Prof. Sky Alton

I sort of have a HOL-self. She doesn't really turn up very often when I'm chatting to you guys (this is all me the person) but I do picture her when thinking about the imaginative aspects of HOL, like when I have to write for a class, an activity or a roleplay. Sky is actually a character from a novel I wrote when I was in my teens - I was lazy when signing up for HOL and used her. It's odd because now I both do and don't associate my HOL-self with that original character (I suppose my fictional HOL self might be an alternative universe version of her, if you want to get technical) Anyway, enough of that weird metafictional stuff. Sky is small, lightly built and blonde. She's confident and exuberant - she loves to show off her wit. She's kind, imaginative, fiercely protective and still hot headed, even as a professor. She comes from a pureblood family of academics and musicians but her own heritage is halfblood, as her mother is muggleborn (no joke, I had to do a family tree for a class.... it is extensive). She likes charms the best because she loves how useful, artistic and subtle they can be.

That will also be Hogsmeade when it reopens but you won’t meed anything extra like that to pass classes, just the info in the lessons and your smarts :)

The former as I like to keep my options open in tense situations. Would you rather get spilled on in potions or be hit by a rogue spell in charms?

Mine is silver birch, 10 inches with a joberknoll feather core (they're very curious critters... not sure what that says about me). I'm not sure about a flexibility as such as I created it myself but it's quite swishy owing to being fairly thin. It also has a cute kink in it because the piece of wood I found was curved rather than straight. It reminds me of a pen or a paintbrush in terms of the way it feels in my hand so it suits my creative side down to the ground. Lea, I love the sound of ebonised oak. So fancy.

Hogsmeade is currently being renovated at the minute but that's where you'll be able to buy things in the future. You don't need any equipment to pass your classes apart from the information in the lessons but if you'd like to know what sort of wand would choose you, there's a quiz on wizardingworld.com that lots of people use or you could even take the Wand-Making class where you can learn all about woods and cores. :) Have you looked at HOL 101 yet? that's designed to give new students the information they need to get started: https://sites.google.com/site/holhogwarts101/

That's very normal, don't worry. Most teachers on HOL have busy lives in real life (we're all unpaid volunteers who do this in our free time) so a lot of people will grade at the end of the month or even towards the end of term sometimes. Some people like me will grade more regularly but it really does depend on the teacher and the class. :)

You need to be over 17 years of age, complete 7 years at HOL and earn your NEWTs, then create a class to teach. The Head Office might make an exception in extraordinary circumstances but that's how it's normally done now. It's possible to become a student teacher much sooner than that though! That's where you remain a student and are still able to take classes/earn points but teach a class on the side. For that you just need to have been a member for 6 months, be over the age of 13 and create a class. :)

Probably a bird of prey of some description, perhaps a hawk or a kestrel (something small enough to go unnoticed and have plenty of manoeuvrability). I would absolutely love to be able to fly (particularly under my own steam with my own wings, as great as broomsticks would be). It would be super useful as my form would be a secondary mode of transportation and also a way to be inconspicuous if I needed to be. While I wouldn't relish the hunting aspect, it would be good to be able to take care of myself if I had to and the talons certainly would help with that.

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I slap Ada because so do I.

Hi there! It's easier to get people to join in with a discussion if you ask them something specific or share a bit about yourself so they have something to respond to. There are plenty of discussion topics about Harry Potter, music, theatre and books in this forum that you could post in to get the conversation flowing - hopefully someone will see and want to chat with you about something you mentioned. :) For more general conversation, we have the HOL chatrooms like #hol and #gryffindor which is a better place to strike up a random conversation and see who joins in. Stop by!

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What an incredible term that was for points! Let’s make this one just as good. There are plenty of opportunities around to get things off to a flying start. First up, the Departments have fresh projects. In Art they’re all loved up with prompts themed around flowers and gifts. Why not contribute a bloom to brighten up the place or design the ideal gift for someone (or even yourself!). In the library things have taken a more sinister turn as you get the chance to step into the shoes of an imposter… There’s also a chance to unleash your inner gossip with a prompt about local wizarding newsletters. There’s a maximum of 70 points up for grabs across both departments! Deadline: 28th February It’s also a busy time for HOL newspapers with 3 of them open for submissions at once: Hufflepuff’s Wizarding Times would love to see your submissions on everything to do with spring, The Burrow and new beginnings. Head over to the Great Hall subforum on the main HOL forum for more details. There are 50 points up for grabs from regular submissions and 40 from the nifty WT Challenges! Deadline: 8th March Next up, do you have a time-turner to hand? Slytherin’s SerpenTimes would love to see all your contributions on the theme of ‘a blast from the past’ (and anything else you can think of). Don’t forget that their Exclusives are a fun and simple way to snag yourself an extra 40 points, in addition to the 50 you can earn from regular submissions. Head down to the Dungeons to find out more. Deadline: 15th March Last but by no means least, our own Paw Print is also taking a look back. Our theme is ‘quaint and/or retro’ so we’d love to see all your cute and quirky ideas riffing off that (you could also come up with something that’s totally unrelated to that, we’re not fussy). We also have an extra 40 points to earn in addition to the 50 from regular submissions - you’ll find them in our fabulous Prose and Cons section. Mosey on down to the Quivering Quill forum for more details. Deadline: 28th March

7998

I slap Ivey for not understanding the importance of load bearing blankets.

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Hi Maeve, welcome to HOL and lovely to see you in The Den! Have lots of fun exploring the castle.

It’s time to present our termly awards and celebrate everything that Gryffindors did well during the Autumn Term. It was an amazing term for the house so whether or not you earned a trophy this time round, you should be extremely proud of what you achieved. First up, we have the platinum quill award which is given to the Gryffindor who has earned the most points throughout the term. Our winner this time is @Carrie Wartswith a tremendous haul of 1828 points! Congratulations, Carrie and keep up the excellent work. It was the closest race I’ve ever seen as she beat out last term’s winner, Iverian Gnash, by just 2 points. Next are the Phoenix Award (for Gryffindors) and Lionheart award (for Visitors) given to those people who have the highest ruby count here in The Den. Carrie Warts has done it again as she swoops in to claim the Phoenix award with a glittering 661 rubies. The winner of the Lionheart is unrivalled ruby gatherer extraordinaire @Maxim Trevelyan of Ravenclaw with a staggering 1010. And now onto the awards decided by the house staff: Curious Kitten This award is given to someone who has been an enthusiastic, welcoming and heartening presence around The Den. We would like to present it to @Manya Granger. She has spent every moment of her very first term demonstrating the qualities we love to see in our Gryffindors: friendliness, enthusiasm and (perhaps most importantly) heart. Consistent Cub This award is presented to someone who is everywhere, doing everything. We couldn’t think of a worthier recipient than @Rose Pottermore who has dived into all HOL has to offer headfirst. Her energy, adventurousness and friendliness light up The Den. Studious Simba This award goes to a lion who has distinguished themselves through hard work in class and beyond. We’d like to present it to @Emerald Wolvenhowl for her incredible efforts in her classes and elsewhere in the school this term. This award was particularly hard to decide on because it’s been a standout term for hard working gryffs. For that reason, we would also like to offer heartfelt commendations to @Carrie Warts, @Iverian Gnash, @Lorainia Riverrider, @Taylor O'Donoghue and Doris Creevey for all they achieved last term. Well done everyone and here’s to an equally splendid term this time round. I seem to have left my purse in my office so butterbeers are on Ivey!

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You cautiously tickle the pear and open the portrait door. Light, chatter and delicious smells greet you. The Hogwarts kitchen is already full of students and staff getting to work at the benches. Someone passes you an apron. The Situation: The headmaster (somehow) has managed to convince the house elves to let students and staff cook dinner for once. The heads of house have enthusiastically volunteered their students to go learn a little culinary magic. What tasty things will you whip up? And who will be washing the dishes? The Location: You may roleplay anywhere within the Hogwarts kitchens. Read the guidelines before you dive in and have fun!

The easiest way to help out your house and show your lion’s pride is to earn points! There are lots of ways you can do this so you’re bound to find some that play to your strengths. In this post, I’ll give you a brief run-down of the regular point earning opportunities available to you. Whenever a new one opens up throughout the term, I’ll post it as a reply so keep checking back! The first and most obvious is to take part in classes. Most classes will give you the chance to earn 60 points a month through homework and extra credit. If you take several classes (even if you don’t have the time for the maximum of 5 every term), those 60 points soon mount up to quite a tidy haul. Class sign-up opened on the 1st of February 2021 and will remain open until May 20th so remember to put your name down for the classes that interest you and get sending in that homework! (It’s always a good idea to keep an eye on the individual assignment deadlines so that you don’t run out of time or put too much pressure on yourself) The next are the creative projects offered each month by the Hol Library and art department. If you enjoy getting artsy or brushing up on your writing, visit the 'Departments' tab on the main website. Don't be shy: your submissions are anonymous during the rating period. You can get started by going to your profile and telling us 'How you Got Into Harry Potter' in the designated section - that will earn you a cool 10 points! Finally there are the house newspapers. These are a great chance to earn plenty of points by writing about what interests you. If articles and reviews aren’t your thing, most also offer creative prompts and even the chance to submit your own puzzles, recipes, graphics and many other things. All of them have different windows for submitting so be sure to check The Great Hall on the Hol Forum and the Common Rooms for announcements from the editors of each (I’ll be doing my best to keep you clued up about the deadlines for all of them here too). The most important thing to remember is that whenever you have some spare time to get journalistic, you’re almost certain to find a home for what you come up with. Brows old editions of our own Paw Print: https://gryff.net/pawprint Slytherin’s SerpenTimes: http://holserpentimes.weebly.com/ Ravenclaw’s Alte Sententiam: http://altesententiam.weebly.com/ And Hufflepuff’s Wizarding Times: http://www.thebadgersett.us/wizardingtimes/index.php Throughout the term, there will be unique and exciting activities to take part in which will give you the chance to earn points along the way. Remember to check my replies to this thread for announcements and reminders about anything that might be occurring!

The happiest of birthdays to one of our bubbliest, brightest lions. Carrie, have an amazing time and plenty of delicious plant based desserts.

Whoosh