Historical Events We Could See In Hogwarts Legacy

The Harry Potter lore is rich and varied, and there are many historical events referenced throughout the books, movies, and other writings. With the announcement of Hogwarts Legacy, it was revealed that the game would take place in and around Hogwarts in the “late 1800s”. Assuming that the late 1800s means anywhere from the 1870s to the 1890s, there are many interesting possibilities in terms of historical events that the player could encounter. Let’s take a look at some of more fun and exciting historical events that might take place while we’re at school in Hogwarts Legacy!

Hogwarts Magical History in the 1870s

In 1875, the Ministry of Magic put into law the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery. This law bans the use of magic outside of school for all wizards and witches under the age of seventeen. As a late-admission student, the player character in Hogwarts Legacy is undoubtedly an underage witch or wizard. From what we’ve seen of the trailer, it looks that we will have to use magic outside of school. Even if it is in self defense, it may be that our characters use of magic outside of Hogwarts contributes in some way to the enactment of the aforementioned decree.

In 1876, Hogwarts had a caretaker named Rancorous Carpe. Tired of the poltergeist Peeves’ pranks, Carpe conceived of an overly-complex trap for the ghost, involving a variety of swords and firearms as “bait” for Peeves. The trap failed, and Peeves got his hands on the weapons, which he immediately began firing randomly out of windows. Faced with an armed poltergeist making death threats, Hogwarts was evacuated for three days. An exciting event to behold, and one that would make for an interesting quest in Hogwarts Legacy.

Perhaps the most likely historical event from the 70’s to make an in-game appearance is the Wizarding Schools Potions Championship. The championship is held every seven years in honor of Quintia McQuoid, a witch who lost her life to an improperly brewed potion. Described by renowned potioneer Zygmunt Budge as “fairly hazardous… quite deadly”, the potions competition would make for a great final quest for students enrolled in Potions class at Hogwarts. Since the championship is held every seven years, it could be part of Hogwarts Legacy no matter what decade the game is set in.

Hogwarts Magical History in the 1880s

There is not much magical history of note in the 80’s that directly involves Hogwarts school, however there are still some historical events of note that could appear in the game. Perhaps most notably, a London vampire by the name of Sir Herbert Varney preyed upon woman in the city throughout the 1880s. He was finally captured and killed in ’89 by wizards from the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. There was no hint of vampires in the trailer, and it seems unlikely that this is something Hogwarts students would be involved in, but it would definitely have been major news at the time. If the game is set in the ’80s, Sir Varney ought to make an appearance in some of the in-game dialogue at least.

A more lighthearted event from this decade is the alleged escape of a Golden Snitch after a six-month long Quidditch match. Cornish wizards claim it still lives wild on the Moor, although that story is still unconfirmed. It’s a long shot, but “The Hunt for the Wild Snitch” would make for an interesting side-quest.

Speaking of Quidditch, in ’83 the Quidditch pitch got its final alteration, replacing large baskets with the hoops we see in the modern game. As with most change, a large group of people got very upset about it, and a riot ensued (although it was blamed on goblin agitators). We know Quidditch may make an appearance in the game, so perhaps the change in the playing field will either be seen or referenced in-game.

Hogwarts Magical History in the 1890s

Fans of Albus Dumbledore should root for Hogwarts Legacy to be set in the last decade of the 19th century, when the famous headmaster attended Hogwarts. Dumbledore started his first year and was sorted into Gryffindor in 1982, and sat his N.E.W.T.s in 1899. If the game is indeed set during Dumbledore’s days as a student, it is hard to imagine that he wouldn’t make an appearance in Hogwarts Legacy. Of course, expectations would be high for any sort of Dumbledore cameo, and perhaps developers Avalanche Software will shy away from trying to fit such a beloved character into their game.

Cheating on the Ordinary Wizard Levels test is notoriously difficult. That didn’t stop a Hogwarts student from doing so in 1896, however; their cheating was the last successful known attempt. It has been confirmed that the player can make moral choices in Hogwarts Legacy in regards to the way they interact with the Ancient Magic, so it doesn’t seem a stretch to say that there will be other “good” or “bad” choices in regards to other aspects of the game.

In 1899, the witch Madam Eloise Mintumble made a dangerous trip through time to 1402, where she remained trapped for five days. Due to her journey through time, she caused twenty-five people to be “un-born” due to interactions she had with their ancestors. When Madam Mintumble returned to the present, she had aged five centuries and died soon after returning. Her time-traveling also caused the Tuesday after she returned to last two and a half days, and the following Thursday to be only four hours long. As with the news of the London vampire, these events are unlikely to seriously involve Hogwarts students. That being said, if the game takes place in 1899 players, might experience a very short Tuesday (as well as a very long Thursday).

Hogwarts Legacy Is A New Story

In a recent piece for the PlayStation Blog, the Head of Story at Avalanche Studios wrote about writing for Hogwarts Legacy. In the article, he makes it clear that they are contributing something new to the lore of the Wizarding World. It is possible — even likely — that the majority of the game involves characters and events that we have never seen or heard of before. Additionally, Hogwarts seems to be off the beaten path, and worldly events need not necessarily make their presence known at the school.

That being said, it is always fun to see familiar faces and events in new stories, and perhaps the game will include Easter eggs that reference well-known tales from the wizarding world. Maybe Harry’s cloak of invisibility will pass through our character’s hand before Potter ever lays eyes on it. We may have conversations with familiar ghosts of Hogwarts. With no release date announced, it’s hard to say when we’ll finally be able to search the halls of Hogwarts for familiar faces, but for Harry Potter fans, the time can’t come soon enough.