Ilvermorny Year One: The Lost Witch

The First Duel

A couple of weeks had passed and the wand had not bothered Miles, which was quite the relief in his opinion. The school year was now in full swing and he did not have time for midnight wand led missions. The first year schedule was difficult but he rather enjoyed it, as did Javi but Drew, on the other hand,...was a different story.

Horned Serpent and Pukwudgie had charms together every morning. Miles and the other kids who came from No-Maj families found the class amazing. But students like Drew, who came from magical families, found Professor Williams' teaching of simple spells dreadfully boring. When questioned as to why they were learning simple repair and levitation charms, Professor Williams often told the students, "That no one can fly without knowing how the broom works." The students never understood the quote but did not ask any more questions as it was better to get charms over as soon as possible.

After a long morning in charms, Horned Serpent and Thunderbird shared History of Magic. Even Miles found this class a bit...dry. Professor Morse used his wand to conjure images of many of the things he discussed but students still managed to go to sleep, some even snoring. One morning while discussing Dr. Oluhu Wakini, the inventor of the "Dolore dentium charm," which had allowed North American witches and wizards to no longer have a need for dentists, the conjured image of Wakini yelled at the students to wake up as it was rude for them to sleep during lecture.

Next in Miles' schedule was one of his favorites, transfiguration. He loved it because unlike Charms and History, they actually did magic. Transfiguration, put very simply, is the magic of turning one thing into another. They had started by turning pencils into pens, which went well for everyone except Drew, who turned his pencil into a quill. Professor Cervantes teased him by saying his quill may be more useful at other magic schools across the pond.

Bookending lunch period was Potions and Herbology. Professor Stewart was a hard teacher. She demanded that every drop of every ingredient be measured to the exact measurement needed. She required no talking while anyone else was talking and most importantly that no potions be made for any non-academic reasons. She once cursed Bolt with the "Citrum" charm for saying there was no point of learning how to make potions if they couldn't actually make potions. The charm left him with a sour pucker for the rest of the day.

Herbology was a bit different as was the professor who taught it. Professor Naoki Hanamoto urged her students to become one with nature. The classroom was a large glass dome, with intricate metal work supporting the glass panes. The floor was all soil with various plants sprouting from all over. Professor Hanamoto required that all students remove their shoes and socks and then roll up their pants so they could plant their feet into the ground of her classroom. "Feel mother earth become one with your bodies dear children," said Professor Hanamoto as she flung herself to her knees, dug her hands deep into the soil. The students watched in complete silence as she flew back to her feet and then sprinkled the dirt all over her body.

After uprooting themselves from Professor Hanamoto's classroom, Horned Serpent and Wampus went to Defense against the Dark Arts. The classroom was perched high in the tallest tower at Ilvermorny. Students usually heaved heavily for a few minutes after getting to their seats. Professor Oxendine reminded them daily to "invest some of their time in proper calisthenics." Defense against the Dark Arts was a very interesting course, at least in Miles opinion. The class taught students how to be aware of and defend themselves against dark magic.

"Students," said Professor Oxendine in her usual authoritative tone, "I want you to keep in mind, that the thing makes dark magic an art is that it often hides in plain sight." The students quietly watched her walk around the room, twirling her wand between her fingers. "Dark magic is often all around us," She said with her back to the students, "and it can often strike without warning." In a flash, she turned around and pointed her wand at the large candle chandelier illuminating the room and said "Ictus!" A white bolt of energy sprung from her wand and broke the chain holding the chandelier.