As is well known, Hogwarts was founded by four great wizards a thousand years ago.
They were: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin.
Four great founders came from the most prestigious pure-blood wizard families of their time. Instead of being conservative about the preservation of magic, these four outstanding young wizards surprisingly possessed broad-mindedness and foresight.
They recognized that the transmission of magic must be open, and opportunities must be given to talented children of muggle birth to explore the secrets of magic (Slytherin also had different opinions). In this way, magic can thrive forever.
Thus, with a shared vision, the four founders established Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry amidst mountains and black waters.
At the beginning of the establishment of the school, the four founders jointly managed Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. They taught their life's work to many other prominent pure-blood wizard descendants who admired their magic and enrolled students from the muggle world.
Initially, the four leaders charged all students tuition to support the school's operations, but soon they discovered a problem.
The tuition fees were not a burden for the descendants of magical families, but many children with magical talent who were born into the muggle world could not afford the costs of attending Hogwarts. In response to this situation, the great four founders waived the tuition fees for these children.
These children were grateful at the same time, but also brought new problems.
The school's preferential treatment led to much dissatisfaction in the magical world. In that age of supremacy of blood purity, where teaching magic secrets to muggles was considered shameful, such preferential treatment caused criticism against the newly established Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
So, after much thought, the four founders decided that Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry would waive the tuition fees for all children, and all expenses would be borne by the four founders.
Years later, three of the founders passed away, and Helga Hufflepuff became the first headmistress of Hogwarts.
To sustain the school's operation, Helga Hufflepuff exhausted her family wealth, leading to a very meager life in her later years.
Her successor, not coming from a wealthy magical family and having little wealth to spare, had to reinstate the Hogwarts tuition system.
For two centuries, the tuition system continued to be used.
This directly led to the re-closed magic education, magic only passed down in pure-blood wizard families and a few wealthy muggle descendants, it is difficult for a large number of muggle descendants wizards to integrate into the magical world.
Change appeared in the third century after the establishment of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
A wizard without a magical family became the head of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and this wizard actively sought ways to allow more poor but magical talent muggle children to enjoy the opportunity for magical education after taking office.
After careful consideration, the head of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry sought help from several prominent pure-blood families whose reputation was at its height at the time.
He traded away a portion of his powers as the head of Hogwarts and agreed to have Hogwarts under their leadership in exchange for the financial support from the ancient wizard families.
Thus, the Hogwarts Board of Governors was established.
Huh!
Phew! Harry, Ron, and Neville around Hermione took a collective sigh of relief as they finished reading the lengthy section about the 'Board of Governors' from the thick 'History of Hogwarts'.
Their gazes intertwined through the flickering candlelight, and they all found each other's eyes filled with surprise, emotion, and gratitude.
"I never imagined.
Hmph!
Ron's words just came out, and Mrs. Pince, who was sitting at the door reading a book on magical herbs, let out a cold snort and cast her sharp eyes towards them.
Ron was scared and quickly hushed, lowering his head.
And Hermione's slender fingers began to glide across the pale yellow paper once more.
【The members of the Board of Governors are not fixed. In fact, because of the huge expenses, all the original members of the Board had been replaced within half a century after its establishment.】
To effectively control teaching costs, the successor of the Board of Governors ordered the headmaster of Hogwarts to strictly control the teaching expenses of each magical subject and to review educational materials, deleting a large number of magic passed down from ancient times that were powerful but expensive to learn.】
Hermione let out a soft sigh as she read this.
【In the following century, the number of wizards without magical families in the magical world grew rapidly.】
And this once again led to dissatisfaction among pure-blood wizard families, so the Board of Governors ordered Hogwarts to control the number of muggle-born students admitted, but this was met with firm resistance from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
As a result, the Board of Governors suspended its financial support for Hogwarts. In retaliation, Hogwarts responded by ceasing to admit descendants from pure-blood wizard families.
Eventually, the Ministry of Magic intervened in the dispute between the Board of Governors and Hogwarts.
To avoid extreme families causing extreme ideas that affect the normal teaching of Hogwarts, Hogwarts advocated for the expansion of the Board of Governors from six to twelve.
And the Board of Governors, to further curb the powers of the headmaster, gained the right to appoint and dismiss the headmaster of Hogwarts.
With the witness of the Ministry of Magic, both parties signed a contract. The Board of Governors enjoys the power to appoint and dismiss staff at Hogwarts and the power to appoint and dismiss the headmaster, in return for ensuring that Hogwarts will not lose its funding. This agreement is supervised by the Ministry of Magic.
Leaving the library, Harry's expression was still a bit dazed as he walked through the ancient corridors of the castle.
When people mention Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, they often eagerly discuss its long history of a thousand years.
However, how many people actually know about the many ups and downs that Hogwarts experienced during its thousand-year history?
It's like a brilliant flower blooming from the crevice of a rock, its strength inspires respect, but at the same time, it's fragile enough to cause shivering.
"I see--"
The few of them walked in silence towards the way back, and Ron suddenly stopped under a burning, strong torch and showed a look of realization.
"What have you realized?"
Hermione asked, looking at Ron askance.
With such a crisis at Hogwarts, Hermione's mood couldn't possibly be good. In particular, the Board of Governors that caused the crisis can be said to some extent because of the likes of her muggle-born wizard.
"Malfoy--"
Ron widened his eyes, his expression revealing an inappropriately excited demeanor.
Ron opened his eyes, revealing an inappropriate excitement in his expression,
“Malfot looks unhappy today. Not only him, but the whole Slytherin look unhappy. Do you think they are afraid? If Hogwarts decides to retaliate, it will be like history that all students from pure-blood wizard families will be expelled. Malfoy and his group are afraid of being kicked out of school?”
Hearing this, Harry's emerald eyes also twinkled with a strange light. What is this called, turning adversity into advantage?
Hermione had grown tired of answering this question and shook her head in a sigh, which triggered Ron's dissatisfaction.
"I must remind you, Ron——"
But before Ron could question the reason for Hermoine's expression, Harry, who had been amused by it, spoke up with a wry smile.
"The Longbottom family and the Weasley family are both old wizarding families in the magical world. If Hogwarts makes the same decision as it did in history, we will be expelled just like Malfoy."
(End of this chapter)
