“An anthill? Say no more, I understand. Bugs are not necessarily pleasant,” she smiled conspiratorially at Charity, deciding not to mention that she had eaten meals of bugs multiple times in the past, either on a dare at Hogwarts or as part of the initiation of the Muggle druids on the Isle of Man. “Wars aren’t pleasant either, but since you asked... I think, if I know what I was talking about – and I don’t always – I was referring to what the Muggles call World War Two.
“Wizard wars and Muggle wars have a lot of things in common, I think, but they always start for the same reason: someone thinks they can run things better than someone else. World War Two happened while my nephew Trahaern was at Hogwarts. The Germans invaded the Poles, and King George – God save the king – declared war on Germany on September 3, 1939. I shouldn’t say it was the Germans, most of them were faultless. It was a party called the Nazis that controlled most of Germany at the time, and they were anti-capitalist and tried to use science to justify their racism. They persecuted wizards and Muggles alike if they weren’t part of their ‘perfect race.’ Watch out dear, there’s another anthill there, let Inigo handle it.
“Many places in the British Empire offered sanctuary to refugees from central Europe, including my hometown where most of the innkeepers are my family members. My mother’s inn, the Ysgubell, took in wizards and witches since they are the only ones that can see it. We also worked with the Expeditionary Force and when soldiers were recalled home for a break between tours of duty, we offered their families free stay. In all of our family’s inns and hotels, we enchanted the beds that the soldiers slept in so that their resolve would be strengthened and their sleep would be more beneficial. Our men, with the help of France, the United States, China, and later the Soviets after they were betrayed, finally won the war against the Nazis, but between all sides of the war the world lost about 78 million military and civilians.
“But yes, let’s talk about less depressing history, hmm?” Ceinwen snapped out of her melancholy reverie. “Let’s see. Well my favourite class at Hogwarts was Charms, even though I actually scored higher in Defence Against the Dark Arts. There’s just so much fun to be had when you know your charmwork. It’s a real outlet for your creativity. Not like Transfiguration that’s so specific, although I scored an E-Newt on that as well, so I suppose I shouldn’t complain. Charms are almost endless though, there’s so much you can do with them.” She giggled a little bit.
“I really wasn’t much good at History, since I didn’t expect to live so long,” she giggled some more, “but I know the basic history of the place. Two witches and two wizards worked together to establish a central educational establishment in Britannia, and they each prefered a certain type of—”
Ceinwen stopped herself abruptly. “I’m so sorry Charity, I was probably about to give you the same watered down version you’ve already heard. Anything specific about Hogwarts history you want to know? If I know it, I’ll answer you.”
