new americana | lyka

[lea cruz malkin]

We know very well who we are

So we hold it down
when summer starts

September 1, 2026
lyka cruz malkin

Lea couldn’t tell if she felt relieved or worried that Lyka was in a different tour group. Most of her group were Sixth Years she recognized from Hogwarts, which made sense. The current students hardly needed the grand tour. Not many questions were asked aside from what time would dinner be served, and Lea found her way outside to get some air. Her tour guide had spoken much too fast. An accent that had muddled her brain when she first heard it, but apparently, he was from the coast—Boston. Lea actually hoped that maybe Lyka had taken some notes, whereas Lea could not.

The weather outside was comfortable, far warmer than it would have been in the Highlands but not too cold either. Lea had checked the Library and other open areas of the first floor on her own to familiarize herself with the layout and find more familiar faces. It was a bit unsettling being so far from home and Diagon Alley, but she’d make the best of it. Finally, she spotted Lyka—sulking in the courtyard. ”Hey.” She announced herself as she took a seat next to her. Her sister was the only thing here that felt known and familiar. As much as Lea had wanted to travel the world, she had meant wanting to see Paris and not go in the complete opposite direction. ”I could barely understand a word my guide said, what about yours?”

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[lyka cruz malkin]

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She didn't like Ilvermorny at all. There was so much confusion about whether or not there was going to be Quidditch, and she still didn't know if the tour guide had been pulling her leg. It didn't help that she had mistaken a few things said and had a minor freak out - that happened often enough but usually stayed inside her head. Even worse we're the other fifth years shooting her dirty looks over asking questions that she honestly felt were important. Hogwarts loved Quidditch. Without the sport, there was no reason for her to be here. Now, obviously pickup games could still be played and it was yet to be seen what the former house teams would be doing for this year. That didn't help with all the noise in her head telling her that this was the end of Quidditch for her. Day one at the new school and it already sucked.

After the tour, she'd retreated to a courtyard and sat there alone, sulking in her confusion and frustration over everything. Having tear-stained sleeves on her brand new robes was not how she had imagined today to go. This was supposed to be a fun change of pace, at least that was how her parents had put it. Hogwarts had hosted Ilvermorny for two years and now it was time for the American school to do the same. But it was so far away, and adding the Quidditch kerfuffle earlier, her anxiety about the new school was only compounded and starting to take effect.

The courtyard was fairly empty for the majority of her time there, and the students that walked by all looked like they were enjoying the freedom from their parents once again. She retreated further and further into the corner of the courtyard whenever a group got close to her, as she didn't want to invite anyone towards her. That didn't prevent her sister from finding her though, and she almost got up and left as Lea approached her. "I don't know if they have Quidditch," she whined quietly, a wet sniffle following it. "Why'd we have to come here? I hate it."

lea cruz malkin ● 360 ● Darling by Skott

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[lea cruz malkin]

We know very well who we are

So we hold it down
when summer starts

September 1, 2026
lyka cruz malkin

Lea noticed her sister’s demeanor right away, and then the mention of Quidditch brought it all together. Of course. How could Lea have forgotten? Quidditch was not as important at Ilvermorny as it was at Hogwarts. And if the year that Quidditch had been canceled due to the Triwizard Tournament had taught Lea anything, Lyka needed an outlet for that energy. Even though she wasn’t fond of the sport herself, she offered her sister a sympathetic look. Though her eyes quickly traveled from her face to a loose thread sticking up near her shoulder on her jacket.

Taking a seat next to Lyka, she gently placed a hand on her back to comfort her. It wasn’t something Lea could fix, unfortunately. ”Trust me, I tried to convince Dad to send us to Beauxbatons.” For Lea, it wasn’t about Quidditch but at least being at a school with far nicer uniforms. Who decided blue matched well with cranberry for an everyday outfit? It was hard enough to tell what house they were in. Though it was far less drab than the grey of Hogwarts. ”They let you bring your broom. I don’t see why you can’t still play.” Lea reminded her. Otherwise, they would have insisted she not bring it (not that it would have stopped her in the slightest).

She sighed slightly, stopping herself from asking an obvious question. It wasn’t that Lea didn’t want to ask—well, it was, but she didn’t like to see her sister upset. ”The Americans have teams in the league, right?” Lea asked, dropping her back to her side and letting the strap fall.

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[lyka cruz malkin]

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"Well you didn't try hard enough," Lyka shot back at her sister's insistence that she'd attempted to get them to Beauxbatons instead. If they had gone to France for school, that meant that they'd be within distance to easily go home. Not that she thought their parents wanted to be rid of the two of them for longer than a normal school term, but they couldn't easily make monthly trips to Hogsmeade for lunch anymore, could they? She knew they disliked listening to her chatter about Quidditch throughout the entirety of those meetings, but at least she was happier doing that than she was here. She was sure that she was 'out of sight, out of mind' to them right now. A reprieve of her interests. They were going to get an earful at Christmas though. She'd make sure of it.

As for her broom, that was a good point. Preventing her from bringing it would have been a fight, to the point where she probably would have had a friend bring it for her instead. Sneaking a broom in luggage was impossible, though she definitely tried during a trial run of packing all of her supplies for the year. The reason it was allowed was because of Quadpot, as far as she could tell, and the lack of anything Quidditch was making her inclined to believe that the school expected her to play the American sport over her preferred one. They weren't an equivalent exchange in the slightest, and she refused to play a game where the ball blew up if held too long. A dozen smacks from a rogue bludger was more enticing. "Yeah...they did," she relented, knowing that Lea wasn't the one to fight on this at all. "But pick-up games aren't the same thing! And not everyone on the team came here, so we can't even have a practice with everyone." There were solutions to that problem, of course, and she'd already come up with a few ways to get around it. Like joint-squad practices with multiple houses. The issue she had was that it wouldn't be like it was supposed to be at Hogwarts.

Lea knew how to divert and distract her though, and the question about the American Quidditch teams had Lyka fighting to maintain her somber state. Having free reign to blab on about the game to her sister didn't happen often, especially being invited to do so. Was she really that easy? "They do...but their national team is horrid compared to most. Probably because they're too busy playing Quadpot," she rolled her eyes at the mention of the other sport. "The inferior of the two."

lea cruz malkin ● 443 ● Song by Artist

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[lea cruz malkin]

We know very well who we are

So we hold it down
when summer starts

September 1, 2026
lyka cruz malkin

Lea did feel disappointed that she didn’t somehow push harder. It would’ve been somewhere closer to home and less of a hassle to travel during breaks in the term. Not to mention the time difference. Whether it was sending messages via Owl or using her phone, it was still dinner time while it was lunch at Ilvermorny. ”I know…” Lea muttered, mostly to herself. She missed the familiarity of home, of Hogwarts, and even knowing that Diagon Alley wasn’t all that far away. Even helping her parents at the shop during the summer to prep the transferring students hadn’t helped. It only made it that much more real.

Quadpot wasn’t a game that Lea understood very well, or maybe she was missing some points. Basically, a broom was involved and a Quaffle, much as Quidditch was, but then there was a potion or an explosion, which seemed to be the entire thing. It felt oddly simple and far less refined than the finesse required to play Quidditch. Lea had heard enough facts and opinions through her sister to know quite a lot about the sport without needing to do her own research or even feel the need to play. Lea didn’t answer right away. She didn’t know what the solution was here, but an idea did pop into her head. ”You could start a club?” Lea, herself, had been part of the Charms and Art club. Though the Art club was something she had been dragged to by a friend, and she hadn’t had the heart to decline the invitation to join. Still, it hadn’t been all that bad.

Before she could stop herself, Lea leaned toward Lyka slightly as she went to pull at the little thread sticking out of the seam by her shoulder. ”Sorry—this is just—“ Lea pulled on the thread, and it got a little bit longer. With her wand, she wordlessly removed it and made sure it wouldn’t happen again. The faster she was, the less likely her sister would fidget, something she’d learned from helping her grandmother fit robes for customers. ”—sorry…it was bothering me…” Really, it had been staring at her the entire time, and it wasn’t something Lea could unsee. Now she could focus on Lyka’s answer about the American teams. ”They made it close there in 2014.” Lea noted, wondering why such an obscure fact had stuck in her mind. ”How does Quadpot even work?”

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[lyka cruz malkin]

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It wasn't that she hadn't thought about starting a Quidditch club if Ilvermorny lacked one. That had been one of the first possibilities of achieving her goal outside of rallying the remnants of the teams for practices together. The fact of it potentially not already existing had defeated her before the first day had even finished. She knew that was because there were other factors at play: new school, new country, no Quidditch, new professors, an unfamiliar bed (though that did look comfy), and no Quidditch. Lea was here though, as well as a few friends that could stand her incessant sports talk. After the mishap earlier though, she was worried that it would get around that she was a crazy person. Like she had no problem admitting that she was obsessed with Quidditch. Getting into hysterics over the lack of it was definitely pushing too far. She was very close to that at the end of the tour. "I guess I could," she answered after a little bit. The only real problem with her heading that sort of thing was that she absolutely sucked at organization. There were years where she thought about magically tattooing her class schedule to the inside of her arm because she constantly lost it. Regardless, if she didn't get on it immediately, someone else probably would. Having all the players switch over to Quodpot didn't seem realistic to her.

Thinking all of this over, she felt Lea start to pull at a seam on her robes, a long strand unwinding from it. Normally she would've tried to shoo her sister's hand away, but that sort of energy was nonexistent right now. "I was three in 2014, and they've done nothing since," Lyka rolled her eyes. There were individually decent Quidditch players from the United States, though once they were all on a team together it was like they'd forgotten how to play. They lacked something, and she'd never been able to put her finger on it. Spirit? Culture? Skill? It was like American muggles trying to play their 'soccer'. Same concept really. As for Quodpot, that was something else altogether.

"First of all, it doesn't," she stated aggressively. "Eleven players per team on the pitch at the same time is waaaay too many people, and having to leave if the ball explodes on you? How is that fun? And don't even get me started on why they call the ball a quod. Literally doesn't make any sense. At all. And putting it into a pot instead of goals? Merlin..." Throughout this, her voice got louder and louder, and she half stood up at one point when the idiocy of the quod was mentioned. She hated everything about the game and how it was a lame, bastardization of Quidditch.

lea cruz malkin ● 464 ● Song by Artist

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[lea cruz malkin]

We know very well who we are

So we hold it down
when summer starts

September 1, 2026
lyka cruz malkin

A Quidditch club made perfect sense. But team activities only worked if there were enough members to build a team or two. Maybe a chaser or beater could be sacrificed, but then it probably wasn’t the same. Lea likened it to an incomplete chessboard. But now, as an afterthought, Lea wondered if Lyka would ask her to join. Internally she groaned. She was far happier with both her feet on the ground rather than so many feet up in the air, but it was easier to agree than suffer through whatever came after denying her sister her Quidditch fix.

And Merlin knew that Lea knew more than enough about Quidditch. She couldn’t remember Potion’s basics to save her life but ask her how many times the Ballycastle Bats had won the Quidditch League. Twenty-Seven times. Tuning out Lyka once she got started was near impossible and Lea typically just let her talk than try to stop her. Unfortunately, they had gone to a school in a country that cared very little for Quidditch and preferred their more brutish version. As Lea removed the rogue thread from her sister’s uniform, she prepared for the Quadpot explanation—or rant, rather.

Lea frowned slightly. ”Why would you want to play with something that explodes?” That was one way to ruin perfectly good uniforms and clothing as well. Unless they were charmed with some kind of protective spell against flames or things of that sort. A few students had glanced over as they walked by while Lyka continued her anti-Quadpot rant. If their accents didn’t make them stand out, their pro-Quidditch views certainly would, but they were hardly alone in that regard. ”Hm…well, at least we get to visit home for half-term.” It was something, and despite growing accustomed to years at Hogwarts, being an ocean away made Lea feel a bit homesick. Her fifth year had been good. She’d spent time with friends and even considered dating—plus her muggle friends had managed to write home and find a Star Wars novel she’d been asking for. And now, not much felt familiar.

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[lyka cruz malkin]

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Going home during breaks solved very little in the way of her wanting to play Quidditch. Lea seemed to understand that Quodpot, and the concept behind the exploding ball, was ridiculous but Lyka knew her sister better than that. Lea would probably say anything right now to bring the younger Malkin down from the ledge when it came to the American sport. It didn't help that students passing by had heard the sudden outburst and mini rant. Her disdain for Quodpot was going to be known by every last student by the end of the first week of classes. She'd make sure of it.

"I don't know!" Lyka responded hysterically, having fully jumped up from the bench during her spiel. An aggressive pacing back and forth in front of her sister ensued, her hands tucked securely in her armpits to keep them from violently flailing over her head as she talked. "It literally doesn't make sense. Quidditch is popular all over the world. There's even a league here! But of course, Ilvermorny only has a Quodpot team. How can any promising Quidditch player make a name for themselves here?" As she finished, she slammed herself back down into the bench next to Lea. A long exhale followed. "They can't. I know I'm not good and haven't even played in a match yet, but what about everyone else? This could ruin their draft position and leave them with less options. Scouts don't like hearing excuses, even if they're for a good reason. And this is all because we're being forced to go to a school we don't care about, which conveniently doesn't have Quidditch."

She didn't even know what she was more annoyed about anymore. Was it the lack of Quidditch or that she was being whisked away to Massachusetts to attend Ilvermorny? They went hand in hand to a certain degree, their combined stressors really starting to push all of her buttons in the worst possible ways. Absolutely losing it like a toddler throwing a temper tantrum in the middle of the courtyard on the first day of school was not a good look for her at all. "Lea...I don't know what to do," she squeaked out after a few seconds of silence. All of her hot air had dissipated with her ranting and raving, and she was back into her sulking again.

lea cruz malkin ● 393 ● Song by Artist

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[lea cruz malkin]

We know very well who we are

So we hold it down
when summer starts

September 1, 2026
lyka cruz malkin

While Lea didn’t find Quadpot as offensive as Lyka might have—she did agree that the concept was rather barbaric in a way. At least with Quidditch, some tact and elegance were required, especially for the Seeker and the Chasers. The Beaters could get away with more rough tactics. But, while it was a different time and place—the conversation was much the same. Lea nodded her head and went along with the conversation, and eventually, Lyka would tire herself out, or it would be dinner time. Lea always found it easier to be agreeable and not fight it.

But Lyka responded, almost leaping out of her seat, and Lea leaned away cautiously so she wasn’t knocked in the face with a rogue fist on accident. ”Ly—“ She began, but her sister began to pace instead, and she let out a small sigh rather than attempt to interrupt again. But Lyka did bring up a good point. It wasn’t as if she was the only Quidditch enthusiast that had transferred from Hogwarts. ”What about the rest of the Hufflepuff team? There are a few here, aren’t there?” Lyka sat back down, her tone immediately changed, and Lea could hear the defeat in her little sister’s voice. They were so different as sisters with different goals in mind, but it didn’t mean that Lea could stand to see her so upset.

”Don’t say that—I’ve seen you play.” While it wasn’t a Potter-level of ability, Lea still knew Lyka had a love and passion (and obsession) with the game, which far surpassed even the most talented student players. Lea put an arm on Lyka’s shoulders—the devastation on her face reminded her of when their father told Lyka she couldn’t attend the Quidditch Final. ”We’ll figure it out.” She encouraged her. Now what that entailed? Lea had no idea, and something in the back of her mind worried what she had just inadvertently signed up for to make her sister feel better. ”I overheard some boys in my tour group talking about Quidditch. I don’t think you’re alone.” With how popular the sport was at Hogwarts—there were certainly others sulking around just the same.

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[lyka cruz malkin]

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Getting the gang back together. That was the grand promise of the Hufflepuff team. Yet that hadn't happened at all so far. She knew she was thinking irrationally because it was only the first day of school, but they'd had the entire summer to discuss this and figure it out, and most responses to her worries came back by pushing it off until now. And 'now' was finally here. Where were they? She had already started thinking about how they probably all secretly wanted to play Quodpot, and that she'd never be caught dead near the sport so it would get rid of her for an entire year. Even she knew that dealing with her fanaticism was easier off the pitch than on. Absolutely none of that had happened nor probably would because her teammates were nice people, but that didn't stop her brain from telling her otherwise. Getting into this state was only possible by allowing it to happen.

Lea was trying to counter about her ability to play, causing Lyka to shake her head. "In practice. That's different and no one is giving their all because we're working on drills. I can't just claim I'm good at Quidditch when I've never played an official match in my life." And at this rate, that probably wouldn't even happen until next year. So much for making the team as a reserve. Tryouts would happen again once they were all back to Hogwarts and there wasn't a guarantee that she'd get a spot again. Kids that decided to play the dumb American game would hone their skills and have an extra year of team play under their brooms. She would just be a poor loser because she couldn't get Quidditch.

Her sister's encouragement was welcomed but it was barely effective at this point. The boys discussing it in the tour group were probably only doing that because they'd heard about her tiny freak-out while on her own tour. Once again, probably not a correlation at all, but there was no stopping her brain from imagining that it was. "I hate it here," she echoed the same sentiment from when she'd first sat down with Lea. That phrase was going to be getting a lot of use now.

lea cruz malkin ● 376 ● Song by Artist

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[lea cruz malkin]

We know very well who we are

So we hold it down
when summer starts

September 1, 2026
lyka cruz malkin

It was a large adjustment coming here, and someone had pointed out to Lea earlier that day that this was probably what it was like for the Ilvermorny students when they first arrived at Hogwarts. A new country, a new culture, and new things to learn and deal with. She really hadn’t thought about it that way, especially since she had purely been focused on her own disappointment at not convincing her parents to transfer them to Beauxbatons. But her sister was struggling far more than Lea was. Their mother was usually far better at comforting her youngest.

”You care more about Quidditch than anybody I know.” While Lea wouldn’t call Lyka a protégé, she certainly had a passion and talent, which had to count for something, right? Much like their family’s knack for their work—even if Lyka had zero interest in it. Much like growing up in the shop and watching their grandmother work had let Lea nail down the more intricate and delicate hand movements needed for particular charms and especially non-verbal magic much quicker.

She tightened her arm around Lyka’s shoulders a bit and leaned her head on her shoulder. As much as Quidditch was not a big deal for Lea, she knew that insisting it wasn’t a big deal would undoubtedly fail. Not to mention it would further upset Lyka, possibly cause a scene, or Merlin knew what. And she didn’t want her to be upset. ”I know. I’m sorry they don’t have Quidditch here.”

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[lyka cruz malkin]

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She cared more about Quidditch than anyone else because she didn’t have anything else. Her grades were dragon dung, her social life surrounded it, all of her other interests and hobbies had been tossed aside for it, and she only care about playing now that she was on the team. Or had been, because there was no guarantee that she’d be on it when they made it back to Hogwarts. If they made it back to Hogwarts. The thought of being stuck at Ilvermorny for three years like the American students had been at Hogwarts for two had definitely crossed her mind a few times since the announcement. That was the absolute worst case scenario. Her goal for now was to take her tour guide Chrissy’s advice from earlier in the morning: going to the club fair that happened at some point in the fall term. Ideas about that had been ruminating all morning in her head, though almost all had been tossed out because of her anxiety and nerves.

Leaning hard into her sister as she was pulled closer, Lyka scrunched her face up in defeat. Permanent lines were going to form between her nose and mouth from all of her scowling today. There was no way they were going to stop any time soon either. “You know what the worst part about it is?” she said quietly. “If my grades go up, mum and dad are going to know that Quidditch is what’s been holding me back. And they’re going to demand I don’t continue with it if we ever make it back to Hogwarts.” The fact that her muse had academically castrated her in such a way was astounding. But how could she ever do homework when there were matches to listen to on the radio? Or scores to keep track of in the Daily Prophet? The realization that there may not be a way to get a copy of the Prophet here made her sit upright immediately. “How am I going to keep track of the Falcons all the way over here? There has to be a way to get the newspaper delivered, right?”

lea cruz malkin ● 358 ● The Lily by Blanco White

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[lea cruz malkin]

We know very well who we are

So we hold it down
when summer starts

September 1, 2026
lyka cruz malkin

Lea didn’t really know what to do to help Lyka at this moment. Her distress was clear, and the only solution would be for the school to create house teams to mirror Hogwarts. But that wasn’t likely to happen. Americans did not have the same passion for the sport, preferring their barbaric version. Lea likened it to altering robes with fire rather than the precise charms and wand work. But, hopefully, they would only be here for the year—maybe by some miracle, they could go home sooner. Lea knew that whatever Lyka decided to do, she’d likely help her just so she wouldn’t be upset.

She listened intently. Lyka had a point. Their parents were not shy about noting how different the girls were. ”I don’t think they will.” Lea honestly wasn’t sure, but she wasn’t about to agree with Lyka and upset her further. They didn’t quite understand their youngest daughter’s passion. Even the metaphor that her father and grandmother were just as passionate about their work didn’t get through to them. And Lea didn’t argue with them. It was far easier not to. ”Potions is still dreadfully boring—Quidditch or no Quidditch.” The bane of Lea’s existence. She loved Charms and her other courses but not making different color soups that often smelled funny.

Lyka sat upright like she had been hit with lightning. ”I think so.” Lea had no idea. ”Well… let's go write mum and see if she can send the paper through the post.” God willing, the Prophet will have given the magical community the ability to check sports news and statistics on their phones soon. Though how they would on their small screens, Lea had no idea. Maybe their parents would let them have newer phones with bigger screens since they were across an ocean. Lea stood and waited for Lyka to follow.

[ end lea ]

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[lyka cruz malkin]

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“Really?” she believed her sister instantly. Her emotions bouncing back and forth made it make that much more sense, even when her brain was telling her that logically their parents would absolutely make that connection. It was such an obvious thing too. Though if she purposely bombed exams…that would be worse, right? There had never been a term of school where she hadn’t spent the majority of her time thinking about Quidditch. This new situation she was in, where she was Quidditch-less, was untested waters. Maybe she’d be horrible at studying without it. That was even more terrifying to her as she came to that realization. Blinking a few times to hear Lea mention Potions still sucking, she nodded her head silently. Merlin this was going to be a horrid year.

Her sister posed the idea of sending an owl about getting the Prophet, and Lyka immediately got behind it, “Good idea. I think if someone put the sports column for the game-that-shall-not-be-named in front of me, I might roll it up and beat them into a tizzy with it.” Maybe that was a little too aggressive, but she loathed the possibility of looking for Quidditch and getting Quodpot. That was all that ever happened here, after all. Standing up to follow Lea, she shoved her hands into her pockets, digging around for the few spare coins sitting in the one. She could never remember which one she put them in, hence needing both hands. “And if not, I bet I could bribe an owl to pilfer one for me. Like aerial warfare. Completely hijack it from someone else’s owl.” She found two sickles in her left pocket as she said her plan out loud. “Doubt this is enough to get quality owl treats though…we’ll try your idea first, I guess.”

[THE END]

lea cruz malkin ● 301 ● Sing For The Wind by Roo Panes

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