By Arya Drottningu
I wanted to know some of the professors' views of the new house, Paddington, so I decided to interview some. Here's the interview with the lovely Hufflepuff Head of House, Professor Gilderoy Lockhart.
AD: Hello Professor! How are you today?
GL: Hey Arya! It's nice to see you today! I'm great, thanks. How about yourself?
AD: I'm fine, thanks. *smiles*
AD: How do you like the colors of the new house?
GL: I hear purple and silver are the new black this season. I really like them! I think they have a sort of dreamy feel to them. Still not as good as yellow and black, though!
AD: Do you think the mascot is good for the house?
GL: I love it to bits! It always reminds me of Paddington Bear with his blue coat and yellow hat. *laughs* I think it's different in comparison to the other mascots and therefore helps it stand out more!
AD: Would you be a Paddington if you had the chance?
GL: Wouldn't everyone? I think it would be a great house to be in! But don't tell Hufflepuff, though. Just keep that comment between you and me. *looks uncertain*
AD: *coughs* That's a will do.
AD: Does anything about Paddington make you cringe?
GL: Yes, the more and more homeworks I will have to mark when all the students arrive!
AD: Overall, what do you think of the new house?
GL: I think it's another house to beat for the house cup and Quidditch cup! It will bring a new lease of life to Hogwarts and gives everyone a chance to get stuck into the making of the house which should bring us all closer together as a Hogwartsy family! I can't wait until it opens!
AD: Do you plan on giving hair tips to the new Paddies?
GL: Well, let's face it, no one can have such fantastic hair in comparison to me. I think everyone's fluff needs some work and I'm always open to giving advice.... And it's a great chance to flog my own GL Beauty Range, coming to a village near you.
AD: *laughing a little* Well, thank you for your time.
GL: *messing with his hair in a mirror*
By A Penshire Contributor
Vincent Gates has been our quidditch commentator here at Hogwarts for two years now. I got a chance to sit down and talk with him about what it is he does and why he loves it so much.
PC: Hi Vincent! Thanks for agreeing to talk with me today!
VG: First of all, call me Vinny. The only people who ever call me Vincent are my grandparents, and their visits are not memories I like to relive. Second of all, thank you for inviting me. I haven�t ever done an interview before!
PC: Haha, well, with all your speaking in front of people at quidditch games you should have no trouble talking to just me. So tell me, how was it you got this �job� at Hogwarts?
VG: Professor Lockhart came to me one day and said, �I heard about a commentary you did, and it was phenomenal! Will you speak for the quidditch games?� At that point I had been doing a lot of funny stuff, you know��commentary� on silly things that just happen in everyday life. Apparently he liked it, and I officially became the quidditch commentator!
PC: Ha, talk about luck! What is your favorite part about commentating?
VG: You mean besides the fact that I get the best seats in the whole stadium? I like feeling like I know what�s going on more than other people, to be perfectly honest with you. I have the perfect view, and I help explain the game to the people watching below. It�s like helping out. And, of course, I love to hear myself talk.
PC: Is it a hard job?
VG: Not particularly. Every now and then the pace of the game picks up and it�s hard to follow, and if you have a short attention span there�s no way you would be able to do it, but luckily I can pay attention to quidditch for hours on end. And I can talk for hours on end, which makes it equally enjoyable.
PC: Thanks for your time!
By Keato Abbot
A couple of weeks ago I got the chance to sit down with Penshire�s, Evan Murdoch about what he was doing this summer. From what he said I think Evan will have a nice relaxing time, but now no more chit-chat on to the questions and answers (all answers are IC).
KA: What are your plans for summer?
EM: My plans for the summer are just to relax at home and spend time with my family.
KA: Do you have any good friends outside of Hogwarts?
EM: Just a few that I met when I was younger, but no one significant.
KA: What do you look forward to most about the summer?
EM: I look forward to training for the upcoming Quidditch Season so I can help defend Penshire's back-to-back titles.
By Arya Drottningu
AD: Hello Rose! How are you doing today?
R: I am doing good.
AD: Who has been most helpful to you overall?
R: My mentor (Ariene Callahan)
AD: What do you enjoy doing most in the common room?
R: Meeting the new students
AD: How are the people around here?
R: Nice
AD: Have you made any new friends?
R: Not yet
AD: Do you belong to any clubs?
R: Just signed up for one
AD: Which club?
R: Writing Club
AD: Care to tell me a bit about yourself?
R: I am a somewhat shy person, and I love to write whenever I can.
AD: Thank you for taking the time to talk to me!
By Bryony Casten
There are certain forums on the Bulletin Board that are bound to get more attention than others�for example, we can always expect the Announcements, Games, and RPG forums to have more posts and be more active than the others, because there is where the bulk of activity occurs and it encompasses the �main point,� you could say, of the school. But the other forums have been feeling neglected lately� especially the Shop Talk forum. I sat down and had a chat with it yesterday, and it asked me to write this article, because it was getting lonely and was tired of being ignored all the time.
So I said, �Of course, Shop Talk. I would be honored to write an article for you, seeing as you cannot write one for yourself. I promise to relay everything we talked about today in a completely honest and serious manner.� And so I write before you, my fellow students, to relay the message of a lonely forum called Shop Talk.
Shop Talk is actually a complex forum, much to people�s surprise. It has three different personalities all rolled into one�Guidelines, Advertisements, and Customer Questions. �People never get to see the Guidelines part of me,� Shop Talk told me sadly during our lunch. �I can�t remember the last time a student opened up enough to let me explain my true Guideline feelings.� I was outraged! Poor Shop Talk, rarely able to share the Guideline part of himself because students weren�t interested and wouldn�t listen! �After I write my article,� I told Shop Talk, �I promise more students will want to hear about your Guidelines.�
�That�s good,� Shop Talk told me. �You know, it�s nice to have you here to talk to. People hardly ever ask me questions.� That surprised me. You would think that people would always direct any question they had regarding the many shops to Shop Talk. Certainly you couldn�t find a better source! When I told him this, he replied, �You would think that, wouldn�t you� but no. The last time anyone asked me a question was way back in September.�
At that I felt so bad that I couldn�t bear to talk about it anymore. �Let�s move on to something more positive, Shop Talk,� I said, hoping that our conversation wouldn�t be so gloomy. He seemed eager to acquiesce��Well, most people know me for my Advertisements,� he said, a small smile appearing on his... face. �The Shop Owners think I�m useful for that, at least, although I don�t have the heart to tell them that I�m really not sure how many students really listen to me. If I told them that, then even they would stop using my services!�
And so my attempt to lighten the conversation failed. But some good has come of it: this article. Shop Talk has been neglected for too long, and it�s about time he�s had a real friend. On the day of our interview, I offered him my hand in friendship, promising to visit him at least once a week, ask him questions when I had him, and reply to people�s advertisements so he knew that his work wasn�t in vain. I am Shop Talk�s friend� are you?
By Eltanin Wemyss
While she's been fiercely active in the Slytherin Common Room, I realized that I had yet to see Sukiro Aki, one of our newest Slytherins, on the Bulletin Board. Rather than spare the other houses the delight of meeting her, I decided to sit down and interview her. The resulting conversation revealed a delightful sense of humor.
Eltanin Wemyss: What made you decide to come to PAD's?
Sukiro Aki: Eltanin, a good friend of mine invited me here to PAD's and they just happen to be a perfect. Almost as soon as I step into my room I enter the world of of the Slytherins, and have random conversations about Professor Snape and the muppets. I was always interested in sharing the words of the divine Mavu, "Randomness is happiness." And believe me, I am randomriffic .
EW: What's your favorite part of Slytherin house?
SA: The Dining Hall of course. The mashed potatoes are a real treat, and I never thought I could learn so much from Threatpimp's etiquette at the dinner table. There is nothing like desert, the pudding really packs a wallop.
EW: I know you got here a little too late to sign up for classes, but do you intend to take any next term?
SA: Potions for one, I have a yearning desire to see what Locky looks like in green, he's the perfect peacock, but his skin doesn�t have quite the right composition or coloring and I feel that I with the help of fellow Slytherins could restore him to his overblinding beauty in the course of a moment. Of course that would end up with the real brilliant professor creating something useful to restore my memory to at least my normal garden variety insanity, although the side effects might include donkey ears. I also plan to take transfiguracation in order to improve upon the inventions of the Spoonoopshot, Stickpalm, and Erawrennid. With these inventions I hope to help fellow Slytherins with organizations and important plans such as S.N.A.P, relief from G.I.T.s, and S.L.I.P.P.E.R.Y. I also have an interest in becoming a registered amigi, as I have always felt rather cat-like.
EW: Where are you from?
SA: I live on an island. It's about 25,000 miles west of Hawaii and protected with charms so Muggles won't come and bother our native octopi which are very important to us. As you can see from my face, tattoos are a large part of our culture and harvesting the ink is a very ticklish thing, often leaving our poor harvesters breathless. I plan to invite Locky to our next session so he can get a piece depicting the pixies that he so adores and put onstage as decoration for our play productions. Rumor has it that Professor Snape has decided to get a badger as a gesture of goodwill towards all Huffs. He however, decided not to attend the pink hair bow ceremony that Locky was planning and I was mournful as I could not attend either due to my need to examine the life cycle of a flobberworm.
EW: What do you like to do in your free time?
SA: I write for the Slytherin dictionary. I am currently working on my dream of finding out just what is behind the unlockable mystery of Sproing! All I know is that there is jam... lots of jam although there are some cases that I have seen with noodles and tomato sauce. I an also very interested in studying our amazing tech. of "squish and flick" maybe after our chat you could fill me in on the finer details of it. Is it a flick to the left or a squish to the right... and then you do the hokey pokey and turn yourself around, I think I have the order right, and that's what it's all about. I also like inventing things, although I have only a few useful inventions, Stickpalm being a very sweet invention indeed. We will see if I can fling that invention forward as a recipe for evading annoying farsnigglers.
EW: Do you have any pets?
SA: I admit I do have some envy of Hagird as he looked so elegant dancing with his blast-butted-skrewt on stage, it nearly made me weep. My companions are two cats Sahara and Serengeti. Usually just shortened to Shara and Getti. They will be transported to Hogwarts at a later date. Getti refuses to leave my side but Sahra knows better to get into my business... Oh good grief, it was most likely Getti that caused Hermione's mishap. That other cat had nothing to do with it. Peeves likes Getti too... this doesen't worry me a bit though I do fear for any flying monkeys in our latest production. Neither of them like them much.
EW: Have you had a chance to meet anyone from any of the other houses yet?
SA: I haven't yet... but oh the things they shall learn from us, they will be covered in Slytherin spirit before they knew what hit them. First splattering of cheer will go to the Huff-and-cream-puffs. I really am quite the delectable do-gooder aren't I? Everyone thinks I'm just too sweet.
EW: Oh, by the way...where am I?
SA:Don't you know?
EW: No, no, haven't the foggiest.
SA: You're in Camelot.
EW: Camelot! Thank you!...What's your favorite Muggle band?
SA: Oh it would be much more interesting to ask me favorite songs. I am in love with one about a star... it has such a long part for the higher singers that I wonder how long it will take for them to turn blue from lack of air. C'est Moi is a very interesting piece from the movie Camelot and I have made many improvements on the song and a few spoofs about Lancelot's clothing choices. I like Gackt as one Muggle band and his dancing is the best! Let's see various rock bands are rather fun though I don't get why most Muggles do the "head banging" thing... I always thought it as a preclude to the chicken dance.
EW: FEEBLE ENGINES OF DESPOTISM!!!
SA: *falls over laughing pounding away laughing* all-LA-luiah Amen Amen Amen oh I forgot the words again... what was it? Oh AMEN!
EW: Thanks for the interview, Kiro. Welcome--again--to Hogwarts!
By A Penshire Contributor
I got a chance to sit down with Moaning Myrtle and discuss her thoughts on death. Or rather� I planned to discuss her thoughts. She, however, had something else in mind.
PC: Hi Myrtle, thanks for taking the time out of your busy schedule to talk to me today!
MM: *glaring* That was mean, you know. There was no need to poke fun at my �busy� schedule. For your information, I actually do have a very important meeting later on today. With the Headmistress, no less.
PC: Forgive me, Myrtle, I wasn�t trying to be mean.
MM: Sure you weren�t! That�s what everybody tells me, but they�re all liars, and you�re no different.
PC: Come on, Myrtle. I know you�re in a good mood sometimes� can�t we make this one of those days?
MM: One of those days! How dare you say such a thing to me!
PC: �
MM: And now you just sit there staring at me! Why on earth did I ever agree to this interview? I should have known better. I was just starting to like the Penshires too� after living with you for so long I was beginning to realize what made you so great. But then you go and stare at me.
PC: Myrtle, I�m sorry.
MM: No you�re not.
PC: Yes, I am.
MM: What did you want to talk about?
PC: How is it being a ghost?
MM: It�s wonderful. The best time if my life.
PC: Are you being sarcastic?
MM: Yes.
PC: *sigh* Myrtle, I really want this interview to be a success. I was hoping to put it in the OG.
MM: I�m not stopping you. Go ahead, submit it.
PC: Can you at least tell me one thing worth printing then, please?
MM: Not if you don�t ask me nicely I won�t. But let�s pretend you asked nicely. If you said �Myrtle, I�m sorry for all the horrible things I said to you earlier and for staring at you, would you please be so kind as to give me a few more words for my pathetic article for the Owl Gazette?� Then I might tell you that I am actually quite glad the Headmistress assigned me to Penshire house after I died, and that I am actually on my way towards becoming a happier ghost. It is no fun being dead, but one does get used to it, and occasionally one may even take advantage of the perks. That�s all I�m going to say, so goodbye, you ungrateful little student.
PC: Goodbye, Myrtle. Thanks for being so understanding and speaking with me so willingly this afternoon.
By Luna Lovegood and Sir Hugo Tien
While walking around the Ravenclaw Common Room the other day, I came across someone I hadn't seen before � hey, even now I could hardly see him. What I saw was a ghost. I asked him his name and he replied 'Sir Hugo Tien, the House Ghost of Ravenclaw'. Today, I had the pleasure of
talking to him once more.
[[LL= Luna Lovegood; H = Sir Hugo Tien]]
LL: Hello! How are you doing today?
H: I'm doing as great as a ghost can! How 'bout you?
LL: Who has been most helpful to you overall?
H: Let me think about that for a little bit...Arya Drottningu
LL: What do you enjoy doing most in the common room?
H: I like de spamming *nods*
LL: What's your favorite game?
H: SPAM-O-LOT! and Tal'cay' L'eye''cay'e Arya! 'cause she talks funny XD
LL: How are the people around here?
H: They are GREAT!
LL: Have you made any new friends?
H: No...no one likes me Nah, I've made LOTS of friends already!
LL: Care to tell me a bit about yourself?
H: I'm dead. I don't exactly want to get into the gory details of how I died, but I would just like to say that: I'm dead. Also, I've been 11 for 600 years, give or take, and I'm still trying to live life at
the fullest...as full as a ghost can make their "life." Oh! And I float.
LL: Thank you for the interview!
By Luna Lovegood and Sibyl Kevins
The other day, I had the pleasure to interview one of Ravenclaw's newest members � Sibyl Kevins. She was kind enough, and agreed to an interview.
[[LL = Luna Lovegood; SK = Sibyl Kevins]]
LL: Hello! How are you doing today?
SK: I'm doing well, thank you.
LL: Who has been most helpful to you overall?
SK: Um... if I had to pick one person who was most helpful to me it would probably be Will Potter, my mentor, who's done his job well. But everyone else on here's been really helpful as well.
LL: What do you enjoy doing most in the common room?
SK: I like to read my letters from home.
LL: What's your favorite game?
SK: Definitely the Non-English Post-A-Thon.
LL: How are the people around here?
SK: Oh, I love them! Everyone's very friendly around here.
LL: Have you made any new friends?
SK: Um, I think so.
LL: Do you belong to any clubs?
SK: So far really just the Art Club. I'll probably join more once school gets out.
LL: Care to tell me a bit about yourself?
SK: My name is Sibylan Jaimie Kevins, I've been home schooled most of the years of my life... I live in a town where neighbors and family are synonymous and don't really get out much. But this house's been
wonderfully accepting, so it's almost like I've always gone to Hogwarts, even though I arrived really late into the year.
LL: Thank you!
SK: You're welcome, anytime.
By Ava Black
The Writing/Poetry Club held it�s last double point days of the year. It was on Friday May 23 and Saturday May 24. Students from every house scurried to get in as many submissions as possible. The House Cup race is coming to an end and students will do anything to post in the lead. I saw Sapphire Lyze posting right up until the end of the time limit! I know from personal experience that the double points day can make a difference because Last year�s house cup winner Hufflepuff got a ton of points that day. It made them the lead contender and the won! I bet it helps whoever wins this term!
By Lagos Bologi
Adrianna Reyes has taken Penshire by storm. Since first entering the house about a month ago, she has joined many RPs, created new games, joined clubs, and earned Penshire buckets of points! Not only does she keep our house alive, but she also makes people happy. Her unique personality and humor is rare to come by and puts smiles on many people�s faces. Keep on posting Adrianna!
By Dawlish Ledgerwood
Ravenclaws have been leaving the House so fast that you would think that someone had let loose a Ravenous Bug-Blatter Beast of Thrall. Unfortunately, we have no metaphorical towel to combat ourselves against the slimming of our house's size. On a single day, three
different Eagles announced their impending departure, and at least one person a week has left since then.
Some are switching houses, and some are moving to other schools, or even other countries. All are sad at their departure, though, and all the people that are staying are equally sad. At least two Ravenclaws are switching to Paddington, some willingly, some not. Notably, Emma and Lucius are both leaving, the infamous leaders of the ninjas and villains, respectively, and the chief architects of the ninja-villain war that killed... well, no one, really. Yet.
Fortunately, a few mysteriously missing Ravenclaws have come back, so there is hope. We can all hope that this historic house receives a much-needed influx of new students over the summer.
By Bry Casten
OWLs are finally here! After years (and I mean years!) of planning Hogwarts has finally found themselves a professor who has dedicated himself to making it happen� and that man is Professor O�Connell himself, of course! The hardworking professor worked with other staff all term in order to bring the Ordinary Wizarding Level tests to PAD�s Hogwarts, and the time has finally come for students who have signed up to put their knowledge to the test. Good luck all who are taking them!
By Lily Duncan
This being my first entire year at PADs, I just wanted to say how much I appreciate this place. Anytime real life gets hectic, I know I can just come to PADs, and I�ll feel better. Whether it�s a much anticipated RP post, or someone making me laugh in spam, I know there�s always something here to cheer me up. Even looking back at some older threads, I can see just how much fun this place is and was.
I have no clue what I would do without my Gryffies. Everyone in my house is like family. I just feel so special when we joke around with our little inside jokes that the whole house knows. This year has had it�s ups and downs, with some older students leaving, and some new faces popping up, but I know Gryffindor with always keep it�s warm and welcoming feeling.
I am so thankful that I�ve found PADs, and I feel that this place and the people who are a part of it, are truly a blessing. This is my home away from home, and I can�t wait until next year, so the memories will keep coming!
By Asparagus
The buzz of the Penshire common room has been filled with talk of our very own Bryony Casten and Evan Murdoch winning the Monthly Contest. Their fabulous Phinneas Paddington biography beat the second-place�s score by a whopping 14 votes. It looks like the Crafty Cranes have once again lived up to their creative reputation!
By Bry Casten
The most recent Monthly Contest was to write the history (or biography, whatever you want to call it), of Phinneas Paddington, the recently rediscovered founder of Paddington House. Entries were handed in and Professor Lockhart made a poll on the Bulletin Board�there were four outstanding biographies to chose from, and the students and professors began voting with a gusto.
While all entries were excellent, the winners were announced as Evan Murdoch and myself�I�d like to give Evan a nice high-five and thank him for being my partner�it was definitely a group effort and we had a really great time writing it! Well done to everyone who participated!