Prof. Sky Alton

Remember you have another week to explore the Frost Fair and try your hand at the tasks! Everything is due at 23:59 on the 8th of January.

Rejected solarflare - please try again using your HOL name.

Approved Lexi Evergreen - Ravenclaw visitor Scarlet Digory - Slytherin visitor.

Approved Zane Klein and Hannah Rose Malfoy - Slytherin visitors

Approved Lex Green - Ravenclaw visitor

Approved Elizabeth Albus - First Year Jade Winkleberry - Ravenclaw Visitor

Rejected Notanna - please try again with your HOL name. Someone also signed up with their gmail email as their username - for privacy reasons I can't mention it but if you were expecting an account to be approved, please try again with your HOL name.

Hello, hello! I can't believe how far through the term we are already, can you? It's getting to the point in the year when you'll want to think about making sure you have enough time to get your homework submitted before the January deadline. If you're on top of your classes (or just need a change of pace for a little while), I have a couple extra point earning opportunities to share today! You'll need to move quick on this first one! Secret Elf (our very own HOL gift exchange) has returned to the castle for another year of giving and fun but there's not much time left to join. When you sign up, you provide your wish-list of the gifts you'd love to receive and those you'd love to give (and those you wouldn't) - these need to be digital (and free) gifts, such as book recommendations, recipes, puzzles, creative writing and graphics. You'll then get given the name of someone to create a gift for and have the rest of December to come up with something brilliant for them. You'll earn 30 points for your efforts! Go here to find out more: https://hol.org.uk/forum/viewforum.php?f=655 Deadlines: Signup deadline: 11th December Gift deadline: 31st December The departments also have projects to entertain you this December. Indulge your sweet tooth in the Art Department with projects themed around icecream and candy canes. Over in the Library, they're inviting you to get festive and create your own holiday - be aware though that there's a glitch effecting the project descriptions, so you may want to hold off on posting your submission until we're able to get that ironed out. You can still get writing though! Art Deadline: 31st December Library Deadline: 1st January As Maxim mentioned last time, the school newspaper, the HOwLer, is also ready and waiting for your submissions! The theme for this time is dreams and you can interpret that however you like, whether that's the dreams you have when you're asleep or your dreams and aspirations for the new year. You could also create something totally unrelated to the theme - it's up to you. There are 60 points available! Head over to the main forum for more information. Deadline: 20th January

Hi Rhaneyra - the forum must have stripped out the formatting when the posts were transfered. I've readded the links, so you should be good to go. Thanks for letting us know!

You crunch through a thick, fluffy blanket of snow on your way to the lake. Colourful stalls and booths have been set out on the ice and students and teachers are already milling around them, discovering what’s on offer. You rub your gloved hands together to try to stave off the chill and hope they’re serving something that’ll warm you up! The Situation: Welcome to the Hogwarts Frost Fair! The lake has frozen over and the professors have decided to take inspiration from the ancient frost fairs in London and set up a cosy little market on the ice. There are warm drinks, games and wintery activities to try your hand at. Join your friends and celebrate the snowy weather. The Situation: You can roleplay anywhere on the frozen lake and in the surrounding area of the grounds. Feel free to invent your own stalls or games but try to keep it on theme! Give the guidelines a read before diving in. Have fun! (Remember that you can earn 20 rubies if you make at least 4 posts!)

Welcome to the Hogwarts Frost Fair! As happens most years, the Hogwarts grounds are blanketed in snow and the lake has frozen solid. So, the professors have decided that as an end of term treat, the school should hold its very own Frost Fair on the surface of the lake. Frost Fairs used to be held in London in centuries gone by, when the river Thames around the historic London Bridge froze solid. People set up stalls, games and other entertainments on the ice and the public flocked to the unusual event. So, that’s exactly what we’ve done too! We’ve made the most of the chilly weather and set up a series of cosy stalls and activities for you to enjoy on and around the lake. Grab yourself some ice skates and a mug of something warming, then get exploring. Watch out for flying snowballs! Each of the 12 stalls/areas has a fun, frosty task for you to complete. There’s a mixture of creative and puzzles on offer. Instructions for how to submit will be given in each task post. If you struggle with any of the tasks due to accessibility reasons, just let us know and we’ll find an alternative that suits you better. Each puzzle is worth 10 rubies (with 1 offering a bonus of 5 rubies) and each creative task is worth 15, so there’s 155 up for grabs in total. As a special Frost Fair bonus, we’ll also be offering the same number of beans for each task! Everything is due on the 8th of January at 11:59 PM HOL-time to give you plenty of time to explore and complete things at your own pace. Let the frosty fun commence!

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

Tantalising smells waft from the hot drinks stall. Behind the counter, you can see a gleaming copper kettle, gently steaming jugs and shelves upon shelves of brightly coloured mugs. Whether you’re into coffee, tea, cocoa or something else altogether, there’s something tasty to warm you up here. We’d love to hear about your ideal hot drink! Feel free to tell us why you like it, how you prepare it, where you discovered it, what memories it holds and really anything else you can think of. You could even suggest a magical twist you’d like to add. If you’re not a fan of hot drinks, tell us about your favourite cold drink instead. Your reply should be at least 80 words for full credit. Post it below to earn 15 rubies and 15 beans. The deadline is 11:59 PM HOL-time on the 8th of January 2023!

Approved Anneliese Villarreal - Ravenclaw Visitor

Approved Alex Golbach - First Year Rejected Kelvin2007 - please try again using your full name from hol.org.uk

Approved Elena Carter - First Year Rejected Kelvin - Please try again using your full HOL name. :)

Approved Dominick Salinas - Ravenclaw Visitor

Have a spectacular day, Lo! You deserve all the good things. <3

Approved Kalajendra Sajaksara - Ravenclaw Visitor Rejected Draconite Dragon - I couldn't find you in the HOL database

Happy, happy birthday to Prof. Maxim Trevelyan. I hope it’s a fabulous day full of cake.

Remember you have until 11:59 PM HOL-time on the 31st of October to help us in our quest to return the knights to Camelot!

Approved Scarlett Campbell - Hufflepuff Visitor

Week 4 Progress Report: The good news is… we’ve worked out how to open the box. While we’ve not tested it (for obvious reasons - we don’t want anyone from Hogwarts ending up in Camelot by mistake), it does at least seem to be functioning as before. The less good news… Now the knights aren’t sure they want to leave. We think it’s a combination of having become attached to Hogwarts and the people here and having begun to lose their sense of identity due to the time travel. Whatever has caused it, it’s a huge problem. If we don’t get them back soon, who knows what could become of the timeline? We need to remind the knights of who they are and how much they love Camelot, stat! In task 12, you need to remind the knights of the beauty of their home through the medium of poetry. In task 13, we’re reminding the knights of their names and those of the friends and foes waiting for them back in Camelot. In task 14, we’re getting our first glimpse of the famed castle itself. Let’s do this!