulnerability, after all. It was that vulnerability that had made it absolutely impossible for her to fit in the muggle world, and made it so that she didn’t really want to try.

Five years to come to terms with the fact that she needed a new purpose for her life and…

…not anymore?

Eloise grabbed the letter and greedily read through it again, drinking in all of the words. She paused at the end, thinking. Was this a forgery? Some sort of awful joke orchestrated by her brother? Leo had never been cruel to her in the past; in fact, he was the one who always encouraged her and was the most probable source of the small optimism that remained within her. However, she had no way of knowing how he had changed since she had last seen him. It had been, after all, five very long years. And not once had she heard from him, even though he had promised her through huge sobbing gulps that he would never abandon her. Maybe their parents had slowly poisoned him against her. It would be right on the nose for them, after all.

Looking at the envelope again, however…Third Bedroom on the Left…no. It was too specific. Nobody in her previous life had any reason to even want to contact her again, and nobody in her current life even knew what Hogwarts was, let alone have the ability to convincingly forge a letter just to have some fun at her expense.

A light, bubbly feeling began to spread throughout her body as it sunk in that this was real. She was going to Hogwarts. Soon, a - squinting at the letter again - a Professor Fig would be contacting her and giving her things to study. A huge grin slowly spread across her face and she hugged the letter to her chest as she fell back on her bed. She read through it again. Was it the fifth time already? It felt as though no amount of times rereading the letter would ever be enough.

Eloise got up and walked over to look at the calendar on her desk. She was surprised to see that September 1st was in only two days. The days at the finishing school moved in such a strange, sluggish way. They all felt the same. Monotonous. French and Latin and embroidery and household management and Merlin even knows what else all blending into each other in an endless parade of dusty classrooms and gossip and boredom.

The light feeling left her in an instant as, after years of practice, the optimism was squashed back down. But how will you even get to London? And, her brain added sneakily, you haven’t even shown any signs of magic. Maybe you’ll just be returned back here after they realize their mistake.

No, she thought fiercely, gripping the letter. Until -

A tapping came from the window. A tentative smile returned at the sight of a tawny brown owl with another envelope in its beak. She ripped it open as soon as it was in her hands (again addressed to Miss E. Babbit) and along with the letter a small, purple pouch fell out of the envelope and onto her bed.

Miss Eloise Babbit,

I am pleased to be the wizard charged with such an important task as escorting you to Hogwarts in two days’ time. It is something extraordinary to be accepted in your fifth-year, and as such, I expect extraordinary things from you. I have enclosed a small pouch along with this envelope, and in it are some items that will be vital to you in the upcoming days. I have included books for you to study at your leisure, and a small gobstone that will bring you to our rendezvous point in London. All you have to do is touch it at noon on the 1st and you will be transported instantly.

Your family has not been informed of your acceptance. I am sure you understand why - at this, Eloise scoffed quietly to herself - which is why I will personally be your escort.

I am looking forward to meeting you and bringing you to the sorting ceremony in two days’ time.

Yours,

Eleazar Fig

The handwriting was tiny and spidery and cramped, but it didn’t stop Eloise from reading it with the same vigor as the previous letter and as many times. Finally, she turned to the small pouch that had fallen onto her bed when she opened the second envelope. It must have had an invisible extension charm, because it was filled to the brim with books on basic spellwork and general wizarding history. Professor Fig had no way of knowing, but Eloise had already read many of these books and many more during the year her brother had started Hogwarts, as she had needed to know absolutely everything about what would be awaiting her. A few years may have passed since she had stepped foot in her family’s library, but she couldn’t get the books or their contents out of her brain even if she had wanted to. She had really wanted to forget everything she knew about the magical world when it was confirmed she was a squib but it was a futile effort. As she zoned out during her piano lessons, she would find herself mentally going through the movements to cast different charms.

It was painful to be thinking about things from the life that had been ripped away from her, to know that what she was thinking about would never come to pass, that she would never be able to wield magic - and yet she couldn’t find herself able to stop.

As Eloise picked out one of the books and settled into her armchair, a steely resolve overcame her.

She would prove that she deserved to be there, and was just as capable as any of they were. She would make her parents regret ever discarding her like she was nothing.

She was worthy. She was capable. And she would prove it.

The morning of September 1st dawned cold and rainy. Absolutely perfect.

Eloise had pretended to be sick the night before, and no one had suspected a thing when she stayed in bed long after all of the other girls had gotten ready and headed to breakfast. As the last of the chattering faded away down the hallway, Eloise finally got out of bed and prepared herself for the day. It was difficult to sit still long enough to braid her hair. Her fingers wouldn’t stop trembling and she had to restart countless times. Finally, she tied the black ribbon at the end into a neat bow and turned to the drawer of her desk to retrieve the small purple pouch she had hidden away.

Everything she deemed important enough to come along with her had already been placed inside: the books from Professor Fig, the hair ribbons gifted to her by her brother many years ago, and some clothing. Nothing else was coming with. She needed the fresh start. Besides, anything else she might need would be supplied, as her acceptance letter had specifically stated that any school supplies would be provided to her.

Waiting the hours before noon came along proved to be more difficult than Eloise had imagined. Time seemed to be moving slower than the molasses that had come with the breakfast sent up to her, the steady patter of the rain becoming a sort of metronome keeping time as she paced back and forth. Wasn’t there anything that could distract her, even for a bit? She glanced at the clock. Only five minutes had passed since the last time. 10.35.

The second hand ticking away in tandem with the sound of rain splashing against her window.

What if this was all a trick? What if she arrived at Hogwarts, and they turned her away because they realized they had made a mistake? After all, why would they admit a sixteen-year-old? Surely she was too old; every other student had started Hogwarts at the age of twelve and had shown signs of magic much earlier than that. She still hadn’t shown any signs of magical capability whatsoever, and didn’t feel any different than she had before receiving the letter. It had to be a fluke.

As her thoughts started veering into the melancholy she was prone to, she shook her head. No. Today was a happy, exciting day. She wasn’t going to squash the optimism down today, not when she needed it most. All of these thoughts she was having were simply that: thoughts. Not reality. Hogwarts never made a mistake, and in all of the history books she had read, she couldn’t recall an instance of someone being turned away at the door. Granted, she had also never heard of someone being admitted so late. But, better to focus on what she did know, which was that she had gotten the letter. It must be right in its assumption that she had magic.

Trying to pass the time was easier said than done. She ended up quizzing herself on all of the charms she had memorized in the books sent by Professor Fig, moving an imaginary wand in the precise movements needed to successfully cast and focusing on her pronunciation. She had studied all of these forms late into both nights she had had the books, and when she would eventually close her eyes to sleep, the wand movements were all she saw.

Eloise was determined that she would receive pity from nobody. Nobody was going to look at her like she was lacking. She had gotten enough of that to last a lifetime, and now that she was given this opportunity she wasn’t about to waste it.

When noon finally struck, Eloise was ready and waiting. She eagerly grabbed the gobstone that was sitting on her desk and felt the familiar tugging sensation in her navel as she was whisked away to London and the beginning of her new life.

next chapter

[a-usernamelol]

HL Theory: Ancient Magic MADE The Blackwood Mazes

Ancient magic is a versatile Magic capable of a lot of element bending we see in game! The creation of storms, creating structures out of nothing, and bringing stone to life- it seems endless in what it can do. But we only see some of its story- the Keepers story.

To start off this theory, before we get into the meat and bones of this theory we need to explain WHAT the Blackwood mazes are- considering you don’t go to them in any quest, nor are they easy to find since there are only five and they randomly spawn in the map. It’s entirely possible to go an entire playthrough without finding even one- SO on the off chance there’s someone out there who just doesn’t know what they are;

(Image transcript:

There are 5 known entrances to the Hedge Maze, they look like Gates Arches made of plants and appear randomly. They're actually the entrances to the Blackwood Maze, a simple random maze in which you'll always find a Legendary Chest with a random Legendary Grear Piece in the center. The Hedge Maze can be entered more than once. If you find this location, read the book on the pedestal of plants next to the entrance (it may not be there or it may be inside the maze. This book, in four parts, is A Horticultural History of the Blackwood Maze, it will tell you the whole story. Go through the entrance, find chest, collect Loot, Hedge Maze will disappear. Credit: game-maps.com)

So who IS Blackwood? Well if you haven’t read the books from the maze, let me summarize his life for you. (Skip this next bit in BLUE if you don’t want to read my retelling: Spoilers ahead.)

If you play through the mazes and get all the books, it will tell a cruel story of a Hufflepuff wizard from the Fifteenth Century named Eunon Wood, born a Muggle Born. He could allegedly control Blackthorn bushes with his mind, angering his Muggle family. He went to Hogwarts and fell in love with Artemisia Black, who was disowned from her own proud family for being a halfblood who felt both of their ostracisations came from Muggle impurities. Eventually they were married, and all the Muggles in their families were invited, Eunon’s only coming for his new wife’s treasure- a single golden medallion cursed with the Gemino curse- which multiplies when touched infinitely, crushing whoever touches to death. Eunon created a huge maze, his magnum opus, supposedly inspired by the Greek wizard Daedalus. All the guests were invited to try and win the maze and its riches inside, the wizards and witches staying back, recognizing the trap. None who entered came back. Eunon wasn’t done, however, as the maze remained, enticing as many as a thousand Muggles to unknowingly end their lives for the promise of treasure. Yet the Blackwoods soon raised a daughter, who became a Squib, Lysandra, who was nothing but disappointment to her family. She ended up reporting her mother to Muggle witch hunters, who burned her mother alive. Eunon and his daughter disappeared from their hom in Stonehaven, and so did the maze- which began reappearing around Scotland for short amounts of time, killing many more ensnared by its tricks. This brings is to present day, where history books have been left at the places of the maze, presumably by wizards and witches as warning, since at the end of the books it explains that wizardkind has indeed tried to tame the mazes.

This story leaves a LOT to be said- and raises a lot of questions, like WHY could only Eunon control the plants? Where is Stonehaven? Why does the MC have the capability to go through all the maze locations without any issues?

Let’s start with the easiest to answer: we know- or at least have an inkling of where Stonehaven used to be- and its on the map.

Although there are 5 Blackwood mazes that spawn naturally in the game, there’s actually a 6th one that is always present:

Manor Cape’s Maze

There’s a special maze with different mechanics then any of the others- however it still has the indistinguishable Blackwood Maze arch, and its very clearly a hedgemaze, meaning this is definitely tied to the mysteriously spawning mazes across the map.

There’s only ONE time the maze- which is implied to be all the same maze despite appearing in different locations- has ever been completely stationary, and that’s at Eunon’s own wedding, which, very likely, would have had at least part of it at his own home- like an after party. Which would be perfect for a maze game. Manor Cape is WHERE the wedding happened- and thus, where Stonehaven used to be.

Now for why Eunon could control the plants:

A simple theory could be a unique ability, something we’ve seen before. Eunon could simply be incredibly good with plants, much like Parseltongue is an unexplained phenomenon sourced to the descendants of Salazar Slytherin. Sometimes wizards and witches Just Can, even to the surprise of other wizards and witches. …But let’s be honest. That wouldn’t really be an entirely satisfying answer now would it? This is a game about an entirely different magical phenomenon, Ancient Magic. So it probably wouldn’t be too big a leap to say that this is the result of Ancient Magic, right? But what evidence do we have to prove that? Well, once again, now knowing Manor Cape was Stonehaven, and the mansion his home, we are given the answer on a silver platter. Around the manor are a pair of statues- one directly in the front-

And one more off the path, but still on the property, leading to a now desolate secret cellar that can be accessed by lightning a fire in front of the statue.

Now there’s an interesting detail about this secret cellar- to unlock the door that leads up into the mansion, you need Alohomora Level III. Now maybe I play this game too much- (lets be real- I Do) but Level III is usually reserved for secrets in game- especially in key areas like Hogwarts. And Manor Cape is a key area, where we fight and ultimately defeat Harlow. An interesting detail- considering other then leading up into the manor we already had access too, it does nothing for us to open.

But back to the statues. Why are they important? Well we’ve seen both of them before in the add-on Dark Arts pack’s Arena, and around the map before, that can at the very least confirm that these two statues are tied to each other, since we can see them in more then one place together.

And that’s not all. We’ve seen these kinds of hooded statues tied to places with Ancient Magic before.

At Isadora’s house in Feldcroft- someone we KNOW from the main quest is an Ancient Magic user. They’re also mysteriously inside her house as well.

They can ALSO be found in the DADA tower at Hogwarts, which also from the main quest, we know is tied to Ancient Magic- possibly even built from it- as well.

Other places less prominent in which these statues appear are Henrietta’s many puzzles at Hogwarts and of course her Hideaway at the Coast, and the Korrow Ruins, otherwise known as Fearglas Castle from the Hagrid ride at Universal.

Of course, just a few statues isn’t enough to prove Eunon was an AM user, however, if we look at how AM behaves, we can argue it makes sense.

AM is clearly an elemental power capable of controlling the natural environment and world- we can visably see this when Percival Rackham uses it to create storm clouds in Feldcroft to make it rain, along with creating and controlling the local plant life- creating flowers and restoring the health of the fauna. So RIGHT THERE ALONE we can CONFIRM AM can CONTROL plants- and when doing so, although the energy of Ancient Magic cannot be seen, its constructs, such as the storm, and the plants, CAN.

This brings us to our last and final question, why can the MC, where everyone else has failed, solve the mazes and find the treasure?

I think the answer can be found simply by referring back to the previous questions. If Eunon Wood was an Ancient Magic user, and the mazes are made by Ancient Magic, its entirety possible that the mazes, which are implied to “still follow the commands of its dark master”, just recognizes US as Eunon. We can traverse the mazes freely simply because we have the same skill as Blackwood himself. They can’t attack us because we can command it- Albiet unknowingly.

Maybe I’m just a crackhead who spends too much time thinking about this game- but then- YOU read this- so who’s the crackhead now? I’m kidding lol.

I hope you enjoyed my first ever theory on this game, and do be sure to offer your own ideas in the comments if you have any. I’m not perfect and I’m sure there’s something I missed somewhere! I hope this was as fun to read as it was to work on, and thanks for reading! 🥳

[alibasnur]

My speculation on Anne Sallow's cure

1. Rookwood's Death

I have an assumption that Rookwood marked her with a scar that day when he cursed her, probably on her abdomen since that was where she held when the pain came.

If that was the case, then her pain is caused by a scar Rookwood left on her body, just like how Harry's scar hurt when Voldemort was nearby or feeling a strong emotion, but then it never hurt again after Voldemort died, until The Cursed Child when someone related to him appeared.

That scar isn't necessarily caused by the forming of horcrux, just the fact that it was a by-product of an unforgivable curse, but unforgivable curses don't have to leave a scar every time it was successfully cast, but they can.

Rookwood cast the Cruciatus curse to silence her that day when Feldcroft was attacked, and then leaving a scar when he marked her as a threat for being a witness to his alliance with a goblin. When Harry got the scar, Voldemort marked him as his equal. When Anne got the scar, Rookwood marked her as a threat for knowing his secret.

2. Coming of Age

Rookwood said "Children should be seen and not heard." Which means it's possible that the curse will no longer apply to her when she reaches the Age of Majority (21 years old at that time).

3. A Counter-Curse

Another possibility that the cure is a counter-curse spell that hasn't been invented yet. But the reason why healers can't treat her curse is because her curse is unknown. No one knows how Rookwood cast it, whether it is the incantation, movement, or the origin of that curse if Rookwood learned it from another wizard.

If the curse is a form of the Cruciatus curse, then there will be no counter curse to it. Although Vicenca Santos from FB3 lifted the Cruciatus curse from Jacob Kowalski, the incantation is unknown, but probably a strong finite spell.

4. Muggle Medical Procedure

MC saw no traces of ancient magic from her. It's also possible that the curse works by damaging or inflicting wounds on Anne's internal organ or nerve which would sometimes randomly cause her pain. If that's the case, her pain is more physical than magical, which means it can be treated with muggle methods.

5. Isidora's method of extracting pain

This one is risky though, obviously. She may just lose her ability to feel pain and any other emotions just like how Isidora's father and students did.

[meiusoo-twistedtwst]

NRC Faces the Sorting Hat…

Hear me out this is ranked by a serious Potterhead who has DELVED into the associations of each house so allow me to share my thoughts on which Hogwarts house the NRC guys would possibly be sorted into —>

TREY & Cater seem like master manipulators, especially if all those overthrowing Riddle to reclaim Cater’s title as dorm leader theories are true (haven’t read Cater’s ch. 7 arc I rlly need to😭)

Azul & Vil are literally so ambitious, like Azul tried to erase his own past to theoretically present himself as a whole new, blank-slate person with absolutely no embarrassments or flaws while Vil’s determination drove him to insanity as he cunningly used Neige’s trust to try to POISON him

I think Ruggie & Jamil are very self-explanatory as they’re both ambitious & cunning, scheming guys. I chose Slytherin over Hufflepuff for Ruggie as although he’s extremely hardworking & relatively patient (he cleans up after Leona, not a job for the impatient) but he’s not actually all that loyal I don’t think. He only bonded with & followed after Leona because it would benefit him though… (now as I’m writing this I’m starting to think he might actually be a Hufflepuff-)

Silver & Sebek both showed lots of Hufflepuff traits but ultimately the events of Ch.7 pushed me to place them in Gryffindor instead. Just imagine how difficult it would be to turn your sword against the guy you’ve known & loved your whole life? The guy you had once sworn absolute obedience & loyalty to? They’re prime reinforcers as to why Neville Longbottom was in Gryffindor (it takes bravery to stand up against your own friends)

Ace & Deuce: Same thing as above but to a less extreme extent. Arguably, if the Ace is a traitor theories are true then he’d be a strong runner up for Slytherin with how cunning he is. I was hesitant with Deuce since he might be a Hufflepuff, but his background as a delinquent & his willingness to rebel against authority (cough cough Riddle cough) when he could have just stayed completely loyal like Trey (who may have just been plotting Riddle’s fall from grace then) made me put him in Gryffindor

Floyd was between Slytherin & Gryffindor but I don’t think he’s actually all that cunning? Like he knows he’s intimidating & uses that to his advantage but otherwise he doesn’t actively use detailed plots the same way Jade or Azul do? Plus, he’s just not afraid of anything; very brave

Epel was brave for being rebellious & rejecting peer pressure for the most part- definitely hard to say no when your dorm leader is a literal celebrity & accomplished student. Jack is also very self explanatory with how he’s not afraid to stand apart from the crowd (seen in Ch. 2) & he was never so blindly loyal to Leona to the point where he’d ignore or not notice his flaws

+He wasn’t on the Tier maker but I’d put Grim in Gryffindor with how recklessly brave he is (literally so chaotic & constantly defies authority)

I know what you’re all thinking but hear me out… Crowley is a bad (or at least morally grey) Hufflepuff. He preaches love, graciousness, & kindness- which are all dominantly Hufflepuff ideals, & people always overlook this but you don’t actually have to be a nice person to be in Hufflepuff. Every house is capable of producing dark wizards (there was an evil Hufflepuff in Hogwarts Legacy !) so even all those suspicions that Crowley might be downright evil could still make him a Hufflepuff, just not the stereotypical one. If he 100% idealizes kindness, even if he doesn’t positively reinforce it, then he’s still a Hufflepuff (though he is admittedly really Slytherin too)

Kalim is self-explanatory but I did kinda consider Ravenclaw or Gryffindor. Kalim is brave to keep Jamil around even after he tried to defame him & he’s strong enough to keep a genuine smile on his face despite being betrayed & facing near death situations all his life. Now I know Kalim isn’t book smart but he has really high emotional intelligence, he knows a lot more than he lets on, as shown by some of the inquisitive things he says to others

my house :p

Crewel’s got that academically smart (alchemy must be hard) & creative mix (his passion for fashion), I feel like Sam values insight & knowledge mainly to increase sales but just valuing those things makes him a Ravenclaw, & I just put Trein in Ravenclaw because he likes history & different cultures (although he could be a Hufflepuff with his loyalty, dunno though since that’s really just him being a good husband)

Lilia could be a Hufflepuff, with his love & loyalty to the Draconia royal family, but his vast wisdom & eccentricity made me put him in Ravenclaw instead, though I am kinda hesitant about it. With Leona, I know he’d totally be a Slytherin with how cunning he is & although he’s very ambitious, he’s so lazy it’s counterproductive to his desires. But I put him in Ravenclaw because he’s actually so smart & very knowledgeable, wise even

The Shroud brothers honestly could have been in Hufflepuff with their family loyalty, but Idia’s attitude pushed him into Ravenclaw instead. He also loves delving deep into his passions & interests, using knowledge to his advantage. Same with Ortho since he’s a walking encyclopedia & also takes full advantage of his constant access to data banks & the whole internet. The Shrouds are almost like eternal, nonstop knowledge gatherers, especially with how their family literally devotes themselves to researching overblot

Rook is pretty self-explanatory with his intense curiosity & his pursuit for beauty could also be interpreted as a pursuit for diversifying one’s knowledge of the world so one could embrace all the beauty within different cultures & such. But he is also very Hufflepuff with how nice & insanely loyal he is… (so loyal to all he almost isn’t loyal….)

Jade could be a Slytherin, but I don’t think he’s as ambitious as Azul? He uses cunning much more often but otherwise, his genuine fascination with mushrooms & human life places him in Ravenclaw as at his core, Jade’s really into research & gaining more knowledge of a world on land that he was once a stranger to

I was thinking Slytherin could be a good fit for Malleus but I’m hesitant for some reason ..??

Don’t know much about Vargas’s personality & I wanted to avoid just tossing him in Gryffindor to mindlessly follow the jock=Gryffindor stereotype

I know many would put Riddle in Ravenclaw, & at surface level, I would do the same. But to be in Ravenclaw you actually have to believe knowledge is power…& Riddle doesn’t actually love constantly pursuing knowledge. Even if he thinks academics are important, he would have never been studying so diligently if it wasn’t for his mother’s influence and control over his childhood….

•°. *࿐ •°. *࿐ •°. *࿐

Where would you sort everyone?

🎄Merry Christmas everyone~

[the-magiarcheologist]

The Forgotten Witch

Let me tell you the tale of the Forgotten Witch.

Chapter 1: The Prophecy

First of all, do you know Sylvia Pembroke? She is a seer in one of the portraits in the Grand Staircase.

Throughout the game she makes different prophecies that foreshadow events in the game:

"Ancient secrets bring forth an age of magic with the rise of a new hero."

This one is about the whole plot of the game.

"I can sense someone close to you needs your help. Someone with the initial "S"."

That one is obviously about Sebastian.

"When what was lost has been found, the brother's betrayal will turn the tides of war."

That's when Lodgok finds the last of Bragbor's journal and tries to bring it to the MC. Ranrok discovers that he betrayed him, takes the journal and kills him. And by getting hold of the last journal this turns the tides of the war since Ranrok now knows where to find the last repository.

"When mentor and student collide a path must be chosen."

I think that one is about the final choice of the player, whether we follow the path of the Keepers and keep the repository closed and secret or we follow Isidora's path and try to use the ancient magic in the repository.

I think all of her prophecies can be explained by event in the game. And then there is this prophecy:

"When the forgotten one's true power is revealed bonds of trust will be broken."

And for this one, I couldn't think of a straighforward, obvious interpretation for it. And trying to find out who exactly this "forgotten one" is has lead me down quite the rabbit hole...

Now, the first thought is: the forgotten one must be Isidora. After all, all mentions and memories of her have been erased by the Keepers. What is her "true power" then? It could be her ability to rid people of their pain. And what about the bonds of trust that are broken? That's where it all starts to break down. The MC learns of Isidora's "true power" through the Keepers memories, there is no big revelation about Isidora that causes MC to loose trust in the Keepers or Fig or anyone else, really.

Someone on reddit had another interpretation. They believed the "bonds of trust" that were broken were between Rookwood and Ranrok. When Rookwood discovered what the repositories they were looking for really were (Isidora's "true power") and what Ranrok intended to use them for the fragile alliance between Rookwood and Ranrok shattered ("broken bonds of trust"). But rewatching the scene in the mine when Ranrok takes bragbor's last journal I think it's pretty clear that Rookwood realizes that his alliance with Ranrok is over the moment he understands that Ranrok has now found the location of the last repository. He realizes then that he has lost all of his usefullness to Ranrok and that the tentative partnership they had is over. Hence why he tries to kill Ranrok right after (before Ranrok can try to kill him). I don't think any "bonds of trust" are broken here because there was no trust to begin with and there is no revelation of a "true power". Rookwood already knew they were searching for repositories of ancient magic.

But thinking along the same lines, maybe the broken bonds of trust could be between Sebastian and MC when Sebastian realizes that Isidora could use ancient magic to cure people of their pain (the "true power" that is revealed) and yet MC refuses to ask the Keepers about that power or refuses to use it to cure Anne. But I think that is stretching it. Even though MC and Sebastian have a little fight about this I hardly think that you could say that "bonds of trust" are broken.

So maybe we should go right back to the beguining. Maybe the "forgotten one" is not Isidora but someone else entirely...

Chapter 2: The Statue

How do you go about discovering the identity of someone who was forgotten? You go search through the game files for clues of course!

And low and behold, there is an asset called "ForgottenStatue", could it be related to our "forgotten one"?

I think the name of this particular asset is quite significant. Usually any asset in the game is identified with a letter. There are plenty of assets called "SmallStatue_A", "SmallStatue_B", "WallPlaque_D", etc. Few assets are given actual names like this.

And besides, don't you recognize this statue? It's the statue that is standing in the alcove by the water in the transfiguration courtyard!

It's the statue that Prof. Ronen had us repair at the very beguining of the game after learning reparo. Prof. Ronen says this statue alledgedly represents heartbreak and that perhaps a jilted lover, seing it and finding it too accurate, could have lashed out and destroyed it. But maybe that is not the full story. Maybe there is another reason it was destroyed, perhaps so that no one could ever recognize this statue and find anything out about the witch it represents.

So here we have a statue of a forgotten witch. No one really knows for sure who she is, what the statue represents. Looking at the clothing that she is wearing, it seems that she is from really ancient times (could be ancient greece, could be ancient rome,...) and alledgedly she had her heart broken at some point.

Chapter 3: The Dagger

The statue is not the only thing I found in the game files. There is also a very interesting asset called "SM_Evil_ForgottenWitch_Dagger". Again, note how this asset has an actual name (as opposed to just "SM_Dagger_A") and also that it is even labelled as "Evil".

Sorry for the image being so dark but I really wanted to show how the rune on the dagger is glowing. From what I can understand by looking at other in-game assets, the glow we see on the rune means there will be some VFX applied to it in game. So obviously, the rune etched into the dagger is significant somehow. The dagger is also very ornate. And, because it is labelled as "Evil", we can deduce that it is some king of artifact used for dark magic.

The gives us some new information about our "forgotten one". First of all it seems that she is a witch (that is also consistent with the "Forgotten Statue" that is of a woman) and she practised the dark arts. Could this be what her "true power" is? Some secret form of dark magic?

For the longest time I thought that this dagger was just part of some cut content, that it was not used in the game. Until someone found this exact dagger in a the middle of a standing stone circle near Marunweem Lake!

They also identified the rune on it as Mannaz rune. It's an Elder Futhark rune meaning 'mankind'. Elder Furthar dates back to the first century which is coherent with the type of dress of the forgotten statue. These runes also apparently had deep spiritual significance. Mannaz represents humanity, community and cooperation. It could also represent intelligence, mind and memory.

I went and found the dagger in-game myself.

It's in the middle of standing stones on a flat circluar stone engraved with some weird symbols reminiscent of alchemy symbols. Also note the human skeleton that could hint at some dark ritual maybe involving a sacrifice.

I don't know if there are other places like this one elsewhere in Hogwarts Valley where we can also find the dagger. I have not found any yet but let me know if you have!

But there's more! In the game files, the asset for the dagger is found within the folder of props for "Sanctum_Dungeons". These are any dungeons related to ancient magic (like the keeper trials). So, how exactly is this dagger related to ancient magic and the Keepers?

Chapter 4: Ancient Magic

There is yet another place where the "ForgottenWitch" appreas within the game files. There are assets for stone columns used to build the environments for the ancient magic dungeons which are the Keeper trials, the place below the restricted section when we find the book and the cave we go to with Richard Jackdaw to find the missing pages and get access to the Map Chamber.

First there is a set of assets called "SM_SanctumDun_Column_Natural" which look like stone swirls.

Then there is a set of assets called "SM_SanctumDun_ColumnFlair_Forgotten_Witch" which look a little more ornate with some developped "spikes" (sort of looking like thorns on the stem of a rose) but still made of stone.

And lastly, there is a set of assets called "SM_SanctumDun_ColumnFlair_Keepers" that are even more ornate and detailed with spikes and some sort of tendrils. These columns also glow (again I believe indicating some VFX being applied to it). There are also some gold trims that can be added.

To me, this looks like some kind of evolution of art style or archetictural style over time. As the technique is developped over the centuries (from 'Natural stone' to the work of the Forgotten Witch in antiquity and to the work of the Keepers in the late middle ages), more and more ornate designs are made possible.

I believe the "Forgotten Witch" could wield ancient magic. Like we see the Keepers do, she used ancient magic back in antiquity to transfigure the world around her, build elaborate colums. But then she also used her ancient magic for some dark purpose. This is the "true power" that the profecy refers to. What about the bonds of trust that are broken, then? I believe the events of this particular prophecy have not happened yet. Someone (and lets be honest, it's probably the Keepers because they are the only ones who seem to know anything about ancient magic) knows about this Forgotten Witch and the dark magic she used but they kept that secret from the MC. And when this secret is finally revealed, uncovering a dark history of ancient magic, the bonds of trust between MC and the Keepers will be broken.

After all, Isidora herself, another forgotten witch, could have left us a warning when she wrote on the wall of the Undercroft: "Percival is hiding somehing".

[m0mmat0rtle]

Most of the characters in hogwarts legacy would have been alive during the sinking of the Titanic. Thats it that’s the post.

[slytherinchillvius]

Could you imagine if the boys did photoshoots as Disney, Superheroes and tv show characters? (Btw these pictures aren't mine).

P.S. Most of these pictures are wallpapers for your desktop but Idk about the last one.

Hogwarts/their Hogwarts houses

Disney Princes 🤴 🫅

Star Wars

Marvel/Avengers

Teen Wolf 🐺

Stranger Things

Squid Game 🦑

The Vampire Diaries 📔 🧛 🧛‍♂️ 🧛‍♀️

The Maze Runner 🏃‍♂️

ELITE

Grey's Anatomy

F.R.I.E.N.D.S

The Big Bang Theory ❗️

The Outsiders

[oneofafew]

Rolling up to our boy Sebastians defence once again with another THEORY

Note how when he’s holding the relic it’s cracking with electricity like stuff inside then note how when Solomon summons it into his hand it does another little crackle

My theory is that the relic just chose its sacrifie

First person to touch it is the person who carries out the deed

Second person to touch it is the sacrifice

That’s why it should have stayed in the catacombs to stop this connection being made

Once Solomon touched that relic his fate was sealed.

I still firmly believe that relic has some form of influence over Sebastians actions and I will DIE on this hill.

Thank you for indulging me

[girl-named-matty]

Solomon post no.2

Time for Round Two! 

I asked all of you about a week back after posting my original Solomon post what I should do next and @sallowgauntsupremacy requested that I do the imperio scene. Because this scene is tricky, I did take my time with it but I’m ready now! 

So, to start this off–setting scene: MC and Sebastian are walking back from the Feldcroft Catacomb. Ominis is still down there (as far as I know) after MC has either cast Imperio on him to get by him or they have talked something out and he allowed them to leave. Now, on the way to Feldcroft, MC and Sebastian spot smoke coming from the Hamlet and rush to help. Like anyone would do, Sebastian and MC help defend Feldcroft from the goblins.

Now let’s get started. Who are our defenders? Anne, Solomon, Sebastian, and MC. All of them are pretty capable, right? Well yeah! But the thing is, during the entire fight, Solomon is shouting at Sebastian and MC to get out of the way, and to leave. Anne says “There’s nowhere to go”, because there obviously isn’t. But Solomon having Anne, who is very ill, fighting while telling the two perfectly healthy teens (Sebastian and MC) to get away kinda implies that Solomon is completely okay with having his ill niece fight goblins who want to kill her. 

We all know that then, Sebastian uses the Imperius curse on a goblin so that the goblin will take its own life over killing Anne. Now this action in itself is always tricky because on one hand, I can understand why he did it. As someone who has a sister that I would do anything for, I understand where he’s coming from. But from a moral perspective, what he did was drastic and is morally wrong. 

But how does Solomon see it? That Sebastian is somehow the worst thing that’s ever happened to him and Anne. I also want to point out the fact that Feldcroft was literally on fire in some places so Sebastian was just trying to save his home, his sister, and quite literally anything else that he has that he still loves.

When Solomon confronts Sebastian, it’s immediately hostile, like any other time Solomon confronts anyone. It’s like he still has it in his head that he’s an Auror and has an excuse to talk that way to children or even just anyone else in general.

Now, we all know that Solomon is infamous for calling Sebastian “Boy” instead of his name, which I mean doesn’t really matter but in this scene, he’s shouting at Sebastian.

Sebastian says he was saving his sister (which he did save her) and then Solomon brings up that it’s from an Unforgivable curse, also something that is true. But here’s when things start getting interesting and really frustrating.

Solomon goes on to completely ban Sebastian from Feldcroft and from seeing Anne entirely. In my opinion, this is a direct act of disowning Sebastian. He wants nothing to do with his nephew. But my question is why, WHY disown him over this? Now a lot of people would look at it as “Well Sebastian did something illegal, so that’s why”. If Solomon actually cared about Sebastian doing illegal things, he would’ve thrown him in Azkaban by now. But Solomon doesn’t because he’d probably be a hypocrite because of it.

Now it’s never been confirmed but there are some heavy implications from Sebastian that Solomon used an Unforgivable against an enemy in his time as an Auror. This has never been directly confirmed but there’s enough evidence that Solomon used an Unforgivable or at least did something very bad/close to illegal, if not illegal thing because he left the Ministry right before they kicked him out. (EDIT for this part: Because I don’t want to re-write this part and I still do have some good points. For confirmation about a few things, read this post.) 

Also, Sebastian using an unforgivable on a goblin may not be considered illegal in the wizarding world. Yes it is morally wrong but using unforgivables on creatures such as goblins hasn’t been confirmed to be illegal. 

Another reason why I don’t like Solomon for disowning Sebastian is that means that he now has nothing. He has no home to go to and by Solomon’s terms, no family. Sebastian is Fifteen, at the very most barely Sixteen by this point. He is NOT an adult, he isn’t even allowed to Magic outside of the School grounds! Which means if he were to ever leave where he’s grown up during this time, he’s completely defenseless. 

As a guardian, you are supposed to raise the children you’ve been given with care. Solomon never did–or at least he had a funny way of showing it. Sebastian acts the way he does because during the most crucial years of his life, he didn’t have a good male figure in his life. He acts rashly because he’s rebelling like any other teenaged boy would do. Now am I justifying Sebastian using an unforgivable to make a goblin end its own life? No. I’m not particularly fond of what he did. But I am saying I can understand why. 

And yes I understand as the twins' guardian (or at least, Anne’s guardian at this point), Solomon gets to call the shots but saying Sebastian is never allowed around Anne again is cruel. Anne is the only real family Sebastian has left and Solomon, in my opinion, was wrong and out of line for that. 

Now at this point in time, MC goes to speak with Solomon. When MC walks up to him (yes, Solomon is outside instead of helping Anne inside) and says “Pardon me, Mr. Sallow.” and you can probably guess what’s gonna happen next… 

YEP! More shouting!

Immediately MC is hit with “whAT sEbStiAn dID wAS iNeXcUsAbLE” Like YES, WE KNOW. But what ever happened to civil conversation? What ever happened to discussing things like normal people? This man is an ex-Auror, trained for discipline, yet he can’t stop running his trap every five seconds. I’m starting to believe that the Ministry almost fired him for how much yapping he was doing over him actually doing something bad. 

Now MC can answer with either “Sebastian saved his sister” which leads you to defying Solomon or you can choose the one that says “Sebastian went too far.” For the sake of this, let’s choose “Sebastian went too far” which would be the option where you agree more with Solomon. If you choose that option, MC will say “Sebastian acted rashly, but he acted out of instinct to save Anne.” 

I love how MC mentions that it's an instinct for Sebastian to protect Anne. Because it’s true! I have several siblings and younger family members, whenever they are in the slightest bit of danger, I react quickly! It is an instinct to protect the ones you love and sometimes it makes you act rashly! 

Solomon then says this. And then this:

Now this is the one line that could possibly disprove the fact that Solomon may have used an Unforgivable in the Ministry but this could also be him saying that he doesn’t condone it because he knows the repercussions or him just being straight up with it. Either way, he is correct. What Sebastian did cannot be undone but mercy can still be given. Especially because, as I said earlier, this could be considered completely legal. (that doesn’t make it right, but my point still stands. And yet again see this post because I also didn't want to have to re-write it)

He then says MC is just as guilty as Sebastian because MC is “defending his actions” which makes no sense because MC wasn’t the one who cast the Unforgivable?

Then Solomon repeats his line about how Sebastian is banned from Feldcroft and has been disowned. Then he says “Unforgivable Curses are so named for a reason” Which like–bro, didn’t you use one?

Then he threatens to tell the Headmaster if either Sebastian or MC “continues down this path”. But like, bro why don’t you notify your neighbors that you left the Ministry because you did something illegal? (Unforgivable or not)

So, what’s the conclusion of all of this? 

Solomon was in the wrong for what he did to Sebastian by disowning him and banning him from his home. Sebastian still has the right to see Anne (because Anne never agreed to banning Sebastian and goes to see him later) and Sebastian is still legally a child. If he had waited till Sebastian was eighteen and was legally an adult (and in the wizarding world, seventeen is also considered the age of an adult) and then disowned him, that would be reasonable because Sebastian can take care of himself now. Now yes, I know for the sake of the game that’s inconvenient but Solomon’s presence is also very inconvenient to just about anyone else in the game, so. 

I don’t condone Sebastian using an unforgivable on the goblin–I don’t. It was morally a very bad thing to do but I can understand why he did it. Now, I will never understand anything Solomon does because he’s wrong 99% of the time and is just not a good person. 

And there was my many cents on this quest. (also sorry that this was a bit of a rant lol) Taglist: @endeavour12345 @dat-silvers-girl @kukukha-sanctuary @boomingsmile @prissaoe @sunnyrealist @sebsslave @sallowgauntsupremacy

[sallowtheories]

Is Sebastian's parents the reason Miriam found the portkey?

Yes, you read that right, and I actually believe that they were. I believe Sebastian and Anne's parents were the reason why, Miriam was able to find the portkey.

Now, you may wonder how I came to that conclusion. It was though a specific question, that I slowly pieced this idea together.

What did Sebastian's parents teach at Hogwarts?

It is never stated what Anne and Sebastian's parents taught at Hogwarts, but only that they died while the twins where still quite young, and before - as far as we know - they ever sat a foot on Hogwarts grounds themselves. All that we know about them was that they read and studied a lot, and passed the joy of learning and gathering knowledge onto their children. As Sebastian once stated to the MC, he reads whatever book he is handed - "That's what you get with professors for parents".

But that doesn't explain what they taught at Hogwarts.

That was then I remembered that during a conversation with professor Ronen, you learn that he had only been at the school as a professor for 7 years. That means that he started teaching Charms at Hogwarts in 1883, around which time Anne and Sebastian would have been 8 years old. Therefore it is not unlikely to believe that either Sebastian's mother or father taught Charms at Hogwarts.

But that only explains one of the parents.

I started digging a little further, checking if I could find out other things about the other professors and when they started teaching at Hogwarts, when I remembered something Sebastian once told the MC. When you tell Sebastian about your ability to see Ancient Magic, he asks a lot of questions, leading him to admidting that he has been studying "archaic magic". Which made me wonder; is that what his parents was trying to study as well?

Given what we know about Sebastian's somewhat obsessive nature, I wonder if this may have been his obsession before Anne got cursed - learning as much about whatever his parents studied. Books and text that was so interesting to read, that two magical parents with their kinds upstairs, didn't notice the fumes coming from their lamp? Would also explain where Sebastian got his inability to "stop" from...

Pushing aside how I believe it was Sebastian's first obsession with reading what his parents read, that drow the first wedge between him and his uncle, we will now have to focus on Solomon. Or more specificly, where Solomon is living - Feldcroft.

Now, we have no idea where Sebastian and Anne used to live with their parents. We don't know if they lived in Feldcroft close to Solomon, or maybe lived somewhere closer to Hogwarts. But what we do know is Solomon lived in Feldcroft. Where it was just after he decided to leave his job as an aura, or the place he and Sebastian's father grew up, we have no idea. But with Solomon in Feldcroft, we now have a connection between Sebastian's parents, and the place Miriam would find the portkey.

But what does that have to do with Miriam finding the portkey? How is Sebastian's parents involved?

In the beginning parts of the game, professor Fig tells the MC about something Miriam studied before she died - Ancient Magic. I have now played that scene through four times, and each time I notice the same thing - Miriam wanted to study the magic, not use it. She wondered if it could do good in this world. And each time, the same though came to me - "sounds like magical theory". And that was when I realized - professor Eleazar Fig is teaching Magical Theory.

We don't know when professor Fig to up the job at Hogwarts, but according to Harry Potter Wiki he had "(...) grown weary of his wife's quest and ended up settling into a comfortable teaching career whilst she continued her work on her own". So I wondered, was it possible that one of Sebastian's parents used to teach Magical Theory at Hogwarts?

Miriam was already known for traveling, but could some old notes left behind from the former teacher in Fig's office, eventually had led Miriam on the path to Feldcroft? We know it's in Feldcroft, at Rookwood castle that Lodgok would meet her, with the container that held the portkey.

Now, there's no straight on prove that Sebastian's parents knew anymore than anyone else in regards to the Keepers, the portkey or the powers of the Ancient Magic the MC is carrying. But in all of my years as a Harry Potter fan, I've learned one thing - nothing is a coinsidence. And the fact that Sebastian just so happens to live in the hamlet Isadora used to live in, and mere stone's throw away from Rookwood castle where the portkey and second trial is located, just seems to on the nose.

There's no doubt that Sebastian is tied closely to the history of Hogwarts Legacy, but I have a feeling that it may be more than one way, and that we may just have scratched the surface of what he, and his family might mean to this story.

[mrs-sharp]

I love Sharp's little habits and quirks, but at the same time, they break my heart since I think some of them are just a sign that he is in pain.

I have often noticed that he holds his own hands. I think it might be a way for him to redirect the pain in his leg a little without drawing too much attention.

In this screenshot from Fig's office, you can also see how he puts weight on one leg to relieve the other.

In this pic, he pulls up his shoulders, as if his whole body is under tension.

Also, he stares directly into my soul.

And last but not least, there's that look in his eyes. Attentive, vigilant, but also sad and sometimes full of pain.

[qualiryy]

[zetadraconis11]

HL Incorrect Quote #76

Garreth: Do you think the quality of the taste of Polyjuice Potion is based on the character of the person?

Leander: Garreth...it's 2 in the morning. Just go to sleep.

Garreth, sulky: Fine...

*later in the library*

Garreth: Sallow, do you think the quality of the taste of Polyjuice Potion is based on the character of the person?

Sebastian: Yes, I'd say so. Most people would think personality, but clearly, it makes more sense for it to be based on character.

Garreth: Thank you! What would you say to trying out this theory?

Sebastian: You're on.

MC, at the table, reading: I'll tell you right now. Professor Black's Polyjuice tasted like sour grapes and bigotry.

Garreth:

Sebastian: How could you know what "bigotry" tastes like?

Garreth: More importantly, when did YOU impersonate Black?!

MC:

MC: Funny story...