Montétoile Académie de Magie

**Montétoile Académie de Magie**

*(actually pictured: Chateau de Menthon)*

## School Details

### Location:

Montétoile Académie is located in Eastern France within the Alps. It is known to be in near proximity to the town Chamonix, which is both a Muggle and Wizarding town.

#### Climate:

Mild summers with cold and snowy winters. Summer days are 70-80 degrees F (20-25 C), which is the warmest the region gets.

### Size:

Montétoile is a medium-sized school. There are 90 students in each of the seven years, divided evenly into the three Houses, for a total of 630 students. Each year group within a House is required to have at least 10 male and 10 female students, though the other 10 slots may be any mix thereof.

L’Académie pulls most students from France and Switzerland, though Spanish, Italian, German, Austrian, and Belgian students are allowed to attend as well, given they are fluent in French and have at least one parent from France/one alumni parent.

### History:

Montétoile was founded in the mid-1200s by a young married French Wizarding couple, Matthieu Nage and Amaris Markin. The Kingdom of France was a bit of a mess during the Middle Ages, and they felt a need for a school for magekind in the Western territory of France was necessary. Amaris was a talented curse breaker and worked heavily with Defense, Charms, and Transfiguration. Matthieu focused his attention on potions, alchemy, and herbology. Both agreed it was necessary to instill French culture and etiquette into their students, as well as training them to use their magic to the best of their abilities. Matthieu and Amaris recruited professors from all over Europe to form the first faculty of Montétoile.

There used to be a larger Wizarding school in Paris, Hirondelle Academy, but as Paris’ population and tourism grew, the French Ministry agreed that it was best to keep the schooling outside of the large city. Montétoile is only about 5 hours by magical transportation from Paris, and many Parisian internships and opportunities are available to Montétoile seventh years.

### Notable Features and Traditions:

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## Student Life

### Sorting

Montétoile opts for both a magical and mundane method of Sorting. Students hoping to attend Montétoile are interviewed during the summer prior to their first year by three faculty members. The staff members then provide a ranking, 1-3, of which House they think would suit the student best. Typically, more students are interviewed than are accepted to the Académie. While the interview is used for Sorting, it is also used to weed out weaker mages prior to delivering acceptance letters. After all, Montétoile can only accept 90 new students per year. They must be mindful of who they choose.

Upon arriving at Montétoil, the students are brought to the Grand Hall, where one by one, they will be allowed to touch three objects. The first is a necklace worn by Amaris Markin. The second is a pocket watch owned by Matthieu Nage. The third is a pair of glasses worn by Margot Cabret (one of the original faculty members of l'Académie). One of the objects will return to its original coloring, becoming rust and age-free--ultimately assigning the student to the House of the object's owner.

### Houses (*Maisons)*

All maisons were designed by the founders to honor a mythical creature from southeastern France.

#### **Peteutit**

The Peteu: French monster bird descended from the kestrel.

Margot Cabret found the Peteu to be brave, loyal, and resourceful. She worked with several other staff members to develop this Maison, which favors students who work with hands-on magic, like herbology, healing, and care of magical creatures. Peteu students are said to be the most welcoming, and they tend to do the most planning for the first night, where the Maisons have time to welcome their new students.

#### **Vouivraimé**

The Vouivre: French version of a wyvern--a giant flaming snake.

Mme. Markin decided her Maison would welcome the wittiest, independent, and warm individuals. Members of Vouivramé are known to often become powerful Aurors or dedicated public servants. At the Maison’s founding the Maison was dominantly female, though the divide has become less intense in recent centuries. This Maison tends to favor talented defensive artists and transfiguration-focused mages.

#### **Duphonique**

The Duphon: French giant sword eagle-owl.

Matthieu Nage founded Duphonique around the ideals of wisdom, perseverance, and ambition. Duphoniques are best known for their success on the Quidditch field, though many are avid learners and excellent students. Students hoping to pursue alchemy often find themselves in this Maison, a tribute to Nage who was a trained alchemist himself.

#### Notable Alumni

* Joan of Arc (received acceptance to the school, did not graduate)
* Marie Antoinette
* Victor Hugo
* Cinnamon