Harry Potteris one of the biggest fantasy franchises of all time,spawning a number of books, movies, and video games that are absolutely beloved by a wide portion of the fanbase. The series started from relatively humble beginnings withHogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardryin England, before the world of this series expanded into other continents with schools of their own.
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In North America, the school that wizards and witches went to was Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Given that this school wasn’t a major focus in either the booksor the movies, it’s only a given that most people don’t know about this school at all. Keeping this in mind, here are some facts about Ilvermorny that many fans are unaware of.
10The School Was Founded In 1627
Ilvermorny has a rich history as a School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, even though it was founded more than six centuries after Hogwarts' creation. 1627 was the year in which this school was founded by Isolt Sayre and her husband James Steward, who happened to be a No-Maj.
Their endeavors set the foundation for a school that would achieve many great things during its lifespan. This is almost hard to believe, given the school’s exceedingly humble beginnings.
9Initially, Ilvermorny Was Just A Stone Shack
Both Isolt and James had a humble stone shack that they sought to turn into a magical school. It was an ambitious task that ultimately proved to be quite successful.
After all, Ilvermorny did transform from this basic residence into one of the biggest and most reputable schools of all time. Clearly, a ton of work and effort was put in by the founders to ensure the same.
8The School Was Initially Formed By Its Founders To Homeschool Their Children
Before the creation of Ilvermorny,North American children never had a school where they could practice magic. Given Isolt’s status as an Irish immigrant, her children — Chadwick and Webster Boot — wished that they could go back to Ireland to resume their magical education.
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This led to the parents promising that these children could receive their magical education in the safety of their own homes instead. Thus, Ilvermorny was created to serve the needs of magical children in North America.
7The Four Original Members Of The School Named Its Houses
When Ilvermorny was created for the first time, the school only had four members. Isolt and James served as teachers, with their two children being the only students in the school.
These four members decided the houses of Ilvermorny as well. The two sons Chadwick and Webster Boot created Thunderbird and Wampus respectively. Meanwhile, Isolt created Horned Serpent and James created Pukwudgie.
6Indigenous Magic Played A Huge Role In Ilvermorny’s Origins
When Ilvermorny opened its doors to other students, they noticed a notable influx of Indigenous peoples who had their own unique brand of magic. Their proficiency in both animal and plant magic coupled witha tendency to use wandless magicwas quite interesting.
As a result, Ilvermorny decided to integrate some of this Indigenous magic into their courses as well. The tribes who offered this knowledge to the school considered it to be a fair payment for learning how to use wands.
5A Pukwudgie Family Serves As The School’s Security
Isolt’s unwillingness to only teach Pure-Bloods led to her diabolical aunt, Gormlaith Gaunt, breaking into Ilvermorny to try and kill both her niece and her husband. She put both teachers into a deep sleep anddeactivated Isolt’s wand using Parseltongue.
However, the children were alerted of her presence with this move and tried to thwart her plans. A Pukwudgie — the North American variant of goblins — named William ended Gormlaith’s life. He and his family have served as the school’s security ever since.
4Isolt’s Buried Wand Led To The Creation Of A Huge And Powerful Snakewood Tree
Given the trials and tribulations attached to her deactivated wand,Isolt decided to bury it to make it disappear for good. In due time, a Snakewood Tree ended up taking root here instead.
There were several tries to try and uproot this tree, but it magically regenerated itself every single time. People stopped putting in these efforts once they realized that the tree itself had valuable medicinal properties.
3The School Has A Wand-Choosing Ceremony As Well
Like Hogwarts, Ilvermorny also has a Sorting ceremony of its own, with the four Founder Statues choosing which student suits their fancy. However, that’s not the only ceremony that new students participate in.
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This school also has a wand-choosing ceremony, when new students either select their wand or a particular wand resonates with one student. It’s a pretty unique ceremony, indeed.
2Ilvermorny Has An Exchange Program With French Students
After centuries of operation, it was clear that Ilvermorny was big enough to warrant an international interest as well. This came in the form of a French student exchange program that seemed quite interesting.
This program basically allowed French students whose parents worked in the French Ministry of Magic to learn in Ilvermorny as exchange students. It was a great initiative by the school that increased its allure even more.
1Rappaport’s Law Restricted Wand Use By Students For A Long Time
During a particularly gnarly incident when the secrecy of the magical world had been jeopardized, Rappaport’s Law was passed in North America. This law was meant to limit the exposure of the No-Maj community to the magical world.
As per this law, children could not get a wand until they started schooling, and this wand could not be taken back home until they were seventeen. This law was ultimately repealed after a while, meaning that these restrictions on wands don’t apply in the modern age.
