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Chapter 616: Unofficial History
Chapter 616: Unofficial History
Ilvermorny's Library occupies the center of the castle's western complex, appearing from the outside as a sprawling structure with four corridor-like extensions.
Inside, the Library is a spacious, circular building divided into three levels, somewhat resembling the architecture of the castle itself. The ground floor is a wide reading area, with neatly arranged tables and chairs in the center and functional cubicles around the perimeter. Ascending the circular staircase, the second and third floors are lined with brown bookshelves, housing an extensive collection.
Felix has been spending his days there.
It's summer, and the Library is often deserted, so if Felix gets tired of reading, he wanders the aisles, capturing the lingering emotions of Ilvermorny students, which often bring him new and intriguing feelings.
For example—though he has never met them, Felix has come to know several Ilvermorny students. They always sit in the same spots, their thoughts while reading forming enduring and beautiful landscapes for Felix to appreciate.
When Felix describes their appearances, it's no surprise that these are among the best students.
Uriel marvels at his abilities.
Felix has visited the libraries of three magical schools—Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Ilvermorny—each with its own unique characteristics. Judging by their decor alone, Hogwarts is grand and ancient, Beauxbatons is elegant and comfortable, while Ilvermorny is more modern.
This modernity is likely because Ilvermorny's Library was established in the 17th century, drawing inspiration from many Muggle libraries. As a result, both the spatial layout and cataloging are superior, and the collection is perhaps two to three times larger than Hogwarts'.
Of course, compared to Hogwarts, which was founded in the 10th century, the proportion of ancient texts here is smaller. However, Felix found a small section dedicated to the study and documentation of native magic, which provided him with much inspiration.
The development of magic in North America was slower than in other regions.
Felix reviewed the history, piecing together a rough truth in his mind. Before the European Muggle colonizers arrived, the local magic was primarily practiced by Native American tribes. These indigenous people did not use wands and employed magic in a primitive and raw manner. Additionally, their tribal lifestyle meant that magic was concentrated in the hands of a few individuals, and poor communication—there were approximately 160 distinct languages and 1,200 dialects—prevented the unification and development of a cohesive magical civilization.
Despite this, there were still valuable elements.
The founders of Ilvermorny initially intended to create a place for family magical education, but to satisfy the wishes of their two adopted sons, they modeled the school after Hogwarts, creating a similar structure. Felix found this interesting because Isolt Sayre had never attended Hogwarts; all her knowledge of it came from her evil aunt, Gormlaith Gaunt, who described it as a "dangerous place full of Mudbloods and egalitarian ideals" and tore up the Hogwarts acceptance letter sent to Isolt. This made the concept of Hogwarts a mere figment of Isolt's imagination.
More intriguingly, the curses and insults from her aunt did not deter young Isolt; instead, they led her to believe it was a paradise.
She shared her imagined Hogwarts with her adopted sons, and the entire family became enchanted. Thus, Ilvermorny was born, with its four houses, sorting ceremony, and, most importantly, wands. The school's efforts were so convincing that nearby indigenous people came to learn, helping Ilvermorny overcome the awkward situation of having only two students, who couldn't even fill all four houses (though they didn't mind). Isolt and her grown adopted sons tried to combine native magic with European magic, creating a unique identity for Ilvermorny.
These native magical practices—such as primitive rituals, hunting chants mimicking magical creatures, and casting techniques using magical plant and animal materials—were often ambiguous, but Felix recorded them, planning to experiment with them later.
He based a sound magic on Parseltongue and the calls of the Augurey, creating something different from the Sonorus Charm. It was more akin to the Parseltongue curse Voldemort once used on him, and Felix also incorporated principles of sound waves from physics.
Using sound waves to carry magical power not only made it faster but also more discreet.
For example, combining bat ultrasonic waves with Mind Chamber magic allowed Felix to quickly construct the real environment in his mind and overlay it with illusions. This magic was terrifying: when facing Felix, enemies might never be able to distinguish reality from illusion.
Even the simplest location function would be difficult to counter with invisibility cloaks or Disillusionment Charms, let alone the widespread damage caused by infrasound waves to the human body.
Felix estimated he would have few opportunities to use it, but the joy of solving puzzles and constructing a new field of study kept him engrossed. He took a brief trip back to Hogwarts to hand over the snake-wood branch to Professor Sprout.
"Plants that retain such vigorous vitality and are also influenced by powerful magic for a long time are extremely rare", Professor Sprout said excitedly, almost hugging Felix and kissing him.
"Can it be cultivated?" Felix quickly changed the subject.
"Survival is easy, but to maintain its magical properties, it will require careful tending. It might take a year or two to cultivate, which is quite a challenge for me", she said with a smile, not at all worried. "I need to find Severus. I've discovered he has a great talent in this area, and Kettleburn can vouch for it!"
She hurried off.
After reinforcing the defenses of Classroom Seven, Felix returned to Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. During this time, the Headmaster of Ilvermorny gave an interview to the outside world and revealed a 'buried history' for the first time.
"The snake-wood wand meant a childhood of misfortune for Ms. Isolt Sayre", Headmaster Zacharias said solemnly. "Her wicked aunt used this wand to kill Isolt's parents and torment her with cruel punishments—until she had the courage to escape."
"Although this wand helped Isolt Sayre when she fled, she ultimately chose to bury her past with her husband and embrace a happy life. Reflecting on this history, I always feel grateful: for her choice not only created a new Ilvermorny but also left us with a powerful healing magical plant."
"Compared to the shadow the wand brought, Ms. Isolt Sayre must be more comforted by this change—we need not violence, but a cure to heal hearts."
"Additionally, I must thank Mr. Dumbledore and Mr. Heap..."
These words had a profound impact.
At least, the members of the Stewart family, who had been active in recent days as victims of oppression, finally calmed down. As Headmaster Zacharias said, "The evergreen snake-wood tree will stand forever before Ilvermorny Castle, witnessing the friendship between the two magical schools..."
Uriel also gained a significant role in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement due to his contributions in this incident. Although he was still far from his dream of 'changing the living conditions of American wizards,' he was at least on the right path.
His first assignment was to represent the American Congress of Magic as an accompanier to the great wizard Felix Heap.
The two of them discussed the internal political environment of Congress. Perhaps because he had a deeper understanding of the vast magical authority of the Magical Congress, Uriel's thoughts became more objective and pragmatic.
This was a matter of perspective.
In the past, Uriel and even the members of the Reform Society could only identify and raise issues, feeling frustrated and angry at the Magical Congress's complacency. Now, their focus shifted to how to solve these problems.
"It's a tough one", Uriel sighed. "The closed nature of the American magical community and the strict laws have many real reasons behind them. The more I dig, the more headaches I get."
Felix listened attentively.
"The American Congress of Magic restricts wizards from Muggle families to avoid a repeat of the Puritan and Purge Remnant incidents..."
This was another buried history. Felix nodded, thinking that the Puritans were extreme religious individuals, Muggles who historically accused others of witchcraft. Their attitude toward wizards is easy to imagine.
Notably, when Isolt Sayre, the founder of Ilvermorny, arrived in North America, the Mayflower, the ship she sailed on, carried many Puritans. These Puritans, persecuted in their native England, turned around and persecuted others in the New World.
The Purge Remnants, on the other hand, were wizards—or rather, former wizards. They were initially a group of mercenary wizards from different countries, driven by profit. They even betrayed their own kind for bounties, such as selling wizards to Puritans to be burned.
After the American Congress of Magic was established, it began to settle accounts and execute these traitorous wizards, but some escaped punishment. They dared not reveal their magic again and instead lived as Muggles. However, this did not end with their deaths. These wizard traitors not only failed to repent but also spread their hatred toward the American Congress of Magic to all North American wizards, passing this resentment down through generations.
The last few significant breaches of the Wizarding World in American History of Magic have largely been linked to the descendants of the Purge Remnants. The most far-reaching incident left the entire Wizarding World in shock and fear, and the American Congress of Magic received a stern warning from the International Confederation of Wizards. This led to the infamous Rappaport's Law, which enforced a strict separation between Muggles and the Wizarding World to prevent such incidents from recurring.
"In this country, some Muggle families, despite never having seen magic, firmly believe that it exists", Uriel said sadly. "They just think all Wizards should be eradicated."
Felix spoke slowly, "I heard Dumbledore mention that the American public seems more resistant to magical deception and manipulation than people in other places..."
"Exactly", Uriel said. "But it goes beyond that—when you put everything together, Wizards in America face a terrifying threat—"
"The Muggle government", Felix said solemnly.
"Right", Uriel affirmed. "Wizards are not a secret to the Muggle government, at least not to the higher-ups." He added, "Since the Muggle government gained independence, there have been several violent conflicts. The Muggle government wants to crack the secrets of Wizards or force them to serve them, but we have firmly resisted. The Congress has secretly destroyed some laboratories and erased some people's memories... in short, there have been various open and covert struggles, almost leading to war..."
"I heard a rumor", he lowered his voice, "that in 1892, the then-chairman of the American Congress of Magic and the Muggle government president held secret negotiations, agreeing to a non-interference pact that has lasted to this day."
"Can I see this agreement?" Felix said excitedly.
"You won't find this in any official historical records. I learned about it from an old man in Congress, and I can't confirm if it's true", Uriel shook his head. "I remember the textbook saying that the fifth relocation of Congress's headquarters was due to the 'Bigfoot Uprising'... anyway, after that, the American Congress of Magic moved away from the Muggle political center of Washington to New York, and hasn't moved since."
"Hearing you say that, it does sound strange."
Felix stroked his chin. The American Congress of Magic has only been around for three hundred years, yet it had already relocated five times in the first two hundred years for various 'bizarre reasons.' The British Ministry of Magic, on the other hand, has never done so.
What exactly happened in 1892?
At that time, Dumbledore was only eleven, just starting school, so he might not know much about this history. And as far as Felix knew, Dumbledore didn't follow the school tradition of traveling abroad after graduation. Instead, it was Grindelwald who, to advance his 'cause,' spent a significant amount of time in America. Yes, the old man was first captured here, with Newt playing a significant role...
Neither Felix nor Dumbledore told Grindelwald—there was a certain enthusiast of Magical Creatures whose memory was always lively in Room Seven—they both chose to remain silent.
Felix left Ilvermorny in mid-August.
Before he left, the Headmaster of Ilvermorny tried several times to persuade him to give a few open classes to the students, but it was summer break, so they had to schedule it for another time.
However, this incident made Felix think deeply. With the international exchange program, the influence of Ancient Runes had expanded throughout the Wizarding World, but to truly make the subject resonate, it would depend on school education.
Beauxbatons had recently recruited seven or eight graduates from Hogwarts this year.
Upon returning to the familiar campus, Felix hadn't even caught his breath when the Ancient Runes Yearbook event began. Many students, like Harry who had just finished his travels, were surprised to find that several of their recently graduated peers had reunited because of this event.
These students were deeply marked by Felix Hep, having been taught by him. If there was a different group, it would be the members of the Ancient Runes Association. Harry never thought he would be discussing the future of Ancient Runes with a bunch of old men and women.
"Some of them are old enough to be my great-grandfathers", Ron whispered to Harry.
Despite the strangeness, three days later, the Ancient Runes Yearbook, bearing their names, was published and distributed.
(End of Chapter)
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