About the Institute

## Description

The Greek Institute for Advanced Magic has been standing for even longer than Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, undisturbed in a small island belonging to Greece. Due to not cohabiting with the muggle society, the muggles within Greece are blissfully unaware of the people that live by them. The island is unplottable, hidden away from the eyes of prying mortals, similarly to every other school of magic on Earth. The Greek Institute for Advanced Magic is known for its advancements in the magical society, most commonly within the branches of Transfiguration and Charms.

## Houses

There's no certain date as to when the Institute officially opened, much less who founded it. The origins of the institute remain a mystery even today, all the knowledge on the school burned away during the fire of 1267. Some say the Gods themselves opened the doors to the institute, some say it was another being sent from Olympus. What's known for sure is the warlock Alcaeus was the one that brought the Institute to life again, giving it another life and opening its doors for a second time just a little over a century after the fire that razed the Institute to the ground occurred. He was a God, to a certain extent, to all the wizards that came to *Dodona Island*.

Throughout the years, the Institute flourished. Villages were created a few short miles from the Institute, which little by little became towns that in turn held bigger residencies and more entertainment centers. Dodona Island became a sight to behold, with witches and wizards from all over the world coming just to bear witness of the beauty the island with an area of only *9,104 km²* possessed. While tourists frequented *Dodona*, the school remained its topmost priority. Time progressed, and so did the school's system. By 1833, the institute no longer had an integrated student body with no division. The institute's Highmistress at the time - Astraea - gave the school the remodeling it needed. It would no longer be outdated, as she created the ideal system it needed to modernize its Greek culture.

The students were divided into 12 houses, one for each Olympian. Dionysus was excluded, seeing the lack of need for a house who served solely for giving alcohol. He was replaced by Hestia, a figure that would give order and organization to the Institute yet allow it to maintain its home-like vibes. Students who worshipped a specific God or Goddess - or inclusively shared traits with them - were allowed to choose their own house, with just a slice of their palm and handing a drop of their blood over their patron's godly symbol. Each house had its own cabin aligned by the shore of the beach that surrounded the school. Ten years of arduous studying faced a cut to seven, effectively speeding up the students' learning rate. Their rating came up in a matter of months, the knowledge of the Institute spreading worldwide. They were back in the game, that much was for sure.

### The House of Zeus

The House of Zeus is represented by the eagle and the scales, befitting their patron's title as god of the sky and justice. Their cabin stands at one end of the cabin line, built to be reminiscent of the Temple of Zeus in Olympia with marble eagle statues guarding the entrance. The eagles come to life whenever someone who isn't a member of the House tries to gain entrance without explicit permission from the Student Head or the actual Head of House.

Contrary to popular belief, the members of the House of Zeus don't just represent who their patron is, but who he should be. They are leader figures with a strong sense of justice, often from families who have dedicated themselves to practicing and upholding the law. They are known to be oath-abiding and expect others to be as well. One shouldn't break a promise made to a member of this house, they take their promises seriously. A running gag among members of this House is that most of them fall in and out of love too quickly, thus resulting in a string of failed relationships. They are also known to carry a rivalry against the Houses of Poseidon and Hades.

### The House of Hera

Represented by the peacock and the lotus, the House of Hera celebrates the Queen of the Heavens herself as their patron. Their cabin sits between the cabins of the Houses of Zeus and Poseidon, the architecture of which is reminiscent of the Heraion of Samos. A moat surrounds the cabin where beautiful, everlasting lotuses float. Beautiful as they may be, they also act as defense against intruders, roots shooting out from the water to wrap themselves securely around any unauthorised person.

Members of this house value family above all, similar to their sister House Hestia save for one difference; They prove viciously loyal and expect their partners and family members to be as well. They don't tolerate infidelity and are known to lash out at anyone whom their partners have cheated them with. They are also formidable when it comes to leadership, often giving the House of Zeus a run for their money. Members of the House of Hera are trusted to reign in rambunctious first years due to their innate skill when it comes to children.

### The House of Poseidon

It wouldn't be called a House of Poseidon if his signature trident and horse don't make an appearance. In the line of cabins, the House of Poseidon's cabin stands behind Hera's and before Hermes'. It gives off the vibes of a sailor's cabin, complete with a wooden pathway leading to a floating deck above the water. Out of all the cabins in the area, this House's cabin fits the environment the most. The cabin's line of defense against intruders is a powerful jet of water targeting them. Painful and quite humorous from a third person's view but it does the trick.

It is said that the ocean flows within the veins of the members of this House. They are sailors through and through, coming from family lines of all professions relating to the ocean. Some even say that there are members of this House who descended from pirates who terrorized the seas long ago. In addition to that, they are excellent horseback riders and see, to have a natural affinity towards marine creatures. One thing about the members is that some, if not all, either have a dislike or allergies against seafood. They are also known to carry a rivalry against the Houses of Zeus and Hades.

### The House of Hermes

It's often joked how out of place the caduceus and the tortoise were on the House of Hermes' cabin, considering how thick of thieves the members often were, but those were the symbols of their lovely patron Hermes. Fourth in the cabin conga line, it has a look reminiscent to the kind of log cabins you see whenever you take a hike to the mountains. It lacks the usual line of defense the other cabins have because the members themselves design the defense lines, each year getting more creative than the last, though there is a restriction from using live creatures, magical or not, due to an incident that happened years ago.

The members of this House are GIAM's athletic pride and joy. Athletically, the members are the most active in all 12 Houses, winning athletic competitions left, right, and centre. The only area they haven't been able to completely dominate is Quidditch, no thanks to the Big Three rivalry. Hermes members have a ridiculously amazing sense of direction, being able to navigate the entire island with ease. They serve as the tour guides for first years, though with the supervision of Hera members because Hermes members have been known to go through the secret passageways first before the more important routes. During Choosing/Sorting ceremonies, the Hermes table are the loudest, often 'calling dibs' on each and every first year.

### The House of Artemis

The House of Artemis' symbols, the deer and the Moon, decorate the silver cabin of the House, shimmering silver during the night and especially during full moons. The cabin's architecture resembles the architecture of the Artemision before its destruction in 401 AD. At night, the cabin itself shines silver, the intensity of it depending on the shine of the moon. Statues of deer guard the cabin, their antlers producing sharp arrows that shoot at intruders, especially male ones. Long ago, only females were allowed to be part of this cabin but it has slowly started to accept males, but only if the males agree to never touch the girls inappropriately and vice versa.

The House of Artemis is famously known for being the house of feminists, surpassing Hera and Hestia. Everyone in the cabin is treated equally, and the first male Artemis members were surprised to see that they weren't treated any less or weren't met with disdain. They are also known to have taken vows of chastity for the entirety of the school year and until they were married. Not only that, they have a scary affinity towards hunting, and caring for dogs. Some say that the House ghost does unfathomable things to people who dare try and defile the House's members' purity.

### The House of Apollo

This House is considered the House of Artemis' brother house, two sides of the same coin. Represented by the Sun and the lyre, their cabin is the flashiest out of them all, sparkling in the sunlight as if the gods themselves sprinkled jewels on cabin. The cabin's architecture is inspired by the Acraephius and painted to look like solid gold. Ironically, a statue of Python protects the cabin, spraying painful potions at whoever is intruding. Similar to the House of Artemis, the House of Apollo once housed only males but are now accepting female members.

Unique thing about the members of the House of Apollo is that majority of the accepted Seers of GIAM tend to land here, whether during the first Choosing/Sorting ceremony or the second. Gifted healers also find their home here, as well as musicians. One would always hear a steady flow of music coming from this cabin, even if there are no people in side at the moment. Some say the music came from Apollo himself, while others claim it's because of the House ghost, whom no one has ever caught a glance of before.

### The House of Demeter

Imagine the most beautiful farmhouse you've ever seen, now imagine it on the beach, with its lot's sand replaced with the most fertile loam and planted with a well-tended garden. That's the cabin of the House of Demeter, standing tall at seventh in the line. It looks quite out of place on the beach but somehow, it fits. The cabin's walls are lined with vines and the surrounding area are gardens tended to by either the students or by enchated tools. You can always smell fresh bread or pie baking, and the cabin would hold small bake-sales during free time. Poison ivy line the perimeter of the cabin, shooting up whenever they sense intruders.

The House of Demeter houses GIAM's talented future potioneers and cooks, and their most devoted eco-kids. Members of this House care so much about their vegetation and they never allow people to litter on or near their territory. They are known to smell like walking bakeries and some of them *are* walking bakeries, carrying around various homemade food they made to share with the school population. They are known to be quite mellow but not when it concerns the environment. They can cut you down as easily as cutting down wheat.

### The House of Aphrodite

The only way to describe the House of Aphrodite's cabin in just one sentence: "matchmaking, relationship counselling, and model centre all in one rose garden". Accentuated by their lovely patroness' symbols the rose and the dove, the eighth cabin on the beach is most likely the most aesthetically pleasant sight you'd ever lay eyes on. Generations of talented designers with keen eyes helped shape this cabin into perfection, with multicoloured roses and myrtle scattered around and on the cabin itself which gives the cabin a very pleasant aroma. A marble and rose gold fountain of endless Amortentia stands proud among the roses, though nobody can take any of the potion from it unless given explicit permission or if they want to invoke the wrath of the House ghost. Some say the fountain was gifted by Aphrodite herself, but no one knows for sure. Nonetheless, the residents of the cabin consider the fountain sacred and never take even a tiny drop from it.

A popular stereotype of the House of Aphrodite members is that they're ditsy, love crazy, and obsessed with their appearances, but this is far from the truth. Yes, the members are passionate about love but not to the extent where they're considered obsessed. They are the go-to squad if one is having a rough patch in their relationship or if one wants a makeover. They have a knack for giving the best relationship advice, though they aren't really known for their 'practice what you preach'. This House seems to rack up on the aesthetically pleasing members department with generations of models being Aphrodite alumni. It's also known that this House has an excellent matchmaker population. Be careful though, they can be dangerous if they want to.

### The House of Hephaestus

If a student ever needed something to be fixed, they approach the Cabin of Hephaestus, built to look like the Hephaisteion and decorated with Hephaestus' symbols; the hammer, anvil, tongs and volcanoes. A personal favourite of students during the winter, the Cabin of Hephaestus radiates heat at a comfortable temperature. Around and on the cabin are small animal automatons as well as dormant predator automatons created by the members of the cabin, all of them powered by the magic heavy in the island's atmosphere. Most of the small animal automatons are quite friendly, greeting visitors to the cabin and asking them to play with them more often than not while the bigger automatons look on, seeing as they are the cabin's security system. One needs to be careful, for the bigger automatons are quite protective of their charges and their 'little sibling' automatons.

Members of the House of Hephaestus are arguably the most hardworking and ingenious students of the institute, being capable of giving even the best of the House of Athena a run for their money. Their uniforms are seen covered in soot and machine oil more often than not and some break the dress code by lugging around their toolbelts. Not only that, most members can be seen carrying around one or more prototypes of their projects. They are the ones Muggleborns go to when they want their modern technology to be sort of adapted to the island ("sorry, but we still haven't figured out how to get wifi here.")