The Lion and the Serpent

Two friends- highly gifted, decided to impart magical talents into future generations and take magic to its finest form. Apart from being talented, each had a set of values, but this was kept aside for the few glorious days when they laid the foundation of the great institution they had planned. But pride and honor got in the way, and the two friends got into a disagreement, which has not yet ended, even after a thousand years…

The two friends are Godric Gryffindor and Salazar Slytherin, co-founders of Hogwarts. As revealed in Chamber of Secrets, Slytherin wanted only pure bloods into the school but Gryffindor wanted fair play. This led into a quarrel and Slytherin eventually left the school. This leads to the following observations and speculations…

Heir and There

It is known that Slytherin’s heir is none other than Lord Voldemort. But what about Gryffindor’s heir??

Firstly, does this heir of Gryffindor exist? The vote will definitely go to Albus Dumbledore, who is the incarnation of the values and powers of Gryffindor. This will also mean that his brother Aberforth Dumbledore is also the heir of Gryffindor, though his persona doesn’t quite match the one associated with a person who veins contain the blood of Gryffindor.

The other vote will definitely go to Harry Potter. The fact that he drew out the Sword of Gryffindor from the Sorting Hat and also that the Potters were Pure Blood but not obsessed and also not designated Blood Traitors, lends support to the theory that Potters are descendants of Gryffindor. Of course, a simple thing can be that Potters and Dumbledore’s are distantly related and both are the descendants of Gryffindor!!

But since most of Gryffindor’s relics are contained in Hogwarts themselves instead of being carried around by their rightful owners (the hypothetical ancestors), this shows that it may be that Gryffindor didn’t have a heir at all and his only baby was the Hogwarts Castle. [Thanks to Paracelsus for this point]

When Dumbledore dies in HBP and the death eaters are fleeing, the Gryffindor hourglass breaks and the rubies scatter on the ground. (the extract given at the end of the theory) Does this signify the fall of Gryffindor’s heir?

Hoggy Warty Hogwarts…

Firstly, the Hogwarts Crest couldn’t have been designed by Slytherin. If you notice, the Serpent is the only animal that is not touching the letter H. Also, if it had been Slytherin, he would have left a message like- “Die Mudbloods Die”(in Latin of course). The symbol, of course has many other interpretations.

Also, The office of the Headmaster shows signs that once it had been occupied by Godric himself. Apart from grand sunlit interiors, it has a brass knocker in the shape of Griffin. And Gryffindor translates into Golden Griffon. It leads to a question that why Gryffindor took Lion as the animal representing his house, when his own name interprets into a lion. Slytherin took a snake because he was a parselmouth, so can it be that Gryffindor was an Animagus in lion. Obviously, the simplest explanation is that Lion signifies bravery and Gryffindor valued bravery as most.

The Unbreakable Vow

This one is pure fan fiction with some logic thrown in.

A thousand years ago, the great Godric Gryffindor and the shrewd Salazar Slytherin made an Unbreakable Vow. The Vow said that if a stronger member of Slytherin’s family attacked a weaker member of Gryffindor’s family, the stronger member would die, and vice versa. This theory may sound far fetched, but it explains the following points:

• Dumbledore fought with the Dark wizard Grindelwald 50 years ago, in 1945. At that time, Grindelwald was the stronger wizard, and was a descendant of Slytherin. Dumbledore was weaker at that time, and was the descendant of Gryffindor (assuming that). Following the vow made by their forefathers, when Grindelwald attacked Dumbledore, he died. Also, Dumbledore was left with the mark- a scar in the shape of London Underground on his ankle.
• Many years later, in 1981, Lord Voldemort arrived in Godric’s hollow. Both he and James Potter were of equal powers, but Voldemort being quicker killed him. Then he murdered his wife Lily and proceeded on to confront their innocent one year old son. Harry Potter, was powerless at that time but was the descendant of Gryffindor (assume that!). Voldemort, being the descendant of Slytherin and the more powerful wizard, went against the vow and attacked Harry. The Vow followed and Voldemort was killed, leaving Harry with a simple scar (like in the case of Dumbledore). But Voldemort still survived owing to his Horcruxes.
• Why doesn’t Dumbledore kill Voldemort once and for all. Here is the simple explanation- he knows, by experience of course, that he is the descendant of Gryffindor and the stronger sorcerer, and Voldemort is a Slytherin. If he kills Voldemort, he would die in his place, owing to the vow. Hence, it is prudence that forces him to hold his wand.

A question may be asked- Why doesn’t Dumbledore allow Harry to be killed by Voldemort, knowing that it will be Voldemort who will face the consequences. It can be that he isn’t sure that the Vow was void for two times, or he feels that it would be useless as big V is currently immortal.

Relics and Horcruxes

The only known relics are the grand ruby-encrusted Gryffindor’s Sword and the sleek Golden Locket of Slytherin. The sword has of course been used by Harry to slay the Slytherin’s monster (another relic). A question is- could the sword be a horcrux? Could old D have made a Horcrux in it? The earlier theories formulated by me (Fawkes- Dumbledore's horcrux), Paracelsus (Dumbledore's fears) and Glanmore (Dumbledore's shadowy past) deal with the same matter. I also earlier made a theory about the how the Sorting Hat (Gryffindor’s brainstorm), could be a horcrux.

The locket is also quite mystical.
Harry and old D went to acquire the same but instead got a fake one as it had already been taken by R.A.B. There is evidence regarding the location of the locket at Grimmauld place, again a the home of strong followers of Slytherin.

Also, a matter that quite strikes me is the theory that Fawkes the Phoenix belonged to Gryffindor, and was handed over to its righteous heir, Dumbledore. Gryffindor would have surely left something to equip his true heir (Harry?) to fight against the legendary Slytherin monster. Fawkes’ powers and near-immortality make it a perfect weapon. Also, it being the epitome of nobiliity, truthfulness and bravery make it a perfect Gryffindor’s pet.

The other thing associated with Gryffindor is the mythical Godric’s Hollow, as the name suggests itself. Could it be Gryffindor’s lair. The fact that it gave sanctuary to the Potters and was suggested by Dumbledore himself gives heat to the matter. Could Dumbledore have found Fawkes there?

Fate of Friend turned Foes

The main thing that intrigues me is the fate of Gryffindor and Slytherin. Did their paths diverge after their fight or did they meet again?? I think it is improbable that such powerful wizards just grew old and died due to dragonpox.

Did Slytherin walked out of the golden gates of Hogwarts and didn’t even look back at his foe? A wizard like Slytherin will surely relish revenge, so how did he manage it? Was it a duel or something? A duel between Gryffindor and Slytherin would have surely be exhilarating. Of course, Slytherin left the basilisk at Hogwarts to enlighten his cause,

The ancient rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin, bred on grounds of lineage, now takes the form in Quidditch matches and the annual House championships in which the house having the highest point wins. Godric would have been very proud of Harry as he is giving his best towards winning both.

At the end of HBP, in pg 560, JKR has quilled-

The Gryffindor Hour Glass had been hit by a curse and the rubies within were still falling, with a loud rattle, on to the flagstones below…

Does this signify the fall of Gryffindor, like the rubies in the hourglass? Can those rubies be recollected, and will the values of Godric continue to prevail in the world shadowed by the heir of Slytherin? Will Harry (alleged heir), the true believer and follower of Gryffindor’s values, win the battle against the descendant of Slytherin, Lord Voldemort and avenge the death of Gryffindor’s hero and alleged heir, Albus Dumbledore.

All followers of either Godric\Salazar or their heirs should feel free to comment.