Chapter 69 - The Academy

Time flowed swiftly, and gradually, September 1st arrived. Today holds immense significance for many children. It marks their first immersion into the magical world. The same holds true for Muggles; numerous Muggle children can now attend the wizarding school. For parents whose children gained admission in the first year after the revelation of the magical world, it is yet another reason for pride. This September 1st is not ordinary for the magical realm; this year, the Elysium Academy will welcome its first class, ushering the world into a new era.

Margaret and Rachel woke up early today. They recently received a letter stating that Margaret would travel to the academy on school-provided transport, a privilege reserved for those in Class S. Other students would take carriages from the village of Adastra.

"Margaret, did you forget anything?"

"No, I've got everything."

"Alright, let's go."

Rachel opened the door and saw a crowd of neighbors in front of their house.

"Um, what are you all doing?"

"We must escort the only natural witch from our village to school! Especially since she got into Class S. Don't you think, Rachel?"

Rachel smiled, grateful for the warmth of the villagers. Initially, she feared that people would approach her and her daughter with caution as the only witches in the village. However, as each resident acquired a magical circle, curiosity and interest in magic grew. A week ago, when Rachel brought numerous books on magic and wizarding world newspapers to the village, Margaret became a source of pride. Being accepted into the Elysium Academy, especially into Class S, where only the most exceptional wizards are admitted, added to the village's admiration.

While waiting for the so-called "school transport," villagers chatted among themselves. Some discussed their children turning 11 next year and eagerly anticipating their enrollment in the magical school. Others mentioned enrolling in adult magic courses at the Elysium Academy, planning to witness the legendary place once the third magical circle was established. Some sought advice from Rachel, now the village head, about various matters. Yes, Rachel was chosen as the head, as Old Brew was too aged, though magical rings sustained his health. He insisted, "Make way for the young," and now he fishes by the village river every day.

Having the head and the responsible wizard for the village in one person was convenient; there was no need for constant coordination with others. Overall, magic breathed life into such small towns and villages. People became curious about something new, making the community more vibrant.

After waiting for 15-20 minutes, Margaret looked up, thinking she heard a sound from above.

"Mom, there's a dragon there!"

With Margaret's voice, the villagers raised their gaze and saw a lizard of enormous proportions with wings. It was the Ukrainian Ironbelly, once guarding Gringotts. However, Asmodeus took pity on this creature and bought it from the goblins for a considerable sum. Asmodeus spent many points to restore its health and bring the dragon back to its peak. Since he had the idea for Class S, he decided to make "Unbroken" the academy's special mount. He gave it a minor potion for pedigree development for domestic animals, and now this already large dragon became three times its original size. Today, it is the largest dragon in this world, not the most powerful, but certainly the biggest. Well, Athena would easily defeat him in battle, but she's almost half his size.

By the way, Asmodeus initially had trouble taming him, but when the system recognized "Unbroken" as his pet, he could communicate fairly coherently with the dragon. After treatment and enhancement, Unbroken became as affectionate with Asmodeus as Athena.

The villagers initially contemplated scattering in all directions, but then they noticed the Elysium Academy emblem on the dragon, not directly on the dragon itself but on the saddle. The dragon bore a colossal saddle, easily accommodating 20 to 30 people. The academy's emblem prominently displayed on the saddle's buckles formed a large symbol on the dragon's belly.

"Is this the 'transport' for Class S students?"

"Does it seem like there's a special treatment for Class S students?"

"Yes, I heard the other students travel to school in enchanted carriages."

As people conversed, the dragon gradually landed in the field near the Torbils' house. A middle-aged man descended from the dragon, dressed in a formal suit with a wand hanging from his belt.

"Well, you know, I'll ask the headmaster to allocate funds for building landing platforms for Unbroken if this student delivery method stays. I apologize in advance for landing in someone's field, but if we landed in the central square... The nearby houses, this big guy would have surely broken them."

Oh, I got carried away. Guys, which one of you is a Class S student at the Elysium Academy?

As the people regained their composure from the presence of the dragon just 200 meters away, Margaret ran towards the dragon's "driver."

"I am, I'm a Class S student. Margaret Torbils."

"Good, girl. Say your goodbyes to your family and climb onto this big guy's back. We can't linger too long; besides you, I need to pick up seven more, and we only have 1.5 hours for everything."

Hearing this, Margaret nodded and ran back to Rachel and the villagers.

"Mom, I need to go."

Rachel embraced Margaret and said, "Sweetheart, go. Become a great sorceress! Everyone here supports you. By the way, don't worry about a long separation. Since I work for the Wizard Council, I'll periodically travel to the academy where the temporary council headquarters is. So, I'll visit you in a month."

"Okay, Mom! Goodbye, neighbors!"

Having bid a final farewell to Rachel and the villagers, Margaret ran towards the dragon. After handing over her luggage to the "driver," she approached the dragon's neck. Unbroken, seeing the approaching sorceress, lowered himself, and fortunately, there was something like a staircase on the saddle.

Carefully holding onto the ladder, Margaret climbed onto the dragon's back. There was a seat on the dragon's back—a wide, flat surface made of leather with protruding bars serving as handles to prevent passengers from falling. There were around 25-30 handles, with 20 of them already occupied.

While Margaret looked for a seat, the other passengers also assessed the available space. Today, children with the best talents in the world had gathered here. Since most of them were unfamiliar with each other, the majority remained silent. However, a group of eight people stood out. They sat together and conversed leisurely among themselves.

Seeing that Margaret didn't know where to sit, someone from the group waved to her.

"Hey, come join us, we have a spot here!"

Margaret saw this and ran towards them. As she approached, she noticed that everyone present was clearly older than her. There was even a boy who looked around 15.

"Um, hello, I'm Margaret Torbils. Nice to meet you!"

"Hi, I'm Cedric Diggory. This is Harry Potter, Hermione, Luna, Penelope, the Weasley twins - Fred and George, and this is Chang. We're transfer students from Hogwarts. Penelope even transferred from the last year because she wants a diploma from Elysium Academy, not Hogwarts."

"Hello, everyone."

"Hello to you too. Sit next to us. Harry, move over."

"Um, but there's space right here..."

"I said move over, girls should sit together."

"Okay..."

After a few seconds, they heard the voice of the driver.

"Get ready, everyone! We're taking off. The next stop is in 15 minutes!"

With the driver's words, the dragon soared into the sky, heading towards the next stop. Surprisingly, apart from the initial takeoff, the flight was very smooth, without any turbulence.

Relaxing, Margaret started chatting with this group of new acquaintances. She inquired about Hogwarts, curious about how things were at the oldest magical school in the world. Talking about various topics, an hour flew by unnoticed. The dragon had already picked up everyone it needed, and as the driver mentioned, they were now flying to the academy.

Most passengers were eagerly looking ahead, hoping to catch a glimpse of the coveted magic academy. Gradually, a structure began to emerge on the horizon. It was, to put it mildly, enormous—colossal, I would say.

It was a castle of peculiar shape—a hexagon. However, the interior space was not filled; on the contrary, there seemed to be a park-like area in the center, with tall towers emerging at various corners and in the center. The central tower was 2-3 times higher than the others, as if trying to reach the sky. At its top levitated a huge red ruby, surrounded by runes that occasionally appeared and disappeared. The closer they got, the more magical the place seemed.

The dragon flew into the center of the hexagonal castle and began to descend, circling around the north tower, smoothly lowering itself. After a short time, they landed. Jumping off the dragon, the driver said,

"Guys, descend. The academy staff will pick you up in five minutes."

After some time, Horace Slughorn approached them. Initially, Grindelwald was supposed to be the deputy director of the academy, but who knew that the old man would decide to establish his own academy? In short, Asmodeus chose Horace as his replacement. Although Horace lacked the imposing aura of Grindelwald, he remained a well-known wizard with many connections.

"Good day. My name is Horace Eugene Flaccus Slughorn. I'm your potions master and the deputy director of the academy."

"Good day."

"You... You're one of the masters of potions in England?"

"Oh, someone knows me? Yes, it's me. And what's your name, little lady?"

"Hermione Granger. Transferred from Hogwarts."

"Oh, Miss Granger, I've heard about you from Minerva. She says you resemble her a lot in her youth. Now I see it. Well, guys, don't lag behind. We need to get to the main hall. Unlike others, you're already assigned to Class S, so no need for sorting. The rest of the students will arrive shortly. We need to hurry!"

Saying this, Horace led the students. Walking about 20 meters from the local "airport," the trees gradually closed the sky with their canopies. Honestly, if it weren't for the occasional glimpse of the high castle wall through the leaves, they might have thought they had entered a virgin forest.

As they walked along the path, they saw non-aggressive magical creatures passing by, a lake inhabited by mermaids and Hippocampi, a hill where a griffin slept, nests of nifflers, a few Horklumps running away from garden gnomes, and even witnessed a Runespoor crawling past without bothering to look at them.

For the group of students from Hogwarts, this forest was already a shocking adventure, not to mention those who had recently encountered the magical world.

Continuously looking around for new extraordinary landscapes or creatures, they reached the forest's exit. When the forest ended, and they stepped onto a small clearing, they saw an arch about 15 meters high with a sign that read "Building A, Entrance #2."

"Guys, take note. As you can see, in front of us is the second entrance from the inside, in Building A. The castle is divided into six buildings. There is only one entrance from the outside, but if you want to move from one building to another, you'll need to find one of the 12 entrances from the forest. Each of the six buildings has two internal entrances. In the forest, or as it's called, the 'natural zone,' there are five towers. Four towers stand near Buildings B, C, D, and F, respectively, and there is also one central magical tower. The director named the central tower the 'Tower of Glory' because magical dueling competitions will periodically take place on the first floor, while all the upper floors are designated for magical research and spell improvement. By the way, teachers live in the 'Tower of Glory.' If you need anything, come to the 10th floor, where the Potion Research Center and my residence are located. By the way, the director lives on the 13th floor, the top floor under the 'Magic Amplifier.' The 'Magic Amplifier' is that giant ruby; actually, it's just a large number of philosopher's stones compressed together, with runes helping to collect and enhance magic drawn on it. Because of this device, the magic density in the academy's space is nearly 5 points; I'll tell you a secret, that's a lot. The global average is around 2 points now. To avoid getting used to such high magic density, the amplifier only works three days a week, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Once every two weeks, it operates on Sundays. The other four towers serve various purposes, acting as defensive, educational, residential, etc., facilities when needed. By the way, the total capacity of the entire academy is approximately 40,000 people. Well, are you surprised?"

The shock on everyone's faces was unmistakable. Let's forget about the size of the forest and the castle for a moment. But when they heard about the capacity of 40,000, they couldn't stop comparing it to Hogwarts.

"Um, Mr. Slughorn, how many students are there in the academy this year? Are there really 40,000 students already studying here?"

"Hmm? 40,000? No, no, of course not. There are currently only 7,000 students in the academy. How else do you expect us to accept students next year? The academy can't teach students for just one year."

Even though 7,000 is less than 40,000, it's still much more than at Hogwarts... Hermione calculated that there were more students in a single Elysium academy than in all other magic schools combined, although Durmstrang emerged in Europe as well.

Trying not to dwell too much on this information, the group entered the castle. Inside, they saw a corridor leading deeper into the castle. The ceiling was very high; even a giant would pass through without much trouble.

Walking along the corridor adorned with numerous paintings, they stopped in front of a tall door.

"So, your Class S table is right next to the faculty lounge. Well, let's go."

As soon as Horace approached the door, it swung open before him.

Behind the door, the group beheld an immense hall that defied description. Candles levitated at the ceiling, casting a warm glow, and fireflies danced around, while the natural light streamed through the windows on the right, illuminated the hall as it was still daylight outside.

The hall accommodated 250 tables, each seating around 30 individuals, students from various classes. Looking ahead, one could spot the faculty table situated on an elevated platform. Interestingly, there were 250 faculty members...

Directly in front of the faculty table, there was another table with an 'S' formed by flames hovering above it.

The hall buzzed with noise, but gradually, as people noticed a group approaching between the tables, they fell silent. After a while, all of Class S took their seats, yet the onlookers in the hall continued to gaze at them, seemingly trying to fathom why they were assigned a separate table.

At that moment, Asmodeus rose from his seat and spoke.

*Cough, cough.* Welcome, dear students. As the head of the academy's first-year class, I must explain how classes will proceed here. As you may have noticed, we have quite a crowd – currently, there are 6,800 students and 250 teachers in our academy. Judging by your faces, especially those who transferred from other magical schools, you might be wondering why you weren't sorted into houses or something similar, right? Well, here at Elysium Academy, there's no division into houses. But since it's impossible to conduct classes for 6,800 students, I've devised a system for your education. Firstly, classes will be grouped by age. As you've observed, there are people of various ages among us, from 11 to 25 years old. However, a 25-year-old isn't necessarily more knowledgeable than an 11-year-old! Hence, besides age, a rating system will be used for class distribution. Let me explain in more detail. Roughly speaking, we have 250 classes, each with 28 students. For the first three months, all students will attend classes covering 10 mandatory subjects. Based on your performance during these three months and your age, you will be assigned to a specific class. Class #1 and Class #250 are no different; it's just that, for instance, in Class #1, you might find individuals excelling in dueling, while Class #250 may have students thriving in herbology. This way, the academy aims to provide you with the most comfortable conditions to focus on subjects that suit you best. The minimum duration of study at the academy is five years, after which you will receive a diploma. If you decide to stay for a complete education, you can continue for an additional two years. The time of study can be shortened with outstanding results in any discipline, from dueling to magical research. As long as you prove that you surpass your peers, you have the right to skip a year or even more, demonstrating your achievements in practice. Any questions?

At first, the hall was quiet, but then someone raised their hand, and many others followed suit.

"Yes, go ahead."

"Um, Mr. Morningstar, I wanted to ask about the S class."

Upon hearing this, Asmodeus slapped his thigh and said, "Oh, almost forgot about the elephant in the room. Yes, the S class. Although other students might not share, the academy has a specific way of recognizing and supporting potentially outstanding students. That recognition is the S class. It includes individuals who have somehow demonstrated that they can, at the very least, reach the level of a great wizard someday. I won't go into wizarding levels right now, but you need to know that each member of the S class is either the top scorer in the written exam or exceptionally gifted in magic. Those who can legitimately be called the best can make it there, like Richard Bader, who took the first place in the history of magic exam, scoring the maximum points. Or Frank Debris – the highest score in the entrance exam for potions. Miss Granger has been ranking first in academic performance at Hogwarts for two years, and Cedric Diggory, one of the first druids in the world, is currently working on a herbology book. If you're not as academically ambitious as the people I mentioned earlier, you can still get into the S class if you're naturally gifted in magic. For example, like Miss Torbils, she has an affinity for the wind element, which is extremely rare – so rare that, besides myself, I don't know anyone with such an affinity. Also, that girl over there, Amelia, has the gift of prophecy. In short, everyone in the S class is outstanding in one way or another. S class sessions will be different – anyone who gets into the S class has the right to choose three subjects to specialize in. In addition, each class will have a curator, and I am the curator for the S class!"

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