The Sorrow of Rowena Ravenclaw.


It so happened that there lived in a remote village in Scotland a young crofter and his wife. Morag, for such was his wife’s name, was heavy with her first child. As the time approached for the baby to be born, a strange melancholy overcame her. She lost interest in their little croft; could raise no energy to clean it or to help with the farm work. Her days were spent in silent reflection, walking by the fast-flowing burn that ran through their settlement. In this same village there lived a wise woman named Magret Mac Spey, whom many said was in possession of the sight. Magret passed her days tinkering about her herb-filled cottage, making possets and remedies, and giving advice to anyone who needed it.

Morag’s husband was so worried about his withdrawn wife that he eventually paid the woman a visit and asked what he should do.

“Bring her hither,” the woman said in a voice like wind against ancient bark. “I shall see what is to be done.”

So it was that Morag Ravenclaw carried herself to the house of the wise woman and hefted her swollen body onto a spindly chair. Magret’s observant eyes could see the wanderlust in the woman and she sighed heavily.

“You wee one is ready to be born, child,” she pronounced, placing a weathered hand on Morag’s fruitful belly. Feeling the magic within, Magret’s brow furrowed and she heeded the rush of information she received. With a voice molten with importance, she repeated it to the mother-to-be.

“This child, your daughter, shall be born with the intelligence of the wisest, the grace of kings, and the gentleness of the meekest lamb. She shall be crowned with raven hair; her lips shall be blood red, and her eyes will enchant many. She will be malcontent, always seeking knowledge, and she will not settle until she sees it enshrined within walls of stone. Yet heed me, Morag, daughter of Fergus, child of Wizards and wife of a mere Muggle; this child shall cause great trouble in the world of men and wizards. She is destined for a great wizard, a dark man, a powerful mage, yet this man will in turn be the cause of great grief. He will come from afar and she will remain loyal to him even though she will betray her own. He will be cast away and his cruelty shall grow A great darkness shall fall upon the hearts of men and it will echo down the coming years for many centuries. Your child shall be named Rowena and she shall leave this place and encounter much grief.”


When the unborn child’s father heard this prophecy he was sorely troubled. He formed a resolution not to let his daughter from his sight or his lands to save her from the dark shades of her future. When the baby came it was a girl, as predicted, and was born with a thatch of dark hair and eyes that swam with the knowledge of ages. Morag insisted she be called Rowena, despite her husband’s protests. They watched their baby grow into a lovely young woman, watching her carefully all the while for any signs that she would run away from her homeland and find her dark wizard.


From an early age, Rowena knew that she was special. While her friends could wander wither they would, she was kept close to her parents. Her father watched her constantly, his eyes alert, watchful. She was not allowed to hitch a ride on the cart that carried trade between their village and their neighbours, and grew knowing little of the world beyond the fields that her father owned. As she entered her seventeenth year she felt the first stirrings of longing in her heart. Her mind began to wander far from her home, visions plaguing her dreams; tall towers, huge buildings, fantastical places that she did not recognise, never having seen such places. Angus Ravenclaw took it upon himself to betroth her to the fine, fire-haired second son of their clan chief. Conn was a fine man; everything a woman could want in a husband, yet Rowena was unhappy with the choice. Her magical abilities had started to manifest themselves and she did not want the burden of hiding them from such an earthy husband.

One bright morning, two days before her wedding, she walked by the river and felt herself drawn to the water. Looking into its depths, her eyes grew wide as she saw the biggest fish she had ever clapped eyes upon. Its scales were a vicious shade of black and it moved through the water with purpose. Her feet took on a will of their own and she followed its path as it meandered away. It took her far beyond the houses, out through the clot of trees that bordered their lands. She did not even notice the passing of the huge yew with its lighting split trunk. Her parents were far too busy with wedding preparations to notice that their grown daughter had wandered off. They were so secure in the knowledge that she was happy and unlikely to roam that they did not miss her for several hours.

The man appeared as she finally lost sight of the fish. He was astride a wiry black horse and blocking her path. Rowena was taken aback to see such a handsome stranger, but as she looked into his eyes she recognised herself in their depths.

“Do I know you, Sire?” she asked in a tremulous voice.

“I am Salazar Slytherin,” he said, his voice scattered through with a strange accent. “And you are Rowena Ravenclaw. I have come to find you, for it is prophesied that you will join me.”

Rowena fell immediately under the enchantment of her own fate and allowed him to pull her onto the horse’s back. Settling herself into him, she felt such a sense of rightness that she did not give her parents another thought. They rode for hours, passing over mountains and valleys until time held no meaning.

Finally, they breached the boundary of a thick forest and she could see a lake spread out below them with a plateau above it. On that plateau were rocks that had clearly been taken from the mountainside and stood ready for something.

“This is to be Hogwarts,” Salazar Slytherin said, his voice proud. “It will be your home.”

And so it proved to be. Rowena quickly grew accustomed to her new life with this man. He taught her much about her powers that she would never have known. He chose a fine willow and cut her a wand from it, although he would not tell her how he constructed and breathed magic into the beautiful thing. His own wand was yew, and the first time she saw it a memory of home stirred within her, but it was soon gone.

Their relationship grew beyond mere friends; they were one soul. And then Godric Gryffindor arrived with Helga Hufflepuff and something changed. Salazar knew them of old and Rowena felt as if she had suddenly become a stranger to the group. Still, they came together to build the school. Stone by stone the walls grew, and a magical charge settled about them.

A year later and the school had grown fine and tall. Salazar was proud of his efforts, so proud that he decreed only pure-blooded wizards would be allowed into the fine establishment. Godric Gryffindor argued violently against this suggestion, with the backing of Helga, but Rowena remained strangely silent. In desperation, Godric turned to her for support, and she failed to give it.

The relationship between Salazar and Godric remained so strained that the magic began to twist and some of the building came down and had to be rebuilt. The feuding about pure-bloods and Muggles could not go on, but no one knew how to end it. Both men were adamant that they were right. Helga tried to persuade Rowena to side with Godric, but Rowena told her that she loved Salazar with her whole heart and would not betray him.

Later that month, after the Great Hall’s ceiling had had to be replaced for the fourth time, a traveller came through offering to sell them animal pelts. Godric thanked him and was in the process of sending him on his way when the stranger set eyes upon Rowena coming from behind the new greenhouses. He recognised her, being of her old village, and told her that her father was sorely saddened by her loss. It soon transpired that Rowena’s father was indeed a Muggle and this heartened Godric considerably, for now, surely, she could not fail to be on his side in the argument.

When Salazar discovered the truth, his roars of anguish could be heard far and wide. He had fallen deeply in love with the young, quick-witted girl and did not want to lose her, but his firm principles regarding the school and his attitude to non-wizarding types ground a decision from him. Despite the fact that Rowena still would not side with Godric, he made up his mind to leave. Godric did not stop him, indeed added some force to the arguments that he should leave.

Heartbroken, he bade farewell to the school and his three colleagues and was never seen by any of them again. Rowena was distraught, finding no peace from the torment of losing her lover. Godric tried his utmost to comfort her and, when the school finally opened, he hoped that it would take her mind off the loss of Salazar. Mindful of the damage caused by the wandering Muggle, Godric cast many Muggle repelling charms over the school to hide it from prying eyes.

Rowena could not be consoled. She taught her new pupils well, but each spell, each wave of her wand, reminded her of what she had lost. She grew pale and gaunt, haunting the school with her restless presence. It was said she made the floors, rooms and staircases constantly change in the hope of one day finding a room that would transport her back to a time where she and Salazar could be together.

The school grew in strength and importance and Rowena waned. As she reached her fiftieth year, alone and with only her intelligence for company, she rode out into the forest that bordered the school. It was deep and dark, and she found she could allow herself to be sorrowful without the bright sun or colourful flowers attempting to brighten her mood.

The further she went, the colder it became and she felt her heart finally break under the weight of her loss. In a clearing she fancied she saw a movement; a cloaked figure alone, beckoning. The hood was suddenly thrown back and she saw Salazar, his head proud and unbowed. He looked so different from the last time she had seen him, with Godric’s harsh words still ringing in his ears and his back bent against the weight of her parentage.

She opened her mouth to speak, but with a sad twist of a smile the vision was gone. Unable to bear this second loss, she sent her horse into a gallop, not caring that the forest was a dangerous place to gallop a horse through. As the final strings in her heart snapped, she threw herself from the horse and cracked her head against a rock, finally gaining the peace she had sought down the years.

Godric had her buried in a white tomb within the depths of the forest and forbade the students to enter the place. A ring of yews grew around the tomb and in time it was lost to the sight of humans forever.