Harry Capwell: Fill & Download for Free

This is still a matter of debate among many historians and medievalists alike. Anything I say here is just my opinion which I do my best to back up with evidence, with that said; let’s begin.First, this very much depends on the plate armor and bow in question. For the sake of discussion, let’s use the longbow as are bow and early 15th Century Plate armor as our armor; the bow and armor often associated with this question. Though a lot of what I will say also applies to any other type of bow. Many people assume taking a mild steel, 1.5mm thick breastplate and shooting it with a longbow that has a draw weight of 130 pounds is a good indicator of the what would have happened historically. This is incorrect for several reasons.Armor was not uniformly thick like modern reproduction armor usually is, they may be very thick at the front and very thin towards the sides. Along with this, armor was subject to slag; imperfections in the steel. This means that along with the variation in the thickness of the metal, there could be weaker points within it.In the early 15th Century that the hardening of steel was becoming more common for the upper tiers of society, meaning the armor a French Lord is wearing is likely quite hard and because of this will be more difficult to pierce.What does this mean? It means that the results will vary. It doesn’t come down to this weapons beats this armor because longbows were not uniformly heavy across every archer and plate was not uniformly thick across every Knight and Man-At-Arms. All that said, there’s one more factor to consider; armor was worn in layers. Even if you manage to punch through the breastplate of a Man-At-Arms, which is a giant glancing service, there’s at least going to be a gambeson under it. In some cases, he could even be wearing a mail shirt, though mail sleeves had become common by this point. All that said, I don’t personally believe longbow arrows even with bodkin points were punching through a knight’s breastplate, flying through his mail and gambeson, and killing him upon his mighty steed. However; I also do not believe that’s at all the point for several reasons.Armor has gaps. No matter how well hardened and how complete a suit of finely crafted 15th Century Italian made plate you are wearing there is going to joints, breathing holes, a variety of things that open the wearer up to harm. This doesn’t make the armor useless by any means but, when thousands of archers are loosing arrows at you the odds of one of those arrows catching you in the eye, the joint at the shoulder, the back of the leg all sky rocket. Tobias Capwell commented on this by citing chronicle; French knights are described as not being concerned for their breastplates but for their visors. It was said they feared that due to the pure volume of arrows coming towards their faces, that one of them would surely catch a breath -a breathing hole- or their vision slit and bite into it, punching through and killing them. This brings us to another point I brought up earlier; armor was not uniformly thick and was prone to imperfections. So if an arrow catches a knight on the very edge of the left of his breastplate, covering his side and that part also happens to be weak from slag then the arrow might get through retaining enough force to injure the knight.Finally, while this goes beyond “Were there bows-arrows that can penetrate plate armour?” I would like to mention that within any medieval army, most soldiers will not be wearing a full knightly plate harness. By the Early 15th Century, many of them will be wearing pieces of plate, some with mail, and almost all will at least have a gambeson but, not full plate. So within the wider context of battle and of warfare, the longbow doesn’t even need to punch through a knight’s armor. The pure volume of archers the English deployed, the skill of these men, and the power of the arrows they were loosing, while I do not believe was enough to mow down knights like many like to imagine, was enough to post a constant and deadly threat to the majority of soldiers they fought.To conclude, were there arrows that could punch through plate armor? Not how people imagine, no. Arrows, speaking in a wider context than longbows, likely could not defeat the top quality armor of their respective periods without finding a soft spot or a gap however, that was not the intention. Massed archers can be used to cause disorder, to pick off the lightly armored, to injury, and harry, and wear down the enemy. I hope this helps!Kind Regards

Hmm, that’s an interesting question. I think it’s a mix. In the US, we have public colleges, private colleges and then something called state-related colleges. The latter are colleges that for the most part operate as private entities BUT receive a lot of support from the state. So it’s a hybrid entity.In my own fanfic, I assume that Hogwarts, while being supported by the Ministry of Magic in various ways, functions as a sort of magical, coed version of Eton College. Eton College is a “public school” in British parlance but since I believe in many cases it operates as a charitable entity, it gets or used to get some breaks from the UK government. I see Hogwats in the same vein. Basically, elite students attend Hogwarts, but the school itself gets breaks from the Ministry of Magic.I think the elitism is basically MAGICAL elitism. Therefore, you have financially strapped students like the Weasleys or a young Snape attending the school alongside the likes of Draco Malfoy. Your innate magic must exceed a certain power level for you to even get a letter. Hence these are the students with the highest potential for great magical power.However, I believe the students PAY for their schooling. I can’t recall if Rowling says otherwise. In the alternate universe I have in my fanfic, I’m sticking with the notion of paid tuition.Students of lesser power levels (which, in this world, frequently corresponds to students of lesser means) attend the Cornwall Institute for Practical Magic in Cornwall near the ruins of Tintagel (supposedly King Arthur’s castle). This school is much less prestigious than Hogwarts. Students have magic but not enough to complete the full Hogwarts curriculum.Those who don’t have enough magic to attend Cornwall, would probably be home schooled and later apprenticed into a trade. For example, in my version of the Potterverse, the school’s director of sanitation, Titus Diggs, attended neither school. He was apprenticed to a member of the Brotherhood of Scouring Sorcerers, then later gained Ministry certification as an eco-wizard (a wizard specializing in magical waste removal - you do NOT want the dregs of leftover potions or potion water mixing untreated with the regular sewage; and the last thing you want is for a transfigured object to reach the junk yard and then morph back into its original shape without warning; hence wizards are specially trained in dealing with that).If neither educational option is satisfying, there is always the option of being educated solely in the Muggle world, even if you aren’t a full Squib (just really weak magically) and taking your chances there. I like to think the magical population is bigger than Rowling says. There are more magical communities than just Hogsmeade, Diagon or Knockturn Alleys. I also think there are more gradations of magic than just Hogwarts student or Squib. There’s a whole weird world where Muggle New Age enthusiasts interact with the wizards with the lowest amount of magic. The wizards make money with crystals, tarot card readings, etc. The Muggles get their New Age kicks. And the wizard world remains undiscovered. But that’s just my view.Side note: I think the Ministry of Magic supports the school in various ways other than by directly subsidizing tuition. For example, they have designated the entire Hogwarts Estate (because the castle is not just a building, it sits on extensive grounds) as well as the nearby towns/villages of Hogsmeade and Duff Town to be parts of the Hogwarts District.This allows the Ministry to directly fund things like the Hogwarts District Police and the Hogwarts District Fire Brigade (fiendfyre doesn’t put itself out; and potions-sparked fires are particularly hazardous; moreover you cannot have a school of nearly 1000 kids without some kind of fire prevention, safety and evacuation plan in place, not to mention sprinklers, etc.).The Ministry also funds the district’s waste removal and treatment plant and the construction and maintenance of the Dun Loch dam and reservoir up in the mountains that help create electrical power and provide fresh water (I don’t trust the Black Lake).The Ministry also insures the school and castle against property damage, accidents, etc. This is how it was possible for them to host the Goblet of Fire tournament without getting sued out the whazoo. (Can you imagine how high those premiums would have been otherwise?) For the tournament, the insurance coverage was temporarily extended to all parts of the Hogwarts Estate that would be involved in the tournament. However, normally, the Ministry only covers the school and castle (and presumably the train and boats). All other estate property and/or operations are covered by the private insurer, Magus Mutual. Their agent is Theodorus Capwell.ETA: Corrections to grammar.

In my attempt to figure out, from a grown up’s point of view, how Hogwarts ACTUALLY runs, I’ve created something like 133 individual “original” characters. Most of them have some kind of castle or castle grounds function. Here are the ones I’ve assigned to work at Hogwarts school, castle and estate.Academic & Student Life Staff – 9Everyone keeps wondering how do these kids learn the basics (reading, ‘riting, and ‘rithmetic). Well I assume that each house has one male and one female Form Advisor. The Form Advisors take attendance, make announcements, basically functions as what Americans what call home room teachers but also are assigned to teach one or more remedial or extracurricular subjects. They include:1. Rev. Emile Epimithee Bourgeon – chaplain, and curator of Hogwarts’ massive art collection. He’s assigned to Hufflepuff (and nephew of Prof. Sprout; teaches art2. Olliebart Wright – assigned to Ravenclaw; teaches weights and measures, mechanics and calculations, and cutting techniques (he is why Severus is so merciless; students have the option to attend this class; if they don’t, it’s on them)3. Madame Su Lang Pei – assigned to Ravenclaw; teaches magical languages besides Latin, such as Mandarin, Sanskrit, etc.4. Prentice Clerkenwell – assigned to Slytherin; teaches composition, grammar, spelling, vocabulary; presumably he’s there to teach students how to write a decent essay.5. Madame Marie-Julie Le Normand – assigned to Slytherin; teaches magical literature (Edgar Allen Poe, Lewis Carroll, Nathaniel Hawthorne, etc.), social etiquette and dance6. Bryce Atwood – assigned to Gryffindor; teaches remedial flying and basic apparating instruction; in other words, he’s something of a magical gym teacher; he’s usually out instructing the older students or off doing something else on his own; most people don’t bother with remedial flying instruction. On the other hand, the older students are frantic to learn how to apparate so require a lot of hand holding and bucking up. I mean if you just depend on Twinkie Twycross to help you out you’re screwed.7. Callista Costello – assigned to Gryffindor to replace Hooch; director of games and recreation. She was hired because the board of trustees thought it was finally time the school had other activies besides quidditch.[Side note: Charity Burbage is the female Form Advisor for Hufflepuff]8. Sabrina Locksley, student coordinator – This is the person who accompanies students on shopping trips for needed supplies (shoes, clothes, glasses, prescription pick up) or services like haircuts; she mostly accompanies the younger students. She does not accompany them for medical procedures, doctor’s visits or trips to Gringotts or to pick up expensive packages that are too heavy for owls to deliver. Anything related to an important medical or financial task is left to their head of house or their form advisor.9. Canopus Leach – Kennel master; he takes care of the students’ familiars because it’s impossible for the students to do it properly on their own.Administrative & Operational Staff – 10These are the staff who handle school business and castle operations (housekeeping, sanitation, food prep, etc.)1. Hester Hardwicke – secretary in charge of the Headmaster’s correspondence and post; not even Minerva dares to cross her.2. Lyricus Blackwood, Alumni Affairs and Director of Development – he’s responsible for raising money to supplement the school’s endowment and practically lives up Lucius Malfoy’s ass.3. Demeter Spencer, accountant – she’s responsible for handling to day to day financial transactions as well as payroll; because nobody is letting the elves hand out the money.4. Titus Diggs – sanitation director; there are roughly 1000 people living in one castle; not even the elves can handle that much trash. He makes sure the castle is cleaned from top to bottom every summer before the students return. He oversees the disposal of magical medical waste from the infirmary and of toxic potions waste from the potions lab. He also supervises the Hogwash, a reed-bed filtration system used for organic waste breakdown and disposal. Yes, I said the Hogwash…5. Archie Gorchwright – he handles heating and mechanical systems including plumbing until he has to call Tantalus Flowright, their outside plumbing contractor; he’s also responsible for any estate vehicles (because do you really think people who work at the castle are apparating everywhere or riding brooms in order to get things done? Really?)6. Phronsee van der Platt – in charge of food services: because are we going to trust the elves to know who has what food allergies or who has what religious dietary restriction, let alone how to put together a nutritious meal for growing kids? Nope. Somebody’s got to take charge. Someone also has to requisition the funds for the grocery bill and keep stock of what’s in the pantry. That’s her. She’s a former Hufflepuff who graduated Hogwarts then went on to study at the Night Kitchen Academy for Culinary and Cauldron-Related Arts7. Ginger Blackburn, housekeeping (e.g., laundry, mopping, dusting, polishing; she answers to Titus who focuses more on waste management and environmental hygiene. That requires him to deal with the Hogwash and trash removal. She is needed because of the day to day and week to week tasks he can’t cover. After all, does anybody really expect Filch to handle everything? He’s certainly not overseeing the laundry. And who oversees care and storage of cookware, tableware, glassware and crystal, candles and chandeliers? What happens when bed linens, curtains or drapes need to be mended? Who dusts and polishes the woodwork and keeps inventory of all these things? Filch? Ha!8. Tantalus Flowright – master plumber and owner of Flowright & Sons Plumbing; he’s an outside vendor who is called when major plumbing overhauls need to be done. I mean after the basilisk there was a lot of work that needed to be done…Estate Staff – 8These are the people who work on the estate GROUNDS. The castle doesn’t sit on air. It has an extensive acreage footprint. While there’s plenty of work that needs doing at the castle, there’s also work that needs to be done on the grounds every day.1. Portunellus Blackburn – Estate manager; husband of Ginger; lives in the gatehouse. He oversees the agriculture workers who cultivate the cattle and crops and timber and moor management that have to be going on somewhere. If you had that much land and that many people to feed you’d be daft not to take advantage of a little farming.2. Willa Spritely – Brewery and Distillery supervisor; also Hogwarts liquor cabinet steward. She’s a former Ravenclaw who gets quite creative with the spirits. And think about it. You’ve got a group of grown ups trapped in the wilds of Scotland for 9 months out of the year. You’d HAVE to have a regular supply of booze just to make it through. I don’t dont doub the faculty members drink like fishes when classes are out.3. Ellis Locksley – Constable; technically he works for the entire Hogwarts District which includes the school, Hogsmeade, Duff Town and surrounding areas; most of his work is patrolling Duff Town; but he has a station/outpost on the Hogwarts Estate. His wife is Sabrina Locksley.4. Vestus Rush – fire brigade chief; he also works for the District and like Ellis has a station on Hogwarts Estate. Because think about it. You have a school full of roughly 1000 people, the majority of whom are children. God forbid a fire breaks out. You’d better have a fire brigade nearby as well as fire suppression systems in place. In other words, these guys would be experts on suppressing fiend fyre. You don’t think that fire in the Room of Requirement went out on its own do you?5. Wilton Ironside – terminated train conductor; fired for allowing the Dementors on the train instead of notifying Remus who was onboard at the time.6. Uriah Sands – Pythagorean Fellow and magical stone mason; every year he inspects the castle foundations and structure to ensure they remain secure. He uses the magical blueprints created by his predecessor to replace the ones the Marauders stole from Filch’s office and turned into their map. You don’t think those idiots created that map from scratch did you?7. Cristabel and Sofronia Fortunato (glass) – they repair the ordinary and stained glass windows, the chandeliers or the crystalware as well as the telescopes used by the astronomy class. They were the ones who delivered the Mirror of Erised upon Dumbledore’s request and took it away again when he was done. Their company is called Jabberwocky Glassworks.8. Nilus Steadman Boat Master - he works seasonally to prepare the boats and work the magic that sends them safely across the shore and back to transport the first years. No, Hagrid does not direct the boats. He lacks both the precision and the control to do that safely.Financial & Legal Team – 4These are the people responsible for seeing to Hogwarts’ financial well being. Due to the size of the school and the funds it generates (via the estate) and takes in (via tuition; no in my head canon Hogwarts is not free).1. “Dodi” Dodonnus Knox of Assay Financial Management – the financial advisor who handles Hogwarts’ portfolio of property (real estate and commodities such as gold reserves) and financial paper (securities, bonds, cash)2. Theodorus Capwell of Magus Mutual – the insurance agent for the property and casualty policy covering the estate and the corporation. The castle and school are insured by the Ministry.3. Crassus Emerson Tudor of Tudor and Beckett Attorneys At Law – the school’s solicitor. He is the senior partner and a compatriot of Albus Dumbledore. He’s older than Dumbles.4. Harriet “Halle” Fields Purlieu of Purlieu Properties – temporary Land Agent. Her company handles land sales from and purchases for the estate.And that’s only SOME of the characters I’ve created. Only a few of them have turned up in my fan fic: Emile, Canopus, Demeter, Callista, and Wilton. But more will. I just have to get it all done.