The final day discussing the “History of Magic in North America” offers a look into the period in which Fantastic Beasts takes place.

This is the fourth day of the Pottermore reveals, and it’s an excellent one to end on! Get ready to learn what Newt Scamander will have to deal with upon his arrival to New York. We also get a breakdown of the most famous wandmakers in the United States!

World War I included wizards on both sides of the battle. Though, as usual, the No-Maj community remained unaware of their contributions. As the war ended in 1918 and the States were rushed into the Roaring ’20s, the MACUSA kept Rappaport’s Law firmly in place. Writes Rowling, “[T]he US wizarding community had become used to existing under a greater degree of secrecy than their European counterparts and to selecting their mates strictly from within their own ranks.”

It will be interesting to see how the European mentality affects the story within Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, considering Newt Scamander may not consider Rappaport’s Law to be as strict as some of his American compatriots. This could explain why Jacob Kowalski, a No-Maj, begins working with Newt throughout the movie.

“MACUSA was also more intolerant of such magical phenomena as ghosts, poltergeists and fantastic creatures than its European equivalents, because of the risk such beasts and spirits posed of alerting No-Majs to the existence of magic,” writes Rowling. This sounds like a perfect setup for conflict between Newt and MACUSA, whose headquarters is now in New York. It is led by Madam Seraphina Picquery.

Because of Rappaport’s Law and the fear of discovery by the No-Maj community, all witches and wizards were required to carry a permit for their wand, which was used to identify perpetrators if the law were to be broken. Rowling writes that there were four major wandmakers in America at this time:

Shikoba Wolfe, who was of Chocktaw descent, was primarily famous for intricately carved wands containing Thunderbird tail feathers (the Thunderbird is a magical American bird closely related to the phoenix). Wolfe wands were generally held to be extremely powerful, though difficult to master. They were particular[ly] prized by Transfigurers.

Johannes Jonker, a Muggle-born wizard whose No-Maj father was an accomplished cabinet maker, turned himself into an accomplished wandmaker. His wands were highly sought after and instantly recognisable, as they were usually inlaid with mother-of-pearl. After experimenting with many cores, Jonker’s preferred magical material was hair of the Wampus cat.

Thiago Quintana caused ripples through the magical world when his sleek and usually lengthy wands began entering the market, each encasing a single translucent spine from the back of the White River Monsters of Arkansas and producing spells of force and elegance. Fears about over-fishing of the monsters were assuaged when it was proven that Quintana alone knew the secret of luring them, a secret he guarded jealously until his death, at which point wands containing White River Monster spines ceased production.

Violetta Beauvais, the famous wandmaker of New Orleans, refused for many years to divulge the secret core of her wands, which were always made of swamp mayhaw wood. Eventually it was discovered that they contained hair of the rougarou, the dangerous dog-headed monster that prowled Louisiana swamps. It was often said of Beauvais wands that they took to Dark magic like vampires to blood, yet many an American wizarding hero of the 1920s went into battle armed only with a Beauvais wand, and President Picquery herself was known to possess one.

No-Maj history in this time is famously called the Prohibition Era, where alcohol was outlawed and speakeasies became a way to partake on the sly. The wizarding community had no such restrictions. “[I]n one of her rare light-hearted moments,” writes Rowling, “President Picquery was heard to say that being a wizard in America was already hard enough. ‘The Gigglewater’, as she famously told her Chief of Staff, ‘is non-negotiable.’”

You can read every detail on Pottermore, or check out our breakdowns over the past week. On Thursday we learned about Rappaport’s Law, while Wednesday revealed the truth about the Salem Witch Trials and Tuesday brought us information on Native American legends.

Which was your favorite bit of information about the history of magic in North America?

Interestingly, Rowling did not offer any information on the American wizarding school, Ilvermorny, this week. We suppose that’ll come in another big info release later on!