Caterina Colubrae (1653-?), after whom Colubrae house is named, was one of the four founders of Avistrum. Colubrae’s parents were Russian magicians who traded in rare potion ingredients. Their business eventually led them to settle in England, and thus Caterina was educated there from 1664-71. Colubrae’s prowess and ambition showed even then.
Seeking her fortune in 1680, Colubrae emigrated to the colonies, settling in Salem, Massachusetts. She later founded Avistrum along with Pyramis Parador, Englebert Enigmus, and Luna Lobostro.
Within a couple of decades, however, Colubrae became dissatisfied with the way Avistrum was being run. She had joined the school in order to help protect “true” wizards and witches. She herself could trace her family’s magical roots back over 12 generations, and she resented allowing mixed-blood wizards (or worse, those with no wizarding background at all, like Lobostro) to attend the school. When the faculty chose Parador to succeed Enigmus as Headmaster in 1707, Colubrae left the school, and vanished from magical society.*
The dragon is the symbol of Colubrae House. Colubraes are known for their will and ambition, and for their cleverness and guile.
The current Colubrae Lights are Augustine Aberfoyle and Eizabelle Sibyl.
The Head of Colubrae fellowship is Joleen Latrova, Charms Professor.
* This is from the official school history, as written in the 1800’s. However, in 2015, Caterina Colubrae appeared at Avistrum, having used a magic chamber in the school to jump forward in time. The students learned that the story of a feud between her and Parador had been concocted to cover for her journey in time, and that the rumors of bigotry against non pure-bloods were total fiction. She chased Englebert Enigmus to keep him from making a terrible curse on the school worse. Along the way, she had met and fallen in love with a much younger Headmaster Boudreaux. She died in his arms, giving her life to stop the curse. In 2016, Aleator learned that she had borne his daughter in 1938, but had charged Professor Oceanus Akworth with raising the girl. Their daughter had a daughter of her own, Anastasia, who was reunited with her grandfather and took his last name as her own.