The School's History

I. The Founding — 1127

The Thornfield Academy of Arcane Arts (commonly known simply as Thornfield) is the oldest and most prestigious magical educational institution in the British Isles. The school's founding is traditionally placed in the year 1127, when four exceptional mages decided to organise the training of young wizards in a safe, hidden location.

The four founders: Sir Aldric Ashworth, the legendary duelling master and dragon hunter; Lady Rowena Blackthorn, grand mistress of runology and astral magic; Lord Cedric Dunmore, father of magical politics and alchemy; and Lady Isolde Greymist, expert of magical herbs and creatures.

Each contributed to the school's unique value system, and the four houses they founded still reflect their spirit to this day. Together they created the Crown of Discernment — which has ever since looked into the heart and mind of each new student to sort them into the right house.

II. The Castle

The school takes its name from Thornfield Castle, a monumental fortress reminiscent of a Gothic-Norman cathedral, situated in the heart of the Scottish Highlands on a mist-shrouded plateau above the shores of Eildon Lake.

To Muggles the castle appears as a dangerous, crumbling ruin surrounded by safety cordons and "hazardous building" signs. Only those with magical ability can see it in its true form: a magnificent, living, breathing structure whose towers reach into the sky.

The castle consists of seven main floors and numerous secret sub-levels. On the ground floor the Great Entrance Hall greets arrivals with its vast arched gateway and marble floor bearing the school's crest: four interlocking symbols, beneath them the motto: "Per Arcana Ad Astra".

III. The Great Refectory and the House Hourglasses

The Great Refectory is a vast great hall where all four house tables stand. The enchanted ceiling mirrors the sky and changes with the seasons. At the far end stands the teachers' dais and the four enormous hourglasses marking house points — the House Hourglasses.

The Ashworth hourglass fills with rubies, Silverbrook with emeralds, Ravenscroft with sapphires, and Heathwood with amber stones for every house point earned. At the year-end ceremony, the house with the most gems wins the House Cup — the school's greatest honour.

IV. Hidden Secrets

The castle holds more secrets than anyone could map in a single lifetime. The Corridor of Whispers — a hidden stone passage within the walls — is said to carry conversations from every room in the castle. The Founders' Treasury holds the founders' personal items in the castle's deepest recesses, opened only by one who has collected all four houses' secrets.

The Moonlit Garden — a garden that appears in the castle courtyard only on full moon nights — hides rare magical plants. The Riddle Corridor is a tunnel opened by riddles that leads from any point in the castle to any other. The Hall of Reflections holds a magical mirror that shows the viewer their deepest desire or fear.

And there is the Forbidden Corridor on the third floor, sealed with heavy chains and a magic seal. Over the years several students have disappeared in this corridor... but the exact circumstances belong to the school's darkest secrets.

V. The Magical World

Thornfield does not stand alone — it is part of an entire hidden society. The Arcane Concord (Council of Magical Agreement) governs British magical society, headquartered in the Whitehall Vaults in London. The Wardens enforce the law, whose paramount statute is the Ordinance of Mundane Secrecy — forbidding the revelation of magic to ordinary people.

Students may spend their weekends in the nearby village of Thornwick, where the legendary Merriwick's Sweet Emporium, cosy taverns, and specialty shops await. The magical currency system: 1 Gold = 17 Silver = 493 Copper.

VI. The Present Day

Today the school is led by Professor Everett Lancaster — a wise, warm-hearted but deeply mysterious old gentleman whose sharp eyes always see more than he lets on. Under his leadership Thornfield flourishes, but old secrets do not sleep...

Within the castle walls students may study eight subjects — from Incantations & Charmwork through Alchemy & Potioncraft to Defence Against Dark Sorcery — under eight unique teachers who are each masters of their field. And every year, at the Sorting Ceremony, the Crown of Discernment descends upon another generation's heads to begin mapping the path of young wizards.