#wizarding schools

[maxdibert]

Rowling is bad at math. One school of magic in all of Asia? (with Koreans and Chinese hating Japanese and vice versa) and one magic school for Russia and neighboring countries? I live in a Russian village of 22 km² and we have 4 schools and a school for orphans and disabled (where I work) and it's a small village! One school of magic will not even accommodate half of Russia.

And not just that like, what happened with the USSR? Where were wizarding kids studying during that time? And after the fall of the? Are we seriously meant to believe that once the USSR collapsed, everyone just kept going to the same school like nothing happened? How does that make any sense?

And how the hell is there only ONE SINGLE DAMN SCHOOL for the entire African continent? Does Rowling have any idea how massive Africa is? How many countries there are? But it’s the same with Latin America like, the woman said all of Latin America goes to the same school, which just happens to be in Brazil? So every Spanish-speaking country sends its kids to study in Portuguese? How does that add up? And why on earth would Spaniards and Italians go to school in France?

I get that it’s lazy writing when it comes to worldbuilding, but some of this stuff is just geopolitically really problematic. It’s like the woman has zero understanding of history or politics, because honestly, it’s completely incoherent.

[moonyaugust]

okay, so I was going through the pure blood families in the Wizarding world, and fell down the rabbit hole of the wizarding schools, because little miss fuckface the “author” has a terrible concept of geography and world politics (and population sizes, tf you mean three schools teach the ENTIRETY of their continent????)

so, if you have any headcanons about wizarding schools and wouldn’t mind if they work their way into my marauders fanfic (with credit in the notes sections of course), can you please share? I’ve been browsing the wizarding schools tag on here and seen some genuinely fascinating headcanons and schools from people wanting their countries and cultures to be properly represented, and I don’t want to steal any ideas of course! it’s just such a shame we know so much on hogwarts, a little on ilvermorny and beauxbatons, and basically nothing on the others. like, there’s allegedly three schools we’re missing! that’s insane right????!

(Also I might make a post about the Canadian wizarding school that’s starting to form in my mind cause ain’t no fucking way quebec students are going to the states for school in english lol)

[rambling-tam]

@whalesongsblog - you've indicated you like worldbuilding lore, so I figured you might enjoy this.

I'm avoiding writing smut that several people are begging me for...but as this is actually related TO the smut I'm working on...I'm giving myself a pass.

A little background before we dive in: I'm working on a HL modern AU that plays with a "what if some of our favorite HL NPCs were American". I've also created (yet another) MC who is swiftly becoming the nearest and dearest to my heart ("born of Pittsburg steel and Allegheny granite") and I decided...

You know what? I fucking hate Ilvermorny. I loathe it. I think it's sloppy. I think JKR took every single lazy stereotype one could have about magic-in-America and turned it into such a one-dimensional-and-appropriative-shit-show that it's honestly quite breathtaking.

Now that I've established that...I've long thought that the development of Wizarding schools and cultures should probably left up to those of us who live in those countries and cultures. Furthermore...it is very clear that JKR did not think through geographical and population scale. Great Britian can fit in the state of Texas alone ya'll. There IS NO CONCIEVABLE WAY that MACUSA would have only one wizarding school. I refuse; you cannot convince me otherwise. Countries like the US, Canada, Russia, China, Australia, Brazil, Argentina...they would have to have more than just one wizarding school. Even if the magical-using population is significantly smaller than the population who doesn't have it...in a country the size of the US, that would still be a shit ton of people. Ilvermorny would be bursting at the fucking seams.

Also...can you imagine an Alabaman, an Oregonian, an Oklahoman in New England? I mean. It happens. But...the culture clashes, omg. I'm a fucking Pennsylvanian, a single state removed, and "God's Frozen Chosen" drive me nuts (I say with love. Mostly. I did marry one.) Forget some over-opinionated Texan. It'd be chaos.

So, I will admit, I did take a broad-brush stroke approach and divided schools into the widely recognized cultural regions within the continguous US (all the states minus Alaska and Hawai'i). Those regions are:

The Northeast (Maryland, D.C., Pennsylvania, New York, the New England States, and oh yea, I almost forgot New Jersey)

The South (Virginia, all the way down the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts to Louisiana, and across through Kentucky, Tennessee, and Arkansas)

The Midwest (Ohio, up to Michigan, all the way across to Minnesota, then down to Missouri)

The Rockies/Mountainous West - Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Oklahoma, and I feel I'm forgetting a state b/c I'm not looking at a map

The Southwest - all the states along the Mexico border - Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, and the southern portion of California

The Pacific Northwest - the nothern portion of California, all the way up to Washington.

Then you have a very unique and distinctive sub-culture that is quite significant, even though it spans several of these regions and the flavor of it shifts somewhat depending on what state it's in:

Appalachia - the Appalachian mountains, which run through Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, North Carolina, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine (and into Canada).

Second major point: You cannot convince me that wizarding culture would be completely seperate from Muggle/No-Maj culture. You literally have No-Maj/Muggle-born witches and wizards (and I'm hereby adding "mages" as a non-binary term) that would bring their experiences and perspectives with them. So, having said that...the US has a pretty fucking problematic history. It would make sense to me that the South would have three wizarding schools, directly shaped by the Southern Session, the Civil War, and segregation. I believe there would be at least one "Historically Black Magical Institution" that arose in response to segregation - I will not be convinced that the MACUSA didn't struggle with that, too. I think a Southwestern school would be deeply influenced by Mexican culture; I think PNC school would have strong influences from the Asian diaspora. So, I've tried to represent those.

I'm white. I don't get it - I can't, truly. But I tried. I also tried to be respectful to Native cultures - I think wizarding schools would be Eurocentric and carry the same burden of genocide and white-washing as N0-Maj society. So I did keep any Indigenous references out of the names and inspirations for these schools, because I am not informed enough to appropriately represent, even though I'd be well-intentioned. That is an aspect of the American wizarding world that is not mine to craft. I also tread as carefully as I could with the Mexican/Latinx, Asian diaspora, and Black/Brown influences and inspirations, as again, not my story or my family's story (directly, at least - we do have some diversity in the close family unit from adoption and marriage). But, I felt a little safer trying to tip the hat to the schools that would have surely been influenced by the cultures that heavily shaped the regions they represented.

Lastly - I kept shit out of Louisiana. My biological grandmother was born and raised in New Orleans, so I have a direct link to that culture. However, it is over-used and stereotyped and there would be so much more to Southern magic than what is usually attributed to Louisiana.

So. All that said. I now present to you the first of our MACUSA schools, the one that I would have attended: (Disclaimer: Admittedly, this is heavily influenced by my perception and reception of the serial podcast, Old Gods of Appalachia. I love it. I adore it. It does explores more of the southern Appalachian cultures - Kentucky, Tennessee, a bit of West Virgina, a hint of Pennyslvania -...but if you've ever driven through the two-lane, mountain-hugging backroads of the Laurel Highlands during a full moon...you know how deliciously haunted even the Pennsylvanian Appalachains - the Alleghenies - can be.)

 Blackbriar School of Thaumaturgy

Region: Appalachia Location: Allegheny Mountains, West Virginia Philosophy: Folk-driven, experimental, and haunted. Built by coal-era magical inventors, railroad wizards, granny witches, and underground scholars. Specialties: Hedge thaumaturgy (think the McGuyver of spell-casting - also called "impulsive magic"), ghost theory & studies, earth-and-root magic, communal ritual work and casting, cursebreaking

FOUNDING LORE

Era: Late 1800s, peak of Appalachian coal magic and industrial folk alchemy. Founders: A renegade circle of thaumaturges, machinists, and death-sensitives who broke from Ilvermorny and Gravestead (one of the Southern schools). Core Ethos: "Build it yourself. Bind it with blood. Talk to the past. Protect what they would take."

Founded in a disused coal mine.

First headmistress: Miriam Greaves, a granny witch and seer from Kentucky.

The school was partially constructed using thorn-craft and hex-wrought metal from collapsed tunnels.

HOUSE SYSTEM: you can read more about the Houses here

Emberthorn – Cursebreakers (who favor the fiery spells)

House ghost: Coalmouth, a miner-turned-cursebreaker who glows from within.

Dorms are warm, dim-lit, and always smell like cedar and charred bone.

Closest in theory to Gryffindor ⟡⟡⟡ ✴ ⟡⟡⟡

Whistlestop – Magical machinists and inventors

Known for magical engineering, spell-augmented machines, and wearable magic.

Students often walk around with soot-streaked faces and tool belts

Think Ravenclaw, but steampunk. ⟡⟡⟡ ✴ ⟡⟡⟡

Gravetail – Ghost-whispers, seers, secret-keepers

Their dorms are in the old family crypts under the school.

House ghost: Miss Sal, who died in 1902 and still takes attendance.

Probably closest to Hufflepuff, if you squint real hard. ⟡⟡⟡ ✴ ⟡⟡⟡

Ridgewalker – Silent warders, the ones who watch and protect

Dorms are hidden; even first-years don’t find them until they've earned the right.

They know every hidden door in the school, including ones nobody else has ever seen (except possibly the ghosts, but they aren't talking)

Slytherin-esque, without the stigma.

CAMPUS DESIGN

Location: Tucked in a valley below Blackbriar Ridge, the school is built into the mountainside itself. Style: Hybrid of underground warrens, rusted ironwork, and bramble-grown towers.

The Red Chapel: Abandoned church-turned-dueling arena, rumored to be semi-sentient at the very least.

The Brambleworks: Greenhouse-labyrinth where bramble/thorn/root/earth magic is grown and studied. Shifts location during full moons.

The Hollow Vaults: Catacombs beneath the school housing cursed artifacts and unquiet spirits. Ridgewalkers train here.

The Clinkery: Forge-lab hybrid for Whistlestop students. Smoky, always humming. The furnace has a name, and it growls.

SIGNATURE INTER-SCHOOL EVENT: THE HOLLOWING GAMES

Held during the thinning of the Veil (Oct 30–Nov 1).

Students navigate a shifting night-maze made of spectral earth magic and ghost-light.

Challenges include: banishing wraiths, solving riddles, sealing breach-points, finding things were lost.

Blackbriar's won 13 of the last 15 Games. The two losses? One was a draw with Ilvermorny they refuse to acknowledge, and the other was to Gravestead after a suspected sabotage.

INTER-SCHOOL RIVALRIES:

Ilvermorny – Thinks Blackbriar’s a chaotic backwater (and they're wrong). Blackbriar thinks Ilvermorny wouldn’t survive five minutes in their forests and hollers (and they're right). Gravestead – Cold War level of tension. Southern sessionist blue-bloods versus a school population that spans that Mason-Dixon divide and does it proudly.

QUIDDITCH (BLACKBRIAR STYLE):

Yes, Quidditch is much loved in the US of A - but Blackbriar’s version is brutal and has haunted weather conditions built into the pitch (an idea that originated from a weather-witch from the Smokey Mountains (Tennessee's part of the Appalachains). Furthermore, in MACUSA, each school has one Quidditch team, comprised from all its houses; instead a school playing againts itself, its team plays against the other wizarding schools in the US.

Team Name: The Hollowgate Howlers

Mascot: A three-headed hound made of shadow and pine sap

Field: Carved into a blasted clearing with thorn-wall boundaries that change mid-game.

Conditions: Foggy. Windswept. Occasionally cursed.

FUN FACTS:

Pennsylvanians and Marylanders technically fall into the Northeastern cultural category, but depending on where one calls home in these two states, they may end up having a choice between Ilvermorny and Blackbriar. Can't speak to the western side of Maryland...but Western Pennsylvanians? Most would rather go uneducated than go to Ilvermorny. Blackbriar is theirs and they are Blackbriar, through and through.

Each state that plays host to a part of the Appalachians has a different name for their "range" - and many names/ranges overlap states. So, it doesn't matter: if a kid is from the Catskills (New York), the White Mountains (New Hampshire & Maine), the Green Mountains (Vermont), the Alleghenies (Pennsylvannia, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia), the Blue Ridge Mountains (Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, Alabama), the Great Smoky Mountains (North Carolina, Tennessee), or the Cumberland Mountains (Kentucky, Tennessee)...well, they are all welcome at Blackbriar, if they so choose. This makes Blackbriar one of the most regionally/culturally diverse schools in the country, second only to Freestone.

Also, while they're a way aways, Blackbriar welcomes their siblings-in-spirit from the Ozarks (a mountain range in Arkansas, distinct from the Appalachians). Different? Definitely. But there's a lot of common ground, too - more than a child of the Ozarks might find in Eisengarde, Altavista, Sablemoor, or Gravestead (as Arkansas sits at the crossroads of the regions these four schools represent).

Next up (when I get to it): The Southern schools - Gravestead (everyone hates them and rightly so), Freestone (Historically Black Magical Institution, which kinda' straddles the Appalachian and broadly Southern regional culture by virtue of where it's located), and Sablemoor (Deep Gulf Coast South, diverse from Day One, and wouldn't have it any other way).

Freestone | Gravestead | Sablemoor | Eisengarde | Altavista | Arx Caelum | Rainmere

[finchiscompletelyfine]

Worldwide Wizarding Schools

Okay so I woke up this morning and decided to do this (I know I know it’s fine) and statistically, mathematically, logically, compassionately, I would like to ask JKR what she was thinking because

Here’s the math I was thinking about, take care of yourself, don’t look if math triggers you lol

In 1991, there were about 5 billion people in the world. Now there are 8.142 billion people. That’s a huge change, and a lot of the population growth we’ve seen has happened in India and China in terms of absolute growth, but in terms of percent increase it’s a whole different story. Even in 1991 (the year when Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone takes place), India and China’s population dwarfed that of the UK. Despite that fact, JKR didn’t write in her official wizarding schools thing that either one had any schools for magic, which is suspicious. Hmm.

In 1991 the UK had 57.42 million people, and right now it has around 69.6 million. Assuming we’re talking about 2025 and the UK hasn’t added any more magic schools, that means that 69.6 million humans includes around 1000 magical children, as was JKR’s estimated total of students at Hogwarts, and therefore is equivalent to one school which fits 1000 children. So dividing the population of each region or country by 69.9 million gets us the following totals:

India should have 21 magical schools

China should have 20 magical schoolks

The US should have 5 schools

Indonesia should have 4 schools

Pakistan and Afghanistan should have 4 schools

There should be 7 West African Schools, and 3 in Nigeria alone

3 Brazilian Schools, and 7 South American Schools in total

There should be 5 Central American schools and 2 Mexican ones.

The Polynesian Islands and the South Pacific, including Australia and New Zealand, should have 2 schools.

Southeast Asia should have 3 schools

Bangladesh alone should have 2 schools

Russia should have 2 schools

Eastern Europe should have 4 schools + Durmstrang for the Nordic regions

Italy and Spain/Portugal/Catalonia/Basque Country need one each

One in Central Europe

Japan needs two

The Koreas need one

The Philippines need one

North Africa needs 4

Egypt alone would need 2

The Middle East as a whole would need 5

Ethiopia would have 2 schools, and East Africa would have 7

There would be 2 schools for the countries which border the Adriatic/Aegean Seas

Worldwide, there should be around 114 magical schools.

And considering the fact that I’m no mathematician and I’m sure I missed some parts, there might be more (hence why I added one in Canada, because they’re possibly friendly enough to let everyone in). Also, some areas don’t have enough for a full school, like Caucasus, who only have enough for 1/4, but then where do they go?

Of course, this is a purely objective total not taking into account the likelihood that children in the particular region would go off to school at all vs being taught by their parents or communities, which was JKR’s argument. Slightly weird thst everyone’s homeschooled except the white kids. Of course, schools also aren’t all the same size, so it’s very possible that there could be 5 huge schools in India or twenty tiny ones in Scandinavia. But considering Hogwarts as an average, with a sort of middling teacher-to-student ratio, a lot of these numbers are pretty incredible to me. If you get too many kids per student, like that one post I saw about Ilvermorny (the American school) being a baseball stadium for lectures, it becomes really hard to focus on each individual student and how is anybody supposed to learn anything, then? You also have to take into account that the ratio of Magic to Muggle students in a given area might vary throughout the world, and the global conflicts that we have that would cause areas such as, for example, the conflict between the Koreas which would make it so they probably don’t want to share a school.

Non-sequitur, but I’d also like to point out that Ilvermorny is supposed to be in a huge castle in Massachusetts. Look, I don’t know who’s been to Massachusetts, but for those of you who haven’t, there are definitely not huge, baronial-style castles just sitting around. It’s much more likely, therefore, that Ilvermorny would be in a sort of colonial architecture-based style if its founders really came on the Mayflower in 1620. It could be the sort of thing where it started out like that, and then got added onto and added onto again, so it’s in a myriad of clashing architecture styles. Honestly it’d be most likely of all that Isolt Sayre was teaching kids whose parents were off hunting behind her log cabin.

There are just so many possibilities for different kinds of wizard schools around the world from a million cultures, and the assumption that they all have to be castles is really stupid. Come on! Imagine the possibilities if you’re a wizard who’s studying directly on the Mediterranean, would their school be half in the water? Or in the middle of Tokyo on the 500th floor of some building? The possibilities!

And the cultural divides, too. Like arguments between schools on teaching and magic. I just think it’s a cool idea. There’s a big world!

[cutielando]

Hello can I request draco with a gryffindor reader who happens to be the daughter of both Ares and Aphrodite. How would her parents react when their daughter wanted to marry a former death eater after the battle of hogwarts?

ungodly romance | draco malfoy

synopsis: in which you don't know how your parents will react

pairing: draco malfoy x goddess!reader

my masterlist

Being the daughter of two Gods came with many difficulties.

With your status came responsibilities, obligations and burdens. Things were expected of you, you needed to reflect well on your parents and your kind.

Studying at Hogwarts had been your way out, your one place where you could be yourself without people breathing down your neck, without being judged for every little thing that you would do. It was your escape.

After the Battle of Hogwarts, that place had forever disappeared from your life. You were back in your closed-off world, living to please the people around you, make them proud and give them someone to show-off and brag about.

However, there was one person whom you reconnected with that gave you your freedom back.

Draco Malfoy.

During the war, you had had to cut off contact with him because of your opposing positions in the war, your parents having forbidden you from associating with Death Eaters or anyone who might tarnish their stellar reputation, as a matter of fact.

You and Draco had just secretly started dating before the war broke out, cutting contact being the most hurtful thing you've had to do. Having just found someone to love you for who you were, and immediately having to let them go.

When you reconnected after the war, it seemed like two pieces of a puzzle reunited after a long time without each other. You finally felt like you were at home again, safe and sound in the arms of the one you loved.

There was just one problem.

Your parents.

The fear that crippled your heart at the thought of them meeting Draco was paralyzing. You knew how they felt about Death Eaters, and despite Draco leaving those days behind, that wouldn't matter to them. He would still be evil in their eyes.

Draco was the one who insisted that he meet them. He was positive that he could change their minds and make them see that he was good for you, that those days were long behind him and he wasn't evil at heart as they had concluded.

You weren't so sure, but you figured you had nothing more to lose. The worst your parents could do was lock you away for good, but it wasn't anything that you hadn't previously been through.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" you asked Draco for the twentieth time as you stopped before the grand door that sat in front of you.

You had been very evasive with details about your boyfriend when you told your parents you would be bringing him to dinner, which sparked their curiosity even more.

But not in a good way.

"Love, we have to get this done. We can't hide away forever" he caressed your cheek, sensing how nervous you truly were.

"Yes, we can. There's nothing stopping us. They don't care about my life anyway, and I know what they're going to say already. This is all really unnecessary" you tried to reason with him, trying to convince him just how bad this idea was in your eyes.

"I want to meet your parents, and regardless of what they say, I'm not giving up on us. Whatever comes our way, we'll deal with it together" looking into his gray eyes, you felt comfort.

Without realizing it, you found yourself nodding and taking his hand, finally entering the place you had been dreading to enter for the past few days.

Immediately, as soon as you stepped foot into the house, servants bombarded you left and right, not even sparing Draco a second glance as they focused on you.

"Master and Mistress are awaiting you in the grand ballroom" one of the servants informed you before disappearing with the others into another room.

You glanced once more at Draco before letting out a big breath, and beginning your journey towards the ballroom.

Once stopped in front of the entrance, you raised your hand to knock, but the doors opened on their own before you got the chance.

"Hello Mother, hello Father" you greeted your parents, both of them conversing with their backs turned to you.

"Sit" your mother's sweet yet icy voice spoke, not turning around yet.

You glanced at Draco with the corner of your eyes, but followed suit nonetheless.

Both of you took a seat next to each other, clearing your throat and keeping your hand clasped in his.

Your parents, Ares and Aphrodite, God of war and Goddess of love and beauty, now stood facing you, eyeing you down wearily. You were accustomed to their intense gaze, but it hurt Draco to look at them.

"Who have you brought here?" your mother asked, her eyes scanning your boyfriend.

By the way she was looking at him, you could already sense her suspicion.

"This is my boyfriend, Draco. Draco, these are my parents"

"It's an honor to meet you both," Draco said nervously.

Your father stared him down, cracking his knuckles.

"What is this young man doing in my house? Do you have no respect for us? Don't you know what he did in the war?" the booming voice of your father echoed off the walls, his fist hitting the long table that stood between you.

You didn't even flinch, accustomed already to his outbursts. There was a reason why he was the God of war, after all.

Clearing your throat, you held your head high and looked at your father.

"I am aware of Draco's actions during the war, but I am also aware of the fact that he did not participate willingly in any of them. He was being forced by his father, who is now residing in Azkaban for his crimes. I know you despise the lot, but Draco is not like them. He never was and he never will. I ask of you that you give him a chance and get to know him before making any judgements" your father was fuming, but you could your mother smiling from the corner of your eyes.

She had always encouraged you to fight for the ones you love, and this was the first time you had really stood up to your father like this.

"I don't want to hear this right now" he turned around and stormed out of the room, something you had known was going to happen.

"Don't worry, my dear. I will speak to your father. Draco, consider yourself welcomed to the family" your mother caressed his shoulder before graciously following after your father.

Left alone in the room, you let out a big sigh of relief, not quite believing what had just happened.

"I told you so" Draco teased, bumping your shoulders.

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all.

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[perilousraven]

The Durmstrang Situation

We all know by now that the existence of Durmstrang is a real clusterfuck, don't we? I mean, it's a real clusterfuck. But I came across this post which got me thinking, so I thought to make a summary of what we know, what it means for Durmstrang in relation to historical facts, and how it conflicts with..well, most of said historical facts.

What We Know

So here's the facts we know from canon: the name is Durmstrang. It's located in Scandinavia (as per JKR) somewhere with mountains and lakes all around (as per Viktor Krum in the books), and was founded by a bulgarian chick called Nerida Vulchanova. And we know it was founded before 1290 or so (when Triwizard Tournament was established), although not for sure how long before then.

I take that last to mean that it was founded sometime late in the Early Medieval Period (what you might also call the Viking Age), roughly contemporary to Hogwarts. Because canon has severe trouble allowing any other school to be definitively older than Hogwarts. But just know that the explanations below assume founding in 800-1199, and if Durmstrang is earlier than that things are going to get even more strange and off-kilter.

The Founder and Her Trip to Scandinavia

Nerida Vulchanova, as we know, is mentioned as being Bulgarian. Her name first name is Greek and last name Slavic, which is not an uncommon combination for Bulgaria (if any of you haven't looked at a map lately, Bulgaria is a neighbor of Greece roughly to its north), nothing to remark upon there. But how on earth did she end up from Bulgaria all the way up to the unexplored wilds of Scandinavia?

Let's take a look. At the estimated time range of founding alone, there are three separate countries that claimed the land that is Bulgaria in the present day. Wikipedia is our friend.

The first possible option is the First Bulgarian Empire, during which the land was christianized. Would this be enough for a self-respecting witch to escape all the way across the continent to the uninhabited north? Possibly. The second option is the Byzantine Roman Empire (remember your history lessons folks, that's the one with the capital in Constantinople, the current name of which is Istanbul), which conquered the land right after that in 1018. Byzantine Rome was thoroughly christian by then too, so if the christianization itself wasn't enough cause to make witches and wizards flee the area, then it's unlikely that was the cause and they simply protested the change from Bulgarian rule to Roman rule. The third option then, is the Second Bulgarian Empire, when the old Bulgarian nobility rose against their new masters a hundred years later and reclaimed the land.

There's plenty of causes for any person to flee the area in the time period around the founding, to put it short. The only unexplainable decision is, why go all the way north? Why not stop somewhere on the way? Maybe she was simply determined to find land that no others had pre-existing claim over. Would have been hard to find that in central Europe. But that does kind of presume that she left specifically in search of land where no political powers would interfere, so the school's founding would have been a decision made long before she made it to the site.

The Location and Its Implications

As mentioned above, is said to be somewhere in Scandinavia as per JKR. If you go to the Wizarding World website (or the Fandom wiki, which currently has better availability of the map), you can see that Durmstrang is marked down in Russia on the map. This not only conflicts with JKR (understandable, she can't keep anything straight!) but also with Krum's description of the school - the marked location may have a large lake but there are no mountains anywhere even remotely close, and the climate is moderately temperate compared to Scandinavia. Let's chalk it up to an error on their graphical designer's part, to be generous.

More realistic scenarios after the Scandinavia reveal have placed it somewhere in Norway or Sweden, consistent with both JKR's and Krum's descriptions of the school.

However. Let us not forget the timing of the founding. Unless Durmstrang was right next to the coast and fairly south, it was not part of Norway at the time (Old Kingdom of Norway, to be more specific). There is no mention of the ocean in descriptions of Durmstrang, only lakes and mountains. Likewise, unless it's far to the south of Sweden close by to Denmark, it was not part of Sweden at the time. There are no mountains in the area that Sweden ruled at the time.

Conclusion: Durmstrang was founded in neutral territory, ungoverned by any muggle king. At most it was established on land governed by a local village chief, but considering how much uninhabited land there was around that corner of the world, especially at that point in history, chances are that Durmstrang was originally completely self-governing. That's bound to have created a rocky history for the school as subsequent muggle kingdom expansions brought it into line with one or the other government. Depending on how those interactions went, there is a good chance that even in the present day Durmstrang considers itself an entirely separate self-governing area.

The Languages of Durmstrang

We all know it - Durmstrang is German. And moreover, it comes from the expression "Sturm und Drang" which in turn dates back to the...18th century. Potentially almost a thousand years after Durmstrang's founding. So what's up with the name? For that matter, we know they accept Bulgarians (who speak Bulgarian), and they presumably accept students at least from Norway and Sweden and Denmark. And possibly Germany. And various eastern European countries. What on.....?

Let's look at the history. At the time of founding, the people around Durmstrang's location spoke Old Norse - it doesn't matter if you go for Norway or Sweden, it was all Old Norse back then, the languages hadn't separated yet. Nerida the founder would have spoken Old Church Slavonic. In Germany they spoke Old High German, at least in the central and southern parts of the (modern) country. In northern Germany (again, the modern country) and in parts of Denmark, they spoke Old Saxon. And if you count in Finland, depending on which areas/tribes you count that's 2-5+ languages more, of a completely different culture than those found in Scandinavia proper or in Europe. Let's not even get into the fact that the Sami also very much live in Scandinavia, and while the Sami languages are more closely related to Finnic languages than Norse ones, they're still substantially different and that's still another dozen languages to worry about. (disclaimer: I was unable to find reference on when Sami languages separated from each other, there might or might not have been as many a thousand years ago)

Now, it's entirely possible that the school would have gone with Old Norse for teaching language (which would have made it hell and chaos once the languages started properly separating into their modern versions, there's no telling what language they would have ended up with in the present day), but that would have left any Bulgarians out, not to mention any other countries. But there was in fact a common language people from all those countries would have spoken, at least if educated. Latin. Latin was the language of the educated elite and probably not all witches and wizards would have otherwise learnt it if the wizarding society in those countries resembled the muggle society of the time, but it was also the language of the (majority of the) spells taught, so there would have been good cause to learn it and learn it well.

The only other reasonable explanation for the wide range of students the school is implied to have would be constant translation charms, on all interactions, and it would only have gotten worse as time passed when the old languages separated into the modern ones.

As for the name itself? There's nothing that could possibly explain it away, even if I'm not personally qualified to say for certain if Old High German was enough alike modern German to make it halfway plausible. An 18th century German name is simply so out of left field that it cannot be possible. The most reasonable explanation I can come up with is that the school was taken over by some German witch or wizard at some point and completely renamed. We have precedent after all - the very first headmaster after Nerida herself rewrote the entire curriculum, after all. With such a wide variety of people attending the school, it's not a reach to say that somebody at some point got too prideful and took it over to emphasize their own national pride. Just like what likely happened with Nerida and Harfang Munter.

That Damned School Crest

Yes, the movies screwed up big time. Who is surprised? And by 'screwed up' I mean the highly dubious inclusion of cyrillic script in the school crest.

Let's look at history again. Bulgaria? Sure, they use cyrillic alphabet - although at Nerida's time it would have been the Early Cyrillic that they used. Old Norse was written in Younger Futhark, and Old Saxon had just transitioned from futhark to latin alphabet several hundred years ago. Most of the school's students would have been familiar with either futhark runes (side note: elder futhark is one of the runic scripts taught in Ancient Runes class as per the extended universe) or with the latin alphabet.

But all that's probably a moot point anyway, since Durmstrang had to have had a different name before 18th century! So why the inclusion of cyrillic script in the crest? By 18th century most of the school's students (at the very least, the students that come from anywhere near the actual school) would know slavs (and thus the cyrillic script) as invaders that their governments are in constant war with. So why cyrillic?

Your guess is as good as mine. If you insist that the school crest is canon, that is. It is, after all, only from the movies. It'd be perfectly legit to dismiss it in favor of one less inconsistency to an already fucked up school. :)

Summary

The founder Nerida Vulchanova likely left Bulgarian Empire (or Roman Empire, depending on the exact time) specifically to look for a place where her school would not suffer constant interference from warring governments. She found that in the uninhabited wilds of Scandinavia, and the school may in fact consider itself separate from any government to the present day.

The language of teaching is likely Latin, and has been since the school's founding. What hasn't been there since the school's founding is the name - not only would a Bulgarian not have had any reason to give her Scandinavian school a name in Old High German, but the expression the name is based on is from the 18th century. There was likely a German headmaster at some point in the last few hundred years who changed the school's name.

The school's crest from the movies would be really, really difficult to explain away, so just dismiss it as not canon. Also, considering the scripts used in areas where the students come from, Durmstrang likely has a long history with quality Ancient Runes education.

[pinkiemachine]

What up, Hogwarts?! Say hello to your new AMERICAN EXCHANGE STUDENTS!!! Don’t you ever come at me, OR my cranky Hufflepuff sister! Wizard Thug Life, fr fr.

Alternatively, while at home in the good old U.S. of A: Don’t you mess with me and my Thunderbird homies, or my sis and her Pukwudgie squad! Ilvermorny, represent!

[slaymybreathaway]

Love Potion (George Weasley x Reader)

Part 1 of ?

Content: cursing, friendly banter

Word Count: 1.4k

♡ Main Masterlist

♡ Wizarding World Masterlist

♡ Mini-series Chapterlist

I sat at the table in the Gryffindoor common room, my head bent over a textbook as I searched for something, anything that would be of use to me. Beside me was an empty sheet of parchment with the words 'The Ethics of Love Potions' scrawled at the top of it.

I heard footsteps coming from the staircase that led up to the dorms, but I didn't look behind me to see who it was. I was too focused on getting this essay done, even though it was nearing midnight.

"What are you doing out of bed after lights out?" A voice spoke, in a horrible impression of Professor McGonnagal. A few years ago, I would be frightened by the words alone but I knew better now. I could know that voice anywhere.

"Hello Georgie," I chuckled, keeping my eyes on the textbook as the tall rehead padded along the carpeted wood floors to sit on the seat opposite mine.

"How'd you know it was me?" He asked with a cheeky smirk, his eyes twinkling in the light of the fire that was permanently alight in the common room.

I glanced up at him, before returning my gaze to the paper infront of me. "You're not the best at impressions... Fred's much better," I shrug, trying to hide my smile.

George scoffed as he leaned back in his chair crossing his arms over his chest. "No he's not. I'm much better than Fred is. Much better looking too, you kn-" he started to get annoyed as he spoke, but stopped in his tracks once he saw me trying to stifle a giggle. "You tosser," he rolled his eyes when he realised I was just messing with him.

♡

I met the Weasley twins when I was nine years old. Our fathers worked in the ministry together and became close friends so Arthur Weasley decided to invite me and my Dad along to his family's camping trip to the lake.

As soon as we arrived, my eyes were drawn to the two boys around my age that looked exactly like eachother. They stood with their hands in their pockets, as grown ups often do, with michevious grins plastered onto their faces.

Their father introduced them as Fred and George though then, I couldn't tell which one was which.

"Do you talk?" One of them asked.

"Or just stand there staring at us?" The other one finished, tilting his head to the left as he spoke.

"I talk," I crossed my arms, trying to make myself appear tougher than I was. "And I wasn't staring at you, I was just..." my voice trailed off, as I struggled to come up with a lie.

"It's alright," one of them shrugged.

"We get it alot," the other jut in.

"It's because of our rugged good looks,"

The first raised his eyebrows.

I rolled my eyes and opened my mouth to ask what good looks he was referring to when the other one spoke again.

"Well my good looks, he's an ugly git," he spoke, nodding his head towards his identical twin brother. I laughed at the joke, watching the boy who said it closely. He had a small bump on his nose, one that separated him from his brother, and always seemed to speak second.

"Hey!" The first brother shouted, throwing a fake punch that turned into a playful brawl. Neither of them hit to hurt and it was more dramaticed than serious. They both stopped when their mother pulled them apart and scolded them, to which they just giggled about as soon as her back was turned.

By the end of the trip I had become best friends with the twins. Every weekend that followed, I begged my dad to take me to the Burrow to see them and every weekend that he said no, he'd come home from work to find George and Fred sitting in his kitchen, eating biscuits.

I loved them both dearly but George always intruiged me the most. When I was younger it was just pure fascination, a need to be close to him so that I could figure out why he seemed to always have that mischevious glint in his eye. As I grew older, these feelings of fascination turned to feelings of infatuation. My stomach seemed to flutter whenever he was around, my mind foggy when he said my name in that affectionate tone that he uses.

My love for George is a secret that I'd take to the grave. He is my best friend after all, the person who knows me best, the only one that can cheer me up when I'm feeling blue. I wouldn't fuck that up for the world

♡

"What are you doing still up anyways? I doubt the potions essay is what's keeping you awake," I asked, closing my textbook with a sigh.

A look of fright crossed George's, usually carefree, face. "We had a potions essay?"

I let out a laugh, handing him my parchment. "Yeah, due last class tomorrow. You'd want to have a move on,"

Georges eyes scanned the parchment as he sighed in relief. "Fucking scared me there. I got a Hufflepuff to do it for me, in exchange for a pack of Puking Pastilles," he slid the parment back across the table.

I shook my head at this but said nothing, I learned long ago that any arguing with the twins over schoolwork is a waste of time.

"How come you're having trouble with it?" George asked, his gaze running over my face. "You're fucking brilliant at potions,"

I ran a hand over my face, trying to disguise the smile that was growing on my face at his compliment. It was true, I was top of the class in Potions and was the one who created the recipes for the twins' Skiving Snackboxes but hearing George say it, however, made me feel important.

"Yeah but this isn't just about making the potion, it's about debating whether it's right or not in the grand scheme of things," I rambled on, as I usually do when talking about potions. "And I don't know what to write because I've never been under the effects of a love potion,"

George laughed at this. "Really? Never been given one by a love-struck second year?" He asked with a look of joking suprise.

"No!" I rolled my eyes at his joke "Though I'm suprised neither you or Fred has asked me to brew one up to try and woo Angelina Johnstone," I chuckled.

"Me?" George asked, his eyebrows furrowed "What would I want to do with Angelina Johnstone? She's Fred's girl,"

I put my hand's up, in defence. "Just an example! I don't exactly get told about all the girls you fancy," I pointed out.

George opened his mouth to speak but then quickly shut it again, like he had decided against what he was going to say. "Fair... what are you gonna do about this essay then? Spike yourself with a love potion just to see what it's like?" he joked.

"Hardly," I sighed, looking down. "Even if I did, who would be willing to have me make a fool of myself infront of them for two hours?"

We sat in silence for a few moments, with me tracing the letters on the front cover of my potions textbook and George staring into the fireplace, his face full of thought.

"You could do it with me if you want?" George finally spoke. "I mean, you always make a fool of yourself infront of me, anyways. This wouldn't be that different,"

I almost choked on my spit at his words. "What? You're seriously considering this?" I put my hands on the table.

The boy infront of me shrugged. "Better it be your best friend than some poor, unsuspecting sod," he let out a smile. "Besides, I need something new to slag you about. I've been overusing the 'can't get a boyfriend to save your life' joke too much recently, and it's starting to become a bit mean,"

I scowl when he says that last bit, before my face drops into a look of consideration. Of course, I wouldn't get to figure out the true ethics of love potions, since I'm already in love with George without the need for anything to inhance it but... it would help me to where I stand on the use of love potions.

"Alright... let's do it,"

♡

Yay!!! So excited to be doing a lil George miniseries

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