Prof. Sky Alton

"Hold Your Horses" is a catch phrase meaning to wait a minute and not rush into something. The origins aren't clear but it definitely refers to slowing down or stopping a horse, rather than giving them a hug! However, you really better hold your horses when doing this colouring page or you may fall off your horse entirely! https://i.postimg.cc/XNPjNPk7/carouselhorses.jpg Post your completed colouring page below by 11:59 PM HOL-time on 31st March to earn 10 rubies!

Approved Mya Snape - Slytherin Visitor Ally Magical - First Year

Great to have you, Adeline!

"A picture is worth a thousand words" is a common phrase meaning sometimes looking at a picture can tell you all you need to know about something and do it far better than a written description. It gained popularity in the early 1900s thanks to the advertising industry. Complete this jigsaw puzzle containing a photo of the popular game scrabble - a game where a thousand words are worth more than a picture! Post your completed jigsaw below by 11:59 PM HOL-time on 31st March to earn 10 rubies! https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=09233af7c6c7 (jigsaw created by katy333)

To have your "head in the clouds" is a common way of saying that you're acting dreamy, distracted and as if your mind is elsewhere. The origins of this one are unclear, though some sources think it began life as 'having your head in the air' (which now means something very different!) Many people don't need help to drift off into a fanciful daze but for those that do, there are Patented Daydream Charms. For this task, we'd love you to design an enchanted daydream that you'd like to have. If you'd rather do it for someone else, pick a Harry Potter character and describe what you think their ideal daydream would be. Your write up needs to be at least 80 words long for full credit. Post your daydreams below by 11:59 PM HOL-time on 31st March to earn 10 rubies!

“Put/throw a spanner/wrench in the works” is used to describe someone or something which has upset a plan somehow. The phrase is thought to originate from New Zealand, where someone supposedly dropped a spanner into an oil well and caused an almighty problem. There’s nobody better at this than Peeves! We’d like you to tell us about a time Peeves upset someone’s plans. Alternatively, if you’d rather, you can tell us about how someone outsmarted our pesky poltergeist and ruined his mischief making. These should be events that you’ve created yourself, rather than ones from the Harry Potter books. Your account should be at least 80 words long for full credit! Post your tale below by 11:59 PM HOL-time on 31st March to earn 10 rubies

Approved Chantel Poole - Ravenclaw Visitor

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Approved Kate Silva - First Year

Um... guys, we've gotten mixed up somewhere. By the reply count, we're actually on 8591 Update: Found the mixup and did some quick editing. We're back on track! :D

We're mid-way through March! Spring is springing around the castle and there are lots of points to be earned. We're somewhat behind in the cup standings but we can easily turn that around if we all pitch in where we can. Remember that every point helps! First up, the Howler is open for submissions! They'd like your articles, puzzles, ads, stories and more on the theme of 'greenery and growth'. You can earn up to 60 points and see your name in print, what could be better? Head over to the main HOL Forum for more info. Deadline: 22nd April As ever, the Art and Library Departments have projects for you to get stuck into. In the library, they're giving you the chance to pitch your own television episode and to share what you discovered at the end of a rainbow. In the Art Department, they're inviting you to show off your hobbies and create an advert for a magical suitcase that's fit for a famous magizoologist. Art Deadline: 31st March Library Deadline: 8th April

“Spill the beans” is used when someone either intentionally or unintentionally reveals some secret information. People aren’t sure where this one comes from, though the idea of ‘spill’ as a metaphor for giving away information has been around for centuries. You’ve recently discovered that Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans will soon be releasing a new radio jingle to advertise some new flavours. Spill the beans and tell us what it is! Your jingle should rhyme and be at least 4 lines long for full credit. Post your jingle below by 11:59 PM HOL-time on 31st March to earn 10 rubies!

There’s a saying in some parts of the world that the weather in March ‘goes in like a lion, out like a lamb’, meaning that if it starts out wild, it’ll end up mild. That got us thinking of lots of other weird and wonderful idioms, phrases, sayings, proverbs and figures of speech. So we thought… why not make hay while the sun shines and have some fun with them? This activity consists of 10 tasks, with 2 fresh ones posted every 3 days (on the 15th, 18th, 21st, 24th and 27th of March). There’ll be a mixture of puzzles and creative challenges, all themed around a particular idiom or saying. If you're having difficulty with a task for accessibility reasons, let us know and we'll find an alternative that suits you better. Most of the tasks you’ll be able to post as a reply to the particular thread but for puzzle solutions, please create a group PM with Prof. Sky Alton, Lorainia Riverrider and Iverian Gnash all included. Each task will be worth 10 rubies and you’ll get a bonus of 20 if you do them all. So that’s a total of 120. The deadline for everything is 11:59 PM HOL-time on 31st March, so don’t beat around the bush: throw caution to the wind and get on board!

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

Prof. Sky hurries in, carrying a long roll of parchment. "The good news," she announces, "is that I've got a list of everything that should be here. The bad news.... it doesn't say where any of it should go. So, I think we're just going to have to use our common sense." She smiles distractedly round at everyone, giving Sheila a friendly wave.

Approved El Moray - First Year

Approved Adeline Morior - Ravenclaw visitor

Approved Elyse Levine - First Year

Approved Tanisha Sparks - Slytherin visitor

Looking at the trophy room, it’s not immediately obvious that anything is amiss. All the gleaming glass cabinets are where they should be - there isn’t even a speck of dust on anything. But then you look closer and see that the mess is actually inside. The Situation: Peeves has spent a busy night ‘rearranging’ all the trophies, shields, cups, medals, plaques and other commemorative items in the school trophy room. There are quidditch awards amongst the herbology prizes, medals for spellcasting where Special Awards for Services to the School should be and some very random items here and there which don’t even belong in this room at all. Is that a chamber pot over there? We’re going to need everyone’s help if we’re ever going to make sense of all this! Location: You can roleplay in and around the trophy room. Give the guidelines a read before diving in. Have fun!

Rejected Evangalinea Klump - I'm afraid I couldn't find you in the HOL database.

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Approved Hayley Nightshade - First year Notes KiranmalaTheKool - Your name was changed to @Kiranmala Kaur to match your HOL name and you were also approved as a first year