Monday, June 13, 2011

Brian woke up early the next morning, but for some reason, he kept his eyes shut.

"It was only a dream," he said to himself. "I dreamed that a man named Alastor gave me a letter and that I'm a wizard… when I wake up, I'm gonna be in my room…"

Suddenly, there was a tapping on his door.

"And there's aunt Josephine… Alright, I'm getting up." Brian opened the door, and saw Amelia and Alastor! "Mom! Professor Drake!" He noticed an owl tapping on the window. "What the? Is that owl carrying a newspaper?"

"Yup," Alastor stated, matter of factly. "Excuse me, I have to pay her. By the way, you can call me Alastor outside of school, but while you're at Ilvermorny, you have to call me Professor. Ok?" He opened the window and took out two silver coins; the first one was larger than the second. "Alright, that's 1 and a half dragots…" Alastor placed the coins in a small leather bag hanging onto the owl's leg before taking the newspaper. "Sorry about that; that's for me. Anyway, we have a busy day today."

"But, I don't have any money. And you heard what Aunt Josephine said last night."

"Did you think your father left you with nothing?" Asked Amelia.

"Also… I think you should learn the full story," Alastor sighed. "Not all wizards are good; some of them are bad and the monster that killed your father followed the teachings of the worst of the worst: Tom Riddle, AKA Lord Voldemort.

"I was unable to save your father that night, but I was able to save you and your mother. The reason you lived with your No-Maj uncle for so long was because it was a form of witness protection. Neither you nor your mother have to worry about that anymore, though; the woman responsible for your father's death has already been deported back to England where she'll be spending the rest of her life in Azkaban prison. Honestly, Umbridge is lucky she's not an American, or she'd spend the rest of her life in Alcatraz prison. Either that, or she'd face the death potion."

"Alcatraz? Wasn't that place closed down?"

"Yes and no; Alcatraz was converted into a magical prison/correctional facility. To the No-Majes, it's a museum."

"Wait, who's Umbridge?"

"Dolores Umbridge, former employee of the British Ministry of Magic and former leader of the (thankfully) now defunct Muggle-Born Registration Committee, which was basically an excuse to round up and imprison innocent No-Maj-born witches and wizards. Luckily, she was arrested after the second Wizarding War, but she, like a few Death Eaters, managed to escape to different countries. She managed to kill a completely innocent person before we arrested her for her crimes and had her extradited back to the UK."

Brian could only sit there in shock. "Where is she?" He asked.

"Probably in Azkaban prison, serving her life sentence."

"Good." Brian was glad that she was back in prison where she belongs. If Brian met her, he'd wanna kill her.

"Anyway, your dad didn't leave money in the old house; he left it in the best bank in the states: Lunar First National Bank, safest place in the states—except for maybe Ilvermorny. You want something safe, deposit it there!"

"Who runs the bank?"

"Goblins, pukwudgies, werebeasts, all that fun stuff. Don't even THINK of trying to rob them; they will get angry. Speaking of which, I have to withdraw something there myself. Important Ilvermorny business.

"You got everything? If so, come along! We're going to San Antonio!" He smiled. Brian and Amelia followed Alastor to his car. "Also, do you still have your letter?"

Brian took the envelope out from his pocket and nodded.

"Good," said Alastor. "There's a list of everything you need."

Brian unfolded a second piece of paper he didn't notice last night and read:

ILVERMORNY SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

Uniform
First-year students will require:
1. Three sets of plain work robes (blue with cranberry trims)
2. One plain pointed hat (blue) for day wear
3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)
4. One winter cloak (Cranberry with Gordian Knot fastenings)
Please note that all student's clothes must carry nametags at all times.
Please note that all students must wear uniforms during the school week (Monday through Friday).

Course Books
All First-Year students should have a copy of each of the following:
•Chadwick's Charms, vols. 1 & 2, by Chadwick Boot
•A History of Magic in the Americas, by Theophilus Abbott
•Sayre's Manual of Magical Defense, 17th ed., by Charity Wilkinson
•Magical Herbs and Fungi of the Americas, by Rionach Steward
•Treasury of Magical Drafts and Potions, by Clarisse Tremblay
•A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration, by Emeric Switch
•Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, by Newt Scamander

Other Equipment
•1 cauldron (bronze, std. no. 2)
•1 set glass or crystal phials
•1 telescope
•1 set brass scales
•2 bottles Royal Cranberry ink
•Students may also bring, if desired, an owl, raven, or crow; or a cat, ferret, dog, snake, or toad.
PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST-YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS.

Students will select their wands following the sorting ceremony. A copy of the wand registration will be sent to the parent(s) or guardian(s).

"Can we get all of this in San Antonio?" Brian wondered aloud.

"If you know where to go," replied Alastor.

Brian hadn't been to San Antonio before. Though Alastor seemed to know where he was going, he wasn't used to going there the normal way.

"I don't know how No-Majes manage without any magic," he said, as he drove through traffic. The car had arrived at a skyscraper with a sign on the roof that read Drury Plaza Hotel.

"Why are we at a hotel?" Asked Amelia.

"Oh, I figured we'd spend the night or two here. Besides, this hotel has quick access to the river walk and is pretty close to where we need to go."

After checking in, the trio went down to the river walk. Brian could see different, yet ordinary, shops. Was this some kind of joke?

"Here we are!" Exclaimed Alastor. "La Varita Dorada! It's quite a famous restaurant."

It seemed to be a grubby looking restaurant. If Alastor hadn't pointed it out, Brian wouldn't have noticed it. The people walking by didn't notice it either. In fact, Brian had the strange feeling that only he, his mother, and Alastor could see it. Before he could mention this, Alastor led the group inside.

Sure enough, it was kinda old, but not too shabby. It had that… rustic charm to it. Brian could see two women sitting in a corner, drinking from small glasses. A man in a top hat talked to the old bartender. The buzz of chatter stopped when they walked in. Everyone seemed to know Alastor; they waved and smiled at him and the bartender reached for a glass, saying, "Hola. The usual, Señor Drake?"

"Not today. I'm on official Ilvermorny business," said Alastor. "Taking Brian here to get his school supplies.

"Wait… good Lord, is this-?" Asked the bartender as he looked at Brian.

The entire bar went silent.

"Bless my soul. It's Brian Bank!"

All of a sudden, Brian found himself shaking hands with pretty much everyone in the bar, much to Brian's embarrassment.

"Alright," Amelia said, "this is getting awkward."

Alastor led Brian and Amelia to an elevator, but not before one of the patrons shook Brian's hand one last time. The door closed, giving the trio some privacy…

"Well," Brian nervously said, "that was… weird."

"Yeah," said Alastor, as he picked up his umbrella/wand, "sorry about that." Alastor used his wand to draw what appeared to be an uppercase P combined with an uppercase L on the elevator's control panel. The symbol started to glow as the elevator started to slowly descend for a bit until it stopped with a DING. The door opened once again, but this time, it opened into a large archway made of stone. The outer gate slid open, greeting the trio with a cobbled street that twisted out of sight.

"Welcome," said Alastor, "to Pluto's Boulevard."

He grinned at Brian's amazement. The trio exited the elevator and onto the street. Brian quickly looked over his shoulder and saw that the gate closed and the elevator ascended back to the surface.

The sun shone through the water above the boulevard, giving the street quite the light show. Brian simply wondered how such a feat could be possible without glass! And if that was the case, how could nobody on the surface see it?!

"Um…" Brian nervously pointed to the river above them.

"Oh," explained Alastor, "that's not actually the river; the ceiling's enchanted to show the river from below the surface rather than above."

Brian noticed a stack of cauldrons outside the nearest shop. Cauldrons — All Sizes — Bronze, Copper, Brass, Pewter, Silver — Self-Stirring — Collapsible, said a sign hanging over them.

"You'll need one for my class," said Alastor. "But first things first, we need to get your money."

Oh, how Brian wished he could see everything in the boulevard! He could hear the shops and the people either running them or shopping at them! He even heard a low hooting noise and saw a dark shop with a sign that read New Moon Aviary Emporium — All Kinds of Owls, Ravens, and Crows. Brian saw some people around his age looking at brooms, including a girl with white skin, messy light-brown hair, and violet eyes. "Look," said the girl, "the new Nimbus 3000—fastest ever—!" There were shops selling robes, telescopes, instruments that Brian had never seen before, spell books, quills and fountain pens, parchments…

"Here we are, Lunar First National Bank," said Alastor.

The group arrived at a tall, white building that towered over the other shops. Standing beside its silver doors was a person wearing a black and white uniform and another, much smaller person with a clever face, gray skin, and, as Brian noticed, long fingers.

"Yup, that's a werebeast. And the guard next to her is a pukwudgie," said Alastor as they walked up the steps towards them.

"How can you tell if someone's a werebeast?" Brian asked.

"Sad truth is, you can't. Luckily, Werebeasts are able to control themselves even in their beast form. If they were born a werebeast, that is. Though, I can kinda understand why our cousins in England are afraid of them… That said, it's not their fault; if the werebeast was the result of Fenrir Greyback, then their werebeast form will be vicious and dangerous." Now, they were facing a second pair of doors, which were also silver, with runes engraved upon them. Runes that Brian didn't understand.

"It's a warning against thieves," said the female guard with golden-yellow eyes. "Let's just say you'd have to be insane to try to rob this place." The two guards led the trio into a massive marble hall. The trio could see people lining up at desks with goblins and pukwudgies working at them, weighing coins in brass scales and examining gemstones with glasses. The group made their way to a free counter.

"Good Morning," Amelia said to a free pukwudgie. "We're here to make a withdrawal from the Smith/Bank account." Brian noticed that the goblins looked similar to pukwudgies, except they were a bit shorter and had peach-colored skin, swarthy faces, and white hair.

"Do you have the key to the account? And are you willing to show identification?" The pukwudgie asked.

"We are."

"Please follow me." The pukwudgie took Amelia, Brian, and Alastor to a nearby office. The group sat down, with the pukwudgie sitting behind the desk. "Mr. Bank, I need you to take an Identification test."

"What's that?" Brian asked as the pukwudgie presented a pitch-black fountain pen.

"This is a Blood Pen. Only banking institutions, such as this one, are allowed to use them for identification/inheritance tests and blood-binding contracts. Otherwise, it is illegal to use them with a penalty of up to 20 years in the Alcatraz Correctional Facility. Please sign on the bottom, but be warned that you'll feel a scratch on your hand. If you don't feel comfortable, you can let your mother sign it. By the way, Blood Pens are not the same as Umbridge's black quill."

Brian, feeling curious and adventurous, signed his name at the bottom of the parchment. As the pukwudgie warned, Brian felt a scratching on his left hand and saw that he was writing in his own blood rather than ink, hence the pen's name. Once he finished, he noticed that the blood on the paper began to write on its own. Brian could see that the blood was pretty much writing a family tree on the paper! First, his father's side of the family. Then, his mother's. He saw both his parents' names and their parents' names, but as it continued, Brian would notice something. The pukwudgie gasped as Amelia's side of the family tree ultimately said Martha Steward II, followed by Isolt Sayre and James Steward. Off to the side of the family tree, the paper started listing things that Brian read:

Heir to the Ancient and Noble House of Steward, formerly Sayre, formerly Gaunt, formerly Slytherin, formerly Peverell

Heir to the Ancient and Noble House of Bank

Hereditary Magical Traits are as follows: Parseltongue and Parselmagic

"Well, that was unexpected, but everything seems to be in order. Sorry about your father, by the way."

"Oh, I almost forgot," said Alastor. "I have a letter from Professor Fontaine. It's about the… you-know-what in vault 17-03."

The pukwudgie read the letter carefully.

"Very well," he said, handing the letter back to Alastor. "I will have someone take you down to the vaults. Mr. Snyde!" Another man entered the office and approached the group.

Mr. Synde was a man with a similar build to Alastor, but he had tidy light-brown hair and violet eyes.

"Hey," said Brian, noticing the eyes, "you look familiar."

"Oh?" Mr. Snyde asked. Brian could notice that Mr. Snyde had a British accent. Was he an English Immigrant? "Perhaps you saw my daughter looking around? Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself: I'm Maxwell Snyde, chief engineer of Lunar Bank. Please follow me."

"What's in vault 17-03?" Brian asked Alastor.

"Sorry, can't tell you," Alastor said, very mysteriously. "Classified information, I'm afraid. All I can tell you is that it's Ilvermorny business."

Maxwell led the group out of the office and to a pair of doors, which he opened for them. Brian was expecting more marble, but he was surprised to see a narrow stone passageway lit with lanterns. At the end of the hallway was a pair of metal gates that resembled an elevator. Mr. Synde pressed a button, which caused something to approach the room behind the doors. Brian looked through the gates and saw what appeared to be a cart on rails. The cart slowed down as it approached the station and stopped with a ding. Brian stepped backwards as the gates slid open. The group entered the room and the cart, with Maxwell sitting in the driver's seat.

"Please remain seated and keep your arms and legs in the car at all times," said Maxwell, as he pulled what appeared to be a safety bar in front of him and in his lap. Brian, Alastor, and Amelia did the same as Maxwell pulled a lever next to him. The gates next to the cart closed and the cart rushed out of the station!

At first they just hurled through a maze of twisting passages. Brian tried to keep track of which passage they went through, but it was impossible! Either Maxwell knew where he was going or the cart itself knew the way.

Brian's eyes stung as he felt the cold air rush past them, but he kept them open. Once, he could've sworn he saw a burst of fire at the end of a passage and turned around to see if it was a dragon, but it was too late — they plunged even deeper, passing an underground lake where stalagmites and stalactites grew from the floor and ceiling.

"Hey Mom," Brian called over the noise of the cart, "what's the difference between a stalagmite and a stalactite?"

"One grows on the ground and the other grows on the ceiling," replied Amelia. "And, not to be rude, but I'm feeling sick right now."

The cart stopped at last besides a round door that resembled a bank vault. When the trio exited, both Amelia and Alastor took some time to recover from motion sickness while Brian leaned up against a wall…

"You three ok?" Maxwell asked.

"Yeah," said Brian. "We just… need a moment to catch our breaths…"

"Alright." Maxwell placed the key into the door and unlocked it. "Welcome to Vault 14-13." The door opened, causing a lot of green smoke to billow out, and as it cleared, Brian gasped. Inside were mounds of gold, silver, and bronze coins!

"They're all yours," smiled Amelia.

All Brian's — it was awesome! Had Josephine known about this, she'd have stolen it all for herself.

"Oh, and don't worry about anyone stealing anything!" Maxwell pointed out. "They need to pass an identification test in order to get here. If there's even a single unauthorized transaction, we'll know."

"Identification test? Like the one I took?"

"Precisely! Also, those octagonal coins are called Dragots and the round ones are called Sprinks. 100 Sprinks equals one Dragot, by the way." Alastor and Amelia helped Brian pile some of them into a bag. "By the way, the gold octagonal ones are worth 10 Dragots and the silver ones are a single Dragot. The round silver coins are basically 50 Sprinks and the bronze ones are 25 Sprinks." Brian looked at a bronze sprink; it read "United States of America, 2011, Quarter Dragot"

"Kind of like dollars and cents!"

"Exactly."

"Once we're done here," Alastor said, "we should get some lunch either before or after we get the supplies. I think the amount you currently have should be good for a couple of terms. The rest will be safe here!" He turned to Maxwell. "Ready to go to Vault 17-03. And can you slow it down?"

"Sorry. One speed only," said Maxwell.

The cart went deeper and deeper into the cavern, gathering speed as it did. The cold air rushed into their faces as they hurled around tight corners. They soon came to their second destination: Vault 17-03.

"Vault 17-03. High security. Stand back!" Maxwell said importantly. He touched the door with the palm of his hand, causing it to dissolve. "If anyone except a Lunar Bank employee tried to get in, they'd be sucked in and trapped there."

"How often do you check if anyone's inside?" Brian asked.

"Once every ten years or so," Maxwell answered with a nasty grin before it returned to normal. "Why do you ask?"

Brian expected there to be jewels in the vault but he saw that it was empty, save for a small bag on the floor. Alastor picked up the bag and placed it in his robe. Brian longed to know what was in it, but he knew better than to ask.

"Well then, back in that… cart… and please don't talk to me until we return to the station. I think it's better if I kept my mouth shut," Alastor said, with a frown.

One wild cart ride later, the trio stood blinking outside of the bank, relieved to see the waves reflected by the water above. Brian didn't know where to go first now that he had a bag full of money, but he figured he had way more than he knew what to do with! And he knew darn well that Josephine wouldn't see a single cent (or sprink, in this case) of it.

"Alright, let's split up," Alastor decided. "Brian, you can get your uniform fitted. Amelia and I are gonna take some time to catch our breaths. I hate those Lunar Bank carts. Why'd they have to team up with Gringotts?" Alastor and Amelia did look a bit sick from the ride, so Brian entered the nearby robe shop alone, looking a bit nervous.

"'Monsieur Farrow's Robes for All Occasions'?" Brian read the sign and entered. Mr. Farrow was a smiling, handsome looking wizard dressed in red and black.

"Bienvenue, jeune homme! Lemme guess, Ilvermorny?" He said, as Brian started to speak. "We've got a lot. Another young woman is getting fitted up just now, in fact."

In the back of the store was that very same girl Brian spotted looking at the broom earlier. She was standing on a footstool while a witch was pinning her robes and getting her fitted for her uniform. M. Farrow had Brian step on a stool next to her and began fitting him for his uniform and robes.

"Hey," said the girl, "Ilvermorny, too?"

"Yes," said Brian.

"Cool!" She smiled. "Mom's buying me books. After this, we're gonna get the rest of our supplies! Sad that I can't bring my own broom to school though. Maybe I'll get one on my 12th birthday?"

"M-maybe."

"Hey, have you got your own broom?"

"Uh, no."

"Eh, you're not alone. No first-years are allowed to take their broomsticks if they have one. I mean, they can buy one, but they can't bring them. Do you ever watch Quidditch or Quodpot on the TV?"

"No. I don't even know what those are, sadly."

"Oh, you're a No-Maj-Born wizard?"

"Eh… no. Apparently my parents are wizards." The girl noticed Amelia Bank outside.

"Wait… you're Brian Bank, aren't you?"

"Y-yeah."

"Awesome! I-I'm Merula Snyde."

"Nice to meet you, Merula. I think I met your dad in the Lunar bank."

"Yeah, he works there! Uh, Brian? Do you know what house you'll be in? Also, sorry for being rude."

"It's no trouble, but I don't know."

"Nobody does, I guess. Me? I'm hoping I either get Horned Serpent, Pukwudgie, or Thunderbird."

"Those sound cool!"

"Yeah!" She smiled eagerly. "So…" that smile turned to a sad, sorrowful frown. "I heard what happened to your father… I'm sorry, Brian."

"What're you sorry for? It's not your fault! Hey, maybe when we're done here, we can go shopping or get some lunch together? Your dad's kinda busy."

"I'll ask mom." That smile returned.

"Okay." Brian smiled back.

"And we're done!" Exclaimed M. Farrow. "Mlle. Snyde. M. Bank." Brian and Merula paid M. Farrow and the other witch before collecting their new blue and cranberry colored robes and uniforms.

"Hey, I'll see you at Ilvermorny!" Said Merula as she went off to talk to her mother.

"You too!" Brian replied as he went back to each lunch with his mom and Alastor.

Brian and Amelia went into a parchment shop where they met up with Merula again. Both of them smiled when they saw a color changing ink.

"Mom gave me permission, by the way!" Said Merula.

"Hey, what's Quidditch anyway?" Brian asked his mother.

"Yeesh, I keep forgetting how little you know!" Alastor replied. "Anyway, it's one of our sports."

"Quodpot too?"

"Yup," said Amelia. "Quidditch is our soccer and Quodpot is our football. It's hard to explain the rules though…"

"And Thunderbird, Horned Serpent, and Pukwudgie are houses, right?"

"Along with Wampus, yes," said Merula.

They bought their books at a shop called Kowalski's Books and Tomes where the shelves were stacked to the ceiling with books the size of paving stones with leather covers; books the size of iPhones with silk covers; books full of strange symbols and books with nothing in them at all. Alastor almost had to drag Brian away from Curses and Counter-curses.

"Aw. I was trying to find out how to curse Josephine."

"And I get that," said Alastor, "but you're not allowed to use magic in No-Maj areas unless it's an emergency. Anyway, you're not on that level yet. You'll need to study a lot more before you get to that level."

Neither Amelia nor Alastor would let Brian buy a solid gold cauldron either ("Sorry Brian, but it says bronze on your list."), but they got a nice set of scales for weighing potion ingredients and a collapsible brass telescope. Then they visited the Apothecary, which was fascinating enough to make up for its awful smell. While Alastor asked the woman behind the counter for some basic potion supplies, Brian and Merula would gaze in awe at the different ingredients when they'd notice a boy with black hair and brown skin walking by and looking at his list.

Outside the Apothecary, the group would check their lists.

"Looks like we're almost done!" Merula said.

"Yeah, all that's left is our wands!" Brian said.

"We get those at Ilvermorny."

"Oh, yeah. I forgot."

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Said Mr. Snyde, as he took a break to help Merula out. "We need to get you your animals. No, not toads. They went out of fashion years ago."

"And I don't like cats," Amelia chipped in. "Or snakes, for that matter."

"This coming from a Horned Serpent?" Alastor teased.

"Hey!"

"Why not an owl? They're very useful! They carry your mail and everything!" Merula suggested

"Sounds good!" Brian replied. The adults agreed that an owl was the best choice.

Twenty minutes later, they left the Aviary Emporium, which was dark and full of rustling, flickering, jewel-bright eyes. Both Brian and Merula each had an owl; her owl was a female eagle owl while his was a female great horned owl. The last thing the two got from Pluto's Boulevard were messenger bags and what appeared to be ordinary leather suitcases. Well, save for the fact that they both had the Ilvermorny logo on the front and their initials on the side.

"There's a little switch on the locks," Alastor pointed out. "Flip them, and No-Majes can't see inside of it. Flip them again, and the Extension charm will activate." Out of curiosity, Brian activated the hidden switch, causing a brass label reading No-Maj Worthy to appear and disappear quickly. Brian opened the suitcase and saw the interior of an ordinary and empty suitcase. When he closed the suitcase and toggled the switch again, a different label popped up; this one read Wizard Worthy. Brian opened the suitcase again and found that it was more like a storage room that had more than enough space to carry his belongings, including a place to put his owl's cage. A place for everything and everything in its place. Brian climbed down into the room and placed everything in its place before climbing back up.

"This is amazing!" Brian exclaimed.

"That's extension charms for ya! They're controlled by MACUSA, by the way; these suitcases are Ilvermorny equipment, so they've been approved."

"MACUSA?" Brian asked.

"Magical Congress of the United States of America. It's basically our government."

"Ah. So, it's like the USA government?"

"Almost; MACUSA, unlike the bicameral No-Maj congress, is unicameral. In addition, MACUSA was founded before the American Revolution."

"In addition," Mr. Snyde added, "unlike the British Ministry of Magic, MACUSA is independent from the Muggle— er, No-Maj Government."

The late afternoon sun hung low in the sky as the group made their way back down Pluto's Boulevard, back to the elevator, and back into the Varita Dorada, which was nowhere near as busy as it was during lunch hours. The five decided to get some dinner before they went their separate ways until Ilvermorny.

Brian looked outside. Everything seemed strange somehow.

"You ok? You're kinda quiet," said Merula.

Brian wasn't sure how to explain. He had the best day of his life — and yet — he ate his taquito, trying to find the words.

"Everyone thinks I'm special," he said at last. "But why? I don't know any magic."

Alastor approached Brian with a smile on his face.

"Don't worry, Brian. You'll learn fast enough. Everyone starts at the beginning at Ilvermorny. Just be yourself! You may have been singled out by your crazy ex-aunt, but I have a feeling you'll have a great time at Ilvermorny. I know I did. Oh, speaking of which…" he gave both Brian and Merula an envelope.

"What's this?""Your tickets to Ilvermorny. Whatever you do, don't lose them. August 27th. Dallas Union Station. It's all on your ticket. If Josephine gives you trouble Brian, let me know via letter. Owls are pretty smart; she'll know where to find me." The group went their separate ways; Merula and her parents went to a green 1956 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith parked next to Alastor's car and drove off while Brian, his mother, and Alastor slept in the hotel. Alastor had managed to book a suite; Amelia and Alastor slept in separate beds in the bedroom while Brian slept on the couch bed in the living room.