Prof. Sky Alton

My oh my, we’re racing through the term! Gryffindor really, really needs your help to climb the cup standings before the end of the school year. Remember that anything you can earn boosts the house and inspires your fellow lions! Here are a few ways you could add a few valuable points to our hourglass… The departments have a spring in their step this month, so make sure you head over to the Departments page on the main website to find out more. In the Art Department, they’re showing off pranks in honour of the Weasley Twins and also going all floral with beautiful bouquets. In the library, it’s literally raining cats and dogs! There’s also something mysterious hatching out of an egg. What could it be? You decide. Art Deadline: 30th April Library Deadline: 6th May You still have a few more days to submit to the latest issue of the school newspaper, The HOwLer! Whether you like to write, create graphics or dream up some tricky puzzles to bamboozle your classmates, there’s something for everyone. Head over to the main HOL Forum for more info. You can earn up to 60 points! Deadline: 22nd May I’ve heard rumours that there will be a few special events over on the main HOL forum in the coming months, so make sure you keep an eye out for those as well… ;)

Approved Oceana Coventina - Slytherin Visitor Rejected Peggy Granger - I'm afraid I still can't find a HOL account under that name. :(

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Approved Daniel Arthur - First Year Rejected Madyy - Please try again with your full HOL name.

Approved ~Araya Weslan - First Year Notes Skyler_Stark01 - I changed your display name to Skyler Stark to match your HOL name and you were also approved as a first year.

Welcome to The Den, Myrna! Great to see you. When I was a student, I loved all sorts of classes; off the top of my head, Occlumency, Basic Healing, Forensics, Survival and charms were some of the standouts.

Approved Myrna Firethorn - First Year Rejected Peggy Granger - I'm afraid I couldn't find that name in the database over on hol.org.uk :(

Rejected Hailey Goldman - Unfortunately I couldn't find you in the HOL database Someone also signed up with their email address as their username (which I can't share, for privacy reasons) - please try again, using your HOL name as the display name.

False, unfortunately my guide dog came with a name already. Still gets freaked out by things that go bump in the night

Oh, simple for me as I wouldn't be able to see either anyway. I'll take the one without spines and fire. Thestral, away! Would you rather attend a lecture on The Warlocks' Convention of 1709 with Professor Binns or a Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson with Professor Lockhart?

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Thank you all for joining us on our idiomatic exploration! It’s been a slice, a blast, a hoot and a half and… Well, you get the idea. ;) Here are the rubies that everyone earned for their hard work and creativity. If you spot anything missing, do please drop me a line so I can look into it for you! Ally Magical: 10 Ailee Aria: 10 Avery Hill: 10 Chantel Poole: 20 Emily Spencer: 20 Harry Walles: 120 Louis Walles: 120 Maeve Madden: 20 Maxim Trevelyan: 120 Mia Fountain: 10 Prof. Will Lestrange: 120 Prof. Tarma Amelia Black: 20 Rubies should all be awarded now. :D Thank you again for throwing yourselves into this linguistic adventure.

Approved Salem Fero - First Year

Late afternoon sunshine filters in around the heavy drapes, casting long stripes of gold over the armchairs and little round tables. A tea kettle is merrily whistling on the fire and that characteristic perfume is heavy in the air. You suppress a yawn. It might be spring outside but this stifling room is threatening to send you into hibernation. The Situation: Welcome to ‘The Seer Social’, a tea party trying to get more students and staff interested in divination. Grab yourself a cupper and discover your future in the tea leaves! The Location: You can roleplay in the divination classroom at the top of North Tower. Give the guidelines a read before diving in. Have fun!

"The thought never so much as crossed my mind..." Sky wanders over and fiddles with the lock for a second. "I wonder if anyone's ever tried to study Peeves. I'm sure he can do things no poltergeist should be capable of," she murmurs. With a rueful smile, she flicks her wand and conjures several lockpicks and skeleton keys which she passes to Maxim with a flourish. "Of course, the next question is whether you know how to use them?"

Don't miss the boat, you've got just over 24 hours to get your ducks in a row and submit your tasks. The deadline is 11:59 PM HOL-time tomorrow (31st March), so run like the wind!

“A piece of cake” refers to something that was (or will be) easy to do. There are lots of theories as to the origin of this one, some related to the phrase ‘a cake walk’ (also meaning an easy ride). Answer these cake related trivia questions. You’ll receive 2 rubies per correct answer. 1. Who was the Victoria sponge cake named after? 2. The current Guinness world record for longest cake was set in 2020 but how long was the cake? 3. Which two colours commonly form the pattern inside a Battenburg cake? 4. Which country does the famous Sachertorte come from? 5. Which nut is used to create marzipan? Send your answers via the group PM you should have already set up with Prof. Sky Alton, Iverian Gnash and Lorainia Riverrider. You have until 11:59 PM HOL-time on 31st March!

“It’s not over until the fat lady sings” is a reminder that a situation isn’t final yet and that things could still change. People believe it has its roots in opera. As you know, we have our very own fat lady and She’s looking to add some songs to her repertoire. Pick a song for her and make a case to her as to why you think she should sing it (remember to lay on the flattery!). It can be any song in any genre that you like, providing it's HOL appropriate. Your suggestion/explanation should be at least 80 words long - if you struggle to reach the word count, you can suggest 2 songs. Post your suggestion below by 11:59 PM HOL-time on 31st March to earn 10 rubies!

"Hi, Sheila! Good of you to help out. Why don't you help me with the herbology and care of magical creatures prizes?" Sky asks, indicating the cabinet next to the Quidditch case where Maxim is already hard at work. She strolls over and peers ruefully at what they have to work with. "Seem to have at least five Superior Seeker awards in here," she announces to Maxim, quickly extracting them and proffering an armful of shiny plaques. "And a bottle of Skele-gro which I'm sure the hospital wing will be none too pleased to discover is missing...."

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Approved Savina Flemming - First Year