Hogwarts Is Getting Dissed By Americans in 'Fantastic Beasts'

We’re going to see some wizarding school rivalry between Ilvermony and Hogwarts in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Queenie Goldstein and Newt Scamander are both sticking up for their schools, meaning the wizarding world and the Muggle/No-Maj world has something in common when it comes to school tensions.

In a new clip from the film, Jacob asks if there’s a wizarding school in America, at which point Queenie answers, “Of course. Ilvermorny. It’s only the best wizarding school in the whole world.”

Newt Scamander isn’t quite on board with Queen’s assessment, though, responding with, “I think you’ll find that the best wizarding school in the world is Hogwarts.”

Hogwarts, like Great Britain, is much older than Ilvermorny, but there are a number of things that set the two schools apart. Though they both had four original founders, Ilvermornys roots are much more homespun than Hogwarts. And obviously, Ilvermorny didn’t even exist in the Potterverse until after the seven-book cycle was finished. It was created by J.K. Rowling for Pottermore.

We all know from Harry Potter that Hogwarts was founded by Godric Gryffindor, Salazar Slytherin, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Helga Hufflepuff. It was founded in the 10th century, and though its founders met on an initial common ground, disagreements over who to accept to the wizarding educational institution led to a rift between the founders.

Ilvermorny, by way of contrast, was a family affair. It began as a small homeschool for Isolt Sayre and James Steward’s “adopted” children, Chadwick and Webster. But, once word of the school” spread, more magical children began coming for lessons, as they had no other alternative in America. As the Ilvermorny’s popularity skyrocketed, the institution grew from a small house into a castle.

Queenie and Newt’s disagreement over which school is the best is good-natured, but it’s certainly worth noting that however similarly they may function in modern society, their beginnings are wildly different. We can’t wait to see how it plays out when Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them hits theaters on November 18.