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| 49 |
| December 2007 |
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| Speaking to an Old-timer, Part 2
Billy Raven Billy entered Professor Tom Riddle�s office nervously, �Pardon me, sir, but could I ask you a few questions? I am doing a series of articles for the Owl Gazette on those who have been here awhile and you�re on my list.� The professor looked up from his desk and said, �Please come in & have a seat.� Billy quickly sat down, pulled out his quill and parchment and began. Billy: �When did you first come to PAD�s Hogwarts, and who was Head of your House?� Tom: �I don't remember the exact date that I joined Hogwarts but it was in fall of 2002 sometime. When I arrived & was sorted to Slytherin, Prof. Snape was the Head of House.� Billy: �I understand you left for a while, what was the reason may I ask?� Tom: �I enrolled in military school after joining Hogwarts & at times, depending on what was going on at school, I had to occasionally take leaves of absences sometimes for months at a time. At first it really didn't affect my membership here at all, but as time went on my absences became more & more frequent & would last for longer periods of time.� Billy: �How did it feel not to be here?� Tom: �I always felt a little lost when I was away from Hogwarts. I had made alot of friends here & it was like my home away from home, especially while I was away school. The worst part about all those times I had to bail was that I never had advance of when I had to take off & I never knew how long it would be until I could go back. What's really amazing about this place & the people in it, though, is that no matter how long I was gone or how many things had changed during that time, I was always welcomed back with open arms & was treated as if I had never left.� Billy: �When you returned, what changes did you see?� Tom: �Since I left & returned several times, I've seen lots of things change, but I've also been here during changes, too. This last time I came back, some of the things that were new to me was the way Quidditch was played (last time I was Quid Capt it was still a screenshot only game), the amount of prefects in each CR (there was only 1 per house before), & that a few of my classmates had been promoted into professor positions. The other thing that stood out to me was that the people I didn't know that had joined while I was gone seemed to be alot different than the ones I had "grown up" with. Because of that, the ambience in the SCR was totally different than what I was used to before.� Billy: �What do you think of the staff here?� Tom: �I know the staff here works extremely hard to do everything they can to make this place fun & safe for everyone that joins. For a group of people that never get paid for all the hard work they do, they sure are dedicated & loyal to this place & go way out of their way to make sure everything is running smoothly at all times. That says alot to me & I think alot of people here don't realize that or appreciate it as much as they should. If they knew all the work that goes on behind the scenes I think they'd have a greater respect for this place & the people who run it.� Billy: �This place has been open for six years, what, in your opinion, is the biggest contributor to that fact?� Tom: �The people here definitely are the glue that holds this place together. Sure, we get idiots once in awhile that come in & try to ruin things for everyone else, but overall most of the people here are generous, caring, & loving towards each other. It really is like a family here.� Billy: �You graduated and are now a professor; would you recommend that to other students who have been here a long time?� Tom: �Everyone's different & being a professor might not be the right move for everyone that comes here. For me there were several reasons, most of them personal that made me choose the path I did. The biggest drawback for me since I've made that change is that I no longer "belong" anywhere. I don't have a house anymore to retreat to & just hang out with friends so it gets lonely if you thrive on that closeness & then you have to learn to adapt without it. If you're the kind of person that loves that type of close-knit setting, being a professor probably isn't for you then.� Billy: �What sticks out most in your mind about this school?� Tom: �That's a pretty tough question. This place has alot of history & alot of people have come & gone. I guess what I'm really amazed by is that when people that had a negative impact on this place or the people in it leave, everyone seems to bounce back pretty quick & move forward instead of wallowing in whatever drama was created when those people were here. I think that's why alot of other sites fail. I'm really impressed by how each of those experiences we've had to go thru has made us stronger rather than beating us down. I guess that's what sticks out most to me.� Billy had asked he last question and thanked the professor for his time. He thought that it went well and found the Flying Lessons teacher was gracious and seemed friendly |
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| Speaking to an Old-timer, Part 3
Billy Raven Entering Professor Opal�s office, he found it warm and friendly, she smiled at him as he came in and since he had sent her a request for the interview, she knew why he was there. She motioned to a chair in front of her desk, but she came around and sat in the chair beside him. He pulled out his quill and parchment and began. Billy: �Professor, how large was the school when you first attended? Opal: �I don't think it was very big. If I remember correctly there were only a handful of people in each house, probably four or five.� Billy: �You were in Gryffindor, right? Who was Head of House when you first came?� Opal: �When I joined I don't think we had a Head of House, but later on Melissa Evans became it.� Billy: �What made you stay here more then anywhere else?� Opal: �I think it was the atmosphere. There's no site quite like PAD's. The format is completely unique, and right away when I joined I got sucked in. Every other HP site I joined there was nothing that made me want to stay, but with PAD's it was different.� (Billy would agree, he had tried other sites too, but nothing compared to this place.) Billy: �You graduated and became a professor, and Head of Gryffindor, what did that feel like?� Opal: �Strange! XD But it felt much more comfortable being able to stay in my own house. If I hadn't been asked to become HoH and just graduated,. . it would have been weird. Lol� (Billy smiled, she sure did love her house, he was glad she got to stay.) Billy: �What do you think keeps this place open for so long?� Opal: �I think it's our way of being so unique. People can go to any site and RP on a board, but at PAD's there's so much more to do than that. Plus, how many other sites have a fifth house?� (Billy smiled really big at her last comment, a fifth house, he was glad of it as that was his house.) Billy: �What�s the hardest part of being a Head of House?� Opal: �I wouldn't say anything is very hard. There are challenges, but in the end everything is worth it to make the house better.� (Billy was sure did do a great job, being from the house herself and all.) Billy: �What�s the easiest part of being a Head of House?� Opal: �Just hanging out with my students. xD Being able to have a good time as a house.� (He thought his Head of House seemed to love being in hers, so he was sure Professor Opal felt the same way about her house.) Billy: �What is your overall experience been like here at PAD�s?� Opal: �Extremely amazing! I did a lot of growing up here. It seems like forever since I joined, and I met some great people who I'll never forget.� Billy: �You did the artwork for the forums and many students and staff's avatars, that has to be something to be proud of, how does it feel to see your work displayed like that?� Opal: �Well, you can't help but feel proud. . except if it's something I didn't do my best on. lol But I am happy to see it displayed, and especially if it helps to benefit the site. I'm always glad to help out the site and if I can do it with my artwork it's even better.� Billy thanked the professor, she was very patient and it was really the first time he had spent any time with her and found her really, really nice. He could tell she loved her house and being at PAD�s, he thought that it was people like her that made this place special. |
| G is for
By Fiona Chauvet G is for Gawyn's constant teasing R is for our Readiness for an adventure Y is for our Yearning for the cups F is for our Fierceness on the Quidditch Pitch F is for the Fun times I is for an Incredible group N is for Never giving up D is for the Down-right awesomeness of us all O is for our lion Optimism R is for the Gryffindor ROAR |
| Quidditch Scandal?
By: Jolie Taylor, 1st year Ravenclaw Yesterday, a Quidditch match between the Cannons and the Tornados was ended short because there was a problem with one of the bludgers used in the game. There is a chance that it may have been tampered with to aid one of the teams. However, officials hadn�t reached a final decision. As any Quidditch fan will know, bludgers go around randomly around the pitch, trying to throw players off their brooms. However, during yesterday�s game, the bludgers only seemed to care about one rider. The victim was Tornado seeker Diana Lee. It seemed that no matter what she did, the bludger refused to attack another target. This required that one of the two Tornado beaters keep by her side at all times. She needed to stay on her broom to locate the Golden Snitch. Finally, the referee stopped the game, sensing something amiss. Having the bludger only follow Lee put the Tornados at many disadvantages. In order to avoid getting hit, Lee had to move around randomly in hopes to throw it off. This means less time to find the Snitch. Also, if she happened to find it, it would be hard to her to catch it while trying to avoid the bludger. Also, having one beater only on her means one less to help the team, which would in turn affect if they get hit or not. Seeing as the Cannons haven�t one a game in a very long time, there is speculation as to whether someone enchanted the bludger on purpose to help the team get the upper hand. This is, of course, against the rules and should never be done. All of the teammates have been cleared and their stories check out. So, if anyone did affect the bludger, it wasn�t anyone directly playing. However, there is a small possibility that this wasn�t done on purpose. In order to make a bludger fly and hit players, special enchantments and charms must be placed on them. It is possible that a spell went wrong or a bad wand was used to charm the bludger, affecting its performance. This was this particular bludger�s first game, so there is a chance that this is the problem. So, what is the real reason for this situation? Is it merely an accident? Or, does someone want revenge on the Tornados? The Owl Gazette will keep alert and let you know as soon as possible. |
| PAD's Reminders ~ December 1st - 14th is our 3rd annual Holiday Shopping Trip! Don't miss out on all the fun! Check the BB for further details! ~ December 14th -16th is our annual Yule Ball held in the Great Hall! Be there or be square!! ~ Need a free e-owl account? Check out PAD's FREE E-Owl Accounts today! More information is available on the Bulletin Board in the Entrance Hall. |