- Messages
- 599
- OOC First Name
- Sam
- Blood Status
- Half Blood
- Relationship Status
- Single
- Sexual Orientation
- Unknown
- Wand
- Straight 10 Inch Flexible Fir Wand with Mermaid Scale Core
THE HOGWARTS MONTHLY
Y43 ISSUE S2
Another Semester Underway!
Y43 ISSUE S2
Another Semester Underway!
By: River Hopkins-Vance
Welcome back to another semester. As is always the case here at Hogwarts, there was plenty going on. Love has been in the air this semester with both Valentine's Day and the Rose Giving. A little less love was shown during the Quidditch matches, but they were entertaining to say the least. So sit back, relax, and read about all the exciting things that happened this semester at Hogwarts.
Valentine's Day By: Margo Fox Valentine’s Day started off with a flurry of petals all over the castle as rose deliveries returned this year to get us all in the romantic mood. But even if you didn’t receive any roses everyone was welcome to come and enjoy themselves at the Valentine’s day dance! The dance is one of the main events of the year and is the perfect place for first dates and budding romances. Roses continued to be the theme of the day and filled the great hall with pinks and whites. And for all of you out there who only come to events for the food, it did not disappoint, with a full spread of snacks and several flavors of punch to choose from. As always it was nice to see everyone dressed their best for the event and had their picture taken by the wonderful Accio team. Whether you came as a single or as a couple there was plenty of dancing to be done and the dance floor was packed for nearly the entire night. And only time will tell if any of those couples will do it all again next year! |
Club Events: By Margo Fox The clubs here at Hogwarts are always busy and this semester they kept us extra involved. The semester started with a bang, or rather a rose thanks to the Wild Patch Club’s hard work to provide them for all your Valentine’s needs. They grew more than enough for the holiday and were able to spend a day full of crafting and pruning to keep the rose bushes ready for next time. The Conglomerate Art’s Club got together and celebrated music and created wonderful music boxes. Students were able to record a song or any sound they wanted and the box would play back. Not only could the customize the sound but they could customize the outside as well! Those more artistically inclined could express themselves on the outside and maybe even work together to create something truly unique. Another big event this semester was hosted by both the Brotherhood of Magic and Heta Omega Sorority. Speed dating, or speed friending if you preferred, was hosted over Brightstone Weekend at Madam Puddifoot's. Students of all ages were encouraged to participate and organized by age groups so they could get to know their classmates a bit better. Only time will tell if any real romance or friendship blossomed. One of the biggest events that everyone was waiting for was the SDA’s annual Dueling Tournament. Although you didn’t need to be a member to participate, I’m sure members were more than ready to show off their skills. In the end the tournament lasted three rounds with twenty-eight competitors participating over all. Congratulations to the winners!
| |
Quidditch By: Michael Watson This year has proven to be an excellent year for Quidditch at Hogwarts, especially after the trend of games that were over before they began. The first semester’s games set a high standard and the second semester didn’t disappoint. The first match of the season was the “bronze medal” playoff between Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Slytherin came in with a lot to prove after being removed from Quidditch Cup contention by the quiet yet deadly Hufflepuff squad, and Ravenclaw…we were just happy to be there. (Full disclosure, I played for Ravenclaw in that game but I have interviewed impartial spectators for this report). Ravenclaw started strong with Branson Archer scoring the first goal of the match. But Slytherin evened the score with a return goal from Natalia Novak. These two traded goals once again, setting up for a tense battle, but play was soon brought to a halt as Slytherin captain Celia Vuong hit Ravenclaw’s seeker Hamish Reid with enough bludgers for him to be substituted out. Almost immediately after play restarted, Slytherin’s Ivelisse Burleigh caught the snitch, with Slytherin winning the match 170 to 20. Michael’s MVP: Who else but Celia Vuong, for precise hitting and aggressive yet effective captaincy. Although that game had been relatively short despite all the action, the championship match was a hard fought battle between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. Any young Gryffindor knows that getting into that squad of titans is an uphill battle, but after the Slytherin match spectators knew better than to discount Hufflepuff. Both keepers deflected early goal attempts, but it soon became another case of trading goals. Then Hufflepuff managed a quick intercept and scored two goals in rapid succession to secure the badgers’ lead. Proving that playing seeker is hazardous to your health, play was halted when Hufflepuff’s seeker Felix Carnahan had to be substituted out for Penelope Marshall. Both teams continued to fight hard, with bludgers flying every which way, but Marshall managed to find the snitch before anyone else was sent to the hospital wing, Hufflepuff winning 200 to 20 and taking the Quidditch Cup. Michael’s MVP: Tough call, there were plenty of standouts on both teams, but I have to give it to Renata Stepanova for four goals and driving momentum. Finally, Hufflepuff played off against Beauxbatons in the international exhibition match. The Beauxbatons v Ilvermorny game was reportedly a hard fought battle and I would have loved to see it for myself. Would’ve been better viewing than the exhibition match that, while there was a quick goal to each side, ended very quickly when Beauxbatons caught the snitch. Beauxbatons won 160 - 10. Michael’s MVP: Beauxbatons seeker Vincent Poe I guess? Game was too short for anyone else to have an impact. Quidditch next year promises to be thrilling - will Hufflepuff keep their momentum or will the international defeat set them back? Will Slytherin fight back to maintain their dominance of recent years? Can Gryffindor go one better and bring home the cup? Ravenclaw…can we win a game (please)? As both a player and fan, I can’t wait to get back out there again and I hope to see you all out in the stands! | Interview Spotlight By: Elara Chatelain Disclaimer: In pursuit of journalistic integrity, this writer wants to make clear to anyone who isn't aware that she is in a long-term relationship with Gryffindor captain Isaiah Thompson. Additionally, she is friendly and familiar with the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff captains. Readers will hopefully see there was no bias towards them shown in her reporting. Quidditch - arguably one of the most important and memorable things a student can participate in at Hogwarts. Like any organized sport, quidditch teaches teamwork, problem solving, cooperation, and leadership. For my last article with Hogwarts Monthly, I wanted to sit down with those leaders, specifically, the quidditch captains for each house, to learn just what it takes to lead these teams. The countless work behind the scenes studying strategies and working with players while continuing excellence in their academic studies does not go unnoticed, but we rarely see them get the recognition they deserve. I sat down with the captains for the current school year: Isaiah Thompson for Gryffindor, Rene Tofilau for Hufflepuff, Xiuying Huang for Ravenclaw, and Celia Vuong for Slytherin. While some had more to say than others, I feel that all captains had some important insight on what it means to be a leader. My first question seems rather obvious: what qualities should a captain posess? Skill and dedication were an obvious choice for Vuong. "Your team won't work hard if they don't see you putting in the effort as well," she said, something all the captains could agree on. "You're there to motivate them, encourage them to keep trying when they're close to giving up. Trust them and show them that they can trust you," Thompson added, highlighting the social skill behind the position. "My team stays motivated because they understand the goal they're working towards... I make it very clear what my expectations are for the team and what Slytherin is capable of," continued Vuong. Obviously, the current captains have made such an impact on this year's season that they could misconstrued as veterans in the position. But as Vuong corrected, only Thompson has served for more than one season. That really is just a testament to the skill each captain exhibits. While all the clubs and groups at Hogwarts provide a community for students, quidditch brings people together in a unique way. "Everyone needs each other. Seekers need beaters to defend them or to up their chances of finding the snitch by knocking out the opponent. Keepers need chasers to keep the quaffle away from their hoops yet chasers also need a solid keeper to make sure they stay ahead in points. Everyone needs the seeker to end the game, but chasers scoring points could definitely mess with the overall ranking. It's a team sport and each and every player out on that pitch is important," said Thompson. If you are interested in trying out for quidditch, keep an eye on your house bulletin board at the beginning of the next school year! |
Roses: By: Marnie Frog 
With the help of a small army of deliverers, The Wild Patch was able to help deliver a whopping 275 roses about the school! As a deliverer myself, this reporter can report it was an exhausting but endeavor but well worth it! Split between 43 delivers, they saw the delivery of 183 yellow roses, 42 pink roses, and 50 red roses. Wow! That's a lot of love. And the student who received the most of that love with an impressive eight roses was none other than our very own head boy, Jordan Harris. No wonder he's so popular! As someone who got to experience rose giving for the first time this year I must say it was a wonderful way to celebrate and I already can't wait to do it again! I hope you all were able to enjoy a little extra love and happiness as well this Valentine's either by sending or receiving a rose, and if you didn't, there's always another year, right! Or why wait? Why not stop by the Wild Patch and see if they have any spare plants to send to your most recent crush? They seem like a friendly bunch even if some of the plants aren't always so nice. So maybe ask for a nice plant. Anyway! On behalf of the school and the Monthly, we hope you had a lovely Valentine's Day and you can count this article as a special bonus rose if you like. Love, Marnie! |
Top Ten Places in the Castle (In No Particular Order) By: Ruto Vernier-Raison
| Op-Ed: Five Steps Hogwarts Must Make to Reform Quidditch By: Celia Vuong If you want to play a sport at this school, you only have one option: Quidditch. Unfortunately for you, the Hogwarts Quidditch program is illogical, poorly funded, and needlessly restrictive. Students graduate to play professionally in spite of the Quidditch here, not because of it. After starting for a team here for five years and captaining for one, I can confidently say the system is desperately in need of reform. Here are five changes Hogwarts must make if it wants to truly support its athletes and make the Quidditch program more fair. Hire a coach. It is astounding that the largest magical school in Oceania has decided to leave the task of coaching to students. As a captain, I am responsible for training the chasers, keepers, seekers and beaters on my team despite only having experience playing one of those positions. Practices for most teams end up being scrimmages because no one has the time, expertise, or resources to run specialized drills for each position. Ideally, Hogwarts would hire a former professional to work with the teams. But the school could also expand the roles of Professor Grace Holland or Reeve Buchanan to include coaching. Upgrade the equipment. Do you remember those ancient, dilapidated brooms that you flew for flying class all those years ago? Yeah, they're still in use. Not only are half those broomsticks a major safety hazard and potential legal liability, but they also mean that the students reliant on them for practice are at a disadvantage when it comes to trying out for a team. It is much harder to develop as a Quidditch player if you're training on a broom older than you are. Students from magical families who can afford a decent broom thus have a massive advantage during tryouts. The goal of the Quidditch program should be to support the most talented players, not the ones from the most well off families. Give captains more power. When I was named captain last year, I was shocked to learn that I was not allowed to remove anyone from the team. It didn't matter if they never attended practice or performed worse than everyone else who showed up at tryouts. Once someone gets a spot on the team, they get to keep it until they graduate. This is obviously unfair to younger and more talented players who might want a spot on a team only to find that they're all taken by older students too lazy to show up to practice. I was also told that my starting lineup could be subject to my head of house's review. This makes no sense. Captains should have full control over the composition of their team, and they should fall under the authority of someone who actually understands Quidditch — someone like a coach, perhaps — not the heads of house. Make the tournament a round robin. Under the current system, the competition for the Quidditch Cup is structured bracket-style. This is a nonsensical setup when there are only four teams and rankings are determined by points. Thanks to the snitch, Quidditch is already heavily dependent on luck. One way to help combat this is to switch to a round robin and require every team to play every other team over the course of the season. A talented team that suffers a moment of bad luck wouldn't be as heavily penalized under such a system. It would also mean more games, which I'm sure would be a welcome change after all the recent short matches. Create an all-star team for the international match. The last match of the season is always played against another school, and the players who participate are supposed to act as representatives of Hogwarts. But how representative is the team, really, if they're all from the same house? Instead of allowing a single house team to play in the international match, an "all-star" team should be created with the best players from across the school. A third-rate keeper should not get a chance to play in the international match simply because they've been coasting on their teammates' success. The all-star format would likely also mean fewer embarrassing losses like the ones that occurred this year and last year. Aunt Meg By: Aine Thompson Dear Readers, Perhaps my advice has been too critical, or perhaps everyone is simply in a state of perfect bliss and harmony (doubtful) but it seems that there has not been much demand for my services. However, I would not let that stop me from inflicting an advice column upon you all. For as long as I’ve been running this (since time immemorial, although it is rude to ask a lady her age) I have noticed there has been recurring themes in the type of questions I get sent. So, without further ado, here is Aunt Meg Giving General Advice (Probably Bad Advice, But It’s Free): Nearly every issue there is a question along the lines of ‘I like this person, but I don’t know if they feel the same way about me, what do I do?’. First of all, I’m not a mind-reader, I don’t know what you want me to do about it. And unless you can read minds or become an expert at reading body language suddenly, the only way you can know how they feel about you is if you talk to them. Tell them how you feel, and if they like you too, great, if they don’t, yeah it might be awkward for a while but you’ll get over it. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to find your soulmate (if such a thing even exists, which is doubtful) by the time you’re seventeen. There’s also a common question of ‘how do I make friends’ which kind of depends on you, anonymous writers, and your interests, and effort level. There’s clubs, but they’re only going to be as helpful as you make them. If you hate dueling and join the SDA, you probably aren’t going to make friends there. But it’s also important to note that while you’re here, this is probably going to be the easiest time to make friends and meet people. Try to interact with people when you get group work in classes, maybe. Talk to your dorm mates. Smile at someone in the hallway. You’ll probably become at least vaguely acquainted if you pay the barest bit of attention to the people around you. But let’s break it down to the most basic advice I can give to you, dear readers. Communicate. Most people aren’t going to hate you more than you probably already hate yourself. Force yourself to do the thing you need to do, you’ll feel better for it. If you like someone, ask them out, and if they treat you badly, dump them. Oh, and if you can’t say anything nice, send it in a letter to me! Hope it helps, Aunt Meg |
"What's your least favourite subject?" By: Giulia Alcott |
Hugo Stark-West Ravenclaw First Year"Charms. Because it can go wrong so easily, and things can blow up in your face." | Zerrin FergussonHufflepuff Second Year "Who, me? Oh, that's a tough one... Defense, maybe? I know it's necessary but it talks about some horrible things, so it's rough to hear about." | Marnie FroggHufflepuff Third Year"Oh Do I have to pick just one I mean I like them all but actually it's probably Defense Against the Dark Arts I mean Professor Abberline is super cool and all but his class is kind of scary and I spent like three hours reading about werewolves and then I couldn't sleep for a week plus I keep forgetting my homework and I'm worried he's going to feed me to a grindylow not that he would but what if he did you know?" | Margo FoxHufflepuff Fourth Year"Well, if I had to pick one. Probably, potions." |
Renata StepanovaHufflepuff Fifth Year "Defence Against the Dark Arts? It's really important but it can be really emotionally draining!" | Louis AlcottGryffindor Sixth Year"Pretty much all of them, they're all pretty boring right? Who actually enjoys going to classes?" | Jordan HarrisHufflepuff Seventh Year"What? Oh... I don't think I have a least favorite subject... but my hardest is Transfiguration, for sure!" | Maris WormwoodCaretaker"Herbology. If students could keep the dirt in the greenhouse maybe I'd have fonder memories. And don't get me started on keeping carnivorous plants in the castle." |
| Reviews (Muggle or Magic Sweets) By: Hugo Stark-West Everyone needs a snack. Especially at school all the time. And there is a lot available so what do we spend our gallons of pocket money on? In the magical world, there is no denying Lillies are cool. Who doesn’t like frogs that jump, mints that clean your teeth? But are wizarding snacks really better? Chocolate. To kick things off, we will start basic. no one can dislike chocolate. My favourite form of chocolate is hot chocolate, but that isn’t what we are talking about. Today I am keeping it simple. We have in the W side Huneydukes best. And on the M side, we have Whittaker's milk. Honeydukes is good chocolate. It is very sweet and it makes a nice satisfying snap when your break it. There are a few flavours to pick from if plain milk isn't your taste. Whittaker's is less sweet and has a far creamier texture and melts in your mouth as you eat. The blocks are nice and large, and there is a huge range of flavours, standard, limited edition, and fancy ones, and certainly, the one I will be reaching off the shelves. W0 M1 Lollies Lollies are an irreplaceable part of childhood. A party wasn’t complete without them, and if you were lucky, the ones that were there were milk bottles. Looking at Honeydukes, the closest I could find to compare was jelly slugs. Which probably are closer to snakes, but I only have milk bottles to compare them to. Milk bottles are a chewy lolly with a mild creamy vanilla flavour and a consistency somewhere between a true jelly sweet and a meringue. Jelly slugs are fruit-flavoured; each colour is different, I think purple (blackcurrant) was my favourite. But I’m not here to rank flavours of jelly slugs. They also have a weird feel in the tummy once you eat them. Like they are moving, which is more pleasant than it sounds so long as you don't eat the whole bag at once. While the milk bottles did remind me of going to the dairy after school, the variety and the fun of the wobbly tummy feeling gave the Wizarding World a win for this round. W1 M1 Drinks. I was going to stick with food, but we have a good competition to kick things off with. The soft drink. Growing up, wizarding kids were likely to go for a soft butterbeer; muggle children have a few more options, but as we are in New Zealand, we will have to go with the L+P for this comparison. Butterbeer has a sweet, creamy caramel flavour and can be drunk warm or cold. L+P is refreshing. Not as sweet as butter beer; it has a lemon flavour but not lemonade and is delicious. So who is the winner here? It's a hard call. They are too different in winter a warm butter beer is the way to go (If you were picking between the two), but L+P tastes like summer holidays. W1.5 M1.5 So we end with a draw. Both worlds have delicious snacks to offer. The best thing is we can try them all and decide what we like best. No matter if you end up at Honeydukes or your local dairy, you won't be let down. |
Recipe: Chocolate Brownies By: Rhys Garner A fan favorite in the Garner household, these brownies always give me a reminder of home and my mother's cooking. They're squidgy, chocolaty, and everything you could ever want in a small baked square. And to top it all off, they're not that hard to bake, just follow my dear old Ma's recipe and you can't go wrong. Ingredients
STEP 1 Cut 185g unsalted butter into small cubes and tip into a medium bowl. Break 185g dark chocolate into small pieces and drop into the bowl. STEP 2 Fill a small saucepan about a quarter full with hot water, then sit the bowl on top so it rests on the rim of the pan, not touching the water. Put over a low heat until the butter and chocolate have melted, stirring occasionally to mix them. STEP 3 Remove the bowl from the pan. Leave the melted mixture to cool to room temperature. STEP 4 While you wait for the chocolate to cool, position a shelf in the middle of your oven and turn the oven on to 180C STEP 5 Using a shallow tin, cut out a square of kitchen foil (or non-stick baking parchment) to line the base. Tip 85g plain flour and 40g cocoa powder into a sieve held over a medium bowl. Tap and shake the sieve so they run through together and you get rid of any lumps. STEP 6 Chop 50g white chocolate and 50g milk chocolate into chunks. STEP 7 Break 3 large eggs into a large bowl and tip in 275g golden caster sugar. Whisk the eggs and sugar. They will look thick and creamy. You’ll know it’s ready when the mixture becomes really pale and about double its original volume. STEP 8 Pour the cooled chocolate mixture over the eggy mousse, then gently fold together with a rubber spatula. The idea is to marry the two ingredients without knocking out the air, so be as gentle and slow as you like. STEP 9 Hold the sieve over the bowl of eggy chocolate mixture and resift the cocoa and flour mixture, shaking the sieve from side to side, to cover the top evenly. STEP 10 Gently fold in this powder as before. The mixture will look dry and dusty at first, and a bit unpromising, but if you keep going very gently and patiently, it will end up looking gungy and fudgy. STEP 11 Finally, stir in the white and milk chocolate chunks until they’re dotted throughout. Then pour the mixture into the prepared tin. STEP 12 Put in the oven and set your timer for 25 mins. STEP 13 Remove from oven and leave the cool. Cut into four squares and enjoy. | Poetry Corner By: Aaliyah Chun The Owl and the Chimpanzee By Jo Camacho The owl and the chimpanzee went to sea In a beautiful boat called The Mind The owl was sensible, clever and smart The chimp was a little behind The owl made decisions, based on fact And knew where to steer its ship The chimp reacted a little too fast And often the boat would tip The waves would come and crash aboard The chimp would start to cry Large tears would roll right down his face Afraid that he would die The chimp and the owl would wrestle at night When the world was quiet and still The chimp would jump up and rock the boat And the boat would start to fill Then the owl stepped in and grabbed a pail And started to empty it out And the chimp would start to get quite cross And would often scream and shout The battle continued night after night Until the chimp started to see That if it let the owl take control A more peaceful night it would be Muggle Moment: Stapler By: Lorenzo Vero As I learn more about the ways muggles have created tools to help their everyday life, I am more and more thankful to have magic. My recent discoveries include wax warmers and a pressure cooker, but today, I would like to talk to you about the stapler. 
A stapler is what muggles use to attach multiple layers of paper (or parchment, though less common) together. A staple is a small piece of metal that is shaped like one half of a rectangle. You put the staple into the stapler, and it shoots into the pieces of paper, somehow wrapping the ends around so it doesn't come undone. It's a particularly dangerous piece of equipment, if you ask me. I doubt I will be using it anytime soon. |
Comic Corner (The truth is out there, open your eyes) By: Jupiter Ascot 
|
| Editor's Note: By: River Hopkins-Vance This will be my last ever issue of Hogwarts Monthly as both the editor and a writer. I have loved my years on the paper, in both roles. I will miss it greatly. Thank you all for the support that the Hogwarts Monthly has received! I just know it will continue to be an amazing paper even as many of our staff members and myself graduate. |