By Beonca Aims
The Silver Serpents certainly had something to prove with their losing to Gryffindor and Penshire this term which made them �zip, zero, nada� to two for the season, so they were up for the game against the Hufflepuff team. With the roster set, and by the way, no changes to it throughout the game, they headed to the pitch. The Chasers for the snakes were Gred, Riley, and Eltanin, his first game, and they had their hands full, in for Beaters were Areyna and Jenii, both kept busy either whacking Bludgers towards someone or away and finally the Keeper was Beonca and the Seeker was Jess. I�d name the other team�s players, but they switched up and I don�t remember them. Even though the Badgers made more goal attempts, it was the Serpents that won the game with the very agile and able Jess Darkwing spotting and catching the Snitch! The Serpents want to thank those few supporters in the stands and are busy working on some strategy for their next game against the Ravenclaws. We may not get the Quidditch Cup this year, but we sure are not going to go quietly into the night either!
By Bryony Casten
Quidditch season is coming to a close, and the time has come for the final games. Some players just want it all to be over�the end of term is right around the corner, studying for final exams have taken over student lives, and more than anything else students just want to celebrate the end of term feast and relax for the summer.
A break will be nice�but the final games are often the most important, and now is no time to slack off. The Penshire and Gryffindor teams are certainly going to play a tough game�the winner will decide who wins the Quidditch Cup. There�s a lot on the line, and no doubt the game being played right now is intense and all players are working harder than they ever had in their lives. Then too is the Ravenclaw versus Slytherin game, the final match of the season for all teams. Their game is equally important� they�ll be battling each other for third (I think!).
So take a break from the books and head down to the Quidditch pitch for the final showdowns!
By Will Potter
Well, the end of term is coming up, and we all know what that means. The last minute rush to get points submitted to secure the house cup for your house. Right now, the lovely house of Ravenclaw is in the lead, with Penshire not too far behind. Both house I am sure will be working extra hard to get those last minutes points submitted.
The other houses aren�t far behind either. Everyone has a chance at the cup if they work hard. Class registration has ended, but lessons still need to be finished. Also, the monthly challenges will be getting a boost for sure. The OG will be more filled than usual, and the house magazines will be full of wonderful articles. So get your last minute points in soon! Term is coming to an end!
By Kaylee Keigwin
With summer rapidly approaching, exams are right around the corner; the Gryffindor house is trying to focus on their studies and ignore the welcoming warmth around the grounds. To assist their endeavors, we have conducted a poll on the antithesis of the current weather: "What is the first thing(s) that comes to mind when you hear WINTER?" Yes, this caught the students off guard, but here were the responses:
Audrea replied that the word "winter" caused her to think of the cold and snow; believe it or not, she actually replied that the thought made her cold!
Karine replied with "presents" and "a family get-together". I pushed her a little further, as these events could happen during summer vacation as well. As an afterthought, she added "a chilly holiday" and "a hot mug of hot cocoa". (I think these chilly thoughts had an effect � it looked like she was heading off to the kitchens all bundled up last night!)
Leah Black gave us an in depth reply on what comes to mind: "Static, subway delays, and frostbite. Also Christmas, mittens, fireplaces, pine fresh scent!, sword fights with tree branches, lights, dresses, music, wine, pasta, chocolate, wrapping paper, scotch tape, the white chair in my living room that nobody sits in, reindeer food, and escalators." Unfortunately, I believe Leah still wants summer break more than ever.
Narcissa also gave a vivid account of what comes to mind, which included "fluffy snow", "white", "soft", "cold", "snowballs", "snowball fights", "ice", and "icicles". Again, I don't think this much helped; Narcissa was procrastinating from her studies while spotted running around outside searching for a snowball fight!
Our very own Professor Opal replied, "Long. The winter is too long and that's the first thing that comes to mind. Also, when my dog uses to stick his face in the snow, he'd get a snow-beard. Then there's snowball fights, coming inside from a really cold day and warming by the fire, and the really pretty way the trees get when the snow sticks to them after a storm." We all had a good laugh about this, but shouldn't Professor Opal be scolding the students for their lack of studying, rather than entertaining them�?
While Gawyn Crossguard constructed an enormous list (procrastinating from homework, I see): "I think of snow on the ground and trees... conifers... Christmas lights... wreaths... Midnight Mass... cold... snowball fights... New Year's... blankets... makeshift dogsleds... snowmen... cold feet (literally)... snow forts... frozen bodies of water... coats... icicles... hot tea... snow angels... hot cocoa... Cranberry bread... relatives... sweaters... wine... finals... hearths... department stores... Christmas songs... candles... parties... ice... cleaning off cars... and the most fun of all: Shoveling Driveways.
Wait, wait, wait. I've got more:
Those polar bear/Santa Coca-Cola commercials,
Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens Cream colored ponies and crisp apple strudles
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles
Brown paper packages tied up with strings Wild gees that fly with the moon on their wings
These are a few of my favorite things These are a few of my favorite things
Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes
Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes
Silver white winters that melt into springs
These are a few of my favorite things."
Well, there you have it! This is what pops into Gryffindor's mind when we hear the word "winter". Hopefully we can all focus on the cold, bitter winter that comes around once a year and it will discourage us from journeying outdoors. Instead, let's open those textbooks and get cracking!
By Beonca Aims
Last issue you learned about the Slytherin family tree and its complexity, this article is going to be about one of the �father� figures on the tree. Professor Snape, in his usually common room manner, was a participate in the discussion of the tree, he would be a �parent� though it was all agreed that no one call him �dad� unless you wanted to be turned into something unnatural! With Junk being a �mother� to SeverusSnape, who had a sister and brother, Ginny and Logan, she needed a �husband and our HOH stepped in this slot. But when Junk left, it made Professor Snape a widower with three children. Then came the Assistant Heads of House and the only place for Professor Bliss to fit was to be his second wife. She was shocked at first and had no idea she had been moved into the slot.
Professor Bliss didn�t even remember the wedding, so we filled her in on the details. I was a maid-of-honor, and the bride wore a very gothic dress of black. The cake was in the shape of Hogwarts and it was the event of the year. All the Slytherins, of course, played a huge role like ring-bearer, best man, groomsmen and photographer! We wish them well, and you do know this is just all in fun! We know Professor Snape has a soft-spot for Professor Fairydust, but we needed the names to fill the tree.