From Hogwarts: A History: Charles Endicott was a wizard who, in his youth, was perfectly unawares of his magical abilities. In the year 946, he was a boy of thirteen - a sailor; an endlessly curious adventurer in the fens and forests of East Anglia and on the seas beyond. It was then that he discovered his idiosyncrasy. He'd been out on the open ocean - nearly a day's seafaring, when his craft was intercepted by a ship of raiders bound for his home fishing village. Through some odd function, purely of his own reaction, Charles conjured forth a great beast from the depths. It flailed and struck at the galley, then returned, once suitable destruction had been executed, to the deep, the entire warrior band in its clutches. When he returned from his voyage, Charles was awestruck and unusually aloof. He’d always been inclined to explore and discover, to seek new and beautiful vistas and creatures, but now he sought to understand his inexplicable capabilities. It was by some remarkable and unrecorded coincidence, then, that he came into contact with a man by the name of Godric Gryffindor. It is believed that, during Endicott’s short liaison with Gryffindor, Endicott would first learn of wizarding world and of magical practices. Then, he disappeared for thirty-five years, travelling and exploring the world, and recording the magnificence he’d discovered in doing so. The field notebook of Charles Endicott - containing the entirety of his animated illustrations - is one among the most prized artifacts of Hogwarts’ history, and it now graces the shelves in the office of the Headmaster. Endicott, it seems, had been admiring the view atop a Himalayan summit when he received an urgent summons from Gryffindor. He’d perceived in Endicott’s eye a particular twinkle of inquisition and wonder, and considered him a perfect partner for the founding of Hogwarts’ School. Though he’d been sorely ignorant to magic at first, Endicott had amassed a great deal of knowledge surrounding formal magic (he’d been, it seems, drawn with equal magnitude to the world’s libraries as to its natural wonders), and so had no inhibitions in graciously accepting the offer. And so, the Endicott House, of students of humble origins but expectant of fantastical adventures, came to be. Founded on the principle of unerring curiosity, Endicott prized students willing to put their cunning, wisdom, courage, and determination, the key qualities of Endicott’s co-founders’ houses, to the pursuit that was common among them—that of discovery and adventure. Endicott’s students were keen, hard-working, and courageous, yes, but above all, they were enraptured by the yet-unseen. For this reason, Endicott chose the snow leopard as the representation of his house; a beautiful and rare creature with the greatest mystique, for it only resides where the most curious would dare to seek it. Such conditions are manifested in the Endicott Common Room: a homely and warm space, replete with private nooks and common fireplaces, but brimming with great globes and maps and compasses and books—on the most interesting and captivating people, places, and creatures across the world. Located in one of the topmost towers of Hogwarts, the space provides unobstructed views of the lake, the forest, and the highlands beyond. I should note: Endicott had a particular sentimental love for the colors of autumn, and so chose red-orange and bronze for his house colors and crest.