The history and what campus life is like at one of the greatest secrets of the Wizarding World - Ilvermorny School Of Witchcraft And Wizardry.
This book will serve as an informational companion to "Secrets Of The Gordian Knot" and "Emaline Goode: T...
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Located on the edge of the Black Forest, The Thirteenth Tower portion of Initiation is an old tradition still kept today dating back to Ilvermorny's beginnings. It takes place on the first years' first night at Ilvermorny. All of the first years are rounded up from each House. They are led to the Thirteenth Tower by all older students who want to join the journey (it is usually headed by sixth and seventh years, but nearly 2/3 of the students attend) and they sit in a large circle around a bonfire. The older students light the bonfire with the Dispelling Torches they carry, telling the first years that it is to keep away the evil spirits of the Thirteenth Tower*. They talk for a few hours and generally play games, play music, tell stories, and have fun.
Then, at the stroke of midnight, the chosen storyteller gets the attention of the students in various ways, such as letting off a bang from their wand. The crowd slips into an almost eerie silence, and they begin their story.
"They say that the Thirteenth Tower hasn't always been haunted. They say that it was once held in esteem only for the view. They say that it started with the first death. When one ghost appeared, so did the others.
"According to legend, the Thirteenth Tower was built first as a tower from which Ilvermorny students could study astronomy. In fact, this could easily be the truth. The view from the top of the Tower is unobstructed to the sky and the area around Ilvermorny. But they had to put it out of use when the Falling Phantom appeared.
"One night, long ago, a young couple snuck away to the Tower. They climbed up the long spiral staircase to the top and watched the stars. They sat there for two hours, talking. What neither of them realized was that the grumpy old caretaker, who everyone agreed hated all children, especially those who found love as he never did, had seen them heading toward the Tower and had resolved to follow them.
"The couple could not hear the caretaker's steps as he slowly climbed the stairs to the Tower. Finally, he reached the top. He slammed the trapdoor open, and the boy bolted to his feet. 'I've got you now!' the caretaker shrieked. He hobbled toward the couple, who darted to either side of him, through the trapdoor, and down the stairs. The caretaker tried to follow. He hopped through the trapdoor, but when he landed, he slipped. He rolled down the stairs, all the way to the ground. The couple ran as fast as they could back to their dorms and never looked back.
"The caretaker's body was found the next morning, but his spirit still resides at the Tower. He haunts the Tower, only coming out at night. Any time a student is foolish enough to climb the Tower after the sun has set, he pushes them back down the stairs. The last thing they hear is a ghosty growl saying, "I've got you now!" before they take their long trip rolling back down the stairs.
"Some survive, spending only a month in the infirmary. But others join the Falling Phantom. If you listen closely to the Tower on still nights with no wind - if you're close enough to the Tower and lucky enough - you can hear the screams of his victims, wailing about their life and opportunities lost. The teachers will say it's the wind, but we know better. We know better."
~The Legend of the Falling Phantom, as told by Chris Dutcher during the Initiation of the First Years in 2009
After the story is complete, the students stay quiet for a minute longer, searching for the sounds they are told they can hear. More often than not, they cannot detect the noises, though they tend to change their tune later on in the week when asked if they heard anything.
After the minute, another student will volunteer to tell a ghost story. Some are about the Tower, but others are from their hometown or country. Finally, at 1 am, a teacher must go to the Tower and send everyone back to their dormitories. Luckily, the next day is always easy because most teachers focus on introductions and such rather than lessons, or the entire student body would be asleep all too quickly.
*This is somewhat true. Although the presence of evil spirits (or any spirits at all, for that matter) at the Thirteenth Tower has not been confirmed, the Torches and the bonfire lit from them do, in fact, keep away Dark forces.
