In celebration of the opening of The Wizarding World of "Harry Potter" at the Universal Studios Orlando Resort and the upcoming film, "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them," author J.K. Rowling let everyone in on the locations of four other wizarding schools across the globe via Pottermore, as well as a few details on their specializations.
On Jan. 29, Rowling revealed that there are a total of 11 prestigious wizarding schools all over the globe and released the descriptions of the four wizarding schools located in Brazil, Japan, Africa and North America and they are: Castelobruxo, Mahoutokoro, Uagadoo and Ilvermorny That's a total of seven wizarding schools revealed to us, with the inclusion of Hogwarts, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang.
The four new schools are described below.
Castelobruxo [Cass - tell - o - broo - shoo]
Castelobruxo is located deep in the rainforest and accepts students from all over South America. Its structure is described as an imposing square building atop a golden rock and can be compared to a temple.
Muggles, No-Majs- or whatever South American non-magical folk are called- only see ruins as part of its concealment charm but, as to what kind of ruins they see, it was not specified. Aside from magic, it is protected by tricky and mischievous furry spirit beings called the Caipora. Castelobruxo is the alma mater of potions expert Libatius Borage, who wrote the "Advanced Potion-making" textbook used in Hogwarts.
Mahoutokoro [Mah - hoot - o - koh - ro]
Mahoutokoro is located in the Volcanic Island of Minami Iwo Jima and it is both the most ancient school and the school with the least number of students. Following the Japanese school system, Mahoutokoro accepts students from age seven but they are considered as Day Students- they are sent home on board a flock of giant storm petrels- until age 10.
Magical students are only allowed to stay on board starting age 11. All the students who are accepted are given a magical robe, which adjusts to their size and the color changes according to their level of magic. However, should the robe turn white- a color that signifies betrayal of the Japanese Wizard's Code or International Statute of Secrecy- they are automatically expelled and will undergo trial at the Japanese Ministry for Magic. Another thing about Mahoutokoro is that its students are excellent at Quidditch because they train under harsh conditions set by the environment.
Uagadoo [Wag-a-doo]
Uagadoo, located in Uganda, is the only wizarding school in Africa that stood the test of time and gained international reputation.
"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," Rowling wrote.
Since most of magic has its roots in Africa, students of Uagadoo are well-versed in Self-Transfiguration, Alchemy and Astronomy, some of the oldest types of magic. What makes Uagadoo different is that none of the students need wands since wizards and witches of Africa can deploy magic through hand gestures, though many have adopted the use of wands. Another main difference is that, instead of sending acceptance letters via Owl post or some other creature, students who are accepted into Uagadoo are informed through their dreams.
Ilvermorny [Ill - ver - morn - ee]
Ilvermony is still under the veil of secrecy, apart from the information that it is located in North America. As to why Rowling chose to keep details hidden, we might just find out when "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" apparates in theaters in November.
