Open Hogwarts Monthly: Y42 Semester 1

[Estella Fuentes]

HOGWARTS MONTHLY: Y42 SEMESTER 1 ISSUE​

A Brand New Year!​ By: Estella Fuentes​

Yet another year at Hogwarts has started and we are back with an issue of the Hogwarts Monthly for you all that we hope will entertain you. For those that are just joining us, welcome! It was good to see a lot of new faces this year. We even had a fair few new professors join us. If you haven’t yet, please don’t hesitate to welcome the new History of Magic Professor, Professor Killian Borisyuk, and the two new Astronomy professors, Professor Adorah Zumwalt, and Professor Norton Gillespie. Additionally, the temporary Transfiguration professor, Professor Charles Abberline, has moved on to Defence Against The Dark Arts for the younger years. We congratulate all professors on their new positions. Another big congratulations to Professor Matt Alcott-Ward, who has given up his position as the History of Magic professor and is now the Headmaster of the school! Stay tuned as we interview him later in the article. Now that that is out of the way, please enjoy what our team has worked on below. We hope it is one of your best read’s yet! ​

Halloween By: Marnie Frogg​

While all of us might love different things about our little Hogwarts, you can’t argue the school does its best to keep up the festivities every year and this reporter is happy to report that our new headmaster Professor Alcott-Ward is keeping up the tradition this year with the Halloween Feast! This year's feast saw plenty of royalty, ghosts, angels, cheerleaders, and even a bride and groom to name a few things one could spot throughout the hall. This humble reporter certainly enjoys dressing up and while there can only be a few winners of the costume contest, it would be remiss not to mention a few notable honourable mentions such as Ivy Ashworth as muggle idol Marilyn Munroe, complete with gorgeous white dress and well styled blonde wig or Silas Broomhead’s super well crafted, all white super hero Batboy costume. We also saw many stunning, magically enchanted costumes this year, several of whom I will have to ask for tips for next year, such as Ruto Vernier-Raison deceptively simple bloody costume, enchanted to only be viewable from one angle (quite a shock!) or Seraphina My’s Vintage Halloween costume which was charmed to flicker and appear just like an old muggle photo. So eerie! My personal favourite was surely Emmnual Okoye’s simple but excellent Parchment costume, a sight I’m sure we’re all familiar with the closer we get to exams (and perhaps just as bone chilling depend on your grades, oh no!). Finally though, we have all our very well deserve contest winners! Starting with Best Overall, rightfully awarded to the Conductor of the Arts Club Sky Eriksen in a delightfully fluffy and appropriately norse Viking costume. Best Magically Enhanced went to Valeria Iglesias in an enchanting mermaid costume as Ariel, complete with shell bra and enchanted fish that swam whenever she sung, how delightful! Max Goose took Most Scary in his Cuddles the Bear costume, of which I can’t comment on as much as it was so scary I had to keep a safe distance myself, but well deserving for sure. Best Group costume when to the Carnahan siblings, Felix, Thistle, and Sawyer, in their Peas in a Pod costume which might be impressive simply in their coordination alone if nothing else. I know I certainly couldn’t survive a night stuck to my sibling, phew. Most Ridiculous was also food themed, going to Joshua Lynch in a wonderfully silly banana costume. Sometimes you can’t beat a comedic classic. And speaking of classics, the last award goes to Lennox Addison who looked positively regal in her pink princess costume. I especially loved the pink tulle skirt! Category Winner Best Overall Niamh Eriksen as a Viking Best Magically Enhanced Valeria Iglesias as Ariel Most Scary Max Goose as Cuddles the Bear Best Group Felix, Sawyer, and Thistle Carnahan as Peas in a Pod Most Ridiculous Joshua Lynch as a Banana Most Traditional Lennox Addison as a Princess Congratulations to all our costume contest winners and participants and thank you to the judges and Professor Alcott-Ward. I hope you all had a spooky scary and wonderful Halloween and look forward to the frights, lollies, and of course even more costumes next year!

First Semester Club Recap!​ By: Margo Fox​

There is so much to do at Hogwarts between lessons, quidditch games, and other school events. But if that’s not enough, one of the best ways to spend time and get involved is through clubs. And there are plenty here at Hogwarts to keep anyone busy and this semester was no exception. Your very own Hogwarts Monthly has been busy putting together this very newspaper. Accio is also hard at work which you’ve probably seen at the different school events. If you haven’t gotten your picture taken for the yearbook, stop by the entrance hall before it’s too late! The boys and girls of Hogwarts have been socializing in both of their clubs respectfully. The Brotherhood of Magic hosted a party full of snacks and drinks and according to the president of the club, Jordan Harris, next semester should be even more exciting. The girls in Heta Omega also had a good time getting to know each other. Big and little sisters were assigned which is a great way to learn more about your schoolmates that you might not have talked to otherwise. The SDA this semester also got to know one of our professors a little bit better. The new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Professor Abberline, talked to students about his time as a Hit Wizard and answered everyone’s curious questions. More than just talking was going on at club meetings this semester. The Wild Patch was very hands on and had a great time planting new seeds for the spring and building bird houses. Stop by the garden to check out the club’s handiwork! As usual the Conglomerated Arts Club also got creative and had a “no rules” meeting where anything was possible, artistically that is. It's hard to imagine what next semester will bring but I'm sure it will be great! If any of these organizations sound interesting to you, reach out to the club leaders and keep an eye out at next year’s club fair and join in on all the fun!

The Three-Legged Race​ By: Estella Fuentes​

Quidditch Recap​ By: Ruto Vernier-Raison​

I think we all agree that a new event at Hogwarts has been well overdue! The Heads of Houses knew this, and so put their heads together to come up with something entertaining for everyone. The finished product was a three-legged race! The new Headmaster, former History of Magic professor, started off the race with a bang - literally. Gold sparks from the tip of his wand signaled the start of the race, and teams of two, looking as silly as ever, began running as fast as they could. They first came across the Hufflepuff Head of House’s obstacle - a chocolate pudding mud pit. Students had the option of swimming their way through or eating their way through. This one proved to be the easiest, with every participant getting past this one smoothly. Next came the Ravenclaw Head of House’s puzzle. We saw a few people get stuck at this one. The next obstacle was set up by the Gryffindor Head of House. This one was quidditch themed, but instead of a quaffle, there were apples, and instead of using your hands, you had to use your mouths! There were no brooms involved in this one, but it was immensely difficult, proved by the fact that only a few teams managed to get past it. I would like to take the time to thank the Head of House’s for the effort that they had put into this. It was definitely a time to remember, and those watching from the sidelines also had lots of fun watching people embarrass themselves. Perhaps we could petition to have this happen again next year?

I’m about to give you a recap of the Quidditch Events at Hogwarts. Whilst I don’t follow the sport, I have learnt how important it is to a myriad of people, so bear with me while I try to entertain you and go over the events in the most articulate way possible. We started off this semester with a match against Slytherin and Hufflepuff. Rumours are that the Slytherin beaters had practiced a lot for this game, and it seemed they were getting the most cheers from the Hufflepuff quidditch team. Is this how it usually works? When it came to gameplay however, we failed to see much action from the beaters at all, despite their supposed efforts during practice. It was a quick match, with Slytherin seeker Ivelisse Burleigh catching the snitch quicker than I have ever seen (not that I’ve watched many quidditch matches before). The next game also failed to last very long. There were a few new faces in the Ravenclaw and Gryffindor team, however we didn’t get to see very much action from them before the Ravenclaw seeker caught the snitch. The last game of the semester was against Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. This was one game that didn’t disappoint as the snitch definitely gave everyone a chance to play. Hufflepuff was the first to grab the quaffle, scoring it easily through the right hoop. They scored 5 more times before missing their last attempt. Gryffindor didn’t get any goals in, but they did manage to catch the snitch which won them the game. Overall, Quidditch failed to provide much until the last game. It made the job of writing this article easier, but hopefully next semester won’t disappoint for those who are avid fans.

Op-Ed: Hogwarts’ Most Flagrant Act of Censorship, the Restricted Section​ By: Celia Vuong​

It's that time of year when the library is packed with people cramming for exams. But even as exams loom closer, one spot will remain deserted, and that's the Restricted Section. Hidden behind a padlock are dozens, if not hundreds, of books that have been deemed too "inappropriate" for students. The only way to access them is to ask a professor to write you a permission slip. Consequently, the Restricted Section is not so much a continuation of the library as it is a museum, filled with books that will never be read. They are simply for display, and together they constitute the school's most flagrant act of censorship. As New Zealand's highest institution of magical education, Hogwarts is responsible for promoting the free exchange of knowledge. Locking away an entire section of the library runs counter to that. Students should be free to research and explore. We are expected to eventually become the next generation of leaders, to push the boundaries of the magical world, to improve it. How can we do that if we remain ignorant of entire branches of magic? It is unconscionable that a school is restricting learning, rather than promoting it. Hogwarts justifies the Restricted Section's existence by claiming that there are books too inappropriate or dangerous for kids to read. What is considered "inappropriate" or "dangerous"? Who gets to decide which books fall under these categories? The process by which books are classified as restricted is completely opaque, which is a problem. History is rife with authorities who decided that certain books were inappropriate simply because they didn't align with their ideological beliefs. The school already teaches magic that can be incredibly dangerous. This semester alone, I have been taught a spell that is illegal to use against other people and a potion that can put a person in a permanent coma if brewed incorrectly. What makes the books in the Restricted Section uniquely dangerous? If anything, the inclusion of risky magic in the existing Hogwarts curriculum proves that it is possible to learn about "dangerous" topics without facing actual physical harm. The key is to give students context. Thus, the knowledge in the Restricted Section shouldn't be hidden away, but rather illuminated and explained. It is far better for professors to help students understand the risks associated with certain kinds of magic while they are in a controlled educational setting, than to wait for them to stumble across it on their own outside of school. During the Minister for Magic debates, former headmistress Ava King asked the candidates whether they would support closing off the Forbidden Forest. A majority said no. Minister for Magic Victoire Fontaine said, "Knowing very well that students will go into the forest regardless of how forbidden we make it, we should as Mr. Cresswell said, seek to educate our young people specifically on what to do if something happens." It's time to take the same approach with the Restricted Section.

"What do you think of the new Headmaster?"​ By: Giulia Alcott​

___________________________​	___________________________​	___________________________​	___________________________​
Leah Thorne Gryffindor First Year "I haven’t gotten to know him yet! But he seems cool!"​	Somjai Wu Hufflepuff Second Year "He seems nice. He's not scary at all."​	Isadora Novak Gryffindor Third Year "He seems alright, at least he seems less likely to expel someone for doing something against the rules, which is a plus."​	Molly Burke Hufflepuff Fourth Year "I haven't had him as a professor, but Professor Ward seems so cool and fun!"​
___________________________​	___________________________​	___________________________​	___________________________​
Valeria Iglesias Ravenclaw Fifth Year "I don't know yet…. But he's cute… for an old man…"​	Freya Darling Ravenclaw Sixth Year "As a professor he was simply great, but as a director I can't say yet. Time will tell."​	Hayzel West Gryffindor Seventh Year "Prof. Ward? He's awesome!"​	Professor Kahurangi Josephs Ancient Runes Years 5-7 “I'm very confident in his leadership. Professor Ward and I have been close friends since our own days at Hogwarts, and I'm very proud of him."​

An Interview With Our New Headmaster​ By: Rhys Garner​

This semester, I was lucky enough to be able to have a sit down with Hogwart's brand new Headmaster Professor Alcott-Ward. He was kind enough to give me some of his time and answer some burning questions I am sure people would like to know the answers to. Rhys Garner: First of all, thank you very much for taking the time for an interview today. Just to start off, can you please introduce yourself to those of us who might not know you? Professor Alcott-Ward: I'm Matt Alcott-Ward, you probably know me by now as the new headmaster though I used to teach History of Magic. RG: So you previously taught the upper years History of Magic. What made you want the Headmaster position when it became available? PAC: Well, I've always wanted to do more for the students at Hogwarts than teach a subject. I love History of Magic and I think it's a very important subject, but after teaching it for more than a decade I felt like there was more I could do. RG: Over ten years is an awfully long time to be teaching, I had no idea you had been here for so long. But how did it feel when you heard you actually got the job as Headmaster? What was your immediate reaction? PAC: I was very excited, though a little disbelieving at first too. RG: I think that's a very understandable reaction. So what do you hope to bring to Hogwarts during your tenure? Any changes you would like to make? PAC: I hope to make the gap between students and teachers smaller, to make it easier for students to approach their professors and myself with things that concern them. RG: I know how hard it can be sometimes to approach the Professors with any queries or concerns, so it's an admiral goal to have. But what is the ONE thing you absolutely want to accomplish in life? Or have you already accomplished it? PAC: To be a good dad to my daughters, I still work on that every day. RG: I'm sure that they think you're a great dad. Though I do wonder, do you miss being a regular Professor at all? Or have you never looked back? PAC: I miss it a little bit, I truly loved my subject. But I don't see myself going back to it anytime soon. RG: I'm sure your students miss seeing you in the classroom every week as well. But now to the final question: If you could give one piece of advice to your eleven-year-old self, what advice would you give? PAC: You can do more than you think. RG: Well, that is everything I have for you. Thank you very much again for taking the time to sit down with me today and answer my questions. Is there anything else you would like to say to our readers? Any closing remarks? PAC: I just want to thank the readers for being interested, if anyone has more questions, my office is open. And there you have it, folks! I hope this interview has opened your eyes a little and let everyone learn just a little more about the new Headmaster of our school. I, for one, am looking forward to what changes he can bring around here. I'm sure that he's going to do a great job.

Branson's Bookclub: The House of Leaves​ By: Branson Archer​

Welcome back, all, to Branson’s Book club. The book this semester that I would like to discuss is the early 2000s classic, House of Leaves. This is a bit of an odd book for me for reasons I'll explain, but it is excellent. For one, it is technically a horror. I’ve never dabbled much into horror, but this was a good entry into it. It is not an all out horror, I would say, but has a good amount of scare to it and built suspense really effectively. Creating a gripping and chilling atmosphere from the very beginning. House of Leaves was written by Mark Z. Danielewski and was released in the year 2000. It centres around a man writing about another man and his new house, this house seemingly keeps changing in size, getting bigger where it shouldn’t. The book itself is rather large and quite long, and thus can feel a little daunting. In fact, when I first picked it up, I was sure it was meant to be a textbook rather than a novel. But everything in this novel has a purpose, the size of the book and every page inside of it. This is what makes House of Leaves a fascinating and excellent novel, the writer uses the medium of the physical book with a talent I haven’t seen before, everything is…purposeful. There are pages which feature lists that go on and on onto other pages, but are essentially a footnote. There are footnotes which don’t exist, there are pages which appear on both sides of the paper but one normal and the backside backwards. There are bits which are upside down or have to be read backwards. The book itself is fundamentally about space (not like astronomy) but spatial awareness and using the space to make things have a deeper meaning. I know that this might be a little complicated, but once you’ve read the novel, you’ll absolutely see what I mean. It is an exquisite novel with an interest horror backdrop and a more interesting story telling method. Writers do not often use the printing medium to its full effect, and this novel excelled in it. Of course, it was in part because that was what the book was about, but it was clever. My favourite quote from the novel was: “Passion has little to do with euphoria and everything to do with patience. It is not about feeling good. It is about endurance. Like patience, passion comes from the same Latin root: pati. It does not mean to flow with exuberance. It means to suffer. “ Do not be dissuaded from this if you are not a fan of horror. It is more than just a ghost story or a spooky story, it is far, far more. A short one this time, but I hope people will definitely go ahead and read this to understand what I mean.

10 Notable Quidditch Players From the Past 10 Years and Where They Are Now​ By: Elara Chatelain​

Aunt Meg​ By: Aine Thompson​

As many quidditch fanatics know, maintaing your reputation and stats can be important if you wish to play pro one day. The sport takes hours of repeating drills, learning combinations, studying the other team dynamics each year, and playing in all forms of weather that exist. Since each position requires different levels of skills, I will not be ranking these players, and this is definitely not a definitive list, as there are so many players from the past 10 years that deserve recongnition. As, for the sake of peace among the current teams, I will only be listing players who have graduated. Lysander Summers - Beater, Class of 2056 While many of us are familiar with Summers for a more infamous reason, one can't ignore his impact he had on Quidditch during his time at Hogwarts. An enthusiastic captain and steller beater, Lysander is likely to stand out among all players even 10 years from now. From what I can tell from those who know him, he currently works at the Magical Menagerie. Chloë Thompson - Chaser, Class of 2056 Chloë is another recent grad of Hogwarts New Zealand, and she was apart apart of a great group of chasers that lived on the Gryffindor team. She was great on a team, and she currently is a chaser for the Moutohora Macaws here in New Zealand. Minnie Calida - Seeker, Class of 2055 While Minnie was here during the time of a signifcantly difficult to defeat seeker, she proved to be a stoic coach and decent seeker. She currently works at the Ministry of Magic. Elliot Briar - Seeker, Class of 2054 Elliot was not somebody I would have pegged as a quidditch player from my brief interactions with him, but having a calmer persona can keep one level headed if they're in the right position. Another good seeker, you might recognize Elliot if you ever have to pop over at Ollivander's, where he works as an assistant. Blake Irons - Seeker, Class of 2053 Impossible to beat during his school years, Blake Irons proved competitive enough to play professional and is currently the seeker for the Moutohora Macaws. Looking at the records, it seems that the other Slytherins during the time could have been terrible or non-existent, and Slytherin still would have taken the Quidditch Cup. Willow Cullen - Seeker, Class of 2052 Willow is currently an auror, but during her school days, she was one heck of a seeker. Did you know she's also the daughter of recent Ministry of Magic candidate Briar Rowan-Cullen? Derek Tahana - Chaser, Class of 2052 While these next few players have less students here that know of them, these former students are still making names for themselves in the quidditch world. Derek is currently a Chaser for the Woolongong Warriors in New South Wales, Australia. Analei Westwick (née Louw) - Beater, Class of Class of 2052 Not only did this former Head Girl and duelling champion have many notable accolades to her name, she was also a formidable beater during her day. Unlike many of her comrades, she is not playing professionally but is currently an auror with the Ministry. Liam Waldgrave - Beater, Class of 2051 Liam is now a Beater for the Thundelarra Thunderers in Australia, a position he has held since graduating the same year. Odette Madison - Beater, Class of 2049 The Moutohora Macaws seem to have taken a lot of HNZ grads, and Odette is no different! She has been been playing as a beater for the Macaws since her graduation.

“I don't plan on doing anything after Hogwarts that requires really good grades on my NEWTs like a lot of my friends. They're always studying, and I would much prefer to have fun and live in the moment. How do I convince them to take a break from studying so we can make some memories??” -Anonymous It’s hard, because the school puts so much pressure on NEWTs and there’s this kind of pervasive idea that NEWTs are all that matters. Even muggle schools don’t go in for that with your senior marks. If they don’t take the time to enjoy themselves now, when will they? I think you’ve gotta balance out study with taking time to relax and enjoy yourselves. Obviously, studying is important to your friends, so they still need to take time to do it, but I guess just try and point out that they need to take some time to unwind now and then and enjoy being at school among friends. Maybe try and organise a mini party or something and go from there? Sorry, I work on the paper writing these columns in my spare time, I’m clearly not the person to ask about having fun. Good luck, though! “I’m so much in love and I don’t know what to do. Everything has been moving so slow. It’s literally been years. I know he maybe likes me back, so how do I get him to make the first move before we graduate and possibly never see each other again?” -A girl in desperate need. Girl. It’s 2057, not 1957. You don’t need him to make the first move. Either it’s a case of he’s just not that into you or he’s too shy to take the first step. It looks like you might have to be the bold one if you want this to be a real thing, otherwise you might both just be stuck waiting for the other to say something and nothing ever gets said. It sucks to put yourself out there, especially if it turns out he really isn’t that into you, but you’re better off just ripping the band-aid off now so you can either move on or you can start having the romantic relationship you both (hopefully) want. And if he’s not that into you, then you probably never have to see him again once you graduate. It’s a win-win. “I haven’t made any friends at Hogwarts, but every time I try to talk to people I get nervous and want to hide. How can I be more confident and make some friends?” -Reluctant Ravenclaw You’re asking someone who’s hiding behind a persona running an anonymous advice column. Not exactly the pinnacle of confidence and sociability. Nevertheless, I do sympathise with your plight, dear Ravenclaw. And as much as we’re at a school for wizards, confidence is unfortunately not something you can magically have. My starting suggestion is usually to talk to people in classes. Some Professors really seem to get a kick out of torturing students by pairing them up. You can use that to your advantage, though, talking to the unfortunate soul you’re paired with about the task you’re doing. Common ground is a decent place to start in making friends. It may not magically make you confident, but it’s a start. “Do you ever mess something up without the intention of messing anything up? Sometimes I feel like no one likes me. Like everyone is just being fake. How do I show everyone that I have good intentions? How do I take back everything I’ve done so people can like me and things can go back to the way they were?” -Someone who just needs a little reassurance. Oh, dear friend, I know that feeling all too well. If there was an easy solution to the problem, I would’ve deployed it myself by now. Firstly, brains like to make things up to make you feel bad about yourself and the people around you, so jot that down. We owe it to our friends to think more highly of them than our brains tell us to, sometimes. If you’ve done some bad things, I don’t think you can just erase them. You can make amends and do better, though, and anyone worthwhile will appreciate the effort you put in. As much as we’d like to keep things the same, that's not always going to be the case. But that’s not always bad. If you have good intentions, and take positive steps to show them, then things might not go back to how they were. Instead, they might actually be better.

Poetry: The Sound of The Sea​ By: Aaliyah Chun​

The sea awoke at midnight from its sleep, And round the pebbly beaches far and wide I heard the first wave of the rising tide Rush onward with uninterrupted sweep; A voice out of the silence of the deep, A sound mysteriously multiplied As of a cataract from the mountain's side, Or roar of winds upon a wooded steep. So comes to us at times, from the unknown And inaccessible solitudes of being, The rushing of the sea-tides of the soul; And inspirations, that we deem our own, Are some divine foreshadowing and foreseeing Of things beyond our reason or control. ​

Editor's Note​ By: Estella Fuentes​

I just want to say a BIG thank you to not only the team for getting this all together, but to everyone who just decided to give it a read. Your support means more than anything we could ever ask for. Please, have a good and well-deserved break, and we will see you all next semester!

 

[Elara Chatelain]

Elara picked up a copy of the Monthly, even though she had read quite a bit of it. She didn't realized how much she would actually enjoy writing, but joining the newspaper had been one of the best decisions she made in her early years at school. Rereading her own article, she had wished she'd been able to go in a little deeper, but Elara hoped other students enjoyed getting to know some former players at the school.