Trying to press the elevator button while holding all the clutter he amassed this day, Luca thought that wizards really like to give people bags. He must look funny holding onto so much stuff considering people snickered at his sight. Upon arrival on the 4th floor, he stepped out to see a corridor lighted blue with a fluorescent river traveling upside-down on the ceiling, golden fish sometimes jumping out of it and falling up back to the water. Luca got a bit used to such sights and started to appreciate magical interior decorators as doing an absolutely stellar job, a possible career for him to choose after graduation.
On the way to his room, he saw a gloomy boy head smaller than himself dragged out of a room by a kind-looking witch, as she strained her face to smile and guide him somewhere.
“Come on, you have to talk to other kids, everyone is the same. I’m sure if you find some friends, it will get better. You can’t go back home, so many no-maj saw you lifting that vending machine like Luke would his X-Wing…” as they passed, Luca seemed to hear the kid was a kindred soulmate of his, but the door number 485 before him, he didn’t have time to care. Luca noticed the peculiarity of the key, his name, age, and miniature portrait crammed onto its solid gold surface. As he put it inside the keyhole, a similar portrait appeared on the surface of the door, presumably to mark it as inhabited.
Inside, a big room with all the needed amenities to live in presented itself to Luca as he walked up to a big bed under the window showing a view of Iverstead as if it was from above the Vilemyr Inn, currently occupied mostly by the flames of dragon-shaped spell whizzing around, and took the booklet named ‘Guidebook For No-maj Freshmen Of Ilvermorny, By Tom Grimsditch, Owner Of Vilemyr Inn Since 1905, First Legilimens Of MACUSA, Supreme Sponsor Of Education, Inventor Of Fantasy Tobacco’.
Urgently, he needed to know more about this environment, having lost touch with people other than the Blanco family trio, all of them not exactly normal in his opinion. Titles of Mr. Grimsditch indicated him to be an important figure, so he decided to take the contents of this booklet seriously, Luca sat cross-legged on the bed prepared to focus on it.
First chapter talked about the Statue Of Secrecy, international wizarding law that eventually extended to all paranormal activities, separating people without magical talents from the public, collectively called ‘no-maj’ or ‘muggles’ in Europe. Then the reason for even stricter, Rappaport’s Law that came into being after an incident of a frenzied witchhunt caused by the magic exposure related to and fanned by an anti-government terrorist and mercenary organization called ‘Scourers’. Casualties well over a thousand occurred before the mob got controlled, among them a nearly hundred wizards of all ages living alongside the no-maj population betrayed by the Scourers for bounty money that no-maj were willing to pay for catching wizards. Those were tortured until they spilled the beans into a complete exposure, quickly making way upward, from a city-wide event to state newspapers having ready-to-print stories before the escaped wizards organized reinforcements to control the situation.
Since then, previously relaxed attitudes changed, and harsh laws were written into existence by frightened wizards. Pooling its talents together, MACUSA invented the Magical Exposure Threat Level Measurer, a clock hanging in its headquarters meant to warn about the possibility of such an event reoccurring. Living areas were limited to only-wizard villages built in the wilderness, protected by barriers from being discovered. Marriages to no-maj were banned, and having any contact with people outside the designated areas was frowned upon. A department dedicated to retrieval of young wizards awakened in no-maj society was established, and Ilvermorny status skyrocketed from voluntary enrollment to the compulsory official school for all magically gifted in North America.
Second chapter introduced the treatment of parents and siblings of children that are reading this guide, they were to have their memories altered to not remember the magically gifted member of their family ever existed. Vilemyr Inn’s presence serves to ensure psychological help to children suddenly ‘orphaned’, by the only person qualified to read their minds and in severe cases of depression or denial to in turn blur child’s memories of no-maj world: Mr. Tom Grimsditch, author of this guide. This procedure requires a signal from the staff that intervention is required.
This shocked Luca, it seems that his father that got easily found by magical authorities can’t remember him anymore. He closed the booklet to adjust his emotions, as his father thought of him as an abomination of some sort, a monster, after some struggle, Luca accepted it. He wondered where is his mother, Aurors didn’t mention her. Maybe she managed to leave the continent or was overlooked. He could only wish both of his parents well, helpless to leave the magical world now just as he was helpless to get out of the Blanco family’s mansion. Mind-reading situation not as bad as he thought, Luca thought himself rather accepting of the change from an outright slave to only being allowed to move in the wizarding world, it shouldn’t be so small as to feel suffocating, he looked at the vibrant scenery on the other side of the window optimistically.
He resumed reading, rest of the second chapter introduced some living rules, the 4th floor of this hotel was dedicated entirely to newcomers like him, still, he had to pay for any service with money given to him yearly by Mr. Grimsditch personally, said to cultivate financial and personal responsibility to grow their mentality quickly.
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Third chapter emphasized the importance of the key he received to prove his identity and access his home until 20 years old, nobody has the right to expel or otherwise interfere with his possessions. Here the furniture and miscellaneous items provided were listed. Explanation of 1 Golden Galleon = 17 Silver Sickles, 1 Silver Sickle = 29 Bronze Knuts written before the exact amount of money in his leather sack concluded his ‘fortune’ to roughly amount to 300 Galleons, half of it in smaller denominations for daily use.
Fourth chapter talked about going to Ilvermorny and if problems with fulfilling the instructions in the letter given to him arose, to find either dedicated caregivers of this floor, hotel staff, or go down to the pub.
Fifth chapter tried to cheer up new little wizards by telling them an easy future, as all magical communities despite not being allowed to meet no-maj commoners, had to be ready to blend in and understand the culture and technology of them in order to stay vigilant and up-to-date. Best teachers and lecturers on such topics, newly graduated no-maj students, paid handsomely to advise MACUSA personnel and build or run cinemas and other technological facilities in wizarding villages. Trying to upgrade no-maj things by adding magic was a big industry, it was wildly recognized despite the separation, that no-maj culture had a greater output and chances of a genius book author or a singer to pierce the thin barrier separating two worlds to reach a loyal and enthusiastic audience were great.
That was the gist of it, Luca threw the booklet on the nightstand and stretched his limbs wondering what to do. The closed suitcase reminded him of Zuri’s warning that it will revert itself to normal size and spill out the contents in a day or so. He quickly unpacked, one hand ready for a dive into his pocket to fish out the lifesaving vials at all times. Sun was setting, Catherine could be in a fight with Aurors and activate the seal any minute now.
As he inspected the room closer, the quality of things seemed luxurious enough to surpass already the top shelf in his cognition Blanco estate. Mattress felt like touching clouds, soft earthy fragrance emitted from wooden furniture soothed the nerves, warm stone floor provided a sense of solidity and safety. Panel capable of closing the blinders or changing colour and intensity of lightbulb lighting was the most comprehensive means of control he could imagine, as it most likely didn’t exist in the no-maj world even in houses of the most wealthy.
Luca went to check the bathroom, a wall-sized mirror revealed to him a grey toy car floating above his head. Raising his brows, he seemed to know why people laughed at him. Waving his hands to disperse the smoke, he went back to looking around. Spacious sink with golden water taps looked normal, but the bathtub on one side swarmed with a dozen similar taps aroused his curiosity. Unscrewing them one by one, he discovered the fun of playing with pink floating bubbles, smooth feeling a red water left lingering on his skin, blue blob of different consistency turning into a perfect circle upon closing the tap, and other magical gels. A complimentary yellow rubber duckling swam and quacked by itself if it had water touching it.
Satisfied, Luca went back to the room. Not quite hungry enough to go eat, the only thing to do was to read the envelope wax-stamped with the Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry crest depicting four creatures, he could barely recognize three of them present in books he had to learn from last year. On top of a four-leaf clover design was a Thunderbird, Horned Serpent on the left, and Wampus on the bottom. Right side occupied by a dwarf wearing tribal feathered headdress, looked out of place among animals.
Inside, a piece of paper envelope-sized was on top of a folded, yellowish, thick parchment. The loose leaflet read:
‘Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Headmaster: Geofrey Roche
Dear Young Wizard,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been enrolled at Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find attached a list of all the necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on 1 September. We await your presence at Ilvermorny Floo Point 9 in the morning.
Yours sincerely,
Agilbert Fontaine
Deputy Headmaster’
“Floo Point… There was a building like that along the way.” muttered Luca, as this was the only attention-worthy point. On the parchment was a list of required garments, self-cleaning and temperature-charm enchanted black robes as overall uniforms put over normal clothes with the student’s name tag sewn on the right breast, a warm winter hat of any style, protective dragonhide gloves and boots. All listed course books had familiar titles, Luca just put them on the shelves. To be double sure, he found and placed them aside, ready to pack.
‘Students are allowed to bring one trained pet to the school, eagles, cats, snakes preferred, be aware that judgement on permitted pets rests on the goodwill of your housemates and dean.
Standard-issued Undetectable Extension Charm briefcase is expected to store all luggage for the course of your academic career, replacements can be used freely as long as they can be held in one hand.’
Nightfall came and the view of Iverstead changed, aurora borealis hung just above the rooftops and gave Luca a splendid sight of the tattered and devastated buildings constantly welcoming and parting with their visitors. It seemed like a lively place, he found himself interested in exploring more of the interiors, even going to a private house and seeing how it is. Eventually, the traffic died down, and Luca lay clothed on white sheets, clutching the lifesaving pouch in both hands until he fell asleep.