The New York Academy of the Magic Arts

[Gisk]

Jennifer Nothing was a ball of pride, though she couldn't see the source of it. Here was her son, about to go to the most prestigious school of magic in America, The New York Academy of the Magic Arts. She knew there was magic, though there was nothing much to see, because her eyes kept slipping over the building, no matter how hard she tried to look at it. Each time this happened she found her thoughts straying away from her son and his talents, and toward more mundane subjects like the flowers in the planters set in the sidewalk. She realized, with a tinge of sadness, that she couldn't accompany her son any further. "Alright, Richard," she said, grabbing him in a hug that enclosed his arms(he was already taller than her) "You be a good boy, and get good grades. I'll see you over Christmas break?" She held him at arms length to look at him once more.
"Yeah, mom," he said, pulling out of her embrace. She had picked on him enough on the bus ride over. "Bye, mom, I'll see you in a few months," he walked toward the Nyama building, turning back to wave, and hoping that none of the other students saw him and his mom.

He walked into a sort of reception hall, which was already strikingly different from things in the muggle world. There was no furniture in the room, it was just a large polished granite expanse, with a roaring fireplace(and yet, he observed, the flames cooled the room) at one end. There was a staircase leading down on the left hand side, and one leading up on the right. Various portraits lined the walls, in a neat circle around the room, their occupants muttering to each other, occasionally leaping from their frames to visit elsewhere. Above the enchanted fireplace, there were four great tapestries hanging from the ceiling, each showing the symbol for one of the elemental houses of the school.

There were students of all ages milling about, most already wearing the various house colored blazer that made the school uniform. There were a lot of students wearing same light gray blazer as Richard, and all of them looked just as curious as he did. All of them, however, were four years younger than he. He was getting looks from the older students around him; some were merely curious, some actually laughed (this group were split roughly evenly between people who were mocking him, and people who thought it was a joke). Richard wasn't too bothered, he'd have his own color added to his uniform soon... though, exactly how he wasn't sure.

At the moment, the students were all just socializing, but soon there would be a welcoming dinner. Richard checked his watch. It was five forty-eight. Just twelve minutes to go.

~~~

The old man sat at his desk, his eyebrows knit, perhaps dreading the moment when he would have to rouse himself and go down to dinner. The desk looked nearly as old as himself, and stood in a room that, while it looked perfectly normal, was situated very strangely. It looked like any other room you might find in an older house, white painted walls, hardwood floors and old fashioned windows. This was strange, however, because it was about halfway up a modern steel and glass building. It was as if a nineteenth century room was shoehorned into a twentieth century building.
"You know, John," he said suddenly, though there were no other people in the room, "Sometimes I just feel like meals take up too much time. I don't have much left, you know. I should use what I have for something important."
"Poor old Jonas," a croaking voice said, from somewhere in the less lit corner of the room.
"Poor old Jonas," the Professor agreed. "I guess there's not much more important than preparing the next generation, eh? What's more important than the children?"
"What indeed?"
"Daft old bird," he muttered, standing up to walk downstairs for dinner. There was a fluttering of black wings and a little crow flitted over to perch on his shoulder as he walked. "To dinner then?"
"To dinner."

[Yevin]

Adelfonsus came a week before NYAMA opened her doors back to the students. He came on a plane from Washington (the state), where a major part of his family lived, and boarded at his eccentric aunt's place.

To her surprise and great delight, Fonsus grew over the summer from a lanky kid to a rather impressive-looking guy who stood at six feet with a nice definition of muscles. Over the summer, his cousins and older siblings left on some sort of cruise (he suspected a single's cruise, ha-ha) for hip adults and left him with their odd jobs all over the horse-friendly neighborhood. He mucked stalls to weeding acres of land to heaving hundred-pound bales to learning the ropes of his family's winery (ever heard of the Unwen Winery? It's locally famous). You name it, he did it that summer. And it was all fine for Fonsus. It kept him out of the house and away from a raging mother over his OWL scores. He had to repeat year five now.

But really, it was just bad luck. He broke his wand the night before the exams. He told everyone who asked, but mainly the teachers, that he stepped on it. Maybe the truth was it snapped from a new charm he was trying out (his epiphanies only bloomed around midnight), and it was possible he answered ridiculously on the OWLS . . . and he told his aunt so while she drove him down to the NYAMA building.

She only sighed, clicked her tongue and gave him a sideways glance. And Adelfonsus twirled his new wand of beech and dragonheart, which he bought with his own money from the several jobs. His first one was aspen and phoenix feather, and it fought against learning new spells besides defensive or offensive - it was great in duels. But Fonsus hoped his new one would at least give his creations a chance.

The car rolled to a stop half a block from the school entrance.

"Well," his aunt leaned back from the wheel. "I wish we had time to cut your hair."

"Too late now." Fonsus grinned. His brown hair grew past his shoulders and he kept it bound in a loose ponytail. His bangs tapered off to one side, nearly obscuring an eye. "I'll see you on winter break." He leaned over, kissed her cheek and stepped out of the car with his wand in a pocket and Gus, his turtle, in one hand.

"Oh, wait!" His aunt said and just about flung herself in the passenger seat. Adelfonsus paused, a hand on the door. "Promise me you'll talk to someone directly. No 'hey, Gus' bullshit, all right?"

Adelfonsus stared down at her, brows furrowed. How could he tell her he had an issue speaking to his peers since the first year? And that they picked on him for being "a country brat", so talking to Gus had become routine (it even marked him a "special" person) and developed into a nervous tick that kept him calm, focused and comfortable?

" . . . I'll try. That I promise, dear auntie." He said. She smiled and he shut the door. Then she drove off and he entered the NYAMA building with minutes to spare.

"Welcome back, Gus." He said and shifted his feet at the sight of mingling young wizards. The turtle blinked in response. "Thank you, Gus." And he shuffled off to the side of the room, wishing he could shrink back to the gangly and tiny youth he was before puberty hit. At least then he could hide behind things . . . and not catch stunned eyes at his "transformation".

Luckily though, jabs and laughs weren't directed at him but at a teen with . . . was that a grey blazer? A smile broke his face.

"Hey Gus! A new face!"

[Eyeris]

It had been a very busy summer.

The restaurant had been full from open to close. Buisness had been slow in its first year, the concept was meet with much skepticism and caution by Wizzards, and seemed to give muggles the creeps. However, after earning credibility business boomed. Ocllo felt as though she had run all summer long.

Ocllo did not mind the work. She had not made any school friends to 'hang out' with. She pleased her parents, and earned plenty of money for herself. When she found a scrap of free time, she went to the New York Public Library, played with Pablo, or poured over her book pages at home until she fell asleep.

She had in fact accomplished the latter last night. She fell asleep in her restaurant-uniform, face-in-her-book, on her desk, with Pablo stretched out across her back. Her mother had woken her up at sunrise shrieking Spanish and packing the last of Ocllo's things while the girl groggily washed her face, dressed in her school-uniform, and threw more books at her mother to pack.

Her parents prepared a huge breakfast, then accompanied her on the subway. They each squeezed her in brief vicious hugs, assuring her that were not very far away and they could be called if she needed them, or if she felt sick, or if she missed them, or for any other reason no-matter-how-small.

She walked alone through the doors of The New York Academy of the Magic Arts wearing a crisp green blazer of the Terra House (just a little to short at the wrist). Her inky locks were wound into a long fish-tail braid tied with a green elastic. Pablo, the armadillo, had her hair wrapped in his thin spiny tail, he quietly sat on her shoulder watching the crowded room with his own dark eyes.

She towered above her classmates, the 15 year old girl had reached altitudes mostly occupied by 7th year boys. She tread carefully among the other students, occasionally throwing out a soft "hello" or polite "excuse me." Most everyone paid her no mind, passing under her to find their friends. She didn't step on anyone this year. She decided that this showed a great improvement.

She heard a familiar giggle. It was not the giggl-er she recognized it was the tone. Mockery. Her cheek reddened as she turned, thinking that she was the butt of the joke.

Instead the finger was pointed elsewhere; "Isn't he kinda old for a first year?"

"The color does not indicate a first year student." Ocllo stepped around the girl making the comment. "It only means one has not been sorted into a house." Out of the corner of her eye she saw the smaller girl crane her neck to watch Ocllo pass...

The boy was checking his watch.

"I know how you feel." Ocllo stopped a few feet before him. Her voice was a rich deep alto. "I transferred last year." Her words were flavored by her native accent. "Where are you from?"

[Gisk]

Only one person spoke to Richard through all the attention he was getting.

"I know how you feel." He turned to look at the girl, and found his eyes about a foot too low. He had to glance up quickly to look her in the face rather than her chest. She was very tall. "I transferred last year. Where are you from?" She had a deep voice, for a girl. It reminded him of Native Americans, and indeed she had dark skin, but her accent sounded different. He figured Puerto Rican, but he didn't really know.

"Well," Richard answered, "I'm actually from here. But I went to the Liberty Institute until this year. The Headmistress liked a paper I wrote or something. Good thing too, this is way closer to home." He extended a hand, "I'm Richard, by the way. Where did you transfer from?" He hoped he'd be able to gather where the accent was from by her answer. It might be rude to ask outright.

[Eyeris]

"You were raised here? In the 'Big Apple?'. Where is the Liberty School? I do not think I have heard of it..." Pablo, the armadillo, crawled from her left shoulder to her right, he quietly looked down on the stranger with beady eyes. He had a sharp scaly face and tiny dark eyes, his expression appeared the opposite of Ocllos: Her face is round and expressive, his angular and stony. Yet, somehow the scowling creature was at the same time (when viewed in the correct humor) incredibly cute.

She extended her arm to return the greeting.

"I transferred from Academia Magia de los Andes. " She gripped his hand weakly, holding back her strength... this summer she had gained a reputation for cracking knuckles unintentionally. Her hands, like everything else, seemed to be growing to fast for her to keep up with. "I am from Chile."

She found wondered about his paper. He played it off like it the headmaster had just found it one day... Had he submitted it? She was not even so interested in 'how he got in' as to the actual content of the paper, it piped the book-worm's interest.

"What was your paper about?"

She wondered if she had obnoxiously asked too many questions in a row...

[Gisk]

"You were raised here? In the 'Big Apple?'. Where is the Liberty School? I do not think I have heard of it..." She grabbed his hand, quite gingerly, as if hers was injured. It was bigger than his, but not by much. "I transferred from Academia Magia de los Andes. I am from Chile." He was about to tell her that, yes, he was from the Big Apple, but she kept talking.
"What was your paper about?"

"Oh," he said, waving a hand as if to brush the question out of the air, "It was a piece on transfiguration between states of matter. Most wizards don't think about stuff like that, mostly just muggles who are bothered by it. But I think the state matters when transfiguring," he smiled at his unintentional pun. "Makes a difference, I mean."

She didn't have time to comment, the room went very quiet suddenly, and the headmistress stood at the other end of the Atrium, under the house banners. She was silouhetted in the fireplace, which was taller than her, but stepped aside as she spoke. Welcome to the New York Academy of the Magic Arts once again. Before we eat, there is just one piece of business that must be taken care of." When she stepped away from the fireplace, Margaret Greenwald could be seen to be a woman of average height, thin and wearing an old fashioned dress. It might look like something a muggle would have worn in the nineteenth century, except that it was midnight blue and covered in stars, with a crescent moon somewhere near her knees. Her hair was in a bun, and she was probably the only person in the room wearing a pointed wizard's hat.
"The tradition of sorting students between four houses was started when the very first school of magic, Hogwarts, was founded. Originally the founders hand picked their own students, but if you payed attention in Magical History, you of course know that Godric Gryffindor enchanted his hat to read the hearts and minds of students, and sort them automatically. We have no hat, but we do have this," she gestured up at the hanging tapestries, "If the first years would step forward, the building itself will choose where you belong." Richard hesitated, a little unsure of whether she meant him or not, but she added, as an afterthought, "And you too, Mr. Nothing." Those who had been looking at him turned back once more to see if he was who she meant, and he confirmed it by stepping forward.

The first years formed a disorganized line, which held back, apparently frightened of how the building would choose. Richard lost patience and stepped forward first. The tapestries suddenly began rippling, as if a wind was passing through the room. They kept moving for a moment, first the green one gave a violent lurch, but it seemed to think better and suddenly became still. The others didn't follow suit, and it was the dark blue one that chose him. It gave one last, great whip, the tip of the tapestry somehow reaching to brush his shoulder, and then it too fell dead.

Richard blinked, and looked around, to see that all those wearing dark blue were reacting. Some still looked confused about his age, but in general they were just happy about the outcome. Richard backed away, still somewhat perplexed, and it was only when he reached a hand up to scratch his head that he noticed that the color of his blazer had changed to the same dark blue of the tapestry. Apparently he was in Aqua now.

[Yevin]

Adelfonsus clapped with the crowd as the last first year was sorted. Gus was precariously balanced on his head while chatter slowly filled the room.

“Wow.” Fonsus breathed. He never got tired of watching the sorting.

Then, suddenly, people began backing away from the center of the room, clapping in a rhythm lost on the first years. The floor gave a sudden shimmer and the tapestries shuddered in response. Fonsus laughed lightly at the first year’s confusion and slight terror of the happenings, remembering his own first experience.

Four long and solid wood tables emerged out of the tiled floor as if it were simply water. They lifted up, their legs curving out of the floor and ending on claws gripping spheres. Narrow strips of colored cloth ran down the center of the tables, the tasseled ends hung over the tables' ends, the color and symbol marked each table to each house in order of the tapestries. Empty plates and serving dishes, goblets and silverware, bowls and napkins patterned the gleaming surfaces. Long, seemingly unending benches quickly followed suit.

The students cheered and whooped as a slight tremor signaled the solid placement of the great furnishings. A blonde girl from Ignis bumped into Adelfonsus in the excitement. She half-turned to apologize and Fonsus greeted her with a light smile gracing his features (Gus was now safe in his hands). She threw him a dirty look instead. Fonsus twitched and plastered his back to the wall. His light smile dropped from his face as he waited for the crowd to disperse before he picked his seat.

He settled down at the end of the Terra table, across a girl with an armadillo. He kept his head down and said not a word to her, the big guy felt a bit out of sorts (for being reminded of his reputation here) after the Ignis girl. He set Gus down right next to his plate, so it would be easier for the turtle reach for greens. Then, he folded his hands on his lap like a kid and gazed over to the Headmistress with dull eyes.

[Eyeris]

She realized that she had, indeed, asked to many questions at once; he only had time to answer the last. "That sounds im--" She stopped as she realized by the sudden quiet and shifting attention of students that the Headmistress had arrived. What a lovely dress...

Her new companion was called forward with the first years, much like she was the year before. Mr. Noting. As he walked forward, she noticed a boy with a turtle balanced on his head. Neat.

Some didn't think the tapestries were very 'clever', but Ocllo thought the opposite.

She remembered approaching the imposing cloth portraits, they flared to life as if there were a storm; the anticipation was dreadful and wonderful, you simply waited for one to touch you, and the will of the school was known.

He was sorted into Aqua. She clapped for him, and for all the other sorted students. When it came time to clear the floor the students crowded around Ocllo jumped and clapped to the 'summoning' beat; Ocllo tread carefully, she didn't want to trip on anyone...

The tables had arrived full of empty plates and cups. She made her way to the green table of Tera and took a seat by the back end of the hall. She waited patiently for the other students to seat themselves, and for the headmistress to finish her speeches.

[Gisk]

Richard was heading back toward the girl(who had not told him her name, he realized), with a slight smile on his face. They were in separate houses, but that didn't matter too much, he supposed. He didn't notice the rhythmic clapping that had started as the rest of the first years got sorted, and he was taken quite by surprise when he suddenly raised above everyone, nearly losing balance and falling over. He looked down to find that tables had apparently risen out of the granite floor, and he wast standing with his foot in one of the empty plates that were set.

"Uh... oops?" he shrugged, looking around at the people gathered around the table. They were all wearing red, and they were laughing quite openly at him. He wasn't the only person to get caught up on the magical tables, but he was the oldest.

Quite embarrassed and a little hot in the face, the boy jumped down and made his way to the table surrounded by blue forms. He sat down next to an older boy, who rolled his eyes at Richard. "Aqua's are supposed to be clever," the boy commented.

"The flag seems to think I am," Richard retorted.

"What does a flag know?"

"Well it could have been wrong about you too, I guess." With that he stood up and walked away, toward the only person that wasn't making fun of him: the girl in the green blazer. She was pretty easy to find, being taller than most of the girls around. She was on the edge of the table, and the spot to her left was occupied, as well as the spot across from her. Apparently nobody wanted to sit near the boy with the turtle, though, because there were three spaces in between him and anyone else. Richard took the one nearest him and the girl and smiled, still a little red faced.

"Hey, I'm Richard," he said to the turtle kid, and then turned to the girl, "You never gave me your name."


Unfortunately, Professor Greenwald once again deemed his conversation insignificant, and called the students' attention to the table that was laid out directly in front of the fireplace, and was now seated with adults who were presumably the teachers.
"Before we eat, there are just a few things that I must say: announcements that need to be made, rules that need to be remembered, and worries that need to be assuaged. Firstly: all clubs and teams will be posting their try out and meeting times on the bulletin board at the side of the hall. There is a new staffing position, Professor Marcus Crepley will be taking over the post of Defense Against he Dark Arts since Professor Clowers has sustained an injury that prevents him from continuing work."
There were a few speculative mutters about this, but the headmistress continued, "All first years should know that no one under seventeen can leave the school with their wands. I feel the need to clarify, since so many people try every year: you are not capable of passing through the doors with a wand on your person. There is a magical barrier." The first years looked a little upset, but Richard had expected nothing less. There was a similar arrangement at Liberty. "There will be no dueling in the halls. Or the classrooms, or the dormitories. First years should be especially careful about this rule: the older students will surely punish you before we get the chance.

"Last but certainly not least," her voice was solemn, and so were many of the faces around Richard. Apparently they knew what she was about to say, though he looked up at her with surprised curiosity. "You are all aware of the disappearances of Jeffrey Lark and Katherine Hale last year. As before, any information on their whereabouts is welcome, and we assure you we, the school, and the AOA* are doing all that we can to find them. We know you have schoolwork to concentrate on, so we'd like to make sure you're not worried about a recurrence: the New York Academy and the Auror's Office have collaborated on increasing security, and you are perfectly safe.
"Now, let's eat," she tapped her wand on the table and it made the sound of a dinner bell, which seemed to summon the food.

"Wait..." Richard said slowly, "What happened last year?"



*Auror's Office of America

[Yevin]

"A few kids went missing just before summer." Adelfonsus said, surprising himself with how smoothly the words came out. He glanced over the new kid next to him. He wouldn't lie and say he wasn't shocked by someone willingly sitting next to him. It was rather pleasant. It wouldn't be long though, when he would be on his own again. With Gus. "It's been nearly half a year now - four months, I think."

Then Fonsus reached out to the salad and filled an empty bowl for Gus. The turtle snapped up a chopped leaf and his owner leaned slightly back and sighed while watching the reptile. His plate stayed empty, he didn't feel hungry at the moment.