Term 11

jgundz

Week 1: We have to do what?!

A light breeze blew through the trees, causing some of the yellow and red leaves of autumn to float to the ground. A group was forming outside the Stars Rest Inn in Williamstown, the no-maj village closest to Ilvermorny Castle. William stood at the bottom of the hill, next to a bonfire, with a few of the returning students.

“So how are we getting to the castle?” laceew93 asked. William smiled as a few returning students giggled.

“Well the returning students each take a different path since they have been chosen for their houses by the Guardians. However I will be guiding your first years up the mountain this term. The staff normally does this, however they had some matters to handle up at the school today and asked me to step in.” William said.

“Are you saying we’re walking?!” keepcalmImagooner exclaimed. William nodded.

“But the older students get to go up another way?” laceew93 asked.

“You’ll get your turn next term.” ariecpotter said. “Horned Serpents, let’s show them how it’s done!” she called as a large group of students followed them running toward the river. Suddenly the water began to swirl, becoming ever faster until a waterspout formed and rose towards the sky. Slowly, it began to bend, though the water swirled ever faster, until the opening - larger than two houses beside one another - came even with the shore line. With a leap, the Horned Serpents vanished the second they touched the water. As the last one disappeared, the spout sank back down into the river and the water swirled slower before coming to a stop. It stood clear and serene, as though nothing had ever happened.

“Alright, our turn!” TurquoiseViolet215 called. The next group of students, the Pukwudgies, made their way towards the edge of the woods. Once at the edge, the trees, whipping back and forth in the wind, seemed to bend almost to the ground, hiding the group from view for a brief second. When they straightened, the students were gone.

“Us next!” BeeQueen2016 yelled. A group of students all put their arms in the air, and the wind caught them, lifting them up and swirling them away. The first years watched in awe as they grew smaller and smaller in the blackened sky until they disappeared.

“Saved the best for last!” fourathomej called as the final group of returning students walked towards the bonfire. The heat of the flames caused their robes to bellow out, and yet, they paused not even for a second before stepping into the fire one by one, vanishing as they did so. A first year gasped as the last Wampus student disappeared into the fire.

“Alright! Now let’s head up the hill.” William said with a glance at the group of first years before turning and starting up the mountain.

As the last first year made it up the mountain they found a sprawling lawn, in which a large castle sat in the middle. On the front steps stood 4 women, and next to them was a smirking ghost. In front of them were all the returning ghosts and students that had left them at the bottom of the hill. lmc8009 collapsed in front of mrmcgrath.

“Legs a bit sore?” mrmcgrath asked the first year, offering them a hand, which they took. Numerous first years nodded.

“Yes, that hike does a number on first years term and term again.” one of the women on the steps said.

“But they never change the way up.” The313 muttered, earning them a glance from one of the women on the steps.

“Welcome all, I am Headmistress jgundz, the head of the house Horned Serpent.” the woman standing in the middle stated. These are my fellow staff members, Professor Tahm, head of house Pukwudgie, Professor Dixie, head of house Wampus, and Professor Rose, head of house Thunderbird.” she stated gesturing to each woman in turn. “And this is our troublemaking ghostie Professor Yume.” she said as the ghost over her shoulder continued to smirk.

“Now, we will do some work to make your legs feel a bit better.” Prof Dixie said. “For our first Herbology lesson, please gather around the steps.” The groups of new and returning Ilvermornians mixed as everyone found a spot.

“Alright, now you can all make your way inside and enjoy your night. Tomorrow morning we will meet in the Great Hall for breakfast courtesy of Grandmam Pukwudgie, before starting a fresh new term!” HM jgundz announced as everyone finished up their Herbology lesson. Groups of students took their time making their way inside, some stopping by the kitchens for snacks, others going to their common rooms, and some first years exploring around the castle.

While the students wandered the castle for their first night, the staff made their way to the staff lounge, locking and putting a silencing charm on the door. The sound of footsteps seemingly moving towards the dining hall outside with hushed comments about Grandmam’s cooking ceased.

“Have we made any progress on how to destroy this device?” HM jgundz asked Prof tahm gesturing to the ‘Nokia’ sitting in the middle of the table under a protective charm. Prof tahm shook her head.

“Kiri is going to be doing some research while she’s at her new posting at MACUSA. Since she will have access to the entire Ministry helping them reorganize, she is going to find out anything she can and report back.” Prof rosetigger said.

“It’ll be good to have another set of eyes over there,” Prof Yume commented while looking at the ‘Nokia’. Panning to the side a broken worry stone and ornate mirror sit under another protective charm.

“How many of these things are there,” Prof Dixie paused with a look of worry causing their brows to crease.

“There can only be a finite amount without causing a severe break in ones magic,” Prof tahm noted whilst writing out calculations on a piece of parchment. “A maximum of eight, but based on the output of power, I’d say maybe five, tops.”

“I’d rather not have to deal with any more of these,” HM jgundz said cooly while placing a reinforcement on the protective charms.

“Were you going to hand out the supplementary DADA lessons this term,” the ghostly professor whispered while pointing to a pile of lightly glowing notebooks.

“It’s probably good to head back down and hand these out to not worry the students,” HM jgundz replied.

“You just want some of Grandmam’s cooking,” Prof tahm laughed.

“That’s a good second reason to go down,” Professor Rose chuckled while grabbing the notebooks to take down to the hall.

Walking down the hall, the staff met the students in the dining hall where most had gathered to try some of Grandmam’s cooking. The older students must have told the new students about her delicious desserts, and that they simply must be tried. Obviously.

“Many of you will be familiar with this next announcement. We will be continuing our journey in Defense Against the Dark Arts. In a moment the heads of house will be passing out your DADA supplementary lesson books to the first years. First years, if you look around, the returning students books are no longer brown. They have changed colors as the students progress through their lessons.” HM jgundz explained. “You will work on these all term long to see how far you can get in your DADA lessons.”

Chatter resumed throughout the Hall as returning students shared their previous workbooks with the first years. As everyone finished up their snacks, Professor tahm stood up. Everyone turned to listen to them.

“Alright everyone, in the morning we will start with our first set of lessons. It may be a good time to get to know the castle better and maybe look into some of the history. We have quite a few magical creatures on the grounds,” Prof tahm said, “Please be careful if you go explore the dragon pens. There are four of them.”

“And a Sheep,” brisingr86 chortled.

“Yes, and a Sheep which has not been classified as magical after numerous tests,” Prof Dixie replied.

“There’s some great books on the history of this place I can show you,” Katsheare said, excitedly jumped up and down.

After an exciting night of revelry and knowledge, it is time to officially begin lessons. The first lesson of the term is in Potions with Grandmam teaching this lesson.

“Why is Grandmam teaching Potions today?” usedmemories questioned as everyone moved into the kitchen.

“It’s not exactly common knowledge, but bringing magic into the kitchen is a Pukwudgie custom,” tmeadows_08, the older Pukwudgie student smiled.

“Anything you put into your body can be considered a potion if you think about it,” Grandmam beamed. “It can power your being by putting nutrients into your body. You can enchant herbs before sprinkling them over the meal making them extra tasty or giving them the power to bring people together,” waving over the variety of ingredients in the kitchen. “And we’re going to do that today with breakfast.”

“I never knew Grandmam knew so much about Potions.” talhonjik said to NelsonKatelyn as they made their way back to the HS common room. Overhearing them DanielleFayeS chuckled.

“I think only us Puks really knew her knowledge. SHe comes into our common room a lot and shares it with us.” DanielleFayeS said. As the students laughed they saw a frazzled Prof Yume shifting from corporeal and back to ghost while muttering about spells, and devices fly through a nearby wall.

jgundz

Week 2: It's a bird, it's a plane....it's a pumpkin

BeeQueen2016 was walking to meet katsheare outside the Horned Serpent common room for some quidditch practice before tryouts when they heard muttering moving down the hallway toward them.

“Could have worked at the ministry..like your cousin...what are you doing with your life?” was all BeeQueen2016 heard. As she rounded a corner she walked right through Prof Yume, who was zooming in the other direction.

Prof Yume kept flying until she reached the rafters in the Great Hall, where she met with puffbrat and cabman.

“You okay Professor?” cabman asked noticing Prof Yume shifting between corporeal and ghostly in her aggitated state.

“It’s October, which means holidays, which means family, which means complaining and competition.” Prof Yume muttered. “I need firewhiskey.” she added zooming away in the direction of the Tavern in town.

“I almost think the nargles have gotten to her.” puffbrat said.

“Nargles mimicking holiday stress?” cabman sad, “that’s a new one.”

Later that day the staff called all students to the Transfiguration room for class.

“Before class starts I had a question.” murdog3t stated. The staff looked at them.”Where does the Nokia stand? Have we figured out if it’s a horcrux?”

“We are under the assumption it is. We have not figured out how to destroy it yet.” HM jgundz explained.

“This may be a dumb question, but you guys have horcruxes at this school?” kaika_dragon asked.

“Not a stupid question.” The 313 said. “We are just as surprised as you are. We have an interesting history here.”

“Ok, I understand you all having questions, and as we have answers we will share them. But for now, we will be preparing for any future surprises Gaunt may be sending our way.” Prof tahm explained.

“Who here is familiar with the revelio charm?” Prof Dixie asked. A few students raised their hands. “Not a bad start. Well for those not familiar, the revelio charm helps reveal things that are not as they appear. The staff and I have transfigured some items in this room for you to find and practice the revelio charm on.”

“The idea behind this exercise is to find the members of our Ilvemorny family that have a talent for this type of magic, and who has other preferences when it comes to transfiguration.”Prof Rose explained as they began breaking into groups to find the missing items.

“That was a fun lesson. I can’t believe you found the biggest hidden treasure.” grammykp58 said to slimpossible07.

“Me either honestly. I didn’t know I would be any good at that lesson.” slimpossible007 said as the pair walked out the back door onto the groups. They walked around the castle grounds, contemplating this week’s assignments. Stopping for a moment underneath a towering tree, grammykp58 looks up into the vibrant orange leaves, rustling softly in a light breeze and taking a deep breath, noting the warm, earthy smell of autumn. WHOOSH!

“What in the kitten was that?!” rikkejohnsenrij asked, startling both grammykp58 and slimpossible007. A strange thumping sound followed...a sort of squishy, wet thump and the distant sound of voices. The group looked around.

“Look!” slimpossible007 exclaimed, pointing off towards the dragon paddock. Students were gathered around the paddock, watching as fourathomej grabbed a pumpkin. She stood sideways, positioning their feet just right, and then whippe the pumpkin right at Magellan, the Thunderbird Norweigan Ridgeback. Magellan took a deep breath before releasing a huge flame into the air. The flame was positioned just so that the pumpkin flew right through it, the skin blistering and orange flesh softening. On the other side of the paddock, mrmcgrath and a group of students waited with a large blanket outstretched between them. “To the left, to the left! No wait, too far, go back to the right, forward, yes! Hold it!” mrmcgrath yelled as the students braced for impact, catching the pumpkin in the blanket to slow its fall. The group then carried the blanket over to a giant cauldron, where they added the pumpkin to a steaming pile. Grandmam was there, directing another group of students on the proper procedure for separating the roasted flesh from the seeds.

“Man, I will never get used to the weird sports here at Ilvermorny.” slimpossible007 said as she, Grammykp58 and rikkejohnsenrij made their way to the paddocks to join in on the fun.

“Ouch.” fourathomej said handing the next pumpkin to elkinschristina. “My knee didn’t like that stance.” They went and sat on a hay bale to watch other students take turns tossing pumpkins.

That night HM jgundz went into the Horned Serpent common to find numerous students moving about in weird directions.

“What are you all doing?” HM jgundz called. A few students jumped.

“A rain dance!” brisingr86 called as she spun through the rafters.

“Why?” HM jgundz asked.

“Because it’s fall, and we want to enjoy the rain, and weather, and have mud fights.” eleanorhawkins said. HM jgundz laughed. Suddenly Prof Yume came flying through the nearest exterior wall.

“IT’S RAINING TACOS!!!!!!” she yelled excitedly. “THIS IS NOT A DRILL, IT IS RAINING TACOS OUTSIDE!!!!!” then she zoomed back through the wall. Everyone exchanged looks and there was a mad dash towards the door.

“Another weird week at Ilvermorny.” TurquoiseViolet215 said.

“Well it always is.” DanielleFayeS said. “But at least quidditch starts soon, and that should bring some normalcy.”

“I’m starting to think horcruxes and attacks are normalcy around here.” theresam68 said. “We need to destroy that Nokia, so maybe we can have a less dangerous term for once.”

jgundz

Week 3: Watch out for flying objects!

Talhonjik sits in the library with stacks of books piled high on the table, nose buried in an old and dusty tome. slimpossible007 scribbles furiously onto a scroll, taking notes as Tal reads aloud bits regarding horcruxes. “I can’t seem to find much information...horcrux history is still a bit of a mystery. Wait...there’s something here. It looks like a wizard named Nystul created the very first horcrux. There’s an excerpt from an interview with him.”

tmeadows_08 peered over Tal’s shoulder. “Nystul Aradia...that name sounds familiar.” She walked around the table and picked up a large book, spine broken from the burden of its own weight over the years. “This is a family history book, I think I saw it here...yes, Aradia! It appears Nystul’s wife died during childbirth, leaving him with one daughter, Onllwyn. She went on to have a large family it looks like…” tmeadows_08’s finger trails down the page before flipping to the next. “The last name on here is Donaidh Aradia, born 47 years ago, in 1747.”

“Ah, yes, Donaidh!” sue_01 chimes in. “He is a very knowledgeable fellow, lives in the next town over in fact. I’ll reach out to him and schedule an afternoon tea -- I’ve been meaning to return a scroll I borrowed from him last spring!”

“Maybe we can make an organized effort to try some different destruction methods in the mean time. The sooner we can destroy the Nokia, the better.” GrandmaJackie stands up from the table, energized. “Many things are destroyed by fire...perhaps the Incendio spell will burn the horcrux.”

“Hmmm...well, that backfired.” Headmistress jgundz stated, watching as the table beneath the Nokia bursts into flame, with the horcrux remaining untouched. “Aguamenti!” she flicked her wand, shooting a stream of water at the base of the fire.

“Okay, next attempt. I think we should try using force...maybe we can smash it somehow.” kdv12 stated, looking around the room. “Maybe Grandpap has a hammer stashed around here somewhere.”

Murdog3t stands holding the hammer, preparing to swing.

“Wait! We don’t know how the horcrux will respond, and I don’t want to risk sending you to the infirmary...or worse.” Professor rosetigger points her wand at Murdog3t, and with a quick swish, casts a dark magic protection spell. “Protego Horribilis!” Readying themselves, murdog3t swings the hammer, bringing it down onto the horcrux.

“Watch out!” eena56 yells, ducking out of the way as the horcrux bounces away, flying across the room.

“Well...force doesn’t seem to work either. Perhaps we can utilize a toxic herb concoction to dissolve the surface of the Nokia, weakening its structure.” Rosetigger says, flipping through a Herbology reference text of corrosive plants. “Ranunculus sap can cause a blistering rash when it comes in contact with skin… Dictamnus albus reacts with light to cause blistering… and Heracleum mantegazzianum can cause severe reactions. Perhaps if we make a mixture of the three, we can degrade the horcrux. We must be extra careful not to touch the concoction though…”

The next day the group reconvened after the concoction had been made, DanielleFayeS padded with extra layers of robes for protection. A cauldron sat on the table in front of them, with a steaming herbal extraction bubbling inside. Pinching the Nokia between their fingers, Danielle gently drops the horcrux into the cauldron and steps back quickly. The boiling mixture starts to hiss and foam, starting to quake under the force of the rolling boil. Suddenly, the cauldron tips over, spilling the mixture all over the floor.

“BACK UP!! Don’t let it touch your feet!” Professor Tahm yells, her arms outstretched and pushing students behind her.

The group examined the floor after magically cleaning up all the hissy liquid from the floor, finding the Nokia hissing under the nearest end table.

“Still in one piece.” Prof Dixie said exasperated.

“Well back to the library!” katsheare exclaimed. She and ariecpotter ran off.

“Their love of the library is confounding.” Briaboo4 said with a chuckle.

“It’s why they’re Horned Serpents.” HM jgundz said with pride. “Anyway, let’s get down to the Great Hall for some food, I heard Grandmam whipped us up something special. The group put the Nokia back in it’s protective containment unit and went down to the Great Hall. When they walked in the smells were overwhelming.

“Breakfast for lunch!!” usedmemories called.

“Those piles of eggs look larger than usual.” Prof tahm said to Grandmam who was nearby plating toast.

“Dragon eggs.” Grandmam said softly witha sparkle in her eye.

“JGUNDZ!!!” the313 called as the HM walked out of the Great Hall after eating. She stopped to let the313 catch up with her. “We found something!” HM jgundz followed the313 to the library where there was a large group of students gathered around a table.

“They hatched a new creature called a basilisk by incubating a chicken egg under a toad.” katsheare was reading aloud. “This creature can kill you by looking directly in your eyes, however if it merely meets eyes with you in a reflection, you are petrified.”

“Well yea, I would be terrified.” theresam68 said. A few people chuckled.

“No, in this case petrified a malign magical state in which a living creature is rendered immobile and unresponsive, as if they had been turned to stone.” HM jgundz said.

“Anyway it says that basilisk venom is able to destroy objects to the point of being unable to be restored.” katsheare read and all the students looked at HM jgundz.

“Well then, I guess we need to find some basilisk venom.” HM jgundz said, and went to converse with the other staff about the new plan.

jgundz

Week 4: Oh Kazuki

Professor rosetigger called sue_01 into her professor’s quarters off the forge.

“Yes professor?” sue_01 asked as she walked into the room.

“I was hoping you had good news about getting in touch with Donaidh Aradia regarding the Nokia.” Prof rosetigger said.

“Yes, Munin arrived this morning with his response. He is in the middle of celebrating a local holiday. It’s something called Sloth Day.” sue_01 explained. Prof rosetigger stared at her confused.

“What is sloth day?” Prof rosetigger finally said.

“Well I don’t know exactly, but all I know is they do not do business on this day, as it’s a day for resetting and relaxing.” sue_01 said, “He is able to meet with us later this week. But we have to do to him.”

“Alright, we will make a plan for travel.” Prof rosetigger said. “In the meantime let’s learn a little more about this holiday.”

“Do I look like a sloth?” GrandmaJackie asked whitefire78 as she hung from the rafters of their common room.

“A little I guess.” whitefire78 said, looking between the book in their hands and GrandmaJackie.

“What are you doing?” Kmasz said drifting through the wall next to GrandmaJackie, startling her and making her fall into the pile of pillows below her. “Sorry.” Kmasz said trying to stifle their laugh.

“Hanging up there is hard!” GrandmaJackie said, stretching her arms.

“Maybe we need some extra training.” sue_01 said from her spot by the window.

Meanwhile in the Horned Serpent common room, they were also talking about sloths.

“Ya know, the sloth looks remarkably like Kazuki.” kaika_dragon said gesturing to the demiguise that was sitting with Katsheare on a pile of pillows. At everyone turning to look at him Kazuki got shy and turned invisible, however you could see the pressure on katsheare as he climbed in her lap.

“He sure does like you a lot Kat.” kaika_dragon said.

“Yea, why does he stay up here rather than in the Magical Creature Menagerie?” kmfeig87 asked.

“He has a special connection with katsheare, as well as HM jgundz.” ashdawg8790 explained.

“Well he only likes me so much because I spend time with him while you’re all on breaks.” HM jgundz said coming into the room. “He likes the quiet.”

“Well why does he like Kat so much?” eleanorhawkins asked.

“Have we not shared the story of how we got Kazuki here at Ilvmermorny?” katsheare asked. A few shook their heads.

“Looks like I have a change in plans for our next Care of Magical Creatures class.” HM jgundz said, glancing at the time to see that class would start shortly. “Kat, can you bring Kazuki?” Katsheare nodded. The rest of the house left before her to allow Kazuki a peaceful exit. They met the rest of the class in the Magical Creatures Menagerie.

“Hello class, we have a slight change in plan today. We will not be caring for the mooncalves today.” HM jgundz said, as a few people groaned. “It has come to my attention that not all of our family here is aware of how Kazuki came to live with us.” Katsheare stepped forward, obviously holding something that no one could see.

“Back in Term 5, a bunch of things went missing, the last of which was me.” Katsheare explained. “I was found in the newly formed northern stairwell by the staff when they created a search party.”

“That was not a fun thing to have to do.” Prof tahm said.

“Kazuki here, a demiguise for all of you who haven’t met him yet, had taken me, as he thought I could help him care of a mooncalf he had been protecting.” Katsheare said. “When visible Kazuki is a silvery ape like creature, with big black eyes. He is a peaceful herbivore who likes to care for other beings. He also had precognitive sight, which makes him hard to catch when he wants to hide. He’s usually up in the Horned Serpent common room or in HM jgundz’s chambers.”

“Now class, like Kat said, he is very shy. If anyone wants to get to know Kazuki, please get together with Kat, and she will schedule a play date of sorts.” HM jgundz said.

As everyone left the menagerie they spoke more about the demiguise.

“But what I don’t understand is how he got here.” eena56 said.

“A mad-breeder named Timmie had brought him here.” zindroth explained simply.

“A mad-breeder?!” elkinschristina asked. Zindroth nodded.

“Someone sent him here to spy on Ilvermorny, because it was said we had odd creatures.” zindroth explained.

“Well we did have the Shragon at that time.” theresam68 said.

“And the Merkitty?” grammykp58 asked.]

“No, we believe Timmie is the reason for the Merkitty too, we got her the same term as Kazuki.” tmeadows_08 said.

“How’d you guys catch the mad breeder? Or his cohorts?” lmc8009 asked.

“Well we used prof yume and prof tahm being animagi to make them go crazy at the tavern.” beequeen2016 said matter of factly.

“A panda and a dolphin in a bar. Yes that would make me go mad too.” talhinjik chuckled.

Later that week the staff was putting together a group to go talk to Donaidh Aradia. They had gathered two students from each house to go on the trek. Sue_01 was explaining the way to get to the village he was staying in.

“It’s not far, just a 30 minute travel by broom.” Sue_01 explained. “But there is a village near his that is anti-magic, so we will have to take a flying break and walk a piece of the trek.” The group of students nodded.

“We look forward to hearing all about the interview once you return.” Prof yume said. “Please either record it or taking copious notes.”

“Who do you think you’re talking to Professor.” ariecpotter said with a roll of her eyes. “Katsheare and I each brought a whole roll of parchment for note taking.”

“Please send us a raven or patronus should you meet any trouble.” Prof Dixie said to fourathomej and gam3rguy, who nodded.

“Let the 30 minutes of travel begin!” 6andromeda9 said enthusiastically.

“Always the adventurer.” DanielleFayeS said with a smile to TurquoiseViolet215.

Later that day the interview group returned, and met the staff in the staff lounge.

“How was your trek?” Prof rosetigger asked.

“Not bad, the no-maj town sue_01 told us about was almost tricky, as they were very suspicious of us going through their town, but 6andromeda9 convinced them that we were just a travelling singing group.” gam3rguy said with a glare at 6andromeda9.

“A singing group?” prof tahm asked with a chuckle. “Please tell me they asked you to perform.” DanielleFayeS nodded grimly.

“The only song we could think of on the spot was the Hogwarts fight song.” TurquioseViolet215 said with a frown. Prof yume burst out laughing, as the other professors tried to hold their laughter in, causing all of them to fail and the whole room to fall into a fit of giggles.

“Anyway, we may need to reevaluate our plan.” fourathomej said once the giggling subsided.

“What did Donaidh say?” Prof Dixie asked.

“Well they had encountered horcruxes, but very little can destroy them. They horcrux was destroyed by Nystul himself when he was sick of living a half-life, but Donaidh said they had no idea how it was destroyed.” katsheare said, reading from a large pile of notes in her hands.

“Well back to the drawing board.” prof yume said unhappily.

jgundz

Week 5: Children of the Corn

And so the tale of how Ilvermorny created the first corn maze begins. When Ilvermorny launched their first corn maze, they drew most of their knowledge and motivation from their roots.
Sweet corn is an annual crop with yellow, white, or bi-colored ears. A long, frost-free growing season is necessary which has happened this year. Caressing an ear of nearby corn, the silk slipping softly between your fingers. Looking down the long rows of green and gold a small smile passes your lips.
Being able to wander aimlessly through rows upon rows of corn. From the ground nothing much to see, but after grabbing a nearby broom and flying up high a familiar image of a shragon and sheep playing is etched.

“Quite the herbology feat if I do say so myself,” Prof Dixie chuckled.

“What are we going to do with all of this corn? It’s an abundance!” fourathomej pointing to a pile of green and gold near the maze that was cut down to make the maze.

“I’m sure the locals would appreciate some extra corn. They could dry it out and have some cornmeal from it,” theresam68 suggested

“Boil’em, mash ‘em, stick ‘em in a stew” brisingr86 chanted.

“I thought that was potatoes,” kmfeig87 countered.

“Nah, you can definitely do that with corn,” brisingr86 offered.

“Nah, popcorn’s the way to go,” grammykp58 exclaimed.

“No, no, it’s milk and honey, I swear that way is fantastic!” GrandamaJackie argued.


“So what’s the reason behind making this maze of corn?” BeeQueen2016 asked

“Are there children in it?” The313 questioned

“What?” mrmcgrath asked.

“I’ve heard legends of children of the corn,” The313 explained

Prof tahm paused looking strangely at the suggestion of children being in a field of corn. “Maybe next year we’ll put children in the corn, but for this year, well this is going to be a little fun activity.”

“Competition” ariecpotter countered.

“Well, it’s a fun competition. There is a set scarecrows in middle of the field with a large stone in each of their hands. You’ll need to successfully duel the scarecrows to get it out of their hands. You’ll need to team duel actually. I think groups of 4 should work well.” Prof tahm explained

“Oh, if it’s groups of 4, we should have one person from each house in each group,” Prof Rose said

“That’s a great way to go about it. We’ll open up the maze tonight when the moon rises.” As HM jgundz says this the world’s sweetest fluffy shragon walks by. “And the world’s best fluff can pick the teams.”

“Quick go get some strawberries” Kmasz shouts as those around them chuckle.


That night as the moon rose the staff opened the maze. BeeQueen2016, katsheare, DanielleFayeS, and eena56 rushed through the first opening they found. A few minutes later their yells could be heard. The staff, who has been flying overhead to oversee the race, flew over to find Katsheare and BeeQueen2016 tangled in the corn walls, and DanielleFayeS and eena56 trying to help them out.

“Well of course there are traps, our professors are as tricky as we think we are.” Katsheare groaned as DanielleFayeS managed to free her. They helped eena56 help BeeQueen2016 out.

Later that night, the first two groups finally make their way to the middle of the field.

Abowersgirl picks a few strands of corn silk from their robes.

“It wouldn’t be so simple as to take the stone from their hands would it?” Lonnijay posits reaching gingerly toward the scarecrow, which begins to waft a gentle scent of dry straw, violet, thistle, honeysuckle, and fennel.

“What an odd smell combination, it reminds me of the kakashi the Japanese use,” TayaCurragh recalling their visit to Mahoutokoro.

“They also have noisemakers like bells and sticks mounted on a pole in the field and then light them on fire,” gam3rguy nodded as the scarecrow remained standing in place but suddenly glowing. A short little toad hopped away.

“Which stones were the ones that dropped?” Briaboo4 asked.

“Better question is why did this toad jump on top of them?” Gutcutter500 replied.

laceew93 and rikkejohnsernij put on a pair of dragonhide gloves, rikkejohnsenrij delicately lifting the toad while laceew93 picked up the stones.

As soon as the stones were lifted it could be seen that a small egg was hatching. It looks like a tiny vibrantly green snake with closed eyes.

“This doesn’t feel right, I’m going to signal for someone to come here,” Gutcutter500 pointing their wand to the air signalling with a bright flare to their location as another group begins duelling the remaining scarecrow behind them looking at the group questioningly.

HM jgundz and Prof Yume were the first of the staff to arrive, landing nearby and walking over as to not disrupt the current scarecrow duel going on.

“Professors, there is a snake hatching from an egg. We found it under this toad.” laceew93 explained, gesturing to the toad rikkejohnsenrij was still holding.

“Another one is hatching!” Briaboo4 called from next to the pile of stones. Laceew93 placed the original egg with the other stones and they all watched as a number of small snakes hatched and slithered about.

“I’ve never seen such a bright green serpent like that before.” HM jgundz stated, carefully looking at the snakes.

“HM be careful.” katsheare said from nearby. “I think I know what they are. Accio Serpent Book” she called. A minute later a book landed in her hands. She flipped through it. “Yepp, I found this while looking for the information on how to destroy the Nokia. Remember when we talked about basilisks?” HM jgundz nodded. “I believe those are baby basilisks.” Katsheare held out the book for HM jgundz to see.

“Basilisks are bright green, males have a red plume, baby basilisks maybe can’t open eyes and are therefore not as immediately dangerous.” HM jgundz read aloud.

“I think we should send them to MACUSA.” Prof tahm suggested as she watched the snakes continue to slither about.

“Not before we get some venom from them!” Prof Yume exclaimed.

“Ummm...how are we supposed to harvest venom from these?” Betsyw686 asks tentatively, looking down into the slithering pile of baby basilisks.

“It says here that venom can only be collected by grasping the basilisk with both hands, one behind the head to secure it firmly,” katsheare said, peering up from behind the pages of Susurro Anguis: A Parselmouth’s Guide to Basilisk Lore and Care. “A second person then strokes the top of the basilisk’s head with their wand three times while speaking ‘veneni olim multoque fluentis’.”

“....these look strong, even for babies. Who wants to volunteer to be a snake wrestler?” Prof Dixie asked.

After gathering the venom, and sending the students off to bed following the awards to the groups that made it to the middle and back with the stones, the staff stepped out onto the Thunderbird balcony.

“This balcony really does have the best view of the night sky,” Prof tahm said while sipping a cup of hot tea.

“It’s the time of Scorpio it seems,” Prof Rose observed.

“Oh, right, Yume we do need to get you a pumpkin pie for your birthday cake. We know you’re quite proud of being a Scorpio,” HM jgundz asked.

“It’s just the best sign is all,” Yume chuckled, “what makes this water sign unique is its distinctive venomous sting. Like our celestial spirit animal, the scorpion, we Scorpios lie in wait and strike when least expected. Life is a game of chess for us calculating water signs, who are constantly plotting several steps ahead in order to orchestrate an eventual checkmate.”

“I love the story of how the constellation came about,” Prof Dixie said.

“Scorpius the Scorpion – the southernmost constellation of the Zodiac – is a major showpiece of the starry sky. This J-shaped assemblage of stars actually looks like its namesake.” Prof tahm stated peering up at the night sky.

“The red star Antares is fortuitously placed in the sky just where the Scorpion’s Heart should be. What’s more, the fishhook-shaped Scorpion’s Stinger – made up of two stars, Shaula and Lesath – dips into the Milky Way’s stream of stars, allowing you to catch many a galactic treasure.” Prof Rose comments with a sigh.

“Sadly, you can really only see the constellation in the summer time, as though it is the time of Scorpio, it is behind the sun now. Complicated mess this astrology thing” Prof Yume said.

“Yeah, according to star lore, the Scorpion’s stinger brought about the death of Orion the Mighty Hunter. So when the gods gave the Scorpion and Orion their final resting places in the high heavens, they made sure to place the archenemies at opposite ends of the sky.” HM jgundz exlpained.

“ That’s why you can never see these two constellations in the same sky together. To this day, Orion only rises in the east after Scorpius sets in the southwest, and the reverse is also true: Scorpius won’t rise in the southeast until Orion’s departure in the west.” Prof Yume continued.

“The stinging venom of the scorpion was enough for Orion. Will the basilisk venom be enough for a Nokia?” Prof tahm pondered outloud...

jgundz

Week 6: Plans, Plans and more Plans

“All students and ghosts please meet in the Great Hall for a brainstorming session.” HM jgundz voice rang throughout the castle. Everyone made their way into the Great Hall to find the small tables gone, replaced by one giant round table, with chairs levitated in the rafters for the ghosts. In front of each chair was a set of parchment and quills with a bottle of ink. The staff was spread around the table at intervals, with prof yume up in one of the cushy ghost chairs.

“Hello all, please take a seat at the table. We need the whole school’s help with this.” Prof tahm said, gesturing around the table. Everyone took a seat.

“As you know, we have collected a variety of information, on how to destroy the ‘Nokia’.” Prof Yume said

“We are asking for everyone’s help in procuring a solid plan to utilize these means, so we can done with this device as soon as possible.” Prof rose explained.

“In front of each of you is parchment and quills for anyone who needs to write out their thoughts.” Prof Yume said, glancing with a smirk at the various Horned Serpents around the table, who laughed.

As time went on many people were shouting out ideas, and building upon them.

“But the hammer already didn’t work!” shouted BeeQueen2016.

“We are going to make a new one in the forge.” explained fourathomej. “Bigger and stronger, with strengthening magic.”

“I read that you could possibly use the basilisk venom when creating the hammer, to strenghten it, you just have to do it just right.” said talhonjik, summoning a large book.

“When did you have time to find that?” jenk1981 asked, looking at the huge book that flew into the hall.

“Reading relaxes me.” talhonjik said simply, flipping through the pages of the book.

“Reading that relaxes you?” TayaCurragh said disbelievingly. Talhonjik merely nodded and then smiled when she reached the page she was looking for. She levitated the book over to fourathomej, who looked over the page.

“This is brilliant!” fourathomej said, showing a few nearby wampus the plans that could be used to put the basilisk venom inside the hammer.

“We will need the forge to be extra hot for this.” Prof Dixie said, reviewing the notes fourathomej was taking.

“Have Magellan help.” rikkejohnsenrij said “Being the youngest, he has the best breath retention, and can last the longest heating the forge.”

“That’s an excellent idea.” Prof rose said, jotting down notes. “I am always amazed at his breath size when he is breathing fire.”

“I think we should still try and make sure the hammer doesn’t get broken.” Stated melichalupa. Slimpossible007 nodded in agreement.

“What about that healing potion and counter charm you had been working on.” betsyw686 asked theresam68.

“That combination should work.” theresam68 said with some thought and began scribbling notes on her parchment. “If we made enough, we could cover the hammer with the healing potion to make it self-healing to ward off the curse of the Nokia.”

“Wow, brainstorming makes me as hungry as quidditch does.” DanielleFayeS muttered to eleanorhawkins. As if she was heard, Grandmam and another pukwudgie from her family came out of the door that lead to the kitchen with a pile of food on numerous plates being levitated in front of them.

“Ok, how’d you do that?” eleanorhawkins asked quietly. DanielleFayeS shrugged.

“You all need sustenance to keep your brains working on this project.” Grandmam Pukwudgie said matter of factly, as if she was daring anyone to question her.

“Thank you Grandmam.” Prof tahm said with a smile. The whole group started eating the sandwiches, chips and fruit that Grandmam had brought out as they worked out more ideas for their plan.

“Remember those sigils that we found on the rocks that strengthened the Nokia?” ariecpotter asked the group. A few people nodded. “What if we found some protection sigils to draw on the hammer to ensure extra strength.” she suggested.

“That could work.” The313 said, summoning a number of books that came flying into the hall and laid themselves across the table. A few Horned Serpents got up to help The313 find sigils and take the necessary notes.

“The idea of sigils still kind of freaks me out.” 6andromeda9 said to laceew93.

“Why? Aren’t they for protection?” laceew93 asked.

“Last term, we found some on some rocks in the garden, and it turns out they were strengthening the Nokia.” 6andromeda9 explained. “And the Nokia was sent with a Hogwarts student who was hypnotized to spy on us by Gaunt, who we have had numerous scary run ins with. Anything that reminds me of Gaunt, gives me the creeps.”


“With a hammer of this strength, I’m worried about whoever is yielding it.” Prof rose said.

“I’m also worried about the kind of heat they mentioned was necessary.” Lonnijay said. “We should work on some protective gloves and arm guards.”

“I bet shragon wool would make some excellent protection.” usedmemories said scribbling some drafts on the gloves.

“And we could collect some of the scales the dragons have shed to connect for arm guards.” sue_01 pondered.

“Well it sounds like each house had created a job for themselves.” HM jgundz said. “Let’s go over the plan to ensure we’re not missing anything.”

“Thunderbirds will create some protective gloves and arm guards for both creating the hammer, and wielding it.” Prof rose said reading off notes handed to her. “They will bring Magellan up to the side of the forge, to heat it.”

“Wampus will then follow the directions found in this text, and use the basilisk venom to create an extra strong hammer.” Prof Dixie said.

“Pukwudgie will work on the ultra healing potion and counter charms to put over the hammer once it cools.” Prof tahm said.

“And then Horned Serpent will draw strengthening sigils on the hammer to help keep it in tact.” HM jgundz said.

“Who is going to actually wield the hammer?” asked puffbrat

“I think it will be best to take turns doing that so no one person is exposed to the possibility of the curse for too long.” HM jgundz replied.

“Alright, you all have your marching orders! Get to it!” Prof Yume called. Everyone collected their notes and made their way to the different parts of the castle.

jgundz

Week 7: Finals time

“Come on Magellan, a little further!” called BeeQueen2016 as she and usedmemories coralled the dragon to the side of the castle that the forge was located in. They finally got him where he needed to be so he could heat the forge to the necessary temperature.

“Thanks!” called fourathomej from in the forge as Magellan breathed fire into the forge.

“Having dragons around comes in handy.” usedmemories said as they walked back around to go back inside.

“And makes things interesting, Ember being born was a bit of a surprise.” BeeQueen2016 said. “Feeding her brandy and chicken’s blood was not a super fun job.”

“Brandy and chickens blood?” usedmemories asked. BeeQueen2016 nodded.

Meanwhile the Pukwudgies were making the healing potion to keep the hammer in one piece, while the Horned Serpents were in the library finding the right sigils to draw on the hammer with the potion.

While the potion brewed tmeadows_08 and TurquoiseVIolet215 were doing pushups nearby. Prof tahm walked in to check on them.

“What are ya’ll doing?” Prof tahm asked.

“Making sure we have the strength to swing that hammer.” TuquoiseViolet2015 said from the floor.

Katsheare and ariecpotter were searching through books in the library when kaika_dragon and kmfeig87 came through the door with plates in their hands.

“Hey guys Grandmam sent us back with these cupcakes when we went to the kitchen.” kmfeig87 said.

“She said you probably haven’t eaten, and she knows how you feel about cupcakes.” kaika_dragon explained.

“She’s never wrong.” ariecpotter said. Katsheare nodded with a huge smile as they both reached for a cupcake from the plate.

“Ugh, I can’t look at these books anymore.” the313 groaned pushing the book in front of her away. “Haven’t we found enough sigils yet?”

“We just want to check a few more books.” katsheare said as she jotted down notes in her DADA workbook.

“Why are you writing them in there?” talhonjik asked.

“This is definitely Defense Against the Dark Arts if I’ve ever heard of anything, and I want to make as much progress in this book as possible. I’m ready to see what color it turns next.” katsheare explained, still writing.

“Okay, I think we have enough, let’s go see if the hammer is done.” katsheare said, shutting her workbook, magicking the books back to the shelves, grabbing another cupcake and leading the way out of the library. The group went down to the forge, to find fourathomej and eena56 walking out carrying a gigantic hammer together.

“Hey guys, we just finished letting it cool. We’re on our way to the medi-witch’s office to see if the healing potion is ready.” eena56 said. THe whole group turned around and made their way to the medi-witch’s office located near the Pukwudgie common room. When they arrived they found the door open with the whole group looking into a cauldron.

“Hey all.” ariecpotter said. The group jumped.

“It’s just about ready!” DanielleFayeS said excitedly. “Now we just need the gloves and arm guards, so we can put it on them and the hammer once it’s ready.” As she spoke a group of Thunderbirds came up behind the rest of them carrying a variety of dragon hide and scale items.

“We have the gloves!” rikkejohnsenrij said happily.

“The potion is almost ready.” slimpossible007 said. “But man am I exhausted.” A number of people nodded in agreement.

“You all deserve a break while we wait for this to finish.” Prof tahm said from inside the office.

After a quick break the potion was ready and the group took some time to cover the gloves and arm guards with the potion. Katsheare showed a group of Horned Serpents how to draw the sigils on the hammer as well. Once that was complete, they made their way outside. HM jgundz and prof yume were waiting in the middle of the farthest field from the castle with the Nokia in it’s protective case. The whole school gathered around as they set up the field for the experiment.

Fourathomej took the first swing and was bounced back with a lot of force, but was able to get up and wasn’t injured.

“The screen is cracked!” called eleanorhawkins called as she glanced at the Nokia.

“Who’s next?” called Prof Dixie. Gutcutter500 took the next swing, causing less of a bounce back, and a few buttons flew off. Mrmcgrath took the next swing and the front casing bounced off during the smaller amount of bounce back. Next came Briaboo4, who swung hard and as she made contact there was a flash of pink light, a bang and when everyone looked down at the Nokia it was in pieces and small amounts of pink smoke were emanating from it. HM jgundz magicked the remnants into a protective case, and off to the school.

“Anyone else’s arms a bit sore?” Gutcutter500 asked. Everyone who took a swing nodded.

Later that night the whole school was in the Great Hall with music playing and lots of food and drinks around.

“Congratulations to all of you for finishing another great term here at Ilvermorny!” Called HM jgundz’ voice over the crowd. “We have successfully destroyed the horcrux!”

“Let’s celebrate!!” The313 called as she turned up the music.

The party lasted into the wee hours of the morning, so the next morning the castle was very quiet. In late morning yelling could be heard coming from the Horned Serpent tower.

“WHERE IS IT?!” The313 was yelling.

“What are you looking for?” abowergirl asked.

“My favorite quill!” The313 said exasperatedly. “I can’t find it anywhere and I want to use it to write down everyone’s contact information for the break.”

“There’s one over there.” abowersgirl pointed to a quill on the windowsill.

“No, that’s not it. I don’t recognize that one.” The313 replied and continued tearing through her trunk.