This chapter talks about the horror and suffering the students, teachers, and parents went through during the Great Salem Burning. Many hearts have been scarred because of this tragedy.

The Great Salem Burning

The Great Salem Burning was the beginning of many great things for Salem Institute of Magic, but was also the start of something tragic. The burning took place in the year 1997 and was started by Muggles who had seen some of the students practicing magic at home. Because of this Muggles were terrified and begun to hunt for them making sure they got all 700 student houses and all the teachers houses as well. When they had manage to do this they begun burning their houses at midnight. Many of the students and their parents were helped by the teachers and led to the school. Unfortunately the Department of Magic didn't find the need to put up a protective charm on the school because they found Muggle threat very low. Unfortunately this ended being untrue. The students and their parents along, with the teachers were followed by the Muggle terrorists and driven into the school. Many of the teachers protected their students families, but could not protect the school. The Muggles started to burn the school so that no magic could be taught. After breaking down the doors Muggles started hunting down the students.

Principal Athena Gobble-Pierce had a plan to get the Muggles to stop chasing her students by sacrificing herself. She stunned some of the Muggles making others believe they were dead so they could chase her. The leader of the Muggle terrorists, Jonathan Peterson, followed her with the rest and confronted her. There Athena told them a bunch of rubbish so that her students, their family and her faculty members may all live. She told that she was the source of all their magic and that if she died they would no longer be able to practice magic. Believing this false theory the Muggles tied her up and begun to burn her. Of course this had no affect on her because she had used the Flame Freeze Charm. After noticing that the flames were having no affect on her they started to hang her. After she was hung her charm protective charm was broken and their her body was burning to ashes.

Now before she led the Muggles away from everybody, Principal Gobble-Pierce had conjured a Patronus Charm that lead everyone else to a Port Key that would take them to the Department of Magic. Her Patronus died it was sign that Principal Athena Gobble-Pierce had passed away. Many wept, but continued their path to the Department of Magic where they were taken care of and interrogated.

Salem Witches Institute the day before the Great Salem Burning.