Last night, Harry Potter fans learned new information about four wizarding schools around the world, including the name and general location of the North American wizarding school. But where exactly is Ilvermorny? Twitter can’t seem to decide, as some people are convinced it’s Canada, while others are wondering if it’s up in the northern part of New York state or Virginia.
J.K. Rowling has yet to reveal the exact location, but let’s take a look at Pottermore’s map again…
Relative to the scale of the map, the school’s marker is massive, presumably covering a lot more space than the school actually takes up. What’s worth taking into account is that none of the Great Lakes appear on the map. Given that other major bodies of water appear to be represented, it may be safe to assume the Great Lakes are hidden by the swirling mist around the school. It looks like we might be seeing a bit of Lake Superior on the left, and possibly the southern tip if Lake Michigan near the bottom….
We’re excited to announce Ilvermorny is the name of the North #American wizarding school! https://www.pottermore.com/news/ilvermorny-is-the-american-wizarding-schoolPosted by Pottermore on Friday, January 29, 2016
What’s also not very clear is where the bottom of the school is planted, as that mist swirl blocks most of the bottom of the castle-like symbol.
All of the above noted, if the Great Lakes are indeed behind the swirl, it seems like the space between them and Hudson Bay has been drastically condensed in this map illustration, which makes it all the more tricky to pinpoint an exact location from the lakes. Here's a google map for further examination...
Looking to the east of the school, we can see New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. North of that is the St. Lawrence River, which points down toward the school. From that, it might be a safe bet to say that Ilvermorny is located somewhere near Montreal, however if things are not to scale, and we can't see exactly where the school is planted on the map, it’s just as possible that Ilvermorny’s location is either on or south of the border between Canada and the United States.
Given that Ilvermorny would likely be where most American and Canadian witches and wizards get their training, it would be particularly fitting if the school just so happened to fall on the border between the two countries. There’s a whole lot of space where a wizarding school could be located in that area, not to mention beautiful scenery that would make for an incredible backdrop for a wizarding school.
We’re left to wait for the answer to this and a ton of other questions we have about the North American wizarding school, which we know is where some of the characters in Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them got their training. Pottermore promises that it’s “coming soon,” so we’ll wait on the edge of our seats until then! In the meantime, where do you think Ilvermorny is located?
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