15 Sep 2019, 21:37
Ilvermorny Pen Pals
Written and posted as Ilvermorny student Arslan Frost to @Lamik Fillestar
Note: Due to lack of activity, @Koko Riddle has been added as the person to find the abandoned/lost/misplaced letter.
Dear Mr. Lamik Fillestar,
I don’t know whether you will be expecting a letter or not, unfortunately my teacher is weird wasn’t very forthcoming with the information. He just asked me to write a letter to a Hogwarts student and that he’d rope a few more students into that project of his. So here I am. Writing this letter. Making you read this mess. Sorry about that, by the way.
So, I should probably begin at the start start at the beginning. My name is Arslan Frost, no middle names or anything fancy like that. I’m currently 15 years old and go to Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Should you see me spell the name of my own school wrong in the future, know that it’s less due to my own stupidity (though that may be a factor) but more due to pure habit. I’ve gotten into the habit, along with a couple of friends of mine, to constantly find new spellings of our school’s cumbersome name. My current favorite version is ‘Ilvernmirmir’ though I’ve forgotten how we came up with that mess.
The school is separated into four houses (like Hogwarts, I believe) and I am part of the house of Thunderbird. You’ve heard about the Ilvermorny houses? If not, I can tell you more about them, if you want. In Thunderbird, we’re an adventurous lot, most of us. I get along with most of my housemates well enough, though I only consider a select few actual friends.
Whenever not in Ilvermorny, I live with my mom and dad, my grandma and her small army of cats. Most of them are strays that one day just decided that they didn’t want to leave anymore. I have no siblings. No pets of familiar of my own.
I am american wizardborn with roots in Germany, from my father’s side. They fled around the time of the whole Grindelwald debacle, trying to find safety within the american wizarding community. Worked out more or less. Some of my extended family still lives in Germany, so I know a few bits and pieces about european wizarding culture. I’d love to learn more about it though, if you’d be willing to share some info with me.
I can tell you a bit about american wizarding culture in return I suppose? Might be boring to you, for all I know, though, so tell me if you’d rather talk about anything else.
So, tell me about yourself. What’s it like, being in Hogwarts? What are your favorite subjects or clubs? Does Hogwarts have clubs?
I suppose now that I’ve started writing this letter, I’ve gotten quite interested in the idea of learning more about other wizarding schools. Learning something that isn’t printed in a textbook, sanctioned by a billion old men with power and money but comes from actual first hand experience!
I hope this letter wasn’t too much of a mess and that it didn’t immediately give you the urge to burn it. If you do burn it….that’s fair, I suppose.
Regards,
Arslan Frost
‘Yes, it is easy to see that nearly six years of magical education have not been wasted on you, Potter. Ghosts are transparent.’ - Severus Snape, Half-Blood Prince
7 Oct 2019, 02:20
Ilvermorny Pen Pals
@Alma Malvado
Mister Frost,
I probably don't sound like Mister Lamik Fillestar, and that is because I'm not. I found your letter near one of our Owlery's windowsills. Why I spend so much time there... That is a mystery. Even I lack the answer.
I find the Ilvermorny-name-jest funny - and relatable. I have misspelt 'Hogwarts' many times. Who would ever name a school after a warty hog? Sometimes I wonder about our school's founders and sigh. I've heard a little bit about Ilvermorny's four Houses, but not as much as I've heard about those in my own school. I'm a prefect of Slytherin. We're the best House at Hogwarts, fluent in ambition and sarcasm as well as smart enough not to forget about our survival skills when we're being adventurous.
I'd love to hear more about American wizarding culture. I moved to America over the summer, and I'm having a little bit of difficulty settling in. Any help would be completely welcomed.
Hogwarts is wonderful. Imagine a medieval castle. Now imagine a medieval castle situated in snowy Scottish highlands, surrounded by magical forest. The ghosts give it even more of a surreal air, letting one know just how magical this is. Hogwarts has a few clubs, but they're not too school-based, and I'm only involved in one of them - the Arts and Orchestral Society. It lives up to its name.
I realise I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Koko, Koko Riddle. I live with Victor Wreath and his son in California. My adoptive parents split up recently; my other brother lives with his mum. I'm in my Second Year, and I... I don't have very much to say about myself. I have a kitten; his name is Jax. He's very blue and very fluffy, I'll send a picture if I can find one.
I wish I had German family. I've always wanted an excuse to visit Germany. I have family in America, England, France, and Ireland, so I've been to those four countries, but that's it. Germany sounds very neat. Maybe if I grew a couple of inches, I could fit in - I wouldn't call myself short, but I don't think I'm getting any taller anytime soon.
I promise you, I'll only burn these letters if one of us writes something illegal in them, that way the secret stays between us. I wouldn't want either of us getting in trouble!
Kind Regards,
[pc] koko riddle · 'pour yourself a drink, put on some lipstick, and pull yourself together.'
'it always starts and ends with birds.' · cyrus darsel [inpc]
9 Oct 2019, 09:58
Ilvermorny Pen Pals
Dear Miss Riddle,
thank you for finding my misplaced letter. After such a long way across the ocean, the owl I sent was probably sick of the letter and just abandoned it then and there. Seeing as it has not yet returned while your owl owl did, leads me to believe it simply wasn’t up to the task. Maybe it’s leading a quiet life somewhere in that forest you described surrounding your school.
Your reply was interesting, but forgive me if I take your statement of Slytherin being “the best house” when you’re most likely a bit biased (what with you being in that very house and all), with a grain of salt. I’m sure all houses have their strengths and weaknesses. But I got to admit that I like the color scheme of your house.
I have a question concerning your statement of being a prefect. Maybe the roles aren’t really comparable, but at Ilvermorny such roles come with a lot of responsibilities, such as enforcing school rules and patrolling the school during the night to make sure nobody is out and about after hours. You now say that you’re in your second year at Hogwarts, making you maybe 12 or 13. Yet you’re a prefect. I won’t question your abilities, but I think giving children this young such a position is, frankly, irresponsible. What if an older student doesn’t like being told what to do by a younger student and a fight breaks out? Do you receive any sort of training before getting such a role or is it simply a process of ‘first come first serve’ whenever a new position opens up? Are your first year students also able to apply for that position?
Other than that, your description of your school sounds pretty spectacular. Such old castles are bound to hide hidden passageways and other secrets. I’m almost jealous that you get to explore the entirety of it in your time at school. Our own school was founded around 1600, so it’s not nearly as old as your building, and has very few hidden passages. It does, however, provide some wonderful shortcuts when you’re feeling particularly lazy. Our school is situated on Mount Greylock, which really isn’t as grand as one might think when hearing that name. It’s more of a glorified hill than anything, really. It does, however, provide a very nice view over the landscape. Massachusetts isn’t quite as green as England (or Scotland) but probably close enough. So, when you’re standing on the highest tower of the school, you’re able to overlook pretty much 90 miles of forests and...well...more forests. Excellent when you love forests, bad when you’re used to civilisation (like kids that grew up in the heart of Boston or similar).
It’s been so long that I’ve forgotten whether or not I talked about houses in my first letter, so forgive me if I repeat myself. In Ilvermorny, we’re less focused on specific character traits when sorting students and more on general interests. If you’re the explorer type, like adventure and discovering secrets, you’re probably gonna end up in Thunderbird. If you’re the studios type with a thirst for knowledge (both learning and helping others learn), then you’ll most likely be a part of Horned Serpent. We have whole books about the meaning of one’s house and what part of your being it represents and all that in our library, so I’m pretty sure some of them should also be available in England if you’re interested in finding out more about our houses.
Now, by the time this letter reaches you, I’ll most likely be already on my way to Hogwarts myself (if I’m not there already and have caught up to yet another slow owl), so I suppose I’ll see you during the festivities.
Regards,
Arslan Frost
‘Yes, it is easy to see that nearly six years of magical education have not been wasted on you, Potter. Ghosts are transparent.’ - Severus Snape, Half-Blood Prince