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- 06/51 (15)
THE BIG FIVE-O HNZ's Big Birthday Soiree By Eoghan Blyth (Zephie) |
Welcome back to another year with Hogwarts Monthly! I'm Eoghan Blyth and I am now one of your co-editors beside Miranda Dawes, after the graduation of Hugo last year. I hope Hugo and all our recent graduates are doing well out there. This year at HNZ marks the fiftieth that the school has been running, meaning there has been an abundance of special events, parties and celebrations to mark the occasion. It's not everyday your school turns 50! Before we delve into what's been going on during the first half of the year, let's take a look at who's joined us (and there's a lot, so might want a beverage). Professor Ferrin Talkner has joined us this year as our temporary History of Magic for the older years while Professor Borisyuk is away. Professor Ioan Finch is now our lower years Potion professor, and Professor Geovanna Adler-Cade is our lower years Defence Against the Dark Arts professor. For those that are taking elective subjects, you'll have spotted that Professor Iris Van Houten and Professor Selene Le Fey have now taken over the introductory years for Divination and Ancient Runes respectively. In addition, we also welcome Professor Mallory Grayveson, and some of you may recognise her from a previous position although she returns to us now as our new Muggle Studies professor for the upper years. Welcome to all our new staff members! Now it's time to delve into what's been going on this semester to make this year one to remember! |
By Morrie Ayre (Verity) | 
By Magdalene Grey (Kiersten) (Source - Kiersten's Great Grandma) |
| Every year the headmaster throws us a Halloween Feast, and every year is basically the same that I can't be bothered to tell you what happened because nothing new really, just check the Hogwarts Monthly archives if you really care. The feast was fine with pumpkins, floating candles, blah blah blah. Who cares. I guess the one teenie tiny interesting thing are the competition winners who are: Best Overall: Knox Cooper as a Superhero (Abby) Best Magically Enhanced: Lucy Montague as a Fairy (Sarah) Most Scary: Teddy Pirrip as a Hag (Verity) Best Group/Pair: Lilith Ilves and Eoghan Blyth as Superheroes (Faye and Zephie) Most Traditional Halloween: Audrey Beauchamp as a Ballerina (Camilla) And since it's Hogwarts 50th year so the professors keep reminding us, there were other Halloween themed events including a Pumpkin Regatta which was totally bonkers and dangerous, though unfortunately nobody was seriously hurt bobbing around the lake in a hand crafted pumpkin. Missed opportunity for a half descent story if you ask me. Professor Jacobs organised a hangi and that was good. The rest of it was pretty meh. Oh and there was Spooky Dating. I missed this because I actually have a life, but if anyone has any good stories from that, please write in for the next issue. Or don't, I don't actually care. __________________________________________________________ | If you are a fan of bread pudding, this is a similar dessert that I made with my mom's family. It's good hot or cold, but I like it best when it's straight out of the oven. Yum! Ingredients: 250 grams white sugar 107 grams butter 2 eggs 4 fl oz milk 5 slices of white bread, cubed 1 20-oz can of crushed pineapple Instructions 1. Blend sugar with butter 2. Add 2 eggs, beat well. Gradually add the milk, mixing well. 3. Add cubed bread, let it soak in the mixture for 10 minutes. 4. Add the whole can of crushed pineapple with the juice. Gently mix and let soak for another 10 minutes. 5. Add to a baking dish. Bake at 350°F (or 175°C) covered for 50 minutes. Remove cover and bake another 10 minutes to brown lightly. Serve hot or cold. __________________________________________________________ |
QUIDDITCH Y50 S1 By Juniper Veritas (Faye) |
| Hello! My name is Juniper Veritas and today I’ll be writing you a brief summary about the first two games of Quidditch for year 50! I honestly don’t know much about the sport other than it looks a bit brutal? Honestly I just panicked and said I could take the topic so let’s just get this over with! Game one was between Ravenclaw and Gryffindor! I am not an expert on this sport by any means but I feel like it kind of…. fell short? I mean I blinked and it was already over and I don’t know if that’s how it’s supposed to go but seemed a bit anti–climactic to some of the players too. Anyways, enough of speculating about the time, let’s get to it. Both teams gathered on the pitch, captains giving their speeches to their teams and handing line ups to Reeve! As the whistle blew the players shot up to the sky and oh. Gryffindor Seeker Aroha Blenheim instantly spotted the snitch and caught it, leaving the Ravenclaw seeker, Lilith Ilves, staring with her jaw nearly all the way down on the floor. I mean I guess that’s one way to do it? At least nobody got hit today? The first game winner is GRYFFINDOR! Congratulations! For our second game of the semester we have Hufflepuff vs Slytherin! Spoiler alert this game was much more intense than the one before, also supporting the idea that the first game was surprisingly short! While the teams gathered up to the pitch and captains went on their task of giving little pep talk to their teams and handing over the team lineups one could feel the excitement for hopefully some real action this time all over the audience. Enough so that you kind of forgot how loud Mr. Buchanan’s voice was and as it echoed through the air I almost lost my notebook. Anyways as the teams shot into the air to play their respective roles I tried to keep an eye out for each player, but it was a bit hard. Maybe being a spider would make it an easier task. It was hard to pick who to watch; The Seekers’ tireless search for the snitch or the Edogawa Chasers practically passing the quaffle between them scoring and failing. Or the Beaters smacking their bludgers, but personally I found the other two more comforting to watch even if they got hit while trying to do their roles. The Chasers seemed to be having a good time, there were a fair amount of scores for both teams. Whereas the Beaters seemed to be missing their hits more often than not, they got a few hits in, don’t get me wrong. As Jonah made his way towards the opposing hoops the Slytherin Seeker seemed to have noticed something because it looked like he was chasing after it. I couldn’t see anything at first but as I squinted I could make out a small golden ball, I might not know much but I know that that’s the golden snitch. Jonah managed one final score through the hoops before Ignatius Wolffort sped forward and we all got to watch in slow-motion as the Seeker reached out his hand, grabbed the snitch and then practically somersaulted, broom and all, with the victory in his grasp. With that the winner of the second game is SLYTHERIN! Congratulations! The games next semester will be as follows: Gryffindor vs Slytherin for the final winner of the Year 50 Quidditch cup and Ravenclaw vs Hufflepuff just for fun! |
By Eoghan Blyth (Zephie) | 
By Rosalind Montgomery (Sarah) |
| Have the last few articles seemed accurate for your house? Do you think this a waste of time? Here's the latest rune readings for your house, and what you can expect in the coming months. Ravenclaws Unfortunately for the eagles there are dark days ahead. There will be light at the end of the tunnel, but it looks as though it's a long tunnel at that. Keep your friends close during the next semester, you'll probably need them more than you realise. Those born in the warmer months are going to find it particularly difficult. Gryffindors There's been a shift with Gryffindors this year, whether that's a recent break up, or following your own path, Gryffindors are taking charge of themselves and what they want. If you find that your Gryffindor companion doesn't seem to be as engaged as they usually are, just give them some time, they're just trying to figure some things out for themselves. Hufflepuffs You're in your element now, badgers. It's been a long time coming, but this semester is your time to shine. Don't let others stand in your way or dim your light, because you're just as strong if not stronger than those in the other houses next semester. You should enjoy yourselves, you've earned it. Slytherins There's victory on the horizon for Slytherins, although I'm not sure what vicinity this is in. Are you winning the House cup? Is this a personal victory for the snakes? I'm not sure but I can see a lot of celebrating down in the dungeons to come, and I don't even believe you need to change what you're doing. It will happen on its own, just keep it up. __________________________________________________________ | Hey everyone! Now, I know we were all fans of Hugo’s Book Club but he’s graduated (rest in peace) and now it’s my turn to take the reins. So without further ado, the book for this issue's Book Club is… Great Expectations by Charles ****ens What the ****ens?! Perhaps you’ve heard of him, perhaps you haven’t, but Charles ****ens was a muggle author from the 1800s (yeah, that long ago). Why am I covering a book by an author this old? Well, it’s influential! Let’s dive in. Great Expectations is a book about a young boy called Pip. He’s poor, raised by his much older sister who is relentlessly cruel to him. But his brother-in-law is really nice, if a little bit daft, which I much prefer to be honest! The book starts with intrigue and whispers of crime – Pip is assailed by an escaped convict who’s in need of food. Pip, under duress, steals some food for his convict (will his older sister catch him?! Read to find out!). An interesting start, and things just get more interesting from there. There’s an old lady called Miss Haversham who never married and remains in her wedding dress from the day she was jilted. Lawyers get involved at some point (it’s more interesting than it sounds), and Pip goes from being a child to a young man. I won’t spoil the core premise, but it’s an exciting read with plot twists, including romance if you’re into that sort of thing. Interesting fact section: Great Expectations, like a lot of novels at the time, was published serially. This means that, instead of like nowadays when a whole book is released at once, the ‘book’ is split into smaller parts. People would read Great Expectations weekly, a couple of chapters at a time, out of a magazine. Isn’t history fascinating? __________________________________________________________ |
By Anonymous Aunt Meg aka Juniper Veritas (Faye) | 
By Rosé Glass (Zephie) (Source - PM's with Shopkeepers) |
| Hello aunt Meg! I have one question, how do I scare away every boy my sister has a crush on? Just asking theoretically, I have a few ideas but figured I'd get another point of view for this  Sincerely, Watch Out Hello dear Watch Out, Um I don’t think scaring away people is that nice… You could try being more open to just welcoming them into your sister’s life? Isn’t it kind of good that she likes people…? Scaring away people isn’t nice and seems a little mean, especially if she likes them.  Sincerely, Aunt Meg Dear Aunt Meg, I never thought I'd write this. Ok here goes. I think I'm falling for someone. Like, properly. I've never experienced this before with anyone. The only problem is, I don't think I'm a good boyfriend. How do I get over her and accept she's better off with someone else? Hello dear anonymous piece of parchment number one, Um, please don’t fall. That seems unsafe, at least have some safety measures if you are on a cliff at risk of falling… However this someone, if they are at the bottom of the cliff, maybe they can catch you and that can be your safety measure? Don’t know how strong they are, but better that than nothing. I don’t know how to help you to be a good boyfriend, though I liked when mine asked how school was going and that was nice. Always does you well in any relationship to be kind to the other and acknowledge them, so I think maybe that would work here too? Sincerely, Aunt Meg Hi Meg! What do you do if someone you thought you liked, turned out to be not so nice? Would you still like them? Hello dear anonymous piece of parchment number two, I don’t know. If someone turned out to not be so nice I’d probably just be quiet but my mama always says that you should stand up for yourself and for what’s right. She always tells me to be kind even to those who aren’t to me but never let them treat me any less than I am worth. I don’t really know what all that means but I’d imagine you could just tell them they aren’t being nice. I think it’s okay to still like them but if they aren’t being nice to you, don’t let them treat you badly either. Sincerely, Aunt Meg Hey Meg, it's me, ya boy. I'm about to graduate but like, I have no idea what I'm supposed to do when I leave. So, what do I do? - Unsure Hello dear ya boy - Unsure. Uhm, I mean the world is kind of scary with its wide variety of open possibilities, but maybe try to think of it this way : there's technically nothing you can’t do? Think about the things you like and what makes you feel like home, then do those things. I think if you are at a loss what to do just do the things you enjoy and go from there! Sincerely, Aunt Meg __________________________________________________________ | I'm pretty sure this is a new article, or at least I've never seen it in one of the recent archives for the school paper. While it's very important to keep up to date on what is going on in the castle, I also think it's important for all Hogwarts Students to know exactly what is going on outside of it, too. __________________________________________________________This year we've had a handful of new shopkeepers taking over the stores that you and I will visit on our school breaks, if we're lucky. Those who have taken a keen eye to Quidditch may have noticed that there's a new lady running the store now; Marisol Woods. Apparently she took the job because "I was looking for a new challenge in life and when I saw the sign it seemed like the perfect opportunity." For those of us who play for our school Quidditch team, isn't it perfect that someone who shares our interest is the very person we can go to with our questions? Marisol also told me, "I am definitely looking forward to it! Now I get to talk about Quidditch for work!" If you're looking for a new broom, I'd highly recommend having a chat to Marisol, (and you never know, maybe you'll be one of the first to see the store's new upcoming makeover!) Marisol isn't the only new shopkeeper, either. Sylvie Triss has also taken over Ollivander's after the retirement of the previous owners, which maybe you think could be very big shoes to fill, however after talking to Sylvie, she seems like the perfect fit. "When I lived in England, I worked as a shop assistant at Ollivander's and did some apprenticeships in wandmaking. It all made me fall in love with the craft and getting to help new witches and wizards find their wands. My husband and I were looking to relocate to New Zealand, and when I saw the shop was up for a new shopkeeper, it felt a little like fate." Sounds to me like Sylvie knows what she's doing! If you're like me and currently too young to visit Mākutu Mall, then Syrah Glass (aka my mama) from the Inner Eye, let me in on what to expect when we can visit. "Differing to Brightstone Village and Obsidian Harbour, that all of you are probably more used to, the Mall offers a compact shopping experience where there are a few shops and a diner all under one roof." Mama also mentioned that the mall is an excellent place to buy items that aren't sold anywhere else in New Zealand, so definitely worth checking out when we get the chance! Now, a job might not be for everyone and frankly I don't even think I would want to consider having a job until I was at least a few years older, but for those of you who are keen to make some extra pocket money (perhaps you have your eye on something for your best friends birthday) then I have compiled a list for you, of all the different places that are currently hiring, in age order. Available vacancies for students: ✦ Mākutu Music (First Years and above) - Mākutu Mall ✦ The Apothecary (13 years old and above) - Obsidian Harbour ✦ Honeyduke's (Third years and above) - Brightstone Village ✦ Quality Quidditch Supplies (14 years old and above) - Obsidian Harbour ✦ Inner Eye (Fourth years and above) - Mākutu Mall ✦ Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop (Fourth years and above) - Obsidian Harbour ✦ Madam Malkin's Robes (15 years old and above) - Brightstone Village ✦ Flourish and Blott's (15 years old and above) - Obsidian Harbour Vacancies around the community will be checked on frequently, so keep an eye on the paper if you're waiting for a dream role! |
By Eoghan Blyth (Zephie) |
Thank you so much to all our writers for making the Hogwarts Monthly possible, and to Miranda for making me feel welcomed to the new role. I'm very much looking forward to working with you all more over the next few years and watching as we evolve. To all our readers, we look forward to seeing you again next semester, and it's because of you that we can do what we love. I would implore anyone who has a like-minded habit when it comes to writing to get involved in the paper, to see what we can create when we come together. I have no doubt that in the upcoming second era of our schools celebratory year, that we'll see even more events and unexpected opportunities coming our way, and we plan to be there to capture it all! See you next time - Eoghan |
