In this chapter, we're zooming forward in time. No longer are we looking back hundreds of thousands of years into the past. Specifically, we will be touching on the beginnings of wizarding villages, with an emphasis on witch-hunting and its influence on the formation of European communities. We will not be discussing any villages in particular.
Overview of Witch-Hunting
For hundreds of years, Muggles have been wary of witchcraft and magic. Witchcraft was officially banned and labeled as evil in many religions, including, most notably, Christianity and Judaism. Many followers of these religions held the view that witchcraft was sinful and wrong. Of course, I would not go as far as to say that only one or two religions were against witchcraft, but instead, that persecution by those religions was more prevalent, with well-documented instances.
Even though Muggles had developed their viewpoints on the use of magic quite early on, persecution for the use of witchcraft only began to be recorded much later. Some religious figures, such as St. Augustine of Hippo, believed that magic was nothing but a delusion. This disbelief was a relief for many magical practitioners living alongside Muggles under Roman rule because this meant that magic was tolerated by even the most religious. This peace was rather long-lived, lasting in some form for hundreds of years. However, as is the way of the world, things changed gradually. Religious leaders became less able to set the minds of average Muggles at ease and witchcraft was increasingly deemed wrong, evil, and life-threatening by the general populace and superstitions. Witchcraft was blamed for countless misfortunes in daily life, such as farming failures or sudden, unexplained deaths. By the 13th century, witchcraft trials in Europe gained popularity and witch-hunts and burnings became a common sight by the early 14th century and lasted for centuries.
Most, if not all, Muggles of this period believed that witches and wizards existed. Few of them were pleased to see us or had favorable opinions of magic users. Indeed, a witch was defined as "a person who had sold their soul to the devil." Which is not a favorable (or accurate) description. Because of our assumed associations with evil, Muggles saw no issue with using torturous methods to interrogate suspected witches. These methods were very efficient at exacting admissions of guilt even from the guiltless, causing people to confess to anything that would release them from the agony. Afterward, they would be put to death in various ways, including by being burnt at the stake or hung.
Despite being determined to catch witches, Muggles were not very good at identifying magic. Once in a while, they would successfully catch a real witch or wizard and attempt to burn them, but this was rare. It was a simple matter for the average witch or wizard to Apparate away, or simply cast a spell (whether defensive or something a little nastier) to cover their escape. The few magical persons that were caught and killed were those that were somehow separated from their wands or were children who either were not in control of their magical abilities or were not powerful enough to defend themselves. Of course, some witches and wizards did their best to perpetuate the lie that these witch hunts were successful, not wanting their pursuers to change tactics and happen upon a way to successfully incapacitate them. Therefore, they allowed themselves to be captured and fake their deaths, sometimes in rather elaborate ways.
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