Prof. Sky Alton

Captains Log, Stardate.... Wait, wrong fandom. Well, we’re off at last! The sun is shining, the sea is calm, there’s a helpful wind blowing and we’ve already left land far behind us. We seemed to get everyone on board just fine. There was a little issue when Ivey tried to smuggle a flock of fwoopers on board but we managed to come to an understanding (I think). The cargo hold is full of all the supplies we’ll need for our month long voyage and party. All in all, it’s been smooth sailing. I can’t wait to discover what’s out there! *a large smudge appears on the parchment* Oh man, the boat has started rocking so badly my ink bottle tipped over. I better see what’s going on. Update: The sun is no longer shining. The sea is definitely not calm. The wind has become distinctly less helpful. Judging by the look of the clouds over head, I’d say we’re in for an almighty storm. Batten down the hatches!

This is the ship’s log. Check here for updates on how our voyage is going and any incidents that may happen on deck.

Have you ever seen such a storm? I went out on deck just now and was very nearly swept away (don’t cheer that). ?As it is, I think there’s a gallon of water and probably a few very startled shrimp in my boots right now... It certainly is impressive though: growling thunder, vivid lightning and waves as high as houses… Why, it’s made me come over all poetic. You guessed it: we’d like you to commemorate the storm with a poem. It can be any type of poem you like so long as it’s at least 10 lines long and about the storm. You could write an epic poem about your bravery, a couple of funny limericks about us all getting seasick or some haikus about the grandeur of nature. Funny or serious, rhyming or not, it’s all good. Post your poems below by 11:59 PM HOL-time on 31st October and earn 20 rubies!

The wind makes the autumn leaves dance around you as you wander down Hogsmeade’s high street. Huge, carved pumpkins grin at you from every window and cobweb garlands have been strung between the houses and shops, glimmering with tiny purple and orange lanterns. You can smell roasting pumpkin, melting chocolate and all sorts of other good things in the air. The Situation: Welcome to Hogsmeade’s Halloween Festival! All the businesses in Hogsmeade have entered into the spirit of the spooky season and are offering special deals and products for you to try. There’s live music, performances and other events to discover too. All students have been given special permission to attend (even first and second years), so have fun! If you’re planning any tricks though, remember there will be teachers and prefects out and about… The Location: You can Roleplay around Hogsmeade and its shops but try to stick to familiar locations like Honeydukes and The Three Broomsticks so that everyone can follow the fun. Remember to be clear about your location to make it easier for other people to join in. Give the guidelines a read before delving in and have fun!

Aure: Beginners luck is with you as you earn our first big fish! You follow that up with a medium one. Tarma, you'd already played both times for September 30th but I'll carry that request over to October 1st: you come up empty for try number 1 but try number 2 nets you a medium fish! (your turns will reset on 2nd October HOL-time). Silvana: Your first try is unsuccessful but your second lands you a small fish!

Richard: Your first earns you a medium fish! But unfortunately your second try is unsuccessful. Tarma: your first try results in a small fish! But your second try also comes up empty :( Astor: Your first try is unsuccessful but a small fish appears for your second! Maxim: Your first try gets you a small fish! But your second is unsuccessful. (They're really not biting today, are they?)

Welcome to HOL and to Gryffindor Tower, Nesta! Great to have you with us.

Maxim: Your first attempt catches nothing but your second nets you a medium fish. :)

Raevia: Your first attempt is unsuccessful but your second bags you a small fish! You can play again tomorrow. :D

Jeak: Unfortunately you aren't so lucky this time and come up empty. :( You can try again tomorrow! Tarma: You catch a small fish on your first try but your second is unsuccessful.

Jeak: You catch a medium fish!

Richard: you catch a small fish! Maxim: You catch a small fish and a medium fish!

Tarma: This time you also catch a small fish!

Hi Maya, great to see you in The Den! Good luck on your exploring.

Tarma: unfortunately you don't catch anything. :( You do have one try left today though. Maxim: Your 2 tries get you 2 small fish! You can play again tomorrow.

Let’s go fishing! Join me on deck and try your hand at magical fishing. Grab yourself a self-bating rod and come and stand here at the railing. The more fish you catch, the more rubies everyone earns! How it Works: Post below when you’d like to take a turn (it's fine to make one post, requesting both your daily turns in one go). A Gryffindor staff member will respond to you, letting you know if you caught anything or not. We’ll be using a number randomiser with numbers from 1 to 10. Numbers between 1 and 3 mean you didn’t catch anything, numbers between 4 and 6 mean you caught a small fish, numbers between 7 and 9 mean you caught a medium fish and scoring a 10 means you caught a big fish. You may play twice a day up until 31st October. Your turns reset at midnight HOL-time. For every fish caught, we’ll add to the ruby pot. 5 rubies for a small fish, 8 rubies for a medium fish and 10 rubies for a big fish. Everyone who has played the game at least 10 times before 11:59 PM HOL-time on 31st October will earn an equal share of the final amount in the pot. One last thing. This is magical fishing, so no harm will come to the fish. We’ll be letting them go just as soon as they’re counted. Anyone who gets hungry will just have to make do with the gourmet party food on offer in the gally… Pot Total: 1475

Welcome to Gryfftoberfest 2021! For anyone who doesn’t know or needs a reminder, Gryfftoberfest is an annual month-long party (in October) that celebrates Gryffindor and everything the house stands for. Expect daring deeds, extravagant festivities and gallons on gallons of butterbeer. This year is a little different though. While I was looking through the secret storage cupboards in Gryffindor Tower for some inspiration for this year’s bash, I found a mysterious chest I’d never seen before. Inside were two incredibly old and crumbly documents: one was a ships log and the other was a map. They were both written by none other than Godric Gryffindor himself… As best as I can make out (his handwriting was abysmal!), the log is all about a journey that he took as a young adventurer, long before Hogwarts was founded. I read it all at top speed and couldn’t wait to find out where he eventually ended up. Only… the last pages of the log are missing! Never fear though, the map is intact and it shows a mysterious island that I can’t find on any other map we have in the Hogwarts library. There’s only one way to discover what Godric found all those years ago… It’s time to make a journey of our own! For this year’s Gryfftoberfest, we’re setting sail aboard the good ship Golden Lion for a month of partying and seafaring! Who knows what wonders (and perils) await us out on the waves? On Fridays (October 1st, October 8th, October 15th and October 22nd) we’ll release 3 new tasks. We’ll also update you on the ship’s progress and that week’s theme in our very own ship’s log. Each of these main tasks will be worth 20 rubies each, for a total of 240. If you complete all 12, you’ll earn an additional 20 ruby bonus and our highly sort after Gryfftoberfest award! In addition, we’ll also be kicking off the celebrations early with some warm-up activities and games which you’ll be able to contribute to for extra rubies. Everything (warm up activities and main tasks) will be due by 11:59 PM HOL-time on October 31st, when Gryfftoberfest officially comes to a close for another year. So, what are you waiting for, landlubbers? The sea is calling, the ship is waiting and adventure is out there. Let’s get aboard!

Got any questions about Gryfftoberfest? Ask them here and we'll aim to get back to you ASAP.

I'll miss working alongside you in The Den, Dario! But I know there are many exciting and important things that need your full attention, so I can't wait to see what you achieve next. And you'll always be a valued member of Gryffindor, in any capacity. Thank you for all your support over the years! And I'm stealing... borrowing, definitely said borrowing... your golden lion statue.

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Hi Willow. Thanks for stopping by! Welcome to The Den