Chapter 8: Houses
Professor Canessa flicked her wand and out came a long roll parchment.
"When I call your name, you will stand at the center of Gordian knot to be sorted," she reminded everyone again. "Goddard, Rachel!"
A baby-faced girl with blonde straight hair stumbled out of line. The girl stood at the center of the knot as the four statues surrounded her. A moments pause and the Pukwudgie raised its arrows.
The older students who seemed to be from Pukwudgie cheered from the balcony.
"Pukwudgie." Professor Canessa announced as she directed the girl to the stairs, to where she walked towards the students of her house.
--
"Wolfe, Selena!" Selena looked back at them still a bit scared about her result. Archer nodded at her as he mouthed, 'Good luck'. Selena broke out a little smile and similarly walked towards the center but unlike her expectations, the Pukwudgie didn't move but the Wampus roared making her flinch a bit.
"Wampus!"
Selena looked confused as she walked towards the Wampus's side mumbling something.
--
"Brooks, Liya."
"Horned Serpent!"
Liya annoyingly smiled back at Ben and Alice who had a teasing look on their face as she walked up as well.
--
"Brooks, Ben."
"Pukwudgie!"
When the Pukwudgie moved, the confident and excited Ben turned a bit pale. Archer could hear Alice trying to hold her laughter in as Ben stiffly went up to the stairs like a robot not looking back anymore.
--
"Lane, Alice."
Alice calmly walked at the center. For a moment nothing happened, Archer was a bit worried for her as it had already longer than the other when suddenly, The Thunderbird flapped its wing and Wampus roared at the same time.
Whispers suddenly broke out among the older students as well as the new ones.
"Silence!" Professor Canessa said as the whispers began dying down, "Sigh! I didn't explain this part because I didn't think it will occur. Sometimes when a student is a flexible one, more than one carving will try to select the same student. But it is so rare that it happens only once or twice in a decade. And in this case, the student is able to choose the house they prefer for themselves."
Alice nodded as she looked back and forth between the Thunderbird and Wampus. And unlike how Archer expected Alice didn't choose the Wampus.
"Thunderbird!" She announced as the cheers broke out the Thunderbird side as she walked towards her house.
--
One by one every student got selected by their respective houses but the same situation didn't occur again.
"Rakepick, Archer."
Professor Canessa announced the name of the last student as Archer moved towards the center. Unlike how he expected, standing there alone as he was being looked down by the older students and statues themselves was a bit nerve-racking.
Time passed, as 10 minutes went by but none of the statues moved to the dismay of Archer. Students began laughing and making jokes, while Professor Canessa herself was confused as to what was going on.
Just as everyone thought the student was useless, all four of the statues suddenly reacted at once. The crystal in the Horned Serpent carving's forehead glowed, the Wampus carving roared, the Thunderbird carving beat its wings, and the Pukwudgie carving raised its arrow all at the same time. Shocking not only Archer but every person around.
A middle-aged man could be seen in the corner looking at the students from a bit far away, as he mumbled, "After 80 years, finally we have another one." under his breath.
Archer didn't really know what was going on as he looked around but even the young Professor who just stood there with her mouth opened out wide. Archer scratched his head lazily as he looked at every house one by one until he finally decided.
"Thunderbird!" He announced and casually walked towards his house. There was a moment of silence as people couldn't understand his casualness to the situation when suddenly the Thunderbird crowd cheered loudly. Having two students who managed to awaken more than two statues and both of them being in their house, made the Thunderbirds extremely excited and happy.
The noises caused Professor Canessa to finally snap out of her daze as she walked near the center of the hall.
"I'd first like to congratulate all of you for joining your house successfully." The professor said, "So before the feast begins, I'd like the students who still don't have their wands, to come follow me for the wand ceremony while the other would be directed by your house head to the changing room to change into your new school robes."
Some of the students went down the stairs and followed the professor through another door while the rest were led by their house head, a seventh-year student.
"Hello, I am Owen Ways." The house head introduced himself, "A seventh-year student, and I welcome you to our house."
Alice and Archer looked at one another and back at Owen. While the remaining five new Thunderbirds did the same as well.
"Though our house is the smallest in number, every one of the students from our house excels at a lot of stuff, resulting in us to better than the rest of the houses." Owen said, "After all, having an adventurous soul is completely rare."
"The seven of you please follow me to select your robes, while the rest of the older students move towards the Great hall."
Nodding all of them started following Owen, as Archer couldn't help but ask, "What is the wand ceremony?"
"Don't you know?" Owen asked, "You sound foreign are you not from here?"
"I am not." Archer nodded.
"You should know a little about Rappaport's Law, right?" Seeing Archer nod, he continued, "Though the law ended a long time ago, we still have some practices left. As you see wizards or witches born from No-maj are not allowed to possess and buy wands until they show up in school, where they get to select their wands themselves. Thus the name, wand ceremony."
Archer nodded understanding in as Owen led them to a separate room where there was a woman waiting for them. One by one she took their measurements and with a flick of her wand their school robes were ready.
Most of the school's design is closely related to its founders alongside the inspiration from Hogwarts. With even the robe being the same. The robes of Ilvermorny are blue and cranberry. The colors honor the founders Isolt and James: blue because it was said to be Isolt's favorite color and because she had wished to be in Ravenclaw house as a child; cranberry in honor of James's love of cranberry pie. And all Ilvermony students' robes are fastened by a gold Gordian Knot, in memory of the brooch Isolt found in the ruins of the original Ilvermorny cottage
Archer fixed his robe properly as he tied it in place with the Gordian Knot. He took out the ornamental eye of Horus, his mother gave him and pinned it on the left side of his chest.
"I wonder how long we have to wait?" Alice came out of the room wearing her uniform as well.
"The students just got back from their wand ceremony so it shouldn't take too long." Archer replied as he looked at Alice closely, "So why did you chose Thunderbird? I thought you wanted to be in Wampus."
"I thought so too but when the Thunderbird chose me as well, it made me wonder if I have the heart of a warrior or the soul of an adventurer." Alice said, "I am certain that I am strong but I never really thought myself as adventurous so I guess I wanted to explore that."
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Let's aim for the top 150... I'll post 3 extra chapters if it reaches there and 5 more for top 100
Also, Hogwart will come soon...
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