Some clarifications for those not yet familiar with the lore in America
MACUSA - American version of the Ministry of Magic
Four Deadly Sins - something original I made up. Not part of JK Rowling's lore.
Medical Theology - Original Class. Not part of lore. It's like a class about medicine.
The Grand Wizard Duel - Original event. Not part of lore.
CHAPTER SEVEN: Four Deadly Sins
Daniel came down to breakfast the next day feeling groggy as if his whole head was submerged in water; it was the same experience he felt whenever he was forced to sleep in a new environment. Daniel was a morning person, so when he walked into the Dining Balcony at daybreak, the room was completely devoid of life.
The boy never understood why people preferred to waste their day in bed. Nevertheless, it worked to his advantage. He didn't have to fight over the bathroom with his roommate...or get any opportunity to talk to him at all for that matter.
As he made his way to the same table from last night (his memory had served him well for most of his life), Daniel was suddenly struck by a fragment of last night's dream. What did he want? It seemed like an awfully philosophical question, the kind that appeared in very cliche books. That morning, he had used the regular entrance to exit the dorms, for the dream had given him an irrational fear of the secret doorway.
Pushing that thought aside, he began to dig into the breakfast platter that had appeared before him. Luckily, whoever cooked the food was a morning person as well.
When he was just about done with his meal, other students began piling in. The first member from his table that came in was Amanda, and she looked just as bright and cheery as ever.
"Well, you're up early," she commented. Up close, he saw a huge stack of library books in her bag. "Did you have a nice first night here in Ilvermorny?"
"Fine," Daniel replied, taking a sip of his coffee. "What are you reading?"
"Quite a lot of boring stuff, actually," Amanda sighed. "You should be hitting the books too if you want to do well in your O.W.L.s."
Daniel nodded. He knew he was forgetting something. The fifth year in Ilvermorny was the busiest and most challenging year of all. Everyone was scrambling around, trying to learn all they could for the O.W.L.s (Ordinary Wizarding Level) exam, which was a subject-specific test taken at Ilvermorny by the examination authority, and their results would determine what job opportunities they would peruse.
"Morning, guys," Seth seemed to have materialized beside them along with Micah, who had his nose buried in a newspaper. "So, here is the news. The Pukwudgie team needs a good seeker. Tryouts will be next Tuesday. Daniel, you game?"
"No thank you," Daniel replied kindly. "I really can't play Quidditch. Besides, why are you advertising for my house?"
"Old Chambers can't advertise for his life!" Seth laughed, slapping Daniel in the back so hard that he almost choked on a piece of toast. "Come down to the fields next week. I don't even need to save you a spot cuz nobody else is gonna try out anyways."
"Really, don't," Daniel insisted. He was getting impatient, and his face flushed conspicuously red. "I…um…have this thing…to do on Tuesday night."
"The tryouts are on Wednesday."
"That's what I meant. I have to do something important on Wednesday, and I really can't attend the tryouts."
"No, I'm joking! The tryouts are actually on Thursday."
Daniel gave Seth his most menacing look. He had been played like a rag doll. It wasn't one of his proudest moments to fall for such deceit, but Seth backed off when he realized that Daniel couldn't be persuaded.
"If you're not interested in Quidditch, then why don't you join one of my clubs?" Amanda suggested. "There is bound to be something you're interested in. I am president of the Student Council, which is a student bodied organization that plans events at school and improve the overall environment on campus. Mostly, we just complain about stuff to the staffs. Seth and Micah are in it too, and we have a position open if you're interested."
"Thanks, Amanda," Daniel smiled wearily. It was an off-handed chance - a coin toss - that he just happened to befriend three of the busiest students on campus. To be honest, it had never occurred to him that he would be joining any extracurricular clubs this year. "How about I get back to you on that."
"We only join because she forced us to," Micah explained, not bothering to glance up from his newspaper.
"I never force anyone to do anything," Amanda argued. She waved the piece of toast she was holding in the air, sending a shower of bread crumbs everywhere. "I just needed a reliable cabinet."
"Interesting," Micah said, changing the subject completely. For the first time that morning, he glanced up and turned the newspaper around to show the group what he was reading. "The MACUSA is having trouble with unauthorized Portkeys in No-Maj public areas. Well, the article compared it to Portkeys, but it's more like a massive portal. Apparently, someone has been trying to conjure up some of these portals. The editors are making this seem like a scandal. They are accusing the President of MACUSA, James Polymer, of covering for the criminal."
"Do you reckon it's some undercover government project?" Amanda exclaimed. "I read about those in spy books."
"That old wack Polymer," Seth said with a snicker. "He ain't the same since his wife died. Always up to some crazy stuff. I don't know why they keep him in such a high position for so long. His mental state is -"
In a flash, Amanda's hand shot out and stabbed the Quidditch captain on his side, causing him to double over in search of breath. The attack was so subtle that Daniel almost missed it. Before Seth could voice out his complaints, the Thunderbird girl slapped her other hand over his mouth and pulled him down.
A shadow loomed over their table. It was a girl passing by. She had light blonde hair that fell along the length of her fragile spine in a braid. She kept her eyes downcast, and she walked as if she was floating in a cloud of daydreams.
"Oops, my bad," Seth whispered. "Didn't see her there."
"Yeah," Amanda said with a huff. "Don't want Kathryn Polymer crying again before the semester even starts."
Daniel stood up to get a closer look at the passerby, but she had already disappeared into the crowd of students coming in for breakfast
"Isn't she the girl who was also chosen by all the houses like my sister?" Daniel asked. "I heard you mention her once before. Is she related to James Polymer?"
"Yup. She is his daughter," Seth answered. "A huge wacko, too. Apparently, some weird things went down when her mom died. Now, her entire family is messed up. She wouldn't talk to anyone. She cries by herself all the time. She doesn't even attend half of the meals."
"I've been doing some puritan reading recently," Micah chimed in. "All evidence points to her family making a deal with the devil."
"A bunch of hokum if you ask me," Amanda said. "My parents are always talking about going to heaven and hell and all that crap. Can we talk about something else? I don't want to be reminded of them before the semester even starts."
"Alright then," Micah said. "How are your schedules holding up?"
Daniel instinctively pulled out the folded up piece of parchment he found on his nightstand that morning. It was apparently his class schedule for the semester. When he was homeschooled by his parents, they never labeled the classes. They just taught him whatever they wanted. Looking at the meticulously planned out school day ahead of him, he could already feel the difference.
"I got Defense Against the Dark Arts first period," Amanda said, slapping her schedule down on the table. "Transfiguration second, Charms third, Potions fourth, lunch fifth, Medical Theology sixth, and History of Magic as my final class. Cough it up, boys."
One by one, the rest of the group placed their papers on the table and leaned to get a closer look at each other's schedule. Daniel's first period was Defense Against the Dark Arts, second was History of Magic, third was Transfiguration followed by Charms, lunch, Potions, and Medical Theology. He saw that most of his classes were shared with at least one person in the group, but before he could read into the details, the three snatched their papers away.
The rest of the hour passed by with a lot of eating and chatting. Most of the conversation was directed toward their classes and school. Amanda, in particular, tried her best to educate Daniel as much as possible about her opinions of teachers and the classes. However, most of her words seemed to pass through one end of his ears and out the other like empty air.
By the time the bell rang for first period, Daniel still felt unready. He was unsure of whether his past curriculum coincided with national standards. What if he walked into class that day with no knowledge of anything they were talking about? Although Daniel had found comfort in his ability to push all his worries aside, there were still leftover remnants haunting his every waking hour. It didn't matter that he was one of the first people in the castle to greet the new day, the extra minutes only gave him even more time to fret about irrational fears.
"Come on," Amanda urged, grabbing Daniel's black book bag as she rose from her seat. Her voice was muffled by the piece of toast hanging from her mouth.
Unwilling to let his nervousness show, Daniel stood up quickly and followed his friends out the room. Outside, the hallway was a complete traffic jam. It took a few minutes for the area to clear out. After that, everybody went their separate ways to attend their respective classes.
Even though they all had the same first period together, Daniel still kept his eyes on the school map printed on the back of the schedule as he trudged behind his friends through long corridors, spiraling stairs, and large doors. The Ilvermorny castle was one heck of a maze. Daniel got lost several times while trying to decipher the map. Occasionally, he would have Micah point out their location so he could find himself on the map again.
After ten minutes of nonstop speed walking ("The best way to prep for Quidditch games," Seth said), they arrived in front of a wooden door with a dainty layer of blue paint on it. The crooked sign above it read "Defense Against the Dark Arts".
Micah was the one that pushed the door open. He strolled into the classroom proudly even though they were a few minutes late. The interior of the room was warm and cozy. There wasn't a fireplace, but the atmosphere in the room felt completely different from the outside. The most spectacular view was the ceiling. Thousands of stars lit up the enchanted design above them. It was as if the entire universe rested right above their heads. There were about thirty or so students in the room, each with their own table and workspace. Overall, it seemed as if the owner put a lot of effort into a simple classroom.
"Welcome, welcome!" Headmistress Nightwind greeted them. Contrast to her more formal announcer voice, she had adopted a jolly, grandmother-like tone. "Y'all just in time for the lesson."
Daniel took a seat near the back corner of the room with Amanda and Seth while Micah strolled up to the front and took the seat right in front of the Headmistress.
"For those who don't know me," the woman continued, "My name is Ravina Nightwind, and I will be acting as the Headmistress of this fine institution as well as the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."
As she said that, Headmistress Nightwind turned and smiled at Daniel. Immediately, all eyes turned to him as well.
"Popular kid, huh?" Seth snickered, giving Daniel and playful kick.
Daniel's face turned red hot. He couldn't bring himself to look back at his classmates, so he just kept his head down and waited for the eyes to go away. They were all fifth years, so the only reason the Headmistress went through the introduction was for him.
"I have promised last year that this is the year I start teaching you some fun stuff," Professor Nightwind said as she jotted down a list consisting of three numbers on the chalkboard behind her. "Our lesson today begins with a question: What are three Unforgivable Curses?"
Almost instantaneously, a hand in the front of the room shot up.
"The Cruciatus Curse, the Imperius Curse, and the Killing Curse," Micah answered.
"Correct as always, Mr. Wong," Professor Nightwind said and began writing the names on the board. "These curses held immense power often used by dark wizards to cause harm. The Cruciatus Curse is the torture curse, making its victim feel immense pain. One such incident, recorded in Britain during the time of Voldemort, placed a couple in a coma. The Imperius Curse is a mind-controlling curse, and the Killing Curse, of course, serves its name quite nicely.
"But I believe this unit was covered last year, am I right? Today, we will be talking about something a bit more...convoluted. Now, class...can anyone tell me about the four Deadly Sins."
Once again, Micah's hand was the first in the air, but Professor Nightwind decided to call on the girl sitting next to him instead.
"Are you talking about the Deathly Hallows, professor?" Tiffany asked. She was the same girl who had raised doubts about the secret door last night.
"Very good knowledge, Ms. Laudanum. Unfortunately, they are not related whatsoever. The four Deadly Sins are similar to the Unforgivable Curses in that they are forbidden to most magic users. However, they are not just simple spells. They are rituals.
"The first sin is the sin of raising the dead. Its process is detailed in the Necronomicon. So far in history, only the Greeks have been able to successfully perform this ritual. There is a contemporary case in which two brothers attempted to revive their mother, but that ended terribly. It is dangerous magic that does more harm than good. Plus, it messes with the natural order of things. This is why the ritual has been ban since ancient times and is part of the Deadly Sins.
"The second sin is the creation of a homunculus. There were a few cases of success in medieval times, but the ritual is even more difficult and dangerous than the first. Homunculus are said to be creatures of immense magical power, and because of the threat, it is also banned.
"Next, we have the Raven Mocker Ritual. It is way easier to perform than the previous two, and it allows one to absorb the magical powers of another. So in essence, you are stealing another wizard's powers. Very illegal, of course, but it is a common ritual among the users of the dark arts.
"Finally, we have the Caged Bird Seance, one of the most mysterious rituals of all. It theoretically allows one to travel to a world coined as 'Purgatory', the land between the living and the dead. Very few people have successfully performed this ritual before. It just so happens, the only person alive that has gone through it is currently teaching at this very school."
"You mean you have actually done it before, professor?" Amanda blurted.
"No, not me," ProfessorNightwind said with a smile. "The honor goes to Professor Bennett."
Thanks for reading.
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