At first, everything was dark and very cold. Then, a small pinprick of light appeared, as if it was a long tunnel. The light grew larger and brighter until it was blinding, and the cold gave way to heat. Finally, color came into being.
Harmony stepped out of the light and opened her eyes. She found herself in beneath a large stone arch. As she stepped out from under it, she saw that there were many others just like hers - forty-nine others, she guessed, as each had the name of a state engraved into it.
A woman wearing a cranberry and blue uniform similar to the one that was now in Harmony’s bag stepped forward and addressed Harmony. “Name?”
The woman drew a strike through Harmony’s name on her clipboard. “Thank you. Could you go stand over there?” the witch asked, motioning to a large congregation of other kids. “We have to clear the area. We’ll be here for about an hour more as the rest of the students arrive.”
Harmony obeyed, calling Francois to follow closely. But as she walked to the large group, she realized how out of place she was. She had never seen magic in person, apart from enchantments which were already there, like the fountain and the pendant. On the other hand, most of the others had grown up with magic. She set her suitcase on the ground and sat on it a small distance from the group.
“You can put your luggage over there.” Harmony looked up. A boy was standing over her, pointing to a large pile of suitcases and trunks. “That way you don’t have to carry it on the Hike.”
Harmony stood and did as the boy said. He helped her get the overloaded bag onto the top of the stack, and turned with an outstretched hand. “I’m Daniel, by the way. What’s your name?”
“Harmony,” she replied, smiling in a friendly manner.
As the two walked back to the large mass of students, Daniel said, “My brother is in there talking to his friends. It’s my first year, so I don’t know anyone but him and now you.”
“Then I guess you can’t really answer any of my questions about Ilvermorny, can you?”
“Well, I can tell you a little. What do you want to know?”
Harmony’s smile grew. She liked this kid. He and she were so much alike.
After a long talk about Ilvermorny and each other’s home lives, Harmony and Daniel were interrupted by a sharp pinging. The woman Harmony had met before was ringing a brass bell. “Attention please! Attention!” The students fell into a hush.
“Welcome to the beginning of your next year at Ilvermorny!” The older students began to cheer, so Harmony and Daniel joined in. The witch motioned for silence. “I am Professor Veruca Froid, Head of Admissions at Ilvermorny. I will also be the first and second years’ Basic Magical Theory teacher. We will meet a few more teachers up ahead as we join the Canadian and Mexican students.
“We are about to begin the traditional Hike Up Mount Greylock, but before we do, I must issue a few warnings. Although curiosity is encouraged, stupidity is not. Ilvermorny and the grounds surrounding act as a preserve for magical creatures, plants, and beings. As interesting as they are, many seek to harm or kill.” Harmony glanced sideways at Daniel, who was intently studying the forest around them, eyes alight. “During our Hike, be sure to stick to the path, and don’t touch anything off of it. The Lucifer’s Snare is especially good at trapping students.”
As Professor Froid walked to the path, she waved her wand at the pile of luggage, which vanished instantly. Harmony grinned excitedly. “Did you see that?” she hissed. “She just used magic!”
Daniel chuckled. “Yeah, but it wasn’t super impressive. She just sent our luggage ahead.”
“Oh. Well I haven’t seen a real spell before.” She looked ahead to where Professor Froid was leading the students along the path. “I clearly have a lot to learn.”
As soon as they all started to walk, the students erupted into chattering again. After twenty minutes of walking, they reached a large circle of the cobblestone path. There were three other paths coming from the circle equally distant from each other. On the path directly in front of them and the one to the left, the other students were arriving at the same time. To the right, dozens of horse-drawn carriages rumbled down the road.
Professor Froid stopped the American students before they entered the circle. “Before we board the carriages that will take us to the gates of Ilvermorny, let me introduce some of your teachers. Professor Emaline Goode is now speaking to the Canadian students over there.” Harmony looked to the left path, where Professor Goode seemed to be giving the same introductions. “She is the Deputy Headmistress and the North American Magical History teacher for the third and fourth years.”
“Señora Victoria Rosales, leading the Mexican students, is the Spanish and Dance teacher. She and the headmaster have enchanted each Gordian Knot pendant so that you can understand the basic meaning of the Spanish and French that some of our Mexican and Canadian students will primarily speak. This is in part why we ask you to please keep your pendant on any time you can. However, you won’t be able to speak any languages you couldn’t without the pendant, nor will you be able to understand the full extent of every word they speak, which is the reason we offer Spanish and French courses for third years and beyond.”
“Now, as the carriages arrive, please remember, thirteen or more to a carriage.” With her last word, the huge horses moved toward the circle again. They took turns loading the students. However, as the first covered carriage stopped in front of her path, Harmony noticed three things: 1) The white horses had enormous wings; 2) No one was driving the carriage; and 3) There was no way thirteen people, however small, could fit comfortably in each carriage.
Harmony’s concerns were soon put to rest as it was her turn to board a carriage. As it rolled to a stop, the blue carriage let down a set of stairs carpeted in a cranberry color. The door, emblazoned with the Ilvermorny Crest, opened on its own. Daniel led Harmony in, and her jaw hit the floor.
The interior of the carriage was far bigger than the outside. Harmony quickly took a seat next to Daniel in the front, and the other three rows of seats filled quickly. It seemed as though everyone was anxious to get to the school, because all sixteen seats were occupied.
The door swung shut, and the carriage lurched forward. The older boy next to Harmony turned in his seat and spoke with the people behind him. Harmony suddenly realized that no one had their uniforms on, and she guessed that they were meant to be worn during the Initiation Ceremony and Start-of-Term Feast. She voiced this concern aloud, to which Daniel replied, “Oh I’m sure, they’ll give us time to change once we get to the castle.” He paused, stuck his head out of the carriage to look ahead, and grinned. “Speaking of which, here we are.”
Harmony jumped to the window and looked ahead. The castle was slowly coming into view through the fog. It was taller and wider than any building she’d seen in her life. It would have to be, to house and teach all the students, which numbered over a thousand by her estimate.
The carriages stopped in front of the tall gate. Harmony and Daniel quickly followed the others out and stood marveling at the beauty and stature of their school. The rest of the students joined them, mingling amongst themselves, disregarding country of origin and nationality. The oldest students led the younger ones to one of the halls, where they found their luggage waiting. They changed and returned to the gate. After waiting for a few minutes more, the three leaders called for attention, and Professor Goode addressed them.
“We will now begin the Initiation Ceremony. Everyone go to the Sorting Hall balcony. First years, follow me.”
Special thanks to The Monster Blog of Monsters for allowing the use of their creatures and plants.
