 |
| 36 |
| Nov 2006 |
 |
| House Pride at Hogwarts
by Linford Jugson I know what house pride's supposed to be, of course. Before I came to Hogwarts, I knew about all of the houses and what each one stood for, and I knew that it was customary for the members of each house to support their Quidditch teams at games, and to try to earn the most points. Before I came to Hogwarts, it didn't seem like anything to get all worked up over, but now, as a new Ravenclaw, I can see how it comes to be so important to the students. But then, I might not have been a Ravenclaw. I might've been something else. That's the thing about house pride. You don't know what you're going to be until the Sorting Hat puts you there. But now that you're in your house, you can hardly imagine being anywhere else, can you? Some students might not even know which house is which until they're Sorted. It's not like choosing a favorite Quidditch team -- some people choose the Bats because they live near Ballycastle, or the Cannons because they like orange. (Really, what other reason could anyone have for supporting the Cannons? They're dreadful!) You're all assigned to a House based on what you are like and who you are, at least if you trust the Sorting Hat to make good decisions. And I do, because I really do belong in Ravenclaw. So, in a sense, house pride becomes much more than simply silly devotion to an arbitrary group. House pride is the support and encouragement of like-minded people. On the other hand, before I came to Hogwarts, I was led to believe certain things about certain houses that I no longer believe is true. Gryffindors, for example, were held up as the greatest and most important house at Hogwarts. Slytherins were detestable and cruel. My own house, Ravenclaw, along with Hufflepuff and Penshire, was supposedly a dull and uninteresting House, although of the three, Ravenclaw was regarded as better than the other two. I have so far met no hopelessly superior Gryffindors or unabashedly evil Slytherins, and as my time in Ravenclaw has hardly been dull, I must assume that Hufflepuff and Penshire were similarly misrepresented. It should come as no shock to the reader that the majority of the people I spoke to had been. |
| Might the Jingle Bells be ringing?
By Roxanne Whitez So, we're in the month of November. So now we have the first Quidditch match played and finished. And so now, we have Christmas coming! Sure, I have to agree that the month of September passed quickly, the start of the term rushing by as well as classes starting with a clack of the whip. But really, does winter have to come so quickly? We have only started to experience the wonderful season changes of our beloved Hogwarts' weather, the leaves turning from leafy green to a glorious mixture of red, orange and yellow. The wind blowing not so lightly but enough to tempt us to want to lift into the air and twirl as it twirls. The sun only warming us slightly now as the chill of autumn creeps down our spines. And yet, here we are, beholding close the peering of cold November. The last month of our dearest fall. So what might come next? Having Halloween, the costumes, the parties and the balls, the candies and the treats, we have enough to stock us until next year! And as November swings into our minds, we are but awaiting the closing to our next favorite holiday, Christmas! What might some be planning? Maybe a special gift to a special someone they had in mind, or even small mistletoe to go with the happy holiday. Some might dedicate themselves to helping decorate their common room, making it the jolliest but still apparent that it was not an attack of red and green, making their house characteristics shine through. With Christmas coming along, one thing we all love to do is to SHOP! For presents, for items put on sale, for gifts for our family, for ourselves, for our friends, and for our head of houses and the professors. So my advice to you is, as this month rolls on by, get ready with your list, because we might be hearing those jingle bells just ring a bit early this year! |
| The Halloween Dance
By MoD This year at Halloween there was another dance, the Halloween Dance from the 27th to 30th October. However, Professor Lockhart made sure that none of the student was able to recognize each other through some special features: each House got a so called 'theme' for dressing up. What does that mean? The Penshires had to dress up as artists or sculptures, the Slytherins suiting great with their common image had to dress up as evil characters, the Hufflepuffs were asked to dress as peace makers or silly cartoon persons. However, I wondered why they were asked to dress up as SILLY cartoon characters, because.. no matter about that. The list continued with the Ravens as they should have dressed up as figures that were deemed really smart and last not least the Gryffindors had to dress up as heroic figures. Well, when I first saw these guidelines on dressing up, I thought 'how ridiculous.', but it actually made even sense to me. Ha, yes unbelievable. But, that's thanks to our Professor Lockhart, who was so keen as to point out the reason of all of this. Because as no one was supposed to give away, who they actually were, through their characters common image, everyone was able to sort the participants at each house without knowing, who it actually was. And besides that, there was also the usual staff contest. All in all great fun, so blame yourself for missing this event. |
|
| Writing & Poetry Club re-vamped
By Ava Black Recently the Writing & Poetry club was revamped. There is a new club advisor Professor Dickinson. She teaches creative writing so it is natural for her to help with the club. The club skins have changes and I must say I find them beautiful! There is another big change to the points!! Now all writings are worth a whole 25 points! That is a lot!! So if you haven?t made your way to the Annex building lately I suggest you head on over and check out the club. I am sure you won't be disappointed! |
| Voldemort Returns!
By: Jennifer Kull (JUNK) And the magical world is full of anxiety and awe. The Minister of Magic is allegedly not sure what to do, and the local witches and wizards are locking their doors and windows at night, using the strongest safety spells they know. Some are even considering bringing their children home and away from Hogwarts. This is not the smartest move, however, noted by both students and teachers alike. PAD's is notably the safest place in this world. PAD herself has gone through extra measures to be sure that the castle and grounds alike are safe, but of course the Minister of magic feels the need to interfere. He has elected a number of dementors to patrol the area of and around Hogwarts. Although many are against this, PAD has decided to not make the Minister of Magic look the fool once again, and has agreed to allow them passage, as long as they behave themselves. Students, be careful! As everyone knows, these are creatures you do NOT want to be kissed by, and it most likely best to stop the pranks for a while, or at least to keep them well away from the, er, eyes of the dementors. With that said, have a happy school year! |
|
| The Re-Appearance of the Bloody Baron
By: Seraphina Rosehill Much to our dismay, in last month's issue we had to report the disappearance of our much beloved house ghost, the Bloody Baron. His Bloodiness had wandered off into the school, and was missing for weeks. After his adoring Slytherins made "Missing Dead Persons" posters and hung them all over the school, he finally found his way back to the wonderful dungeons he calls home. I tried to speak to the Baron, curious as to where he was and what he was doing for all the time he was gone, but the mysterious apparition has remained tight lipped about how he spent his time. Was he chasing the Grey Lady as has been rumored? Or was he off on some mission for Jennifer Kull, who regularly teases and flirts with the Ghost... possibly to get him to do her bidding? There will be further investigation into his disappearance, and closed mouth re-appearance, check back next month for an update. |
| Ministry of Magic under Construction
By: Seraphina Rosehill As a part of DADA this term, interested students will have the chance to be involved with the construction of our own Ministry of Magic and will earn extra credit points, as well, for their efforts. Professor Snape has recently taken charge of the project and decided to add it to his class so that the students can have a chance to be involved with it creation. If you have ever wanted to be involved with your school in a more impactful way, here is your chance! It will be open to any student that is taking DADA and it should prove to be a fun and rewarding project. |
|
|
|
| Breakthrough at the Department of Mysteries -- Mum's the Word!
By Linford Jugson Rumor has it that groundbreaking discoveries have been made at the Department of Mysteries in this past month. However, no one seems to be willing to reveal any information as to what these discoveries might have been. "Are you stupid?" Ben Croaker, who heads research into Life & Death, asked a reporter. "We're the Department of Mysteries. Mysteries! We do things that are mysterious. That Which Man Was Not Meant To Know, that sort of thing. I'm not telling you lot anything." "Well, if it's a question of me being sacked or you not getting an answer, I'm going to go with keeping my job," said Genoa Alden, the department's Chief Arithmancer. "Besides, I hate the press. I know you'll make it into an article anyway, and it'll be totally ridiculous, so hey! What have I got to lose?" "I simply do not have time for this! How did you get in here? Go away!" shrieked Edwina Espis, Department Head, when we barged into her office with our Quick Quotes Quills. She then proceeded to snap each Quill in half before our very eyes! Are they hiding something? Is it in the interests of national security, or is it merely an innocuous improvement on Cheering Charms? And above all, is the Ministry justified in allowing such a violent woman to be in charge of their important scientific research? Most mysterious indeed. |
|
| Horror on the 4th Floor
By Fiona Chauvet We all know there� a scary beast that lives behind the door on the 3rd floor. That�s common knowledge, but it�s my belief there�s something even more terrifying that lurks around the 4th floor. If you have ever walked to the Hospital Wing for an injury, pasted by the Prefect�s Bathroom, hurried to the Dueling Club or just went through that floor, you could tell there was something unnerving in that area. Maybe a chill went down your spine, or the hairs on the back of your neck stood up, or perhaps you got that chilling feeling like you were being watched. There�s something off about that floor and if you have ever stepped foot there you noticed it too. When I was walking through the fourth floor one afternoon, I noticed the temperature dropped dramatically. What made this even more strange was that fact this was in the middle of August. After that the portrait that hangs by the Hospital Wing began to shake. Then every portrait on that floor followed suit. It lasted for a minute and everything went back to normal. I thought it could�ve been one of the house ghosts, but I knew for a fact Peeves was in the Great Hall stealing students� lunches. I began to consider this was a ghost our school wasn�t familiar with. Maybe something happened in that hall many years ago, and the spirit is just now manifesting itself. It�s possible I suppose. Since that incident I still get chills walking through that hall, but I haven�t experienced anything quite like that again. If it�s indeed a ghost, I can only hope this is a ghost with a good soul. As of yet I haven�t noticed anything to prove otherwise. We can only wait and see if he or she decides to show their face. |
|
| Club Revolution
By MoD Have you noticed the sudden increase of the club members here at PAD's? Wherever you go, nearly everywhere you see people being a member of one of the clubs. Sometimes you see people being member of several clubs at a time. I'm sure you have already heard about those clubs around here, like the Art Club, the Hogwarts Band or our newest Club: the Writing & Poetry Club. But there are not just clubs in the castle or rather at the Annex Building , but also the different House Clubs. To name a few: Quidditch Team Support Clubs, Cheerleading Teams, Drama Clubs, Doll Clubs and several other clubs on different topics. I, personally, think it's great to have them. First of course; because you can gain points for your House. Second because you can meet other students from different Houses. But even if you are 'just' member of one of the House Clubs, you can easily get to know your housemates and have fun doing things together all of you like. That is one of the reasons, why those House Clubs are so popular with the First years: it's the best way to make you feel at home. And when you are on one of those supporting- clubs, you show respect for the things others from your house are doing, and make them represent your house even better. However, I am still waiting for a club that's initiated by one of the Professors. Maybe a 'Professor Lockhart Fan Club' or something similar. I almost can imagine the banners made by crazy students with a huge 'Most Charming Smile' on it, just to praise their master. Or a 'Professor Dumbledore Fan Club' where those student go around the school, collecting chocolate for the best Headmistress. Oh yes. Well, if any of those Professors ever happen to open up such a club, I'll be the first to join. For sure. |
|
| Something�s Brewing in the Kitchen
Anonymous Student One night recently, I found myself unable to sleep and I decided to take a late night stroll through the castle, trying to relax my mind a bit so that I would be able to rest. After touring a good part of the castle and clearing my mind, I headed off to the kitchen to get a glass of warm milk, an old Muggle trick that is supposed to help you sleep. I was surprised when I entered the kitchen and found the house elves there, hard at work in the middle of the night. I became curious and did not alert them to my presence, rather I stood back and watched to see what was going on. I saw Professor Lockhart enter, grinning that silly, happy grin he gets when something has gone his way. He walked over to where the elves were working, their attention on some cauldrons which they were gathered around, and said yes! YES! That�s it!; My curiosity was now piqued, and I couldn�t help but wonder what the Hufflepuff HOH was up to, so I continued to observe. He told the elves that it\ was ready, and the little creatures began to scoop out the liquid from within the cauldron, and poured it into large, white bottles. I watched until they finished, the elves cleaned up from their work, and Lockhart packed all of the mysterious bottles into a box. As the elves moved out of the kitchen, apparently retiring for the night, I watched the Professor levitate his box of bottles out of the kitchen, moving out into the castle, headed who knows where. Once all had left, I moved quietly over to where the elves had been doing there work, looking to find some evidence of what they had been brewing in the kitchen. It looked as if they had cleaned up well, as there was no trace at all of what they had been working on, and I was now kicking myself for not following Professor Lockhart to see where he had gone. As I turned to leave, forgetting all about why I had come and deciding to just go back to my room, I noticed a white bottle on the floor, under one of the tables. I bent and picked it up, and you�ll never believe what label was on the bottle. It was a bottle of hair conditioner! Has Professor Lockhart�s obsession with hair care products gotten so out of control that he now has the house elves making it for him? Is the penny-pinching scoundrel trying so hard to hold onto his galleons that he has forced our dear helpers to participate in these late night activities? I say we should call for an investigation to find out! |
|
| New Term in Full Swing
By: Seraphina Rosehill It�s official! The Start of Term feast has come and gone, marking the beginning of the new school term. A flurry of activity has been seen with students taking shopping trips to Hogsmeade Village and Diagon Alley with a few students being seen sneaking into Knockturn Alley as well. On occasion, there were lines at the Admin office as students waited to select and register for their first classes of the year, and much to our delight, we found some new classes awaiting us this term! The Professors must have been busy this summer, as the spectrum of classes that are offered at Hogwarts seems to continue growing, offering something for every student, no matter what they are interested in. With many students setting their sights on O.W.L.s and N.E.W.Ts this year, it is sure to be a busy and fun filled term! |