Monday, December 5, 2011

Christmas was coming. One morning, Ilvermorny woke to find itself covered in several feet of snow. The lake froze solid and Jacob found himself punished for bewitching several snowballs so that they followed Professor Carter around.

Nobody could wait for the holidays to start. While the Thunderbird and Horned Serpent common rooms and the Great Hall had roaring fires, the drafty corridors had become icy and a bitter wind rattled the windows in the classrooms. Worst of all were Professor Drake's classes down in the dungeons. At the very least, Professor Drake kept his office door open, letting the warm air in the class. It helped that every student, Brian included, wore their cranberry-red winter cloaks and their protective gloves (Brian wore dragon-hide gloves) to help keep them warm.

"I feel sorry," said Thompson, one Potions class, "for all those who have to stay at Ilvermorny for Christmas because they're not wanted at home."

He was looking over Brian as he spoke.

"Actually, I am going home for Christmas," said Brian, as he was measuring out a powdered spine of a lionfish. He could tell Thompson was angry that Brian managed to become a Quidditch player during his first year. "Why are you upset? We won Quidditch and Quodpot back in November."

Thompson was red-faced; he so wanted to kick Brian's butt right then and there.

"Is there a problem?" Professor Drake asked.

"N-no sir," Thompson said as he returned to his seat.

Later that day, Brian wrote a letter to his mom, letting her, Mike, and Alex know that he'd be coming home for the Holidays and requested that they meet up at the Union Station.

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Brian had decided to check out Greylock Village before he had to go home for the holidays on Monday.

"Whoa!" Said Professor Harker before seeing Brian's permission slip. "Oh, I see you got your permission slip signed. Alright, let's go over some ground rules.

"Rule 1: Don't go into areas that don't allow underage wizards.

"Rule 2: Try to stay near your group.

"Rule 3: If you get lost, use the Four-Point Spell. The incantation is 'Point Me'.

"Rule 4: We return to Ilvermorny Castle at exactly 6 PM. Do NOT miss the carriages, or you'll have to walk back.

"Rule 5: You break it, you buy it.

"Any violations of these rules may result in losing this privilege for the rest of the year. Do you understand?"

"Y-yes, ma'am!" Brian blurted out, nervously.

"Good. Then you may enter the carriage." Brian did so and wondered where Merula was…

Greylock Village almost looked like a Christmas card; the cottages and shops were covered in a layer of snow and filled with people, both adults and students. He wanted to see everything, but he had to stay near his group, led by Professor Drake himself.

"What are you doing here?" Alastor said! Brian thought he was talking to him when he saw… Jacob's head? "Your head does not have permission to be here, Mr. Snyde. Take that invisibility cloak off at once." Jacob did so, much to Brian's amazement. "Return to Ilvermorny at once. We'll talk about an appropriate punishment later."

"Yes sir," Jacob said before muttering "You rat…" to himself and leaving. Brian looked at Alastor.

"Professor?" Brian said to Alastor

"Hmm? Brian!? What're you doing here? I expect this behavior from Jacob Snyde, but not from you."

"Sir, I have a permission slip signed."

"Oh? Let me see it then." Brian showed the slip to Alastor. "Oh, it seems she gave you permission after all. Alright. Anyway, stay with the group. Oh, and sorry about accusing you earlier."

Brian followed Alastor's group into a candy shop: Earl Sugar's Candy Emporium. To say it was amazing would be an understatement; it was almost like Willy Wonka's chocolate factory! Shelves upon shelves upon shelves had delicious sweets of all kinds!

"They've got everything here!" Professor Drake pointed out. "Though, I suggest you buy some snacks back on the Lone Star Express if you intend on taking them home with you. That said, I don't see any issue with you buying some snacks here."

Brian checked his money pouch; he had more than enough to buy a fair amount of sweets, but he decided to wait until Monday to get the snacks for home. He instead bought his own chess set from a nearby store.

Later that day, at 6:00 sharp, the group of students would begin to return to Ilvermorny Castle via carriage.

"Professor Drake," he asked, "does Earl Sugar own the cafe in the Lone Star Express?"

"They supply the cafe, if that's what you're asking," he replied.

"Ah."

"Why do you ask?"

"Just curious." The carriage took the group back to the castle.

Monday, December 12, 2011

Brian decided to talk to his friends one last time in the Great Hall before he'd leave for the Holidays.

"So," said Brian, as he played Wizard's Chess with Rowan, "you're staying here?"

"Yeah," said Rowan, as he commanded his knight to capture Brian's bishop. "I let my parents know that I'm staying here this time. I gotta do some research on Carter. I have a feeling he's not who he says he is."

"If that's true, then we need to be careful." Brian commanded his rook to capture Rowan's bishop.

"Agreed. I'll give you some notes if you beat me."

"Deal!" Brian commanded his knight to capture Rowan's pawn. "Check."

Rowan responded by using his queen to capture Brian's knight, but this was a trap. Brian responded by ordering his bishop to the King…

"Checkmate," Brian said as the white king surrendered his crown to the red bishop.

"Well, a deal's a deal," Rowan said as he gave Brian some notes. "This is what I know."

"Thanks Rowan. See ya after the New Year."

"You too. Merry Christmas." He smiled as Brian collected his pieces and left.

Later that evening, at 4:00 PM, Brian and Merula were on the carriage to the station. Brian was mesmerized by the snowy terrain before the carriage entered the station. Brian didn't notice this when he first arrived, but he noticed that some trains looked similar to the Amtrak's Viewliners while others, such as the Lone Star Express, looked like Superliners.

Like last time, Brian and Merula entered a bedroom on the car's upper level and placed their suitcases inside before heading to the diner car. There they'd each be given a menu; Merula would order Mac and Cheese while Brian ordered a hot-dog. After dinner, the two would exchange addresses so that they could talk via Owl Post. The two went back to their room, but not before Brian got some souvenirs from the cafe.

"You already had dinner," said Merula. "What're those for?"

"Oh, they're for home. I figured I'd share them with my family back home," Brian replied, as he placed them in his suitcase.

"Ah."

Brian and Merula decided to take some rest on their cabin's beds; Brian slept on the top bunk while Merula slept on the bottom. Somehow, it was mesmerizing seeing the sky the train was flying through.

At 10:00 PM, the train arrived at Platform -1. The students were let out and Brian and Merula met up with Amy.

"Nice to see you again, Merula." Said Amy.

"Yeah," said Merula. "You too!" She smiled as the group returned to the surface via the elevators. There, Brian and Merula would go their separate ways until January 1, 2012.

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

The next morning, Brian and Alex were talking about Ilvermorny and how they were doing.

"So, how was Ilvermorny?" Alex asked.

"It's pretty cool so far!" Brian replied.

"Sweet! I can't wait to join you when I become a first-year. What will I need?"

"Your acceptance letter has a list that'll tell you everything you need."

"That's a good thing! Otherwise, I wouldn't know where to go and what to get!"

"Oh, by the way, I brought some candy with me so we can share. They're still good, since I haven't taken them out of the cold box."

"What kind?"

"Chocolate Frogs, Every Flavor Beans…"

Their conversation was cut short by an owl flying to the front door and dropping a package before leaving.

"Hmm?" Alex asked as she noticed this.

"I got it," said Brian as he went outside and collected the parcel. There was a tag on it that said DO NOT OPEN PARCEL UNTIL CHRISTMAS. Brian brought it and the attached letter inside the house.

Needless to say, Brian was too busy enjoying his time with his family to worry about Rowan's notes on Carter. Speaking of Rowan, Brian had received a letter from him and a letter from Merula. Brian went back inside the house and opened Rowan's letter:

Hey Brian,

I'm still looking into Professor Carter, but so far, I've got nothing. That being said, Merula lent me your map for a bit. I hope you don't mind, but I added some things to it.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

-Rowan

Saturday, December 24, 2011: Christmas Eve

Brian, Alex, Mike, and Amy were having their Christmas dinner, but not before they said grace. They all sat quietly while Amy prayed while Athena looked on, perched in her cage and eating the owl food Brian provided her.

"We thank thee Lord for the food we are about to receive, for our family's safety, and for our family's well-being. Amen."

"Amen!" The others said before they ate as the fireplace warmed the living room and the dining room.

Later that night, Brian and Alex returned to their room and slept. Brian, truth be told, didn't want any presents. He was happy.

Sunday, December 25, 2011: Christmas Day

When he woke early on Christmas Morning, he went downstairs with his excited cousin and noticed that there were presents underneath the Christmas tree, which was decorated with ornaments and a star atop it.

"Well, I'll be," Brian said to himself as he noticed presents addressed to him.

Brian picked up the top parcel. It was wrapped in thick brown paper and written on it was To Brian, but there wasn't a return address. Inside was a blank piece of parchment.

"Is this some kind of joke?" Brian asked himself before taking the parchment and noticing a note:

Your father gave me this before he died. It's time it was returned to you.

Use it well.

A Very Merry Christmas to you.

There was no signature. Brian just stared at the note.

Brian looked at the blank parchment, not sure if it was a joke or not, and placed it back in the envelope before opening another parcel. This one was quite lumpy and had a note attached to it:

Hey Brian,

Merula here. Firstly, your mom sent me a present: some No-Maj coins. Dad's really fascinated by No-Maj items.

Secondly, you're probably gonna be embarrassed by this… Long story short, every year Mom and Dad make sweaters for us, and mine's always green, for some reason… Granted, I actually like the color green, but still.

Sorry if it's embarrassing!

-Merula

Brian opened the parcel to find a hand-knitted sweater in sapphire blue with a large B on the front of it. Unfortunately, Southwest Texas rarely, if ever, got any snow. He also noticed a magic photo in the letter; on the photo was Merula and her family, all wearing their sweaters, in front of a mansion on a plantation. Due to the fact that it had snow, Brian could assume that the plantation was in North Texas. He could see that Merula was embarrassed, to say the least. The Snyde family all waved at Brian, much to the boy's delight.

Brian looked back at the parchment. Did his dad really have this before he died?

Just before he could answer, the fire in the fireplace turned emerald green.

"What the?" Brian asked himself as he noticed someone crawling out of the fireplace: it was Merula, who coughed a bit as she exited the fireplace.

"Sorry about that," she said, while coughing a bit. "North Texas is cold as heck!"

"Merula! How'd you get here?"

"Floo Powder."

"Floo Powder?"

"Oh, yeah," said Amy, "I forgot to disconnect the house from the Texan Floo Network when I moved back in."

"When was it connected?" asked Merula.

"Before I met Marcus. I had to get permission from the Department of Magical Transportation. I've been meaning to disconnect it, but never got the chance." She looked a tad embarrassed.

"Well, good thing you didn't, eh Mrs. Bank? Anyway, how's it going Brian?"

"Someone sent me a blank parchment that apparently belonged to my dad." Brian showed Merula the blank parchment.

"What?"

"Maybe I'm missing something?" He checked the mysterious letter and found something he missed. Brian and Merula went upstairs to Brian and Alex's room to read it in private.

"Sorry about the intrusion, Mrs. Bank!" Merula called out as she went upstairs with Brian.

Once the two were upstairs, they read the letter again to see if there was something they missed.

"Are you sure this once belonged to your dad?" Merula asked.

"That's what the letter said," Brian replied. Brian looked at the back of the letter and used his wand. When he tapped it, words begun to write themselves on the letter:

It never hurts to ask for help.

To open the map, tap your wand on the map and Solemnly Swear that you are ready to Snoop

To close the map, tell the map that you have Solved your Mystery.

After reading the letter's hidden message, Brian tapped his wand on the paper.

"I Solemnly Swear that I Am Ready to Snoop," he said before he took his wand off of the parchment.

Brian and Merula watched as the parchment begun to write on itself in cranberry red ink until the front of the parchment read:

The Ilvermorny Adventurer's Club is Proud to present

The Pathfinder's Map

The Unofficial Map of Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and surrounding areas

"'Ilvermorny Adventurer's Club'?" Brian read before folding the map open and seeing that the different pages each had different contents.

The left page contained Greylock Village and the Greylock Village Station while the page on the right had the fields, the greenhouses, the Quidditch/Quodpot pitch, and the forbidden forest. In the central pages was what appeared to be a rather well drawn out image of Ilvermorny Castle itself. Opening the center pages, Brian and Merula looked at the six floors (seven if you include the dungeons) of the castle. In the center of the new map, was what appeared to be a diamond… or, more accurately, a square turned on its corner. But the truly remarkable thing were the tiny ink dots (almost like footprints) moving around the map, each labeled with a name in minuscule writing. Brian and Merula watched as the dots traveled across the fields, the village, the dungeons located on floor B1, and the Tower Bridge on floor 6.

Opening the four pages of the center diamond, the two saw the Grand Staircase and the four common rooms and the locations of their entrances. For example, they looked at the Thunderbird Common Room:

"Thunderbird Tower, Floor 6. Accessible to Thunderbirds only," it read. Brian opened the flap and watched as some of the dots moved around the triangle. Now what was Thompson up to this time?

Brian randomly opened the flap labeled: "Headmaster's Office, Floor 6" and saw that it was empty, save for Professor Fontaine in his office, pacing around.

Opening the flaps labeled "Forbidden Corridor" revealed… nothing.

"…Well, it was worth a shot," Brian shrugged. "Maybe it doesn't reveal rooms that we haven't been in yet?" Brian guessed as he opened the flap labeled: "Professor Rodriguez's Office, Floor 1" and saw it was blank as well, save for the ink dots labeled "Profess Rodriguez".

Brian opened the flaps labeled "Potions Classroom, Floor B1" and "Professor Drake's Office, Floor B1" and saw that it had some well drawn furniture. They saw that Professor Drake had entered through the Potion's Classroom.

"Guess my theory was correct," Brian said to himself.

The two decided to open the large flaps labeled: "Library, Floor 2 (Language Classes are taught here)".

Brian and Merula watched as Rowan wandered the library, as if he was looking for something.

"Wonder what Rowan's up to?" Merula asked as she watched Rowan wander around to a gated area of the library: The Forbidden Section. Unsurprisingly, Rowan couldn't get past the gates.

"Hmm…" Brian continued to look at the map before closing the inner diamond, the flaps, and then the inner map before opening the greenhouse flaps. Only Greenhouse 1 was furnished, as they didn't go into the other three yet. Brian closed those flaps and opened one of the flaps on the Village side: "Earl Sugar's Candy Emporium." Like before, Brian could see that it was furnished, but he saw a little square in the corner of the shop.

"I wonder if that was how Jacob snuck in," Brian whispered.

"Now this, I gotta hear!" Said Merula.

"Long story short, apparently Jacob snuck in via an invisibility cloak and Professor Drake caught him. He was ordered to go back to Ilvermorny after he got busted."

"…Yup, that sounds like him. Mom was busy, which is why we couldn't get permission that time. He's probably not gonna be allowed to go for the remainder of the school year. He got detention after he returned."

"Ouch! Ilvermorny does not mess around."

"Tell me about it! Jacob invited me, and I was tempted to join him, but I didn't want to risk it, so I said no."

"Good call. You'd have gotten in trouble too; Professor Drake doesn't kid around."

The two decided to close up the map.

"Mystery Solved," Brian said, as he tapped his wand on the parchment once again. This time, the writing on the map seemed to erase itself until it was blank once more.

"So," Merula said, "it seems that the map only covers areas we've already been to."

"Whoever the Ilvermorny Adventure's Club is, it seems that they created this map…" He noticed a picture hidden within the letter; in the picture were four teenagers: a male Thunderbird student, a female Horned Serpent student, a male Wampus student, and a male Pukwudgie student. The picture was labeled "Ilvermorny Adventurer's Club, Year Five (1988-1989)." Brian recognized the Horned Serpent girl and the Wampus boy as his parents.

"…Dad?" Brian whispered.

The teenage Marcus looked at Brian… and smiled warmly. Brian had seen his father for the first time in his life… Brian was feeling a mixture of joy and sadness.

"You ok?" Merula asked as she noticed Brian crying.

"I… I think I want to be alone for a bit."

Merula nodded and left the room to return home.

"See you back at Ilvermorny," she said to him before she left.

"You too." He smiled, but still had sadness in his eyes. Brian longed for his father to still be alive. He wanted to tell him all about his time at Ilvermorny… a small part of him wished he could bring his dad back to life, but there were things that even magic couldn't do.

All Brian could do was stare at the photo… and silently cry. What was once a Merry Christmas had turned into a sad one.

Amelia noticed Brian crying… and hugged him.

"I miss him too," Amelia said to Brian. "Every single day, I wish that Marcus was still alive. That that monstrous woman didn't kill Marcus…"

"I'm sorry…" Brian hugged his mother in a tearful embrace.

"What're you sorry for? It's not your fault."

Monday, December 26, 2011

The next morning, Brian had heard from Rowan via letter that the snow at Mount Greylock still hadn't melted. The letter also told Brian that Merula had talked to him about last night and wanted to ask if he was ok. Brian wrote back that he had mixed feelings.

Brian noticed that Professor Drake was back at the house; he knocked on the door and was let in. Brian went downstairs to greet him.

"You ok?" Alastor asked.

"I got a present last night… Did you send me a map?" Brian asked.

"Hmm?"

Brian decided to show him the photo he got from last night. This made Alastor smile.

"The Ilvermorny Adventurer's Club. I remember that. Your dad made it during our second year of Ilvermorny. It was basically us snooping around Ilvermorny to find all of its secret passages. Are you doing ok?"

"I'm fine… I wish Dad was still here."

"Me too… but we can't dwell on the past. There's something in Hogwarts called the Mirror of Erised. Do you know what it is?"

"Um… no sir."

"Well, here's how it works: the happiest person on earth would be able to use it like a normal mirror."

"So, it shows us our deepest desire?"

"Basically, yes. For example, you, who never knew your father, would see him right next to you. Merula, who was overshadowed by her older siblings, would see herself as the best of them all. And Rowan…well, he told me he wanted to be the youngest professor in Ilvermorny history. However, the mirror won't give you knowledge; people have either wasted away by being entranced by the mirror or gone insane, not knowing if what the mirror shows is even possible.

"It's important not to dwell on dreams and forget to live."

"Hey Prof-Alastor? What do you desire?"

"…I'd be lying if I said I wanted a pair of socks. Well, it wouldn't be the whole truth, anyway." He chuckled. "At any rate, enjoy the holidays." And with that, he left.

Brian sat inside the living room, smiling. For he now had a new drive… to revive the Ilvermorny Adventurer's Club.