Chapter two : The Covenant of Four Crowns

Part I: The Four Crowns

Chapter Two : The Covenant of Four Crowns

The completion of Hogwarts should have marked the end of the debate.

Instead, it marked the beginning of a new one.

The castle stood proudly above the Black Lake.

Its towers pierced the clouds.

Its walls were protected by enchantments woven together by the greatest magical minds of the age.

The moving staircases had already become a source of endless frustration for the builders.

The Great Hall glittered beneath an enchanted ceiling.

The library waited to be filled.

The classrooms stood ready.

Everything was prepared.

Everything except the future.

For despite supporting the creation of Hogwarts, many nobles remained uneasy.

The Four Royal Houses had contributed enormous wealth.

The Blackthornes alone had donated enough gold to fund three castles.

The Valmonts had provided defensive enchantments capable of withstanding magical sieges.

The Ravenshades had opened portions of their ancient archives.

The Evercrests had drafted the first laws governing the school.

Yet one question remained.

“Who would control Hogwarts?”

The answer seemed obvious to many.

The Four Royal Houses had built it.

Surely they should govern it.

Surely they should influence admissions.

Surely their children should receive privileges unavailable to ordinary students.

Surely their voices should carry greater weight than everyone else’s.

The founders disagreed.

Completely.

The disagreement became so severe that a gathering was called.

Representatives from every major magical family attended.

Kings.

Queens.

Princes.

Princesses.

Scholars.

Magical leaders.

For three days and three nights they debated within the unfinished Great Hall.

The arguments echoed through chambers that would one day hold generations of students.

The Blackthorne King argued that no family would invest so heavily without receiving influence in return.

The Valmont Queen warned that powerful families would eventually seek control.

The Ravenshade scholars predicted corruption if boundaries were not established.

The Evercrest court insisted that clear laws must be created before the first student arrived.

By the third night, no agreement had been reached.

Then Salazar Slytherin stood.

The hall fell silent.

Though he had abandoned his title years earlier, there remained something undeniably royal about him.

His voice carried effortlessly through the chamber.

“Hogwarts was never meant to belong to us.”

Murmurs spread throughout the hall.

Slytherin continued.

“If the children of noble families receive privileges, then the purpose of this school is already defeated.”

Many objected.

Many protested.

Yet Godric Gryffindor rose beside him.

Then Rowena Ravenclaw.

Then Helga Hufflepuff.

For the first time, the founders stood united before every royal family in Britain.

And they delivered an ultimatum.

Either Hogwarts would remain independent.

Or Hogwarts would not exist at all.

The threat stunned the assembly.

Years of planning.

Years of construction.

Years of sacrifice.

All of it could vanish.

Hours later, negotiations resumed.

This time with a different tone.

By sunrise, an agreement had finally been reached.

A magical agreement.

A binding covenant.

An oath that would endure for centuries.

It became known as

“The Covenant of Four Crowns.”

The covenant established five sacred laws.

First.

No Royal House would ever interfere in Hogwarts affairs.

Second.

No student would receive special treatment because of bloodline, wealth, influence, or title.

Third.

The Headmaster of Hogwarts would answer only to Hogwarts itself.

Fourth.

Knowledge contributed by the Four Royal Houses would belong permanently to the school.

Fifth.

Any House that violated the covenant would lose access to the privileges and protections granted by Hogwarts.

The moment the agreement was signed, the founders sealed it with ancient magic.

Golden light spread across the parchment.

The enchantment became part of Hogwarts itself.

The covenant could not easily be broken.

And so the school opened its gates.

For the first time in history, royal heirs and ordinary children studied side by side.

Some friendships formed.

Some rivalries began.

Some legends were born.

The covenant endured.

One century passed.

Then another.

Then another.

Kings died.

Queens passed into history.

Governments rose and fell.

Yet Hogwarts remained untouched.

Independent.

Neutral.

Free.

A place where a prince could lose points for breaking rules.

A place where a common-born student could become Head Boy.

A place where surnames mattered less than choices.

For nearly a thousand years, no royal family dared challenge the covenant.

Not the Blackthornes.

Not the Valmonts.

Not the Ravenshades.

Not the Evercrests.

The oath had become sacred.

By the modern age, most witches and wizards believed the Four Royal Houses were little more than ancient history.

A forgotten chapter buried in dusty books.

A legend.

A myth.

They were wrong.

The Four Houses still existed.

Their fortunes had only grown.

Their influence had only expanded.

And among them all, one name commanded more attention than the others.

Blackthorne.

For within that House, after centuries of waiting, a daughter had finally been born.

A daughter whose future had been decided before she had even opened her eyes.

Her name was Seraphina Blackthorne.

And her story was about to begin.

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