-Greece - Eronmayervos Institution-

The words forThe
Eronmayervos Institution are ‘Live in Peace’ in Greek

The Eromayervos Institution of the Balkan States is
similar to the Stati Magia (see Chapter 3), being built in ancient Greek times,
though not for budding gods, as Greek witches and wizards of that time were
fare ahead of others and knew roughly what they were. Knowing that they needed
a place to teach a study, they apparently raised an island far off the Western
Coast of Greece (though now it is just thought they found one) and built a huge
array of buildings there and a main temple as a place of teaching and worship.
Today, the Eronmayervos Institution hosts students from all around the Balkan
States, as well as some Italian students and others from the Middle East,
Turkey and other countries. It is known for it’s laid back and varying teaching
and apparently from students there is a wonderful atmosphere at the school. The
current head of school is thirty-year-old Headmistress Aleta Dozan, a
Greek-American witch who recently returned from the United States after living
there after schooling and making an esteemed reputation for herself in the
field of Herbology. She recently built three new greenhouses for the tending of
dittany and other finicky plants and devotes much of her time to teaching the
subject. Apparently she is very popular with the students, participating in many
activities around the school rather than watching from afar like many heads.

Founding:

It is unclear just exactly who founded The Eronmayervos
Institution, but it is thought to have been a large group of witches and
wizards feeling from the Roman invasion and Greeks who thought them to be gods.
There is no mention of a head of school, Maria Delatí, until 80B.C., but it
appears that the school was up and running before this.

History:

As the island is unplottable and remote, and the
Greeks were secretive like the Stati Magia, not much history has developed,
however they are noted for producing many talented potioneers and herbologists.
Among these was the Headmaster Aries Milan, who suffered an untimely death in
1234 of drowning whilst searching the nearby sea for gillyweed and supposedly
being caught up in weeds so he couldn’t escape or recast his anti-drowning
spell, whatever it was. It is though that he created the base recipe for
gillywater.

The school seemed unaffected by muggle affairs because
of it’s remote and cut-off location, but it did suffer traumas of it’s own;
notably when a captive Romanian Longhorn Dragon escaped it’s cage and torched
quite a few of the buildings before being subdued with a special dart dipped in
a herbal tranquilisation solution. Affairs such as these seem to have been kept
to the island, however, and have never affected any other locations.

In the 1460s,The Eronmayervos Institutionparticipated in a competition a little like the
Triwizard Tournament with the Italian school of Magic Stati Magia, only it
involved one task and five students from each school entering an underground
maze in the Stati Magia of some sort and braving various creatures. This takes
place every ten years and has done so since it began, only pausing in 1880
after a storm hit the Island and it was not accessible for a long while.

The Eronmayervos Institution is close to many Magic
Schools, making strong alliances, particularly with Stati Magia, as they have
held alliance and friendship for centuries.

Famous members include Maria Calas, a renowned opera
singer in the mid 20^th century, who turned away for her magical
abilities and pursued the stage, though still possessing great love and skill
in the Herbology field. Constantine Cavafy is another famous muggle figure that
attended the school in the 1870s and 80s and later became a poet. He had an
interest in Astronomy and loved stargazing from the observatory tower on the
island.

According to the school, Prince Philip, a previous
Greek citizen and husband to Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain, is aware of
Eronmayervos’s existence as he had squib ancestors. Whether this is true no one
is quite certain.

Education:

Additional courses of Exploration, which combines DADA
with many other practical subjects, Ancient Greece studies and magical/ muggle
languages are also available to study at The Eronmayervos Institution.

 Each area of
study has it’s own compound and buildings for the students to work in, as well
as areas to house the students of those houses. You see, students of The Eronmayervos
Institution are sorted into nine houses and live in nine locations on the vast
Island where the subject they chose is taught. They chose their house depending
on which main curriculum subject/s they chose to follow. The houses are named
after the profession/s of the subject they cover:

House Healer– for students who choose Potions, Muggle Studies,
Charms and/or Herbology as their main subject

House
Theorist – for students who choose
Transfiguration, Alchemy, Arithmancy and/or other Theorising subjects as their
main studies.

House Caster – for students who choose Charms and/or Transfiguration
as their main subjects

House Ranger – for students who choose Care of Magical Creatures,
Herbology, Exploration and/or Defence Against the Dark Arts as their main
subjects.

House Artist – for students who choose Artistic subjects such as
Magical Art, Ancient Studies and/or Ancient runes as their main subjects.

House
Historian – for students who choose
History of Magic, Ghoul Studies, Ancient studies, Divination, Arithmancy and/or
Wandlore as their main subjects.

House
Politician – for students who choose
Magical Politics, Magical Law, Magical Transportation, and /or Magical Civics as
their main subjects.

House
Observer – for students who choose
Astronomy, Mythology, Magical Literature, and/or Divination as their main
subjects.

House
Practitioner – for students who
choose Muggle Studies, Magical Transportation, Magical Politics and/or Culinary
Theory as their main subjects.

Students stay in these houses for four years from the
age of twelve, when they start school. Their main subjects depend on their
house but they are also taught all the core subjects. At the age of fourteen
they can choose to change house if they wish.

At the age of sixteen, exams on their main subjects
take place, and if they pass, they get to choose their three or less career paths
as well as any additional courses they wish to take for the next three years.
Studying at The Eronmayervos Institution is very extensive and their staff
numbers are huge, with a whole building reserved for staff. There are also many
students as most witches and wizards from all the Balkan States attend the
school. A student may leave at the age of sixteen instead of following on and
doing the career paths and courses offered, and many do so.

Students of The Eronmayervos Institution take O.W.L.s
when they are sixteen on their house-related subjects but do not do N.E.W.T.s,
instead taking Exams for their career paths if they choose to stay.

Setting:

The Eronmayervos Institution covers an island about a
quarter of the size of The Isle of White (Southern coast of England). It has one
main keep where Students dine for the midday meal and meat in clubs and so
forth, as well as lodging for the most important staff. There are then paths
off to nine other compounds and keeps all over the island where the houses are.
Each house has it’s own facilities for it’s core subjects, i.e. For house
Healer the compound will contain glasshouses, brewing rooms and stores and
other class rooms. The keeps are where the house students eat and there are
also sleeping quarters for the students in the keep.

For career path students there is another main keep
with more facilities. All the keeps are apparently furnished simply but
prettily with ancient Greek designs. The buildings are made out of sandstone
and other Mediterranean building materials. The keeps and compounds (and the
Quidditch pitch, gardens, lakes and other outdoor facilities) are all linked by
simple roads and a Portkey room for more efficient travel.

There are many abstract paintings in the halls of the
keeps and classic tapetry designs for rugs, bedspreads and hangings are used.
There are underground passages linking the keeps and meeting underneath the
main keep in a shrine room. However, these are inhabited by several unrested
spirits who died in there when lost or the tunnel caved in, as there are many
‘short cuts’ and connecting passages as well as the main nine.

Ghosts above ground are rarer, but there is a gang of
student ghosts that drowned after trying to commandeer a ship and driving it
into cliffs. They styled themselves on Ancient Greek gods and gave themselves
the names. The leaders, of course, are called ‘Zeus’ and ‘Hera’. These two lead
the ghosts and will often go solo to trick students (not very much like their
model gods) and play pranks.

In the summer, spring and even the autumn months, the
students of The Eronmayervos Institution often swim in the sea around the
island, which is said to be a wonderful experience. There are also excursions
into the caves on the island and into a pretty woodland called ‘paradise
forest’ because of beautiful atmosphere and sparkling springs form which many
drink water. A huge array of safe wild animals are also let lose and live there
natural, magical and non-magical.