Prof. Sky Alton

We hear about so many magical texts that can be found in Hogwarts' impressive library but which one would you most like to get your hands on? I ask this question as part of HOL 101 and always get some really interesting responses. For myself, I'm itching to flip through 'Hogwarts,a History'. The castle has centuries of history and secrets to unravel. I could never understand why Harry and Ron thought it was strange of Hermione for loving the book so much. Why wouldn't you want to learn everything about such an incredible place? Particularly if you're living there!

Just a quick reminder that you only have a few days left to complete tasks and escape the forest! Everything is due by 11:59 PM HOL-time on 31st May.

Approved Avradeep Dutta - First Year

8618

8616

Approved Orion Davis - First Year Elganorus Oakbark - Second Year

Happy, happy birthday to the fabulous @Raevia Ward! I hope you've had a sensational day of celebration. *Throws red and gold glitter into the air*

You’ve been walking through the forest for what seems like weeks at this point but you're almost convinced that the trees have begun to thin out. You could be almost to the edge! Suddenly, you hear a rumbling in the bushes behind you. Freezing, you begin to go through all the terrible thoughts you’ve had the last few days of what would happen if you ran into a few select creatures in the woods. As you cycle through these thoughts, you back up slowly and fix your eyes on the bush. It's about to emerge.... What creature did you encounter and was it friendly or did you have to protect yourself from it? Share your story in at least 100 words by May 31st for 15 rubies!

I have a paw full of point earning opportunities for you this time! With Gryffindor still trailing the other houses in the cup race, it would be wonderful to gather a few more sparkling gems for our hourglass. So, if you see something that tickles your fancy, why not head over there and give it a go? Let's go, Gryffindor, let's go! The HOwLer (HOL’s newspaper) is open for submissions again! This issue has the theme of ‘Mists of Time’, so anything historical, mystical or timey-wimy is very welcome. Want to submit something? Brilliant! Head over to the main HOL Forum to find out how. If you’d like to contribute but aren’t sure what, check out the handy Idea Bank for some inspiration. There are 60 points up for grabs! Deadline: 17 June The Departments also have some fabulous projects to get stuck into. The Art Department are asking you out to brunch and to do a spot of bird watching. The Library have some more mystical plans - step into a garden tended by elves or discover your destiny as a long lost… well, that parts up to you! There are up to 20 points to be earned for each project. Art Deadline: 31st May Library Deadline: 4th June If you missed the signup window for the latest HOL activity, Spring Into May, never fear. Another one will be opening its doors in a matter of weeks!

Now that you’ve set up camp, there’s not much else to do. You’re stuck wondering how long you’re going to be here for and that’s not a very cheerful thought at all. To keep yourself occupied, you start running through everything you’ve ever heard about the forest and about survival, in the hope that some of it will prove useful. Do some research and answer the following survival trivia questions. You’ll receive 2 rubies per correct answer, with 1 as a bonus for getting all 7 right: 1. Why does moss commonly grow on the north side of trees in certain parts of the world? 2. What do the yew tree and death cap mushroom have in common? 3. What do bowtruckles eat? 4. Name a method you can use to contain a campfire to stop it spreading to a wider area. 5. Out of the following creatures, which is NOT believed to live in the forbidden forest: centaur, thestral, sphynx, unicorn. 6. Of hypothermia and hyperthermia, which is caused by getting too cold? 7. This species of non-magical snake is the only venomous one native to Britain, which is it? To earn 15 rubies, send your answers to Prof. Sky Alton and Iverian Gnash (using the PM you should already have set up with us) before 11:59 PM HOL time on May 31st!

Approved Holland Alora - First Year Notes Hailey Kook - I edited your display name to Frostlite Kook to match your HOL name and you were also approved as a first year.

Now, if there’s one thing you need above all others it’s water. And without your wand, there's no hope of solving the problem by shouting aguamenti. You look hopefully towards the canopy but what sky you can see through it looks irritatingly blue and cloudless. Just when you could do with a nice heavy rain shower…. You pace slowly around the clearing. You know there are streams and ponds in the forest: you’ll just have to hope there’s one somewhere near here. But how do you find it? And what do you do if you can’t? For this task, we’d like you to research a method for finding or collecting water while in the wilderness. You can either write a story (100 words or more) containing an explanation of your chosen method or, providing it’s a method for collecting water, create a labelled diagram of it. To earn 15 rubies, post your responses below by 11:59 PM HOL time on May 31st!

You cast around you, taking in the trees, the drifts of dried leaves and twigs on the forest floor and the occasional stone. It doesn’t look very promising, to say the least. All the same, you're starting to realise that if you're stuck here, you're going to need to improvise. You'll need to find some kind of food, water and shelter out here. There must be useful stuff around here somewhere. You’ll just have to have a proper look for it. After all, there’s nothing else to do... Complete this jigsaw while you examine the forest floor, on the hunt for things that you can use. https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=31e2f9d48ba0 Thanks to the original creator of the puzzle! To earn 15 rubies, post your completed puzzle below by 11:59 PM HOL time on May 31st!

Rejected Kimmyb - Please try again with your HOL name. Notes Athena Williams - I changed your display name to Athena Miller to match your HOL name and you were approved as a first year.

Welcome to The Den, Elyse! Great to see you.

You squint into the trees ahead of you. You were absolutely sure the path was over here but there’s no sign of it. You reach into your pocket for your wand so that you can cast red sparks… Only your pocket is empty. Heart hammering, you search through your robes but find nothing... You've lost it. Slowly, you turn on the spot, eyeing the trunks that crowd in on you from every side. All you can hear is soft birdsong and the rustling of thousands upon thousands of leaves. “Is anyone there?” you call, the forest seeming to swallow the sound whole. You’ve got yourself into a bit of a mess. You volunteered to help the groundskeeper with a few jobs in the forbidden forest but you wandered away from the group and got turned around somehow. Now you’re lost and it doesn’t seem like anyone has realised that you’re missing yet… How will you cope being lost in this most magical of forests without your wand? Quite apart from the wild creatures that live here, you’ll also have to consider food, water and shelter. You’re going to need your wits about you! This is a month-long activity with 12 tasks. 3 tasks will be released each Sunday (on the 1st, the 8th, the 15th and the 22nd) and everything will be due at the end of the month: the 31st of May at 11:59 PM HOL-time. There’ll be a mixture of creative and puzzle tasks, all with a survival/forest theme. If you’re struggling with a particular task for accessibility reasons, just let us know and we’ll find an alternative that suits you better. Each task will be worth 15 rubies and you’ll get a bonus of 20 for doing them all. So, that’s 200 up for grabs in total. You’ll be able to submit many of the tasks as a reply to the particular task thread but for puzzle solutions, you’ll need to set up a group PM with Prof. Sky Alton and Iverian Gnash all included. Please title it ‘Forbidden Forest’ and keep replying to that one conversation each time you solve a puzzle, so it’s easier for us to keep track of what you’ve done. Best of luck and remember ‘constant vigilance!’

If you have any questions about the activity, please ask them here and we'll get back to you ASAP. :)

You sink down onto a tree stump for a quick rest and to take stock. You’re tired, achy and thirsty and you seem to be absolutely covered in scratches. And all because you wanted to do the right thing and help the groundskeeper out with his chores. Great, just great. You cast your mind back. The day was going so well. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, a gentle breeze was playing amongst the leaves, and then…. What did happen next? How did you find yourself separated from your companions and lost in the forest with no wand? Tell us about it! The explanation can be as simple, dramatic or silly as you like, providing you really sell us on the story. It should be at least 100 words for full credit. To earn 15 rubies, post your responses below by 11:59 PM HOL time on May 31st!

Welcome to The Den, Athena! It's lovely to meet you too.

There’s a huge crowd of people blocking the marble staircase. You go up on tiptoe, trying to see around them. You catch a glimpse of bright colours and movement in the entrance hall but nothing more than that. A girl a little way below asks if it’s a prank. Someone else claims it’s someone’s herbology project gone very wrong. Determined to get a better look, you shove your way through and then do a double take. The Situation: Somehow, the entrance hall has been transformed into a tropical paradise. Plants are everywhere: covering the floors, climbing the walls and twining themselves up the marble staircase. Bright flowers are filling the air with perfume and insects are darting between them in swarms. Whatever has happened here, it’s clear some serious magic has gone down. The Location: Feel free to roleplay in and around the entrance hall as you explore the brand-new indoor garden. Give the guidelines a read before diving in. Have fun!

Approved Athena Lovegood - First Year

8614

BREAKING NEWS! There's a HOL activity over on the main forum but you only have until 11:59 PM HOL-time on Friday to get signed up! Spring into May involves completing fun tasks themed around spring and the month of May. By doing so, you'll earn dice rolls that will let you progress around a Snakes/Shoots and Ladders board You'll need a partner in crime to team up with but never fear: if you don't know of someone you can join forces with, you can post that you're looking for a team in the thread created for that purpose. Either someone will ask you to join them or the organisers will assign you someone once signups close. You have the chance to earn 80 points for doing the tasks and additional points if your team comes in the top 3 on the games board. Deadline for signups: 11:59 PM HOL-time on 29th April Final deadline for tasks: 11:59 PM HOL-time on 29th May (though you'll need to submit them the week they were released if you want to earn dice rolls) Link: https://hol.org.uk/forum/viewforum.php?f=631

8612

Approved Kay Massie - First Year