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| Started by witch Annabelle Hallaway on October 1, 1692, Grove Academy is the oldest wizarding school in the United States to focus on the instruction of young women and the development of their witchcraft. Though many hardships, Grove have persevered and have produced some of the world’s most famous witches. Hard Beginnings The tragic events of the Salem Witch Trials forever changed the practice of Witchcraft in the United States. While the male wizards happily went about their daily lives, their craft concealed, witches were being constantly attacked by the muggles. Very many witches of the day were caught and executed, for they refused to reveal themselves or their fellow witches. Many witches, for fear of being found out stopped practicing the craft. As the trials continued, more and more witches abandoned their magic and forced their families to do the same for their own protections. It was one woman, Annabelle Hallaway, who stood up and made the choice that the next generation must be educated, without fear of being discovered by the muggles. She bought a small building on the outskirts of Amherst, Massescuttets and Grove Academy was born on October 14, 1692. Young girls from all over the colony came to be taught the art of witchcraft by Annabelle and members of her family. Basic anti-muggle charms were placed on the building so as to not provoke unwanted attention. When the witch trials finally ended, Annabelle had more than 50 students in her school and gaining more students by the day. It was time for expansion. The Great Fire As time went on, the school continued to grow, even without their founder. After a long and dedicated time as Grove’s headmistress, Annabelle died in 1750 at 82. With her death brought another Hallaway, Annabelle’s youngest daughter Sarah, into the esteemed position, having been chosen by Annabelle herself. At 45, Sarah was ready and willing to take the reins and continue her mother’s legacy. However, the school’s survival would be questioned by the escalating violence that would soon lead to America’s fight for independence. With British muggle soldiers marching in the countryside and burning houses and villages, it became even more essential that the school and its inhabitants stayed secret for fear that their livelihood would be attacked. Despite Sarah’s efforts, the school’s seclusion would not last. It was on a cold night on November 12, 1777 while everyone slept that the muggles had found the little school in the deep woods and set fire to it, believing it to be a safe haven for the colonial army. The students and teachers escaped without harm but the school was destroyed. The colonies’ magical council, which was started 20 years before, erased the memories of the muggles and set to work rebuilding the esteemed academy. The school was placed in its current location, deep within the woods as to not attract attention. More powerful anti-muggle spells were placed on the place so nothing of this nature would happen again. Grove reopened its doors a year later, to a growth of witches of all kinds and from both sides. By the time America had won the fight for independence, Grove had become the most esteemed of schools. The Great War The years that Britain and the world was terrorized by the evil one known throughout the Wizarding World as Lord Voldemort, the United States remained out of the conflict but very worried that it would not be long before the dark lord had made his way to the nation. The amount of his followers on American soil grew to alarming proportions. Finally war came to America on June 1998, when Voldemort’s top man in the states, Ravon Horntail launched a full scale attack on the American Burneu of Magic. For the second time in the school’s history, Grove closed as the school’s council believed it unsafe for their young students. In the three months that the school was shut down, it became a hideaway for many who escaped from the fighting, and a place where aurors’ wounds were tended to. It was to be there where the final battle in America would take place. After many days and the deaths of many good aurors, Ravon was finally defeated and the Wizarding World was once again at peace. Grove reopened its doors to its students the following school year, full of promise and hope for the future. Present Day For the last three-hundred and fifteen years, Grove has stood the test of time. Surviving the wars and conflicts that had pledged Muggle and Wizarding history, Grove has shown the Wizarding world the seriousness it shows with educating the nation’s witches in the art of witchcraft. Now with the instillation of a new Hallaway, Elizabeth Hallaway, into the office of headmistress, only time will tell if the school and its years of tradition will survive into the new milineninum. |