Even the dullest person could sense the obvious tension in the air, right from the start, the students of Ilvermorny had made it abundantly clear that Hogwarts' exchange students were not welcome.
So, as they returned to their temporary dorms, silence hung heavily over the group. It's often said that the environment affects mood, and it was no exaggeration. In a place so hostile, even the most carefree student would struggle to stay cheerful.
Not long after entering the miniature castle set aside for their stay, one Gryffindor finally broke the heavy silence:
"Professor McGonagall, maybe it's not my place to ask… but what exactly is going on?"
After a brief pause, Professor McGonagall finally spoke.
"The situation here is far more complicated than we anticipated. The magical world in America is in worse shape than we expected."
"Ilvermorny is the cornerstone of the entire American magical community. This exchange was initiated by the school, and they reached out to the Ministry of Magic on their own."
"I won't go into the more unsavory political details, I don't think it's something you children need to concern yourselves with. But what I can assure you is this: you'll be granted full access privileges."
"I mean that quite literally. You'll be allowed to access Ilvermorny's entire magical library. Every Hogwarts student has the right to read their collection, no approval necessary."
"Other than a few restricted areas, you're free to explore any part of the school and sit in on any class you like. Besides following basic classroom rules, you won't be bound by a schedule."
"But let me be clear, you'll need to remain vigilant if you want to make the most of this opportunity."
"Alright, it's getting late. After such a long journey, I'm sure you're all exhausted. Get some rest."
Once dismissed, the Hogwarts students regrouped by house, but the dorm was anything but quiet. The news was just too explosive to ignore.
An entirely open library!
Sure, Hogwarts, with nearly a thousand years of history, undoubtedly had a more comprehensive magical archive, but its Restricted Section kept most students from ever accessing the more advanced materials. Some books couldn't be read even with a teacher's note, reserved only for professors.
Here, however, they had complete access.
And with no class schedule to follow, they could pick and choose any lecture they wanted to attend. Even if the professors tried to hold back some information, they couldn't exactly teach nothing in front of their own students.
In fact, the Hogwarts students could attend classes across all seven years, if they wanted, they could start with first-year lessons and sit in all the way through to seventh-year topics.
Allen instantly understood why the Ilvermorny students all looked so sour.
From the perspective of the Hogwarts students, this was a dream come true, unthinkable back home. But from Ilvermorny's point of view, it was a complete betrayal. A loss of academic sovereignty.
Allen didn't believe for a second that Dumbledore would ever offer such benefits to Ilvermorny students if the situation were reversed. That would be the same as stripping Hogwarts bare and putting it on display for outsiders.
So why had they been given such treatment?
The answer was simple:
Ilvermorny was in trouble.
They had openly defied their own Ministry of Magic, and now, they were seeking aid from the British Ministry.
And that was perfectly logical. After all, magical ministries didn't go to war with one another. Technically speaking, the MACUSA was just a branch of the British one, even if it was highly independent.
In times like this, even valuable legacies and guarded knowledge had to be sacrificed for the greater good. Naturally, the Ministry of Magic and Hogwarts weren't going to provide free help out of the kindness of their hearts, they were too busy for that kind of altruism.
Allen was certain the Ministry wanted more than just a few pieces of magical heritage in return. But what else they had demanded… he didn't know.
Slytherin House had been the first to register the most students for the exchange. Clearly, they saw the hidden benefits in all this. And judging by the earlier tension between Snape and the young Slytherin boy, there was a bigger secret at play, something valuable enough to make even the cunning Slytherins take the bait.
As for Ilvermorny's headmaster, his flowery way of speaking aside, he was clearly a practical man. To preserve his school's independence, he'd brought in foreign help, offering up centuries of accumulated knowledge without hesitation.
He knew full well that the Hogwarts students would eventually return to the UK. Their interest in Ilvermorny's secrets would only be temporary. Aside from a few minor losses in prestige, the school itself would remain intact, and most importantly, it could weather its current crisis.
Because if the Ministry got its way, Ilvermorny would be absorbed as a subordinate institution, forced to follow the directives of the Magical Congress. Their unique educational philosophy would vanish overnight.
In other words, Ilvermorny would cease to exist as an independent magical school.
That's also why the headmaster had been so eager to recruit Annie, even offering his greatest price yet. He wasn't just drawn to her immense talent, he saw in her the same political potential as that legendary Minister of Magic who had once stood up to the Congress. If Annie enrolled, he could rally a few still-undecided members of the council to support him.
As for Allen, his guess was spot on.
What he didn't know was that Annie wasn't the first to receive such an offer. Prior to this, the headmaster had asked for someone else, someone of even greater value, from the British magical world. But that request was flatly denied by two people:
Cornelius Fudge and Albus Dumbledore.
And that exceptionally gifted person? He remained completely unaware of all of this, still lying in his tiny room beneath the stairs, sharing the dark with spiders.
••┈┈┈┈┈༓┈┈┈┈┈•••
When Allen pieced together what Professor McGonagall hadn't said outright, his first instinct was to alert his house Quidditch team.
The upcoming match that weekend would be far more difficult than anyone had anticipated.
As thrilled as the Hogwarts students were, the Ilvermorny students were equally miserable. If the roles were reversed, if some foreign group swaggered into Hogwarts, browsing their library at will, wandering the grounds without a care, and picking any class they fancied, Allen wasn't sure he'd be able to stay calm either.
If such uninvited guests ever showed up at Hogwarts, the students' first reaction would probably be to ambush them with a Bludger to the head. After years of inter-house scuffles, they all knew exactly where to duel without getting caught, and the professors often turned a blind eye to such "student disputes."
Allen figured the Ilvermorny students were probably thinking the same thing.
Under normal circumstances, such tension might've just simmered beneath the surface. But with Quidditch, the most "reasonable" form of conflict available?
There was no doubt: sparks were going to fly.
==========
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