Sophia Brandt and the Brooch of Isolt Sayre

The Opening Ceremony

AN: This chapter is dedicated to @Honeyfern1026, who has been an AMAZING reader. I hope you like how this story is going so far!

When Sophia entered the Dining Hall that night, it had changed completely. The balcony of seating for the professors had descended, and was now filled with green-robed students from Castelobruxo and those of Mahoutokoro. Sophia found her regular seat with Callum and Rosie, but sat in silence, observing the new students.

To her left was the Castelobruxo section, which was loud and fun. The students there weren't sitting down, but chatting eagerly with each other. Many of them were looking out of the tall glass windows of the Dining Hall out onto the campus, and Sophia smiled to herself thinking about how she'd done exactly the same thing a year ago.

The section on the right was much quieter, on the other hand. The students of Mahoutokoro seemed to have sorted themselves of their own accord into different colored sections. In the very front, facing the podium, were the students in golden robes (there were only 9, Sophia counted). And then the rest were sitting patiently with those of the same colored robes.

Sophia turned her attention to the entrance, where Headmistress Calderon-Boot suddenly appeared, with the Headmistress of Mahoutokoro and the Headmaster of Castelobruxo following closely behind. After a beat, the dining hall quieted for their entrance. Once they reached the front, the grand room was completely silent. 

Headmistress Calderon-Boot, Sophia noticed, was wearing her very best robes tonight. They were a rich maroon color, with gold trimmings and clean lines. She walked in front of the two headmasters to assume her place behind the podium. 

"Good evening, students," she said, her voice loud and confident. "As the Headmistress of Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, it is my genuine pleasure to welcome the Headmistress of Mahoutokoro and the Headmaster of Castelobruxo and their respective students to our halls. You will all no doubt find that our students here are welcoming and gracious hosts, and I hope that over the course of the next few weeks, you will meet new people, have new experiences, and a new respect for witches and wizards from afar."

Sophia grinned alongside Rosie--that was exactly what she was hoping this competition would be like. She couldn't wait to ask the students from Castelobruxo what it was like to study in the jungle, or how the students of Mahoutokoro got to be so good at quidditch. 

"As tradition holds, classes at Ilvermorny will be open to students from both visiting schools, and will hopefully give them a chance to learn more about, say, North American beasts or the history of magic in our country." Headmistress Calderon-Boot smiled, then looked back at the man and woman behind her on the stage. "And now I will hand it over to Headmistress Amachi of Mahoutokoro, to announce the students that will represent their school."

Callum elbowed Sophia in the side, and she saw that he was beaming with excitement--Callum, of course, was more interested in the actual competition than meeting new students. She couldn't blame him; if she had a brother who might be chosen to compete she'd be pretty excited about it too. 

At the front of the stage, Headmistress Amachi stepped forward to the podium. She was a really beautiful woman, tall and proud, with long black hair and pale skin that rivaled the color of snow. 

Before she spoke, she uttered a spell, which allowed any speaker of a different language to understand her Japanese words perfectly. Sophia heard the Headmistress' words in English.

"The students that will represent our school have been carefully selected through a series of examinations and a panel of faculty," she began. "We hope they will bring honor to our school and be victorious once again."