A/N: So they're leaving at last! I hope the chapter is to your liking, and I do plan on doing quite a bit of world building within Massachusetts at least, tying in what I know of the state with American Magical Society. Thanks for reading!
Chapter 11 Goodbye Cokeworth, Hello Ilvermorny!
Close to a month after their Campout on the banks of the Cokeworth River, Esmerelda informed Severus and Lily that she'd be returning in a few weeks time to bring them over to America via Portkey. The date of their scheduled Portkey to America was set for the 14th of August, and said Portkey would take them straight to Boston. As they inched ever closer to their departure date, Severus and Lily spent their last days in Cokeworth with their family, Mark and Violet mainly, but even Petunia at time. Granted, Petunia wasn't all that eager to spend time with them but she was respectful and cordial, Lily ensured Severus reciprocated her behavior. Their relationship had turned a corner too, ever since that night by the lake, when Severus finally bared the last remnants of his insecurities and thoughts before Lily, and she had assured him over and over that she loved him dearly regardless of his perception of self-worth; Severus carried himself a little more highly now. His head was just a little bit higher, back straighter, and his eyes, they sparkled on a daily basis. He was changing before her eyes and every time Lily thought of it, tears of joy sprung to her green eyes as she recalled Severus finally learning just how special he really was to her, and her undoing years upon years of brainwashing that solidified his prior belief that he was barely worth anything.
On the morning of the 14th of August, Severus and Lily came down to breakfast early, with the intention of helping Violet with her breakfast prep, and spending some time with her before their Portkey later that day.
As Severus quietly shut the door to his room, he heard Lily doing the same a little further down the hall. Their eyes found each other, matching smiles bloomed on their faces soon after. "Ready Sev?" Lily asked quietly, extending her hand for his as they reached the stairs.
"As ready as I'll ever be," Severus answered, equally quiet so as not to wake, Mark and Petunia. He gave Lily a small grin and they walked down the stairs hand in hand towards the kitchen.
"Morning Severus, morning Lily," Violet greeted, hearing their approaching footsteps. "How are you two feeling? Excited? Nervous? Bit of both?"
"A bit of both Violet," Severus chuckled. "Do you need any help getting breakfast ready?"
"Morning Mum, same as Sev," Lily added.
"I'm just about done you two, just set the table and that will be all," Violet replied, turning back to the stove.
Severus and Lily did as they were asked, setting the kitchen table for five, the limit the small table could accommodate; and then sat down in their usual seats. Sure enough, Violet was done cooking a few minutes later and began bringing over the food. Severus leapt into action and began serving the three of them cups of coffee, and ladling portions of eggs, toast and beans onto all of their plates. In the midst of their meal, Mark and Petunia came down a little while later, the former bearing a fond smile was not a surprise, but Petunia smiling, came as a bit of a surprise to the fourteen year olds. Petunia didn't like Severus, but over time she'd grown to tolerate him, she couldn't deny that he'd been a great help around the house for her mum. For that alone, she'd grown to respect his work ethic, but there was still a great deal she didn't respect about the boy from the bad side of town.
Breakfast remained somewhat somber, as it always was in the Evans household when Lily was due back at Hogwarts. Twice a year, their last breakfast would almost always be ate in silence, and be concluded with hugs for the young witch by both her parents. Today was very much the same. When they had finished their meal, only a few words had been spoken and then Lily was heading back upstairs to her room to finish her packing. Severus had finished packing all his things the night before so he stayed behind in the kitchen to help with the cleanup, he wasn't mandated to, but he still wanted to chip in where he could. Mark too was in the kitchen, helping to rinse the dishes then placing them in the dishwasher. Mark waited until the three women had vacated the kitchen, before turning to Severus and clearing his throat to gain the boy's attention. Severus, who had been scrubbing a plate and in the process of setting it down on the dishwasher looked up at Mark in question.
"Now that we're alone Severus, there's a few things I want to discuss with you," Mark said quietly, hoping none of the women of the house would hear him.
"Discuss what Mark?" Severus asked, setting the plate down in the rack and then shutting the door of the washer.
"You're finished?"
"Just about, what's going on?"
"You'll find out soon enough Severus," he nodded, satisfied. "Follow me."
Severus did so without question, leaving the kitchen to Mark's office. When they entered the Mahogany walled office, Mark shut the door and gestured for Severus to sit in the chair facing his desk. Mark walked around the desk and sat himself down on his plush high-backed chair facing the nervous teen across from him.
"There's no need to be concerned Severus, I just want to clarify a few things with you. That's all," he said warmly.
Severus tried to hide his sigh of relief, but Mark still heard all the same and still chuckled in amusement.
"You and Lily will be in a new country, in a new world all alone. I need to know if she can trust you, and depend on you. Because from the way I see things, my little girl is growing up awfully fast and making decisions at times that are in over her head. I won't be there for her at her beck and call, she'll be an ocean away…not just in Scotland, so I need to know that I can depend on you to be there for her…and to protect her."
"Of course…sir. I'll always be there for Lily and I'll do my best to protect her no matter what. Lily is…there's no one like her, to me…and I'll always do my best to do right by her, sir," Severus said solemnly, his expression was serious but his tone was reassuring.
"Severus, there's no need to call me sir, I'm still Mark to you," Mark chuckled, the corners of his eyes crinkling in amusement.
He leaned forward all of a sudden, his elbows rising to perch on his teak desk. "All I want, is what's best for my daughter, and what's best for you as well, Severus. So man to man, you must look out for her, do you understand what I'm getting at?"
"Perfectly, Mark," Severus replied, his voice crisp and sincere.
"Good. The two of you will be all alone over there, 'cept for Esmerelda at least…so you need to look after each other. And Lily…she can be a bit impulsive at times, I need you to make sure she doesn't do anything…reckless. That's very important."
"Believe me Mark, I'm more than aware of Lily's impulsiveness. She wrote Ilvermorny on a whim after all…and decided to quit Hogwarts in a sudden stroke of genius."
"That she did," Mark chuckled, "but not all of her impulses end in good results though do they Severus? I received a note from Professor McGonagall one day saying she'd been booked for detention for stealing potions ingredients; again…on a whim."
"Yes I remember that quite clearly if I'm being honest. I was…caught, as well, you could say," Severus confessed sheepishly.
"Oh I'm aware of that Severus. In fact, Lily informed me in her next letter about her detention and how you offered yourself up alongside her as a co-conspirator in your little plot," Mark added, bemused. "A good man would do that, and I do think you are a good man."
"Not many think that of the son of Tobias," Severus remarked bitterly.
He wasn't lying. Most of Cokeworth was aware of Tobias' reputation, and most steered well clear of his son as if he were the plague. The entire family, really. Mark and Violet were the only Muggles that had given him a chance, it was at Lily's insistence, but they gave him a chance nonetheless and welcomed him into their home well before he officially became their adopted son. They showed him kindness when other's showed him scorn, they were truly one of a kind and in his opinion, the nicest Muggles he'd ever met. Not that there was much competition, mind you.
"I know lad, I know. But you've proven to me more times than not that you are a good man. Lily wouldn't bother with you if the opposite were true, she's a good judge of character."
"That she is," Severus said fondly. Mark smiled at the adoration in his tone, he well and truly hoped that he and Lily would go the distance. Not many teenage couples did, but he was rooting for them.
"Speaking of Tobias actually, the word on the street is that's cleaned himself up a bit and is trying for a new job. I'm sure you're aware of what happened at his last—"
"He was fired from the mill by his supervisor, yes, I'm quite aware," Severus said bitterly. "So you're telling me my old man is trying to clean himself up then?"
"He is. From what I know and what the guys discussed at work, he's found work in a kitchen."
"He has?" Severus' eyes goggled, and he was on the verge of laughing at the sheer incredulity of it all. "He's working in a kitchen? As a cook?"
"I would guess so. I don't want to make excuses for the sod, because God knows there are no excuses for the terrible things he's done to you…and to Eileen, but for his sake I hope he stays clean. God knows the whole town thinks of him as an embarrassment."
"I couldn't care less what he does," Severus replied, his lip curling in a faint sneer. "If he cleans himself up it's of no consequence to me."
Mark nodded grimly in agreement, he had no reason to fault Severus for his sentiments. What Tobias had done was cruel, and several times the Evans patriarch had wanted to bash his stubborn head in for what he'd done to the boy before him. If Severus went to his grave hating every fiber of his father's being…driving his mum to suicide, beating him till his bones broke…he could hardly blame him, he'd feel the same after all if he were in Severus' shoes.
Now that Mark's worries and concerns over his precious Lily-flower were assuaged by Severus, the two men left the office and headed back out into the sitting room. Now, all they had to do was wait. The Portkey was due to activate at precisely Three O'clock in the afternoon, and they would be taking it with Esmerelda there to guide them. After all, neither Severus nor Lily had travelled by Portkey before so they were in need of guidance for the proper procedure. Until then, all they could do was while away the time, talk however much they wanted to or needed to, and enjoy the last six hours of their time together in England as a family.
The clock on the wall moved slowly, hands inching forward bit by bit but it moved all the same. Lunch came soon after on the heels of Breakfast, Mark brought back some pub food for the five of them, Lily wanted one last meal of British cuisine before their trip across the pond so of course he'd oblige her. Lunch, unlike breakfast was not a quiet affair. Petunia ironically was the one driving the conversation and she seemed rather invested in talking to Lily—yet avoiding Severus, but that's neither here nor there—and asking her to keep her informed of all the latest news in America. Petunia was what one may call, a bit of an Americanophile and was rather obsessed with all the latest going's on with their Transatlantic neighbors. Despite their tenuous relationship, Petunia seemed willing to forget her dearth of Magic compared to her sister and she truly wished to learn as much as she could about America.
Lily, eager for an olive branch of any sort, accepted her offer and promised to write her dear Tuney frequently of all she learned during her time in America. Severus didn't think Petunia was worth it, he still thought of her rather poorly and it stemmed from the silent glares she shot him that Lily was oblivious to. However, if Petunia was willing to extend an offer of tenuous peace that would reunite the estranged sisters…and if it were to bring Lily more happiness, far be it from him to stop it. When their meal had concluded, the four Evanses plus Severus moved from the dining room into the sitting room, and Mark decided to break out the Monopoly board. It was only fitting that the Evans' favorite past-time would be how they ended their time together. Once more, Lily was leaving, but to a place far away and not a simple owl or floo call away. Mark's little girl was growing up and leaving to new shores, but she wouldn't be alone, she would have Severus and from what he knew of the boy, that was alright by him.
As expected, Mark won the game, albeit Petunia gave him a hard fight to the end and had gotten him on the ropes a few times when he'd landed on her dark green set with four houses apiece. Still, Mark pulled through in the end although he had to give credit where credit was due, Petunia had certainly done well. Whether by inexperience or by design, Severus was bankrupt within forty minutes, and he decided to take his financial talents to Lily's side. The young redhead wasn't exactly keen on receiving his dubious(at best) advice—look where it got him, bankrupt in forty minutes—but she most definitely appreciated the moral support he provided with just his presence. When Petunia landed on Mark's dreaded Hotel-equipped Mayfair for what looked like the final time, he congratulated his eldest daughter on a battle well-fought and packed away the board.
"Well that was a lot of fun wasn't it?" Mark said jovially, whistling a tune as he folded away the board.
"Easy for you to say," Petunia muttered, scowling off into the distance at her abrupt defeat.
"Well, it's not about the wins and losses Petunia, it's about spending time as a family. That's what counts as a win in my books," Mark replied, still bearing that smug grin on his face.
"I agree, any time spent as a family is time well-spent. Even if we have to indulge dad in his wishes to play monopoly then so be it," Violet added, grinning teasingly at her husband.
"Ah but you love playing! Now more than ever since you're not the most likely to get bankrupted first anymore!" Mark replied, grinning over his shoulder at Violet as he put the box away on the shelf. "Thanks for that Severus, you've improved Violet's morale and attitude towards Monopoly immensely ever since you moved in."
"You're most welcome," Severus said dryly, causing peals of laughter to ring out from the four Evanses, even the usually reserved, prim and proper Petunia couldn't resist a slight smirk.
The sound of a champagne cork popping in the back yard instantly alerted Severus to the magical mode of transport that was Apparation. Sure enough, a rap on the sliding glass door from the living room to the back garden alerted the rest of the family soon after to a witch standing on the other side of the door. Esmerelda was waving at them through the door, silently gesturing to see if she could come in. Lily leapt to her feet and allowed her future potions Professor into their house.
"Hello you two, I trust you're both ready to go?" Esmerelda asked, glancing between the pair.
Severus looked over to the clock, and sure enough, it was ten to three, ten minutes away from the activation of their Portkey. "I'm all packed," Severus replied, gesturing to his trunk that leaned against the wall, Lily's alongside it.
"So am I," Lily added.
Esmerelda glanced at their luggage briefly and nodded. Severus did a double take and it was only then that he realized Lily's Eagle Owl Hunter wasn't there.
"Lily aren't you bringing Hunter with you?" He asked, shooting the redhead a quizzical glance.
"I read Animals don't handle apparation or Portkey travel well…so I think I'll leave him here, Hunter understands and he'll be free to do as he pleases," Lily replied.
"Indeed I was just going to caution that actually," Esmerelda added. "Animals, whether magical or mundane oftentimes don't handle magical transportation well. Anyways I have our Portkey here—" she reached inside her robe pocket and withdrew a small, red, leather-bound book and placed it on the table. "It is inert now, so we needn't worry about touching it, but it will activate the moment the clock strikes Three," she explained.
Petunia eyed the book warily but subconsciously shifted away from it, Lily almost smirked in amusement, but didn't for the sake of preserving the tenuous peace with her. Esmerelda then withdrew her wand from her jean pocket, this did elicit a flinch from Petunia, but again, Lily kept her snide comment to herself. She tapped her wand on the book, muttering; "Engorgio," the book grew to thrice its original size, now it was approximately the size of a large Atlas. Mark and Violet watched wide-eyed at the casual display of magic before their eyes and Petunia looked on in thinly veiled distaste.
"Well I believe this is it then isn't it?" Violet remarked, once Esmerelda had enlarged the book.
"Come here you two, there's not a chance I'm letting you go without a hug," she ordered, her firm, business-like tone providing a stark contrast to the smile tugging at her lips.
Severus, ever the dutiful adopted son, stood from his seat on the couch and and crossed the room towards her. Violet Evans stood too, Severus had been growing some these past few months and was now level at 5'9" with Violet, gone were the days she could tuck his head under her chin as she embraced him. Lily followed him over, dutifully waiting off to the side as Severus accepted his fate, Violet's arms wrapped around him in a tight hug and he felt the air be forced from his lungs at the sudden application of constrictive force.
"You take care of yourself, y'hear? You and Lily have to look out for one another, can you do that?" She asked, her dark eyes filled with concern as she stared into Severus' own.
"Always, Violet. Lily is…very dear to me, I'll always have her best interests at heart," Severus replied, once Violet's arms had loosened slightly.
"I know you will dear, and Lily will look out for you too, you both need to be able to depend on each other." Violet's gaze shifted to Lily, standing off to the side with a fond smile on her face as her eyes flickered between her boyfriend and mother.
"Come here Lillian, you won't be missing out on your hug," Violet chuckled, extending her arms towards her daughter.
Lily rolled her eyes, "you know how much I don't like that name Mummy, why do you insist on calling me that?"
"Precisely for the reason you provided my dear," Violet replied, grinning mirthfully at her daughter.
When Lily's hug had finished, she moved to hug her father, who repeated much the same things that Violet had said a few moments ago, assuring his Lily-flower that they were only one phone call away and that she'd always be able to depend on them. Ever since their first train ride to Hogwarts, when Petunia had called her a freak on the platform, Lily had never cried, and she wasn't going to now but she was awfully close. She smiled one last time at her family, eyes shimmering just like her mum's and dad's. Even Petunia looked put out a bit that she was going, but she hid it well behind a neutral gaze that made it seem as if she was bored out of her mind.
"We love you Lily," Violet whispered, her eyes shimmering. "We love you too Severus, and we look forward to seeing you both soon. Have a wonderful term dears, and do try to write as much as you can. To all of us."
"We will mum," Lily replied sincerely, her tone thick with suppressed emotion. "And to you too Tuney, I'll try to keep you abreast of all I learn over there," the redhead added, turning to her sister.
"You do that then," Petunia replied, fleetingly meeting Lily's gaze.
Lily gave her a watery smile and nodded. "I will."
"We'll be seeing you soon, Violet, Mark. Thank you…for all of this," Severus added, his tone solemn, but sincere.
"We had best get going now Severus, Lily, place your hands on the Portkey," Esmerelda said.
With the flick of her wand, the two trunks levitated over to them and set themselves down by Lily's and Severus' sides. Grasping the handle with one hand, they reached for the book with the other.
"Any moment now," Esmerelda murmured, glancing at her wristwatch and then grabbing the book. "Hold on tightly and do not let go, is that understood?"
"Yes ma'am," Severus and Lily chorused as one.
"Good. I'll count us down, alright? Hold on tightly, now…Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one."
All of a sudden, the room began spinning as fast as a tornado and Severus and Lily felt as light as a feather as they held onto their trunks and the Portkey for dear life. For a moment, it felt like they'd disappeared, Severus and Lily no longer felt like they were as light as a feather, they felt nothing at all! Just emptiness. That sensation of utter weightlessness lasted for only a second as a new scene came into a view, their world began spinning in earnest once more, spinning…spinning, but slowing, and they could just make out the beginnings of the location they'd just appeared in. All was still now, their hands were still on the book but both teens were lying flat on a cold stone floor with their other hand still grasping the handle of their trunk.
Esmerelda was having trouble holding back her smirk at the sight of the two gangly fourteen year olds sprawled out on the ground. "First time using a Portkey is always rough, can't say I was any different to you to when I first used one," she chuckled, letting her amusement at the sight before her be known.
Severus leapt to his feet quickly, one hand dusting off his shirt and slacks, whilst the other reached for Lily who was still groaning and pushing herself off the ground. She eagerly grasped his hand, murmuring a 'thanks Sev' under her breath as she got to her feet as well. Severus' trousers were black, meaning the dirt accrued from him landing unceremoniously on the floor in a heap wasn't that visible but Lily's blue jeans were caked with grime. Lily grimaced as she spied the dirt on her, but supposed it was better she'd worn jeans over a dress today considering it would've ended up on her legs otherwise.
"Allow me, Lily," Esmerelda offered, jabbing her wand at Lily's jeans and blouse before muttering a low-intensity scourgify to clean off her clothes.
They leant back down to pick up their trunks before glancing around at the cavernous chamber they'd appeared in. It seemed they were underground from the looks of things, and the chamber held a musky, and mildewy smell that didn't sit well with all three of the recent arrivals, but they most assuredly weren't in the UK anymore. After a few moments taking in their fairly unremarkable and undistinguishable surroundings, Lily turned her gaze from the walls to their Potions Professor who was standing off to the side and leaning on a pillar, waiting.
"Where are we?" She asked, unable to keep her confusion from her tone.
"I thought you might ask that, fairly unremarkable place isn't it?" Esmerelda replied wryly.
She stood up straight off the pillar and gestured to the large room around her. "This is the Boston Common, rather, right beneath the Boston Common. The No-Maj's have no idea we're here, naturally, because just above us is a rather popular public park.
"So we're beneath Boston?" Severus asked, glancing upward at the ceiling in suspicion, as if it might cave in on them.
"That's correct," she replied, nodding. "Now Severus, Lily, if you would grab on to me, we may apparate straight to school and get you two settled in."
"Why couldn't we take a Portkey straight to school?" Lily asked. She'd learned a bit about magical transportation before this from Sev, but she wasn't aware of any restrictions on Portkeys unlike using the floo or apparating that could be blocked via charms or wards.
"There's laws that we must adhere to Lily. Here in America, Portkey use is heavily restricted, and there are designation departure points within each state. This cave beneath the Boston common, which is monitored by MACUSA is one of them. Unfortunately, our school lacks that feature," Esmerelda explained calmly.
She extended an arm for her to take, which Lily did. When Severus lugged his trunk over to do the same, she extended her other hand for him to stay put. "I'll be back for you Severus, I'll apparate you two one at a time, it's safer that way."
Severus' eyes widened in surprise, but he quickly recovered, nodding as he backed away. "Stay here, I'll be back in a few seconds."
With Lily holding onto her trunk in one hand and Esmerelda's arm in another, the potions mistress spun on the spot and apparated away to Ilvermorny. True to her word, not ten seconds later she'd appeared, her arm outstretched for Severus to grab a hold of. He did so and she apparated away the moment he had a secure grasp on her arm. It felt like being squeezed through a long tube, stretched and stretched like a noodle before snapping back together again and feeling all your internal organs jumble around until they righted themselves. "Alright?"
Moments later, the sound of someone wretching met their ears, except it wasn't Severus. A few meters away, Lily was bent forward, her hands on her knees as she hurled on the grass at her feet. "Here, this'll help," Esmerelda said quickly, reaching into her pocket for a small vial filled with a translucent-blue liquid. Severus and Lily quickly recognized it as a stomach soother. Lily gave her potions professor a grateful smile and quickly downed the vial. The redhead sighed audibly as the soothing liquid put her roiling stomach at rest.
"Thank you. That helped a lot," Lily said quietly, still sounding a little bit pained. She was still clutching at her stomach with one hand whilst the other held the empty vial for Esmerelda to take.
"You're welcome. Severus seems to be coping alright but side-along apparation is not for everyone. I did the exact same thing you did Lily, when I was first apparated alongside my mother many years ago," Esmerelda replied, smiling at the memory.
Esmerelda sighed, "anyways, who can tell me where we are?" She asked, glancing around the clearing they'd apparated to and the blue skies above. They had appeared in a small meadow of sorts, lined on all sides by a mixture of trees, Maples, Spruces, Oaks, a few Birches, and a cluster of Pines too. They recognized the area they were in from the texts they'd read about Ilvermorny's location and history they'd found in the books they purchased during their trip to Diagon Alley.
"Mount Greylock," the two teens chorused together. They turned to glance at each other amusedly upon hearing their simultaneous answers.
"Indeed. This is the base of Mount Greylock, also, the border of Ilvermorny school grounds." She began pacing around in a large circle. "Like Hogwarts, Ilvermorny uses many wards to protect it from No-Maj's. Some are physical, that bar entry to the grounds, others are optical that disillusion the castle and prevent the No-Maj's from seeing it at all. Another ward that is in use is an anti-apparation ward, hence the need for us apparating all the way out here instead of into the school," she lectured.
"Now if you will follow me, there are some rather important things I have to explain to you about how to access the school and the procedures that must be followed," Esmerelda said, moving away from the clearing they'd apparated to.
Severus and Lily quickly followed, tugging their trunks along by the handle as they followed Esmerelda to the nearest edge of the meadow. Ahead of them, loomed four tall Pine trees that stood a full ten feet higher than the rest of the trees that lined the meadow they'd apparated to. Esmerelda reached the base of the nearest of the four Pines, Lily and Severus stopping just behind her.
"See these four Pines trees?" She asked, gesturing at the quartet just behind her.
Both Severus and Lily nodded quickly. "These serve as one of the main entrances onto school grounds. the rest of the periphery is warded to the teeth so I suggest you do not. I repeat, do not attempt to enter school grounds anywhere else," she warned, her tone stern. "Is that understood?"
"Yes Professor Rosier," Severus said swiftly.
The Potions Mistress smiled, "we're not quite on school grounds just yet, but yes, I'm happy I didn't have to remind you."
She whirled around to face the four Pines, and raised her wand to the wood of the nearest tree. "Pay close attention," she repeated, her back still to them as she tapped her wand to the Bark of the tree. Her Mahogany wand rested on a groove of the wood, she traced the tip downwards by about ten centimeters or so, then withdrew it. All of a sudden, the air the wards permeated seemed to shimmer, and the center Pine tree they stood in front of began to shake. The tallest of the four Pines continued to shake for a few moments more, before coming to rest as it was.
"Nothing changed," Severus remarked, gazing scrutinizingly up at the tree and at their surroundings.
"Oh a lot has changed, Severus. Please follow me since that little display back there will only keep the wards open for about thirty seconds."
Rosier moved past the quartet of Pines and out of the clearing, her body seemed to shimmer as she passed through the wards. Severus and Lily looked on in amazement, it seemed it had worked and moments later they felt a sudden warmth envelop their bodies as they too followed Professor Rosier through the outermost wards and onto the castle's grounds.
From the clearing, the forest beyond looked empty and ever-expanding. It didn't look like the grounds to a castle and by all intents and purposes, it appeared to be a normal forest thick with trees, thickets, bushes, clearings, a few ponds, and the like. The moment they passed through the wards, the sight that met their eyes almost had them feeling like awestruck first years arriving at Hogwarts for the first time. Before them, majestic-looking red oaks lined a cobbled path that seemed to wind upwards and upwards towards the peak of Mount Greylock, the home of Ilvermorny. Off to the side, there were several carriages just like Hogwarts had, the only difference being the color scheme. These carriages, unlike the ones at Hogwarts were drawn by Hippogriff from the looks of things, although out of all the carriages present, only one was connected to a pair of Hippogriffs, the rest sat off to the side off the path. The lone dark blue carriage sat alone in the middle of the cobbled path, the two Hippogriffs at the front squawking away at one another in their native tongue. Lily was cautious to approach the very majestic, but also highly erratic creatures; it was one of the first things she'd learned from Professor Kettleburn at the start of Third Year during one of her first care of magical creatures classes. The heavily maimed Professor's words of warning about the danger of insulting the pride of a Hippogriff still rung clearly in her ears.
With a concerned glance, the redhead glanced from the pair of grey-feathered beasts over to the Potions Professor. "Is it safe to ride those carriages? I know Hippogriffs are hard to tame so—"
"Don't you worry Lily, they're tame alright," Professor Rosier said calmly. "It took our gamekeeper Sawyer quite some time to do it, and almost a few lost limbs too! But they're most assuredly tame."
"I'm assuming the rest are up at the school then? Is that why all the other carriages are parked on the other side of the path and this one is conveniently waiting for us?" Severus asked, eyeing the two majestic beasts with a wary gaze.
"Indeed. Professor Sawyer looks after them on his part of the grounds. He's a lot like Hagrid in that sense, he has his own part of the castle that he uses to look after all the creatures under his care."
"Oh…so he's the gamekeeper and the Care of Magical Creatures professor rolled into one then?" Lily asked.
"Sort of, but you'll learn more about that later. Now, let's get your trunks in the carriage and hop on in."
A casual flick of her wand levitated both of their trunks', Lily's deep blue one, and Severus' battered black one off the ground and into the rear of the carriage. Severus then offered Lily a hand and helped her aboard before following her into the spacious carriage. Inside the carriage, there were two benches, one facing forward, and the other backwards. They were both leather backed and seated in a deep burgundy color that matched the drapes of the windows. Lily and Severus both sat on the forward facing bench, leaving enough room for the Professor if she wished to sit with them. Professor Rosier came in just after Severus, shutting the door behind her and taking a seat on the bench facing Severus and Lily.
Smiling at her two future students, she said; "you'd better hold on tight, and not to each other I mean. We're in for a bit of a ride."
"What do you mean we're in for a bit of a—Aaahhh!" The carriage jolted forward, and upward, the flapping of the Hippogriffs' powerful wings producing enough lift for the two animals to pull the carriage into the air.
"I'd forgotten to mention this earlier…but yes…these Hippogriffs, despite being able to traverse the paved path by land…they have a special proclivity to fly," Professor Rosier grinned, enjoying the looks of shock and awe on her two students. She remembered having a similar expression when she was first introduced to the school by Headmistress Maxwell all those years ago when she became their latest Potions Mistress. "When the Hippogriffs sense the occupants of the carriage are new, they never miss an opportunity to show off, as you are seeing now."
"They are prideful for a reason," Lily replied, recovering slightly from her initial shock but still clinging tightly to Severus' arm like a limpet. She hated flying, either by magical or muggle means, but thankfully Severus was there, there for her to hold on to.
Severus pulled back the drapes slightly and took a peek out of the window, he glimpsed the canopy of trees beneath them as the Hippogriff drawn carriage soared over the evergreens in its ascent to the top of Mount Greylock. The sea of greenery beneath their carriage seemed to go on for ever as Lily scooted over to him and peeked her head over his shoulder to catch a glimpse of the scenery. Mount Greylock was over five thousand feet tall, and it seemed they had a way's to go on their ascent towards the castle that sat upon its peak. The Hippogriffs took their time in their slow, steady ascent fifty feet over the tree tops, hoping to give their occupants a good show.
"Having fun you two?" Esmerelda asked amusedly.
Severus merely nodded, his eyes never leaving the scenery passing beneath them for even a second, lest he miss something from the ever changing landscape. Lily briefly glanced over her shoulder back at the humored raven-haired witch and nodded.
"You bet Professor," she replied, grinning. "This is really something else." Lily didn't spare another glance and she turned back to the window, resuming her position on Sev's shoulder.
"My thoughts exactly," Esmerlda agreed.
Before long, a large, grey structure loomed ahead of them. That structure, with its majestic towers, steeply-sloping roofs, massive stained glass windows that made the one in the Great Hall back at Hogwarts look minuscule by comparison, was none other than Ilvermorny itself. All of a sudden, Lily and Severus felt the air be sucked from their lungs, neither was quite able to hold back the gasp of shock and awe at seeing the incredible castle looming large before them, looking just as grand and prestigious as the previous castle they once called home. The castle was so massive it almost seemed to block out the sun as they approached. Esmerelda's grin broadened as she saw the identical awestruck looks her future students were sporting.
The Hippogriff-drawn carriage set itself down in the courtyard just outside the towering entrance to what they presumed was the north face of the castle. The courtyard was more than large enough to accommodate them so the Hippogriffs had no difficulty finding space to set them down. Once the wheels of the carriage touched down on firm ground again, Rosier reached for the door and slid it open. Gesturing with her head, Severus and Lily caught on and hopped down first, with their Professor following right behind them. They went around to the rear of the carriage and withdrew their trunks with the aid of their wands. When the trunk of the carriage slammed shut in, the two Hippogriffs immediately lifted off the ground and the dragged the heavy carriage up into the skies along with them.
Lily and Severus briefly watched the two majestic creatures fly away, soaring over one of the roofs of the castle before disappearing beyond their field of vision. The soft thuds of their trunks being set down next to them, courtesy of Professor Rosier's levitation charm drew their attention back to her. When they turned around, their Potions Professor was grinning happily, the expression of wonder the two teens bore being all too similar to her own when she first arrived.
"Welcome to Ilvermorny."