So as it were, JK Rowling, who never ceases to surprise us with her fictionally fresh and creatively orgasmic factoids about the world of Harry Potter, has just dropped a huge one and well, the world as we know it, is going bonkers. The fact at hand, is the introduction of three unique and diverse schools of Magic, in hitherto unheard countries. And JK Rowling, if this wasn’t enough, revealed that there more to come as well, ergo, as there are Eleven of them! Do yourself a favor, for the love of wand, read on!
CASTELOBRUXO – Pronounced :[Cass – tell – o – broo – shoo]
Prospectus
How To Broom ride there : The Brazilian school for magic, which takes students from all over South America, may be found hidden deep within the rainforest. The fabulous castle appears to be a ruin to the few Muggle eyes that have ever fallen upon it
InfraStructural Marvel : Castelobruxo is an imposing square edifice of golden rock, often compared to a temple. Both building and grounds are protected by the Caipora, small and furry spirit-beings who are extraordinarily mischievous and tricky, and who emerge under cover of night to watch over the students and the creatures who live in the forest.
Administrative Peeves : Former Castelobruxo Headmistress Benedita Dourado was once heard to laugh heartily, on an exchange visit to Hogwarts, when Headmaster Armando Dippet complained of Peeves the poltergeist. Her offer to send him some Caipora for the Forbidden Forest ‘to show you what trouble really was not accepted.
Dress and Robe Code : Castelobruxo students wear bright green robes and are especially advanced in both Herbology and Magizoology; the school offers very popular exchange programmes for European students, who wish to study the magical flora and fauna of South America.
Esteemed Alumni and Where To Find Them : Castelobruxo has produced a number of famous ex-students, including one of the world’s most famous potioneers, Libatius Borage (author of, among other works, Advanced Potion-Making, Asiatic Anti-Venoms and Have Yourself a Fiesta in a Bottle!), and João Coelho, Captain of the world-renowned Quidditch team the Tarapoto Tree- Skimmers.
Fun Fact : It was one of these trips that Bill Weasley’s parents could not afford, causing his disappointed penfriend at Castelobruxo to send him something nasty in the post.
Mahoutokoro – Pronunciation :[Mah – hoot – o – koh – ro]
Prospectus
Apparition Destination! : The ornate and exquisite palace of Mahoutokoro is made of mutton-fat jade, and stands on the topmost point of the ‘uninhabited’ (or so Muggles think) Volcanic island of Minami Iwo Jima.
Historical Parchments! : This ancient Japanese school has the smallest student body of the eleven great wizarding schools and takes students from the age of seven (although they do not board until they are eleven). While day students, wizarding children are flown back and forth to their homes every day on the backs of a flock of giant storm petrels.
Robes Maketh A Wizard! : Students are presented with enchanted robes when they arrive, which grow in size as they do, and which gradually change colour as the learning of their wearer increases, beginning a faint pink colour and becoming (if top grades are achieved in every magical subject) gold. If the robes turn white, this is an indication that the student has betrayed the Japanese wizard’s code and adopted illegal practices (which in Europe we call ‘Dark’ magic) or broken the International Statute of Secrecy.
The Game,My Dear, Is On! Mahoutokoro’s reputation rests not only on its impressive academic prowess, but also on its outstanding reputation for Quidditch, which, legend has it, was introduced to Japan centuries ago by a band of foolhardy Hogwarts students who were blown off course during an attempt to circumnavigate the globe on wholly inadequate broomsticks.
Eye On The Ball, Yo! : Every member of the Japanese Quidditch team and the current Champion’s League winners (the Toyohashi Tengu) attributes their prowess to the gruelling training they were given at Mahoutokoro, where they practise over a sometimes turbulent sea in stormy conditions, forced to keep an eye out not only for the Bludgers but also for planes from the Muggle airbase on a neighbouring island.
Uagadou – Pronunciation : [Wag-a-doo]
Prospectus
Geo-Pin Us Here The only address ever given is ‘Mountains of the Moon’; visitors speak of a stunning edifice carved out of the mountainside and shrouded in mist, so that it sometimes appears simply to float in mid-air. Much (some would say all) magic originated in Africa, and Uagadou graduates are especially well versed in Astronomy, Alchemy and Self-Transfiguration.
Jewel Of Nile, Kinda Although Africa has a number of smaller wizarding schools, there is only one that has stood the test of time (at least a thousand years) and achieved an enviable international reputation: Uagadou. The largest of all wizarding schools, it welcomes students from all over the enormous continent.
Point and Swish, Is all! The wand is a European invention, and while African witches and wizards have adopted it as a useful tool in the last century, many spells are cast simply by pointing the finger or through hand gestures. This gives Uagadou students a sturdy line of defence when accused of breaking the International Statute of Secrecy (‘I was only waving, I never meant his chin to fall off’).
Bring The Party On! At a recent International Symposium of Animagi, the Uagadou School Team attracted a lot of press when their exhibition of synchronised transforming caused a near riot. Many older and more experienced witches and wizards felt threatened by fourteen-year-olds who could turn at will into elephants and cheetahs, and a formal complaint was lodged with the International Confederation of Wizards by Adrian Tutley (Animagus: gerbil).
Going Places, Check!! : The long list of celebrated ex-students produced by Uagadou includes Babajide Akingbade, who succeeded Albus Dumbledore as the Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards.
You Have One Unread-Dream : Students receive notice that they have gained entrance at Uagadou from Dream Messengers, sent by the headmaster or headmistress of the day. The Dream Messenger will appear to the children as they sleep and will leave a token, usually an inscribed stone, which is found in the child’s hand on waking. No other school employs this method of pupil selection.
