End of Year Special! By Miranda Dawes (Camilla) |
Well, how about that! Another year has gone by and it's been, as ever, a busy and exciting time at Hogwarts. We had a sea of roses, hard fought duels, battles on the Quidditch pitch, plenty of exciting club activities and of course the stress of exams. Heta Omega and the Brotherhood faced off once more, this time with bludgers (and if the boys learned one thing, it's to stay away from girls with bats. The Arts Club put on a lovely showcase of artistic talent, and the budding Quidditch and Potions clubs are starting to establish themselves with exciting events of their own. There's plenty of clubs to get involved with, and if none of them take your fancy, you can always start your own and share your hobbies with the school! We welcomed Professor Leda Layton as senior Herbology professor for the semester while Professor Castillo took a much needed break and Professor Tobias Blade for junior Charms, as Professor Grayveson has stepped down to focus on her family. We hope our new professors feel welcome! (Please feel welcome, it'll be nice not to write about a staffing change...) Our staff are here to guide you through everything that's been going on around the school, so sit back, relax, and read on! |
By Ruby Beese (Verity) | 
By Miranda Dawes (Camilla) |
Hello everyone! Ruby Beese here, your Quidditch correspondent for this issue of Hogwarts Monthly. I didn’t know much about Quidditch before writing this, so in the noble name of journalism, I set out to learn and then bring you the lowdown. The semester opened with Ravenclaw vs Hufflepuff, which, according to my brother, was basically a battle for “not last place.” Not a particularly inspiring place to start, but I went along for the report and to cheer for Hufflepuff of course. And things started brilliantly. We scored first! I cheered. Then we scored again! More cheering. Then we scored AGAIN! At this point, I was certain we would get not last place. Because in literally any other sport whoever has a three goal lead pretty much always wins. Ravenclaw didn’t even seem interested in scoring goals at all. They were far more interested in whacking bludgers directly at my team, which I thought was very unsportsmanlike but is apparently allowed. They even hit one at a poor alt just sitting on the bench who, I’m told, had been eating a pear at the time. If anyone knows how Pear Guy is doing, please write in because I think about him often. Anyway, Hufflepuff were winning until suddenly the scoreboard said Ravenclaw 150 – Hufflepuff 30. Yeah I know, I was confused as to wear all those points came from too. I didn’t see a single Ravenclaw goal. And yes, I was watching! That’s when my brother told me about the snitch. Apparently, if you catch it your team gets 150 points and the game instantly ends. Which is so ridiculous that I lost sleep over it. The next game was Slytherin vs Gryffindor, and the colour scheme made me feel very Christmassy. They each scored once and then Gryffindor caught the snitch and that was game over. Gryffindor wins the championship. They got to play against some European school, I think it was called Bombattenberg (I might have misheard) It went pretty much the same way with one goal scored, but irrelevant, because Bombattenberg caught the snitch and instantly won and that was the final game of the semester finished. I've been thinking loads about this since taking on this report and decided that Quidditch is broken. Here is my Ruby Beese Strategy™ tip to fix Quidditch: Forget the goals. Forget the bludgers. Forget everything. Just send your entire team looking for the snitch, catch it, and win. Done. Because Quidditch doesn’t reward scoring or hitting bludgers. Catching the snitch is the only thing that matters and that, dear readers, is all you really need to know. Editor's Note: I can't believe I'm saying this, but the European school was, of course, Beauxbatons. | The dueling tournament was, once again, a huge event. The younger years are especially competitive, it seems, which made for plenty of spirited battles. Of course, with a limited array of spells and inexperience with dueling or performing on a stage, some of the second years especially found the competition a little overwhelming. Thankfully, nobody was badly hurt (although I want to commend sixth year Aurora Chase for valiantly fighting through bees and slugs to put up a good fight, if there was an award for courage I think she certainly earned it!). Having the courage to put themselves out there and give it a go should be admired, and I think everyone should be proud of themselves for trying. I have often heard it said that dueling is less about overwhelming your opponent with strong magic and more about thinking tactically, learning to win and lose with grace, and most importantly respecting your opponent. I suspect getting bored and giving up on the duel is not exactly a good demonstration of the latter, but hopefully the second year in question picks up some good examples from the older students for the future. __________________________________________________________Perhaps not from the third years, though, where Sayuri Edogawa was disqualified for continuing to attack her already disarmed opponent and arguing with the proctor. And likely not from the sixth years, either, who had perhaps the most eventful duel of the tournament in the final between Teddy Pirrip and Audrey Beauchamp. Yes, somehow more intense than the husband and wife duel between the Professors Cade! (On a side note, I don't think most of the student body wants to see professors flirting. Gross!) Teddy, the reigning champion, was determined to keep his title, and considering Audrey had not won a duel in any prior tournament, it would perhaps be expected that the champion would extend his run. However, Audrey came out swinging, both in spell slinging and smack talk. It was an ugly match, with both duelists looking to beat their opponents by any means necessary, verbal and magical. But when dueling, especially within a school environment, one must always stick to the rules, and it was Teddy's breaking of the rules with a double spell cast that sealed the win for Audrey. One can only hope they left their arguments in the arena. Funnily enough, perhaps the fifth years might offer a good example: after making a habit of being disqualified year after year, Morrie Ayre not only avoided disqualification, but took the title for good measure. Truly, life is full of surprises. A big thank you to SDA President Horror Zhefarovich for organising the tournament and to Professor Borisyuk, Professor Pirrip and Professor Zumwalt for proctoring the duels and keeping all the competitors safe. And of course, congratulations to all the competitors, especially the winners: Finley Baros (2nd), Lilith Ilves (3rd), Ivy Cullen (4th), Morrie Ayre (5th), Audrey Beauchamp (6th), Tempest Vero (7th) and Professor James Cade (staff). Finally, I'd like to express my relief that there was far less risk of death by explosion this year. Good work, everyone. |
By Finley Baros (Zazz) |
Happy (Belated) Valentine’s Day! Especially to those of you who maybe didn’t get to receive a rose this year for whatever reason. Obviously it’s no longer valentine’s day, but I wanted to take a moment to thank the organisers and the deliverers for a really well done job! So a big thanks to Elijah and Hinata Edogawa the brother and sister duo behind this years deliveries! You did some great work and I’ve had a lot of really great (some not so great) feedback from the whole thing, so well done! Now, onto the part most people care about in these articles I guess. I had the opportunity to talk to both Elijah and Hinata about the Rose Giving and I asked them a couple of questions about the process, whether they’d change anything and overall what it was like. After a few false starts, we finally got some straight answers too. Finley: So Hinata, it’s your last year right? Was there a reason you decided to do this? Hinata: W-well, in the previous years, the Wild Patch Club was only m-mentioned to have assisted, so this year t-the Wild Patch Club has taken full reins o-on the planning and e-execution o-of the Rose Deliveries with m-my brother Eli here taking the reins. Finley: You're working on it with your family? Hinata: O-oh! Y-yes! Uh.. P-plan.. N-n... Yes? E-Eli's very good at planning stuff and he's done most of the back work to make sure that everything goes smoothly. B-but the work the Wild Patch Club members have put in was instrumental in g-getting us to the day of. Finley: Yes I think we’re all very aware (and happy) about the work the Wild Patch had put in to make everything look so good. And what was your part to play? Elijah: Like Hina said, I did most of the heavy lifting, I’ve always been more of a behind the scenes guy. Finley: What was the hardest part? Eli: Sorting. Definitely. There were… a lot more roses than I expected. And not just roses - some people sent paragraphs worth of messages. Matching them to the right names, houses, delivery times, colour codes - it was like being a very romantic postal owl. Finley: You make it sound like a puzzle. Eli: It was a puzzle. A very delicate and emotionally volatile one. We had some of our volunteers kick up a bit of a fuss but we managed to get everything delivered so it all worked out. Finley: What would you say to people who want to organise? Eli: Bring notebooks. Trust me, you will definitely need them - and don’t be afraid to tell someone no. We had no nasty notes sent this year, but both Hina and I were prepared to report them, I don’t stand for bullying in any capacity. Honestly watching the two of them work seemed to go really well, and even though there were a couple of bumps in the road, everything seems to have turned out alright for them, which makes this Gryffindor happy. Maybe it was the sibling synergy, you can never deny it. From surprise secret admirer notes, to those joke ones people sent to each other, I think this shaped up to be a really fun Valentine’s day, I know many of us got plenty of roses from our friends so it was fun to see everyone walking around with them. I haven’t had a chance to personally thank my rose givers yet, but I think we should all make sure we do, because it isn’t always easy to write our feelings down. And whilst Hinata might be graduating (seriously where did the time go?) Elijah hinted at maybe, maybe taking the reins again next year. Finley: So, next year. Will we be seeing you running this again? Elijah: You know what? Ask me again in January. I’ll have recovered by then. Whether you received a rose, sent one or simply enjoyed being able to move around the school watching what everyone else was doing, thank you for making this years Valentine’s Day one to remember and if you see the Edogawa siblings, (specifically the younger Ravenclaw and the older Hufflepuff) be sure to give them a thanks for making it possible at all. ‘Til next year - Finley. |
By Beatrice Grey (Kiersten) | 
By Peregrine Piper (Camilla) |
Dear Aunt Meg, __________________________________________________________I f*cked up with a friend, and now I don’t know how to fix things. I already apologised at the time, but it doesn’t seem to have made any difference. What else can I do to fix the friendship? Signed, A sorry friend Dear A sorry friend, Sometimes people need space or don't feel like accepting apologies. Depending on what you did, you might need to just let them have time to figure out their own thoughts and feelings on the situation. You could also try writing a letter to cement your apology. Forcing a friendship never works. Hi Auntie Meg!!! Okay so I'm gonna get right into it. So I met this boy, he is like okay well maybe two years older than me right? We met on New Years, right? You following? OKAY SO! When the clock turned midnight right he said happy new years to everyone right? BUT GET THIS!!!!!! HE LOOKED AT ME AND SMILED AT ME!!! So I already have gathered that this must mean he is like in love with me right? Just wanted to get your input I suppose. He definitely is so cute and definitely has a crush on me... RIGHT???? xoxo, Live, Laugh, Love Dear Live, Laugh, Love, I don't have much experience in the romance department, but the smile could have also been a friendly smile. Also, older boys can be trouble (at least, that's what my mom says). If you really think that he is interested in you, maybe get to know him first to see if you have things in common. Then, go from there. Dear Aunt Meg, Say, hypothetically, you're a really talented witch but your supposed best friend clearly doesn't think very highly of you and did something that shows they actually don't respect you at all, would you forgive them? Or is it fair to threaten to curse them if they come near you until you graduate at which point you can just never speak to them again? Sincerely, Vexed & Hexed Dear Vexed & Hexed, Threatening and cursing friends or ex-friends never is a good idea, especially in school. You could get in big trouble! If you're not willing to make-up with your friend because things were too much, I would just suggest asking them nicely to not interact with you. If graduation is soon for you, then it seems like a manageable situation. If you have a few more years, it might be worth it to try and make-up. Also, sometimes people are threatened by people who are smarter than they are, and that's not something the smarter person can help. Best to all, Aunt Meg | I have been really enjoying learning more about different muggle fairytales and folklore. They are so different from the stories I've grown up with. This year I also learned about some stories from different places around the world. I thought that because of Valentine's Day and rose giving, I would share my retelling of a story that is the basis of romantic festivals in China (Qixi Festival), Japan (Tanabata), Korea (Chilseok) and Vietnam (Thất Tịch). I think we should have more festivals of love! __________________________________________________________The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl adapted from the ancient Chinese folktale There once lived a talented weaver witch named Vega, like the star. She wasn't a powerful witch, because she could only really enchant her weaving, but it was still a special and unique type of magic. She lived in a small village just near a muggle community that was usually kept hidden. Vega made the most beautiful clothes which were enchanted by her magic. Her father was a very strict wizard who did not like muggles, but he loved his daughter very much. He also loved the clothes she made as they kept their family living very comfortably. Vega was a devoted woman and she wanted to keep her family happy, but she also really wanted to fall in love. One day, Vega was down by the river washing her hair. She had slipped away from her village for a little bit of a break and to dream of her ideal love when a stranger picked up her enchanted shawl when it fell into the river and started to float away. She didn't know the man, and was at first afraid of him as she was not supposed to see muggles due to her father's strictness. But they soon got talking and the man, who was a cowherd which I think is some type of farmer that works with muggle animals, named Altair turned out to be very kind. The two of them fell very quickly in love. From then on, Vega would often slip away from her weaving to go meet with Altair, but her father became suspicious when she started neglecting her work. One day he secretly followed her, and when he caught the two lovers he was furious. He forbade Vega from ever seeing Altair again. To ensure they wouldn't meet, he banished Altair to the other side of the river, which they were both unable to cross. Heartbroken, Vega returned to her weaving. But one day, a witch in the form of a magpie named Deneb heard Vega's cries, and summoned up a bridge so she could be reunited with Altair. They could only meet on one day of the year, as that was the only day when Vega's father's magic waned enough for Deneb to create the magic bridge. But their love never waned and they would meet on that day, the seventh day of the seventh month, every year after. When people learned the story of Vega and Altair, they were so moved by their love, and even when Vega's father found out he could not stop the lovers from reuniting forever. And that is why on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month (which is different from the regular months but I haven't learned about the lunar months in Astronomy yet) people celebrate love and devotion. |
By Eoghan Blyth (Zephie) |
What's in store for Y50? Runes, cards, crystal balls. Whatever you use to look into the future or guide you to a decision, it's clear that we can read into these tools and prepare ourselves for the events up ahead. Once again, I've taken some time to map out some readings for you, so next year you know what you could be looking out for. Ravenclaws You've had a number of highs recently eagles, but unfortunately this means you'll soon be met with a series of lows. Next year will be the toughest one yet that you've had to face during your time at Hogwarts, but just remember that the pain you go through will be temporary, that these things pass, we learn to heal and grow from our experiences and that you're never on your own. Slytherins I think for the Slytherins next year, you should be careful of those around you. Perhaps careful isn't the word, maybe aware is more fitting. Your friends and those closest to you need you more than you think, so this year make sure you're paying attention to what they're saying, as well as what they're not. You're supposed to be playing a bigger part in their lives than you are right now. Hufflepuffs Someone's caught your eye. Someone you weren't expecting and perhaps someone you wish hadn't. Nevertheless, you're finding this year that you've got to work on your emotional side and what it means to be noticed by others in a way you may not have been before. Don't forget to speak to those closest to you first before making any bold or rash moves. Patience is your friend. Gryffindors You've found yourself with a lot more responsibility than you're used to, Gryffindors. This year you'll be looked up to by people you may not have realised knew who you were, and it may be overwhelming to come to terms with the fact that the things you're saying to others are being taken to heart. |
By Hugo Stark-West (Mia) |
Hello and welcome to the final meeting of Hugo's Book Club. I did have something a little different planned for this, but I read a book I have to add to the club so we are starting with this. The book for this month is Bookshops and Bonedust by Travis Balderee. I know this is not the first book in a series, it is a prequel. But it works well as a standalone, and you dont need to have read the other book for it to make sense (except maybe the epilogue) Our main character, Viv, is many things, but at the start of the book, you need to know she is an orc, and she is a mercenary, who is currently travelling with her troupe to try and catch a powerful necromancer. She is also rather hot-headed and managed to get stabbed during a raid. She gets taken to the nearest town to recover a sleepy seaside time pf murk. While she is there, she is unable to rest for long and soon meets and befriends Fern, the owner of an old bookshop, and, being unable to stay still for too long, begins helping her to renovate the shop. She makes some more friendsm the baker Maylee, a gnome called Gallina who is just a little too fond of her knives and Satchel the skeleton. However, the necromancer isn’t gone, and with the stakes rising, vice rest quickly turns into another adventure. I really enjoyed this book. A fantasy about a book shop it's not really hard to see why. It technically is a prequel to another book (Legends and Lattes), but you don’t need to read it to enjoy this book. The only thing that might be weird is the epilogue. Viv is a great protagonist as were each of the supporting characters. I really love Satchel, thought he was a great character. I think the book is classed as a cozy fantasy, which means that it is mostly character-driven and the risks seem low. Even though a necromancer taking over the town is quite a high risk the main focus was on the character and friendships that grew. 
To finish Hugo’s Book Club, I would like to announce the Hugo awards. Where I give my top picks of each of the books under some specific titles. I will give one winner for each category. And two runners up, one suitable for younger students, one geared more to older ones. Books about magical school Winner: A Deadly Education: Naomi Novak Younger: Circle of Magic series: Tamora Pierce Older: A Circle of Shadows: Evelyn Skye I know magic schools are is something we are all familiar with. But none of these schools are like Hogwarts. In A Deadly Education, the students are locked in, and it is a fight against the monsters to survive. The Circle of Magic is a temple-based school and an elemental magic system, and A Circle of Shadows is a magic cross ninja school with a Japanese-inspired world. Classic books Winner: The Hobbit (part of the Middle-Earth world): JRR Tolkien Younger: The Wee Free Men (part of the Discworld universe) Terry Pratchett Older: Animal Farm: George Orwell Here we have two books from big well-known universes. Terry Pratchett's Discworld is one of my favourite places to visit. And the Lord of the Rings is one of the archetypes for most modern-day fantasies. Animal Farm is a standalone representing politics from 1930s Russia through farm animals. All were great reads and you can see why each of them are classics. Books where the protagonist has to save their town from a magical threat Winner: The Left-Handed Booksellers of London: Garth Nix Younger: A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking: T Kingfisher Older: Bookshops and Bonedust: Travis Baldree Okay I am now making the categories fill the books. But all of these were great. Any one of them could be the winner. The Left-Handed Booksellers of London is set in London (surprisingly enough), almost 100 years ago, where we follow the protagonist into a world of old gods and evil fighting booksellers. The Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking follows a young wizard whose power works through bread and how she uses that to try and save her city from a corrupt government and invading army. As for Bookshops and Bonedust, see above. Science fiction (Only has two entries as there wasn’t a third option) Younger: Uglies: Scott Westerfield Older: The Extraordinaries: T J Klune Uglies is set in a future where muggle fuels have run out and society has been built around beauty. Tally rebels, leaves the town and learns of the government's controls and tries to overturn them. The Extraordinaries is set in a world where some people have superpowers and our lead is their biggest fan. Though he seems oblivious that his two best friends hide beneath the mask. image credit |
"What would be your dream job?" By Sybil St. James (Kadi) |
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Nessie Westwick Slytherin First Year "Executioner. Starting with you." | Peregrine Piper Gryffindor Second Year "I'd really like to work with magical creatures, maybe looking after them or finding new ones!" | Te Reeweti Mahuika Ravenclaw Third Year "Writer." | Naveen Khatri Hufflepuff Fourth Year "Uh, probably a chef or something." |
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Violet Stark-West Slytherin Fifth Year "In the muggle world they have a job called an influencer who gets paid just for looking good taking pictures going to parties and selling things. That." | Marama Te Rangi Gryffindor Sixth Year "Something on the water! Sailor, lifeguard, swim teacher, whatever! I just wanna be where the ocean is!" | Oswald Brambleheart Hufflepuff Seventh Year "Wandmaking." | Professor Gabrielle Moncrieffe History of Magic Years 1-4 "Teaching History of Magic, of course...no, it would be archaeology." |
By Hugo Stark-West (Mia) |
Hello I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has contributed to the Monthly. Not just this edition but for the last seven years. It has been a pleasure to work with you all, and I have learned something from each and every one of you. You are all amazing. I would especially like to thank Miranda, who has worked tirelessly to get the paper together. She has also had to put up with me facing both NEWTs and OWLs, in our time editing together. and who has on many occasions had to tell me to stop being distracted, get my nose out of the book and get to work. Especially this year, though, that has also changed to stop being distracted by a boy. But thank you for keeping me sane. Thank you to Teddy, a cause of some of that insanity and a lot of the distractions this year. But thank you also for keeping me sane. You have helped me grow and find more about myself than I thought possible. I also want to take the time to announce next year’s HM leadership. I would like to welcome Eoghan, who will join Miranda as editor. I am sure that they will both do an excellent job, and I hope you will make him feel welcome and supported. And finally, to you, the readers. Thank you for supporting the monthly. We wouldn't be here without you. for the final time. Hugo Stark-West |
