Prof. Sky Alton

Question 2: When Harry was in his 5th year and entered Snape's memory of the marauders hanging out by the lake, what item was James playing with that he said he'd nicked?

Welcome to Troublemakers' Trivia! Gryffindor house prides itself on having the bravest, boldest and most chivalrous students. And while those daring qualities have seen Gryffindors do very noble things, it’s also meant we’ve had our fair share of lions who see the rules as more of… a suggestion, shall we say? In honour of the mischievous marauders and lovable rogues who’ve called Gryffindor Tower home, we’re embarking on 10 days of troublesome trivia. I’ll post a question about a Gryffindor character every day for the next 10 days. You have until 11:59 PM on Sunday, 30th January to turn in all your answers. You’ll earn 2 rubies for every one you get right. You can submit your answers to me (Prof. Sky Alton) as a PM here on the forum. You can either send them in one by one as we go or in one batch at the end. If you’re sending them individually, please just reply to your first message so that my inbox doesn’t crack under the strain! ;) Question 1: Which one of these is NOT a confirmed prank performed by Fred and/or George Weasley? A. Sending Dragon Dung to Percy Weasley at the Ministry. B. Putting Bulbadox powder in Kenneth Towlers pyjamas. C. Hiding inside suits of armour and singing rude songs.

Sky dashes into the entrance hall, swiping an ice-encrusted mitten across her face and blinking rapidly. Noticing Sindor, she gives him a rueful wave. "If you ever find yourself in a position where you have to put warm weather gear on a venomous tentacula," she tells him, looking dazed, "run as fast as you can in the opposite direction." She takes a deep breath, glances round at the packed space and tries to compose herself.

Great to see you in The Den, Xalvadora!

Hail rattles against the windows of The Great Hall and the wind seems to be trying to see just how loudly it can howl. You glance up to see that someone has started a game of pocket quidditch over by the top table; another group are having a very loud argument about which is the best Weird Sisters Album. The Situation The weather is far too wild for people to go outside for break today. The doors to the Great Hall have been thrown open for everyone instead. Students are making their own very noisy entertainment, while professors and prefects are doing their best to make sure chaos doesn’t descend before the next lesson. The Location: You can roleplay in The Great Hall, Entrance Hall and surrounding corridors. Give the guidelines a read before you dive in. Have fun!

Happy new year, Emerald! May it be full of fabulous things for you as well.

Glad to have you in the Den, Zara. Good luck with that homework!

Hi there, Elise! Thanks for stopping by The Den.

No judgement here, Luna, green is an amazing colour! You're also in good company as there are quite a few niffler fans here abouts (they even invaded the Common Room once). So glad you're having fun exploring The Den.

Welcome to Gryffindor Tower, Lou! I hope you have a great time here.

Well, our time at the Three Broomsticks has come to an end. Madam Rosmerta wanted me to pass on how grateful she is for all the help and to let everyone know that you can enjoy 30% off for the next three months as a big thank you. It's been great to see everyone having fun following their own path around the pub and we've loved seeing the creativity and ingenuity on display. Thank you all for pitching in and making this a brilliant activity! All rubies should be awarded now but if you spot anything that doesn't look quite right, let us know and we can look into it for you. Remember that you only received rubies for the tasks in the 3 locations that you originally chose (as well as the start and finish), not for any you did in a location that wasn't on your original path. Whether you're celebrating this month or not, I hope you have a fabulous rest of December and a very happy start to 2022! Anyone up for one last glass of butterbeer by the fire before we make the long, snowy walk back to the castle?

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Hi Lou You go to this month's scenario, read it and join in. Before you do though, it would be a great idea to read the guidelines as they explain how things work in detail: You don't need any kind of password for the roleplay forum. I think you might have been looking at 'The Three Broomsticks' which was a separate special event that has just ended. :)

You have just over 24 hours left to get stuff turned in for your adventure!

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I promised you a packed, festive December and boy did the castle deliver! First things first, there's an adventure going on on the HOL Forum! Inspired by the fairy tale of the Wild Swans, this activity offers you the chance to earn points, beans and awards while completing fun and magical tasks to break an evil spell. Link: https://hol.org.uk/forum/viewforum.php?f=626 Deadline: 15 January Of course, the Departments have fresh projects too. The Library are celebrating all things Yule with two projects: one where you need to save the celebrations from disaster and another where you get to share your memories (or dreams) of the Yule Ball. The Art Department have also embraced the season as they're asking you to showcase your favourite winter activity and design a festive lights display. Link: https://hol.org.uk/departments Deadlines: Library: 2 January Art: 3 January I was incredibly proud to see how many lions put their names forward for the Secret Elf Gift Exchange this year. You should all have the name of the person you're sending a gift to by now (make sure you check your private messages on the HOL forum), so you can get to gifting! Remember that you need to have sent your gifts to the activity email by the deadline in order to collect your 30 points. Deadline: 31 December The Howler, HOL's newspaper, is still ready and waiting for your submissions on the theme of 'All that Glitters'. Whether you're a writer, an artist or a puzzle maker, I'm sure there's something fabulous you could contribute to help make this issue a great one. Remember you can earn up to 60 points from submitting. Link: https://hol.org.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=614&t=33440 Deadline: 7 January That's it for point earning opportunities but there are plenty of other things to keep you occupied as well. There's our own jaunt to the Three Broomsticks still going on, Huffle Holidays over in The Sett and 'Tis the Season', a delectable, food based activity, in the Book Club. Whatever you get up to this month, have a wonderful time!

Are you a Gryffindor student and think you could help around the Den? Do you have ideas for activities or initiatives you think could liven things up for the lions and our visitors? If so, we’d love you to apply to be a Junior Prefect. Junior prefects are student staff members who lend a hand to the professors and prefects. They organise activities, answer questions, make people feel welcome and set a good example by being encouraging and conscientious. To apply to be a JP, you must have been an active member of HOL and of Gryffindor for at least 5 months. You must also answer the following questions in as much detail as you can: HOL Name: Year: What is your favourite thing about the HOL Gryffindor Common Room? Why would you like to take on the responsibility of being a JP for the house? If you were chosen as a JP, what improvements or additions would you like to make? To check you are familiar with the Common Room rules, what are the rules about signatures? (Do not copy paste the answer, write it out in your own words) A few things to keep in mind: We won’t be picking everyone and there won’t always be openings. If we like your application but we currently have enough staff, we’ll keep you in mind the next time we need to recruit a JP. If we like your application and want you to progress right away, we’ll expect you to go through some basic training first. This isn’t anything to be afraid of, it’s just to make sure you know how to manage certain things that might come up. Being a junior prefect doesn’t give you any powers outside of Gryffindor If you fail to keep up with your duties, you could have the title taken away Being a JP doesn’t automatically mean you’ll be promoted to a full prefect down the line, though it certainly helps. If you have any questions before applying, talk to the DHoH or HoH. Please private message your application to Prof. Sky Alton here on the Common Room. Title your PM ‘JP Application’.

Remember that you have around a week left here at the Three Broomsticks! If you haven't started your adventure, you still have plenty of time. If you've already visited all of your locations, remember that you can do any tasks you haven't already attempted in those locations to earn more rubies. Let's keep Madam Rosmerta smiling!

Welcome to the Den, Sheila! Great to have you with us.

Sky stamps her feet and claps her hands to try to get some warmth back into them, aware that several of her students are giving her strange looks. She glances around. There's a very decent crowd now, so it's probably time to get started! She considers, then hops up onto a snowbank to make it easier for people to see her. "Sonorus," she murmurs, gesturing to her throat with her wand. "Hello, everyone!" she calls, her voice magically magnified so that it reaches to the back of the crowd. "Now I know some of you are wondering if we really are going to let you fling snow at each other for 2 hours... And the simple answer is, yes. Yes we are." She grins but then lets her gloved hands land on her hips. "But, of course, there are rules and we will be watching to make sure you keep them. Yes, I can here you groaning.... 1. No magic. You will use your hands to make the snowballs, to aim the snowballs and to throw the snowballs. 2. No ganging up on any one person. Alliances are fine, being nasty is not. 3. This bonfire is a neutral zone. Anyone tossing a snowball here will have me to answer to" She gives the crowd a hard look, then smiles again. "That's it. Have at it." She quickly leaps off her perch, just in case someone decides to test that last rule....

The wind tosses snow around you as you struggle down towards the edge of the Forbidden Forest where everyone is gathering. Merlin’s pants, it’s cold! At least there’s a huge bonfire crackling away down there and a huge vat of pumpkin soup bubbling away… That should help a little. The Situation It’s nearly the end of term and the teachers have realised that everyone is far too excited to stay in doors. That’s why everyone in the school has been invited to a grand snowball fight out in the grounds. You’d better hurry up, things are about to start! The Location: You can roleplay anywhere in the grounds, though anyone who ventures into the Forbidden Forest will have far worse than snowballs to contend with. Remember to give the guidelines a read before diving in. Have fun!

Wow, where did November go? We're steaming towards the end of term so make sure you know what assignments you still have left to complete and when they need to be done by. Most classes have a final deadline of 15 January but this can vary from class to class, so it's always important to check. Remember to double check what you need to do to pass and earn a quill as well! We're still lagging behind a little in the cup race but don't get downhearted: that can all change very quickly. If we've proved anything over the last few years, it's that if we all pull together, we can do marvellous things. Remember that even if you can only do a little, it all helps us get glory for Gryffindor! For those of you who are creative and/or fancy earning yourself some extra points, you still have just about enough time to complete the department projects for this month. The Art Department are inviting you to decorate a tree with things you’re thankful for, as well as creating a board to help your fellow students keep motivated. In the Library, they’re turning back time and inviting you to tell tales of holiday disasters. Library Deadline: 30th November Art Deadline: 1st December There will be fresh projects for December though so remember to keep an eye out for those! The Howler, the school newspaper, is open for submissions for the second issue! This time the theme is 'All that Glitters', so it's bound to be a dazzling edition. Whether you want to write an article, create a puzzle, report on something from the wizarding world or show off your artwork, there's something for everyone. Remember you can earn up to 60 points! Deadline: 7 January 2022 December is always a fun-filled month around HOL, so I'll be bringing you the news of some special events very soon.