A whole month passed before Jacob was to travel to Ilvermorny. In that time, Jacob had packed and prepared everything he needed. Both of his parents had met with Mrs. Eversol many times in the past month and were now fully supporting Jacob's education at Ilvermorny (much to his relief).
Jacob jumped into the large minivan, with his family sitting in the fronts seat, his trunk sitting in the trunk of the car, and his grey Barred Owl (which he named Greyson) sat in the seat next to him, sleeping. They then began to travel to St. Paul, the capital of the state of Minnesota. There, Jacob was to meet Mrs. Eversol and she would guide him to the train that he would board and journey to Ilvermorny. After a couple hours, they had made it to the Saint Paul Union Depot. Walking around the Depot, they met up with Mrs. Eversol, who they chatted with until the train's departure time approached. Jacob looked around at the locations each train was going to on a large LED board. It was then he realized that he had no idea where Ilvermorny was.
"Mrs. Eversol…" he began. "Where is Ilvermorny exactly?" he asked.
"Oh, yeah I haven't told you yet, have I?" she laughed. "Well, you'll figure it out sooner or later. By protocol, I'm actually not allowed to tell you. Ilvermorny almost was exposed by some idiot daughter of the Keeper of Dragots years ago. Also, you'll be making multiple stops before you reach Ilvermorny"
"Why?" Jacob asked.
"Ilvermorny doesn't just take students from Minnesota, but from the whole entire continent!" she told him. "As you travel to Ilvermorny, you'll be picking up students from all the lower states, with the only states not being on the train with you being the ones from the northeastern states" This still confused Jacob.
"Wait, if Ilvermorny takes students from all over North America, does that mean Canada and Mexico sends their students there?" he asked.
"Yes, they do" she replied.
"How do they get there?" Jacob pressed her, his interest mounting.
"Well, students from Canada travel to Ilvermorny on their traditional Flying-Canoes. They rise at the moonlight, gliding as if they are smoothly sailing through the endless expanse of stars in the night sky" Mrs. Eversol began to stare off into space, remembering the first time she saw it. Mrs. Eversol at one point was assigned to help with the transport of Canadian students, as a part of the agreement between MACUSA and the Canadian Ministry of Magic to educate their students at Ilvermorny. "Their oars row all by themselves and up into the night off the edge of Mount Rundle, where each student then sleeps in the comfort of their canoes under blankets and quilts made by the witches and wizards of the Canadian Native American tribes until till they reach Ilvermorny the next morning, descending like a cloud onto the grounds" she explained. Jacob began to imagine what that might've looked like, but then his thoughts turned to Mexico.
"How do students from Mexico get to Ilvermorny?" he asked.
"Well, I haven't seen them traveling…" Mrs. Eversol started. "But from what I've heard, they ride on the backs of the Feathered Serpents, the Quetzalcoatl, to Ilvermorny. They are fastened into magical saddles that are attached to their backs and then flown to Ilvermorny by the Quetzalcoatl themselves" she explained.
"Wait, do you mean dragons?!" Jacob asked in shock and slightly louder than he probably should have, since some passerby gave him funny looks at this, but were able to dismiss him and kept walking.
"No, not exactly" Mrs. Eversol replied. "The Quetzalcoatl are a entirely unique magical creature only native to Mexico. They are known to be quite tricky to work with, as they are capable of human speech, but they are classified under the "Beast" category as they are quite dangerous if provoked. The Quetzalcoatl are distantly related to various Dragon breeds, Occamys, Snallygasters, and Sea Serpents too, but still, the Quetzalcoatl that bring the Mexican students to Ilvermorny have been allied and have been the protectors of the local Aztec and Mayan peoples for hundreds and hundreds of years. They were the ones who offered up their services to transport the students, whom they have grown to be very fond of over the years" she finished.
"So that leaves...us" Jacob said. "How do American students get to Ilvermorny? You mentioned a train?" he asked.
"Yes I did" Mrs. Eversol said. "We, travel to Ilvermorny on the Underground Railroad"
Both Jacob and his parents fell silent at this, not comprehending this as much as they did anything else they've learned so far. Seeing the look of puzzlement on their faces, Mrs. Eversol explained.
"The Underground Railroad is a real railroad that runs through tunnels constructed under the entire country. It was built during the Civil Rights movement by witch and wizard abolitionists who wishes to free their enslaved counterparts in the South. Many in the magical community all over the world consider it to be one of the greatest monuments to the determination and spirit of wizarding-kind that has ever been built, often compared to the great wizarding schools of the world, like Hogwarts and Castelobruxo. Some even consider it to be the life-line of wizarding America as it is now used for many different things, transporting goods and services across all of the states, including Alaska and Hawaii" Jacob was really starting to get sick of being confused.
"Oh for goodness sake…what is Hogwarts and Castelobruxo?!" he asked impatiently. It was then however that Mrs. Eversol looked at her watch, that had planets for numbers and stars for hands, and quickly told them that they had to get to the platform quick because the train for Ilvermorny would be arriving any minute.
They set off from the bench they were sitting on and walked down many different hallways, turning corner after corner until they reached a plain brick wall. Tapping it multiple times with her wand, a large door opened inwards from the wall and led to a passage that sloped downwards in the light of gas lamps. They entered the passage as the wall closed behind them and braziers grew brighter as they began to trek down the endless slope into the dark. When they reached the bottom, Jacob was dumbfounded once more. They had walked onto a metal catwalk suspended above long tracks and trains upon trains that sat motionless on their tracks. In the light of large chandeliers, they even more platforms for the large amount of trains stretching out into the darkness, without any sign of light coming from any directions the tracks went or came from. The cavern that held the station, a The Minnesota Safe-House it was called, was huge and was filled with stalactites and stalagmites that covered the ceiling and floor.
They walked down the metal stairs at the opposite end of the catwalk and onto one of platforms. After walking onwards into the maze of platforms for about five minutes with his trunk and owl in tow, their group finally reached the train. On a large brick pillar was a metal engraved sign that read:
-The Ilvermorny Railway-
On the tracks in behind the sign was a huge, deep blue train, whose end couldn't be seen if you looked in either direction. Students and parents alike were saying goodbye on this crowded platform, reminding some to brush their teeth, to pay attention in class, and more, with students as young as 11 taking the hugs and kisses from their parents sheepishly, embarrassed. As Jacob approached the train, his things were taken by a railway employee dressed in blue and gold. He name appeared on a bag tag that appeared from the man's pocket and he sent it down to the luggage portion of the train. He saw that on each set of two cars was a name, denoting the place these cars came from. He saw cars that were labeled with North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Iowa.He then looked around at all the students climbing on the train into the car labeled Minnesota in a bright gold and refined font. Some, as he saw earlier, looked like they were no older than 11. Some of the others looked like they were 17 at the oldest. As the train's departure time approached, Jacob hugged his parents goodbye and thanked Mrs. Eversol again for all of her help. He then boarded the train and was off. Jacob found a compartment lip by a small gas lamp and filled with tight chairs against a central table. Since it was empty, he situated himself in there, watching the cavern pass him by. Jacob began to wonder what would be waiting for him when he reached Ilvermorny.
"Good evening, Ilvermorny students! My name is Gredorin Ankle, and I will be your conductor for our journey" a deep, gravelly voice told him. "As some of you may not know, this trip will take no more than two days and on the way, we will be stopping in the states of Illinois and Indiana before we end our journey at Ilvermorny in Massachussets. Sleeping quarters are located next to each compartment, with room for only four people of the same gender in each. Any student who attempts to sleep in a room designated for the opposite gender will not be allowed access, to say the least" the announcement finished.
Jacob sat there alone, realizing how long it would take to get to Ilvermorny, considering how he now knew it was in Massachusetts. He pulled out his school books and began to read. He would've brought his phone, but electronic equipment isn't allowed at Ilvermorny, and also this train had no outlets anyways. Much to his surprise, Carson popped in at the door.
"Oh thank goodness!" he said. "I finally caught up to you!" Carson then explained to Jacob that right as he climbed up onto the train he had arrived at the station, but his trunk popped open suddenly and his pewter cauldron began to roll away. He saw Jacob climb on the train and had tried to catch up to him, but he got caught up in a crowd of people and lost him. He had spent the last ten minutes looking for him up and down the train. He then sat down with Jacob and began to chat with him.
Both Jacob and Carson stayed with each other throughout the journey, receiving various types food throughout the ride from the attendants.
"What's this?" Jacob asked, grabbing the package of candy he was given. He read the label. "Jelly Slugs?" he asked, not sure whether to give it a try or to just throw up pre-emptively. "Is all wizarding candy like this?"
Carson shrugged. "I think so" he replied, looking at his Chocolate Frog package like it was a bomb. "These aren't really frogs...do you think?" he asked.
"Dunno" Jacob said. He bit into one of the slugs and slowly realizing that it was pear flavored. It wasn't actually that bad. Carson opened the chocolate frog package and found the frog really did act like a frog, which he had to chase down in the compartment before he could actually eat it. The next night, the attendant returned back through the train, giving each compartment a copy of the newspaper The New York Ghost from that same day.
"Hey Jacob, take a look at this" Carson told him, handing him the newspaper. On it, there was a headline that read: MACUSA CALLS FOR CALM AS ANTI-WIZARDING SENTIMENT ARISES ONCE AGAIN. Jacob read the story. There was a picture of two men with a crowd in front of a large skyscraper in what he assumed was New York City. They looked like they were waiting for something, but they weren't gaining much attention for what looked like a rally, despite their clear agitation. Jacob read the story.
Recently, a large group of No-Majs led by two men have stationed themselves outside the Woolworth Building in New York City. Many of the No-Majs carried anti-wizarding signs that called to mind images from the Salem Witch Trials and were seen to be carrying automatic weaponry. Although the Woolworth Building was made to be a the head of New York's State Wizarding Government, MACUSA had originally been stationed there in building. It was only after No-Maj President Jimmy Carter requested that MACUSA relocated to Washington D.C. under the Library of Congress. President of MACUSA Virginia Locklear has requested that the entirety of the magical community of the US remain calm, as that crowd and movement haven't gained much attention since their demonstrations began.
Jacob read the article, being mildly interested but not too concerned. At that time however, the Quiet Hours began, the time where everyone set themselves down to sleep. If he had more time to think, he might've felt that something ominous was looming on their future, but all that was on his mind while he fell asleep was the wonders that he would behold at Ilvermorny.
NEXT CHAPTER: HOUSES OF ILVERMORNY
Magical Creature Profile, The Frog-Men:
Native to Ohio, but related to the Gill-Men of the Amazon Jungle, the Frog-Men are reptilian, bipedal creatures who stand at approximately four feet tall with webbed hands and feet. Their face shares similarities to that of a Frog's face, allowing this to be the main feature Magizoologists use to identify them against their Gill-Men cousins. The Frog-Men first gained the attention of No-Majs around the same time that the Giant Paul Bunyan had began to work with the No-Maj woodsmen of Minnesota, but they were eventually seen as monsters by all No-Majs and were often killed on sight. It was only when MACUSA began to work to preserve this creature in an unplottable reserve a couple of miles down the Little Miami River did the knowledge of the Loveland Frog pass into folklore. Still, thanks to the reserve's close proximity to Loveland, Ohio, it has earned the Frog-Men a famous reputation in that town, as Frog-Men (while incapable of speech) don't always enjoy living in the reserve and may sometimes leave on brief excursions to the surrounding area without the Wizarding Government of Ohio from taking notice.