Chapter 1: The Letter

Rose Weasley was just finishing up breakfast at the Burrow when a big, official-looking envelope swooped in through the window and landed right in her bowl of porridge, splattering oats everywhere.

"Oi!" she yelped, wiping porridge off her face. "Dad, another one of your work owls?"

But her dad just shrugged, waving his fork. "Nope, not mine! Looks important, though. Go on, open it!"

Rose held up the envelope, eyes wide. The parchment was smooth and heavy, and there was a fancy red seal on it with an "I" surrounded by four magical creatures: a thunderbird, a wampus, a horned serpent, and a pukwudgie.

"Ilvermorny," she whispered, feeling a jolt of excitement. That was the American wizarding school she'd read about—somewhere over in Massachusetts, where they did all sorts of weird magic and called things by odd names like "No-Maj" instead of Muggle. She quickly ripped open the letter.

Dear Rose Weasley,

You have been selected for the Hogwarts-Ilvermorny Exchange Program! We are excited to welcome you to Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for one term of learning and exploration. Please pack your bags and be ready to travel by the 1st of September. We look forward to meeting you!

Best Regards,

Professor William Oakes

Headmaster, Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Rose practically leaped out of her chair. "Dad! I got in! I'm going to America!"

Her dad beamed, and her mum walked in, smiling as she wiped her hands on her apron. "That's wonderful, Rose! We'll have to get you some American spellbooks and—"

"Wait a second!" Rose said, looking closer at the letter. "It says someone else from Hogwarts is coming too… Oh no." She sighed loudly, her face falling. "It's Scorpius Malfoy."

Her dad blinked. "Malfoy, eh? Well, maybe he'll make a good travel companion. You two can explore the American school together."

"Or he'll annoy me to bits," Rose muttered, folding up the letter. "He's always acting so serious and... and... Malfoy-ish."

But there was no turning back now. Rose was going to Ilvermorny, and Scorpius Malfoy or not, she was going to have an adventure.

The morning of September 1st, Rose found herself standing on Platform 9 with her trunk, her wand, and a nervous feeling in her stomach. She spotted Scorpius right away, leaning against a column and looking as gloomy as ever. His blond hair was neat, and he had his robes perfectly pressed like he'd just come out of a catalog for grumpy Slytherins.

"Ready for the big American adventure?" Rose said, trying to be friendly. "I mean, I'm guessing you've packed at least three books too many."

Scorpius frowned. "Books are necessary," he said, lifting his chin. "Unlike, say, overpacking chocolate frogs, which you've definitely done." He pointed at her trunk, which had one corner bulging with the wrappers of her favorite sweets.

Rose stuck out her tongue. "I like snacks! Anyway, the letter said there'd be other Hogwarts students. Do you know who?"

But before Scorpius could answer, a huge, rainbow-colored steam train puffed into the station. It wasn't the Hogwarts Express—this train was from Ilvermorny, and it was enormous. The front carriage had big silver letters: "The Greylock Express." Smoke in all kinds of colors poured out, making the whole platform sparkle.

The doors opened, and a bunch of American students poured out, waving and chatting loudly. They all had blue and cranberry-red robes, and some even had hats with magical animals stitched on. One boy, with brown hair and a grin that said "trouble," bounced over to them.

"Hey! You guys must be from Hogwarts!" he said, beaming. "I'm Ezra Bluecloud, and I'm your guide. Welcome to the awesome world of Ilvermorny magic!"

Rose smiled back. "Hi! I'm Rose, and this is Scorpius."

Scorpius gave a small nod but stayed quiet, like he was sizing up Ezra, which only made Ezra grin wider. "Cool, cool. Hey, just so you know, at Ilvermorny, we don't ride broomsticks backward like you do at Hogwarts. Just a heads-up."

Scorpius's eyes went wide, and he opened his mouth to argue, but Rose burst out laughing. "You're pulling his leg, aren't you?"

Ezra winked. "Maybe. You'll have to figure it out yourselves. Anyway, grab your stuff! It's time to head across the ocean!"

The train ride was wild. Rose and Scorpius sat next to Ezra as he showed them magical postcards of Ilvermorny. Each one had a moving picture of the castle, surrounded by a thick forest and sparkling lakes. There was even one of a giant Thunderbird flying above the school. Rose could hardly wait to see it all for herself.

But the train ride wasn't all smooth. Ezra kept pulling tricks like making everyone's drinks float upside down (and accidentally spilling pumpkin juice all over Scorpius's lap). "Whoops, sorry!" Ezra said, but he looked like he was trying not to laugh too hard.

Scorpius muttered something about "hooligans" while Rose just grinned. "I think I'm going to like Ilvermorny," she said, and Scorpius only sighed.

As they crossed the ocean, Rose stared out the window, imagining what their new school life would be like. But when the train finally pulled into Ilvermorny Station, and the castle came into view, she knew right away that this was just the beginning of their adventure. And with Ezra as their guide, there was no telling what kind of trouble they were about to get into.

But one thing was for sure—between the glittering towers of Ilvermorny and the mountains beyond, there were secrets waiting to be discovered. And Rose couldn't wait to start searching.