CHAPTER 4: Regaling the Lions
"Umm, actually," Peter raised his hand like he was in class, "would you mind starting with your school houses? It's just that I think a lot could be explained if we knew what they were like." His voice had trailed off by the end of his sentence as he looked to his friends for approval. Luckily they all seems to agree with him, so he sat a little straighter in his chair looking pleased with himself.
Sarah nodded in agreement, that was as good a place as any to start.
"Ok, let's begin with a little history then. There are four houses of Ilvermorny, like Hogwarts, but instead of being named after the founders they were chosen by the school founders Isolt and her No-Maj husband James, as well as their adopted sons, Chadwick and Webster."
"What's a No-Maj?" James leaned back into his chair to get comfortable, but by no means was uninterested judging by the inquisitive look on his face.
"Oh, sorry, you call them muggles here, right?" Sarah checked.
"One of your founders was a muggle? Blimey." Sirius looked amazed, as did the others.
Sarah continued talking, noticing that the common room around them had quieted as she delved into her tale. "There's a lot of backstory behind it but to make it simple each house represents part of what makes a wizard whole, and also some corresponding personality traits."
"Isolt chose the Horned Serpent, which she had a history with. It represents the mind of a wizard, and favors scholars. A lot of Serpent students are extremely intelligent, and they're the absolute best to partner up with when you have a group project! Serpents also usually become scholars, specialized consultants, curse breakers, or tacticians."
She looked to Remus at this, who was now leaning on his elbows toward her. She figured he would like the Horned Serpent, he seemed like the brainy type.
"Her husband James was the only No-Maj of the family and didn't have a lot of experience with magical creatures, so eventually he decided on the Pukwudgie. And before you ask," she held up a hand to stop the questions she could already see forming, "A Pukwudgie is kinda like a goblin's distant American cousin, equipped with poisoned arrows and a whole lot of snark. They actually work in my school and provide security and maintenance, but the house represents the heart of a wizard. Pukwudgies are really protective, and a lot of them become healers, although they're also recently expanded into wizard security and other jobs like that."
Peter actually appeared to be contemplating what she said. Sarah still wasn't quite sure how to react to the mousy boy. She knew what his future was, and she just couldn't comprehend how someone could betray their closest friends the way he would one day. She also had very limited patience for quiet types, too boring for her, so that tipped her opinion of Pettigrew even more into negative territory.
Sarah knew though that his betrayal had not happened yet and that at the moment he was a loyal friend, so for the time being she would remain as neutral as she could.
Sarah took a drink of water from the glass that was sitting on the side table before continuing with a grin.
"The oldest son, Chadwick, was said to be really intelligent but also temperamental, so when he chose the Thunderbird as his house name, a lot of people agreed later on that it was a good fit. The Thunderbird represents the soul, and favors adventurers of all types. You get a lot of thrill-seekers in my house, but there's also a lot of people who just like a good challenge. Surprisingly, there's a lot of mind healers there too, since some Thunderbird students take exploring the mind as their house embodiment."
James looked enthralled at the sound of the Thunderbird house, and Sarah took a lot of pride in that.
She continued, "The last house was chosen by the younger son Webster. He apparently could argue like no one's business but he was also fiercely loyal, so he decided that his house would be represented by the Wampus, a magical panther that's fast, strong, and almost impossible to kill. The Wampus came to represent the body of a wizard, and prefers warriors of all kinds. A lot of Wampus students serve in the No-Maj military or in the aurors, become famous duelists, or leaders in their fields."
Now Sirius had perked up. Sarah guessed that the thought of a house dedicated to warriors connected to something primal in him, the image of being surrounded by people who embodied strength and loyalty resonated with his soul.
"Ya'll keepin' up so far?" Sarah accidentally slipped into her more Southern wording as she got caught up in telling her story. Little did she know that the boy next to her thought it was utterly precious.
Everyone nodded their heads, entranced in the world she was building. They weren't going anywhere for a while.
"Alright, now, Hogwarts uses the Sorting Hat for its Sorting Ceremony, right?" she asked her audience.
"That's right," Remus answered, "you went through it before you and Montagnard came to Hogwarts, correct?"
"Right," she confirmed, "but did you know that Ilvermorny's Sorting Ceremony is completely different?"
Peter looked at her with stars in his eyes, "How do you do it?" he whispered.
"At Ilvermorny, every new student stands in the center of the Stateroom of Sorting Statues, yes, yes, laugh at the alliteration." She rolled her eyes at the chuckles that broke out in the group, only to notice that the laughter was not confined to just their circle. Looking around, she noticed that she had gained quite the audience, but just shrugged and moved on.
"Anyway, the Stateroom is one of the most important features in all of Ilvermorny. In each of the cardinal directions, there is a massive wooden statue that represents each house. In the center of the circle is a Gordian knot, where the new student waits to be sorted."
"You see," she leaned in conspiratorially, "At Ilvermorny if a house wants you the statues react by coming alive!" She was met with oohs and ahhs.
"The crystal on the head of the Horned Serpent will light up, the Wampus will roar, the Thunderbird beats its wings, the Pukwudgie lifts it's poisoned arrow into the air. And this is really important," Sarah's face suddenly became serious, "a student can be chosen by more than one house, and if that happens, the student chooses which house they want to go to."
Everyone sat stunned after they heard this; the idea was so similar, yet completely different from how things are done at Hogwarts!
"Wait," Lily Evans, who had been listening from the sidelines, interrupted, "is that what you meant when you said that you had the choice to go into Wampus if you had wanted?" Every head turned back to look at Sarah, who was grinning in pride.
"Yep" she chirped, "when it was my turn, the Wampus called and the Thunderbird beckoned."
"So why did you choose Thunderbird?" asked Remus.
It was something she thought about often, so she was ready with a reply. "Because while being a warrior and a fighter sounded awesome," she admitted sheepishly, "when I was little, I wanted more than anything to be, well, free I guess you could say. Thunderbird just resonated with me a lot more." It was obvious to the others that she was a little embarrassed by her honesty, so they didn't comment on it.
"And the blonde?" Sirius asked, looking intrigued despite his negative opinion on all things Slytherin. "How exactly does she represent your house?"
Sarah went silent for a moment, gathering her thoughts. "I think Jenelle represents a part of Thunderbird that isn't as obvious but just as important." She looked towards the ceiling as she spoke. "She could have been Thunderbird or Pukwudgie, you see."
This came as a surprise to many, a Slytherin as a healer or an adventurer?
"But Jenelle," she continued, "she chose Thunderbird and I didn't ask why. Never considered asking. I just, never thought that she belonged anywhere else."
The room was quiet as people digested that, before someone from the back cleared his throat. "That's really interesting and all, but that still doesn't really explain how you two are friends, not that I've seen you two together very long, but, you both seem really different from each other." Many students nodded, agreeing with the boy who spoke.
"Oh we're very different." Sarah nodded her head. That seemed to surprise James, he had probably expected for her to leap to her friend's defense.
"She's emotional, I'm more apathetic, she's demonstrative and likes hugging, I only do that with people I'm really comfortable with, she loves fashion and the latest celebrity gossip, I only care about fashion so long as I look good, and I could go my entire life without know who is sleeping with who and live happily," she listed. "We borderline hated each other in our third year, and it got so bad that our friends had to intervene and sit us down for a mediated talk!"
Peter looked bewildered at her words. "So then...why?" he wondered out loud.
"Ah, well, you see..." Sarah beckoned him closer, and everyone one leaned in, wanting to hear.
"That," she whispered, "is a secret!"
Groans and curses were heard throughout the room; James slapped a hand to his forehead while Sirius laughed loudly. She figured that he of all people could appreciate a well-played joke.
"Sorry everyone," Sarah chuckled, "but if you want to know how two Thunderbirds could be sorted as a lion and a snake and be friends," she gave one last challenging smile, "you'll just have to spend time with us and find out."
