Chapter 14: Learning
But the snakes were not the extent of the magical creatures. Over the weeks, Harry met the centaur herd in the forest, who were refugees of a war in their homeland, several hippogriffs which nested in the tallest trees and the highest spire of the castle, and a Gryffin whom Gryffindor had rescued on his travels. In the village were horses, both winged and mundane, and Harry spent time with the farrier learning how to shoe both of them.
He learned about the different breeds of dogs, including crups, grims, and magical boarhounds, who roamed the village alongside their mundane counterparts. Kneazles and cats were also commonplace in the village and castle, and Harry also spent time with the village's herds of pigs, sheep, goats, cows, ducks, geese, and chickens. Slytherin explained and taught Harry the very specialized silencing spell he had cast on every rooster so as to keep them from killing Essa the basilisk with their cries.
Harry hunted with both the men of the village and the centaurs, bringing back various game birds, as well as the occasional larger deer or boar. These were provided to the village and castle for food, as were the plants harvested from the forest and the fields and gardens.
But Harry didn't only spend his time with Slytherin alone. His lessons with the founders often included both his fellow heirs, as well as the students of Hogwarts, though each student was encouraged to pursue what interested them and where their talents led. Harry also spent time with the other teachers and adults around Hogwarts and the village.
Gryffindor and Ravenclaw's husband Ulric were in charge of the castle and village defenses, and they took Harry to the human outposts around the estate's perimeter, where he met the soldiers who rotated through watches there. He trained with the students and youth of the village, who were led by a group of knights who lived in Hogsmeade. Some were magical, like Sir Nicholas, while some were muggle, and their training styles were aimed at teaching the students how to fight either kind of opponent.
Harry spent time with the blacksmith, fletcher and bowyer, learning how their weapons were made, and visited the armorer to learn about both mundane and magical means of protection. He spent time with the carpenter and potter, learning how they incorporated magic into their trades. Harry even accompanied Gryffindor as he oversaw the new construction on the castle, fascinating Harry with the ways that they blended mundane and magical means.
Hufflepuff took Harry to the valleys, hills, and forest, where he learned which wild plants were good for cooking, medicine, and potions, and how and when to pick them. He worked in the fields, orchards, and greenhouses, learning the same with the domesticated plants, as well as those imported from different countries, which were kept in specialty climate-controlled greenhouses. He learned which plants would do well indoors, and helped take care of the many plants inside the castle, which Hufflepuff said would help with the air in the space, as well as the magical and emotional uplift they provided.
He also eventually learned how to swim, and spent many days in the lake, harvesting aqueous plants, fishing, and meeting the dozens of creatures who lived there.
But not all of Harry's days were spent outside or in the village. He spent many days inside the castle, engaged in various studies.
From Hufflepuff and Mistress Bones, down in the kitchens, he learned all they would teach him about cooking, plants, and potions. He also put to use his extensive cooking knowledge from his time with the Dursleys, and found that he could hold his own cooking alongside elves and scullery maids who had spent their lives in the kitchen.
Hufflepuff trained Harry's healing magic, and taught him about various medical remedies. The Elves, merfolk, and Centaurs also contributed, teaching Harry their own healing magics and natural plant remedies. Hufflepuff's husband Charlus, the village surgeon and barber, also practiced medicine, and Harry accompanied him occasionally.
Her brother was a squib and a Priest, and he ran the village chapel. Several monks and friars called the village their home, but they were often out questing, seeking magical children to bring back to Hogwarts. Harry and Neville had lessons with the friars in medieval culture and history. Hermione was exempted when she proved to have sufficient knowledge of the time, but it was something that purebloods were not taught, and a class which Harry had largely ignored, not daring to get better grades than his cousin.
Harry was even able to spend some time with the Potter family currently residing in the village, meeting his ancestors and learning his family history.
From Ravenclaw and the other Hogwarts teachers, Harry and the others learned much about how Hogwarts worked, and the magical studies of the time. The teachers were witches and wizards from all around the world, who had been drawn to the idea of teaching scholarly magic. Students would have general studies for a little while, to find where their interests and talents lay, and then apprentice to one or two teachers.
Students could also apprentice to one of the craftsmasters in the village, or become a squire and undergo knighthood training. Unlike the Hogwarts of the future, students here lived and trained year round, and regularly began their studies as young as seven.
It didn't matter if the children from the village were magical or not, as Helena had explained about her own siblings. Often the Hogwarts recruiters would find families with several magical children, and rather than break them up, bring the entire family back to Hogsmeade. Many in the village were without magic; what would eventually be called muggles and squibs. They could train at Hogwarts too, and apprentice to masters in fields that did not require magic to succeed. To Harry, the system made a good deal of sense, but Neville, with his future pureblood upbringing, was often floored by new revelations.
As Helena explained, translating things into the same terms as the future Hogwarts would use, the school currently offered eight magically-based tracts of study, in addition to the various mundane-friendly apprenticeship opportunities in the village or kitchens.
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