Author's note
Wizarding School Championship (round 1)
Beauxbatons 3rd year
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Theme: Ilvermorny
Main prompt: Any magical creature (a Thunderbird)
Additional prompts: turquoise [colour] and thundering [weather]
Word count: 3494 words (excluding author's notes and chapter headings)
The story is set in the early days of Ilvermorny – c.1640 – when most of the continent's magic was still the domain of Native American tribes, and white men had barely penetrated into the Four Corners region (which, in any case, was then part of the Mexican empire). The Zuni tribe lived in that area, primarily in what would become Colorado, but not far from the great plains of Arizona which were the home of the Thunderbird. They mined turquoise and greatly treasured it as a protector and healer. They also had a strong tradition of shape-shifting (which they called 'skin-walking') in order to heal and protect their community. The central character, E'le-Li'akwa, is a savant prodigy who combines these gifts. Of the four founders of Ilvermorny, Chadwick, being widely-travelled and having a Mexican wife, was the one whom I could most easily imagine coming to the region and discovering E'le-Li'akwa. It was a fortuitous coincidence that he was also the one who had chosen the Thunderbird as his house's mascot.
Although very little of the story is set in Ilvermorny itself, it was inspired by JKR's statement that "Ilvermorny has the reputation of being one of the most democratic, least elitist of all the great wizarding schools". I chose to focus on qualities evident in the origins and early history of the school – finding and developing magic in a faraway place, fostering talent from small and unexpected beginnings, acceptance of the magic found among other races, and forging connections with indigenous magical beasts – rather than setting the majority of the story in the school or among the school students.
All native words, including names, are taken from Zuni vocabulary lists online.
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Chapter 1
In the rocky terrain of what would one day be known as the Colorado Plateau, a young Zuni girl listened to her father's words: "E'le-Li'akwa, you are five summers old, and no longer an infant. You are sensible beyond your years, and you must now learn to know the ways of safety and the ways of danger, that you may grow up a strong and wise woman."
E'le-Li'akwa nodded solemnly, her heart filled with eagerness to learn. One thing she already knew (although her parents had no idea of it) was the Thunderbird which lived in the distant hills. More than four moons ago, on an exceedingly hot and dry day, E'le-Li'akwa had fallen asleep in the sun far away from the village. When she awoke, the dizziness and pounding in her head had befuddled her so that she no longer knew the way home. She had crouched on the ground and wept, but had only become thirstier. Then she had seen a flash of blue in the hard dirt and, momentarily forgetting her plight, had scraped the dirt with a stick until she had loosened the piece of turquoise that was buried there.
The sight of it seemed like an omen, for was not her name 'Turquoise Girl', and did not Zuni lore say that turquoise was the tears of gladness her people shed when the rain came? She rubbed the dirt off the stone and kissed it. Surely if ever rain was needed, she needed it now. She turned the stone over in her hands, once – twice – three times, and as she did so she recited the words she had often heard the Shiwani chant: "Storm clouds, gather/Bring the rain/May our hearts/Be glad again."
She looked up, desperately hoping that her incantation would be effective, and saw storm clouds gathering in the distance. Wheeling at their head, its great wings pouring rain with every downward beat, was a magnificent bird with three pairs of wings. E'le-Li'akwa had never seen such a bird, but she had heard tell of the Thunderbird which brought the rain. As the rain reached her, the bird dropped ponderously to earth and stood a few feet away. Despite its great size and fierce talons E'le-Li'akwa was unafraid, for it had come to her call. She clambered onto a rock so that she could look the bird in the eye.
"Thank you," she said softly.
The bird bowed its head and briefly rested its beak on her blue-black hair. E'le-Li'akwa gratefully stroked its iridescent feathers. She felt a strange sense of oneness – as if she were inside the bird's mind as well as her own. Its thoughts sounded in her head: "Drink from the rain, child, and then make your way home. We shall meet again. Let the turquoise be your guide."
Since then, E'le-Li'akwa had often returned to that place, turned the turquoise three times, and whispered to the bird to come, and it had always done so. Without the spoken incantation it brought no rain, but she did not mind, for she only wanted to be friends with the bird. She called him Amidolanne – rainbow – because he had brought rain to her in her need, but also the sunshine of companionship.
She had 'let the turquoise be her guide' in other ways, too. She had discovered that the stone, when used thoughtfully, was as powerful as any magical object her tribe possessed. Child though she still was, the turquoise gave her instinctive understanding of the spirits of all creatures, and healing powers as yet unperceived.
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Chapter 2
Five years and more passed, and E'le-Li'akwa was being spoken of among her tribe as a spirit child – one to whom the spirits spoke and gave wisdom. The villagers often expressed wonder at it, since her father was a white man. A sycamore, they said – white on the outside, red in his heart – and it was extremely unusual for a sycamore to have a spirit child.
Diego was a descendant of Spaniards who had come there a century earlier. Born among the Zunis, he had never displayed any magical power, but his marriage to the intensely magical K'yawe had been a true love match, and E'le-Li'akwa was its fruit.
One day there was great excitement among the tribe. A white man from far away was travelling through, and sought permission to rest at the pueblo with them. He understood the ways of tribes, and made respectful obeisance to the chief. Around the fire that evening, the chief invited his guest to take courteous turns with him in performing magic for each other.
As the spells grew more complex, E'le-Li'akwa drew nearer to the man. Her attention had been caught by a picture on his satchel, of a bird which looked like Amidolanne. The intensity of her interest made itself felt to the man, and he broke off his conversation with the chief and spoke to her.
"Well, little maid? You like the picture, eh?"
She looked at him shyly.
"It is like a bird I have seen in the mountains, sir."
"You have seen such a bird?"
"Yes, sir, many times."
"Then you are truly favoured, little maid. The Thunderbird shows itself only to a very few wizards and witches. Tell me, what is your name?"
"I am E'le-Li'akwa, sir."
" 'Turquoise Girl'? You are well named, child."
"Why, sir?"
"Because, E'le-Li'akwa, turquoise is the sky-stone, made from the raindrops which the Thunderbird brings. Would I be correct in thinking you have done more than just see a Thunderbird?"
E'le-Li'akwa hesitated. She had told no-one of her communing with Amidolanne, nor how much attuned to the bird she felt, but this man seemed to understand the unspoken.
"I have, sir," she said in a low voice. "Much more."
The man nodded, as if the answer was as he had expected. He turned to the chief.
"May I talk to E'le-Li'akwa's parents? I believe I can be of service to them."
Diego and K'yawe came forward, and the man explained that he was co-founder of a small magical school far away in the east, which gave excellent training to young magical folk.
"We have not, as yet, taken in boarders, but I believe that E'le-Li'akwa would be worth us beginning. Would you be willing for her to travel so far, for the sake of training her undoubted magical gifts? My foster mother, a descendant of Morrigan the Great, would gladly welcome her into our home."
Diego and K'yawe nodded to each other. Only the night before they had been discussing how best to train their daughter, whose skills were already apparent. They turned to E'le-Li'akwa.
"We would like to accept this offer for your sake, E'le-Li'akwa, but it depends on you. Would you be happy so far from your people? Would you like to go?"
E'le-Li'akwa's face shone. A strange reticence had always held her back from asking about the turquoise and how its power worked, and about the queer sense she had of being able to feel Amidolanne's thoughts as if they were her own. In her extreme joy at the prospect of discovering the answers, she felt as if she herself were glowing with his iridescence.
The thought of Amidolanne brought her back to reality, and she turned to the man quickly.
"Sir, what about the Thunderbird?"
"Call me Papa Chadwick, E'le-Li'akwa. Well, what about the Thunderbird?"
"I could not be happy without him, Papa Chadwick. May he come with me?"
Chadwick looked at her with amusement mixed with astonishment.
"It seems you know this bird better than I imagined. Does he have a name, this Thunderbird?"
"He is Amidolanne, Papa Chadwick."
"Well, E'le-Li'akwa, other students have owls, and we have various magical beasts in our school grounds. I do not think Amidolanne will want to leave his home, but you may ask him. If he consents, then you may bring him with you."
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Chapter 3
A few months later, Chadwick returned to the Zuni village to collect E'le-Li'akwa as he travelled home. He was astonished to see Amidolanne standing quietly at her side. It was another indication of her unusual powers.
On the journey to Massachusetts, E'le-Li'akwa listened eagerly as Chadwick explained that the school had four houses, and that his own house had a Thunderbird for its mascot. He described the Sorting to her, and how a wand would choose her.
"You will not feel too lonely, will you, E'le-Li'akwa, so far from your people?"
"I have Amidolanne, Papa Chadwick. While I have him, I am never alone."
Chadwick wondered anew at the extraordinary bond between the two. He had never seen anything like it before. He suspected that E'le-Li'akwa was a natural Animagus, but he said nothing of this to her.
When they arrived at Ilvermorny, Isolt greeted her new student warmly. "You are very welcome, E'le-Li'akwa, in our school and in my home. I pray you will soon be one of our family. Come quickly, now – you have arrived a little late, and the Sorting is just beginning."
She drew E'le-Li'akwa into the big hall where the other students were standing. Amidolanne followed them in. Isolt gave him a quick glance, but she had heard of the unusual situation by owl from Chadwick, and made no comment.
When her name was called, E'le-Li'akwa stepped forward onto the Gordian knot as she had seen the others do. The carved Thunderbird facing her beat its wings, and then the Pukwudgie carving raised its arrow.
Her new headmistress explained, "You have been claimed by more than one house, child. You may choose which house you prefer. Thunderbird represents your soul, and favours adventurers. Pukwudgie represents your heart, and favours healers."
E'le-Li'akwa hesitated, for she understood both the soul of Thunderbird and the healing of Pukwudgie. Then she felt Amidolanne's warm breath on her cheek, and knew what her choice must be. She stepped toward the carved Thunderbird.
From the Sorting they moved to wand selection. As each student stepped forward, a wand glowed. The student accepted the wand's choice and claimed it. But when E'le-Li'akwa stepped forward, no wand glowed. Isolt was dumbfounded. Such a thing had never occurred before. For a few moments the room was silent. Then Amidolanne paced majestically to a wand that was lying to one side. He crouched down, and one iridescent tail feather dropped gently onto the wand. Isolt gasped.
"I laid that wand aside because it was accidentally made without a core," she exclaimed. "It seems your Thunderbird wants you to have it, with his own tail feather as core. You can surely have no better."
~~ooo~~ooo~~
Two months later, E'le-Li'akwa stood at a window, gazing out into the rain. It was one of the days when she longed passionately for the wide spaces of her home territory.
Isolt found her there, and said gently, "What is wrong, child?"
E'le-Li'akwa turned to her with longing eyes. "I miss the freedom of home. I miss roaming across the plains every day, climbing the rocks and watching the sky change as the sun moves across it, seeing the bighorn sheep grazing, and the porcupines snuffling among the leaves."
Isolt hugged her warmly. "I understand, E'le-Li'akwa. I grew up in Ireland, and had to flee from there. I, too, long for the scenes of my childhood. That is why this place is called 'Ilvermorny', because that was the name of my home there." She sighed. "E'le-Li'akwa, difficulties often happen to people destined for greatness. Had I not left Ireland, I should not be here – and neither would you. Our hardest moments often enable us to give the greatest help to others. Will you try to think of your heart-longing like that, child?"
E'le-Li'akwa intuitively recognised the truth of Isolt's words.
"I will try," she promised, and smiled at her guardian, with whom she felt a real kinship.
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Chapter 4
A year passed, and E'le-Li'akwa grew more reconciled to being away from home. Isolt's understanding words had remained in her mind. She knew she was unusual – the tribe had said so, Papa Chadwick had said so, her fellow students said so. Now, whenever her life seemed a struggle, she told herself that it was all preparation for whatever she would need to do in the future.
She was renowned among her fellow students for her talent at Transfiguration, having transfigured a match into a needle on her first attempt. Their subsequent demands for her to "transform [this] into [that]", however, had left her wary of using her skill for mindless entertainment, and they had soon tired of being refused.
As yet, she had not discovered the full measure of her connection with Amidolanne, although that was about to change.
She was feeding Amidolanne one day when he suddenly stopped eating, raised himself at full stretch and beat his wings twice. The sky, which had been clear blue, clouded over, although no rain fell.
"What is it, Amidolanne?"
As always, his voice sounded in her mind. "Danger at home, E'le-Li'akwa. We must go, child; you are needed. Bring your wand and your turquoise."
"I don't understand, Amidolanne. How can we go?"
"You must learn your power. You are an Animagus by nature, which means you can transfigure at will without the spells upon which other witches and wizards must rely. This is why I have remained with you – to teach you when the time was right. Hold the turquoise in your left hand, your wand in your right, and think of our deep connection."
E'le-Li'akwa did as he told her, and for one brief moment felt herself transform into another Thunderbird. She gasped in surprise, and the break in her concentration made her revert to her human form. Amidolanne made her transform several more times, until she had grasped how to control the transformation.
"Now, child, go to Isolt and Chadwick, and tell them you must go home. It will not be for long – a few days, perhaps. You may need to show them your Animagus form to convince them. But hurry; there is no time to lose."
E'le-Li'akwa ran to look for Isolt, and was fortunate to find her and Chadwick together. She rushed into speech.
"Please, Mama Isolt, I must go home. Amidolanne told me there is danger there and I am needed."
"Amidolanne told you – what?" gasped Isolt.
Chadwick put a hand on his mother's arm. "I think, Mama, that E'le-Li'akwa has a bond with Amidolanne similar to yours with the Horned Serpent. Is that not so, child?"
E'le-Li'akwa nodded eagerly. "Yes, he talks to me in my head. And today he showed me how to become a Thunderbird too. He says we can fly home and be there in a few hours. Please, Mama Isolt, I must go."
"He showed you how – " Isolt's mind was whirling.
"Yes, look." For a brief moment E'le-Li'akwa disappeared, and in her place stood a glossy blue-black Thunderbird. Then she transformed back to her human shape and spoke again.
"Please let me go. Amidolanne said it would only be for a few days."
Isolt recovered her composure.
"Of course, child. This is surely a call from those whom you love. Our hearts will go with you."
"Thank you, Mama Isolt."
E'le-Li'akwa embraced them both quickly, and then ran back to Amidolanne.
"We can go now, Amidolanne. I am ready."
She transfigured and spread her great wings. Amidolanne stretched out his. They looked at each other for a moment, and then in complete accord rose majestically into the sky.
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Chapter 5
As they flew south-west, their great wings brought forth rain. The thunder-clouds swirled in their wake, and the darkened sky dimmed the earth beneath. E'le-Li'akwa's anxiety about what she would find when she reached home was acute, for in her Thunderbird form she too could sense the danger surrounding her people.
Amidolanne seemed tireless; his wings beat steadily, and his gaze remained fixed on the horizon. It was many hours later, and E'le-Li'akwa was almost flying in her sleep, when the beat of his wings changed to a gentler note and she followed him wearily down to the ground.
"Where are we? Oh – it's our old meeting place."
"There is danger in the village, E'le-Li'akwa, and you are tired. We will sleep in the cave here, and when you are rested we shall be better able to help."
E'le-Li'akwa was too exhausted to argue. She transformed back to her human self, curled up on a soft patch of sand, and fell asleep immediately. Amidolanne spread his wings over her to keep her warm, and stood on guard.
When she awoke, storm clouds still covered the sky, although it was no longer raining. Amidolanne was standing at the entrance to the cave, his head bent toward the ground. As she went to join him, she saw a small creature scurry away into the gloom.
"What was that, Amidolanne?"
"One of my friends, bringing me news," Amidolanne said gravely. "It seems the Scourers have come here."
"Scourers?" queried E'le-Li'akwa. "What are they?"
"They are foreign mercenary wizards who pretend to be enforcers of law and order. They roam the country, seeking out magical folk who have committed crimes and terrorising them. But they do not act justly – they will capture anyone from whom they can obtain money. They will even pretend that non-magical folk are magical, if that serves their purpose."
"Who – ?"
"Your parents."
E'le-Li'akwa gave a cry of despair. "We must save them, Amidolanne!"
Amidolanne's words were full of strength. "We will save them, E'le-Li'akwa. That is why we are here. It is why you have been given the gift of Transfiguration. It is why I befriended you, and travelled with you to a faraway land, because I sensed that only together could we avert the terrible danger I saw overshadowing your future."
"But what can we do?"
"Your parents are imprisoned not far from the village. My friends among the creatures have told me they wish to escape, but fear being recaptured quickly. Our wings are the answer. We shall bring over the Scourers such a storm that they will not be able to see or hear your parents escape, nor follow them as they flee."
Despite her distress, E'le-Li'akwa laughed. "Oh, Amidolanne, what a wonderful idea!"
"One more thing, E'le-Li'akwa. Would you be willing to lend them your turquoise? It will protect them less fully than it protects you, who found it, but here in its own place it is still a very powerful stone."
E'le-Li'akwa's face fell. "Oh, but – my turquoise, Amidolanne? Must I? I have had it so long, and I should feel lost without it."
"It will come back to you, E'le-Li'akwa, I promise. I would not ask it otherwise. But it may save your parents' lives."
E'le-Li'akwa hesitated, and as she did so, Isolt's words flashed into her mind: 'Sometimes our hardest moments give the greatest help to others.' She lifted her head with decision.
"I must, and I will."
"Good girl. You will be glad, one day."
E'le-Li'akwa couldn't imagine ever being glad to give up her turquoise, but she trusted Amidolanne's assurance.
"We must go, E'le-Li'akwa. The Scourers intend to move on this evening, so the time is short. Are you ready?"
E'le-Li'akwa took a deep breath and transformed. Again the two Thunderbirds stood side by side for a moment before rising swiftly into the air. They flew straight toward the Scourers' camp, and E'le-Li'akwa cried at the sight of her parents sitting dejectedly in a clearing, their hands tied.
"Wings," said Amidolanne, and they began beating their wings up and down, as strongly as they could. Immediately clouds gathered thickly, rain poured down and soaked the camp, and the Scourers ran inside their tents.
"Your turquoise, E'le-Li'akwa. Drop it to your parents."
E'le-Li'akwa dropped her turquoise and saw it bounce once and come to rest at her father's feet. Despite the thunder rolling around, she heard his cry of astonishment.
"K'yawe, look! It's E'le-Li'akwa's turquoise."
Then the sight was blotted out by such heavy rain that E'le-Li'akwa wondered how anyone on the ground could avoid being drowned. As she and Amidolanne continued to beat their wings, she saw her parents emerge out of the deluge and run toward a rocky outcrop. She concentrated on keeping the storm going so that they could get away safely, and saw them no more.
It seemed as if she wheeled and hovered over that place for hours, but it was scarcely one hour before Amidolanne said they had done enough, and they returned to the cave.
"Well done, E'le-Li'akwa. Your parents have escaped, and the Scourers have been so flooded that they have fled the region. Your selflessness has saved your parents, and it will bring them back to you too. The turquoise will be a message to them to come to Ilvermorny, and will protect them on their journey there. Truly, you have justified your Animagus gift and earned your name today."