-Norway - Fjormagis
School of Witchcraft and Wizardry-

The motto for Fjormagis School of Witchcraft and Wizardry means ‘Cherish
Sea Magic’

Fjormagis School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is located in North
Western Norway and is located in a small fjord. The notable thing about this
school is that it is entirely carved into the cliff wall and the only access to
outside is via a port or going up a huge spiralling staircase to reach the
cliff tops. It is a very new school and smaller than others, but accepts
Students from all over, notably Finland, Norway and Sweden. It is a
Multilanguage school but the main language is surprisingly English, as it is a
common ground language that people of many nationalities learn. Fjormagis is
known for its teaching of mermish and course in underwater science and magical
water spells, as they are very close to the sea and mer there and pride
themselves to be able to communicate and help the creatures. The current head
of school, or heads, are Eline Dashnell, a Norwegian witch, and her husband
James Dashnell, an Englishman.

Founding:

Fjormagis School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was founded in 1894,
quite recent compared to other main Wizarding schools. Three American wizards
by the names of Daniel Armstice, Carl Dannemort and Frederic Shayne were
journeying in Norway to explore the land and meet different Wizarding families.
On their travels they discovered that many Wizarding families of the country were
unschooled in magic because other schools were to far to travel in that era.
Determined to conquer this problem, Armstice, Dannermort and Shayne decided to
open a Wizarding school to teach the national witches and wizards without them
having to venture outside of their country.

All three being skilled sailors and see lovers, Armstice,
Dannermort and Shayne wished to build their school close to the Northern
Norwegian sea and school students to appreciate the magic of the ocean. It was
Dannermort who had the idea of building in the fjord cliffs, and from there the
school blossomed as the three wizards received many funds from the Norwegian
ministry of magic, their own rich pure-blood families and the magical folk of
the country. It took seven years to construct even using magic, but the result
was incredible and the school became a gem of the magical world.

The three founders all lived to ripe old ages running the school
and died one after another in the 1970s and 80s, Dannermort being the first to
go and Shayne the last. They handed it over to Mitchell and Rauvin Clintz in
the 60s, telling them that there must always be more than one person running the
school so it was as strong as possible. From the Clintz brothers it went to the
Dashnells in 1995, who tried to help in the second Wizarding war but were
forbidden to by the Norwegian Ministry of Magic.

Armstice, Dannermort and Shayne do not have paintings in the
school and did not come back as ghosts, but there are three underwater shrines
of wrecked ships that were planted for them after their consecutive deaths.
These shrines are often visited by mer, who were very close to the brothers,
and sometimes by braver swimming students.

Further History:

Being quite a young school in historical terms there isn’t as
much history to Fjormagis School of Witchcraft and Wizardry compared with older
Wizarding schools. However, the school does get involved in many muggle issues
of it’s state and did supply the British ministry of magic with as many new
recruits as possible when Lord Voldemort was at his highest power in the 1970s.
In the Second World War it had to make itself unplottable because of invading
Germans and formed a squad of staff and older students to protect the residents
of nearby settlements. The staff and students also sabotaged many oil and gas
refineries to stop sea pollution when more began to be built in 1960s.

The most well known of all post-Fjormagis students would have to
be Knut Rockne, a well-known athlete during the early 20^th century
and one of the first students to be accepted to Fjormagis School of Witchcraft
and Wizardry. Although Fjormagis does not host Quidditch as a sport, Rockne
became athletic due to extensive sailing and swimming in the school facilities,
and although he went on to enter a muggle profession, Rockne donated many
galleons to the school to reaper sea defences and buy new boats before he died
in 1931.

Fjormagis is close to many other schools and very sociable and
well known. It was invited to participate in the 1994 Triwizard Tournament but
declined, saying Durmstrang were a better option and that they were not for
competitive tournaments such as these.

Education:

Students at Fjormagis are not separated in any way unless you
count the boys and girls dormitories. At the school students study core basics
for three years from the age of eleven, and then at fourteen choose their own
classes they wish to study. They take exams like advanced versions of O.W.L.s of
their subjects in their seventh year. The education system is very free and
pressure is kept to minimum level. Fjormagis offers all core classes and the
syllabus from the third year is very similar to that of Hogwarts.

Setting:

Fjormagis School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is set into the
cliff of a deep Fjord, as mentioned before. Because of this, only a few rooms
have windows look out onto the fjord, but other rooms have enchanted openings
to look like they are gazing upon the sea or a lake.

The fjord is said to be extremely beautiful (not many
non-students and teachers have visited the school as it is unplottable but in
north-western Norway) and also is very deep, leading out to sea. The sides are
to steep to climb without special gear and make it a secluded sailing and
swimming area loved by all students and staff.

The honeycomb of rooms in the cliff that make up the school is
extensive, with one floor for boys dormitories, one for girls, classrooms, a
great hall, common rooms, store rooms, class quarters, dungeons leading below
the seabed and much more. There is a caved part of the cliff at the bottom that
is separated from the outside water by metal gates that can be hoisted up and
down. The cave acts as a protected port with a high ceiling and wooden decking
all the way round leading into rooms and access points to the rest of the
school. Many students sail from here, and when wishing to access the outside,
row, swim or sail out. Students and staff are also permitted to fish with
provided equipment, but must give all their catches to the mer or release them
back into the ocean.

The floors of the honeycomb of rooms are all squares round a central
column of stairs. These stairs go right from the dungeons to the top cliff
access point. On the top of the cliff where the top ground is accessible, there
is a small compound and keep where the Magical Creature and Herbology features
are located. This is also where students exit to walk to the nearby village of
Shekan, an all-wizarding settlement a little like Hogsmeade. Trips to the
village are run every month.

Inside the castle is said to be furnished very comfortably and
in a Victorian style with Norse and gothic touches, such as classic paintings
of Viking gods, thick carpets, basic electric chandeliers themed with leaping
fish and thrust tridents. There are many fires but most are enchanted to give blue
flames, and the kitchens, run by house elves that are paid fair wages
(apparently the late Albus Dumbledore suggested this to Mitchell and Rauvin
Clintz, the heads of the school at that time), are open to all students deemed
polite by the workers. There are many water fountains and sea-themed
decorations, apparently, and also many ship and sea paintings, from which you
way get doused in sea spray from time to time. There is also an option for salt
water in the baths as it is believed to heal many skin problems.

In terms of ghosts, many magical fishermen haunt the halls with
cheery tunes or mournful tales, notably a Russian by the name of Sergei
Arsinev, who was pushed off his boat by a rampaging crew because he had claimed
to be a wizard in a fit of drunkenness but then failed to perform a simple
wand-lighting charm because of his intoxications. His equally drunk crew then
threw him overboard for his boasting and he drowned. Unfortunately he haunts
with a large hermit crab stuck in his right ear as when he was lying on the
seabed and just about to die, the crab decided he liked the look of the drowned
drunkard and crawled into his ear to have a look around. Apparently from
Arsinev the hermit crab’s name is Donald and he’s of English decent. Arsinev
also says all the tall tales of the sea he tells to students come from Donald
and are all true because of this.