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Prof. Sky Alton

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Posts posted by Prof. Sky Alton


  1. May is upon us!

    That means the end of the school year is rapidly approaching, so it’s a great time to bag a few extracurricular points before the last minute scramble to finish off your classwork in June. And given how tight the race is at the moment, every last point could make a big difference to where Gryffindor finishes in a couple of months.

    Let’s pull together and finish the year strong. Let’s go, Gryffindor, let’s go!

    So where can you earn those all-important points? Glad you asked.

    Lions, badgers, eagles and snakes, oh my! There’s a celebration of our 4 house mascots going on over on the HOL Forum this month. There are quizzes, puzzles and all sorts of other things to do and 80 points to earn, so what are you waiting for?

    Deadline: 31st May

    The Howler is cooking up a storm this time round with an issue themed around “light refreshments”. If you feel like working on an article, creating some artwork or doing a spot of creative writing, make sure you head over to the HOL Forum to get a slice of the action. You can earn up to 60 points!

    Deadline: 20th June


  2. Well, what a wild month of weather that was! I hope none of you have been blown over the rainbow.

    Thank you to everyone who took part in our meteorological magic– seeing your submissions has been a breath of fresh air. (What do you mean I’m over doing it with the weather references? Nonsense.)

    You should all have your rubies now but if you spot any problems, just let me know and I can look into it. Kudos to Dibyarup James Potter, Ellie Vernez, Lex Green and River Fenwick for completing all the tasks and scooping the maximum number. :D

    Now that that’s all taken care of, I’m off to enjoy the spring sunshine.

    • Thanks 1

  3. Task 12, Week 4 Trivia

    16. What weather condition was created by dementors breeding?

    17. What kind of biome is Antarctica?

    18. Wich magical bird can predict rain?

    19. Name 2 (two) of the pieces of data that a weather balloon collects.

    20. What is meant by a fair weather friend?

    To submit your answers, please follow the instructions in the first post.

    Answers received from.

    River Fenwick

    Dibyarup James Potter

    Adeline Morior

    Lex Green

    Ellie Vernez


  4. Task 9: Week 3 Trivia

    11.        What incantation did Mr Weasley suggest Ron use to try to stop the rain in the ministry office?

    12. What is the driest desert in the world?

    13.        What colour and pattern was Hagrid’s umbrella?

    14. What type of weather is hotter than the surface of the sun?

    15. What is graupel?

    To submit your answers, please follow the instructions given in the first post.

    Answers received from....

    River Fenwick

    Dibyarup James Potter

    Adeline Morior

    Ellie Vernez

    Lex Green


  5. I’ve always wondered what weather reports are like in the wizarding world…

     Are their safety advisories about broom flying, updates on conditions for stargazing  or tips for gathering certain potion ingredients during ideal conditions? Let’s find out!

    For this task, you have 2 options:

    A.       Create a transcript of a weather report from the Wizarding Wireless Network. It should be at least 100 words for full credit.

    B.       Create a magical weather map. Remember to lean into the wizarding world angle with the symbols and labels you choose. Please keep your image to 600x600 pixels and upload it to an image hosting website, then share the link.

    Post your response below by 23:59 HOL-time on the 30th of April to earn 10 rubies!


  6. Task 6: Week 2 Trivia

    6.        What was the weather like when Harry saw the fake Mad Eye Moody for the first time? (Hint: we're not referring to the heavy rain but something more specific)

    7. What is the term for the ornamental metal devices people put on rooves to show the direction the wind is blowing in?

    8.        What magical phenomenon was reported on the muggle weather forecast shortly before Dumbledore left Harry on the doorstep of 4 Privet Drive?

    9. What is the job title for people who study the weather and make weather forecasts?

    10. What is the center of a hurricane called?

    To submit your answers, please follow the instructions given in the first post.

    Answers received from...

    River Fenwick

    Hiya Debnath

    Dibyarup James Potter

    Lex Green

    Adeline Morior

    Ellie Vernez


  7. This month we’re peering into the mirky depths with “Dreadful Denizens of the Deep” by an unknown author.

    Now this book is a bit of an enigma. It offers all sorts of fascinating details about those magical creatures that live deep under water, along with some dramatic first hand accounts from wizards who have come across them. But we don’t know anything about it’s author or when it was published.

    That’s because the only copy we’ve been able to find is from the Hogwarts library and the  cover and title page are so badly water damaged (we think from students sneaking it down to the lake) that we just can’t discern any of the original publication information.

    But that’s no reason to swerve such an interesting read, so let’s dive in!

    Task 1:

     

    Task 2: 

     

    Task 3:

     


  8. Giant squids are some of the most fascinating and mysterious creatures on earth and the members of the magical subspecies are even more so. Here at Hogwarts, we’re incredibly lucky to have one of these magnificent dwellers of the depths living on our grounds, basking in the sunshine and occasionally rescuing a student who happens to fall in. Trouble is, nobody quite knows how that came about….

    Let’s speculate! In at least 100 words, please share your theory as to how our friendly neighbourhood squid came to live in the Great Lake

    To earn 10 rubies, post your response below by the 30th of April at 23:59 HOL-time.


  9. Merpeople are very protective of their settlements and their privacy. For that reason, wizards very rarely get insights into how they live day to day.

    Dreadful Denizens of the Deep contains a list of artifacts that were discovered in an abandoned village that used to be inhabited by merfolk. Let’s take a closer look…

    Create a collage of items you think might have been discovered in the merpeople’s village. Please keep your graphic to 600x600 pixels, upload it to an image hosting website and share the link.

    Alternatively, you could create a list of items: you should include at least 8 and describe each one in 2 lines or more.

    To earn 10 rubies, post your response below by the 30th of April at 23:59 HOL-time.


  10. Welcome to April Showers!

    As you might be able to guess from the name, this is an activity all about the magic of weather. So, get ready for some stormy skies and sunny spells (and fun tasks, of course).

    There will be 3 tasks released each week : a puzzle, a creative task and a trivia task. Each will be worth 10 rubies and there will be a 20 ruby bonus if you do them all, coming out at 140 rubies in all. Everything is due at the end of the month, at 23:59 HOL-time on the 30th of April.

    If you have difficulty with a task for accessibility reasons, please reach out to a Gryff staff member and we’ll work with you to find something that suits you better.

    I think that’s it so come on, let’s go splash in the puddles!


  11. To help the employees at the Ministry of Magic forget that they’re working deep under ground, they use some clever enchantments. With the use of atmospheric charms and magical windows, they’re able to give people a taste of the outdoors even while they’re working at their desks.

    That got me wondering: if you could pick the weather you could see out of your window, what would you pick? Would you go for perpetual sunshine? Maybe you like cosying up while rain hammers on the roof? Or maybe you’d go for realism and go with the Great Hall approach so you could see exactly what’s going on outside?

    Tell us about the weather you’d most like to magic up for yourself in 100 words or more. Alternatively, you can create a graphic of it. If you take the graphics option, please keep your image to 600x600 pixels and upload it to an image hosting website, then share the link.

    Post your response below by 23:59 HOL-time on the 30th of April to earn 10 rubies!


  12. Task 3: Week 1 Trivia

    The questions for week 1 are…

    1.        What is the incantation for the spell that Hermione used to make Harry’s glasses repel water during a very rainy quidditch match in their third year?

    2.        ‘Chucking it down’, ‘nice weather for ducks’ and  ‘cats and dogs’ are all British English slang terms for what kind of weather?

    3.        Which magical beast can create storms as it flies?

    4. How many points does a snowflake have?

    5.        Which ministry official ordered a disguised Ron to sort out the rain in their office?

    To submit your answers, please follow the instructions given in the thread above .

    Answers Received From...

    River Fenwick

    Dibyarup James Potter

    Maeve Madden

    Adeline Morior

    Lex Green

    Hiya Debnath

    Ellie Vernez

    Chasen Carter


  13. Trivia time!

    Every week, we’ll post a batch of 5 weather related trivia questions. These will be a mixture of Harry Potter related questions and questions from the non-magical world. You’ll receive 2 rubies per correct answer.

    You can answer all questions at any point before the final deadline of 23:59 HOL-time on the 30th of April – you don’t need to answer the questions during the week they were posted.

    To submit your answers, please create a group PM with Prof. Sky Alton, Prof. Maxim Trevelyan and Janne Halla all included and title it “April Showers Trivia”. You should use that conversation to submit all your trivia answers.

    Happy answering!


  14. As ever, there are plenty of things to get involved with around HOL.

    Feeling arty? Help the Art Department welcome in the lunar new year and the year of the dragon! You could earn up to 20 points.

    Deadline: 2nd March

    The HOL newspaper has just opened for submissions for a “letters and parcels” themed issue. You can submit articles, puzzles, graphics, short stories and poems, so there’s bound to be something there that plays to your strengths. And with 60 points up for grabs, it’s well worth your while!

    Deadline: 31st March

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